Beyond - Legends At the Brink of the Dawn and the Darkness (Act/Dr/Rom AU, L/M, H/L) Updated 12.10.10 COMPLETE!

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[CENTER][FONT=georgia][B][SIZE=6][COLOR=firebrick][U]At the Brink of the Dawn and the Darkness[/U] [/COLOR] [/SIZE][/B][/FONT][/CENTER]


[B]Author:...........[/B]blank101
[B]Status:...........[/B][B]COMPLETE [/B]
[B]Timeframe:.....[/B]six years post-TESB
[B]Characters:.....[/B]L/M, H/L, Crix Madine, Talon Karrde
[B]Genre:............[/B]Action, Drama, AU, Romance
[B]Keywords:......[/B]AU, L/M, H/L, Vader, Madine




[B]Summary:[/B] [U]Part III[/U] A new Empire is emerging as a new Emperor takes center-stage, his contradictions dividing Rebels and Empire alike, and in doing so, pitch both allies and enemies into a battle which will question every conviction, test every friendship and challenge every loyalty.









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[CENTER][U][B]PLEASE NOTE:[/B][/U][/CENTER]
[CENTER]Like a lot of older stories, [U]this story was unintentionally truncated[/U] when FF.N moved server, and is incomplete and with broken fonts on this site. If you'd like to read it, you can ONLY do so in full HERE:[/CENTER]
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[CENTER][URL='https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4520729/1/At-the-Brink-of-the-Dawn-and-the-Darkness'][U][B][U][COLOR=#ff0000]https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4520729/1/At-the-Brink-of-the-Dawn-and-the-Darkness[/COLOR][/U][/B][/U][/URL][/CENTER]
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[CENTER]This re-direct has been posted at the request of and with the knowledge of FF.N, and the version you will read still complies with FF.N ToS rules.[/CENTER]



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[CENTER][B]Disclaimer:[/B] As per usual, I should point out that I own no part of Star Wars. It's all owned and run by George--in fact, he's a bit like the Emperor, but in a plaid shirt...[/CENTER]









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[CENTER] [/CENTER]
[CENTER]Please note, [B]this is the third part of a trilogy[/B]-[/CENTER]
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[CENTER]You really need to have read the first and second part to understand it! If you'd like to check part one out, then follow this link to [URL='https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4302076/1/Into-the-Storm'][B][COLOR=firebrick]Into the Storm[/COLOR][/B][/URL] and from there to [URL='https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4344112/1/In-Shadows-and-Darkness'][COLOR=firebrick][B]In Shadows and Darkness[/B][/COLOR][/URL][/CENTER]



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[blockquote]
[CENTER][blockquote][COLOR=firebrick][B]There's also an image to go with this story. If you'd like to see it before you start, click[/B][/COLOR] [link=[url]http://s589.photobucket.com/albums/ss332/blank-101/?action=view&current=webversion5DATD.jpg][/url][B] [COLOR=black]here[/COLOR][/B][/link][/blockquote][/blockquote][/CENTER]




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Once more, I want to say a huge thank you to [COLOR=black][B]Jedi-2B[/B][/COLOR] for beta-ing my considerably less than perfect grammar. She's written endless great stuff herself and without her I would never, [I]ever [/I] get my ass in gear and post!

My gratitude, always.







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[blockquote]
[blockquote]I just thought you might like a Prologue to get the ball rolling.

This crosses over with the last chapter of In Shadows and Darkness, seeing points not covered and from different perspectives, and pretty much setting everybody in place for the start of the next story.

Hope you enjoy.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

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[blockquote][color=firebrick][b][u]At the Brink of the Dawn and the Darkness[/u][/b][/color]

















[b]"Everything crumbles;
Intentions and Empires, Councils and Kinships."[/b]

[i]Extract from The Son of Suns Prophesy,(Jedi Master Egorin Dovas translation; 3/ 14,159 -minus.)
Engraved into the Sunburst Throne (The Seat of Prophesy) circa 23,711 -minus.[/i] [/blockquote][/blockquote]


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[b][u]PROLOGUE[/u][/b]







Palpatine was dead, slain by the one person with the ability to do so but not, before now, the motivation. The man whom the Emperor believed he had owned, mind and soul. The man who lay in still silence after six hours of surgery, the white sheet which moved against his slow breaths seeming to Mara far too much like a shroud.

All around her in the Palace, all hell was probably breaking loose as his advocates sought to hide the truth and stabilize the Empire to a carefully planned agenda. It didn?t matter any more to Mara; she existed outside of time and space in a bubble of reality defined by the shallow breathing of the man she had betrayed. The man she had saved. The man she...

