Star Wars 1. Prologue A Lonely Path

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Star Wars. George Lucas does. This is his galaxy far, far away. I'm just playing around with my own little warped idea of what that galaxy could be like. I'm not making any money off of this. Please don't sue me. I have no money (but you can have my debt if you'd like).

**Author's Note: **As far as Luke goes, assume everything through The Truce at Bakura happened and for Mara, everything through Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand. It should fit in nicely with those and, if not, write it off to the fact it's an AU.

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Prologue: A Lonely Path

Luke Skywalker sat on the forest moon of Endor looking at the stars of the night sky as the nearby campfire started to die away. He found his eyes constantly moving to focus on the same spot in the night sky. The spot where the second Death Star had once orbited Endor. The place where Luke's life changed in an instant. Luke had finally regained the father he had been seeking since childhood, only to have him ripped away. He was left alone in the galaxy. Luke was not entirely alone, of course. He had his sister and Han as well as his other friends in the Alliance, but none of them would or could understand.

He was the sole remaining Jedi Knight. The burden of teaching the ways of the Force and keeping the galaxy safe from any who would abuse that power was on his shoulders. Someday, perhaps, Luke would not be alone in this task, but that day was far off. It would likely be years, if not longer, before the war was settled enough for him to take on his new role as teacher. Luke still had much to learn himself about the Force, his place in the galaxy and life in general.

Ever since Luke had left Tatooine, he had been defined by the war. At first, he was the green pilot who hit a one in a million shot to destroy the Death Star. Later, he proved himself as a pilot and was known as the hopeful Jedi, ace X-Wing pilot and commander of Rogue Squadron. And up until recently, Luke was the Jedi charged with facing the Emperor and Vader and ending the Dark Side's reign once and for all.

But Luke wasn't the one who had completed that task. At least not directly. It was his father that had destroyed the Emperor. Anakin Skywalker had broken the bonds of the Dark Side to answer his son's plea and save Luke's life. For a few brief moments, father and son were reunited and there were two Jedi to defend the galaxy once more. Sadly, that time could not last and Anakin Skywalker became one with the Force, leaving Luke fatherless once more. Luke had no one to look to for guidance beyond his own memories. Every role model in his life had left him, leaving Luke to find his own path.

Luke just wished he knew what that path was. He knew the task that lay before him, but Luke felt as if something was missing in his life. As a child, he had dreamed of adventure in the stars, but now that those dreams had become a reality, Luke realized he wanted something else. Something bigger, yet simpler. Luke Skywalker would always be a Jedi and the Force would always guide him, but he did not want to become known as the all-powerful Jedi Master. In some ways, he still wanted to be the simple farmer from Tatooine. Someone who could live a simple life away from prying eyes and settle down, perhaps even raise a family.

Luke snorted at his thoughts. His life would never be simple and settling down wasn't in his blood. The Force would always call him to fulfill his place as the last of the Jedi Knights. Luke couldn't turn his back on his calling, but perhaps he could have something more in his life. A family wasn't out of the question. In fact, he dreamed of having a child someday once the war was over. First, however, Luke would need to find someone willing to share his hectic lifestyle. He would have to find a woman to love that could love him back. Someone who could understand him and keep up with the life of a Jedi. That kind of woman didn't just come out of nowhere.

His campfire had died down to burning embers when Luke finally turned his gaze away from the night sky. He hadn't realized he had been out here in the middle of the forest thinking for so long. Luke glanced at the chronometer on his wrist. It was 0300. He had been out here for close to three hours and still felt unsettled. Luke doused the glowing embers that remained of his fire with some nearby dirt and began hiking through the forest towards the camp to attempt sleep he was sure wouldn't come.

Reaching the camp, Luke stopped at the _Millennium Falcon_. He could feel his sister's peaceful presence on board, likely asleep with Han. She had known that something had been bothering Luke the last few days and had told him to come to her at anytime when he was ready to talk. Luke considered taking her up on that offer then and there, but thought the better of it. He didn't begrudge Leia's happiness, but he couldn't help but feel jealous that she had someone to help her through these times in a way he didn't.

Luke stood watching the dormant ship for a few minutes before hearing a beep from behind him. He slowly turned around at the familiar sound to find R2-D2 rolling up to him, concerned about his master's extended absence. Having Luke's attention, R2 whistled an inquiry. "I'm fine. I just lost track of time. Too lost in my thoughts I guess."

Luke glanced once more in the direction of the parked _Millennium Falcon_. Soon, they would be leaving Endor to continue fighting. The Empire would only lick its wounds so long before attempting a new strike and the Alliance had already spent a good deal of time dealing with the incident that had sprung up at Bakura. When the fighting began anew, Luke would once again be caught up in the hectic lifestyle of a starfighter pilot. Right now, that was not what he needed. Luke had to follow his own path for a while. What he needed was time alone. Luke turned back to his faithful droid. "R2. Fire up my X-Wing."

The droid beeped in surprise at his master's request. Luke stood silent for a moment, considering his decision. Was this really what he wanted to do? Luke closed his eyes and reached for the guidance of the one thing he knew wouldn't fail him. He could feel the Force calling him to follow his heart. Luke's eyes popped open and he patted R2's dome as he made his way to his bunk to gather his things. "I'm sure. And try to keep the clearance quiet. I don't want anyone to know I'm gone until morning."

Luke guided his X-Wing out of the atmosphere of Endor, pushing himself into the inky black of space. He never felt freer than when he was flying, but it had lost some of its thrill as of late. Luke had allowed himself to get so caught up in his responsibilities that he no longer had the motivation to take pleasure in the simple things. This was why he needed time alone. He needed a break from the pressures of the war. The Alliance could go on without Luke Skywalker for a while. It had done so before.

Looking down at his scopes, Luke found that he was out of Endor's gravity well. However, he had no destination. He had packed up his few belongings and written a hasty note to quench Leia's worries as best he could. The only thing Luke knew was that he needed to get away. Where did not matter. He pulled up a star chart on the ship's computer. Perhaps, he could return to Tatooine for a while. Luke shook his head. Going to a place so tied into his past would only hamper his ability to look forward. Tatooine was out.

Luke looked at the map in front of him. For what it mattered, he could pick any habitable planet. However, Luke kept finding himself drawn to an unfamiliar point on the star chart. He tapped on the system to see if he could divine its importance. He watched the information scroll down the screen. Naboo, a system on the edge of the Mid Rim with a temperate climate. While under the nominal control of the Empire, its presence there was minimal. Luke looked at the holographic image of the blue and green planet as it rotated before him. It was almost as if the Force was calling him there. Without another thought, Luke entered the coordinates for Naboo into the navigation computer. After a few moments, his X-Wing disappeared into hyperspace with a flicker of pseudomotion.


	2. Ch 1 Who Are You?

Chapter 1: Who Are You?

Luke watched the sun rise over the lake from the window in his small kitchen. After arriving on Naboo a month prior, Luke had been immediately drawn to the lake country. Registering under an assumed name he had secured a small apartment fro himself in one of the lakeside villas. It was more than he needed and more than he was used to in his service in the Alliance, but something about the villa had seemed comforting.

Luke had decided to treat himself with the credits from his father's old account. A few days after his father's death, Luke had received notice from Vader's lawyer. Luke had been named the sole heir to his estate and had been given control of his father's properties and bank accounts. He hadn't decided what to do with his inheritance, but Luke didn't plan on keeping it. Luke knew where the credits had come from, but giving himself a small allowance from the spoils and not having to stretch the Alliance's resources for his personal missions seemed only fair.

Hearing a news report come in over the holonet receiver, Luke turned his attention to the holographic image. Imperial control on Naboo was quickly slipping and Luke was able to get uncensored reports of the war. The newly declared New Republic fleet was pushing its influence toward the core, liberating Outer and Mid Rim planets on its path toward the capital. Luke couldn't help but notice the reporters had begun to refer to the capital once more as Coruscant rather than Imperial City as the Emperor had rechristened the planet. Soon, the capital would be liberated and the war would be firmly on the New Republic's side.

Watching Leia being interviewed about the New Republic's latest victory, Luke couldn't help but feel guilty. He could see the worry in his sister's eyes in spite of the cool front she was putting up. Luke knew he was the source of that worry. He should have contacted her once he was settled in, but Luke knew that if he called, Leia would have convinced him to return right away. It was better to remain hidden for now. Luke could feel in the Force that he wasn't done here. He hadn't found what he had come here for just yet.

Luke looked down at the remains of his breakfast. Seeing only crumbs, he knew his meal was over. Leaving his plate to clean later, Luke picked up his mug of hot chocolate and went outside. He took a deep breath of the cool morning air and watched the morning sun peek through the light clouds hovering over the lake. He walked along the edge of the villa, skirting his way along the lakeshore in the process and kept his gaze on the foggy opposite shore.

He soon made his way to his favorite balcony as the fog lifted. Something about the canopied stone terrace soothed him. It was more than the vine covered trusses and potted flowers. The vista of the lake was breathtaking, but the same could be said for many of the other balconies at the retreat. There was more to this location. Luke could feel it in the Force. A sense of happiness and love permeated this place. One that he felt was important to him. Perhaps, if he solved this mystery, Luke would be able to regain the balance he had lost, but he didn't entirely believe that. The sensations at the balcony were only a piece of the puzzle. Luke had no idea what this puzzle would look like when completed, nor if he would ever see the finished picture, but perhaps it was the process that mattered.

Setting down his mug of hot chocolate, Luke leaned down to smell one of the red flowers in the pots lining the terrace. He had to be careful around this particular plant since thorns covered its stem, but if he could avoid the needles, Luke was rewarded with the sweet, calming scent of the bloom. Perhaps when he had a place of his own, Luke would have a garden and grow these plants himself. Luke chuckled for a moment about the thought of being a farmer in a former life but knowing nothing of caring for plants. However, it was never too late to learn.

After inhaling the sweet aroma of the plant, Luke leaned on the balcony's railing with his back to the lake. He picked up his mug and drank the last of his hot chocolate in one gulp. Luke let out a satisfied sigh as he swallowed the sweet, warm beverage. Hot chocolate was much better than the bitter caf he had been introduced to in the mess halls. Luke closed his eyes to immerse himself in the Force. He had made it a point to come out to this balcony and draw the calm and peace of the place to himself every morning to center his thoughts.

Once more, Luke found himself being swept away by the lines of the Force into a vision. This wasn't the first time he had seen the hazy visage of a man and woman in love. Luke had long ago begun to suspect that these two were the cause of the strong Force impression at this terrace. He just wished he could see enough of them to know who they were. This time, Luke found himself looking out over the lake at midmorning, the shadows of the canopy obscuring his view of the individuals in front of him. Unlike his previous flashes, Luke could make out the image of three people.

The young man's face could only be seen in profile, but Luke could make out the features of the young woman across from him. She wore a white dress and a veil covered much of her dark hair. Her soft face came into view for a moment when she reached her hand out to take that of the young man across from her. At this moment, Luke realized that the third individual was a holy man. This was a wedding ceremony. It would certainly explain the sensations of love and happiness in the place. But Luke couldn't help but wonder why he would feel these emotions so strongly in this place in particular.

Before Luke could delve any further into his vision, it suddenly faded from his sight and he found himself back on the balcony. His muscles quickly tensed, expecting danger, but a quick search of his surroundings found no one. Still hesitant, Luke decided to dig deeper and stretched out his senses into the Force, looking for the cause of his break in concentration. Most of the residents of the retreat were either still in bed or just beginning their day so Luke quickly wrote them off when he felt no ill will from any of them. He stretched his feelings out further over the lake and slowly a weak sense of distress came to him over the Force.

Luke snapped his eyes open and turned in the direction of the distress. He could see something bobbing in the water and knew that this was the cause of his alarm. Luke whipped his head around and saw that the rental boat for the villa's patrons was tied up at the dock. He quickly ran down to the dock and untied the small craft. Firing up the boat's small engine, he guided the small ship out towards the bobbing shape. As he approached the source of his worry, Luke quickly realized that he was looking at a human being.

Luke started to panic at his realization. How long had this person been floating in there? Why hadn't he felt it earlier? He knew that the individual wasn't dead because of the vague feeling of distress he was still getting from them in the Force, but it was possible they were dying. Luke set his jaw. All he could do now was hope that he wasn't too late to help them. Slowing the boat down to avoid pushing away the floating victim in its wake, Luke could make out that the individual was a woman.

Stopping the ship just to the woman's side, Luke reached into the water and pulled her out. Her skin was pale and her lips were blue and Luke could feel her slipping away through the Force. He immediately started doing the emergency resuscitation he had learned to get her breathing again and give the woman a chance to live. Luke was truly scared that he had been too late just before he felt a spark in the Force and the woman coughed as her breathing returned.

Luke fired the boat's engine back up and pointed the craft toward shore, knowing that the woman would survive. He tried to get a response from her, but she had slipped into unconsciousness. Luke could feel that the woman wouldn't die if she got the medical attention she needed. In fact, Luke was pretty sure he could do what needed to be done with his little first aid background and he got the feeling the woman wouldn't be safe in a medical center. For some reason, Luke couldn't shake the idea that she was hiding from someone or something.

He looked over the woman, trying to determine why she would have been floating in the middle of the lake, but her dark, form fitting clothing and covered head told him little. He couldn't help but wonder about the empty wrist holsters in her clothing, but wouldn't be able to get any information until she regained consciousness. Hoping to get her out of at least some of her wet clothing until he could get her dry indoors, Luke removed the outer jacket of the woman's clothing. Next, he pulled off the hat that had been hiding her hair, spilling a red-gold mane around her head. Luke was mesmerized at the sight of the woman before him. "Who are you?"


	3. Ch 2 Tending to the Wounded

Chapter 2: Tending to the Wounded

Luke sat in the spare bedroom of his apartment, looking over the still unconscious woman he had pulled out of the lake. He brushed a lock of hair away from her face for what fifth time in the last hour. After bringing her into his apartment during the early morning hours, he had done his best to get the woman out of her wet clothes while still preserving some level of modesty. Getting nowhere, he had instead opted to cut off the sections of fabric necessary to give her the care she needed. When she regained consciousness, he could provide her with new garments.

It had taken Luke hours to treat the various ailments he had found on the woman. In addition to the lack of oxygen due to her near drowning, he had found burns on her side. Blaster burns. Also, the woman was cold to the touch, her body having obviously shut down to the point where she was no longer maintaining a natural temperature. Luke had covered the woman with a thick blanket to assist her in warming up, exposing only the areas he needed to work on. He had used up numerous bacta patches in treating the blaster burns, but Luke didn't care. He could always buy more.

Luke couldn't help but wonder about the blaster burns hiding under the bacta patches at her side as well as the numerous scars he had found elsewhere. Someone had tried to kill this woman and Luke couldn't help but wonder if that person would be back. In fact, Luke didn't know why someone would have wanted her dead in the first place. She could be anyone. However, nothing was going to stop Luke from tending to this woman. He knew in the Force that this was the right thing to do. His questions could wait until she was healed.

Luke had even used his limited knowledge of Force healing to help speed along the woman's healing. When he touched her presence in the Force, Luke had found that the woman's presence was brighter than the average person's would be. He quickly realized that he had found a Force sensitive woman. Perhaps, this was why the Force had drawn him here. Luke couldn't help but feel strangely drawn to the woman. By the time he was finished with his attempts to advance the woman's healing, Luke was sure that she was at least part of the reason he had been drawn to Naboo. Their paths were meant to cross.

Feeling a stirring from the woman, Luke let out a sigh of relief. She was finally coming around, signaling that the worst was beyond them. He hadn't made a fatal decision by not taking her to a medical center. After finding the blaster burns, he had considered taking her for proper medical attention despite the risks, but Luke had thought better of it after receiving a warning from the Force. It wasn't safe to draw attention to either of them for the time being.

Realizing he had not left the woman's side for hours and was starting to feel the effects of his long day, Luke made his way out of the room for a moment to use the fresher and get himself a drink. When he returned to the room minutes later, Luke was surprised to find the room's bed empty. He quickly discovered where the woman had disappeared to when he felt an arm tighten around his neck.

Luke knew that the woman must be disconcerted and afraid to find herself in a strange room after whatever she had been through. He also knew that with a quick use of the Force, he would be able to reverse their roles. But it would be better to put the confused woman at ease rather that antagonize her in an obviously unbalanced state. "I'm not trying to hurt you. If I was, I could have just left you for dead when I found you."

Luke felt the arm wrapped around his neck loosen slightly, but not enough to allow his to slip loose without an aggressive action. Through the Force, the woman's emotions were bombarding him. He could feel confusion, panic and frustration coming off her in equal amounts. He heard the woman hiss into his ear. "How do I know that?"

"I found you floating in the lake outside, unconscious. I brought you back to my apartment and have been tending to your wounds ever since. The bacta patches on your sides should be evidence enough of that fact." Luke felt the woman's arm loosen a little more around his neck as she looked down to check the veracity of his last statement. He could feel that she was still wary, but starting to accept that he was telling the truth. "I only want to help you."

Luke let out a sigh of relief when he felt the woman's arm unwrap from around his neck. He could still feel confusion and panic rolling off of her through the Force, but they were muted now. He turned around to face the woman to find her making her way back to the bed on the other side of the room. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, the woman looked up at Luke nervously. Hoping to help her understand that he was not out to hurt her, Luke walked slowly, but deliberately, toward her, making an effort to avoid any action which could possibly be interpreted as hostile.

He sat down on the bed a respectful distance away from the woman and watched her shaky breathing for a moment. Whatever had happened to this woman, it had put her in a place where she had trouble trusting anyone. Luke could only hope that he could get through to her and help her get through whatever problems she had. When the woman finally looked over to Luke, she was biting her lip and gave Luke the impression that she wanted to say something, but was hesitant to do so. Luke decided it would be best if he broke the ice. "I'm Luke Skywalker. I want to help you if you'll let me."

The woman looked back and forth between Luke and the floor. Luke could feel in the Force that she was still hesitating, but could feel her motivation to remain silent slipping. Perhaps it would be best to start simple. If he got to know the woman, he would be able to do a better job of helping her. When her gaze turned to him once more, Luke finally asked his first question. "What's your name?"

The woman snapped back to the floor as she rocked back and forth in her seat in the bed. Luke was confused at how such a simple question could elicit such a strong response. He watched the woman bite her lip and watch him for a long moment. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak in barely a whisper. "I don't remember."


	4. Ch 3 Amnesia

Chapter 3: Amnesia

"I don't remember."

Luke looked at the woman sitting next to him, stunned. No wonder she had been so nervous and confused. If she couldn't remember her own name, it was likely she remembered little else. Whatever had happened to the woman must have resulted in her coming down with amnesia. Luke, however, couldn't be entirely sure of his assessment until his suspicions were confirmed. It wouldn't be hard to find out for sure. "Do you remember anything?"

The woman looked at Luke hesitantly for a moment before biting her lip and shaking her head. Obviously, her lack of memories didn't make it easy for her to open up. It seemed to Luke that she was afraid of appearing vulnerable and trusting him wasn't going to come easy to her. She looked into Luke's eyes for a moment before looking down and speaking in a whisper. "Nothing. I can't remember a thing."

Luke brushed his hands through his hair, trying to assess the situation. He had no idea where to begin with helping this woman regain her memory, but he knew that he was the only one she had. It was up to him to get the woman back on her feet. Somehow, they would put together the pieces and give her back her life. Luke looked over the woman and saw spots of blood on the bacta patches. She must have overexerted herself trying to subdue him and opened the raw wounds.

"Lay back. I need to change the bacta patches." The woman looked a look for a moment, confused by the sudden shift in their discussion. Looking down and seeing the blood on the patches, however, the woman realized his concern. Lying back on the bed while Luke retrieved new bacta patches, the woman started to berate herself. She shouldn't overexert herself for a few days. If she wasn't at her best, she was vulnerable and if she was vulnerable, it could get her killed. The woman started slightly. Where had that thought come from?

Brushing off her concerns as paranoia, the woman watched as Luke gently removed each of her bandages, cleaned the wound and put on fresh bacta patches. She was lucky he was the one that had found her. Most people would not be understanding of her situation and likely would have left her to her own devices or used the circumstances to their own advantage. But not Luke. She knew that he could still take advantage of her if he wanted, but the woman knew on some level that he wouldn't. Luke had a good heart and she would be safe with him until she figured things out.

Finished with his task, Luke placed a nearby blanket on the woman. Her small yawns while he had been replacing the last of the bacta patches had made it clear that she still needed rest in order to recover properly. "Get some rest. Sleep will help you heal faster. We'll figure out just who you are once you have your health back."

The woman nodded as she pulled the blanket up. Sleep was a great idea. She closed her eyes and curled up to fall asleep as Luke walked out of the room. However, she opened her eyes once more. "Luke."

Luke stopped suddenly in the doorway and turned back to the bed, wondering what was wrong. He looked at the woman and was surprised he hadn't noticed earlier just how beautiful her green eyes were. Luke was relieved when the woman gave him a soft smile. "Thank you. For everything."

Luke gave her a gentle smile in return, thankful that nothing more was wrong. "You're welcome. Sleep well."

The woman did not respond as sleep overtook her and Luke just turned out the lights of the room and walked out. He made his way across the main room of his living quarters and sat down on the nerfhide sofa. He sat in silence in the room, his attention elsewhere as he monitored the sleeping woman through the Force. Finally satisfied that she was sleeping comfortably, Luke opened his eyes and called his senses back to him.

Luke sat on the sofa rubbing his chin in thought when R2 rolled in front of him and beeped out an inquiry to his master. Smiling at the droid, Luke finally removed his hand from his chin. "I was just thinking. Thanks for your help before, by the way." The droid whistled proudly, drawing a chuckle out of Luke before the Jedi's face turned serious. He had an idea.

"R2, can you get access to the planetary computer systems?" After spinning his dome back and forth while he was processing what it would take to do what his master had requested, R2 beeped out a loud affirmative. "Good. I want you to compare any records you can get a hold of with the woman I brought in today. Start with the customs lists and go from there. I don't think she's from Naboo."

R2 whistled his acknowledgement of Luke's request and rolled away to a nearby computer terminal, leaving Luke alone once more. While his droid took the technological route to finding information, Luke decided to try searching for clues using his area of expertise: the Force. Luke leaned back into his seat and started to focus on his breathing, clearing his mind and drawing the Force to him. He let his senses go and followed the Force's energy in the direction of the woman in his spare bedroom.

Not wanting to violate the sanctity of her mind, Luke only reached as far as the edge of her Force presence. He probed for any clue that would help him unlock her past, but the Force was not readily providing any answers this night. Deciding to pursue other routes, Luke began to withdraw his Force sense from the room, but he stopped himself when he felt a flicker of worry from the woman. He looked closer and realized that she was having some sort of nightmare.

Although a peak into the woman's feverish dreams could provide him with the answers he was seeking, Luke decided it best to allow her privacy. However, this did not prevent him from sending comforting waves to the woman through the Force. She started to settle and once the woman was calm and sleeping peacefully once more, Luke finally withdrew his senses. He looked at his chronometer. 0300. Luke knew he wasn't going to be getting sleep tonight. After a quick check on R2's progress, Luke slipped into the spare bedroom and maintained a constant vigil for a return of the woman's nightmares until just before dawn. There were none.


	5. Ch 4 Jade

Chapter 4: Jade

An hour after dawn, the red haired woman finally woke from her sleep. She pulled off the blanket covering her and looked down at her ripped clothes and bandaged skin. She wanted to say she looked horrible, but for some reason the woman thought that she had been in worse shape. The woman brushed her hands through her thick hair. She didn't even know why she thought half of what she did. It was as if her personality had come through but the events that shaped her had been wiped from her mind. Frustrating didn't even begin to describe how she felt.

The vaguely recalled dreams did not help her mood any, either. However, they weren't exactly dreams, but nightmares. In her waking state she could vaguely recall blurry images that were sure to fade from her mind shortly. However, the woman wasn't sure that she would ever be able to erase the image of a pair of cold, yellow eyes looking down at her. The rest of the man's face had been hidden in shadows, but the eyes were haunting her.

The woman rubbed her temples as the rest of her nightmare flashed through her mind. Countless deaths. Men, women, aliens all cut down. They were executed right in front of her without trial. A disembodied voice would pronounce their death sentence and they would fall. The method changed. Sometimes a blaster, other times a knife, occasionally even a simple snapping of their neck by a pair of bare hands, but the result was always the same. They died quickly but painfully. She wanted to run away from the images, but where could you get away from what lurked in your own mind?

Regardless, she wanted to go off on her own, but where would she go? She had nothing and knew no one outside of the man that had rescued her. For the time being, she would have to make the best of the situation. Adapt to the circumstances and make the best of what was presented to her. She looked to the small table next to her bed. There was a shirt and pants sitting there. They were men's clothes, but they would fit her loosely. Apparently, Luke had been thinking ahead about what she would need. A change of clothes would help her feel just a little cleaner until she could find time for a shower.

After quickly putting on the provided garments and checking that her bandages were still secure, the woman made her way out of the bedroom and into the main living space of the apartment. She stopped short at the sight before her. Luke was standing on one arm in the middle of the room and various objects that had been presumably lying around the room were floating in midair around his feet. She looked on with wide eyes as the objects circled Luke and gasped when a small stone flew past her head to join the other objects levitating around the man.

Hearing that he wasn't alone any longer, Luke opened his eyes and slowly lowered everything he had been levitating so that it rested on the ground. He hadn't expected the woman to wake so early and was trying to get some Force exercises in, but apparently that was not meant to be. Hopefully, she wouldn't ask too many questions about how he was able to do what he had. An explanation of the Force was not what an amnesic woman needed. She had enough to deal with. It would be better to keep the conversation light unless she brought it up. Luke lowered himself to his feet and gave the woman a broad smile, hoping to put her at ease. "Good morning."

The woman looked on stunned at Luke's nonchalant greeting. One minute he was lifting things with his mind and the next he was acting as if this was a normal occurrence. At least she thought it was his mind Luke was using to lift the objects. Regardless, this was not something a person saw everyday. "How did you just do that?"

