Saga Tatooine Incident: Healing {The Lars' Story} THANK YOU!

Hey!

I have been reading this I swear... I've had to be a lurker!! I'm sorry!

I've loved every bit of it. The characterizations are so good. It's sad there isn't more official canon/EU stuff about the Lars' because it's all truly fascinating... your writing is easily "official" quality.

In that last post I loved the foreshadowing at the end. Especially the reference to "they" being a part of the family... as if they already knew, before Ani and Padme did.

 

Hello again! I'm back from my two month hiatus from fan fiction and am writing to let you know that I have noticed this piece! I'm delighted there's a new story to read, and I promise to catch up tomorrow and compose a long overdue post of feedback when I'm thinking more clearly.

As for right now, sleep calls!

>-*Senoj*-<

 

That was awesome... I'm always moved by the emotions you put there. The Larses all felt so real thanks to this story...

So thank you!

I especially loved Owen and Padme together... And that last part, seeing the departure from their point of view, was great.
Can't wait for the next parts even if there are only two more left...

 

Sand and water?

Oh, I like that analogy. It seems so obvious, doesn't it?

 

She turned to him with a look of utter incredulity on her face. ?How did you get him to do that??
Owen Lars and his amazing Droid Silencing Powers. Too bad he never got a chance to teach that to Han Solo.

There was an uncomfortable pause during which Owen could mentally see Beru?s eyes rolling at his utter lack of subtlety.
Hee hee! I really liked this line, because I think just about every man with a woman like that in his life has a moment like that every now and then.

?Anakin is a Jedi,? she said. Her voice was low and controlled, extremely controlled.
This is such an interesting insight, given all Padmé?s just been through in watching Anakin leave, then having him return, and comforting him in his loss ? and helping him cope with his terrible actions. It seems so true to her character that at this point she would be more determined than ever to see Anakin as a Jedi, because she has seen a glimpse of what he can become when he is not? So her insistence in this little moment with Owen says so much about her own state of mind so soon after those events.

It was that impassioned argument that won Owen over more than her earlier logic.
The entire discussion between Owen and Padmé was fabulous, so remarkably true to both their characters. And this was the perfect ending, because for two people who so often hide their emotions it is shared emotion that forces a resolution to their standoff ? a resolution that honors Shmi in a most appropriate way. What a brilliant way to solve Owen?s problem and let Padmé avoid that helplessness she so desperately hates feeling.

Wonderful post!

 

Okay, a confession...I've been lurking...

Having now caught up, let me just say that this is a tonally perfect post. Both Owen and Padme are captured perfectly. Owen the Proud and Padme the Guilty and the feeler of Helplessness.

I must also give you great credit for your creation of deep characters out of Owen and Beru. They are oft ignored in FanFic, butyou have made them come alive and make sense.

Sorry, but that's about it as I continue to recover from having three wisdom teeth out on Friday...Maybe more later....

Oh, I'll expect to see you when you catch up on that other trhead.

 

I love this story -- but you knew that! I really like the little details you've added.

How's the new writing project coming?

 

Never again will I post an unbeta?d chapter without looking it over at least two times! I am beyond embarrassed. You guys are so sweet for reading because I can?t the number typos and grammos and contradict-os and stupid-os in that chapter! i re-edited it on Sunday so if you'd like a less painful perspective...


Gina:

The scene between Owen and Padme was so intense.

Thanks! I've always wondered if it was too intense, though but on second thoughts, it sort of has to be, doesn't it?

Great post.




RebelScum77:

Hey, I know why you?ve been busy, remember?

It's sad there isn't more official canon/EU stuff about the Lars' because it's all truly fascinating... your writing is easily "official" quality.

Thanks for that vote of confidence. Yeah, there is a lot of unchartered territory in the Mos Eisley farmstead. I am boldly going where no one has gone before, aren?t I?

Especially the reference to "they" being a part of the family... as if they already knew, before Ani and Padmé did.

It?s as they say, the couple is always the last to know.


Senoj:

HEY YOU!

Two months hiatus, huh? I told you it isn?t too hard, didn?t I? Go sleep. I?m just psyched to see you back!


Padlei:

I should be thanking you for being such a loyal, encouraging uppity reader.

I especially loved Owen and Padme together...

I?m glad you do! I wanted to resolve their initial ?out-of-sorts? from Chapter 1.


Ander:

Oh, I like that analogy. It seems so obvious, doesn?t it?




Lex:

Owen Lars and his amazing Droid Silencing Powers. Too bad he never got a chance to teach that to Han Solo.

ROTFLMAO!

I really liked this line, because I think just about every man with a woman like that in his life has a moment like that every now and then.

I love Beru/Owen! They are just so adorably normal, you know...

