Beyond - Legends Chimera (Luke, Mara, Dark AU) Updated 11/22, Epilogue

Ack! I'm late, I'm late!

Great first chapter here, JL! I'm just still trying to wrap my mind around this whole story! It's crazy, but addictive! Great writing.

?You?d be surprised at what I know?. He smiled wickedly, and for the first time, appeared dangerous. ?About what I know? he continued, ?And who I am?.

Just...chilling. I can't wait for more!

 

I'm officially addicted, JL! Please add me to your PM list if you have one.

 

HI

love the story so far, waiting with intrest what you are planning to do with old Palpy


hope it will be very nice, not

would like to be on your update list

 

This just sucked me in...

 

ginchy - Thank you - great to have you reading I'll try and get the next chapter up on the weekend.

Jedi Trace - Thanks!

tasujad - Oh, don't worry about Palpy. I have plans for him Thanks for reading!

rhonderoo - Hehe.

 

Great stuff! I love the description of Mara's stunted emotions, how everything's been sqelched, and how she doesn't even think she misses it--until she empathically feels Luke's grief. I also was captivated by Luke's spectrum of emotions: joy and despair, love and anger; he seems to trust Mara despite himself; and I really liked the air of mysteriousness that clings to him. I wonder what's on the disc. Mara seems to be unfreezing like something that used to be made of ice--I can't wait to see them and their relationship develop.

 

Jade_eyes - Thanks! I tried to imagine what Mara would be like after so many years as the Hand, and I imagined that she would have lost the ability to feel. I think it's the same for Luke. And then when they're put together...you can imagine Their relationship will surely be interesting to develop. And don't worry, I won't keep you in too much suspense about what's on the disc. Thanks for the feedback!

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[b]Chapter 2[/b]


[i]We are not always what we seem, and hardly ever what we dream.[/i]


****************


He didn?t dream anymore. Not as regular people did. There were no flights of fancy, no uplifting emotion, no heroic deeds nor remembrances of happier times would penetrate the cold veneer of Schmendrick the Magician. Not even in sleep.

Especially in sleep.

Yoda had often reminded ? or reprimanded ? him of the various intricacies of the Force and what it could allow him to see. If, that was, he allowed it to flow though him, released himself to its power and guidance.

He refused to open himself up to it ? it was his tool, and nothing more. Luke remembered the last time he had trusted completely in the Force. In between the shadow of the Death Star and the glare of Yavin, with the sound of Ben Kenobi?s voice in his ear.

[i]Trust the Force, Luke[/i]

He?d believed and obeyed ? back when he had been in the habit of obeying. When he?s taken the old hermit at face value, unaware of the cavalcade of lies and webs of deceit he hoarded and propagated.

[i]Let go, Luke[/i]

Wishing and believing hadn?t stopped Vader from winging him ? or for his proton torpedo to miss its mark. In the end, Han had been right. Han, who Luke had [i]believed[/i] would come back, would prove his worth and loyalty. Another blind assurance of faith that had disappointed him so bitterly.

It had only been due to the debris created by the destruction of the Rebel base that had allowed Luke to escape. He assumed it was another cruel trick of the Force, the very destroyed rock and essence of his friends providing his only cover against the pursuing Death Star. Wedge had been killed instantly, his instruments as damaged as they were, but Luke had been able to outfly the majority of the TIE fighters.

All save one, who had chased him relentlessly, skilfully through the newly created asteroids. It had only been his timely shift into hyperspace that had assured his escape from what he now realised had been his father.

Wishing was not something Luke remembered how to do ? but how he longed that things had been different that day. That he had been captured by Vader, even, that he had discovered who Luke was. That they could have shared for years what Luke had only received for a few brief months ? time with his father, his only true blood. He could have been strong by now ? could have discovered a way to save his father, extend his life ? so that they could have been together.

In the dark, bleak prison cell, Luke clenched a fist. Obi-Wan and Yoda had stolen that life from him. A new, unknown bitterness crept its way into Luke?s cold, untreated heart. They?d taken him from his father ? from his mother, orphaned him in the name of the Jedi. The long-dead legacy they had tried to recreate in him.

How disappointed they would be in him. How he didn?t care.

Jade had come to see him earlier, and Luke thought he had seen a slight brightening in her eyes, a lifting of the darkness that clouded her.

Luke sensed a kinship with her, something he couldn?t quite ascertain or describe. He didn?t know whether he could trust her not to turn him over to the Emperor, or even not to keep the secrets of the data disc for herself.

