Beyond - Legends [ updated 7/21 ] - Cruel Honor - mystery/romance - (19yr post-NJO)

A cold, harsh, yet evanescent tendril of mingled sorrow and hatred gently and seductively caressed his mind with an ethereal, alluring siren-song that Luke Skywalker found entirely too familiar. No amount of philosophy or knowledge of the Force would ever erase the piercing reality that this seductress was indeed very real, very pleasurable, and very deadly.

Luke knew her name ever since his first sordid tryst with her in a darkened cave on Dagobah.

The Dark Side.

** picks jaw up off the floor ** Wow. I can't even find the right words to describe how cool that opening was.

I loved the descriptions of the Regents' Hall - absolutely stunning!

"So my companion tells me," Luke replied, glancing toward Nori. Only her deep frown let him know that he may have given away information she wished to keep secret.

Whoops! Way to go, Farmboy.

"Kali Thrash?" he repeated with a beaming grin. "Now there's a perfectly Corellian name that will always be welcome here on Ardiese. You're Kali Atona's grandmother, aren't you?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Now it's Nori's turn to insert foot into mouth.

"And I must say, milady," Hatonen said with a slight bow. "The years have been most kind to you. Why... you look as court-worthy as a woman half your age."

Nori finally let a broad smile cross her face as she tried unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle. "Thank you, Your Honor. Your kind words are far truer than you know."

That was too funny. Although I'm not sure which is funnier: the senior Hatonen's unintentional gross understatement - or the thought of Nori giggling.

"Interesting," Luke noted just as the lift doors slid open and the trio entered. "Master Thrash will have to tell me all about it later," he said teasingly toward Nori.

"Oh, indeed," Nori muttered.

Poor Nori, Luke just couldn't resist, could he?

"I am nearly Force-blind," she said sharply, "and yet even I can feel that."

Uh oh. That can't be good.

"Lightsaber," Nori noted, kneeling beside him and looking carefully at the cauterized stripe that was emblazoned across the guard's black uniform. "He was bisected from behind. Very high-energy blade."
[ . . . ]
Luke took the lead and proceeded down the corridor until they reached the guard station, finding two guards inside that met the same grim fate as the one they encountered just outside the lift... this time with the blade having cut right through the transparisteel guard station to kill its occupants.
[ . . . ]
Within his cell, Brark's still-smoldering corpse lay charred beyond all recognition.

Zoinks! That's one nasty dude or dudette!

Great post - definitely worth the wait!

 

Scoundrel: ** picks jaw up off the floor ** Wow. I can't even find the right words to describe how cool that opening was.

I loved the descriptions of the Regents' Hall - absolutely stunning!

Normally I leave descriptive detail to the readers' imaginations... but this time I wanted to play with a bit of descriptive language. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. Of my own writing... that description of the Dark Side and the Regents' Hall is my personal favorite.

The stained glass was mentioned rather briefly in SoG... but I figured I would go into more detail since it's a setting we'll be seeing more of (though not in CH).

Whoops! Way to go, Farmboy.

Now it's Nori's turn to insert foot into mouth.

Quite. There's a few hints in there about scenes we'll see in TSTF, for what it's worth.

I'm not sure which is funnier: the senior Hatonen's unintentional gross understatement - or the thought of Nori giggling.

I actually thought about that giggle being out of character for a moment... but then decided that she couldn't very well have spent eighteen years with Galvin without learning to giggle a few times.

Poor Nori, Luke just couldn't resist, could he?

Nor could I

Uh oh. That can't be good.

No... no it isn't.

Zoinks! That's one nasty dude or dudette!

Or both... or neither.

*everyone begins wondering if Arin is lining up a Sithly race of hermaphrodites*

Great post - definitely worth the wait!

Thanks for reading and replying!

 

great addition. I too like the description of the hall. And whatever/whoever killed the guards and the prisoner. - yikes! Very creepy.

 

Thanks RebelMommy! I'm glad I was able to bring out the sentiments I was hoping for.

 

Holy...frikk...

 

That sounds like a good response.

