Beyond - Legends "Tasty Tidbits..." Kessel Challenge

Title: Tasty Tidbits...

Characters: Various

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Notes: This is for the Kessel Run Challenge. Details below.

Week 1, entry of 100-1,000 words with a theme of saying goodbye.
The first sentence ...
"Saying goodbye was never easy, but she couldn’t put it off any longer."


~

Saying goodbye was never easy, but she couldn’t put it off any longer.

Mara Jade did not feel like she belonged at Luke's Academy. It was not that she felt judged or 'on the spot' by any of the other trainees, and certainly not by Luke.

It also was not that she felt she 'knew it all'... Far from it.

It was simply that Luke was getting under her skin.

That might seem to be a surprising statement to any that knew him, for a more gentle, compassionate, optimistic soul you could never find!

And that was the crux of the problem.

His warmth was getting to her ... His blue eyes and unabashed gladness whenever she entered the room, no less.

So, before things got way out of hand, she knew she'd better leave.

Because, one day, she might not be able to.

She could tell that it was hard for Luke not to ask her to stay; it was literally on the tip of his tongue, but with a literal force of will, he refrained.

But his earnest eyes said what he dared not voice.

And the fact that Mara more than half wished he would voice it made it all the more imperative that she go... while she could.

+++

 

Nice little start.

 

Oh, this makes my heart hurt!

 

I really like this, Nyota. She's not angry or confrontational, But she is running from something she's not ready to accept.

Well written and enjoyable.

 

Yes Mara. And going away but coming back in the future. They are drawn to each other

 

Awww, Mara.

I really feel for her here.

Beautifully written and a wonderful start to the challenge!

 

I really enjoy the tension that you create between Luke and Mara through the use of silence in this piece. It is a case of 'he knows, that she knows, that he knows' the reason for leaving. They are both fully cognizant of the potentiality of a relationship. The silence reflects on the one hand the pathos of them not speaking to each other (especially for those of us who WANT them to get together), while on the other hand it grants them a type of beautiful honesty. Mara does not lie about why she is leaving, nor does Luke press her while hanging on to unimportant aspects of the situation. They care for and respect each other too much to do so, which only further feeds the angst.

And yet it leaves so much hope that they will see what is right before them! I am both saddened and hopeful at the same time. A wonderful, mature and nuanced take on a Luke and Mara relationship at this time-period. Well done!

 

Thank you so much for this gorgeous review! It is marvelous to hear since Luke and Mara are my eternal OTP. I have been inspired by whom I love to call Luke/Mara fanfiction specialists.

 

Week 2--

• A dialogue-only story between 400 and 800 words in which two characters have a disagreement.

• Word limit = 400-800 words

~

Characters: Luke and Leia having a discussion about training and legacies, followed by a teasing fest about Mara
Context: Han and Leia will eventually have twin girls, Tanda and Jaina.

"So... Leia, are you going to eat that last piece of beebleberry pie?"

"No, I saved it for you because I knew you'd want extras."

"Thanks! I'm staying over for the next month or so onworld and I was wondering ... might you be willing to begin Jedi training with me? Lightsaber katas, meditating, that sort of thing?"

"I can barely turn around and breathe with all the Republic duties I have, being second in line to the Chancellor. Maybe ... later?"

"Maybe later seems to usually turn into never, you know. I can only imagine meditating and calming exercises would come in handy when dealing with political types who are full of themselves amongst other things."

"That I cannot deny! But as for the rest of it, I don't think both of us need to follow the Jedi path formally, do you?"

"It has nothing to do with forsaking your career or choosing another. It has to do with enhancing skills you were born with..."

"Hmm. Ones you seemed eager to embrace and pursue, despite all that entailed."

"Sometimes I wonder if it was a choice I voluntarily pursued or if circumstances dragged me into it... But now that I've embarked on it, I feel it is my destiny."

"Well, it's not mine..."

"And what about any children you and Han have one day? What then? Will you leave them to the vagaries of chance as well?"

"That's not fair."

"No it's not, certainly it wouldn't be to them."

"I want to honor the legacy of Bail and Breha, the only parents I will acknowledge. Any children I have in the future will be free to make their own choices. I won't push them one way or the other, and I'll thank you to do likewise."

"Of course. ..."

"Thank you. I know I can trust you to keep your word."

"Yes, you can."
...

"Since you're willing to go along with my wishes, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do a few sessions of training, but I'm not making any promises."

"Great! That's all I ask, just give it a chance. You might find it more palatable than you think."

"Speaking of training sessions, have you been able to convince Mara Jade to have any?"

"Surprisingly, yes. And she even has joined me for a light lunch after spars more than once."

"Really? Next week when you come for dinner, maybe you can ask her to join you? Han and I would like the chance to get to know her better since you're ... seeing one another."

"It's not like that, stop teasing, I get enough of that from Han!"

"So, maybe she's not calling them dates, but something tells me you wouldn't mind?"

"I refuse to comment on the matter."

"I'll take that as a yes. Please pass along my invitation?"

"If you insist."

++++

 

Leia follows what she had been taught since infancy and Luke will follow the Jedi-path with Mara

 

Week 3 is as follows:
Write a letter with no framing narrative of 300-1,000 words.

(I did this in lieu of the drabbles).

