Saga To cast away stones--Winner of Best Epic, 2007 Saga Fanfic Awards--AU Pre-ESB time-travel

[image=http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m45/darthisthar/tcas.jpg]

TO CAST AWAY STONES

PROLOGUE

For the good of all, those who ruled Alderaan lived a lie.

Despite the tendency of politicians of all races, creeds and species to cover their tracks, the High Court of Alderaan had often been commended for their policies against that. It was well-known that Alderaanian information could aways be relied on and this was only enhanced by the fact that they had no motivation to serve anything but peace.

There were, however, two great lies perpetrated by the Viceroy and his Queen, but few knew of such an infraction. The few who were privy to such information were those who could be trusted to never divulge that information except under the most dire of circumstances.

The first great lie began with a single datafile. It recorded the live birth of a daughter to Queen Breha and Viceroy Bail Organa in the summer that saw the beginning of the Empire. No detail was omitted, since the Viceroy had been present at the birth and certainly had enough information to fabricate an heir for Alderaan. No one dared to question that the girl who had her 'mother's' dark hair and her 'father's' diplomatic patience was anyone but an Organa.

They might have noticed something different in the lines of her face or the almost Jedi-like intuition that she possessed from an early age, but there were no questions asked. When it came to the leadership of an entire world, no one could afford to ask any questions.

The second great lie was one that was hardly unique to Alderaan and stemmed from the dark presence of a being that they could neither call a machine nor a man. He was half-alive if that and condemned by his choices and his body to spend the remainder of his days in an armor that allowed him to feel nothing beyond the chafing of the leather against his scarred flesh. It was rumored that, because he had relinquished his right to emotions when turning to the Dark Side, any other sensations were irrelevant.

Alderaan lied because many asked who he had been. They spoke of the Jedi he murdered and the Separatists that he had slaughtered. They shuddered at the hatred he had for the Force and the contempt he held for justice, but they could not speak his name.

They could not speak it because there was a power anchored in the reminder of who he was and who he had become.

They could not invoke the name of Anakin Skywalker because the children that he had fathered might still draw on the same power that he had turned against the Galaxy.

PART 1
A Time For Every Purpose

It was said that Leia Organa, the last High Princess of the murdered Royal Court of the erstwhile Alderaan, looked like her mother.

It was true enough. Most who voiced that opinion were those who saw Breha Organa's dark beauty and nobility in her narrow features. They recognized the formidable stare that she had cultivated in the service of the Senate.

Those who had known her as Leia before the surname of Organa was granted to her knew that she looked instead like the woman who gave birth to her. They also knew exactly how dangerous the resemblance was.

When she had been held by the Empire and challenged Lord Vader's ability to break any mind, they had feared that he would see enough of Padme Amidala in there that he would recognize her as his own. Instead, he was too distracted by the power to resist him that she had inherited from her Jedi father to care about what ghost she brought to mind.

That distraction had cost the Galaxy one of its Core worlds and cost Leia Organa, née Leia Skywalker, any compassion she had ever harbored for the man who called himself Vader.

So, instead, it was the report of a farmboy pilot by the name of Luke Skywalker that turned Vaderâ??s thoughts to a hunt for his child. No person could discern the mind of the Dark Lord, but they knew that his initial reaction killed four men and his search for young Skywalker had been claiming lives in the five months since that moment.

His intention wa

 

Nice story Ish, I'll be keeping an eye on this one.

What happened to your colours? You no longer CR?

 

I'm hooked!

Han and Leia are going to make quite an uproar in the RotS era

What are they going to think when they discover that Vader isn't around yet... but meet Padmé and Anakin (assuming of course that they do come face to face)

I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this!

jcs

 

Yes!! Han IS with her!

Looks Great!!!

 

Real interesting.

Looking forward to more.

 

I really like this. The tone seems fine to me. Everything is pretty consistent with who they are.

The idea is intriguing. I hope you keep having fun with this one!

 

Wynssa Starflare, who is she?


Loved it, almost like I'd heard about it or something. I read 1/2 through this, saw lots of Riekan and then saw you wrote it.

Yep. Definately an Ish story.

Good Job!

PM when you update.

