Beyond - Legends Love Thy Enemy--A ROTJ AU---Thank you to all my readers

You think she's awesome? I got to brainstorm with her last night and it was MIND-BLOWING the stuff she has planned for this story. I'm SO excited for it.

 

Awww, thank you! Again! Gwarshdamnit...

 

I wish I could write like Moriah, she has a true talent. Wow

I am so looking forward to the upcoming stuff

 

Why has no one pushed this UP?

 

'Cause I've only put one friggin' post on this, Ish.

Don't worry, I'm coming--hopefully I'll have something up tomorrow.

Hopefully.

 

This was great! Hope there will be more soon?

 

Hope you do get some done soon Moriah, as they'll be at your door with pitchforks and torches.

Just for you Darth Ishtar A bumpty-bump.
Isn't this story about Lukie looking good so far?

 

Ohhh, Tim, you're lookin' for a world of hurt here...

Ish, I love him so go easy on him.

 

::Clenches fists.:: LUKIE? DID SOMEONE SAY THAT ABOMINABLE WORD? ::Releases fists.:: All right, I'll acquiesce.

 

She's posting soon! She's posting soon! YAY! ::Jumps around.:: Okay, sometimes, being obsessed with a story is bad. UP!

 

Thanks, Ish. And here is the long-awaited continuation...(What can I say? Quality over quantity. )


Chaos was the new mandate aboard the macabre fortress. It was as if the terror that the second Death Star had been intended to provoke in its targets had come alive of its accord, a plague that now infected the myriad insignificant creatures that swarmed within and wrought them mad. The gargantuan symbol of the Empire's might was in its death throes, and the Imperials who had only minutes before sat smug in their confidence of total victory were running for their lives, most without a shred of dignity.

That same fear was not lost on Luke as he struggled through the endless corridors. There were no discernable signs that indicated the route to escape; there was only the whisper of the Force to rely upon to tell him when to turn left or right or into another lift. He could not have been more grateful for the cowardice of the officers fleeing alongside--in their mindless desire to avoid imminent destruction none attempted to hinder him. Had they done so, Luke knew he wouldn't have been able to repel them.

Only minutes had to have passed since his departure from the throne room, yet every moment felt excruciatingly distended. In his single-minded goal to reach freedom the world was drowned out. All that mattered was putting one foot in front of the other over and over and over again. Anakin seemed to only grow heavier as time slithered past. Panic began to grip Luke as he realized his progress was slowing too much. Pain suppression techniques had kept the worst of his suffering at bay, but his waning strength was at its limit. Weariness was his last enemy, and it finally succeeded in subduing him. Luke's knees buckled, and he sprawled to the deck with a strained groan.

Or rather, began to. His abrupt jolt in midfall and the brief sharp ache of his arm being caught in a firm grip were completely unexpected.

?Stop,? Anakin commanded softly. His voice was still low but bore a much greater degree of strength than it had previously. The harsh rhythm of his breath had stabilized somewhat. ?There?s no need for you?to press yourself unjustly. I can walk.?

?Father--??

?Hush now. Let me help you.?

Awash in deep relief, Luke ceased to question him and leaned gratefully against his father?s side. Knowing Anakin?s life was no longer skirting the edge of danger was enough to lift a burden from his shoulders that had been far heavier than any physical weight.

We?re going to do this. We will survive, there will be another tomorrow.

Hang on, dear sister. Force, don?t let there be any goodbyes. I?m coming home to you.
******************************************************

It was another miracle to find one remaining shuttle in the docking bay the two worn Jedi finally reached. By then it was indisputable that the end was near--massive upheavals and explosions rocked the walls of the battlemoon with increasing frequency.

It is the final contractions that will soon give birth to freedom, Anakin thought with melancholy satisfaction.

Freedom. An ideal that had eluded the former Dark Lord his entire life, fleeing farther from him with his every attempt to supercede it. Always had he been nothing more than a cog in a greater machine, a puppet manipulated by those who sought to exploit him, from Watto to the Jedi to Palpatine. His selfish ambition had only driven him deeper into perpetual slavery, leaving him obligated to his own shortcomings. This had not been the first time he had taken matters into his own hands, but it was the first time that it had truly wrought something of benefit.

That?s not true, a small voice seemed to dictate to him. Your desire to love first bore you this savior and his sister. That?s one ?mistake? you should be very glad you made.

And grateful he was indeed. Yet with that gratitude also came a wrenching regret. He may have saved his son and the future along with him, but he fo

 

First response! I love the message to Leia, the admonition to say no goodbyes. I love asking why he was saved in the throneroom, the line about the contractions that would give birth to freedom! AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!

::Glares at everyone else.::

If anyone thinks they're her biggest fan, you're wrong! I AM!

 

Hey now, don't get jealous, there's plenty of me to go around...

And thank you. This post practically was like giving birth.

 

wow... that is just...wow.

Love the emotion in this peice, it's really great and you truly feel for Luke and Anakin.

 

I'm too tired to write a coherent review right now, but I just have to tell you that this chapter is beautiful.

Kristeh

 

That's all right, k, at least I know you liked it.

 

Lol, don't i know it, moriah, i watched you through the whole labor, so to speak!

 

This story just gets better and better!!! First, a beautifully written scene of Luke at his last moment and Vader's redemption ... and now this.

It was great to see how the wounded Luke was so determined to get his father to safety, though it was probably an impossible task. And then Vader realises this and offers to help the rest of the way!!! Now that is family

And then it just gets better ... Vader's hateful remorse leads him to decision that he knows Luke will not like. And it is pure Luke to bring Vader back from the brink of despair once again, so that they both may escape the dying beast that was once a weapon.

Moriah, all I can say is never stop writing. Ever. You have such a God-given talent, and it is just great to be able to read your stuff. You write with amazing flair and there is so much feeling to your work. A true privilege to read it.

You should show the posters on here your artwork too, as that has the same feel.

As a little boy once said in a certain film ... "Are you an angel?"

 

Sure...an angel of death.

And many thanks for the lovely gushing review. I try very hard to make the characters as true as possible (even though this is gonna get a bit stretched later on), and thankfully Luke is very easy to keep straight. He is a beacon of faith, for better or worse; he follows his heart more than his head, and that leads him into all sorts of trouble...

But that's why we love him, no?

Personally, I just have a deep affection for, well, affection in my writing. I put a lot of TLC into every single word, and I enjoy evoking love from it all. That's why my work can tend to be insufferably...florid. I guess Walt Whitman's grown on me. He has a penchant for being exquisitely observant, so I play that up as much as possible. The real world is already full of rich, mysterious things, so imagine what sort of thoughts can be inspired by such a fantastical place as this!

 

Angel of death? What does that make me? Oh, wait, I know, the goddess of the underworld. Everyone dies, I just make sure they arrive there in due time...

 

Wonderfully done, Moriah. I could feel every emotion coursing through both Anakin and Luke.

 

Yep, Ish--I'm the Charon to your Hades.

 

That was WONDERFUL! So much emotion, you actually got me tearing up! Great Post!

 

Great ... it was great!

 

Hell, I was almost crying when I wrote this.

I decided to upload this artwork that I did over a year ago--I think the motif fits this story well. I'll also put it in my initial post as the "cover art."

[image=http://www.timbolton.freeserve.co.uk/moriah_images/SW1_small.jpg]