~~

Dear Han:

My heart is overflowing with joy and contentment as I watch Tanda and Jaina sleeping peacefully.

Little could I or dared I imagine when we went through all our adventures, particularly those on Bespin, that you and I would be together and with kids to love and raise amongst worlds hopefully that have moved past the horrendous choices of the past!

I despaired of ever finding you again after that despiccable Boba Fett turned you over... I was furious with Lando at that time too for what I believed was inexcusable betrayal of friendship, but he acquitted himself excellently afterwards, working with us tirelessly to get you back.

Our relationship has been a turbulent one at times, I can not deny, but with all that, it's been a source of true and undeniable love, passion, trust, and laughter.

Life with you has not, could never be, uneventful. I eagerly look forward to sharing this new 'adventure' with our adorable girls.


With Deep Love,
Leia
+++

 

Han and Leia, THE ORIGINAL OTP!!!! love this!

 

Han and Leia and with kids. I love this and expecting more

 

This. Couples who make it have this. If only TPTB had been as aware of what Leia and Han have been through and built as you have depicted here.

 

Week 4: An etry of 100 to 1,000 words from the perspective of the Force.

~

Insane and power-made fiends tipped me, Ashla, out of balance. Light and Dark struggled and battled and lives were lost by the trillions.

The Chosen One was supposed to restore balance but instead he added to the chaos.

Then another Walker of the Skies came, a scion of his, and restored the balance, the harmony.

Things hummed and flowed in a symmetry until a shocking abomination arose, beings whom I could not sense or influence, but neither could my counterpart, Bogan.

Things teetered on the brink of a downward spiral of destruction, but a coalition of allied sectors and worlds brought things into Harmony once again.

 

That´s an intresting little bit. Gives a rather esoteric look on the main story. Good work

 

A great view on how Anakin, Luke and Ben Skywalker restored the harmony

 

Lovely little peak into how the Force viewed Anakin. Not as just the Chosen One, but also as Vader and how both coalesced.

 

Thanks all!! That was a unique and inspiring prompt.

This week has Luke and Mara in the realm of who-us?

~
Week 5
Write a story between 600 and 1,000 words with your OTP (or any romantic pairing, canon or otherwise) in which your characters do not touch,and includes the following sentence: ”All things considered, this was an interesting way to wind up in prison.”

All things considered, this was an interesting way to wind up in prison… Although strictly speaking, they were not locked up behind force fields and made to subsist on rations that tasted like dirt and plastboard.

But Corran and Luke were in the midst of an infiltration seeking out a fringe group selling what they claimed were Jedi artifacts.

This was something that needed investigating immediately because if the criminal element got hold of artifacts they claimed were of Jedi origin, that could cause all sorts of unrest and chaos.

Best to clean up a mess rpoactively, Corran thought.

He had been about to meet up with Mirax for a long-anticipated getaway when this mission suddenly arose.

Corran loved few things more than the 'chase', but of course his wife was one of those things.

He growsed and grumbled at Luke, but he also had to admit to being pleased and gratified to be asked to come along. His CorSec skills would come in handy.
Luke was a terrible dissembler as anyone who knew him would attest. It was endearing and inspiring of trust but could be fatal in a clandestine investigation.

Now they found themselves having to extract pertinent and tangible data and they needed a good slicer.

Luke immediately thought of Ghent who could slice his way into anywhere and leave no hint of a trace.

He commed Mara Jade on the Wild Karrde and asked if Ghent were available.

She smirked. Ghent lived and breathed for slicing challenges. "He will be more than happy to help," she affirmed.

"Thanks! I owe you," Luke said.

She chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."

Luke was on the verge of trying to think of a reason that Mara would have to join them, but he could not think of anything.

Then Corran piped up. "Hey, Mara. We wouldn't mind your input on these reprehensible types. Maybe help spring the trap?"

Her green eyes glowed. "The only thing worse than would-be pirates are slavers. Sure, I'll help out."
Corran continued. "I was supposed to meet Mirax a seven-day ago. Could you guys join us as we wrap things up here and that way the two of us don't have to waste any time?"

"Sure. We'll come in the Jade's Fire."

Luke felt a thrill of anticipation which Corran noticed and he grinned knowingly.

~~

Mara and Mirax chatted amicably en route about the features of their loved vessels, the Pulsar Skate and the Jade's Fire. Mirax had to admit that the Fire was an amazing ship, with speed and other desirable perks.
Mirax observed that it seemed like Corran had been able to persuade Mara to come on the mission quite easily. "I guess seeing Luke is a side benefit…"

Mara mock scowled. "Hmmm. Don't be so sure of that!"

Mirax laughed.

~~

They carried off the mission with Ghent's slicing skills and Mara's and Corran's ability to trip people up so that they self-incriminated themselves in their arrogant boasting.

Mirax and Corran took off for a beach-side bungalow.
Luke and Mara exchanged affable so-longs.

"Don't be a stranger," Luke said in parting.

Mara gave him a sharp look. "Corran and Mirax have been dropping all kinds of subtle suggestions about the two of us." She admitted.

"I can't imagine why." He said with a soft and tentative smile.

Mara answered, "No, neither can I…"

 

That was nice.

 

Like to see Corran and Luke on a mission with the ladies and Ghent coming to help