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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Beyond - Legends Second To None--Sacrifices : L/M, TK/J, J/J, OCs: COMPLETE: 3/10/2013 with Fan Art

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Jedi_Lover, Nov 30, 2012.

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  1. SiouxFan

    SiouxFan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2012
    Nice chat between Mark and Ben! (Although, who goes to dinner before a date?)

    More philosophical rambling: don't all Jedi have the power of life and death at their fingertips? They all carry lightsabers and could kill indiscreminately, if they so desired.

    Mara is skating an awfully thin line, IMO. '...those who have tried have died...' Did anyone actually try? My recollection is that Lumiya was more of a 'classic' villian and escaped before the 'law' showed up. Is not wanting someone dead just because they oppose your views a dark act? Again, Lumiya has disappeared for twenty-odd years; for all Mara knows, she might have had a change of heart. (In fact, she has). And what is a 'Sith technique'? Is it like the old adage about pornography--'I'll know it when I see it?'
     
  2. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    It was an early dinner. And maybe Ben and his girlfriend were going to the midnight opening release of the new MandoMan movie at the theater. ;)

    As for life and death at your finger tips---FORESHADOWING! :p

    And yes it is canon that there are Sith Force techniques. There is Sith Alchemy, magic and socery. Force lightning is supposedly only accessable to Force users using the darkside. Sith magic and Sith Sorcery are skills that can only be used if one channels the raw power of the darkside. The Rakghoul plague is an example of Sith Alchemy.

    Some knowledge is actually dark. Jedi Master Obba in 980 BBY said, "Not all knowledge is pure; some is touched by evil."

    A lot of the "Let's kill her" talk Mara is doing may be just that...talk. The bottom line is Mara doesn't like Lumiya. It could be the fact that Lumiya tried to murder Luke and Leia or that she was also considered an Emperor's Hand (that is always a sore spot with Mara who thought she was special) or that Luke once had a relationship with the woman. She just doesn't like her. Luke is having freaky dreams about Sith and Mara dead and now Lumiya shows up. It was easier to discount these visions as simple dreams when you haven't seen a Sith in decades, but suddenly one is spotted in the universe. And now Luke thinks he felt her presense on Coruscant. It has to be unsettling for her and Luke who are in charge of an Academy full of children and adult Force Users. Could Lumiya be trying to turn one of the apprentices or knights? Also you have to take into consideration that Luke and Mara have four children in this story (three are away at University--I didn't want to confuse the readers with too many characters). So they may wonder if their children might be targeted. Luke, after all, did cause Lumiya's grevious injuries. Could she be out for revenge?

    But you are right. Mara might be walking a thin line if she wanted Lumiya dead because of philosophical differences, but that's not it. She is actually worried for the lives of the Jedi and family. The last time Lumiya was seen she was killing members of the New Republic, running a slave trade and encouraging genocide between warring planets. People often look at past behavior to perdict future behavior (Yes I realize Mara was once an assassin, but she now has a track record of good deeds). Luke and Mara don't know what she has been doing for the last 20 years, so they can only work with what they know.
     
  3. SiouxFan

    SiouxFan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2012
    Okay, but for arguments sake, Sith Alchemy is just chemistry. In the 'real' EU, consdier Alpha Red: would it be considered Sith Biology? It's clear purpose was to wipe out an entire race, is the compound and those who made it evil, or is it only evil to use it? A real world example, could nuclear weapons be considered Sith Physics? Are chemical weapons Sith? Lightening is just electrons, red is just a color; the Sith are to be feared only because of how they treat life not because of what they can do. Consider the scientific data that the Nazis gathered about the human body: it's reaction to cold, for example. Is the data 'Sith', or is only the way they gathered it? (And yes, the Nazis put people in a freezer and took empirical data as the subject froze to death) They did other studies in a similar matter. Can we use the data? Should we use the data? Scientists have been struggling with this.

    I know that you all think I'm out to lunch, but I would further argue that most knowledge has a dark side; that many things can be used for evil. IMO, we expect black and white answers to 'grey' questions. Jacen learned the ability to hide, and everyone is leery of how he learned it. Five years from now, everyone will be using it, just like they are in profic.

    Back to Mara: it is not really 'just talk'. She is going in with the assumption that she will kill Lumiya and only arrest her if Lumiya can prove that she is a changed woman. Should not it be the other way around? That her goal should be to arrest her, (and I'm still not sure if and only kill her if she has to? I get it that Mara is p****d off at the woman, but Mara Jade, more than anyone, should understand what it meant to be a 'Hand' and how hard it was to overcome that. Only by better luck did Mara not follow the same path. If Karrde hadn't found Mara and offered her a job, what would have happened to her?
     
