Zenda'la, A Luke and Mara Story (NJO era)

Keep it up! But to do that, you have to..... POST MORE!

 

More. You want more. Well here it is.

Zenda'la

The two speeder bikes rode in tandem. When space diminished, they rode single file. The humming of the motors startled all wildlife within 3 kilometers. The former signaled to the latter to stop. The two riders conferred before heading off in a slightly different direction. They rode another hour before their efforts were rewarded. The first sign was the broken branches. Then some uprooted trees. Finally, up there, impaling an ancient fir tree, was the space ship. There was no smoke but the ship was black as night as though it had been burnt. It was eerie. The two removed their helmets, dismounted and walked to the tree. Looking up, the larger of the two (a strawberry blond) said, "Do you think the pilot survived?"

The other (a blond) answered, "I don't know. I'll climb up and take a look."

Retrieving a rope and a grappling hook from one of the speeders, the Strawberry-blond walked underneath the ship and proceeded to toss the hook up into the tree. He tested it and nodded to the other that it was ready to climb. The Blond scurried up the rope. He reached the spot where the ship had punctured the trunk. It had entered all the way up to the edge of the cockpit. Surprisingly, it had not exploded. The Blond could see the pilot inside. He was wearing a helmet and was slouched forward. The canopy was splintered and had partially opened. He began to pry it lose.

"Well, is he alive?" the Strawberry-blond shouted from below.

"I'll know in a minute. I've got to remove the canopy."

The canopy creaked; then the hydraulics kicked in, hissing while raising the canopy slowly. The Blond tenderly pushed the pilot back in the chair. He could see the face. He straddled the pilot so he could get the helmet off and check for a pulse. As he pulled the helmet off, the pilot's eyes opened. Blond hair, blue eyes, scars, serene look. 'Is that who I think it is?'

"Well?" came the shout from below.

"Yes, he's alive."

Luke sensed no danger from the adolescent in front of him. He was able to move. Good, nothing broken. The young man pushed himself upon his arms and sat on top of the ship, his back to the tree. "Sorry to sit on you like that. I had to get close enough to take off the helmet. Make sure you're okay. Name's Dav. The other guy is my brother, Aust."

Luke extended his hand, "I'm Luke. Thanks for the assist."

"As in Luke Skywalker?"

Luke nodded though he was a little surprised that this kid knew who he was. This planet was definitely off the beaten path of intergalactic events. Dav was looking down to his brother. "Hey Aust, you won't believe who they sent."

"What! They sent a fighter pilot?"

"Yes and no. They sent a pilot alright, Luke Skywalker."

"Wow. I didn't think they would send us someone THAT high profile."

Luke was a little confused by their conversation. "Who is they?"

Dav looked at him quizzically. "The New Republic, of course. You got our message?"

"You sent that message to my sister."

"Yes. Aust and I are leaders of the Citizens of Zenda'la"

**to be continued**

[This message has been edited by RebelMom (edited 06-11-2000).]

[This message has been edited by RebelMom (edited 06-11-2000).]

 

GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD

 

ooooooohhh i like adolecent leaders of a planet cool stuff.

 

Life has interrupted story writing. My commitments are lightening up so more posts will be forthcoming. I'm fixing one up for tonight. But I warn you that I am a bit of a perfectionist and I will not allow a post before its time.
Until later.

 

Yea! You posted more! *pulls up a comfortable chair and paiently waits for more* I'm ready when you are.

 

Okay, here is the next post as promised.

Zenda'la

After climbing down the tree, Luke started asking questions. This was not a simple diplomatic contact mission. There was more involved considering the reception he had received. "How did you know that I was coming? How did you get landing coordinates to Artoo?"

"We've been monitoring interstellar traffic transmissions. Soon as we heard you mention the New Republic, Aust hacked into the control tower database. Then we hopped on the speeder bikes and zoomed over to the landing strip. Saw the dog fight and followed you here."

"Why did you send the message to my sister? She is no longer the Chief of State."

Aust looked sheepishly at Dav. "Oops. Guess I should have been listening better to intergalactic current events that Mom and Dad have been telling us."

Dav wasn't concerned. " No matter. You're here. Thank goodness they didn't send some stodgy politician who likes to hear himself talk."

Luke interjected at this point. "What about Mom and Dad? Are they involved?"

"Yes and no."

"Yes and no?"

Aust continued, "Mom and Dad are part of our group but they didn't think the timing was right."

Dav added, "We had waited long enough. It was time to do something."

Aust admitted, "We sent the message without their knowledge."

Luke then asked, "Dav, how old are you?"

"I'm 17, Aust here is 15. Yeah, I know we're young but hey you were 18 when you blew the Death Star and your sister was a senator."

