Saga Snippets - Short Story and Flash-Fiction Collection - New Story 29/4 - THE CLIMB

Thanks for the feedback WarmNyota_SweetAyesha and Chyntuck! I really enjoyed writing this piece and I've wanted to write it for a while. Owen and Beru get very little credit for raising Luke imo. In the films Owen in particular is portrayed as an obstacle for Luke but without their caring upbringing I doubt he could have gone on to do the things that he did.You are both right, they are completely his parents in almost every sense of the word.

Thanks Findswoman Owen and Beru always seemed to be a good team, balancing each other out in a good way. I didn't want to go over the top with my portrayal of Owen's feelings - I never saw him as a man prone to showing his emotions - and as you say his actions speak much louder than his words ever could here. I think what we get from ANH is that he is very protective of Luke.

 

Ugh! These are so beautiful!! That bit really got me-- Beru is such an under-appreciated character, I feel, but she is such a hero! She raised Luke into the person he was, when he could have been a little punk or a coward. Beautiful!

Also, the Qui-Gon/Obi one was just beautiful! Brought a warm fuzzy feeling to my heart, particularly the last line where Qui-Gon promised to be there for him. Just lovely.

 

Ugh! Sorry it has taken so long to reply! Thanks for the feedback, I absolutely loved writing Beru. You are right, she is one of the unsung heroes of SW and without her and Owen Luke could have turned out very differently. Through my work I encounter a lot of parent-child relationships and they never cease to facinate me, and I enjoy exploring these types of relationships with these well-beloved characters. Glad you enjoyed my stories!

 

Empire Day


Mara dragged the back of her hand over her face, leaving a dirty black streak of grease across the bridge of her nose. She muttered a curse under her breath and reached into the open access panel with her macrofuser. The tool ignited a shower of sparks which scattered across the back of her hand. She swore again and slammed a fist into the hull of her battered Z-95.

‘You look like you could use a hand.’

Mara sat up suddenly, nearly bumping her head on the underside of her headhunter. A pair of legs was visible standing alongside the small craft, and she recognised that calm voice all to well. She bit back another curse. The last thing she wanted right now was company, especially his company.

‘What do you want?’

‘Just to see if you needed any help with your repairs,’ said Luke Skywalker.

‘I don’t need help,’ she said in a flat voice. She swapped the macrofuser for a lasertorch and dug into the ships innards again.

‘No, but I bet Artoo could get your ship up and running.’

‘Let me rephrase. I don’t want help,’ said Mara. She touched the tip of the lasertorch to a microcircuit and was rewarded by a hissing crackle as the circuit burned out. This time she did swear.

‘It’s getting late, why don’t you come inside and get something to eat. You can finish your repairs tomorrow.’

‘No thanks. Kyp really messed up the systems when he destroyed the controls. I know Horn managed to get it off the ground but it still needs a lot of work before I can get out of here.’

‘Then stay for a while. Streen and Tionne cooked for us. Streen is surprisingly talented in the kitchen.’

‘Now isn’t a good time.’

‘You mean today isn’t a good time?’ said Luke, his voice soft. ‘I know what today means to you Mara, but being out here on your own isn’t going to make it any easier.’

Shuffling out from under the ship Mara got to her feet, wiping her hands on an oily rag. She shot Skywalker a withering look. ‘You have no idea what today means to me.’

‘Then help me to understand,’ said Luke. He was clad in simple white garments that more closely resembled his garb as a farm boy on Tatooine, and he wore no lightsaber. He looked so different, thought Mara, when he wasn’t wearing the black tunic and high boots everyone associated with his status as a Jedi Master. The simple clothes didn’t diminish him in any way, but she did think she was seeing a rare glimpse of the man behind the legend. Somehow the fact that he wasn’t wearing his lightsaber irked her, although she couldn’t think why. Perhaps it was that when they had first met she had wanted to kill him, yet now he obviously felt she posed no threat to him. Perhaps it was that only days ago he had been close to death and he should know better than to wander around unprotected.

‘I see you’ve recovered well,’ she said, changing the subject.

‘Cilghal and the others have taken good care of me,’ said Luke. ‘And it’s been nice having the twins around. From what I’ve gathered from studying the holocron, a Jedi Academy isn’t complete without children. I’ll miss them when they head back to Coruscant.’

