Star Wars: Alternate Episode I: Converging Fates COMPLETE

[Dartha Athanth]

 

Noooooooo!

 

Poor Quiggy! Loved his meeting with them - it was just so heartrending! (I know how it's like to see people 'fall')

 

And i wasnt a free public transport card too! (Oh wait there isn't any public transportation here ) Love how Qui gon spends his time on it... I shall do that too next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Am elongating this so that it will go to the next page and it won't be stretched anymore.) BTW that pic is now my desktop picture.

[Anakin T Skywalker]

OHhhh noooooo!!!!

 

Poor, well-meaning Qui-Gon! Somehow, someway, he always ends up biting off more than he can chew.

[Amidala Skywalker]

Haha...I loved how he was telling the Sith that the Sith might be returning. *sighs at the irony* From our point of view, he totally had that Force Lightning coming...he told them he's on to them, essentially, and we all know they couldn't let that go.

 

I really liked the part about Palpy asking if he was like a galactic emperor...reminds me a lot of Matthew Stover's brilliant Palpatine in the Ep.III novelization. Palpatine is a brilliant man...and using the truth as an example of hyperbole is always a masterpiece stroke.

 

He didn't grab onto any of the polls available for riders to keep their balance with...

 

Should be "poles" not "polls".

[Dartha Athanth]

I think you can use the polling boxes for that purposes too.

[ForceFusion]

Haha...I loved how he was telling the Sith that the Sith might be returning. *sighs at the irony* From our point of view, he totally had that Force Lightning coming...he told them he's on to them, essentially, and we all know they couldn't let that go.

 

I really liked the part about Palpy asking if he was like a galactic emperor...reminds me a lot of Matthew Stover's brilliant Palpatine in the Ep.III novelization. Palpatine is a brilliant man...and using the truth as an example of hyperbole is always a masterpiece stroke.

 

 

Was that the most amazing compliment I've ever gotten for a fanfic? Quite possibly. Wow, thanks. Stover's one of my favorite authors....

 

***Chapter Twenty

 

There he was, an outsider looking into the place he'd for most of his life called home. He stood over the body of a former student, comrade, and friend. The body, not dead but in a deep coma, was stretched to its fullest on a hovering gurney. The man was peaceful in his sleep, a sleep which had been induced by a violent thrust in the Force.

 

Dooku knew he was in the throes of a dream, yet he could not keep his heart from racing as if it was real life. It had been real life, not too long ago. He could not stop this dream from recurring, though, no matter what Force-utilizing techniques he called to him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that scene over and over again.

 

Cloaking himself in the Force, the former Jedi had successfully sneaked into the Jedi Temple. He'd stood meters away from the dozing Knight on guard, sliding Qui-Gon Jinn's unconscious body on its floating bed to a place where on-duty Jedi would surely find it once Dooku had left.

 

Yet it was not the risk of being discovered that made his heart thump. It was the emotion. It was the notion that perhaps he had been wrong to leave this place, this Order, after all. Perhaps he'd fallen. The dream seemed to want him to admit that it was not really ideological differences that had driven him away from the Jedi, but instead that it had been his bitterness at Windu and Yoda, their continual rejection of his way of living, his way of challenging the norm.

 

In a way that only the reality of a dream could, he saw the day he'd renounced the Jedi Order meld with the night upon which he'd returned Qui-Gon's body. The media droids swarmed around, dozens of unidentifiable Jedi in hooded robes stood behind, as Dooku spoke. It had been a sad moment for him, a moment where that sadness and all the emotion had been utterly suppressed. He should have been used to it by then; the Jedi were always suppressing emotion for clearer judgment.

 

In the dream, he spoke with Qui-Gon's body beside him, as if in support. Yet the irony of his comatose apprentice at his side as he renounced the Jedi was not lost on Dooku. The two events were connected, he knew. If he had not turned away from Yoda that day, Qui-Gon Jinn would not be in his present state.

 

Dooku exerted control over himself in the dream with great effort. No, he forced the word into audible form, though he was the only being that could hear it. No, I am not mistaken. I am not lost. After all, I spared Qui-Gon his life. He should be dead now.

