SMST: The Life and Times of Darth Lune 13 – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: "Sailor Moon", "Star Trek", "Star Wars" and other genres belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre story.
Part 13: "Hard Times".
Last time: With the Sith Lord "Empress Serenity" preoccupied with the take over of the Milky Way Galaxy, her apprentice "Darth Vader" has directed a pogrom against the Rebel Alliance...starting with the rebels of the icy world of Hoth. Thankfully, after a narrow escape, Commanders Luke Skywalker of Tattooine and Mari Furuhata of Earth are on their way to the planet Dagobah, where they are to continue their Jedi training, while Princess Leia of Alderaan and the others make their escape as well...
Location: The Dagobah System.
For some time now, the great Jedi Master Yoda, a tiny, green creature who possessed great wisdom and a wiry wit, was training Luke Skywalker and Mari Furuhata. When the two first met him, both of them had assumed that they knew Yoda, rather than being Yoda himself…
FLASHBACK!
Mari was laughing her head off, as Luke sputtered nasty swamp water out of his mouth.
"Very funny!" Luke said. "It's not MY fault that you didn't plot the landing coordinates properly!"
"And it's not MY fault that you assumed that what you were standing on was solid ground!" Mari replied.
"Well, we're not going anywhere, that's for sure. I just hope that this great Jedi master is worth it. I hate to spend my life here on this planet with YOU."
"You're saying I'm an annoyance?"
"No, I'm not."
"So…what you're saying is that if we WERE stuck here, you wouldn't want me to be around."
"That's not it at all! It's just that…FORGET IT!"
"Well, fine! BE that way!"
And off Mari stomps away.
Luke sighed. He has had a feeling that Mari liked him more than a friend, but his heart was with Leia…right?
I better see where she's going, Luke thought to himself.
He then turns to R2-D2, the astromech droid.
"R2, let's see where she went to," Luke says.
R2 chirped his reply.
A short time later, Luke and R2 come across the smell of cooked meats.
"I wonder where that's coming from…"
When he came across a clearing, he could see Mari eating soup with some short, green guy.
"Hey, Luke!" Mari called out. "You got to try this…Sir, what is this again?"
"Lizard soup, it is," said the creature.
"What he said."
Luke shakes his head. That girl could eat anything.
"Name, what is?" asked the creature.
"Luke. Luke Skywalker, sir."
"Luke, he promised to show us how to contact Yoda," Mari says. "Right?"
"Indeed."
"So…do you know Yoda?" Luke asked, as he squats down to face the creature.
"Know him, I do," the creature says. "He, I am!"
"?"
"YOU are the Jedi Master Yoda?" Mari asked.
"Of course, I am he," Yoda says. "What do you want, tell me?"
Mari got on her knees.
"Master Yoda, can you complete our training in the Jedi Arts? We've come a long way to seek your teachings."
"And with them, we can help the Rebellion defeat the Galactic Imperium," Luke says.
Yoda's expression turns grim.
"Jedi Holicron, you must give me," Yoda says.
Shrugging, Mari takes it out of her pouch, and hands it to Yoda. Upon holding it, it began to glow…
"Wow!" Luke said, as a holographic projection of the entire Lucas Galaxy appears. "It never did THAT before!"
"Master the Force you do, more access you will have," Yoda says.
"The Jedi Order," the cube began to say, "Has existed for thousands of cycles. In recent years, the Sith Lord, "Darth Lune", has succeeded in driving the Jedi to the point of extinction."
Then, a holographic image of Darth Lune appears…
Mari gasped. She has suspected that Empress Serenity was a Sith, but she never expected that she was THE Lord of the Sith.
"Mari?" Luke asked with concern.
"I…I'm fine, Luke. Can you put away that image, Master Yoda?"
When the holicron shuts down, Yoda refocuses his thoughts on the two Jedi fledglings.
"Easy, your path will not. Sure, are you?"
Luke and Mari take a look at each other, and nod to each other.
"We will do what it takes, sir," Luke said.
"Good. First lesson, you two have passed," Yoda says with approval.
END FLASHBACK!
Mari finished her meditation exercises. She then gets up, and takes out her lightsaber…
SNAP! Hzzzzz…
Her green-bladed "lightsaber" hummed, as she began to go over her Jedi forms. Being the "Shin-Senshi of Jupiter", Mari focused on strength and power in her forms.
But there was also something else in her mind:
Empress Serenity.
Even after all this time, she STILL couldn't believe there was someone out there that looks like Neo-Queen Serenity, back home at Crystal Tokyo. She cannot believe that such a kind-hearted soul would have a doppelganger. And if it was indeed the Neo-Queen, then all hope was lost.
Location: Coruscant.
"I would like to propose a toast," Empress Serenity said, as she raised her glass in salute. She was dressed in her all-black formal gown. On her left (and slightly behind) stood Sith Lord Darth Vader; on her right (and slightly behind) stood her latest find, Sith Acolyte "Mara Jade", one of the "Empress' Hands". She was chosen after it was decided that she needed a personal bodyguard besides her red-clad Royal Guard. In fact, this particular servant was special, since Mara was the perfected version of Ranma Saotome's female form.
Sitting at the corner of the large banquet table (facing 45 degrees towards the Empress) was the new Supreme Moff T'Pol, who will replace her outgoing predecessor. The Supreme Moff was the top military commander and governor, second only to the Empress and Lord Vader. Each Moff controlled a sector of the Lucas Galaxy, while the Grand Moffs controlled a quadrant. Underneath them were millions of troops, clone and droid alike. In recent years, the Empress has order a new generation of clones, modeled after the Empress childhood friend Ranma Saotome, as well as herself. The Empress's clones would serve within the Intelligence apparatus, while the clones of Ranma (which also possess the Jusenkyo curse that allows the clones to switch genders) would serve in the Security apparatus). Soon, they will be deployed to increase the ranks of her forces.
