Beyond - Legends The Lands of the Dead (Post-NJO AU: Anakin Solo, Jacen, Jaina, L/M,H/L,many more) New fic 4/16!

that prologue has to be the best i have read. but then most scenes with thrawn in them are great.

Tweeter is the funnyest droid ever.

Aniken should learn, flying in a straight line is bad for you.

 

YK:He looks at him rather dreamily... I thought they were going to start making out in that elevator.



That would've been funny!


I'm sure you'll have to explain it to me

I'll have to get to work on it now... [face_work]


Ahh, thanks. I never played the "Code:Veronica" game so I wasn't sure.

Yeah, best parts of it were watching Wesker beat up on people. And laughing at how pathetic Alfred is. *Whispers: he can't hit someone with his laser-sight and scope equiped rifle inside a building *


He seemed to work with everyone else, why not?

SWU Jacen would've fit in perfectly...


I really hope they get on KotoR3. As cool as Force Unleashed looks, I think I'd rather have a proper sequel to KotoR

Yeah, and hopefully not a MMO.

Speaking of FU, did you hear about the new character anounced for Soul Calibur IV?


It has little in the way of resources, save a few minerals that can be harvested from its rocky surface. Its value, as with most things that appeal to Thrawn, is strategic? the planet revolves within the vacuum at the junction of two hyperspace routes in Chiss space and makes up a boundary between the Outer Rim and Csilla.

It was an obvious choice to establish an outpost there and leave a patrolling flotilla of Star Destroyers and cruisers to prevent it from becoming an invasion corridor for their enemies, fearing that one day, these dark forces would come to take it.

Yep, that sounds like Ol' Red Eyes.


It is a battle more than thirty years in the making, like the two dozen others the two sides have fought in the last five months.

</Gandalf> The board is set, the pieces are moving. We've come to it at last...


The Emperor was right.

But he and Thrawn never imagined that when this war arrived, that it would be the Jed Knights the Imperial forces are protecting.

I'm sure someone, somewhere, is laughing their ghost behind off at the irony of this. Be it Palpy, or Yoda, or Obi-wan.


Jaina Solo frowned in concentration as her tiny hands flexed around the control joysticks. "I'm aware," she replied, adjusting the mic of her headset communicator. The gold band wrapped around her long brunette hair like a crown was the only piece of equipment worn by the Jedi pilots. For years Jaina had worn flight suits like a second skin, and was still getting used to flying in something as loose fitting as the light brown robes wrapped around her slight form. "But we have to go through this mess anyway. We might as well see if we can help a little."

Jaina is now in her element.*Begins playing the opening to RotS*

Wonder if it's coincidental that the fighter she's flying looks like the Anakin Sr flew...


"And you're sure angling for the worst of it is the best way to go about that?"

There was no fear in Jagged Fel's voice, only the measured calm and focus she'd come to recognize from him in battle, muffled by a thin hiss of static through her comm. He wasn't expecting a response, she decided, and the question didn't deserve one to begin with.

He's probably used to Jaina pulling stunts like that by now.


"Incoming message," Jag reported. "It's being transmitted to the entire fleet, I'm going to put it on."

The young pilot's voice was quickly replaced by a human's more gravelly and marked by the accent Jaina had come to recognize as Raithian.

I know this is one of those anal things, but what's a Raithian accent sound like? German, Russian, American South?


"Maybe we should go after them," Anakin suggested. "Artoo says the Raider isn't far."

"Neg that, Little Brother. We have our orders."

I'm sure that was garbled in transmission, but he thought he heard "Great idea Anakin. Let's go do it."


ow the Grand Admiral had survived Rukh's blade a

 

The final artwork for The Lands of the Dead is complete:

[image=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3150/2568390723_eb12850df3_o.jpg]

Big thanks to Maggy for going to all the trouble of putting this together and putting up with my many requests to change things and try a bunch of things just to see what it would look like So thanks to her for her patience with me as well.

I think it turned out really well



jagsredlady: LOL, I was very surprised to find out after reading Invincible that Troy and I seemed to be on the same wavelength. But in my case, I was not mocking Jag.

I think you're half-psychic.

Thanks again

On to the story:
I?m all intrigued about how Thrawn plays into the story.

His role is huge actually. We'll be getting an idea of just how big soon.

That sounds breathtaking. Have I told you recently just how beautiful your prose is?

Why thank you

And we start off with another of your trademark exciting action scenes. Great way to get a reader drawn in to the story right from the first, just like the movies.

Thanks! I always like to start my stories that way. Glad you liked it.

Spot-on Jaina and Jag characterizations. You?ve got it down to the subtlest little things. Great to see that because, lately, particularly in Jag's case, characterization has suffered quite a bit (especially in fanfic).

Aww, thanks I try to get things right.

That?s my Jag There is nothing he can?t fly.

I think there was some line in Exodus about him being able to fly a brick or something at the end when he was crashing that speeder

I have a bad feeling about this.

Way to jinx them!

Tweeter?s fantastic, loved the humor he brought into the battle?s tense situation. Some of my favorite parts:

Thanks, I was hoping you'd like him

These had me rolling. Loved the interaction between Jaina and her droid, Tweeter is a riot. .

Glad I could make you laugh

Is he by any chance related to Mr. Threep? Or perhaps Artoo. He might be a combination of both, but entirely your own original and a fantastic one at that. Kudos!

I was going to save this for later in the fic, but... Tweeter is the love child of R2-D2 and C-3PO. We all knew they were having an affair for decades, and now we see what happened.

This chapter had everything: fast-paced action and suspense, humor, intrigue and mystery, and lots of beautiful imagery one could get lost in. In other words, Star Wars at its best. This truly is the AU story that all Star Wars fans want to replace the EU with.

Hehe, I don't know about that. But I appreciate the compliment I'm glad you liked it so much.

Fantastic job! I can?t wait for more.

Thanks so much and thanks for reading I'll have more for you tomorrow







megacrafter: that prologue has to be the best i have read. but then most scenes with thrawn in them are great.

