Beyond - Legends Mistress/Apprentice [Mara Jade, Anakin Solo; ?Mara as Master? Challenge Reply]

In reply to the ?Mara as Master? challenge in the MARA RESOURCE THREAD, on Mara's mentoring relationship with her apprentices:

?Write a vignette in which Mara and an apprentice are faced with a critical decision. Can be canon or AU. Must include the words: precedent, fortitude, and refine.?

Yes, it's Mara and Anakin; that doesn't meant that what they're doing is meant to be read as ?right? (though I won't say it's wrong, either)...

As to what the decision they're faced with is, I'll leave that up to you to decide - partially because I kinda forgot about that bit of the challenge as I wrote it...

... but in case you're wondering, the title is a mischievous homage to Zahn's use of the oblique in his prose-style in the Thrawn trilogy...

---

[blockquote][u][b]Mistress/Apprentice[/b][/u]
by [b]TMcE[/b][/blockquote]
Her Apprentice is waiting for her as she strides back out of her cabin. He?s leaning against the bulkhead beside the airlock, with his arms folded casually across his chest.

At the sight of her, a grin slants across his face, and he lifts an eyebrow. He tenses, then pauses ? allowing himself a moment to look her up and down, before he pushes off the wall, and stands up straight.

?My Mistress,? he says, nodding in formal greeting. It?s pich-perfect, and disarmingly sincere ? but she knows that he could slip back into insolence in a heartbeat.

?Less of that, Apprentice,? she answers, with a click of her tongue and a smile of her own ? an odd balance of chastisement and indulgence. She stops in front of him, plants her fists on her hips, and looks him up and down.

She laughs silently as she feels the question forming in his mind.

?Uh-uh,? she says, shaking her head. ?I have good reasons for wearing this ? not least the fact that you still need to practice your selfdiscipline.? She grins affectionately at him. ?But you?re my Apprentice, so it?s part of my job to bring you up to my standards, and keep you there. And that means making sure you look the part.? She claps a hand on his shoulder, and looks him in the eye. ?Unless you want to accuse me of being less than purely professional in my appraisal, that is...??

She arches an eyebrow at him, and he stalls, tongue-tied ? giving her a moment longer to complete her inspection, her gaze flickering from his toecaps to his eyes, and back again.

[i]Wear black[/i], she?d suggested to him. [i]Look for tailored, layered stuff. And as much leather as you can find[/i].

?You?ve done well,? she concedes, eventually.

In fact, he suits the look almost too well ? black boots, loose black breeches tied tight at the knee, and a dark leather surcoat belted over a broad-shouldered tunic. The sombre colour-scheme is offset only by the steely glint of the lightsaber at his hip, and the matching gleam in his ice-blue eyes.

And for once, this mission gives him the opportunity to strike his favourite hero pose without her reining him in ? head held high, shoulders square, thumbs tucked behind his belt.

She frowns at him. Perhaps this isn?t really a good idea, considering the precedent in his family ? and the keen glint in his eye, something that she suspects has nothing to do with his Skywalker heritage; something capricious and Corellian, something she can?t fully control.

?Hide that smile,? she orders him.

?I?m trying,? he laughs, indicating her sleeveless black bodyglove. ?Is that really all you?re wearing?? He looks her up and down again, eyes lingering on her bare feet, then flicking up to meet her gaze. ?I?d have thought you?d want a couple more hidden holsters....?

?This used to be standard issue for Imperial agents,? she says, stepping smartly past him and keying the access code into the console beside the airlock hatch. ?Male [i]and[/i] female. The rest of my equipment is aboard the [i]Scimitar[/i].?

His only response to that is a silent shiver ? she can almost [I]taste[/i] it

 

Lord Martel rides again!

This 'fic is just awesome. As Marakin goes, this is superb. The characterizations are spot on, and the twist with Mara assuming Lumiya's identity is brilliant

Amazing, my furry friend.


