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Beyond - Legends Walking the Sky- (Short stories about Ben) Ben Skywalker, minor AU third story up 6/29

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Jedi_Latin_Student, Mar 11, 2008.

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  1. Jedi_Latin_Student

    Jedi_Latin_Student Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2005
    I have recently been reading Rurouni Kenshin, and it made me think about all of the killing that jedi do in a new light. It made me wonder if all of it was really necessary, the Jedi are supposed to value life above all else, and sure, they do have their moments where they refuse to kill, but there are also so many times when they do kill, and they kill a lot, sure, they feel bad, but, the dead are still dead. No matter what a jedi may feel after the deed is done.

    So now... Justification:

    Justification: Part 1

    Ben Skywalker was waiting. He bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet, paced the length of the small, windowless room, and finally, flopped down in one of the two available chairs provided.

    She was late. He glanced down at his comlink for what had to be the hundredth time and then stared off into the shadows cast by the single, dim overhead light.

    Waiting, he didn?t have time for waiting. Jacen had jobs for him to do.

    At the thought of another one of Jacen?s ?jobs?, Ben felt his stomach twist painfully, it was only a shadow of the sick feeling he had gotten after his first assassination, but he took comfort in the fact that he even felt remorse anymore.

    There was a soft hiss as the door slid part way open and a slender, well muscled woman of about 5 foot 2, slipped through the small space provided. It was hard to tell her age in the dim light, but Ben knew she was somewhere in her early fifties. The shadows hid any wrinkles, laugh lines, he remembered she liked to call them, that she had acquired over the years. The silver that he knew streaked her red hair blended into the mass of dark strands that haloed her partially masked face.

    But Ben didn?t need the darkness to make his mother ageless. She was eternal in his eyes, always there, flawless.

    But by his own will, tonight, he would shatter that image of her.

    ?You wanted to see me?? He asked her.

    His mother looked him over, taking in his GAG uniform, long hair and hard expression. ?What has Jacen done to you?? she asked, the question coming out in a choked whisper.

    Ben considered his answer carefully, wondering how he should answer his mother. Did he even know exactly what Jacen had done to him? Or what he had done to himself?
    ?He? made me grow up.?

    ?You?re 15 Ben, you don?t need to be grown up.?

    ?I didn?t agree to meet with you to discuss my past choices in life, mom.?

    Mara stiffened and Ben could imagine her soft expression, reserved only for him and his father, melting into a hard mask, similar to the one he wore now. Like mother, like son.

    ?So why did you agree? I just want to talk to you Ben.?

    Ben didn?t say anything for a long time. He stared at his mother, wanting to ask her, but holding back, he wanted to keep his illusions tightly in his grasp for a few last precious seconds before he shattered them.
    ?How old were you when you first ended a life, mom??

    His mother blinked, taken aback by the suddenness of the question. ?How old??? she repeated to herself. ?I was eight.? She said, slowly.

    ?Eight?? He hadn?t expected her to have been so young.

    ?Her name was Ai?yun, she was a pet I had made out of some feline type animal I picked up off the Coruscant streets. She was hit by a speeder. Palpatine wouldn?t pay for medical treatment, refused to have her treated at all, forbade it. I was putting her out of her misery. I think it was probably one of the hardest things I?ve ever had to do.?

    ?Is that how you justify it??

    ?What?? His mother was surprised again, what had she expected from him? Sympathy? She had killed her own pet. A creature that was depending on her for protection and care.

    ?That it was for her own good? You had no other choice?? He continued. He knew he was probably being unfair. His mother had only been eight.

    But she had willingly taken that life.

    She had ended Ai?yun.

    ?What do you want me to say Ben? I can?t cry over her forever, its done, in the past.?

    ?And how will you atone??

    Mara was silent for a long while, thinking, Ben w
     
  2. Jedi_Latin_Student

    Jedi_Latin_Student Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2005
    hmm, no takers?

    Ah, well... better luck next time.

    ~Latin Geek
     
  3. Jade_Skywalker

    Jade_Skywalker Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2000
    That was very interesting. I can see how Ben was so torn. Deep down he knew that what he was doing was wrong, but then, all of his family has had their share of killing. I can imagine that it would be difficult to see where the line between right and wrong would be drawn. A very thin line, indeed.

    This piece was well written. I enjoyed it. :)
     
  4. Jedi_Latin_Student

    Jedi_Latin_Student Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2005
    YAY! a review!

    Thank you Jade_Skywalker!

    ~Latin Geek
     
  5. Jaina_and_Jag

    Jaina_and_Jag Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 19, 2003
    Interesting idea! :D I really liked your portrayl of Ben here, very believeable. :) And the end was an interesting twist, no killing at all... definitely a nice thought. I really liked the final line.

    Nice job! :D
     
  6. Jedi_Latin_Student

    Jedi_Latin_Student Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2005
    Not much of an introduction to this one, its just 'Mechanical' i thought of the title first.
    I know i should be doing other things right now that do not involve writing and posting Mechanical (such as writing and updating my other story), but this plot is persistent and demanded writing.

    Mechanical:

    "?more machine than man. He truly does live up to his name."
    "Man? He?s hardly more than a boy."


    Ben listened with restrained interest, to the men three tables over. Their attempt at philosophical discussion was almost amusing.

    Almost, except for that they were talking about him. They?d never met him, didn?t know him. Didn?t want to know him, but they talked about him anyway.

    Ben wished he could walk over and tell them that gossip was for old ladies with little better to do, he would have loved to see the looks on their faces as they realized who was talking to them. The amazement, the awe that was sure to be there.

    Followed by that disgusting pity.

    And then fear.

    And then, when he was gone and they thought themselves safe, there would be disgust.