Luke scratched the back of his neck, uncertain of how to respond. It was obviously too late to convince her she was seeing things and a mind trick was out of the question. He wasn't going to risk damaging her memory further just because he hadn't noticed the woman wake up. Some Jedi he was. He didn't even think to keep tabs on the woman in case she woke up while he was practicing. Shaking off his self-deprecating thoughts, Luke decided that perhaps it was best to just try and change the subject. "It's a long story. I'll explain some other time. But first I want to ask you something."

The woman raised an eyebrow at Luke's blatant attempt at avoiding the issue. He was hiding something and she wanted to know why. Before she could press the issue, however, Luke had made his way across the room and unhooked a datapad from his astromech. "Does the name Mara Jade sound familiar to you?"

The woman started slightly at Luke's words. Mara Jade? For some reason, she knew that name was important to her, but she couldn't place it. Obviously, Luke had found something and was trying to jog her memory, but it wasn't working. She knew the name, but didn't know its relation to her. "I'm sure I've heard it before, but I can't place it. Why?"

Luke offered her the datapad he had unplugged from his droid to the woman. Just before dawn, R2 had called him over, excited at some discovery. Luke had looked over the file his droid had pulled out of the planetary customs records. Three days earlier, a woman had cleared their checkpoints with an ID stating her name as Mara Jade and a holo of the woman he had pulled out of the lake. Luke could only assume this was the woman's name. "Take a look. I think you're Mara Jade."

The woman snatched the datapad from his hand. It was a copy of a set of travel documents with her likeness and the name Mara Jade right below her image. She wondered just how Luke had gotten this kind of record, but now was not the time to worry about that. She rolled the name around in her head. Mara Jade. It had to be her name. It just felt right. Still looking down at the document in front of her, she murmured her gratitude to Luke. "Thank you."

Luke simply nodded his head and smiled. Helping this woman regain her identity would not be easy, but at least they had a start. He already had R2 digging up whatever information he could on the name Mara Jade and, hopefully, the resourceful droid would pull up something useful. For all Luke knew, someone was looking for this woman. Of course, that could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on just who was looking for her. For now, she could stick with him while they tried to put together the puzzle that was her past. But first, Luke wanted to take care of one thing: breakfast. "You're welcome. Now, if you'll follow me to the kitchen, we can figure out what to do next over breakfast."

The woman nodded absently as Luke walked across the room and entered the apartment's small kitchen to begin preparing their meal. She continued staring at the datapad in front of her. Finally, she looked up and turned to the mirror on one of the room's walls. She looked at her image for a moment and then glanced back down at the datapad once more. Returning her gaze to the mirror, the woman smiled. "Mara Jade." Still smiling, Mara walked to the kitchen to join Luke. Breakfast sounded good.


	6. Ch 5 In the Middle of the Night

Chapter 5: In the Middle of the Night

Luke was awakened in the middle of the night by a restless undercurrent in the Force. Now alert, he stretched out with his senses to confirm his suspicions and could feel Mara's anxious presence once more. Luke knew she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in well over a week, but had chosen to leave her to her own devices. He had hoped she would come to him sooner or later, but now, he didn't think she would. For some reason, she insisted on doing everything on her own unless Luke pressed the issue.

Throwing off his sheets, Luke jumped out of the bed and grabbed a robe on his way to the main living area. He walked out of his bedroom to see a faint light from the desk in the opposite corner of the main room. Just as he had noted for the past week, Mara was sitting at the computer terminal, searching for some link to the life she had lost. She was wearing herself down and after the injuries she had sustained when he first found her, Mara was running the risk of further ailments. This behavior had to stop.

Luke loudly cleared his throat as he walked into the room towards Mara. Surprised, Mara snapped her head around and reflexively reached for the vibroknife she always kept in her boot. She started suddenly when she realized what she was doing. There was no vibroknife. She wasn't even wearing boots. Mara ran a hand through her hair. She was doing it again. Repeatedly, she had acted without thinking, calling on skills and instincts she didn't even know the source of.

Luke looked on curiously at Mara's reaction to him. She had seemed startled at first, but that had quickly faded into confusion. He had almost thought she had been reaching for a weapon, but there was none in the place her hand had gone. Another disparate piece to add to the quickly growing puzzle that was Mara Jade. He wondered if he would ever see the finished work. For now, he would just have to be satisfied with the journey. "I know what you're doing."

Finally drawn from her thoughts about the vibroknife, Mara snapped her head up to look at Luke. She thought she had been careful. Mara had wanted to find her past without Luke's aid and the only time she could do that was at night while he was sleeping. Apparently, her stealth hadn't worked on him this night. Mara remained silent and turned away from Luke to look once more at her half finished searches. After nearly a week, she hadn't turned up any more than her travel papers. It was almost like Mara Jade didn't exist outside that single document.

Luke walked over to stand next to the desk. He couldn't help but feel a little hurt that she had left him out of her search. At the very least, she could have told him what she was doing. Luke could understand the need for privacy. All he asked was to be kept informed so that he wasn't worrying about her every night. Luke knew she didn't intend to, but Mara's nightly work had been disrupting his sleep as well. Every night, he lie in bed and wondered if he would wake up the next morning to find her gone. Luke had grown accustomed to having the red haired beauty around and was not looking forward to the day she inevitably left him. "Why didn't you ask me to help you?"

Mara slowly turned her head away from her search to look at Luke. She had expected to find him upset after his comment, but she only found worry on his face. Worry over her. How could she tell him the real reason she dreaded to go to sleep at night? The dreams kept getting worse. Each time, she saw more. More violence, more death, more of the dark men. She was afraid of her past and wanted to face it head on at the same time so she threw herself headlong into finding her past, foregoing her restless sleep. This was her burden and Mara didn't know if she wanted anyone to see what she would find. "I haven't been able to sleep. I'm sorry to wake you."

Luke folded his arms across his chest, not ready to accept her dismissal. There was more to this than a simple inability to sleep. She was working feverishly to unlock the clues to her past at night, but was unwilling to bring the subject up during the day unless Luke forced her to confide in him. Even then, he was hard pressed to get any more than one word answers and halfhearted reassurances that she still wanted his help. What was Mara afraid she might find? Luke knew as well as anyone the darkness that could lie in a person's past, but he also knew that the past wasn't what was important. It was who a person was in the present that mattered. The past was simply a roadmap of how you had gotten to where you were. "You haven't slept a full night for the past week. Why are you doing this to yourself?"

Mara closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair. Luke was on to her even more than she suspected. She could have just lied to him. Just told him she was sleeping fine and have seen if he was bluffing, but she knew better. The worry etched across his face told her that he knew. Mara wasn't going to be able to resist his help this time. "Every time I try to sleep, the dreams come back, haunting me."

Luke pulled up a nearby chair and sat down next to Mara. He knew that she was Force sensitive. A dream could be much more than a simple dream for her. She could easily be seeing a vision of her past or even her future. And if she described the dreams as haunting, they would be of great importance. This could be the key they needed to help Mara regain her life. "What do you see in these dreams?"

"They're more like nightmares really. I see countless deaths. Executions. I've never seen the killer's face, but I can hear her pass judgment on her victim and kill them immediately. She says they betrayed her master and the sentence is death. They aren't even given a chance to defend themselves." Mara took a deep breath and looked toward Luke. She had to know his reaction to this part of her dreams before she went on. If he didn't accept this, he would never believe what else she had to say. Luke would probably think she was insane and he would have every right to think so.

Mara saw no doubt in Luke's face, however. He simply sat silently in his chair, propping up his chin on his gloved fist as if in thought. At least he was taking her seriously and not writing off what she saw as the nightmares of a child. After a moment, Mara could see him silently asking her to go on. She could only hope he would continue to be as understanding as he had been up to this point.

"I've also seen two dark men. I never saw either of their faces. The armored one's was hidden behind a mask while I could only see the yellow eyes of the other through the shadows of his cloak. They were both in a massive room and the one with the yellow eyes sat on some sort of throne. I kneeled down with the armored man and we both called the one on the throne 'master'." Mara looked up nervously after finishing her description. She knew that this could be a memory, but who could possibly believe that this had really happened. Seeing the thoughtful yet sad look on Luke's face, she had an answer. Luke could believe it.

Luke folded his hands in front of his mouth, trying to come up with a suitable response. There was no mistaking the two dark men from her dream. Even the vague descriptions made it clear that Mara was acquainted with both the Emperor and his father. He couldn't help but wonder just what her relationship to the late Emperor was. Mara had shown flashes of elite combat training ever since she had regained consciousness. The wariness to open up, the insistence on self-reliance, and the scars that marked her body: the clues were all starting to line up and Luke didn't know if he liked the answer. Mara Jade was likely an Imperial agent at one point in time. Luke just didn't know if she would be again when her memory returned.

"I'm almost afraid of what I might find." Luke looked at the nervous eyes of the woman in front of him. He refused to believe that this woman was a knowing party to the Emperor's evil. It would be better to leave his suspicions unspoken for now. Perhaps it was simply a coincidence. There could be some other explanation for her vision, but Luke wasn't so sure. Regardless, it would be best to keep quiet until he had something more concrete to back up his claims.

Luke rose from his seat and laid a hand on Mara's shoulder. "We'll figure this thing out together. Don't overdo it. I don't want you getting sick because you're pushing yourself too hard too soon. I'll see you in the morning."


	7. Ch 6 The Balcony

Chapter 6: The Balcony

After a few hours of troubled sleep, Mara woke to the find the early morning sun in her eyes. She slowly rose to fit on the edge of her bed and brushed her hands through her hair. Mara had hoped, unrealistically, that telling Luke about her dreams would make them go away. Instead, she had been haunted with even more vivid visions over the past few nights. It was beginning to feel as if all the deaths she had seen were by her own hand. Who was she that she would have seen so much death? Why would she have killed so many in the name of some personal brand of justice?

Mara rose to her feet and took a deep breath to calm her troubled mind. She couldn't jump to conclusions just because of she was having dreams that may or may not be glimpses into a past she could not remember. Grabbing a robe, Mara made her way out of her room to find Luke. For some reason, his presence soothed her. Simply being around him made the dreams fade from her mind.

Not finding Luke inside the apartment, Mara slipped outside and took a deep breath of the cool, crisp morning air and made her way to where she knew Luke would be. Whenever she couldn't find him in the apartment, Luke was standing on one of the balconies lining the lakeside retreat. For some reason unknown to Mara, he could always be found on the same terrace. She admitted that it was nice, but didn't know what made him repeatedly choose that spot over the other equally enchanting vistas of the Naboo lake country.

Mara slowed her brisk walk when she found Luke looking out over the lake with a mug of hot chocolate in hand as usual. She couldn't help but smile briefly when the feeling of peace she had come to associate with Luke came over her once more. Mara slowly walked across the balcony and stopped at the railing next to Luke. Noticing her presence, Luke turned to Mara and smiled, but didn't say anything. Mara gave him a small smile herself in return but remained equally silent.

The pair remained standing in comfortable silence, neither wanting to break the serenity of the moment. They continued to watch the sun rise through the light clouds, reflecting its light off the surface of the lake, glancing at each other from time to time. The silence of the moment could not last, however, as Mara's earlier curiosity returned. "Why do you come out to this spot every morning?"

Luke smiled before turning to Mara and gesturing to the balcony behind them. "It's peaceful here. You can just feel the happiness that has permeated this place over the years. Can't you feel it?"

Mara gave Luke a curious look as he watched her intently. Now that Luke mentioned it, she could feel something more to this place. It wasn't just the simply beauty of the plant covered trusses and beautiful flowers. There was a comforting aura to this place that she hadn't felt before. It was much like what she felt around Luke, but different. "Yes. Now that you mention it, this place feels comfortable. It's like some ghost of the past is welcoming you to share their joy."

Luke smiled at Mara, happy that she understood why he liked this place so much. It was much better to be able to share something like this. Even if she never got back her past, Luke hoped he could help her build new memories to make up for what she lost. In fact, Mara seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood this morning. Perhaps, she had found something the night before. He glanced at her once more. "Any luck?"

Luke regretted his question when the peaceful look on Mara's face faded away as she shook her head. "No. I still can't remember anything, but I can do so much. How could I have possibly learned to do all those things?"

Looking back out at the lake, Luke shook his head slightly. Mara had been surprising even herself with her reflexes and ability to think on her feet. She had managed to slice her way into the Imperial network in her search for her identity and had thrown one of the kitchen knives with deadly accuracy when Luke had startled her while making dinner one evening. Mara showed the wits, intelligence and physical abilities of an Imperial agent, but Luke was still wary to tell her off his suspicion. He didn't want to raise Mara's hopes of unlocking her past on a whim and was also afraid. Luke was afraid that he would lose the connection he had made with Mara if she found her old life. How could they go on living on opposite sides of the war? Finally giving voice to his response, Luke murmured his answer while keeping his gaze fixed on the lake. "I don't know."

Mara thought she could hear hesitation in Luke's voice when he finally answered her question. The usual peace she felt around him had faded, adding fuel to her turbulent emotions once more. Feeling uncomfortable, Mara turned to make her way back into the apartment without a word. Luke almost followed her, but decided to stay out on the balcony. He was alone once more. Perhaps this was the way things were meant to be.

"You're never alone." Luke spun around suddenly at hearing the voice behind him. He quickly realized just who would be able to read his thoughts so easily when the shimmering form stepped across the balcony to join him at the railing. Luke smiled as his father's spirit leaned down on the railing with a grin of his own. Anakin's grin turned into a smirk as he turned to Luke. "I have to commend you on your choice for a vacation spot. I'm especially fond of this balcony myself."

Luke looked to his father's shimmering visage with a surprised expression. Realization quickly dawned on him as he thought about his father's words. If his father had been to this place, that could explain why Luke felt so at home in this spot. Anakin smiled up at his son. Luke could be quite insightful if given the proper push. "In fact, you're right now standing in the very spot your mother did the day I married her."

Luke's eyes went wide at his father's proclamation. His mother. His parents had been married on this balcony. The Force had called him to this place in order to give him the connection to his parents he had always been looking for. Still gazing out over the lake, Anakin began to speak again. "This was your mother's home world. Padmé was once Queen Amidala, ruler of the Naboo and later their Senator. If you ask around, I'm sure some of the locals will give you some great stories about the girl who defeated a conquering army. She's the source of that idealistic streak you're so known for. But, I'm not here to tell you about your mother."

Luke's face dropped, disappointed. He knew so little about the woman who gave birth to him. He had learned more about her in the last few minutes than he had in his entire lifetime. But at least now he had somewhere to start. He had a name and from his earlier visions, a face. And he knew she was once a queen. That would have to do for now. "Then why are you here?"

"I think you know."

"Mara." Luke turned his gaze to the opposite shore of the lake. If his father was telling him to drop it and leave Mara to her own devices, he could forget it. Luke knew that she wasn't an evil person in spite of the clues he was given, just as he knew that good still remained in his father when he was still Darth Vader. He was not going to give up on her.

"I'm not here to ask you to stop helping her. I just want you to be careful. The secrets of her past are not to be trifled with. The truth won't be easy for either of you."

"You know who she is." Luke didn't ask his father if he knew about Mara's past. He already knew. His father's appearance had just confirmed his suspicions that Mara's dreams were more than simple nightmares. They were glimpses into a dark past. If the Emperor was involved, looking into Mara's past could be dangerous, even after the tyrant's death. Luke could only hope they would both be able to deal with the consequences when the truth was found.

"I do, but it's not my place to tell you. She's not ready for that information yet and if I told you now, you wouldn't be able to keep it from her. When the time is right, you'll know. May the Force be with you, my son." Luke looked on as his father's spirit faded from view, leaving him with more questions than when he had arrived. He was alone once more to face an uncertain path.

Luke turned to return to his apartment and the woman waiting for him. Perhaps he wasn't alone, but only time would tell how long that would last. The truth was waiting for them. But would they be ready for it when the time came?


	8. Ch 7 The Lakeshore

Chapter 7: The Lakeshore

Under the late afternoon sun, Luke walked silently along the lakeshore side by side with Mara. The day before, Luke had ventured into Theed to find out what he could about his mother. Regretfully, the Empire had destroyed most of the royal records when Palpatine had come to power, so Luke had been able to find little more than a distorted holo and a brief account of her term as queen. Someday, he would have to return with Leia and together they could make what little connection they could to the woman who had given them life. For now, Luke knew that, ultimately, his parents had been good people who had loved him and Leia and that knowledge was enough for him.

Luke's trip into Theed had also caused him to cross paths with an old Alliance contact. Apparently, his sister had put out feelers throughout the galaxy in hopes of tracking him down. Luke knew that Leia was probably getting desperate due to her inability to contact him and he could no longer justify his absence. He still had battles to fight before he could settle down and live the life of his choosing. Luke only hoped that Mara would understand his decision. He hoped to convince her to come with him, but feared that she would choose to strike out on her own instead.

Luke ducked under a low branch of one of the trees lining the lakeshore and looked over at Mara who was walking just ahead of him. It was time to talk to her about his decision. Luke had put it off the discussion all day due to his fear of rejection, but he knew that he had to get it over with now before he lost his nerve. He stopped in his tracks and Mara turned around when she didn't hear him following anymore. "Mara, I have to leave soon. The New Republic needs me."

Mara nodded somewhat sadly in response. She had known this day would come ever since Luke had told her of his role in the war. His place was with the fleet, not sitting around on Naboo taking part in a fruitless search for her past. Perhaps, it was better this way. At the beginning, she had wanted to go off on her own and now she would be free to go. What Mara didn't understand, however, was why she felt reluctant to leave Luke.

Luke's next statement caught Mara off guard. "I want you to come with me. We may have better luck finding out where you came from with the fleet's resources."

Mara turned away from Luke to look out over the lake. She hadn't expected him to want her to come along. She had figured Luke would cut ties with her and free himself from the woman who couldn't even remember her own past. Mara had underestimated just how good a man Luke Skywalker was. He wouldn't abandon Mara after promising to help her get her memory back. Luke was nobler than that.

Still, Mara couldn't put down the feeling of apprehension that came to her after Luke's suggestion. Would she fit in with the rest of the fleet? For some reason, Mara just couldn't see herself meshing with the rest of the former Rebels. She couldn't shake the feeling that she just didn't belong there. But where did she belong?

Perhaps, she was better off alone. Her dreams were getting worse every night. They were becoming so clear that Mara found herself accepting them as memories. She was dangerous. She was a killer, executing men without mercy for their crimes. The night before, Mara had even seen Luke in one of her dreams. She had him in the sights of a blaster, but unlike her other flashes, Mara hadn't pronounced sentence. Something had stopped her before she had pulled the trigger. But Mara couldn't help but question whether it was safe for Luke to be around her. What if her memories returned and it turned out he was meant to be her next victim? She would never be able to forgive herself if she hurt the one who had worked so hard to help her. Mara couldn't go on with him.

Mara turned around to face look and break the bad news to him, but stopped short before the words could reach her mouth. She snapped her head to the side, scanning further down the shore. Something was wrong. Luke walked up to Mara's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

Mara's gaze lingered on the shoreline for a moment before she turned to face Luke. She couldn't explain it, but she knew trouble was on its way. Hopefully, he would trust her enough to be ready for whatever was coming their way. "Something's wrong. I think someone's heading this way."

Luke stiffened slightly as he started to pick up a warning in the Force himself. Mara's instinctual danger sense must have been better tuned than his. Pulling his lightsaber from his belt, Luke grabbed Mara's arms with his other hand and started to follow the path back to his apartment. "I think you're right. Come on."

The pair was halfway back to the lake retreat when they surprised a group of four stormtroopers. Luke tried to turn them around, hoping not to be noticed, but one of the soldiers caught sight of them and fired. "There she is. Open fire!"

Luke was surprised to find that he was not the stormtroopers' intended target as he expected. He was used to being the target of every Imperial he ran across. Apparently, he had been right in his assumption that Mara had been on the run when he first came across her. The Empire was definitely after her, but Luke couldn't imagine why. Pushing his thoughts away for a more opportune time, Luke snapped on his lightsaber and started deflecting the shots of the troops which were now advancing on them from their position against the lake.

When the first of the stormtroopers reached them, Luke was surprised to see Mara's leg shoot out and knock the stormtrooper's blaster rifle out of his hand. He was even more shocked to see her grab the weapon out of midair and slam the butt of the rifle against the troop's helmet, knocking him out cold. With one fluid motion, Mara had her finger on the trigger of the blaster and trained the weapon in front of her. After a quick succession of three shots, the other advancing troops fell to the ground, victims of blaster blots to the center of their chests.

Out of immediate danger, Luke flipped off his lightsaber and looked at Mara in shock. She was a crack shot that could rival the best marksmen he had seen. If Luke had any doubts that Mara had received elite combat training in her past, they were wiped away by the display he had just witnessed. There was far more to Mara Jade than could be found on the surface.

Surprised by her own reflexive actions, Mara found herself gaping at the blaster in her hand before dropping the weapon. Once again, she had called on abilities she didn't remember learning and now she had proof of just how dangerous she could be. Mara turned to Luke, waiting for him to question her display, but his questions never came. Instead, he started to jog toward the apartment. "It's time to leave whether you want to or not. Come on."

Mara stood in place, watching Luke jog off. She knew now just how dangerous she could be, but now she also knew that she was in danger as well. For reasons she still could not remember, the Empire was after her. For now, it would be best to stick with the one person she knew she could trust. With one last look at the fallen stormtroopers, Mara turned and took off at a sprint to catch up with Luke.


	9. Ch 8 Leaving Naboo

Chapter 8: Leaving Naboo

Luke sat in the cockpit of the ship he purchased to get them off of Naboo, flipping switches to bring the necessary systems online. He didn't like the idea of using any more of his ill gotten inheritance, but circumstances had forced him into this position. The local garrison was on high alert after finding the dead stormtroopers Mara had dispatched by the lake, so it would be nearly impossible to get out undetected in his X-Wing. Besides, the cockpit of a starfighter wasn't exactly conducive to more than one passenger and Luke wasn't about to leave Mara behind to fend for herself when he knew that the Imperials were looking for her. After dismissing the idea of a charter as too risky under the circumstances, Luke had purchased a used Nubian transport with enough space in the cargo hold to stow his X-Wing. For some reason, the sleek and polished though slightly dented craft felt fitting for their departure from the system.

Giving the flight systems time to properly warm up, Luke started to enter the coordinates of their destination into the navigational computer form preliminary calculations. It wouldn't hurt to be able to punch out of the system in a hurry if something went wrong. Luke turned in his seat to begin the preflight check when he heard the door to the cockpit open behind him. He turned and gave Mara a quick smile as she sat down in the co-pilot's seat. Luke turned back to the console in front of him to double check their fuel when he noticed Mara stiffen in the seat next to him.

"I'm doing it again." Luke turned to look at Mara, her hands frozen over the display in front of her. He looked more closely to discover that she had been running a test of the life support systems from her place. "I just do these things without having any idea where the knowledge came from. Not only can I take out Imperial troops with a single shot and slice into secure computer systems, but I'm apparently flight certified too. How do I know all these things?"

Luke turned in his seat to face Mara and placed a hand on her shoulder. Even if he could make an educated guess as to how she would have learned all the skills she could still call on, he didn't want to worry her with speculations. Luke's suspicions could wait to be heard until he had proof to back up his statements. Until then, he would do what he could to help Mara deal with her situation. "Try not to worry about it for now. Your memory will come back in time. Everything will be fine."

Suddenly uncomfortable, Mara brushed Luke's hand off of her shoulder. With the dreams she was having lately, Mara wasn't so sure that things would work out if she ever did get her memory back. "How can you be sure?"

Luke sat silently for a moment, waiting for Mara to meet his eyes. When it became apparent that she was going to continue to stare forward, Luke rose from his seat and leaned in to make eye contact in spite of her wishes. "I'm not. But I have a good feeling about you and that's enough to allow me to believe that everything will turn out for the best."

Luke gave Mara a lopsided smile, trying to do his best impression of Han. The smuggler always knew how to break the tension. It would do Luke well to take a lesson or two from his best friend. "Trust me."

Mara didn't smile as Luke hoped she would, but he could feel her tension lessen as she raised an eyebrow at his display. Luke smiled at her once more before sitting down to complete the preflight check. At least he had done some good since she was helping him prepare for launch without worrying about where she had gained those skills. Satisfied with the ship's readiness, Luke opened up a line to the planetary flight control. "Control, this is the _Emerald Dawn_ requesting clearance for departure."

As Luke spoke with the controller, Mara sat in the co-pilot's seat watching him out of the corner of her eye. After seeing Luke in her most recent round of dreams, she couldn't help but wonder if accompanying him off-planet was a wise decision. If she was as dangerous as she thought she was, Mara didn't want to be anywhere near Luke if her memory returned. The truth of her past could easily be dangerous to them both. It would be best if they parted ways after they left Naboo.

Mara turned toward Luke to let him know of her decision, but the words would not come to her when he glanced up while responding to the controller. Looking into his blue eyes, Mara's determination to part ways with Luke faded. Needing to deal with her conflicting emotions, Mara abruptly left her seat and exited the cockpit, leaving Luke alone to deal with launching the ship on his own.

After a lengthy discussion with the controller to get through the heightened security, Luke was finally guiding the transport through the atmosphere of Naboo. As soon as he broke through into the blackness of space, Luke angled the ship on a direct path to their jump point. He pulled back on the hyperdrive lever and rose from his seat. In a few hours, they would be on Tatooine, giving Luke a chance to look into something that had been bothering him for the past few days before returning to the fleet.

Luke entered the transport's main cabin to find Mara sitting at a table in the corner of the room, staring blankly at the opposite wall. He made his way over to the table and sat down across from her, but he got little more than a flicker of recognition from the red haired woman. Luke could sense that she was facing some sort of dilemma, but had no idea what it was. All he could do was make sure that Mara knew he was there if she needed him.

The silence finally became unbearable and Mara decided that it was as good a time as any to confront Luke head on about some suspicions she was having. His behavior lately told her that he knew more than he was letting on about why she could do the things she did. She did not being left in the dark, especially when it was her past that was in question. "You know why I can do all those things, don't you?"

