Saga Unforgiven: Major post-ANH Vader/Ami AU...MOVED, UPDATE 7/15!!

I've decided to move this to the new boards.

Unforgiven

Summary: Ami/Vader AU. The Rebels are defeated at Yavin 4, but a
small band, led by a tactically brilliant woman with an obscure past,
still remains. A revelation from his past pits Lord Vader against
both the Emperor and his arch-nemesis Prince Xizor.

Prologue

***

In the periphery of Lord Vader's vision, the walls of the Death Star's main trench rushed by with blinding speed, though Vader's
focus was entirely on his target. The lone Rebel X-wing skidded and jinked in a desperate attempt to throw off its pursuer's aim.

"The Force is strong with this one. I'll take him myself," Vader ordered his two wingmen.

The Rebel was good, he was forced to concede, if out of nothing else than professionalism. But, like the rest of them, he was doomed to fail.

Another young boy from some obscure planet, strapping himself into a fighter with misbegotten romantic notions of youthful idealism. Such foolishness, Vader knew, was the well from which this accursed
Rebellion drew its strength. He had once been similarly mistaken.

Such a waste.

But Vader did not truly feel pity, he had encased his soul in an armored shell even more impenetrable than the one which held what remained of his body. He continued to close on the dodging fighter, and finally his targeting sensor indicated a positive lock.

He pressed the firing button, releasing a flurry of shots from the TIE's twin blaster cannon. The X-wing, already crippled,
disintegrated, flinging its wreckage against the trench walls.

***

Seconds later, Han Solo reverted to realspace just as he watched, in horror, as eight laser beams converged from the perimeter of the Death Star's firing dish, the huge composite main beam lancing out
toward Yavin 4.

The moon glowed momentarily, then vanished in a gigantic explosion. Han and Chewbacca stared in open-mouthed horror at the scene. They had seen what the huge battle station had done to Alderaan, but to actually witness the Death Star in action was something else entirely.

Chewbacca growled with rage. Coming to his senses, Han Solo saw a formation of TIE fighters rapidly approaching his position. Still shaken, he attempted to regain his composure. He could reflect later, but first he had to get out alive.

"Yeah, I know. Told 'em it was a damned suicide mission. We'd better get the hell out of here. Calculate a hyperjump vector!"

Chewie growled again.

"It doesn't matter *where,*" Han snapped, "Just get us out of here!"

Just before the fighters could close within range, the Falcon disappeared into hyperspace.

Han Solo had arrived too late.

***

Only a few hundred remained.

This few hundred was all that was left of nearly a thousand. Male and female, human and alien, young and middle-aged, though even for the youngest innocence was a long-faded memory. Each displayed the hard stare, the mark of indifference to pain and horror, loss and death, the stare that was an unmistakable expression of the veteran soldier.

Nor did they resemble any conventional notion of a military unit. There was no visible uniform, save for the dull and mottled color of their clothing. They carried no standard gear, the weapons included an assortment of civillian blasters, Clone War surplus rifles, and captured Imperial-issue carbines. The weapons, unlike the uniforms and the soldiers who carried them, were clean.

Their commander, too, did not resemble the usual image of a professional officer. She was human, female, slender and of diminutive stature, by no means imposing.

None of her soldiers even knew her name.

It was rare to see her without the armor, styled after that worn by the Mandalorian bounty hunters, with the full helmet completely concealing her face. When she did not wear the helmet, she obscured her identity with a heavy hood. Yet none of her soldiers pressed her about her identity - she had more than earned their respect, even admiration - yet that did not stop them from private speculation.

 

NOTE: Regular readers: I've changed a few details about Padme's backstory to fit with AOTC rather than my own Ep 2, in the hope that this story will better stand alone. Nothing else, however, has been altered. E3 speculation remains mine and may or may not contain spoilers for the DOTF sequel (and if it does, I won't tell you)

The cantina was a dive even by a smuggler?s standards. Han sipped the local ale, a concoction with a bantha on the bottle?s label, and Han thought, judging by its taste, that perhaps banthas were involved in the production of the beverage to a much more considerable extent than he would have liked to know. A loud four-piece band with amplified instruments bludgeoned its way through a traditional smugglers? song about lost love, alcoholism, and suicidal Kessel runs.

The Devonarian across the table cursed under his breath, furious at having parted with five thousand credits. However, having seen Han?s blaster pistol hanging conspicuously from its hip holster, he seemed smart enough not to press the issue further.