Wow, thanks Glad you liked it so much. And yeah, Thrawn is always awesome

Tweeter is the funnyest droid ever.

Thank you High praise!

Aniken should learn, flying in a straight line is bad for you.

Yeah We'll see if he can get out of it soon.

Thanks for reading and your reply







Wedge: That would've been funny!



I'll have to get to work on it now... [face_work]

*Cracks whip*

Yeah, best parts of it were watching Wesker beat up on people. And laughing at how pathetic Alfred is. *Whispers: he can't hit someone with his laser-sight and scope equiped rifle inside a building *

Sounds good

Yeah, and hopefully not a MMO.

Yeah, that would definitely be disappointing

Speaking of FU, did you hear about the new character anounced for

 

Oh! Oh! Can I have Maggy's autograph? She's REALLY Fantastic with her art work!!!!

 

Maggy, you smartly do covers!! Jacen it is simple beutiful! And Anakin too!!!! One more beauty in my collection.

 

YK:The final artwork for The Lands of the Dead is complete:

Big thanks to Maggy for going to all the trouble of putting this together and putting up with my many requests to change things and try a bunch of things just to see what it would look like So thanks to her for her patience with me as well.

I think it turned out really well


Great job Maggy! Looks great. If only I had the skill\time to do detail like that...

By the way, is that Darth Revan by Luke?


*Cracks whip*

Ouch! Sheesh okay okay here it is:

[image=http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r213/CloneCmdrWedge/b5_sw1.jpg]

Come on, we all know that Malig is really Kosh.

Speaking of photomanips, I've already been hard at work on the LotD one...

I'm almost afraid to show it off. Almost.

And Maggy, please don't hurt me...

[image=http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r213/CloneCmdrWedge/lotd_residentevil_concept.jpg]

Toughest part was getting it to look like Leon there was wearing that hood... Was thinking of replacing Jill with Unnamed-Woman-From-RE5-Trailer (not to be confused with Mysterious Tube Girl). Probably won't though. Barry Burton as Luke...I have no idea what I was thinking. Although some scenes in the OT would be pretty funny...

Barry SkywalkerHands something to R2-D2* Here's a lockpick. It might be handy if you, the Master of Unlocking, took it with you.

Barry SkywalkerAfter trash compactor is shut down.* We were almost a Hero Sandwich!

I have no shame.


I did Is he goingn to be on both the PS3 and the 360 version?

I've heard that he will be in both, unlike Yoda and Vader.


He always has a plan...

Wait a second...Thrawn's the Final Cylon! It explains everything!




Maybe all 3 together... Nah

I'd love to see that one.


I'm reminded of the Corellian Trilogy when Anakin was just kind of doing his own thing and not listening to anyone else while Jaina and Jacen chased after him

Think I only read the 3rd book, and I don't remember too much of it. Except for Centerpoint. And Sal-Solo.


See the above reply to Red




He lost his optimism chip.

Must've given it to C-3PO.


Jaina only likes her crazy ideas

Works for me.

 

Yobi! That was fantastic.

Tweeter was hysterical! Jania should always forget to carry through on her threats to him....kind of like Han and Theepio.

I love that you write so often from Jania's POV. She is just so cool, and it's always great to see her in action with Jag (I'd take other types of action there too ) , and Anakin....though I'm feeling very worried about him. He really needs a hug....but only from Tahiri! No dark haired women.


And now a Threepio moment.....What is happening to Han?!? Anyone on the Falcon? Are he & Leia ok? I seem to be made to suffer...It's my lot in life.

 

Wow, that cover art is one of the best I've ever seen.

Great job, Maggy and Yobi.


edit:

I know this is one of those anal things, but what's a Raithian accent sound like? German, Russian, American South?

Yobi: Probably something Eastern European. But it's ambiguous so the reader can sort of imagine whatever they'd like.

I'll always think of Sasha Vujacic as a Raithian now.

 

While I'm getting all caught up on this new 'fic of yours (and collecting my thoughts), I thought I'd drop in and leave a note about your FANTASTIC cover art!!

This is an AWESOME cover!! *cheers* Maggy has really out-done herself this time around, it looks so fabulous... definitely her best yet, IMO.

*applauds Maggy*

Well done, it's amazing!!

Ant.

 

PointGiven: That artwork is TOTALLY AWESOME!!!

Glad you like it

So Jacen still has a green saber.... either he's playing Malig or he's a very lazy Sith.

I thought about that for a bit, but I think it goes back to the fact that Jacen's character hasn't really changed since joining Malig. He's still the same guy, has the same basic set of beliefs about right and wrong and the Force. I didn't see him just building a red lightsaber to conform with Sith custom at this point.

It will be addressed in the story though.

Why do I have the feeling one of the Solo boys is going to kill the other?







GrandMasterKatarn: Oh! Oh! Can I have Maggy's autograph? She's REALLY Fantastic with her art work!!!!

*Puts brace on Maggy's wrist so she doesn't injure her photoshopping hand*





DarthBellumSolo: Maggy, you smartly do covers!! Jacen it is simple beutiful! And Anakin too!!!! One more beauty in my collection.

She's really talented. And is only getting better






Wedge: Great job Maggy! Looks great. If only I had the skill\time to do detail like that...

Yours are looking pretty good these days, Mr. Wedge. Especially since you seem to do these on the fly

By the way, is that Darth Revan by Luke?

No, that's Jaina

Ouch! Sheesh okay okay here it is:



Come on, we all know that Malig is really Kosh.

What the hell is that thing, some kind of snake-man?

Speaking of photomanips, I've already been hard at work on the LotD one...
I'm almost afraid to show it off. Almost.
And Maggy, please don't hurt me...



Perfect for the 5th fic about the zombies

Toughest part was getting it to look like Leon there was wearing that hood...

It looks good! Especially since he's so pale.

Was thinking of replacing Jill with Unnamed-Woman-From-RE5-Trailer (not to be confused with Mysterious Tube Girl).

