New Beginnings

by Jedi Amoira

New Beginnings Author: Jedi Amoira

Email--boysj@mailcity.com

Disclaimer-- The Star Wars universe is the property of George Lucas and LucasArts. This story contains allusions and/or spoilers to the "Heir to the Empire" trilogy by the Great Zahn. I'm not making any money off of them. Please don't print or post this elsewhere without my knowledge. Thanks.

Notes--Okay...this story is the first part of my attempt to fill in the blanks between "The Last Command" and "Jedi Search". I've never read "Dark Empire", but >from what I've heard, Mara Jade and Talon Karrde don't figure into it at all, which makes very little sense to me. A few of the major occurences of "Dark Empire" are included in various forms (such as Luke's research of Sith writings), but I can pretty much guarentee they're nothing like they were in the comic series. Also, don't be surprised if some of the characters act differently >from what you expect at first... __________________________________________________________________________

Part One--New Friends, Old voices

"Hang on a minute," Mara called, "I'll come with you." Luke stopped, his hand poised in midair above the door control, and glanced back over his shoulder at her. His face was veiled in shadow, but his broad grin was nearly blinding just the same. Mara stifled the sudden urge to smile in return and wondered with a touch of annoyance why Skywalker's moods always seemed to affect her so strongly. She tightened her fingers around the cold metal cylinder of the lightsaber until they felt nearly numb. "Stop gloating",she said as sharply as she could manage.

Skywalker's grin broadened in response, and he made a sort of half-hearted attempt to tone down his feelings. "Sorry," he murmured with an utter lack of conviction.

The corners of Mara's mouth twitched as she walked across the roof to join him. "What have I told you about prevaricating, farmboy?"

Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and hero of the Rebellion, looked down at her with boyish audacity. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he returned cheerfully.

Mara groaned. "That sounds like Solo's line."

"Actually," Skywalker admitted thoughtfully, "I did get it from him. How'd you know?"

Mara looked at him disbelievingly and snorted. Luke keyed the door open, and bowed to Mara, offering her his arm with an exaggerated flourish. Never one to back down from a challenge, she took his arm with courtly dignity. It took all her willpower not to fidget as they walked. She didn't know if Skywalker was uncomfortable or not, and couldn't quite bring herself to check. Probably not if his typical calm was any indication, a conviction that made her lower lip twist wryly.

Music floated faintly down the corridors. It was nothing like the stiff and stately chamber music of Imperial parties past. It was upbeat and irregular, just as mix-and-match as the government it celebrated. To her own vague surprise, she found that it didn't hurt her feelings. In fact, her feet tingled with the urge to dance. Memories of dancing and other parties surged over her. Mara stopped dead.

Skywalker walked forward another handful of steps, and was jerked abruptly backward when her arm reached the end of its extension. He stumbled, then turned around and looked at her with something not quite surprise brushing across his face and sense. "I'm not going", Mara began.

"Of course you--" Skywalker began to protest, his face earnest.

Mara held up a hand to forestall him. "Let me finish," she said with an edge of impatience. "I'm not going looking like this."

Skywalker looked at her with obvious incomprehension. "You look like you always do."

The consideration of whether that statement was more compliment or insult flickered to idle life. Barely stifling a snort of impatience, Mara pushed the thought aside. "Exactly."

Skywalker waited, still blank. She sighed. "This is a big state party, and everyone is going to be dressed up. Even if they weren't, Mon Mothma is going to make an announcement about the New Republic's agreement with the Smuggler's Alliance. Which means they're probably going to introduce me as the Liaison."

"Yeah," Skywalker agreed warily. "So?"

"When I agreed to come with you, it did mean that I was going to take the job," Mara replied to his unspoken question. "But if I'm going to do the job right, it means out-classing all the over-classy politicians."

The pause seemed to stretch forever. Mara stared Skywaker in the eye and refused to feel awkward. "I don't understand the logic," he sighed at last, "but that's why Leia's the politician. I do see the point. You need to change."

"You can go without me," she said. "I'll meet you there."

"I can go with you and wait," Skywalker countered. "I'm already late, and it won't take that long."

He didn't wantto let her out of his sight. Probably afraid that she'd change her mind and chicken out. "If you must," she allowed with a combination of amused tolerance and irritation. "My suite is that way." She pointed. *************************************************************************************************

Luke tried, he really did, but he couldn't help cringing when he walked into the loud discord of her suite. He thought he'd hidden it pretty well, but Mara speared him with a green-eyed glance. Then, to his complete shock, she began to laugh. Once his heart started again, he laughed too, just because her laughter was so contagious. It was warm and deep and playful, and made a profuse glow start somewhere deep in your heart. He couldn't believe he'd never thought he was missing something not hearing that sound. Weak with laughter, they drooped in toward one another, and Mara's hand inadvertently grazed Luke's. She yanked her hand away as if she been burned, and jumped back a little.

"It really is...hideous," she said, trying to sound as if nothing had happened. She was carefully avoiding looking at him. "I hate it too, but there didn't seem to be any reason to remodel if I was going to be shipping out with Karrde in a couple of weeks."

"Since you're going to be stuck here after all, I'd be glad to help you," Luke offered. "Call it self defense," he added.

Mara snorted. "You've definitely been spending too much time with me, Skywalker," she informed him. "That sounded just like me."

Luke laughed, and started to say something. "No," Mara answered before he could ask, "that doesn't mean I'm refusing your help."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Luke retorted teasingly, "you always have been practical to a fault."

Her sense and her lips both twitched tellingly, but Mara deigned to respond. "Make yourself at home," she said shortly, waving at her appalling couch. "I'll be out shortly."

"Take your time," Luke returned, leaning back casually.

She emerged five minutes later, and raised a questioning eyebrow at Skywalker. The Mara that had gone into the bedroom had been a bold, efficient, no-nonsense smuggler, determined ally, and semi-friend. She had looked the part, dressed in a stark and simple body-skimming jumpsuit and ankle-boots, long red-gold hair hanging in a neat braid down her back. The Mara that came out of the bedroom was someone else entirely.

Her hair had been swept smoothly back into a sleek vertical coil at the back of her head, held in place with a single silver comb. Long, thin strands of silver-set cesley stones trailed from her earlobes, drawing attention to the bare column of her neck, as did the plain silver band set with a trio of the icy-green cesleys that was draped along her neck, dipping just below the hollow in her throat. Her dress was such a pale green it was nearly white, and made of a type of silk so fine it glowed with a silver sheen. It had long, tight sleeves, and a neckline that ended in a v just above her breasts. When she turned to show him the full effect, Luke could see that the back was also cut in a v, ending just above her waist. A silver band chain like the one around her neck hung low around her hips like a sort of belt, the only interruption in the length of the dress from neck to ankles. The left side of the skirt had a slit that ran from the hem to the middle of Mara's thigh. The way the silk clung to Mara's skin and ran over her body led Luke to conclude this slit was strategically necessary for her to be able to move. Thanks to the narrow heels of the matching shoes, she was even a little taller, the top of her head even with his.

He opened his mouth to say something, realized he had no idea what to say, and closed it. He opened his mouth again, paused, then closed it again, defeated, and gestured helplessly with his arms. Mara regarded him with a quirked eyebrow and glimmerings of amusement around her sense.

"You'll do," he managed at last.

Mara snorted. "Then let's get this show on the road." *************************************************************************************************

Organa Solo's droid, Threepio, was standing outside the double doors to the Royal Ballroom. If anyone had asked, Mara would have told them that would have been one of the most painful things she could imagine seeing. Instead, it seemed droll. An impression which was only reinforced as the droid greeted them in its impossibly prissy voice. "Master Luke. Thank the Maker. People were beginning to wonder where you were."

"I had some business I had to take care of, Threepio, Skywalker responded gravely. "Business?", Mara repeated skeptically, she wasn't sure how she felt about that. Skywalker wisely ignored the question. Or maybe he hadn't heard. No, he'd heard it all right. He really was ignoring it. The conclusion amused her somehow. It also made her feel a little strange. She'd just been teasing Luke Skywalker. Mara had never really teased anyone, let alone a target.

"Of course. Enjoy the party. And, you too, of course, Mistress Mara," Threepio said.

Mara smiled mechanically at the droid as he opened the doors and stepped aside. "Thanks, Threepio," Skywalker said easily, as he ushered Mara past him into the ballroom. The ballroom full of talking, laughing people. Many of whom stopped talking and laughing to stare at her and Skywalker.

No one else would have even noticed. But Skywalker did. "Are you all right?," he murmured, his lips barely moving.

She moved the fingers of her hands inward slightly, the left touching the handle of her handy little blaster, the right grazing the cold solid weight of the lightsaber he'd given her. She swallowed once, slowly and deliberately, then took a deep breath. "Fine," she said firmly, squaring her shoulders and straightening her spine. His fingers touched the side of her hand, encouragingly.

Touching him made her feel safer, increasing her own discomfort. Luckily she didn't have time to try to sort it out. "Luke, you finally made it!," Organa Solo exclaimed from just in front of her. Skywalker hugged his sister as she kissed his cheek, picking her up and twirling her playfully around in a circle before setting her down on the floor. "Family tradition," Organa Solo explained a bit breathlessly, smiling at Mara. As out-of-character as the expression was, Mara tried to smile back. She thought she more or less succeeded.

At least she'd remembered to change, something she was incredibly grateful for looking at Organa Solo's ruby-studded curls, sleeveless calf-length white dance gown, and long ruby-colored jacket. Even Solo looked spit-shined, presenting a nice compliment to his wife in a crisp white tunic, embroidered red vest, military-creased black slacks and matching jacket. Even his boots were polished like mirrors. "Mara. Glad to see you decided to join us after all." he said a little formally.

You hardly needed to be Force-sensitive to see that he still wasn't entirely sure he trusted her not to make good on her promise not to kill Luke, no matter what he and she both said about the matter. Well, you couldn't blame him. His suspicions aside, Mara genuinely liked Han Solo, and she thought he liked her. "Thanks," she returned calmly. "Have you guys seen Karrde?"

"You've decided to accept the position as Liaison after all?," Organa Solo asked in a tone that made it clear she already knew the answer.

Mara shrugged. "I'll see what I can do."

Organa Solo and her brother exchanged a look that made Mara suspect they thought they knew something, but before she could comment, Lando swept into the group, cape fluttering behind him. He seized Organa Solo's hand and raised it to his lips. "Princess, you are more ravishing than ever," he proclaimed. Mara blinked. Her companions regarded Lando with tolerant amusement. Must be something did a lot. She began to scan the noisy masses for Karrde. Lando turned to greet her, then stopped and theatrically caught his breath. "Mara?," he said disbelievingly. "Mara Jade?"

"Yeah, that's me," she returned dryly. "Surely you remember me from all that time we spent together on Wayland?"

"I could never forget you, my dear," Lando returned. Mara stifled the urge to cough and flicked a questioning glance in Skywalker's direction. He shrugged. Mara gritted her teeth and sighed. "But never had I imagined the existence of a creature so lovely as you are tonight."

Mara grunted in a combination of disbelief and disgust as Solo and Organa Solo exchanged eloquent looks and Skywalker valiantly fought the urge to laugh. She withdrew her hand from his with painstaking care. "Calrissian. Have you seen Karrde?"

"I'm afraid not," he returned, unruffled, "but now that I'm here, you don't need him anyway." Mara quelled him with a look of her own. "Or I could go and find him for you as a token of my undying admiration," Lando continued smoothly. "Would you like a drink while I'm at it?"

"I would," volunteered Solo. Calrissian glared at him, but he just widened his eyes and spread his hands slightly.

"Anyone else?," Calrissian asked with the sigh of someone who knows he's been defeated.

"Thank you, Lando," Organa Solo said with stately grace in her voice and impish humor in her sense.

"Thanks Lando," Luke grinned.

"I'd appreciate it," Mara added dryly, as Chewbacca roared his own request from the fringe of their group.

Calrissian groaned like a martyr, bowed like a prince, and wandered off , his friends snickering at his expense. "I wonder how he's going to carry all those?," mused Organa Solo. The snickers became decidedly more pronounced.

Mara had seen the smugglers do similar things to one another, but this was the closest she'd ever come to being involved. She'd always thought it seemed ridiculously childish and pointless. Maybe it was, but somehow she wasn't surprised to find that it was also a lot of fun.

"Poor Lando," added Solo when they'd finally died down again.

"Is something wrong with General Calrissian?," inquired Karrde's carefully cultured tones.

"Nothing he didn't ask for," Mara assured him. "He'll be fine.' Karrde's eyes flicked over her in the way that was quickly becoming familiar and oddly reassuring. "Do I look okay?," she asked with sardonic humor.

"Impeccable, as always," he returned calmly. "I'm glad to see you changed your mind. Are you enjoying the party?"

"I haven't been here long," Mara returned in similar tones.

"Well let me introduce you to some of the people you'll be working with," Karrde said with a slight smile, making her wonder in passing if she was so transparent the only person who hadn't known she'd decide to stay as Liaison was herself. It wasn't an idea she particularly relished.

She inclined her head in silent acquiesence, and plucked the frosty glass from Calrissian's hand as they walked past him. "Excellent timing, Karrde."

"I do try," he allowed modestly.

'But...where is she going?," Lando asked plaintively, staring at Mara and Karrde's retreating backs.

"What difference does it make to you?," Han retorted with the start of a sly grin. He casually appropriated a drink with easy grace, and handed it to his wife. "I thought you didn't like her?"

"I just didn't know her," Lando returned as Han grabbed his own drink.

To his surprise, Luke found that he was glowering in Lando's direction. Leia hadn't noticed the glower, but the swift flicker of hot protective jealousy had been impossible to miss. Her face was tranquil, but there was a question in her dark eyes. He shrugged fractionally. She frowned at him.

"Looks like Mon Mothma's about to make that speech of hers," Han remarked before the argument could go further, pointing toward the band platform. *************************************************************************************************

Mara concluded her impromptu acceptance speech. She wished the applause made her want to smile, but it only made her feel dislocated, as if her universe weren't quite real.

"An encouraging response," Karrde observed as they drew off to the side. "I assume you'll see us off tomorrow?" She nodded, feeling uncharacteristically incapable of speech. He smiled at her, and disappeared into the crowd. To make more contacts, she knew. To a smuggler, contacts were everything. Well, to Karrde, almost everything.

She understood, but she didn't know what to do next. Since Skywalker and his family were the only people present who didn't actively distrust her, she guessed she'd rejoin them for a while until she could leave without looking untrustworthy and unappreciative. That would be a bad way to start her new duties, much as she wanted to leave.

Someone's sense brushed her mind. //Sk-// no, it wasn't him. Mara stiffened, feeling ice creep over her skin. But the touch was as familiar as breathing. Every cell in her body stood on end. //It can't be//, she told herself firmly. //He's dead. Dead and gone. You're free of him at last. This is the start of your future.// Cold ran along her spine, and every alarm in the back of her head was still screaming.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Mara slipped through the crowd to a secluded corner of the ballroom. Before she could sit down and try to sort out her sudden fear, her entire body exploded in a fireball of bitterness, betrayal, and anger that made her gasp. Screams rippled through the Force, hitting her like little slaps. Her knees gave out, and she slid to the floor, clutching her temples in her hands as the impossible voice came from the grave to demand //Mara Jade, Mara Jade, My Hand. Have you forgotten me?//

She knew she had barely touched the floor, but it seemed like she'd been sitting there for centuries before Skywalker's hands rested on her shoulders. He pulled back and swore under his breath. "You're cold as frozen meth." He put his hands over hers on her temples, and she felt the Force flowing from her through her, washing the pain and fear slowly away, and warming her soul deep chill. Belatedly, she discovered that she was clutching her head, shaking it wildly back and forth like a wounded animal trying to escape something that was blinding it. With a Herculean effort, she stopped and wrenched her hands away >from her head. She rested them, shaking, in her lap.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and found herself staring deeply into two silver-blue ones inches away >from hers. "Mara," Skywalker said aloud, and his relief was nearly overpowering, in spite of the fact she couldn't actually feel it through all the barriers she'd instinctively slapped up between herself and the Force.

"Thanks, Skywalker," she said wryly. Her voice shook too. "There's another I owe you. Good thing you let me run a tab."

"I figure you're the kind of person it's good to have in your debt," he returned, but worry lurked deep in his eyes, and he didn't smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be better when you convince me no one saw me collapse, or the much-vaunted Jedi Knight and hero of the Rebellion bolt through a state party like Vader was on his exhaust trail," she retorted with as much asperity as she could muster.

"No one saw me run through a state party like Vader was on my exhaust trail," Skywalker returned soothingly.

At the look on his face, Mara narrowed her green eyes like the sharpening edges of two vibroblades. "But?," she prompted warily.

The corners of his mouth quirked, then died. His eyes never changed at all. "But I usually let Vader catch me," he admitted.

Mara laughed humorlessly and ended up coughing. "Great. Just sithspawn wonderful," she muttered. "So how many people saw it?"

"Thanks to your choice of locations, no one but me--and probably Leia--knows you collapsed," Skywalker answered. "And I didn't run, I walked with a purpose. The only people who noticed something was up are the ones I was with." He stopped as he saw the look on her face. "Say five, maybe six?"

"I suppose they all know how to keep their mouths shut," Mara allowed, relaxing slightly.

"If they didn't, they wouldn't be alive," Skywalker confirmed mildly. "So are you all right?"

"I will be once I get my breath back," she assured him.

"In that case," Skywalker took a deep breath, his silvery-blue eyes seeming to bore through her soul. "What happened?"

"First things first," she warned. "We get out of this position before someone notices us and wonders what's going on."

"Are you sure you're up to that?," Skywalker asked, that irritating earnestness in his face.

"I'll be fine," she insisted, a little more shortly than she had intended.

Skywalker stood over her, looking impressively tall despite his average stature. He held his hands out to her. Without really knowing why, she grabbed his wrists. He gripped hers, pulled lightly, and she jumped and landed neatly on her feet. It was beautifully planned and executed, and it occurred to Mara that they could do some pretty impressive things with joint fighting moves. She'd have to mention it to him sometime. "Where to?," she asked over the uncomfortable urge to thank him. She must have swayed slightly on her feet, because Skywalker reached out and put a hand on her waist to steady her. Normally, she would have protested, but it was easier to ignore it altogether, so that's what she did.

"Not your suite," Skywalker said firmly.

"Fair enough. But where else is there?" *************************************************************************************************

Luke eased Mara Jade carefully onto his sofa. "You look like you could use some caf," he observed. "Wait here. I'll be right back." Mara would have needled him for being about as jumpy as a drunken tauntaun with fear she'd leave, but she was too worn out. She just looked at him, and sat swaying until he brought her a cup.

"So," he said two cups later, "are you ready to tell me what happened?"

"What makes you so sure I didn't just have a relapse from doing too much too fast after the Wayland explosion?," she countered. But they both knew. He had to have sensed part of that huge emotional thunderstorm through the Force. "I don't really know what happened...I had just finished my speech, and I felt someone touch me with the Force. I thought it was you, and I was going to yell at you to keep out of my mind."

"But it wasn't me," Luke said, feeling grim.

"Right," Mara confirmed, sipping caf. "It was someone else, but it seemed familiar. Before I could figure out why, I pretty much got hammered."

"That big burst of emotions I felt," Luke added darkly.

"Like an explosion," she elaborated, equally grim. "And, worse, I heard the Emperor again."

"But we checked very thoroughly. You're completely free of that last compulsion," Luke protested, feeling his stomach knot.

"I know," Mara agreed grimly. "In fact, when you came running to the rescue, I was almost a little relieved to see you."

"So how could you possibly be hearing the Emperor now?," Luke asked, as the knots spread through his neck.

"I'll be kesseled if I know," returned Mara tautly. "But I don't much like it."

Several tense seconds ticked by, and she added. "On the other hand, maybe it was just exhaustion. Some sort of hallucination."

"Maybe," Luke said slowly. "Uh, Mara..."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, Skywalker?"

"You're still looking whiter than a snowstorm on Hoth. If you don't want to go to the medcenter, maybe you should stay here tonight, just in case."

Mara looked at him incredulously and Luke suddenly felt like a green farm kid on Tatooine asking the cutest girl in town if she wanted to go Toshi Station. Then he felt vaguely annoyed with his reaction. He had just decided that was the only answer his was going to get was that look when she finally objected, "Aren't you afraid I'll try to kill you?"

"No. If you didn't kill me when you thought you wanted to, I doubt you'll kill me now that you know you don't want to," he said with irrefutable logic.

Mara sighed and her eyes drifted closed. "You know, Skywalker, that perfect calm of yours gets real old, real fast," she informed him without any real heat. Suddenly Luke felt better. "Since you don't mind, I guess I will crash here," she added sleepily. "Thanks for the couch."

"You'll sleep in the bed, I'll sleep on the couch," Luke corrected firmly.

Protest flashed deep in green eyes, but he ignored it, and swept Mara into his arms before she could say anything. He cradled her against his chest in a way that made both their spines stiffen, then relax. He carried her into the bedroom with ease, and laid her on the bed. He started to go, then something made him turn back and sit on the edge of the bed beside her. He could sense the pricking of vexation at the edges of her mind, and the deeper, slightly confused, sense of comfort. Something about that feeling made him want to reach out and brush the slight wisps of her hair away from her face, but knowing Mara, she'd break his arm. He sat very still, and watched her drift deep into sleep. *************************************************************************************************

He woke with his head heavy with half-remembered dreams. The last time he had dreamt, Ben had left him. On the other hand, new allies had joined him. This was different though...and, concentrating, he found that the dreams weren't his own. They were Mara's. Before he could follow this conclusion any further, he was distracted by a clattering in his little kitchenette. Mara Jade emerged, carrying two mugs, and thrust one of them at him without ceremony, sitting on the edge of the little table in front of him. "You made caf last night," she said a little stiffly. "I guess turnabout's fair play."

He sat up and took the cup with a grateful sigh. She either caught the sharpening of his gaze or the flicker in his sense, Luke wasn't completely sure. He had the oddest impression that impish mischief flickered in the emerald depths of her eyes. "That evening gown was scarcely practical," she said defensively.

"Looks good on you," he said mildly, just managing to resist the grin he knew would infuriate her. His dark blue tunic clung to her breasts and hips just enough to make them noticeable, and the leggings whispered around her legs with airy grace. "Better than it ever did on me." The corners of her mouth might have moved, he wasn't sure.

She snorted, and said nothing. "What time is it?" Mara pointed at the chrono. Luke grinned. He'd spent enough time with her to know she was always testy in the morning. "An hour before the Noghri convoy leaves," he observed. "And two before Karrde is supposed to ship out." Mara crossed her arms and looked at him, obviously wishing he'd get to the point. "I don't suppose your gratitude extends to making breakfast?," he teased.

"Don't push your luck, Skywalker," she growled. Unconvincingly.

"So let's go out and get breakfast," he suggested.

Mara raised her eyebrows. "Okay," she agreed after a long pause. "But first I change."

"You're just afraid someone will figure out the truth about us," Luke quipped. His eyes widened as he mentally replayed the memory. Yes, he'd actually said that.

Mara's sense flared combatively. "I was right," she remarked with his earlier mildness, her eyes sparkingoddly in the light. "You've definitely been hanging around Solo too long."

Hearing his thoughts come out of her mouth was vaguely unsettling, though the amusement threaded beneath the dry tone made him want to smile. "Meet you in the Grand Corridor." *************************************************************************************************

"What happened to the C'hala trees?," she asked.

"Did the Emperor ever mention Delta Source to you?," Luke answered her question with a question.

Mara shook her head. "Not really. Just that it was infallible. Why?"

"The C'hala trees are Delta Source," he explained. "Sound waves create a chemical reaction in the trunk--"

"Which was converted to binary and encrypted," Mara concluded slowly. "Yes, he would have loved that."

Something in her sense made Luke look over at her in concern. "Is it painful to talk about?"

She grimaced, and he could feel her withdrawing from him in the Force. "I brought it up," she said shortly.

Then, after a pause, "I don't miss it nearly as much as I thought I would. Isn't that odd? Maybe the old Mara Jade died at Endor and never knew it. "

The sun was brilliant, but the canyon-like walls of buildings rising up to meet it blocked and filtered its light to a diffuse and pleasant glow. "There's a little cafe that Leia really likes a couple of blocks from here," Luke began. "If you like we can--" He raised his hand to signal one of the countless landspeeders whizzing by.

"No," Mara interrupted. "If it's all right with you, I'd rather walk."

"Actually," Luke admitted. "I'd prefer it myself."

The edges of her sense seemed to soften like a smile as they fell into step with the already milling crowds. The streets were an overflowing river of color, sound and thought. But Luke liked being carried along by the flow, and he could feel his companion's delight and interest. The cool clean brush of the air, the stark wilderness of concrete as lethal in its way as Myrkr or Jomark, the noise and confusion, seemed to refresh her somehow. Feeling it, Luke suddenly felt a couple of years younger himself.

"This way," the greet-droid said, rolling toward the entrance.

"We'd prefer an outdoor table, if it's not too much trouble," Luke requested impulsively. He'd been expecting the sharp glance Mara shot in his direction, and didn't even flinch. Her sense seemed to frown, but she didn't pursue the issue.

"Of course, sir," the droid replied equably, and sat them outside.

"I never really noticed the planet I grew up on either," Luke confided as their capan biscuits arrived.

"What's to notice?," she snorted, "sand?" But it didn't ring true. They both knew she was interested.

"I was too focused on dreams of adventure and glory to value safety and simplicity," he continued, feeling the bittersweet touch of old sorrows. He knew Mara felt threatened and trapped by the suddenly intimate knowledge, knew that she wondered why he was telling her this. He did too. All he knew was it felt right. Just like giving her his father's old lightsaber had.

Mara put down her biscuit. After several minutes of awkward silence she sighed and shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I think I could always have seen the beauty here...the beauty on the roof last night especially...but I never had the chance. Life was never about me. Or even about my surroundings. It was always about the mission. About the duty. About what he wanted."

Luke nodded, surprised and deeply touched by her admission. Their eyes met for a long moment, then the corners of Mara's mouth twitched. "If you ever repeat this to anybody, Skywalker--"

"You're going to kill me?," Luke returned, the corners of his own mouth quirking.

She opened her mouth to say something, something circumvented by the distant, dark ripple in the Force.

"Do you feel that?"

"I definitely feel something," he agreed. "What is another question."

"It's him," she answered, her voice sounding tight and cold and a little wrong. "It's him, but...it's not him."

Luke frowned, feeling a shiver run through him somewhere deep inside. "What does that mean?"

Mara didn't answer the question.

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Title--New Beginnings Author--Jedi Amoira Author Email--boysj@mailcity.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Disclaimer--Star Wars, its characters locations and events, belong to Uncle George, LucasFilm, and the profic writers. I don't own them, I don't make money off them...please don't sue...etc. etc. Please don't print or post this elsewhere without my permission.

Notes--This my version of the events between "The Last Command" and "Jedi Search" I've never read "Dark Empire", so while some of the major events still occurr, don't expect them or the story to be in any way similar. I make one allusion to "Truce at Bakura" here, but if you've never read it, I don't think it will make a difference. The parts in brackets are dream sequences. __________________________________________________________________________________

Part Two--Partings and Meetings

Leia stood at the edge of the landing pad, holding Han's hand, watching the Noghri convoy lift off when she the sudden shift in her brother's sense made her catch her breath. Han looked over at her and frowned in concern. "Are you all right, sweetheart?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. It's Luke..."

"Luke? Is he okay?"

"I think so...he seems...worried about something," Leia said, her forehead furrowed in concentration."He's having breakfast at the corner cafe...Mara's with him?"

"Breakfast, huh," Han said, his eyes sparking at the mention of Mara's name. "You know, we haven't eaten yet..."

"They aren't going to like this," Leia warned, already following him along the street.

Luke and Mara were sitting in clear view, Luke with one of his feet propped up in the chair to his right at the table, Mara leaning back as if she were a queen holding court. Luke was eating sausaops while Mara languidly sipped at her glass of bright orange utmy juice. They glanced up in unsion, perfectly unconcerned, as Han said, "Fancy meeting you here."

"We figured you'd show up," Luke said calmly, dropping his foot out of the chair. "Have a seat."

"Anything interesting on the menu?," Han asked, not bothering to move toward the seat.

Mara flicked ironic green eyes in his direction. "I haven't tried to kill him, if that's what you're asking," she answered dryly.

"So what is going on here?," Leia asked with the straight-forward command of a seasoned mediator.

"Breakfast," Mara retorted, waving a hand at the table.

Luke reached out to touch her hand reassuringly, and she jumped and jerked it away from him. He sighed and looked at his sister. "Mara--" Mara's foot connected solidly with his shin under the table, making him wince. "Just thinks she may be having a slight relapse from overdoing things," he finished a bit flatly.

"This is ever-so-enlightening, I'm sure," Mara said acerbically, "but I really ought to be going now." She stood up and strode away from the table with the focused power of a jungle cat.

"Relapse, huh?," Leia said, sitting down beside her brother. He nodded, not meeting her eyes. "How bad is it? Do you think the job of Liaison is too much for her? There's still time to ask Karrde to assign someone else---"

"No!,"Luke said, more sharply than he'd intended. Leia and Han both blinked at him in surprise. "Do you really," he said, regulating his voice as carefully as he could manage, "think there's any job that's too much for Mara Jade to handle?" Leia and Han looked at each, their thoughts clear. "Look," Luke said awkwardly, "I can't explain it, but I know Mara belongs here now. Her destiny and mine are all tangled together somehow."

