Beyond - Legends The Thoughts that Count -- Author's thanks (UDC)

Still here!

I love all of them, including the latest set, but my favorites since I last posted are the Mara/Ghent ones. I always did like Ghent, but I like him ever so much more since you started writing about him. You capture his personality so well.

He looked back at her. ?You know, you?re very cranky to work with.?

I know it's been a popular line in the feedback, but very deservedly so. It's just so matter of fact, almost understated, yet who else would dare to say such a thing to Mara? And who else would she allow to say it? It's such fun to read about those two together.

 

Lovely, heart-warming set, diva! Makes me want to go hug a farmboy.

This was my favorite part:

I know that this wedding gift doesn?t look like very much, but it was special to me. My aunt and uncle (our father?s step brother) had this in our home. It?s one of the few things that survived the fire. It?s yours.

*clutches heart*

I wonder what it was - and what Leia's reaction was. I hope she was touched.

 

Jade_eyes: Now = brotherly sweetness

Luke may not have had a lot of money, but he had a lot of love. I think he would give something that really came from his heart for his sister and his best friend.

Forever Mara's practical and romantic--practical first; the end of her note was loving and tender and the fact that she had to leave him a note was very thoughtful. It gave me a strong sense of their sweet profound caring: that you'd love someone so much that even a ... typical morning routine is missed when it's interfered with. I love the idea of what they did for their anniversary, too. Fate was precious.

Thank you very much, Jade_Eyes! I pictured Luke asleep and she left the note on her pillow. Her speech has been described as ?breathy,? so I wrote the note as a series of joined phrases moreso than complete sentences. And most of our own kitchen-table notes are like that. You know, it?s strange but what was crossing my mind while writing this were the collected emails and voice messages of 9-11. All those tiny little personal messages that meant so much. Those are the things you treasure, the things that money just could never replace.


Jade_Pilot: Wonderful! I love this creative idea and love all the correspondence detailing Luke's life.

Thank you! This would be the collected ephemera of Luke Skywalker, I guess! (I wonder if Luke scrapbooks?)


Verybusy: Amazing! I like those a lot, like always!

Anyway, I ver strange thought just crossed my mind. If the sequence of the topic had not been given, and if you'd not cared about telling the events in Luke's live in the correct order. you could easily have changed "Nothing" and "Everything".

You?re right, you could. Obi-Wan is offering ?everything? to Owen and Beru in the opportunity to have a child to love, and Luke is left with ?nothing? when his foster parents die. I kinda planned it that way, and it came out better than I hoped.

Thank you for your reply, especially so early in the morning!


Ginchy: Oh, I love them, Diva! *hugs drabbles*

Obi-Wan's letter to Owen and Beru is just perfect, and the to be followed by the jolt of the letter addressing their deaths...

?Nothing? to ?Everything,? but also everything to nothing. He?d trade all his material possessions to have them back.

I love that Luke gave something of theirs to Han and Leia! How perfect. And Mara's letter to him, so sweet and perfectly Mara. hee. That's right, how little the galaxy does know.

And then Luke's letter to his son--can it get any better? I'm thinking not until you update again.

Yep, the galaxy has the wrong idea if they think Mr. & Mrs. Skywalker go home and watch the 11:00 news. Not with those big, bright moons that keep on ?shining? their light into the bedroom. And I can so completely see Luke writing letters to the people whom he loves the most, like Han & Leia and of course, Ben. I?ll bet there are a collection of love letters to Mara somewhere, saved in some beautiful keepsake box. Hmmm?Here, bunny bunny bunny?

Thanks, Ginchy, for the terrific reply!


Healer_Leona: All five were wonderful pieces, but something about Nothing & Everything are just stunning.

Thank you! They work well, I must admit. Obi-wan gives this small, helpless nothing of a child to Beru and Owen, and to them he becomes everything. Then when Beru and Owen are murdered, they leave everything to Luke (which tells us how much they truly loved him that they would give what little they had to him), but the value of material things, to Luke, is nothing compared to the people he loves. And the cold way that the entire form letter deals with it, makes it sound like to the rest of society Owen and Beru were nothing, but of course they were everything to Luke.


