Beyond - Legends I, Mara Jade - post-TTT AU (L/M) - COMPLETED - sequel A/N & ginchy-shine posted 12/6/11!

Title: I, Mara Jade
Author: JediMara77
Timeframe: post-Thrawn Trilogy
Characters: Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker; Corran Horn, Tyria Sarkin, Kyp Durron, and other apprentices at the Jedi Academy; a sprinkling of Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, and Talon Karrde; and other surprise guests!
Genre: romance, drama, angst, humor
Summary: Mara Jade faces the hardest struggle of her life as she trains at the Jedi Academy while trying to come to terms with her past as the Emperor's Hand. She didn't count on a blue-eyed Jedi Master with issues of his own becoming the biggest challenge of all.
Acknowledgements: Thanks go to George Lucas, Timothy Zahn, Michael Stackpole, Aaron Allston, and Kevin J. Anderson for allowing me, and other fanfiction writers, to borrow their characters and ideas. I promise to return them in mint condition.
Thanks to Jade_eyes for being my cheerleader and beta, and to kataja for letting me ?borrow? the fabulous word bicce.
Author?s Note: This AU was inspired by the novel I, Jedi by Michael Stackpole, and covers some of the events of the Jedi Academy Trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson and Vision of the Future by Timothy Zahn.
Author?s Note 2: I wrote this story for National Novel Writing Month 2010.

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While writing this story, I made a ?soundtrack? that I listened to for inspiration. Below are the track listings, and as I post chapters I will note songs that accompany them.

Try ? Nelly Furtado
Anything but Ordinary ? Avril Lavigne
Everything ? Alanis Morissette
The Kiss ? Trevor Jones, The Last of the Mohicans soundtrack
Aquarium ? Camille Saint-Saëns, Carnival of the Animals
Reflections of Passion ? Yanni
Cursum Perficio ? Enya
Breathing Space ? X-Ray Dog
Storms in Africa ? Enya
Can?t Help Falling in Love ? Elvis Presley
Full of Grace ? Sarah McLachlan
The Winner Takes it All ? ABBA
White Flag ? Dido
Sandstorm ? Darude
Your Congratulations ? Alanis Morissette
Nearer My God to Thee ? Eileen Ivers, Back to Titanic soundtrack
Now We Are Free ? Lisa Gerrard and Hans Zimmer, Gladiator soundtrack
Marchin' On - One Republic
Utopia ? Alanis Morissette


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Cover art by Iverna:

[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/JediMara77/JediMara77-4.jpg]


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[b]Winner, 2011 Beyond the Saga Fanfiction Awards:
[i]Best Epic (tie)
Best Canon Interpretation, Male (Luke Skywalker)
Best Canon Interpretation, Female (Mara Jade) (tie) [/i][/b]


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A/N: Song for this chapter: Try, Nelly Furtado

A/N: Lines and dialogue have been borrowed from The Last Command by Timothy Zahn





CHAPTER 1





It is twilight, the Coruscant air turning cool against my exposed skin. Standing by myself on the roof of the Imperial Palace, I shrug on my jacket, staring intently at the skyline before me.

For some reason I can?t really figure out, I find myself drawn to this place. It doesn?t hold any sort of special significance for me, either good or bad, but after the craziness of the past several months, I find it incredibly peaceful here, staring at the traffic and people bustling about below me, carrying out their lives without any sense of concern for what is going on in the larger universe.

Even as I try to find my own peace in the city below, I hear the door to the roof open about twenty meters behind me. I immediately sense who is there, and sure enough, I hear his voice call out to me. ?Mara??

?Over here,? I call back, suppressing a grimace. I know that he has come to finally have the talk that I have been putting off for days.

So much for trying to find inner peace.

Luke walks slowly towards me, taking the spot by my side, leaning against the railing of the roof. Our elbows graze each other, and for the first time since I have known him, I do not flinch away at his touch.

?Quite a view, isn?t it?? Luke comments, gazing at the city below. ?Must bring back a lot of memories for you.?

