Beyond - Legends Luminescence [Dark Luke/Mara Epic with a cast of many. New Post Up 8-19-10]

LT - The section about intraplanetary trade down there? All for you. And there's probably a correlation between length and quality here, but I think I might just fly with it for now. Maybe I'll actually finish an epic - that'd be sweet.

Feng_Huang - Thanks! Just how I like him.

Jedi_GrooGrux - Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it, our reunion aside. And thanks for the well wishes for grad school - organic chemistry, though.

JediVegeta - Hehe, you're psychic. Glad you caught it! I have a lot of unfinished stuff; I'll see if I can get an ending on them.

jedi1952 - Woot!




I am totally not above bribing y?all to vote for this in the Beyond the Saga Awards by posting the beginning of this ridiculously long story.

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[b]Chapter One.[/b]

[hr]

[blockquote][i]"They say you are a god, Sun Lord. But you look rather like a mortal man."

The voice isn't loud, but it carries over the milling crowd easily, cutting through the various conversations like the blade of his lightsaber through supine and helpless flesh. Everyone quiets at the faintly mocking tone of the speaker, turning curious eyes towards the woman who would dare to challenge the Lord of the Empire.

It is the first anniversary of the Battle of Endor, and the Senate has ordered a ball in commemoration. Though it was never announced as such, everyone seems to implicitly agree that it is held in his honor, and all the notable attendees are gathered around him as the guest of honor, though he attempts to stand aloof, still uncomfortable in this social setting. But he would rather be here than facing the dead alone in his quarters, so he bears it with as much grace as he can muster.

He wears his black Jedi garb in spite of the formality of the occassion, although he is painfully aware that he has no right to wear it anymore. Betimes, in the moments between sleeping and waking, he can see Obi-Wan's face, his father's now-blue eyes, watching him with obvious, painful sadness. But while he had hoped to avoid attention with his drab clothing, the reminder of his heritage just draws the gathered crowd's interest and approval.

His questing eyes fall upon a young woman in a green with shoulder-length red-gold hair caught up in a bronzium comb. Her gown is an emerald shimmersilk with a subtle pattern of vines, clasped about her neck in a collar from which two beaded straps descend to leave lightly freckled shoulders bare. It fits her closely to below her hips, then flares out in pleats of bronze silk to highlight a narrow waist.

The gown is plain, by the current standards of the Imperial court. And she is very beautiful, but a great many of the women here are as beautiful or more, the daughters of Senators and Moffs and planetary governors seeking to curry the Sun Lord's favor. Someone, somewhere, had caught wind of his father's ex-spy Shira Brie and his attraction to her, and a disproportionate number of the young women in the room are redheads, despite him remembering them as blondes or brunettes a few weeks earlier.

No. It is her eyes that catch his attention.

She stares at him in open challenge ? proudly, defiantly, fearlessly. But what draws him is the sheer hatred in her emerald eyes: a heady, intoxicatingly pure emotion that blazes through the Force with all the passion and fury of the sun that his propoganda purports him to be. It's the first honest emotion he's seen in months.

It intrigues him. [/i]She[i] intrigues him, whoever she is.

"They say a great many things, unfortunately. Not all of them are true, my lady," he responds, finally, very much aware that the other guests are watching this exchange with bated breath.

Green fire flashes in her eyes, a multitude of emotions rushing through them too quickly to be read. "They say that your father was one of the twin suns of Tatooine and that he impregnated your mother with a beam of sunlight."

Now [/i]that[i] was a new one. The stuff of poetry,

 

*SNAGS*

You'll be so sick of me by the end of this it's not even funny.

 

*also snags*

HELLS YEAH.

 

There's more! *squeeeeeee* *happy dance*

Ooooh, how very interesting. Ben has been raised without the Force? I can't wait to see how that will play out. And your Dark Luke is so perfectly evil. Can't wait for more!

 

Wow, this is a fantastic story. I don't normally go for Dark Luke stories, but this is great. The imagery is wonderful.

 

Back!

It's sad that the thing I took away from this the most was being ridiculously excited to see Ben interact with Karrde and his crew. I think that'd be hysterical. I can see Karrde really taking to Ben, and it's always nice to see stories that play off of Karrde and Mara's friendship, even in AU settings like this.

And of course we begin with a cliffie. I'd ask about the Force-sensitive loon if I thought it'd get me anywhere.

Definitely count me in, Elli! You've built a really complex world and I really want to see how it unfolds. I hope you finish.

Good luck today in the awards today!

 

Haven't seen you around here in awhile. Hope all is well.

 

UP for people to see the update.

 

Luke is dark and he killed Leia!?! Excuse me while I faint from shock.......Okay I'm back. Awesome story! I hope you'll update soon. If you keep a PM list I would love to be on it.

 

Awesome flashback and even better continuation! Mara and Ben live up so vividly and easily in your writing! And I'm amazed how well a pair of wooden dice work in this high tech, Forcefilled galaxy - they just add that touch of magic into your storytelling!

If you keep a PM list I'd love to be on it.