Leia's face tightened, and she started to speak. "Not like that," Luke insisted. "She may be hearing the Emperor now, but she's past that...we can trust her, I feel it...and somewhere deep inside, you do too."

Leia sighed. She had known Mara Jade could be trusted to help them--even if she didn't like them--on the trek to Wayland, and Luke was right. Not only did she still feel Mara could be trusted, she felt that secretly, Mara didn't really dislike them much at all. But the woman still made her uncomfortable, especially that close to Luke, and something about what he said was still bothering her...Han got it before she did. "Wait a minute--she's hearing the Emperor now? I thought she got rid of him?"

Luke shifted uncomfortably, his face reddening so slightly that no one except his family could have told the difference. "We thought she had but--"

"So what you're telling me is that this woman has sworn to kill you and is still professing to hear the voice of your dead enemy who wants her to kill you, and you want to keep her around?" Han's face was increduolous, a good match for the odd lump Leia could feel rising in her throat. "I know you've got it bad for her, kid, but--"

Leia whipped her head around to stare at her husband in shock. He was no Jedi, but he'd never needed the Force to be perceptive. And he thought that Luke had a crush on Mara Jade? She supposed it did make an odd sort of sense...but no, when he'd fallen in love with Gaeriel Captison, hadn't she been completely and overwhelmingly aware of his feelings? If he was interested in someone that way, she would know.

"I do not have a crush on Mara Jade!," Luke protested vehemently, looking pleadingly at Leia. She believed him.

"I feel it too Han," she said softly, "Something is coming. Something big...and Mara Jade may be the only person who can help us."

"Great," Han grumbled, "Not only does this mean vacation is over, but our lives are in the hands of some crackpot assassin because you and your brother had some Crazy Jedi Thing?"

Leia and Luke looked at each other and grinned, reassured. Some things never changed. "Yeah," Luke admited, "I'd say that just about covers it." *************************************************************************************************

Karrde was standing outside the Wild Karrde, when Mara found him. "Mara," he said,"we were just getting ready to leave."Unable to speak around the uncharacteristic lump in her throat, Mara nodded."You know this is only temporary, of course," he said, and she wondered if he was reassuring her or warning her. "As soon as you get the position up and running, we'll find a replacement and you can go back to being my second-in-command."

"I can hardly wait," she said, surprised at how normal she sounded.

Karrde smiled. "Good. I'll call for your first report in a few days, as agreed?"

Mara nodded. "I'll have it ready," she said simply.

Aves walked by and patted her on the shoulder. "See you around, Mara," he said, "I'm glad you're on our team." Mara laughed, prompting a slight, urbane smile from Karrde.

Karrde squeezed her hand, and she returned the gesture with the slight stiff awkwardness of someone wholly unused to displays of affection. She stood tall and proud, watching his back as he walked onto the ship and the doors closed.

The Wild Karrde was just beginning to shudder as her engines started up, when Mara heard the soft scraping noise behind her. She whirled without thinking, pulling the blaster neatly from her left sleeve and tracking it around to bear...On Luke Skywalker. "Oh," she said. "It's you."

"Yeah, it's good to see you again, too, Mara," he returned, obviously trying not to laugh.

"What are you doing here?," she demanded, feeling out of sorts at the idea of being the butt of one of his personal jokes.

The blue eyes flicked toward the receeding ship in answer. "I thought maybe you could use some company," he said unecessarily.

Mara shifted uncomfortably. "I'm fine."

"I can see that," Skywalker said equably. "But since I'm bored and I walked all this way to keep you company..."

"What did you have in mind?," she interrupted a trifle sharply, and his grin reappeared before quickly disappearing again.

"Well...we could always continue your training," he suggested slowly.

Mara frowned. "What makes you think I want to be Jedi, Skywalker? The Force has been nothing but trouble, as far as I'm concerned."

"You don't really mean that," he said, the sheer intensity of his concern making her want to scream. "Suppressing it all that time only made you miserable, you know. You can't deny a piece of yourself. And part of what you are, is Jedi, Mara."

"Part of what I am is an old war criminal, Skywalker. Just ask Bremen," she retorted caustically. Before he could protest, she added, "if you really want to do something useful, you could help me redecorate my apartment like you promised."

"I said I'd help you redecorate," he admitted, "and I will. "But, Mara...I wish you'd rethink the training...I mean, the best way to beat anything the Emperor may have done--or being doing--to you with the Force is to learn to use it yourself. It's your heritage, and he denied it to you...doesn't that make you angry?"

Deep inside, something stirred, making Mara's heart pound. "Look, Skywalker, I don't want to talk about it. But...you've got a point. So I'll make a deal with you. One hour of training for one hour of redecorating."

Luke looked at Mara in sheer disbelief, then grinned in spite of himself. "Whatever else you are, Mara Jade, you're already a trader."

Mara smirked. "Good. Karrde should be glad to hear that."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Let's just go move out some of that awful furniture so I have room to show you some saber techniques." *************************************************************************************************

Sweat trickled down the bridge of her nose, tickling her. Mara stepped forward, bringing the heel of her left palm solidly against Luke's breastbone, forcing him half a step back, and neatly brought the inside of her wrist across her face, swiping at the sweat.

Luke regained his balance with ease, snapping his right foot up and out in a powerful box kick. Without missing a beat, Mara ducked so that the kick went harmlessly over the top of his head. She leapt back up to her full height before his foot was even back on the floor, swinging her her left out in a neat semicircle, catching Luke off-guard and knocking his feet out from under him. He fell back and she brought her foot up and out in a neat kick to his shoulder. To her surprise, he didn't block it, but let it hit, knocking him backward to the floor. He reached out in a blur of motion too fast to see and caught her ankle as she retracted her foot, tugging it toward him. She sprawled out on the floor beside him. "You haven't beat me yet, Jade," he said, his chest heaving, but his voice clear.

Mara rolled over on her back and looked at the ceiling. "Not bad for a pacificist Jedi," she allowed in a faintly sneering tone, trying to remember how to breathe. They lay in silence for a few seconds, gathering the strength to pull themselves off the floor. "I kept my part of the bargin," she added. "Now it's your turn."

Luke glanced around the room. They had carefully scraped together and horded every spare instant between meals and Council Meetings in the past week, using them to empty the apartment. The oddly clashing colors were replaced with stark, clean white paint and glistening wood. Painting with Mara was an experience he wasn't likely to forget. "I suppose you could use some furniture," he admitted. The door hissed open, and Leia walked in, halting in surprise at the scene before her. "Am Iinterrupting something?," she asked carefully.

"Nope. Just a little Jedi Training," Luke said easily, rolling to his feet.

"More like a little Combat Practice," Mara corrected. Luke offered her his hand, but she ignored it, and rolled up onto her hip and smoothly to her feet. "What's wrong?"

Luke hadn't seen the tension in his sister's narrow frame before, but it was obvious now, radiating from every tightly strung muscle and the rebel glow in her dark eyes. "Leia?"

"We've got Empire trouble," she explained tightly, and Luke felt his heart sink.

"But they should still be regrouping from Bilbringi," he objected.

"They should be," she agreed. "But they aren't. They've got another new commander...only this time, he's no Grand Admiral."

"Why doesn't that make you feel better?," Luke demanded.

Leia's eyes seemed to bore into Mara's, as if some answer would be written in her sense."Because this time he's claiming to the Emperor himself."

"What are we waiting for?," Mara demanded impatiently, ignoring Leia's look. "We've got a Council Meeting to attend." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part Three--Opening Moves

Things were not going well.

The very mention of the Emperor sent most of the Senate into hysterical posturings and obscure finger-pointings that were absolutely useless. They'd been discussing the recent rumors and attacks nearly non-stop for two weeks, and the only thing that anyone agreed on was that it was certainly bad news.

Impatience was something he thought he'd finally outgrown. Something that had been burned out of him in the fires of training and war. But Mara's restlessness beside him stirred the old impulse to life, making his leg muscles quiver with the urge to jump out of the chair and shout at the Council. Mara herself was on the verge of putting several holes in the ceiling with her little holdout blaster, though no one would have known it to look at her. Even Leia, ever the diplomat, was absently fingering the hilt of her lightsabre.

"--cannot expect us to agree--" one of the Councilors was saying.

"Look," Mara interrupted curtly, having abandoned all pretense at civility three days before. "I think that--"

"We know what you think, Emperor's Hand," Borsk Fey'lya retorted. "Maybe we should just save ourselves some time and surrender before you can report all of our plans back to your Master."

Mara's only reaction was a sharp intake of breath and a quickly subsiding stinging in her sense. Luke, however, wasn't about to take that sitting down. He jumped up. "You can't honestly believe that--"

His sister caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, shaking her head slightly. He sighed and sank back into his seat and his obscurity. "Councilor," Leia said coolly, "Surely you are aware that Mara Jade has not served the Empire since the death of the Emperor? Furthermore, she is our ally--in connection with Talon Karrde and the Smuggler's Coalition. My brother has spent considerable time with her and is convinced of her loyalty. Do you honestly believe she could lie to a Jedi?"

"Perhaps she doesn't have to," hissed the delegate from Bfpassh. "Perhaps the Jedi seeks the power of Darth Vader."

"If that were true," Leia snapped, "the Rebellion would have fallen at Endor, Councilor. My brother has proven his loyalty to the New Republic many times, just as Mara Jade proved hers by risking her life to destroy the Emperor's warehouse, Councilor Fey'lya."

Luke couldn't quite repress an un-Jedi-like satisfaction at seeing Fey'lya so throughly trounced. It was short-lived. "But when she did that, she thought the Emperor was dead," protested the Councilor from Obra-Skai. "If she has since learned otherwise--"

"I know the Emperor is dead," Mara said shortly, not bothering to explain that this was because she had felt his death from millions of lightyears away. "You obviously don't want or need my help right now...you'd rather argue than get anything accomplished. When you're ready to take action, let me know." The Councilors stared after her in collective stunned silence, then gave a sort of mental shrug and picked up the arguments where they'd left off.

Luke gave his sister's hand a reassuring sympathetic squeeze, and went to find Mara. **********************************************************************************

She was standing at the edge of the rooftop, looking out across the Manarai Mountains. "Go away, Skywalker," she said to the sound of the opening door, not bothering to turn around.

Luke walked over and stood beside her, prompting a faint snort that made him smile. "Don't let them get to you, Mara," he said softly, "that only gives them more importance than they deserve."

"You think I don't know that?," she retorted bitterly. "They don't get to me, Skywalker. What gets to me is that I actually let you talk me into believing that things change." Her laugh was acidic and hollow as she added, "So much for that. They don't trust me, and they don't trust Karrde, and they never will."

He couldn't tell her she was wrong.

"I trust you, Mara," he said after a while.

She eyed him without turning her head. "You're a naive fool, Skywalker," she retorted.

Encouraged, he bumped her slightly with his elbow the way he often bumped Leia when he wanted to make her smile. "The truth is," she said, "I wouldn't really care if they trusted me or not if they'd just do something."

"So what are we going to do?," Luke asked.

She turned and looked at him full-on. "We, Skywalker?"

"Yes, we. If you think I'm going to leave you to face your past alone, you're nuts."

"Yeah, I know," she admitted with the faintest trace of a wry grin. "I can take care of myself, Skywalker."

"Yeah, I know," Luke replied lightly. "What were you going to tell the Council, Mara?"

She sighed. "Nothing really. Just that any good smuggler knows that to a find a product, you trace the source."

Luke considered that for a moment, then nodded slowly. "We go back to the planets that have been taken, and look for clues to the identity and location of the new commander?"

"That's the general idea," Mara admitted. "I suppose this means we have to break this to your sister?"

"Don't worry," Luke said, marginally convinced himself, "she'll understand." **********************************************************************************

Crisis or no crisis, Leia was enjoying some quality family time for once. She was sitting beside Han on the couch, holding Jaina. Han had Jacen in his lap, and was leaning over him intent on the boloball game the holoprojector was playing.

Luke walked right in, but Mara hung back in the doorway, obviously feeling as though she didn't belong. "Luke!," Leia said in surprise."Did you come to watch the game?"

"Not exactly," he admitted uncomfortably. "I came to tell you we're leaving."

"Leaving?," Leia repeated in surprise, turning to Mara. "What about the Council?"

"You heard what I told them," Mara replied bluntly. "When they're ready to accept my help, I'll be there."

"I'm a fighter, not a politician," Luke said. "I can't help them, either."

"Look, Mara, I know the Council's attitude is frustrating, but if you just give them time to come around--"

"I grew up in the political arena," Mara interrupted. "And it's not that I'm not willing to earn their respect. It's that we don't have the time to spare. We need to find this new commander, and we need to find him now before he gets any more powerful." And that was something Luke could do.

"I know," Leia sighed. She looked her brother in the eye. So much to say, and no idea how to say it. "Just be careful."

He nodded and touched her hand, and she read all the complicated answers to her unspoken thoughts in his blue eyes. Realizing there was something special going on around her, Jaina cooed and gurgled, batting with little hands at Leia's braids and Luke's chin. Mara stared, oddly drawn by the motion and the sound of Jaina's laughter. Leia smiled up at her. "Would you like to hold her?"

Mara seemed taken aback by the question, then slowly nodded. Leia carefully handed her the baby, showing her how to support the neck, as Han said, "So am I invited to this party of yours?"

"Are you kidding?," Mara said acerbically. "Sorry to disappoint you, Solo, but Skywalker wasn't even invited." She snorted, setting her hair in motion around her face, sparking light along the copper strands. Jaina cooed, prompting a coo from Jacen in response, and reaced up to tangle her hands in the threads. "You're great in a fight, and all, but the more of us there are, the more likely we'll just get spotted."

"Enjoy your vacation, Han," Luke advised, "spend some time with Leia and the twins."

"Feels odd to finally be able to play family man," Han admitted, "especially when I think how close Thrawn came to grabbing the twins right out from under my nose."

A cold shudder seemed to run down Mara's spine. "What is it?," Luke asked, tensing.

Mara swallowed and shook her head as if trying to get rid of an unwanted image. "I just had a thought you guys aren't going to like," she replied darkly, her arms tightening reflexively around the little girl in her arms. "If Thrawn wanted the twins for C'boath..."

"The Empire is going to love them for the Dark Jedi claiming to be the Emperor," Leia finished in the faint tones of someone with an unwanted epiphany.

Luke looked at her with a horror in his eyes that surpassed her own. "We can't let that happen,"he said grimly. "No matter what the cost."

"We won't," Han said, "Leia and I will protect them."

"It's not enough," Mara said flatly. "They almost got past you the last time."

"This time we'll have the Noghri," Leia said.

Luke shook his head. "She's right," he said with the gentle sorrow of someone doing something he hated. "We can't let them get that close. I think...I think we're going to have to hide the twins away where no one can find them."

"I can't leave Coruscant," Leia objected. "Not now--" She broke off abruptly, her heart icing over. "No. No, I'm not letting you separate me from my babies!"

"It's only temporary," Luke pleaded, "just until they've developed the personality traits they need to fend off the dark side influence. And you can visit them. Leia--it's for their own good."

"Alright," she hissed darkly, retreating into the shelter of Han's arms. "Alright." Her voice was shaky, her eyes bright with tears. "Ask Ackbar to help you." The twins began to cry.

"I hate to sound ungrateful, and I know Mara saved the babies and all, but do you really think she should help hide them?," Han asked a bit sheepishly.

"No," Mara answered before Luke could. There was no way she was going to take the kids away from their parents, even for their own good. "The less people who know anything about how to find the twins the better. Besides," she added with a nasty grin, "I've got some hunting of my own to do while our little trip is postponed. And that's a party you are invited to, Solo." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part Four--Going Places

In unspoken agreement, Mara and Luke walked out of the apartment together, granting Leia's fledging family some privacy. "I know this is a delay we can't really afford," Luke began, "but--"

Mara shook her head, cutting him off. "Don't worry about it, Skywalker, it won't hold me up."

Luke frowned. "Mara...you aren't going to go after what could be a Dark Jedi without me? Especially one that might have a personal grudge against you."

"I already told you," she returned impatiently, "I can take care of myself, Skywalker."

She put a finger over his lips, silencing his protest. "But I'm not ready to leave Coruscant just yet."

"Then what--"

"For now, I'm going to the same place you are. The Imperial Archives. I think a little background work is in order," she said darkly.

While Mara combed the archives for any trivial piece of information that looked like it could even remotely apply to the developing situation, Luke looked for a safe planet to hide his neice and nephew on. After going through a half dozen planets he'd encountered in his quest to garner information about the Jedi, he finally one that was ideal, and went to talk to Ackbar. **********************************************************************************

It took Ackbar less than a day to locate all the necessary equipment for a fortress, and two standard days after the decision had been made, a small group of people gathered quietly on an out of the way landing field late at night. Han and Leia watched Admiral Ackbar hug each of the twins, and give Luke a solemn salute before stepping out of the way. Leia hugged her aide and dearest friend, Winter, bidding her farewell just as she had far too many before the Battle of Endor, then hugged her children with tears streaming down her face, and handed them to Han who was crying as unashamedly as his wife. Han gave them to Winter with painstaking care, and she inclined her head and carried them up the ramp and into the shuttle with great dignity.

Luke hugged his sister and her husband together, just as he had so many times in the old days. "I hope someday you can forgive me for doing this."

"Nah, kid," Han said only a trifle less heartily than usual, "protecting your family isn't something you need to be forgiven for." Leia's face was pale and drawn, but she nodded agreement, her bearing regal.

"Tell Mara I'll be back in three days and not to do something foolish while I'm gone," Luke said, wishing Mara would have come so he could tell her himself.

"Can do, kid," Han said, eyeing Luke a bit closely, and Luke boarded the shuttle.

Han, Leia and Ackbar huddled together and watched it fade undetected. "Your children will be safe in their hands until your first visit," Ackbar soothed. "I'm sure it will be soon."

"It had better be," Leia returned grimly, and Han squeezed her shoulder. "Thank you for helping us," she added, her politeness only slightly frayed around the edges. Ackabar nodded, his large eyes full of sympathy as he padded away.

"Now what, Princess?," Han asked as they entered their apartment. It seemed dark and strangely silent.

"Hold me, Han," she said desperately. "Just hold me." **********************************************************************************

"Well, Solo," Mara demanded, "Ready for that party I promised you?"

Solo just stared. Mara smirked. He hadn't been expecting the costume. Organa Solo studied her thoughtfully, head to foot and elbowed her husband with a grin. "Put your eyes back in your head, Han." She narrowed her eyes, thoughtfully, and added, "Should I be worried?"

"Nope. Strictly business," Mara assured her. "I wanna go see if there are any unusual rumors in the underground. Smugglers that have seen or heard something. Odd shipments. That sort of thing. With any luck, we'll find where to look for our so-called Emperor."

"And the best place to do business with the underground is...underground," Organa Solo mused. "You're going to the bars near the ground level?"

Mara nodded. "Yeah. Most people don't walk in there alone. Hence the escort. I hope you don't mind?"

"Not as long as you return him in one piece," Organa Solo returned dryly. Mara grinned. Organa Solo leaned over and kissed her husband's cheek. "Have fun, dear."

"Oh, yeah," Han said a trifle grumpily. "This sounds like a real ball." **********************************************************************************

After twelve hours of bouncing from bar to bar, asking questions, trying to seem inconspicious, Mara was inclined to think that Solo had understated the case. She leaned into his shoulder, tilting her head in and back to graze her lips across the bottom of his ear. To anyone watching them, it just looked like an idle move of seduction as she whispered, "If we don't find anything here, we might as well just quit."

He tucked his arms stiffly around her waist and lowered his forehead to hers, " `bout time you said that, lady. I'm getting too old for this." She nodded slightly as he released her and they walked across the floor to a promising table.

"Hey, Len," Mara said a trifle loudly, "did I ever tell you about that time my crew and I had to smuggle rubber noisemakers into the Zen villages?"

"Only about a million times, Shalla," Solo returned with the perfect amount of irritated boredom."I admit it was a little odd, but it wasn't any weirder than that time I got hired to smuggle food in to a bunch of political dissenters, and--"

"Oh, well how about that time we were hired to smuggle people between two planets in a system that didn't get along?," continued Mara, running through their standard interrogation script.

With the precision of clockwork, the rest of the smugglers began to gather around them. Using the stash of credits Mara had given him when they left the Palace, Han plied them all with drinks as they began to swap stories of the odd and unusal jobs that smugglers were always so proud of.

The credits in the bag were nearly gone, and Mara's voice was all but hoarse, when one dirt-smeared man said, "I've got a story that will top all of those."

Han eyed him with only slightly exaggerated disbelief. "That so, old man?"

"That's so," the man sneered in return. "I got paid a four hundred thousand credits to deliver one datapad to an abandoned part of the Ground Level."

"No one goes to the abandoned parts of the Ground Level," Mara said, her voice so casual Han wondered if he'd imagined the sudden shift to full alert in her eyes. "Not if they want to live."

"I did," the man insisted, "it was totally abandoned...no predators or nothing."

"If there was nothing there, why were you supposed to deliver anything, let alone an old datapad?," Mara scoffed. "You really ought to make your stories a little more believable, old man"

"It's true," the man insisted, sniffing noisily and wiping his nose along the back of his sleeve. "I think it must have been for the government. Lady that hired me said that the fate of the galaxy was in my hands."

"Did she now?," Mara taunted with profound disbelief. "And did this mythical lady who thought so highly of you have a name?"

"Norva Hylev," the man replied a little sullenly.

Mara's eyes widened, then narrowed sharply, so quickly Han wasn't sure he hadn't imagined the whole thing. "And if I said I wanted to see this totally abandoned part of the city...where would it be?"

"Oh, no," said the man, "nice try. But I'm not going to sell out high paying clients to you, little miss."

"How can you when they don't exist?," Mara retorted sharply, and the other smugglers around the table made various noises of amusement and agreement. "Well...it's been fun boys, but Len and I have a very busy day tomorrow, so we've gotta be going now," she said flippantly.

Han breathed a sigh of relief as they began to make their way back toward the upper levels of the city. "So, you wanna tell me what you think we just found?"

"I'm not entirely sure I know what we just found," Mara replied. "But Norva Hylev used to be the Emperor's personal physician."

Han frowned. "Okay...but why a datapad...to an abandoned part of the ground level? That doesn't make sense."

"I know," Mara answered flatly. "Which is why we're going to go through every file I pulled from the archives and every map of the city. Now that we know what we're looking for, maybe we'll find something."

Solo groaned. "Couldn't we get some sleep first?" **********************************************************************************

They were still pouring over files and maps when Luke walked in late the next day. "I was going to ask if you'd missed me, but I see you've been too busy," he said from behind them. Mara grunted and waved absently at him.

"It has to be here," she muttered, "but I can't seem to find what I'm missing..."

"So when do you want to ship out after more pieces of the puzzle?," Luke asked.

"As soon as possible," she replied, frowning at the stacks of data printouts in front of her.

"The ship's prepped," he told her. "All it needs is us."

Mara climbed to her feet somewhat sluggishly and nodded. "Let's go get my bag."

**********************************************************************************

The shuttle had one bunk. Mara eyed it dubiously. "You've got to be kidding."

"Nope," Luke said. "But you can sleep the first shift if you want. You look like you could use it."

"Gee, thanks, Skywalker. You always know just what to say to a woman."

He grinned at her. "I've missed you, too, Mara."

She snorted and pulled the covers over her head.

[She was standing in a throne room at the base of the throne. A brown robed figure sat in thethrone, face partially concealed by a hood. She drew closer, feeling oddly nervous, and saw that the face was not wrinkled and graying the way she remembered, but young and handsome and smooth. Only the yellow eyes were the same, burning into her skin like hot brands. "Mara Jade," said the figure, and the voice was the voice she remembered, the voice she had longed for for five years. "Mara Jade, my Hand, have you forgotten me?"

"No," she said, and her voice seemed forced and harsh.

"If you have not forgotten, then you must come to me and help me rise again," the figure said. "You will bring Luke Skywalker to me, and he will bow down before me and help us to restore my great Empire, as his father helped me to build it. It is his destiny."

"Quit haunting me," she said. "You're dead. I felt you die. Skywalker...he saw you die.." Her eyes narrowed sharply. "You wanted me to kill him to punish his father. You lied to me!"

"You are mine, and you will come to me!," the Emperor roared. "Or you will suffer!" He raised his hands, and blue lightning crackled from his fingertips, sizzling against her skin. Mara screamed...]

She was sitting bolt upright in the bunk, drenched in sweat, and Skywalker was sitting beside her, looking pale. "Mara? Are you all right?"

"It's not him," she said shivering. "It's not him, it's a lie, just like everything I knew about his death was a lie."

"What does he want?," Skywalker asked gently.

"Oh," Mara returned sharply, "not much, just my service and your soul."

"Whoever he is, Mara," Luke said, hugging her, "he's not going to win. We're going to find him and stop him."

"Damn straight," Mara replied grimly, still shivering. ________________________________________________________________

Part Five--Sweethearts Dance

"So," she said as she entered the cockpit, "are you going to tell me about it?"

"About what?," Skywalker asked, his blonde head bent over the control panel. Even though the controls didn't need to be watched that closely in hyperspace.

"Whatever it is about the first stop that has you so preoccupied," Mara prompted calmly.

"Bakura," Skywalker supplied with a slight sigh. Mara crossed her arms across her chest and waited expectantly, one eyebrow slightly raised. He smiled in spite of himself at the expression. "We're going there first because I don't understand why they would willingly surrender to the Empire...I was there just after...after..."

"Just after the Emperor died?," Mara supplied. "It's okay if you say it, Skywalker."

He nodded absently, not really hearing, his thoughts lightyears away. "Bakura was rabidly loyal to the Empire then, and the Rebellion intercepted a message pod meant for the Emperor. Bakura was under attack and needed help."

"So you decided to help them in the interest of convincing them to switch sides," Mara said. "But if they switched sides before, why does it surprise you so much now?"

"It wouldn't if it were that simple," he said. "But they didn't just switch sides. In fact, they barely accepted our help at all. But...long story short, after we defeated the invaders, there was an uprising, and the Empire was unseated. Bakura became one of our most dedicated supporters...the leaders there, are...well, they're...friends."

Mara regarded him thoughtfully. "What's her name?," she asked softly.

"You're getting entirely too good at that," Luke complained.

She favored him with part of a wry smile and a shrug. "Your fault for teaching me. And voices have always been my speciality, remember?"

Skywalker grinned crookedly.

Mara had decided he wasn't going to answer her, when he replied, equally softly, "Gaeriel. Her name was Gaeriel Captison." There was a long pause, then he continued, "But she wanted to stay behind, and I owed it to the Rebellion to go." Mara snorted skeptically, but didn't interrupt as he finished, "She didn't approve of Jedi anyway. Her religion believed that using the power of the Force impoverishes others."

"An unusal viewpoint," Mara said slowly, "but possibly valid."

Skywalker nodded, seeming oddly lost and alone. She reached out to take his hand in hers without thinking, just wanting to assauge the pain in his eyes. "Does she know we're coming?"

He nodded. "She has a lot of government connections. She might be able to get us access to the information we need."

"If she doesn't sell us out first," Mara muttered, but she sounded resigned.

"Gaeriel would never do that," he retorted hotly, dropping her hand.

"Maybe not, Skywalker. Just remember we aren't on this trip to re-energize your love life. We've got work to do."

"In that case, maybe we should work on your Jedi Training some more," he countered, trying to rally. "Your dream last night was obviously contact with the Emperor--"

"He's not the Emperor," Mara corrected harshly.

"Fine, this...new Imperial Commander, and if you're in contact with him, maybe that means, you can sense something about his location or his plans."

Mara eyed him suspisciously. "And how would I do that, exactly?"

"There are Jedi visions and--"

"No!," Mara shouted violently, jumping out of the copilot's seat. "Absolutely not! Clavyt dram!"

"Mara," Skywalker pleaded soothingly, "Mara, just calm down and listen--" > "Those visions are misleading, they're dangerous, they're just plain bad news. I'm not Jedi and I don't want to be. Get your own fazyer visions if you want them so badly!," she snarled, storming into the bunk area and slamming the door behind her. "Stupid Jedi," she added furiously, not caring if he heard her or not.

Luke stared at the door, flinching slightly backward at the loud clang of a boot making contact. "On the other hand, maybe not." *************************************************************************************************

The door opened slowly, and a rumpled head hesitantly emerged around it to regard him with contrite green eyes. "Skywalker?"

"Yes, Mara?"

He couldn't see her feet, but he knew she was shifting her balance awkwardly between them as she coughed slightly, her cheeks reddening a little. "I..." Her voice trailed off again, and they stared at each other, both miserable and uncertain.

What seemed like ages later, her mouth thinned slightly and set firmly. "Don't ask me to do that again," she said, her voice hard.

"Alright," he said gently. "I won't."

"Would you mind showing me those combat focus techniques again?"

He grinned, knowing that he was forgiven, and she smiled ever-so-faintly in return. "Sure," he said, letting her know that he'd heard and accepted her apology as well. He walked around beside her,produced his lightsabre. "First you concentrate on the blade, like this." **********************************************************************************

The rest of the journey was fairly quiet and uneventful, spent sleeping and training Mara in rudimentary aspects of being a Jedi. Gaeriel hadn't disappointed him, somehow she'd juggled assignments at the spaceport so that the landing pad was entirely deserted. Well, almost entirely. As the hatch opened, she came into sight.

A short, slender woman, a little taller than Leia, with a delicate winsome face, large clear eyes, and a fluffy halo of amber hair that glowed in the near-tropical sun. She still wore a simple ankle-skimming cotton skirt and plain peasant blouse, still carried the vivid silk shawl around her shoulders, still wore the black and white enamel ring on its band around her neck, still enflamed his senses. Gaeriel. Beautiful Gaeriel.