I roll my eyes and throw him a patient look. ?You mean to say, just how am I feeling about being back in the Palace this time? You know, Skywalker?just between us?you really don?t have what it takes to be devious. If I were you, I?d work with my talents and stick with that straight-out farm boy honesty.?

He has the decency to look sheepish, even though I can tell that he is amused by my analysis of him. ?Sorry,? he apologizes. ?Too much time spent around Han, I guess.?

?And Karrde and me, I suppose??

?You want a straight-out farm boy honest answer to that?? he teases.

I smile at him. It?s nice to hear him banter this way. It makes him seem more human, and surprisingly, it feels incredibly natural. ?I?m sorry I even brought it up,? I reply, laughing.

Luke smiles back, then turns serious again. ?So, how are you feeling??

I look back out at the city below me. ?I don?t know,? I admit. ?It?s sort of like coming home?only it isn?t. When I lived here, I never really took the time to look at the city like this. The only times I ever came up here to the roof were to watch for a certain airspeeder to arrive or to keep an eye on some particular building or something like that, you know?business for the Emperor.?

Speaking about my old life doesn?t come as easily as it used to. I remember the balls, the appearances in court, and the endless missions. I remember hearing Palpatine?s call from anywhere in the galaxy. I remember the pride I felt whenever I accomplished one of his tasks. I remember wanting nothing more than to serve the Empire that I so utterly believed in.

But now that the Emperor?s last command has finally been fulfilled, and I no longer live in his shadow, I feel something completely different?guilt for my past life, and the things I did as his Hand. Logically, I know that it?s pointless to feel this way?the past is the past, and I can?t change what I was?but I still can?t shake the guilty feelings from my mind. I wonder if I will ever be able to do so.

Looking back out at the skyline, I continue. ?I don?t think he ever saw Coruscant as people and lights?to him it was just power and opportunities.?

?That?s probably how he saw everything,? Luke agrees, with a hint of resentment and sadness in his voice. I can tell he is thinking about his father?and maybe even about me.

?And speaking of opportunities?? Luke trails off. I grimace. I was right; he?s come here to have the talk. I can tell that he?s not going to leave until he argues his

 

Woohoo! it's up!!

I'm so glad you didn't wait LOL

Awesome song and wonderful beginning! Luke is so classic and Mara is superb. She's honest with both of them -- yet you can feel her self-doubt mingled with hopefulness.

Very poignant that she considers Luke a friend and that friendship is something new to her experience.

This definitely has the TLC feel.

I would love a PM notice for updates.

 

Absolutely superb! Enjoyed that immensely! Please add me to a PM list, if you are keeping one!

Mara has such great personality, and I think you've caught her very well...

 

Very interesting to use 1st person from Mara's POV. It must be scary to be inside her head.

Then again, any version of Mara Jade in fanfic, excluding extreme AU's, always has her doubt her powers and always wondering why Palpatine never trained her further. You hit on a great point when Luke said Palpatine thought he couldn't control Mara. Maybe he was afraid to teach her more because even Palpatine could see her potential?

I'd like to see where you go from here, so PM me on an update, please.

 

If you're starting a PM list, I'd love to be on it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. You capture Mara and Luke so well. It's nice to be inside of Mara's head for once.

 

Here we go again Just kidding
Great start! I would love to be on your PM list. Just please don't kill Luke this time. Or any other major characters for that matter. Looking forward to more

 

Yay, it?s up!

The curiosity bugs have been biting since I first heard about this.


Could you add me to your pm list, if you?re having one?

I second that? Pretty please with hot chocolate on top?

 

I'll be watching this one.

 

Oh wow! Loved this! Present tense and first person suited this scene very well and your changes and additions were in perfect sync both with TZ's original and Mara's character.

This is probably one of his last links to the past?and he is giving it away. To me, the person who can?t run away from hers fast enough.
Just as an example! Wonderful!

Your insight in Mara & Luke and your earlier writing when being inside the characters heads make me look very much forward to this - please add me to the PM list!

 

Wow, that was wonderful - loved the insight into Mara's head. I think you keep both Luke and Mara very in-character. If you're making a PM list, please include me!

I'm looking forward to more

 

You have me hooked yet again JediMara.