She stood beside him in the darkness as he lay unconscious?and she cried. For the first time since she was a child, she cried, tears running unheeded down her cheeks, her jaw tightly clamped against the sob that welled in her throat. She cried because Palpatine was gone. Because she was grateful Luke was here. She cried with relief and release. For what she?d lost, for what she?d gained?for what she feared she?d pushed away irrevocably.

He?d walked into her life and he?d turned everything, [i]everything [/i] she believed upside down. Every view, every standpoint, every conviction. Shaken her beliefs to the core.

But not like that at all; not by force or manipulation, both of which she knew so well, but gradually and persuasively. The lightest touch, the slightest spur, the subtlest encouragement, oblivious of his power over her.

Alone in the velvet shadows of the most wrenching, grueling, terrifying day of her life, she stood and watched the reason for all this heartache as he lay in absolute stillness, the dull light of the scanner making discreet tracks up and down the underside of the medical bed, the readouts above him updating every time it returned to the cradle.

Mara Jade shook her head slowly, still in some netherworld of shock at the events of the day. But it wasn?t just her world that had been turned upside down; not just the Palace or Coruscant or the government or the military. The whole damn galaxy had changed in the space of a few short hours?it just didn?t know it yet. Everything was in flux, everything was shifting?around him?[i]his [/i] actions, [i]his [/i] decisions.

Was that what had held him back for so long? Because now, when she really thought about it, it was a terrifying prospect. The galaxy was resting on his shoulders. The fate of every sentient being, of civilization?it would all hang on his actions. Everyone, everyone everywhere, would turn to Coruscant and hold baited breath, expectant, afraid, hopeful.

He would define the direction of history?he already had.

Palpatine had always carried the burden lightly; a mixture of blithe indifference and deep-rooted belief in his own right to rule had granted him the clarity of vision and unshakable confidence to exert his command with utter conviction. Right or wrong, savior or tyrant, he had carved a path and dragged his Empire into alignment without hesitation. He had united under a single rule a galaxy at war with itself, and held it there by brute force and absolute, ruthless will. His word was law?[i]had been[/i] law.

And all that burden of command and continuity for the civilization Palpatine had created would now fall to Luke. To the man who had never wanted power; the man who had constantly questioned the tenets of the Empire and reviled the Emperor.

Say what you would about Palpatine?s absolute rule, but it had held wa

 

Cooooooooooooooooooooooooooool


Best story arc ever.

 

Hi:

Thanks for the prologue pM. Please keep update PM coming.

Loved Leia and Han's scenes. Her reactions are perfectly in character.

The Luke/Mara -- splendidly right for the odd situation they're in -- allies, lovers, but with what she so recently did hanging like a large cloud over them both.

Love her clear adamant stand and where it happened -- Squee! Yum!

 

Great beginning, can't wait to read more!

Thanks

 

Awesome prologue/start!

Han Solo, Blue-Wing Commander onboard Home One, was drawling through the final part of his lecture to the latest batch of new pilots, a large holo-image of one of the Empire?s new Interat-TIE fighters slowly rotating in space next to him. He glanced out into gloom, taking in that sea of bright, expectant faces, reflecting that they seemed to get a little younger every year...
Han narrowed his eyes at that, an alarming thought occurring; or maybe he was getting older?

Nah, couldn?t be that.
Nah.

?Please,? Han scoffed. ?They take the whole of Court near halfway across the planet to the Pole just so they can have some society launch of another spoiled little princess?? he took a half-step back, hands out before him, ?no offence, sweetheart?and all so they can introduce her to Luke without it seeming too obvious? You can do that anywhere.? At this he launched into miming an imaginary introduction, hands indicating empty spaces as he ran through his routine. ?Luke, this is D?Arca. D?Arca, Luke. See? Easy.?

It used to drive Leia insane that Han stubbornly clung to the habit of calling The Heir by the name that he?d used whilst he?d been a spy here in the Alliance; now it slipped past unnoticed so often that she?d even found herself thinking of him as such again every now and then. In a strange way it made it easier; he?d had many titles since he?d finished his infiltration of the Alliance and returned to the Empire but strangely no actual name, as if Palpatine were loathe to let the truth out. Certainly his past was a cut thread; no-one, not even the Bothans, had been able to unearth the slightest fact on him. Han of course took all this as proof enough that Luke Skywalker was?well, Luke Skywalker, which was the biggest leap in logic and faith that Leia had ever seen?particularly for a self-confessed cynic.
I absolutely love how Han never lost faith in Luke, even when all the odds were stacked against him. "Never tell me the odds!" Wonderful their friendship still remains despite all this mess. Maybe Leia will come to forgive Luke as well, and things will get back to the way they used to be between them all?