Ack. Bad sock. Bad.

--Arin

 

Wow, excellent imagery here, and you write the taint and coming of evil so well. You also do a very nice job with my dear sweet Lukie.

"The prisoner's cell is unopened," Hatonen noted, checking a display on the wall.

"One thing is certain," Nori stated as they passed through the opening in the gate and approached Brark's transparisteel prison cell. "Someone fears our investigation into this matter."

Hatonen shuddered. "By the Sahenta Moons..."

Within his cell, Brark's still-smoldering corpse lay charred beyond all recognition. So it begins...and amazing how much can be said in one sentence in the last. Discreet, but it still made me shudder.

 

Luney: Wow, excellent imagery here, and you write the taint and coming of evil so well.

Thanks! Trying to come up with the wording of how the Dark Side would "appear" to someone's mind took quite a bit of contemplation.

You also do a very nice job with my dear sweet Lukie.

Luke is surprisingly easy for me to write... I don't know why.

So it begins...and amazing how much can be said in one sentence in the last. Discreet, but it still made me shudder.

I'm glad you approve!

 

Sorry it's taken so long to get around to this fic...

Part 1.8:

* * *

"Wanderlust two-eight-two, this is Ord Nalax control," a garish-sounding voice said harshly over the comm as Ben carefully piloted Vel Pressio's luxury freighter toward the large space station. "We have you on approach. You are cleared for docking in hangar See-seven-one-niner. Engage automatic guidance control and we'll bring you in."

Galvin made one short grunt from the co-pilot's seat next to him, reflecting Ben's own sentiments about the automated control.

"Negative, control," Ben quipped back. "Thanks for the offer, but I prefer a bit more 'hands-on' approach."

"They must think we're a couple of dumb-snarks," Galvin muttered. "I wonder how many people that come here are actually stupid enough to give these cretins access to their ship's computer?"

"I guess it helps flush out the rookies," Ben replied, guiding the ship toward the center of the giant revolving wheel situated deep in Hutt space.

"You are a rookie, kid."

"Yeah, I know," Ben snapped back at him. "I caught that the last four times you said it."

"This ain't Gary Gundark's Magical Funland, Vel. The moment you forget that you're a rookie and a dumb-snark, you'll blow our cover and we'll both wind up dead."

"Always the optimist," Ben grumbled as the Wanderlust passed through Ord Nalax's magnetic field and into the docking bay.

"If we wind up dead," Galvin continued, getting up from his seat to head toward the rear of the ship, "I'll kill you."

Ben mentally berated himself for momentarily contemplating the paradox in Galvin's threat, then concentrated on the task of settling the Wanderlust onto the deck with a thump, shutting down all of the various flight systems, and encrypting the contents of the ship's computer. The fact that the ship had locks on the boarding ramps was no real comfort in this environment. Locks were often simply to encourage honest people to remain honest, and to persuade intruders to seek an easier target.

In all likelihood, honest people would be a rare minority on Ord Nalax, and being here disguised as one of the galaxy's wealthiest weapons dealers would make the target too tempting to pass up, even if they knew the ship had a security system with lethal countermeasures. They simply couldn't risk anyone discovering that their last berth was aboard the Errant Venture, a ship known for its association with the Jedi.

Finishing the encryption sequence, Ben turned off the last few consoles and headed down the corridor to the rear of the ship, finding Galvin in his quarters tinkering with a large blaster rifle.

"Don't forget," Galvin said as Ben entered the small room, "you aren't Ben anymore. From this moment forward, you're Vel Pressio. Once we leave the ship, they're going to snoop about and plant bugs all over the place."

"No discussion of the mission outside of a known clean area," Ben completed. "Got it."

"Give me your blaster," Galvin demanded.

Ben glanced down at his thigh and set his hand lightly on the antique weapon. "This belonged to my uncle," he noted, "I'd really rather keep it close."

"You're here as a businessman," Galvin muttered. "I'm here as your bodyguard. They'll expect me to be armed, but they'll expect you to be clean."