The entire discussion between Owen and Padmé was fabulous, so remarkably true to both their characters. And this was the perfect ending, because for two people who so often hide their emotions it is shared emotion that forces a resolution to their standoff ? a resolution that honors Shmi in a most appropriate way. What a brilliant way to solve Owen?s problem and let Padmé avoid that helplessness she so desperately hates feeling.

Thank you.

Wonderful post!

Thank you.


GunraysLawyer:

I've been lurking...

Thanks for delurking! <It really does work when you ask them to! >

Owen the Proud and Padme the Guilty and the feeler of Helplessness.

ROTFL!

I must also give you great credit for your creation of deep characters out of Owen and Beru. They are oft ignored in FanFic, butyou have made them come alive and make sense.

Thanks! They?re relatively uncomplicated characters to work with - simple, ?good? people. It?s a relief to climb into Owen?s farmer?s mentality after months of swimming in Anakin?s twisted head.

I continue to recover from having three wisdom teeth out on Friday...

OUCH!



Dally:
I love this story -- but you knew that!

I can never hear it too often, though.

I really like the little details you've added.

Thanks!

How's the new writing project coming?

Comme ci, comme ca.
-------
On a brighter note... A new Meredith B Mallory fic is up on the JC Boards! [face_veryveryveryveryhappy] Click here for an unhealt

 

I should be thanking you for being such a loyal, encouraging uppity reader.

[face_shocked] I don't deserve that, really! You're too sweet...

BTW didn't really notice the changes you made...

*sneaks away to go read MBM's fic...*

 

Wow! This is such an incredible story! And I know I am only repeating what the others have said but you've really made the Lars come to life in this story and how I wish someone like you had written the Episode 2 books instead of R.A.S.! I can't wait until Friday!

 

Padlei: You are beyond sweet.

Jedi_Bant: Welcome to the Theatre! Thank you for your glowing review of my little fic . Hope to see more of you around.


THREAD NOTICE:

Because of certain crippling real life factors, Chapter 6 will not be posted on Friday. I am really sorry to dissapoint my readers but I honestly can't help it.

As compensation, I 'buffed up' 2 old abandoned stories and posted them. Here they are: 'CHAPTER ONE' and In the Line of Duty

Knight-Ander: Here's looking at you kid. You'll know what I mean when you read 'CHAPTER ONE'

 

We should stop throwing compliments at each other like that or people will start to wonder...

Will. Wait. If it comes down to it...

 

Argh. I hate it when I kill a thread...

Up!

 

Wow, Padme is truly awesome isn't she? I love how she came through for Owen and didn't want anyone to know. Equally good is the fact that Owen took considerable convincing despite the fact that he was looking an easy solution to all of his problems right in the face. Typical Lars pride. What an unexpected and great resolution to the whole problem!

 

Padlei:
We should stop throwing compliments at each other like that or people will start to wonder...

Thanks for the up!

Reihla:
Padme is truly awesome isn't she?

Only the best character in the 2 trilogies, IMHO!

Equally good is the fact that Owen took considerable convincing despite the fact that he was looking an easy solution to all of his problems right in the face. Typical Lars pride.

Men!

What an unexpected and great resolution to the whole problem!

---

[b]THREAD NOTICE - (EDITED)[/b]:

I'll be updating on Thursday. So sorry for dissapointing you guys. :(

[i]Note[/i]: This is the part of the story where some continuity is enforced. What I mean is, if you haven?t read Meredith B Mallory?s ?BURIAL OF THE DEAD? and my own ?AIDE MEMOIRE?, some of Beru?s actions here might need a bit of explaining. :|

 

Chapter VI

~*~*~

The next morning, the binary sun rose on an especially busy day for the moisture farmlands. It was the first day after the end of the harvest season and it was the customary time for the seasonal overhaul of all farm machinery and equipment. The vaparators had to be completely drained and the liquid crop stored in one of the domestic vats. All the automated controls in the farms would be shut down in order to perform the necessary maintenance work on the systems in preparation for the next ?planting? season.

Owen had gone off early to help out a friend, but he made it clear that he would be back as quickly as possible. Beru and Cliegg started work on the farm.

Cliegg?s hoverchair was five metres from the ground as it floated next to the vaparator. He was collating the sensor readings manually into the data pad on his lap. Not far away, Beru was supervising the vapo-tech droids, borrowed from the Darklighter?s farm, as they overhauled one of the older vaparators. She was doing Threepio?s old job, one that the protocol droid had performed very enthusiastically, throwing his weight over the mechanic droids.

Threepio was gone now ? as well as other things. Yet life went on? And the Lars coped with it as best they could.

Shmi?

The ache was still there, along with the ache for Akia and the child he had never known. But Cliegg knew from experience that one day it would be bearable.