Jedi-2B: Wonderful update! I think "Nothing" and "Now" were my favorites, but I like them all. And it

 

Week 18: 11/3/06
Topic: Deceit


Eyes

?So, Aunt Mara, how can you tell if someone is deceptive if you don?t use the Force?? Anakin asked.

Mara raised an eyebrow. ?Body language is always helpful. A deceptive person will unconsciously change their habits.?

?How so?? the teenager prompted.

?The eyes, for example. They?ll react ? unnaturally,? Mara replied. ?When faced with evidence of a crime, an honest person reacts immediately. A liar responds the same way, but there?s a slight delay in the reaction. That?s because they aren?t surprised. Most people can?t see that delay, it?s so brief. But a Force sensitive could pick up on it.?


Nose

Anakin considered that fact. ?But that?s just one piece of evidence. You told me yourself that you need collaborating evidence before you should feel secure with an assumption. You can?t place blame on just one odd bit of body language.?

Mara smiled. ?Of course not. You look at the entire picture. The face is telling. Watch the facial muscles. Look at the nose; his nostrils will flare if he?s agitated. Again, the eyes: what is he looking at? An uncomfortable person avoids looking you in the face; but a person who is evil will stare you directly in the eyes.?


Ears

Jacen continued with his testimony as the memory of her long-gone conversation with Anakin replayed in Mara?s mind. She leaned in closer, scrutinizing him. A sideways glance revealed Luke nodding slowly as Jacen recounted what occurred on the planet.

Mara narrowed her eyes and watched Jacen closely. She noted how he held himself, what he did with his hands. A frown creased her forehead. Slowly, still addressing Luke, he turned to face her. Jacen?s unwavering stare bored into her. Mara?s ears began to ring, distorting Jacen?s words. She winced and rubbed her temples slowly as a sudden headache stabbed her.


Throat

Mara cringed as the pain from her throbbing headache radiated across her brow. She placed her head in her hand briefly as the pain undulated through her head.

The sensation reminded her of a long-suppressed memory. Once, when she was a very little girl, she had been presented to the Emperor. He had placed his withered hand across her head, and it sent waves of pain just like this.

Something cruel slithered across her mind, leaving shredded memories and broken cognition behind it. Luke, sensing her distress, turned to her, but her voice snagged in her throat, leaving her speechless.


Skin

?It?s nothing. I?m all right,? Mara reassured Luke.

?Are you sure? We could call a recess,? Luke said, concerned.

Mara waved him off. ?No, I?m fine,? she insisted, adjusting her robes and sitting back in her chair.

And yet? There was something she wanted to remember, something important. It was as if she had been holding it in her mind when it had been suddenly wrenched away. Something that had to do with Jacen. Or was it Anakin?

She felt it was something she ought to have remembered. The void where a memory should have been made her skin crawl.

 

Jacen continued with his testimony as the memory of her long-gone conversation with Anakin replayed in Mara?s mind. She leaned in closer, scrutinizing him. A sideways glance revealed Luke nodding slowly as Jacen recounted what occurred on the planet.

Mara narrowed her eyes and watched Jacen closely. She noted how he held himself, what he did with his hands. A frown creased her forehead. Slowly, still addressing Luke, he turned to face her. Jacen?s unwavering stare bored into her. Mara?s ears began to ring, distorting Jacen?s words. She winced and rubbed her temples slowly as a sudden headache stabbed her.

I love how the story is woven so tightly, even set in drabble format. If anything, you've made it serve your style instead of the other way around. This set of drabbles was particularly fantastic, I thought. There was almost a chiastic structure, with all that tension building up to the middle scene, and the falling despair and aching betrayal afterwards. I never could get into NJO stuff (I'll take Zahn and fanfic anyday over creepy alien horror stories and the Big Three in their sixties still charging around!), but this brings Jacen alive for me.

 

Eyes and Ears were terrific. Mara was spot on with the indicators of lying. Lawyers, police and mental health workers are specifically trained to see those nonverbal cues, but anyone can learn to pick them up.

