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Beyond - Legends Ta'dala Rambles - "A Handmaid's Tale, Part 6 of 6" (Sabé) <-- New Content 5/18/15 (Completed Tale!)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by taramidala, Jan 19, 2015.

  1. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2001
    [face_laugh] This feels spot-on for the intensely practical Sabé. And I like the later hints at her wishing for something more (even just a friendship) with Obi-Wan. It makes a nice parallel with her and Obi-Wan being the ones who sacrifice too much, and Anakin and Padmé being the ones who over-involve and rush in where Iego's angels fear to tread. The understated tone is really suitable for her personality, giving us the sense of her depth of feelings without ever delving very deep into her controlled emotions.
     
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  2. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

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    Aug 31, 2004
    =D= Sabe is able to acclimate to the new role and demonstrates loyalty throughout the changes. @};-
     
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  3. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    Yes, you've hit the nail on the proverbial head! While yes, Padmé lives and breathes duty, she's also impulsive as hell and as we well know: it gets/got her into a lot of trouble. Sabé, on the other hand, is, in my opinion, more capable of separating duty from her desires, and stays relatively level-headed in a crisis.


    Yes, thanks!
     
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  4. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    A Handmaid's Tale: Into the Dark Times (Sabé, Part the Fourth)

    [​IMG]
    She sees him. In the shadows of the crowd at Padmé’s funeral. Older now, wiser and battered, but still the same sturdy presence she remembered. As she passes him in the funeral cortège she fixes him with a gaze. Brief, only a moment, but she silently shouts at him Get me out of here.

    He catches her, after, in a dark alley on the way to her sister’s home. She knows too much. Whatever got Padmé killed will surely come for her, too. She needs to disappear, but where? She cannot tell anyone - no one will understand. Kenobi came with Organa, but how? Can they take her with them?

    Not right now, he tells her. Play the game. Be mournful and grief-stricken as a Naboo would. Tell no lies, but give no answers to any inquiries. Settle affairs as quickly and quietly as possible. Someone will come for her. Soon. One standard month, maybe less.

    She deals with Panaka delicately, playing up the grief and hysteria for the Emperor’s man. For Apailana, there’s some measure of truth: that her connection to Amidala now endangers her, and she does not wish any additional undue attention. All her security and personal data, any trace of her, must disappear. Status unknown. For Roo’na’s protection, and for her village’s. The Queen insists on a single copy, Sabé’s personal copy, for preservation, for posterity, for the future.

    That she becomes Senator Binks’ chief aide is a lie, but a well-crafted ruse that Ellé will play flawlessly, as she’s always been one of the more shrewd political minds to come out of the training program. The Queen and Typho will help her settle in.

    And Roo’na. Dearest Rioona cuts her hair, packs her bag, and weeps when Sabé insists for the fiftieth time that she can’t know anything, that it’s for the best. The night of her rendezvous, Sabé doesn’t look back when Roo’na whispers “Is’braylem tué, jirféa**. Sabéa,” into the dark.

    It’s not until she’s safely in hyperspace, on the way to Force-knows-where with Master Kenobi, that she begins to weep. She is 31 years old, has a heart full of ashes, and wonders what’s left to live for.


    **NOTE under the cut
    "Is’braylem tué, jirféa" is butchered Gaelic for "Is breá liom tú, deirfiúr" which, translated, means "I love you, sister."
     
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  5. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

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    Aug 31, 2004
    Poignant! =D= You can really get the sense of urgent secrecy. And that is mixed in with a total sense of inner upheaval: now what, what's next? But she covers it well, until safely away. @};-
     
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  6. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    I still love your story even if you butcher Gaelic for it, mo chrí ! ;)

    I wish Sabé good luck on her journey! Where ever it will lead her to.
     
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  7. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    I really love the pictures you've used of Keira, it really illustrates Sabe's journey, particularly the starkness and sorrow conveyed in the last image. It's really beautiful (and heartbreaking).

    There's really a sense of coming full circle with Elle taking her place on Coruscant - I love the symmetry of the protector becoming the protected. And that last line - :_| - Poor Sabe!
     
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  8. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    Thank you!