  4. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    SiouxFan : When I refer to Sith Alchemy I am not talking about basic chemistry used by a Sith but chemistry where the Dark side of the Force is needed as part of the process. Non-Force users created Alpha Red therefore it is not Sith Biology, it is just your common everyday genocidal biological weapon. If the dark side of the Force is needed for the process to be done then it can be considered Sith or dark side magic/sorcery/Chemistry. Most canon references to Sith Alchemy come from the comic books such as Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith 5: Sith Secrets. I don't think all Sith techniques need to have an evil purpose...they just need the dark side to complete the process. I guess if a particular skill like making a person's head blow up could be done with both the light and dark side of the Force...perhaps the Jedi could classify it as Sith if they are prohibiting the techniques use by Jedi, but the Sith use it freely. But, in this case I was making reference to Force techniques where the dark side is needed. It wasn't a reference to whether it was good or bad. And we do know that Force Stealth was taught to Ben and Mara in the profics and they utilized it with the light side of the Force...so it is not a Sith Technique. The point I wanted to get across is Mark has knowledge from Palpatine, but he doesn't know which techniques are dark side or light. He doesn't want to mess with techniques and find out the hard way. He really is scared of the knowledge. He told that to Mara shortly after the destruction of Byss.

    You're right, Mara should arrest her, but she knows better than anybody how dangerous an Emperor's Hand can be. Sith are not easy to capture and once you capture them...what are you going to do with them? Tahiri proved it is nearly impossible to hold a Force User in prison for long (although she did get a lucky break for her escape). I am not sure how many Sith were ever captured in the recent novels? I know the Jedi asked for their surrender about two minutes before they went ahead and killed them.

    If it was easy I would assume Jaina would have not killed her brother. She gave him a chance to surrender but for months she trained to kill him...not to negotiate with him. So, lets say in the EU or the movies a real, live, evil-hearted Sith is captured...like Darth Maul or Darth Vader before he had a change of heart. If they don't renounce the darkside...what are you going to do? I don't think there is a Twelve-Step Sith Anonymous program to help...although in the profics it was Mara who did think Jacen could be deprogramed and she asked him to stop whatever he was doing and come with her.

    Even if Jacen was captured I don't know how the Jedi could possibly know if he truly returned from the Dark Side. He was then a master of Force stealth and the ability to hide his alignment (dark or light) in the Force.

    Like I said, Mara has mentioned a number of times she thinks capturing Lumiya would be nearly impossible. She never said she would kill Lumiya if she did up and surrender to the Jedi. She is just being practical with the situation. In her experience Sith don't surrender and rarely renounce the dark side like Vader did. Most of the time you are forced to to kill them. My thinking is she wants to get this point across to Luke and Ben because she really doesn't want them to go the extra mile and try to capture her and end up dead. She wants them to be fully prepared to use lethal Force.
     
  5. SiouxFan

    SiouxFan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2012
    I guess it comes down to the fact that I don't buy into the 'dark' side of the Force argument. IMO, it is how the Force is used by the person that determines the 'lightness' or 'darkness' not the Force itself. From your alchemy example, if the 'dark' side were to used to make a useful drug of some kind, would the Jedi use it? Probably. But they would be afraid to make it? That seems a bit...odd. If Sith techniques don't have a dark purpose, does that make them dark?

    Luke is who he is because he is willing to 'go the extra mile' and try to capture Lumiya. Mara is afraid of losing her husband and she is letting that fear dictate her actions. How is this different than Jacen?

    I would hardly call running Jacen through with her saber as Jaina 'giving him a chance to surrender'; Jaina went with the sole intend of killing her brother.

    How would the Jedi know if anyone truly returned? That is the EU's $100,000 question. I would also argue that it is equally hard to know whether someone has turned to the dark side until they do something egregious. You've made Vectivus 'dark' by the Jedi definition, yet is he really? Not in this story. "Sith, Jedi, these are just names."--Vergere
     
  6. ginchy

    ginchy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    He stepped further into the apartment and when he didn’t hear the sound of a headboard banging against the wall he assumed he wouldn’t get any unpleasant surprises from his parents today. “Mom? Dad?”

