Saga In Plain Sight: Luke's Story -- ANH AU - complete -- Thanks for your support in the Awards!

I love this.
Great rethinking and I wonder why one will die?
Will both sides put them up against each otehr?
And what will Luke do, when Vader tells him the truth? (Provided he'll really do that as I hope...)

 

Ooohhh that was so chilling

One of those children will die tonight



But why?

Great update

 

wow.

just caught up on the last chapters.

Amazing. I'm totally speechless!

can't wait for more!

 

I am horrid. I just wanted to say I have been reading all of your post and appreciate the PMs still. I am really enjoying the character development and really...this last post was just geeze. I am wondering who will die

But maybe you will have a twist in mind. Whatever it is I know it will be good. Very quick, not very in depth review here, but great work. And I am looking forward to what you have in store.

Keep the evilness up!

 

Whew! I've just found your fic just now, and boy is it good! All your characters are fully fleshed out -- even your OCs -- and I love the way you characterize Luke, Vader, and Palpatine in particular. The way you set the mood and atmosphere in the story is superb; every time a chapter ends, I'm filled with foreboding.

I'd like to be added to the PM list, so I won't miss an update. Keep up the good work, and I hope you post the next part soon!

 

Leia? One of the Skywalker children? What happened to poor Leia?

J_Ro

 

Palpy is nasty... I liked your description of the apprentice who lost his glory...

thanks for the PM

 

Yikes!

 

A/N: Happy New Year, all! I make it my first resolution to finish this story by mid-February. A year is just embarrassing for a short story. Well...I have a slight confession to make in that regard. In Plain Sight: Luke's Story just tipped the 30K mark. It is now too long to be called a short story, at least by TFN standards. This was not supposed to happen! At any rate, I have the last chapter written now. It all end in Chapter 13, most inauspiciously.

------------

Mystic665: You're welcome to the cookies. Have some holiday cheesecake, too. Thanks for delurking! Delurkers make my day. Hope you continue to enjoy this story.

Jade_Pilot: forget the cookies?? I am stunned. How could ANYONE possibly forget cookies? I myself make it a point to remember them regularly. As evinced by my less-than-washboard belly...

Okay, okay. So here's more.

Jade_eyes: Hey Jadie! Thanks for you kind comments. More truths coming out soon, and I'm afraid the fate of the Skywalkers is what it is, though maybe not in a way you'd expect.

JEDIFLYSWATTER: Well, cross your fingers and hope for the best. Thank you for reading!

PadawanMom5610: Luke and Mara will find out (almost) everything in this chapter. As to your question, I'm not allowed to reveal anything, but let's just say that Vader's about the only straight shooter in this story. And Halla is the former Hand, btw. Thanks for reviewing!!

leia_naberrie: Thank you! I don't like writing Palps generally, but when I do, he sort of channels creepiness, lol.

RedGold: lol! That would be an accurate assessment of the situation.

VaderLVR: Glad you think so.

diva: It would be you that points out parallelism. Once an English teacher...but seriously, it tickles me pink that you would comment on that. I love dressing up stories with things like that, and having you recognize it is very rewarding.

Said it before, of course, but I wouldn't be what I was without your tips and polish.

ginchy: Nice icon! Yes, Palps is all of those things, and also badly in need of a facial and manicure. Hopefully his vile self won't carry the day, but we'll see! *grins evilly* Thanks for reading.

Independence1776: Bad feelings are in order. I've got one too. Though mostly from all the holiday candy I've been snarfing...No, Mara won't react well, but are you sure you know what the story Vader tells will be?

MsLanna: You are right on the mark. I can neither confirm nor deny anything, but you are a darn good guesser! Hope it lives up to your expectations.

KELIA: Because...it's Star Wars, and that's what Skywalkers do. Die. Darn you, Sacrifice...*grumbles* Thank you for reading!

satanat_solo: Hey, nice to see you again. I'm glad you've enjoyed it thus far! Here's more.

JediVegeta: You are NOT horrid. You're better than I am, actually. I've been a terrible member of this community. DRL. What can you say? I have to say, though, I'm glad to see you in this thread. Thought you'd lost interest--it's wonderful to know you haven't. And of course I have a twist....I always have a twist.

baru-chan: Always thrilled to have someone find my fics. And surprised, especially when it's this far in the game. It's flattering that you caught up with so much! Thank you for your comments. Got you added to the PM list.

Jaded_Rose: Hey J_Ro. Wish I could answer but I'm under oath! Author's oath.

Ocelotl_Nesto: Thanks! Appreciate your review. You're welcome for the PM.

Blue_Milkshake: Amen!!