"True. I'm not against your age. Just trying to straighten out the facts. Are you an officially recognized group? Can you legally make such a request as the one in your message?"

Dav and Aust stared at each other, then at the ground. 'Just as I thought.' Luke grabbed each on the shoulder. "Hey. It's okay. I can sense something is happening here. Somebody does not want me here but I need to be here. Let's get my Artoo unit and get out of these woods before nightfall. I've had some bad experiences in dark woods."

Dav and Aust watched as Luke lowered Artoo to the ground. As the droid landed gently on the ground, Aust exclaimed, "Boy, he sure got riddled with bullets."

Luke said, " Is that what those projectiles are called?"

Dav answered, "Yes. That plane was a museum piece, literally. It was stolen from Shangra's Historical Museum. Pilots used to shoot bullets during dogfights, not lasers. Neat trick spinning him like that. The pilot ejected. The plane was destroyed. Such a waste. They don't make bi-planes anymore."

"The puff of white I saw coming from the plane was an escape pod?"

"No, it was a parachute. No place on those planes for escape pods. Pilot wears it on his back. He jumps clear of the plane and pulls a cord that opens the chute. He floats to the ground." Aust said holding his arms out to mimic the procedure. "What a rush."

Arching an eyebrow, Dav looked at his brother. "Better not let Mom know you did that."

"Hey, you don't say anything, she'll never know."

Luke smiled knowingly. Kids were the same everywhere. He looked at Artoo and his smile faded. He flipped the switch and nothing happened. "He won't be able to follow us in his condition. I'll have to work on him and I'll need some parts."

Aust walked up to his speeder and detached a repulsor ring from the rear. "I've got this you can set him on. Once we get home, you can work on him in the shop. Might even have some parts you can use. Otherwise, we will figure a way to appropriate what you need."

As Luke climbed on the back of Dav's speeder, he smiled tightly. 'Looks like I've joined another rebellion.'

**to be continued**

please feed the writer encouragement

 

feeds writer encouragement

PLEASE WRITE MORE PLEASE PLEAE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

 

Ditto. Please continue this story. You are a great writer.

 

you like me, you really like me.

Since the forum was down last night, I got a lot of writing done. Think I'll double up.

Zenda'la

The speeder bikes stopped outside a fenced area. Dav explained the political situation to Luke. About 5 years ago, some Imperial Moff, Jules Chauvelin, had arrived in system, declared Zenda'la his new base and took over. Zenda'la's forces were no match for Chauvelin's troops. The Imperial troops easily took over the Strategic Defense Installation. That's where the beams that shot Luke came from. Mandatory conscription, holonet censorship, loss of basic civil rights. A renegade Imperial had set up a dictatorship. The brothers started the Citizens of Zenda'la, with assistance from their parents, one year ago. It is a cell based underground network. Communication is by pirated holonet, untraceable so far. The membership of about 100,000 keeps in touch through encrypted messages. Face to face meetings are rare but would be started with the help of the New Republic; at least that is what Dav and Aust were hoping. "You see, Luke, we don't have the resources to start a full-scale rebellion. The New Republic does. We need your help to get rid of this jerk. I cannot even get a job or go to school because I'm conscription age. I DO NOT want to serve in their military. But I will fight for my freedom."

"I understand, Dav. Let's get my Artoo fixed, then figure a way to contact the New Republic."

The bikes continued towards the homestead. Dav and Aust steered the bikes towards a large outbuilding north of the main homestead. Aust pushed a button and the doors of the building opened. Once they were inside, Aust pushed the button again, closing the doors and bringing up the lights. The interior walls were covered with a variety of implements with which Luke was not familiar. They cut the engines and dismounted. Dav gestured for Luke to follow. Aust brought up the rear. Dav removed a tool, an axe, and inserted its blade into a slot in the wall. A section of floor opened up revealing a set of stairs leading down. "We'll show you the communications center and maintenance area. We keep them hidden for obvious reasons."

Aust grabbed the axe from the wall and the door closed behind them. At the bottom of the stairs was a communications array and workshop with recognizable tools. Dav explained, "The farm is on the historic society list. Everything above ground is ancient. Who would think modern machines would be found here. They do allow some modern conveniences in the kitchen and refresher. But we live in the past. Kind of quaint and it makes good cover. Dad works for the government. He's a holonet technician. He's got our computers spliced into the holonet. We can send our messages that way. No one from his office knows he did it. They even pay him to work out of the farm."

Aust interjected at this point. "So, technically, the government is partially financing the revolution."

Dav and Aust broke out laughing. They stopped when a light began blinking on the board. Aust pushed it and said, "Yes, Mom."

A cheerful voice replied, "Time for dinner. It's Dav's turn to set."

"Okay, Mom" Aust paused. " Mom we're bringing company."

"What? You're just telling me now. Luckily, we have enough. Who is it?"