Luke folded his hands in front of his face, trying to formulate a response to her direct question. He had his suspicions, but still didn't trust them enough to tell Mara. She was so intent on finding out who she was that she was sure to latch on to any clue he gave her. Luke didn't want to tell her anything that may turn out to be false. He wouldn't let her have her identity ripped away by clinging to a truth that wasn't there. Luke knew all too well how that felt. His suspicions would remain silent for now. "I don't have anything better than wild speculation. I can only guess based on what I've seen, but there's nothing to say that my guess is better than any other. We'll find the truth. Just give it time."

Mara sat silently, not sure whether to press Luke further or let his statements go. Her decision was made for her, however, when an alarm from the cockpit drew Luke away to double check there course. Mara sat alone in the main cabin, looking in the direction of the cockpit door. Luke had told her they would find the truth and she believed him, but doubts still lingered within her. The things she had seen in her dreams were enough to frighten anyone and, yet, Mara believed she had lived through the nightmares. "What if I don't want to know the truth?"


	10. Ch 9 Hidden in the Sands

Chapter 9: Hidden in the Sands

The _Emerald Dawn_ sparkled under the twin suns of Tatooine as Luke guided the ship through the atmosphere toward the sandy surface of his homeworld. In an effort to avoid any possible detection, Luke brought the craft low to the ground and skimmed over the surface of the Dune Sea, the repulsors creating a cloud of dust under the ship as they kicked up sand from the desert below. Noticing their destination, Luke reduced the throttle and brought down the transport's landing gear. With the audible clicking of the repulsors cycling down, the ship came to rest in the desert.

Luke quickly gathered his cloak and walked down the already deployed ramp of the ship. He looked over the horizon of the Dune Sea and saw the binary suns still hanging low in the sky. It was still during the morning hours on Tatooine so he would still have enough daylight to complete his intended task on this world before nightfall. Luke turned around when he heard a clicking from the ship's ramp to find Mara exiting the craft. She made her way over to his side and looked over the barren wastes in front of her. "Wonderful place here. Much better than the lake country."

Luke rolled his eyes at Mara's sarcastic comment. He hadn't especially wanted to leave either. Luke would have preferred to have stayed on Naboo and taken more time to look into his mother, but that option been taken away by the circumstances. Besides, they wouldn't be on Tatooine for long. After a lingering gaze at the horizon, Luke turned to Mara with a shrug. "It's home."

Ignoring the slight embarrassment on Mara's face, Luke turned to the old hut behind them. The desert had encroached on the entryway years earlier and, in time, the abandoned dwelling would be swallowed by the sands entirely. For now, it would provide them a place safe from the desert during their brief stay on Tatooine. But first, Luke had matters to attend to. Alone. He gestured toward the hut. "I have something to take care of. The hut is secure or you can stay on the ship. I'll be back before nightfall."

Mara looked from the hut to the transport and simply nodded her understanding. After a simple wave goodbye, Luke secured his cloak and set out across the desert toward some unknown destination. Mara watched his figure grow smaller against the horizon and couldn't help but wonder just why he would go off without her. Luke was usually hesitant to leave her alone, but this time he had told her to stay by herself without even an overture that he wanted Mara to accompany him. Something was up. After a quick trip into the transport to gather the supplies necessary for a trek across the desert, Mara exited the craft and locked it against intruders. She could just make out Luke's dark form on the horizon and started to make her way across the desert behind him, following the tracks left in the sands.

After a nearly two hour march across the Dune Sea, Luke found himself nearing his destination. He knew that he could have just flown the transport to this place, but Luke wanted the time to think and the opportunity to deal with things on his own. Luke had given himself plenty of time to reflect during his trek, but hadn't come up with any good answers to his lingering questions about his place in the galaxy.

Luke knew that he had fulfilled his first step towards his ultimate destiny by facing his father and the Emperor. He had been able to look the Dark Side in the eyes and resist its power. Luke Skywalker was a Jedi Knight. The only Jedi Knight. That was the simple part. Now, it was up to Luke to rebuild the Jedi. He had been left without his teachers or even the father he only had for a precious short time to face his daunting task alone. Luke didn't know where to begin with training new Jedi. He was still learning about the Force himself. In fact, Luke wasn't even sure how he would find new Jedi. Surely, it wouldn't continue to be as convenient as it had been to find Force adepts. Leia had been there all along and, if what he thought was true, he now had Mara to teach as well and she had come into his life out of nowhere.

The thought of the only two potential Jedi he had found served to shift Luke's thoughts in a new direction, however. Luke snorted to himself as thought of his love life, or lack thereof, came into his mind. He had spent his early years in the Rebellion nursing a crush on a woman that turned to be his twin sister. Thankfully, Luke had never acted on his immature feeling toward Leia, sparing him from a good deal of embarrassment when he learned the truth. Besides, Leia had fallen in love with Han even before knowing of her true relationship with Luke. They would have never had more than the relationship between siblings even if they weren't in fact brother and sister. The Jedi Knight fighting for the good of the galaxy with a beautiful princess at his side was never meant to be.

Maybe following the path of a Jedi meant Luke was meant to walk the galaxy alone. The old order had forbidden marriage and who was Luke to say that they were wrong in doing so? Perhaps, it would be easier to just follow that path and save himself the heartache. It wouldn't be easy to find a woman which could understand his life, even if a Jedi didn't oppose their religion as it did when he met Gaeriel. Cutting his losses now before he made another mistake in the matters of the heart would be the safe path, but Luke Skywalker was not known for following the safe path. And Luke knew deep down that it was already too late. He was already falling again for a woman that didn't even know who she was. All things considered, how could he be developing feelings for Mara?

Luke shook his head to clear his mind of its muddled thoughts. Throwing back the hood of his cloak, Luke surveyed the building in front of him. He had arrived. Luke stretched out with the Force and found that the structure was abandoned as he expected. After Jabba's demise, his lackeys had dispersed and the late gangster's palace now sat vacant. Calling on the Force, Luke stretched out his arm and tightened his hand into a fist. Answering his call, the gate of the palace creaked and groaned as it was raised under the stress of an unseen source. Luke released his fist once the gate had raised enough for him to walk through without trouble.

Turning on his lightsaber for illumination in the dark corridors, Luke quickly made his way into the heart of the palace. A few nights prior, Luke had a vision of his visit to Jabba's palace. On his way into the main chamber to face Jabba, time seemed to stop around him. He turned to the crowd gathered to his side and was met with a pair of familiar eyes. Mara's eyes. Her hair was darker and she was dressed as a dancing girl, but Luke knew it was her. Luke had been unable to shake the vision and had decided to make the trip to Tatooine to confirm his suspicions. Mara had been in Jabba's palace when Luke had come to rescue his friends.

Luke walked into the middle of the main chamber. The room had been stripped of anything of value, leaving it looking as bleak and abandoned as it was. Shutting off his lightsaber, Luke stood in the center of the room in the same place he had faced down Jabba the Hutt before being thrown to the rancor. After giving his eyes time to adjust to the dim light of the room, Luke turned around to face where the crowd would have been cheering for his death and stretched out with the Force. He could still feel a lingering sensation of cold anger at the edge of the room. Luke reached further and was greeted with a flash of vision from the Force.

Through the haze of a dream, Luke could see Mara watching him fight the rancor, a sense of hatred emanating from her. Hatred toward him. Luke's eyes snapped open just as the vision looked up, seething at his survival after being tossed to the rancor. The pieces were starting to come together, but Luke didn't like what he was seeing. Luke shook his head, driving the distasteful thoughts from his mind. All he knew for sure was that Mara had been in the palace and that she was one of Jabba's dancers. Anything more was still just speculation.

Luke exhaled a deep breath while keeping his eyes glued to the place where he knew Mara had stood just a few months prior. Another piece of the puzzle now rested in his hands, but Luke wasn't sure where to place it. Only one thing was certain. "She was here."

"Who was here?"


	11. Ch 10 Memories of a Dancing Girl

Chapter 10: Memories of a Dancing Girl

"Who was here?"

Luke snapped his head around to face the entrance of the chamber as Mara made her way down the steps to reveal herself in the room's dim light. Mara had followed him to the palace and, obviously, she had heard his statement. But what could Luke tell her? He had managed to avoid a discussion of his Force abilities so far and telling her that he had come to this place because of a vision was going to force the issue. Perhaps she hadn't heard him as well as he thought. "No one. It's nothing."

Mara crossed her arms over her chest and raised a skeptical eyebrow at Luke. He was hiding something from her and Mara wasn't about to let him get away with that. Mara wasn't going to be thrown off that easily. "So you mean to tell me that you hiked across the desert for two hours to come to some deserted building for nothing? Try again."

Luke let out a sigh and brushed a hand through his hair. She obviously wasn't buying that one. At this point, it would be best to just come out with the truth. Perhaps, being in this place would help jog Mara's memory, although Luke didn't know if that was a good thing considering the emotional impression she had left in this place. But it wasn't his place to deny Mara a chance to get her life back. Luke would just have to deal with whatever fallout occurred. "You were here. A few months ago. I know because I was here too." At the astonished look he got from Mara, Luke pointed to the place she had been standing when he had come to face Jabba months before. "I don't know why, but you were standing there dressed as a dancer for the gangster who used to live in this place."

Mara walked over to the place Luke was indicating. If she had stood here before then maybe she could remember why she was in this place. Mara reached the spot and turned, surveying the room. She let out a sigh when nothing came to her. It had been a long shot, but Mara had hoped that she could get even a small clue. Anything to tell her who she had been and why she had the abilities…and nightmares that she possessed. Brushing her hands through her hair, Mara turned around to face Luke, frustration evident on her face. "A dancing girl working for a gangster? That doesn't tell me much and it certainly doesn't explain everything else."

Luke nodded slowly, agreeing with Mara's statement. Taken out a context, Mara's presence in Jabba's palace as a dancer was just as much of an enigma as every other clue they had found. She needed to know the emotional turmoil Luke had felt in his vision. Mara had to see what Luke had in order to understand. Ready or not, it was time for Luke to take one of his first steps in the role of Jedi teacher. Luke had to show Mara Jade how to reach into the Force and relive the past. Hopefully, this would work out for the best.

"Mara, I want you to do something. It may sound strange, but you're going to have to trust me. I may be able to help you remember what you were doing here." Mara looked a Luke hesitantly for a moment before nodding. If it could help her get her memory back, Mara was ready to do just about anything. And Mara Jade did not fail in her given task.

Luke let out a deep breath and walked over to stand next to Mara. Closing his eyes, the Jedi reached out to draw the Force's energy into the room and make Mara's task easier. Feeling the impressions of the room's last occupants arise once more, Luke opened his eyes to find Mara staring at him with a mixture of curiosity and worry. Luke placed a hand on Mara's shoulder to put her at ease before starting to give his instructions. "I want you to close your eyes and try to feel the room with your mind."

Mara's eyes widened at Luke's statement. What kind of idea was that? Mara shook her head. The long hike across the desert must have shorted out Luke's mental processes. This was a ridiculous ploy to focus her attention elsewhere although she didn't know to what purpose.

Sensing Mara's doubt, Luke brought himself around to look her in the eyes. "Do you trust me?" Mara bit her lip for a moment before nodding. Luke was the only one she could trust right now. "Good. Then do this for me. Please."

Unable to resist Luke's request, Mara let out a deep breath and closed her eyes to do as Luke asked. She was surprised at the sensations she picked up when she cleared her mind. It was as if the empty room had been filled with the chatter of a time long past. The sensations soon coalesced into a vision of the room, filled with all manner of species. Mara found herself walking through a specter of a time shortly, unnoticed by the room's shimmering occupants. A large, slimy blob sat in the center of the room, the focus of everyone's attention.

Mara looked around at the room to see events starting to speed past her. She couldn't comprehend just what she was seeing until she found herself standing at the edge of the chamber, surrounded by its sleeping occupants. Scanning her surroundings once again, Mara noted that the giant slug was still in the center of the room, this time with a human female chained to him. Mara turned away and suppressed a shudder. Something about the display disturbed her. She knew that wasn't right even though she had no idea who the petite, brunette woman was.

The stirring of the now waking thugs throughout the room brought Mara's attention to the chamber's entrance. A hooded man dressed in black walked through the archway to stand in the center of the room as a particularly vile looking Twi'lek made his way to the massive blob in the center of the chamber. The slug woke from his slumber with obvious displeasure at the sight of the hooded man. The Twi'lek was pushed to the ground for his troubles and the man lowered his hood to confront the slug.

Mara was slightly surprised to find Luke's face was the one hidden under the cloak, but for some reason she didn't find it odd. It was almost as if she had expected it to be him on some level. Mara watched the way Luke carried himself, ignoring his words. He seemed darker, more authoritative than the man she knew. It was almost as if he was haunted by something. He looked like she did after the nightmares.

Mara did not have time to reflect on why Luke would look like that before a sensation rolled over her. A cold, bitter sensation. Mara looked to the edge of the room to see a woman that she knew was her standing against the wall, staring intently at Luke. Her eyes were cold and calculating and Mara couldn't help but feel like she was a predator sizing up her prey. But why would she have been looking upon Luke like she was sizing him up for a kill? Surely, Luke hadn't done something to deserve one of the expedited executions she saw over and over in her dreams.

Time seemed to accelerate around Mara as she saw flashes of herself pass by like a series of holos. She could see bitterness at the sight of Luke standing over some fallen beast. She felt frustration toward a woman who had stopped her from grabbing a blaster off of a nearby guard for some unknown purpose. Finally, Mara was overcome by a feeling of failure as a large vehicle hovered over the sands away from her. Throughout the visions, Mara could also feel a sense of anger. Anger directed at Luke.

The vision of the craft fading into the horizon finally vanished from her sight and Mara found herself in the dark, empty chamber once more. She felt her legs go out from under her, her body drained by the intensity of what she had seen. Mara barely felt a pair of arms grab her just before she hit the floor. Instead, her focus was on the vague pieces of a past she was sure happened. She knew more than she had, but the visions only gave her more questions. The most important being how she had seen those things in the first place. What had Luke's advice unlocked within her? Mara felt oddly more connected to everything around, but wasn't sure if that was something she wanted.

Luke pulled Mara so that she was upright once more but didn't release his grip on the obviously dizzy woman. He had to have made a mistake in showing Mara the Force because she had done too much too soon and her body was having trouble handling it. From now on, any teaching would have to be in smaller steps. The last thing Luke wanted was a repeat performance of Mara's near fainting whenever he taught a student to use the Force for the first time.

Feeling Mara start to recover her legs, Luke lessened his grip but kept a supportive hand on her arm. "Are you okay?" Mara nodded weakly in response to Luke's question, not entirely convincing either him or herself.


	12. Ch 11 Sage Advice

Chapter 11: Sage Advice

Long after darkness had fallen, Luke sat alone in the hut of his late master. After a long, silent trip back across the desert, Mara had retreated to her cabin onboard the _Emerald Dawn_. Luke had tried to use the silent time alone to meditate before their planned departure from Tatooine in the morning. He had not been able to find the concentration to properly immerse himself in the Force, however, and Luke had come out to the Obi-Wan's former home, hoping that the lingering presence of the old Jedi would aid him. Luke was disappointed to discover that his luck was no better in the hut.

Luke stared at the dim glowlamp, listening to the sounds of the nocturnal creatures of Tatooine echo across the rock formations near the hut. He couldn't even maintain focus on the night noises, however, as his mind kept returning to what he had seen and felt that day in Jabba's palace. The lingering hate that he had felt caused him to shudder once more. He couldn't believe that Mara would have been capable of the impersonal enmity he had felt emanating from her residual Force signature. Luke didn't even know how such detached animosity was possible, especially towards him.

One explanation kept jumping out at Luke, but he didn't want to believe it. Luke knew that the most likely reason for Mara's nightmares and skills, even her presence at Jabba's palace, was that she was one of the Emperor's agents. The vile Sith continued to haunt his life. Luke was now faced with a woman who had killed for Palpatine. The Emperor had likely bent her will to his own. The impersonal hatred was due to the fact that it wasn't hers. It was the Emperor's. The Emperor had turned her into a tool to carry out his personal vendettas and schemes.

Luke buried his face in his hands as his mind once again rebelled at the idea that the Emperor was capable of such complete domination of someone's spirit. But Luke knew it was true. His father had been the Emperor's pawn for years, beaten down by the tyrant's will until Luke had brought the good out of the man within the armor. Luke could only hope that he would be able to succeed once more in breaking the Emperor's hold whenever Mara's memory returned. He knew now that her memory would return. Through the Force, Mara would have the ability to regain her life and Luke would not, could not, keep that from her. He just hoped he was strong enough to face the consequences. Luke had never asked for these burdens.

"No one ever asks for them, but you have to take them on anyway."

Turning to face the door of the hut, Luke saw the shimmering spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi enter his former home. The old Jedi gave him a gentle smile and sat down on a bench against the wall of the room. Luke gave his old master a halfhearted smile before turning to look down at the table in front of him, still too troubled by his thoughts to greet Obi-Wan properly. "Things were so much easier when it was more than just me."

Obi-Wan leaned forward in his seat to be nearer to his former pupil. "You're never truly alone, Luke. You carry the spirits of all those you have lost within you. Look to your memories for guidance and trust in the Force."

Luke slowly raised his head to look upon Obi-Wan's shimmering form. "I know, but it's not the same. No one understands what I feel. It's like the Force is setting me apart from everyone else."

"But it doesn't have to be that way. Your sister has the potential to be a great Jedi with proper training and…" Obi-Wan's voice trailed off as he turned his gaze in the direction of the unseen transport sitting outside.

Luke followed the old Jedi's look before glancing at his former teacher out of the corner of his eye. "I don't doubt that Mara has the potential to be a Jedi, but there's so much I don't know about her. Things that not even she knows."

"You're afraid that you won't be able to overcome her past."

Luke snapped his head around to face the glowing spirit of his old master. Sometimes, the way dead Jedi could read him was quite unnerving. Obi-Wan had a point, however. Luke wasn't sure if he could handle his suspicions being confirmed, but that depended more on Mara than anything else. If she was in fact what he feared she was, Mara's reaction to him once her memories returned had the potential to break him. "I think she was an assassin for the Emperor. One sent after me. I'm even starting to wonder if this is some sort of ploy to make me drop my guard."

Obi-Wan leveled an impassive gaze at his former student. "Do you really think she wants to kill you?"

Luke shook his head in response to Obi-Wan's question. He was letting his paranoia get to him. If Mara really wanted to kill him, she had plenty of opportunities to do so and her emotions in the Force had always felt genuine. Mara didn't want to kill him. Not yet, at least.

"Good. Trust your instincts." Obi-Wan rose from his seat and motioned for Luke to follow him outside. Luke soon complied and stood next to the shimmering specter under the clear night sky. The pair stood silently, surveying the darkened desert landscape before them. They watched the sands shift, driven along by the night breeze.

Luke soon found himself distracted by the sight of the transport to their side, however. He was starting to feel Mara's troubled emotions in the Force. The nightmares had come again this night. Luke addressed Obi-Wan without taking his gaze off the transport. "Do you know anything of her?"

"Regretfully, it is not my place to say. Trust in the Force and have faith in yourself. You don't need an old man guiding you anymore. I'm sure you'll make the right decisions."

Luke turned to look at his Obi-Wan, sensing that the spirit's time with him was coming to an end. He gave his old teacher a grateful smile. The old Jedi's words had put Luke at ease for this night at least. Tomorrow, his doubts may return, but Luke could face that when and if it came.

Obi-Wan returned Luke's smile before starting to fade away. "The Force will be with you. Always."

Luke's gaze lingered on the empty spot where the specter had stood before turning back to face the transport. Feeling Mara's troubled emotions hit him in the Force, Luke started to jog toward the ship. He would make his decisions and let life take its path from there. On this night at least, Luke could face any obstacles in his way.


	13. Ch 12 In Dreams

Chapter 12: In Dreams

In her bed onboard the _Emerald Dawn_, Mara tossed and turned under the duress of the nightmares once more occupying her mind. Repeatedly, men, women and aliens fell victim to a swift execution before her. The deaths came over and over, only interrupted by praise from the dark man with the yellow eyes for her loyalty and efficiency. Mara wanted to run and leave the darkness, but she had no control over her actions. In spite of her struggles, she just kept doing the bidding of her dark master.

Once more, Mara found herself kneeling before the dark man. She looked up to find a datapad being held out for her by a pale, bony hand extending for the robes of her master. Mara accepted the offered pad as the dark man started to speak to her. "My Hand, you have a new assignment. This Jedi upstart must be destroyed before he does any more damage to the order of my Empire."

"Yes, my master." Mara looked down at the datapad before her to find a familiar face. Luke's face. Without any action on her part, the words of the dossier below the holo of Luke started to scroll by. The information said that Luke was a cold blooded killer. A Jedi murderer who had killed over a million loyal Imperials with a single shot to the Death Star and was now terrorizing innocent civilians in his attempts to disrupt the Empire's control over outlying systems. Luke Skywalker was a Jedi: a terrorist and traitor of the worst kind and had to be destroyed.

Before she could even question what she was seeing, Mara found herself back in the vision she had earlier that day. The difference was that this time she was seeing things through her own eyes. She watched from a distance as Luke walked across the floor of the main chamber to stand firm in front of the Hutt sleeping in the middle of the room. Mara could hear herself plotting how she would kill Luke now that she had arrived. She struggled against the thoughts of her past. She wouldn't kill Luke. Whatever that dossier had said he had done, Mara knew it wasn't true. Luke was far from a cold-blooded killer.

Mara tried with all her will to keep her hand from reaching for a blaster pistol, but her efforts were for nothing. The dream kept going despite her protests. Soon, Mara found herself lining up a shot for Luke's heart. She was surprised, however, when the vision froze around her. The only thing left moving was Luke who spun on his heel to face her from the other end of the blaster barrel. His eyes were worried, but not for his life. Luke was concerned for her. "Mara, wake up."

With a start, Mara shot up in her bed, gasping for air with eyes now wide open. She rested her head against her hands and tried to calm her shaky breathing. Mara nearly jumped off the bed when she felt a hand on her back, but managed to simply jerk away to discover Luke sitting nervously on the edge of the bed. She let out a sigh and released the tension in her limbs. Luke must have noticed her nightmares and come to wake her up. Mara was thankful that he came when he did because she wasn't sure how much more of that dream she could have taken.

"Are you okay? I've been trying to wake you for close to ten minutes, but you kept thrashing on the bed until now."

Mara looked into Luke's concerned eyes and nodded slowly. Surely, he would want to know what was causing her to react so violently, but she didn't want to tell him. How could she tell Luke that she had a dream in which she was ordered to kill him and almost did before he woke her? And worse, how could Mara tell him that she was pretty sure that some of what she saw was from her own memory? She couldn't. "It was only a dream. I'm fine."

Luke looked at Mara skeptically. What she had been going through was far from a normal dream. Even without his Force senses, her violent thrashing before he was finally able to wake her was enough evidence to prove that what she was going through was far from normal. And with his Force abilities, the raw emotions he felt pouring off of Mara told Luke that this wasn't just a dream. It was a vision and a particularly intense vision at that. "Are you sure?"

"Okay, it was a nightmare. Happy?" Luke gave Mara a small smile at her sarcasm and decided it best to not press the issue any further. Whatever she had been seeing, Mara obviously didn't want to talk about it and he knew prying would get him nowhere. Hopefully, she would come to him when she was ready. Until then, Luke would make sure she knew he was there for her, regardless of the circumstances.

"Yes. That's much better." Mara rolled her eyes at the goofy grin on Luke's face when he responded even as she sighed in relief internally. The last thing she wanted to do was snap at Luke after all the help he had given her, but Mara knew she would have done just that if Luke had kept pressing her. Besides, when Luke was around, her mind felt more at ease. It was almost as if his presence alone was able to settle her mind somehow. It was a ridiculous notion, but Mara couldn't help but feel that it was true on some level.

With a small smile, Luke rose from his seat on the edge of the bed. Now that Mara was back to normal, he wasn't needed here anymore and they both needed their sleep. Luke made his way to the door of her quarters and turned back around to say his farewells. "I'm going to get some sleep. Did you need anything before I go to bed?"

Mara bit her lip and looked up at Luke with a slight hesitation evident in her eyes. She didn't want him to leave. If Luke left, the nightmares were sure to return and she knew it. But what would he think if she asked his not to go? Mara didn't think Luke would take it as her coming on to him, but she couldn't be sure. The concerned look that crossed Luke's face when Mara didn't respond finally spurred her into action. "Actually, umm… This may sound weird, but could you stay here until I fall back asleep? I'm still a little spooked from that nightmare and, well, I'd be more comfortable if you stuck around."

Mara let out a small sigh of relief when a gentle smile crossed Luke's face. She knew he wasn't reading anything into her request and that all Luke really wanted was to help her out. "Of course."

Luke hit the switch for the glowpanel and made his way back over to the bed. He lay down, making sure to keep a respectful distance from Mara as she settled back in to sleep once more. All he had to do was lie here quietly until she fell asleep and then he could head back to his own room. "Good night."

"Good night." Luke turned to lie on his side and watched as Mara's breathing slipped into a rhythm of sleep. Once he knew she was resting peacefully, Luke thought to himself that it was time to head to his own quarters. His body protested, however, and Luke found his desire to get up slipping away. Soon, Luke fell asleep where he lay, resting as peacefully as the other occupant of the bed as they breathed in time with each other.


	14. Ch 13 The Morning's Light

Chapter 13: The Morning's Light

Mara woke up the next morning slightly surprised to find herself alone in her bed. She didn't know why she expected to have company. Surely, Luke had simply stayed in the room until she fell asleep and then returned to his own quarters. Mara shook her head. The thought that she would have woken up to find anyone in her bed, much less Luke, was ridiculous. However, she was unable to completely quench the subconscious desire that had come out. Mara didn't want to wake up alone this morning. Shaking her head once more, Mara cleared her mind and rose from the bed and made her way to the small fresher in her quarters.

