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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga - OT The Journal of the Former Emperor's Hand [L/M] Updated: 12/24/17

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Carlos Danger, Jan 2, 2016.

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  1. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    This Dear Diary Journal is a prequel to a short story I wrote titled: Reunion

    That story has a few movie spoilers and takes place during TFA. This DDC takes place prior to TFA and since I haven't read the new canon novels I am not sure if this fanfic is going to have anything that goes counter to new canon novels. This is basically an AU story, but I will try to keep with new canon. Since books are being released every day I don't know if I will be able to keep up with the new stuff written.

    I know this is a pathetic attempt to bring Mara Jade into the new canon...but I am an unrepentant L/M 'shipper. :D Hopefully I will be able to keep this story going for a year.
    ___________________________________________________________________________________
    [​IMG]



    _____________________________________________________________

    1 Year After the Battle of Endor

    Entry 1

    It is amazing how much difference a year can make. A year ago I had power and prestige. I lived the good life in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. I was a professional that took great pride in my work, having trained for years to become a highly skilled Force-strong assassin and enforcer for the Emperor. But then came the destruction of the second Death Star and the death of the Emperor. This tragic event fueled uprising-after-uprising across the galaxy and left a void in leadership, resulting in intense infighting among the Moffs. Eventually the Empire became a fragmented and ineffectual government.

    Some Moffs took their naval fleets and moved to wild space. There, they set up their own personal kingdoms, leading with an iron fist over their domains.

    They were fools.

    United the Empire could have thwarted the Rebel Forces over time, but as a divided force they were easily defeated by a ragtag band of insurgents that, I grudgingly had to admit, had exceptionally shrewd leadership. Leia Organa, the Princess turned General, was very effective in inciting dissidence on strategic worlds. Industrial planets such as Kuat, Balmorra, Bakur, Tyre and Corellia threw in their lot with the Rebels and when they did the rebel forces effectively controlled the Kuat Drive Yards and a majority of the weapons manufacturing plants.

    The Empire needed a strong leader, but every time a Moff came forward to fill the role of supreme leader another Moff –hoping to claim the office himself—assassinated him.

    I was at a crossroads. I worked deep undercover for the Emperor...so I didn’t have any status in this new Empire. In fact I was certain that the few people who did know of my existence would undoubtedly attempt to kill me if they realized I survived. I came to the conclusion that I needed to change my appearance, identity and start over.

    My decision to stay with the floundering Empire was a pragmatic one. I knew the political and social structure of the Empire. I understood how it worked. I was familiar with many of the key players that remained in power, even if they didn’t know me-- and the Empire was recruiting heavily. With a new identity I could begin anew. My intensive training in piloting, slicing, and surveillance, along with my fluency in multiple languages should equate to quick movement up the ranks.

    It was then I had an epiphany…it was a plan to ingratiate myself to the new Empire and secure a position of power. I would first join the Empire under a new identity. Then I would capture Luke Skywalker, the Empire’s most wanted Rebel, and get myself on the fast track to promotion. Skywalker was the pilot who destroyed the first Death Star and was rumored to be a Jedi, but I truly doubt he had any formal training. The Jedi Order was decimated during the Jedi purge and any survivors were quickly hunted down and killed by Darth Vader’s Inquisitors. Intelligence reports indicated he was a former moisture farmer from Tatooine—meaning he is probably was some bucktoothed, rimworld bumpkin with bad hygiene, a primary school education, and a total lack of culture. The only thing going for him was undoubtedly some minimal Force ability, which allowed him to get that lucky shot during the Battle of Yavin.

    He shouldn’t pose a problem for someone of my abilities.

    First I needed to establish my new identity and the best place to find unneeded official identification is in the aftermath of a combat zone. When traveling through a war torn world of Chibias I came upon the body of a woman with my approximate height, age, and who had a passing resemblance to me. She was slightly heavier than I was, but people are known to lose weight during time of war, and when they do, their facial features change. I believed I could pass for her with some modification of my appearance. I stole her identification and then dragged her body to an abandoned speeder and stuffed her into the trunk. After a few days in the oppressive heat she would no longer be recognizable by anyone.