Poor Luke though, feeling so lost and helpless. He needs his friends more than ever. Glad Mara was there for him though.
Wonderful start and I eagerly look forward to more!

 

With Palpatine dead he no longer has control over Mara. Mara did make a good point about making their own rules and regulations. I hope Luke decides to continue the relationship as their destinies are intertwined if he wants to believe it or not.

I can't wait for more what an excellent beginning to the final story

 

You're back!!! We're off to an excellent start I am glad that Luke has not abandoned Mara because of what happened. I can only hope that he will eventually forgive her and they can start over again. As always, I am envious of your writing skills but so very pleased that you are sharing this amazing story with the rest of us. They really need to have a reality tv show for writers. The winning prize could be a contract from a major publishing company. You would so totally win Anyways, thanks for posting the beginning of our new roller coaster ride. I'm buckled in and ready for whatever you have in mind. Have an excellent day!

 

Alrighty. Part III is off with a bang.

I liked the Prologue. It filled in some spots from the last chapter of In Shadows and Darkness. I like the different views of Han and Leia. Luke remains a mystery as Emperor. How you fill in his position will be exciting to read.

 

Han still has faith in Luke!
Will Leia ever? With Luke Emperor now, will Mara, perhaps, be his Empress or whatever they call it? And who's the black-haired woman on the cover?
The final chapter... and yeah, I want PMs if you still do them. I want to find the answers to these questions.

 

And so Part III begins... How will Luke handle becoming the Emperor. When/if will he discover Leia is his twin sister, or will it be Leia who finds out first? And when they do find out, that will certainly make things... more interesting.

 

Thanks for the pm. I've been looking for to Part 3 for some time now and can't wait for more. This is just an outstanding story and one of the best I've read in a long time. You are an uncommonly good writer and I can't wait for the next post. Thank you, Blank.

 

Thanks for letting me know this is up. Can't wait to see how this goes, everything has changed now and no one knows what to think!

 

Thanks for the 'thanks' on my betaing, blank. But just glancing through, I see you posted your original copy, not the one that I actually betaed and sent back to you. At least I think I sent it... Checks 'sent' emails... Yep, several weeks ago. LOL! We've both just been too busy to keep all these chapters straight. Great beginning to the story anyway. May the speculating begin!

 

YESS!! THe se-sequal is finally out!

And what a killer opener - I love Maras line to Luke - from here on they take it together. Now if only they can just stick to that plan!

The picture worries me a bit - who is the other lady???

Great job as always I can't wait to read more!

TnTornado

 

Few comments:

First thanks for the PM.

Second, I see the need for the prologue, but I was sad as I wanted to jump immediately into the story.

Third, an additional thanks. I look forward to predicting how you will make the story and how you will tie together the plotline. I like the suspense. I look forward to seeing if Luke will remain in darkness, what of Death Star II?, Vong, New imperial Senate, How Luke destroys legacy of Palpatine.... Definitely staying tuned...

 

As always, Blank101, you know how to write brilliant stories. Got you posted as my favs here and on (another site).(...), but reading it here, and also going though other peoples reactions here will make it even more so enjoyable.

You have great plot and story, and everything is well developed and thought-out. Stories like this are always going to be the best ever. I cannot wait to see more of your work.

PM me if you can, please. Love this story.


(Trace edit: per author's request to remove the reference to another site.)

 

Hooray! Third part is here!

The cover art is really cool! But I have commented on it before...

Will be back with my usual witless banter and comments...

 

Oh dear, it has begun....

 

Congrats! The final book has finally begun! I really enjoyed the first two as I've told you on many occasions. I do, however, have some questions about them and the third one, if you don't mind.
The first one is concerning the last chapter in book two, where it said that Luke believes Reece is a double agent. I don't get it: I always thought he was loyal to Luke (it said he was loyal to the Empire, but who would he be working for now?)
And the second question: Why is Lady D'Arca on the cover of the third book (that's her, isn't it?)?
Is he gonna marry her? He really should marry Mara!
In any case (whether I get an answer or not) it's really a treat reading your work! It's always been a very enjoyable way to end a hard week! Thanks!

 

Darth_Cable

Cooooooooooooooooooooooooooool
Best story arc ever.

LOL! thanks! More soon!






Jade_eyes

Hi: Thanks for the prologue pM. Please keep update PM coming.

No problem


Loved Leia and Han's scenes. Her reactions are perfectly in character.

Thanks They both get a much bigger role in this part, as events move forward...