"Luke."

Pause. "I don't think I know any Luke. You need to be careful who you bring home."

Aust smiled, "You don't need to be concerned about Luke, Mom. He's cool. See you in a few."

Dav looked at Aust and said, "Can't wait to see the look on her face."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The AT-AT halted at the impaled tree. A stormtrooper climbed out the upper hatch, walked along the top and leapt over to the fighter. He spent some time investigating the cockpit. He spoke into his comm link and waved to another stormtrooper who had also climbed out the hatch. The second trooper tossed a cable across the gap. It was quickly attached to the fuselage. A few well place cuts in the tree and the ship was loose. It was lowered to

 

LOL, love it, RebelMom. I can't wait for "mom" to see who this "Luke" is.

Can't wait to see more, especially when Mara gets into the fold.

=jaded=

 

great job, RebelMom!

Btw, did you mean mandatory conscription rather than inscription? I think that's what it is, right?

 

Eep!! I can't believe I didn't see this story before, Rebelmom!!!!! I LOVE it!!! I really like these Lukie-Mara stories. Now post more, Pwease?! *potruding bottom lip*

 

redface.gif RebelMom apologizes for not catching the error. Kudos to mj who is better than spellcheck (especially since spellcheck cannot read my mind)

Zenda'la
Mara stood on the balcony of their apartment. She was wrapped up in Luke's robe, gazing at the lights of the city. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around a cup of steaming hot chocolate. Taking a sip, she savored the rich flavor. It was Luke's favorite. She missed him. Reaching deep into the Force, she could almost feel his presence. But he was just too far away. 'Sith. This is ridiculous.'

She strode back into the room, set the cup down and headed for the closet. 'I need to be doing something.' She had finished with Jaina earlier and her slate was clear. Time for some action. After she was dressed, she packed a bag, hooked her lightsaber to her belt and left the apartment. She arrived in the docking bay soon after and began prepping their shuttle for takeoff. An idea sprung unbidden in the back of her mind causing her to alter her plans slightly. She placed a rush order with one of her former contacts that still owed her big. After the special delivery was received and packed in the cargo hold, she quickly sent a message to Leia telling her of her departure. It simply said, "Don't worry Leia. I'm going to join Luke."

She received her flight clearance. She encountered slight fatigue as the ship ascended. She got a Force hold on it and it dissipated. This disease would not defeat Mara Jade Skywalker. Her desire to join Luke had been growing over the days since he had left. It was as if she was supposed to go. It wasn't her usual danger tingle; it was different. 'Still, he is probably in trouble again.' Then she laughed to herself, 'Last time he came to my rescue. Guess its my turn.' She smiled as she flipped the controls to enter hyperspace.

~~~~
Luke followed after Dav and Aust. Artoo had been safely stashed in the hidden room and they were heading in to the main house for dinner. The brothers were having trouble containing their joy at bringing such a prominent guest home. They couldn't wait to see the expressions on their parents' faces when Luke Skywalker entered the dining room. Dav ran ahead to set the table, while Aust detained Luke. He told Luke about a computer virus that he was planning to use on the Imperials. When they entered the home, an aroma assaulted Luke's senses. Homecooked food. Processors did not emit such a scent; actually they emitted no scent. It smelled better than Yoda's stew. 'Think I'll get the recipe. Maybe Mara ... Well, I could make it.'

Dav had finished setting the table. Luke could hear someone clanging in the kitchen. Then a voice, "Aust, tell your father dinner is ready. And bring Luke to the table. It's impolite to keep him standing."

Aust gestured for Luke to go sit. Dav waved him over to a chair facing the kitchen. Aust headed in the opposite direction to get Dad. Dav and Luke were seated when Mom walked towards the table carrying a large casserole dish. She looked towards Dav and then to Luke. She froze in her steps and lost her grip on the dish. Dav jumped up as if he was going to catch it. Luke beat him to it. It floated to the trivet on the table. Mom blinked a few times. No, she was not seeing things; Luke Skywalker was sitting at her table. "Nice save. That certainly confirms your identity. Though I must admit I'm slightly surprised to see you in the company of my boys. I guess they sent the message anyway."

Dav's jaw dropped. Luke smiled at the reaction.

"Yes ma'am, they did. They also assisted me out of my wrecked ship."

"Please, don't call me ma'am. Name's Lynn."

"Yes, Lynn."

Aust arrived with his Dad at this point. Dad did a double take at the dinner guest, then looked at his wife who nodded. "Pleased to met you Mr. Skywalker. Name's Ray."

"Hello, Ray. Call me Luke."

Aust looked expectedly at Dav. Dav laughed, "Mom almost dropped dinner. Luke caught it."

 

Nooooo! Where's my post? Please don't eat my post.