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Author	Topic: The Circle (AU futurefic) -- big question posted 8/1
Lisse Registered: Jan '01	Date Posted: 1/6/01 12:43pm Subject: The Circle (AU futurefic) -- big question posted 8/1 - Date Edited: 8/1/04 1:03pm (42 edits total) Edited By: Lisse
	The Star Wars universe is owned by George Lucas. I'm just borrowing it for awhile. ~~ The Circle Part One: Repeating the Past Prologue "Those who know history as the past are blind to it. Only those who know it as the future are capable of seeing it." -- Caamasi proverb ~~ Rowan Archimedes took a deep, steadying breath. Just remember, she told herself, it's an honor to serve the Empire. She laughed softly. Yes, it was an honor, especially for one in her position. Was she not, after all, the only woman to ever achieve the rank of admiral as far as anyone knew or cared – the only woman to serve as one of the Emperor's personal guards before she began her meteoric rise to the bridge of the Executor itself? She was important and could not be disposed of easily. Just you remember that. Thought firmly in place, she stepped into the private meditation chamber, hands clenched behind her back and eyes straight ahead. "My lord, you wished to be informed when we had the quarry trapped." Two eyes – one ice-blue, one red, neither truly human – met her gaze levelly. Rowan fought the urge to lick dry lips. Meeting his stare was like looking at a rancor and knowing she had been spared simply because she was too insignificant to be bothered with. Maker preserve me, but I hate the Sith. She held that stare, daring him to do anything about her minor act of insubordination. He had a certain reputation, but she had not been promoted to admiral at the young age of thirty-three by being useless. That's right, she thought grimly. You can't kill me. The Sith strode towards her, black cape billowing as he walked. He was older than she was, although by exactly how much was something she would not have placed any bets on. It was hard to see his face under the twin scars that ran down his cheeks, great slashes that had taken his real eyes at some point in the past. He was bald save for a single bone-white topknot, but Rowan had no idea if that was his natural coloring or not. She had been told his predecessor had been more frightening, but she did not believe it. At least that creature had worn a mask. "The Interdictor is in place?" he asked quietly. His voice was more like a growling, rumbling hiss than anything else. Another remnant of an old wound, Rowan supposed. She had heard a little about his battles with Organa Solo and her Jedi renegades – enough to chill her to the core at the thought of coming between Darth Rage and his prey. But that was neither here nor now, and she had duties to perform. "They are, my lord. We will have boarding crews ready within moments. They will not escape us." "See that they do not, Admiral." The implicit warning hung in the air: "Do not disappoint me." Rowan bowed at the waist – not quite as between equals, but hardly subservient. "It will be as you command, my lord." ~~ The space yacht rocked, almost sending Inner Councilor Malinza Thanas stumbling into a bulkhead. She caught herself on the golden railing running the length of the ship's command deck and made her way to the center chair. "Our status?" "We're not going to make the rendezvous," her pilot said miserably. "I'm sorry, Governor." "Don't be," she said – a command, not a request. Nervous habit made her smooth her skirt absently and tuck her long brown braid back inside her voluminous hood. It was hardly necessary for her to be wearing the snow-white robes of the Emperor's Inner Council on her private ship, but if she was apprehended, she intended to remind her captors just how much authority she had. Executor or no, they would find themselves facing more than just the governor of one backwater world. With more confidence than she actually felt, she squared her shoulders and snapped an order toward the comm station. "Open a channel." A small, wavering holo flickered into existence a few meters in front of her. Malinza carefully kept the surprise off her face when she saw the tiny figure of Admiral Rowan Archimedes regarding her severely. She was immediately on her guard, for the commander of the pursuing Imperial fleet would not have personally responded unless she had more than circumstantial evidence. And if the Executor had indeed found concrete proof... Malinza swallowed down a lump of fear. "I demand to know who ordered this outrage," she said, drawing on the manners expected from one of the Emperor's most powerful advisors. "You are in no position to demand anything, Governor." Not 'Inner Councilor.' She was in serious trouble, if there had been any doubt before. Archimedes continued with the mechanically precise speech the officers in the Imperial Navy were so known for. "If you have matters to discuss, you may appeal them to Lord Rage." Rage is here? Malinza gripped the arms of her chair to keep her hands from shaking. "I believe I will," she said crisply, even though the very thought filled her with dread. She had to buy time somehow. "As you wish," Archimedes said, and Malinza was reminded of exactly why the members of the Imperial Court hated the military. "Stand down and prepare to surrender. A boarding party will confiscate any weapons and contraband. Have