Now clean and dressed, Mara made her way out of her quarters and into the main cabin of the ship. She stepped into the room to find Luke sitting on the floor in the middle of the room with his legs crossed under him. Mara found him in such a state quite often. Apparently, Luke had a penchant for meditation among his many other quirks. Mara soon found herself wondering if all the strange things she had seen him done were somehow related. The floating objects that first morning, the strange weapon he carried instead of a blaster, his unnatural reflexes and even his simple ability to read people told Mara that there was much more to Luke Skywalker than met the eye. Of course, Mara knew Luke could say the same thing about her.

Mara made her way over to the small table at the side of the room and sat down on the bench built into the wall of the cabin. Her eyes never left Luke as she crossed the room and she continued to watch him while Luke remained seemingly unaware of Mara's presence. This was not the first time she had watched Luke while he was meditating, and it would likely not be the last. Whenever she was in the same room as Luke while he lost himself in something Mara couldn't place, she felt at peace. Mara felt as if whatever Luke was reaching for was coming to her too and trying to put her at ease.

As she continued to watch Luke with a small smile on her face, a memory of the night before came unbidden into Mara's mind. Her smile faded as the image of Luke's dossier came to her. According to her dreams, Luke was a killer, a traitor, a terrorist and a Jedi, whatever that was. Mara continued to watch Luke as the information that had to her in a dream swirled through her mind. She knew that Luke was a soldier. Luke was commander in the Rebel Alliance so, in the opinion of some, he was a killer, a traitor and even a terrorist. But Mara knew that Luke was only doing what he thought was best. He had never told her of his time as a soldier, but Mara had gotten to know Luke well enough to know he was a man of conviction. He was not a cold-blooded killer.

Mara found herself still wondering just what a Jedi was, however. In her dreams, the word alone seemed vile and bitter. A Jedi was out to cause chaos and destruction, or so her memories wanted her to believe. Mara looked at Luke and knew that he was the last person to want to create chaos and destruction. But if that was true, was Luke a Jedi? And if he was, why would her dreams lead her to believe that Luke was something he obviously wasn't?

Mara was unable to question her thoughts further, however, because she soon found that she was no longer alone at the table. No longer lost in thought, Mara snapped her gaze up to find Luke taking a seat on the opposite side of the table from her. Mara tried not to display any outward signs of surprise at his presence, hoping he wouldn't ask what she was thinking about. In an effort to stem any worry that may come from Luke, she gave him a small smile. "Good morning."

"Good morning." As he returned Mara's greeting, Luke gave her a small smile in return. She had seemed distracted, but thankfully not angry when Luke had felt Mara's presence and had come out of his meditation to find her sitting against the wall lost in thought. Luke was thankful that he had been the first one to wake that morning since he didn't know how Mara would have reacted to finding him in her bed. He knew that neither of them had done anything wrong, but it still would have been an awkward situation considering Mara's state the day before.

Of course, Luke couldn't be sure that Mara didn't realize what had occurred. She may very well remember asking him to stay with her until she fell asleep. For all Luke knew, Mara had noticed him fall asleep in her bed before sleep had overcome her as well. He hoped it wasn't the case since it could possibly lead to discomfort now that they both had all their wits about them. Luke decided it was best to tread lightly and see if Mara showed any signs that she was uncomfortable. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes." Mara's voice was soft but even when she responded. She knew Luke was worried about her after awaking her from the nightmares the evening before. Mara even remembered him agreeing to stay in the room until she had fallen asleep, but that was the last thing that came to mind from before she had fallen into a restful sleep. For some reason, Luke simply being there while she had fallen asleep had been enough to keep her troubled dreams at bay for the rest of the night. Another mystery in the series of secrets that was Luke Skywalker. Mara hoped she would be able to understand someday, but first she had another puzzle to solve: herself.

Not sensing any apparent discomfort from Mara, Luke decided not to pursue any further questions. The last thing he wanted to do was draw suspicion. Luke didn't know how Mara would respond to the idea of him being in bed with her the previous night, but he was afraid of her reaction. It would be best to avoid any possible rejection. That was the safest route. He had enough problems to deal with without giving himself more. "Mara, we're going to be heading off planet today."

"We are?"

Luke nodded in response to the curious look on Mara's face. "Yes. I've done what I came here to do. Unless there's something I'm not aware of."

Mara bit her lip and shook her head. For some reason, she didn't want to leave, but there wasn't a reason to stay. Mara couldn't help but wonder why she would want to remain on such a barren planet. "No. I can't see any reason to stay."

"Good. It's long past time for me to be rejoining the Alliance…I mean New Republic. I've been gone far too long and I'm sure they're looking for me. If I didn't know better, I'd be expecting to be court-martialed upon my return."

Mara let out a small, uncomfortable laugh at Luke's remark. For some reason, she didn't feel comfortable accompanying Luke back to his old life. She didn't believe for a minute that he would abandon her once they returned, but Mara liked having him to herself. She had gotten used to it just being the two of them. And for some reason, she was afraid that she wouldn't fit in with the Rebellion or whatever they were calling themselves now. But with her only other option being to remain on Tatooine alone, Mara didn't really see much of a choice. She was heading out with Luke whether she liked it or not.

Luke rose from his seat and started to walk toward the cockpit with a small smile on his face. Even though he couldn't complain about his current company, he had been away from his friends and especially his sister for far too long. "I'm going to get the ship warmed up. We'll be out of here within the hour."


	15. Ch 14 The Ways of the Force

Chapter 14: The Ways of the Force

"Luke, what's a Jedi?"

Luke snapped his head to look across the main cabin of the ship at Mara's unexpected question. He had actually thought about beginning to train Mara in the Force during their few days of downtime in hyperspace since her unconscious use of the Force at Jabba's palace had apparently brought back some of her memories. However, he found it odd that Mara would ask him that question. Luke had never mentioned Jedi to her before, much less told her that he was one, the only one. "Where did you hear about Jedi?"

Mara could sense a hint of evasiveness when Luke responded. She had noticed him tense slightly at her question and had then gone so far as to answer her with another question. Apparently, she had asked him something of a loaded question. That was not going to stop Mara from getting an answer, however. Luke was already keeping too much from her from what she could tell and Mara was getting tired of it. "I heard it in a dream. I think it was some sort of memory. And you didn't answer my question."

Luke let out a sigh at Mara's response. He obviously wasn't going to be able to get a feel for what Mara had heard about Jedi. Luke brushed a hand through his hair as he tried to come up with a good response to her question. Describing what it meant to be a Jedi in simple terms was not easy. Actually, anything involving the Force was far from simple. Luke turned to look Mara in the eyes. He had wanted to teach Mara about the Force. It looked like the Force was giving him just the opening he needed.

"A Jedi…a Jedi is someone who is powerful in the Force and uses their abilities to serve the Light and fight for peace and justice in the galaxy. However, the Jedi are all but extinct. The Emperor declared them outlaws and killed most of the Jedi. Only one even remains." Luke looked nervously toward Mara. He had no idea just what she would ask next, but for some reason he feared her reaction. What he said and what Mara remembered of Jedi were not likely to match up. Luke had to hope now that she trusted him enough to believe what he said in spite of what she may have been taught.

Mara watched Luke's nervous face, trying to determine the source of his anxiety. What he had just told her of Jedi was nothing like what she had heard in her dream, but how could she know which description was accurate. The only thing she could do was try to determine if Luke was lying. Mara continued to watch his face. Luke was uneasy, that much was certain, but she could tell from his eyes that Luke wasn't lying. What Luke had told her was true, at least from his point of view, but Mara still didn't know why he was nervous. If he was telling the truth, what could he be afraid of? "Okay. I can't claim that all made sense. Would you like to explain this Force business?"

"The Force is an energy force that binds the galaxy together. Life creates it and makes it grow. Some people can feel its energy and even call on the Force. The Force has two sides: Light and Dark. It gives them the power to create or destroy, help or dominate. A Jedi follows the Light, using their power in the Force to make the galaxy a safer place for everyone, but not everyone that has power in the Force chooses this path."

"And you're the last Jedi, aren't you?"

Luke nodded in response to Mara's question. He didn't know just how she had figured it out, but it didn't matter now. His identity as a Jedi was out in the open and now it was time to explain himself. "Do you remember that first morning when you saw everything levitating?" Mara simply nodded in response to Luke's question. "I was using the Force to do that. It's the reason why you always see me meditating. I can call on the Force and it can call to me. It guides me if I allow it and I can control it if I wish. The Force called me to Naboo and then sent me to Tatooine. Mara, I don't think our meeting was a coincidence."

Mara raised an eyebrow at Luke's unexpected statement. Did he really think that the Force brought them together? She wanted to reject what he said as ridiculous, but Mara found herself unable to do so. For some reason, she believed that Luke was right. They had been destined to meet, but for what purpose? "Let's just say I believe you. Why were we brought together then?"

"Because I'm not meant to be the only Jedi. It's my responsibility to find those strong in the Force and teach them to use it. It's my job to train the next of the Jedi. Mara, you have the potential to be a Jedi."

Mara gave Luke a skeptical look, but her expression sobered when she saw the seriousness on Luke's face. He was serious. Luke really thought she had the potential to be a Jedi like him. But for some reason, Mara was hesitant to accept Luke's implied offer of training in the Force. Did she really want to be a Jedi?

Sensing Mara's hesitation, Luke knew he was going to have to press harder if he wanted Mara to learn about the Force. Luckily, he knew just the thing. "Mara, I've already seen you use the Force. At the lake when you sensed those stormtroopers coming and then on Tatooine when you had that vision, you were using the Force. If you let me teach you, you may have a better chance at regaining your memories."

Mara perked up at Luke's comment. If she got her memories back, then the nightmares may stop. She was willing to do just about anything in order to achieve that goal. And besides, learning to use the Force had the potential to be beneficial to her even if Mara didn't herself becoming a Jedi. She just didn't have the same kind of idealism that Luke did. "Alright. I'm game. Show me how to use the Force."

Luke was amazed at how easily Mara picked up on his teachings in the Force. It was almost as if she already knew how to call on the Force and all Luke had to do was give her a little nudge. As he watched Mara easily deflect a series of stun bolts from a training remote with his lightsaber, Luke started to wonder if that wasn't in fact the case. It was quite possible that the Emperor had trained Force sensitives to do his bidding. He already had reason to suspect she had been Imperial so it wasn't much of a stretch to believe she had training in the Force as well.

Glancing at the chrono on his wrist, Luke realized he had been training Mara for close to eight hours without a break. Surprisingly, Mara didn't even seem tired and Luke found himself feeling remarkably refreshed considering the long day. However, they would likely regret it tomorrow if they didn't stop now. Luke shut off the remote and called it to his hand, causing Mara to spin around as she shut off the green blade in front of her. Luke smiled as he accepted his weapon back from Mara. "You did a good job today, but I think we've done enough. We'll start back up tomorrow."

Mara simply nodded in response before retreating to her quarters with a small smile gracing her face. Ever since Luke had started teaching her about the Force earlier in the day, she had felt free. It was like she had been held back by some unseen power and hadn't even known until the binders had been removed.

The smile faded from Mara's face, however, as she entered her quarters and was jolted by a vision. Mara found herself near the lake retreat on Naboo with a blaster in her hand. It was dark and by the sounds she was hearing around her, Mara figured it was a couple hours before dawn. She slipped through the trees and soon found herself looking through the open window of Luke's apartment. Mara looked on unwillingly as she extended the blaster in her hand to point at Luke's head. She found herself unable to pull the trigger, however. Her finger twitched, not knowing whether to deliver the killing shot.

Mara whipped herself around before she could decide, however, when she sensed danger behind her. She made her way quietly toward the shore in hopes of using the stone of the nearby balconies for cover. Mara made a leap onto the nearby terrace just as she felt a volley of blaster bolts make contact with her. Sniper bolts. The stormtroopers must have had silenced blasters. Mara lost her grip on her blaster as she started to tumble towards the water, the force of the bolts having pushed her beyond her target. With what little time she had before impacting the water, Mara pushed herself into a trance so that she could remain underwater for a few hours and hope that the troops trailing her would assume her dead.

Feeling herself impact the surface of the water and then a rock on the bottom of the lake, Mara snapped out of her vision. Her breath was panicked as she unthinkingly fell into the arms that had wrapped around her. Mara just stared at the wall of her cabin as her breathing and pulse returned to normal. She was afraid to turn around and see the worried expression she knew was on Luke's face. Luke Skywalker. The man she had attempted to kill.


	16. Ch 15 Shadows of the Past

Chapter 15: Shadows of the Past

Mara slowly made her way through the main corridor of the _Emerald Dawn_, on her way back to her quarters. Her hand hesitated slightly above the activation panel. For the third day now, Luke had been teaching her to use the Force and on each of the previous two days she had entered her quarters only to be assaulted by unlocked memories. Memories that Mara wished would go back to being forgotten. On the first day, she had seen herself hunting down Luke on Naboo with eerie clarity. And on the following day, Mara had gotten another glimpse at her impetus for killing Luke. Once again she received the datapad describing Luke as a murderer and traitor, but this time she felt a single minded determination to destroy him rush through her. Mara wasn't just seeing her past. She was feeling it as well.

Finally, Mara snapped out of her thoughts and smacked her hand against the activation panel of the door. She would not let fear rule her life, nor would she let the visions. Mara was better than that, stronger than that. Her past would not beat her. She would learn to face her demons head on. No one controlled Mara Jade's destiny but herself and Mara was certain that killing Luke wasn't a part of her destiny regardless of what her memories told her. Mara took a quick step into her quarters, only to tumble to the floor as she was assaulted by a vision of the past once more.

Mara's vision clouded and her senses were taken over by her latest nightmare. A raspy voice overpowered her senses. "Mara Jade… Behold child, what unfolds above Endor." Her vision slowly cleared and Mara could see three familiar figures, but only one she knew by name. She saw Luke dueling the dark, armored man with his lightsaber as the dark man with the yellow eyes looked on. Nothing could be heard but the crackle of lightsabers and the voice of the hooded man which pressed against her mind. "Use your aggressive feelings boy. Let the hate flow through you. Now fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!"

This statement caused the two combatants to cease their attacks suddenly and they simultaneously turned to face their pale observer. Without a word, the armored man and Luke began to march toward the hooded figure, their lightsaber still ablaze before them. They pinned the dark man against the railing and Mara found herself feeling sick at the merciless attack she was seeing. "No! Stop! I command you! I command you both! Stop! Death to you both! DEATH TO YOU BOTH!" The raspy screams of the hooded man ceased as a pair of lightsabers impaled him and Mara found her vision filled by the face of the hooded man. She could feel the agony of the man's death as his yellow eyes seemed to pierce through her. "You will kill Luke Skywalker!"

Mara snapped out of her vision with a feeling of dread running through her. Over and over she had seen herself killing and, now, she was seeing Luke in her visions. There was only one logical course and she didn't like it at all. Luke did not deserve to die and she would not be the one to take his life from him. A little voice in the back of Mara's head asked her if that was true. Her visions weren't just dreams. They were memories. How could she be sure Luke was as innocent as he portrayed himself to be?

Mara shook her head as she shakily rose to her feet. She could not and would not believe that Luke was anything but the honest and kind man she knew him to be. This did not stop her from wondering just where such memories would come from. During her dreams, the evidence against Luke felt irrefutable and that feeling refused to die. Either Luke was playing an elaborate game with her or her memories were wrong. Mara had no way of knowing which to believe, however.

Sitting down on the bed in her quarters, Mara brushed a hand through her hair and took a deep breath to calm herself, but it was of no use. Her turbulent emotions refused to die down after the latest vision. The only thing that had settled her in the past was Luke, but he had not come. But if she killed Luke, the visions were bound to stop.

Mara clenched her fists and retched as the rogue thought crossed her mind. She couldn't kill Luke any more than she could take her own life. Luke had done nothing to her to deserve such treatment. In fact, Luke had shown her nothing but a kindness for which Mara would be eternally grateful. Luke had shown her compassion when she had needed it most. In spite of having every reason to believe Mara was dangerous, he had refused to leave her side. Mara didn't even want to imagine what her life would be like if Luke died. She loved him too much.

A hand came to Mara's mouth at the shock she felt at her own thoughts. Mara was surprised that she even considered feelings of love toward Luke and was even more stunned when she realized her feelings were real. She was falling in love with a man she had been meant to kill. But how could anything work between them if Mara was constantly being assaulted by nightmares where she felt driven to kill Luke?

Mara closed her eyes tightly, refusing to let a tear fall. She was stronger than this and had to do what was best. For Luke's own good, she would have to leave him. His life was worth more than her broken heart. Luke would be able to move on with his life without Mara's past dragging him down. Mara finally opened her eyes as a single tear escaped in spite of her best efforts. She was a danger to the man she was falling in love with.

Mara sat in still silence trying to figure out how she would leave Luke. She didn't know if she could face him knowing that it would be their final goodbye. It would be better to just vanish once they reached the fleet. Surely, Luke would be distracted upon being reunited with his friends. It wasn't like he shared her feelings. A man like Luke probably had some perfect woman waiting for his return. He wouldn't want the love of someone as flawed as Mara. Mara rose from her seat with her decision made. Once they reached their destination and Luke inevitably started to drift away, she would leave him. Mara only hoped she could keep the dreams…and her feelings at bay until then.

The sound of the door to her cabin opening caused Mara to spin on her heel and face the entrance. She quickly swiped her hand across her face to wipe away any evidence of the rogue tears which had streamed down her cheek. The last thing she needed was Luke's worry bringing out her feelings again. She had to be strong for both of them. Mara knew she had failed in keeping her worry hidden when Luke's concerned blue eyes moved around to meet her bloodshot green ones.

"You will kill Luke Skywalker!" Mara was forced to turn away and grab her head when Luke's eyes finally locked with hers and the dark man's raspy voice echoed through her mind. The voice kept repeating over and over until Mara felt Luke's hand rest on her shoulder.

"Mara, what's wrong?" Mara bit her lip, but refused to turn and face Luke. She did not want to bring the voice back. However, Mara found herself unable to resist the gentle hand on her chin which turned her to face Luke. When the voice did not return as she met Luke's eyes, Mara was unable to resist pulling Luke to her. Her days with Luke may have been numbered, but Mara wanted to be able to remember the comfort she associated with this man long after they parted ways.

Luke found Mara's behavior odd, but was not about to turn down the strong embrace of the woman he was coming to love. If her actions now were any indication, perhaps he had a chance with her after all. Luke almost regretted putting a small distance between them so he could look Mara in the eyes. When he saw something hiding behind the emerald gems that he had never seen before, Luke knew that it was now or never. He brushed the back of his hand across her cheek and moved down, capturing her lips with his own.

After a flash of shock, Mara gave herself into the moment and opened her mouth to deepen their kiss as she pulled Luke closer to her. She almost wondered if this was a product of her imagination, but she found it hard to believe that a daydream could feel so right. As Luke lowered her to the bed without breaking their kiss, any thoughts of leaving him left Mara. It had already been too late. She was too in love to let go.


	17. Ch 16 Return to the Fleet

Chapter 16: Return to the Fleet

Luke pushed up on the hyperdrive lever before him and watched as the star lines collapsed into single points of light. He angled the ship to the right and the sight of the star field was replaced with a sight Luke was familiar with. Luke smiled slightly at the sight of the fleet of Mon Calamari cruisers and frigates now filling the _Emerald Dawn_'s viewport. He had been gone too long. The ship's communicator soon crackled as the ship's approach was noticed by the nearest cruiser. "Unknown vessel, you have entered restricted space. Please identify yourself."

Luke flipped on the comlink as he entered his personal identification code into the terminal in front of him. "This is Commander Skywalker piloting the _Emerald Dawn_, requesting clearance to land. I'm transmitting my access code now."

The speaker remained silent for a moment as Luke maintained the ship's approach toward the fleet. The communicator soon came to life once more with an obviously excited controller on the other side. "It's a pleasure to have you back, Commander Skywalker. You've been given permission to land in the main hangar of _Home One_, sir. It was an honor to be the one to greet a hero of your stature, Commander."

"Thank you." Luke shook his head as he shut off the comlink to end his discussion with the overly excited controller. One thing he did appreciate about the past couple months away was being able to avoid hero worship from the new recruits. Luke moved to place the _Emerald Dawn _on an approach vector with _Home One_, but stopped to turn toward the copilot's seat at the sound of Mara's amused laughter.

"So is this normal behavior, oh great hero?" Luke turned his attention back to the piloting the ship, trying to ignore Mara's sarcasm. Mara, however, was not about to let it slide. "You didn't tell me I was supposed to worship you. How will I fit in if I'm not fawning over the great Commander Skywalker?"

Mara's face sobered up when she noticed a troubled Luke flash across Luke's face. Apparently, she had crossed a line she didn't even realize was there. "I'm not a hero, regardless of what they may believe. Taking lives is an ugly but necessary part of war, but I don't want anyone to think me a hero because of it."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Luke placed one hand over Mara's as he guided the ship toward the hangar with the other. He turned and gave Mara a small smile to let her know he wasn't mad. "Don't worry about it. You didn't know."

The cockpit of the _Emerald Dawn _remained silent for the remainder of the trip into the _Home One_'s hangar, but Luke kept his hand on Mara's until it came time to begin the landing cycle. Working in tandem, the pair soon shut down the ship and made their way to the exit ramp. Luke chuckled slightly when he found R2 rolling back and forth excitedly by the slowly descending walkway. As soon as the ramp made contact with the surface of the hangar, R2 rolled his way down with Luke following closely behind. Luke smiled as R2 rolled straight for C-3PO, obviously excited to tell the protocol droid about his latest round of adventures. A familiar voice soon caught Luke's attention to his side. "You see? I told you he was fine."

With a broad smile, Luke turned to find a smirking Han Solo making his way across the hangar following the path along which Leia was running. Leia almost knocked Luke over when she reached him as the petite woman ran into her brother with all of her might. The embrace was short lived, however, as Leia broke away to give Luke a piece of her mind. "Don't you ever pull something like that again!"

Luke shuffled his feet slightly as he looked down, not wanting to face his sister's angry stare. He had known this was coming. "I left a note."

"And that's the only reason I didn't send Han and Chewie to hunt you down." Luke was relieved when Leia pulled him toward her again. Apparently, the sight of Luke safe and sound was enough to quench her temper. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Luke was about to turn his attention to Han when he felt something from the direction of the ship. He glanced toward the transport to find Mara watching him from the top of the ramp. Luke had to do his best to keep down a small smile at the feelings he was picking up from Mara. She was jealous of the attention Luke was getting from his sister. Luke was tempted to laugh at the situation, but thought better of it. He did not want to be on Mara's bad side.

Luke let go of his sister and gave Han a sign to wait for a moment. He turned to fully face the _Emerald Dawn_'s ramp and waved for Mara to join them. Feeling a slight sense of hesitation, Luke decided to make an attempt at lightening the mood. "You can come out. They won't bite. I promise."

Luke's bad attempt at humor earned him a scowl from Mara as she finally emerged from the shadows at the ramp. In his embarrassment, Luke missed the curious glance exchanged by Han and Leia behind him. They didn't expect Luke to have returned with company, especially not of the beautiful, red haired female variety. When Mara finally reached the group, Luke gave her a supportive smile and turned to make introductions. "Mara, this is my sister, Leia and my friend, Han. Leia, Han, this is Mara. I met her while I was away and I've started to train her as a Jedi."

Luke could feel a small sense of relief from Mara upon hearing that Leia was his sister. He knew it wasn't fair to Mara, but he had kind of enjoyed knowing she was jealous at Leia's affection. Before Luke could consider this any further, he was distracted by Leia stepping forward to greet Mara. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Luke couldn't help but notice something uneasy in the way Leia greeted Mara in spite of the unreadable expression on his sister's face. He got the impression that Mara felt it too when she hesitated slightly to accept Leia's hand. Luke decided that it would be better to separate the two before anything happened. Hopefully, it was just Leia's overprotective streak coming out and not anything more. He would clear things up soon enough. "I don't mean to run off, but we've had a long trip and I want to secure Mara quarters so we can both get some rest. I'll catch up with you two soon."

"It's been nice talking to you, Kid. Sleep well." Luke turned to Han to wave goodbye as he made his way toward the hangar's exit. He snapped his gaze away quickly, however, when he saw the mischievous wink Han gave him. Surely, Han hadn't picked up on what was going on between him and Mara so quickly. Luke wasn't even sure what was going on between them, but he knew that the smuggler already had his suspicions. Luke pushed those thoughts out of his mind and led Mara toward the appropriations officer's office.

After an hour of bureaucratic red tape, Luke was getting exasperated at the process necessary to get Mara a place to stay. Apparently, starting up a new government led to paperwork being necessary to complete the relatively simple tasks that had been done within a minute under the Alliance. Luke was almost tempted to use the weight of his hero status to push the man along faster, but he wasn't sure if that would help any. For all he knew, this was the man working fast.

Luke let out a loud sigh and turned to give Mara a small smile. From the seat next to his, she returned his smile and rolled her eyes at the ridiculous process necessary just to get a room. "Maybe I could just stay with you. I'm sure it would be comfortable."

Mara's hand shot up to cover her mouth as soon as she finished her statement. She had no idea where that comment came from, even if she did think it was true. She peeked to her side to find that Luke obviously didn't know where her statement had come from either. At least she wasn't alone in her thoughts. "I didn't mean to stay that. It just came out. Not that I've had a problem staying with you in the past, but the close quarters and all…"

Luke placed a hand on Mara's arm and smiled to stop her rambling. "It's fine. We'll get something figured out. Don't worry about it. I am a war hero you know."

Mara let out a small laugh at Luke's sarcastic remark. He obviously hadn't made a big deal out of her slip of the tongue, so she had no reason to either. The pair sat in silence for a few more minutes before the appropriations officer finally returned. "I'm sorry it took so long. As it turns out, the room next to yours is free, Commander Skywalker. Princess Leia cleared it so that Miss Jade can occupy those quarters."

Luke smiled, realizing that their holdup was likely due to Leia pulling strings to allow them to stay near each other. He just hoped Leia's reason was because she knew he was training Mara to be a Jedi and not because she suspected something like Han did. The last thing he wanted was to get his sister involved in his love life. Leia's part in his romantic endeavors was already awkward enough. Luke rose from his seat and extended his arm to Mara with a broad smile. "Would you allow me the honor of escorting you to your quarters, Miss Jade?"