She inclined her head as he walked down the ramp to meet her, and extended her hand. "Jedi Skywalker, it's good to see you again. I wish it could be under better circumstances."

"Thank you for your help, Gaeri," he said, and her mis-matched eyes shimmered.

"I hate to break up this touching reunion," Mara said dryly, as the ramp to the ship began closing behind her, "but do you really think it's wise to keep the hero of the New Republic standing around in plain sight? This is Imperial territory now."

Gaeriel flushed slightly, "Of course, you're right," she said, "this way to the hovercar. It's waiting."

"I got you a room at the same hotel you stayed at before," Gaeriel said as the hovercar began to move. "My aunt and I would have asked you to stay with us, but we were afraid it would draw unecessary attention to you. I...didn't know you'd be bringing someone with you."

"Actually," Mara said wearily, tired of explaining the same thing repeatedly, "I brought him with me."

Gaeriel frowned in confused and looked at Luke who just shook his head slightly. "Senator Gaeriel Captison, may I present my...friend...Mara Jade, New Republic Liaison to the Smugglers' Coalition."

Gaeriel smiled brilliantly, offering Mara her hand. "Any friend of Luke's is a friend of mine. Welcome to Bakura, Ms. Jade."

Mara took the offered hand a little stiffly and inclined her head slightly. "A pleasure to meet you, Senator. Don't worry about the room, we can--" She broke off as Luke's foot pressed solidly against hers, shooting him a poisonous look.

"We can share a room," he finished smoothly.

//I'm not sharing a room with you, Skywalker!//

//You've done it before, Jade.//

//Extenuating circumstances.//

//There are now, too. If we try to change the reservations now, we'll only be drawing attention to ourselves. If there's anything here to find, it will disappear.//

Mara snorted violently, her mouth twisted into a wry sort of protest, but she said nothing.

"Oh," Gaeriel said, a bit nonplussed, her eyes studying the two of them thoughtfully. "Alright." **********************************************************************************

The room wasn't that big, and it was nearly buried in various holo files, sensor reading printouts, eye-witness accounts and other papers. Luke's stomach growled and he glanced up to see Mara, her red hair coming out of the braid in haphazard wisps that fell across her cheeks, rubbing her temples with her fingers as she read.

"We've been at this for hours," he told her unnecessarily. "Let's stop for dinner."

She tossed the file she'd been reading into the corner and sighed. "No argument here. Go on, call your Senator."

Luke frowned at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You wanted to invite her to dinner, didn't you?," Mara returned testily. "It's not a bad idea, at any rate. Maybe she can shed some light on the situation."

There was something he didn't like about her encouragement of his interest in Gaeriel, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. With a strangled sigh of exasperation, Luke walked over to the com panel and contacted the Captison's house. "Luke!," Gaeriel said in surprise. "Is the investigation going okay?"

"It's going nowhere, more or less," he replied with a rueful grin. "We've decided to stop and have dinner ordered up to the room. Would you like to join us? Maybe you could offer some illumination."

Gaeriel smiled, but the expression didn't reach her eyes. "I'm afraid I can't tell you anything that isn't in the reports, Luke. I'd probably better not eat at the hotel...someone might wonder what was going on. And considering what happened the last time I ate at the hotel, I'd rather not press my luck."

"Oh," Luke said, no better at hiding his disappointment than he had been the first time they had known each other. "I guess you have a point. Goodnight, Gaeri."

"Goodnight Luke," she said sweetly, fading from the screen.

"I guess it's just you and me, Mara," Luke said, turning back to the room.

"In that case," Mara said, emerging from the sleeping alcove,"what do you say we combine business with pleasure, and do some investigating?"

Luke grinned in spite of himself, remembering Han's somewhat blurry account of his foray into the underground with Mara. "This could be interesting."

"Don't get your hopes up, Skywalker," she retorted, with a grin of her own. "This time we're going as two green kids trying to break into a life of profitable crime. You as a smuggler no one would believe." **********************************************************************************

They sat in a dark corner of a local pub, eating a spicy vegetable dish and listening to the cantina band play jazzy rhythms. Mara swayed slightly in her chair, following the music, her eyes glued to the sparse handful of couples on the dance floor. "Do you miss it?," Luke asked curiously.

She stopped swaying and looked at him blankly. "Miss what?"

"Dancing."

She seemed surprised by the question, as if it hadn't occurred to her to think about it before."Yes," she said at last. "I suppose I do." She stared thoughtfully at the couples, watching them move, concentrating on something just beyond sight. "The music...it's elemental...something in the blood...you don't have to think, don't have to worry about right and wrong, about consequence...you just move," she began to sway again as she spoke, her eyes half-closed and emerald-bright with dreams. Her skin glowed like a silken moon in the smokey half-light, and Luke was struck with the sudden urge to reach out and run his hand over it to see if it felt as smooth as it looked.

"I've never done much dancing," he said."If it weren't for Leia and her endless ettiquette lessons, I wouldn't even know how to dance."

"If my life had turned out differently I might have been a dancer," Mara mused, and then looked startled at having admitted something so personal.

He swallowed a little nervously, then looked her shyly in the eye. "Mara? Would you like to dance with me?" She stared at him so long he began to feel like he'd grown a second head. "Oh, I didn't mean to offend--"

"You didn't," she interrupted. "I'd love to dance with you."

He smiled, stood and bowed, offered her his hand. She smiled back, let him lead her to the dance floor. He pulled her into his arms, and she fell against his chest, a little stiffly, then slowly melted into fluidity. Her steps were light and airy, as if the motion were easier than thought. Luke was amazed at how natural and comfortable he felt with her, how liberated and free his motions seemed. //How can this be the same person who was so awkward and nervous with Gaeriel?//, he wondered, remembering the feel of her hand in his own sweaty palm.

Mara, with that knack she had for following his thoughts murmured, "She's sweet and all, but isn't she a little bland and cutesy to be this hung up on?"

"I'm not hung up on her," Luke said stiffly. "All that was over and done with years ago."

Mara raised a skeptical eyebrow as she twirled under his arm, her short skirt flaring and falling again to carress her thighs. "Really. Then you tell me, Skywalker, why are we sleeping in the same room?"

"Because changing the--"

"That's bantha breath and you know it," Mara retorted. "We could have come up with half a dozen perfectly innocuous explainations for needing another room. You were just hoping that if she saw you with another woman, she'd be jealous and begin to regret what she gave up."

"Even if I did," Luke said, in a tone that indicated he admitted nothing of the sort, "what's wrong with wanting to prove I'm worth her interest?"

Mara snorted. "Nothing. But using me against her isn't fair to me...and it's not fair to her. You can't just waltz in and upset her life after five years, Skywalker. It doesn't work that way!"

They had stopped dancing, pulled apart. They stood on the dance floor glowering at each other."You don't have any idea what you're talking about," Luke said coldly.

"I always know what I'm talking about," Mara snapped frostily. "It's my job."

"Let's just go back to the room."

"Fine, but you owe me the bed," she returned.

They walked back to the hotel in sullen silence, as far apart as the city walkways would allow them to be. And stopped dead in the doorway, startled by the blinking light on the com panel. They had a message. **********************************************************************************

"Luke," Leia greeted. "There's been a development."

"I don't like the sound of that," Mara muttered. As irritated as he was with her, Luke had to agree with her.

"Hryn didn't surrender like the other planets have done," Leia continued, "and fell under attack. There's almost nothing left of their major cities. They're calling the weapon the World Devestator."

"So much for finesse," Mara complained to herself. "It's almost enough to make you say you missed Thrawn."

"I hope you've found something that can help us defeat this new threat," the recording went on,"but whether you have or not, you must return to Coruscant at once. The new Imperial leader has sent a message cube that can only be opened by you."

"Me?," Luke repeated, surprised. He turned and looked at Mara, "Why not you?"

She shrugged."Maybe I'm out of favor because I won't believe he's who he says he is?"

"Maybe," Luke agreed.

"Our best chance to defeat him may well be that he has left a clue as to his location and identity somewhere in the message," the recording concluded. "But if he has not, we will have need of your help to defeat the World Devestator. May the Force be with you."

Luke sighed. "Ready to ship out, Mara?"

She nodded. "This is a dead end, anyway. Call the Senator and have her clear all the witness away from our landing pad." **********************************************************************************

Gaeriel was standing beside the shuttle when they arrived. Mara's green eyes flicked thoughtfully between them, and she inclined her head toward Gaeriel. "Senator, you are an amazing woman. Thank you for all your help."

"It was an honor," Gaeriel returned with equal dignity. "I'm sorry it wasn't enough. I enjoyed meeting you, Liaison."

Mara smiled slightly, and disappeared inside the shuttle. Luke stared after her with bemusement. "She's not who I pictured you with, Luke," Gaeri said a bit wistfully.

Luke gathered her hands in his. "You wish things had turned out differently, too."

Gaeri sighed, tears sparkling behind her mismatched eyes. "Sometimes," she admitted softly."You are the most tender and...generous man I have ever known. How could a woman not be drawn to that?" She sighed, touching the side of his face. "But you...you belong out there," she said, throwing her arm wide to the night sky. "And I belong here. Mara Jade, on the other hand...she belongs out there too. She balances you well, Luke."

"Gaeri, I have a confession to make...Mara and I...we're just friends. I bullied her into sharing a room with me to make you jealous."

Gaeriel looked at him in surprise, then began to laugh again. "Luke Skywalker, you knew as well as I did things between us would never work out when you left here. You didn't like it, but you accepted it. You know what I think? I think you told yourself you wanted to make me jealous so you'd have an excuse to be close to Mara."

Luke blinked, trying to push back the disbelief that threatened to overwhelm him. "Mara?," he repeated. "Mara Jade?" Gaeriel nodded. "She wanted to kill me! "

Gaeriel laughed, a tinkle of silver bells. "And you're still alive. Sounds like love to me. `The strength between two friends is often found when they disagree'," she quoted the old proverb sagely. Luke was too startled to reply. She smiled and stood up on tiptoe to brush her lips lightly over his. The stars seemed to hover just over his head, shimmering in and out of focus. "Thank you for telling me you still think of me, Luke. It's a memory I'll always treasure. Maybe we shall meet again...but for now the balance calls for parting." She ran away from the landing pad, still as light-footed as a girl.

Luke felt Mara's hand on his shoulder, and was surprised to realize she'd come off the ship to stand beside him as he watched Gaeri leave. "Are you okay?" He nodded, looking at her thoughtfully, Gaeri's proverb ringing in the back of his mind. "What is it?," she asked, obviously uncomfortable with his scrutiny.

He smiled. "Nothing," he said, sliding his arm companionably around her waist. "Let's go home." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part Six--Answers and Riddles

Mara guided the shuttle into space with tight efficiency. The instant they were clear, she demanded, "What?" Skywalker blinked at her in surprise. "Why are you looking at me like that!" Then, before he could ask the inevitable question, "You know what I mean. Like I'm the answer to a puzzle you just realized you wanted solved."

He regarded her with an equanimity that made her want to shake him. "I didn't realize I was looking at you like that."

She snorted in obvious disbelief. "Well stop it."

He blinked again. "How can I stop doing something I didn't know I was doing?"

Mara kicked him under the helm console. He yelped and rubbed his shin. She smirked. "That's better,' she informed him.

"Anger," he informed her stiffly, "is of the Dark Side."

"Really," she returned drolly, raising an eyebrow. "What a very good thing I'm not angry."

His mouth relaxed slightly, curving in an inscrutable half-smile as he stared at her in silence. She scowled. "Skywalker!!"

"What?," he asked somewhat absently, his expression never wavering.

"You're doing it again."

Luke grunted absently in return, then apparently realized that she was about to kick him again and tore his eyes away to study the control panel. "I must be more tired than I realized. Maybe we should get some sleep."

"Good idea," Mara replied, narrowing her eyes as if she were trying to read between the lines to what he wasn't saying. "You take first shift."

"You're sure?"

"Definitely. You obviously need it more than I do. Now go away."

He grinned at her and padded off to the narrow little excuse for a bunk. She shook her head over the lack of sense in the galaxy, and leaned back in the chair.

[He was standing in the Dark tree on Dagobah, staring up into a sun-obscured face in a halo of fire, his soul quaking with the knowledge that he and his friends had been condemned to the death. Without warning, the lightsabre in Mara's hand reversed direction and flew back into his hand. He stared at it as if it were poised to strike him down, and a shadow fell over him, thick and black. A woman's voice screamed, "Luke!," and he couldn't tell if it belonged to Mara or his sister. Startled, he turned and faced black armor. "Father," he said, stretching his arms out to hug the apparition. "You do not know the power of the Dark Side," Darth Vader said solemnly, and the mask bent over his face in a grotesque smile, "But you will." Against his will, Luke felt himself raise the lightsabre, heard the snap-hiss as ignited. Saw it slice through blackness...saw his own face staring up at him. He felt Mara's hand on his shoulder, heard her say, "Are you okay?" He turned toward her and kissed her, and it was like a sunburst in his heart. His disembodied face laughed, morphing into the wrinkled, yellow-eyed face of the Emperor. "She will be your friend, your only hope and redemption, and you will repay her with pain, with fear and betrayal. If you do not...she will die."

"No," Luke said, drawing Mara close, threading his fingers through hers. "You can't hurt her any more."

"Oh," the Emperor contradicted, "But I can. I can hurt you all." The headless body raised a lazy and pointed...and the world seemed to shatter into a thousand fragments like half-heard screams.]

Luke sat bolt upright in the bunk. He heard screaming. Mara. He tumbled to his feet, startled to find that his knees were as weak as they been when he had first seen Ben Kenobi struck down before him, and ran into the cockpit. "Mara! Mara! What is it?"

She had stopped screaming. Her face was oddly set and cold in the half-light, like an unfinished sculpture. "Didn't you sense it?"

"I..." Luke stopped, frowned, reached back in his memory, trying to grasp hold of the fading and shadowy images. "I sensed a lot of distant pain and terror...I think." She might have nodded, he couldn't quite tell. "What was it?," he prompted, not sure he wanted to know.

"The World Devestator," she said.

Belatedly Luke remembered Obi-Wan's reaction to the Alderaan. "It was as though thousands of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced," he whispered. "Mara, we have to do something."

She swallowed, licked dry lips. "Whoever this guy is, that's what he wants, Skywalker. To get our attention"

"I know. But we don't have a choice."

She looked at him, irony dripping from every pore. "There's always a choice, Skywalker."

"Not if it means more lives," he insisted. "A Jedi has to have compassion for individual people."

"Jedi," she retorted scornfully, but he could see the resignation slowly threading its way through her.

There were several minutes of uneasy silence. Luke sat on the arm of the chair, slid his arm around her shoulders, pulled her close. She didn't resist.

"I suppose this means more training."

He smiled and touched her hair. "I suppose it does," he admitted. She sighed dramatically.

"Got any skills that will help get to an abandoned part of the Coruscant Groundlevel in that Jedi bag of tricks?"

Luke frowned and pulled away from her slightly. "Why would you want to do that?"

"So that I can find out who this guy is and how to destroy him," Mara said grimly. "I want him gone yesterday, Skywalker."

"Maybe we don't have to destroy him," Luke protested. "Maybe we can turn him."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please.You can't possibly be that naive. Didn't C'boath teach you anything? "

"Not all people are like C'boath," he retorted. "You weren't."

She stiffened. He realized, too late, that he'd just made a terrible mistake. "So that's what I am, huh, Skywalker?," she asked so calmly it gave him chills. "An exercise in redemption?"

He looked into her eyes, wishing he knew what he wanted to tell her, let alone how to tell her. "No, that's not it at all....I just..."

"Don't try to explain," she advised him acidly. "You'll only make it worse. Wake me when we get to Coruscant." She pushed him away, disappeared into the bunk area. Luke stared after her, feeling hollow. ***********************************************************************

He woke her with a cup of hot caf. She took it, face and sense distant and inscrutable. He touched the side of her face and she stiffened again, her eyes shooting venemous sparks.

He sighed. "Mara, I never meant to hurt you."

She sighed too, looked away. She sipped caf as if it could heal something deep inside. "I know, Skywalker, I know."

He touched the side of her face gently. She closed her eyes, pressed her lips together. "The masses are waiting."

"Let them wait," he said.

She opened her eyes. "What about concern for individual people, Jedi?"

"I'm concerned with my friend, Mara," he returned softly.

She snorted. "People you feel sorry aren't your friends, Skywalker," she said, starting to throw her feet over the edge of the bed.

"What about people you can't wait to talk to in the mornings? The ones you trust at your back? The ones who don't need words to know what you're feeling," he interrupted, "what are they?"

She froze, looked back over her shoulder at him. "You mean it," she said, sounding slightly dazed. "You really were friends with me on my own merit."

"How could you even doubt that?," Luke chided.

She frowned. "You said--"

"But that's not what I meant. It was just a stupid mistake," he said seriously.

A brilliant grin spread across her face like the sun peeking out from behind a cloud. She threw her arms around him, hugging him, surprising them both. "Skywalker," she said, her voice muffled in the crook of his neck. "If you're lying to me--"

"You'll kill me?," he finished, and they both laughed.

She pulled away from him, her lips twisting in the old wry expression. "Well, Skywalker, it won't do to keep the masses waiting."

"Or my sister," he returned, laughing. He stood, pulled Mara to her feet. They left the shuttle hand-in-hand. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part Seven--Lovers Quarrel

A strange aide stood at the edge of the landing pad. The look of tense awe on her face made Mara queasy. "Jedi Skywalker?", she asked so breathlessly that Luke shifted his balance, obviously uncomfortable with her admiration.

"I guess that's me," he admitted, his fingers tightening imperceptibly around Mara's.

"Councilor Organa Solo asked me to meet you. The Council is in session."

"Just what we needed," Mara muttered under her breath, so faintly the aide couldn't have heard.

//Be good//, Skywalker chastised, but she could feel humor touch him, force a little relaxtion into his spine.

"I've also been instructed to tell Liaison Jade that Talon Karrde would like her to contact him," the aide said.

Mara got the message all right. Loud and clear. "Really," she said dryly. "Thanks." At the pointed look in her green eyes, the aide drew back a little. //That's better.// "I get the feeling this meeting is hectic enough without me showing up," she told Skywalker.

He frowned. "I got the same impression," he admitted. "But Mara--"

"I'm not all that anxious to repeat the experience, anyway," she assured him. "I'll go contact Karrde, you go appease the Council, and then we can regroup to discuss strategy."

He nodded briefly, not liking the separation, but seeing the sense. "My apartment?"

She nodded and strode off, not bothering to tell the aide she was granting the Council's wish.

*************************************************************************************************

"Jedi Skywalker," Mon Mothma greeted in ringing tones. "Welcome home." Luke made his way to the center of the Council room and bowed stiffly.

"Do you mind telling us what was so important you felt you had to rush off in the middle of a Republic-wide crisis?," Borsk Fey'lya demanded briskly. Too late, Mon Mothma made a warning gesture in Fey'lya's direction. The Bothan subsided, his fur ruffling in agitation.

//There is no anger//, Luke reminded himself, sucking in a deep breath. Suddenly, he was very glad that Mara hadn't accompanied him. "Naturally, Councilor," he said with the frigid politeness that he'd often seen his sister use, "nothing short of the crisis could have induced me to leave without informing the Council, although, as a private citizen, my movements are not open to your discretion."

"Certainly not," Mon Mothma agreed soothingly. "It's simply that the Imperial Fleet dropped a message cube here that is keyed so that only you can open it, Jedi Skywalker. It is our hope that this cube contains the clue we need to defeat this threat and save the New Republic. Councilor Fey'lya is simply being overzealous."

"His wish to save the Republic speaks admirably in his defense, I'm sure," Luke replied dryly. "May I see the message cube, please?"

Mon Mothma nodded, and an aide brought the cube forward. It was black, unmarked except for a few narrow scratch-like marks on one side, oddly warm. It reminded Luke of the cave on Dagobah, made him want to wipe his hand on his legging to remove the dirty, slimy sensation that seemed to fill his palm. "My thanks for making sure it reached me. If it contains anything of interest, I'll be sure Admiral Ackbar and General Page are informed," he said, inclining his head.

"Actually, we were hoping you would open the cube immediately," Mon Mothma informed him before he could turn around. "There is no time to waste, as I'm sure you're aware."

"Indeed," Luke said. "Liaison Jade and I told you as much weeks ago. Still, a private message must be respected enough to open in privacy. Certainly you don't suspect me of witholding information?"

"Your behavior has always been above reproach," Mon Mothma said calmly. "But may I ask the Council be represented by your sister's presence?"

"My sister and I have no secrets," Luke agreed. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have a message to attend to."

Mon Mothma nodded, and Leia rose, silently following him from the room.

"What do you think the message cube has in it?," she asked after a few moments silence.

"I wish I knew," Luke admitted. "But whatever it is, it would only serve to inflame the Council more, that much I do know."

Leia nodded, and he knew she had stifled a sigh. "Did you and Mara find anything on Bakura?"

"No," Luke said, but something in his voice made her turn to eye him closely.

"The World Devestator," Leia said, sudden emotion welling up through the unclosed wound of Alderaan, "Luke, I--"

He stopped and hugged her, his lips against her temple as he whispered, "We aren't going to let them win now, Leia. We've already come too far."

She took a deep, shaky and nodded, pulling away. "You're right," she said, the old fire lighting deep in her eyes. "We'll beat them. Because we have to." *************************************************************************************************

"Mara." Karrde said, the relief nearly palable in his taunt voice. "Where in the seven Shandorian kingdoms have you been? You were supposed to report a week ago. I was beginning to think they had you under arrest again."

Mara's lips quirked. "They probably would have," she admitted dryly, "if I'd been here." She held up a hand to forestall his inquiry as to where she had been. "It's a long story," she said. "Needless to say, the Council hasn't been interested in what I have to say since the news about the so-called Emperor got out. As a matter-of-fact, they think we're working for him."

"I'd say that's a clear breach of our alliance treaties," Karrde observed grimly.

Mara nodded.

"If there's nothing we can do, we aren't going to waste resources trying," he added. "I'll be glad to get you off Coruscant anyway. I have a feeling the situation there is about to become sticky."

Mara perked up ever-so-slightly. "What have you heard?," she asked guardedly.

"Nothing outside of the general news reports," Karrde admitted, "but the Emperor has never been the type for quiet rear-guard harassment--"

"You're right," she interrupted. "He's going to retake the capital. We should warn them."

Karrde raised one cultured eyebrow. "Why, Mara, I thought you didn't care for the New Republic," he said smoothly, and, before she could take offense, "Do you really think they'd listen to a smuggler and an ex-imperial?"

Mara sighed. "Organa-Solo might," she said.

"You'd hate yourself for not trying," Karrde translated. "All right, Jade. But make it snappy, cause the Wilde Karrde will be there to get you in two days."

"I'll be more than ready to go," she promised, signing off with a curt nod that might as well have been a salute.

Karrde returned the gesture, his eyes dark, and the screen went blank. *************************************************************************************************

The doors slid open, revealing Solo, Organa-Solo, and Skywalker clustered around his coffee table in a tight semi-circle. "Another council of war," Mara said dryly, "you really need to think of a new motif for your parties." No one responded. "I take it that's the message cube," she added, jerking her head toward the black square sitting in the center of the table.

"This is it," Skywalker agreed. "Tell me, do the markings on this thing look familiar to you?"

She frowned, leaned over it thoughtfully. "Unfortunately. They look like markings on some of the texts the Emperor had in his personal library."

Skywalker nodded, the skin around the corners of his eyes tight. "I've seen them--or something remarkably similar--before, too. On the temples at Yavin 4."

Leia nodded. "But why would the Emperor have a message cube marked in the language of the those natives?"

"Maybe the question should be-- `why would those natives be writing in the same language used on ancient Sith texts?'," Mara countered grimly.

"You're sure?," Luke asked, his entire being carefully still.

She nodded, her eyes meeting his, concern sizzling between them. "Don't open it," she said. "Whatever it is, it's trouble."

"It oozes the Dark Side," Luke agreed. "But, Mara, I have to open it."

"You don't have to do anything," she countered in a low hiss. "Skywalker, be sensible! Don't unleash something you can't begin to deal with."

"Unless we open it, we don't know what it says," he said, "what if it's information that could save thousands of lives? I couldn't live with that kind of blood on my hands."

"It wouldn't be on your hands," she snarled, "it would be on his. Don't be so naive."

"If I could stop the World Devestator and didn't, I'd be just as guilty as the people using it," he said. "I'm not being naive, Mara. I'm Jedi. I'm bound to protect those who can't protect themselves."

"You think he doesn't know that," she retorted, "It's your weakness, and he's going to use it to destroy you because you might just be the one person who could destroy him."

"I know," he said with a sad, gentle little smile. "But I have to try...don't you understand?"

She sighed. "Yeah. I understand. Damn your hide."

He grinned, touched her cheek in spite of Han and Leia's amazed looks, and slid a finger over the sensor in the cube. It opened, projecting an image of a short, slender man in a rough brown jedi robe, wide amber eyes glowing within in the hood, drawing attention to a face that would have been striking if it hadn't been marred by several huge black-purple bruises. Mara caught her breath, and sat down, hard, on the sofa, her head spinning.

Skywalker glanced over at her in concern. "Mara? What is it?"

"That's him," she said hoarsely. "The man from my nightmares and visions." Then, her voice gaining an irritated edge of strentgh, "I'm fine, Skywalker, quit looking at me like that."

She could tell he wasn't convinced, but he turned his attention back to the holo, anyway, giving her a chance to catch her breath.

"Jedi Skywalker...we meet again. I told you once that you would bow before me...and you didn't. But that was all part of our mutual destiny...I realize now that you were not bowing as a servant, but as a student...You have many questions...many things you feel uncomfortable with, things about the Force you don't understand...and you will come to me for answers...together we will usher in a great new era of learning and light."

"Didn't death teach him anything?," Leia asked in an amazed voice. "He still thinks you're going to join him."

"The Emperor has already gained a little ground," Mara retorted, "we're listening to him."

"Yeah, leave it to you to think he's persuasive," Han countered. Mara subsided, her hurt so well-concealed that only Luke caught a whisper of it, and glanced warningly at his sister and bondbrother.

"I realize that given our...first impressions, you may not be anxious to bow before this destiny," the Emperor continued. "So...I have I sent you your first lessons as a gesture of good faith. Please share them with Mara Jade, My Hand, whom I will be glad to reinstate as soon as she is convinced of my identity."

The figure bowed and disappeared. Mara snorted. "So much for clues. Now can we get rid of it?"

Luke shook his head. "The message didn't contain any clues, but the sith writings might. We should read them."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Mara insisted. "That's exactly what he wants."

"The lady makes sense," Han agreed. "If the Emperor wants you to do it, it can't be good for you, kid."

"Maybe we should wait," Leia said slowly, "we can read them as a last ditch effort if nothing else works." Luke said nothing. Taking this as agreement, his sister stood up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Try to get some sleep," she said softly. "We leave tomorrow morning to go to Hryn. Maybe you and Mara should come with us."

Luke glanced over at Mara. There was something in her expression... "We'll discuss it," he said gently, hugging his sister. "Sleep well."

She nodded, and Han bowed, escorting her from the room.

Luke wandered out to his little balcony, and Mara followed him in silence. "You're leaving ," he said sadly, leaning against the rail.

She nodded. "Karrde needs me," she said softly. "I'm part of his organization and--"

"The New Republic needs you, too," he interrupted. "I need you."

She shook her head, telling herself that the hollow pain that washed out from him and over her didn't affect her. "You don't need me, Skywalker," she said sharply. "You always do just fine on your own."

"I don't want to be on my own anymore," he said softly. "It makes me feel...vulnerable...and afraid. I'm afraid...I'm afraid I'm going to lose, that I'm going to fail everyone...what will I do then? Especially if I don't have you to make me pick myself up, dust myself off and try again? I need you...you make me try harder...be stronger..."

Her face was burning. She put her hand roughly over his mouth. "I'm not leaving you," she said. "I don't leave friends behind. I'm just leaving Coruscant...going someplace where I'm useful. You'll see me again before you know it."

"A woman of her word," Luke said gently, covering her hand on the rail with his. Slowly, hesitantly, she laced her fingers through his, letting her body melt slowly into his beside her. "Not having to deal with you would free up a lot of time--" she elbowed him, making air rush out of his lungs. He caught his breath and continued "--so I'll just take advantage of your absence to read those Sith writings, and tell you all about them when you come back."

She stiffened. "Skywalker, don't try to blackmail me that way. You wouldn't dare!"

He pulled his hand away. "It's not blackmail, Mara. You said you understood."

"You're selling your soul," she hissed. "Fool! Stupid Jedi." But she knew that his open-hearted nobility, the optimistic naivete that had made him see good even in her...that had made him willing to risk himself to spare her gave him no choice...if he didn't read the writings, he'd feel like he wasn't doing all he could...and that feeling would rip him apart inside. "It's a mistake," she repeated. "Aren't you the one who's always saying `Once you start down the Dark Side forever will it dominate your destiny' or something to that effect?"

"Reading about the Dark Side doesn't mean that I'm going to use it," he soothed, that earnest expression back in his pale eyes. It made her want to cry. "If I know about his power, Mara, maybe I'll know how to stop it...I have to try."

She sighed, one corner of her mouth lifting wryly. "I know," she said dryly, pushing the golden halo of hair out of his face, and turning toward the door. "You win."

"Where are you going?," he asked in surprise.

"To tell Karrde not to come and get me after all," she retorted as if it ought to be obvious. "If you're going to do this, I'm not about to turn my back on you."