    I sliced into the government computer systems and made sure she had a clean record. I was thrilled that she was a college graduate, never arrested and didn’t have her fingerprints or DNA on record. She was a blank slate that I could work with. I looked down at the identification card and smiled. The woman had the same eye color as me. I simply had to dye my hair black to complete the transformation.

    I would become Litassa Colay, Imperial new recruit, and say goodbye to my previous identity, Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand.
     
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2018
  2. Falcon

    Falcon Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2002
    Ohhh I like the start of this. Famous last words of hunting down Luke because she'll be marrying him sometime in the future....

    More soon
     
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  3. Annia Piet

    Annia Piet Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Feb 7, 2015
    Oh, fantastic start! I love how unapologetically harsh and pragmatic you're making her at this point. Very appropriate at this point.

    I also find it interesting that you've left out the emperors last command in this version of her - makes a very interesting change of direction



    This just absolutely cracked me up! She's in for a bit of a surprise!
     
  4. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Great beginning - with Mara arrogant and proud and scads of dramatic irony.
     
  5. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Love the tone of this first entry, pragmatic and full of well-placed self-confidence in her skills but woohoo, the irony as JadeLotus put it... :D Luke has the true ability to win hearts that don't wanna be. LOL [face_love]
     
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  6. gaarastar58

    gaarastar58 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 19, 2010
    A great jumping off point for a diary, Mara really would know how to work the system to get what she wants. We definitely need her in the new TFA timeline! Looking forward to next entry.
     
  7. RX_Sith

    RX_Sith Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2006
    Great start as Mara secretly begins her new life to hunt Luke.
     
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  8. brodiew

    brodiew Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 11, 2005
    Very well done, Carlos! I love the continuation of Mar-Litassa's journey. I also love Mara's arrogance. Who else to give her such over confidence than Palpatine.

    Intelligence reports indicated he was a former moisture farmer from Tatooine—meaning he is probably was some bucktoothed, rimworld bumpkin with bad hygiene, a primary school education, and a total lack of culture. The only thing going for him was undoubtedly some minimal Force ability, which allowed him to get that lucky shot during the Battle of Yavin.


    That's funny, right there. [face_laugh]

    I look forward to reading this going forward.
     
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  9. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    If you read my short story this is based on it indicates that they had a relationship, but there was no mention of marriage. But they are OTP.

    This Mara is a bit more calculating and not as angry as she was in TTT. I assumed having Palpatine popping into your head and nagging you from beyond the grave drove Mara a little nuts. This Mara didn't have people chasing her after Palpatine's death and she wasn't forced to be on the run and work crappy jobs. She is well trained and ambitious, but she isn't fanatical about revenging the Emperor. I think in this fanfic she was a little relieved she doesn't have to be around darksiders all the time and having a ruthless old man capable of popping into her head at any time and day. I would see it analogous to moving out of your parents house. You don't hate your parents but they are driving you crazy and you want some space.

    I have been writing the meeting between Luke and Mara and that should be up by the end of the month. I was thinking of having this fic covering most of her life up to where my short story began. I don't know if that is too big of a time span. It would be almost thirty years. I guess we will see how it goes.

    Luke is good at winning over people. Mara doesn't stand a chance.

    A GFFA without Mara is not a place I would want to write about. [face_not_talking]

    On the hunt for hot farmboy. Luke won't know what hit him...literally. I already wrote that part.

    Thank you. I hope I have time to do a good job with this story. With college and work it will be a tough squeeze.
     
  10. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    Entry 2

    The Empire is full of idiots and I honestly don’t know how I never fully comprehended this before. It isn’t like I didn’t see the warning signs. We built a colossal space station capable of annihilating entire planets, but Imperial engineers failed to put a metal grate over a thermal exhaust port. And there was that humiliating defeat on Endor where an elite stormtrooper garrison was decimated by a village of one-meter-tall, primitive Ewoks with rocks and wooded spears. ROCKS AND WOODEN SPEARS! One would think these embarrassments would urge Imperial commanders to buckle down and increase unit readiness, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

    I walked to the local military garrison and inquired how I could join up to fight the rebels. I was referred to a young lieutenant who scrutinized my stolen identification, looked up to me and my newly dyed black hair, before smiling lecherously and handing me a datapad to fill out a recruitment application. I filled out the forms, turned it in and that was it. I am officially part of the Empire. I could be a rebel secret agent, but they wouldn’t know. I would be extremely surprised if the lieutenant actually ran a background check on my stolen identity.