I'm not familiar with either

Probably won't though. Barry Burton as Luke...I have no idea what I was thinking. Although some scenes in the OT would be pretty funny...
Barry SkywalkerHands something to R2-D2* Here's a lockpick. It might be handy if you, the Master of Unlocking, took it with you.
Barry SkywalkerAfter trash compactor is shut down.* We were almost a Hero Sandwich!
I have no shame.



I never made it to that game.

I do have this today though:

[image=http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/YodaKenobi/mgs4coverart1_3.jpg]



I've heard that he will be in both, unlike Yoda and Vader.

I hate that Yoda and Vader are exclusives

Wait a second...Thrawn's the Final Cylon! It explains everything!

I think corran2's Ben Linus theory is closer

Or maybe I'm just trying to throw you off

Think I only read the 3rd book, and I don't remember too much of it. Except for Centerpoint. And Sal-Solo.

You should check it out. It's got a lot of the problems the other bantam books of that era did, and there are more typos then I've ever seen in a published work, but it's a fun little series with some good moments between the Solo children.

Great covers, Wedge





TSF: Yobi! That was fantastic.

Thank you

Tweeter was hysterical! Jania should always forget to carry through on her threats to him....kind of like Han and Theepio.

I think that's a good idea Wouldn't want to screw up Tweeter's personality with a memory wipe

I love that you write so often from Jania's POV.

Thanks Obviously, she's one of my favorites to write. A great character.

She is just so cool, and it's always great to see her in action with Jag (I'd take other types of action there too ) ,

You want Jaina and Jag to fight!?

[face_tongu

 

No trouble at all, Yobs, no trouble at all
Every try out gives me a new sample in my collection *crosses fingers that she is not gonna lose those files like a year ago which will never be replaceable *
We would have been a lot quicker if I would find out what is wrong with not being able to upload images
That reminds me ? gonna mail you something ? if I forget remind me

It was a pleasure to work with you again

Thank you glad you like it

an autograph
Glad you like my work

Your collection you collect artwork?
Really happy I did not disappoint you and you like it
Yep Anakin rawks ? I am really pleased how he turned out

Thank you ? glad you like
It?s more luck than skill

Kosh?! OMG!!!

Why should I want to hurt you?!

Hah! You do not say
I think the trick would be to move the head a bit up and cut off a bit of the hair, since it would be hidden by the hood

Oh and why did you use the sunglass guy instead of Kosh

You are too kind, Red
How are you doing those days?

Glad you like the cover

You are ?
Thank you for your kind words, Ant glad you like it so much

You put shackles on me?!



Thanks for your concern ? but I write with the other hand then the one I use the compy mouse and I can sign both handed if needed

You are too kind, it is your eye that catches all the

 

It was a pleasure to work with you again

You say that now Wait until next time.

You put shackles on me?!

It puts the lotion on the skin!

Thanks for your concern ? but I write with the other hand then the one I use the compy mouse and I can sign both handed if needed

Oh, whew

You are the one pointing out what has to be changed since it is not good! So you are also a part of it!

No, I'm just picky

The Exodus one was good as well .. and yeah to pick between those two Anakins that would be though! I agree!
I couldn?t choose!

I like Anakin on the new one better but I have a tough time choosing between the covers overall. I really love the image of Malig on that one

Can I quote you? And add it to my sig?

Sure

Now to finish reading the previews fic
Some more chapters to go .. 10 me thinks

That's probably like 100,000 words too

Thanks for reading!






Okay, new post is ready to go. I think I'm going to put it up a little earlier today cause I have to be somewhere. Hope you guys like it

Have a wonderful Friday the 13th

 

Chapter 2: Home

The Force did not exist.

At least not in this place, Luke Skywalker decided. He hadn't felt the great life energy in... How long had it been? Time didn't really exist in this place either.

There was no sun and no chrono to measure, no seasons to change, no datapad or flimsi or console to make calculations.

In the beginning, he'd tried hard to keep track of the days. It was easy then, when he wasn't so far removed from time to feel something so abstract and know it was passing. When he lost all internal sense of that, he resorted to counting his meals, but that too failed. It became apparent that his captors were feeding him sporadically, sometimes within hours of the last meal and occasionally after what had to be more than a day. He doubted they even averaged three a day, as he felt that his robes had become much looser, and every time he saw his once winsome features in the mirror, he looked more drawn and gaunt.

The overhead glowpanels, the sun and twilight in his cell, were similarly triggered and extinguished at seemingly random intervals. At times he was certain the scorching light above burned with white incandescence for weeks and then the darkness would last twice as long. They were trying to make him lose all semblance of time, to lose all sense of self.

They were trying to drive him stark raving mad.

And Luke was afraid they were succeeding.

Had he been able to touch the Force, he could have centered himself; he could have called on it for calm. With the Force, Luke Skywalker could have discovered where he was and even get a sense of how long he had been there. But that just wasn't possible.

Logically, he knew that the Force was there, still holding the fibers of the universe together, and that it was the ysalamiri packed around in the detention area of the Raithian warship that were cutting him off from it. The reptilian creatures naturally cast a bubble around themselves where the Force did not exist and could not be drawn on.

Luke couldn't remember a time since becoming a Jedi when he'd been separated from the Force for so long. He felt so blind, so helpless. All of his senses were dampened and he was always tired from lack of nourishment.

How long had it been? Less than a year, he thought, but he knew that several months had passed... he had no way of knowing.

His universe had become the four metal walls that surrounded him and a resicrete deck, adorned only with a simple sleeping pallet, a refresher unit, and a magna-locked door with no viewing transom.

There was nothing else.

Nothing for him to help pass the time, nothing to distinguish one moment from the next, and without that, time as he had known it ceased to exist. Each moment ran together in a claustrophobic haze and the Jedi Master could not tell how much of it was real and how much he'd imagined.

This was what his enemies wanted, of course. They wanted to confuse him, to render him completely helpless— to break him. So Luke fought hard to keep a grasp on his sanity, to remember that the Force and time were still there beyond his four walls, and that they would be there waiting for him when he escaped.

