one, two, five! (Day 3)
Nov. 1st, 2010 03:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anghraineI'm headed into a month of working on a single long project, so a few days ago I decided to finish my last cheesy!short!lazy!fic in time to begin the NaNoWriMo lulzy disaster: five twists that would have been really shocking if they'd been the Big Reveals, but ... weren't. Total justification for melodrama and cheese and Fun With Italics, even without the perpetual comfort of the Holiday Special.
The second reveal, incidentally, was inspired by this conversation with rugicorrino.
-----------------------------------
Title: Five Reveals That Never Happened
Fanverse: five of them, each an AU of the original trilogy
Blurb: "NooooooOOOOOooooo!"
Pairings/Warnings: no pairings; um, general mind-screwy-ness, I guess
Length: one-shot
-----------------------------------
1
“Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.”
“He told me enough. He told me you killed him!”
“No,” said Vader. “Obi-Wan killed your father.”
The boy's eyes widened. “That's impossible!”
“Hardly.”
“Why would Ben lie to me? Why would you tell the truth? You just tried to kill me!”
Vader almost laughed. “If I wanted to kill you, then you would be dead. As for Obi-Wan, misdirection and deceit were always his stock in trade. I never quite mastered his tricks. Neither did Anakin.” He hesitated. “I would have sooner fallen on my lightsabre than raised it against him. I did not kill your father. Search your feelings; you know it to be true.”
“No!”
2
“Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.”
“He told me enough! He told me you killed him!”
“Yes.” Vader paused, watching the child cling to the pipes of the carbon freezing chamber as he'd once clung to the rails of his crib. Of course, then he'd had two hands to do it with. He was really managing quite well, all things considered. “I killed our father.”
“What?” Luke's hand slipped. Vader instinctively reached out to the Force, but the boy had already regained his grip. “No. No – that's impossible!”
Luke's voice was shocked, furious, horrified – anything, despite the incredulous words, but disbelieving. Already he sensed the truth.
Vader smiled behind his mask. “Search your feelings. You know it to be true.”
“No! No!”
“Luke,” said Vader urgently, “you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as brothers!”
For the first time, he saw a flicker of temptation enter the boy's wide blue eyes. Vader was not surprised. Of course his little brother would prize the ties of family, of blood, above all others. How could he not?
Even now, their father's death was the only one Vader regretted. The elder Anakin Skywalker had been a great man and a great Jedi – but he had also been a traitor. To overlook crimes greater than those which lesser man had died for would have been the height of dishonour. No personal affection could come before the law.
Besides, there'd been Luke to think of, too. He had been an innocent child, almost a baby; he couldn't be permitted to remain under their father's pernicious influence. And that much Vader had accomplished. If not for Obi-Wan, the galaxy might even now be at peace under their rule.
3
Lucy Skywalker clutched the pipe with her good hand, cradling the other – the stump – against her body.
It would be replaced, of course.
Lady Vader lowered her lightsabre. “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your mother,” she said.
“She told me enough!” Lucy cried furiously. “She told me you killed her!”
Some treachery had been expected, of course, but this? Surely even Obi-Wan would have balked at – but no, obviously not. She had thought nothing of turning Lucy into a laser-guided missile pointed straight at the Empire; indeed, she had thought of nothing else.
I killed her too quickly, thought Lady Vader.
“No,” she said. “I am your mother.”
The girl visibly recoiled, her blue eyes almost wild with horror. “No. No! It's impossible!”
“Search your feelings,” Lady Vader told her. “You know it to be true.”
Lucy screamed.
“Lucy, you can destroy the Empress. She has foreseen this.” Lady Vader reached her hand out. “It is your destiny. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as mother and daughter!”
4
“Leia?” said Luke incredulously.
Why didn’t you tell me? Did her parents know? Is that why –
“The Force is with her,” Obi-Wan said, seating himself on a mossy stump.
“Her mother was a Jedi, too?” Luke felt surprised without knowing why.