His thoughts went to Shmi?s son. Had he done right by the boy?

Perhaps he would never know.

?Father Cliegg!?

Cliegg looked down to see Beru standing at the base of the vaparator he was working at.

?What?? He asked, as if he did not know.

?Time for your medicine.?

Cliegg grimaced. ?I?ll take it when I?m done,? he said brusquely, more out of force of habit than with any real hope that she would make an exception today.

He was right. She did not.

?You have to take it now.? The sentence ended with an inflexion that was midway between an entreaty and a threat.

Cliegg muttered all the way down his descent of the vaparator. Beru grinned at his disagreeable face and they walked/floated side by side to the house together.

~*~*~

Owen?s hair was slick under his hand as he pushed it off his forehead. The sweat was cool against his cheeks and between his skin and his clothes. As always, he relished the sensation of feeling the evidence of his work so close to his own body.

Jen handed him a half-cup of water. He sipped it gratefully. Cool, sweet and all too quickly gone. He sighed heavily.

?I owe you one, brat,? she said gruffly as he jumped behind the driver seat.

Owen lifted his forelock respectfully and grinned at her. ?Yes, ma?am,? he replied promptly.

This time he recognised the smile.

The ride to town was the same trip he had made yesterday but in many ways it could not have been more different. Gone were the anger and the anxiety, instead his heart was light, almost carefree as the speeder flew across the Dune Sea.

Owen felt almost guilty being this happy and he had said as much to Beru last night. She had replied sensibly that they all felt this way and that was because they now had closure. Anakin had come back and Shmi had been returned. It was not at all in the way they had hoped for and they would have to live with the grief of losing her for the rest of their lives; but it would have been far, far worse if they had had to live the rest of their lives with never knowing for sure what had happened to Shmi.

The dome-shaped structures of civilization were approaching. He had reached town. He parked the speeder and made his way into the market. He drove a hard bargain with the merchant that he finally sold Jen?s harvest to, got a fair price at just a little less than what he paid for the day before. Then he went looking for his loan shark.

~*~*~

The house was cool after the warm morning sunshine. Father Cliegg pulled up at the table, privately relieved to relax his muscles while Beru fetched the medicin

 

Just wanted to pop in and say: wonderful post...

I love Cliegg's attitude and behavior: classic irrascible farmer...


I may be back later with more....

 

Loved the way Owen handled the loan shark.

Beru is behaving strangely. I'm curious what she knows...

 

One goon looked uneasily at the other. The other refused to catch its eye.

HAHA! That was so funny! Owen really dealt with that greedy insect, didn't he?



S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S


I *know* what that boy, sorry i didn't check his name, wants Cliegg and Beru to come and see. I am so interested in this part because I have always wondered what the farmers would think about the Tusken Massacre because I think if I were a farmer I would be very happy, but I don't know - they may be frightened, wondering if who did it would come and _do_ them....

I am sad that this story will soon end but Please update this soon! I just finished reading all the other stories that came before so I understand why Beru is so upset.

 

Beru has Cliegg under her thumb already, huh? Cute!

I LOVED the scene with Owen and the loan shark. Way to handle him! That was awesome! Holding him by his eyestalks is such a great SW image too.

Wow. The way you?re showing us the reactions of the locals to the Tusken slaughter is really great. On the one hand it?s good news, I suppose. On the other the sight must be quite chilling? And poor Beru?

Another great post!

 

Thanks for reviewing! I really appreciate it.

GunsrayLawyer: I love Cliegg's attitude and behavior: classic irrascible farmer... ~ I love him too. He?s so real, you know. ~~~ I may be back later with more.... ~Goody!


Gina: Loved the way Owen handled the loan shark. ~ I knew you would. ~~~ Beru is behaving strangely. I'm curious what she knows... ~ Uh oh. This is where that continuity thing rears its ugly head. In a nutshell, in this fanon universe, Beru already knows about the massacre and Anakin?s role in it. That story was told in Meredith B Mallory?s Burial of the Dead.


Jedi_Bant: Owen really dealt with that greedy insect, didn't he? ~ He?s not an insect! He?s a ? an ? eye-stalked thingummy thing? ~~~ I ~know~ what that boy, sorry i didn't check his name, wants Cliegg and Beru to come and see. ~ LOL @ your ?S P O I L E R? header. Hardly a spoiler, but on behalf of my readers, I appreciate the effort. ~~~ have always wondered what the farmers would think about the Tusken Massacre ~ Your wish is about to come true!


Darth_Lex: Beru has Cliegg under her thumb already, huh? Cute! ~ No in-law problems for that sister. ~~~ I LOVED the scene with Owen and the loan shark. Way to handle him! ~ Aww, no pity for the poor thingummy ; he was only minding his business. ~~~ Holding him by his eyestalks is such a great SW image too. ~ And a gross one at that!