Often he thought of Ben Kenobi and his hermitage in the deserts of Tatooine. How had the old man kept his sanity out there all alone for so long? Where had he found the patience?

Because, no matter how hard he tried, Luke was finding that he couldn't do it. He would worry, sometimes even dissolve into a frantic state and pace around his confines, knowing with each step that he was moving closer to the complete breakdown his captors were pushing for.

It wasn't for himself that Luke was panicked— he knew he was as good as dead once the Raithians got out of him whatever they were after— it was his family and the Jedi that he feared for. He was certain they were being hunted down, but they didn't know just how much danger they were really in.

Luke was beyond blaming himself for all that had happened. Talon Karrde and Lando Calrissian had blackmailed senators into voting for Cal Omas four years ago during the formation of the Alliance at the height of the Yuuzhan Vong War, knowing that an anti-Jedi candidate like Fyor Rodan would mean certain defeat for them all— and in not stopping them, Luke was complicit in the act. When the holovid that was stolen from the Wild Karrde depicting a conversation between the three men was made public, Luke had taken his punishment in stride, allowing himself to be arrested and believing he did fall short of his own ethical code even if he knew things were going on behind the scenes that he could not see.

But now he knew that none of that mattered— that it had all been a setup somehow. The Raithians were under the control of a Sith Lord named Darth Malig, and he knew that the Sith had orchestrated the entire ordeal. It was Malig's tentacles that had released the holovid at a critical time in Omas' reelection campaign, wounding him and allowing an easy victory for his rival Fyor Rodan. And Rodan had repaid Malig's efforts by bringing the Raithians into the Alliance and scaring the galaxy into a war against the Jedi.

Luke knew that it wouldn't have mattered what had happened— Malig would have found a way to imprison or kill them all, whether the events of four years before had transpired or not.

He'd managed to warn Mara of Malig, but she seemed to already know, at least in part, that the Sith were lurking behind the empire that was now hunting them down. But he was unable to warn her of the greatest threat of all.

Luke was seated on the deck, leaning against his thin bunk, and he gazed down to where his right hand should have been. Instead, he saw only a truncated stump of singed wires, blackened servos, and blistered sensor nodes all ringed by a severed prosthetic casing and melted synth-flesh. It was his constant reminder of why he had to survive, of why he had to warn Mara and the others.

It was his reminder that Jacen Solo, his nephew and former apprentice, was a traitor.

Jacen had confronted Luke when the Jedi Master had escaped from his cell on Denon, having cut the transmission he made to Mara when he felt someone sneaking up on him. Though they'd had a falling out after Luke's involvement in the election scandal was revealed, it was still immediately clear to Luke that the young man's mind had been twisted by Darth Malig

Luke had refused to hurt his nephew in the fight, giving ground whenever possible and hoping to escape— he could feel that Jacen really didn't want to hurt him either. But when the battle became more aggressive, Jacen did not shy away, and Luke faltered when he felt the darkness and anger inside his former apprentice. The mistake cost Luke his cybernetic hand, as Jacen did not hesitate to strike and end the duel with GFS forces soon swarming down on them to take the Jedi Master back into custody.

Jacen had become a tool of the Sith, perhaps even a Sith himself. He'd always been questioning the role of the Jedi and the Force since even before the Yuuzhan Vong War, and Luke knew that conflict had given him new insight and a new vision of what the Force was, but he never thought it would lead to this. He wondered where he had failed Jacen so absolutely...

It didn't matter now. All that mattered was that the Jedi and his family be warned that they could no longer trust Jacen. He could lead them into a trap, or worse...

Luke flexed the muscles that should have triggered hand movements and watched as the electrodrivers pistoned through the tangles of exposed alloy ligaments.

What if it had already happened? What if his family was already dead? Leia, Han, Anakin and Jaina... Mara and Ben... Luke would have no way of knowing, cut off from the Force he could not have sensed their deaths, and was unable to reach out and reassure himself that there bright presences were still there, safe and probably worried for him.

This was where the panic set in.

And it was the greatest torture of all.

But Luke had to believe that it wasn't too late. That his wife and son and his sister and her family and the rest of the Jedi were okay. It was the only way to hold onto the sanity the Raithians were so cruelly trying to tear away from him.

He tried to calm himself with thoughts of escape, but the barriers seemed so great. He was on a warship he didn't know the name of, probably crewed by thousands, and had no idea where in the galaxy they were.

The thrum of the Raithian vessel's massive hyperdrive had vibrated the resicrete on which he was sprawled for weeks, he was certain, but it had gone silent long ago. Wherever they were, Luke had a feeling he was far from home.

Without the Force, Luke Skywalker was just a man locked in a cell with durasteel walls two feet thick and a door with some of the strongest locks in the galaxy, guarded around the chrono from what he could tell. The fact that he had just one hand and was so weak from the months of imprisonment only made any hope of freedom that much more unlikely.

He looked up at the cell door with tired eyes, wishing for a moment that it would whisk open and he could just walk out. Perhaps they would feed him again soon? It was the only break in the nothingness of his existence here, with the exception of the occasional search of his cell and his person, which at least led to his clothes being laundered.

His meals came through a small slat beside the door that glowed with the blue iridescence of an energy seal. He stared at it, waiting to see the light shrink away and a tray slide through.

It didn't.

He blinked and the door was gone.

Luke was certain he was beginning to hallucinate until he saw the troops filling the empty space where the door had been, their blaster rifles drawn and trained on him. Unlike most of the Raithian soldiers he'd seen prior to his arrest, who wore metallic blue armor, these soldiers were garbed in the silver-plating the Jedi Master recognized as those who had guarded Malig in his secret hide away on Denon.

"Get up, Skywalker," the first soldier ordered, his voice slightly muffled through his face-less helmet and laced with the static from his mic. "Slowly."

Luke just stared for a moment, his hunger-addled brain trying to process the dizzying shift. When he did respond he found his voice was little more than a breathless whisper.

"Okay."

His throat was so dry that he choked on the word, and he wondered when they last had given him something to drink, and even more, when last he'd spoke.