Obi-Wan laughed at that. “No. She had enough of the Force to hit anything she aimed at, but she was a politician, not a Jedi.” He flickered like a bad hologram. “Luke, listen to me. You need to teach your friend the ways of the Force.”
“Me? But I’m only half-trained myself! I can’t – ”
“You must. Untrained, she is at her most vulnerable. If Leia were to fall – ”
“Leia would never join the Emperor. She hates the Empire!”
“So did Anakin,” said Obi-Wan grimly. “Moreover, the Emperor is not the Dark Side – much though he would like to think so. Hatred, anger, aggression – they lead to it more quickly and more surely than anything else, and she has them all in abundance. Her path will be longer and harder than yours or Anakin's ever were. Help her, Luke. Do for your friend what I should have done for mine.”
Luke flinched, turning away to stare at his X-Wing. “I can't speak for her,” he said finally. “It's Leia's choice, not mine. But if she agrees to be trained, I'll do my best.”
“May the Force be with you both,” said Obi-Wan.
5
“The Force is strong in my family,” said Luke.
Leia stared at him.
“My father has it, my mother had it, I have it – ” he hesitated, then lifted his eyes to hers – “my sister has it.”
Understanding slammed into her: not the whispered guidance Luke talked about, but a voiceless shout ringing in her ears. Leia all but gasped for breath.
“Me?”
Luke nodded, his smile uncertain. He looked nervous – more like the Luke she met three years ago, stumbling into her cell in an oversized stormtrooper uniform, than the serenely confident Jedi they'd almost grown accustomed to.
“You're my brother?”
“Half-brother. We have different fathers.” Luke grimaced. “Obviously.”
also, Day 3 of the SW meme: Who is your favourite diva?
Again, I'm torn between Vader and Luke. They're both fairly epic in terms of self-dramatising -- sometimes in a way that makes me want to smack them upside the head (and/or mask), but more often because their lives are really that epic. Seriously, imagine being Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader for a day. Yikes.
On this one, though, I think I'm going to have to go for Vader. Anyone can be a drama queen. Nobody carries it off with quite the same panache, though. Every single line he speaks is melodramatic, and every single one is awesome.
The second reveal, incidentally, was inspired by this conversation with rugicorrino.
-----------------------------------
Title: Five Reveals That Never Happened
Fanverse: five of them, each an AU of the original trilogy
Blurb: "NooooooOOOOOooooo!"
Pairings/Warnings: no pairings; um, general mind-screwy-ness, I guess
Length: one-shot
-----------------------------------
1
“Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.”
“He told me enough. He told me you killed him!”
“No,” said Vader. “Obi-Wan killed your father.”
The boy's eyes widened. “That's impossible!”
“Hardly.”
“Why would Ben lie to me? Why would you tell the truth? You just tried to kill me!”
Vader almost laughed. “If I wanted to kill you, then you would be dead. As for Obi-Wan, misdirection and deceit were always his stock in trade. I never quite mastered his tricks. Neither did Anakin.” He hesitated. “I would have sooner fallen on my lightsabre than raised it against him. I did not kill your father. Search your feelings; you know it to be true.”
“No!”
2
“Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.”
“He told me enough! He told me you killed him!”
“Yes.” Vader paused, watching the child cling to the pipes of the carbon freezing chamber as he'd once clung to the rails of his crib. Of course, then he'd had two hands to do it with. He was really managing quite well, all things considered. “I killed our father.”
“What?” Luke's hand slipped. Vader instinctively reached out to the Force, but the boy had already regained his grip. “No. No – that's impossible!”
Luke's voice was shocked, furious, horrified – anything, despite the incredulous words, but disbelieving. Already he sensed the truth.
Vader smiled behind his mask. “Search your feelings. You know it to be true.”
“No! No!”
“Luke,” said Vader urgently, “you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as brothers!”