 

Too bad Lukeys not with them, or does he come in later?

 

SpiritofEowyn , Wynssa Starflare is actually the older sister of Wedge Antilles.

 

Ooh, interesting AU. Never would have imagined Leia in the RotS-era.

 

Just found this, and wow!

I love time travel storys, and i think this will be especially good too

 

Nice story!

Looking forward to their encounter with everyone. Update soon!

 

Good to see that the Falcon arriving at the Senate docking bays is implied as what we saw onscreen where the Falcon is seen landing at the Senate docking bays in the movie.

 

Oh, my...

Time travel in SW is always tricky. Nice move glossing over that part so we can get to the meat of the story.

Heh, loved the fact that Wynssa Starflare might rank more protection than Vader. And great opening spiel, too.

 

Ooooooooo. You're doing time travel, Ish?

I think your shock scale just went to 11.

 

"That's impossible," Han said immediately. "From the way we hit the anomaly..."

"From the way we hit it, we were lucky not to be killed," Leia retorted. "I'm surprised we aren't meeting up with the Empress Teta."

He nodded. "We were lucky," he conceded.

"Lucky?" she shrilled. "Vader doesn't exist yet!"

He winced sincerely, but she wasn't sure if it were because he was finally cognizant of their dilemma or if he were simply realizing that that lump on his head should hurt some.

"Minor drawback," he insisted confidently. "Come on, let's keep a little optimism here."

Her hand came up once more to cradle her head, drawing a grimace from her as well. "Our credits," she said quietly, "our identifications, everything is based on the principle that we were going to the Empire."

"Our birth certificates are the right format," he countered. "That should be enough for now."

"Not when they ask you to prove how you're going to pay for the docking bay," she shot back.

Finally, that seemed to get through his concussed skull and the grimace turned into a full-out scowl. "No chance that you've got a Jedi mindtrick hidden up your sleeve?"

"No, Han," she said impatiently, "you need to be a Jedi for that."

With that, she unstrapped and stalked towards the ramp, trying to ignore the fact that she wasn?t exactly sure of her stability. Han followed a little more steadily, retrieving the bags.

?You?re overreacting,? he alleged loudly as she headed down the ramp. ?Just because we?ve hit a few bumps??

?A few bumps?? she interrupted. ?You call all of this A FEW BUMPS??

?Trouble, milady??

It had never occurred to her in the rather flustered state that she had been in from the moment that she laid eyes on the Jedi Temple that they might want to check on their audience. Unfortunately, their audience consisted of what looked to be the Senate guard.

?Lovers? quarrel,? Han said cheekily, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

?Lovers?? Leia snorted, shrugging him off. ?Not even in my worst nightmare!?

He shook his head, winking at the nearest guard. ?You know how women are,? he confided.

Reaching up, the guard pulled free the helmet to reveal narrow features and a thick head of long, auburn hair. ?I do,? she confirmed, ?but probably not in the way you do.?

Han at least had the decency to look abashed, but she ignored that and turned to Leia. ?Commander Bey of the Senate guard,? she introduced herelf. ?If you?ll come with us, I can arrange some medical care.?

?That?s not nece?? Han began, but fell silent at Bey?s look.

?You can stay behind,? she said brusquely, ?but I?m not letting her go untreated.?

There was something in her tone that suggested a drastic misunderstanding, but Leia didn?t argue.

The gash in her forehead required only a bacta patch, but she had apparently broken her wrist in the event, which required a cast. Han was in another room, having his bumps and bruises looked at, but Bey spoke in a low voice so that he would not be able to overhear.

?Say the word,? she murmured, ?and I can have him taken away.?

She had no idea why the woman would even suggest such a thing, even with all the frustration she had with the man. A moment later, however, it became too clear.

Stunned, Leia could only stammer, ?There was a crash??

?The ship is in perfect condition and he is hardly suffering,? she retorted. ?You don?t have to be brave just because you think I?m easily fooled.?

?I don?t know,? Leia insisted.

Another glance over her shoulder. ?Where are you from, milady??

?Alderaan,? Leia supplied automatically.

Bey nodded solemnly. ?I know Senator Organa well and he is a good man.?