And ... what happened in the last three drabbles ... just ... shattered me. I. Can't. Watch. Him. Do. That. to her!!!!!

Gosh, now I do indeed need a mush fix! I need a big humongus helping.

That really was brilliantly done.

I bet it was hard for you to write that.

 

Eeeeeek! My skin is crawling, too. This is why I've gotten out of the LOTF series... my weak angst-phobe mind just can't take it.

Great job on cultivating the subtle creepiness of this set!

 

Duuuuuuuuddeee........

That was incredible, diva! Excellent Mara-teaching-Anakin scene and introspection.

And as much as I despise the thought of Jacen having 'control' over Luke or Mara, this was a very convincing scenario. I got creepy-crawlies, too! *shudder*

Brava!

 

Mara?s ears began to ring, distorting Jacen?s words. She winced and rubbed her temples slowly as a sudden headache stabbed her.

He ears should hurt like hell in the Profics by this time, I think.

Anyway, this is a great set, you were able to express exactly the things I am thinking about a lot lately.

How does it come, that someone like Mara who was able to teach Anakin this easily while just acting as an older friend offering wishdom and experience, turned into someone who is not able to track down Jacen's deceit. Where did she leave her danger sense....

Great work

cheers,

VeryBusy

 

Halfway through, I kept shouting to myself, "Why can't profic Mara recognize the signs in Jacen!?!" And then by the end, you gave a perfectly logical explanation as to why she might not. Chilling! And superbly done.

 

Furrylittlebantha: I love how the story is woven so tightly, even set in drabble format. If anything, you've made it serve your style instead of the other way around.

Thank you, FLB! I sometimes think I?m making the drabbles too connected. Ah well, good thing I?m doing this for love, not money.

I never could get into NJO stuff (I'll take Zahn and fanfic anyday over creepy alien horror stories and the Big Three in their sixties still charging around!), but this brings Jacen alive for me.

Thank you! Jacen is a strange character, to say the least. When he was a kid, I thought he was great, especially the way he was able to communicate with animals. Now he doesn?t even seem to be the same guy. (Maybe it?s the beard.)


Jaded_Eyes: Eyes and Ears were terrific. Mara was spot on with the indicators of lying. Lawyers, police and mental health workers are specifically trained to see those nonverbal cues, but anyone can learn to pick them up.

Mara always tried to get Anakin to look beyond dependence on the Force. (?Don?t play with the Force,? she would say.) Seems logical that they would have a discussion on how non-Force users pick up clues.

Gosh, now I do indeed need a mush fix! I need a big humongus helping.

Well, I?m waiting for my cue words for that other fic I?m writing. And the next set is kinda mushy?

I bet it was hard for you to write that.

Not really; it?s just hard to read Mara?s defining characteristics being mauled without an explanation in the profic.


Healer_Leona: Superb set. My favorites were the creepiness of Throat & Skin.

Thanks! I was going for creepy.

Ginchy: Eeeeeek! My skin is crawling, too. This is why I've gotten out of the LOTF series... my weak angst-phobe mind just can't take it.

Thanks, Ginchy! I was thinking of the short story ?Harrison Bergeron? by Kurt Vonnegut. In the future (postulates Mr. Vonnegut), those people with exceptional talents are proportionally handicapped so that everyone in society can be equal. For example, a strong person must be weighed down by heavy chains, and you can tell immediately how beautiful a person is by how ugly their mask is. One of the things they do is send these painful static bursts into your head if you are intelligent to disrupt your thoughts. That?s what got me thinking about these drabbles.


Jedi Trace: That was incredible, diva! Excellent Mara-teaching-Anakin scene and introspection. And as much as I despise the thought of Jacen having 'control' over Luke or Mara, this was a very convincing scenario.

Thanks! Maybe he can?t control her, but he can mess with her enough to slow her down. I think that Jacen has some anger issues toward Luke anyway, and what better way to hurt Luke than to hurt Mara.