As the grin broke across his face, she added, "Just so there's no misunderstanding, I may be sticking around, but I'm not about to mess with that evil thing."

Luke nodded, and her heart did a funny twisting half-leap in his chest. "Mara--thank you."

"Don't thank me....if I could think of a way to stop you, I would," she said shortly. "See you tomorrow, Jedi." *************************************************************************************************

"Mara? Is something wrong?," Aves asked.

"You could say that," she admitted dryly, "but there's no emergency. I just had a change of plans I wanted to talk to Karrde about."

Aves' curiousity was apparent in his bright eyes, but years in Karrde's service had taught him when not to ask questions. "Sure thing, Mara, he'll be right with you."

"What is it, Mara?," Karrde asked, his crisp tones not masking his concern.

"Change of plans, Karrde. Much as I'd like to blow this planet, I can't leave."

Karrde was silent for several weighted minutes, his eyes thoughtful. "I try never to force my associates to do something against their conscience, let alone my second-in-command," he said slowly."You are still my second-in-command, aren't you? Because if you'd like to leave the organization--"

"Is that a hint?," Mara demanded darkly, her eyes flashing.

"Absolutely not. I'd hate to lose you. But if you think your place is with the New Republic--"

Mara snorted. "Hardly that. It's just that there's been an odd development, and something tells me that I need to stick around for a couple of days."

"Ah," Karrde said, his face guarded. "I take it this is what Solo refers to as `a Jedi-thing'?"

Mara's lip twisted. "You could say that," she said bitterly. "After all, where Luke Skywalker goes, trouble often follows...and someone has to get him out of it."

"Mara?," Karrde asked hesitantly. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

She stared at him in wide-eyed amazement. "Oh, please. Karrde, tell me you're joking. Have you forgotten I wanted to kill him?"

Karrde shrugged slightly. "No, but you both seem to have gotten past it, and--"

"Friends. We're just friends. Though I may live to regret it and choke him after all," she retorted curtly."Assuming I still have a job with you, I'll be in touch in a couple weeks."

He smiled slightly. "You have a job as long as you want it. You know how to reach me."

She nodded briskly. "Thank you."

"See you in a couple weeks."

//If I live that long//, Mara thought, but forebore to add. No point in ruining everyone's day.

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; name="New_Beginnings8-13.txt" Content-Language: en Content-Length: 107448

Title--New Beginnings Author--Jedi Amoira Author Email--boysj@mailcity.com

Disclaimer--Not my characters. Not my universe. Not my money. Just my fun.

Notes--This is part of my ongoing version of the events between "The Last Command" and "Jedi Search". Some of the events of "Dark Empire" do occur, but probably not in the same manner or order. The section of this story in brackets is a dream.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Part Eight--Second Thoughts

"So did you and Mara decide to come with us?," Leia greeted without preliminaries. Luke grinned, reminded of the early days of the Rebellion. Of course, Leia had always been brusque then because she was stressed, and recognizing her state took some of the joy out of his affectionate amusement now.

He felt a sharp twinge of guilt over hiding the cube he'd been pouring over all night when he sensed her coming. She wouldn't be at all happy with him when she found out, and he didn't like lying to her. "Much as I hate giving up a chance to see my favorite sister, I'm afraid we're going to have to pass," he said. He could see the frown forming in the gathering furrows of her brow as he explained, "I think one of us needs to stay here in case the Emperor makes contact again. And Mara and I can keep looking for clues about his plan and location." Which was true, he reasoned, even if he also wanted to stay because it would be easier to work with the cube if he didn't have to worry about his sister or Han walking in on him.

Leia looked at him for several silent seconds. He could feel her tentative Force skills testing the edges of his mind, and had to remind himself not to react. "Good point," she sighed. "I just don't like leaving you here by yourself. You seem to have a knack for getting into trouble."

Luke grinned. "I believe your husband would say, `My buddy Luke can take care of himself', but if it makes you feel better, I won't be alone. Mara will be here."

Leia started to nod, then paused, looking thoughtful. "Speaking of Mara...What's going on with the two of you?"

"What do you mean?," Luke asked a trifle too quickly, and sighed, realizing he'd been caught. "We're friends, Leia. She started out a very reluctant ally, but after Wayland, something changed...she seemed to open up, and..." His voice trailed off. He shrugged. "I trust her, I respect her opinion, and I think she's beginning to trust me... we're just...building a friendship."

Leia nodded slowly. "Before your trip to Bakura, I would have been satisfied with that answer," she mused. "But...there's something you're not telling me."

Luke sighed. "Maybe," he admitted. "But if there is, I'm not even sure what it is myself yet. It's just...sometimes I look at her...or she smiles a certain way....the whole room seems to light up and my heart stops, and I know that she's the one pure truth I've been searching for my whole life...then I realize how ridiculous that sounds and the whole thing vanishes like metal that's been vaped." He sighed. "I guess that's not a very clear explanation--"

"No," Leia agreed, her heart swelling and floating to lump in her throat. "But I know what you mean." It sounded very similar to how she'd felt about a certain irksome smuggler after he'd covered Luke Skywalker and helped save the Rebellion years before. Not that she would have admitted it...and she supposed Luke wasn't ready to hear the comparison now. It would probably only make things harder...especially since Leia had reservations about whether or not Mara Jade deserved that kind of love, let alone desired it. "Mara has her problems," she said in lieu of more personal words, "but she does seem to be reliable cover to have at your back."

Luke answered by sweeping her into a hug. "Take care of yourself," he murmured, "This business at Hryn gives me a bad feeling."

"Me too," she said. "But I doubt the Emperor will strike the same place so soon. If he does, well...Han's run the Falcon out of some pretty tight places on some pretty long odds before." **********************************************************************************

[The air around her seemed dark and heavy, clogging her throat and wrapping around her. She reached up, as if trying to wipe it away, and touched nothing but her own skin. "Mara Jade, you were born to serve me," whispered a voice in her ear. She started to turn, to see who was speaking, but the voice continued, "You promised to serve me. I know you feel a loyalty to young Skywalker--"

"He'll never serve you," she spat. "He's everything you're not. Kind...compassionate...giving..."

"Noble," finished the Emperor's voice, sizzling with amusement.

"I am not...but neither are you, Mara Jade...and there is much he would do for you already..."

Her spine stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He laughed, and she felt a long-fingered hand rest against her cheek with the bite of the sepulcher. She used to relish that touch. The thought made her sick. "He is strong," the Emperor admitted. "He is Jedi...he will not come to me of his own accord...although my lessons interest him greatly. But he will come if you bring him to me."

Mara laughed. "Were you this crazy before you died?," she taunted, ignoring the sudden sharp pain in her heart. "Why would I betray him for you? He never lied to me."

"You will bring him to me," the Emperor repeated. "I have foreseen it. And when you do, I will give him to you."

Mara's heart skipped a beat, and she tried desperately to ignore it as she retorted. "Like you foresaw your victory at Endor? Please, Master...don't make me laugh."

"Enough!!" He shouted, angered, as the corona of blue lightning began to crackle about him like a halo...]

Mara woke with a jerk. She was sitting straight up in bed, sweat running down her back, making her nightgown stick to her skin as her breath came in ragged starts and stops. It seemed to take years before she managed to control it, to smooth it out enough that she could roll awkwardly out of bed and stumble to the `fresher. A quick ten-minute session did little to ease the headache thickening her head, but she didn't want to waste any more time than she had to. She pulled on a neat one piece jumpsuit as black as her mood and laced up her boots. She braided her hair en route to Luke Skywalker's suite, and walked in without knocking.

He was bent over the hovering image of the not-quite-Emperor as it lectured about something she couldn't and didn't wish to hear, but looked up as the doors slammed behind her. "Mara," he said, his voice soft and...almost, it seemed...a little husky. "You're ill."

She couldn't let the tenderness of his tone undo her...couldn't let him distract her from her purpose...even if all she suddenly wanted was to break down and cry. "No," she said sharply, "no, I'm fine....I've just made a terrible mistake. I can't stay here, Skywalker, I have to leave. I have to go now...before something bad happens."

Skywalker jabbed the message cube, banishing the image far too late for Mara's comfort, and walked over to gather her in his arms. "Mara, calm down. This isn't like you. Has something happened to Karrde?"

She shook her head, the feel of his chest under her cheek oddly reassuring. Her overwhelming fear mingled with a thin thread of distant pleasure, disconcerting her. "Not as far as I know. Karrde can take care of himself." The remark, sounding so much like the line he'd paraphrased for Han earlier, brought the shadow of a smile to his lips, nearly erasing her line of thought. "They're back."

"What are?," Skywalker asked, confusion lining his forehead.

"The nightmares," she said with a sigh.

"The nightmares? You mean the ones where the Emperor wanted you to kill me?"

She nodded. The feel of his arms wrapped around her waist was slowly replacing shock. She could feel his smile in her hair as he said, "Do you want to kill me?"

She snorted, feeling a faint twinge of annoyance. "Don't be ridiculous. If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead."

The smile deepened, making her blood warm oddly. "Then why let them worry you?"

Sudden impatience overwhelmed her, and she shoved him roughly away, feeling a faint satisfaction as he stumbled back several steps. "Because he's not asking me to kill you," she snapped, striding for the door. "I didn't come here for discussion, Skywalker."

He reached out and caught her arm, his fingers clenching so tightly they burned into the muscle. She didn't cry out, but her slight wince startled him, and he loosened his grip with immediate contrition. "Gods, Mara, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you."

The odd expression in her emerald eyes startled him. "Don't beat yourself up over it, farmboy," she teased dryly. "I know you better than that."

"Yeah," Luke agreed a little breathlessly, "I think you do."

She moved her arm slightly, reminding him he still had hold of it. "You had something you wanted to say to me, Jedi? I'm trying to make an exit here."

"Uh, yeah," he said a little sheepishly. "Look, Mara...the nightmare took you by surprise, it scared you...you're emotionally distraught. You aren't thinking clearly...when's the last time you ate a full a meal?"

Mara looked a little nonplused. "Day before yesterday," she said slowly.

"So what I'm saying is...don't do anything hasty. The Emperor's just scaring you...he can't control you...and I won't let him hurt you. Let's just go get some food...talk this thing through...figure out where he is and what he's planning to do...so we can stop him...and he won't be able to scare you anymore."

"I don't know, Skywalker," she said. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea--"

He lowered his head toward hers, staring her in the eye. "Mara," he said simply, and she went still. Lifetimes later he asked, "Do you want to leave?"

She answered breathlessly. "No." Then, with the old acidic wit, "Then you'd be unsupervised."

Luke laughed. Words seemed to rest on the edge of his tongue, waiting to be said. Mara poked him in the ribs. "You promised to feed me, Jedi."

The words vanished unsaid, before he was even quite sure what they were. "Yeah," he admitted, "I guess I did." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part Nine--Joint Moves

Mutual, if unspoken, agreement guided them in the direction of the outdoor cafe they'd visited before. They walked along the streets in silence, Mara uncomfortable with her dream, and her odd reaction to Luke's attempts to her soothe her, Luke uncertain how to put her at ease. As they neared the awning that marked the cafe's location, Luke's danger sense began to tingle. "Something's wrong," he said, not knowing if he was speaking to Mara or himself.

"I don't like it," Mara agreed. "Maybe we should head back to the palace and try to get ahold of that Admiral."

"Ackbar," he supplied absently, making her snort impatiently. "Yeah," he agreed slowly, "I think you're right...Ackbar needs to hear about this. Whatever this is."

They started back in the other direction, halted by a sudden bright flash in the sky ahead. Smoke and dust rose in clouds, making them cough. "Are you okay?," Luke shouted over the ringing in his ears. Through tear-blurred eyes, he saw Mara nod.

"I'm not hurt," she confirmed. "But I only know one thing that can do that kind of damage..." They both paused and looked at one another in concerned surprise.

"Star Destoyer turbolasers," Luke said grimly.

"It's begun," Mara whispered, her green eyes wide. Luke felt the surprising urge to reach out and touch her cheek.

"What's begun?," he asked.

"The battle for the capital," she answered as they both began to run. **********************************************************************************

Leia's face bleached of color. "Leia!," Han said sharply, afraid she was about to pass out. He jumped up and around the game table to kneel beside her. "What's wrong? The twins..."

She managed a wan smile. "The twins and I are both fine," she assured him. "I just felt a little funny..."

"A little funny? Like the dead Emperor was making another grab for you?"

"He's not dead now," Leia replied with a gallows smile.

In spite of the noose of fear around his heart, Han smiled back. "Cute, Your Highness."

"Anyway," she added, "it wasn't like that at all. It was more like a great many people I cared a great deal about were all in danger..." She stopped, stunned. "Han," she said. "He's trying to retake the Imperial Center. We have to go back."

"He has to know that's ridiculous," Han began, "where would he get that kind of firepower?"

"I don't know," Leia said immediately, "Han, we have to go back."

He nodded slowly, kissed her forehead. "Sure thing, sweetheart," he agreed. "Be there in a little under an hour." **********************************************************************************

They hit the ground running. The destruction was unbelieveble; the sky full of dust, smoke, and laserfire, the streets full of troops in white armor, AT-ATs and AT-STs. Asked about it in later years, Han was never sure how they managed to find Luke, whether Leia could sense him through the Force or not. He was standing just outside the palace, deflecting blaster shots with his lightsabre, the blade moving so fast it was nothing more than a green blur.

"Leia! What are you doing here?"

"We came to help," she shouted back, her voice nearly lost in the battle roar. Luke lifted his hand in her direction, and a huge rock that she hadn't seen coming straight for her head shot harmlessly off to the side. Relief mingled with a dark shock of fear...she'd never seen him do that before. It reminded her uncomfortably of Vader. "How'd you do that?," she asked suspiciously.

He flushed slightly...or was it just the reflection of the red laserfire on his pale skin? It was hard to tell. "I learned it...from something I was reading," he said awkwardly. Leia frowned. "You have to get out of here," he shouted, making the gesture with sudden violence. An AT-AT tumbled ponderously into the front of a nearby cafe. Leia jumped back, only vaguely reassured by the feel of Han's solid chest against her shoulders. "There's nothing you can do now. The rest of the goverment's already headed to the backup base."

"I'm not going to leave you here!," Leia shouted as his lightsabre swooped around her to intercept three thick blaster bolts.

"The Republic needs you!," he shouted back. She hesitated, plainly torn between her cause and her family. "I can take care of myself," he added. "But not if I'm distracted worrying about you."

Han nodded, his face grim, and laid a hand on Leia's shoulder. "He's right, sweetheart," he said flatly. "You know where to meet us?"

Luke nodded. "Go on--get out of here!," he shouted, slicing through the armor of stormtrooper coming up behind him on the left.

Before Leia could reply, Mara ran up to meet them, fiery hair straggling out of the braid to stick to stick to her sweaty skin, face smudged with dust, her shoulder bleeding. "Sorry. I missed that one."

"One out of hundreds isn't worth complaining," Luke replied, and she flashed him a quick warm grin.

Her green eyes flicked to Leia and Han. "Did I miss something?"

"Han and Leia were just leaving," Luke said firmly. "Weren't you?"

Leia watched in amazement, the battle forgotten, as her brother and Mara Jade fell into tightly staggered formation, the back of his right shoulder lined up with the back of her left shoulder. Even as they lined up, a stormtrooper rushed Mara on her left, and she brought her foot fractionally up and out, tripping him neatly. Before he could get his bearings, she slammed her boot into his faceplate, and brought the flashing blue blade of her lightsabre down on the side of his neck. She nudged him, and he rolled bonelessly out of the way. That lightsabre...seemed familiar...and with a start, Leia realized it was the one she'd seen Luke carrying until he lost it at Bespin. //I wonder what that means...//

Two more stormtroopers from Luke's side took the place of the one Mara had dispatched. Luke neatly sliced one in half, while Mara calmly hooked her elbow and hit the one behind her in the nose, distracting him just long enough for Luke to treat him similarly.

"Get out while you can," she advised. "I'll take care of him."

Brown eyes met green, and Leia nodded slowly. "Be sure that you do," she retorted. "See you at the base," she added as Han yanked her in the direction of the Falcon, their Noghri guards scurrying after them. **********************************************************************************

There was no way to tell time. It could have been hours since they'd forced Leia to evacuate, or merely minutes.

The ground shuddered under their feet. "Shavit rynn! What was that?," Mara asked.

"It felt like an earthquake," Luke replied slowly, "but Coruscant isn't exactly--"

"Known for those," Mara finished.

"Whatever it was," he said, "I guess it's over now."

The ground not only shuddered, but buckled, knocking Luke off-balance into Mara. They hit the ground with a thud and Mara's muffled yelp of protest. Laserfire rumbled continuously overhead. Luke had never heard fire like that.

"That's not fire," Mara answered his unspoken thought.

"Then what--" Luke began, looking up. Rubble, from rocks as big around as his head, to microscopic pebbles, was raining all over the street.

"Where's that coming from?," he asked, feeling dazed.

"Originally?" Mara said, irony present even in her current awed state. "I'd say it came from there."

Luke followed the direction the sharp jerk of her head indicated, and inhaled sharply. "Hothfrost!"

"Not exactly," Mara retorted, the humor in her voice gaining strentgh.

"There's a hole in the city!," he shouted.

She nodded, then flinched and shifted position slightly. The motion suddenly made Luke intimately aware of the overlapping of their legs and soft diagonal strip of her torso that met his, making every cell in his body suddenly stand on end. "Hey, Skywalker, do you want to get off me, or are you just getting comfortable?" He blushed dark red, making her laugh.

"Sorry," he mumbled, rolling off her and to his feet. She took his offered hand without hesitation, and clamboured up, brushing off her back.

"Don't mention it," she said wryly. "You know Skywalker, I think we found that secret Imperial base in the Ground Level."

"We did?," Luke repeated, amazed.

"I'd forgotten," she murmured, memories rushing back in a flood. Waking up in the middle of the night...everything around her still and dark as she crept into the library...pulling the lever the mind of a careless Imperial Guardsmen had revealed to her...the long dark musty tunnels...the fear of being discovered breathing down her neck like the foul breath of mythical monster...the metal hull of the ship still gleaming brilliant silver in the dark muck of its surroundings...the faint crackle of purple-blue lightning as she touched the strangely warm surface...the name that sounded of its own accord in her head. "The Force Storm," she whispered.

Luke stared, swallowing hard. "That's a Super Star Destroyer."

She laughed bitterly, watching it rise from its tomb. It was probably a good two feet above them already, dead ahead. "No," she corrected. "That is the Emperor's personal ship."

"It must be going to join him," Luke said. She didn't respond. She didn't have to. "Mara..."

"No!" She snapped. "Absolutely not!"

"Mara," he said again, already running forward, "We have to. It may be our only chance to find him...to stop him."

Her face was rigid, her eyes distant and contracted, her skin white. "We'd be walking into his hands," she said faintly.

"Think of all the people he'll hurt if we don't stop him," Luke shouted, his voice distant.

"Think of all the people Vader hurt under his control," she shot back, falling back into herself. Muttering under her breath about promises to former Imperial Senators known for their tempers, she ran after him.

"Fear--"

"Is of the Dark Side," she snapped. "I know. You've told me enough. But if this idea doesn't scare you, you're nuts."

"It scares me," he said simply. "You have to move beyond the fear."

"Myng vyt purpura drymt claoop Jedi!," she snarled.

"What language is that?, he asked innocently. "Nuetgonian?"

"Partially. It's a form of Smuggler's slang made up of parts of half a dozen languages incl--" She broke off and turned to face him, blazing indignation. "I do not sound like Threepio!"

"My mistake," he returned, shrugging. "At least you aren't scared anymore."

She started to form an angry retort, then bit it off abruptly, nearly taking the edge of her tongue with it as she ran full-force into his back. "OOOmph!" She pulled back, rubbing her nose.

"Sorry," he said absently, not even glancing back at her. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Just marvelous. Never been better. But next time you're going to stop suddenly, you mind giving me a little advance warning?"

He didn't answer her. He was standing directly under the edge of the ship as it hovered above his head...now about three and half feet up. He turned and looked her in the eye as she joined him. "You've got to be joking," she retorted.

"Have you got a better idea?," he asked with that mildness that always made her blood boil.

"Yeah," she snapped. "Let's not go."

In answer, he turned to face her and cupped his hands. "You owe me," she informed him. "You owe me so big..." She took a few running steps, and sprang into his palm, using the impact to propell herself up and forward even as he threw his hands up and out, adding to her flight. She tucked herself into a tight ball and flipped, counting to herself. She unfolded, clutching the edge of the open bay floor with sliding fingers. She hung there for several seconds, drifting back and forth as the ship lifted, wondering how in the seven sith hells Luke Skywalker always managed to talk her into these things.

Then she carefully arched backward and flipped neatly into the bay. "Sith, that's uncomfortable," she muttered, stretching out on her belly, reaching her arms out.

Luke took one huge, Force-enhanced leap and grabbed her hands, and, grunting with the effort, she pulled him into the bay. "The things I do for you," she greeted him wryly.

"Maybe we ought to move," he replied, eyeing the doors distrustfully. They seemed to be inching forward.

"It's like they were waiting on us," Mara muttered as they slid shut.

"Don't borrow trouble," Luke cautioned, but he had to admit she had a point, and he didn't much like it. "There's nothing we can do about it now."

"Don't remind me," she retorted sardonically, and he laughed. Some things never changed. _______________________________________________________________________

Part Ten--Moment of Revelation

"Shall we explore?," Luke suggested.

Mara shot him a poisonous look even as she inclined her head. "By all means," she drawled sardonically, "lead the way."

He looked at her for a minute, then shrugged, and took her advice. Not quite twenty minutes later, they were standing in the Ready Room. Well, he was standing in the Ready Room. Mara was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot like a schoolgirl about to get a lecture. "Did--"

"No," she answered sharply.

He blinked, mildly affronted, and wandered over to the huge Ithorian ebony desk to rifle through the data flimsys.

"Just because he was part of my life doesn't mean I know everything about him," she elaborated sulkily.

"These are written in the same language that was on the message cube," Luke told her. "Do you think he was--"

"Knowing the Emperor," she said wearily, "he probably used this room as a private library. Can we get out of here, Skywalker? The place is giving me the creeps."

"Look at this," he said, not seeming to hear her complaints. He thrust one of the flimsys into her hand. "Can you read it?"

Mara scowled at him darkly, and wondered how hard it would be to lay a mild curse on him using the Force. "No," she said, relieved, several seconds later. "It's all Slussi to me."

"You can't read Slussi?," Luke asked, mildly intrigued.

"Can you?," she asked, not really answering the question.

He was already staring at the flimsys again, oblivious to the world around him. Deep in her throat, Mara made a sound that was half-growl, half-sigh. Her stomach moaned, reminding her of the promised breakfast that had never materialized. "Knock yourself out if you want to play archeologist," she said a bit testily. "I'm going to go forage for food." He didn't answer, and it was all she could do not to kick him on her way out.

Making her way back to the hold they'd entered by, Mara realized it was packed full of Imperial goods. Trunks of clothes suited to ladies of the court. Cases of scented candles and incense. Assortments of paintings and sculptures. Even a huge, ornately carved bed in one corner. Once, she'd missed that sort of thing with her very life. Now the idea of someone who valued them enough to pack an apparently abandoned Super Star Destroyer full of them disgusted her. It was a change she'd have to mull over at length sometime, but right now, she was on a mission. Breakfast.

The ship jerked violently, yanking her feet out from under her. She sighed to herself as she got up and rubbed her stinging butt. If she'd harbored any secret dreams of getting off the ship before it was too late, they were dead now. They'd just jumped to hyperspace.

Eventually, she found the gourmet food supplies, which were scarce and rather limited, since they had to be things that would keep for an indefinite amount of time. Still, two crates ought to feed her and Skywalker, no matter what was in them. //If the great and mighty Jedi even needs to eat//, she thought derisively. She contemplated them in silence for several minutes, then calmly pulled the lightsabre off her belt and ignited it. In spite of her aggravation with Jedi, the low hum was reassuring, easing a fraction of the tension out of her aching shoulders. Holding it carefully at a descending angle, she levered the blade into the seam between the crate and the lid, and began to walk its perimeter, dragging the lightsabre after her like one of Karrde's vornskrs on a leash.

"That's an interesting method," Skywalker said mildly. She stopped and jerked her head up to stare at him in shock.

"Can you think of a better one?," she snapped, several seconds too late.

He shrugged. "Not really."

She finished what she was doing with the first crate, and began to repeat the process on the second, shooting a shrewd look at Skywalker out of the corner of her eye. "I was beginning to think you were going to spend our whole vacation reading."

"I was planning on it," he admitted.

She snorted. "So what happened? Remember you couldn't read the language?"

"Actually I could read it," he corrected, sending a chill up her spine. "I found a...well, I guess you could call it a key."

"Wonderful," she complained under her breath. "Can't anything go right?"

"What was that?," he asked, sounding vaguely amused.

"I said-- `I suppose you need to eat'?," Mara said, raising her voice.

"Eating would be nice," he admitted, "But actually...well...it was too quiet."

She looked at him blankly. "Too quiet," she repeated, shutting down the lightsabre, and tucking it back into place. She started to lift one of the lids off the crate, and Skywalker took it before she could.

"Yeah...I kind of missed having you around," he admitted. "I mean...the trip to Bakura and back..."

"I knew being civil just once was a mistake," Mara murmured. "It gave you delusions of camaraderie."

Luke laughed. "I see you missed me too," he said.

"Like the plague," she retorted, oddly aware that she really had missed him. He grinned at her, that little-boy-on-top-of-the-world grin that always melted her knees and made her forget all the little things that plagued her. She loved that grin. She hated it. She grinned wryly, and leaned over the open crate. "Calmarian Troal jerky. Qefsj cheese. Utmys. Wryng. Crakers. What an appetizing combination."

"Maybe there's something better in this one," Luke said, lifting the lid off the other crate.

"Well?," she asked.

"No such luck. Bakuran Namana fruit liquor, Corellian Brandy, Forvish Ale."

"Forvish Ale," Mara repeated, wrinkling her nose. "What no mineral water?"

" `Fraid not." Luke returned, and Mara sighed as her stomach moaned again. "It won't be so bad," he soothed. He produced a heavy quilted vine-silk blanket and a huge scented pillar candle. "We'll have a picnic."

"Bizarre picnic," Mara said complacently, and he grinned at her again.

"More memorable that way," he assured her. "Make a great story to tell our grandkids."

She raised an eyebrow. //Our grandkids, is it?// He blushed, and wisely said nothing, making her chuckle slightly.

Luke spread the blanket on an empty patch of the bay floor, set the candle at one end, and lit it with the Force. "That's a handy trick," Mara said, impressed. "You'll have to show it to me."

Luke grinned. "I should have known I was going about convincing you to be a Jedi all wrong. Instead of talking about personal enlightenment and great good for the universe, all I really had to do was offer you a few useful camping skills."

She made a strangled sound of supreme disdain that reminded him of his sister in the early days of the Rebellion. "You...you...you...." she sputtered, pouncing on him and tickling his ribs.

He laughed until he thought he was about to fall apart at the seams, squirming away from her demanding fingers. "Peace..." He gasped. "Peace...I take...it....back...just....stop, please." She stopped, more because her arms ached than because of he had asked her to, and lay beside him on the floor, panting for breath. "Not bad for a pacifist, Jade," he managed after awhile, and she raised up on one elbow, snorted, and grinned a trifle maliciously. "Oh no..." he grunted, trying to roll out of the way as realization dawned.

"Take that, Jedi!," she shouted, renewing her attack.

By the time they finally turned their attention to the food, it was late in the day. "How long do you think we have?," Mara asked, spreading Qefsj cheese on a cracker.

"Hard to tell," Luke said, gnawing at Troal jerky. "Could be seconds, could be weeks."

"He knows we're coming," she said into the long pause that followed.

"He'll accept us as students," Luke said. "He thinks I want to learn from him."

Mara swallowed. She nibbled at Wryng, searching for words. "Skywalker..."

"What is it, Mara?," he asked, his eyes gentle and intent on her face. Her heart swelled at the sight, making her scowl. She didn't have time for this.

"Remember that nightmare I told you about?"

"I was hoping you'd forgotten," he replied, concern darkening his blue-grey eyes.

"He said you wouldn't come to him as a student of your own free will," she bit off. "I don't think he's just going to take your word for it and let you waltz right in."

"There's a but in there somewhere," he prompted.

She grinned wryly. "You're entirely too good at that," she informed, and he smiled in a way that seemed to make the rest of the cargo bay recede. She wasn't used to the effect he had on her; it seemed to get stronger all the time. //Or maybe I'm just coming down with something//, she thought hopefully. "But," she added, emphasizing the word for his benefit, her eyes twinkling slightly in spite of her grim mood, "he believes I'm still loyal to him...he said...he told me...to bring you to him."

"So that's why you wanted to leave," Luke whispered as the realization began to sink in, "You were afraid you were going to betray me."

The tears that covered her emerald eyes like a thick sheet of sparkling ice was answer enough. He reached out, taking her face in his hands as they spilled over, wiping them away with callused thumbs. "Anyone who's known you five seconds knows you could never betray anyone you loved."

"Shut up, Skywalker," she said hoarsely. "Please."

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. She stiffened, then melted against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I think," he said after a while, "that this is a good sign. If the Emperor foresaw his Hand turning me, that means that we convince him...and that means that we have direct access to the problem we've been trying to solve."

"It sounds nice and neat," Mara admitted, "but, Skywalker, don't make me do this."