"I congratulate Supreme Moff Hoshi Sato for successfully defeating the Terran Empire and capturing Earth for the Imperium," Serenity says. "And I wish her well as the new 'High Queen' of Earth."
There was some polite clapping from the rest of the general staff. The old crew from the ISS Enterprise had been promoted to fill in some key posts.
"Thank you, ma'am," Hoshi says. "I will do you proud."
"I know you will…Queen Hoshi."
Meanwhile, Grand Moff John Archer sat in his seat fuming. It should be HIM who gets to be ruler of the Earth…
CRASH!
All eyes turned towards Archer, who had just smashed his plate full of food.
"Is there something the matter, Grand Moff Archer?" Serenity asked, as she sat back down. She already knew what was going on, since she had learned of Archer's plan to undermine her authority in the Outer Rim. Shelling enough rumors on her part was enough for Archer and his cohorts to table their plans.
Not that it made Archer any happier.
"Oh, nothing," Archer said, as he wiped his hands.
"No, I insist, Admiral."
Moffs Charles Tucker, Malcolm Reed, Lee Merewether and Phlox looked at each other nervously. They had a bad feeling of what is about to go down…
"Very well," Archer began. "We sit here in celebration for the promotion of a woman who SLEPT her way to her position. And it is all because of some WHORE who PRETENDS to rule an entire galaxy!"
Suddenly-
SNAP! Hzzzzz-
FWOOSH!
SLICE!
Within a blink of an eye, Serenity got up from her seat, ran down the long dining hall, and cut off Archer's head with her crimson-colored lightsaber.
Archer's body slumps, while Hoshi smirks.
Hzzzzz-SNAP!
"Now," Serenity said, as she regained her composure. "I will only say this ONCE. So long as you all serve my ends, you may do as you please. I reward good work, after all. And you may talk to me about anything to make MY rule and OUR Empire more efficient. No subject is taboo…except for what was just spoken by our LATE Grand Moff. Repeat what he has said to me or to anyone else, and I will add your head to my collection. So if there anything you need to say to me right now…NOW IS THE TIME TO SPEAK UP!"
Silence.
Then, Lord Vader touches the receiver of his comlink.
"My Empress," 'Vader says, as he steps forth. "I have just received word from my contacts that the Rebel ship, the Millennium Falcon, has been 'detained' at the Cloud City of Bespin."
Serenity turns her head to face 'Vader.
"Then, by all means, prepare my ship; I will accompany you to this…Cloud City."
"As you wish, My Empress," 'Vader says.
"Supreme Moff T'Pol, have another Archer-clone ready for service as soon as possible."
"If I may ask, why? This is the second time you have killed Archer."
Serenity gives an empty smile.
"Because it suits me to teach Archer the art of submissiveness, T'Pol. That is why I require that you transfer his brain to his new body. After all, how can I teach Archer a lesson, if he is permanently dead?"
"As you wish, ma'am."
"The rest of you…DISMISS."
No one needed to question THAT.
(A/N: Just a homage to "Kill Bill, vol. 1"!)
Location: Dagobah.
"Face your fear, you must," Yoda says, as he and Mari stood in front the "Dark Side Cave". Luke had already experienced its power first hand, and was quite shaken by what happened to him there. Now, it was Mari's turn.
"Okay, Master Yoda," Mari said nervously. She sure wished that Zeus were there with her…
"I'm ready," Mari said, as she fingered her lightsaber.
"Told you, need not your weapon," Yoda said.
"Alright," Mari said, as she sat her lightsaber down by her pack. "Here goes nothing…"
Mari enters the cave. She can practically feel the darkness as a palatable force. She could feel the darkness envelop her…
Then, Mari sees a robed figure approach her.
"Who are you?"
The robed figure continues to approach her, as the figure activates a lightsaber.
SNAP! Hzzzzz…
SLICE!
Mari ducked of the way, but slipped and fell.
"Oof!"
The figure slowed down…and stopped.
"Don't!"
The figure then uses HER free hand to remove her robe's hood.
It was…Serenity?
"S-Serenity?"
"Serenity" then grabs her own face…and removes it to reveal…HER face?
"Wha-?"
Before Mari could do anything, Mari's doppelganger brings down her weapon.
"NO-!"
SLICE!
When Mari opened her eyes, the phantom was gone. What did her vision mean…?
Later…
"Complete your training, you two must," Yoda says, as Mari and Luke began their trip to rescue their friends. Together, Mari and Luke managed to raise their type-2 X-Wing Fighter (a two-seater) out of the bog.
"I have to go, Master Yoda," Luke said. "The others are in trouble!"
"Besides, he got me as his backup," Mari says.
Yoda sighs.
"Remember your training, always," Yoda says.
"We'll make you proud," Mari says, as she hugged Yoda.
"Know, I."
And with that, Luke and Mari leave Degobah behind…
Location: En route to Bespin.
Meanwhile, in a secluded section of the Super-Star Destroyer The Serenity…
Empress Serenity was in deep meditation, as she communed with the Sith Holicron, an object that was in the shape of a four-sided pyramid. She was using it in preparation for her up-coming confrontation.
"And so it begins…"
Tbc.
Next time: "Free Fall".
Author's note: This story will resolve itself through the New Jedi Order saga (post-Yuuzhan Vong War). C & C are welcome. See you later!