Saga Far More Than Rubies--AU, young Luke/Padme, Adventure (2/26: Final Comments)

Wonderful, frodo! Just wonderful. A nice long post full of suspense and action. Only one thing confused me. Aside from a quick conversation between the captains to ascertain who had greater seniority, the two Imperial warships were too busy blasting Rebel scum into the next life to bother with chitchat. Isn't Kale aware that Vader commands the other Imperial warship? If so, why would he check to see who had seniority? Hmmm? Enquiring minds want to know.

And Vader doesn't care who pays for the rebel attack. Me thinks I see Kale's demise in the near future. I wonder what will happen with Vader and Obi-Wan in the same system, not to mention Padme and Luke. Of course, Vader's fury might distract him from sensing any of them.

 

Excellent fic.

I'm hooked. Please PM me when you update this.

Thanks

EG

 

p_stotts: yipes! My bad for being confusing. I'm a military brat and I forget that not everyone thinks in terms of the chain of command...anyway, Vader is not, technically speaking, in command of the Exactor. It's his flagship, but the actual job of commanding that particular ship belong to his captain (see Piett in ESB and ROTJ). Since Vader is out with the starfighters, the captains conferred to see which of them was more senior, because that one would be giving the command orders for the Star Destroyers as they're fighting their half of the battle. Vader's still the one in charge of the big picture, but the captains are responsible for running their respective ships Sorry...I think that's still rather confusing, huh?

Anyway, that's my explanation.

 

Well, you picked an excellent time to get hooked, since I was two years writing this and have only just finished! You shouldn't have to wait long for more, unlike the rest of my poor readers.

Consider yourself added to the list! Thanks for reading!

 

A/N: Five installments left. Not long! Shorter chapter this time...but I just couldn't resist.

...

The Emperor would undoubtedly be monumentally displeased by the events that had transpired thus far in Kuat--for that matter so was Vader. But if there had to be a military incident, the warrior in him was pleased to wage the battle against such competent opponents. The Rebel pilots had no advantage in either numbers or weaponry, yet they maximized what they did have in such a way as to merit his grudging admiration. He himself had found his skills tested as the Z-95 starfighters led them a wild chase through the maze of the shipyards, weaving helter-skelter through infrastructure, construction equipment, and half-completed Star Destroyer hulks.

He felt particularly refreshed after chasing a ridiculously nimble Rebel through the interior of a Destroyer that had had its decks and compartments roughed in with durasteel beams and patchy hull plating. He suspected the enemy of having once been either a Jedi or a podracer at some point, because little else could have prepared one to twist and roll and dodge quickly enough to avoid crashing headlong into the countless obstacles that met them in every direction. He had finally nailed his adversary, but not before the agile pilot wrecked the infant Destroyer with an admirably aimed torpedo in its reactor.

A worthy opponent, he reflected in a sort of spontaneous eulogy. But not one who would live to fight another day. If he had anything to say about it, none of the Rebel attackers would.

His current quarry suddenly performed a nose dive, spiraled, and shot away from the shipyards. A quick glance at the scanner revealed that all the surviving Rebel fighters were retreating, headed for a rendezvous point with their corvette and cruiser mother ships that would be out of the Destroyer?s range. ?All squadrons follow them,? Vader ordered, looping around after his opponent.

It was a wild race to the Rebel ships, in which the TIEs had the clear advantage. They were faster and, now that the hindrance of the shipyards? micro-gravity was behind them, they were as agile as the Headhunters. Several more explosions decorated the route, and then they were all darting after each other around the corvettes and cruisers, the TIEs dodging heavy cannon fire while the Z-95s sought desperately for enough of an opening to dash into the safety of the hangars.

?Black Squadron,? Vader ordered, ?concentrate your fire on the cruisers and corvettes. The rest of you, stay on the fighters.?

About half the Z-95s were able to escape into their hangars. A little less than half did not. About ten of them were making no effort to dock with their mother ships, which told Vader that they had been modified and had their own hyperdrives. He ignored them in favor of the closest Mon Cal cruiser. While the rest of his squadron swept the hull with laser fire, he brought his modified fighter around and aimed for the power generator with his bank of torpedos. A younger TIE pilot cheered over the com as the cruiser suddenly erupted in explosions.

As Vader had hoped, the ship did not turn into a fireball. Its generator and a section surrounding it exploded, and the ship?s running lights quickly winked out, but the rest of the craft remained intact. Now, if all went according to plan, the lifepods should begin pouring out and they would be able to take prisoners--

This idea seemed to have occurred to the Rebels as well, for no pods were launched, and a mere minute later the cruiser self-destructed with all hands presumably on board.

Vader snarled with frustration and spun around to find a target on which he could vent his fury. The last Mon Cal cruiser had loaded all of its fighters and leapt into the safety of hyperspace before anyone could do something about it, quickly followed by a pair of corvettes and a few of the remaining starfighters. Vader sped toward the nearest corvette, knowing the rest were only seconds behind. The TIEs redoubled their fire.

They landed a few more shots on the corvettes before t

 

Startled gasp - not fearful - Obi-Wan to the rescue!?!?