    I requested to be sent to an intelligence unit. The young officer said that shouldn’t be a problem since most women are sent to non-combat units. It is nice to know the remnants of the Empire continued their old custom of misogyny (sarcasm fully intended). I am given a shuttle transport ticket and a datachip with my orders. Tomorrow I report to an initial training center for a physical and inprocessing.

    Now I understand how the rebels can gather such detailed intelligence on the Empire--operational security is sloppy!

    Entry 3

    I am starting to regret my decision. Suppressing the urge to Force choke my drill instructors is giving me a migraine. The training is a joke when it comes to women. We train in coed companies, but the platoons are segregated. During our platoon runs the men are way upfront maintaining a good four-minute-kilometer pace with boots and heavy pack, all the while singing horrendously sexist cadences. Meanwhile the women were lagging behind at a casual seven-minute-kilometer crawl, wearing running shoes (so the weaker sex doesn’t get shin splints), no pack and while chanting a children’s show tune disguised as a double-time cadence. I only have another week of pretending that I don’t have any prior military training and then I am off to my advanced job training for the Intel Corps.

    Entry 4

    The Intelligence Corps training is rudimentary. We covered the different types of military intelligence to include: signal, imagery, and area intelligence. We also were instructed in Battlefield surveillance, counterintelligence, geospatial intelligence, and cryptologic Network warfare. One of our assignments at the end of the course was to attempt to create a backdoor program capable of accessing a Rebel computer system. I was fairly sure this was a lesson in frustration. If there were any Rebellion (or New Republic as they are now calling themselves) computer systems that haven’t been breached then it is unlikely a class of fresh Intel recruits would have any success in doing so. Given the time frame we had for this assignment I doubted I could pull this off. I decided to play it safe and attempt to slice into older computers. I knew the six-year-old PX-W operating system was riddled with security holes and when the company that manufactured these system platforms started producing the next generation system they totally stopped allowing software patches and virus protection updates to occur. It was the company’s way of getting computer owners to purchase their new system. Unfortunately for the Rebels, money is tight and they can’t afford to procure new processors every few years. I ran a PX-W code scan through the New Republic Holonet in an attempt to find vulnerable systems. I found a few and miraculously one belonged to a low-level supply clerk for an X-Wing fighter squadron on a remote NR held planet. It wasn’t much, but it did allow the Empire a peek into supply requests for that particular military unit.

    My instructors were duly impressed. What they didn’t know was—using Palpatine’s old passcodes—I also designed a second backdoor program to spy on the Empire. If I was ever going to find Skywalker I needed fresh intelligence from all sources.

    It is only a matter of time before I have that Tatooine farm boy in my hands.
     
  11. RX_Sith

    RX_Sith Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2006
    She is definitely resourceful in using her extended knowledge of all things Empire and Rebellion for her personal gain and I am sure that she will find that flunky farmboy spittin' some tobacco soon.
     
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  12. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Very interesting to see Mara back in training and her thoughts about Imperial sexism - based on TFA the First Order doesn't seem to have the same issues so I wonder if we'll see that progression in this.
     
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  13. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Great to see Mara's commentary on her training and the attitudes of the instructors. :p

    But this:

    It is only a matter of time before I have that Tatooine farm boy in my hands. Yum.
     
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  14. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    Thanks everybody for reading. I am still writing the next entry, but I made up a little photoshop cover for my story. Since it starts 1 year after the battle of Endor I have my favorite couple as young. And Mara has her hair dyed already.

    [​IMG]
     
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  15. Stone Jade

    Stone Jade Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2013
    Great stuff so far. Looking forward to reading more. I like reading Mara in this time frame, especially since the Legends material is minimal and not particularly good.
     
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  16. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    :p That comment has me imagining Luke with a mullet with a big glob of chew in his cheek. If that is the case then I can understand how he ended up alone on an island. [face_laugh]


    Yes, I want to show some progression because in the OT we didn't have any Imperial females that I noticed. It appeared the Empire favored human males. This is only a year after Endor so not much should have changed.