    [face_rofl] [face_rofl] Poor Ben. LOLOL!!! But get it, Luke and Mara!! [face_mischief]

    Great update. I love Mara and Ben's chat and Mark and Ben's chat. I love the family dynamics and everyone working together, like Jedi should. I hope that Ben can find the woman of his dreams, but a human/Twi'lek hybrid that looks like a Skywalker is a scary idea indeed. LOL!!
     
  7. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    That's fine. You are a follower of the Unifying Force. Most of the members of the Jedi Order believed in a concept called the Living Force where you have dark and light sides of the Force. The Unifying Force is the belief that the Force is a single entity and it doesn't have light or dark. It is just an energy field and how you use it determines if you are good or bad. That is what Lumiya is trying to tell Jacen in this story (and the profic I assume) with her example of Darth Vectivus.

    I don't know if a Jedi would use a dark technique if it would help them. I guess it depends on the Jedi and his beliefs when it comes to the Force. And as for a Sith technique used for good, is it still dark? I guess it depends on your definition of dark. Would it make the act evil...probably not, but it still is a technique that utilizes the dark side of the Force and most Jedi believe it they use the dark side it will forever dominate your destiny...and therefore should be avoided. At least that is what Yoda said.

    ginchy -- Thanks. I wanted to have some family time for them. Mark is Ben's Master so I thought it would reasonable for him to talk to Ben like a mentor.

    Thanks for reading guys!![:D]
     
  8. smash128

    smash128 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2008
    Been gone for a little awhile, but caught up again :). I can kind of see Mara's point in all this as well, Lumiya is bad news in her opinion and view. Sith would rather die than surrender, that much is true. And call me weird, but I really hate to acknowledge that what ever happened after NJO is canon[face_not_talking]. Kind of stopped reading profic midway through Dark Nest, but that's me being stubborn I guess :p
     
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  9. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Woohoo! Fun catching up [face_dancing] Lumiya's reactions in the temple: ;) hee! Mara's advice to Jaina =D= ... Mara's very wise :D And L/M with him trying to distract her LOL :) :) ... But the last update with Ben and his parents - bravo!! Kudos to Hazel @};- [:D] JL, this plot is still hanging together just fine :D character-wise, etc.
     
  10. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Thanks Jade_eyes, SiouxFan, Briannakin, Demendora, ginchy, and smash128 for reading and taking the time to comment. I also want to thank Hazel for looking over the next chapter and giving me advice.

    ______________________________________

    Coruscant: Jedi Temple

    “Did you sense anything in your meditations?” Mara asked her husband when he returned from the Temple’s nexus area later that night.

    Luke shook his head as he entered the office. “I can’t sense her on planet, but that doesn’t mean she’s not here. What did you find with the shadow transponders?”

    Mara pulled up the data on a screen. “Most flights were completely legitimate with Jedi moving to locations for missions as ordered. There were only a few unauthorized flights.” She looked at Luke and raised an eyebrow. “And all of them involve family members.”

    “Really,” Luke said as he leaned over to look at the computer screen.

    “Jaina has multiple excursions into Chiss and Imperial space,” she smirked. “I checked and they all correspond with the movement of the Star Destroyer Tenacious or the planetary location of one Commander Jagged Fel.”

    “Well, “ Luke chuckled with a roll of his eyes. “Facilitating good Imperial-Jedi relations is a critical mission.”

    Mara scoffed then turned her attention to her computer screen. “Jacen had a couple unauthorized trips to Hapes, but his friendship with Tenel Ka is probably the reason of those jaunts. What is odd is he took an unscheduled flight to the planet Lorrd and then to the planet Lavisar in Imperial space.”

    “Lavisar is in between Lorrd and Coruscant. Maybe he stopped to refuel.” Luke ran his hand through his blond hair deep in thought. “Lorrd is known as a center of learning. He probably went there for research. When I saw him in the Temple this morning he was with a woman who he said is helping him do some research.”

    “Damn!” Mara cursed. “I almost forgot to tell you something about that!”

    “What?”

    “Ben said he and Mark were in the gym working out when Mark saw Jacen with a women. Ben said Mark started acting strange and tried to catch up with them, but couldn’t. Ben is going to ask him about that tonight.”

    “That’s interesting. Although it’s probably nothing, I didn’t sense anything amiss with the woman Jacen was with.”

    “Did you sense her at all?” Mara asked. “You said Jacen was doing stealth…how about her?”

    Luke closed his eyes and tried to recall that meeting. He shook his head. “I was in a hurry to get to my class. I don’t remember anything about her other that she was wearing a veil…and her eyes. I noticed them because they were the same color as yours.”