For the first time, he saw a flicker of temptation enter the boy's wide blue eyes. Vader was not surprised. Of course his little brother would prize the ties of family, of blood, above all others. How could he not?
Even now, their father's death was the only one Vader regretted. The elder Anakin Skywalker had been a great man and a great Jedi – but he had also been a traitor. To overlook crimes greater than those which lesser man had died for would have been the height of dishonour. No personal affection could come before the law.
Besides, there'd been Luke to think of, too. He had been an innocent child, almost a baby; he couldn't be permitted to remain under their father's pernicious influence. And that much Vader had accomplished. If not for Obi-Wan, the galaxy might even now be at peace under their rule.
3
Lucy Skywalker clutched the pipe with her good hand, cradling the other – the stump – against her body.
It would be replaced, of course.
Lady Vader lowered her lightsabre. “Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your mother,” she said.
“She told me enough!” Lucy cried furiously. “She told me you killed her!”
Some treachery had been expected, of course, but this? Surely even Obi-Wan would have balked at – but no, obviously not. She had thought nothing of turning Lucy into a laser-guided missile pointed straight at the Empire; indeed, she had thought of nothing else.
I killed her too quickly, thought Lady Vader.
“No,” she said. “I am your mother.”
The girl visibly recoiled, her blue eyes almost wild with horror. “No. No! It's impossible!”
“Search your feelings,” Lady Vader told her. “You know it to be true.”
Lucy screamed.
“Lucy, you can destroy the Empress. She has foreseen this.” Lady Vader reached her hand out. “It is your destiny. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as mother and daughter!”
4
“Leia?” said Luke incredulously.
Why didn’t you tell me? Did her parents know? Is that why –
“The Force is with her,” Obi-Wan said, seating himself on a mossy stump.
“Her mother was a Jedi, too?” Luke felt surprised without knowing why.
Obi-Wan laughed at that. “No. She had enough of the Force to hit anything she aimed at, but she was a politician, not a Jedi.” He flickered like a bad hologram. “Luke, listen to me. You need to teach your friend the ways of the Force.”
“Me? But I’m only half-trained myself! I can’t – ”
“You must. Untrained, she is at her most vulnerable. If Leia were to fall – ”
“Leia would never join the Emperor. She hates the Empire!”
“So did Anakin,” said Obi-Wan grimly. “Moreover, the Emperor is not the Dark Side – much though he would like to think so. Hatred, anger, aggression – they lead to it more quickly and more surely than anything else, and she has them all in abundance. Her path will be longer and harder than yours or Anakin's ever were. Help her, Luke. Do for your friend what I should have done for mine.”
Luke flinched, turning away to stare at his X-Wing. “I can't speak for her,” he said finally. “It's Leia's choice, not mine. But if she agrees to be trained, I'll do my best.”
“May the Force be with you both,” said Obi-Wan.
5
“The Force is strong in my family,” said Luke.
Leia stared at him.
“My father has it, my mother had it, I have it – ” he hesitated, then lifted his eyes to hers – “my sister has it.”
Understanding slammed into her: not the whispered guidance Luke talked about, but a voiceless shout ringing in her ears. Leia all but gasped for breath.
“Me?”
Luke nodded, his smile uncertain. He looked nervous – more like the Luke she met three years ago, stumbling into her cell in an oversized stormtrooper uniform, than the serenely confident Jedi they'd almost grown accustomed to.
“You're my brother?”
“Half-brother. We have different fathers.” Luke grimaced. “Obviously.”
also, Day 3 of the SW meme: Who is your favourite diva?
Again, I'm torn between Vader and Luke. They're both fairly epic in terms of self-dramatising -- sometimes in a way that makes me want to smack them upside the head (and/or mask), but more often because their lives are really that epic. Seriously, imagine being Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader for a day. Yikes.
On this one, though, I think I'm going to have to go for Vader. Anyone can be a drama queen. Nobody carries it off with quite the same panache, though. Every single line he speaks is melodramatic, and every single one is awesome.