    EEP! I knew there was someone (multiple someones?) around these parts who spoke Gaelic! Please forgive me. My butchering comes from both trying to hear how it sounds and then transcribing it phonetically. And...Google Translate, I'm sure, is not the most accurate. My apologies for insulting your eyes and ears. :)

    The good thing about Sabé is that she's resilient (like all Naboo ;) ). She'll find her way.


    Thank you! I'm really glad you mentioned the photos. I can't draw worth a lick, so being able to find just the right image is difficult and times, but worth it when someone says they enjoy them. Full circle, huh? For the moment. Like I said to AzureAngel2 - she's resilient.
     
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  9. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    A Handmaid's Tale: Of Duty and Rebellion (Sabé, Part the Fifth)

    [​IMG]


    Tea with Master Kenobi - Ben - is a daily occurrence in the short time they share hiding space on Tatooine. When she settles in on Alderaan, tea becomes an indulgence she allows herself twice per week in honor of their friendship.**

    Senator Organa and Her Royal Highness Queen Breha could not be kinder. Not only do they offer her accommodation, but it is a suite in their own palace. It…takes adjustment, after so many years out of a royal household.

    Through the years her role in the household shifts as the Princess grows. Governess, tutor, guardian. Teacher of etiquette, protocol, weaponry, subterfuge. History, religion, art. Politics. The girl is a natural, in nearly every way. Much like her mother. (And her father.)

    But she finds herself in another role, far greater in scale than the raising of a princess. At the Senator and Queen’s request, she begins to travel. Working in the dark, whispered seditious conversations sow the seeds of rebellion. She’s not alone. There are others (Fulcrum, The Ghost) whom she never sees, but who are working in similar fashions. Together, with any luck (and the gods, and maybe the Force) they will be ready in time.

    She never tells the Princess anything of her past, even when asked, and as the girl becomes more like Padmé it breaks her heart afresh. (“We had an agreement,” the Senator says. / “No, we didn’t. You and your Jedi dictated it to me. I had nothing to do with it,” she seethes.) Her increased travels make it easier to avoid the dissonance in her soul.

    She vows that, one day, when Leia knows the truth, she will tell the girl everything.





    **Note under the cut:
    For those of you who have read "The Garden of Unearthly Delights" by JadeLotus, this is where Sabé's tea ritual began. :)
     
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  10. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    As you know, I love the idea of Sabe's tea ritual - such a civilised act for her and Obi-Wan to indulge in while the galaxy is falling apart around them. Thank you for letting me use it in my fic!

    And her having a tangential connection to other aspects of the Rebellion (Fulcrum!) but all of them having to keep their cells secret is a great idea.

    But her having to keep this all from Leia is heartbreaking, and it's true she never had a say in the plan (I wonder if there's an alt universe out there where she did take Leia at least) and her anger feels very real.
     
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  11. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Fantastic, developing a friendship with Kenobi :cool: and also teaching young Leia many things and at the same time participating in a greater, worthy cause. It probably feels to Sabe, as to the audience, that she is still fulfilling her Handmaid's duty in furthering the covert Rebellion. [face_thinking]
     
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  12. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 14, 2005
    JadeLotus: Do NOT worry, hon! I am not fluent, just have some very skeletal knowledge of Irish Gaelic, a confusing language that has three main dialects. My former picked Au Pair mom, may she rest in peace, was the daughter of one of founders of the Gaelic league. I picked up some stuff when working in her household about 19 years ago.

    I simply love the sound of the Gaelic language. This is also why I am a big fan of the Scottish band "Runrig" & why I am thrilled senseless that the Diana Gabaldon novel "Outlander" was done into a TV series by the very guy who also produced "Battle Star Galactica". [face_love]

    Anyway:

    But she finds herself in another role, far greater in scale than the raising of a princess. At the Senator and Queen’s request, she begins to travel. Working in the dark, whispered seditious conversations sow the seeds of rebellion. She’s not alone. There are others (Fulcrum, The Ghost) whom she never sees, but who are working in similar fashions. Together, with any luck (and the gods, and maybe the Force) they will be ready in time.

    Your text is like a haiku here. You manage to say so much with little words, also have onion like sub-layers in your text. I envy people who can stay that short & efficient without lacking elegance. @};-
     
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  13. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

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    Mar 3, 2001
    :) Like how there's a brief spell of time when she and Ben Kenobi can just have tea on Tatooine -- and it's pretty much only because everything went downhill in a handbasket. Horrible circumstances making the time that was never there. And I like that she keeps the ceremony later.