Of course he is. He?ll be my father once I?m born.

?He can give you asylum,? she suggested, ?even if it?s just until he cools down.?

Asylum with an Alderaanian would mean more than a place to stay. It would, if necessary, mean a job. A perfect means to get the credits that they no longer had.

?I?ll need to tell him??

?No, you don?t,? Bey s

 

the senate guard thinks that Han is beating Leia? That's a bad first impression...

Leia working in the Alderaanian consulate is going to be very interesting.

Finally, that seemed to get through his concussed skull and the grimace turned into a full-out scowl. "No chance that you've got a Jedi mindtrick hidden up your sleeve?"

"No, Han," she said impatiently, "you need to be a Jedi for that."

Just keep telling yourself that Leia...

this is shaping up to be an amazing story!

jcs

 

Very, very bad first impression here...

Leia, you have to be a Jedi? Hehe, lovely irony there, dudette. And han, you inserted your leg up to your knee when you said. 'you know how women are.'

 

This is so cool Ish. Please add me to your pm list if you have one.

 

Good post.

Poor Han, blamed for everything under the sun.

 

You've got me hooked. I can't wait to see where this goes....

If you have a PM list, I'd love to be on it!

 

Oooooooooooooo! This is awesome! Could I pretty please be added to your PM list?






-Commander Tharen-

 

I just found this today, and I really enjoyed it!

I always enjoy time travel fics, and I am so curious where you are going to take this one.

?I am willing to serve,? Leia said flatly. ?My feelings about the mission are irrelevant.?

This line echoes Anakin's line in ROTS, "Under the circumstances I'd say the ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant," so perfectly. I am curious if when she has a chance to meet him, that she will realize how alike they are.

With any other tone, she might have joked about whether or not they were eliminating Vader or the mess hall staff, but the entire tone of the meeting suggested immediately what they intended.

Strangely this line made me think of the high school cafeteria...

Poor Han, lol. He may be a scoundrel, but he wouldn't hurt Leia. Though Leia is right, being separate might help their cause.

Again, I really enjoyed this, and I look forward to the next part.

If you have a PM list, could you add me to it?

Thank you!

Ani-maniac

 

Katana_Geldar--Thanks, glad you're enjoying.

jaina_clan_solo--You're hooked? I wasn't fishing for...oh forget the dumb pun. Uproar is an understatement. And yes, there is that nasty little thing about Vader not existing just yet. Thanks!

Novahawk9--And we all shout "YAY!" for Han. Thanks.

starwarsfan1000--thanks!

Noelie--Thanks, hon, glad the tone turned out right because that was so iffy. I am having a lot of fun.

SpiritofEowyn--The blonde goddess that no one ever hears about. And dejavu? Definitely an Ish story.

Katana_Geldar--I plead the fifth

NickStarwalker--Smart guy.

Liesl--Cool. Glad you like this so far.

Yorkshire-Gal--Awww, thanks! I love time travel and aspire to be like my padawan Idrelle.

RK_Striker_JK_5--It won't always gloss over it. It just is waiting for Andromeda's plot bunny to grab hold. And Wyn's cuter than Vader.

ThePariah--Wow, I think I'm flattered.

jaina_clan_solo--Yeah, bad first impression. And Leia will have a very interesting role in the consulate.

And yes, Leia has no idea what she's saying.

RK_Striker_JK_5--Just a bit. That's the dramatic irony I've been telling you about. And Han did meterlo.

Amidala66--Will do. Thanks!

starwarsfan1000--Thanks and typical, yes.

jedi_princess18--Will add you. Glad you're enjoying.

MoeTharen--Yes you may. Thanks.

Ani-maniac--Well, it's easy to just find it today when it's only two days old. I think you'll be very interested by this one. I hadn't think of the ROTS echo on that line. And it might be that she will recognize her temperamental resemblance. What is that about the cafeteria? Poor Han, indeed. Separation has a very big point. I'll add you as well.

 

I love it! Love it! Love it! Exactly as good as I thought it would turn out when you adopted the bunny. I love how Leia is initially resistant of the mission and classic H/L banter. I like that Alderaanians don't exactly have murder in their language.

Look forward to the next part.