Mara rolled her eyes at Luke's display and gave him a shove in the back to get moving, but couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Just get moving, Skywalker."


	18. Ch 17 Siblings

Chapter 17: Siblings

After helping Mara settle into her quarters, Luke sat alone in own cabin onboard the _Home One_. He leaned back in his chair, thankful for the opportunity to relax for even a short time. Sometimes, he felt as if the weight of the galaxy was on his shoulders and he was thankful for even a brief respite from his responsibilities. The next day he would once again be thrust into the roles of commander and Jedi, but for now, he could take an opportunity to unwind. As the tension in his muscles faded away, Luke was about to doze off when he the electronic tone of the door chime.

Luke was tempted to just ignore his visitor, but there was always a possibility it was Mara. Now awake at the thought of his red haired companion, Luke rose from his seat to answer the door. He tried to keep the disappointment from showing when the door opened to reveal not Mara, but Leia. Luke knew that he should be more excited to see Leia, but he still wished to be in Mara's company once more. He loved his sister, but the feelings he was developing for Mara were something else entirely. Luke found Mara's presence to be intoxicating.

"Hello, Leia." The slightly annoyed look on his sister's face as she entered the room told Luke that he hadn't done as good a job as he had hoped in covering up his disappointment. It looked like he was in for an uncomfortable discussion with his sister. Luke just hoped he could keep her calm enough to avoid a shouting match. He knew that Leia was displeased and she wasn't one to hold back when she was angry even if the cause of her ire was her own brother.

"Expecting someone else, little brother?"

Luke swallowed involuntarily at the glare Leia was giving him. "No."

"Really? You've barely trained me in the Force at all and even I could sense the disappointment coming off of you." Luke remained silent, unable to formulate a coherent response. His sister had knocked him off balance and Luke knew that recovering wasn't going to be easy against Leia. "So did you find whatever it is you were looking for while you were away?"

Luke didn't know why his sister had changed subjects so quickly, but he was thankful for it nonetheless. At least now she was asking questions that he actually had answers to even if he knew that, ultimately, Leia wasn't going to drop the subject of his disappointment at her arrival. Sooner or later, Luke knew the topic of conversation would shift to the attention he was giving Mara. "I found some answers, but those answers just raise more questions."

Leia nodded, recognizing the truth in Luke's words. Answers to any questions of real importance were rarely simple and usually only served to bring about more questions. At least he had come back safe and sound this time. Luke's usual quests involved coming back and spending a few days in a bacta tank, but this time he had returned without a scratch. Leia had to know how her brother pulled that one off. "Well, it's good to have you back. Of course, it would have been nice to know where to find you. We could have used you in a few of those battles."

"I know and I'm sorry. But I needed time away and I knew that if I was in contact with you I would have come back only to need time away once more. It was easier this way."

Leia didn't especially like Luke's answer, but she could accept it. Everyone was entitled to some time to take care of themselves, especially her brother. Luke had already been through more in his life than most people could even dream of. He had earned his leave even if he hadn't gone about it in the best manner. "If you don't mind me asking, where have you been the last two months?"

"I spent most of my time on Naboo, but I did stop by Tatooine briefly."

"Naboo?" Leia had heard of the small mid rim system, but had never been there personally. All she could remember was that it was a temperate planet that was relatively closed off due to Imperial orders. She definitely didn't have a clue why Luke would have gone to an out of the way planet that he had likely never heard of in his life.

"Yes. When I left, I had no set destination. I just opened up the star charts and let the Force guide me. It led me to Naboo." Luke turned to face his sister. Naboo was now important to more than just him. It wasn't just his mother that had come from that planet, but their mother. "When I was there, I learned about our mother. She was from Naboo."

Leia's eyes went wide at Luke's statement. She never imagined that Luke would have returned with information about their mother. Leia had assumed that finding out anything about her would have been difficult considering how thorough the Emperor had been about wiping out all evidence of their father's past life, but Luke had found something. "How did you find this out?"

"The whole time I was there, I was drawn to the same spot by the Force. Later, Father came to speak me through the Force in much the same way as Obi-Wan. It turned out that the spot I was gravitating toward was the same place where they were married. Her maiden name was Padmé Naberrie, formerly Queen and Senator Amidala of the Naboo. I tried to find more, but most of the records were destroyed. Someday, I want to go back with you and search for more."

Leia sat down during the course of Luke's statements. The name Padmé Naberrie was unfamiliar to her, but Leia had heard Bail speak of Senator Amidala before with more respect than she had ever heard him speak of anyone. Those stories had helped Leia to decide to enter politics in the first place. She had followed in her mother's footsteps without even knowing it. "Of course. Someday, the Empire will be driven off Naboo and then we'll look for a link to our mother together."

Luke smiled in response to Leia's determined response. Knowing her like he did, Leia would probably end up leading the charge whenever it came time to liberate the planet. Of course, he would probably be following right behind her. Luke was shaken from his thoughts of fighting for the planet he had come to adore when Leia spoke once more. "This still doesn't explain your new student. How did you come across Mara?"

Luke rubbed his gloved hand over his chin for a moment, unsure of how to respond to Leia's question without immediately alarming her. He finally realized that Leia would worry regardless of how he broke the news so it would be best to just be straightforward and deal with her concerns as they arose. "I found her in a lake."

Leia raised in eyebrow at Luke's statement. She hadn't expected that answer. "In a lake?"

"She was drowning and I pulled her out."

"So she latched on to her rescuer."

"Not exactly. If Mara had her way, we likely would have parted ways right after she came to, but she didn't have anywhere to go. She has amnesia."

Leia gave her brother a stunned expression. This kind of thing would only happen to Luke. Her brother had a way of gravitating toward bizarre situations. "Does she remember anything?"

"Any abilities she had before the accident are intact, but her memory is only returning in buts and pieces." Luke took a deep breath and met Leia's eyes. Now came the hard part. He just hoped Leia wouldn't overreact. "I think she's a former Imperial. Emphasis on the former."

"You brought an Imperial agent here!"

"Leia, we can trust her. I'm sure of it. The Force tells me I can trust her. And if that's not enough, we were attacked by a squad of stormtroopers on Naboo. They were after her, not me. The Empire is after Mara. This is the safest place for her. And she may prove invaluable once her memory returns. I think she may have access to a secret or two."

"And what makes you think that?"

"I think she answered to the Emperor personally."

Leia gripped the bridge of her nose between her fingers. Her brother had to be the most trusting individual in the galaxy. If she hadn't learned to trust Luke's Force instincts, Leia would have already called for Mara to be arrested on the spot. That still didn't make her comfortable with the idea of having a Force strong and likely deadly former Imperial agent in such close proximity to her brother. "Are you sure about this?"

"The Force doesn't lead me astray. I'm supposed to be helping her."

Leia looked up to meet her brother's eyes once more. The determination she saw in Luke's blue eyes was enough to allay her worries for the time being, but she would have to keep an eye on Mara. No one hurt her brother. But first Leia had to know just how much Mara would be capable of hurting Luke. "And you're sure this is the Force talking and not your hormones?"

Luke's eyes narrowed slightly, but he wasn't mad at Leia. However, he wasn't sure if it was because there was some truth to her statement of the fact that he just didn't know what was going on between him and Mara. "Yes. And I don't like what you're insinuating. She's my student and I wouldn't do anything to take advantage of her amnesia."

"I never said you were taking advantage of her. She seemed quite protective of you back in the hangar. So, what is going on between the two of you?"

Luke remained silent for a moment, facing the wall that separated his quarters from Mara's. They had kissed, but he didn't know what Mara had felt. For all he knew, she was just showing her gratitude physically, but it had been more than that to Luke. He felt a connection to her that he hoped Mara felt too. "I wish I knew."


	19. Ch 18 Confessions

Chapter 18: Confessions

Mara sat alone in her room, trying to make sense of her thoughts. After the first time she had seen the vision of Luke killing the dark man with the yellow eyes, she had hoped she could push it back like her other memories. It didn't tell her what she needed to know, but for some reason this memory kept returning to her. For the first few days, it had returned to her in her dreams, but now it was invading her waking thoughts. Each time she heard the command to kill Luke ring through her head, the temptation grew greater.

Thankfully, Luke's presence was enough to push back the demons in her mind, but Mara didn't know how long that would last. Each time the vision returned, it took more time around Luke for it to fade away. Her nightmares were gaining strength and Mara didn't know if she would be able to keep them back. If she couldn't push back the command to kill him, Mara would no longer be safe around Luke. Perhaps, it was finally time for her to leave Luke even if the idea pained her.

Mara reluctantly lifted her head up at the sound of the door to her cabin opening. She did her best to greet Luke with a smile, but Mara's difficulty finding happiness in seeing Luke knowing she may have to him soon was evident on her face. Seeing Luke's grin fade into a worried line caused Mara to begin to berate herself. She knew Luke would be coming by as he always did to continue teaching her about the Force, but she had allowed her mind to stray anyway. Mara knew that if Luke suspected something was wrong with her, he would be even more watchful and supportive of her and that was the last thing she needed if she was going to prepare to leave. Knowing he cared so much would only make the pain worse.

Before Mara could attempt to direct his thoughts in another direction, Luke decided to get to the point. He had noticed a strong distress from Mara ever since they had returned to the fleet, but she hadn't shown it whenever they had been together. The struggling he felt from her at night, however, had been enough to keep him up and he intended to get to the bottom of it. And now, an opportunity to confront Mara had been presented to him and he was going to use it.

Luke sat down next to Mara on the bed and placed a hand on her leg. When she ignored his gesture, Luke leaned down to meet Mara eye to eye. He had seen the same worried look in her eyes on their last night before joining the fleet. Luke never did find out what had been bothering Mara then, but he was pretty sure that her current state was due to the same cause. "What's wrong?"

Mara started slightly at the sound of Luke's voice. She knew he had come in and sat down next to her, but she had been too preoccupied to notice just how close he was. Mara had been so wrapped up in the conflict within her mind that she just now noticed the hand on her leg. Brushing the hand away, Mara turned away from Luke, not wanting to meet his worried eyes. "Nothing."

Luke brushed a hand through his hair and let out an audible sigh. Mara knew by now that she could trust him, but she insisted on keeping everything inside. All Luke wanted to do was help, but he couldn't do that if she refused to tell him what the problem was. "What are you thinking about?"

Mara glanced to her side slightly to get a look at Luke, but didn't allow his worried eyes to meet her own. If she looked him eye to eye, she would never be able to keep up her facade. Mara had to be strong for both their sakes. She would not be vulnerable…or at least not show more vulnerability than she already had. "Nothing important."

"If it's bothering you this much, it is important." Mara snapped her head around in reflex, ready to tell Luke off for not listening to her, but stopped short. When Mara's eyes met Luke's, her anger faded away. Luke had done nothing to deserve her snapping at him. He was simply trying to help her and she kept pushing him away.

Mara's head drooped slightly in a combination of sadness and defeat. She knew she wouldn't be able to get trough this without telling Luke anything. Mara could only hope Luke would continue to be as understanding as he had been when she told him what she saw. "It's the nightmares again."

Luke nodded slowly, thankful that Mara was opening up, but not looking forward to where he expected this conversation to lead. "I know. I've felt your struggles through the Force."

Mara turned away from Luke, embarrassed that she had been broadcasting enough that Luke knew she was having troubles. Luke had enough to deal with without her dreams keeping him up at night. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I was hoping you would come to me about this, though." Luke saw Mara stiffen at his comment, but she still didn't turn around. Whatever she had seen, it was worse than the initial dreams. "What have you been seeing?"

Mara kept her eyes fixed on the plain white wall of her cabin, not wanting to see Luke's reaction to what she had to say. The pieces were coming together, but she didn't like the way the puzzle was turning out. "I think the dark men I saw early on were Darth Vader and the Emperor. I've seen them clearly lately and they look just like the news holos. I kept calling the Emperor Master. He sent me to kill all those people and I didn't even question it."

Luke sat silently for a moment, considering what Mara had just said. She was reaching the same conclusions as he had. All he could do now was help her through her realizations. "The Emperor was a master of manipulation. He had a way of making people see things his way. You can't blame yourself for anything he made you do."

Mara snapped her head around, causing a stray tear to fly off her face. "What if he didn't make me do those things! What if that's who I really am!"

"Even without your memories, your true nature would show through. You aren't an evil person and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

The bitter expression on Mara's face faded at hearing Luke's words. But she didn't know if he would still mean it when he heard what else she had to say. "From what I can remember, I only failed to get my target once."

Luke knew he would regret his question, but he had to know. Luke had to find out if he was right about why Mara had been in Jabba's palace. "Who?"

Mara didn't respond right away, instead turning her head down to face the bed. How could she tell him the truth? Mara wanted to lie, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't lie to Luke. Mara had to face down her past. Even if she never saw Luke again, she would have done the right thing. "You."

Mara was surprised when Luke didn't leave the room or at least show some display of anger towards her. How could he just sit there and listen to her say she had tried to kill him without any reaction? Luke looked just as worried about her as he had before she had told him. Did he even hear her? "I tried to kill you twice. The first time was on Tatooine at the gangster's palace and the second was on Naboo right before I lost my memory. Even now, I keep hearing the Emperor's voice telling me to kill you. The scary part is that some part of me wants to carry out that command."

"But you haven't." Mara simply shook her head in response, not wanting to face Luke. Why wasn't he angry with her? She deserved it. Mara had tried to kill this man twice, but he still refused to show her anything but kindness. "And you won't. We'll find a way to beat this."

Mara's head jerked up at Luke's statement. He still wanted to help her after everything she said. Mara had underestimated just what Luke was capable of. "How can you be sure? I don't even know if I can stop myself."

Luke pulled Mara to him as she finally let go and let the tears flow freely from her eyes. He didn't know how, but Mara would get beyond this. Luke was sure of it. He would save another soul from the Emperor's grasp even if it killed him. "I have faith in you. You're stronger than the memory of the Emperor."


	20. Ch 19 Unlocking the Past

Chapter 19: Unlocking the Past

Mara sat in her room, alone, for the second consecutive day. Having returned to active status with the fleet, Luke had been called away on some mission and was forced to leave Mara to take care of herself. Mara hadn't been completely alone since Luke's friends had made it a point to come by and bring her out for meals, but she was pretty sure that they were doing it more as a favor to Luke than out of interest in getting to know her. Leia and Han had even stayed around after dinner the evening before, but, to Mara, it felt more like a veiled attempt at an interrogation to determine if she was worthy of time with the princess's brother. Needless to say, neither woman was in an especially good mood after that conversation.

Thus, Mara found herself having a good deal of time to herself until Luke returned in a couple days from whatever mission he was on. Before his departure, Luke had given her a crash course in meditation that he wanted Mara to try out while he was away. He hoped that the Force would help bring back her missing memories. However, Mara had been unsuccessful thus far in finding anything more than detached visions. They didn't seem like actual memories, but, rather, more like looking through the eyes of another person. Mara knew they were her experiences, but they didn't feel like they belonged to her.

Stretching out her muscles, Mara sat down on the floor of her cabin and folded her legs beneath her to try once more. Mara sat for a while shifting uncomfortably as she tried to focus on her breathing. Meditation was not something she was well suited for. Mara did not like letting her awareness slip, but this was important. If she ever wanted to move on with her life, Mara had to find the memories she lost and put the demons that troubled her to rest. Mara finally stilled her body and drew the Force to her as Luke had taught her.

Mara finally felt her physical senses fade away as she entered the flow of the Force. She saw lines of energy everywhere. They flowed between the bright spots that she had come to realize were the ship's crew. It was always at this time that Mara missed Luke the most. He shined more brilliantly than everyone else with his power in the Force. Not even his sister's presence in the Force came close to the brightness that came off the Jedi Knight. Mara let these thoughts fade, however, as she turned her now Force tuned senses back to herself.

The energy of the Force carried Mara to her own bright spot and soon she found herself in an empty corridor lined with doors. She had come here before in the course of her previous meditations, but had yet to find one of the doors unlocked. Mara scanned the seemingly unending hallway, looking for something different than the last time she had been here. She found what she was looking for when one of the doors near her seemed to glow at the edges.

Mara stepped slowly toward the closed entryway and saw the glow start to pulse as she got closer. With each step forward, the door seemed to pulse as if it wasn't able to contain the energy held within anymore. Mara stopped in front of the door and traced the edge with her hand. The power seeping out of the cracks caused her fingers to tingle and Mara felt as if small sparks of electricity were running between her and whatever lied inside, but, strangely, the bolts didn't hurt.

Mara removed her hand from the edge of the door and slowly moved it to the activation pad on the side. Her arm twitched as her palm neared the smooth panel and Mara could not stop the shaking. The spasms grew worse as her hand almost reached the activation pad and Mara jerked her arm away but remained standing in front of the door. Did she really want to unleash whatever hid behind this door? Mara looked down the hallway of locked doors and back to the smooth panel at her side. Without another thought, Mara smacked her palm against the activation panel, not allowing her previous hesitation to return.

The door hissed open violently and Mara was thrown to the floor as the violent energy held within was unleashed. A bolt of white energy came out of the blackness before her and Mara threw her head back to scream as the power hit her, but no sound came out. Instead, Mara was paralyzed as the energy coursed through her until finally dissipating. Finally able to move, Mara started to stand, but went down again, holding her hands to her head.

Mara once again found herself watching as Luke stalked the Emperor at Vader's side. This time, however, she knew everything. Skywalker was killing her master. The perfect Jedi had taken up with a Sith Lord to seize power. Luke Skywalker had killed the Emperor, the one who gave her purpose. Mara felt the Emperor's death as if it was her own. The Emperor's death had to be avenged. She had to make up for her failure of not killing the Emperor's murderer before he had the chance to act. Vader was not important. He was already dead, probably killed by Skywalker as part of his power play.

"You will kill Luke Skywalker." Her Master's last command rang through Mara's head as she came out of the vision and saw the doors of the corridor unlock and open as one. Her memory flooded back to her. Every mission she had completed for the glory of her Master's Empire was clear now. She knew she had been right in pronouncing sentence. Mara was simply following orders. Evidence had been collected and her master had given her instructions. The beings she killed deserved to die. But now her purpose was gone. The Empire was nothing without its Emperor. Just as the Emperor's Han was useless without a body. But she would have revenge. Skywalker would die.

Mara came out of her meditation gasping for breath. Her memory had returned but she wasn't relieved. She now felt as if she was two people inhabiting a single body. The Emperor's Hand was battling the woman she had become and Mara didn't know who would win. Her mind screamed at her to kill Luke and love him at the same time. Unable to do anything more, Mara simply wrapped her arms around her legs and drew herself into a ball. Part of her wanted to cry while another part of her mind cried out at her to never show weakness. Perhaps she was right. Maybe it was better not to know the truth, but it was too late now. The Emperor's Hand had returned and wasn't going anywhere.


	21. Ch 20 Dangerous Mind

Chapter 20: Dangerous Mind

Luke stood in the corridor, hesitant to make his presence known to the woman behind the door before him. Ever since returning from his last mission, Mara had become detached and cold toward him. At first, Luke thought she may be angry about leaving her alone while he went out to fight, but the impersonal and almost hostile responses he was continuing to receive from Mara gave him the impression that something more was bothering her.

Luke wished that she would just tell him what was wrong. He wanted to help her and she knew that, but she could be more stubborn than a gundark about doing things herself. Luke began to wonder if Mara had possibly regained her full memory and was now reconsidering her association with him, but he had no way to be sure. If he really wanted to, Luke knew he could pull Mara's surface thoughts from her mind with the Force, but that was dangerously close to the Dark Side and he refused to violate her in such a way. All Luke could really do was to continue to be supportive and hope things were better when he returned from his upcoming mission.

Finally regaining his confidence and tapped on the door to Mara's cabin before hitting the activation pad. He knew perfectly well that she would try to ignore him as she had been every day since he got back and wasn't about to waste time convincing her to let him in. Mara glanced at Luke from the corner of her eye with a hard expression on her face, but didn't say anything. Instead, she went back to reviewing whatever was on the datapad in her hand. "I have to head out on another mission."

Mara turned a single eye to Luke in response, but once again went back to her datapad without a word. Not willing to concede so easily, Luke stepped further into the room and tried to place himself in Mara's line of sight. Mara simply looked up at Luke with a glare as she put down her datapad. She folded her arms across her chest and continued to silently watch Luke stand in front of her. Realizing Mara was going to listen but not talk, Luke continued to speak. "I'll probably be gone for a week. I'm sorry to do this to you again, but they need me out there. They need a Jedi on this one if they're going to stand any chance."

Luke thought he may have seen a flash of worry from Mara before her face turned to stone once more. He chastised himself for hallucinating. Mara was probably more irritated that he was leaving again than worried about whether he would return safely. "I'll probably be gone for a week. Will you be fine on your own?"

Mara narrowed her eyes further at Luke's comment, unsure whether to be insulted or relieved that Luke was concerned about her ability to handle things without him. "I can take care of myself."

Realizing that this conversation was getting him nowhere, Luke made his way to the room's exit, but stopped just as he opened the door and turned around. He stood silently for a moment before Mara finally turned her head slightly to let him know she was listening. "If you do need anything while I'm gone, go to Leia. She'll take care of it. And Mara, may the Force be with you." Luke stood in the doorway for a moment, considering saying more, but, ultimately, decided against it.

As soon as the door shut behind Luke, Mara tossed the empty datapad at her side across the room, shattering it against the opposite wall. With her conflicted emotions, it took all the willpower Mara had to put on a front for Luke. Mara knew now that she had to leave him. She had done her best to distance herself from the Jedi, but he ignored her icy demeanor. The only way Mara would have peace was to remove herself from the source of her conflict. She had to leave Luke.

Mara held her head as the Emperor's last command rang through her head once more, violently renewing the battle between the conflicting urges to kill the Jedi and love the man. She lay down on her side and curled into a ball, wanting to escape. What she had known during her time as the Emperor's Hand and what she had seen following her amnesia didn't make sense. Her master had told her of the Jedi killer. Luke had even taken up arms with Vader to destroy the man. How could this be the same innocent soul who had nursed her back to health on Naboo?

Mara knew that she was being deceived, but by who? The Emperor wasn't beyond manipulation, but, without him, she was nothing. Luke, on the other hand, she had only known for a short time. For all she knew, he was simply playing her for a fool as a part of his bid for power. He already had the New Republic military worshipping him. It wouldn't take much to mobilize the troops under his banner and take the galaxy for himself. Mara didn't know what to believe anymore. She had been naïve and vulnerable on Naboo, but, for some reason, those few memories held as much weight in her mind as her entire life with the Emperor.

Rolling to face the ceiling, Mara simply stared at the polished, white surface above her in am attempt to clear her mind. She considered calling on the Force for answers, but she was hesitant. The Force had gotten her into this mess. Why would she expect the solution to lie in the very thing that caused her troubles?

Feeling restless, Mara shifted to sit on the edge of the bed and then got up and began pacing the room. She was on her own as it was meant to be. Mara Jade didn't need anyone else. She would live her own life away from the influence of those who could use her abilities in the Force to their own ends. With that thought, Mara went to the room's small closet and pulled out a bag. It was time to start over. Alone. It was better this way, for both of them. Mara Jade would just have to forget the day she ever heard the name Luke Skywalker.


	22. Ch 21 Bitter Return

Chapter 21: Bitter Return

Luke stood in the center of his cabin, holding the bridge of his nose. He hadn't been able to find Mara since he had returned from his mission and since he wasn't even able to locate her using the Force, he was beginning to fear the worst. Something had gone wrong while he was gone. Luke stifled a small curse as he brushed his hands through his hair. He never should have left without making an attempt to make Mara open up. Even if he was unsuccessful, at least he would have made an attempt.

No longer wanting to stand, Luke walked across the room and simply fell onto the bed. He continued to lie there, staring at the ceiling, for close to an hour. During his mission, Luke had come to the conclusion that the only way things would work between Mara and him would be if he was completely open about everything. As soon as he had returned, Luke had gone straight to her cabin, ready to bare his soul, but the room was barren and empty. Mara was gone. He had made his decision too late. Luke had made a futile attempt at locating her anyway, but he knew deep down that she had left him.

Luke was finally roused from his depressed thoughts when he heard the door to his cabin hiss open. As the glowpanels in the ceiling were turned up, Luke squinted and covered his eyes with his hand. After his eyes finally adjusted to the brightness of the room, Luke turned his head to face the door. As he expected, he found Leia looking both angry and worried. In his depression, he had completely forgotten to let her know he was back. "She's gone."

Leia was surprised at Luke's response to her entrance. Normally, he would have been begging for forgiveness, swearing that he wouldn't forget to let her know he was safe ever again. This time, however, she knew there was something more. And her brother's words told Leia just what that something was. The heartbroken look on Luke's face caused any anger Leia may have had toward her brother to vanish. Luke needed his sister's support, not her criticism. "I know. She left right after you did."

Luke sat up in his bed, surprised at his sister's comment. She had seen Mara leave and hadn't done anything? "You saw her leave?"

"Yes. She said she had talked to you and asked me to get her clearance to leave. I thought you knew." The sad look on Luke's face told Leia that she had assumed wrong. Mara hadn't told Luke she was leaving at all and Leia hadn't even thought to question the woman. Looking at her distraught brother, Leia swore that the red haired woman would get a piece of her mind and possibly even her fist if they ever met again.

Finally, Luke shook his head. Not only had Mara left him, but she had lied to his sister in order to get away from him. She had chosen the easy path and ran away rather than facing her troubles. Luke only hoped that she found whatever she was looking for out there. He wanted to be mad at Mara, but he didn't have it in his heart to do so. Obviously, they just weren't meant to be.

Seeing a tear stream down her brother's face, Leia quickly crossed the room and pulled him to her. She couldn't believe that she hadn't thought to second guess Mara when she said Luke had been fine with her leaving. In fact, she hadn't even been sure that the woman was doing any more than a quick run. She had let Luke's trust in the woman sway her judgment and now Luke was hurting. Leia felt like a fool. "I'm sorry."