THREAD UPDATE:

Coming up simultaneously with the next chapter (well as simultaneously as the boards permit) is the Anakin?s Story of the Tatooine Incident tales. Written months ago and posted on another thread, I decided to put it back where it belongs in the Collective. You can find it here ? SLEEP NO MORE

It?s over! [face_shocked] The next post is the last chapter of ?Healing ? The Lars? Story? and the last chapter of the ?AotC Missing Moments Theatre ? Tatooine Incident? series. The Finale. It took 5 months and 6 stories but I did it.

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has read and commented. You guys were my light at the end of the tunnel.

 

---

[b]Chapter VII[/b]

~*~*~

There was more traffic in the farmlands that morning than Cliegg had seen in a long time. Clodhoppers, landspeeders, scoops, even domesticated banthas. After a while he stopped giving Beru directions. A wet-haired Outlander would have been able to locate the Tusken settlement in these conditions, even if his ship had landed smack in the middle of the Dune Sea. The thick, foggy air and the deep tracks on the ill-used sand lanes pointed a steady arrow to the Tusken settlement better than any compass.

There was a build-up of vehicles on the overhanging crag that overlooked the settlement. Beru parked further off from the build-up ? so they could leave as soon as they needed to ? and they got out.

Beru went to the Darklighters who had just alighted a few metres away from the family landspeeder. Cliegg hovered near their own clodhopper and kept his distance. Ruth Darklighter, his childhood playmate and life-long friend, had never actually come right out and told him that she hated him and blamed him for her husband's death. But she did not have to. More effective were the cool way she treated him and the quick exits she always used in the few occasions they had met since Shmi's abduction. Cliegg did not for one minute fault her or anyone of the score of widows and fatherless children who occasionally regarded him with something less than charity in their eyes. How could he? They had lost their husbands and fathers because he could not take care of his wife.

So he watched Beru and the other women talk animatedly and he wondered what under the suns had the Sand People done to warrant rousing the whole of the farmlands.

Memories of the last time he had stood on this crag ? the last time he had stood at all ? suddenly hit Cliegg.

Dust. Blood. Sand.

Shmi.

Twenty-five of his best friends and their sons.

Cliegg looked down at the stump that used to be his right leg and wondered if the nightmare would ever end.

~*~*~

Owen made a detour before he got to Jenny?s. He had been to the settlement twice but he would have found it just as easily all the same. A convergence of speeder tracks marked the route and when he got to the site, there was a crowd of farmers.

Owen fought his way to the centre and stopped. One glance was all it took to confirm that this was not the work of krayt dragons and it certainly was not the work of Jawas. The regimented village he had spied on a few weeks ago had been - there was no other word to describe it - ravaged. There was blood everywhere. The red liquid had mixed with the sand, splattered against the brown canvas tents. The entire place literally looked like a slaughter house. Some people were gathering the corpses and piling them into a heap. Owen stared at one, broken and mutilated. He looked away, and turned his gaze through the crowd until he spotted a young man standing at the edge of the settlement, apparently organising the people that were gathering the corpses. Owen made his way over to Marxus Jin.

?Hello, Marx,? Owen said.

?Owen,? the man turned to him. A few weeks ago, Owen?s father used to call Marx a boy; Marx was a season younger than Owen in age and five seasons younger in behaviour. A few weeks ago. Like the other three farmers who had gone to rescue Shmi Skywalker and survived that first raid on the Tusken settlement, Marx had aged. Visibly and permanently. There was a borderline of gray hair along the edge of his scalp and the petulant knot that used to form between his brows had become a more adult and more permanent feature.

Now, that knot seemed to have temporarily cleared. Marx almost looked like his old self. He was grinning wildly, his eyes almost glowing with glee at Owen.

?What happened here?? Owen asked.

Marx shrugged. ?Who knows? Who cares? They?re gone and that?s all that matters.?

Owen frowned. ?If another tribe did this to them, we would have to care.?

?It was not another tribe. Yesterday, Nat Kendall recognised some of the stuff in the Jawas brought out of their sandcrawl

 

A fine ending to a very well-written story, leia. You should think of getting it archived.

Well done.

 

Great story!! The ending was so chilling. I truly enjoyed reading this!

 

Beautiful ending! My favorite thing about it is that it makes Anakin's slaughter of the Tuskens more an act of justice than an act of revenge. I mean, if the farmers could have they would've done exactly what Anakin did to the Raiders. It might not have been the right thing to do from a Jedi POV, but those folks on Tatooine will sleep easier. Who knows what the Tuskens would have done to them and their familes if they'd gone on living and attacking the farms. Nice