Before, five thousand credits would have been worth celebrating, but Han had hit another of his periodic runs of extremely bad luck. This particular streak, which seemed to start right after the Rebel defeat at Yavin, had been one of the worst. He still owed Jabba the Hutt, and the furious gangster had put dozens of bounty hunters on his trail, and on top of that, had Han blacklisted from all his usual ? and most lucrative ? clients. Gambling had been his main source of revenue and the occasional small-time cargo run, but the little he earned was barely enough to keep the Millenium Falcon operating.

To make matters worse, the civil war, a boon for the black market, seemed to be winding down. Imperial victory seemed more inevitable as more and more Rebel strongholds fell to overwhelming numbers and firepower. Han, who had once experienced the Imperial officer corps firsthand, was sure that once the Rebels were defeated, smugglers and black marketers would become the next main enemy of Palpatine?s regime. The Empire?s increasing stranglehold on the galactic economy, necessary to fund the massive Imperial war machine and police regime had made demand for many goods soar, and smuggling immensely profitable. The Rebels relied on smugglers for gun running, moving important personnel, and often intelligence information. But the illicit trade was costing the Empire vast amounts of revenue, and to many Imperial officers, smugglers were only one step removed from Rebel traitors on the list of most hated enemies. His involvement in the operation against the Death Star would do him no good, he knew.

Assuming he could somehow repay Jabba, with interest, and the Hutt did not simply have him killed on sight, his future still seemed to offer fewer and fewer alternatives. Even old friends seemed to have turned their backs on him to save their own skins, Lando and Doc among them.

All these dire factors had led to a harried, paranoia-infested existence for the last several months. He and Chewie had made perhaps one too many narrow escapes, and Han, normally a man with a considerable deal of faith in his own abilities and resourcefulness, began to feel the unpleasant, bitter taste of fear and hopelessness. In short, he knew Lady Luck was a fickle mistress, and never stayed with any man for long.

He wanted to leave. Not just the cantina, not just the middle-of-nowhere system on the fringes of the Corporate Sector, but the ever-bleaker world around him. Perhaps he could save some cash and strike out with Chewie and the Falcon for the Unknown Regions and disappear completely. Perhaps such potential for adventure could overcome the inevitable loneliness, of having no home port to return to.

Perhaps he would try one more hand of Sabaac. He rose, planning on scooping out the high-stakes tables. It was then that he saw a dark shape move toward him from the crowd of patrons standing in front of the band.

No one Han recognized, which could be either good or bad.

 

This is a fantastic spin on the Yavin battle. I never read a story with the Empire winning there before. I can't wait to read the rest.

 

At the risk of repeating myself - AHEM - this is really good stuff - just like always.

Glad you're working on updating.

CYN

 

Hey this is really good. It's inventive and well-written. I'll be back to check on this one.

 

Cool! Two new readers, and Cyn! Thanks, everybody!

-Tim

 

You killed the twins! [face_shocked]

OK, now that I'm over my initial shock, I can say it. Great story! A very different take on the norm. I'll be looking for more!

--later--

 

I'm here, too! Waiting patiently as always. Don't care where you post the story - just keep posting, OK?

 

You killed the twins!

OK, now that I'm over my initial shock, I can say it. Great story! A very different take on the norm. I'll be looking for more! >>

Thanks! WEll, when I say "major AU", I don't fool around, eh? LOL. I wondered if killing the Twins would put off quite a few readers in the first post, so yeah, it was a gamble...but I wanted to do an Ami/Vader AU that wasn't yet another parallel to JG, A21, and AP's Lady Vader series. Plus, it's HUGELY important to later events and Vader's storyline - and the title, for that matter. As I said on the old thread, this is probably the angstiest story I've ever come up with.

-Tim

 

Yikes! Cliffhanger too!

Good job as always, Tim.

 

Well, the only thing that would have kept me away was the fact that Xizor's in it. I really, really don't like him, but I'll put up with him because everything else is so good.

 

DL: I hate Xizor too - which is why I have him as an overconfident moron with an overly-inflated sense of his own self-importance. Don't worry...karma will catch up with him eventually.

-Tim

 

I think you're addressing the wrong person, I'm a literal unknown that's just putting in my two credits. I'm really glad that karma will be catching up with Xizor though.

 

Great story!! I love that you killed off the twins- should make for some interesting revelations in the future.