    She looked at him with wide, almost alarmed eyes. “Luke, didn’t Lumiya have green eyes?”

    He blanched. “Yes, but there are a lot of green-eyed women in the galaxy.”

    “So there was nothing familiar about her eyes?” Mara asked. “You did have a relationship with her.”

    “Mara that was decades ago,” he said a touch defensively. “When I think of Lumiya I never recall her as Shira Brie, my friend and comrade. I don’t reminisce about her face and eyes. All I remember is the feeling of betrayal that ripped through me when I found out she was a double agent. She used me for information that may have led to the deaths of any number of my friends in the rebellion.”

    Mara stood and put a hand on Luke’s shoulder in a conciliatory gesture. “Luke, I’m not accusing you of pining over her. I just want you to use the Force, reach back and try to recall the meeting this morning and see if her eyes are in anyway familiar.”

    Luke heaved a sigh. “Okay.” He looked down at the ground and took a deep breath. Using the Force to augment his memory he thought back to that meeting...thought back to the woman's eyes and the contours of her face wrapped under the delicate silk veil. When he looked up he had a troubled grimace. “Kriff, it could have been her,” he said reluctantly.

    “Should we call Jacen in?” Mara asked with a troubled expression.

    Luke chewed on his bottom lip before he shook his head. “I don’t know if would be of any benefit. If that was Lumiya with Jacen and he knowingly brought her into the temple…he ‘ll probably deny everything and accosting him will only force him further underground with whatever he is up to. If we confront him and it wasn’t Lumiya, I could see that causing some bruised feelings with Jacen and our two families.”

    “What if it was Lumiya and Jacen didn’t know?” Mara asked.

    “That is a possibility.” Luke nodded somberly. “I think the best course of action is to keep close tabs on him. Put an alert on Jacen’s shadow transponder so we’ll know if he leaves the temple…just as a precaution. If Lumiya was with him, I’m sure he is being tricked in some way. If we can track him to her…then we can deal with the situation.” He paused in thought, then looked up at Mara, his eyes wide. “Why do you think she was in the gym area?”

    “What do you mean?”

    “I mean whether she was really a researcher or Lumiya, why would she go up to see the gym?”

    Mara shrugged. “Maybe they didn’t go to see the gym; the public observation platform has a scenic overlook of the city.”

    “Maybe...” Luke’s eyes narrowed. “Or maybe there was somebody in the gym she wanted to see.”

    Mara looked confused. “Like who?”

    Luke took on an ashen color. “Like our son. I am sure a Sith would love to turn the son of Luke Skywalker.”

    “Who is also the son of a former Emperor’s Hand.” Mara closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “I could just see her wanting to take away something we love.”

    Luke nodded. “We need to find her soon. I think we should have two search parties. I’ll take a team to Chiss space and start our search where she was first spotted. She may have a base of operations there. I need you to stay here in case she does have designs on one of our students.”

    “You don’t want me to go with you?”

    Luke shook his head. “You and I are the only two Jedi Masters who have dealt with her before. We are more likely to recognize her through the Force. I’ll take Corran, and Jaina with me.”

    Mara nodded. “I’ll get Ben and Mark’s help.”

    “Help looking for Lumiya, but don't tell them we suspect Jacen of anything until we have something concrete. He's been nothing but a stellar Jedi. He deserves the benefit of the doubt.” Luke breathed deep and let out a cleansing breath. “I’ll leave tomorrow.”

    Mara nodded silently.

    Luke looked at her sadly as he pulled her into his arms. “Mara, it’ll be alright. We’ll find her and stop whatever she’s planning. We won’t let anything happen to our children or Jedi. I promise.”

    “I know,” she said as she put her head on his shoulder and held him tight. “We’ll get through this together.”


    .
    .
    .
    Coruscant: Jedi Temple, Docking Bay Six

    Since Mark saw Jacen with that unknown woman at the gym three days ago an uneasy, gnawing feeling had descended on him like a dark cloud. Although he could not see her face, there was something familiar about her. The fact that Lumiya was sighted recently troubled him. He talked to Mara about the sighting and she admitted Luke had a bad feeling about the woman with Jacen, but she didn't express any concerns about her nephew. He couldn’t imagine a reason for Jacen to be in Lumiya’s presence, but it was a possibility. He had never met the woman, but Palpatine had. Mark wondered if it was possible that he recognized the Dark Lady through the Emperor’s memories.

