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crack_van2005-05-03 04:16 pm
malabud.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2005-05-03 04:16 pm
Entry tags:
The Only Question by FernWithy (PG)
Hello! I am your Star Wars fanfic reccer for the month of May. In honor of the final Star Wars movie premiering this month, my recommendations will generally focus on the central character in the series as a whole, namely Darth Vader / Anakin Skywalker.
Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Gen
Length: 3,500 words
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fernwithy
Author Website: Vader's Mask, Fern's Humongous Bighead Site
Why this must be read:
In this story, Leia and Vader have a brief but gripping confrontation during Han Solo's torture at Cloud City. Vader asks Leia the one question she can never answer. He wants from her the one thing she promised she would never say. Had she told the truth, everything would have changed, but neither character knows that. We also learn why Leia was not tortured; she had her own pain to broadcast to Luke, but it was emotional rather than physical pain.
The story's point of view shifts from Leia to Vader and then back again, so we know both characters' thoughts, but there is still much going on beneath the surface of which neither are fully aware. This story achingly portrays two people who once wanted to understand each other. Now, however, they are both too hurt by what each did to the other in the past to come to any understanding. They are also too much alike to recognize their similarity and from whence it comes.
This missing-scene moment fits nicely into The Empire Strikes Back, although portions of it will become AU once Revenge of the Sith hits theaters on May 19. It is also a brief follow-up to Father's Heart, which was recommended by a previous Star Wars crack van driver here.
* * *
Vader hooked his hands onto his belt. For a moment, he had nearly forgotten why he was here, nearly forgotten the search he had devoted the last three years to. Luke. It was about his son, and nothing more. Anything the Princess had to say was merely a tool to use in that endeavor.
"I regret losing your good opinion," he said, modulating his voice to a softer tone. He looked back at her. "There was a time when I valued it."
"It was a lie then." She got to her feet, then made her dizzy way to the sofa. He'd forgotten for a moment that he might have injured her head. "I once thought you might know something worth talking about, but that's a long way from a 'good opinion.'"
"Lying doesn't suit you, Leia," he said. He had not used her proper name for many years -- not since their relationship had grown cooler and more formal -- but she took no notice of it. "I have long memories of our years together."
"Yeah. Me, too. I particularly value the one where you were kind enough to visit me in prison on board the Death Star. And the support you gave me when my homeworld was destroyed. And of course we can't forget you bringing me my mother's body. Can I look forward to you handing me Han's as well?" Her voice rasped on the last, and Vader could tell that she really did fear this. She whirled away, apparently less than certain what her face was projecting. There were, Vader reflected, advantages to masks.
The Only Question
Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Gen
Length: 3,500 words
Author on LJ:
fernwithyAuthor Website: Vader's Mask, Fern's Humongous Bighead Site
Why this must be read:
In this story, Leia and Vader have a brief but gripping confrontation during Han Solo's torture at Cloud City. Vader asks Leia the one question she can never answer. He wants from her the one thing she promised she would never say. Had she told the truth, everything would have changed, but neither character knows that. We also learn why Leia was not tortured; she had her own pain to broadcast to Luke, but it was emotional rather than physical pain.
The story's point of view shifts from Leia to Vader and then back again, so we know both characters' thoughts, but there is still much going on beneath the surface of which neither are fully aware. This story achingly portrays two people who once wanted to understand each other. Now, however, they are both too hurt by what each did to the other in the past to come to any understanding. They are also too much alike to recognize their similarity and from whence it comes.
This missing-scene moment fits nicely into The Empire Strikes Back, although portions of it will become AU once Revenge of the Sith hits theaters on May 19. It is also a brief follow-up to Father's Heart, which was recommended by a previous Star Wars crack van driver here.
* * *
Vader hooked his hands onto his belt. For a moment, he had nearly forgotten why he was here, nearly forgotten the search he had devoted the last three years to. Luke. It was about his son, and nothing more. Anything the Princess had to say was merely a tool to use in that endeavor.
"I regret losing your good opinion," he said, modulating his voice to a softer tone. He looked back at her. "There was a time when I valued it."
"It was a lie then." She got to her feet, then made her dizzy way to the sofa. He'd forgotten for a moment that he might have injured her head. "I once thought you might know something worth talking about, but that's a long way from a 'good opinion.'"
"Lying doesn't suit you, Leia," he said. He had not used her proper name for many years -- not since their relationship had grown cooler and more formal -- but she took no notice of it. "I have long memories of our years together."
"Yeah. Me, too. I particularly value the one where you were kind enough to visit me in prison on board the Death Star. And the support you gave me when my homeworld was destroyed. And of course we can't forget you bringing me my mother's body. Can I look forward to you handing me Han's as well?" Her voice rasped on the last, and Vader could tell that she really did fear this. She whirled away, apparently less than certain what her face was projecting. There were, Vader reflected, advantages to masks.
The Only Question