 

The thought of killing his promising apprentice, his one-time friend, had been too much for Dooku. Against, perhaps, his better and clearer judgment, he'd assured that Qui-Gon would live, though he would be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life. His mind still functioned. The Jedi Master would still have thoughts when he came out of this coma.

 

But a Jedi Master who could not move or speak was almost as useful as a dead Jedi Master. But Dooku did not allow that thought to formulate in his mind. Instead he woke himself. He couldn't stand to see the dream again. And there were more pressing issues to take care of. He'd planned to be awake soon in any case.

 

His wakefulness found him no longer on Coruscant, but in his personal space-faring yacht, careening through hyperspace. He roused himself out of bed, enjoyed a cleansing sani-steam, dressed, ate a full breakfast, and went to his study to peruse the HoloNet.

 

As he had expected, the news was completely dominated by the newly passed Military Creation Act. Clips of various senators praising or condemning the Senate's controversial vote flooded the multiple screens Dooku observed. Over and over again, the young Queen Amidala of Naboo's speech was played, as she rebuked the Senate for its failure to the galaxy. News from the Jedi Temple remained suspiciously silent. Were they reeling from the appearance of Qui-Gon's incapacitated body? Or did they simply not have a stance on the Senate's new measures as they hadn't for the months it had been in debate?

 

That mattered little. There was nothing the HoloNet was telling him that he hadn't already predicted and prepared for. That made his job easier. The pieces were falling into place. ”œDroid,”

[Dartha Athanth]

Nooooo Qui is Gone! (ahahahahha)

Dooku looks like he might turn back...

 

And I do believe it's aide.

 

Oo scary times, scary times.

[Amidala Skywalker]

Another dark day for the galaxy...

 

I am really looking forward to reading Obi-Wan's reaction to Qui-Gon, and also the Jedi's reaction to the CIE.

 

Great work...I'm on the edge of my seat!

[Anakin T Skywalker]

 

Qui-Gon!

 

Poor guy, what have you done to him? That's a fate worse than death!

[ForceFusion]

Yeah, those scenes were difficult for me to write for a couple reasons, one of them being that Qui-Gon is my favorite character. The second is to perhaps keep a veil over the eyes of the audience that aren't familiar with the Palpatine being Sidious plotline. Qui-Gon had to assume it was Dooku and Dooku's thoughts had to imply that it probably was. But go back and read it again. Was it really Dooku?

 

Anyway, here's your Obi-Wan reaction section. Poor guy.

 

***

 

Obi-Wan Kenobi had lived his entire life in the confines and protection of the Jedi Temple. When he'd gone out into the chaotic world of Coruscant or the further chaotic world of the galaxy, he'd been under the wings of his Master Qui-Gon Jinn. For as long as he could remember, he'd aspired to the moment he would be promoted to Jedi Knight, to the moment he would be an independent being, a tool of peace and justice in the galaxy. Never before had he wanted to hold onto his status of Padawan like now.

 

Now he sat in the basement of the Jedi Temple, in the infirmary, deeper underground even than the libraries. He sat by the motionless body of Qui-Gon Jinn, searching for physical signs of life. The man did not stir. Yes, Obi-Wan could feel his Master in the Force, clinging hazily to life despite the prison of unconsciousness, but an immobile Master could not accompany his Padawan into the large galaxy. And though Obi-Wan had spent a significant amount of time here in the belly of the Temple ”“ probably two or three days, though he hadn't been keeping track ”“ he knew he would have to leave eventually.

 

And who would accompany him then? He knew he was on the verge of Knightship. Would the Council grant him that sacred rank immediately or give him an interim Master? Would his progress be stalled as they waited for Qui-Gon to come to? As if graduating from child to adult didn't come with enough questions, now Obi-Wan was drowning in insecurity.

 

He had shed tears. He had spoken to his Master, yelled at him, all without results. Currently he was attempting to interact with Qui-Gon via the Force. He could feel the man's presence working as hard as if he was hiking up a mountain or speaking with a Senator on some important issue. He knew his Master was alive and active, yet he could not seem to catch the man's attention. He wanted to sigh in frustration, to give up. But what else did he have to do? Life seemed so aimless without a Master's guidance.