The Luke/Mara -- splendidly right for the odd situation they're in -- allies, lovers, but with what she so recently did hanging like a large cloud over them both.
Love her clear adamant stand and where it happened -- Squee! Yum!

Heh,heh. Yeah, they have a lot to sort out, but you know Mara--she's not the type to give up easily....fortunately








DarthVaderette

Great beginning, can't wait to read more!

Thanks, glad you liked More coming up!







dancing_star

Hey ds!

Awesome prologue/start!

Heh, thanks


Poor Luke though, feeling so lost and helpless. He needs his friends more than ever. Glad Mara was there for him though.

Yep, poor Luke. What he needs to help him forget all these niggling problems is one great big HUGE problem! Let's see...


Wonderful start and I eagerly look forward to more!

Thank you More coming up







JediFalcon

With Palpatine dead he no longer has control over Mara. Mara did make a good point about making their own rules and regulations. I hope Luke decides to continue the relationship as their destinies are intertwined if he wants to believe it or not.

Yep, Palpatine's gone, but so much of his legacy remains in both Luke and Mara. The question is, can they get round that, in both themselves and each other? Especially when the ground starts moving under their feet.....


I can't wait for more what an excellent beginning to the final story

Heh, thanks so much! More very soon!








JadeSkywalker32


You're back!!!

LOL! Now that's a greeting!


We're off to an excellent start I am glad that Luke has not abandoned Mara because of what happened. I can only hope that he will eventually forgive her and they can start over again.

Yep, they have a long way to go, and you know me - it'll be a rocky road


As always, I am envious of your writing skills but so very pleased that you are sharing this amazing story with the rest of us. They really need to have a reality tv show for writers. The winning prize could be a contract from a major publishing company. You would so totally win

LOL! thanks! Don't know how interesting I'd be on it though... "And here's Blank, at with his head resting on the keyboard, trying to think of what to write...oh, and he's gone to Wookiepedia...and again...and again...and now he's putting his head back on the keyboard...."


Anyways, thanks for posting the beginning of our new roller coaster ride. I'm buckled in and ready for whatever you have in mind. Have an excellent day!

Thank you! Hope you enjoy the ride







Darth_Malevolent7

Alrighty. Part III is off with a bang.
I liked the Prologue. It filled in some spots from the last chapter of In Shadows and Darkness. I like the different views of Han and Leia.

Glad you liked it Yeah, there was a lot I wanted to say about the end of the last story, but that really wasn't the place to say it, so I pulled it all together and put it here instead Han and Leia - poles apart yet still together Let's see where they are by the end of the story


Luke remains a mystery as Emp

 

TnTornado


YESS!! THe se-sequal is finally out!

LOL! Now that's what I call a reaction!


And what a killer opener - I love Maras line to Luke - from here on they take it together. Now if only they can just stick to that plan!
The picture worries me a bit - who is the other lady???

*heavy music* Dum-dum-dum-DUUMM! She was actually in the last story, briefly, and she'll be back again pretty soon, I think...


Great job as always I can't wait to read more!

Thanks! More coming shortly











Ocelotl_Nesto

Few comments:

First thanks for the PM.

No problem, O_N


Second, I see the need for the prologue, but I was sad as I wanted to jump immediately into the story.

Third, an additional thanks. I look forward to predicting how you will make the story and how you will tie together the plotline. I like the suspense. I look forward to seeing if Luke will remain in darkness, what of Death Star II?, Vong, New imperial Senate, How Luke destroys legacy of Palpatine.... Definitely staying tuned...

Or how Palpatine's legacy may destroy Luke, how he might bring down Leia as he once did Mothma, how the Rebel Alliance might crumble as their leadership divides, how his own power base may fracture under pressure, how actions already past may have far-reaching consequences... oh, I could go on and on (And yep, as J-2B will attest, at least half of that's true! - though I think she'll also tell you never to believe a word I say...)

I look forward to your predictions...








Phoenix5



As always, Blank101, you know how to write brilliant stories ... going though other peoples reactions here will make it even more so enjoyable.

Thank you so much! Always good to know when it's working And you're right, half the fun - actually all the fun for the writer - is reading people's reactions and guesses here.


You have great plot and story, and everything is well developed and thought-out. Stories like this are always going to be the best ever. I cannot wait to see more of your work.

Thanks! A new story's on the way as we speak Gearing up to post soon!


PM me if you can, please. Love this story.

Absolutely, no prob.








The-Solo-Smirk

Hooray! Third part is here!

The cover art is really cool!
Will be back with my usual witless banter and comments...

Yaay! Third part! Hope you like....