your crew stand down," she added, a sharp note entering her voice. "I have no desire to shed Bakuran blood." Malinza resisted the urge to glare. It would have done no good. "I will have matters arranged," she said, careful to promise nothing. She wanted no Bakuran blood shed either, but some things were more important than the safety of her crew. She had to buy more time. Archimedes nodded once and closed the channel without another word. Immediately Malinza turned to her assembled crew. "We don't have much time. You know what you have to do." Her crew did not hesitate. Even before the last word left her mouth, they were in motion, carrying out the contingency plan. Hopefully the receiver on the planet far below was still operating and the contact was still alive to find it. Hopefully. One of her young aides handed her a small blaster and she smiled grimly. When a revolution was dying, sometimes hope was the only thing its leaders had. ~~ Ben Darklighter listened to the wind rattling the shutters of his family's small home, oblivious to the battle playing out far above him, or to much of anything beyond his home in the tiny settlement of Draco's Well. For understandable reasons, Ben did not like sandstorms. He had been born during a particularly violent one, or so his aunt and uncle said; a sandstorm had caused the landspeeder accident that had killed his mother and father thirteen standard years ago, when he was just five; and now he was going to be several chronos behind on his work, because there was no way he could get back to the family garage in this kind of weather. As was usually the case when storms or the occasional bandits trapped his uncle's family indoors, the center of attention was the ancient holoproj that delivered flickering, static-ridden news and programming to the sparsely populated worlds in the Outer Rim. Ben supposed he was lucky, because none of the other households in Draco's Well had their own holoproj. If so, it was a luck that came with a price – namely his family's running commentary, which would have done the most obnoxious newsbeing proud. "Propaganda. It's all propaganda." Aunt Olivea let out a loud, derisive snort and glared at the holoproj. "Cleaned up the streets my rear. The last time they sent extra garrisons here, they had that trouble in Mos Eisley. They shouldn't send garrisons here." "Halfway to the middle of nowhere, you mean?" Ben's cousin Sasha rolled her eyes and looked up from her datapad. She wanted to apply to the Caridan Academy's officers program next year, and had gone carefully deaf to her mother's repeated statements that this would only happen when the Dune Sea flooded. "Does anyone know what Accord 47 is?" she asked no one in particular. "Something political," Uncle Gavin answered with his usual grasp of the outside world. He was as gruff and down-to-earth as Aunt Olivea – and the temperamental opposite of his occasionally explosive daughter. Unlike Sasha, he fit right into Draco's Well. Surviving in one of the little settlements huddled around the Dune Sea required a certain kind of personality. The men and women of Draco's Well were hardy and stubborn, and would let raiders like the Sand People do what they would and just keep rebuilding endlessly, year after year, because that was the way it had always been done. Oh, sometimes a pair of restless eyes would turn to the heavens and some youth would set out to find fortune and adventure among the distant stars. Most returned after a year or two, discouraged or homesick. A few – a very few – left their mark on the galaxy in a blaze of glory brighter than the twin suns of their homeworld. It was generally agreed that those rare individuals were better off for having left, since they would only have caused trouble. And in times as harsh as these, it was whispered that maybe even those brash few should not have wandered so far from home… "Swooprace bans?" Aunt Olivea shook her head at the sheer stupidity of Imp bureaucrats, most of whom had never set foot on Tatooine. "They want to ban swoopraces here? With what army?" "They have stormtroopers," Ben said, eyes never leaving the holoproj. It was just a statement of fact, nothing more. Stormtroopers did not interest him. Nothing about the galaxy caught his eye. All of the Darklighter spirit – that spark that had set so many members of his family on paths to the stars – had been inherited by Sasha. He had received a gift for machines and not much else. It was probably just as well that Ben had never met his spirited, long-dead ancestors. He would probably have embarrassed them. Uncle Gavin glanced at him long enough to chuckle. "Stormtroopers? The garrison here's a joke. The Imps won't do anything while Black Sun's around." "The Imps should wipe out criminals like that," Sasha grumbled. "Black Sun's bad enough. Mos Eisley could have Rebel cells, for all we – ow!" She stopped when Ben reached over and poked her, but not quite quickly enough. Uncle Gavin's views about the Empire were very different from hers. "What have I told you about mentioning the Rebellion?" he asked curtly. Sasha gave him a bland look. "What did you tell me?" she asked, although of course she knew. Ben did too. Uncle Gavin glared at her. "A Darklighter fought at Yavin." "And he was the big Rebel martyr. I know." Sasha shook her head in disgust. "When was the last time the Rebels fought a battle like