 

A new presence arrived in the Force, wise and comforting. Obi-Wan recognized Master Yoda immediately, yet didn't turn around to greet the ancient being. Though part of him hoped that Yoda could magically make things better or to at least say something that might distract him from his loneliness, most of him simply wanted to be left alone, to drown in his pity for eternity.

 

”œDifficult it is to lose a loved one,”

[Amidala Skywalker]

Awww...poor Obi-Wan...at least Yoda is there to give him exactly what he needs to move on.

 

So the war has begun. It's interesting how in this story events move much faster in terms of the war, while at the same time, they fit so well into this context. It's like the entire PT in one "movie". I like how you did that, and how it feels flawless.

 

I like Stass Allie! It'll be cool to see some more of her.

[Dartha Athanth]

Poor obi! At least Quiggy won't die at the hands of maul this time!

 

(Or did I speak too soon?)

[Anakin T Skywalker]

I have to say, I really like the way you have Obi-Wan being so much kinder and more thoughtful of Anakin. And how Anakin serves as a motivation for him to move on.

[ForceFusion]

Wow, I can't believe we're already to this point in the story.

 

***Chapter Twenty-one

 

The white screen of hyperspace twisted and warped and slowly gave way to the star-speckled black backdrop of realspace, the planet of Naboo coming into focus. But the view current of her home planet did not bring joy to the heart of Padmè Amidala as it usually did. This image of Naboo showed a dozen ring-and-ball forms of the Trade Federation destroyers surrounding her blue and green globe. It showed ships dropping from those massive destroyers and making their way to the surface of Naboo, surely carrying battle droids or other tools of war. It showed black and gray droid starfighters clashing with yellow Naboo fighters just above the planet's atmosphere. Padmè did not need the help of the Force to tell that her planet, her people, were crying out in horror.

 

But she remained calm, showing no external sign of her breaking heart. Had it really come to this? Had she failed her people? She refused to let those questions fester in her mind. No, she had not failed, for the day was not over, the fight was not over. She came from Coruscant triumphant, winning support for Naboo from the grasps of the Senate. Her people were paying the price for her victory in the Core, but she was here to stop that.

 

”œCaptain Panaka,”

[Dartha Athanth]

Yeah I can't believe it's almost finished! YOu should get a prize for the longest completed fic or something.

 

SOme typos here and there, and great point about nemoidians on a budget.

 

And I find it funny that a Jedi master can be described as 'obedient'.

[Amidala Skywalker]

Excellent. I loved all the thought process there of Amidala--and I love that the idea was Obi-Wan's. I think this will work, too!

 

Great update, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they go about freeing Naboo. And of course, if there's a Darth Maul coming...and what Stass Allie's role will be.

[Anakin T Skywalker]

Great work, feels nice and solid and real!

[ForceFusion]

***

 

He hadn't really known exactly what was coming out of his mouth when he'd been explaining his plan to Vel and Anakin. It was as if it was all coming to him on the spur of the moment, and that rusted protocol droid had just been relaying it to the other ship. The other ship, of course, contained the Queen of the Democratic State of Naboo, and the fate of her people was now resting in the plan's of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Master-less Jedi Padawan. ”œMay the Force be with us,”

[Dartha Athanth]

Obi gets motion sicknesss!

 

This seems more like Death star 2 destruction than Ep 1 getting messed up. And the lastline made an Obidala seem possible.

 

Some punctuation issues, like Obi's question to anakin.

[Amidala Skywalker]

Yeah, I noticed a few punctuation things there and there too.

 

But excellent, excellent! Nice work depicting the battle...it was playing out vividly in my head. I like that Obi-Wan doesn't trust Ani's instincts yet...he'll learn.

 

Nice stuff...very nice...

[Anakin T Skywalker]

Obi gets motion sicknesss!

 

He does, actually, though usually from Anakin's flying! Good call, ForceFusion!

 

Great chapter, really enjoyed it. Just watch for run-on sentences and such.

[ForceFusion]

***Chapter Twenty-two

 

Darth Maul flipped high into the air, almost kicking the tall ceiling of the practice chamber in which he'd isolated himself. Just centimeters below his jumping form swept the thrumming blade of what could have taken his life. Currently Maul was honing his deadly skills by fighting against five specially programmed duelist droids, four of which were armed with practice lightsabers. It was the Sith apprentice's tradition, though, keep himself on edge, practicing as if his life depended on it, and so he'd adopted the tradition of arming one of his opponent droids ”“ a different, secret one every time ”“ with a real blade that would do more than the simple electric shock the practice blades dealt. Lord Sidious would surely approve of this practice: after all, it was common place for a Sith to toy with death.