Luke choked on his words a few times before he was finally able to let his sister know he didn't blame her. None of this was her fault. He should have known better than to open himself up again. No woman would be able to live with him. It would be better to accept now that he was meant to live a life without that kind of love. He would have to find a purpose in other things.

The twins simply held each other for an unknown amount of time until their attention was drawn away by the sound of the door opening. Han's usual smirk quickly faded when he saw the evidence of stray tears on Leia's face as well as the bloodshot eyes of his best friend. He had come at a bad time. "What happened?"

Luke just turned to stare blankly at the floor as Leia brought Han up to speed. When Leia finished filling him in, Han brought a hand through his hair, not knowing what to say to his friend. Finally, he simple crouched down and met Luke's eyes. "If you need anything, I'm here for you Kid."

Luke simply nodded and tried to give Han a smile in gratitude, but he wasn't able to fully form the expression with his mouth. Han rose with a smirk and turned to face Leia. "I'll go tell the Admiral Luke won't be at the briefing. They sent me looking for him after he ignored his comlink."

Leia was about to agree with Han when Luke shot up from the bed and started to gather his things. He wasn't about to let his current mood keep him from making a difference. Luke pocketed his blinking comlink, already knowing what messages were awaiting him and marched out of the room, leaving a stunned Han and Leia behind him.

---

Luke sat in the back of the briefing room, keeping his gaze fixed on the holo of Coruscant dominating his field of vision. The Empire was in retreat, but in order to establish themselves as the rightful government in the galaxy, the New Republic would have to retake the capital. That would not be an easy task, however, since the Imperials had a massive defense system on the planet which would make getting troops and ships to the surface nearly impossible. Therefore, they would need to send in commandos to infiltrate the defensive positions with the help of the local resistance cells and take them out when the fleet arrives.

With the progress Admiral Ackbar's fleet was making along the Hydian Way, the time to begin their infiltration of the Imperial capital was close at hand. The New Republic had the plan and the means to retake the capital. Now it was time to execute their strategy. General Madine stepped forward to look for volunteers to infiltrate Coruscant. "As I'm sure you know, it will not be easy to enter the closely guarded capital undetected. There are many risks associated with getting on the planet, meeting your contacts and, ultimately, taking out the ground based defenses. Therefore, we are looking for volunteers to for this mission. I can't promise that you will return, but your service will never be forgotten."

A low murmur came over the room following the General's short speech. Finally, a single voice could be made out over the low rumble of soldiers and pilots. Luke Skywalker's voice. "I'll go."

All faces turned to look upon the first man to volunteer for the mission as the Jedi stood tall, hoping to inspire others to do the same. Luke made it a point to avoid meeting eyes with his sister since he could feel her anger and frustration with his decision through the Force. Many others were surprised to see Luke volunteer for a commando mission since he was best known for his skills as a pilot. General Madine chose to address that very issue as he watched the Jedi stand at the back of the room. "Commander Skywalker, wouldn't your skills be better used in the battle above Coruscant?"

"With all due respect, I am a trained Jedi Knight. I have an advantage in stealth over most. I can get in and out of the worst of the situations with less risk. And the space battle will be for nothing if we are unable to eliminate the planetary defense grid."

The General nodded, accepting Luke's arguments. Skywalker would have his way. Madine turned to face the rest of the now silent briefing room. "Any other volunteers?"

---

Following the briefing, Luke made his way quickly down the corridors of _Home One_, but he wasn't fast enough as he felt a hand capture his right arm and then another catch his left. Stopped with a jerk, Luke turned to face the couple detaining him. Leia was furious as Luke expected and Han just seemed curious. Obviously, he wanted to know why Luke had volunteered for the Coruscant mission.

Luke stood silently in the middle of the corridor, waiting for his sister's inevitable outburst. She wouldn't understand. No one did. This was something he had to do. It was his duty as a Jedi Knight to be a guardian of peace and justice and this would allow him to do both. And focusing on his work would allow him to dull the pain. He needed something to motivate him and now he had it.

Leia did not keep Luke waiting long before he found a finger in his face and a shouting princess in front of him. "What the hell are you thinking! You don't have to single handedly fight this war yourself. You can do so much more with your life and you're willing to throw it away on the most dangerous mission you can find!"

"I've made my decision and that's final. I don't have to explain my every move."

Luke turned to leave, but his arm was once more caught by his sister before he could leave. He didn't turn back around, but Luke cocked his head to the side to look at Leia once more. She held Han's hand in support as the smuggler remained uncharacteristically silent. He didn't want to get between the twins and Luke could see the conflict in his eyes. Luke knew that Han would still support him even if he didn't agree with his decision. The same could not be said for Leia.

Leia glared up at her brother, frustrated with his stubbornness. Apparently, it was a family trait since they both had more than enough. "Luke, running from your problems isn't going to help anything. I know you're hurting, but you can't let it cloud your better judgment."

Luke's face softened for a moment as he considered Leia's words. He wouldn't find peace going to Coruscant, but he still had to go. Luke didn't know why, but the Force was guiding him to the Imperial capital and this was something he had to do. He may be running, but he was going somewhere. Luke just didn't know where. Luke's face hardened up once more as he turned to leave his sister. "May the Force be with you."

Leia did not try to stop her brother again, instead sinking against Han's chest as he pulled her towards him. Now all she could do was hope that her brother would come back to her someday.


	23. Ch 22 Life Goes On

Chapter 22: Life Goes On

As Mara guided the _Emerald Dawn _into the hangar she had secured on Brentaal, she couldn't help but once again feel a pang of guilt. She knew that she had essentially stolen Luke's ship even if the Jedi probably wouldn't even miss it, but she wouldn't have been able to leave the fleet any other way. Somehow, Mara swore she would make it up to Luke even if she would never see him again. But first, she would need to take care of herself.

Mara soon shut down the transport and locked up both the ship and the hangar in spite of the relative security of the spaceport. Ship thieves weren't prevalent on Brentaal given its position near the Core. The planet was urban and prosperous due to the fact that it laid at the intersection of the Hydian Way and Perlemian Trade Route. The thriving shipping lanes it provided to the galactic capital allowed the system to collect the funds it needed to maintain tight security. Mara knew there wasn't harm in being too careful, however.

With the few credits she had, Mara acquired a pair of small blasters with matching wrist holsters. Even if she knew more ways than she could count to kill a man with her bare hands, Mara saw no reason to go unarmed. After strapping the weapons on, Mara started to make her way through the streets near the spaceport. If she wanted to avoid spending her nights in the _Emerald Dawn_ and her days scrounging for food, Mara knew she would need to find work.

Luck proved to be on Mara's side when she quickly found a tapcafe with a sign looking for help hanging outside. It wasn't the best job, but Mara knew firsthand how well inebriated patrons tipped and it would get her going until something better came along. Making her way into the smoke filled establishment, Mara made a quick check of her surrounding and pulled up the hood of her cloak as she spotted an obvious Imperial intelligence agent sitting in the corner of the room. She didn't know if Ysarde was still after her following her departure from Naboo, but Mara saw no need to find out.

Mara finally let the hood of her cloak drop and made her way to the bar when the spy slipped out of the tapcafe with what she could only assume was his contact. She took a seat at the bar and the bartender soon found his way to her place. "What can I get you, young lady?"

Mara wanted to roll her eyes at the old man's comment, but instead forced her mouth into a tight smile. "I saw a sign out front that said you were looking for help. Is that still valid?"

The old man gave her a broad smile as he reached below the bar. Mara soon found an empty tray in front of her. Apparently, help was not easy to come by around here. "Give me a name and I'll give you a job."

Mara gave the old man a genuine smile this time as she extended one hand to accept the man's offer as she took the tray in her other. She wasn't about to let her real name get out, however, but the old man, didn't know any better. It was safer for him this way anyway. If he didn't know anything, no one could force the information out of him. "Chiara Lorn. And thank you."

"You're welcome, Chiara." Seconds later, Mara found her tray full as she went to serve a mixed species group in the back corner of the bar. Mara's day quickly passed as she filled orders while keeping a low profile from the various spies from both the Empire and the Republic that moved through the place like a revolving door. Mara began to question whether this was the best place to be working, but she found herself rather adept at picking up bits and pieces of information from both sides. She liked being in the know and as long as no one recognized her, she planned to keep it that way.

In the late evening hours, Mara sat down as the old man finally kicked out a rather rowdy pair of Duros to empty the tapcafe. Mara stretched out her back as the old man started to count the day's take. He soon counted out a pile of credits and pushed it in Mara's direction. "Here's your first day's pay. Something tells me you need it now. So, do you still want the job?"

Mara pocketed the stack of credits. It wasn't much but it would get her what she needed. Of course, it looked like she would still be stuck sleeping on the _Emerald Dawn _considering the late hour. Finding a more permanent place to stay would just have to wait until the next day. "Thank you. I'll be back tomorrow."

Mara turned to leave, but was stopped as the old man spoke up once more. "Do you have a place to stay for the night?"

"I can use the cabin on the ship I came in on."

The old man stepped out from behind the bar after locking up the day's earnings. "That won't do at all. Come. I own a few small apartments in the building next door and one happens to be free. Don't worry about the rent. I prefer to know my help will be in on time."

Mara took a few quick steps to catch up to the old man as he made his way out of the back door of the tapcafe. "You really don't have to do this. I can pay my own way."

The old man simply turned and smiled as he walked across the small alleyway between the tapcafe and the small apartment building. "I don't doubt that you can, but just humor an old man."

Mara shook her head, knowing that this was an argument that wasn't worth the effort. She followed the old man up a set of stairs and into the small apartment. It wasn't much, but she didn't need much. She had a bed, a fresher, a small food prep area and a holonet receiver. It would be plenty to get her on her feet until a better opportunity came along. Mara dropped her bag on the floor and gave the old man a smile. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. I'll be seeing you at opening tomorrow."

Mara cocked an eyebrow at the man's statement. Opening time at a typical tapcafe wasn't very early. "And just when is that?"

The old man gave Mara a small wink as he opened the door to exit the apartment. "1200 hours. Sleep well, Chiara. Good night."

"Good night." When the door closed behind the old man, Mara snapped her wrists and placed her blasters on the small table by the bed. She knew that she should be tired since she hadn't slept in nearly three days, but sleep hadn't come easy to her recently. Thoughts of Luke and her late master had prevented her from falling asleep and dreams of both had prevented that sleep from giving her the rest she needed. Taking a deep breath in hopes of keeping her stressful emotions from coming out once more, Mara ran a hand through her hair. Feeling all the knots, Mara decided that a shower was just what she needed to relax.

A real water shower was a joy to Mara after the sonic showers she had endured during her past few weeks in space. Mara exited the fresher feeling more relaxed than she thought was possible. She turned on the holonet receiver, but managed to tune out the news report that was coming through as she drifted off to sleep. She was soon tossing in her bed under the glow of holographic images as a war raged on in her mind once more.


	24. Ch 23 The Lone Jedi

Chapter 23: The Lone Jedi

Luke pulled the hood of his cloak up, allowing his features to be completely obscured by shadows, before stepping back out onto the streets of Coruscant. Properly, Luke was on Imperial Center, but he was refusing to call it that. The Empire had died with the Emperor and its remnants would not be able to hold off the inevitable. That was part of why Luke was here. The liberation of Coruscant would send a clear signal to the rest of the galaxy that the New Republic was in control and there to stay. But first, Luke had a mission to complete.

Sparing a glimpse at the massive structure on the horizon, Luke pulled his cloak around him and made his way across the busy walkway. After the mission team and parameters had been set, Luke had volunteered to take on the most heavily guarded of the defensive positions. He was going to take down the defenses for the Imperial Palace itself. The rest of the team had paired off to join up with the various resistance cells on the planet-sized city to secure objectives scattered throughout the galactic capital. However, Luke had insisted that he could handle this one on his own and that he was best suited for the most dangerous work. After all, he was a Jedi. No one else stood a real chance at infiltrating the palace defenses and surviving.

Noting a couple walking down the street giving him a little too much attention, Luke made a subtle gesture with his hand and the pair soon looked away. His face was still recognizable from Imperial most wanted lists and the reward offered for his capture remained substantial in spite of the course of the war. With the widespread belief that he had been the one to kill the Emperor, Luke thought it best to avoid drawing any attention to himself. The risk of coming across a greedy opportunist or Imperial loyalist was too great. Briefly clouding a few minds with the Force would go a long way to keeping his anonymity.

The familiar whine of ion engines brought Luke's attention to the night sky as a pair of TIE fighters patrolled the sky above him. Ever since he had stepped foot on the planet, Luke had noticed a sense of urgency among the Imperials. The Empire seemed to know that its days were numbered and was starting to get desperate in its attempts to maintain control. The constant stormtrooper patrols and TIE flybys told Luke just how they planned to do that. They were still trying to rule by fear and hoping to keep down any revolt by the citizenry as the Republic fleet drew closer. The effectiveness of the Imperial military at keeping celebrations from occurring after Endor told him all he needed to know there. When the time came, Luke was sure they would have help from the people of Coruscant in one way or another.

After surreptitiously checking behind him to insure that he still wasn't being followed, Luke stepped into the cantina where he was to meet his contact from the nearby resistance cell. Luke had no plans to take the local freedom fighters with him to complete his mission regardless of how eager they would be to do so. The intelligence they could provide would be invaluable in planning, however, so Luke had agreed to meet them anyway. Perhaps, they could create a diversion for him when the time came.

Luke exited the small hallway leading into the main room of the small cantina and took a quick survey of his surroundings. The place seemed rather empty considering how busy the nearby streets were, but the pungent smell of ale well past its prime told Luke the likely reason for the establishment's absence of patrons. The lack of company was probably why this location was chosen for the meeting in the first place. After a second look through the smoky room, Luke identified his contact sitting in the corner of the room. As he continued to make his way across the room, Luke couldn't help but feel that something was off.

Luke's suspicions were confirmed as he stopped short at a warning in the Force blasted him. Noticing Luke's sudden halt, his contact whipped out a blaster pistol and trained it on Luke. Realizing that he had just walked into a setup, Luke started to check each of the exits he had found during his initial survey of the cantina. He found no easy escape route, however, as stormtroopers were entering at all points. Luke immediately hit the emergency relay on his comlink so that the others would know his mission had been compromised and scanned the room, assessing the situation. Not seeing another option, Luke snapped on his lightsaber and turned to face his nearest foe: the man who had set him up in the first place.

Panic was clear on the face of Luke's betrayer as he saw a lightsaber slowly making its way toward him. Not knowing what else to do, the man fired a volley of shots at the approaching Jedi. The blaster bolts soon met with Luke's emerald blade, however, and the man was felled by the very shots meant to defend him. With his first foe dealt with, Luke turned his attention to the first group of stormtroopers coming toward him.

Luke's lightsaber was a green blur as he stood his ground against the wall of blaster bolts coming his way. Obviously, Imperial training did not include the proper technique for dealing with a Jedi since the stormtroopers still came at him without going for cover. Not having a choice as the Imperial troops moved to encircle him, Luke was soon sending each blaster bolt that had come his way back at the advancing troops. If he could get the stormtroopers to go for cover, he would have a chance to make a break for it in the ensuing crossfire.

The Imperial troops refused to back down, however, and Luke was beginning to wonder just how expendable the Empire considered their soldiers. In fact, he was beginning to wonder if the stream of armor clad troops would ever cease. Luke called on the Force to bolster his tiring arms as he continued to move his lightsaber in front of him with uncanny ability. The extra boost of Force energy allowed Luke to realize just what the troops were doing. They hadn't taken cover because that was what he wanted. Luke then realized that they were firing at low power but not taking advantage of the extra firing capacity that change allowed. The wanted Luke to think they were going for the kill when the worst any of the bolts would do was form a stinging burn. The stormtroopers were there to keep him in one place, but Luke didn't know why.

The reason soon became apparent, however, as a fog began to pour out of the building's ventilation system. Inside their armor, the stormtroopers were safe from the effects of the gas, but their Jedi foe was not so fortunate. Luke wanted to attempt a leap over the heads of the squad of troops before the gas dulled his senses, but some of the fumes had already reached him. As he started to stumble from his attempted overexertion, Luke called on the Force to filter the gas from his body and fight off unconsciousness. His mind was too groggy to process his command, however, and Luke felt himself fall to the ground. His lightsaber switched off as it rolled out of his hand and Luke no longer had the power to stay awake as the gloved hand of an Imperial officer retrieved his weapon from the floor.


	25. Ch 24 Worry

Chapter 24: Worry

As she made her way through the tapcafe to deliver a round of drinks, Mara stopped suddenly. Something was wrong. The Force was warning her of danger, but it was weak. Mara made a brief scan of the room as she finished making her way across the room to deliver the drinks. Soon, she realized that the sensation she was feeling in the Force was not directed at her. It was more diffuse, as if it was being sent to her unknowingly by someone else. But who could possibly be able to send her such thoughts? The Emperor was dead and that bond had shattered months ago.

As Mara reached the bar to retrieve another order, she froze. Luke. Luke was the only one who could have sent something to her. But why? And how? He didn't even know where she was and he had never established a link with her like the Emperor had. There was no way and no reason Luke's thoughts or feelings would be reaching her. If he was in danger, surely he would reach out to his sister or someone with the resources to get him out of trouble. As the weak sensation of danger faded away, Mara shook her head. Her mind was playing tricks on her during the day again.

"Is everything okay?" Mara's head shot up at the sound of her boss's voice just in front of her. She realized that she had been standing at the bar with a pale expression on her face for far too long. Mara quickly loaded up her tray with the drinks in front of her.

"I'm fine. My mind was just wandering for a moment there." Mara chastised herself for allowing her mind to wander for so long. Distractions like that could get her killed if she let them continue. She was supposed to be trying to forget Luke, not convincing herself she was in danger. If she had felt Luke, it was probably because he was engaged in one of the nearby skirmishes. The Republic fleet was poised to take Brentaal in its drive toward the galactic capital.

Of course, this meant that Mara now had to worry that Luke would find her here. Mara tightened her mental shields reflexively, trying to dampen her presence in the Force. She didn't know what would happen if Luke ever found her and she didn't know if she wanted to. Just thinking about him was enough to renew the conflict in her mind. Mara feared the violent reaction that was bound to follow seeing him in person once more. She didn't know if she could control herself and it was best for both of them if she never had to test herself like that.

Mara managed to keep her worried mind at bay as she continued through her long shift. She kept up an even mood in spite of the gnawing doubts that plagued her subconscious. The last thing Mara needed was for her boss and landlord to think she was crazy. However, with the New Republic fleet closing in, perhaps it was time for Mara to move on. The presence of the military personnel on the surface would only increase her chances of being spotted.

Mara put thoughts of finding new work and leaving Brentaal out of her mind as she walked up the stairs to her apartment. There was no use worrying about things that hadn't happened. And most of the New Republic military didn't even know of her. All she would have to do was keep away from Luke's friends. And considering how highly placed they were, the odds of them even reaching the surface were slim to none. In fact, she was likely to have more trouble leaving the system than it was worth with the heightened security measures. Mara would just keep out of sight. She was trained to deal with worse.

After a small meal and a shower, Mara sat down in hopes of relaxing for the rest of the night until sleep finally came. Mara flipped on the holoreceiver, but the only decent programming on at this time of night was the news. Leaving on one of the news programs, Mara leaned back in her chair. She continued listening to the journalist who was reporting, but kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"And in other news, rumors have been spreading around Imperial Center that Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard is holding a high ranking member of the New Republic military for questioning after a failed attempt at sabotage. Sources at the Imperial Palace will neither confirm nor deny these reports, but the heightened security around the seat of galactic power would seem to lend credence to these rumors. It is widely believed that the suspected prisoner is being interrogated by Isard herself in order to determine the Rebellion's plan to invade Imperial Center."

Mara tuned out the rest of the report as she rolled her eyes. The filtered Imperial news feeds could be ridiculous. However, if the rumors were true, Mara could only hope the prisoner made Isard look like the overconfident fool she was. In fact, Mara wouldn't mind giving the woman a piece of her mind and a blaster bolt to the gut for all the trouble she had caused her after the Emperor's death. At least Mara could take comfort in the fact Isard would soon be deposed in the upcoming attack by the New Republic forces. The Empire was overmatched tactically with the loss of the Emperor and would never last. The taking of Coruscant would seal the Empire's demise.

Mara was surprised to not find herself saddened at the inevitable end of the Empire she had served so loyally for so many years. But she hadn't really served the Empire. Mara had been loyal to the Emperor himself. Without its head, the Empire was nothing. It didn't matter who was in charge of the galaxy at this point, but Mara found a small part of her pulling for the New Republic for Luke's sake. He had given so much to the war effort and he deserved to be happy. If a victory on their part would give him that then she wanted it too.

This line of thinking once more sparked a war in Mara's mind. Both sides wanted her to seek out Luke, but each for its own purpose and this was exactly why Mara had to stay away from him. Giving in to one side would inevitably kill the other and take a part of herself with it. Mara let out a long sigh and turned off the holoreceiver, no longer interested in the words of the holojournalists. She had her own worries to deal with now.

Mara lay down in her bed, but knew that sleep would not come anytime soon. Instead, she took a deep breath to relax her body and mind. Mara soon found herself drifting into the Force even though she hadn't even been attempting to meditate. The energy she was feeling was comforting, however, so Mara allowed herself to go with the flow. The streams of the Force soon became more turbulent though and Mara soon found herself in a vision. She saw Luke, alone in a small, dark room that she recognized as a prison cell in the Imperial palace. He just stared forward without an emotion on his face, his blue eyes lacking their usual spark. Luke appeared as if he had lost the will to go on. Mara's eyes snapped open as the vision cut off, but the image of his hollow blue eyes refused to leave her.

Mara sat up in the bed and ran a hand through her hair, trying to make sense out of what she had seen. She immediately thought of the news report she had heard earlier, but Mara wrote that off as a possibility. Luke was a pilot, not a commando. He would be with the fleet, not on Coruscant where he could be captured by the Empire.

Mara cursed her overactive imagination as she lay back down in her bed. She was reading into things to much. Mara had no way of knowing whether or not this was a Force vision. She was already running on little sleep and her overworked nerves weren't helping either. What Mara really needed was sleep. Mara closed her eyes and tried to will herself into a slumber, but the sight of Luke's dull eyes kept returning. Mara finally opened her eyes and remained lying in her bed in the darkened apartment. Once again, a peaceful sleep would elude her.


	26. Ch 25 Trapped

Chapter 25: Trapped

Pain throbbed throughout Luke's body moments before he stirred within his cell in the Imperial palace. He tried to open his eyes, but the aftereffects of the gas which had brought him down and the stun bolts that had insured he stayed that way were making even such a simple task difficult. Simply breathing felt like lifting the weight of a bantha on Luke's chest. Luke ceased his attempts to move and instead brought his mind out of its haze. Once he felt lucid, Luke did what came naturally and called on the Force to rejuvenate his weary body.

A few moments later, Luke was finally able to open his eyes and breathe normally. He took a quick survey of the small cell he was in and found it more sterile than even he would have suspected. The durasteel walls and ceiling showed no visible seams, as if they had been forged as a single piece. The only surfaces distinguishable from the rest were wall holding the cell door and the ceiling with its small, dim glowpanels. Luke reached out to test the lock and discovered that it did not respond to the Force. Letting out a long breath that sounded like a weak moan, Luke rose to a sitting position on the durasteel floor. He had really outdone himself this time.

Luke sat alone in his cell, creating, evaluating and rejecting possible escape scenarios. Weaponless and imprisoned in what he could only assume were the depths of the Imperial Palace was about as bad as it could get, even for a Jedi. Luke once more rejected the idea of creating a fissure in the wall with the Force as likely to take too much out of him to even consider escape when he heard the faint sound of boots clicking outside the cell. He turned his attention to the door of the cell and watched with narrow eyes as he sensed a squad of Imperials stop just outside of it. Apparently, it was time for his interrogation.

After a long moment staring at the plain door and trying to formulate a new escape plan, Luke was taken off guard by a sudden brightening of the lights in his cell. Luke was forced to bring up a hand to shade his eyes as the door opened to reveal a pair of stormtroopers followed by an Imperial officer as well as a second pair of stormtroopers remaining on guard outside the cell. When Luke's vision finally adjusted to the light, his attention immediately turned to the Imperial officer, ignoring the stormtroopers.

The white streak of hair and mismatched blue and red eyes told Luke everything he needed to know about the women in front of him. He was dealing with the Director of Imperial Intelligence herself. Luke had his work cut out for him if he wanted to deal with the infamous 'Iceheart.' Ysanne Isard would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, but Luke wasn't about to let this woman break him. He had to hold out hope that he would last until help could arrive.

The silence in the small cell was broken when Isard finally brought herself into the middle of the room and surveyed Luke as she turned his lightsaber in her right hand. "I expected it to be more of a challenge to bring down the great Rebel Jedi. You disappoint me, Skywalker."

Luke just remained seated on the floor of the cell. He wasn't about to let this woman bait him so easily. He was a Jedi. Luke simply had to remain calm and trust in the Force. And if his time to become one with the Force came earlier than he would prefer, Luke would just have to accept that. He had gotten himself into this mess and he would deal with the consequences. Luke couldn't help but eye the now closed door of the cell, however. He wouldn't die trapped in some prison cell if he found a chance to escape.

Isard saw Luke look from the lightsaber she was holding and then to the door behind her. She had heard the Skywalker was reckless, but surely he didn't think he could escape unaided. Isard firmed her grip on the man's weapon and stared down the Jedi before her. "The Emperor built these cells just for Jedi prisoners like you. None of your little tricks will get you out of here and they won't work on me either, so don't think you're getting this back. I like my souvenir."

Luke continued to stare at the door of the cell, still refusing to respond to the woman before him. He didn't know what she hoped to accomplish, but his presumed interrogator was getting nowhere with her current path. She obviously didn't know how to deal with a Jedi if she thought a few words would be enough to get his angry.

"Things will go easily for you if you just go along. Just tell me what I want to know and, at the very least, I'll insure you a painless execution."

Luke was tempted to laugh at the woman's statement. She didn't even bother claiming that he would live through the ordeal. And Luke never did things the easy way. It wasn't in his nature. Tilting his head up, Luke finally met Isard's cold stare with one of his own. "And if I decide I don't feel like cooperating?"