"I...I don't think I could make you do anything you don't want to do, Mara," he said gently, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder. "But...I think the alternative is being locked up to be executed."

"When you put it like that I don't have much of a choice," Mara admitted. "But the problem is...I spent so many years learning how to let go of that person...learning that everything she was...wasn't what she thought she was...changing...if I go back, what happens to everything I learned?"

"You wouldn't really be going back," Luke said. "You aren't the Emperor's Hand anymore. But he doesn't know that..."

"I don't like it," she said flatly, grabbing the Corellian Brandy bottle, and fishing around in the various utility pockets of her jumpsuit.

"What are you doing?," Luke asked, a little startled by the sudden interruption.

"Trying to find my all-purpose knife," Mara grunted in reply, still fishing.

His hand slid down along her back, diagonally along her waist, leaving a sizzling trail behind it as it dipped inside her pocket, firmly caressing her thigh. Mara blushed, feeling her nipples tighten. Luke pulled the knife out of her pocket, and calmly took the bottle from her hand. With a sharp twist and swift yank, he had the bottle uncorked. //I wonder if he's done this before?//, Mara wondered, and found her blush deepening. He smiled at her apparent discomfiture, making her knees feel weak in spite of the fact she was sitting down. "Briva vyna buala, Marita sol," he murmured, his breath brushing across her cheek, making her swallow hard as he offered her the bottle with a flourish.

"I didn't know you spoke anything but Basic," she said unevenly.

"You learn something new everyday," he teased, as she took a heavy swig of brandy.

She grinned, enjoying the mischievous pleasure he took in baiting her. Somehow, she'd always enjoyed it...even on Myrkr, when she thought she wanted to kill him. "So when did you learn Rellian Rumble Code?"

"Just a little something I picked up during the war," he said with a false innocence that gave her a good idea of where he'd gotten it.

"Hard to picture you as a soldier," she admitted.

"Hard for me, too, really," he replied conspiratorially. "I did it so much as a kid on the farm, that I have trouble convincing myself that I'm not just daydreaming and Beru won't wake me up any second, calling me to supper."

"I can almost see you as a kid," Mara murmured. "Sitting on the edge of a sun-baked plateau, your hair all lit up with the light of two yellow suns, ruffling in the slight wind..." She touched the edges of his hair lightly with her fingertips as she spoke, surprising them both by ruffling the silky strands. "Staring off into space with eyes as blue as ice you'd never seen..." The clarity of the vision, tugged her heartstrings, hinting that she was a lot more attached to him than she'd ever dreamed, stunning her into silence.

"That was pretty much me," Luke replied. "If I wasn't staring off into space I was out riding around with Biggs, pretending we were big shot pilots." She felt the wistfulnes that touched him welling up in her own heart.

"Did you ever hear from him again after you left Tatooine?," she asked, running her fingers through his hair and trying not to ask herself what she was doing.

"He died," he whispered. "I have so many friends...so many friends who never made it..." and she could feel his pain, and beneath it, the deep, acidic fear that she might be one of them, that by leading her to the Emperor, he was leading her to her death. The knowledge stunned her. She took another deep drink of brandy, trying to wash away all the revelations that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Here's to all the friends who never made it," she intoned softly. "And the farmboy who did." She handed him the bottle.

He looked startled, then smiled a little sadly, and lifted the bottle in salute before taking a drink. **********************************************************************************

"What now?," she asked a long time later.

"I guess we go to bed," Luke answered.

Mara glanced over at the bed in the corner and thought of the feel of his hand against her thigh. "I'm not going to bed with you!," she said vehemently.

"You've slept closer to me than that on the trail," coaxed Luke. "And you never objected."

That was true. As a matter of fact, she would never have admitted it, but she'd enjoyed the comfort of having him so close. But...even now her body was burning with awareness of his as they sat pressed close together. If they shared the bed, she'd never get any sleep at all. "That's different," she said dismissively. "I'm not going to share the bed with you."

Luke frowned, obviously trying to sort out the nature of her objection, a conviction that made her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She prayed fervently to whatever powers of any sort there might be that he'd never figure them out. "Have it your way," he said at last, sounding slightly peevish. "But I'm sick of sleeping on the floor; I'm taking the bed."

"Oh. Isn't that gallant," sneered Mara. "The noble Jedi Knight who wouldn't let me sleep on his couch."

"You're not sick now," Luke retorted, "and I'm tired."

"Fine!," she snapped.

"Fine," he shot back. **********************************************************************************

Luke Skywalker had slept in countless uncomfortable places. Dangling upside down in an ice cave on Hoth, curled up under a tree in swamp on Dagobah, even in a tree on Myrkr, with a certain fiery-headed assasin. Naturally, we he finally got a chance to sleep in thick, soft, warm bed, he was wide-awake. Luke stared at the ceiling and cursed fate.

Gradually, he became aware of an odd scuffling noise on the floor. "Mara?," he called to the foot of the bed, "is that you?"

The noise stilled. "Yeah," she admitted, long after any answer was necessary.

"Are you having trouble getting comfortable?," he inquired solictously, secretly thinking it would serve her right for being too stubborn to share the bed with him.

"No," she said into the pregnant pause, "I'm perfectly cozy, thanks."

Luke's lips twitched. He counted to himself. He'd reached five hundred, and was beginning to think his hunch was way off when the scuffing starting again. "Is the floor too hard?," he asked.

"I can't even feel it through the ten feet worth of comforters we have spread all over it," Mara said. "It's comfortable as a dream."

"Oh, okay," he called back, the smile starting to grow. He reached three thirty-five before the moving started again. It stilled almost immediately, then started again.

"Skywalker," Mara called faintly. "I don't suppose you'd ever let me live it down if I said I'd changed my mind."

"No," he said seriously, "I don't suppose I would."

Nine ninety-four. "It's not that I've changed my mind..."

"It's alright, Mara," Luke said, deciding he'd strung her along long enough. "I don't feel much like being alone tonight either."

"Just because you got me into bed doesn't mean I like you," Mara cautioned.

"You don't like me at all," Luke agreed solemnly. "You just need me around for a little while."

She grinned at him as she pulled the covers up over her shoulder. "That's right," she said. Then, "And Skywalker---thank you."

Luke smiled. "You're welcome, Mara," he said softly, but she'd already fallen asleep.

Luke, on the other hand, had a harder time...the weight of her, the faint aroma of musk that drifted from her to tickle his nose, the faint dull-ember gleam of her hair in the time-dimmed lights of the hold, energized him like an electric charge. //This never happened before//, he thought plainatively. Then, //Why didn't I notice how beautiful she was before?// Eventually, lost in the thick tangles of his own thoughts, he too drifted off to sleep. **********************************************************************************

Luke Skywalker had to sneeze. Something was tickling his nose. He frowned, absently brushed at the offending area with his left hand. His skin slid silkily across fine-as-gossamer strands, a feeling he registered, even as he sleepily forgot all about it and buried his face in his pillow. But awareness, once begun, was hard to stop, and it crept quietly in. Air touched his skin, brushing his bare right foot and the patch of skin exposed between his leggings and the tunic that had apparently bunched up in the night. It made an odd contrast to the thick, luxurious warmth that enveloped his other side. A hand nestled between the side of his neck and his shoulder. // That's not mine//, he thought, confused. //Unless I've taken to sleeping in some really odd positions.//

Then he realized where his hands were. The right was nestled inobtrusively under the pillow, but the left...was pressed flat against the firm upper curve of a woman's buttock, pulling her in close. Worse, he liked the feeling. A lot. His face sizzled with an embarrassment quickly joined by another emotion entirely as he realized the leg attached to that particular buttock was thrown across both of his. //At least I'm not the only one who did some exploring in their sleep//, he tried to comfort himself through his sudden distraction. //Not that Mara would see it that way.// In fact, if he wanted to live, he probably needed to extract them from this position before she woke up. He lifted his hand slightly from her back, prepared to move it to her shoulder and roll her gently away from him, surprised by his sudden sense of loss.

Mara muttered something in her sleep, throwing her head back slightly, exposing the milky underside of her chin. Luke licked dry lips and took a ragged breath. He didn't really want to kiss that spot anyway. It couldn't possibly be as soft and smooth as it looked. As if sensing his sigh in her sleep, Mara sighed too. Her chest rose and fell with the action, and when it did...Luke stiffled a groan. "At least the Empire never thought of torture like this," he muttered.

The timed lights of the bay had started to brighten again, catching the rumpled strands of hair tumbled about Mara's face and lighting them ablaze like the celebration fires of Endor. Her hair had always fascinated him...it was always moving, changing like a living being... On a sudden whim, Luke lowered his face into the strands, letting them rise up and tangle around him, filling his nostrils with the scent of musk and starlight.

Something warm and a little moist was heating the top of her head...Mara Jade frowned and twitched. It didn't feel unpleasant, just odd...like someone was breathing into her hair...Slowly, reluctantly, she began to remember where she was. Last night, she had fallen asleep wrapped in covers like they were armor, hugging the very edge of the huge bed, her back carefully planted toward Skywalker on the other side of the matteress. Only...during the night...they'd drifted...without even knowing, they'd met in the middle.

The feel of his chest against her breasts should have outraged her, but instead it made her feel warm and complacent, like arching her back and snuggling back under the covers. The closeness of his legs tangled with hers discomfitted her a little, made her feel threatened...but she didn't really mind that either, it was like the old surge of adrenaline when she'd done well at a test the Emperor had devised for her. As for the very possessive feel of his hand on her back, which would have earned him a very violent slap any other time...she actually enjoyed it most of all...it made her feel safe...protected...and something else she had never felt before....wanted, almost loved. She took a deep breath, turning the revelation over in her mind as she turned his scent over in her senses.

She didn't know how long they laid like that, and, more surprising, she found she didn't care. She could stay there happily for the rest of her life, and something in the way he held her told her Skywalker could to. That thought scared her into motion.

She rolled up and inward, propping herself up on her elbow to stare into Luke Skywalker's face, inches beneath her own.

Luke smiled at Mara's unexpected boldness, reaching up and tucking her hair behind her ear. Her rich, clear eyes looked deep into his as if searching for something. Maybe now was the time to say those words he'd lost earlier. He thought he could feel them slowly coming back to him, like something he'd forgotten that the Force was trying to tell him.

"Talon Karrde," Mara whispered, and the words scattered like dust on the wind.

Luke swallowed, fighting reaction as his heart sank. "What?"

"Talon Karrde...he saved me," she repeated, searching for words. "When he found me, I had nothing...no resources, no self-respect, no money, no real place...He gave me everything I need, and I can never repay him for that."

"I know how you feel about Talon Karrde," Luke said a little more sharply than he'd intended. He opened his mouth to say something else, though he didn't know what, but Mara had already continued.

"I guess you could say he's the first real friend I ever had," she admitted, "But..." her voice trailed off, and she swallowed violently, her eyes dark and stormy with emotion that Luke couldn't read. "you're the best." Luke stared at her, too startled to even know how to feel, as she lifted her free hand and touched it, almost reverantly, to his cheek. "You saved me too, Luke Skywalker, only I was too stupid to realize it at the time. Talon Karrde gave me everything I need...but you...you gave me back myself."

"Mara...." he whispered, wanting to say so many things....

She laid her fingers lightly across his lips, smiling slightly as she took the oppurtunity to trace them partially, almost lost in the moment as if she were studying a beautiful sculpture. "I know I've been fighting with you a lot...acting like maybe I didn't believe in you...trying to interfere with your plans...But in the end, it all boils down to this. I trust you. You're maybe the one person I really do trust. So...you can count on me to back you up. No matter what."

"It's going to be okay," Luke promised. "He wants us to turn so badly that he won't ask too many questions. We're going to get out of this just fine."

"And save the galaxy in the bargin," Mara said wryly, the sardonic grin he knew as well as the back of his own hand reappearing.

"We--"

"Have to," she finished for him. "Jedi!" She spat the word, but she was smiling. "I can't remember who, but someone once told me, `be what you want to seem'," she continued. "Maybe it's just the brandy from last night, but I've got that saying stuck in my head. Only...it's all muddled. It keeps coming out-- `seem what you want to be'. I can't help worrying that if we pretend to be the Sith Lord's apprentice and little pet, that's exactly who we'll end up. I'm going to try to hold some of myself back...but just in case she does take over...I wanted you to know...that...well, I wanted to say..." She stopped, their eyes meeting in silence for several seconds. "Thank you."

In that instant, Luke Skywalker knew he wanted to kiss Mara Jade more than anything. The entire galaxy existed or ended in the meeting of their lips. It was the most natural thing in the universe, as if it had been ordained since the beginning of time, and the most surprising, as if he never could have predicted such desire was possible. He reached up and framed her face in his hands, drawing her close. Her eyes widened, and he read his own feelings in them as they began to close, knew that, somehow, the meeting of their lips would seal their souls irreparably together...

The ship reared, breaking his grasp. Mara's elbow slid out from under her, and she fell heavily across his chest. "Tractor beam," she gasped, picking herself up.

"Looks like show time," Luke agreed. He'd found the words. He knew what they were; he would never lose them again. Now was not the time to say them, to add to the distractions surrounding them. The moment of revelation was lost. He would tell her he loved her later. First they had to get out of this alive. _________________________________________________________________________________

Part Eleven--Past Meets Present

Luke hadn't really seen what Mara was getting at when she said she was afraid the Emperor's Hand would obliterate the person she had become. Even as he laid in the bed, stunned, trying to re-establish the customary deep calm that Yoda had tried so desperately to make an unshakeable part of his personality, he started to see.

Not one to waste a moment she could put to use, Mara rolled off the bed and to her feet before she'd gathered her breath. She stood with her back to him, and her stance was wrong, alien. Luke's forehead creased in a deep frown as he reached for exactly what about it upset him. It came over him in a rush, so obvious he couldn't understand how he didn't catch it at once. She had a casual catlike grace that made her look almost as if she were languishing sensually on a couch instead of calmly threatening bodily harm. He'd noticed that grace the first instant he'd laid eyes on her, and he'd never seen her with anything less, never seen her without it.

Until now.

Her back was ramrod straight, her entire body held carefully and powerfully in check like a tightly wound whip raised to crack. As if moved by his thought, she leaned over an open crate, anything but casually. In fact, Luke got the distinct impression she made the move as suggestive as possible because she knew he watching and wanted to discomfit him as much as she wanted to pick up the neatly coiled whip she attached to her belt next to the lightsabre. Taking her time, unconcerned, she selected a deadly-looking blaster, and something he couldn't see that she held in her hand as if thoughtfully gauging its weight. She made a sharp, swift motion as if dropping it around her wrist.

Luke expected her to turn to face him then, to say something to fill the silence that seemed to swell between them, making his heart hollow and ache. Instead, she made a narrow braid in the hair on either side of her face. //An odd thing to do at a time like this. But practical Mara is sure to have a reason//, Luke thought with a fond grin. The grin promptly faded as the wild cascade of fiery hair that had tumbled free about him minutes before was yanked severely back, together and up. She produced a handful of hairpins from one of the countless pockets in her jumpsuit, tacking it ruthlessly into place.

"So much beauty should never be tamed," Luke told her.

Mara Jade would have snorted, grinned, and said something flippant. This woman who both was, and was not, Mara turned with frigid precision. All the warmth in her eyes...of hatred, of humor, of loyalty, of determination...it had all been extinguished. They were cold...colder than night on Hoth. And empty. Luke shuddered. "Careful, Jedi," she sneered archly. "You're playing in the big leagues now." //How can she be so different? Am I dreaming? Or was the other Mara, the one I love, the dream?// She dropped the binders off her wrist with a flourish, letting them drip down extended fingers and land in his lap with a thud that made him wince. The right corner of her mouth curled slightly upward, malicious. "Seeing as how you're so noble and all, I'll trust you to put these on all by yourself."

He picked them up, suddenly loathe to look at her, and turned them over in his hands. //Remember, Luke, she didn't want to do this...you're the one who insisted.// The thought seeped through his spine, giving him a little strength. He put the binders on and glanced up at Mara's impassive face. He half expected her to punish him for his hesitation, but she waited patiently, perhaps betraying that the Emperor's Hand wasn't the only woman in the hold. The thought gave him hope. He activated the binders.

She grasped him firmly, but not painfully, by the upper arm, and yanked him to his feet--no easy feat, considering that, slight as he was, he was a good head taller than she and solidly built, if not bulky. She pulled him to the hold doors, and he fell into step obediently enough beside her. "Prepare to meet the power of the Dark Side," she said softly, something in her touch seeming to warm and soften for a split second. Was it just his imagination, or did the words have the flavor of a goodbye she couldn't allow herself to say? Her fingers tightened sharply, as if warning him not to ask.

The doors slid open. **********************************************************************************

They weren't met by the sea of crimson she expected. In fact, there wasn't an Imperial Guardsmen in sight. Just three figures in rough, hooded black robes. Even with her rudimentary Force abilities, she could fairly touch the Dark Side that eminated from them.

The slightest of the three moved forward, inclining its head ever-so-slightly. "We've been expecting you," he said.

"How delightful for you," the Emperor's Hand retorted frigidly. "I, on the other hand, am sadly behind the times. I guess you weren't important enough for anyone to tell me about you."

The figure laughed lightly. It was not a pleasant sound. "On the contrary, I believe we were far to valuable a part of the Emperor's plan to be revealed prematurely. He said you would understand."

"My master knows me well," she said formally, inclining her head.

"Indeed," said the hooded figure noncomittally. The Sith fell into formation around them. "This way." **********************************************************************************

"Wedge," Councilor Leia Organa Solo exclaimed, the relief palpable in her voice. "I've been waiting on someone I could trust to get in from Coruscant for ages."

General Wedge Antilles sighed, ran a hand along his exhaustion-etched, sweat-streaked face, and tried to muster a smile. "What seems to be the problem, Leia?"

"You mean besides the fact we didn't kill the Emperor the first time?," she retorted, the old spirit sparking and flaring in her eyes. The sight of it encouraged him, as if they could all be young and invincible again...but the encouragement did little against the realities he'd seen. He didn't reply to the obviously rhetorical question, only fell into step beside her and waited on her to get to the point.

She didn't disappoint. "It's Luke," she said grimly. "He was on Coruscant--"

"We've evacuted all personnel," Wedge interrupted. "I escorted the last transport myself."

"I know," she explained impatiently. "That's my point. He isn't here. And I can't find anyone who's seen so much as hint of him."

"You're sure?," Wedge asked, suddenly tense. But he knew Leia Organa Solo didn't make mistakes.

She nodded. He reached out and took her hand, squeezing her fingers in his. "Don't worry, Leia," he said, "Luke always shows up sooner or later. We'll find him."

"I hope you're right," she sighed. "I've got a very bad feeling about this." **********************************************************************************

The Emperor's Hand and her prisoner marched into the Throne Room, surrounded by their Sith Honor Guard. Not that the Emperor's Hand had any delusions about them. They were captors, nothing more, nothing less. As long as they took her where she wanted to go, it was immaterial.

The throne sat with its back to them, staring across a wide expanse of holographic stars. "Who are you?," boomed the commanding voice she had longed for so much.

She hung her head, the weight of her hair seeming to pull it down. Skywalker remained at attention, resolutely unhumbled, but he would learn. "I am the Emperor's Hand. I have come to entreat my Master to take me back into his service...and to prove my loyalty, I have brought him a gift." The throne began to turn slowly as she gestured at Luke, allowing the back of her hand to impact solidly with his diaphragm. "Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight." She allowed her lips to curl back from her teeth, baring them in a cold, grimacing smile.

Without warning, a single bolt of blue-white lightning shot across the room, knocking her to the floor. She gritted her teeth, knowing he would be displeased if she screamed, and moaned slightly.

Luke shouted a wordless cry of pained protest and dropped down beside her. "Dammit Jade...how do you always manage to make them mad?"

The Emperor's Hand was stunned; she'd never had anyone care for her before...Mara resurfaced in a twinge of pity--he couldn't stand to see anything in pain...She had seen him under attack more times than she could count while this distracted, but never once had she heard him raise his voice, let alone swear. She stared at his drawn, pale face and stricken blue eyes as if she'd never seen them before...She nearly answered him, but self-preservation stopped her. //If I want to get us out of this alive, I can't reassure him right now...I can't.// Closing her eyes against the pain of it, praying that somehow, deep inside of him he would read her thoughts and understand, she reached out and shoved him away from her as hard as she could. She pulled herself, shaking, to her knees, and the Emperor walked casually around her.

"Mara Jade," he intoned calmly, "you have much to answer for...how dare you call your master a liar...how dare you doubt his return?"

She licked her lips and whispered, "I'm sorry, Master...without you...I lost faith....I was weak...very weak...and I don't understand how you lived--"

"I answer to no one!," he thundered. "Least of all you!"

"Yes, Master," she agreed humbly. "I live only to serve."

"Yesss," he hissed, dropping his hand to carress her head. "You best not forget again." His hand clenched painfully through her hair, raking her scalp. He yanked her head back.

"Yes, Master," She agreed, keeping her voice emotionless.

"I died," he explained. "I died, but I was born again..."

Across the room, Skywalker stiffened, and she knew without the Force that they had the same thought. //A clone!!//

"Behold," said the Emperor, "my queen and my mother..." He thrust one hand regally out to the side, and a tall, muscular woman in heavy red robes emerged from an alcove.

"Norva Hylev," the Emperor's Hand hissed, narrowing her eyes. She had never cared for the fawning, grating, simpering little witch, no matter how often the Emperor had sworn by her medical expertise. Then, quickly and carefully lacking in the sarcasm she longed to use, "I am humbled by your greatness of service. Much thanks for your excellent example."

"Your lack of faith disturbs me," the Emperor purred in his Hand's ear. "But I have always been a generous and forgiving Master...and you served me well...so I will grant you a chance to do so again."

"Thank you, Master," she said quietly. "I will not fail again."

"See that you don't," he cautioned, pulling her to her feet.

He had already forgotten her, crossing to where Luke stood, looking composed. Looking composed, but with traces of a deep hurt in his face. "Skywalker," the man greeted sibilantly. "I have waited a long time to have your service..."

Luke looked over at the Emperor's Hand, trying to catch her eye, trying to communicate with his Mara somewhere far beneath. She looked steadily at the floor.

"You wish to learn," the Emperor continued thoughtfully. "Already you have begun to turn to the Dark Side to protect your family and friends...Do you think this is wrong, Skywalker?"

"A Jedi always uses the Force only for defense," Luke recited. "Never to attack."

"Ah..." the young Emperor said, nodding sagely. "But sometimes the best defense is a good attack, wouldn't you agree?"

"I....suppose," Luke said slowly, frowning.

"You see? Our ways of using the Force are not so different after all," the Emperor appealed, his wide amber eyes open and innocent. "All I wish to do is teach you more about your own power, Jedi Skywalker...so that you can in turn teach it to others...the way it is meant to be taught...so they don't end up destroyed by it...as I was...as your father was..."

"Then why," demanded Luke, his voice suddenly loud, "why have you attacked so many helpless planets? Hryn--"

"Jedi Skywalker, you have just said the best defense is sometimes a good attack...if I had simply announced my return...don't you think it possible...perhaps even likely...that they're armies would have shot first and asked questions later? I had to prove I was a force to be reckoned with, that is all."

"So you will get rid of the World Devestator?," Luke asked, his voice hard.

The Emperor sighed and shook his head regretfully. "No, I'm afraid I couldn't do that...I'd be leaving myself wide open for retaliation then...but what I can do...what I will do...is give full control of the World Devestator over to you once you are a loyal member of my fleet."

Luke narrowed his eyes supisciously. "To use as I see fit?," he demanded.

The Emperor smiled like a doting uncle and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Of course," he said agreeably. "Of course. I trust my servants implicitly...even those who question me, as Mara has done...and I treat my students even better."

"I don't think you treated Mara very well," Luke retorted sharply. "If I agree to this you must promise me never to hurt her again."

The Emperor's Hand yanked her head up and around to stare at Luke hard. //What do you think you're doing?// She didn't dare broadcast the thought...didn't even dare to let it form completely for fear the Emperor would hear it as clearly as a shot.

"Indeed, I had hoped this would happen," the Emperor observed with a delighted laugh. "You've taken a liking to my little Mara. If you become my student, I shall give her to you as well..."

"Give her to me?," Luke repeated blankly. "What do you mean?"

"Why, my dear boy, as your consort. Together, you will rule my Empire after I am gone."

"You don't have an Empire," Luke told him coldly, trying to ignore the jolt the word consort sent through him. He didn't want Mara as a gift though...he wanted her of her own free will...because she loved him.

"Of course not," the amber-eyed man beside him soothed. "One gets in the habit of saying such things after a while...but I simply meant you'd carry on my legacy of teaching a new order of Jedi to replace those I thoughtlessly exterminated."

Luke didn't look convinced, but he let it pass."And if Mara is my consort, no one can touch her?"

"They wouldn't dare," the Emperor responded promptly.

"All right," Luke agreed. "I'll be your student."

The handsome young man with the amber eyes rubbed his hands together. "Excellent. We shall begin at once." He made a careless gesture with his hand, and the binders fell from Luke's wrists, presenting him--and Mara--with an uncomfortable sense of deja vu. "Of course...I'm afraid I require some proof of your sincerity...and Darth Jkl there has always rather fancied himself my star apprentice...I imagine he'll take exception to being replaced...so why don't you just kill him?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part Twelve--Dark Wind

He had never thought it would come to this. //Our lives or my ideals?// The weight of his lightsabre was an accusation in his hand. He could see the dark-robed figure that had greeted Mara in the bay circling him slowly, each circle a little tighter as he closed in upon his prey. Painfully aware of the Emperor's Hand standing forgotten in the shadows of the corner, her pale face rigid as she watched him, painfully aware of his own motions, he began to raise his hand. //Sorry Ben...If you break an ideal for the greater good, does that mean the ideal is preserved?//

In that moment, Jkl struck. Faster than he could think, Luke completed his motion, igniting the sabre blade so that it locked neatly with the ruby red threat. Behind him, the Emperor cackled, making his blood run cold. //But Jkl attacked first. If I can manage to keep reacting to him...acting defensively instead of offensively, I can pass the Emperor's test without taking it.//

"Your father did it better," the Emperor observed frigidly.

Anger exploded outward along his spine, the sheer heat and power of it taking him by surprise. Luke swung harder into his block than he'd intended, sending Jkl sprawling along the floor. "You leave my father out of this!," he shouted, taking two menacing steps forward. The amber eyes gleamed lambently, jolting him with recognition. //This is what he wanted. If I lose my temper, I'm his.// He sucked in a deep breath . He could feel emerald eyes burning into his back as he turned back toward Jkl and offered him his hand.

Jkl snarled, leaping up, knocking his hand away. The sith jammed his elbow into Luke's nose, diving past him to scoop up his sabre. Luke stepped back, swiping at blood with his black tunic sleeve. Jkl pulled his lips back, baring his teeth as he made a violent undercut sweep for Luke's legs. Luke effortlessly jumped over the blade and struck outward, stabbing Jkl through the shoulder. He winced sympathetically at the sizzling as flesh vaporized, cauterizing the wound almost instantly.

"Very good, my apprentice," the Emperor praised. "Perhaps you should take his hand. Your father would have."

Luke stiffened, an old image of his face in Vader's broken mask rising to meet him. Reflexively, he clenched his right hand, feeling the leather of the glove he wore squishing between his fingers. Bile rose in the back of his throat, mingling with the hot embers of his anger. "I," he grated between clenched teeth, "am. not. my father."

"No," sneered Jkl, "you are about to be beaten, Jedi!"

Luke spun to face him, neatly planting his knee in Jkl's solar plexis. The sith fell to the floor, gasping heavily. "Then I'm afraid you're gonna to have to try a bit better," he gibed. Something in the sith's face irritated him. Before his Jedi defenses could repress the urge, he drew back his foot and kicked Jkl solidly between the ribs. His own surge of dark satisfaction at the dull snapping of bone surprised him. //It adds plausibilty to my claims of turning//, he told his stinging conscience.

Again, he reached down to offer Jkl his hand. Jkl spit blood in his face. As Luke reached up to wipe it away, he could feel the sith lower his mental shields, sending a dark heavy ripple over Luke. The sudden acid wash of anger, pain, bitterness, lust for power and so many other dark, cutting things knocked him off guard, made him stagger backward, raising his hands as if to ward off an unseen enemy as he struggled to block the assault.

The Emperor's Hand had stepped just outside of the shadows, as if to offer aid. She looked stunned and slightly sickened. In spite of his plight, Luke was surprised. //Hasn't she seen the Emperor use this trick before? Surely she's okay...I'd know if he was doing something to her....//

On the sanctuary moon, his concern for Leia had opened a chink in his armor that had nearly cost them everything. And now, he had repeated the mistake. Jkl's mind, in such close contact with his, seized on the thought and the feelings behind it. //So! You think you love her. How quaint.//

Jkl continued for the sheer joy of continuing, //She is beautiful...and spirited. After I kill you, she'll belong to me. I'll enjoy breaking that spirit....//Images washed over Luke, more bitter and vile than the emotions that had surrounded him before...Mara...his beautiful, laughing, loyal, determined Mara....tied spread eagle to a rough stone wall as the blood ran dark along her milky skin, outling her breasts, her hips....Jkl forcing the thick metal hilt of his unignited lightsabre into her again and again, laughing as she screamed for mercy....

Luke swallowed hard. He had learned something from the previous fires that had forged his Jedi soul. He buried his love and concern deep, so deep even he hardly knew where it had gone, and did not react. //You have a vivid imagination, Jkl.//

"Enough!," the Emperor procclaimed. He had recclaimed his throne. Norva Hylv and Mara Jade flanked him, sitting on either side of him at his feet. His slender, bruised hand was buried in Mara's hair. "I grow weary of these games. Kill him!"