Reaching back, he grabbed the edge of his bunk and gingerly dragged himself to his feet, the implications of their arrival beginning to sink in.

Had they finally come to kill him?

"Two steps forward now, Jedi," the lead trooper said, the barrel of the blaster rifle he had waiting to dig through Luke's chest bobbing slightly with a gesture.

Wearily, Luke took two strides towards him, doing his best to keep his balance. His head was swimming now.

"Very good," the soldier praised. "Now put your arms behind your back."

The armored being to the leader's right moved forward when Luke complied. Instead of a blaster, he held a pair of shackles in his hand— one a typical binder and the other bucket-shaped and deep.

"Don't try anything stupid." The voice was female, and he decided, something other than human, but the Raithian Empire seemed to be comprised of many different races from everything he'd seen.

The trooper moved behind Luke and locked the binder around his left wrist with a click, before stuffing his maimed arm into the bucket that immediately clamped around the appendage. Both devices were attached by a very thin slab of metal, further limiting the Jedi's movements, and he thought he heard the slight drone of an energy lock when the female stepped away.

"All right, let's move it, Skywalker," the lead trooper said, stepping away from the doorway and gesturing with the nozzle of his rifle again. The two armed soldiers behind the Raithian parted as well, allowing Luke a clear path to the corridor beyond— where more of the guards were waiting.

The prisoner took a few tentative steps towards the opening and then felt the nudge of the commander's blaster rifle jammed between his shoulder blades.

"Keep going."

Luke nodded slightly, before continuing forward and stepping out of his cell for the first time, where a half dozen more silver-armored soldiers were waiting with an array of threatening blasters and nasty-looking blades. Though he was still well within the ysalamir bubble, Luke was surprised not to see at least one of the Raithians mounted with a nutrient frame with one of the reptiles in it if they were planning to transport him— perhaps it was a sign they didn't intend to take him far...

Three of the troopers started down the black and gray corridor and Luke again felt the jab of cold metal in his back.

"Follow."

He started off after them, momentarily forgetting about any dread over his impending fate and just enjoying the opportunity to stretch his legs. The seven other Raithian soldiers followed behind where Luke could feel their blasters trained on his back and their fingers rattling against the triggers even without the Force.

To his surprise, the convoy of soldiers led him out of the detention area, getting clearance from another half-dozen soldiers there and pushing the Jedi Master forward as a status light on the bulkhead fluxed from red to green and two armored doubled doors slid away. Luke didn't have to wait long for an answer on why they were leaving or why the Raithians felt confident enough to lead him away from the detention area without ysalamiri. As they crested the incline of a wide corridor, a spindly figure came into view standing in front of a sealed airlock.

"You," Luke said.

Like his master, Faybol stayed hidden beneath a cloak and mask, though his shroud was a menacing scarlet slightly frayed and tattered, and his mask a far simpler design of grooves and angles carved through sable alloy.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Master Skywalker," Faybol replied, his voice thin and reedy. Luke couldn't help but wonder what he looked like behind the mask.

The little Luke knew of the creature came from his interrogation of Callista Ming before the Raithians had entered the galaxy. Callista had been kidnapped by Faybol after the defeat of the Yuuzhan Vong on Coruscant three years earlier, if she was to be believed, and taken to whatever swath of space the Raithians controlled. According to the former Jedi, Faybol was an alien with the terrifying ability to sense all Force-users from anywhere in the galaxy— a power that could no doubt spell doom for the Jedi Knights.

Luke had only met the dark being once, as he was taken away from Denon and loaded onto a shuttle with the other Jedi prisoners from the council— Kenth Hamner, Tresina Lobi, and Cilghal. Faybol had been on the shuttle with an unconscious Jysella Horn, and Tahiri Veila.

Tahiri was... dead from everything Luke could tell with the Force, but Faybol had told him that was not the case.

From there, the shuttle had taken Luke and the others to whatever warship he was still on, and promptly escorted him to the torment of his cell.

"What have you done with my friends?" Luke asked as the guards pushed him farther across the resicrete.

"They're already on the surface."

"The surface?"

"They have been for some time."

On some level Luke had suspected he was the only Jedi prisoner on the vessel but he found the mention of a planet confusing. "Where are we?"

Faybol didn't answer, instead reaching out with his right hand as his claw clicked against the airlock controls, and the hatch cycled open with a gust of air and wisps of the billowing vapor streams inside. "It is time," he said.

A grave expression formed on the Jedi Master's face and he nodded, knowing his life was about to end. He wondered why Darth Malig had left him sitting in a cell for so long, why he hadn't simply killed him sooner. Perhaps the Sith just wished to torture him...

To Luke's surprise, Faybol stepped through the airlock and he was pushed through with four of the guards before someone palmed the inner controls and the hatch hissed shut behind them. He'd been certain they were going to push him out of the airlock into the vacuum outside but there was no reason from them to follow him beyond the pressure lock if that was their plan. He wondered if he could possibly defeat the five of them and escape but he still could not feel the Force around him, and any success seemed unlikely in his current state without his Jedi powers.

Another soldier quickly opened the outer airlock and when it separated, it revealed the ridged tunnel of a docking ring cofferdam connected to another ship instead of the black abyss of space.

"After you, Master Skywalker," Faybol rasped.

Staring at the lightless mask for a moment and wondering what the alien had in store for him, Luke stepped beyond the airlock into the transparent tube, trying hard to keep his balance on the slightly flexible synthetic membrane with his arms shackled behind his back and weary legs. Fighting the dizziness of so much sudden movement, the Jedi Master made it across and stepped through the next airlock into the shuttle beyond.

The shuttle was the same Raithian model that had flown him out of Denon's atmosphere so long ago.

Instantly Luke felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand rigid as he heard a series of feral growls above the clatter of Faybol and the Raithian soldiers crawling through the coupling behind him. He looked over to see three creatures a few inches shorter than he was, with dark leathery flesh stretched over taut sinew and ridged bones. Their faces were made of long, powerful jaws of blade-like teeth, a stunted muzzle, and yellow reptilian eyes that seemed to glow beneath the shadow of the cowls of their threadbare cloaks, the gray color a few shades lighter than the monsters themselves.