 

Maul landed and with one side of his dual-bladed weapon blocked a blow coming from behind without sparing the droid so much as a glance. While ducking under another swipe from a third steel exoskeleton, he pushed out with the Force, to knock away the first two of his opponents. For the few moments it would take the droids to recover, he would only be concerned with the three remaining opponents.

 

Using the extra space wisely, Maul side-stepped a blow coming from his left, moving with the grace of a jungle feline, and roundhouse kicked to the side of an opponent's steel head. That victim stumbled, giving Maul an opportunity to thrust his lightsaber into what would have been a stomach on a flesh-and-blood enemy. The droid fell, twitching into electronic unconsciousness. After the duel, it would be able to mend itself.

 

The droids that had been pushed out of the way now re-joined the fight and Maul's two blades whipped and whizzed around him with blinding speed, blocking everything that came his way from the four blue weapons. As the attacks became more intense, forcing him to block high and low and back and front almost instantaneously, the apprentice realized he would fall if he continued to allow himself to be surrounded. With a great leap, he was above them, changing his course slightly by pushing off with a foot from one droid's metal skull. That one stumbled back and another one found Maul's lightsaber gouging through a photo-receptor. Two down, three to go.

 

The remaining droids rushed at him, forcing him back and back to the corner of the perfectly empty cube of a room. Their programming caused them to up the skill in their attacks as more of their partners fell. He ducked under an attack which scored a burn on the wall behind where his face had just been. Simultaneously he blocked two low blows from the other attackers. Instinctively he kicked around in an attempt to swipe their feet from under them, but all three of the droids stepped easily over his attack.

 

For an ever brief moment, Maul thought the unthinkable: he may not be able to handle the pressure the three opponents represented. He may fail. There was a chink in his confidence since his failure on Tatooine. Lord Sidious barely communicated with him now, and no new missions had been assigned since his return to Coruscant. That wretched old man of a Jedi Dooku seemed to be the object of the Sith Master's eye. Had Sidious discarded Maul in favor of Dooku? Was Maul's life forfeit, a failed project, worth nothing? Would it affect the galaxy one iota if he gave into the attacks of the artificial enemies which now had him cornered?

 

Hatred. Hatred of himself, of Dooku, of failure, of the Jedi, of the galaxy that spun so steadily and pointlessly as its inhabitants bickered, hatred of the three pathetic steel lumps that towered over his crouching form now. Hatred fueled him. His arms lifted his weapon up, catching two of the three blows on their blades. The third blade was on a trajectory to cut through the middle of Maul's weapon, disconnecting the crimson lightsabers and ruining the most beautiful thing the Sith apprentice had ever crafted. But that third blade never reached its target. It was clattering to the floor without a wielder, for its droid had been shoved by the invisible hand of the Force across the room. It slammed so hard into the wall that it did not rise again.

 

Feverishly Maul rose to his feet, the power from his anger pushing the two blades and their metal holders back. He lashed hard and quickly out, his opponents now being put on the defensive for the first time in minutes. His attack was relentless, but the droids adapted, growing stronger with every attack. Maul would not back down.

 

He swiped low and high, almost simultaneously, feinting and kicking and punching without remorse. He allowed the two to get on either side of him, just for a challenge, just to see what he could do.

 

But before Maul found could find out, he heard a chirping from his discarded robe. His comm link was calling out to him. His Master was calling. Quite the quandary. He could not deactivate the droids without killing them, and he would not allow himself to keep his Master waiting long. He'd rather be stricken down by the two blue blades.

 

The comm link beeped again, as Maul blocked a low strike from his right and then twisted duck under a high blow from his left. He riposted against the first attack, hoping to score a killing blow, but no such luck. Kicking at the opponent to his left the droid opponent there leapt over the strike and retaliated with a blow meant to sever Maul's head from his shoulders. He blocked it, the red blade clashing with the blue as his flesh-and-blood strength matched and struggled against the mechanical strength of the droid.