JD.

 

wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow!!!!!!!! erm and oh yea WOW!

that was truelly amazing, i was actually thinkin was Mara always Lumiya? very very good. i loved it! And the frease to the Sith Insuraction.

truelly amazing! and seductive

simply amazing.

 

Wow..that was great!

Marakin and Lumakin all wrapped up into one fun bundle...

Now of course I must ask if Mara was Lumiya the entire time, or if the armour's just something she picked up later...

need more...When's the next post????

 

I'm a bit clueless of Lumiya except for fanfic, but this was an exciting and enjoyable viggie.

 

JDH3: Lord Martel rides again!

Yep! Though this probably isn't the place to point out the meaning of "Jade"...

This 'fic is just awesome. As Marakin goes, this is superb. The characterizations are spot on, and the twist with Mara assuming Lumiya's identity is brilliant

Amazing, my furry friend.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Imperial-Hippy: wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow!!!!!!!! erm and oh yea WOW!

Glad you enjoyed it!

that was truelly amazing, i was actually thinkin was Mara always Lumiya? very very good. i loved it!

Well - there are several ways you can read this, but the key thing is that Lumiya's last confirmed appearance in canon before the NJO was a duel with Mara, about 2-3 years after Endor.

The backstory that I had in mind here was that Mara had soundly defeated her, and taken the armour - she basically stole Lumiya's identity, and put it in cold storage for whenever it might be useful...

But the POV does accomodate other alternatives...

And the frease to the Sith Insuraction.

A shameless nod to JDH3's 'fic, yep!

*waves to JD*

Kidan:

Wow..that was great!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Marakin and Lumakin all wrapped up into one fun bundle...

You do realise that that gave me a mental image of Anakin with a Hand on either arm?

Now of course I must ask if Mara was Lumiya the entire time, or if the armour's just something she picked up later...

See above!

Basically, the 'fic is written so that there's more than one way you can read it. You'll notice that the POV character never actually identifies herself as Mara, for instance...

need more...When's the next post????

This is just meant to be a one-shot - but keep an eye on my other 'fic!

Healer_Leona: I'm a bit clueless of Lumiya except for fanfic, but this was an exciting and enjoyable viggie.

Thanks - glad that you enjoyed it...

And don't worry - Lumiya's appearances have been very limited over the years... she's one of those characters who's interesting because of her context in the story (and she's supposedly going to be a major player in the new post-NJO novels)... but she's had precisely four appearances in canon in the past twenty years, none of them longer than a page or two...

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Okay...

That was a good story, but...(I have really got to stop reading things you've written, they are just too over the top for me )

That was an intresting take on the Mara as a Master Challenge, and deffently one of a kind. It was good, it really was, but why must you always pick on Mara and Anakin?

Good fic, but still... (I'll shut up now)

jacky

 

No, that's okay - it's good to hear the whole range of opinions on a 'fic!

And I'm curious: when you say I'm 'picking on Mara and Anakin', do you just mean I'm focusing on those characters at the expense of say, Luke and Jacen - or do you think I'm torturing the canon?

PM me if you'd prefer to answer that way...

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Nice Mate !

real Nice !

At last, something completely different.

Well done

the Admiral

 

*grins*

I'm glad you liked it!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

I was with you until the Martel and Lumiya part - then you lost me - but only because I couldn't figure out if they were going undercover or doing an alter ego thing. It sounded like Mara'd been in the Lumiya garb before and I adore any reference to Vader/Mara, so it was still darn cool.

Loved the explanation for the origin of the black catsuit.

Great challenge response!

 

Trace: I was with you until the Martel and Lumiya part - then you lost me - but only because I couldn't figure out if they were going undercover or doing an alter ego thing. It sounded like Mara'd been in the Lumiya garb before and I adore any reference to Vader/Mara, so it was still darn cool.

Is that [Vader/Mara], or simply [Vader, Mara]?