 

Tatooinewizard...OOPS! My bad...I somehow mixed up your comment with DL's...

Mea culpa.

-Tim

 

Very interesting! I can't wait to see where this story goes.

 

Okay, just a shortie for now because I'm still working on the second half, but hey, it's an update, right?

-Tim

**

Han came to several hours later, finding himself lying atop a rock-hard bunk in what looked like a small stateroom. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled cold, stale air, and felt a familiar, almost imperceptible vibration, which was unmistakable to any pilot. He was aboard some type of ship.

He sat up, feeling dizzy, and was assaulted by a pounding headache. He ignored the pain as best as he could manage and tried to assess his situation. He remembered the Bothans and the encounter outside the Cantina, and his last conscious thought - the blaster bolt fired was blue, not the typical red of a kill shot. Headache must be from the stun shot. Chewie was nowhere in sight ? must be in another room, he guessed. He looked down at his body ? holster was gone, and patting the inside of his vest pocket, he found his comlink missing as well. His wrist and boot vibroblades were also taken. He stuck his hands into his trouser pockets ? identification (false) was still there, as were his credit vouchers, which still included his sabbacc winnings.

His bunk was of a style that folded into the wall. The only other furniture consisted of a small plasteel table with a single, cheaply-made chair - standard budget starship furniture - designed to mass as little as possible, with comfort a secondary consideration. There was an open door in the wall to his right, and he glimpsed a small ?fresher. He saw that the room?s entry door had no visible locking mechanism on the inside that could be disabled. Nothing looked usable as a weapon, and there were no visible escape routes.

The Bothans seemed to know what they were doing.

Han had no idea who they were, who they worked for, what they wanted, or where they were taking him in their ship. He began to consider possible options.

They might be bounty hunters. It was certainly an obvious answer, but there were four of them, and it was odd for bounty hunters to work in teams ? that meant dividing up the loot. They would have taken his credits, too.

?I have my orders,? one of them had said. ?Orders?? That meant either military or civil authority.

Empire? That made even less sense. Going through all the trouble of posing as a client and leading him outside the cantina would be far too subtle when a squad of Stormtroopers could have just as easily arrested him on sight. Sometimes the Imps used aliens for undercover work, but Bothans seemed unlikely. The Empire considered them even more potentially traitorous than most other nonhumans, and with good reason - the famed Bothan spy net, rumors had it, had begun lending its services to the Rebels.

Imp intel? Maybe. But they would have taken his identification and run it through their databases, and would not have bothered to slip it back into his pocket. Local law enforcement couldn?t be the answer either ? there would be no need for a starship.


The confusion made his headache worse. A quick recheck of the room ? still no good news. Where?s the Falcon? The situation wasn?t looking good, and his uncertainty was perhaps the worst part. There was nothing he could do at the moment except wait for an opportunity ? he laid back down on the bunk and went to sleep ? he would need to be well-rested and alert when the time came to escape.

**

Three Bothans awakened him, and all had drawn blasters. ?Get up,? one said. ?Slowly. No sudden moves.?

Han complied, relieved to find his headache and dizziness gone. Two Bothans stood covering the door with their weapons while the third walked over to him and slipped a pair of wrist binders onto him. A dark hood went over his head. He felt a hand grab each arm at the bicep.

?Come on,? the leader said. ?Play it smart and you won?t get hurt.?

Han wasn?t comforted. He was led forward slowly for several moments until he stepped down what he assumed was the ship?s boarding ramp and into a warm, humid atmosp

 

A short update is better than none! I liked that post, nice evil cliffie! Hoping for more soon!

--later--

 

Just. Waiting. Patiently. For. More.

 

Great cliffhanger. Got to love them, although admittedly it's better when you're dishing them out.

 

Thanks, all. I didn't intend for it to be yet another cliffhanger, but the second half of the post needed some tweaking, even though the first was up to par - so I decided half a post was better than none - but it's not too hard to figure out who might have ordered Han brought there...

-Tim

 

See, I didn't keep you waiting long, did I?

-Tim

Mon Mothma was the very last sentient Han Solo expected to see ? but the former Chandrillan Senator and Rebel leader, standing behind a large desk in an otherwise spartan room, was instantly recognizable. He stood, shocked, taking in the sight. Rebels? The Rebels?