But he needed someone to use, if not to trust. He couldn?t have kept the disc concealed, not with the routine cell and body searches. Jade?s security was efficient and thorough.

That at least told him that she was reliable, if not trustworthy. He needed an ally, and Jade seemed to be the most worthy candidate, h

 

Wishing and believing hadn?t stopped Vader from winging him ? or for his proton torpedo to miss its mark. In the end, Han had been right. Han, who Luke had believed would come back, would prove his worth and loyalty. Another blind assurance of faith that had disappointed him so bitterly.

So, Han didn't come back and Leia's dead? Sithspit!

 

In the dark, bleak prison cell, Luke clenched a fist. Obi-Wan and Yoda had stolen that life from him. A new, unknown bitterness crept its way into Luke?s cold, untreated heart. They?d taken him from his father ? from his mother, orphaned him in the name of the Jedi. The long-dead legacy they had tried to recreate in him.

I like this--I think Yoda and Obi-Wan were playing with fire in canon when they gave Luke half-truths and omitted things. Luke could have very well run straight to Vader when he found out he was his father. And if Luke had been a little darker, he and Vader would have gotten along spendidly on the dark side...

Very nice update. I like how desperate Luke is and how he likes the dark of the cell.

Thanks for the PM.

 

Wow! A lot of details, but they only leave more questions.

I fear for Luke... he seems to be teetering close to the dark side's edge.

And where art thou, Han?

Each chapter keeps getting better and better.

 

Leia's dead?

.....

.....

[long silence]

Yay for dark AUs, boo for killing Leia.

Thanks for the PM!

 

Oooh...JL...very dark and so sad! It's amazing how one event changed so much. My poor Luke...amazing that even in this AU he is still drawn to Mara. They do make a good team...even if one is trying to use the other...

Can't wait for more, as usual!

 

What ginchy said - this is so dark and so?sad. Poor Luke!

They?d taken him from his father ? from his mother, orphaned him in the name of the Jedi.

I like that - gives a good insight into Luke?s frame of mind.


So now when he slept, he dreamed. He dreamed of the Emperor, cowering before him, his huddled, robbed, brittle form reduced to pleas of mercy ? for forgiveness. The acknowledgement of Luke?s own strength, his power, and of the Emperor?s own humiliating defeat. He dreamed of the celebration he would organise for the tyrants death, in the name of his father, the great Lord Vader.

Ooohhh?. I love Luke?s loyalty to his father and the idea of Palpy getting what he deserves from a Skywalker.

 

depressed anger and frustration is the way to the dark side

good insight to the Luke, clears some points, raises others

will wait unpaitently next update

 

Oh... nice one... very good with Luke's thoughts on the whole thing!

Wonderful set up for things to come.

 

Golden_Jedi - Depressing, isn't it? Thanks for reading!

Anakins_Force - Thank you. I agree - Obi Wan and Yoda underestimated Luke by not telling him the truth, and in this universe, it's cost them dearly. Desperate!Luke always makes for an interesting situation

MirandaFair - Luke is very very close to the Dark Side, trouble is, he doesn't realise it (or even know really what the Dark Side is). Han will make an appearance soon Thanks for the reply!

Idrelle_Miocovani - Yes, unfortunatly, Leia is dead (it was part of the original dare). I am considering having Leia appear in some dreams/flashback sequences, though...

ginchy - Yep...it's all Han's fault! j/k. As for L/M it will be a very different dynamic from canon, even if they have a natural attraction. Thanks!

Jedi Trace - Thank you! Yes, poor Luke...things are only going to get worse for him...

tasujad - Thank you Luke is well on his way to the Dark Side, unfortunatly.

RedGold - Thanks! Luke's frame of mind is a bit..unstable, to say the least...

 

A/N: Yes, I know, it?s more angst and character introspection. I?ll get to some action in the next chapter, I promise.

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[b]Chapter 3[/b]


[i]The long road hurried nowhere and it had no end, and it never rested anywhere.[/i]


********


The Millennium Falcon hurtled through the cold hardness of space with a lone occupant, comforted only by the whirling mechanics of his last true companion.

Han Solo was never one to question his lot in life, only to attempt to better it, hopefully through money and means. Smuggling he excelled at ? piracy his clean, sharp skill. And making the credits to prove it had long been his ambition.

That was until he picked up that blasted old man and snivelling kid, had been tricked into going after that princess. Seventeen thousand credits and a quick trip to Alderaan, that had been the plan. How he?d managed to get caught up in the rest of it, Han wasn?t quite sure. But it had been the beginning of the end.