Verybusy: Her ears should hurt like hell in the Profics by this time, I think.

LOL!!!! True dat!!

How does it come, that someone like Mara who was able to teach Anakin this easily while just acting as an older friend offering wishdom and experience, turned into someone who is not able to track down Jacen's deceit. Where did she leave her danger sense...

Thanks, verybusy! You are absolutely right. Where did she leave that danger sense? Not the type of thing one might leave in the shopping cart or on the kitchen table. Seems like lately she?s switched off 90% of her Jedi skills.


Jedi-2B: Halfway through, I kept shouting to myself, "Why can't profic Mara recognize the signs in Jacen!?!" And then by the end, you gave a perfectly logical explanation as to why she might not.

Thank you! Again, I got the idea from ?Harrison Bergeron.? Maybe Jacen can?t keep her from thinking, but he can disrupt her enough that she can?t quite pull the thoughts together to make a conclusion.[face_

 

Week 19: 11/13/06
Topic: Departure


One

Having reset the ship?s chrono to ?day one,? Luke adjusted his exhausted body into the crash webbing and relaxed into the padding of the cockpit. He lay his head on the soft cushion, his thin gray hairs lifting delicately in the recycled air.

Artoo warbled a question. Luke, no longer needing to read the monitor in order to understand his oldest friend, closed his eyes. ?No, Artoo, the flight plan?s set. We should arrive in about a week, so I?ll just rest until we get there,? he replied tiredly.

Luke raised a wrinkled hand to switch off the interior lighting.


Three

On day three, Luke detected a soft hissing, reminding him of the gentle breezes that twisted the sands into intricate patterns. The sound rustled again, and this time it reminded him of sleepy breathing.

Of her.

He opened his eyes and looked up. For a moment he was speechless. Then a smile slowly overcame him. She grinned down at him, her eyes twinkling. Her skin was smooth, undamaged, absent the cruel burns and wounds that he had remembered.

?Hello, Farmboy,? she said quietly. Shakily, he reached up to touch this vision, and she grasped his hand firmly in her own.


Five

?You?re here,? he said, amazed.

He raised himself up as she helped him to his feet. He felt younger somehow, the familiar aches diminished, as he approached her.

He glanced backward toward the ship, where the chrono already read day five. Where was the time going? he wondered. ?What about Ben?? Luke asked. ?He needs me.?

She tilted her head and toyed with his blond hair. ?You?ll always be there for him. Just like I?ve always been there for you.?

Luke grasped her face in his hands and kissed her greedily, like a desert man too long deprived of water.



Seven

?It?s your choice, Luke,? she said.

Luke glanced again at the ship and saw the old man lying motionless in the seat. The ship?s chrono indicated that it was seven days since he had gone into hibernation. A strident series of alarms from the control panel punctuated Artoo?s frantic whistling.

He pulled her closer. ?My life broke apart the day you left,? he said hoarsely. ?Now I can finally make it better.?

She smiled understandingly, raised his right hand to her lips, and kissed it. For the first time, he felt her gentle touch against the skin of his palm.



Nine

?Nine days in space, then it shows up derelict. I don?t know how that happened.? The technician lowered a datapad to his partner.

The man at the foot of the access ladder paused. ?What do you mean??

?Well,? the technician said, poking at the cockpit canopy, ?for a Jedi, he didn?t seem to be too aware of his surroundings. Such a tiny air loss. It probably leaked for days. What did he do, sleep through the alarms? And that R2 unit screaming a blue streak like that? He had to know. Why didn?t he just wake up and fix it??

 

Just catching up! Wow sister pilot, these were wonderfully intense and provocative. So well done. I can't even pick a favorite as all of them tell such a riveting story.

Bravo!

 

This reminds me of the poignancy of Disengage. Oh, how absolutely sweet this was!! So touching and loving! Gosh, that's so like The Notebook.

 

Oh, how beautiful! Sorry, a bit emotional and teary here. I agree, it is like your wonderful "Disengage"! Poor Luke, it was so hard to read of him being so beat-down, old, and tired... but the beautiful breath of fresh air that is Mara came to be reunited with him and put a big smile on my face.