that? They're just pirates now. How are they supposed to beat the Empire?" Ben shrugged. "I don't think anyone beats the Empire. The Empire's just there." He knew those words had been a mistake even before he finished speaking. Uncle Gavin looked at him as if he had never seen him before, and then turned away quickly. Aunt Olivea opened her mouth as if she intended to say something, but then seemed to think better of it and just rested her hand on her husband's shoulder. The holonews rattled on about another victory while Sasha read names and dates aloud and the sandstorm battered the small settlement harder than ever. Ben wished he had never opened his mouth. ~~ Anakin Solo stepped over a pile of rubble, ice-blue eyes flickering back and forth as he scanned the deserted plaza. It was less battered than most of Theed, and if he had cared to look, it would have been possible to imagine how lovely it had once been. But the plaza had been destroyed a long before Anakin's time, and he had no reason to picture more pleasant times. The girl matched him step for step as he crossed the plaza. Like him, she wore the sort of plain jumpsuit that would not have stood out on any world from here to the Core. Her dirty face had been painted: a red dot on both cheeks and a red line that divided her lower lip. "You haven't received anything?" the queen of Naboo asked. "Not yet." Anakin fingered the hilt of his lightsaber and tried not to think about the message he was supposed to wait for – the one that would confirm beyond all doubt what he and his master had both long suspected. "There's no need to look so frightened. You're not going to die." Lucéa Naberrie spoke calmly, with the liquid vowels that marked Nubian speech, but her brown eyes blazed. "You're the last one who matters. You have been since your mother died. You can't fail." It was a command, not a reassurance. It was difficult to remember how hard this young woman was sometimes – how hard she needed to be to rule a dying people and a ruined world. "Are you sure Corran told us everything?" he asked finally. Lucéa just shook her head. "No. Not everything. Just what's important -- that the Sith won't fall until the last Son of the Suns is turned." She gave him a look that held no pity at all. "That's you, Solo." Anakin made himself smile. He knew there was no humor in it. "You'll be ready to stand with the Rebellion, then?" "Not until I see this prophecy for myself. I won't condone a course of action that will destroy my people." She leapt lightly over a fallen pillar. "My commander-in-chief has requested your assistance with the sensor arrays. I will take you to him." Anakin pushed his bleak thoughts away and followed her deeper into the ruined city. The next bombing run was not due for a few hours. -----signature----- Mal: Do you want to be captain? Jayne: Yeah, I do. Mal: Oh. ... Mal: Well, you can't!
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KADI-WAN_KENOBI Registered: Aug '00	Date Posted: 1/6/01 12:47pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	Welcome to the board Lisse! Very good. I'm looking forward to the next post. UP! -----signature----- Barn's burnt down... now I can see the moon - Masahide
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Uisceban Registered: Oct '00	Date Posted: 1/6/01 12:47pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	Welcome to the forum Lisse! Good start looking forward to more. -----signature----- Give light and the darkness will disappear of itself -Erasmus
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Sara_Kenobi Registered: Sep '00	Date Posted: 1/6/01 1:29pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	First of all, greetings, and welcome to the forums!! Ok, now, when you have time of course, Please continue!!! This is really good!
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princess-sari Registered: Nov '00	Date Posted: 1/6/01 1:31pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	Great story, Lisse, and welcome!! I'm still a newbie, too, but everybody here is really great! Post more soon!! -----signature----- ~~Theed Library~~ http://www.geocities.com/theedlibrary More Than Shadows -- The Handmaidens in Episode 2!! -- 6/14/02 http://boards.theforce.net/message.asp?topic=5763331 ~~ The Invisible Woman of The Fortress ~~
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Lisse Registered: Jan '01	Date Posted: 1/6/01 6:29pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	Thanks for the warm welcome. I'll post more as soon as my nasty inner editor stops making rude comments. Lisse -----signature----- Mal: Do you want to be captain? Jayne: Yeah, I do. Mal: Oh. ... Mal: Well, you can't!
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Liz Skywalker Title: Ex-Mod Registered: Jun '00	Date Posted: 1/6/01 6:34pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	that was real cool. Lemme guess, Ben's cousin is Luke. more? -----signature----- Hey, is slash still banned?
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Lisse Registered: Jan '01	Date Posted: 1/6/01 6:40pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	Given the time frame (to be unveiled in the first chapter), Ben's cousin is not Luke. He's a Darklighter; his cousin at the Battle of Yavin was Biggs. Lisse -----signature----- Mal: Do you want to be captain? Jayne: Yeah, I do. Mal: Oh. ... Mal: Well, you can't!