    Thanks. It won't take long for her to snatch him.

    Thank you. This is not the EU Mara. I toned down the bitterness because she doesn't have The Last Command and she wasn't hunted down by Ysanne Isard. Zahn had painted Mara as a brutal assassin and then in his other books he tried to soften her image so readers would accept her as Luke's wife. I am trying to bypass that by having her less angst filled from the start. She may seem OOC, but since she is no longer Disney canon I can change her background.


    Thanks everybody for reading. This is the set up for her to meet Luke. That should happen in the next post.

    _____________________________________________





    Entry 5

    Before I finished my Intel training the Empire was dealt a terrible setback on the planet Jakku. Jakku is a desert mining planet in the Western Regions with little strategic value other than it makes a good jumping off point into the Unknown Regions. Grand Moff Randd was determined to take over that sector for reasons unknown (at least to me) and committed most of the Imperial fleet. That fool was so confident that he reportedly said during the battle that this conflict would ‘live forever in history as the place where the Empire defeated the Rebellion once and for all.’

    It didn’t quite work out that way. The New Republic was victorious and the enemy captured Captain Ciena Ree, the commander of the Star Destroyer, Inflictor, but not before she ordered her ship scuttled to prevent the Rebels from acquiring it. Our last Super Star Destroyer, the Ravager, was lost in that battle along with numerous AT-AT and AT-ST walkers and countless casualties on both sides.

    Jakku was a failure of epic proportions leaving the Empire in shambles. If the Imperial command can’t rectify this situation I might have to change sides in this war.
    .
    .
    .
    I can’t believe I actually wrote that. It is treasonous to have such thoughts…but so many things have changed in the last year, including my priorities. I once served the Emperor loyally. My devotion knew no bounds. But what did that get me? Nothing.

    I need to look out for myself now.

    Entry 6

    The New Republic has become overly confident and lax when it comes to communication security protocols. More and more New Republic personnel are transmitting unencrypted messages. While the Moffs attempt to consolidate forces and recover from the Jakku debacle, I have continued my search for Skywalker. I have picked up chatter that he was sighted on the planet Hodk II. It is a neutral planet, but they may be considering siding with the NR now that the New Republic handed the Empire a colossal setback. I graduate from my Intel Corps training next week. I will report to my new unit on Epta Prime, a small temperate world in the galactic inner rim. Once there I will be given the option of taking the standard two-weeks leave or save my vacation time for later. Maybe I will travel to Hodk II and try to get a glimpse of the NR golden boy. If I capture him I could send an encrypted message to the nearest Imperial ship and request a prisoner extraction.


    Entry 7

    I travelled to Hodk II in civilian clothing and with forged documentation. I felt there is no need to inform the border agents that I’m an Imperial. Fortunately there are only a few towns on the entire planet. I suspected the rebels could be found on the planet’s sole spaceport called He’ghos. That hellhole not only has a refueling center, but the city is home to the highest number of taverns and prostitutes per capita than any other location on the planet.

    I am certain I will find Skywalker there.

    I have good reason to be confident. I have searched for other high profile marks and found them. The secret is ‘know your enemy’ and my criminal profiling skills are flawless. I have come up with a profile for this Rebel: He is a man in his early twenties and former moisture farmer from a sparsely populated planet and now he is the biggest hero of the rebellion and a self-proclaimed Jedi Knight. He is known and revered by rebels and NR sympathizers all over the galaxy. That rapid change of fortune, from farmer to hero, is a recipe for disaster. Sudden fame leads to substance abuse, debauchery and other self-destructive behaviors. My best guess is I can find Skywalker at some shady bar, drinking whiskey, leering at women and attempting to get any receptive female into bed by announcing he was the man who blew up the Death Star. It is typical bravado behavior seen in successful pilots and it is as disgusting as it is predictable.