They're basically undercover - but they're also operating outside the Jedi Order's oversight and without Luke's knowledge: my thought was that Mara took the armour after her defeat of Lumiya on Caprioril, before she hooked up with Karrde, and secreted it away - this also makes her the Lumiya who raids Yaga Minor some time after Ruin to try to get some Baffor Pollen; but I deliberately didn't define the answer in this 'fic...



Loved the explanation for the origin of the black catsuit.

Well, there's an illustration of a male Hand in the same catsuit, and I'm pretty sure I read something canon recently where Mara reflects on the lack of her old standard-issue Imperial catsuit... so it's not exactly an original idea...

Great challenge response!

Glad you enjoyed it!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

I just realized I haven't replied to this...

Probably because I couldn't think of anything to say...

You have a tendency to do that to me you know.

 

Why, the latter of course.

Silly Ewok...

Really? I don't remember that. 'course that doesn't mean anything.

*is getting senile in her old age*

 

I'm not a big fan of Marakin fics. But I like the dark side twist of things in this. Mara as Lumiya, only a twist like that could leave me stumped for words. And the catsuit...brilliant.

 

I always enjoy your descriptions, ie, the 'slant' of his smile, his slight hesitation/temptation. You portray those little, daily inflections that often go unnoticed, and it's the small details like that that make stories.

And there it is, that touch of Corellian/Solo blood that puzzles her and prevents her from fitting him into the Luke Skywalker mold. I think it's also one of the things that she finds most enticing.

He maybe the plaything, but, at the same time, he always has the choice.

The fact that he doesn't take this quite as seriously as she does adds something to this scene. I think he helps to keep Mara grounded, in some ways, preventing her from loosing herself in the world of cloak and dagger Jedi danger.

I find the contrast here, interesting. You'd think she'd feel his emotions better through the Force, but, surprisingly, it's his voice that reveals him. It's implies a subconscious control, on his part, of his Force signature. Perhaps he let Mara hear his true feelings out of unconscious choice?

And you know Mara loves that.

I like this bit.

Here again shines that McEwok brand descriptiveness.

This sentence just screams with double-meaning. Are the Emperor's Hand and the Grandson of Vader, destined to carry the dark shroud? Is that mantel being taken up now, perhaps without either of them being aware?
.
.
.
.

Nice work.

And so it begins...

Superb, Thrawn! This is delectably creepy, with an excellent undercurrent of 'what could/may be' for our two heroes (perhaps antiheroes would be a better term? ). This had all the fun and intrigue of the movies, and I could almost hear the echo of the Star Wars soundtrack echoing in the background.

 

You know, I was tempted to actually reply to this, with all its multitudinous layers and subtleties of meaning...

Till I remembered something.



Then I changed my mind.

I may, perhaps return, if the conditions are met.

If not... *flourishes blade and cape* never will you see me again...

*vanishes*

...

[Yeah, I know that was odd, everyone else. The Ewok will understand. And hopefully he understands I'm teasing him, not angry, though deadly serious about the conditions being met. ]

- Keralys

 

*whistles innocently*

...

Seriously, though - thanks!

 

Oh, I forgive you... and mostly, as I said, I was simply harassing you in a good-natured ribbing sort of way. My own life has been absurdly hectic, and you've plenty of work to do besides that. I really will try to review this this weekend, regardless. Until then, I haven't the time.



- Keralys

 

Okay, McEwok, you know how absolutely dense I can be when it comes to picking up subtle things in stories, but in this fic I was seeing things that I am sure aren't really there... or are they?

Hmmm... could there be a hidden meaning? Nah!

There is a whole lot of shivering going on here. And I know what Mara's shiver meant to you in the NJO novels.

Okay...

She prefers Luke's saber? Hmmmm...

I am not going to even touch that one.

He is starting to enjoy this entirely too much.

Okay... I... ah... oh nevermind.

Great little viggie, McEwok. You don't disappoint.