 

The comm link beeped again.

 

Sweat began to slip down from his horned scalp onto his brow, and that had nothing to do with the flashing lightsaber that was coming towards his back. With a flick of the Force he sent the droid's blow just wide, then kicked at a knee, landing a successful hit, sending the droid staggering back, all the while holding the pressing blue blade on his own.

 

The comm link beeped again.

 

Enough. His Master had waited long enough. He would answer before the next beep or die at the hands of his own training droids. In an instant a plan was in his mind and surging through his muscles, throwing his body into action. And it was all based on one terrible risk: one of the droids had the real blade, the one that could cut him down forever. If it was the blade pushing down against his own right now, Maul's life was likely forfeit.

 

With a surge from the Force, Maul broke the contact between the two blades and sprung away from the first droid, flying head-first toward the staggering droid he'd kicked a moment earlier, leaving his back open to the blade of the first. Without remorse, he clutched the droid's wrist in his hand and plunged his red lightsaber into its chest. They collapsed together, and Maul began to spin into the second phase of his plan, waiting for either shock or burn of the first droid's attack.

 

As he expected, his one opponent was hurtling toward him too quickly for Maul to avoid, the blue blade that held his fate aimed directly into his left side. It landed as Maul twisted, and the Sith apprentice felt his muscles spasm in pain that rippled through the rest of his body.

 

Only shock. His risk had paid off. He ignored the pain and slammed the droid's head into the ground before taking his own blade through its now exposed neck. Standing, forcing adrenaline through his body at sickening speeds, he dashed across the room to where his comm link was about to beep again.

 

”œMaster,”

[Amidala Skywalker]

Nice dueling post. It's really nice to see Maul in action a bit, and you did a great job with his anger and hatred towards not only the Jedi but Dooku as well. I liked the ending of the duel too. Nice work. I am so bad at writing dueling scenes...I need to take some hints from you.

 

It was also nicely placed--everything has been happening really fast in the last few chapters, and it's good to give the reader a slower chapter here and there for them to catch up and breathe a bit. I mean, it's different for us, since we're reading it online and the posts only come every few days, but if it were a novel, that would be something really important that you are pulling off perfectly.

[Anakin T Skywalker]

Awesome, loved the duel, and the hints of a Sith fight between Maul and Dooku.

 

This is what the rule of two is for!

[ForceFusion]

***

 

The cargo hold of Jango Fett's Slave I was dark and cramped with Kit Fisto and Aayla Secura crammed inside. As far as the Jedi Master could tell, the ship hadn't moved in the time they'd been captured. And he couldn't figure out just how long that time had been. All he knew was that occasionally he still felt the pain of headaches resulting from the stun blast to his face in the confrontation that had led to his capture. More importantly, though, Aayla had completely recovered from the blast that had knocked her unconscious and into the depths of the sea from which Kit had saved her.

 

There was, of course, one thing missing from the puzzle: the Force. It had come as a frustration, though not much of a surprise, that Jango Fett had a Force-quieting ysilimir somewhere near the cargo hold. The ysilimiri were one of the few species to have developed a protective ability that blocked the power of the Force, projecting up to ten meters in diameter where a Jedi could not access or feel the Force at all. Luckily for Kit, he'd trained with the wretched things and had experienced them enough that he wasn't overly affected by the absence of his mystical ally. Aayla, however, had woken up screaming from her unconsciousness, and though she did not show her inner feelings, it was obvious that the first few days ”“ or what Kit assumed to be a few days ”“ had been very difficult for the young apprentice. Occasionally, she still tossed and turned with nightmares.

 

They passed their time attempting to come up with escape plans or theorizing as to Fett's connection with the mysterious underwater facilities that were rumored throughout Tipoca City and how that might be connected to the assassination attempt on Senator Organa's life that had started this whole mess. But they developed nothing solid, nothing that Kit was satisfied with. Escape was difficult when you were locked away and stripped down to only your robes, which had been thoroughly searched and rid of any useful items. They were left with only their own bodies and the cloth of their robes and were trapped behind bars of Mandolarian iron, one of the toughest substances known to the galaxy, even rumored to withstand a blow from a lightsaber blade. Jango was the most successful bounty hunter in the galaxy for a reason: he'd thought of everything his captives could do to escape. He delivered their food in full armor with his thirteen year old son Boba as backup and saw them at no other time. They relieved themselves in a can which was taken out and replaced only at meal times, and always at blaster-point. Neither Jango nor Boba said as much as a word to help their event-connecting theories, either.