Such a great start! Luke and Mara have always had a special place in my heart, and you do them so very well!

So glad you decided to post it here.

 

Yay, I have readers!!!


Jade_eyes: I've already talked to you enough about this story. Thanks for motivating me to write it and post it. It's all your fault!


O4aF: Mara has such great personality, and I think you've caught her very well...

Thanks! If I do nothing else in this story, I want to make her POV completely belieavable.


madman: Very interesting to use 1st person from Mara's POV. It must be scary to be inside her head.

Actually, I LOVE writing from Mara's POV. I think it's because we're such different personalities that it's nice to get into the head of someone so completely different.


Briannakin: You capture Mara and Luke so well. It's nice to be inside of Mara's head for once.

Thanks! I think so, too.


Lady_Jedi: I PROMISE that no Luke Skywalkers were (permanently) damaged during the writing of this story.


Hazel: The curiosity bugs have been biting since I first heard about this.

Muahahahaha!!!


JediLiz: Yay, hope you enjoy what you read!


kataja: So glad you found this!!! Thank you for your comments!


Jadestar: Wow, that was wonderful - loved the insight into Mara's head. I think you keep both Luke and Mara very in-character.

Thanks!


MasterJaina: You have me hooked yet again JediMara.

Muahahahaha!!!!

Luke and Mara have always had a special place in my heart, and you do them so very well!

Awww, thank you. I love them as well. One day I'll actually write a fanfic without them as my main characters.



PM list so far:
Jade_Eyes
Overboard4aFel
madman007
Briannakin
Lady_Jedi93
Hazel
kataja
Jadestar28
Mira_Jade

Let me know if you would like on or removed from the list!



I plan to post weekly updates, or more frequently if my revisions allow.

 

The past is the past. I might as well make the best of the future.
How true.



By the way, congrats on finishing NaNo!

 

Mira_Jade: So glad you're reading! I will definitely add you to the list!

And you covered one of my top five favorite EU scenes, and made it better.

Oh, wow! This is my favorite EU scene, so that means a lot to me, thank you. (If only the authors had used TZ's wonderful jumping-off point, but alas, then I wouldn't be writing this fic now, would I? )


FelsGoddess: Thanks!!!

--The past is the past. I might as well make the best of the future.--
How true.

Now if only Mara could just keep that little thought in mind....




Thanks to everyone again. I have to link to these here, since this is my Nano story and all:


I'm a winner! YAY!

Win win win!

 

A/N: Thanksgiving in the States means many things...including four glorious days off work! So you get another update this week.





CHAPTER 2





For the past three months, I?ve been running around like a crazy person, trying to settle all my affairs with Karrde?s organization before committing myself to my Jedi training. Even though I?ve only worked for Karrde for less than a year, I?ve become his second-in-command in everything but name, and my responsibilities and accounts are not those that can be easily cast off. I?m lucky, though, as Karrde has been extremely supportive of my training?I even suspect that he and Luke collaborated against me in order to convince me to agree to go to the Academy?but I know that he is still disappointed to lose me as an employee.

And even though I?m eager to begin a new phase of my life, I?m sad to leave as well. I will always be grateful to Karrde for offering me a job and giving me my first semblance of peace after four and a half years on the run. The time that I spent in his organization has been educational and, dare I say, even fun.

As Karrde hugs me good-bye and sees me off in my headhunter, I feel like I am not only leaving an employer, but also a friend. Karrde, the consummate professional, never betrays his true emotions, but reaching out into the Force, I get the sense that he feels the same way.





Luke invited me to meet him on Coruscant and then travel together to the Jedi Academy but I declined, wanting to take some time to myself to consider the path my life is taking. As my ship travels through hyperspace, I do just that, unable to sleep thanks to the thoughts running through my head.

I never could have imagined that one day I would agree to formally train as a Jedi. I always thought I knew enough of the ways of the Force, but my time spent with Luke on Wayland made me realize just how much more there was for me to learn. I can?t help but be excited for the possibilities that lie in front of me.