Reluctantly, Ben unfastened the straps that held the holster to his leg, and slowly handed it over to his partner.

Galvin apparently saw the concern in his eyes, because he sighed heavily and removed his own blaster and holster. "If it means that much to you," he muttered, kneeling to fasten Ben's blaster to his own thigh, "I'll keep it with us so we know where it's at."

"Yeah," Ben said wistfully. "Do that." He then turned to exit the room.

"Lightsaber, too," Galvin demanded.

Ben turned around and scowled deeply at the older man for a few moments, then pulled his jacket aside and unclipped the narrow hilt of his lightsaber from its hiding place

 

I really like Galvin. Loved the last line.

 

RebelMom: I really like Galvin.

So do a few other people, it would seem!

Loved the last line.

Thanks!

Everyone: From my reply on the SoG thread:

For those that don't know, Galvin won in the "Original Character - Male" category in last night's Readers' Choice Awards for his character in On the Shoulders of Giants.

I am quite appreciative of those that took the time to both nominate and vote for my work. You didn't have to read, but you did... for that I'm grateful. You didn't have to vote, but you did... for that I'm honored.

 

lol! Galvin and Ben are hilarious...loved the heart burn line As well as the ever so classic, if we die, I'll kill you one

 

Galvin and Ben are hilarious...loved the heart burn line

My favorite as well I'm glad you liked it.

 

Lol, heartburn. I know the feeling. Except I look like a nice person. THat's what makes it so twisted. And the last line was so galvin.

 

Lol, heartburn. I know the feeling. Except I look like a nice person.

Especially with John Williams in your avatar. So deceptive...

And the last line was so galvin.

I had planned on a slightly different ending for this scene, but when that bit simply sprang out of the little Galvin in my head... I knew that was a good stopping point.

 

this is a really good story!

whens the next post?

 

My favorite line was:

"I checked it this morning," Galvin said with a sly smirk. "I assure you it works just fine."

As well as the ending. That was just classic.

Hope we get to see some more holodrama tricks

 

JW is Bostonian. So am I.

 

NEED.MORE.NOW!!!

 

JediMaster_Fisto: this is a really good story!

Thanks!

whens the next post?

Tomorrow (Thursday), I hope.

karebear214: Hope we get to see some more holodrama tricks

Hmm. Could be. There's not exactly a lot of action planned for this particular episode of the story... Well... outside of maybe a bit of nookie

Ishy: JW is Bostonian. So am I.

And here I thought it was because you appreciated his music.

Luney: NEED.MORE.NOW!!!

[face_apathy]

 

Yes, but I started appreciating it because I went to one of his Boston Pops concerts and they were doing his movie music and showed a clip from jaws without the music, then with the music and I went "wow, this guy is my god."

 

Mmm... The soundtrack to Schindler's List has recently become one of my favorite sources of background music. Some of his best work, IMO.

 

Mmm, if I ever hate you, I'll send you a recording of me doing the Little Jewish Town theme or "Remembrances" on my violin. It can get pretty scary on bad days. I love the choral music in that soundtrack, and especially the cello solo for the Auschwitz theme.

My favorite non-SW soundtrack of his is Amistad, which again has lots of choral music, both tribal chants and gospel-like themes as well as great orchestral stuff. I remember sitting in the Missionary Training Center during the Olympics and crying as he stood at a podium 45 minutes away and conducted a free concert with music from Amistad. I wanted so badly to just run away and go to that concert.

 

Great post!

Ben mentally berated himself for momentarily contemplating the paradox in Galvin's threat

That was just so cute.

"I'll lay odds," Ben quipped as he turned and walked out of the cabin and toward the Wanderlust's boarding ramp, "that somewhere underneath all that bluster and cynicism is a nice guy just screaming to get out."

"Possibly," Galvin conceded as the boarding ramp descended. "That would explain my frequent heartburn."

I just love Galvin! (Congrats on the well-deserved win! )

Looking forward to more!

 

Wow, I just started reading this and it is very interesting.

Gavin is pretty hilarious so far.

Im looking forward for more.