‘You really think this is a place for children, after what just happened here?’ said Mara. It had been only days since the defeat of Exar Kun’s dark spirit, which had threatened everyone at the newly-founded Jedi Praxeum. One student had been killed, Skywalker nearly had been too, and Corran Horn was still in a bacta tank recovering from his wounds.

Luke shrugged. ‘They’ve been in danger since the day they were born. I doubt if there’s anywhere in the galaxy they’ll ever be truly safe from those who want to hurt our family. At least here they’re surrounded by people who care for them. Besides, if they hadn’t been here I probably wouldn’t have made it.’ His expression softened. ‘Although I’ll admit I don’t know what it’s like to experience training in the ways of the Force from a young age. You’re the only one here who really knows what that feels like.’

Mara sighed. Obviously Luke wasn’t going to be distracted. ‘Look, I know you’re only trying to help, but I really don’t need a lecture on Jedi serenity right now.’

‘I didn’t come out here as a Jedi Master. I came out here as a friend. Besides, I don’t need to have the Force to see that today troubles you.’

Mara leaned down and dug into her toolkit. ‘It isn’t a big deal. I’ve never really cared about Empire Day. It was pure propaganda for the masses, a display of power and a reminder of Imperial unity.’

‘Maybe, but you didn’t serve the Empire. You served the Emperor.’

Mara turned away from him, clambering up to the open cockpit of her Z-95 and leaning over the control board, pretending to study the hasty repairs that had already made to the starfighter’s controls. ‘It’s the same thing.’

‘Not true. Many served the Empire to achieve their own ends. They hungered after power or influence. Others joined because they had no choice, or because they were frightened, and there were even some who joined purely because they were cruel and enjoyed inflicting pain. I don’t think you fall into any of those categories. You were devoted to Palpatine.’

Mara’s hand clenched around the lasertorch. Somehow it still seemed like insolence for Skywalker to utter the Emperor’s name aloud. Each year on Empire Day she felt again the sense of loss she had experienced after the Battle of Endor, an utter blackness that threatened to reach up and drag her into a dark abyss. She had hoped that, since she obeyed the Emperor’s last command on Wayland, she might be free of the pain, yet it still threatened to engulf her. Her shoulders slumped. She sensed Skywalker standing behind her, his presence as tranquil as the clear mountain lakes had been on Alderaan before its destruction.

‘I miss him,’ she said in a low voice. ‘I remember watching the Empire Day celebrations when I was a girl. It was one of the few times I was allowed out of the Imperial Palace when I wasn’t training. I remember sitting and watching the parades and watching the people cheer for him.’

‘For the Emperor,’ said Luke.

Mara nodded slowly. ‘He was more than just the Emperor to me. I was closer to him than anyone, even closer than Vader. To me he was more than just a figurehead for the Empire, he was my master, and I remember swelling with pride watching the celebrations because I was apprenticed to the man responsible for all of it.’ She turned and looked down at Skywalker and sat on the edge of the cockpit. She felt exhausted. ‘I know what he was. I know that the things he did were evil and that I was only a tool to him, but that doesn’t change how I feel towards him. I don’t expect you to understand that.’

Luke held her gaze for a moment and she braced herself for the touch of his Jedi senses, but he didn’t reach out to her through the Force. Instead he raised a hand and spoke. ‘Come down.’

It wasn’t an order, nor yet was it a request. Dumping her tools onto the pilots’ chair, Mara climbed down until she was standing next to the young Jedi Master. Skywalker held out his hand palm upwards.

‘Your lightsaber.’

For a moment Mara thought he was going to ask her to leave. She felt a flutter of panic as she handed the weapon over to him. Had she admitted too much?

Skywalker turned the weapon over in his hands, fingers sliding over the cool metal. ‘This was my father’s lightsaber. He used it to do terrible things before it was taken from him.’ He looked at her, and for the first time she thought that he too looked tired. It was more than simple fatigue as a result of battling Exar Kun, it went far deeper than that.

‘I won’t pretend to understand how you feel, but I do know what it’s like to care for someone despite all the evil they have caused. When I think about Vader I remember the pain he caused me,’ said Luke. He flexed his artificial right hand, the internal servos audible to Mara as he moved his fingers. ‘And the pain he caused to others. I can’t forget the things he did, but he’s still my father and I love him. It can be a struggle at times. Leia finds it harder than me. I don’t think she’ll ever be able to truly forgive him.’