    Another thing bothered him. Since he saw the woman he had been having nightmares and dreams about some foreboding event and for some reason he thought Jacen was involved. It was probably nothing, but he thought maybe he should take one small precaution.

    He knew what he was about to do might be illegal or at least perceived as unethical, but his years working with the Galactic Alliance Intelligence Service and the Galactic Alliance Guard had long ago blurred the lines between right and wrong for him. Enhanced interrogation techniques, black ops, spying and other unsavory practices were the norm in the Intelligence community—unsavory, but effective. He had seen terrorist operations shut down, marauders thwarted, dictators toppled, and slave trades disbanded by the use of somewhat controversial methods. Many Jedi believe you cannot use an end to justify the means, but Mark was not one of them. He knew the truth. He knew trillions of sentient beings were sleeping peacefully tonight because of battle hardened men and women willing to protect them by any means possible.

    Right or wrong, after much thought he decided it might be wise to put a homing beacon on Jacen’s ship. He obtained a small tracking device from a friend in the GAG that could be clipped onto the outside of a spaceship. The tracker would remain inert until it sensed a signal from a HoloNet transponder. It would then activate for only a nanosecond to send out a coded message burst to the transponder station. It was hard to detect when it wasn’t active and it was only active when in space, therefore an electronic sweep of the ship for homing beacons and other tracking devices rarely picked up this particular stealth tracker.

    He didn’t like spying on a family member, but if Lumiya was trying to turn Jacen…she needed to be dealt with.

    Mark waited until late at night before he crept down to the temple docking bay. He quickly found Jacen Solo’s ship and clamped the device to the underbelly of the ship in a recessed area. A person doing an exterior visual of the ship would not spot the matt black tracker unless they were squatting in a very uncomfortable position and looking directly at it. Once he was satisfied that the tracker was secure, he made his way back home.

    As he entered the apartment he took off his shoes and tried to make it back into bed without waking his wife, Kira. He found her sleeping soundly in bed, her bosom rising and falling in a soft breathing rhythm. He stripped down to his boxer-briefs and slowly crawled under the covers.

    Unfortunately the movement of a 120 kilo man climbing into bed woke her up. She turned to him and gave him her best glare, but he could sense there was no fire behind her eyes. “Sneaking around, I see.”

    He had to smile at her beauty. “Gods you are beautiful when you're angry.” He joked.

    “Then I must be stunning right about now. Where were you?”

    He tried to give her his most innocent face. He didn’t want to tell her the truth. Even if she didn’t tell a soul, Jacen might pick up emotions from her. “Nothing, just out for a walk.”

    She shook her head. “Try again.”

    “I was,” He tried to think of something to say. “I was watching porn, that’s it.” When she shook her head he continued. “I was out smoking death sticks?”

    She sat up, picked up her pillow and whacked him over the head with it. “Gods, you are infuriating.”

    “I was out picking up prostitutes?” He could barely contain his laughter.

    Kira huffed. “You are doing some sneaky top secret stuff again, aren’t you?”

    “Sorry,” he chuckled. His wife had endured over twenty-five years of him disappearing on missions with Luke or for the New Republic and later the Galactic Alliance. Most of the missions were ‘need to know’ that she still had no idea as to what he was doing during those long deployments. “Sorry, but it’s a secret.” He leaned in and kissed her. “Trust me, I am not up to no good.”

    She dropped the pretense of being angry and gave him a warm smile. “I know you’re not. If you were out picking up prostitutes I am pretty sure Mara would kill you for me.”

    “She probably would, especially if you continued to make her favorite chocolate candies for her.” He ran a hand under her silk nightie enjoying the feel of her skin as he kissed the side of her neck.

    “Speaking of desserts.” Kira said with a lusty grin as she ran her hand down his muscular chest. “I thought you said I was going to get some tonight.”

    He leaned in to capture her lips for a lingering kiss. As he pulled away he smiled. “Chocolate or whipped cream?”

    She ran her tongue over her upper lip. “How about both.”
     
    Jade_eyes likes this.
  11. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Loved the L/M talk and discussion of options =D= Very well done but Mark/Kira - re: whipped cream or chocolate [face_mischief] yes, both is better [face_laugh] [:D]
     
  12. Hazel

    Hazel Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2010
    I guess Lumiya should have covered her eyes or dye them like Mark does :oops::p.
    Loved the Kira/Mark scene. [face_love]
     
  13. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Hehehe. I loved the Mark/Kira mush. And Luke and Mara are continuing to communicate??!! It's a miracle :p
     
  14. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Oh, the incomparable logical plotting of ff writers =D= ^:)^ :duh:
     
  15. SiouxFan

    SiouxFan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2012
    Interesting conversation between Luke and Mara, it is fun to watch them problem-solve. What I find interesting is that they are not asking why. They clearly believe Jacen is up to something, but they aren't asking why. If someone is acting out of character, I think that would be the first question to ask.