"I'll get what I want one way or another. Just remember, you had a choice." At that, Isard hit a button on the comlink clipped to her belt. The door hissed open a few moments later and an interrogation droid floated into the room. Luke watched the black sphere float toward him with a syringe exposed on the side and couldn't help but recall Leia's teary recollection of her time on the first Death Star. Clenching his fists, Luke looked up at his jailer with his jaw set. If his sister had the strength to survive this experience without giving up her secrets, Luke could do the same.

"I wouldn't be so sure of myself if I were you. I know all about pain. Both taking it and inflicting it."

Luke couldn't help but be slightly unnerved by the smile that formed on Isard's face. That was not the sort of reaction he expected. Apparently, she was even colder than her reputation made her out to be. "It looks like we have something in common then. Let's see who truly knows pain better."


	27. Ch 26 Spark

Chapter 26: Spark

Bursts of spark and flame sporadically appeared in the sky above Brentaal as clean up operations from the battle to liberate the system continued. Mara gave a brief look at the sight of another piece of debris burning up as it streaked through the planets atmosphere as she made her way from her apartment to begin her shift. The battle had ended the day before with the New Republic taking control of the planet from the Empire.

When the battle had begun, Mara had found her thoughts constantly returning to Luke. She found herself constantly wondering if he was piloting one of the X-Wings that kept streaking through the sky. Each time one of the New Republic fighters streaked across the sky, Mara instinctively reached out with the Force to see if it was Luke. None of them were, however. Mara kept trying to tell herself that this was for the best. Things could only go badly if she saw him again. Unless she could learn to control the Emperor's last command, Mara would remain a threat to Luke.

Rather than take her mind down a dangerous path once more, Mara shook off her thoughts of Luke and entered the back door of the tapcafe. After a simple hello to the old man behind the bar, Mara grabbed a tray and set to work. After the days of battle, business was brisk as the residents of Brentaal finally made their way back out of their homes. Mara was happy for the crowd since it kept her busy and even happier about the good mood of the patrons since the tips were even more generous than usual. Liberation from the Empire had done wonders for the mood of Brentaal's citizens. An incompetent Imperial governor could grate on the populace after a while.

Mara was standing at the bar waiting for her latest order to be filled when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She didn't know why someone would bother her for a drink when they were already at the bar, but it wouldn't hurt to humor them. When Mara turned around, she quickly realized that a drink was not what the person wanted. Mara quickly realized that someone from the New Republic military must have recognized her during at some point when she found Leia Organa glaring up at her with her arms folded across her chest. Solo and his Wookiee companion flanked her and seemed equally irritated with Mara. Mara half expected Luke to come up from behind them and complete the group, but the Jedi never came. The two women quickly became the center of attention as they continued to stare each other down.

Leia was the one to finally break the silence as her finger snapped up to point accusingly at Mara. "Do you have any idea what you did to my brother when you left!"

It took every bit of willpower Mara had to keep down the pangs of guilt which rose anew at Leia's angry question. Mara had no doubt that Luke hadn't taken her departure well and, judging by Leia's reaction, Luke was in even worse shape than Mara had expected. It could explain why his friends and sister had come to confront her rather than Luke himself. But none of them understood. She was doing what was best for them. Mara was a danger to Luke. Before Mara could defend herself, however, the princess stepped forward with a mixture of anger, fear and sadness in her eyes that Mara couldn't understand. "I should have let those two come alone with fully charged blasters after the state you left him, but Luke wouldn't have wanted that."

Mara was tempted to inform Leia just what would have happened if the pair behind her did try to come at her with blasters, but bit her tongue. Leia didn't need to know anything about her past and Mara didn't owe this woman any explanations. Luke deserved to know the real reason why Mara left, but not his sister. Someday, once the blow would be softer for both, Mara would be sure to tell Luke the truth so he understood that she did it for him. "It was for the best."

Turning around to pick up the now full tray behind her, Mara felt a hand grab her arm. Mara spun around and was about to let the princess know just what she was capable of, but stopped short. The expression on Leia's face hadn't changed much, but the fear in her eyes was clearer now. It reminded Mara of the way her own had looked when she left. Leia was afraid for Luke and that worried Mara. "Mara, can we talk somewhere in private?"

Mara looked up at the silent sentries behind the princess and knew that it wasn't really a request. They would be talking in private on way or another. After a moment's hesitation, Mara gestured toward the door leading to the back room of the tapcafe. Mara watched the trio file into the room behind her, but the space remained silent. The princess was afraid of something and all three were being uncharacteristically hesitant. Most likely, they didn't trust her and Mara couldn't say she blamed them. She didn't even trust herself where Luke was concerned.

"After you left, Luke went on a mission to Coruscant." Mara raised an eyebrow at Leia's statement. That wasn't the type of mission she would expect Luke to go on, but it would explain his absence. The look on Leia's face told Mara there was more to this, however.

"He was part of an advance commando team going in to sabotage the planetary defense grid. Luke decided to deal with the palace defenses alone. He was set up and now he's been take prisoner."

Mara's eyes went wide and she clenched her fists as she tried to remain composed. The look on Leia's face told Mara what was left unspoken. Luke had agreed to this mission because he was still distraught over her leaving. "How could he be so stupid!"

The other occupants of the room jerked slightly at the sounds of Mara's fist impacting the durasteel wall, but Mara didn't even look at her hand. She knew Luke wouldn't take her leaving well, but joining a suicidal mission was not what she had expected. Mara didn't know what she expected out of Luke, but that surely wasn't it. As her thoughts began to slow down, Mara ran a hand through her hair and ignored the stares of the other occupants of the room.

This whole situation was her fault. Luke had blamed himself for her departure because she was too afraid to tell him why she was leaving. Mara didn't know how she knew it, but she was sure that Luke had felt worthless and had taken on the mission to feel alive again. It was her fault Luke had taken the unnecessary risk of going to Coruscant and then opting to deal with the palace defenses alone. Now, it was up to her to get him out. She wouldn't let Luke throw away his life because of her. Mara would simply have to pull him out of trouble and explain things to him. Things couldn't work between them with the Emperor's command invading her thoughts, but he deserved to know. Luke deserved to know that she did care and he had never done anything to push her away.

Now, Mara needed a plan to get him out of there. A small team would be the only way to get him in and out. Mara turned around to find the other three occupants of the room still staring at her. She had a team. Now, they needed a good ship. "Solo, is that ship of yours as good as you claim it is?"

Han raised a curious eyebrow at the woman's question, obviously unsure about where she was going with this. Mara couldn't possibly be thinking what he thought she was thinking. "It is. What does it matter to you?"

Mara ignored his question and ran a hand along her chin. A team. A fast and armed ship. She had the expertise to get in and they had the experience to stay alive. Unconsciously, Mara checked her blasters within their holsters. They had a chance and, for Luke, she was willing to take it and something told her the rest of them would too. Mara turned on her heel and marched for the door, but was caught by a hand on her arm. "And just where do you think you're going?"

Mara turned her head around to regard the princess who had stopped her. The angry look on Leia's face softened slightly to match the more determined look she found on Mara's. Without any words exchanged between them, Leia knew that they were both going to break Luke out. Leia nodded and let go of Mara's arm, turning to Han and Chewie. She ignored the confused look on their faces at what had just occurred and went straight to the point. "Get the _Falcon_ ready. We're going to get Luke back."


	28. Ch 27 Caged

Chapter 27: Caged

Another small groan escaped Luke's mouth as he was once more kicked in the ribs by the stormtrooper standing over him. Between the interrogation drugs and the physical abuse, maintaining concentration and even consciousness was becoming increasingly difficult for Luke. He refused to give in, however. Luke would not allow himself to break down in front of his interrogator, even if it was simply losing consciousness.

Luke rolled onto his back to find himself once again facing a pair of cold, mismatched eyes. "I'm getting tired of asking this. What is the Rebellion's plan?"

Using the Force to regain his focus and push some of the drugs out of his system, Luke simply narrowed his eyes at the woman hovering above him. He could sense that Isard was approaching the end of her patience. All Luke had to do was last a little longer and push her over the edge. Then, he would finally have a reprieve from the abuse. Finally deciding on a response to the question he had been asked, Luke spit up into the face of his jailer.

His action was met by a fist in the jaw and repeated kicks to the stomach. Drawing on the Force as best he could to push back the pain, Luke was able to take the assault without a sound, obviously displeasing his captors. When the kicks finally ceased, Luke tilted his head slightly to look at the frustrated face of his inquisitor.

Isard simply glared at the defiant look on the Jedi's face. She knew it wouldn't be easy to break Skywalker, but things were turning out harder than she expected. Drugs didn't affect him like a normal human and increasing the dosage hadn't done much good either. Violence did little to persuade him and she hadn't even gotten the satisfaction of hearing the Jedi do any more than let out a small groan. But she wasn't through yet. Skywalker would be broken before he was destroyed. Isard would make sure of it.

"Okay, Jedi. Let's see how well you do without food, water or light for a couple days. We'll find out what your limits are soon enough." Luke simply watched through narrowed eyes as Isard left the cell with the interrogation droid and her stormtrooper guard in tow. As the glowpanels in the ceiling shut off, sending the room into total darkness, Luke curled himself into a ball, continuing to push back the pain. Just before unconsciousness finally overtook him, Luke was able to call on the Force for one last push and place himself in a healing trance.

Luke simply drifted in the Force, numb to his surroundings and even his own senses. It was better this way. If he could not feel, Luke could not be broken. However, Luke did not know if he could keep doing this. Repeatedly being drugged and beaten would surely weaken his spirit at some point. Held in the middle of enemy territory without the ability to maintain control over his senses, Luke wasn't sure if he would be able to hold out for help. If help even arrived. Perhaps, he would serve everyone best by insuring that he couldn't be used against them.

Luke was unable to complete these thoughts, however. Instead, his mind was inundated with the Force and an image coalesced before him. A vision of his father. Anakin Skywalker's visage could be seen his mind's eye, without the blue haze Luke was used to seeing. Luke was beginning to wonder if perhaps he had joined his father, but that idea was soon dispelled. "Luke! Luke, you have to hold on!"

In his vision, Luke shook his head. His father didn't understand. Luke wouldn't allow himself to falter and he would if he continued to be faced with this pain. He could only handle so much before breaking and Luke had already suffered too much in his life. What did he have to live for? He would serve his friends just as well by dying and not betraying everything they had worked so hard for. "I can't let them down."

"You won't let them down. Luke, you still have much to live for." Anakin's image flickered slightly as Luke's connection to the Force was weakening. The turbulent emotions in his son's mind and the physical abuse Luke had suffered had stifled his connection to the Force. Anakin didn't have much time, but he had to make Luke understand. There was still hope for him. "Luke, just hold on. She's coming."

Anakin faded away as his mouth opened to say more and Luke found himself in the pitch black of his cell, sluggishly reaching for the figure in his vision. Luke attempted to cry out, but his voice was little more than a hoarse whisper. "Father!"

Unable to see anything, Luke closed his eyes once more and wrapped his arms around himself. He was alone once again. Always alone. Luke was meant for a life apart, but at least he was meant for a life. His father's appearance was enough to assure Luke that he would be freed. He didn't know how long he would sit in this cell, but he knew that he would escape. She was coming.

Rocking back and forth slightly in the chill of the dark room, Luke wished that his father would have been able to tell him more. Luke could only assume the she Anakin was referring to was Leia. Surely, his sister would do everything in her power to make sure Luke got out safely. But Luke didn't know if she would try a diplomatic solution which would mean he could remain here for months or if Leia had listened to Han and would arrive in a matter of days. He wouldn't put it past them, but Luke feared even their chances of breaking him out of this mess.

But there was hope and that would be enough to keep Luke going. He would survive and then he would put his life in order. Luke's time as a soldier had come to an end. It was time for him to truly dedicate his life to the Jedi. Hopefully, the next student he found wouldn't run away from him. At this thought, Luke was unable to keep back the tears he had been hiding since taking this mission. He had lost her and as much as he wished it, Mara wouldn't be the one coming for him. Luke just had to go on anyway.


	29. Ch 28 Uneasy Alliance

Chapter 28: Uneasy Alliance

Han guided his hands over the _Millennium Falcon_'s controls as he slipped through the constant Imperial patrols. He had gone deep into his stash of false transponder codes in order to get them into the atmosphere of the Imperial capital, but Han was still wary of the possibility of detection. Under normal circumstances, even Han would have backed down from the idea of sneaking into the center of Imperial control and blasting his way out, but the situation was far from normal. This was for Luke. Even without Leia's insistence, Han would have jumped at the chance to help his friend.

Han was still uncomfortable with this mission, however. The two women sitting behind him in the cockpit had remained silent during the few hours it had taken then to get to Coruscant from Brentaal and the tension did not speak well for their ability to get along. As he set the _Falcon_ down on the landing platform, Han spared a quick glance at Chewie and could see a tense look on the Wookiee's face as well. Han definitely wasn't imagining the discomfort between the women in the seats behind them.

With a tacit understanding that Chewbacca would finish the landing cycle, Han swiveled in his seat to face both Leia and Mara. Each was facing slightly toward the outside of the cockpit with their arms crossed over their chest, obviously not wanting to look at the other. It looked like Han would have to undertake the unfamiliar role of peacemaker. But first, he would have to figure out what they were planning to do now that they were here. "Okay ladies, here we are. Just how do you plan on getting Luke out of wherever he is? I mean, we don't even know if they have him. For all we know…"

"He's not dead!" Han hadn't wanted to finish his thought and was thankful that he stopped when both Mara and Leia snapped their heads around to deny any thoughts of Luke being dead simultaneously. The expressions on each of their faces softened slightly as they glanced at each other, seemingly surprised at how worried the other was. Leia turned her head slightly toward Han, ignoring the woman beside her. "I would have felt it if Luke was gone."

Han nodded slightly, recognizing that this was one of those things he just wouldn't understand. He had quit thinking of the Force as a hokey religion based on his experience with Luke, but he still didn't comprehend it. Han had just learned to trust Luke's hunches and he would do the same for Leia. "He's alive. That still doesn't explain how we're going to find him."

"Leave that to me." The grim determination in Mara's voice as she stood to leave the cockpit surprised Han slightly, but Leia jumping out of her seat to cut the woman off didn't. Mara had obviously hurt Luke and Han wasn't going to forgive that easily, but the woman was about to put her life on the line for him and that counted for something. Until Luke was safe again, Han was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Leia didn't seem as eager to trust Mara, however, and Han could understand that perfectly well.

Leia grabbed Mara's arm just before she could hit the activation pad for the cockpit door, causing the red haired woman to spin around and glare at the princess. Leia met Mara's glare with one of her own, however, and pointed a finger in Mara's face. She wasn't about to trust her brother's life to just anyone, especially when they were partly responsible for his current state in the first place. "And just what do you plan on doing?"

Mara grunted slightly as she twisted her arm out of Leia's grip. She walked out of the cockpit, calling out her response over her shoulder as she went. "I have my ways."

Leia's nostrils flared, irate with her treatment just before she stalked into the corridor after Mara. Han scrambled from his seat in order to insure that neither of the women injured the other or his ship. Chewie let out a low growl as he finished up the landing cycle, thankful that the argument had left the cockpit.

Han entered the main cabin just in time to see Leia catch up to Mara and spin the green eyed woman around to face her. Mara stared blaster bolts at Leia, but chose to stand in defiant silence. Silence was not what Leia had in mind, however. She was tired of playing games and would get some answers about Mara's behavior before they went in to save Luke. "If you expect me to trust you without an explanation, you're sadly mistaken. I want to know how you plan on getting my brother out and I want to know now."

"You want to know? Fine. I know how to get into the palace and make my way anywhere inside undetected. I was Palpatine's personal assassin. He even sent me to kill your brother, but you don't have to worry about that anymore. I don't hold any loyalty to this mockery of the Empire. In fact, I don't want to kill Luke in spite of the Emperor's voice in my head still telling me to do it. That's why I left. To make sure Luke could live. To be certain I wouldn't give in and kill him. I'm going in there with or without you to pull Luke out. Then, I'm going to tell him the truth and I'll be going off on my own again. Does that answer your question?"

Leia simply nodded slowly in response, unable to formulate a verbal response to what she had heard. Mara's words didn't put Leia at ease, but she was their best chance of pulling Luke out alive. And at least Luke would get the explanation he deserved. Knowing Luke, he would probably even try to help her even at the risk of his own safety. First, they would need to get him back, however.

Mara gave Leia a hard gaze as if daring her to challenge her in some way, but the princess simply stood her ground. Finally, Mara turned away and walked toward the exit ramp, calling over her shoulder as she went. "I'm leaving in ten minutes. If you're coming, be ready by then."

"We'll be ready." Without another word, Leia walked across the cabin and pulled a blaster and holster off the shelf and grabbed an emergence medical kit. After slipping a new power pack into the weapon, she strapped on the holster and slipped the medical kit over her shoulder before turning toward Han. "Ready?"

In response, Han turned his head toward the cockpit and called over his shoulder. "Chewie, keep her warmed up. We'll call if we need anything."

The Wookiee let out an astonished howl and Han decided it was time to go before Chewie could catch up with them and forcibly change Han's mind. He lightly grabbed Leia's arm as she looked on with amusement and led her toward the _Falcon_'s ramp. "We're ready."


	30. Ch 29 The Emperor's Hand

Chapter 29: The Emperor's Hand

Mara led Han and Leia through the side streets and back alleys of Coruscant toward their destination. None of them had said a word the entire trip, each more focused on the task at hand and words not even being necessary. They all knew what needed to be done and right now, everything was in Mara's hands. As they reached a sewer access panel nearly a kilometer from the Imperial Palace, Mara stopped and gave a quick scan of her surroundings. Noting that the coast was clear, Mara ignored the skeptical looks from the couple following her as she lifted the panel and dropped into the large pipe beneath. Han and Leia soon dropped in as well and, with a quick call of the Force, Mara slid the panel back into place to cover their tracks.

"There's a secret entrance to the palace about a kilometer down this pipe." With a simple nod, Han and Leia followed Mara down the dark, wet path. Mara stopped at a nondescript location in the large pipe and hit a small crack in the duracrete with the edge of her hand. The facade lifted a moment later to reveal a doorway. With practiced grace, Mara snapped the matching blasters she was carrying out of their wrist holsters, checked that they were primed for action and slipped the weapons back into place.

Mara turned and nodded to Han and Leia and the pair reflexively clutched their blasters tighter in their hands as they nodded in return. Satisfied that they were ready, Mara entered her access code into the panel beside her and the door hissed open. As she walked into the passage, Mara snapped her blasters back out of their holsters and extended her arms to either side, picking off the stormtroopers she knew would be standing guard without so much as a look to either side. Han and Leia glanced at each other with matching expressions of awe and disbelief as Mara simply continued down the hall as the guards slumped to the floor behind her.

Mara didn't miss a beat as Leia and Han hurried to catch up to her, instead walking with purpose toward the nearest guard station. In a typical show of lax Imperial training, the officer on duty had his back to the door, his attention instead focused on the holonet before him. Mara was able to slip in without being noticed and a quick kick to the side of the man's head sent the officer to the floor. She could only hope that their mission remained this simple.

As Leia and Han finally caught up to her, Mara sat down at the computer terminal in the guard station. She was pleased, though unsurprised, to find that she still had the ability to access the palace central computer with her old passwords. This knowledge could very well come in handy in the future just as it was now. Mara was soon able to gain access to the prison records and found that Luke was in the high security cells near the throne room just as she suspected. The cells were virtually impossible to escape from as she knew from running tests on them herself, but that didn't mean it was impossible to break someone out. Mara quickly memorized the location where Luke was being held and noticed that Isard was due to visit him in under an hour. "Come on. We don't have much time."

Leia and Han didn't need any more convincing after Mara's previous display and quickly followed her out of the guard station. Methodically tracing a route through the secret passages of the palace, Mara was able to lead their group to the corridor just outside of the detention bay without being noticed. Standing before the final door between her and the jail cells, Mara gave a quick nod to the pair behind her and kicked the activation panel at her side with her blasters extended before her, ready for action. Mara was already firing at the locations where she knew the guards would be stationed before the troops could even register her presence.

Han and Leia didn't even need to fire a shot as they stepped in behind Mara to find all of their potential foes downed. Mara was once more walking ahead of them, stopping at the access panel of the door in the center of the guard room. The door hissed open seconds later as Mara entered her personal access code. She stepped into the detention corridor and waved for Han and Leia to hurry up and follow. The couple was quick to comply as Mara disappeared into the dim hallway. They walked through the doorway to find Mara taking a deep breath in front of one of the doors. "Okay Skywalker, let's hope you can still walk under your own power."

As soon as the door opened, pouring light into the previously pitch black prison cell, Luke jerked back and blinked. He was about to brace himself for a fight when he realized that this felt different from his previous visits. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Luke's senses finally screamed at him what the Force had been whispering. "You came."

Luke was so mesmerized by the unexpected sight of Mara at the door to his cell that he barely registered when his sister barreled through the door. "Luke!"

Luke absently returned the embrace his sister had wrapped around him as he saw Mara double over and clutch her head. Even in his weakened condition, Luke could tell in the Force that something was wrong and he had a feeling that it was much more than a physical ailment. His attention was soon turned away from Mara, however, when Leia gently turned his face to look him over. "Oh Luke, what have they done to you?"

"I'll survive." Luke sluggishly tried to rise to his feet, but his legs refused to cooperate. He collapsed to the floor and Leia scrambled for the emergency kit she had hastily grabbed as they walked out of the _Falcon_. It wouldn't help much, but a stimulant injection would get Luke going long enough to get him out. Hopefully, Luke would be able to supplement its effects with the Force long enough to keep him alive.

"Lie back." Luke obeyed, but kept his eyes on the door. He could vaguely feel more people approaching and knew that they needed to get out of here and fast. Luke could only hope that the reason Mara refused to look at him after regaining her composure was that she had felt the same thing. Luke didn't even notice Leia administer the stimulant shot but its effects could be felt immediately. He was able to rise to his feet, but still needed support to walk properly.

"We have to get out of here." Luke's comment came too slow, however, as the muffled sound of stormtrooper armor could be heard at the end of the corridor.

"Too late for that now." Mara spared a quick glance at Luke, but her face turned into a grimace as the Emperor's last command screamed through her head once more. It had gained strength due to her absence from Luke or the fact she was once more in the palace and had almost knocked her legs out from under her with its intensity when she had first met his eyes. Mara set her gaze forward toward the inevitable onslaught of troops. The Emperor's command would have to wait.


	31. Ch 30 Cornered

Chapter 30: Cornered

Mara held her blasters in front of her on a hair trigger in the middle of the corridor. They had no choice but to fight there way out now. Out of the corner of her eye, Mara could see Han crouching down just inside the door of Luke's cell with his blaster trained on the door at the end of the hallway. Mara did not turn to check on Luke and Leia since she could not afford the distraction that would accompany looking at Luke again. She had more immediate concerns to deal with.

After a few tense moments, the door finally opened to reveal a pair of stormtroopers which were immediately felled by the twin bolts of Mara's blasters. The fallen troops were quickly replaced by a new pair of white armored soldiers and red bolts were soon flying towards both ends of the corridor. Mara was forced to spin to the side to avoid taking hits and took cover just behind Han inside the door of the cell.

The two shooters managed to keep the stormtroopers penned at the other end of the hall, however, with their superior aim and the buildup of fallen troopers impeding the Imperial troops' progress. This couldn't last forever, however, since the Imperials still stood between them and the only exit with reinforcements presumably on the way. They had to do something soon.

Mara took a deep breath and actively called on the Force. She was surprised how easily the life energy came to her, but Mara would take any advantage she could get at this point. Mara found herself able to sense everything in the area surrounding her. As she searched the area, Mara's suspicions were confirmed as she felt stormtroopers rushing to their position from throughout the palace. The front door was definitely out. They would have to create a back door somehow. The only problem was the sheer strength of the walls in the cell bay. Blasters would have virtually no effect on the durasteel. Mara only knew of one weapon that could get through the wall without killing them in the process, but none of them had a lightsaber.

Just as she realized a lightsaber is what they needed to make their escape, the Force called Mara's attention into the corridor. In her arrogance, Isard had decided to take the point in facing down her opponents. The woman crouched behind a pile of fallen stormtroopers was not what caught Mara's gaze, however. It was the flash of polished metal at the woman's side. Luke's lightsaber. Without another thought, Mara holstered the blaster in her left hand and stretched out with the Force as she continued laying down fire with the weapon in her right.

The lightsaber soon began to shake at Isard's side, but the Imperial noticed just before the weapon left her belt and grabbed the cylinder in her hand. In response, Mara jerked her right arm upward and fired a shot directly into the glowpanel above the Imperial Intelligence Director. Acting on instinct, Isard dropped the lightsaber and moved to cover her head from the shower of sparks raining down from the broken glowpanel. Mara was able to use the distraction she had created to her advantage as the dropped weapon slid along the ground and then through the air into her waiting hand.

As soon as the lightsaber was in her grasp, Mara swung her arm to the side and lobbed it toward Leia inside the cell. Leia was barely able to catch the weapon before it landed on the ground. Without diverting her gaze from the Imperial troops still firing on her from the end of the hall, Mara relayed her plan to Leia. "Cut out a hole from the back wall. We're going to need to make our own exit."

Leia simply nodded her understanding and turned to Luke. She tried to offer Luke his Jedi weapon, but he shook his head slowly. Luke was in no condition to be testing his fine motor skills. It would be up to Leia to wield the lightsaber. Leia turned away from Luke and spared a glance to Han and Mara. The two were still holding their position at the door, but they couldn't keep it up forever. Leia flipped on the green blade of the lightsaber in her hand and slowly pushed it through the wall of the cell. The durasteel around the beam of light slowly started to melt and Leia slowly started to carve a hole just big enough to provide them an adequate escape route.