To his own despair, Luke didn't hesitate. He lifted the lightsabre and slashed downward. Jkl fell in halves to the floor. "Excellent," hissed the Emperor, his crooked smile both reward and salt in a wound. "I am pleased. Most pleased."

"Then our deal is complete," Luke said, a dark wind howling through his soul.

"Not quite."

Luke felt his skin ice over. "What--" he bit off his sentence, throwing his lightsabre over his head, barely deflecting the two red blades descending from either side.

"You see, I think Prn and Tso want revenge. You just murdered their brother." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Part Thirteen--Comes the Night

Talon Karrde was not happy. "Trust a government not to get anything done right," he muttered, scowling at the reports his Intelligence people had garnered about Coruscant. "If the New Republic cost me the best second-in-command I ever had, I'll take it apart piece-by-piece and sell it for salvage." Which, if he was honest with himself, wouldn't make him feel a bit better. Nothing would...except maybe knowing what had happened to Mara Jade.

"Any word?," he asked as Aves, his face drawn with stress, came into the room.

"Not from Mara," Aves admitted, sounding worried. "But...Ghent came through. We've got the coordinates of the Republic base."

"Then it's time we started getting some answers. Have helm set a course. I want to talk to Organa Solo."

"Yeah, sure, and I want to be made Chume'da of Hapes for a day," retorted Aves. "They aren't going to let us just waltz into their secret government installation, you know."

"Certainly not without something in return," agreed Karrde coldly. "But I'm a smuggler, Aves. I know how the game is played."

"So what do we have that they want?," asked Aves, and Karrde nearly sighed. He tried, he really did...but Aves just pointed out the necessity of Mara's quick thoughts and accurrate intuition.

"It's a simple bargin, really. They tell me what happened to Mara Jade, and I make good on our failed alliance one last time."

"You're going to put us up against the Emperor?," Aves repeated. "The guy who leveled Coruscant?"

"He leveled it, but he didn't recapture it," returned Karrde. "The Republic won. Anyway, do you really want to see the guy set loose on the galaxy again?"

Aves sighed. "Don't ask me. I don't think, I just do what I'm told." **********************************************************************************

Luke was angry. Acting on impulse, he used the Force to pick up the Sith nearest to him and slam him hard into the far wall. His head snapped back against the floor with a resounding crack, and he landed in a heap, ominously still. The opponent still standing growled, reaching out for Luke's throat with a crooked hand, his nails long and needle-sharp as talons pointed at Luke's juglar. Luke ducked, lunging to one side, grabbing the Sith's wrist, and flipping him around hard. The wrist snapped, but the Sith didn't react, except in sudden brightening of the manical gleam in his eyes. Luke dropped on top of him, taking pleasure in digging his knee into the man's diaphragm. His breath left his lungs in a rush, turning his lips slightly blue.

"I think I want to hear you apologize," Luke informed him darkly, baring his teeth. The Sith looked at him unblinking. Luke's blood surged, and he ground his knee in a crushing circle. "Apologize."

The Sith made a couple of faint noises that might have been apology. "Good," Luke observed coldly. "Now...I think I want to see you die." He lowered his lightsabre to his helpless victim's breastbone...

"Luke!," shouted Mara, gripping the lightsabre with the Force. "No!"

Startled, Luke paused and turned to look over his shoulder. The Emperor's Hand was on her feet, halfway between him and the Emperor, as if she'd started to run before she could control herself. Her green eyes were huge in her face. Luke hesitated, something seeming to brush through his anger...something elusive and hard to grasp....some thought, some worry....In that moment, the Sith reached up and raked his talons across Luke's cheek. Even before the blood had begun to flow, Luke neatly cut him from neck to navel and looped his entrails around his neck. "Choke on that," he rasped.

On the dias, the Emperor began to applaud. "Beautiful. Quite beautiful." Luke stared at him blankly, blood running along his cheek, damping the collar of his tunic. "And now that you are my apprentice, you need a proper Sith name...I will not suffer a Skywalker in my presence. Is that understood?"

Still kneeling, he inclined his head, his hair nearly gray in the shadows of the room. "Yes, my Master."

The Emperor walked over to him, and put his hand upon his shoulder. "I christen thee Darth Nacht...the herald of my new age," he announced triumphantly. "As for you--" he added menacingly, stepping toward his Hand.

Darth Nacht stepped between them. "Don't touch her."

The Emperor glowered, then reluctantly backed away. "Very well. But I am extremely displeased with her squeamish performance. She could have--"

"She will not interrupt me again in the future," Darth Nacht proclaimed coldly. He turned to the Hand, running his hand familiarly along the curve of her hip. She stepped into his caress, pressing her length close up against his, her head bowed. He raised his hand, drawing the fingers heavily through the blood that lined his face, and drew them harshly across her cheek, painting her lips. "She is mine, and she will do as I say." He thrust her uncermoniously away from him, making her stumble slightly against the dias steps.

"Now...don't you think we ought to contact the Rebels with the good news?", the Emperor inquired.

"As you wish," Darth Nacht said submissively. **********************************************************************************

The comlink warbled. Groaning, Han turned over and pulled the blankets over his head. The comlink warbled again, and his wife wiggled against him, trying to extricate herself >from his arms. "Leia," he mumbled, "it's the middle of the night. Leave it."

She hesitated, then shook her head, the long masses of her chestnut curls sliding against his shoulder. "I can't. It might be news about Luke."

Han sighed, his eyes irrevocably open. "You're right," he said, and picked up the comlink. "Solo here."

"General Solo," Mon Mothma greeted, her voice more tense than he had heard it since the war. "We need you and Leia in the conference room. Immediately. We have something here you need to see."

"We'll be there as soon as we're dressed," Han replied.

"Unless you're naked," she countered, "come as you are."

So...barechested and barefoot, Han Solo burst into the conference room, his wife close behind him, thin nightgown and thick hair both flowing. The Council didn't even notice him. They were clustered around a holo. Han instantly recognized the black-robed young man claiming to be the Emperor, but the man beside him was harder to place, though he looked oddly familiar.

Leia, on the hand, got it at once. "That's Luke!," she shouted.

The Councilor from Bpfassh turned and gave them such a cutting look, Han was afraid they'd be in pieces on the floor. "Yes, Councilor...though he's claiming to go by the name of Darth Nacht. Apparently the Emperor's Hand could lie to the vaunted Jedi after all."

"But," Leia said, her voice faint, "that's impossible." Her lips were as white as her old Senatorial robes had been, and Han put out his arms to catch her.

"--and hope that you will stand beside us as we usher in this New Order of peace and prosperity to all peoples," the image that looked like Luke said.

"That bitch," Leia murmured, narrowing her eyes at the floor. "I'll kill her."

"Not if I get there first," Han said grimly.

"We've got to go snap him out of this before he goes uses all those Jedi tricks of his to make old wrinkles happy."

"Indeed, General Solo," sneered Borsk Fey'lya. "What a cunning plan. None of us thought of that. And where, pray tell, are you going to go?"

Han opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. "Sith!"

"Exactly," said the Councilor from Hryn. He didn't sound at all amused.

"--unconditional surrender....you have two standard days," the Vader-wanna-be finished. The image vanished abruptly. **********************************************************************************

"Well, Emperor's Hand, do you believe in my visions now?"

'Yes, Master. Darth Nacht is such an awe-inspiring sight...watching him act out your will makes me feel horrible ashamed of being too weak to even watch one man die." She raised her head slowly, eyes careful downcast, her face hopeful. "In fact, Master, it seems a shame that only Darth Nacht should have the honor of serving you when his sister might be useful."

"A good point," the Emperor mused, touching her hair.

She knelt at his feet like a child at her grandfather's knee, begging indulgence. "If it pleases you, I would ask to be allowed to bring his sister to you, Master. As a gift to show my allegiance to my new consort and as an atonement to you both for my weakness."

"Yesss....a good plan...what do you think, Darth Nacht? Shall we let My Hand claim your sister so we can make her ours?"

"If I have sister, it is her father's legacy, my lord," Darth Nacht replied. "We will give her the power to which she is heir!"

"Go then," decided the Emperor. "Bring Leia Organa Solo to me."

His Hand nodded, backing away from the throne. "You are most kind, my Master."

"As is your consort. See that you do not fail us again."

"As you command."

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Jedi Amoira boysj@mailcity.com

Disclaimer--Not mine. Just on loan. Please do not post this elsewhere without my permission.

Author's Notes-- This is my version of events between "The Last Command" and "Jedi Search". Some of the major incidents in "Dark Empire" will occur, but probably not in the same way or order.

Mara Trinity Scully asked why this series was called "New Beginnings". I admit, it's not a very dark, threatening or even romantic name. Part of the answer is simply that it was the only thing that occured to me at the time...*grins* But it occurred to me for a reason, and this is why--the story starts out with Mara deciding to walk away from her past and have a new life without the Empire. Then there's the Emperor's new campaign against the Republic, Luke's decision to start a life as a Sith apprentice...and so on...it's about dropping old paths and trying new ones, then dropping those and trying new ones again. Silly, huh? ;-)

__________________________________________________________________ Part Fourteen--A Helping Hand

Darth Nacht, servant of the Emperor reborn, stood silently in the center of the dark throne room, legs splayed, arms folded across the back the voluminous black robe engulfing him like a shadow. The outer silence denied the inner chaos. Voices upon voices seemed to echo through his soul, waves crashing into the sand of his heart over and over again, eroding it slowly away. //Our last hope are you...No there is another...Luke! No!....you don't know the power of the Dark Side...I have to...I need you here, Luke. It's only another season...I am a Jedi...this is true power....//

"As promised, you have command of the World Devestator," the Emperor's voice said, cutting through the jumble. "It is time you demonstrate the power of our threat. What target will you select?"

//Thousands of innocent voices calling out in terror...the concern for the big picture can't do away with the concern for the individual...how can they be innocent, they're the reason my father's blood is on my hands...The ends justify the means...death is the price of a better life...//His heart hardened suddenly, tempered by hot anger and cold resolve. "Without Ackbar the Rebellion wouldn't have known about the first Death Star. Without his people, they wouldn't have had ships...we shall strike at the heart of the Rebellion. We shall strike Mon Cal." His lips pulled back from his teeth in the cold, feral smile of a predator.

The Emperor laughed softly, rubbing his hands together. "Excellent choice, my apprentice."

Darth Nacht bowed his head, soothed by his pride in the Emperor's praise. **********************************************************************************

Hours later, as dawn was creeping across the deep-colored oceans of Mon Cal, a shadow began to spread across the sun. Startled, the citizens began to look up in surprise and dread. Then the light returned, falling in a great and steady rain of bolts that boiled water and destroyed the delicate coral it had taken generations upon generations to build. The clear water was opaque with blood, and the bolts still fell, until there was no hope left...nothing but weeping and desolation.

Darth Nacht was lightyears away, but he felt the pain, the fear, the sudden anger at the foe that could be neither seen nor punished....and it filled him with a deep and rich satisifaction. For so long, the Force had had control of his life and his actions and what happened all around him, and he was merely driftwood in the current. But now, now, he was a great and mighty dam, directing the current where to go, channeling the energy, deciding his own fate and millions of others simply because he could. It was a good feeling, a powerful feeling, a victorious feeling. It was the feeling he'd been lacking his whole life, and what he'd been looking across the horizon for...even if he couldn't quite picture exactly what horizon that had been. He had made the right choice for him, and he was the only one who mattered after all. The rest had all been a lie. **********************************************************************************

"How did you get the coordinates for this place?," the low-level official demanded suspisciously for the third time in as many minutes. > "They were sent to me by a member of the government," Karrde repeated patiently. "If you would just contact Councilor Organa Solo and tell her that I'm here, I'm sure she'd tell you she wants to speak with me."

"She's in a meeting and can't be disturbed," the official sneered.

Tired of playing games, Karrde lowered his hand slightly over the arm of his chair and twisted his wrist once, very slightly. The Trandorian at the panel didn't acknowledge the signal, but the widening of the official's eyes confirmed it had been followed. "You...you...you've got an ion cannon locked on the facility."

"I can see nothing gets by you," Karrde said calmly. "So, of course, you've already figured out that the facility has minimal shielding. One good blast should destroy it entirely. Another..." Would easily fry the communications array and knock out half the battle computers.

The official swallowed hard. "You'd be an outlaw--wanted for life. The price on your head---"

"Would be insulting if it were less than the 20,000 Imperial credits Thrawn wanted," Karrde replied, his face expressionless. "So now that I've got your attention, let me ask you again. Will you tell Leia Organa Solo I want to speak with her?"

Muttering under his breath, the official punched several buttons. "Councilor Organa Solo? Yes, well, this is Wilson in . We've got a ship in orbit with a weapons lock on us, and the Captain demands an immediate audience with you. Name? Oh...um...some smuggler...Talon Karrde." From the way his face blanched, he must have gotten quite a dressing down. "She says she'll contact you from her personal suite, Captain," the official said, his manner suddenly respectful.

Karrde inclined his head. "Thank you, Wilson. You've been most helpful," he said without Mara's signature sarcasm. **********************************************************************************

True to her word, Organa Solo was onscreen almost immediately. "Karrde. What in blue-blazes do you think you're doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Now, now. Such a way to greet allies. You should know better than to ask that question, Councilor. What have you done with my second-in-command?"

Leia gave a short, explosive laugh. "Left her alone with my brother, that's what. No, Karrde, the real question is--what has she done?"

"Now what just a minute...I thought you agreed that Mara's past--"

"That was before my brother started sending holos claiming he was the Emperor's apprentice and demanding the unconditional surrender of the New Republic," Leia bit off impatiently. "She sold us out, Karrde."

He stared at her in shell-shocked amazement. "No," he murmured slowly, "she wouldn't do that, you must be wrong."

"I'm not wrong," she bit back. "I saw them in the battle of Coruscant. She promised me she'd take care of him..."

"It doesn't matter," Karrde said impatiently, "we'll figure out the explanation behind it later. Right now, we don't have any time to waste. The last thing we need are more Sith. Do you know where they are?"

Leia's eyes snapped angry brown fire. "No. Ghent's been trying to track the holo, and he says he knows where it originated from , but that only helps if they didn't somehow redirect the signal. Even if they didn't, there's no guarentee they're still there."

"I doubt the Emperor would bother trying to redirect the signal," Karrde said sensibly. "After all, it sounds like he was making an open declaration of war."

Leia glowered at him, as he added, "Since it's the best lead we've got, it looks like we get to assume your brother and my second-in-command are still there. Do you mind telling me where they are?"

She opened her mouth to respond, "Byss," purred a cool, casual voice from just off-screen. **********************************************************************************

Organa Solo and Karrde both jerked around, startled. For several seconds, everyone just took in the dangerous woman with the hard face. Then, without warning, Leia lunged for the shorter woman's neck. "You! How dare you show your face here!"

The Emperor's Hand stepped coolly off to the side, bringing her arm up and out so that Leia ran into it, hitting herself hard just beneath the chin, and knocking herself backward. "Anger is of the Dark Side," she said, shaking her head.

Leia narrowed her eyes. "Just who do you think you are to lecture me about straying too close to the Dark Side? You're the one who sold Luke out to the Empire!" She aimed a nasty kick at Mara's left knee. The Emperor's Hand put out a hand and deflected it to the left, her ice-green eyes frozen on Leia's face, as if trying to tell her something without words. Leia didn't notice. What she did notice was Han over Mara's shoulder, carefully easing his BlasTech out of the holster. "I trusted you! You said you'd take care of him," she hit Mara hard in the shoulder. The Emperor's Hand took the blow without flinching or retaliation, still looking steadily down into her face.

"I trusted you," Leia repeated, her anger suddenly seeping out of her spine. "I trusted you," she whispered brokenly. Han had brought the blaster to bear on the Emperor's Hand, neatly targeting her face. She didn't seem to notice. He began to squeeze the trigger... "Why are you here?," demanded Leia. "Didn't you get what you wanted? You destroyed my brother's life."

Still watching on the comm screen, Karrde thought he saw that rigid face flinch ever-so-slightly. The eyelids over the emotionless green eyes flickered. "I'm here to take you back to the Emperor. Your brother thinks you should be trained as well," she replied, the voice as steady as ever.

"Not on your life!," Han shouted, so excited that he jerked blaster and trigger at the same time, bringing several chunks of ceiling plaster down beside him. He didn't notice. "You may have got one of them, sister, but you aren't taking my wife."

"It's your dead body if I don't," the Emperor's Hand retorted sharply. "Regardless of what it looks like, I'm not trying to destroy your wife. I'm trying to save us all."

"Yeah. You sure did a great job with Luke," Han snapped bitterly.

The mask collapsed slightly, pain shining through the green eyes, faint lines appearing around the mouth, marking naked anguish. "I promised I would take care of him," she whispered.

"And instead you sold out him out!"

"I tried to save him!," she shouted back, her voice suddenly rough and ragged. She looked at Leia, the strength in her spine slowly melting away, leaving her hunch-shouldered and slumped in weary despair. "I know you don't have any reason to...but you have to trust me... You have to come with me...I have to take you to the Emperor...please, just trust me..."

The illusion was gone. The assasin was gone. Leia was no longer looking at the Emperor's Hand, but a very frightened, very determined, very hurt Mara Jade with pleading in her eyes. "Put the blaster away, Han," she said slowly but very firmly. Han opened his mouth to protest. Without turning around, she said, "Just do it."

He sighed. "I think you're making a mistake, sweetheart."

"No. She's not lying to us. She came here for help. Karrde, you better get down here. I think we've got a mission to plan." ________________________________________________________________________ Part Fifteen--Remember

Darth Nacht stood in front of the comm, hands laced into a single solid fist behind his back, the hologram of rubble-strewn Mon Cal cast ghostly shadows across his face. He was as insubstantial and chameleon as the sight itself. //I caused this, and I don't even know how it makes me feel.// Before he could delve deeper into the thought, exploring the lonely despair that went along with the overwhelming power of the Dark Side, the doors to the throne room whispered open.

A pale, dark-haired wraith stumbled into the room, her head bowed. Calm and lithe, the Emperor's Hand stepped in behind her. //Inscrutable, but beautiful. And mine. I'll enjoy confirming my power through her.// Darth Nacht smiled wolfishly. The Emperor's Hand was aware of the expression focused on her, but she didn't glance in his direction as she made her way to the foot of her Master's throne. "Master, I have brought Organa Solo as promised."

"Well done, my servant. I'm sure Darth Nacht will thank you later, but go now."

She inclined her head, her expression hidden, her voice unreadable. "As you wish." She stood and walked calmly past the doors, her spine straight, her chin as square as any queen's. Darth Nacht watched her exit with interest, only marginally aware of the slight brunette shivering in the center of the floor.

The Emperor smiled from his throne. "Princess Leia Organa...your power is already quite impressive. After all, not everyone can claim to be solely responsible for the destruction of their home planet. Given the power of the Dark Side, you could very well be the most powerful individual ever alive...more powerful than your father and brother together." Leia raised her head, stared calmly into the lambent amber eyes, and spit once. "Ah-ah-ah," chastised the Emperor, shaking a finger at her. "That wasn't nice. Darth Nacht, I think it's time you taught your sister some manners."

Darth Nacht bowed rigidly, his blood-colored lightsabre snapping to life. "At once, my Master," he agreed, advancing on the woman.

The Emperor's Hand had left the woman the lightsabre that hung at her side looking faintly familar, but she made no move to take it as he advanced. Her eyes met his unflinching, burning into him like a fire that started from the inside out. He bared his teeth, growling at the feeling. "You will bow before your Emperor," he commanded darkly.

"He's not my Emperor," she said coldly, the tone sending sympathetic shivers along his skin like chills. "And I didn't think he was yours either, Luke."

His chest was hollow, a cave about to collapse. Oddly enough, it hurt. "Luke Skywalker is dead," he said flatly. He glanced back over his shoulder at the shadowed face of his Emperor and raised the lightsabre. "As you will be."

"He's not dead," the brunette countered sharply. "You were trying to do a good deed, and somehow, you got lost in all the darkness and couldn't see the way back to yourself...to who you are. But you're there, and I won't hurt you."

"If you will not fight, you will die," Darth Nacht replied, feeling a faint trace of recognition ripple through him at the words. //I've heard them--or something very similar--before. But where?//

She shook her head. "You won't hurt me, Luke."

Anger ripped through him, filling the hollow in his chest. "I am not Luke Skywalker," he snarled, slamming the lightsabre down. She ducked, rolling out of his reach and onto her feet so quickly she was only a white blur.

"Yes, you are," she insisted. "You've only forgotten. You told me yourself, Luke. Remember?" Darth Nacht growled and began to circle toward her, lightsabre held ready, but she calmly continued, "You told me how Darth Vader kept telling you that Anakin Skywalker was dead, that the power of the Dark Side was stronger than he was...but you could feel him there. You sensed his pain, his horror at what he'd done. And you sensed his love for you. For his son. Remember?"

"Anakin Skywalker was an idealistic fool who died for his dreams," Darth Nacht retorted sharply, swinging at her violently. She jumped up and back, the blade passing a whisper beneath her feet, vaporizing rubber off the soles of her boots.

"He may have died, but it set him free," Leia answered. "He was finally happy, and at peace. He'd finally been the Jedi he always wanted to be. His last words were `tell your sister, you were right', remember? You were right, Luke. You were right."

"Shut up!," Darth Nacht demanded, striking out with a fist. Leia pulled her head to the side so that his knuckles barely grazed her cheek. "What do you know about it? It's not like you were ever there for him when he needed you, anyway...It was always Han or the Rebellion...always what great new quest you needed Luke Skywalker and his little bag of Jedi Tricks to make work. He's gone now, he's not your little puppet anymore."

Her brown eyes widened, shock spreading like blood from an opened wound. "Is that really how you felt? Why didn't you tell me? I loved you, Luke...I always have..."

"Isn't that touching," sneered the Emperor from the throne. "The prodigal sister apologizes for her sins. Too bad your foster father isn't here for you to make amends while you're at it"

Leia gritted her teeth and looked at the slowly withering face leering down at her. "I didn't kill Alderaan," she said very slowly, struggling against tears. "Grand Moff Tarkin and Vader did that...on your orders no doubt!"

"Ah, finally, your temper begins to show. You will need that in my service, Princess. It's your strongest asset."

"No," she countered as calmly as she could manage. "No, that's where you're wrong. My strongest asset is my love for my brother. And his love for me."

The Emperor began to laugh. "Please, my dear. His love for you? He barely remembers who you are. Do you, my apprentice?"

Darth Nacht grinned ferally and slashed out with his lightsabre. Leia caught it neatly on the blade of her own. "I know you remember, Luke. You didn't give up on our father, and I'm not giving up on you," she ground out between her teeth as he advanced, driving her up the steps of the dias. **********************************************************************************

Norva Hylev was leaning against the ship. "You never loved him," she said smugly. "I knew you'd betray him again the second you got a chance. I'm going to enjoy watching you die."

"Please," the Hand said wearily. "Isn't this taking your pathetic jealousy just a little too far?"

"Jealousy? Why would I be jealous?," the Emperor's Physician countered coldly. "I just don't like to see my Master deceived by anyone as cheap and shallow as you."

"Must make it hard to look in the mirror," the Hand replied casually. She watched as the Physician raised her comlink. "Oh, go ahead and call security. I'll enjoy the look on your face when the Emperor finds out you've been detaining me on his lastest mission."

Beady eyes narrowed assessingly. "What mission?"

The Hand sniffed. "As if I'd discuss top secret assignments with you. Now get out of my way."

"You wouldn't dare lay a finger on me," Norva Hylev sneered.

The Hand calmly snapped her hand out and down, hitting the other woman at the spot where her neck and shoulder joined. Norva Hylev, Emperor's Consort, went down like a ton of bricks. "Yet another instance of you being wrong," she observed flippantly. "I'd really stop making predictions if I were you." She walked calmly past the fallen woman, kicking her off the ship's ramp as she passed.

Security rushed into the bay just in time to see the ship blasting toward free space. **********************************************************************************

//I'm giving notice. I'm not your loyal servant anymore.//

//Mara Jade, what do you think you are doing? You belong to me.//

//Not anymore. Of course, I never belonged to you. I belonged to the Emperor.//

//I am the Emperor, and you are My Hand.//

//Wrong on both counts. The Emperor was worth at least two of you. And I'm the woman who's going to take you down.//

//Your Emperor let one Jedi bring him to his feet. I have that same Jedi kneeling at mine. Believe me, you will pay for your lack of faith.//

//Please, you couldn't pay for a ration bar.//

The Empire's newest leader didn't answer in words, but the sudden rush of rage hit her like a hammer blow to the head. For a split second, Mara thought she'd had a stroke. She tasted blood as her vision cleared. //Is that the best you can do? No wonder you need the little Jedi to play enforcer.// Several ribs snapped, and she felt capillaries in her face burst just under her eye. It was like having a hot poker jabbed up through her cheek. She coughed and rubbed her chest, wondering on the level just below thought how she always seemed to get stuck with the worst duty. //The Rebellion beat you once, and they're going to beat you again. And this time, I'm going to help them.// ________________________________________________________________________ Part Sixteen--About Family

The Emperor's sudden distraction wove through Darth Nacht like heavy bloodloss, throwing him heavily off-balance. He blinked, trying to clear the haze of his thoughts. His opponent seemed surprised by the pause, but she didn't press the advantage at the point of her lightsabre, a failing that confirmed his scorn. "You know nothing of the power of the Dark Side," he informed her, frowning as the sense of deja vu washed over him again. //The words are true...but something makes them feel like a mistake.//

The Emperor waved a hand angrily around his head, as if trying to flatten a particularly irritating misquitoe. "Enough...talk...Show her. Make her fight."

"No thanks," Leia said, smiling slightly as she responded in a way that would have made her husband proud. "Not interested."

Darth Nacht slashed at Leia. She jumped back, slamming her hip against the arm of the Emperor's throne. She lost her balance, falling backward over the sharp corner, her fingers boucing off the cool stone behind her...and landing on something small and hard. She closed it in her fist as she reeled away from the throne, shaking it as far down into her sleeve as she could. //If the Force is with me, it might be something I can use to my advantage. // > She swung her arm back and out, hoping to catch the violent shell of her brother across the jaw with the back of her hand. //If I stun him long enough to make him stand still, maybe I can make him listen to reason. Assuming Mara Jade is doing her job and keeping the Emperor out of the conversation.// There were a lot of variables in that equation, and Leia didn't care much for it. Han was the Corelllian, she wasn't. She wasn't entirely convinced there was no point in considering the odds. But it didn't matter. She didn't have a choice.

Darth Nacht caught her arm easily, pushing it back and in behind her head. She winced in pain, but he didn't even blink. Her brother. The same man who'd nearly cried when she seemed mildly upset that Han Solo was more interested in money than her cause. He didn't even blink. Maybe it should have made her angry, but it just made her feel terribly sad, and completely, painfully alone.

The look in her eyes jolted him. He dropped her arm like a hot brand.

"You don't want to hurt me," she said softly. The words hit their target like a blow to the solar plexis. "Come on, Luke," she whispered, "I know you're in there--and now you know it too."

He exploded in reaction, his hand whipping out to seize her by throat before he even realized what he had intended. "I told you not to call me that," he ground out.

Her throat flexed against his hand, her face pale tilted above his fingers. Her eyes were widened slightly, amplifying their lost look as the skin around them began to tighten. "Whatever you think...I did what I had to do. I serve the Emperor now."

"The Empire is the way of life," the Emperor said, sounding more absent-minded than domineering. "If you...will not accept....it...you will die..." He was frowning, waving more and more at the air around him.

//So Mara could be trusted after all//, Leia thought in mild amazement. //Too bad it's not going to do me any good.// Darkness was fraying around the edges of her vision as Darth Nacht pressed her back against the wall, his black-gloved fingers tightening around her throat. **********************************************************************************

//Come on, Palpy...you have to admit--it's poetic justice. When you died, you lied to me. When you decided to be reborn, I lied to you.// Mara smirked, wincing at the pain the expression sent ripping through her face, and fought the urge to cough. Her entire chest felt like the foundation for the city of Coruscant.

//You are a failure, Mara Jade. You failed me or I would not have died! You failed me or Luke Skywalker would not have lived! And you failed me now. But this time you pay with your life.//

Mara snorted. //Please. If you were the Emperor I was proud not to fail, I'd already be dead by now. You're just a pathetic, bumbling pretender to the throne. You want to kill me--take your best shot. But leave the poor, naive little Jedi alone. He trusts you--he doesn't know any better.//

//He's a fool. And you want him. I would have given him to you...now I'll watch as he kills you. // She could feel the Emperor's rage building around her, whipping her hair like a violent seaside storm. The air in the ship felt clammy against her skin. All she had to do was push a little harder...and hope that Organa Solo was up to her side of their bargin.

//He's not yours to give. As a matter of fact, he only bowed before you because I asked him to. He's mine, and I'm taking him back.// She yelped as she felt a sharp pain deep in her lower left side remarkably like a heavy kick, and gritted her teeth. //I think I'll watch him kill you.//

**********************************************************************************

"You all will die!," shrieked the Emperor. "You will die...die die now! You cannot defy me. The Empire is mine. Mine! Kill her...I'll kill you..."

Held by her implacable brother, Leia couldn't jump. But Darth Nacht could. He could and he did, shaken by the force of the outburst from his nebulous Master. The back of his other hand brushed against her waist. He froze, his lightsabre falling from numb fingers.