He held the lightsaber out to her. ‘We can’t change the past, but maybe we can learn to live with it.’

Mara took the weapon. It felt heavy in her hand, heavier than it had ever been. She remembered the day he had gifted it to her, remembered the uncertainty and doubt she had felt as she realised that her life was about to be changed forever. She had promised herself that her past was over and yet here she was still dragging it around.

‘It takes time,’ said Luke in a gentle voice.

Mara looked up at the sky, which was rapidly darkening as nightfall approached. The curve of Yavin could be seen above the jagged crest of the ziggurat in which Skywalker had built his academy, and beyond it the stars glimmered, thousands of them. With a sigh she clipped the lightsaber to her belt and straightened her shoulders.

‘You know what, I could use that meal.’

Luke smiled and fell into step beside her. ‘I’ll get Artoo to take a look at your ship tomorrow.’

‘Good. I want to get going as soon as I can.’

‘As you wish. But you are always welcome here.’

A movement from the bushes ahead snatched at Mara’s attention, and her hand strayed to the hilt of her lightsaber, but Luke held up a hand and shook his head. Jacen tumbled out of a bush, followed by Jaina. They laughed and ran towards Skywalker, wrapping their arms around his legs and grinning up at him. Ahead, Mara spotted Cilghal and Tionne walking together, keeping watch over the twins.

Perhaps Skywalker was right, thought Mara. Children did belong in the Academy. She’d been thinking about it all wrong. The Praxeum wasn’t a military training centre and the Jedi weren’t warriors. What Luke was building here was a community, perhaps even a family.

Luke managed to untangle the twin’s arms from around his legs and took their hands, leading them back towards the temple. Mara jerked with surprise as Jacen’s fingers wormed into her hand. The toddler started to swing between her and Luke as they walked. The sun was setting on Empire Day. She looked up at the temple, seeing lights burning in the windows of the huge structure and hearing the voices of the students inside on the breeze. Maybe there was even a place for her here, someday.

She shot a sideling glance at Luke. ‘There’s just one thing. You said your sister struggles to forgive Vader, but you never said whether you forgave him yourself.’

Dusk shadows snagged in the deepening lines of Luke’s face. He kept his eyes focussed on the twins tugging at his arms. ‘I guess I didn’t say, did I? Come on, we don’t want to keep the others waiting.’

Spoiler: Author's Note

This story is meant to be set following the events in the "Jedi Academy" trilogy and during "I Jedi". This is my first Legends/EU story and I hope I've not trodden on any other established timelines, unfortunately there is so much to the EU that I can't keep up with it all so please blame any inconsistencies on my lack of knowledge.

At the end I don't make it clear whether or not Luke has forgiven his father for his actions. I know this may trample on many people's perception of Luke, but this was an attempt to show that he isn't perfect and that he still had difficulty with his father's identity.

 

Your stories are indeed little jewels like some other user wrote.

In those that describe relationships between parents and their children you clearly show how much a child can change a person (such as Boba Fett for example).

But also a partner can bring a lot of change into one´s life (like Luke for Mara).

Or even a feeling can turn the universe of somebody upside down (as it is the case for Captain Ian Maar).

You describe all those changes and their consequences very carefully, always doing the actual SW characters - canon and legends - justice.

Well done!

 

Thank you for your kind words AzureAngel2 Although I love my longer stories I also enjoy stepping into the shoes of many different characters for a bit. I'm glad you think I have done the characters justice - I think that may be the highest praise any fanfic writer can recieve!

 

* makes happy R2D2 beeps

Tá fáilte romhat! You are very welcome about it.

You can be pretty sure that I never comment on stories just for fun. Good authors and/ or stories that suck me in after the first twenty words always deserve a comment and/ or feedback on their stories.

I just panic sometimes, when I read all the eloquent, well-written comments of other users. Then my own contribution seems so small and meaningless. My husband, DarthUncle, always encourages me to go for it anyway. Without him there would be no fan fic writing from my side or fan art either.

In your short stories you really point out how one person can make a difference in the galaxy. So I had to answer to that, especially after you wrote about so many characters that are dear to me.

 

OH MY GOSH. This made me laugh so hard!!! Just hysterical!!! So in character for both of them, haha!! Luke to persist and Mara to be snarky.