Vivid_Scripts

Vivid!

Oh dear, it has begun....

Muah-ha-ha-ha-HA!







AniriRevan

Congrats! The final book has finally begun! I really enjoyed the first two as I've told you on many occasions. I do, however, have some questions about them and the third one, if you don't mind.

Thank you! And fire away!


The first one is concerning the last chapter in book two, where it said that Luke believes Reece is a double agent. I don't get it: I always thought he was loyal to Luke (it said he was loyal to the Empire, but who would he be working for now?)

O-kay, well, I guess you're talking about when Luke asked Karrde to check up on Reece's past? Well, between you and me, he's asked Karrde to check up on pretty much everyone he allows close to him - another part of Palpatin's legacy that he can't step out from. The only one Karrde had nothing on, aside from a few aliases such as a Countess named Claria and a dancer named Arica, was the Emperor's Hand, who went by the name of Mara Jade


And the second question: Why is Lady D'Arca on the cover of the third book (that's her, isn't it?)?
Is he gonna marry her? He really should marry Mara!

LOL!

 

CHAPTER ONE








Luke sat in the purposeful, focused silence of his offices in The Cabinet, high up in the South Tower of the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, the long bank of tall transparisteel doors flung open along one wall, rain patting against the pale travertine stone of the balcony beyond.

Far below, playing a constant tune all their own, was the reverberating metallic clatter of the regimented flagpoles which lined the long stretch of the ?pennant balcony? in the Main Palace, known to the thousands who worked and lived here as The Monolith. Flags from hundreds of planets were set on poles close to the top of the massive, imposing bulk of the hundred-story Monolith, the center of government, commerce and the military for the Empire.

As obsessive and paranoid as Palpatine was, he had always kept all power as close to hand as he could, and now, a year into the new Emperor?s reign, it stayed here simply because it was the most efficient way to manage the massive logistical problem which comprised the far-spanning reach of the immense Empire, specifically designed for the purpose.

In this, as in many things, the new Emperor was gaining a reputation as pragmatic in every sense of the word: at times practical and unpretentious, at others callous and impenetrable, coolly ruthless, already a notoriously dangerous man to cross.

But then, none of this was a surprise to those few who remained from the old days of Emperor Palpatine?s Court; although he was aged just twenty-five when he'd been officially recognized as the old Emperor?s Heir, Palpatine?s protégé had attended Court far longer. Whilst everyone had expected a lengthy initiation into his new position, there were those in Court and the military who had laid their claim early and supported the new Heir, either openly or surreptitiously, and those sharp enough to have invested the time in learning what they could about him had long studied his form and his mercurial, erratic nature.

Because of his abilities, it had often been whispered that he was Palpatine?s son, but then it had also been whispered that he was Vader?s son, and whatever the young Emperor knew he kept to himself, not in the habit of handing out information. Even his name was a mystery; Palpatine had always called him his Wolf, Commander of his Fleet, his feral Jedi. No name?never a name.

Even now, he was referred to simply as ?The Emperor.? Excellency or Sir, if one was privileged enough to speak to him firsthand. Servants occasionally claimed to have overheard a name spoken in the privacy of his quarters by those closest to him: Luke, they said, but that was of little use to those who tried to trace the identity of their new Emperor.

People had whispered, of course?how Palpatine?s death had followed so quickly, only a year after his Heir's acknowledgment. How regimented and organized The Heir?s accession was, almost like a coup in its military precision.

But no one said it out loud?or if they did, it was only once.

Now the flags rustled in the high wind which whipped about the sides of the Monolith, their irregular clattering chatter still audible through the doors of the office in which the Emperor sat.

He was, as ever, impeccably dressed in a military-cut suit of darkest blue, though in the privacy of his office, the jacket was presently hanging on the back of a chair to the far side of the sizeable room, the high stand collar of his white linen shirt barely covering the heavy, indented scar to the right side of his neck. That and the faded scar which ran from above his eyebrow down the right side of his face and through his lips were visible reminders of a Rebel assassination attempt two years earlier on the announcement of his accession to Heir Apparent, as were his mismatched eyes. His right eye, injured in that bomb blast, still held a dark flash twisted through the pale pupil, rendering once-blue eyes disconcertingly mismatched.

Why he had chosen to keep these scars nobody knew?save the few, of course. Those who had been present at

 

a great first chapter - IMO its another setting the ground work for the main fic. But thats the feeling I got.

Interesting that there really was no mention of Mara and where she is or what she is doing now.

Sooo, is it Luke going to be meeting Leia, or Reece, or someone else (Mara...).

Great update as always,

TnTornado