They reminded him of the Noghri who had served his sister so faithfully over the last two decades, but Luke knew better— these were Faybol's Kurol. Callista had explained to him that Faybol's race, the Kuhr, created a species of servants at a certain age through secretions in sacs on their forearms that protected the adult Kuhr with their lives. They weren't Faybol's children, but the brood of Kurol shared a telepathic link with their genitor and a single consciousness. Because Faybol himself was Force-sensitive, the vicious creatures that protected him appeared to be as well, and Luke spotted the glint of a lightsaber clipped beneath the folds of one of the alien's dark cloaks.

Faybol and the troopers were through the airlock and retracting the cofferdam as soon as it sealed behind them within a matter of seconds. The lead soldier signaled the pilot in the cockpit down the main corridor and the shuttle pulled away from the warship that Luke had been afraid would become his tomb. Looking back to his left, Faybol gestured for Luke to follow and the Jedi Master reluctantly complied as the tall being head towards the ship's cockpit and his Kurol lurked closely behind with the same predatory hunger laced in their every movement. When they arrived, Faybol did not invite Luke to take one of the four open seats on the flight deck behind the two human pilots— both dressed in black uniforms and seemed to possess the same grim demeanor.

The shuttled peeled away from the warship and caused the slightest of jolts to rumble through the deck as its drives engaged and bucked against the force of the vessel's inertial compensators. When it swung to port, a dark sphere wreathed by the lucent shell of its atmosphere filled the forward viewports, eclipsing the clusters of white stars in the void. The orb grew clearer and more brilliant as they approached, and Luke could see that most of the planet looked as though it had been scorched carbon black with spatters of glowing embers still smoldering beneath the ash, and a web of amber fractures splitting through its crust— as Coruscant had appeared from space before the Yuuzhan Vong had demolished it.


But unlike Coruscant, this world appeared to have more to it than a single giant city cloaking its surface. Dark oceans and rock could be seen beyond the edges of its cities, though there appeared to be little in the way of flora knotted around the water and tundra, and cascades of white snow could be seen blanketing the veins of mountain ranges.

The sight was momentarily forgotten, however, as Luke felt the prickle of electricity through his cells as the shuttle moved beyond the ysalamir-bubble and he could again touch the Force. Luke closed his eyes and reached into the great energy, searching for Mara's presence somewhere in its waves while his heart raced with excitement. Immediately he recoiled. There was something wrong with this place— the Force felt twisted, and Luke felt ill just immersing himself in it. There was no sign of Mara, or any other Force presence as far as he could tell... Only something he couldn't really explain.

He opened his eyes to gaze at the planet again with new suspicion and found Faybol staring at him. Had he felt Luke reaching out? Was he enjoying the look of horror on the Jedi Master's face at what he found? Malig's servant said nothing and Luke pulled the Force closely in around himself, not wanting Faybol to sense his trepidation, and more importantly, not wanting to feel whatever it was around this place that had caused it.

They descended through thick blankets of clouds that looked as though they were weeping from a blaze on the surface, but when the shuttle punched through the last wisps, Luke saw one of the most chilling cityscapes he'd ever beheld. The sky was blood red as the sun was sinking into the distant horizon, the hole it burned through the black clouds staining everything around it like a seeping wound, while thick columns of smoke billowed up past giant durasteel constructs to drown the system's star further. Sunlight danced across the faces of transparisteel towers, and spires of chrome, silver, and black jutted up from an endless abyss of structures nearly as high as the galaxy's former capital, in an array of complex shapes.

Curved cathedrals, giant monoliths, and massive chiseled sculptures dotted the maze of ancient edifices, exhaust-bleeding factories, and ferrocrete superstructures. There was little in the way of airspeeder traffic or starships rising or descending through the dark canopy of clouds, and surprisingly few clusters of golden light speckling the alloy surfaces. Even the winding pedwalks and building-top plazas were all but empty, leaving Luke wondering if this part of the city was nearly deserted, or perhaps, locked down...

"What is this place?" He asked, staring transfixed out the viewport as the pilot glided down through the lines of glistening towers and dark shadow.

"This is home," Faybol said simply.

"How long have I been here? In this system?"

Predictably, the shadowy-being did not answer. Letting him know how long he'd been held captive would give him something with which he could become grounded, to regain some semblance of control, and it was obvious his captors wished to keep him disoriented.

Luke turned towards the Kuhr, looking up at his lightless mask. "Did you bring me here to kill me?"

It was the question of a broken man, and Luke knew Faybol would sense the weakness within it, but he was past the point of caring. Months in a cell had left him desperate for answers and it really didn't matter what the Sith agent thought of him.

"No. I told you, you're already dead."

Luke hadn't forgotten that delightful bit of news Faybol had relayed on their short trip away from Denon.

"Then why are you bringing me here now? Why after all of this time?"

Faybol turned to the Jedi. "There's something he wants you to see."

There was no question of the "He" Faybol was referring to. Luke had met Darth Malig on three separate occasions since his arrest on Denon, and each meeting had left him with more questions than answers. The man who claimed to be the Dark Lord of the Sith was a mysterious being who refused to remove his mask and reveal his identity when challenged, stating cryptically that, "Everything would make sense" to Luke if he did, and that the Jedi Master wasn't ready for the truth yet.

Luke had little question of Malig's power, having felt hints of the maelstrom of dark energy within him when he first visited Luke's cell. On their second meeting, Luke had been taken to a top floor in a tower in Denon's Senate District where the Sith Lord had taken up residence. He wasn't certain if Malig was trying to lure him to the dark side, to coax information from him about the Solos and the other Jedi, or use him for something else entirely. At times it seemed the Dark Lord was trying to do all three, and at others... it almost seemed as if Malig was simply looking for companionship.