This was beautiful. I totally think you were 100% right to leave it like that. I think profic likes to make Luke this superhuman, emotionless, serene, asexual monk. Which I think we fanfic'ers understand better than most to be false! But you did such a great job here, especially how you related their two experiences and (seemingly) divergent feelings the way you did. I think it's only natural to struggle with forgiveness. You have days where you forgive, and you have days when you don't! So this was perfect. Well done!!

Also, I think you need to write LOTS more L/M. This was just perfect.

 

Thank you AzureAngel2 I often feel the same way. I look for stories that suck me in as well as stories about my favourite characters or storylines, although I often feel that I don't comment or read enough of the wealth of work that is on the boards. I'm glad you're enjoying my stories, I have been privileged enough in my life to see that one person often can make a difference and I'm glad that has shone through in my wee snippets.

Thanks for the feedback Irish_Jedi_Jade! I'm glad you thought I was able to do Luke and Mara justice. The Thrawn Trilogy has always been my favourite EU story since I was a kid (finding out he will be included in Rebels made me squee a little bit!) and Mara has always been one of my favourite SW characters. For me although I was writing the story about Mara's background the setting was very important and I had to go over it quite a few times to get it right - for some reason setting it during the Jedi Academy arc felt important although I can't think why since it actually has very little to do with Mara's trouble in this story. Perhaps it's because at this point in the timeline Luke is still very much a guide for Mara and they are both trying to work each other out.

I'm glad you were happy with the ending, I wasn't at all sure about it at first but wanted to find a way to explore Luke's vulnerability and imperfections without shifting the entire focus of the story onto him. This is my first trueblood L/M story (in my AU longfic they are only kids) but I would definitely like to write more.

 

What a great story! Like others, I enjoyed the ambiguity of whether or not that Luke fully forgives his father for the things that he'd done as Vader. I also loved the bit of dramatic irony between Mara and Jacen.

As for your timeline concerns, you did great.

Keep up the good work, gaarastar.

 

Exquisite and insightful!!!! A terrific missing just-right moment/scene for that time period. Mara's and Luke's feelings - complicated and very realistic.

 

First of all thank you to Findswoman whiskers and WarmNyota_SweetAyesha for your feedback, sorry it has taken so long to reply, but I have been on holiday and off the grid for a while!

I totally agree with the concept of simply having comone to listen to being a great help. In my work I often encounter situations that I can do nothing about and often end up just listening to people's worries and fears and that in itself is often enough to help. As you say Luke's own experiences inform the way he responds to Mara but he doesn't try to make this about his relationship with Vader. I think that Mara and Luke's relationship is a complicated one as it goes through so many changes over time and it was fun to explore this wee gap in the EU. Again, I'm glad people likes the abiguity of Luke's feelings towards Vader at the end.

Thanks again for taking the time to read and comment!

 

The Storm

What song is that?

OK, bad joke. Really bad joke. Memes are stupid. But I HAD TO.

Having read @divapilot's extremely bleak story on owen and Beru, I remembered that you had a short and a long one dealing with the Larses and indeed, they were on my reading list. Thought I'd give them priority while I am still stable-ish enough to read something dry, sandy and lung-clogging, because at any other times, they would get me down beyond belief. And I made it through this one, I have sand everywhere and I hope I can make it to the other before the bleakness does its usual thing.

Beru's comparison of the sand to the sea, something she had never seen, seems strangely fitting. The seas have the high tide and can be unpredictable. Tatooine is an endless sea, an endless struggle, a world with no spark of other colours and just BEING there is a struggle in a way. There are dangers everywhere - sea monsters of a whole different kind.

And then, even with all that, it turns out that the biggest of all struggles is keeping little Luke alive and that, just like the life on this planet, having him around is both a blessing and a curse. His parents were fascinating, yet intimidating, he needs tough love (Owen) as much as he needs genuine tenderness (Beru) and the balance of all these factoids is what ultimately needs to be achieved on the Galactic scale, too!

Another moment that I found poignant is how there is a description of the interior of Luke's room, all involving the vehicles that may result in going away, at the time when he ALMOST goes away. Dunno if intentional or unintentional...but wow.

One thing that got me interested is the idea of the Lars homestead being in a sinkhole. While I was the moron who once thought you used a Drall name for a Lars family member and didn't check the Wook to see that it was the official people's fault; this time I checked and I didn't see a mention of that. So, I wonder a) if that's your fanon; b) if that's actually possible, cuz I'm a dork.