His steely eyes met hers, a slow fissure opening up to show a glimmer of a question.

Leia tried to smile. "That's right. I'm pregnant. You're going to be an uncle." She wasn't sure if she had imagined it, or if he had actually loosened his fingers just a fraction. She stretched slightly, trying to lean toward him. Over his shoulder, she could see the Emperor, several new and extremely black bruises decorating his face and neck, striding toward them, his hands clenched at his sides. She swallowed hard and reached a little further, managing to grab Luke's hand.

He resisted mildly, but let her guide it to her abdomen. She pressed it flat against her. "Luke...please...you have to fight this. There are other ways to help. Ways with costs that aren't as high. I can't lose you. I need you...I love you...and if you won't come back for me, come back for the baby. For the babies. They need you, too. We all do. We're a family...that's what families do...If you're gone, they're always going to grow up missing something...the same way we did..." This time, she was sure. His fingers were relaxing. His face was relaxing. She could see the fissures in the hard hollows of his eyes widening.

Behind him, the Emperor was raising his hands, splaying his fingers. She recognized the mannerism from their run-in with C'baoth. He was going to throw Force-lightning. They were out of time. **********************************************************************************

On the Falcon, Han Solo stared sharply out into the Byss system, wishing he had the Jedi ability to sense things happening out of his sight. Beside him, Chewie growled a question.

"Yeah," Han agreed, "I noticed. I haven't stopped looking at the chronometer since Leia and the Emperor's Hand shipped out." The Emperor's Hand had told him--give them thirty-six hours, then drop the heavy end of the hammer. No matter what.

But Han didn't like it. What if the Emperor wasn't sufficiently distracted? If he still had the upper hand, he might kill Leia--and Luke--just to punish the New Republic for showing up to bother him.

Chewie had stood by him long enough to know what was bothering him. He grunted a soft reminder. Karrde's people were jumping in from a different spot, supposedly having rendeavouzed with Mara Jade. Han couldn't stop them, and the best he could hope for was that the New Republic forces that accompanied him would make the necessary difference, whether Mara Jade could be trusted or not. He sighed and nodded. He flipped the com switch. "Well, boys, the clock hit zero. Let's make trouble for the Empire."

Wedge's voice came immediately over link. It was still a little odd to think of him as General Antilles, in charge of his own fleet, but Han had no doubts that he could pull it off. "Our pleasure, Han."

The fleet closed in on the planet. **********************************************************************************

In the shuttle bay of the Wild Karrde, Mara Jade felt the Emperor's thin-spread concentration snap. "That's it," she muttered hoarsely, forcing the words through a sore throat and bruised lips. Somehow she had to hear the words to confirm them to herself. "There's nothing more I can do."

Moving slowly, ignoring the protest every muscle in her body was screaming, she unfastened the restraint belts and made her way to the bridge. She hadn't spoken to Karrde since she'd landed, but he knew she was on board, and he must have trusted her to make good on her promise, because they were already moving in system. She smiled slightly to herself, touched by the show of faith even in the midst of her fear that they wouldn't succeed.

Most of the bridge crew looked up as she entered. The sheer force of Karrde's concern nearly knocked her right off her feet. He caught her, supporting length of her body along the side of his.

"Cripes, Mara," Aves said, "what happened to you?"

She shot him a poisonous look. "I really don't want to talk about it," she said dryly. "But thanks for asking."

"You shouldn't be on the bridge," Karrde chastised. "Let me help you to the medical bay."

She pulled away from him, baring her teeth. "Not on your life. We aren't playing Trandoshan chess here, Karrde. This guy makes Thrawn look like a stuffed wookie doll. There are all sorts of chances something might go wrong--and if it does, you're going to need me. On my feet--not floating around in some green goo so I'll look pretty."

He sighed and raised both hands in surrender. "Okay, Mara, okay, you win."

She sucked in a deep breath, knowing how much he wanted her to calm down, and nodded once, abruptly. "He doesn't have much in the way of big ships--most of them are out with the war fleet." //Good thing, or they'd break us into rubble before we got off a single shot. // "He'll be sending out Tie Fighters...but we've got a good chance to level this base--I'd rather not waste it."

Karrde nodded, glancing over his shoulder at Aves. "You heard the lady."

Aves grinned. "I live to serve." *************************************************************************************

Purple-blue glow was gathering around the Emperor's fingertips. Leia closed her eyes. //At least I tried...I owed Luke that much.//

In a blur too quick for her to make sense of, much less see, Luke had released her throat and spun on his heel to grab the Emperor by the collar. "You said you didn't want to hurt anyone," he snarled through his teeth, throwing him.

Lightning was crackling from his fingertips before he hit the ground, engulfing Luke in a blue-white glow. Leia's heart lodged in her throat, but Luke didn't seem to feel it at all. The Emperor hit the throne, bumping his head. "Don't wait to see what happens," Luke snapped to his sister. "Run for the shuttle bay!"

"I came to bring you home, and I'm not going anywhere without you," she shouted back.

He made a face that was part frustration, part amusement, and all the old Luke. "I guess that means I have to do this then," he replied, making a sharp movement in the air with his hand. The Emperor's head slammed into the dias, twice in quick sucession. He fell in a limp heap. "Let's go," he said, seizing her hand.

She hesitated, looking over her shoulder. "Do you think he's--"

"Dead? I don't know. But if we stand around trying to find, we probably will be."

Her eyes widened in shock. "You're right. I forgot."

"Forgot?," he repeated blankly, as they skidded into the shuttle bay.

She nodded. "The New Republic forces are on their way in-system as we speak."

He blinked. "How'd you manage that?"

She smiled. "Well...it is the natural result of having one their most prominent government figures kidnapped."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, right. Actually, I'm surprised Han didn't come blasting through with the Falcon a couple of hours ago."

"Don't think he didn't want to. But we convinced him--"

"We?"

Leia frowned slightly. //Doesn't he remember Mara being here at all?// She could hear the battle sirens screaming not far away. //Now isn't the time to ask. If we don't get out soon, we aren't going to.// She followed him up the ramp of the nearest shuttle and began keying for take-off. "Time to go home," she said as he dropped into the seat beside her.

He nodded, running a hand over his face. "No arguments here," he said, and she smiled tiredly. __________________________________________________________________________________

Part 17---Force

Han was waiting for them when they touched down. Leia ran into his arms, and he gathered her up off the floor, burying his face in her hair without saying a word. Luke watched them, the feeling of loneliness that had stalked him on Byss rearing up again, making his throat ache. He shifted uncomfortably.

Han pulled away slightly, catching sight of the darkening finger bruises that decorated Leia's throat. "That animal," he growled roughly. His fingers traced the marks with painful tenderness. "What did he do to you?"

Guilt joined the loneliness. Luke opened his mouth to admit that it wasn't the Emperor that had hurt her, but himself. Not her enemy, but her brother. What sort of person am I? He wondered bleakly as the full realization of what he'd done slowly began to wash over him for the first time.

Leia glanced over her shoulder, her dark eyes locking with his. She said nothing, aloud or through their bond, but the message was clear. Keep quiet. "I'm okay, Han," she said, kissing him gently. "How are we doing?"

Han grinned wryly. "I should have known Luke knew what he was doing, sending the entire fleet to Mon Cal. Costly way to win a battle, but wiping out the Emperor for the second time is worth it."

//But I didn't--// Leia caught his eye again, shaking her head ever-so-slightly. Luke sighed and swallowed the protest. Deep in his heart, he didn't really want to try to explain to Han anyway. //How can you explain something you don't really understand yourself?// Han was his dearest friend, his brother. If he lost the unquestioning love and trust the smuggler gave him, he wasn't sure he'd ever really recover. Maybe that was cowardly, but it was still the way he felt. Luke sighed under his breath.

"Wedge is just mopping up the last of the base now," Leia observed. "I guess that means we're good to go."

Han nodded, but before he could say anything else, a purple-blue glow began to fill the forward viewport. His jaw dropped. "What in sith is that?"

"It looks like Force-lightning," his wife returned, frowning. "But that doesn't make sense. How--"

"It's coming from that Super Star Destroyer," Han interrupted sharply.

Luke opened his mouth to explain, then realized in a sudden burst of tingling shock he had something more important to say. "Wedge," he snapped, "get those fighter squadrons out of there. Now!"

Wedge didn't stop to ask questions. "Rogues, Wraiths, Skifters, you heard the man. Retreat." ***********************************************************************************

"You were right about nasty surprises," Karrde admitted grimly. Mara nodded.

Aves didn't handle the news quite so well. "Where in the great beyond did that come from?," he demanded in frustration. "It looks posessed."

The purple-blue glow lengthened, focusing into a great cone-shaped shaft weirdly reminiscent of the Death Star's super lasers. Mara swallowed hard and licked dry lips. "It is possessed," she muttered under her breath, knowing no one heard her. The snubfighters nearest to them had already begun to retreat, but it was too late. The energy hit a half dozen of them like a hammer, reducing them to dust. //At least Skywalker and Organa Solo made it back to the Falcon.// She had seen the shuttle approach the ship minutes before. //That means we've still got a chance to beat this thing--I just wish I knew how.//

"What--" Karrde began.

"Falcon," she cut him off, speaking loudly enough to be picked up by the com. "This is Wild Karrde. We're on your backs."

At the sound of her voice, Luke jumped. His face went incredibly still and white. Leia reached and touched the side of his hand. "Luke," she began, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"Copy that," Han confirmed grimly. "Any bright ideas about what this thing is--or how to get rid of it?"

"It's the Emperor's personal ship," Luke interrupted. "The Force Storm. "

Leia frowned. "But where'd he get a crew? There weren't that many people on the surface."

Luke smiled grimly. "It's the ship that brought me here. And it was completely empty at the time."

"But that means..." Leia said slowly.

Luke nodded, picking up on her train of thought.

"I really hate it when you do that," Han complained, frowning. "What does it mean?"

"Sorry," Luke said with a wry grin. "It means that somehow the Emperor is controlling the systems with the Force."

"And if he can do that," added Leia, "maybe we--"

"Can use the Force to burn out enough systems to leave the ship dead in space?," Luke finished and nodded. "The fighters aren't going to be able to get close enough to that thing to do any damage at all...so it's probably the best bet we have."

"I don't like the sound of this," Han said.

Leia sighed. "I don't much like the sound of it, either. But do you have a better idea?"

Han scowled. "No," he mumbled.

She smiled and ruffled his hair. "It'll be okay, flyboy. Just get us as close to that ship as you can."

"Mara," Luke said.

"We'll roll in to give you as much cover as we can," she agreed before he could ask. "And use our ion cannons to try to keep the sensors confused in case the Emperor can tap into them and see what you're approach." She paused, then in a slightly less clipped tone, added, "I hope you know what you're doing, Skywalker."

"So do I," he admitted, the edges of his gloom lifting as the humor she always inspired in him warmed his heart. **********************************************************************************

Han narrowed his eyes and shifted uncomfortably in the seat. He started to glance toward Luke and Leia, saw a flicker of light out of his eye, and hurriedly pulled the ship to the left and dropped it twenty meters. The Jedi had been standing unbelievably still, their hands locked, their eyes closed, for the last half an hour.

"Hey, Solo," Mara said over the com, "I don't suppose you could give me an ETA on this miraculous victory of Skywalker's?"

Chewie growled, and Han nodded emphatically in spite of the fact she couldn't see them. "I'm not even sure I can give you coordinates for the planet he's on, Jade."

She muttered something that sounded supisciously like a curse. He ignored it.

Chewie snarled. Startled, Han whipped his head around to see. Leia and Luke were both shaking uncontrollably, sweat rolling down their faces as they fell against each other. He spat a curse of his own and dived between them, trying to separate them and hold them both upright at the same time.

"I don't like the sound of that," Mara said guardedly. "Solo, what's going on?"

"How in blazes am I supposed to know?," he demanded sharply. "Do I look like I have the Force?"

On any less serious occassion, Mara couldn't have let that pass without a wisecrack. "Sorry, Solo. I'm just trying to help."

He took a deep breath and nodded. "I know, Jade. Don't think I don't appreciate it." He turned his attention back to his wife and her brother, and shook them gently. "Come on, kid. Snap out of it." **********************************************************************************

Luke's body was in the cockpit of the Falcon, but his mind was scrabbling around the edges of the of the Force Storm's computer systems, looking for a way in. He could sense Leia behind him and all around him, her strentgh backing him up, helping him focus.

If she hadn't been there, he couldn't have kept going. He felt as though he'd been outside in the Hoth cold hours, drained and exhausted, and he was no closer to victory than he had been when he started."Come on, kid," Han said, a voice from another life, "snap out of it." He wanted nothing more than to quit. But if he gave up, they died. Han died. Mara died. The Rogues and Wraiths died.

Luke frowned and dug deeper, trying to gather more energy within himself to direct to the effort. To his surprise, Leia's sense stirred. Suddenly, it surged, filling him with a pulse of fresh, unexhausted energy. He was so shocked by her reserves that he nearly broke his concentration on the Super Star Destroyer altogether. //How--//

//I didn't,// she replied, sounding nearly as tired as he felt, and twice as startled. //I think...it's the baby.//

//But that's impossible.// Luke frowned, sifting the energy through his mind and soul like sand through his fingers, searching...//Impossible but true,// he realized with a start. The energy belonged to a third person, one that was oddly familiar...

While he hesitated, trying to decide what to do with the new information, the new mind moved past his, taking the lead. //Luke?// Leia asked, stunned and concerned.

//I don't know,// he answered, more of a mental shrug than a thought. He followed the new mind. Leia forcibly released her tension in a gesture like a mental sigh, and backed him up. It was just that easy. They were in.

Seconds later, Luke fell back into himself. It felt like hitting a brick wall. He coughed, groaned, and tried to roll up on to his side. Gentle furry hands held him down. Chewie grunted a caution. He nodded, then groaned again at the pain in his head. "Leia?," he grated.

"She's fine, kid," Han said from nearby. "I take it your plan--" At that second there was a huge burst of orange-red light, studded with chunks of flying metal and backlit with purple-blue sparks. Han whistled.

"What did you do?"

"Overloaded the power generators into the repulsordrives," Luke explained weakly, and promptly passed out.

"Falcon, this is Wilde Karrde. Are Skywalker and Organa Solo okay?"

"I'd have them tell you, but they're both out like a light," he returned ruefully. "I think they'll be fine, though."

"Copy that. That was one hell of a lightshow. Tell them thanks for me."

"Why don't you tell them yourself?"

"Well...once I get out of the bacta, I just might."

"Bacta?"

"Don't ask."

"Okay...let's head home. You hear that, Wedge?"

"Hear and concur, Han. Guess we've got another story to work for free drinks at the bar."

"Yeah, I hear you," Han grinned. "At least all that work doesn't go to waste, wouldn't you say?"

"Something like that," Wedge agreed, his smile visible in his voice. ************************************************************************************************* Mara woke up with a start, surprised to find Leia Organa Solo standing over her beside. She struggled into sitting position, rubbing at her eyes. //Clear your sight, clear your mind.// "Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? We went into the Emperor's stronghold and came out alive. I just wanted to thank you...for helping me find my brother."

Mara shrugged slightly, feeling her face warm. "I owed him one," she mumbled vaguely. Silence stretched awkwardly. "How is he? I...haven't seen him."

"He hasn't even said anything more than he had to to me or Han since we got back. I think he's afraid that we won't understand. He's probably afraid we won't be able to forgive him..."

Mara snorted. "Yeah, I wouldn't understand a thing about serving the Emperor. Nice try, Councilor, but we both know he blames me for selling him out. Some protector I turned out to be." She turned over on her side.

Leia ignored the implication the conversation had ended. "He's fine...Mara, you told me yourself; he'd forgotten a lot of his past. I don't think he remembers--" She dropped her eyes to her hands, folded in her lap, pulling and twisting at her fingers.

"That makes sense," Mara agreed acidly. "Do me a favor and don't remind him."

The dark-haired woman paused, her eyes heavy on Mara's face. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

Mara felt her heart stop, and hoped the hesitation didn't show on her face. She took a deep breath, drawing calm and purpose from the stillness of the air around her. "Your brother's been through a lot lately," she said slowly. "I don't think we should drop any more information for him to handle."

Her co-conspirator nodded. "You're probably right," she admitted. "But that doesn't mean you can't talk to him--"

"And say what?" Mara sighed. "When Skywalker wants to talk, I'll be more than willing to listen. But he's going to have to come to me. Can you understand that?"

Leia sighed. "He might have a problem with that if you aren't on planet at the time."

Mara sat up again, her expression hardening. "Smugglers aren't cut out for working with legimate governments. It's been a fiasco from start to finish."

"And where Karrde goes you go?"

Mara frowned, then nodded sharply. "He needs me."

Leia smiled slightly. "You're a good person to have on your back, Mara Jade. Keep in touch."

She was halfway through the door when she heard Mara's low voice. "Leia...thank you."

She turned and looked over her shoulder. "For what?"

"Trusting me."

Leia smiled slightly and inclined her head. "Thank you for asking me to." ********************************************************************************** Part 18--Regrouping

Luke Skywalker sat on an overturned packing crate, the floating platform bobbing with the rise and fall of the ocean waves. The water made him uncomfortable, the motion made him seasick. Still, he had to admit the sunset was a spectacular sight. The sky blazed crimson, rose and orange, streaked with lavendar and green around the edges. The blue-green sea caught the fire and reflected it with added mirror-like shimmer. The sun itself, a swollen globe of molten color, sank into the sea like an ancient god of war retreating to maps and battle plans. The color caught his eye, snagging his thoughts, drawing them in a direction he'd been trying to avoid. Mara Jade.

He hadn't asked about her since he'd regained consciousness, but he'd known the instant she left the bacta tank. But she never called him. He started to walk to the medbay a thousand times a day, picked up the comm at least a thousand more. But in the end, he hadn't contacted her before they Coruscant. He hadn't admitted it, even to himself, but the truth was, he didn't want to be told she didn't want to speak to him. //And why would she want to speak to me? I proved I was every bit as bad as she always thought I was. If she'd killed me when she had the chance, this world wouldn't be in ruins. Millions of people would still be alive...//

Leia walked up and sat on the crate more or less across from him. "Luke--"

"I'm not beating myself up, Leia. I did this. I'm responsible. I destroyed their world, and got a comendation for heroism in return." And he'd come here to help rebuild it, somehow hoping the penance would cleanse his soul. Instead, the trusting reverence of the Mon Cal and the Quarren nearly made it fester.

"You caused a lot of suffering," she agreed quietly, and laid her hand on his arm at the flicker of guilty pain in his sense. "But your intentions were good, Luke. You sacrificed them for the chance to end the Emperor's campaign and prevent countless tragedies in the future. No one blames you for that."

"Maybe that's what bothers me," he retorted, his voice sharper and more bitter than she had ever heard it. "I didn't do this out of the goodness of my heart in an attempt to unthrone the Emperor, Leia. It definitely started out that way, but when I did this...I wanted to do it. I enjoyed it. I wasn't just trying to defeat the Empire; I was part of it. That's bad enough, but keeping my mouth shut when you tell people I did this for their own good, maybe that's worse. I'm letting them revere me for things I ought to be reviled for."

"You're a good person. You--"

He reached out and touched the faded bruises on the side of her neck with a gentle fingertip. "I used to think I could never hurt you...but I did this to you."

"Your father did this to you," she countered, tapping his artificial hand with her fingers. "On Endor, when you tried to explain to me...tried to tell me how he had never stopped being a good person, I didn't want to believe you," Leia said softly. "I told you that no one could do such horrible things and be good."

Luke nodded. "You were right."

She shook her head. "No. I was wrong. Whatever he did...he had his love for you. And it was powerful enough he was willing to betray everything he'd supported for a lifetime. He was willing to give his life for yours. Anakin Skywalker never betrayed his ideals. His heart was larger than his head, and he just got lost along the way. When you went to Byss, you were thinking with your heart. Whatever you did while you there, that concern for other people helps redeem it. Love was your redemption, just like it was our father's."

Luke sighed, his blue eyes cold and distant. "Maybe. But even if I wasn't wrong, even if it was only what I had to do, how can you ever trust me again? How can I ever trust myself?"

In answer, she held out her hand. In the center of her palm sat a small, milky jade cube. "When we were on Byss, I took this. I wasn't sure what it was, but the other day when I started to examine it..." She fiddled with it for a second, and a hologram appeared.

The hologram bowed sedately. "Greetings, I am Jedi Knight Bodo Baas, keeper of the Holocron," he said. "How may I help you?"

Luke stared. "That's..."

"The repository of Jedi knowledge you've been searching for," Leia supplied. "I think finding this when you were in your darkest hour is definitely a message of the Force."

"A message?," Luke repeated stupidly.

She smiled. "That you weren't corrupted by the Dark Side--you were tempered by it. I think this means you've mastered the Force. You're a Jedi Master now. We found the Holocron because you're going to need to it. To teach."

Luke swallowed hard, fighting sudden tears. "I'm no teacher--"

"Of course you are. You just don't know it yet. You already taught me the hardest lesson of all... accepting my father isn't a betrayal of the people I've loved and lost. It's a confirmation that no matter how dark things seem, if you're willing to love someone there's always hope at the end. I'm naming the baby Anakin so I never lose sight of that fact again." She put a hand over her belly, her face glowing. Hesitantly, Luke reached out and laced his fingers through hers. "Han and I will give our children roots. Good ones. But I need you to give them wings."

The old fear of failure formed in the pit of his stomach. But with it mingled an odd sense of elation. //If my brush with Dark Side is what had to happen for me to be able to restore the Jedi Order, then maybe all the death and destruction had a reason. Maybe it isn't senseless anymore.// The tightening of his hand around hers was his answer.

"You ought to call her," Leia said after a while.

"Call who?," Luke said, his face flaming.

She gave him the sort-of isn't-it-obvious look that always made him realize exactly what growing up with her would have been like. "Mara Jade."

"Do you really think she wants to talk to me?," he asked uncomfortably.

The expression on her face was an odd mingling of humor, disbelief, caution and something else he couldn't quite place. Confused, he automatically reached out to her with the Force, only to find her thoughts still and guarded. He frowned, and she quickly brushed his sudden interest aside. "If you want to rebuild the Jedi Order, you need students. Which means you're going to have to talk to her sometime. The longer you wait, the harder it's going to be."

Luke sighed and nodded. "You're right, I'll--"

"Sorry to interrupt family bonding time," Han said from the edge of the platform, "but Mon Mothma's on the com. She says it's important."

Luke and Leia exchanged meaningful glances, sighed almost on cue, and headed for the Falcon.

********************************************************************************* "I should have known we got away too easily," Leia muttered in consternation as they stared at the now-blank com screen.

"It makes sense," Luke mumbled ruefully. "I mean, I sort of wondered why the Emperor didn't explode in a big burst of Force energy. But I was relieved enough that we didn't have to deal with it that I didn't stop to think..."

"Even if he was alive when we left," added Leia, "it seemed reasonable to assume he'd be killed in the destruction of the base." She sighed. "But now he's gone underground, and we'll have to find him all over again."

"We've completed harder missions," Han said staunchly. "Besides, if anyone knows where the wrinkled source of all evil is likely to be hiding out now, it's probably Mara Jade."

Luke grinned wryly. "Serves me right for wishing for an excuse to talk to her, I guess."

Han frowned, obviously about to ask what he had missed. Leia shook her head at him over Luke's shoulder. "Well, then, kid," he said a little testily, "what are you waiting for?"

Luke sighed like a man being led to the gallows. "Nothing, I guess."

"Well, don't sound so excited."

Luke made a horrible face and keyed the com.

After a while, a crisp-looking young man appeared on the screen. "And how might I help you?"

Luke glanced back over his shoulder at Leia and Han, who shrugged and nodded encouragingly. He sighed. "I'm looking for Talon Karrde or Mara Jade."

"Of course you are," the man replied, his voice smooth and just a little condescending. "And just who might you be?"

Luke folded his arms across his chest, pulling himself to his full height and tried to imitate the haughty looking-down-your-nose expression he'd seen Leia use when she wanted to be particular imperious. "Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight."

"Just a moment please," the man said, not really looking convinced.

Considerably more than a minute later, Mara Jade appeared, her whole face alight in a way Luke had never seen. "Skywalker," she exclaimed, her tone as warm as her expression.

Before Luke could say any of the things her greeting brought to mind, she caught sight of his expression. A cool thick frost fell over her features. "I'm not going to like this, am I?," she asked cautiously.

"Probably not--"

She grimaced, narrowing her eyes. "You need my help."

Luke gave her a small gallows grin. "You are definitely way too good at that."

Mara didn't smile back. "Our treaty with the New Republic has been dissolved--"

"The Emperor isn't dead," Leia interrupted. "We need your help to find him."

"Oh, well why didn't you say so? Our last little visit went so well," Mara retorted caustically, her eyes cutting into Luke's face. Luke stared at the polished toes of his boots. "Whether you guys believe it or not, I don't have some homing beacon implanted in my head I can just turn on and find the needed Imperial base. Even if I did, I don't think I'm on the Emperor's list of favorite people right now. Since I'd like to stay alive, I'd just as soon keep out of his way. Furthermore, I don't know about the rest of you people, but I can't keep galavanting around the galaxy in search of enemy commanders and their latest superweapons. I have a job to do. Now if you'll excuse me--"

"Mara..." Luke said softly.

She stopped. There was the strange impression of her swearing at him in spite of the fact her lips never moved. "Tell me, Skywalker. Why is it that whenever we meet you seem to be in trouble?"

He grinned ruefully, holding his hands out in front of him, palms up. "Just lucky, I guess."

She snorted violently. "All right. But this one's not on the house."

Leia smiled. "We'll transfer the funds to Karrde's account." ********************************************************************************** Part 19--Reunion Solo didn't say much, just nodded slightly, took the small bag she'd been carrying and led her into the Falcon. Leia's simple warm smile both reassured her and discomfitted her. Chewie yipped an enthusiastic hello of his own--he'd decided she was all right when she saved the twins, and he'd never taken the assessment back. For her part, Mara liked Chewie. His fierce loyalty and violent temper were things she shared. They understood one another. They respected one another. It was a bond of friendship, but one that went far deeper than friendship alone ever could.

Like her bond with Luke. Luke himself hung back, not meeting her eyes. She wasn't sure how she had expected him to greet her, but she had expected him to greet her. In a rush that suprised her, that startled and scared her, she knew she'd been hoping he'd rush forward and gather her in his arms. She needed--yearned for--the feel of his heart beating against hers. She longed for his touch, his breath...hungered for the knowledge and reassurance that he was there, that he cared.

And he did nothing.

The fact that he didn't greet her, whatever it meant...it wasn't something she was ready to deal with. Not now. Not when the sight of him, distanced from her by so little space, suddenly punctuated the distance between them. The sight of his hands, roughened and scarred, but capable of such grace as they rested on the back of the seat in front of him, threatened to paralyze her. The faint gleam of light catching in the edges of his hair, outlining his head like a halo, made her throat suddenly swell and ache.

//I knew coming here was a mistake//, she thought bleakly.

"Mara," Leia began, the worried edge in her voice making Mara wonder if she'd sensed the her feelings.

"Sorry, Councilor," she said, and the frigid sound of her own voice took her by surprise, making her want to shiver, "No time to chat. Come on, Solo, let's get this showboat on tour." She pushed past Organa Solo and Skywalker. Even with her back to him, she could sense Solo's apologetic shrug and wry half-grin as he followed her. She didn't have to sense the fragile sorrow on Skywalker's face or the stunned uncertainty on his sister's. Hurt, angry, already turning her thoughts toward the mission she'd come here to do instead of daydreams she'd mistakenly allowed herself to entertain in the past, she resolutely told herself she didn't care. **********************************************************************************

Leia turned on Luke with an exasperated snort. "She came here to help you out. Why didn't you at least say hello?"

He shook his head wearily, dragging one hand through the thick masses of his dark blonde hair. "She doesn't want to talk to me. You saw her."

Leia sighed. "I saw...someone dealing with a great deal of emotion, Luke. Why does it have to follow that the emotion was bad?"

"Leia...." His voice trailed off into a strangled sigh of his own.

"Well, unless this is a very short trip, you're going to be stuck with her for a while. And it's pretty close quarters on this ship," she said shortly. "So I suggest you find out. Talk to her."

"You're right," he admitted. "But, Leia...I don't know what to say."

She nodded sympathetically. "Believe me, Luke, I know. When the heart is involved, it's never easy to ask questions. But sometimes the answers really surprise you. Once you give yourself a chance, you may realize you already know what to say."

He laced his fingers together, unlaced them, laced them again, staring at the pattern they made as they meshed together as if it could unlock the key to some cosmic secret. "If Han did something--"

"I'd be disappointed. I'd be hurt...it might take time for us to be comfortable with one another again...but I'd never stop loving him, Luke. And no matter what I did, no matter how much he disagreed with me, Han would never stop loving me." She smiled reassuringly, sliding her arm around his shoulders. "Mara doesn't regret her friendship with you, Luke. I'm sure of it. But you shouldn't take my word for it. If I know Mara, she's more than capable of telling you herself." **********************************************************************************

Solo was looking at her with close curiousity, an expression that wasn't quite a smirk on his face. Mara leaned over Chewie and tapped a couple of buttons on the nav computer. "You wanna quit looking at me like that?"

The almost-smirk deepened as Solo threw his booted shoes up on the console. "Not particularly."

"Let me rephrase that--quit looking at me like that before I make you quit," Mara growled. Chewie barked quiet laughter. Solo shrugged casually and turned away slightly, fiddling with controls.

"So what was that about?"

Mara scowled. "What was what about?"