Malig claimed to have known the Emperor and asked Luke about the events of the day on the Second Death Star when Vader had killed Darth Sidious. Luke had refused and then the Dark Lord had taken him to a secret library filled with Jedi and Sith artifacts, and given him a book. It was titled The Chronicles of Adas, and told tales of the first Lord of the Sith, known as the Sith'ari. Several of the artist depictions of Adas and the subsequent "prophecies" of the Sith'ari reminded Luke of his own father, but if Malig was trying to tell him something, it was lost on Luke.

He'd studied every word of the text in his cell, looking for some clue...

But then Malig had set him up, releasing Luke from his cell and encouraging Jacen to stop him. He didn't know how the Sith had gotten a hold of his nephew or how he had twisted him so, but Luke would never forgive Malig for what he had done.

It had all been one giant manipulation that made little sense to Luke. And Malig remained the greatest mystery of all.

The shuttle sailed past a cluster of arcing obelisks and into a district where more and more of the buildings looked ancient with a colossal rotunda jammed in its center and a coliseum of stone farther north. It was a series of obsidian pyramids that the pilot angled his controls for, however, and began their descent.

They appeared featureless from even a dozen meters away, but as they approached Luke could just make out the slightest of marks on the glossy black surface, like glyphs or runs etched into its face. When he was closer, however, he realized it was instead the same golden circuitry fused into the hull of the Raithian stealth craft Callista had brought to Denon. But he was more concerned for his wellbeing, as the pilot seemed to be flying them straight into the ferrocrete in front of the great structure.

"Hey..."

He moved forward to jerk the yoke away from the maniac but realized the futility of it too late as his wrists bucked against the binders keeping his arms pinned behind his back.

No one responded to his outburst, and to his amazement, his fears proved unfounded as a panel opened along an invisible seam in the ground and slid away, leaving a narrow opening for the shuttle to glide through. The hole proved to be a dark tunnel with sporadic banks of landing lights and walls of a stone crust that glittered with faint traces of some mineral. After a few minutes of following the winding path, the shuttle came to a landing in an empty chamber, that from Luke's calculations, was somewhere beneath the pyramid.

"We're here," Faybol said.

Luke couldn't see much through the darkness outside the viewport, but surmised it must have been some sort of empty docking hangar. He opened his mouth to reply but his voice became a startled cry as something cold and sharp stabbed into his left arm.

Whipping around, Luke found himself staring wide-eyed at one of the Raithian troopers pulling a syringe free from the crook of his arm, having snuck into the cockpit behind him and stepped around the hunched Kurol.

"Hey! What was that?" Luke demanded angrily, turning back to Faybol.

"An aid. To keep you from doing something foolish. Now come along."

Again Luke opened his mouth to argue, but nothing much came out as the Kurol laid their heavy hands on his shoulders and arms and began to drag him towards the shuttle's exit. The landing ramp had already been lowered, and the Jedi tramped down the plank of metal to the stone floor and mist of flushing vapor venting across the chamber's stone floor like a thin fog from the Raithian transport's engines.

Faybol led the way, his scarlet cloak swaying as he moved towards a massive door that slid away with the ancient growl of rock skimming rock after its center mechanism cycled opened with a click. From there things became a blur of gray stone and small obelisks as the Kurol pulled him through a series of winding corridors. Luke's head was already swimming with whatever had been dumped into his bloodstream and he wasn't even sure if he was moving his feet anymore or if his boots were dragging across the floor.

Golden wall sconces lit the way every few meters and the stone floor was made of a series of interlocking rectangles that laid over one another in incongruent shapes. But Luke soon lost all sense of his surroundings and he began to sweat. He felt so dizzy. He was only vaguely aware of more stone doors retracting and descending a spiral staircase.

Finally, they arrived somewhere, and another stone door retracted into the wall before the Kurol hurled him inside. Faybol said nothing more, and the door was coming down before Luke had a chance to look up. But he didn't need to. Even face down on the cold rock he could feel that he was locked in another cell.

Sighing, he tried in vain to clear his whirling mind when a noise to his right caught his attention like something sharp scraping stone and Luke rolled on his side to see a tiny tridactyl foot with chipped yellow nails a meter from his face.

He rolled farther, peering up at its owner and his mouth dropped open.

"Yoda?"

 

First.

In the beginning, he'd tried hard to keep track of the days. It was easy then, when he wasn't so far removed from time to feel something so abstract and know it was passing. When he lost all internal sense of that, he resorted to counting his meals, but that too failed. It became apparent that his captors were feeding him sporadically, sometimes within hours of the last meal and occasionally after what had to be more than a day. He doubted they even averaged three a day, as he felt that his robes had become much looser, and every time he saw his once winsome features in the mirror, he looked more drawn and gaunt.
Ah - that's the Darth Malig diet. It does that to you.

Seriously - the descriptions there and in the ensuing bit about Luke's struggle with his loss of the Force are awesome. It makes you realise that in some ways the Jedi are SO reliant on the Force that it almost puts them at a disadvantage. As you point out, knowing intellectually that the Force is there, even when you can't access it, doesn't really help - or bolster you against the situation.

I love that Luke thought about Obi-Wan. Maybe it's Obi-Wan giving him a nudge through the Force to strengthen him.

Luke was beyond blaming himself for all that had happened. Talon Karrde and Lando Calrissian had blackmailed senators into voting for Cal Omas four years ago during the formation of the Alliance at the height of the Yuuzhan Vong War, knowing that an anti-Jedi candidate like Fyor Rodan would mean certain defeat for them all? and in not stopping them, Luke was complicit in the act.
Ah, guilt is a terrible thing. It's kind of been Luke's downfall here, too, poor guy. A more political type would have denied everything and thrown some other issue into the discussion to distract everyone.

Jacen had become a tool of the Sith, perhaps even a Sith himself.
Yes, Jacen is definitely a tool. (I need that drumroll image you used on MHR. LOL)

"Follow."

He started off after them, momentarily forgetting about any dread over his impending fate and just enjoying the opportunity to stretch his legs.
Poor man. So in need of comfort.