Empire Day

This little insight into what essentially is Luke's vision of the world, in a way, that Mara experiences, was so beautiful.

Since I am not very familiar with Legends, I cannot judge if the chronology is correct and I don't have much to add to what Findswoman said other that the full understanding is impossible - these two may or may not have some of the "inherited" elements of tough love towards each other, even when not aware of it.

In a way, this story explores balance just like the previous one does. There has to be some "no" in a "yes", some cold and calculated in the idealistic...or vice-versa.

 

Haha which is is Ewok Poet? Gredda or Lef? That entire story emerged from the single small entry about Cleigg's brother. I'm glad you liked these pieces, I perticulary enjoyed writing the storm, Owen and Beru were really interesting characters to delve into. I am glad that the concept of balance shines through in this and in Empire Day as I think it's important when writing any SW fiction. Thanks for reading and leaving feedback!

 

The Climb

Gouts of steam rose from cracked pipes around Cassian as his fingers raked the sheer wall, searching for a handhold. Grime caked every crevice on the Ring of Kafrene, making the metal surface slippery under his grip. With a grunt he pulled himself up, the muscles in his wrists screaming in protest. He risked a glance downwards, half-expecting to see a blaster bolt lance through the swirl of smog to strike him.

The stormtroopers would have found Tivik’s body by now, and they would be spreading out to search for the rebel assassin. Cassian hadn’t wanted to kill the partisan informant, but he had been left with little choice.

Craning his neck back, he scanned the route ahead. The walls of the refinery shaft he was climbing were sheer, but pock-marked with cracks, alcoves and studded with jutting pipes and access ports. Heaving himself up on a bundle of exposed cable, he rested for a moment on a narrow ledge beneath a droid access port. He hooked a strand of greasy hair out of his eye. Cassian had seen a lot of different trading posts on a lot of different worlds, but seldom on so dirty. The air within the Ring of Kafrene was layered with the stench that only hundreds of beings crammed in together could create. The putrid air stuck to his clothes, skin and hair in a way that made him feel he could never be truly clean again.

His hands were shaking.

Tivik had been a good soldier. Every time Cassian encountered him he had seemed tense, nervous even, but he had always been there, remaining at meeting points long after a less-reliable informant might have lost their nerve. Tivik had been a special kind of brave. Cassian clenched his hand into a fist, his dirt-caked nails biting deep into his palm. I didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t risk Tivik’s information falling into Imperial hands. I didn’t have a choice.

Did I?

When did I become so cold?

No time for reflection. No time for grieving. No time for a conscience. Gritting his teeth, Cassian levered himself up using a rusty stanchion as a handhold. All wars need men like me, he told himself. In the distance he could hear the blare of alert klaxons below now, and the barked orders of stormtrooper officers. The whole outpost would be on lockdown soon, and he had to make it to the docking bays before that or Tivik’s information would never make it back to the rebellion. With a heave he dragged himself up the wall of the decaying refinery, and continued climbing.

 

This is interesting. We know Cassian for two climbs and here he is experiencing the one that will be overlooked in comparison to the other one. The other one shows him as completely selfless, and the place where he's climbing is kind of spotless, too. The other one happens after he decides NOT to kill somebody, upon seeing the reflection in Jyn's eyes.

This one, however, is its exact opposite - he just killed somebody for "if I had to tell you, I would have to kill you" kind of reasons, the place where it's all happening is dirty and, while he's climbing to the lighter part of that hellhole, he's not exactly about to see the light just yet. Either way, love the wordplay here, the textures, the smells, everything!

Also, re: the previous comment, I hope I did apologise somewhere, because now I'm perfectly aware that Gredda is an established character that just happens to have the same name that's popular among the Dralls. I'm sorry!

 

I didn’t have a choice.

Did I?

When did I become so cold?

When Cassian still asks himself then it is not too late for him to better himself. But he seems to deep into his own survival modus for healthy changes.

 

Awww, Daddy Jango and Baby! Boba- that's adorable. I love family fics, got one in the works (eventually).

 

Re. Death of a Star Destroyer

Well, Maar told Hela not to let protocol hold her back.

I'll be back to expound on the wonder that was Boba Fett returning to Kamino, with his father's head.