Great set--but, but... they're almost over! That's cause for more tears!

Wonderful set!

 

How sad, and happy, at the same time. I love the little details you slip in, like his hair changing from gray to blond when he goes with Mara. How Artoo is his oldest friend. How Ben would be his only reason for staying alive, but Mara reminds him that he will always be with Ben. And how the techs finding his ship lets us know what his decision was. All wonderful!

 

ACK! So painful and beautiful and fitting, all at the same time.

She smiled understandingly, raised his right hand to her lips, and kissed it. For the first time, he felt her gentle touch against the skin of his palm

A real, flesh right hand for the first time. *clutches heart*


And poor Artoo! I hope he gets to go into droid retirement after that.

Lovely, lovely set, diva!!!

 

so it is finally comming to an end....

This really a great set again, beautiful although I had a big lump in my stomach when I read those for the first time last night.

I have to admit, Luke would be the last person I'd considercommiting suicide, in my imagination he was always the one who would "hold out" even if he'd been nearly broken.
On the other hand, thinking about an scenorio like this looks very much in character as well.

She smiled understandingly, raised his right hand to her lips, and kissed it. For the first time, he felt her gentle touch against the skin of his palm.

Somehow, I like this part best. I like the way you indicate that he is nearly there by that time. This was no quick decision but a time drifting from one reality to the other...still feeling connectedto his old life, but finally feeling the reality that is Mara again...

*sigh* I do not know if I am going to make sense here...

cheers,

VeryBusy

 

Jade_Pilot: these were wonderfully intense and provocative. I can't even pick a favorite as all of them tell such a riveting story.

Thank you! I guess thinking about the Legacy series got me thinking of the inevitable.


Jade_Eyes: This reminds me of the poignancy of Disengage. Oh, how absolutely sweet this was!! So touching and loving! Gosh, that's so like The Notebook.

Thanks! I guess it is a sequel of sorts to ?Disengage.? And I gotta read The Notebook. It sounds pretty good.


Ginchy: Poor Luke, it was so hard to read of him being so beat-down, old, and tired... but the beautiful breath of fresh air that is Mara came to be reunited with him and put a big smile on my face.

Thank you, Ginchy. I think that 60 or so years of saving the galaxy would wear you out. (Look how fast poor Obi-Wan aged!) Luke deserves to have some joy back in his existence.


Jedi-2B: How sad, and happy, at the same time. I love the little details you slip in, like his hair changing from gray to blond when he goes with Mara. How Artoo is his oldest friend. How Ben would be his only reason for staying alive, but Mara reminds him that he will always be with Ben. And how the techs finding his ship lets us know what his decision was. All wonderful!

Thanks! I?m so glad you caught those details. He?s served his people long enough. Returning to Mara is his reward. I liked the ?common? touch of the two unnamed techs who complete his story.


Healer_Leona: It seemed such a hopeful set, then you jerk me awake with Nine! That was wonderfully written, just terribly sad.

Thank you! But it?s still hopeful. He is happy again. He?s whole again.

Jedi Trace: So painful and beautiful and fitting, all at the same time. A real, flesh right hand for the first time. *clutches heart*

Thanks! Yes, he?s whole again. He?s with Mara, and he?s complete.

And poor Artoo! I hope he gets to go into droid retirement after that.

Poor Artoo might need to go to droid therapy after that. All his friends are leaving him. Does the Force include droid blue ghosties?


verybusy: so it is finally comming to an end...


Yes, my 20 drabbles end below. They were quite challenging and I learned a lot as a writer.

This really a great set again, beautiful although I had a big lump in my stomach when I read those for the first time last night. I have to admit, Luke would be the last person I'd consider commiting suicide, in my imagination he was always the one who would "hold out" even if he'd been nearly broken. On the other hand, thinking about an scenorio like this looks very much in character as well.