In fact, he felt a bit euphoric--how many lieutenants on this ship could have served seven consecutive shifts underneath the stares of both Kale and Darth Vader without suffering a nervous breakdown? Not many, that was who. He even had a bit of a swagger in his step as he reported to the Com center.

I always did like Piett for some reason.

Pervasive, icy, lethal, inky, the Force signature of what had once been Anakin Skywalker was impossible to mistake. Obi-Wan wrapped himself tightly beneath the best mental shields he could manage and let just one tendril of thought out from behind to search for any sign of young Luke, praying that he would find nothing and would be able to leave the system immediately.

No such luck. There was no mistaking that bright little pinprick of light, as lively and mischievous and small as his father?s was massive and foreboding.

Nice description and comparison.

 

CHEESE AND CRACKERS, Frodo! First my own padawan and now you! My poor heart can't take much more of these cliffhangers. Now... who is there? Obi or Vader? Actually, I hope it's Vader. That opens the story to so many more possibilities. Of course, it could be Obi, who pulls off a seat-of-your-pants escape just seconds ahead of Vader. My head spins with scenarios. Thanks so much for the PM. I look forward to more.

 

p_stotts: Told you I couldn't resist. *hoo-per* You don't know the power of the cliffhanger compulsion... Anyway, I promise not to leave you all in breathless suspense for too dreadfully long. (Ain't ya glad I've got it all finished now? ) I will give you this much--one of your suggestions is correct.

Valairy_Scott: Piett seems to be the GFFA's most universally liked character. He's just so much FUN. All the fun of an OC, yet safely canon--there's just nothing to hate. He'll be making a few more appearances before this story is through. Can't help myself.

 

I agree - Piett's been a longtime favorite character of mine, and I'm so happy to see him here. Fantastic update!! You left us with a nasty cliffhanger - don't leave us hanging for too long!

- Serena

 

?Mommy?? Luke whispered after a long silence. ?Mommy, somebody?s coming.?

Padmé felt her stomach twist. ?Are you sure?? she asked slowly. Just as Luke nodded, she heard the thud of approaching boots. Then the door whished open, and Padmé gave a startled gasp as she saw who had come.

Wonderful update! Looking forward to more! Little!Luke is too cute! Of course, he's always cute though.

 

Oooh, I can't stand it!! Great cliffie there. Luke's a darling ... I can't wait till the next installment.

 

I'm biting my nails over here! I want it to be Obi Wan...

 

A/N: See, I didn't leave you hanging too long! This chapter is about as long as the last but *evil grin* I just couldn't resist again...Four posts to go.

...

The subtle tug in the Force began to strengthen on the way to the detention block. Vader?s interest was beginning to be piqued. The Rebel prisoners might or might not be the locus of that peculiar urging, but if they weren?t there was certainly something in the detention block worth investigation.

The Dark Lord quickened his pace, paying no regard to Kale?s shorter legs. The Force flickered a little more strongly--he detected a twinge of familiarity. Something--something he had not sensed since--

The two of them came to a halt at the turbolift that led straight to the detention block. While they were waiting, a very pale officer wearing commander?s insignia and a Com division patch burst around the corner, thrusting a datapad at both Vader and Kale as if unsure as to which of them should be the appropriate recipient. ?My lord, Captain, sirs,? he got out, his hand quaking slightly. ?Major Tbron ordered me to relay this to you straight away. It?s a transmission from the Fresian garrison.?

The curious tingling in the Force was drowned out by a surge of foreboding, accompanied by a spike of dread from Kale. One did not need to be Force-sensitive to know that whatever was on that datapad was most emphatically not good news.

Vader turned his head slowly to stare at Kale. The detested man had gone pale, and did not dare to look at the Dark Lord. ?Play the message for us, Commander,? Vader ordered darkly.

Kale glanced sharply at him. His throat tightened as though he desperately wanted to object. Of course, objecting to an order at this point could only entangle him more irretrievably in Vader?s ill will. Powerless, the captain nodded at the commander.

So engrossing was the ensuing missive that no one noticed the turbolift arrive behind them.

...

?Obi-Wan!?

Padmé?s exclamation was stuffed into a whisper but still managed to communicate an ocean of relief. She had just enough presence of mind to clap a hand over Luke?s mouth before he could yell any exuberant greetings.

Impossibly, the most unexpected person in the galaxy had arrived outside their cell door. It had taken Padmé a good several seconds to recognize her old friend. That was pardonable because never in her life had she seen Obi-Wan Kenobi in anything but his gravely dignified Jedi robes. Certainly she had never seen him in the guise of an Imperial detention officer, complete with cap. The uniform did not agree with him, if the grim expression was anything to go by.

He didn?t waste time with lectures. ?We must hurry,? he said, gesturing them out. ?I?ve overpowered the detention guards at the front but they won?t be fooled forever.?

?Obi-Wan!? Luke broke in. He sounded as though the strain of whispering when he clearly wanted to yell was going to make him explode. ?We got arrested! It was so cool!?