 

Though Kit's mind was always working, he found himself spending more time in silence. He'd felt the subtle weight of hopelessness settling on his heart as more and more of the ideas he and Aayla vocalized became less and less plausible. Most of his thoughts now were spent on figuring out just what Jango Fett intended to do with them. Ransom them back to the Jedi? Keep them as a prize? Was he auctioning them off to the highest bidder, the most spiteful enemy of the Jedi Order? The stress of the unknown was creeping into his muscles, and without the guiding and comforting hand of the Force, it was difficult to keep himself hopeful and right-minded. It was a struggle, but he managed.

 

The clanking boots of Jango Fett and his well-trained son could be heard now elsewhere in the ship and headed toward them. Odd. It wasn't time for another meal, unless Kit had lost more time in his thoughts that it seemed. He prodded Aayla awake before the two Fetts became visible. She was alert in a moment.

 

Jango was carrying something, not a meal tray. Boba was, too, but it was wrapped around his shoulders and wriggling. It was surely the ysilimir. Jango, in the hand opposite his blaster hand, had what looked like a communications device. At a second glance, Kit recognized it to be a Jedi long-range comm unit, the one he'd been carrying with him on this mission.

 

”œUp, Jedi,”

[Amidala Skywalker]

Wow....so Jango showed them his clones...and he's setting them free...I sense things going on under the surface for Jango. This is getting more and more interesting...and so Naboo becomes Geonosis...

 

Fascinating stuff, Fusion. I am loving this so much...

 

One note--it's spelled "ysalamiri", not "ysilimiri". I think in the canon version, the Jedi of this time didn't know about them, but of course, this being AU, it's totally fine--and actually a nice touch.

[Dartha Athanth]

Ooo Boba's 13 here.

 

Loved this update, cos I love your Kit and aayla. Though I would expect them to think more about the clones and their implications. But I guess, as Fett said, Kit isn't the thinking type.

[Anakin T Skywalker]

Cool update! I really liked it! I love how Jango seems... conflicted, almost.

[ForceFusion]

***Chapter Twenty-three

 

Theed City was burning. It took every morsel of strength for Padmè not to weep and collapse into a heap of a pathetic teenage girl. A sixteen year old should never watch her home being burnt to the ground, much less feel the responsibility for saving it on her shoulders. Yet this was the weight settling into Queen Amidala's chest as she stared out the viewport of the Elegance in disbelief.

 

Swarms of droid starfighters chased their Naboo counterparts, yellow N-1 fighters, over the city, outnumbering the defenders by more than three to one. Naboo's ships were faster and more maneuverable, but were outmatched for weapons. The Trade Federation fighters had almost free reign over the city, those not pursuing a defending pilot dropping missiles on the once bright marble buildings of Theed.

 

On the streets, Padmè could see small moving figures, the residents of the city, running terrified down the streets, usually in clumps herded by the light brown form of battle droids, occasionally shooting red blasts into those crowds.

 

In that moment, she felt the pain of her people, and she knew the heartache of failure. But she did not allow a single tear. Not here, not in public. She was the leader of an invaded nation, and it would not do to show weakness. She was not alone in her quest. Beside her sat a competent Jedi padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Jedi Master Stass Allie. Her longtime friend Captain Panaka piloted her ship, and on their wing was a powerful young man, Anakin Skywalker, and his unpredictable pilot friend Vel Taph. With this small band of heroes assembled, surely they could turn the tide of this battle. She hoped.

 

”œYour majesty,”

[Dartha Athanth]

Ooo this is much more serious than Ep 1! The Ep 1 city just seemed deserted. A nice read before I head to class.

 

C3P0 is being an ass again...

[Amidala Skywalker]

Excellent, again! I agree with Darsha that this feels darker, with more despair. I have never thought about what she said...about the city feeling empty, but she's right.

 

I like their plan of attack...and Obi-Wan still might get the chance to kill Maul! I love the parallels between this and the real one...and the differences!

 

Can't wait for more!