    This is excellent at conveying the emotional punch of the conversation with just a selection of their lines.
     
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  14. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    I love the idea of their ritual as well, and of them trying to have some measure of civility in all the chaos. They're no less passionate (and I don't mean that romantically, just in general) than Padmé and Anakin, but because of their various duties in life they had to contain it. I suspect that their tea conversations were actually vigorous debates on any number of topics (but the current situation being the one at the forefront). And thanks, I tossed Fulcrum and Ghost in there at the last minute, because it just makes sense that she'd know of them, but not necessarily know them, you know? I'd be interested in that AU. ;)

    Yes, exactly! She's known nothing else, so it's a natural transition to take care of Leia and work for the Rebellion. Plus, she does it out of love and believe in the cause.

    That's very cool! I've some Irish blood in me, which I think is why I chose it. I know Naboo is mostly based on Italy, but I just didn't want to use a romance language where the translation is almost too easy. Chopping up the Gaelic looks otherworldly (but no less beautiful!).

    That's...that's so nice of you. I'm not my writing style's biggest fan (because I see more detailed writers whose depth makes me want to cry), but when I get comments like that it makes me feel so much better. Thank you!


    Thanks! Yes, like I said to JadeLotus, I think it's realistic that she hid out for a bit before popping up on Alderaan, especially since she believed she'd be hunted. We never saw them interact in TPM, but I like to think that they bonded in a meaningful way and that it continued over time, and that they remained lifelong friends who never saw each other.

    Thank you! :)
     
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  15. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    Welp. We've come to the end of my Sabé headcanon saga. Thanks to those who've read along for your comments and nice words. I doubt this will be the last I write of our dear handmaiden, but this was fun putting together.


    A Handmaid's Tale: Of Divergent Paths, and Truth (Sabé, Part the Sixth)

    [​IMG]

    At Leia’s election to the Senate, Sabé’s path goes one of two ways. One path leads to her death, with the rest of her adopted world; this path means she never sees Roo’na or Naboo again, and Padmé Amidala’s secrets go with her to her fiery grave.
    *
    *
    *
    The other path, the more hopeful path, puts her offworld when the Emperor’s war machine comes to call. Her reunion with her young ward is painful, and in the Princess’ tears she sees her own from decades ago when she, too, had lost everything.

    In the eyes of the boy she finally understands Obi-Wan’s, and Organa’s, secrecy. He radiates light, so much that she can feel it. But with no Jedi Master to speak of, the young man struggles to make his way on his own. It pains her to be so powerless, but Ahsoka has been out of touch for years and cannot be found.

    She keeps herself distant, honoring the long-ago directive. Somewhere along the way those insistent seeds took root, and she decided to honor the requests of two men she came to love. Between missions she bears witness to their twin triumphs and their failures, their joy and their despair. She watches as they fall in love and fall apart. Yet she stays quiet. It is not yet time.

    After Endor, it is time. In between skirmishes that take them away from Home One, she extends a simple request to Leia: that she and Luke, at their convenience, find the time to meet with her in her stateroom.

    They’re quite a pair, hand-in-hand in front of her. It reminds her suddenly that they’re still such children.

    She begins slowly, in nothing above a whisper, but over the course of an evening she reveals all she ever knew. There are tears, and laughter, and tears again, but when they leave she is assured that they will be okay and her soul finally feels cleansed.

    She tenders her resignation shortly thereafter. The fight will go on but, with those who she feared the most now dead, she has only one desire: to go home.

    When her ship docks, and the ramp lowers, and she sees Roo’na standing in wait to embrace her, Sabé knows her sacrifice was worthy.
     
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  16. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    First, what a fantastic choice of photo for older, mature, stylish Sabé!

    Then the diverging paths between her staying on Alderaan and dying with the rest of the planet, and your own 'verse is very well done, and her decision to keep silent about what she knows is heartbreaking but makes a lot of sense. In many ways she is very isolated with the burden of her knowledge, and with Bail and Ben dead and Ahsoka missing she has no confidants left. Poor Sabé!

    Loved the image of her finally telling Luke and Leia (and the twins holding hands! [face_love]), and allowing herself to go home.