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Lisse Registered: Jan '01	Date Posted: 1/7/01 12:10pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic) - Date Edited: 5/15/01 7:35am (1 edits total) Edited By: Lisse
	Just because I'm feeling nice (and okay, bored), I'm providing a big, long summary. Enjoy. Decades after the disastrous Battle of Endor, a desperate message from one of the last leaders of the Rebellion pulls young Ben Darklighter into a conflict begun two generations before his birth. Along with gun-for-hire Jessa Calrissian, spice runner Valin Horn, and street thief Melody re Riall, he sets out to rescue Governor Malinza Thanas from the clutches of the evil Darth Rage and bring vital information to the dying Alliance. But Ben’s actions make him a key figure in more than just galactic politics. In him, Wedge Antilles sees the son he thought long lost, Han Solo sees a chance to fix an old mistake, and Gilad Pellaeon sees a monster in the making. To Lucéa Naberrie, he is a pawn in a game played for generations; to her cousin Anakin Solo, he is a last way out. And to the Emperor, Ben is the final component of a plan that will ensure one last, decisive victory... ~~ Chapter One: Message Received It was among the shortest and the most unequal fights in the Empire’s half-century of existence. It was also heart-wrenching when, once the smoke had cleared and the last echoes of blaster fire died away, it became clear that not all of the Bakuran dead were soldiers. Dignitaries, attendants, even the governor’s young maid – all shot where they huddled in terror. Some of them had not even had time to hide. There was a fine line between battle and slaughter in any war, but this was beyond anything the sole Bakuran survivor had ever seen. Malinza stared numbly at the burned hatch of her ship, far beyond shock. There was nothing she could do to change what had happened. Mourning would have to wait until later. If there was a later. If the yacht did not become one more mysterious casualty of the vastness of space. She did not resist when the stormtroopers shoved her forward, pushing her along with her bound hands. The man standing inside the hatch would never be considered tall, but there was something malevolent about him that drew the eye. The Bakuran ambassadors had called Darth Rage a sinkhole of evil, ignoring their governor's arguments that he was only a man, however powerful. Here and now, face to face with the Sith, she knew that they had been right. "Darth Rage," she spat, fury and grief driving her more than any real hope of escaping with her life. "This is an outrage. Such an atrocity will never be condoned by His Majesty or the Inner Senate. You have attacked a diplomatic ship – " "Spare me, Governor. You were not on any errand of the Emperor's." Rage's strange, baleful eyes locked with hers; it took all of her willpower not to turn away. "You have used your privileges to aid traitors and saboteurs. What happened to the information you stole?" Malinza answered through gritted teeth. "I stole nothing. When the Emperor learns what you have done here, he will have your head on a platter." "The Emperor has ordered you stripped of your titles. You are no longer part of the Inner Senate, nor are you entitled to protection of any kind. There will be no office to hide behind this time." His smile sent shivers down her spine. Rage had suspected her of being a Rebel five years ago, when she was a sixteen-year-old Vice Governor just beginning her rise to power. He was surely enjoying himself now. She still made a play at innocence. Buying time was all she could do now. "I am an Imperial citizen and a governor of a – " "You are part of the Rebel Alliance. Your treason will be punished. Take her away." Malinza managed to wait until the Sith was out of sight before tears leaked from her stinging eyes. ~~ The droid was a tubby, squat thing that looked more like a garbage disposal than anything else. Its name was Blue. Ben had no idea what model or make it was; its number had been worn off well before it had landed in the scrap heap behind the family's garage. Uncle Gavin hated it, but Ben had always had a soft spot for it, even if it was held together by wishes and old adhesive. Maybe it had something to do with Blue's apparent intelligence; it had never had a memory wipe as far as Ben could tell and had developed the sort of touchy, eccentric personality he had come to associate with - well, with Uncle Gavin, for starters. Blue made an odd choice for his tagalong, since Ben had always been a decent, respectable boy with the type of imagination generally found in sand dunes and small rocks. He was the one all the mothers secretly wanted their daughters to marry, if only because they were so used to mothering him and comparing his behavior to that of their own children that not being able to do it anymore seemed impossible to contemplate. After all, it was not the boy's fault that his mother had named him after that crazy old hermit, now was it? And the blame for his uncle and cousin could hardly fall on his solid, dependable shoulders. Aside from Blue, Ben's other constant companion was Shay Moonskipper. Most of the mothers – those not directly related to Shay, anyway – muttered about the girl having her head in the stars and being not at all suitable for Ben. Oh, she was a nice enough fit in theory – eighteen like Ben, considerably prettier than he was handsome, intelligent – but she never seemed to know what to do with herself. She was one of those with her eyes on the horizon, ready to leave her bright mark on the galaxy. "Is Sasha still going to the Academy?" she asked after a long moment staring up at the sky. The sandstorm had cleared up just a half-chrono before, but Ben had taken the opportunity to leave the tense atmosphere at home and climb up onto the garage roof. It had been his hiding place since he was little and he shared it with exactly two beings: Shay and Blue. Ben shrugged. "Aunt Olivea doesn't want her to. Uncle Gavin would probably feed her to a krayt dragon if she got in." "I wish I could get in," Shay said wistfully. "I know it's silly, but I keep seeing myself in a lieutenant's uniform. I want to be out fighting battles and exploring new galaxies and – " Ben laughed. He could not help it. "You want all that?" Shay shrugged. "Maybe. If I thought my father and mother would let me leave Draco's Well." "Just don't tell my uncle about that." Ben did not know how Uncle Gavin would react if he learned Shay wanted to join the Imperials. Badly, most likely. His Views did not allow any room for disagreement. Shay lapsed into thoughtful silence for a moment, her eyes still locked on the cloudless sky. "Ben?" she asked suddenly. "What do you want to do?" Ben blinked. He had never been asked that – not since he was five years old, when his dream was to join Captain Fantastic and the Thunder TIEs. His aunt had been in fits about that particular children's program. "I don't know what I want," he said finally. "Maybe to set up another garage in Anchorhead or even Mos Eisley. I could get some spare parts from the Jawas and I could have a whole business going." "You want to stay a mechanic?" Shay shook her blond head, smiling bemusedly. "Don't you want to see what's up there, Ben? Don't you want anything?" Ben shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I know there's all that trouble with the Rebellion, but that's not here. It's far away." "How can you say that? You're a Darklighter. The Rebellion's practically in your blood." Shay looked horrified, an expression that Ben had learned usually meant she was about to get very, very angry at the sheer stupidity of the universe. "Your father was a Rebel, wasn't he? And your mother wasn't exactly a lump, either." "I don't want to talk about them." It came out more forcefully than Ben had wanted, but he did not take the words back. His father and mother - Dev Darklighter and Kali Newsuns, respectively - had indeed been Rebels, although not in the dashing way that Shay probably supposed. They had run a safe house, that was all; he remembered that much, even if they had died when he was only five. "Listen, Shay," he said finally. "They're not me. I'm happy here and I don't want to be something I'm not. My parents weren't shot by stormtroopers or anything. They died because a sandstorm tipped their landspeeder over. They weren't interested in what happened up there. Why should I be?" Shay glared at him. "Ben Darklighter, sometimes I think you're the biggest fregging idiot in the galaxy." That said, she stalked off to the rope ladder that Ben had rigged up years ago and climbed down, still frowning angrily until her head disappeared. Sith and sand! Ben glowered after her. I'm never going to understand her. He started to stand up, but thought better of it when he remembered Shay's little habit of standing at the bottom of the ladder and waiting until she would glare at him some more. He was not going to go down there just to hear more about how he should be doing something with his life. If Shay wanted to leave, she could go ahead. He was not going to stop her. Blue whistled something sympathetically. Normally those little noises would have cheered Ben up, but today he just waved them away. "Nothing you can do." He sighed and started toward the other end of the garage roof - the end with the makeshift, badly repaired repulsor sled on it. Ben was a decent mechanic and it had not taken much time to rig something up out of old parts. "Come on. Let's get you down." The droid rotated its head in such a way that Ben could almost imagine it was looking at the heavens. "Don't tell me you want to follow Shay," he grumbled. "Come on. Uncle Gavin's probably cooled down by now." Blue just watched him. Ben sighed and thwacked the droid upside its dome. "Don't tell me you've got another wire loose. What's the matter?" The droid leaned forward and blue light flickered from its mostly broken holoprojector. Ben sighed. "I'm not paying for a new one. Do you know how many shipments I've have to make to Anchor - " The rest of his tirade was cut off as a washed-out, rather grainy figure formed itself on the rooftop. It - she - was swathed in white and was standing very straight with her hands regally folded in front of her. Ben gaped. He did not watch a lot of holonews - not with the commentary his uncle and aunt provided - but he knew enough to recognize the robes of the Inner Senate. Why was Blue carrying around a picture of one of the Emperor's personal advisors? Before he could form a question, the figure moved suddenly and began to speak. "Please deliver this message to Akim Hannibar. You will be rewarded." The message flickered and the woman repeated herself. "Please deliver this message to Akim Hannibar. You will be rewarded. Please deliver this - " "Stop it." Ben waved his hand and Blue turned off the projector. "Do you have any idea what this is?" The droid whistled what Ben had learned was a negative. It had no idea where the hologram had come from. Ben frowned at the spot where the message had been. Blue was a forthright and generally cooperative droid, which was probably the reason its memory had not been erased recently. True, it was more spare parts than anything else, but still. Spare parts. "Remember that old receiver I used to cover some of that scoring? Did you pick this up from that?" Blue beeped a yes. Ben sighed. None of this made any sense; better to sleep on it. He had no idea who Akim Hannibar was or why an Inner Councilor would want him. Probably Blue had just picked up stray signals. "Let's get you down, then. And don't fall. I'm not going to explain anything to Uncle Gavin if I break you." ~~ -----signature----- Mal: Do you want to be captain? Jayne: Yeah, I do. Mal: Oh. ... Mal: Well, you can't!
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Lisse Registered: Jan '01	Date Posted: 1/7/01 5:17pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	Evil computer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter One cont. The girl in the corner of the Mos Eisley cantina stared at the bottom of her glass and chuckled bitterly at some inner joke. Being drunk did not make problems go away, but at least she could look at them with a sort of distanced cynicism. And while she was at it, she could wonder what it was she had ordered. It had not tasted bad, precisely, although it had the sort of aftertaste that promised a nasty headache in the morning. Funny how that did not matter right now. "Need company?" A burly man who probably considered himself handsome leaned over and smiled broadly. His breath smelled like the drink had tasted. The girl gave him a slightly unsteady look. "Don' need comp'ny," she slurred. The man eyed her for a moment. Aside from being quite young - seventeen standard years, maybe eighteen - she was dressed in well-made, neatly tailored clothing and wore the sort of chronometer that probably cost about fifty credits in the Core. "Sure you do," he said as he settled himself across from her. "We wouldn't want you getting into any trouble, now would we?" "Take care o' m'self." "At least let me take you back to your rooms," the man said. "That's what I'm here for. I don't want to see a lovely lady like you being taken advantage of." "Really?" The girl leaned back, her eyes suddenly very focused and decidedly nasty. At the same time, something round and decidedly muzzle-like rested itself against the man's knee. "Wouldn't want that, would we?" She smiled. Or showed her teeth, anyway. There were quite a lot of them, all dazzling white against her dark skin. "You know what happens when I'm drunk?" she asked conversationally, her eyes never leaving the man's face. "I get trigger-happy. Sometimes people lose things. Accidentally, of course." The man swallowed. "Things?" "You know. Legs." That smile widened to display even more teeth. "You were just leaving." It was definitely not a question. The man bolted up and scrambled away from the table, vanishing into the shadows as fast as dignity allowed. The girl reholstered her blaster, flipping the safety back on with a deft flick of her fingers. She did not have to put up with this, of course. The heiress to both the Calrissian mining fortune and the entire stack of Risant deeds and titles could have had her pick of bodyguards - or private bars, for that matter. But if she had wanted that, she would not have been here, waiting for a contact in a filthy cantina halfway to nowhere. It was that stupid prophecy's fault. It had sounded like such an easy job: get a few weapons for the Rebel Alliance and bring them to a base in the backwater of the Outer Rim. It was easy credits and it was smart business, since the Rebellion had stuck around a lot longer than anyone had thought and there was no telling how long it would keep throwing men and blasters at the Empire. That was before she had been asked to take a tiny little detour - just a small one - to pick up some governor and deliver her back to her space yacht before the Empire was the wiser. That was before she had been slipped a copy - just a little data chip - of the governor's information. For insurance, of course, nothing that would actually endanger her. That was before she had decided to see what was so special about the data chip, especially since the Rebellion was willing to pay her quite a lot to have her hang on to the extra copy. That was before, as they so quaintly said on Sacorria, she had wound up in the dung heap without a shovel. Another creature - she was not going to dignify it by calling it a man - lumbered over to her, belching something purple. Jessa sighed and shook her vibroblade out of its arm sheath. Forget amputation. Next guy who tried to hit on her was going to get castrated. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rowan frowned at the tiny hologram sitting on her desk. "Of course I told him, sir. We intercepted the transmission and we've traced it to a section of the planet. Tatooine is not heavily populated. We'll find it." Before the Sith, she added silently. "Which settlements in particular?" "Three sir. Too small for much more than settlers." She referred to her list anyway; when the Grand Admiral asked for information, you did not ask questions. "Noonridge, Draco's Well, and Anchorhead." She could not be sure given the size of the hologram, but for a moment the Grand Admiral's eyes seemed to narrow. He did not look worried, precisely, but he was definitely considering something. Despite her own anxiety, Rowan made herself wait. Her position with Darth Rage was relatively stable; her position among the Grand Admiral's colleagues was anything but. Plotting to overthrow the Emperor required patience and discretion. "Send men you trust to search a landmark near the settlements," he said finally. "Hermit's Hut. You will find what you need there." Rowan frowned. "Hermit's Hut, sir? Why would the transmission be there?" The Grand Admiral smiled faintly. "Because that is the only place to hide such dangerous information. And I believe the current carrier has certain memories of the place. It will be there." "Of course, sir. I'll see to it." Rowan managed to wait until the hologram vanished before blowing out a long, shaky breath. She had not risen this far without a firm belief in the principals of the New Order. She was not a Rebel or insurrectionist. All she was doing was removing a parasitic growth from an otherwise healthy organism. That did not stop her from feeling twinges of panic. Thinking about a military coup was one thing. Actually putting it into motion was entirely different. Suddenly her quarters did not feel very warm at all. -----signature----- Mal: Do you want to be captain? Jayne: Yeah, I do. Mal: Oh. ... Mal: Well, you can't!
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Lisse Registered: Jan '01	Date Posted: 1/12/01 7:16pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic) - Date Edited: 5/15/01 7:38am (1 edits total) Edited By: Lisse
	Chapter Two: Message Interrupted The voice woke him. As usual. Are you planning to sleep through the day? Han Solo managed to pry a crusted eye open and tried to focus on his tiny, unkempt room. Something had crawled into his mouth to die during the night. He had the sneaking suspicion that it had been his tongue. Wake up! The voice echoed in his head without bothering to deal with his ears first. It was impossible to ignore it, no matter how much Han wanted to. "I am awake," he growled, proving his point by rolling himself unceremoniously onto the dirty floor. The cold of the plasticrete tiles served to jolt him to something resembling full alertness. He really was going to have to start paying his bills. There was a sensation in his head - a feeling that someone was sharing his eyes. Han ignored it for the time being. Sooner or later he would track down enough spice to give his lodger a killer headache. Have you thought about what I said? "I already said no." Han kicked aside something that looked half-decayed and made his way to the room's tiny sanitation station. The man in the cracked mirror had too much gray hair and heavy bags under his eyes. The voice managed to glower at the inside of his head. Kriffing stubborn idiot. They need your help. There was no need to say what "they" it was talking about. Han decided to skip the spice and go straight for the good stuff. Once he figured out how to scrape up the credits for the landlord. "I tried that," he pointed out as levelly as he could manage. He only sounded slightly murderous today. "You were there. You know what it got me." The voice had the decency to sound embarrassed, but it kept on anyway. You have a son who needs you and you had a wife who loved in you. Trust me, that's enough if you know anything. "If Ani needs someone, you go look after him." I can't. The voice was frustrated now. She tied me to you, remember? Han remembered. Trust Leia to pull a stunt like that. He had first heard the voice while staring up at the vanishing tail lights of a fighter twenty years ago, understanding too late... It had taken him a while to realize just who he had occupying the back of his head. Or whatever it was Jedi did. Although he hesitated to call the voice a Jedi. No matter what Leia had said. The prophecy is starting, the voice pressed. The Sith know it. If you aren't on Tatooine when the Circle begins to spin, you will lose your son as you lost your wife. Han hunted for a really crushing reason why he should stay exactly where he was, relatively safe on Ord Mandell. If only he could get a coherent thought instead of a mess of memories. If only there was a way to see Ani again. The voice sighed. I can't make you do this, it said finally. It has to be your choice. Now he knew where Leia had learned her guilt-trip thing. "Who am a looking for?" You'll know when you find them. "That's not helping me." The voice seemed to shrug. If I could do any better, I would. It would be easier if you weren't as blind to the Force as a womprat in a windstorm. "Watch your mouth." Han shoved himself away from the mirror and started rummaging for a shirt that came within a few sectors of clean. Just when you were comfortably at rock-bottom, you could always trust your father-in-law to make things worse. -----signature----- Mal: Do you want to be captain? Jayne: Yeah, I do. Mal: Oh. ... Mal: Well, you can't!
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jedi_yoda23 Registered: Jun '00	Date Posted: 1/12/01 8:55pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	Oh, that was amusing as hell!!! Somehow I didn't see the Han Solo-Father-in-law interaction coming! Keep up the great work! It's refreshing to read about a future without the Vongs.
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Lisse Registered: Jan '01	Date Posted: 1/13/01 11:23am Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	I'm glad you liked it. I was in a weird mood when I wrote it (<mutter>finals</mutter>), so I wasn't sure how well it would go. Glad to know someone's reading this thread. Lisse -----signature----- Mal: Do you want to be captain? Jayne: Yeah, I do. Mal: Oh. ... Mal: Well, you can't!
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Uisceban Registered: Oct '00	Date Posted: 1/13/01 11:33am Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	I'm still reading too, just I'm a bit behind. -----signature----- Give light and the darkness will disappear of itself -Erasmus
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Lisse Registered: Jan '01	Date Posted: 2/18/01 9:58pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic)
	Just upping this until my computer and I are back on speaking terms. -----signature----- Mal: Do you want to be captain? Jayne: Yeah, I do. Mal: Oh. ... Mal: Well, you can't!
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Lisse Registered: Jan '01	Date Posted: 3/14/01 2:06pm Subject: RE: The Circle (alternate future-fic) - Date Edited: 5/15/01 7:39am (1 edits total) Edited By: Lisse
	Short, but my modem's still being an evil piece of muttermutter and I'm not sure how long it'll stay working. muttertechnology/mutter ~~ Aunt Olivea was the one who first noticed the noise, which should not have surprised Ben at all; she was always the most observant. She set down her plate of bread and dried meat, frowning off into the distance. "Did you hear something?" Uncle Gavin did not even look up. "Farstrider probably forgot to tie up his bantha." "It sounded louder than a bantha cub." Abandoning supper, Aunt Olivea stood up and made her way to the stairs. "I'll be right back," she said as she started up. "It's nothing," Uncle Gavin called after her, more as a parting shot than anything else. But despite his light tone, he did not look like he believed his own words. Ben glanced at Sasha, who shook her head. She had not heard anything, either. She seemed focused on Uncle Gavin - so focused that Ben suddenly realized what she must be planning. She was going to ask about applying to the Academy again. That had to be it. But why in the galaxy did she have to bring it up now, when everyone's nerves were frayed? "Father?" Sasha cleared her throat. "Actually, I was thinking about how you were planning to talk to Brin Farstrider's son. He's good with tools - better than me. I don't think you need me here next year." Uncle Gavin watched her warily. "What are you getting at?" Sasha took a deep breath and forged onward. "I want to submit my application to the Academy this year." Silence. Complete and utter silence. Then, finally, Uncle Gavin spoke. "No." "Why not?" Ben tried to scoot away from the two combatants without looking too obvious about it. "Do you want to spend the rest of your life following orders?" Uncle Gavin asked sharply. "Do you want to be hated throughout the galaxy?" "Imperials aren't hated!" Sasha shot back. "It's just you, Father - just you and Aunt Olivea. The Empire's the future and I'm not going to be forgotten just because you can't accept that!" Ben could almost see the rage boiling under Uncle Gavin's face. Sasha had really done it now. "I'll…I'll just go check on the garage," he said weakly, standing up so quickly that he almost sent the table toppling. Neither his uncle nor his cousin seemed to hear him. "I lost a lot of family because of that future of yours," Uncle Gavin growled. "I've seen people - good men and women - turned into monsters because they thought like you! You're staying here like Ben! It's a good life!" Sasha gave Ben a murderous look. He was going to get an earful tonight. Sith and sand, why'd you two have to bring me into this? "Fine!" Sasha's aim was as good as it had always been. The plate shattered against the wall, sending fragments of pottery and food everywhere. "That's just fine, Father! Staying here won't bring your fragging rebellion back. I want to change something!" Her voice caught on a sob. "And I'm going to, damn it." She turned around and stormed off to her room. Ben edged to the door. He almost made it before Uncle Gavin pinned him with a sharp look. "Where are you going, boy?" "Looks like I'm going nowhere." He shoved open the door and slipped into the blissful silence of the garage, almost shaking with pent-up rage. Not at Sasha or Uncle Gavin, not really - just at the unfairness of the universe in general. Why'd they have to bring me into it? I'm not part of their fight! Blue twittered anxiously from his corner among the tools, his single blue 'eye' glowing with what Ben liked to think was concern. He smiled tightly at the little droid. "How're you doing?" The droid whistled thoughtfully. Ben sighed and leaned on the garage wall. "You and me both." -----signature----- Mal: Do you want to be captain? Jayne: Yeah, I do. Mal: Oh. ... Mal: Well, you can't!
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