As Leia continued her task, the sound of blaster fire in the corridor continued to grow in intensity as Imperial reinforcements arrived. Leia tried to push the lightsaber faster, but the durasteel walls refused to give into her demands, continuing to melt slowly. Leia could hear the sound of the stormtroopers' blaster growing closer as she got near to completing the cut. Too much and the Imperial troops would be in the cell. Leia finally finished the cut just as a few stray blasts entered the cell.

With the stormtroopers drawing too close for comfort, Mara grabbed Han's arm and jerked him back into the cell as she took out the controls for the door with the blaster in her other hand. The door shut behind them just as Mara fell into the cell herself. Mara rolled back onto her feet as stormtroopers began banging on the door and looked at Leia's handiwork under the green light of the lightsaber. The cut section of durasteel still remained, but the necessary gap had been made. With a Force boosted kick, Mara removed the slab of loose metal from their path and stepped through the newly made exit. Han and Leia propped Luke up as he walked to the exit. Leia stepped through and Han passed Luke to his sister through the hole before stepping through himself.

The trio looked to the side to find Mara activating one of the many secret passageways in the palace. They couldn't help but notice that Mara seemed to be making an effort not to look at Luke in spite of the fact she was rescuing him. Mara barely spared a glance over her shoulder as she started to march forward once more, motioning for the others to follow. "This way."

Han and Leia propped Luke up between them as they followed Mara through the dim corridor in order to insure that Luke could save his strength as much as possible. Leia thought she could feel her brother recharging himself in the Force, but he was still reviving slowly. Hopefully, he would be strong enough to keep from impeding their final escape. They soon found themselves at the end of the hallway and Mara motioned for them to stay back as she slipped into the room. The muffled sound of two blaster shots accompanied by a pair of stormtroopers hitting the floor could be heard before Mara reemerged and motioned them forward.

Han and Leia deposited Luke onto a nearby couch as Mara secured the room's door. The sound of klaxons blaring followed seconds later drawing a curse from the red haired woman. Leia watched from Luke's side as Mara sat down in front of the room's computer terminal. Looking down to find Luke in some sort of trance, Leia nodded to Han to keep watch over her brother and made her way over to Mara.

Mara responded without so much as sparing a glance at Leia as she arrived next to her. "I've diverted the patrols away from this room, but that can only buy us so much time."

Leia nodded, but coming up with a plan was not on the forefront of her mind at the moment. Mara's behavior was bothering Leia and she was sure Luke was troubled by it as well. Something didn't make sense. "Why won't you even look at Luke?"

Mara closed her eyes as she folded her hands in front of her face. It hurt just as much not to look at Luke as it did to face him. But it was better for Luke if she averted her gaze. This way, the urge to kill him could be held at bay. She would never be able to tell him this in person. Not anymore. She had waited too long and the Emperor's last command had gained too firm of a hold on her mind once more. The Emperor's Hand had regained too much power. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Whenever I look at him, the call to kill him is too strong. I can't think and I can't concentrate. He's responsible for giving me a new life, but taking away my old one at the same time. As long as the Emperor's last command remains, I'm a danger to Luke. You have to tell him this for me."

Leia shook her head slightly, unsure of what to do with the situation. What Mara said made sense, but why did she still hold such loyalty to the Emperor. Surely, Mara saw the wrongs committed by the Empire now even if she didn't realize it while she was in the Emperor's service. Did her brother mean that little to her? Obviously not if Mara was willing to risk her life to save him, but Leia needed to hear it for herself. "So the Emperor means more to you than my brother?"

Mara spun around in her seat, prepared to show Leia just who she was dealing with, but managed to restrain herself. Instead her eyes narrowed at the woman next to her. Leia didn't understand. No one could. "Luke killed the Emperor. In the process, he destroyed my life. I can forgive him for that because of all he has done, but some part of me still needs revenge. You have no idea what kind of control the Emperor is capable of."

Leia thought she could hear a twinge of regret in Mara's voice as it trailed off. Was the Emperor really so powerful as to implant a command in someone's mind that they couldn't resist? But that command was built upon a lie. Not many people knew the truth, but maybe if she knew, Mara would be able to break free. For Luke's sake, Leia had to try. "Luke didn't kill the Emperor."

Mara's head snapped up at Leia's statement, confusion evident on her face. It was common knowledge that Luke had been the only one to emerge from the confrontation between on the Death Star. He had ended the lives of both the Emperor and Vader and had effectively crippled the Empire. "What?"

"The stories aren't true. No one would believe the truth. Luke didn't kill the Emperor. Vader did. Vader chose to save Luke's life as the Emperor tried to kill him."

"Vader? Why would Vader save Luke?"

Leia hesitated for a moment, reluctant to speak the truth she was still having trouble coming to terms with. The hesitation didn't last, however, as Leia steeled her nerves. She would have to get used to the fact sooner or later. "Vader is our father."

Mara blinked for and remained silent. Luke was the son of Vader. Vader had chosen his son over the Emperor and killed the Sith to save Luke's life. For a brief instant, part of Mara wanted to argue with Leia's story, but the princess wouldn't make something like that up. If Luke was Vader's son, she was his daughter. The story was just as damning to her as it was to Luke. Mara's head drooped slightly when she realized just how much she had been manipulated. The Emperor had simply wanted revenge on Vader even after death. She was no more than a tool to him. Mara had given the Emperor all the loyalty she had and he saw her as no more than a tool of revenge. Before Mara could respond to Leia, an explosion at the entrance of the room caught their attention. They had been found.


	32. Ch 31 Last Command

Chapter 31: Last Command

The sight of stormtroopers entering through the hole where the room's door had been blown away spurred Mara to action. She didn't even care to find cover as she snapped her blasters into her hands and began pounding shots into the advancing soldiers. Behind her, Han and Leia rushed to pull Luke to relative safety as they used their own blasters to give Mara what cover they could. Now behind the couch, Luke snapped out of the healing trance he had gone into and struggled to get to a seated position. He was pushed back down by Han, however. "Not now, Kid. Save your strength to make a break for it later."

As Mara's quick and deadly shots held the Imperial troops as bay, Leia slipped away from Han and Luke and went over to the room's computer terminal. They needed to come up with an escape plan and they needed to come up with one fast. Leia was thankful to find a map of the palace indicating their location already displayed on the monitor. A small smile came over Leia's face when she saw that they were only a few dozen meters away from one of the exterior landing platforms. Sending a few blaster bolts at the door as she ran, Leia made her way back to Han and Luke. "Han, call Chewie. Tell him to meet us at the west platform."

Han wasn't about to argue, trusting Leia's judgment after all the years they had spent fighting together. His comlink was in his hand before Leia could even finish her statement. Han's message to Chewbacca was brief and cryptic, but the Wookiee would understand. "Chewie, just like that second trip to Ord Mantell, only higher. Fifteen minutes."

A brief howl told Han that his co-pilot understood and he flipped off the comlink and gave Leia a brief smirk. "We're all set. Ready to get out of here?"

Leia gave Han a quick peck on the cheek in response and grabbed one of Luke's arms to help her brother up. Han propped Luke up on the other side and the trio turned to find Mara making her way out of the room to take the fight to the stormtroopers. They made their way across the room unimpaired, but found a wall of blaster bolts awaiting them at the door. With a simple nod and a quick gesture with her head, Leia told Han what she wanted to do. Han released Luke from him and, with a wink, slid out the door headfirst with his blaster extended.

Mara didn't show any outward reaction as Han slid past her on the floor and brought himself up on one knee to begin firing at the stormtroopers down the hall. Instead, she continued to face forward, pumping off shots at maximum rate the blasters would allow. After a moment, the stormtroopers ducked back and Mara responded to Han without turning her head. "Nice of you to lend a hand."

"I try." The pair continued thinning the ranks of the stormtrooper squadrons, but were unable to finish off the troops once and for all due to a continuous stream of replacements. As three stormtroopers fell simultaneously under one volley of shots, Han saw the opportunity they were looking for. "Leia, now!"

At his call, Leia bolted out of the room with all the speed she could muster while keeping Luke with her. The twins soon slipped down the corridor in the direction of the nearby landing platform as Mara and Han kept the stormtroopers from gaining a foothold in the corridor. As soon as they made it down the hallway, Leia hit the activation panel for the door leading to the landing platform and called out behind her. "Let's go!"

Han immediately moved to fall back to the landing platform, but stopped when he saw Mara maintaining her position. He didn't need the Force to tell that she was angry and the stormtroopers were taking the brunt of her wrath. However, he wasn't about to leave her behind as much as the Imperials deserved the punishment she was dishing out. Sooner or later, the Empire's sheer numbers would become overwhelming and Han wasn't about to leave Mara behind after all she had done. "Mara, we're getting out of here."

Mara snapped her head around, annoyed with the distraction. She was ready to take down the Empire herself. Her life had been built on a lie. She had been manipulated by the man who claimed to be the only one in the galaxy who cared about her. The Emperor had used Mara as nothing more than a tool for his personal revenge and, for that, she would see the Empire he had left behind burn.

Mara was about to turn back toward the other end of the hallway and ignore Solo when she remembered the reason she was here in the first place. Luke would need her help to get out of here. First, she would insure he got off the planet safely and then she would worry about revenge. The Empire would go down after Luke was safe.

Han was about to call out to Mara again when she finally started to back step down the hall, continuing to lay down fire on the Imperial troops that continued to advance. Letting loose shots of his own as he retreated, Han slipped onto the platform and found Luke and Leia sitting on the edge of the platform, watching the horizon. A small smile flashed across Han's face for a moment when he saw the familiar silhouette of the Falcon making its way toward them. That smile faded away soon after, however, when he saw TIE fighters preparing to scramble on a platform a couple hundred meters away. They would be cutting it close.

Blaster fire called the attention of everyone on the platform as the door opened to reveal Mara still letting loose on the troops that insisted on following her. Han dropped back to keep an eye on Luke and Leia, leaving Mara to watch the door. His decision proved to be wise as troops began to fire on them from a nearby balcony. Both Han and Leia turned their weapons on the troopers attempting to snipe at them, looking to buy themselves enough time for the _Millennium Falcon_ to arrive.

Left alone, Luke finally brought himself to his feet. He had managed to regain strength by keeping in touch with the Force, but he was unable to get enough of a grasp on it to help out in the fight. In his almost trancelike state, however, Luke was able to pick up on the anger pouring off Mara as if it was his own. He made his way toward her, hoping to calm her down.

With her tunnel vision on the stormtroopers down the corridor, Mara did not notice as Luke approached from behind her. A pair of shots from each of her blasters managed to do away with the last of the opponents in front of her. Mara was about to turn and finally make her way onto the platform when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Still in combat mode, Mara spun and squeezed off a quick shot with her leading arm before her eyes could even register her opponent.

The blaster fell from Mara's hand as she finally saw who she was behind her. As Luke slumped to the ground, holding his stomach, Mara could feel nothing but shock. The blaster fell from her trembling hand as the Emperor's last command rang through Mara's mind once more. "YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!"


	33. Ch 32 Regrets

Chapter 32: Regrets

Mara's knees buckled under her and she soon found herself huddled on the ground next to Luke. She pulled him toward her and cradled his head against her as tears started to come from her eyes. Damn her anger for blinding her. She should have known that it was Luke behind her before she turned around. Mara cursed the Emperor for turning her into what she had become. A merciless being that shot without thinking. A tear ran down her cheek and onto Luke's unnaturally pale face. All Mara could do was murmur to herself. "No. No. No…"

Her denials finally turned into a scream and both Han and Leia snapped their head around to see Mara holding a fallen Luke. Leia scrambled for her brother as Han pounded a blaster bolt into the chest of the final sniper shooting down at them. As Leia reached Luke's side, Han whipped his head around to see the _Millennium Falcon_ about to touch down for a landing. He signaled for Chewie to just lower the ramp and keep all the systems going and ran toward the spot where Luke lay.

Leia sprint quickly slowed when she saw the blaster burn in her brother's stomach. She didn't know how it had happened, but that didn't matter now. In his weakened state, Luke wouldn't be able to last long. Leia didn't know if the shot had damaged anything vital, but she wasn't going to let go of her brother without a fight. Kneeling down at Luke's side, Leia made eye contact with Mara and could see the same fear in the woman's eyes. They were at risk of losing him. "We have to get him out of here."

Mara was barely able to manage a nod as she moved to pick up Luke. Leia got on the other side of her brother and the two women started to pull his limp form toward the _Falcon_. Han stopped short as he saw Leia and Mara hoist Luke between them. Instead, he made his way over to the lowering ramp of the _Millennium Falcon_ and kept his blaster in hand to provide assistance in getting Luke to safety or covering fire, whichever was needed. They soon made it onto the ship and Han hit the door to the ramp as he bolted down the corridor. "Chewie, get us out of here!"

After feeling the slight jarring of the ship blasting off, Mara and Leia pulled Luke to the _Falcon_'s crash bed. They laid him down and Mara strapped him in for the inevitable rough ride while Leia grabbed bacta patches and an intravenous nutrient feed. Luke was too numb to feel the pain anyway, so a sedative could wait. It would be better to keep from slowing down his vital signs until he could be stabilized anyway. The two women did what they could to aid Luke, but there wasn't much for them to do other than wait and hope.

After tending to Luke's wound as well as they could with the _Falcon_'s medical supplies, Leia was about to ask Mara what happened when the _Falcon_ jarred slightly accompanied by the sound of blaster fire. Seconds later, boots could be heard running along the deck of the ship and Han shouted as he ran past the crash bed in the direction of the turbolaser turrets. "I could use a little help!"

Leia glanced at Mara, who didn't even seem to notice the activity around her as she kept her eyes focused on Luke. Placing a supportive hand Mara's shoulder for a moment, Leia made her way to the out of the room. "I'll be back soon."

Mara barely nodded in response as Leia exited the small cabin and set off on a run for the turbolaser turret. Finally alone with Luke, tears started to stream down Mara's face. She never wanted to hurt him. Mara had run away from Luke to keep him safe only to harm him when while trying to save his life. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for her. If she hadn't allowed herself to get wrapped up in her anger, she wouldn't have acted out of impulse. If Mara hadn't left Luke without an explanation, he never would have gotten himself into this mess. Had they never met, Luke would have been able to live out his days. It would have been better if they had never crossed each other's path.

Luke had shown Mara nothing but kindness and she had given him nothing in return but pain and now death. He deserved more, better than she had given him. Mara found herself wishing that her memories as the Emperor's Hand had stayed gone and buried. They were worthless if this is what they caused. Mara wanted to throw away her old life, but it wouldn't get her what she wanted.

Tentatively, Mara reached in Luke's direction in the Force. She was afraid of what she would find, but she had to know. Her fears were confirmed when she felt Luke's presence fading. Mara tried to reach for him with all the will she could muster, but it was no use. She wasn't strong enough, trained well enough to pull him back from the brink. All she could do now was tell Luke everything she never had a chance to before. Mara just hoped he could forgive her if he even heard her words.

Mara wiped the tears from her face with one hand as she took Luke's in her other. "I'm sorry. I should have trusted you. I never should have left. All I did was hurt both of us and now you have to pay for my stupidity. I should have known it was you. I never should have fired that blast. This is all my fault. Please don't leave me. I love you."

At any other time, Mara would have stopped herself before letting those last three words slipping past her lips, but the time for holding back was long past. Keeping things bottled up inside had created this mess. Mara wasn't about to let the same thing hold her back now. Even if the worst happened, at least she would know she had told Luke in some way just how much he had come to mean to her.

Feeling Luke slip further away, Mara gripped his hand harder, hoping that somehow that simple action would keep him there with her. The wound wouldn't be fatal if they got him the right medical care, but he had already been too weak when they arrived. If she had only recognized the warnings that Luke was in danger sooner, he wouldn't be on the brink of death. Mara looked at Luke's pale face through teary eyes and watched his almost imperceptible breathing as she added another item to her list of regrets.


	34. Ch 33 Life and Death

Chapter 33: Life and Death

The _Millennium Falcon_ rocked back and forth under a steady barrage of fire from pursuing TIE fighters as it weaved its way through the congested space near Coruscant. Mara Jade was oblivious to this fact, however, as she kept her focus on hoping against all odds that Luke would be fine. He always came out fine. If Luke could face both Vader and the Emperor and live to tell the tale, surely he could beat this.

The steadily decreasing sound of the heart monitor Luke was hooked up to told a different tale, however. Mara continued to put all of her efforts into keeping Luke from dying both through the Force and what knowledge she had of emergency medicine. Her efforts were for naught, however, as the heart monitor finally settled into a steady, flat tone.

Mara slumped into her chair, the tears streaming down her face the only sign she felt anything at all. Unable to do anything else, Mara simply rested her head next to Luke's lifeless form and wept. She had finally fulfilled her master's last command. Mara had killed Luke Skywalker. So why did it feel more like she had killed herself?

---

Luke could feel himself slipping into the Force and becoming one with the life energy he had become so attuned with. He never expected to fight against the Force, but he found himself doing just that right now. Luke tried to somehow grasp onto his physical form and not let go, but was unable. It couldn't be his time, he had more to do. More to live for.

"You're right. It's not your time." Luke suddenly found himself no longer being pulled away, but unable to return to the life he was so desperately trying to hold on to. He looked down to find himself not glowing as he expected, but somehow still more ethereal than normal. Finally regaining his bearings somewhat, Luke turned in the direction of the voice that had spoken to him just before he had stopped.

"Father." Anakin Skywalker gave his son a small smile in greeting. A small part of him wanted to be greedy and take Luke with him, but Anakin knew that they would have an eternity to make up for lost time. For now, Luke still had his own life to lead. Anakin was simply here to make sure the will of the Force was able to keep on its course. Luke still had much work to do before becoming one with the Force himself.

"Son. This isn't the way I wanted to see you again, but it had to happen."

Luke looked at his father, clearly confused. He had to die! But Anakin had said just before that it wasn't his time. Clearly, Luke was missing something. "I don't understand."

"You aren't supposed to. Not yet anyway. This was more for her than it was for you."

"Mara had to kill me! There had to be an easier way to accomplish whatever you were trying."

Anakin shook his head as a sad smile crossed his face. The poor girl had already been through more than she deserved, much like Luke. If it was up to him, he would have made things easier on both of them, but the Force followed its own path. At least they would have their futures to make up for their painful pasts. "It was the only way for her to find peace. Mara didn't want to kill you, but the Emperor simply controlled her too fully even after his death. The only way to remove the compulsion to kill you was something as cathartic as seeing you die."

Luke was stunned at his father's words, but it all made sense. Everything she had told him while he was fighting to stay alive, the way she had vanished without a trace, even her cold demeanor after he suspected she got back her memories. Mara had been fighting against a part of her mind she had no control over. "She'll be fine when I go back?"

"More than fine. You two take care of each other. I won't be seeing you again for a long time."

Luke turned to look at his father one last time, realizing just what he had meant. Anakin wouldn't be appearing to him anymore. Luke would be on his own after this. Shaking his head slightly, Luke corrected himself. Not on his own. He wouldn't be alone again. Luke pulled his father to him. "Thank you."

Anakin let go of his son and looked him in the eyes. He owed Luke more than he could express in words, but the look on Luke's face told Anakin that he already knew that. Anakin simply smiled. "I should be the one thanking you. But if you insist on thanking me, why don't you work on giving me some grandchildren to watch. Force knows your mother is getting anxious."

Luke returned his father's smile and turned to leave. "I may do just that. I guess I'll see you again when it is my time. May the Force be with you."

"You too. Now get back down there. Mara's not the most patient girl." Luke was about to respond, but a wink from his father was the last thing he saw before his senses returned. Luke gasped as his essence rushed back into his body. His eyes snapped open as panicked breaths entered his lungs. Those sensations quickly became a distant memory, however, when Mara's head popped up with an obviously stunned expression on her face.

Mara sat next to him, frozen in shock, as Luke's breathing returned to normal. The pain of his injuries came to him as well, but Luke didn't care. He would live and that was all that mattered. Luke laid his head back, but kept his eyes locked with Mara's. As soon as he trusted his voice, Luke could only say one thing. "I love you too."

In response, Mara embraced Luke as tightly as she dared considering his injuries. She had to know that he was real. Mara didn't want to wake up and discover this was some kind of dream. Luke's trembling hand running through her hair was enough to assure her this was real. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Mara showed her gratefulness for his return by leaning up and capturing Luke's lips in a kiss. The two reunited lovers were so oblivious to their surroundings that they completely missed the shudder that accompanied the _Millennium Falcon_'s jump to hyperspace. They did, however, hear the cough at the door followed by Han's sarcastic remark. "It looks like someone is doing better."

Luke smiled at his friend as Leia squeezed through the door to embrace him herself. Mara reluctantly let go and allowed Leia to hug her brother, but stayed right at Luke's side anyway. Luke did his best to return Leia's hug, but the events of the day were starting to catch up to him and Luke could barely lift his arms. "I'll be fine."

Leia finally let go of her brother and pinned him down with a stare. "We'll let the healers be the judge of that. There's a bacta tank at the fleet already waiting for you." Luke groaned and looked to Han and then Mara for support, but found them in agreement with Leia. It looked like look he had a dunking in his near future. But at least he was alive to be healed so Luke couldn't complain too much. "What happened back there?"

Luke glanced down the bed where he saw Mara almost imperceptibly stiffen. After shaking his head just enough for Mara to notice and allay her fears, Luke turned to look at his sister. "A lucky shot must have got through. It's all kind of a blur. I guess Imperial marksmanship isn't always as bad as we're used to."

Leia gave her brother a doubtful look for a moment. For some reason, she felt like Luke was telling her the truth, but he was leaving something out. This wasn't the time to worry about such things, however. Luke was alive and looked like he would pull off another miracle recovery and that was enough for her. Leia gave her brother a kiss on the forehead. "Get some rest. We'll be back with the fleet in a few hours."

After Leia walked out of the room, Han gave Luke a quick salute and winked. "Take it easy, Kid. Something tells me you're in good hands." Luke tried to keep down a blush at Han's remark, but was unable. The former smuggler chuckled slightly and left the doorway to catch up with Leia.

"Why didn't you tell her?"

Luke turned away from the door to see surprise crossing Mara's face. He hadn't technically lied to his sister. Everything he said was true. From a certain point of view. "They don't need to know. Everything happens for a reason."

Mara's eyes widened in disbelief. Luke knew perfectly well what she had done, but he was simply accepting the fact that she had shot him. This was too much. Her shot must have fried what little common sense Luke had. "A reason! What kind of reason can there be for that!"

Luke's mouth curled into a small smile as exhaustion started top overtake him. Just before he dozed off, Luke simply said "You'll figure it out. I have faith in you."

Mara wanted to argue, but there was no point as Luke entered a deep, healing sleep. She simply sat at Luke's side watching his chest steadily rise and fall with his breathing. Mara moved her hand to Luke's face and started to trace one of his scars with her finger when she stopped suddenly. It was gone. The Emperor's last command had left her. Seeing Luke essentially die in her arms only to return had been enough to wipe out the words that had haunted her. Mara leaned up and kissed Luke on the cheek. "Thank you."


	35. Epilogue New Beginnings

Epilogue: New Beginnings

Luke guided his X-Wing through the atmosphere of Coruscant toward the landing platform at the peak of the Imperial palace. The battle had ended just hours before with the New Republic emerging victorious. Following Luke's failed mission, a commando team had been inserted onto the planet a month later to deal with the planetary defenses based at the Imperial palace. This time, Luke had been more than happy to stay with the fleet to plan and participate in the space battle.

The Battle of Coruscant was Luke's first real action since being shot, but he hadn't noticed any ill effects. His natural flying skills and abilities in the Force had been more than enough to keep Luke at peak performance. The fight had been long and hard, but when the commando team had not only taken out the planetary defenses, but captured the top Imperials, including Isard, the Empire's forces had crumbled. With the battle well in hand, Luke was preparing to join in the victory celebration beginning at the taken Imperial palace.

Luke set down his X-Wing on the platform and removed his helmet. He quickly popped the canopy and jumped down from the cockpit without worrying about a ladder. Luke smiled at the quick series of beeps that followed his landing and turned back up to look behind the empty cockpit. "You want out?"

An annoyed whistle quickly answered Luke's question and he levitated R2 out of his socket in the fighter to the ground. The droid beeped happily as he put down his third wheel and started to roll toward the exit. "I'll catch up with you later. Why don't you find 3PO?"

R2 simply spun his dome and whistled an acknowledgement as he rolled away. Luke didn't notice, however, as he turned his gaze to the other side of the platform. He smiled as the X-Wing of his wingmate set down and entered the landing cycle. Luke waited impatiently for the canopy of the other fighter to open. He had enjoyed rejoining Rogue Squadron as part of a supplemental fighter pair, but it wouldn't have meant nearly as much without his new wingmate.

Luke's smile widened when the cockpit finally opened and Mara made a graceful leap out of the cockpit and twisted in midair to land facing Luke. "Show off."

Mara simply grinned in response as she walked over to where Luke was standing. "How else am I supposed to fit in with those friends of yours?"

"Maybe I don't want you to be like them."

Mara's smile grew wider as she wrapped her arms around Luke's neck. "And how would you like me to be?"

Luke shook his head slightly at the flirtatious tone in Mara's voice. "Any way you want."

"You do realize that I'm going to hold you to that, don't you?"

"I do." Luke leaned down and gave Mara a soft kiss, causing her to wrap her arms around his tighter. She had no desire to let him go again after Luke had died in her arms only to come back by the grace of the Force. With the Emperor's last command banished from her mind, nothing was keeping her away from Luke and Mara intended to take advantage of that fact.

When Luke finally relinquished her lips, Mara sighed contentedly and smiled up at him as she reopened her eyes. "I still can't believe I fought on the Rebellion's side in this battle."

"The New Rebublic's side, Mara." Mara simply rolled her eyes at Luke's correction. She had more important things on her mind. Luke finally releases Mara from his embrace and took her hand. "Why don't we go join the party?"

In response, Mara picked up the pace and moved to lead Luke rather than following him. "We can join them later. I know the perfect place for a more private celebration."

Luke smiled as Mara practically started dragging him toward the exit of the platform. As he started to catch up to her, Luke got a brief vision in the Force of a red haired, blue eyed boy. Luke disappeared into the palace right behind Mara and into their new life. Together.

Fin.


End file.