-----------------

(chapter will follow shortly)

 

=============

Chapter Eleven

=============

?I was his best friend.?

The sentence hung in the air, bitter and at the same time wistful. Mara caught herself searching Fortee?s face hungrily. This person knew Varewé?before? What was he like? She wanted to ask. Was he ever silly or forgetful or?human? Tell me, Garmonsaw Fortee, former best friend of the man that I?like. To spar with, that is.

?Luke Varewé and I met five years before we came to Coruscant. We were ten years old, nearly eleven. That was about all we had in common. I had begged to attend Diplomatic school; Luke was dumped there.?

Mara cleared her throat. Fortee paused, waiting. At the beginning of all this, Melgida had invited Mara to pose any questions she chose, as long as they were not solely intended to provoke.

?What do you mean?dumped??

?Dumped,? Fortee repeated. ?His mother couldn?t stand him. It was weird. He never talked about it much, so I hardly know anything. But they used school to get him out of the house. He never wanted to go into politics.?

Varewé, the consummate politician, the protégé of Palpatine?not interested in politics?

?Hmm,? Mara murmured. ?Interesting. So?what was he interested in??

Fortee?s dark brown eyes warmed slightly. It was clear he was remembering circumstances far happier than those of the present.

?Piloting,? he said, and laughed. Mara liked the laugh. It was easy and infectious, as if good-humor was his natural state and solemnity sat on him with discomfort. ?He always talked about getting out of school and running off to the Academy. Damn, nothing turned out right.? The laugh came to a choking halt. ?Here I am, an officer in the fleet, and there he is?is??

?Continue, Lieutenant,? Melgida interrupted sharply. She had dropped any pretense of congeniality. ?And leave out the cute personal details, if you please.?

?Certainly.? Fortee?s shoulder?s straightened. He avoided Mara?s eyes. ?Shortly after our arrival on Coruscant, Luke participated in a galactic debate, which he won.?

Mara brushed gazes with Melgida. The former senator tightened her lips and looked away. Oblivious, Fortee went on. ?I was there. My motives weren?t entirely loyal?honestly, I don?t even remember what he said. I was too busy watching his opponent.?

?Vichae Organa,? Mara observed. For the first time, she noticed how close Garmonsaw Fortee and the Princess sat. The lieutenant looked at her in surprise.

?You were there??

?Yes.? She remembered that night very well.

?At any rate, I have no trouble recalling what happened afterwards. The Emperor entered the hall and made a beeline for Luke. They talked. I couldn?t hear what was said. When he left, Luke followed. For two weeks I saw nothing of my friend. We met by chance one day in a library. He seemed?normal, at least on the surface. I knew nothing at the time of the danger surrounding him. We were kids. I wish I could have warned him, done something before it was too late?but all I did was joke about it.?

?Don?t blame yourself, Garmonsaw.? Mara looked up at the new voice; Halla Melgida had spoken for the first time. Her inflections were hard, but they lacked the ruthlessness of Twansa?s. ?Palpatine is more powerful than you or I will ever be. What he wants, he takes. What he wishes to discard, he does.?

Since the explosive round of introductions, Mara had avoided looking at Halla Melgida as well as she could. It helped to keep the simmering panic at bay; helped her hold up the pillars of her universe, toppling once more. Now, as if drawn by a magnet, her gaze fastened on the older woman?s face.

Dark eyes in a horribly scarred face stared back at her calmly.

Mara flinched and turned away.

?Thank you,? Fortee said quietly. ?I know that, rationally. But still?? he gathered himself together. ?The next and final time I interacted with Luke was at the Senator?s Ball. That night we heard that that his family had been murdered.?

?Murdered,? Mara whispered. Memories, images, sensations, poured into her head from t

 

I was in the position to strike back at the Empire a little.

I love your little references to the movies.

Mara studied the other girl?s face and found an insight curdling like spoiled milk.

?And you were glad,? she murmured. ?Because there was no shadow son anymore. Your father was finally yours.?

Two spots of red bloomed on Organa?s cheeks.

Oh, cold. How quickly Mara catches on to the reality behind the words.

Quite simply, he proposed to rip Padmé?s soul from her dying body and plant it in another. For this service he exacted a price even more terrible. She bore a child in her, Luke. The Emperor desired our little one. It was an impossible choice. For the prolonging of my wife?s existence, this monster demanded my child?for the prolonging of his own.?

Harshly spoken, the ugly words stagnated in the air.

?I see.? Luke closed his eyes tightly. It made sense now. Everything. Palpatine?s forceful interest in him, the death of his family, the way the Force had been hidden from him. The Emperor had simply been cultivating a fresh body.