?I apologize for your treatment, Captain Solo, but it was a regrettable necessity. If you are captured, interrogation cannot reveal our location. You no doubt wish for an explanation, and you are certainly entitled to one,? she said, and Han sensed genuine kindness in her features and soft voice. She gestured to the three Bothans. ?Captain Solo, meet Commander Jel?Tay, Lieutenant Fey?lya, and Master Sergeant Sey?lar, New Republic Intelligence.?

Intel? Well, he had been onto something. However, despite the woman?s kindness, his emotions quickly evolved from shock to anger. ?Well, thanks for the warm welcome,? he said, icily. ?I?m touched. Where are the Falcon and my copilot??

?Patience, Captain, all will be explained to you as promised. Your Wookie friend and your ship are in no danger, you have my word of honor. You are currently on a location which I cannot divulge, but it is a safe place for us. You are here because your expertise as a smuggler and pilot are very highly regarded, and have served us well before. The Rebellion remains in your debt.?

?You?ve got one hell of a way of repaying it,? he snorted.

?It was necessary, Captain, but we, unlike the Empire, are honorable, and repay our debts. We are aware of your situation with the Hutts. Commander Jel?Tay?s offer was not entirely false ? we do have a need for your services. If you accept, and we will not force you to do so, you will richly compensated.?

?I better be. I don?t take kindly to clients who shoot me in dark alleys, security reasons or not. You?ve gotta be pretty desperate.?

?We are, Commander, and again, I apologize. Please hear me out. Are you familiar with Istari 3, and an operative of ours popularly known as the Phoenix??

Han nodded.

?Phoenix is a vital asset, Captain. The Empire is beginning to devote its full resources toward discovering her identity. It is absolutely essential that she is not captured or killed. She is in great danger, and must be evacuated.?

Han nodded. ?So you want me to do it, right? Sorry, but you?ve gotta be kiddin? me. You want me to land on an Imp naval station, pick up your agent, and just raise ship and leave? I?ve been on an Imp battle station before, and it wasn?t exactly a pleasure cruise, to put it lightly. Can?t you find someone else crazy enough to do it??

?It will not be easy, Captain Solo. We know of your escape from the Death Star, and that you are the only pilot to do so. Our usual recovery team has been?eliminated by an Imperial counterintelligence team. My people tell me that you are the best, that you are the only pilot who can do this, and I am inclined to trust their judgement. Be assured, you will be richly compensated. Seventy-five thousand on delivery.?

?One fifty, half in advance.?

One of the Bothans nearly grabbed his pistol.

?Eighty five, on delivery.?

?If you want the best, you?ll pay for it. One-twenty-five. Half in advance.?

?One hundred thousand, Captain Solo. Half in advance.?

Han barely restrained his jaw from dropping to the floor. One hundred thousand credits ? more than enough to pay off Jabba, refit the Falcon, and even to get a new first-class false ID. It might be worth it?

?Fine. IF Chewie agrees to it. I get half, hard credits, if I take it.?

?Very well. We will provide you with one of our ships equipped with a cloaking device.?

Han was flabbergasted. ?A cloaking device??

?We still have our resources, Captain. Her name is Shadow Runner, a Corellian Engineering XT-350 yacht.?

?No way. I only do business in the Falcon.?

?Be reasonable!? Mothma said, finally losing her composure, ?There is no way you can get in and out without t

 

Of course Han wouldn't fly anything other than the Falcon! What were they thinking?

Vader knows about Xizor now? That sets up a few interesting scenerios! Wonder what exactly he found out? It can't be good!

--later--

 

Wow! That was fast, Tim!

Good post, especially since it involved Darth Vader (my favorite character).

Definitely wasn't expecting Han to be taken before Mon Mothma, and I'm very curious to know what Vader just found out.

 

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that NOBODY does darkside characters better than you. You've nailed Palpy already, in your pre-saga exploration of his past - and this is as good an interpretation of Vader as I've ever seen - anywhere. Nice, deft touch with ratcheting up the suspense level between Vader's mysterious communique and the challenge awaiting Han and his beloved Falcon.

More soon?

And thanks for the compliment on my Door post. Considering I've been accused (in a gentle way) of writing Obi-Wan as 'too good to be true' - (Guess they must have missed Gone to Ashes, hmmm?) - it's nice to be told I nailed something anyway.

(I am kidding, BTW. When's the last time I worried about what anybody thought of my work? )

Good job, Kiddo.

CYN