    Once again I find myself confused by Mark's actions. He is afraid to use certain aspects of the Force for fear of turning to the dark, but he is perfectly fine with performing illegal acts to 'protect the common good'. (My phrase, I'm not trying to put words in his mouth) I would argue that these illegal acts (and they are) are just as much a step to darkness as using Force lightning, to use our previous example. If the Jedi in this story are acting as a sort of police force for the purposes of this story, then Mark has just set them up on a huge slippery slope; the Jedi are to uphold the law, and Mark is clearly subverting that authority. 'Right or wrong...' Is this not the start of becoming dark? Isn't that what this core belief of the Jedi, that the ends DO NOT justify the means? Perhaps if Luke and Mara would have told others about these tracking devices, Mark wouldn't have had to plant one of his own. If Jacen finds about what Mark has done, he is fully justified in suing the Order.

    Even benign secrets have ways of biting people in the behind.
     
  16. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Well, he is obviously touched by the darkside in chapter one. He screwed up somehow.
     
  17. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Thanks Jade_eyes,Briannakin, Hazel and SiouxFan for reading and taking the time to review. I especially want to thank Hazel for her advice. This chapter is a bit jumbled. I need to get a bunch of people in one spot in the galaxy and it all has to happen about the same time. So it is more of a set up chapter without a lot of action or dialog. I am trying to throw in a few aspects to the LOTF novels, but of course since the Vong war never occurred it will definitely be different.
    ___________________________________________________________

    After two agonizing weeks of waiting Jacen finally received an encrypted message from the geneticist letting him know the virus and antidote were ready for pick up. He was given a location for delivery and wiring instructions for the remaining funds owed. That was a relief, but Jacen was still waiting for an official request from Tenel Ka for him to provide Jedi assistance. He wished he could talk to her, but communications with the Queen was severely restricted since the assassination attempt. Her last message was a text stating Allana had made a full recovery and that she would contact him when the situation stabilized. Once he had the antidote he had to find a way to get onboard the Dragon Queen. Perhaps if he couldn’t join Tenel Ka as part of her security force he could at least talk his way onto her capital ship for a friendly visit.

    Jacen suited up in his green flight suit and pulled his Jedi robe over it. As he packed his flight bag he took a deep cleansing breath. He was already having second thoughts. It was easy to decide to assassinate a murderous old woman in the heat of the moment, but it is another thing to carry out the plan when his blood had cooled…but he was fairly certain he was doing the right thing.

    His nights were still haunted by horrific visions that drove him forward…encouraging him to continue this course of action. During the last week he spent much of his time in deep meditation. He used a future-sight technique taught to him by the Aing-Tii monks in an effort to get a glimpse of what the future held for him. While submerged deep within the Force he could see flickers of possible destinies. He was taught the future is always in motion and what he saw while in his meditative trances were a montage of possibilities—murky prognostications that differed in the details but showed two very distinct and contrasting outcomes.

    In all possible futures where he confessed his association with Lumiya…his wife and daughter died; sometimes it was from an assassin’s blaster, often it was an explosion that snuffed out their lives…but the overall fact was they died. The same fate awaited his family if he didn’t use the virus to kill Ta’a Chume.

    In his visions where he denied his involvement with Lumiya and she delivered the virus he saw a brighter future. He caught glimpses of himself and his family together, happy and living openly. He saw an image of Tenel Ka and Allana sitting down with his parents and siblings and all enjoying a family dinner.

    How could the death of one woman make so much difference?’ he wondered with a deep sense of bewilderment. It didn’t seem possible.

    He zipped up his flight bag and tossed it on his bed. He needed to contact Lumiya to set up a rendezvous. He would leave tonight.
    .
    .
    .
    “Darth Vectivus?” Lumiya called out from the library area of The Home as she turned off her subspace transceiver. When he didn’t answer she went to her room to pack. Jacen Solo had finally contacted her for a rendezvous in Hapan space. Hopefully when Ta’a Chume was dead he could concentrate on what he would need to learn to destroy whatever evil awaited the galaxy. She grabbed a travel bag from under her bed and threw in some clothing, a blaster and disguises in preparation for her mission to Hapes.