Body snatcher! Yikes! That wasn?t in the movies!!!!

Furry, another fantastic chapter. The suspense is terrific. All the different angles are bending toward one collision course. I can?t wait to read the rest! I have no idea how this is going to come out.

 

I am surprized that Palpatine let Vader get that far into the story before showing up. If it is him. Yet Luke thinks that Vader is his uncle and if Palpatine needs a trump card to really push Luke over the edge, he can though out the fact that Vader is his father. The question will be how would Luke responsed to Palpatine's manipulation. Plus how would Vader responed to the truth about his son. Just thinking and yes I could be so far off base. Mara. Well I bet she does not really know what the hell is going on. I do think that she realizes that she really cares about Luke if not loves him at this point and has complete faith in him. Boy am I going off on my own ideas! Now only two more chapters and STILL have not figured out who or what palace is. So palace picked out Luke to be a strong ruler. Some building. Great job and if I do not hear from you before New Years, have a safe and fun one. Thanks.

 

~takes cheese cake~ I suppose I should do it more often then. I can't give good constructive criticism (because my own writing is atrocious) so I don't post that much.

Not sure which is more delicious; your cooking or this plot! :3

 

Stellar update! Fascinating stories each of them heard--so Luke thinks Vader's his uncle? Time just ran out. Oops! Update please again soon

 

Luke?s stomach suddenly flipped completely over. Coppery fear rushed into his mouth, paralyzed his limbs, tingled in his fingers and toes. ?You?re going to need my help sooner than you thought?Uncle,? he whispered.

Just below them, a presence unveiled itself. Luke could hear the cackle of glee in his mind.

The trapdoor rattled.

Time had just run out.
What a cliffie! Wonderful, awesome update though, furry! More soon please!!

 

Wow! What an outstanding update! I was absolutely riveted to my puter screen to the very end. Great plotting, furry and you know how much I love your characterizations!

Bravo!

 

I love the ending! It was a incredible cliff-hanger.
Luke and Vader are in a bad situation. Does Luke even have his lightsaber? I seem to remember that he doesn't. He might be able to escape if Vader holds Palpantine up. And Vader might do that if he discovers his true relation with Luke. Which the Emperor might know... If the alliance new that the Emperor was fighting Luke or Vader they might try to help. And the castle might help too... if that is in it's benefit...
Looking forward to the next chapter,
Magic Too

 

You know what? This is a brilliant story. The plotting, the pacing, the very 3dimensional characterizations of both the major and the transitory players. Thank you for the PM (it worked well) and for a lovely holiday gift with this chapter.

 

WOW - that was an amazing update.

I loved the pacing and so many dirty little secrets revealed at last.

Time had just run out.

evil, evil cliffie



Great update

 

Oh, my. I'm shuddering at the moment--how freaky! I'm not sure I'm strong enough for this. LOL Excellent update, lady--I have a feeling I'll need to be holding on to a stuffed teddy bear or something for the next one!

 

My favorite post yet and that's saying something!

Luke chuckled stiffly. ?Come now, my Lord. Why would they build such an elaborate conspiracy just to keep me from knowing about a relative??

?I am beginning to wonder,? Vader rumbled, ?precisely that.?

Loved that!

 

Oho so much to be revealed. I wonder who did that 'textbook murder'.

?I know because my wife was your mother?s sister. I married Padmé Naberrie.?


I am not sure that this is 100% correct. More secrets.

?I was a member of the Rebel Alliance from the time I was ten years old. My father never could keep his ?other work? hidden from me, and after a few years of rebuffing my attempts to join in he gave up. I loved Father, and I loved what we did. The Empire was a festering disease destroying the galaxy. We were the cure.?

?A little pompous, don?t you think?? Mara asked dryly.



And now... Palpatine crashes the father/son moment.
evil cliffie right there.
Can't wait to see how you'll resolve this mess.

 

Well, everyone else took what I would have written! But nice to see that you are keeping up with writing this story. Everyone is believable and in character. Although I really hope Luke finds /and Vader? about how they are really related. Creepy Palpatine and his body possessing ideas. Gah! If I read that right, he is considering doing that to Luke since he could not get Vader's "dead" child, right? I think I got that. Don't know how your ending is going to be but...


I am looking forward to what you have up next no matter is someone dies, is possessed, or lives happily ever after!

 

Reality will definitely cloud Vaders plans.... YIPES!

 

Oh, wow. The way you merged the two storytelling sessions was stupendous. I never suspected Halla of being a Hand. But why, oh why, didn't Vader tell Luke he was his father?

Until the next update!