I hope the lump in your stomach was not me making you sick! You know, I hadn?t considered this a suicide. If you think of Luke?s death as the moment Mara reappears, then he dies at the same time that he coincidentally detects the air loss (day 3). I think of this as sort of Luke?s personal ?do not resuscitate? order. The effort required to come out of hibernation and fix the ship isn?t greater than the desire to say ?enough.? It?s his time. And really, drifting off in your sleep when you are very old is a pretty good way to go, especially when you are reunited with your beloved.

?She smiled understandingly, raised his right hand to her lips, and kissed it. For the first time, he felt her gentle touch against the skin of his palm.? Somehow, I like this part best. I like the way you indicate that he is nearly there by that time. This was no quick decision but a time drifting from one reality to the other...still feeling connected to his old life, but finally feeling the reality that is Mara again...

Yes, that?s what I was trying to convey. He slides for a few days, and time wavers, and he?s just barely tethered to his life. But his real ?li

 

I have to say that doing this drabble challenge has been fun! I've learned a great deal about watching my word choice and pacing. Thank you, Zonoma, for running this challenge.

Here is my last set of drabbles. I hope you enjoy them. I appreciate the support!

---

Week 20: 11/20/06
Topic: Legend (Ben introspection)


[b] A Light in the Dark [/b]

This is how I remember them. My mother, arms wide, standing out in the snow, ignoring the cold, her face tilting toward the clouds while the soft white flakes cling to the damp tendrils of her hair. My father, his eyes focused and intent, placing a firm hand on my shoulder as he directs me toward some distant goal. The musical sound of her laugher, like an exotic bird. How he would unknowingly hum when he worked.

I?ve sheltered each moment like a light in the dark, secluded places of time. As long as I remember them, they continue still.


[b]Steer by the Stars [/b]

Most people know my mother was a dancer, but few knew that my father could dance, too. I watched them once, drifting to unheard music, when they thought I was sleeping. They moved in perfect synchronization to an archaic waltz, hip to hip, arms extended across each other.

In that moment, there was only the two of them. They weren?t Jedi masters, historical figures, public guardians, or even my parents. They were a man and a woman, fingers interlocked, moving closer with each imagined beat. The peaceful evening spun softly around them and they seemed to steer by the stars.


[b]Shake the Heavens[/b]

I choose to remember when joy was like a loyal friend. I decided long ago to hold the kind words and blessings close in my heart, and to set loose the hurt and indignation. They do me no benefit and they diminish me.

Perhaps that?s why I cannot clearly recall the angry words and bitter accusations that came about toward the end. Instead, I remember that summer evening when my family lay outside at night at our campsite, the sky so close that it seemed I could reach up, shake the heavens, and the stars would rain down upon us.


[b]Beneath These Hands [/b]

He lovingly framed her features beneath these hands, her voice in this devoted heart. She cherished every aspect of him as if he were a part of her own being.

His consciousness nestled within her mind like a kitling seeking warmth, and her gentle touch soothed his heavy burden.

They intertwined, each completing and fulfilling the other. Even if they were separated physically, they were never a moment apart from the moment they consecrated themselves to each other. Every conspiratorial whisper and private smile reminded me that as much as they loved me, they had loved each other fiercely first.


[b] The Path and the Walker [/b]

Each person hopes that in the bleakest winter, spring will arrive, as promised. That?s the way with love: when all hope seems denied and loneliness shadows our days, there comes a reminder that true happiness can and does exist. For a blissful moment, the light and the lantern, the path and the walker, can become one and the same. Both lead and both follow. They are one soul.

People die, accomplishments fade, all things must end; so it was with my parents. It?s fitting that they are remembered most for their brightest gift: their passionate love, which ascended to legend.

 

Diva, that was sheer and absolute poetic glory!!!
Saved the best for last, I see. That in itself is saying a lot!!!!!!! Magnificent splendiferousness. I'm going to have to reread these gems from time to time.

 

Oh, these are so beautiful. I love 'seeing' how Ben remembers his parents, and their love of each other and him. I think The Path and the Walker is my favorite, but all are wonderful!

I'm so sad your drabbles are over--I've enjoyed them all so much! Take a bow, lady--it's well deserved!