    "? programmed to serve Solo and only him, poor kid, probably didn?t have a chance."
    "Yeah, poor kid."


    The two men were nodding solemnly at each other, exchanging grave and serious looks.

    Ben almost laughed,

    Poor kid? and, ah? there it was, the pity. Ben?s mood darkened immediately.

    Pity he did not want it, not from his parents, not from ?friends? and defiantly not from strangers.

    Probably didn?t have a chance. The man had said.

    He?d had plenty of chances, plenty of choices. Ben had long ago accepted that the path he had chosen, he had chosen on his own.

    He?d been a young idiot, an arrogant hot-head and he well knew it.

    Though he was not about to admit it to his father anytime soon.

    ?He puts on such a brave face for the cameras though.?
    ?Solo wouldn?t be happy with him, though, if his prize killing machine broke down in front of all Coruscant.?
    ?Well, no? I suppose not, but he?s still got backbone, that kid.?
    ?Spine of steel, eh Mr. Techus??
    ?The man of metal.?
    ?The poor kid.?


    The men exchanged more grave looks and solemn nods, seeming to need to fill time and space while they composed whatever next they were going to say.

    When they began to speak again several minuets of nodding later, they had switched the subject from him to the lack of rain of Naboo this season. They had run out of words.

    Metal.
    Machine.
    Steel.
    Poor boy.


    That was all people had to say about him? Was the rest too horrific?

    Murderer.
    Killer.
    Backstabber.
    Spy.

    Depressed, Ben sank into his chair, pushing himself back into the shadows of his lonely corner of the small restaurant.

    Commotion further into the restaurant pulled him out of his wallowing and, bored and wanting to forget what he had just heard, Ben watched as restaurant staff hurried around a tiny stage, positioned at the back center of restaurant, in front of the kitchen.

    There was a performer here today, unscheduled, since there had been no advertisements.

    Setup complete, a girl, his age, sauntered out on stage, bright blue hair-tail swinging and bouncing with every step. Ben did not even have to see her face to know who it was.

    Kiari, at one point one of his father?s student?s and Karrde?s favorite pet spy. She was probably here to tell him, again, that his parents wanted to speak with him.

    He watched her blue hair bounce and swing, almost in time to the music, as she sang some ridiculous love song that ?kids? his age were supposed to find appealing.

    He stood and made for the exit. He did not want to talk to Kiari today.

    Their ?talks? were almost infamous in Jacen?s inner circle. She continued to avoid capture by Jacen?s men, eluding even Ben, when he had tried several time to bring her in. He had given up trying and Jacen tolerated the brief meetings, though Jacen had taken to showing recordings of any words exchanged between the two teens to his higher ranking officers.

    Jacen seemed t
     
  7. Jedi_Latin_Student

    Jedi_Latin_Student Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 5, 2005
    Ben wonders what to write to shevu's wife shula when he sends the body home . Minor spoilers for Invincible

    Millions:

    Artoo? What is worth?

    Beeep-boop.

    What is value?

    Boop.

    Heh. Sorry, I don?t speak droid, write it out?

    WORTH: GOOD OR IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY, USEFULLNESS OR IMPORTANCE, EXCELLENCE OF CHARACTER

    VALUE: RELATIVE WORTH, MERIT OR IMPORTANCE, MONETARY OR MATERIAL WORTH, IMPORTANT OR MEANING; FORCE; SIGNIFICANCE.

    Oh.

    Boooop.

    I still don?t understand.

    Ben! I thought I told you not to ask Artoo for help.

    Sorry Dad.


    ~*~*~*~

    What is the difference between value and worth, is there one? My Dad thinks so, he says that understanding will come with time and age and experience. I?ve had plenty of experience and time seems to be passing with so much speed it almost makes me dizzy. I am only lacking in age, or so the so called adults tell me.

    I never have really figured out the point of that lesson, but I think I am getting closer to an answer.

    Should I send a note? A letter? What do I say to her?

    ~*~*~*~

    Shevu?s wife, Shula was her name, deserved to know how he had died. But what was Ben to tell her, did he justify it or just give the bare facts in as few words as possible? How did Ben justify Shevu?s death anyway, could he? There was no justice in it. Did he tell her he was sorry, that Shevu wasn?t worth it.

    The value of a life.

    The worth of a life.

    It all came to the same thing in the end, value or worth, it didn?t matter.

    Shevu had not been worth the lives of all the jedi at the base. He had not been worth what Ben had perceived as perhaps the last hope of the galaxy.

    Shevu?s life in the end had not been worth it.

    A terrifyingly, awful thought.

    In the end it hadn?t mattered either way, Jacen had still found the location of the base.

    ~*~*~*~

    I once asked my uncle Han, just out of curiosity, how one figured out what a slave was worth. Who decided their price?

    He said I was too young to ask that and didn?t answer until I nagged at him for three days and he caved and told me ?just to shut me up.?

    He said most of the time it had to do with how strong they were or how pretty. How much work they could do determined their value, hours in exchange for money.

    I asked him if brains had anything to do with it.

    He said the headstrong ones were harder to sell and then wouldn?t say any more.

    I told him the next day that I thought the whole business was stupid and that treating people like machines could hardly determine what they were worth.

    He said, ?Tell that to the Hutts, kid.?

    ~*~*~*~

    I think that the worth of Shevu?s brain alone could have bankrupted the entire galaxy and then some.

    I could hardly write that in a note to his wife though.

    In the end I ended up writing the facts of his death out and then adding as a personal note on the end.

    He was my most trusted friend, I will remember him forever.

    I?m Sorry

    Ben Skywalker


    Value and worth have nothing to do with it.

    ~*~*~*~

    ~Latin Geek

     
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