He?d managed to pay off his debt to Jabba after Yavin, with credits to spare. Regrettably they?d dried up in a few months, after Han began to rely heavily on liquor and high-stakes gambling, much to Chewie?s disapproval. Unfortunately the Wookie didn?t have the heart nor the will to beat any sense into his friend ? only to give his stoic and grumbling displeasure. Months turned into years, until Han could no longer take Chewie?s silence and occasional warning growls. He broke and asked him to leave.

But the Wookie would not leave his life debt unfulfilled ? even as the atmosphere grew stale between them. Han managed in part to stay away from spice ? but only because smuggling became his latest, and most fateful addiction. It was no longer just a job for Han Solo ? it was his obsession, his soothing balm of relief. In the midst of the danger, that ever-present guilt was not forgotten, but at least pushed aside, cloaked in the recesses of his mind.

And as the Empire tightened her iron grip on the smuggling rings, Han?s ambition and drive only increased. It was not any particular hate for the Empire or their damaging hold on piracy ? it was the thrill, the rush of elation it always brought. And despite the bitter aftertaste that could only be cured by another run ? Han never thought to stop himself.

He lost Chewie in the Maw. The Wookie died as he had lived ? proudly, defiantly. Protecting what he held most dear.

Losing his friend was too much of a burden for Han to bear. He had returned to Corellia, but found the atmosphere unappealing and the holes in his heart to large to fill in. But at least in the system, there had been some sort of defiance to the Empire. Not support for the Rebellion, whose last dregs had long been washed away, but a united push to retain independence.

It had failed, as Han knew it would. Everything against the Empire failed.

Luckily, or perhaps not, Han had received word of the Death Star?s course for Corellia, and managed to escape. If escape was the right word for it. More often than not, Han believed himself to be in a never-ending, unescapable prison. That was until death found him at last, and he waited for it.

For he was alone, and kept company only with his ship he rarely bothered to repair anymore. That and the ghostly memories he couldn?t push away.

He thought of the kid, long dead. He thought of his youthful idealism, of his untortured soul, of his willingness for an adopted cause so fresh he couldn?t see the danger of it. Luke had looked so much younger that his eighteen years that day in the hanger, the stark orange of the borrowed flightsuit almost marking him for death.

Han told himself over and over that it what happened at Yavin hadn?t been his fault. The Empire destroyed the Rebellion, not Han Solo. He being there wouldn?t have made the slightest difference.

He remembered the Princess, when things became especially dark. She was anything but demure and dainty, so unlike any woman Han had known. She?d had a fire t

 

Hellish life for Han... But maybe he can amend some of his deeds?

Your writing is haunting, Jade...

 

Oh, poor Han! And Chewie! This story is so addictive...how things could have been. Thankfully they didn't really turn out this way!

I'm chilled at the ending..."Bring me the magician."

Great writing as usual, JL.

 

Loved all of Han's introspections. I'm wondering how he's going to fit into the rest of the story.

And Luke's Force power wasn't as hidden from Palpatine as Vader thought, I see.

 

Poor Han... but he deserves what he got...

and Luke's going to need to be strong... hopefully Mara can help some?

And this Selano... is she someone we know but by a different name?

 

That was until he picked up that blasted old man and snivelling kid, had been tricked into going after that princess. Seventeen thousand credits and a quick trip to Alderaan, that had been the plan. How he?d managed to get caught up in the rest of it, Han wasn?t quite sure. But it had been the beginning of the end.

Oh, this is just so terrible. Han really needed Leia in his life--that's one place where the EU didn't mess up. But I have a feeling you have something in store for him yet.

The last bit was really creepy! I keep thinking of Luke, bereft and alone in that prison. And hearing the Emperor call him 'the magician' was eerie! Wonderful update!

 

WELL!!! This is a MOST DEPRESSING FIC!

I have a feeling Han may get his wish for death if he ever sees Luke the Magician again! *slinks away*

 

This keeps getting better and better. Wonderful update! (Again - lol)

It's so sad that Han and Leia parted the way they did. *sighs* What could have been.... Hopefully Han will get his act together and redeem himself. (Just in time for Luke to come and pay him back.)

Speaking of Luke...hope he's still watching his back. Very eerie chapter...I love it!

 

Wow--Han's all "neurotic" isn't he? Got all kinds of guilt and other baggage. And as for Luke: the last line gave me the proverbial bad feeling.