    The public transport shuttle I flew on to Hodk II set down at the He’ghos spaceport with a loud thud, followed by a screech of metal and a sudden jerk as the ship listed sharply due to a broken landing strut. Luckily I was still in my crash webbing. The foolish passengers who ignored the flashing ‘Stay Seated’ neon sign ended up flung into the far bulkhead. There was a lot of confusion, moaning and panicked passengers. When the shuttle stopped shuddering, I unbuckled, stood and grabbed my tote bag intent on leaving this entire fiasco behind me. I looked down the exit aisle and sighed in frustration when I realized in order to actually leave I would have to step over an extremely elderly and injured woman sobbing on the floor. I hesitated, wanting nothing more than to start my mission to capture Luke Skywalker, but, with a grunt of frustration, I tossed my bag onto my seat and knelt down to assist the injured passenger sprawled on the deck. I helped her into a sitting position and examined the gash on her head. She had grey hair, pallid blue eyes and fragile thin skin that was nearly translucent, but was quickly turning a bluish-black color from intense bruising. I reached back to my tote and pulled out a shirt and tore off a strip big enough to use as a bandage and pressed the cloth to the wound to quell the bleeding. “You’ll be alright.”

    The elderly lady smiled appreciatively before she started to cry. “Thank you. In this galaxy full of evil, it is wonderful to find a young lady so caring.”

    I was startled by her words. ‘When did I become caring?’ The concept was foreign. So foreign, that I bristled at the comment, seeing it as a personal attack on my abilities as an assassin. Empathy was not part of my training. When I worked for the Emperor I never had pangs of a conscience…at least not this intense.

    ‘What’s happening to me?’

    As I tended the woman’s wound, I started to wonder how much influence the Emperor actually had over me. Since his death I felt conflicted and I found myself having more and more disturbing episodes of…altruism.

    I didn’t have time to contemplate the matter as the shuttle was filling up with medics from the local hospital. “Help is here.” I started to stand but the woman grabbed my hand preventing me. She looked me straight in the eye and said, “My grandchildren always said I have prescience. Although, I think I’m simply a good judge of character. I can see you making a difference in this galaxy.” She smiled. “Make a positive difference.”

    I felt a shimmering of the Force from the woman. She wasn’t a Jedi, but she had some abilities. I quickly stood, grabbed my tote and elbowed my way out of the crowded shuttle.

    “Make a positive difference,” I scoffed under my breath. “I fully intended on making a positive difference…I am going to bring the Empire back to its former glory.”
     
  17. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    =D= I like Mara's pragmatism, mixed with confidence, then tossed in with a bunch of did I just do that? What's happening to me? :D She's changing and becoming her true self because the Emperor is not squashing her real ideals and motives. But of course she has to assert her loyalty and the Empire's right to govern, [face_thinking] at least for now. ;)
     
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  18. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    I am loving this! Mara is so great in this and looks like you are having lots of fun.

    Please include me in future updates. :)
     
  19. RX_Sith

    RX_Sith Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2006
    Sounds like Mara meets Maz maybe.
     
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  20. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    She is changing. I envision her enjoying her freedom. She didn't want to be a civilian, but she likes not having Palpatine popping up in her head. I think it would be analogous to a young person moving out of his or her parents' house. You might respect and love your parents, but you need your space before they drive you insane. I would think Palpatine would become annoying after being around him for a few minutes...Mara probably had her fill of him.

    Thanks. I want to write and write and post, but I don't want to run out of the story by February. It is hard slowing down.

    No, but the old woman was obviously a Force user. I just wanted to emphasize the change in Mara...otherwise her actions might seem a bit out-of-character. Mara should be bitter and hate Luke since he made her start over in life, but she isn't. Why is that? I needed a reason and I insinuated that she might have been controlled by Palpatine more than she believed. With Palpatine's influence gone she is becoming a woman that is more like the Mara Jade Skywalker in the EU. She is loyal, pragmatic, but the ugly bitterness is not there.

    Thanks everybody for reading.