    This was a lovely portrait of the character, and I can't wait to read more in the latter timeline! ;)
     
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  17. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Marvelous conclusion. I too love the closing image of her disclosing to Leia and Luke, closure and healing for all three. :) And her able and actually going home. That is just. Beyond priceless. =D=

    Thanks ever so for sharing!

    [:D]
     
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  18. ginchy

    ginchy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2005
    Well, you know that I love any, all ALL, of your head-canons. [face_love] And your writing is always so beautiful and lyric. Even with the story of love and loss for the Skywalkers it is easy to forget in the midst of space battles and funny one-liners and strange creatures that there are other characters who have also loved and lost and moved on in the context of the story. I love your Sabé.

    They’re quite a pair, hand-in-hand in front of her. It reminds her suddenly that they’re still such children. This is perfect and I can just picture them. [face_love] [face_love]
     
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  19. AzureAngel2

    AzureAngel2 Chosen One star 6

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    Jun 14, 2005
    In the eyes of the boy she finally understands Obi-Wan’s, and Organa’s, secrecy. He radiates light, so much that she can feel it. But with no Jedi Master to speak of, the young man struggles to make his way on his own. It pains her to be so powerless, but Ahsoka has been out of touch for years and cannot be found.

    Luke is actually a name that comes from the Latin word for ´light´. [face_love]

    Once more beautifully put! @};-
     
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  20. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

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    Mar 3, 2001
    Gah, sorry -- think I just accidentally unliked and had to re-like. [face_blush] So if you're getting weird alerts, that's why. Anyway, liked the last entry here, and how we're left without total certainty of which path history actually followed. Just the two possibilities. And I love how the second one brings such resolution, if not fixing all the pain of the past. It's nice to think of Luke and Leia getting to learn about Padme and the people who knew her best. :) And I love that Sabe is able to lay down her duties at last, now that she senses her part of the battle is over.
     
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  21. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    This has been a lovely and poignant journey that we've travelled alongside Sabe. It's completely believable. Your writing captured her elegance so well.
     
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  22. ThreadSketch

    ThreadSketch Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 22, 2013
    I really enjoyed reading this on Tumblr and I'm very glad you brought it over here in one easy-to-read-and-bookmark place. :D There can never be too much handmaiden and Sabé love! Respect, y'all.
     
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  23. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999
    Thank you, thank you! I'm glad you mentioned the diverging paths, because when I got to writing this last piece I thought to myself, "Well, I can't just kill her!" and I didn't want to not acknowledge the possibility either. As for the "latter timeline" you speak of, why, I don't know what you mean! ;) (Actually, this is a third, more...ahem..."canon compliant" version of her life, so there. :p)


    As I said to JadeLotus, I couldn't just leave it with her dying. Someone in that galaxy had to know some peace after all they'd been through! I'd like to think that if she lived, and went home after telling L/L everything, that she'd somehow facilitate the meeting between them and the Naberries, too. Thanks for reading and for all of your comments!


    Thank you! [:D]


    Yes, it sure does! Thank you!


    LOL! No worries! I'll, again, echo my thanks to JadeLotus and say I'm glad you enjoyed the two possibilities. Sabé definitely deserved to retire happily. Thank you for all your "likes" and comments!

    Thank you so much!


    NEVAR ENOUGH Sabé! Thanks! :D
     
  24. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    I finally caught up on this little gem and I'm so happy you put it on the "promoted" list, because I might have forgotten to read it before you next post on this thread. I think it was JadeLotus who used "sparseness" to describe your writing style here, and I can't think of a better word. Each mini-post is like a few brushstrokes to shape the reader's image of Sabé at various points in her life. Perhaps the best example of this (although there were many, but this one stood out for me) is the expression "the boy turned man" to speak of Anakin when she sees him again after his marriage to Padmé -- so much of her perception of him in only four words!

    Like everyone else I loved the "two paths" once Leia becomes a senator. I'm not normally a happy end person, but the idea of Luke and Leia not finding out about their mother for 30+ years doesn't sit well with me, and in your narrative of course it makes perfect sense that Sabé would be the one to tell them.

    I'm looking more to reading more in that... was that third? Sabé timeline :p
     
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  25. taramidala

    taramidala Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 1999

    Thanks so much for reading, Chyntuck! :)
     
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