AG88

 

Keralys: Oh, I forgive you... and mostly, as I said, I was simply harassing you in a good-natured ribbing sort of way. My own life has been absurdly hectic, and you've plenty of work to do besides that. I really will try to review this this weekend, regardless. Until then, I haven't the time.



Thank you... I definately need to make time to do your 'fic justice, though - 'fic which, incidentally, can be read here and here...

Or is that what I want you to think?!

Nahh, it's quite explicit teasing, of the "don't drool on the carpet" sort...

True... but unintended! There's just an egde of cold in the air aboard the Scimitar...

I really didn't mean that as bluntly as it, well... reads!

Plotbunnies?

(appropriately enough!)

This surprises you?

Yay!

Or are you're just chasing another Golden Ewok?...?

Thanks for the review, though - glad you enjoyed it!

- The Imperial Ewok

 

Mistress/Apprentice
by TMcE

Her Apprentice is waiting for her as she strides back out of her cabin. He?s leaning against the bulkhead beside the airlock, with his arms folded casually across his chest.

At the sight of her, a grin slants across his face, and he lifts an eyebrow. He tenses, then pauses ? allowing himself a moment to look her up and down, before he pushes off the wall, and stands up straight.

?My Mistress,? he says, nodding in formal greeting. It?s pich-perfect, and disarmingly sincere ? but she knows that he could slip back into insolence in a heartbeat.

?Less of that, Apprentice,? she answers, with a click of her tongue and a smile of her own ? an odd balance of chastisement and indulgence. She stops in front of him, plants her fists on her hips, and looks him up and down.

She laughs silently as she feels the question forming in his mind.


I like this. Anakin sizing Mara and Mara sizing Anakin with the very same impertinence.

?Uh-uh,? she says, shaking her head. ?I have good reasons for wearing this ? not least the fact that you still need to practice your selfdiscipline.? She grins affectionately at him. ?But you?re my Apprentice, so it?s part of my job to bring you up to my standards, and keep you there. And that means making sure you look the part.? She claps a hand on his shoulder, and looks him in the eye. ?Unless you want to accuse me of being less than purely professional in my appraisal, that is...??

She arches an eyebrow at him, and he stalls, tongue-tied ? giving her a moment longer to complete her inspection, her gaze flickering from his toecaps to his eyes, and back again.

Wear black, she?d suggested to him. Look for tailored, layered stuff. And as much leather as you can find.

Black and leather ? hmm? I know of another Anakin who wore such a garb. But Mara couldn?t recall this.

?You?ve done well,? she concedes, eventually.

In fact, he suits the look almost too well ? black boots, loose black breeches tied tight at the knee, and a dark leather surcoat belted over a broad-shouldered tunic. The sombre colour-scheme is offset only by the steely glint of the lightsaber at his hip, and the matching gleam in his ice-blue eyes.

And for once, this mission gives him the opportunity to strike his favourite hero pose without her reining him in ? head held high, shoulders square, thumbs tucked behind his belt.

Ahhh the Solo pose.

She frowns at him. Perhaps this isn?t really a good idea, considering the precedent in his family ? and the keen glint in his eye, something that she suspects has nothing to do with his Skywalker heritage; something capricious and Corellian, something she can?t fully control.

?Hide that smile,? she orders him.

?I?m trying,? he laughs, indicating her sleeveless black bodyglove. ?Is that really all you?re wearing?? He looks her up and down again, eyes lingering on her bare feet, then flicking up to meet her gaze. ?I?d have thought you?d want a couple more hidden holsters....?

?This used to be standard issue for Imperial agents,? she says, stepping smartly past him and keying the access code into the console beside the airlock hatch. ?Male and female. The rest of my equipment is aboard the Scimitar.?

Too true - *flips Star wrs tales TPB comic open ? yup absolutely. Palpatine was a fetishistic tyrant. And mara looked FINE ..