    “Is the young man finally coming to train?” a voice came from the corner of her room.

    Lumiya jumped slightly at his sudden appearance. She shook her head. “You’re skulking again.”

    There was a deep chuckle that came from the shadow. “It’s nice to know that after all these years I can still get a reaction out of you in the bedroom.”

    She groaned. “Did I ever tell you that your sense of humor is lacking?”

    “A few times, but the Sith were never known for their witticisms.”

    “That’s true.” She went to the ‘fresher and grabbed her toiletry kit and tossed it in her carry-all bag. “He contacted me. I am going to meet him on an secluded planet in the Hapes Cluster.”

    Darth Vectivus didn’t reply, but Lumiya could almost feel his eyes on her. She turned to the silhouette in the corner. “Is something wrong?”

    “It’s just this is a dangerous time for you. If he has changed his mind this could be a trap.”

    “True,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “But you can’t achieve great things without some danger.”

    She heard Vectivus heave a heavy sigh, which she always thought was odd for a specter that didn’t breath. “What’s wrong now?”

    “I am concerned for you.”

    She laughed. “I thought you were sick of me?”

    “Humph,” he muttered. “Surprisingly, I sometimes find myself enjoying your company.” There was a pause. “Bring whatever you need to protect yourself.”

    She looked at him intently for a moment. “Okay,” she said slowly wondering what brought on this sudden concern for her welfare. She went over to her weapons locker. She took out her lightwhip, holdout blaster, tranquilizer and toxic darts and energy bola and tossed them into a travel bag. She zipped up the carrier and slung the strap over her shoulder. “I am going to Kavan. I should be back within a week.”

    “Be careful,” she heard the Dark Lord say as she left The Home.
    .
    .
    .
    Mark's datapad buzzed, letting him know that Jacen’s StealthX had entered space. He scrambled out of bed and quickly dressed. Kira sat up in bed looking confused.

    “Where are you going?”

    “Sorry, I’m off on a mission.”

    Kira frowned but lay back down in bed looking perturbed, but not surprised. “Are you going to be in danger?” she asked.

    He shook his head as he buckled up his blaster holster and attached his lightsaber to it. “I doubt it. I’m just going to check something out and be right back. I’ll be gone a few days, tops.” He threw a few things in a flight bag and then leaned over to kiss his wife goodbye.

    She gently grasped the sides of his head and held him, prolonging the kiss. “I love you,” she whispered.

    “I love you too,” he said. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

    He dashed to the front door of his apartment, but then hesitated. If he did run into Lumiya he wanted the advantage. He went to the back his apartment and into the room housing the ysalamiri. He put on a shoulder carrying harness and then took his favorite animal out of the cage. “Hey, Nibbles,” he greeted the elderly tree lizard as he placed the animal on his shoulder. The Force-void creature made a couple circles on his shoulder before she dug her claws into the thick leather of the carrier. He reached up and scratched the back of her head. “Now I’m ready for whatever is out there.”
    .
    .
    .
    Ben tossed and turned in his bed as a horrible nightmare ravaged his sleep. He was cradling his mother in his arms. She looked up to him, her face a mask of pain. Her mouth open and closed, but no words were said. Her eyes were wide and frantic as she desperately tried to tell him something. Then there was a scream.

    “Arrgghh!” he woke with a start. “Oh Kriff!” His heart was pounding and he found himself gasping for air. He ran his hands through his hair nervously and found he was covered with sweat. He didn’t know if what he saw was a vision or just a nightmare but he needed to see his mother; he had to make sure she was all right. He rolled out of bed and pulled on his sleep pants and walked out of his room to the kitchen. There he saw his parents bedroom door open and the lights on.

    “Mom?” he called out as he ran to her room. His father had left for Chiss space almost a week earlier leaving Ben and his mother to investigate the existence of Lumiya on Coruscant. “Mom?” he called again. When she didn’t answer he rushed into the room. The blankets were on the floor and the closet door and dresser drawers were open. It looked like she jumped out of bed, packed and left in a hurry. He gazed over to a display shelf where she usually kept her lightsaber and holdout blaster and saw that they were gone. “Stang!”

    He ran to see if she was in the back office but all he found was his mother’s computer activated and what looked like ship tracking information on the screen. It appeared that a StealthX had left from bay six. “What are you doing, Mom?” He ran back to his room and quickly dressed and armed himself with lightsaber and blaster. He didn’t know where she was going or who she was after, but he did know she shouldn’t be going alone.