Padmé, Nubian to the marrow, was horrified by Luke?s enthusiasm for law-breaking, regardless of the fact that she herself was in the midst of illegally escaping from custody. However, now was not the time for such corrections. ?How did you find us?? she murmured, hustling Luke out of the cell.

?I ran into a mutual friend in Fre?ji,? Obi-Wan returned. Padmé hesitated as they emerged from the corridor at the guard station. There were three guards. Obi-Wan moved forward with a commanding wave of his hand.

?I am transferring these prisoners to Lord Vader?s ship,? he told them. ?You were notified. There is no need to clear it.?

The guards nodded and repeated after him. Obi-Wan guided them quickly past the guards into the turbolift.

?That was awesome,? Luke breathed in amazement.

Padmé?s train of thought had focused in another direction entirely. She leaned towards the Jedi Master?s ear and whispered, ?He?s not here, is he??

Obi-Wan nodded grimly, staring at the turbolift exit as the lift hummed upward. Padmé sucked in a deep breath. ?He doesn?t know yet,? he answered her. ?The battle outside

 

Impossibly, the most unexpected person in the galaxy had arrived outside their cell door. It had taken Padmé a good several seconds to recognize her old friend. That was pardonable because never in her life had she seen Obi-Wan Kenobi in anything but his gravely dignified Jedi robes. Certainly she had never seen him in the guise of an Imperial detention officer, complete with cap. The uniform did not agree with him, if the grim expression was anything to go by.

He didn?t waste time with lectures. ?We must hurry,? he said, gesturing them out. ?I?ve overpowered the detention guards at the front but they won?t be fooled forever.?

?Obi-Wan!? Luke broke in. He sounded as though the strain of whispering when he clearly wanted to yell was going to make him explode. ?We got arrested! It was so cool!?

Gah! Loved Luke's excitement over being arrested.


I'm still worried Obi-Wan may confront Vader to save Padme and Luke. I'm going to be very worried until all 3 + droids are away.

 

I just found this absolutely awesome story and the suspense is killikng me already
Obi-Wan rescuing them was soooo cool!
I hope they all get out of there soon, but somehow I doubt it it just reminds me too much of Anakin's and Obi-Wan's many rescue attempts which mostly ended in a really big mess.

Do you have a PM list for this story? If yes please put me on it

 

GeneralKenobi7: Glad you liked it. Don't worry, our heroes are not in the clear yet; as I said there's still four posts to go. I do have a PM list, to which I shall add you posthaste. You definitely found this story at the right time, as most of my very long-suffering readers will tell you...

Valairy_Scot: I figure a six-year-old boy would think being arrested was extremely awesome. He's an adventurous sort. I'm still not giving away anything as regards Vader!

On a side note, could someone tell me how to modify the thread title? I thought I should add a note as to what characters are involved in the story, as the title really doesn't tell you much.

 

Go to your very first post, hit the EDIT button, and fix whatever you want to be fixed, subject line or anything within the post.

 

Poor Obi-Wan. Nothing is ever simple for the poor guy. At least he found Padme and Luke. I wonder if encountering Padme and Luke would in any way steer Anakin back to the light. There's nothing so powerful as a parent's protective instinct. Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait to see how everything works out in your universe, Frodo. Great post, but did you have to leave us with another cliffhanger? *sigh* I guess I'll just have to be patient.

Oh and thanks for not leaving us hanging too long! *waves hand* You will post again soon.

 

Woot... another stellar update and an even bigger cliffie.

 

Chapter 17 ? the action was first rate and kept me on the edge of my seat. Loved how the Imperials were taken flat-footed for a long time and that Vader recognized it as a legitimate threat.

Chapter 18 ? a cliffhanger. I liked how Padme tried to get Luke to not give anything away. Poor kid must be really confused. I also liked that Vader didn't kill anyone on the staff since it wasn't their faults anyway.

Chapter 19 ? Good thing Obi-Wan showed up and was able to get Padme and Luke away from Vader. I liked how organized and methodical Vader was with his duties. Well done.

 

Valairy_Scot: Thanks! I'll go back and do that.

p_stotts: Heh...this is true. I feel like Obi-Wan is owed a very enormous thank-you from Qui-Gon for putting up with the Skywalkers for this long. Still not giving anything away as regards Vader/Anakin, no matter how many hints you people drop. I shall however promise that the next update will not be far off; no more than a day or two-ish. All depends on how busy my profs keep me.

jade_eyes: I'm a card-carrying members of Cliff-aholics Anonymous.

dianethx: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying the action. I'm always a little leery when it comes to writing action, since it's not my natural forte (I prefer dialogue/description/humor, generally speaking), so I'm always glad to hear that it's coming off well. And I really, REALLY would love to respond to your comments on Vader, but rules are rules.

 

That was amazing!! Looking forward to more!!

 

Why do I have visions Luke crawling up that exhaust port?

Nice action, great post! Can't wait for more!

CJM

 

dancing_star: thanks! More will be along shortly.

canadianjedimama: *innocent expression* Beats me.

 

Wow, this is awesome! I know there are only a few updates left, but can I be added to the PM list for the remaining time?

A part of me is hoping Vader finds them, and somehow turns back to the Light Side.