Mimban, a Galaxy Far Far Away
Nov. 5th, 2011 06:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
likes_scoundrelsLeia wasn't sure what made her pick up Luke's lightsaber. Pure desperation, she supposed, since she didn't have a clue how to use it. She knew she'd be a Jedi some time in the future, but even in Fandom she'd been too busy with reports from the rebellion and locating safe bases and troop movements and finding resources to insist on being trained then (if any of her alternate universe relatives would have even taken her up on the early instruction).
But she didn't have a choice right now. She and Luke had been forced to make an emergency landing en route to a meeting on Circarpous IV, which turned into a crash landing on Mimban, which turned into sneaking around a secret Imperial energy mine, no small feat for two of the most wanted rebels in the galaxy. From there it became a search for a crystal that could allegedly magnify the Force, but considering the tale came from a crazy old woman, Leia wasn't totally buying it.There was, for anyone keeping track, a distinct lack of mud-wrestling.
Except then everything went to hell when Imperial troops arrived, led by none other than Darth Vader. And he'd found her and Luke, and her twin was pinned down in some rubble, leaving it to her to stop Vader.
He taunted her when she picked up Luke's weapon. "You're going to fight. Good. That will make it interesting."
She stood her ground, refusing to abandon Luke. "The Force give me leave to kill you before I die," she snarled.
"Foolish infant," he said. "The Force is with me, not you. But we will see." He assumed a position of readiness, then abruptly let his arm fall, letting his saber hang limply at his side.
"Leia, don't!" Luke yelled to her. "It's a feint! He's daring you. Kill me, then yourself. It's hopeless now."
Leia risked a quick look back at him, wondering if she'd heard him correctly. It had to be the pain of his crushed leg talking, she decided, for Luke to say something so ridiculous. It seemed hopeless, but she was going to go down fighting.
Vader looked over at Luke contemptuously, then back at the Leia. "Go on," he told her, "let him fight for you if you want. But I won't let you kill him. I've been robbed too often."
Leia hesitated a moment, trying to get a feel for the weapon in her hand, then lunged straight at Vader. Simultaneously Vader brought his own beam up in a lightning gesture to parry hers. But Leia performed a spinning, twisting arc in the air and brought her saber down in a slashing flare of blue light. Energy flashed as it contacted Vader's armored mask. Only superhuman reflexes enabled him to avoid the full effect of the blow. She'd seen her family spar in Fandom, and she had a few tricks up her sleeve now.
"Almost, little Princess, almost," Vader murmured without anger. "I have been guilty of overconfidence before." He adjusted his stance. "I will not be guilty again."
His saber curled in, around, down. She barely managed to deflect the blow as she backpedaled. Again he advanced, swung; again she deflected the cut.
They dueled on, with Vader steadily pressing his attack. It required every bit of skill and strength Leia possessed for her simply to defend herself. There was no thought of mounting an assault of her own.
The fight didn't last long. Vader's blade sliced across her stomach, then scored her cheek. "Come, Princess-Senator Organa, where is your noble fortitude, your traitor's determination?" Vader taunted her. "Surely a few little burns cannot hurt so much?"
Enraged, she swung the saber at him with fresh strength. Without straining, he blocked it completely and continued to move on to cut at her again. Though she blocked it, the force of the blow sent her tumbling, rolling to the ground. Vader followed relentlessly as she tried to crawl away and regain her feet. His saber drew a long black gash down the back of her left leg.
Screaming, she rolled over somehow and ended up standing. Then she moved away from him with a limp, favoring the damaged leg.
"Come, little Princess. Now is the time for spirit," Vader admonished her. "You still have a chance." He stalked her as she backed from him, threatening her with false cuts and thrusts that she tried to block feebly while limping on her damaged leg. "Stand and fight," he urged her. Another downward swing of the lethal saber, this one cutting across her chest and through the suit. Leia sucked in her breath with an agonized gasp, bent over and almost fell. Vader moved toward her.
The grinding noise of stone on stone made them both look towards the source. One of the Yuzzem who'd accompanied them earlier, Hin, was moving the stone block off Luke, who quickly scrambled free. He ran toward Leia and Vader, favoring the leg that had been pinned but growing stronger with each step. "Leia!" he called.
She switched off the lightsaber and threw it at Luke. Vader grabbed hold of her then shoved her hard to the ground, where she lay panting and exhausted as he advanced on Luke.
"Leia?" Luke called again, maneuvering himself between her and Vader.
"Don't worry about me, Luke," she said faintly. She struggled to stay conscious, but the wounds Vader had inflicted on her were too much. She knew she was dying. Her last thoughts were that at least she'd bought enough time for Luke and regret that she wasn't going to live to see the Republic restored or have the children her other world counterparts had or....
* * *
She was dreaming of being bathed in a warm red light. All the pain was gone. She could hear Luke calling her name, and she sat up, blinking in confusion, her hands going to her head.
"Are you all right, Leia?" Luke asked, concerned.
She winced and stared at him. "Luke, I have the most awful headache."
"Headache," he echoed. He turned, smiled at Halla -- when had she gotten there? "She has a headache."
Halla and Luke both started laughing, and Leia wondered what was so funny. Then she looked down her body at her torn and burned clothing, and memories returned in a sudden rush. She touched a hand to her face and then to her leg. "They're gone," she murmured in disbelief. "Healed. How?"
Luke turned serious. "It was the crystal, Leia. It healed me, healed you, and I wasn't even aware it was doing so. Everything that Halla surmised about it is true. It does use the Force. The crystal healed you, Leia, not me."
"Now, Luke boy," Halla admonished him, "you were the agent the crystal worked through. Without you, wouldn't be nothin' but rock."
Leia was grateful to be healed, but there were other pressing concerns. "Luke, what about Vader?" she asked. She didn't see him around -- wait, was that his arm?
"Down there," Luke said, indicating the pit in chamber. "I never heard him hit bottom. Vader's finished, Leia."
"He fell in a hole?" Leia said incredulously. "You're telling me we're alive because Darth Vader fell in a hole?"
"Yes?" Luke said, having the grace to look a little sheepish about it.
Now Leia was tempted to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it all, but that would only make her head hurt more. "Let's just get out of here," she said. "We're late for the meeting on Circarpous IV." And she had a feeling Vader would be crawling out of that hole sooner than they might like.
[ooc: Some text and dialogue lifted from Splinter of the Mind's Eye, the first EU novel. And it's completely ridiculous and clearly shows Lucas was making shit up as he went along because Luke is totally putting the moves on Leia, and is just as smooth as his father. And Vader spouts off lines like "one can do some interesting things with a saber, you know. I'll do my best to show you all of them if you'll cooperate by not passing out."]
But she didn't have a choice right now. She and Luke had been forced to make an emergency landing en route to a meeting on Circarpous IV, which turned into a crash landing on Mimban, which turned into sneaking around a secret Imperial energy mine, no small feat for two of the most wanted rebels in the galaxy. From there it became a search for a crystal that could allegedly magnify the Force, but considering the tale came from a crazy old woman, Leia wasn't totally buying it.
Except then everything went to hell when Imperial troops arrived, led by none other than Darth Vader. And he'd found her and Luke, and her twin was pinned down in some rubble, leaving it to her to stop Vader.
He taunted her when she picked up Luke's weapon. "You're going to fight. Good. That will make it interesting."
She stood her ground, refusing to abandon Luke. "The Force give me leave to kill you before I die," she snarled.
"Foolish infant," he said. "The Force is with me, not you. But we will see." He assumed a position of readiness, then abruptly let his arm fall, letting his saber hang limply at his side.
"Leia, don't!" Luke yelled to her. "It's a feint! He's daring you. Kill me, then yourself. It's hopeless now."
Leia risked a quick look back at him, wondering if she'd heard him correctly. It had to be the pain of his crushed leg talking, she decided, for Luke to say something so ridiculous. It seemed hopeless, but she was going to go down fighting.
Vader looked over at Luke contemptuously, then back at the Leia. "Go on," he told her, "let him fight for you if you want. But I won't let you kill him. I've been robbed too often."
Leia hesitated a moment, trying to get a feel for the weapon in her hand, then lunged straight at Vader. Simultaneously Vader brought his own beam up in a lightning gesture to parry hers. But Leia performed a spinning, twisting arc in the air and brought her saber down in a slashing flare of blue light. Energy flashed as it contacted Vader's armored mask. Only superhuman reflexes enabled him to avoid the full effect of the blow. She'd seen her family spar in Fandom, and she had a few tricks up her sleeve now.
"Almost, little Princess, almost," Vader murmured without anger. "I have been guilty of overconfidence before." He adjusted his stance. "I will not be guilty again."
His saber curled in, around, down. She barely managed to deflect the blow as she backpedaled. Again he advanced, swung; again she deflected the cut.
They dueled on, with Vader steadily pressing his attack. It required every bit of skill and strength Leia possessed for her simply to defend herself. There was no thought of mounting an assault of her own.
The fight didn't last long. Vader's blade sliced across her stomach, then scored her cheek. "Come, Princess-Senator Organa, where is your noble fortitude, your traitor's determination?" Vader taunted her. "Surely a few little burns cannot hurt so much?"
Enraged, she swung the saber at him with fresh strength. Without straining, he blocked it completely and continued to move on to cut at her again. Though she blocked it, the force of the blow sent her tumbling, rolling to the ground. Vader followed relentlessly as she tried to crawl away and regain her feet. His saber drew a long black gash down the back of her left leg.
Screaming, she rolled over somehow and ended up standing. Then she moved away from him with a limp, favoring the damaged leg.
"Come, little Princess. Now is the time for spirit," Vader admonished her. "You still have a chance." He stalked her as she backed from him, threatening her with false cuts and thrusts that she tried to block feebly while limping on her damaged leg. "Stand and fight," he urged her. Another downward swing of the lethal saber, this one cutting across her chest and through the suit. Leia sucked in her breath with an agonized gasp, bent over and almost fell. Vader moved toward her.
The grinding noise of stone on stone made them both look towards the source. One of the Yuzzem who'd accompanied them earlier, Hin, was moving the stone block off Luke, who quickly scrambled free. He ran toward Leia and Vader, favoring the leg that had been pinned but growing stronger with each step. "Leia!" he called.
She switched off the lightsaber and threw it at Luke. Vader grabbed hold of her then shoved her hard to the ground, where she lay panting and exhausted as he advanced on Luke.
"Leia?" Luke called again, maneuvering himself between her and Vader.
"Don't worry about me, Luke," she said faintly. She struggled to stay conscious, but the wounds Vader had inflicted on her were too much. She knew she was dying. Her last thoughts were that at least she'd bought enough time for Luke and regret that she wasn't going to live to see the Republic restored or have the children her other world counterparts had or....
She was dreaming of being bathed in a warm red light. All the pain was gone. She could hear Luke calling her name, and she sat up, blinking in confusion, her hands going to her head.
"Are you all right, Leia?" Luke asked, concerned.
She winced and stared at him. "Luke, I have the most awful headache."
"Headache," he echoed. He turned, smiled at Halla -- when had she gotten there? "She has a headache."
Halla and Luke both started laughing, and Leia wondered what was so funny. Then she looked down her body at her torn and burned clothing, and memories returned in a sudden rush. She touched a hand to her face and then to her leg. "They're gone," she murmured in disbelief. "Healed. How?"
Luke turned serious. "It was the crystal, Leia. It healed me, healed you, and I wasn't even aware it was doing so. Everything that Halla surmised about it is true. It does use the Force. The crystal healed you, Leia, not me."
"Now, Luke boy," Halla admonished him, "you were the agent the crystal worked through. Without you, wouldn't be nothin' but rock."
Leia was grateful to be healed, but there were other pressing concerns. "Luke, what about Vader?" she asked. She didn't see him around -- wait, was that his arm?
"Down there," Luke said, indicating the pit in chamber. "I never heard him hit bottom. Vader's finished, Leia."
"He fell in a hole?" Leia said incredulously. "You're telling me we're alive because Darth Vader fell in a hole?"
"Yes?" Luke said, having the grace to look a little sheepish about it.
Now Leia was tempted to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it all, but that would only make her head hurt more. "Let's just get out of here," she said. "We're late for the meeting on Circarpous IV." And she had a feeling Vader would be crawling out of that hole sooner than they might like.
[ooc: Some text and dialogue lifted from Splinter of the Mind's Eye, the first EU novel. And it's completely ridiculous and clearly shows Lucas was making shit up as he went along because Luke is totally putting the moves on Leia, and is just as smooth as his father. And Vader spouts off lines like "one can do some interesting things with a saber, you know. I'll do my best to show you all of them if you'll cooperate by not passing out."]