    He exited his family quarters and took the turbolift up to level ten and sprinted to bay six. The hanger was silent but there were fumes within the chamber letting him know a StealthX had left recently.

    “Mom?” He looked around for his mother but couldn’t find her. He pulled out his comlink and activated it. “Mom? Mom, answer me!” When she didn’t respond he decided to go to bay ten where the Jade Shadow was docked along with the other privately owned ships.

    “Damn!” he swore angrily when he arrived to bay ten and saw the Shadow was gone. “Why’d she leave without me?” He took out his comlink and tried to make contact again. He was startled by the sound of heavy footsteps as his Uncle Mark suddenly burst into the hanger. As the man neared Ben, he could feel his Force senses disappeared. He looked at his uncle’s shoulder and saw he was with his ysalamiri.

    “What are you doing here?” Mark asked.

    “I woke up and found Mom missing. I think she was going to check out somebody leaving from bay six. I have a bad feeling, like something horrible is going to happen to her.”

    “Jacen’s fighter is missing from bay six,” Mark said matter-of-factly.

    “Shavit!” Ben swore. “Did Mom and Jacen go on a mission without me?”

    Mark shook her head, “I think she’s following Jacen.”

    Ben’s face screwed up in confusion. “Why Jacen?”

    “Because I think that woman with Jacen at the gym was with Lumiya. I’m still not positive, but the fact that your mother is tracking Jacen makes it very likely.”

    Ben shook his head in disbelief. “Why would Jacen be with Lumiya and why would he be stupid enough to bring her into the Temple? And why would Mom be foolish enough to leave without back up?"

    “I don’t know.” Mark ran over to his modified headhunter. “I have a tracker on Jacen’s ship, I’m going after him.” Mark turned to his nephew. “Want a ride? It probably won’t be as fast as the StealthX, but I want to bring Nibbles with me and it is too tight of a fit in the fighter.”

    Ben nodded, his expression troubled. “Yeah, I think we should stick together. Let’s go.”
     
  18. Demendora

    Demendora Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2010
    Now I am nervous![face_nail_biting][face_worried] Please, please, please, Mara, don't do something stupid you have already done in another life(((
     
  19. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    I know I am going to get a bunch of people saying, "Mara wouldn't go after Jacen alone!" But Mara always goes after people alone! That is how she gets in trouble and Luke has to save her. It is IN CHARACTER for Star Wars people to do really stupid things to help along the plot.:rolleyes:
     
  20. Demendora

    Demendora Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Apr 9, 2010
    It's true! But the only thing I know for sure, that in your stories you make things right! Somehow, but you do it))
     
  21. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Ahhhhh! Noooo! I can't watch. Please update again soon!
     
  22. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    JL, you're right, Mara does go off on a tear alone, hello! :p Glad those who care about her notice and dash off to provide even what she might call unnecessary backup but she'll thank them later :p ... See, in your fic, her running off makes more sense already; she does it out of urgency not because she can't or won't depend on or confide in anyone which is silly. Though how or why she could lock Luke out of something like that in profic is still a thorny puzzle :rolleyes: Although it appears that he isn't or won't be as surprised by her dashing off but yikes, we're all worried about those pesky visions coming true. Hopefully Ben will be the cancelling factor [face_worried] You've done a great job getting everyone in one place =D= @};-
     
    Jedi_Lover likes this.
  23. Hazel

    Hazel Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 9, 2010
    Oh Jacen Jacen Jacen :( I have a bad feeling about this.

    Also, i think Darth Vectivus has a crush on Lumiya. :p
     
    Jedi_Lover and Jade_eyes like this.
  24. SiouxFan

    SiouxFan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 6, 2012
    This is going to go badly about a thousand different ways. Lumiya is going to think Jacen set her up, Jacen is going to know that his aunt and uncles are spying on him which will only increase the amount of distrust between himself and everyone, and even if no one dies in the upcoming melee, someone's going to be on the run; it will take years for everyone to get over all of the betrayal of trust.

    I've got to see how you pull this off. As to Mara, I believe that this is totally in character; she's a lot like Han--'damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead' (FYI, actually a quote by Commodore Farragut during the Civil War)
     
    Jade_eyes likes this.
  25. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    You got that right and I know a lot of people might not like my little plan to unscrew up this situation. But you never know what people want in a story. When I wrote Choices the L/M 'shippers were irritated that I had Luke married to an OC and not Mara Jade. They wanted me to kill the OC. Fine, I'll kill her. At the end of the story they liked the OC and were upset that she died. :rolleyes: