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crack_van2009-05-09 10:56 am
malabud.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2009-05-09 10:56 am
Entry tags:
Between Flight and Longing by Sheila Snow (PG-13)
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malabud. Sorry for the late start this month. Hopefully I will make up for it with the slate of great SW fic I have to rec. So, without further ado, let's get started.
Fandom: STAR WARS OT
Pairing: Gen
Length: 51,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Websites: Sheila Snow's FFN Profile
Why this must be read:
Within the Luke-Vader father/son sub-genre of Star Wars fic, there is a sub-sub-genre (probably started by a fic challenge somewhere) of "Luke and Vader go camping." Sounds corny, doesn't it? But such fics actually tend to be surprisingly good. Some of the plot contrivances the authors go through to get Luke and Vader on what passes for a camping trip can be very interesting, to say the least. Most of these fics simply isolate Luke and Vader in the wilderness on some forsaken planet and force them to work together for their mutual survival for a period of time. Character interaction and reconciliation is often the point and the goal of these stories.
In this particular version of the father and son camping trip, Luke is dying from a rare disease. The Alliance cannot waste resources on a lost cause, but Han Solo and Leia Organa work tirelessly to save their friend. They manage to wrest an aging ship from the Alliance, and Han and Luke set out on a desperate mission to a forgotten planet that may have a cure for Luke. Naturally, they crash, and Vader just happens to crash as well.
What follows is an interesting character study of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader. Vader plots to kill Solo, but does not want to unnecessarily alienate his unknowning son. (The story is set post-A New Hope, but pre-Empire Strikes Back.) Luke is confused by the feelings he senses from Vader. And Han is just trying to keep himself and Luke alive long enough to find a cure, which looks less and less likely as time goes on. On top of all that, Luke was injured in the crash and is slowly getting worse.
This is the best of the camping fics I've read. The addition of Han Solo to the mix is inspired. He muddies the waters just enough so that Vader and Luke do not reach an understanding too soon. The end of the story leaves ample room for a sequel, which has not yet been written, if it ever will be. Even so, this is an excellent and well told story. Highly recommended.
* * *
Although every man believes that his decisions and resolutions involve the most multifarious factors, in reality they are a mere oscillation between flight and longing.
-- Herman Broch
Han Solo glanced worriedly at the occupant of the co-pilot's seat and realized he'd done it once too often when he heard the soft, exasperated-sounding sigh coming from his friend.
"I'm not going to break into little pieces, you know."
Han winced. It wasn't that he minded getting caught -- he never let anyone's opinion get in the way of what he felt was right. It was merely the painful necessity of those covert glances that upset him -- the absolute compulsion to make sure his friend was still there, was still . . . okay.
The kid didn't like to be coddled though, so he probably shouldn't let on how worried he really was. "Well, now, that's a good thing," he said brightly. "This hunk of junk may not be the Falcon, but I'm still not gonna be the one pickin' up all those messy pieces."
"Ah, I see. You're the captain, so minor housekeeping duties are utterly beneath you."
"Got it in one, kid."
Luke Skywalker smiled wanly at him, and that made Han's efforts to keep up the idle banter worthwhile, even though his insides were tied into more knots than a Corellian holodrama.
His smuggler friends would have scoffed at the idea that Han Solo, with his reputation for ruthlessness and never letting personal feelings get in the way of making a profit, would actually participate in an expedition like this. There was no financial gain, no material benefit, no reward -- no monetary reward, that was.
Han would be the first to tell anyone that forming personal attachments was crazy, because nothing in the galaxy was fair, and contrary to the popular belief of the unwashed masses...Bad Things did happen to Good People.
And none of that made the current situation any easier to bear.
Frustrated beyond all measure, Han punched a control on the panel with a little more force than absolutely necessary, and the blasted thing had the temerity to "bleek" a protest at him. Snarling, Han punched it again.
Luke's hand reached out and gripped his arm lightly. "Han, it'll be all right."
"That's easy for you to say!" Han snapped, but he stopped abruptly when he saw Luke's head tilt sideways, the smile on his face an obvious gentle reproof. Embarrassed, Han lowered both his eyes and his volume. "Okay, so I guess it's not easy for you to say."
"We'll find it," Luke said.
All those weeks of frantic search, sleepless nights and haunted dreams must have finally caught up with Han, because his reply felt like it was physically wrenched from him. "How do you know that? Damn it, Luke, we're chasing some obscure legend from an extinct species who didn't even have a written language!"
"At least there shouldn't be any translation discrepancies."
Between Flight and Longing
malabud. Sorry for the late start this month. Hopefully I will make up for it with the slate of great SW fic I have to rec. So, without further ado, let's get started.Fandom: STAR WARS OT
Pairing: Gen
Length: 51,000 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Websites: Sheila Snow's FFN Profile
Why this must be read:
Within the Luke-Vader father/son sub-genre of Star Wars fic, there is a sub-sub-genre (probably started by a fic challenge somewhere) of "Luke and Vader go camping." Sounds corny, doesn't it? But such fics actually tend to be surprisingly good. Some of the plot contrivances the authors go through to get Luke and Vader on what passes for a camping trip can be very interesting, to say the least. Most of these fics simply isolate Luke and Vader in the wilderness on some forsaken planet and force them to work together for their mutual survival for a period of time. Character interaction and reconciliation is often the point and the goal of these stories.
In this particular version of the father and son camping trip, Luke is dying from a rare disease. The Alliance cannot waste resources on a lost cause, but Han Solo and Leia Organa work tirelessly to save their friend. They manage to wrest an aging ship from the Alliance, and Han and Luke set out on a desperate mission to a forgotten planet that may have a cure for Luke. Naturally, they crash, and Vader just happens to crash as well.
What follows is an interesting character study of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader. Vader plots to kill Solo, but does not want to unnecessarily alienate his unknowning son. (The story is set post-A New Hope, but pre-Empire Strikes Back.) Luke is confused by the feelings he senses from Vader. And Han is just trying to keep himself and Luke alive long enough to find a cure, which looks less and less likely as time goes on. On top of all that, Luke was injured in the crash and is slowly getting worse.
This is the best of the camping fics I've read. The addition of Han Solo to the mix is inspired. He muddies the waters just enough so that Vader and Luke do not reach an understanding too soon. The end of the story leaves ample room for a sequel, which has not yet been written, if it ever will be. Even so, this is an excellent and well told story. Highly recommended.
* * *
Although every man believes that his decisions and resolutions involve the most multifarious factors, in reality they are a mere oscillation between flight and longing.
-- Herman Broch
Han Solo glanced worriedly at the occupant of the co-pilot's seat and realized he'd done it once too often when he heard the soft, exasperated-sounding sigh coming from his friend.
"I'm not going to break into little pieces, you know."
Han winced. It wasn't that he minded getting caught -- he never let anyone's opinion get in the way of what he felt was right. It was merely the painful necessity of those covert glances that upset him -- the absolute compulsion to make sure his friend was still there, was still . . . okay.
The kid didn't like to be coddled though, so he probably shouldn't let on how worried he really was. "Well, now, that's a good thing," he said brightly. "This hunk of junk may not be the Falcon, but I'm still not gonna be the one pickin' up all those messy pieces."
"Ah, I see. You're the captain, so minor housekeeping duties are utterly beneath you."
"Got it in one, kid."
Luke Skywalker smiled wanly at him, and that made Han's efforts to keep up the idle banter worthwhile, even though his insides were tied into more knots than a Corellian holodrama.
His smuggler friends would have scoffed at the idea that Han Solo, with his reputation for ruthlessness and never letting personal feelings get in the way of making a profit, would actually participate in an expedition like this. There was no financial gain, no material benefit, no reward -- no monetary reward, that was.
Han would be the first to tell anyone that forming personal attachments was crazy, because nothing in the galaxy was fair, and contrary to the popular belief of the unwashed masses...Bad Things did happen to Good People.
And none of that made the current situation any easier to bear.
Frustrated beyond all measure, Han punched a control on the panel with a little more force than absolutely necessary, and the blasted thing had the temerity to "bleek" a protest at him. Snarling, Han punched it again.
Luke's hand reached out and gripped his arm lightly. "Han, it'll be all right."
"That's easy for you to say!" Han snapped, but he stopped abruptly when he saw Luke's head tilt sideways, the smile on his face an obvious gentle reproof. Embarrassed, Han lowered both his eyes and his volume. "Okay, so I guess it's not easy for you to say."
"We'll find it," Luke said.
All those weeks of frantic search, sleepless nights and haunted dreams must have finally caught up with Han, because his reply felt like it was physically wrenched from him. "How do you know that? Damn it, Luke, we're chasing some obscure legend from an extinct species who didn't even have a written language!"
"At least there shouldn't be any translation discrepancies."
Between Flight and Longing