"The tension in there...between you and the kid. Thick enough I could cut it with a vibroblade knife."

"You mean to tell me you're relaxed with people who used to want to kill you?," Mara countered coolly. Chewie barked more laughter.

Solo shrugged and raised an eyebrow. Mara sighed. "It's complicated."

"One thing I've learned," Solo said gruffly, "life with Jedi usually is." Mara grinned crookedly as Chewie yipped an addition. Han nodded. "You're right, Chewie. It's interesting, too." He paused, shifting his weight thoughtfully in the pilot's chair. "The way I see it, there's no contest in that."

Mara laughed. "You've got a point," she admitted.

"So what's the problem?" Han demanded pragmatically.

Mara started to answer, then stopped. She turned sharply away from him, her face going slightly pale. Han followed her gaze, and saw Luke standing in the cockpit doorway. "You know, Chewie," he said thoughtfully, "I think I hear an off vibration in the shield generator casing. We'd better go check that out. You can keep an eye on our heading, right, Mara?"

"I'll help her," Luke said, answering for her.

Mara said nothing, looking a little wild as Chewie and Han beat a leisurely retreat. She'd be willing to bet a lot of cold hard credits that Solo and his wife were going to be comparing notes over them. She wasn't sure whether to be amused or offended.

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Skywalker, waiting on him to speak. **********************************************************************************

Chewie grumbled something about going to work on a damper valve that had been giving them trouble before they took off, and disappeared into the depths of the ship. Behind him, Han threw one last glance over his shoulder, and favored his wife with his signature crooked grin. "They'd better not get blood on my ship," he mumbled.

Leia laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "I don't think killing one another is what those two have in mind."

"Do they sort of remind you of someone?"

"Are you trying to imply something, you scruffy-looking nerfherder?"

"Who's scruffy-looking?," Han countered with a low sound deep in his throat.

"I hope they work it out," his wife said with a sigh. "It's so sad...Mara tearing herself apart for saving him instead of preventing the problem to begin with, and Luke assuming that she blames him because he doesn't remember..."

"I wouldn't worry," Han said. "They're both plenty vocal. I'd imagine they'll have everything worked out in no time."

"I don't know," Leia replied apprehensively. "They're so afraid of being hurt... neither of them is willing to say anything at all."

"That won't last," Han said. But Leia knew him well enough to know that he didn't sound confident.

"I love you, nerfherder," she said, suddenly needing to hear the words.

He smiled and pushed the frayed edges of her braids out of her eyes. "I know," he replied very softly. **********************************************************************************

She was a little thinner than the last time he'd seen her, a little more pale, her eyes a little sharper in the relief of her face. The sight of her took his breath away. "Why are you looking at me like that?," Mara said softly, almost wearily, and Luke realized he had no idea if seconds or hours had passed.

"I didn't know I was looking at you like that," he replied.

She smiled slightly. "Well, stop it," she demanded.

He smiled hesitantly back. "How can I stop something I didn't know I was doing?"

Her lip twisted and she tightened the folds of her arms across her chest as if trying to shield herself. "You knew, Skywalker."

"Mara," he began and stopped.

"It's okay, Skywalker," she assured him sharply. He didn't know exactly how he knew, but he knew the sharp tone concealed how close she was to tears, and the thought tore at him. "I know I failed you."

His heart stopped. He swallowed hard, walked toward her without thinking. "That's what you think?"

She scowled. "Please. Stop trying to candy-coat it for me. You're disappointed--"

"I'm disappointed?," he repeated dumbly. "Mara..."

She leapt to her feet, struggling past him. He caught her, pulling her in close. She beat on his chest with her fists. "Damn you, Skywalker. I don't want your oh-so-noble Jedi forgiveness."

"Mara," he shouted, "I'm not being noble!"

She stopped, holding herself stiffly in the circle of his arms. "You're not?," she asked carefully.

He smiled into the crown of her hair, the soft strands caressing his lips. "No, I'm not."

"You didn't blame me?"

"No, of course not. I thought--"

"Then why have you been avoiding me?"

"I wasn't avoiding you..."

"Then why didn't you call me!," she flared angrily.

Answering anger surged through him. "Because I thought you didn't want to talk to me!," he snapped back.

She snorted. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. If you're going to lie to me, Skywalker, at least go through the trouble to make it believable."

"The only thing that's not believable is that you would be mad at me for thinking you might be disappointed in me for proving that I was every bit as bad as you ever thought I was!," Luke shouted.

Mara stopped, staring up at him with startled eyes. "What?"

"I failed you, Mara. I promised that I would go in there and come out untouched. That I'd save the galaxy. Instead, I destroyed Mon Cal and nearly got myself killed in the process. I couldn't bear to face and see the disappointment in your eyes..." He swallowed hard, tears he'd held back for so many years suddenly tracing trails along his cheeks. "I never meant to hurt you worse. I never thought that you'd think I blamed you. I'm so sorry..."

"You didn't fail me," she said simply. "I don't think you ever could. Ever. If you ever stop talking to me again, I'll kill you. Understand?" Slowly, she reached up and pressed her fingers to his face, gently brushing away the tears.

Luke smiled and raised his hand to cover hers. "Thank you."

"What for?," Mara asked, expecting him to mention her part in his rescue.

"For being here," he said simply.

She shrugged. "It's what I'm paid for," she reminded him. _________________________________________________________________________________

All Over Again

Han had seen a lot of ugly planets in his day, but this planet was the ugliest, far and away. He lifted one foot, surveying the thick mud that slid off of it in steaming gray-brown clumps with disgust, and stared pointedly at Mara. She met his gaze coolly and with a fractional shrug. Han's lips twitched in unwilling amusement, and he picked up his pack with a sigh, silently appraising the awkward distance between Mara and the kid. She had her arms folded across her chest, defensively, and kept shifting from the ball of one foot to the other like a wary hunting cat. The kid was calmer, but he was studiously keeping his back to her, and he moved with the stiff, jerky motions of a self-conscious teenager.

In the corner of his eye, he caught Leia studying them, too. "I hate it when you're right," he muttered humorously under his breath, and she smiled. Han loved that smile and the way it lit up her whole face.

"At least they made up," she murmured, not sounding very relieved.

Before they could say anything more, Luke interrupted, loudly clearing his throat. Han glared at him, annoyed, then realized that just over the kid's shoulder, Mara had shouldered her pack and had already begun climbing toward the large, steaming peak of a particularly unfriendly-looking volcano. Leia and Luke looked at one another with an expression Han had long ago learned to think of as an invisible Jedi shrug, nobly accepting the discomfort necessary for their cause. He hated that, too--not in the affectionate way--but it didn't matter. They were already climbing after Mara.

Chewie issued a protest that sounded surprisingly like a whimper. "Sorry, old pal," Han said sympathetically. "I know how much you hate gunk in your fur, but it doesn't look like we have a choice."

Chewie growled reluctant agreement, and they struggled after the others. Not an easy task, considering the slippery texture of the mud underfoot.

Climbing quickly fell into a smooth pattern. Step,slide, jump-step. An occasional grasping of hands to pull someone up, scrambling over an odd rock here and there and the resultant scrapes and curses. No one said much of anything, and the monotony was mind-numbing. Han was really beginning to wish something would happen. In fact, he had just caught himself wondering about the likelihood of his survival if his blaster accidentally happened to go off and hit Mara Jade in the butt, and was steeling himself for her scathing comeback, when the man in the robe materialized right in front of him.

Smuggler's instincts took over, and he lept to the side and dived forward before he had time to recognize the bunching of his muscles. He caught Leia neatly around the knees, bringing her face down into the mud with a thud. The stiffness of her legs in his hands was as effective a gauge of her anger as her shouting would have been, but he didn't care.

Luke automatically stepped forward, shielding his friends with his body as much as possible. His lightsabre was in his hand, as if it had simply materialized there.

Mara, on the other hand, seemed largely unimpressed. "I take it you're here to deliver us to your Master," she said almost conversationally.

"Mara," hissed Luke between his teeth, "what--"

She responded with a nearly imperceptible flip of her wrist, flicking away the question as if she couldn't be bothered.

The deep recesses of the man's hood met and matched her indifference. "You've delivered yourselves," he replied calmly, stepping aside. Behind him, there was a fissure in the rock, just wide enough for a man.

Mara's lips twisted into an expression that was second-cousin to a smirk, and she inclined her head to the mysterious figure that faced them. Without further ado, she started to climb through the fissure.

"Mara!," Luke snapped, reaching out to catch her wrist in his hand.

She stopped, tilting her head slightly as her eyes met his his. Her voice was uncharacteristically soft, almost gentle. "This is what we came for, isn't it, Skywalker? To face him?"

Luke swallowed, his fingers loosening so that the touch was nearly a caress. "Well...yes..."

She moved her arm, sliding her wrist so that her fingers met his, touched them, twined with them. The words surged between them, nearly tangible, tingling and crackling with electricity. //I won't leave you.// The moment lasted only seconds, but seemed pure and endless as eternity. Slowly, Mara turned into the fissure. Still holding her hand, Luke followed.

Han rolled off Leia. She propped herself up on her elbow and wiped mud out of her face. Something about her posture reminded him of Endor, and he suddenly wanted to kiss her. "What was all that about?," he asked instead.

She shrugged. "Some crazy Jedi-thing?"

He got up, and offered her his hand. "Ha, ha, ha. Very funny, Highness-ness."

She lifted her chin regally and sniffed as he pulled her to her feet. "You just lack the necessary refinement to appreciate my humor, you scruffy-looking nerfherder." She disappeared into the fissure after her brother and the infamous Mara Jade.

"Who's scruffy-looking!," Han shouted indignantly after her. Chewie snarled a complaint, distracting him. Han looked at the fissure, looked at the Wookie, looked at the fissure...and frowned. "Yeah, pal, I know," he agreed grimly. "And I don't like it." Chewie rumbled inquistively. Han sighed and scratched the back of his neck, trying to think. "Why do I always have to come up to the answers to these things?," he complained. "I really think you ought to--" Chewie barked loudly, interrupting him. "Okay, okay. But that incident at Shandra Loon isn't the point. The point is that you can't back us up if you can't get to us." Chewie barked again. "I know you said that already!," Han retorted impatiently, and rubbed his temples instead of his neck.

"I think I need to get in there--no telling what kind of trouble the kid's gotten himself into already. Look...if it sounds like we need you, use the dynamite in your pack and blow the fissure open."

Chewie growled.

"I know it could collapse the fissure and we'd be completely trapped," Han called back over his shoulder. "But do you have any better ideas?"

Chewie yipped forlornly. Han's voice drifted back triumphantly, "I didn't think so." __________________________________________________________________________________

A Formal Introduction

Mara was barely inside the cavern when her danger sense exploded, pointing out her mistake. The thought never colasced into a solid sentence, but she knew Skywalker heard the message loud and clear. //Get down.// She let her knees fall out from under her, pitching her forward onto her left shoulder. Luke's weight followed hers, shielding her. Spooned together, they rolled, twisting slightly outward as they regained their feet, landing neatly, left shoulder pressed to left shoulder, in a defensive crouch.

"You know you're going to lose, Jade. Why not make it easy on yourself," Norva Hylev sneered, circling closer.

"Lose to you?," Mara repeated skeptically. "Not likely." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the slight, camoflauge-clad figure of Leia Organ slip into the cave and press unseen against the stone.

"You've always thought you were so superior," snarled the Emperor's physician. "But in the end, you're the one who couldn't live up to your position. You're the one who betrayed your Emperor. And for what?" She looked Luke insolently up and down. "This pathetic excuse for a man. This poor, sniveling little amoeba that couldn't even handle the power of the dark side."

The slight twitch in Luke's emotions bothered Mara far more than Norva Hylev's hot air ever could. She bared her own teeth. "That...man...is not my Emperor," she said flatly.

"So you have indeed forsaken me, My Hand," the Emperor said sadly, his yellow eyes lambent in the cowl of his hood. "I would gladly have given you the universe if you had only been willing to believe. But now...I'm afraid you must die."

"I told you as much, Master," Norva Hylev inserted eagerly, glancing over her shoulder. "Didn't I say--"

"Silence!" He snarled, the faint crackle of force lightning outlining him like a halo. Mara didn't know who shuddered first--it moved through her and Skywalker like a wave upon a single shore. She sensed rather than saw Solo joining his wife, knew he'd seen them shudder and didn't like the implication. She didn't much care for it herself.

Hylev moved forward, her muscles bunching as Mara's danger sense began to tingle again. Organa Solo hurtled out of the shadows, hitting her hard in the back, knocking her forward into the cave wall. Mara blinked as a surprised grin spread across her face. Solo didn't wait for any more encouragement. He'd already snapped off two blaster shots in the Emperor's direction. A distant fragment of Mara's mind wondered if he'd ever get the message that blasters were useless against sith, but she was more occupied with taking advantage of the moment. She used her position as leverage for a leap that planted her feet neatly in Norva Hylev's chest. The contact brought a wild flare of satisfaction, and she supressed it in a hurry, startled not to sense an answering twinge of disapproval from Skywalker. But maybe he'd been too distracted to notice her un-Jedi-like emotion.

The unfortunate side effect of her move was that she'd fallen too. Hylev reached out and grabbed her, and, scowling, Mara grappled with her hands, trying to work herself free. Irritated, she slammed her head into the other woman's and stood up seeing stars. Organa Solo put a hand on her arm. "...re yo...ay?"

She nodded, but before she could say anything else, a single soft noise cut through the chaos. Someone had activated a lightsabre. She and Leia both whipped their heads around to see Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, advanced on the unarmed Emperor with a feral gleam in his eye. ***********************************************************************************

Mara's heart leapt into her throat. "Not again," she muttered, resisting the urge to throw her hands up in the air and look at the ceiling. The universe obviously didn't care much for her pleas. As she watched in weary disbelief, the sith that had been guarding the fissure flipped into the center of Skywalker's path. She heaved a long-suffering sigh that was drowned out by the sizzling hum of their locked lightsabres.

Organa Solo was staring at them with worried fascination. "Shouldn't we do something?," she asked a little impatiently.

Mara sighed, dropped her hold-out blaster into her hand and neatly shot Norva Hylev in the chest as she lunged at her. "Just what do you propose we do, Councilor? Call a break?" She snorted ironically. Leia opened her mouth to respond, and jumped in surprise as Mara suddenly hurtled herself past her to yank Luke's arm hard, pulling his green blade away from the sith's throat. "Don't you dare," she hissed. "Don't you dare kill this one."

He pulled his arm back, resisting, not bothering to glance in her direction. "If I don't kill him, he'll kill you. Aren't you the one that told me never to leave an enemy at my back?"

"Oh, that's rich," snapped Mara, rolling her eyes. "When have you ever listened to me?"

"Starting now," he replied, moving the blade forward.

Mara stepped in front of the sith, glowering, her eyes as bright and dangerous as the lightsabre. "I'm not going to let you do this."

"Mara," Luke said, half warning, half pleading.

"Mara!," Han shouted, scandalized.

"Mara?," Leia murmured in a tone that indicated she sort of understood what was going on.

Mara shook her head. "If you do this, you're no better than he is...he can be helped."

"Are you insane?" Han asked increduously.

"Enough!," shouted the Emperor, pointing a wavering finger at Mara. "Kill her!"

The sith raised his lightsabre. Luke started forward. "Keep back!," Mara snapped, aiming a violent kick in his direction. He stared at her, his face full of hurt innocence, but she wasn't paying any attention to him. Dancing back just out of reach of the sith's blade, she looked him square in the eye. "You don't want to do this," she told him firmly. She ducked as the blade screamed a scant quarter of an inch over her head. "I know how you feel...lost, alone...desperate for his approval..."

"Kill her!," shouted the Emperor. Lightning arched across the roof of the cave, flickering across their faces.

Mara swallowed and circled, jumping as the blade swung at her knees. "You think this is the only way...you think you have to do this to survive, to live with yourself..."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luke approaching again and gritted her teeth. "A little help here please?" Organa Solo put a warning hand on her brother's arm, shaking her head. He paused, his entire posture screaming his impatience and his desire for blood.

"You can be free," she whispered. "You don't have to hurt anyone or feel guilty..." He faltered a slight step,and she nodded. "I did it," she coaxed. "Let me show you..."

"She's a traitor," the Emperor snarled. "I command you to kill her or die with her..."

"You can live in peace," continued Mara, "and do the good you thought he'd help you accomplish..."

"Lies," the Emperor countered, drawing closer. Mara could feel the electric charge raising the tiny hairs on her arm. She just prayed she was getting through. She was no Luke Skywalker.

The sith's blade lowered slightly, the tip pointing toward the floor as it stilled. She moved in closer, scarcely daring to breathe. "Let me help you," she whispered again, holding out her hand. Slowly...very slowly, the sith slid his hand into hers. She smiled. "What's your name?"

"Ummm...do we really have time for formalities?," Han interrupted, jerking his head in the direction of the Emperor.

Mara blinked. "Oh. Good point."

"Could I suggest," he bit off with exaggerated patience, "that we take your new friend and get out of here?"

Her new friend was already pulling her toward the the crevice. She sat up, spitting out mud, but before she could get any farther, Skywalker and his sister tumbled out on top of her, knocking her right back into it again. "Chewie," Han was shouting, his voice muffled by the people smothering her. "What are you waiting for? Blow it now!"

The wookie barked a reply. "Blow it," Han shouted again, his voice sharp. Mara felt the familiar tingle of Force lightning, even with the insulation between her and the air above, and cringed. Then something very much like a bantha slammed into her like a blaster shot, and the world went black. __________________________________________________________________________________ Aftermath

Her head was pounding like the percussion section of Jabba's band. Her mouth tasted terrible, and she didn't want to think about why. She sat up, groaning, and spit out mud. "Shavit Rinn! Bleqyrn yr sle!" She blinked gingerly, the shards of light hurting her eyes, and glared at Solo, who didn't look like he felt much better. "What the hell was that?"

He presented her with a twisted grin in reply. "Demolitions." He waved vaguely in the direction of the cave.

Belatedly, information flooded back, and Mara jumped to her feet, wildly swinging her lightsabre into guard position.

Solo laughed. "Relax," he advised. "Your little friend isn't going to be bothering us anymore."

She was standing at the edge of a ten foot crater, the walls black and smoking. Her knees rippled like water, and she sat down a lot more quickly than she'd intended. "The shockwave should have killed us," she managed after a while.

Solo shrugged. "Thank the mud."

"It's over," she said, scarcely believing it. "It's really over."

"So it would seem," he agreed, taking a deep swig from a silver flask and offering it to her.

She took it and drank without really caring what it was. "I'll be damned," she murmured. "The others?"

"Fine. Still out, but fine. I imagine they're not going to be very happy with me."

"Under the circumstances, I'm sure they'll get over it," Mara replied dryly, and Solo gave her his signature rogue's grin.

The anonymous ex-sith moaned. Mara grinned wryly, and offered him the flask. "Here, have a drink."

He took it, staring at it blankly. "You didn't kill me."

She shrugged. "You didn't kill me, either. Thanks for that, by the way."

He stared at the crater. "I really can start over?"

"You really can," she agreed.

"I...don't know where to start," he admitted.

"By learning to use your powers to help people, not hurt them," interjected Skywalker, making Mara jump. She hadn't realized he was awake. His blue eyes bored into her as he added, "I'm going to start an Academy. Mara will be there, and I'd like it if you were too."

"Really?," the ex-sith asked.

"Really," Skywalker confirmed. "So how about that name?"

"Kam," the man offered awkwardly, holding out his hand, "Kam Solusar."

Luke shook his hand firmly, his smile blinding. "Nice to meet you Kam Solusar, welcome to the Jedi Academy."

"He's Luke Skywalker, in case you were wondering," Mara offered laconically. "Hero of the rebellion, Jedi Knight and all around good guy." Luke frowned at her, and she knew he wanted to know what was behind the sudden burst of malice. Well, he'd find out soon enough. "The wookie's Chewbacca, you can thank him and the great smuggler, Han Solo here, for your little nap. That's New Republic Councilor Leia Organa Solo, and I, of course, am Mara Jade, ex-Emperor's Hand."

"That's quite a list," Kam said a little dazedly. Mara shrugged.

Leia sat up, groaning and holding her head. "Not that I'm complaining, Han, but do all your plans have to be so...violent?"

"So sorry, your Highnessness, I'll try to be more refined the next time I have an angry dark jedi breathing down the back of my neck," he retorted sarcastically. "Can we get off this backwater planet now?"

"I think that," replied his wife coolly, "is something we can all agree on." **********************************************************************************************

Even her back was rigid, distant and cold. Looking at it made Luke want to shiver. Steeling himself, he walked up and sat beside her on the crate. She didn't acknowledge him, but she knew he was there. "So?"

"So what, Skywalker?"

"So do you want to tell me what's been bothering you ever since we came to?"

"Nice of you to ask me if I wanted to go to your little Academy."

He frowned. "Don't you want to?"

"Not in a million years."

Something sharp and hot lanced through his chest, the pain making his eyes sting. "I'll be there."

"What happened to not feeling qualified to teach?," she asked.

He sighed. "I always knew I'd have to do it anyway...and I've learned a lot since then."

"Yeah," she agreed darkly, "most of it bad."

"Besides," he continued, avoiding that point, "I have the Holocron...it will do most of the actual instructing."

Mara frowned, and even though she didn't turn to face him, he knew she'd perked her ears up. "Holocron? When did you get that?"

"Leia got it," he explained. "She managed to get ahold of it in the stronghold on Byss."

"Do you really think you ought to trust anything the Emperor had in his possession?," Mara demanded.

Luke sighed. "Knowledge in itself is neither good or bad, Mara, it's how you use it. I want you to come to the Academy so that I can show you the power you have, and how to use it in a good way."

"A good way? Like killing Kam, you mean?" she snapped.

He winced. "It seemed necessary. I would have felt no more guilty than you do for killing Norva Hylev...I was only protecting you."

"I can take care of myself...and you too for that matter, Skywalker," she returned wryly, not bothering to point out just how true the statement was. "As for Norva Hylev, she's dead now, but I didn't kill her...she was just stunned. I thought your sister might like to take her back to Coruscant to stand trial."

"Mara," he tried again a long time later, "I just want to show you how powerful you can be..."

She stiffened. "I already had someone to show me that, Skywalker. I believe you just made his acquaintance for the third time. I don't want it, ever again. I'm not Jedi, and I don't want to be. I just want to be left alone."

Sorrow seemed to crush him. He didn't understand how everything had gone so wrong...she was sitting right beside him, but she was so far away he hardly knew how to reach her at all. "Alright, Mara," he said at last, and walked away. __________________________________________________________________________________

Beginning Again

Leia sighed and brushed fuzzy blonde down out of her son's eyes. "Well, that certainly wasn't any easier the second time."

"All I can say is--you've got good timing, kid," Han offered. "If you hadn't decided to pick now to be born, your old man would be all dressed up and parading around some formal party."

"Scruffy-looking nerf-herder," Leia said affectionately, at which her husband grinned and kissed her forehead.

Someone cleared their throat from the doorway. "Mara!," Leia exclaimed. "What a surprise. Please come in."

The ethereal redhead glided in, the folds of sleek yellow formal gown floating around her like rays of sunshine. Somewhat awkwardly, she thrust a lump of gift-wrapping into Leia's hands. "I brought the little beggar something," she said gruffly, touching the baby's face."I didn't want him feeling left out since I saved his brother and sister." She shifted a little uncomfortably, glancing from Han to Leia, and added, "I didn't mean to interrupt a family moment. I should probably just be on my way."

"No," Leia said warmly, "Please stay. Let me open it."

"It's nothing much," Mara said dismissively. "Anyway, Karrde's expecting me at your latest victory party."

Leia smiled. "We do seem to have them rather often, don't we? But opening the package shouldn't take long--"

"Mara," Luke said, frozen in mid-step.

Mara started, staring at him as though she'd seen a ghost, all the color draining from her face. "Congratulations," she muttered absently, and disappeared in a quick burst of golden fabric.

"What was all that about?," Leia demanded, frowning at her brother.

He sighed. "I wish I knew...she doesn't seem to want to have much to do with me."

"If she didn't want much to do with you, why is she bringing your nephew baby gifts?," Han pointed out at the same time Leia asked, "What did you do to her?"

"I don't know what I did to her," Luke snapped defensively. "She's been like this ever since I mentioned the Academy."

"The Academy?" Leia said blankly.

Luke shrugged. "I assumed that she'd be there...that she'd want to be with me...but apparently I was wrong."

Leia scowled. "Honestly. Quit being so stiff-necked and talk to her. You know you've been miserable ever since she left to rejoin Karrde."

"You saw her...do you really think she'll talk to me?," Luke asked morosely.

Leia sighed, thinking of how much easier her life would be if she hadn't told Mara Jade she wouldn't explain those missing months of his life to Luke. "You might just be surprised at what she'd do for you."

Luke frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Leia replied impatiently, "Go talk to her!"

Luke nodded slowly. "Thanks, Leia," he said, bending to kiss her cheek.

"No problem," she said, "Just make sure you tell us about it later."

Already half way out the door, her brother fluttered a hand in response, making her smile and shake her head with rueful amusement. She picked up the package and turned it over in her hand. "What do you think this is?"

Han smiled. "With Mara Jade, you never. Open it and make sure it isn't a grenade."

Leia laughed. With careful fingers, she separated the paper, pulling the folds away from the object inside...and lifted out one perfect dried aralute rattle. She stared at it in bemusement, her mouth a perfect "o". Tears stung the backs of her eyes, and she didn't know if they were of joy or simply from shock. "Well," she murmured at last, "how do you like that?" **********************************************************************************************

"Mara," Karrde said with the air of someone repeating a question for the third time. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine," she said a little sharply, "why shouldn't I be?"

"You just seem a little...distracted," he said gently.

She shrugged. "I just keep wondering which one of these people is going to try to stick the knife in my back next."

"Their lack of trust is...disturbing," Karrde admitted, "but such is the price we pay."

"I don't like it," Mara said succintly. "When can we leave?" > "And your hurry to get out of here wouldn't have anything to do with a blonde Jedi Knight heading in our general direction, would it?," Karrde inquired thoughtfully.

"Why should it?," Mara retorted with an admirable degree of disconcern.

Karrde lifted one eloquent eyebrow. "You tell me," he advised.

She snorted. "Not bloody likely."

"I suppose I'll just have to easedrop and see," he replied easily. She glowered, and he smiled back, quite unconcerned. "Ah, Jedi Skywalker, how nice to see you again."

Luke bowed crisply, which Karrde acknowledged with a slight tilt of his head. "Karrde. My sister tells me that we owe you a great deal of thanks for our victory at Byss."

"That," Karrde replied with vague amusement, "would depend greatly on who you ask."

"I'm sure none of them do you justice," Luke replied.

"All this is very interesting, I'm sure," Mara interrupted, "but whatever it is you're selling this time, Skywalker, we don't want any. I'm done going on crusade."

"Mara," Karrde chided, a smile playing around the edges of his lips, "let's hear the man out before we refuse him."

"You hear him out," she returned, turning sharply on her heel and disappearing into the crowd.

Karrde shrugged slightly. "My apologies, we'll have to work on her diplomatic skills."

"I don't know," Luke said thoughtfully, "I kind of like them the way they are."

"They do have a certain appeal," Karrde agreed affectionately. "Now do you mind telling me what you did to my second- in-command?"

Luke blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that ever since she got back from going on wilderness trek with you she's been even touchier than usual, and I'd like to know why."

Luke smiled weakly. "You and me both," he admitted. "Why don't I just go find out?"

Karrde raised an eyebrow. "You mean you don't know?"

"Why," Luke asked wearily, "does everyone expect me to know?"

"You are a Jedi," Karrde said simply, and Luke groaned. **********************************************************************************************

When he stepped out on to the balcony wearing that ridiculous bulky black robe, her heart skipped a beat, lodging inconveniently in her throat. "Well," she said bitingly, "if it isn't the great Jedi Master here to recruit me for his Academy."

"Would it really be that bad?," he asked so plainatively that she wanted to cry `no, of course not', and throw her arms around his neck.

"I don't want to be taught," she said resolutely, thinking of all the grief her sensitivity to the Force had brought them both.

He sighed and sagged against the railing, strangely defeated. "You don't think I can teach either."

Vivid and unbidden, a memory of him standing beside her in the Wayland jungle, guiding her through the steps of a simple exercise washed through her, knocking her speechless. "No," she finally managed, "that's not it at all."

"Then what is it?," he asked, genuinely curious.

She sighed. "Being a Jedi is fine for you, Skywalker...but the Academy...it sounds too much like the training of my childhood...it feels almost like...a trap. I need space, I need to be able to take off and escape when things get to be too much for me..."

"You need your freedom," he said slowly. "But, Mara, you know I'd never take that away from you...don't you?"

"I know," she agreed. "But..."

He nodded, understanding what she didn't really have words to describe. "I'm scared too, Mara," he said after a while.

"Scared?," she repeated, but her voice was gentle, not mocking.

"I've never done this...I don't know what to do...and I'm a dreamer...I need you there to talk to...to keep me grounded."

"Do you?," she asked thoughtfully, "do you really?"

"You know I do," he said simply.

She sighed, staring down at the twinkling lights of the city, and took a deep breath. "All right, farmboy...you got me. On one condition...the minute I start feeling trapped, I'm out of there."

He smiled and touched her hand. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a lady."

She snorted, but a smile hovered around her lips, too.

"Mara," he said a long time later.

"Yeah, Skywalker?"

"May I have this dance?"

Her only answer was to slip her hand into his as he swept her onto the dance floor.

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Jaded Sky Entry

New Beginnings