It was titled The Chronicles of Adas, and told tales of the first Lord of the Sith, known as the Sith'ari. Several of the artist depictions of Adas and the subsequent "prophecies" of the Sith'ari reminded Luke of his own father, but if Malig was trying to tell him something, it was lost on Luke.
Luke's not the only one mystified. Nice link there to your prologue with he mention of Adas.

I'm really enjoying the mystery, Yoda. And I have to say that the ending really brought me up short. I did NOT expect that. Is it really Yoda?

Fantastic chapter.

Mags - Awesome cover. You've really outdone yourself this time.

EDIT:

canadianjedimamma
Never, I repeat, never call me an Aussie!!!! I'm a Kiwi.

 

Steals first!

*glares at Tahi* Curses!!! Foiled by the Aussie.

I'll be back later, right now I have to take Darth Toddler to soccer...


EDIT: Okay, I'm back. My team is made up of Sith acolytes I swear....

Anywho...I LOVED how you got into Luke's head here. Six months in solitary would tax the mental fortitude of Kyle himself. And without the Force. *shivers* The comparisions between his physical and mental appearance wher fantastic...

So you're telling me that Yoda didn't fade off into the Force in ESB, but got beamed away by Darth Malig? Either that, or Master Yaddle ain't as dead as we all thought.

Wicked post!

Cyn

 

Just an image of Yoda or another of his species?

Really interesting post.

 

Awesomesause.

Nothing for him to help pass the time, nothing to distinguish one moment from the next, and without that, time as he had known it ceased to exist.

Wow. That's pretty deep.

Great post, man.

 

Sweet. one of the many tridactal species that Yoda is from. Keep up the great work.

 

Hasn't Luke been tortured enough? Don't answer that. I don't think I want to know. I think he's hallucinating now. Poor guy.

 

great wee ppost there, keep em updated love this story.

 

i'm guessing it is one of three things.

1) luke has finaly gone insane and just doesn't realize it yet
2) Its a vision, real or faked
3) its another member of yodas race, or maybe a clone raised to follow the sith.

 

*Finally recovers from BSG midseason finale.*

That was intense. Speaking of BSG, I found this while browsing this one forum. It almost made me fall out of my chair.

[image=http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r213/CloneCmdrWedge/frankthecylon.jpg]



YK:Yours are looking pretty good these days, Mr. Wedge. Especially since you seem to do these on the fly

Thanks. I'm just not sure on how to do some of the things I see in Maggy's covers.


No, that's Jaina

You frakking know I was talking about the person on Luke's left, not right.


What the hell is that thing, some kind of snake-man?

No, Kosh is a Vorlon.

And who said that's what a Vorlon looked like?


It looks good! Especially since he's so pale.

Interestingly enough, that's not something I changed. All I did was change the size of his head and put the hood on over it.


I'm not familiar with either

That's fine. Look around YouTube for RE5 trailers and you'll eventually find both of them.


I do have this today though:

I must warn you, if my brother sees this and finds out you have a PS3, he might try to come after you...


I hate that Yoda and Vader are exclusives

Yeah, I would've liked to have a Yoda vs Vader smackdown. Maybe both will be available as downloadable content?


The Force did not exist.

At least not in this place, Luke Skywalker decided. He hadn't felt the great life energy in... How long had it been? Time didn't really exist in this place either.

There was no sun and no chrono to measure, no seasons to change, no datapad or flimsi or console to make calculations.

Reminds me of my days in the high school marching band. *Shudders*


They were trying to drive him stark raving mad.

Nah, they're just trying to torture you, Luke. If they were trying to drive you insane, they would've had you in the same room with my high school band director. (For anyone that's read Harry Potter, think Umbridge. )


Like his master, Faybol stayed hidden beneath a cloak and mask, though his shroud was a menacing scarlet slightly frayed and tattered, and his mask a far simpler design of grooves and angles carved through sable alloy.

Just out of curiosity, does Faybol's mask look like the Imp. Royal Guards's? For some reason I got that one in my mind.


Luke turned towards the Kuhr, looking up at his lightless mask. "Did you bring me here to kill me?"

It was the question of a broken man, and Luke knew Faybol would sense the weakness within it, but he was past the point of caring. Months in a cell had left him desperate for answers and it really didn't matter what the Sith agent thought of him.

"No. I told you, you're already dead."

*Looks at Luke* Looks pretty lively to me. So unless he's been reported dead, that doesn't make too much sense at this moment.


Whipping around, Luke found himself staring wide-eyed at one of the Raithian troopers pulling a syringe free from the crook of his arm, having snuck into the cockpit behind him and stepped around the hunched Kurol.

"Hey! What was that?" Luke demanded angrily, turning back to Faybol.

"An aid. To keep you from doing something foolish. Now come along."

Tranquilizer? Hallucinigenic?


Sighing, he tried in vain to clear his whirling mind when a noise to his right caught his attention like something sharp scraping stone and Luke rolled on his side to see a tiny tridactyl foot with chipped yellow nails a meter from his face.

He rolled farther, peering up at its owner and his mouth dropped open.

"Yoda?"

Unless that's a Force Ghost, I'm guessing hallucination.


Maggy:Kosh?! OMG!!!

I take it you know him?


Why should I want to hurt you?!

Just thought you might be protective, that's all. [face_ton

 

Poor Luke - I am sure things are not quite what they seem but something very strange is going on! I can't believe its really Yoda and yet at the moment nothing would surprise me. Great chapter Yoda the suspense is killing me!

 

WEDGE: Reminds me of my days in the high school marching band. *Shudders*

What'd they do? Lock you under the bleachers and only let you out at game time?

My band leader took us band geeks to Italy. Good food, that country.



If they were trying to drive you insane, they would've had you in the same room with my high school band director. (For anyone that's read Harry Potter, think Umbridge)


*grimaces* Ouch, that is bad. I hope you all got in suitable revenge before leaving after grad.


But on the HP thing, I compared Jaina's Tweeter to Kreacher in the last chapter. Wes was like "I haven't read HP" and I was like "Dude!"

I didn't think anyone hadn't read the blasted things.



CJM