But I?m also nervous, because I still have the nagging feeling that I?m going to end up disappointing everyone, especially myself. I wonder if I really have as much potential in the Force as Luke believes. During the short time I?ve known him, I?ve learned that Luke is a hopeless optimist and does his best to see the good in everyone. I wonder if his desire to rebuild the Jedi Order is making him overestimate my power in the Force. It figures; I?ve always been supremely confident in my abilities, and yet my few encounters with Skywalker have been enough to shatter my belief in myself?and yet at the same time, his belief in me makes me want to try as hard as I can to live up to his expectations. If nothing else during my time at the Jedi Academy, I promise myself that I will do this. I will do my best to prove to Luke Skywalker that he is right about me. And I will prove to myself that I can be a Jedi.





The Jedi Academy is located on Yavin IV, in the old Rebel Alliance base. I know why Luke picked this place, and it is a perfect location?far away from the distractions of the Core but still close enough to Coruscant, where Luke can set up headquarters for the Jedi Order to interact with the leaders of the New Republic. All the business for the Order will be conducted on Yavin IV while Luke is still busy growing the Academy, but he eventually intends to have some Knights stationed on Coruscant to liaise with the government. And even above all the practical reasons, Yavin IV is a beautiful, if overly muggy, place, perfect for inspiring us to connect with the Force. Still, I note the irony of Luke Skywalker fully welcoming me here, when only ten years ago he would have tried to shoot me out of the sky had I attempted to infiltrate the secret Rebel base.

I try to ignore my nerves as I maneuver my headhunter into the Academy?s hangar bay. There are several other ships in the hangar, including three X-wings, and I wonder which one is Luke?s. I kick myself for not yet being able to recognize his particular ship.

Luke g

 

Congratulations on all things Nano.

And what a wonderful update -- love the easy teasing between Luke and Mara, and Tyria's overture of friendship

Corran needs to take off his CorSec hat LOL

 

A great chapter.

I love the introduction the academy, and the people there, just beginning. Which is kinda weird because we are so used to them being the teachers!

And Master Skywalker

Mara just loves pushing his buttons.

And on a side note, I have always like the Corran/Mara friendship. They are an interesting pair and I am interested to see what you do with it!

Along with the Luke/Mara since they have amazing chemistry!!!

And i'm proud you actually finished NaNo. I didn't...but that comes with one crazy month! Maybe next year!!!

 

First of all, congratulations on the NaNoWriMo.



I'm so glad you decided to share I, Mara Jade with us.

Loved to see Mara's introduction to her fellow students and how she makes the effort of leaving her old anti-social habits behind.


?What about Farmboy??

?Don?t push it.?

I just adore the L/M interaction and can't wait for more.

Also looking forward to the Mara-Corran talks. Should be fun.

 

Master?I?ve never thought of him that way before. He is my master now. Master Skywalker?will I have to call him that? I force myself not to laugh out loud at the thought.
Can see her thinking that.

 

I loved the L/M conversation.


?What about Farmboy??

?Don?t push it.?


And congrats on NaNo Wri Mo. I never even attempted it (maybe next year though), so everyone who finished it is like my hero.

 

I will be following this too. Mara and her comments about the boys

 

Nice to see Mara?s actually committing herself to training this time!

Luke invited me to meet him on Coruscant and then travel together to the Jedi Academy but I declined, wanting to take some time to myself to consider the path my life is taking.
Vice ? and very Mara!

Still, I note the irony of Luke Skywalker fully welcoming me here, when only ten years ago he would have tried to shoot me out of the sky had I attempted to infiltrate the secret Rebel base.
Irony indeed ? nice touch

Tyria ?hmm, she seems nice. Is she canon or an OC, have to wookped her?

Mara seems pretty comfortable with Luke ? and overall the air inn the Jedi Academy is much more at ease than in JAT ? but then I never liked JAT

I know how difficult you like to make things for me.?

?I do, I really do,?
do I spot recycling dialogue here?

but when we?re alone, please, just call me Luke, okay??

?Okay,? I agree. Then I grin mischievously again. ?What about Skywalker, can I still call you that??

?That works, too.?

?What about Farmboy??

?Don?t push it.?


Great start! Waiting eagerly for more!!!