His only response to that is a silent shiver ? she can almost taste it in the Force, and a part of her is tempted to squeeze a little more of the same savour out of him. But she just smiles, and wraps a reassuring arm around his shoulders as the double hatch rolls open.

The hatches locks open, and they stare together into utter blackness.

?You?re not afraid of the dark, are you?? she asks.

She doesn?t let him collect an answer ? slipping away from him, and stepping through into the other ship. The bare metal deck is icy beneath her feet, and she tenses as she feels the security beams sweep over her

 

the-Admiral: Thanks for the reply!

I like this. Anakin sizing Mara and Mara sizing Anakin with the very same impertinence.

Hah! Exactly that!

Though of course, it's modified by the fact that, for several reasons, she feels she's entitled in ways he isn't...

Also, in simple terms of the Jedi relationship, there has to be a tension between the Apprentice matching the Master/Mistress move-for-move, and emphatic subordination...

Black and leather ? hmm? I know of another Anakin who wore such a garb. But Mara couldn?t recall this.

Well, Vader did kinda wear leathers and a big cloak, even in the OT... it's the general "Imperial force-user" vibe, I think...

Or maybe just that Anakin looks good in black - a lot like his father?

Ahhh the Solo pose.

Actually, it's the Darth Vader/Ben Kenobi pose! But yeah, Anakin uses it, for whatever reason...

Too true - *flips Star wrs tales TPB comic open ? yup absolutely. Palpatine was a fetishistic tyrant. And mara looked FINE ..

Yup! I'm sure there's a scene somewhere with Mara reminiscing about the brand-name, too...

And what's better, she likes looking good in it...

Tempted to touch ? *muses* With this sensation you mention ? mara looks beyond the Force and relies on feelings to judge Anakin ? she follows her heart to (as written in the paragraph below) judge his heart.

Yep - I hadn't thought of it in those words (probably because I tend to see a lack of clear distinction between "the Force" and "reality")... but yes, exactly that...

This here (forgive me) is IMHO extremely S&M. ? it?s Mistress? ?be a good apprentice? ? both are dressed in black leather ? breaking off from one space into another where the rules of the New republic and the Jedi order no longer apply ?

I blame my unconscious!

Then again, I did once suggest that the Sith were just the S&M basement of the Jedi experience...

Interesting. takes notes for later...



*imagines a Force leash *

Hah! I don't know if Mara would admit it to herself... but yes!

That sentence up there! THAT is pure Mara for me. Lethal ? mischievous ? she knows what she?s doing is frowned upon ? but she still does it with the pride of a craftsman molding his work of art.

Yep, again - just that...

*I feel I should be doing something more constructive than just agreeing enthusiastically with your analysis!*

Excellent ? the donning of the armour - the making of a hero. Donning the suit is like embracing an identity ? a former identity which Mara knows and understands all too well. One she is very meticulous with ? perhaps this meticulousness is a form of respect! Mara respects this armour as she does a lightsaber.

It's also because it's so mechanical - the armour fits her precisely, but demands that she move and act and stand in certain ways...

Also, extending the lightsaber analogy - she is the living focusing-crystal inside the "grip" of the armour... she's engineering herself into the 'saber...

*tempted to touch hmm?*

Yep... and, being a Jedi... he doesn't need to touch - he can sense...

Awww? only a son of han solo would come up with That line! excellent.

Would Jacen, even?

I am amused that once she reminds Anakin that he?s first and foremost a Jedi ? and he replies that she?s right ? only then does she truly revel in her armour and what remants of her former identity.

It's a paradox - but it works?

And, by "former identity", do you mean Lumiya, or the Emperor's Hand? Either works - I tend to think that she defeated Lumiya and took the armour, but either reading is definately possible - it's also possible that Lumiya has replaced the "real" Mara at some unspecified stage...



[color=re

 

TMcE wrote : " There may be a sequel "







GREAT !

The Admiral