    ______________________________________________________________________



    Entry 8

    I have been to just about every cantina in the area and so far I haven’t spotted Skywalker. I have met a lot of men claiming to be Skywalker in order to impress me. It is so pathetic that it’s almost humorous. Some of these imposters aren’t even human. In fact, a Quarren tried to pass himself off as Luke Skywalker. When I told him Skywalker was reportedly human he quickly responded with an ingenious lie, “That is what the Empire wants people to think. Their human-centric speciesism doesn’t allow them to believe a nonhuman could have possibly destroyed their battle station.” When I asked him how an aquatic species survived growing up on Tatooine he didn’t have an answer for that. Some Rebels weren’t bold enough to claim to be the fabled pilot (and the most wanted man on the Empire’s hit list), instead they proclaimed to be Skywalker’s wingman or best friend. These men assured me Skywalker was on the planet somewhere. I just have to continue my search.


    Entry 9

    I had left the hotel where I rented a room and had planned on checking out a few more taverns when I walked past a grassy recreational field where a group of men, mostly human, were playing a game of flingball. It is a game where teams toss a ball to each other and attempting to get the ball in the other team’s net without getting tackled. It is a game popular on many worlds. I didn’t give the players much notice until I heard one man yell, “Get it, Luke!” I turned to see the ball thrown to a blond man who immediately passed the ball to a teammate.

    I watched the men play, wondering if I was observing Luke Skywalker. The man in question was blond and average stature—not some giant that New Republic propaganda would want me to believe. I considered calling out, “Skywalker!” to see if he would turn around, but then that would draw attention to me. Since I was convinced he was merely a pathetic Jedi wannabe, I decided to reach out with the Force and see if I could sense any nascent and faint Force abilities hidden within the man.

    As soon as I stretched out with the Force his head snapped up, his eyes immediately focusing on me. I took a step back in shock. What I felt was not a man with minimal Force abilities—he was a beacon of the light side of the Force. The presence I felt was just as strong as Palpatine or Vader, minus the darkside malevolence.

    When I noticed him walking toward me I broke eye contact and quickly walked toward my hotel. I couldn’t confront him on the street in front of his comrades. My plan was to find him drunk in a bar and invite him back to my place where I would stun his rimworld butt and then place him in special-made stun cuffs the Inquisitorius once used to contain any Jedi captured after the purge. I couldn’t do that in the open on a public street.

    I could hear him calling to me. “Miss!”

    I didn’t turn around. I don’t know if he sensed I was an Imperial or not, but I wasn’t prepared to find out.

    When I heard his footsteps go from a quick pace to a sprint I knew a confrontation was inevitable. I reached into my side jacket pocket and made sure my holdout blaster was set on stun.

    “Miss,” Skywalker said as he lightly touched my shoulder. “Can I talk to you?”

    I stopped and clamped down on my emotions before I turned and feigned a startled expression. “What?” I asked with a contrived worried tone in my voice.

    The young man stood in front of me, wide-eyed for a long moment apparently at a loss for words before I felt him gently probing through the Force. He was trying to figure out if I was a Force adept. I don’t care how strong he is in the Force, he wasn’t going to get through my mental shields.

    “What do you want?” I asked pointedly while scrutinizing his face. He was definitely the Skywalker from the wanted posters except he was better looking than the composite drawings indicated. He had a clean-shaven baby face, dark blond hair, mesmerizing blue eyes, and cleft chin. When he noticed me looking at him he smiled revealing straight white teeth. Stang! He looked like he could be on a NR recruiting poster. “Well?” I asked impatiently.

    “I uh….” The rebel hero cleared his throat while looking at the ground and scuffing at black boot over the dusty road. “Hi…ahh…my name is Luke.”

    I continued to stare at him wondering where he was going with this conversation. I don’t even think he knew what he wanted to say. He looked up and down the road nervously before he said, “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

    I knew he wanted to talk about the Force, but if I agreed to his request easily that might raise suspicion. I folded my arms across my chest and scowled. “I’ve seen you Rebel pilots in town recently. I hope you don’t think I’m one of the local tramps that will sleep with any pilot to get off this dump of a planet.” I considered slapping him for emphasis, but then thought better of it when he blushed profusely and averted his eyes. “Oh no…no…never….I just…I just.” He stopped talking to reign in his composure. “Have you ever heard of the Force?”

    My eyes narrowed. “It is some sort of religion outlawed on some worlds. Why?”

    He drew in a deep breath. “It was the power the Jedi of the Old Republic utilized. Very few people can access its power. I think you are one of those people.”

    “And how would you know that?”

    He once again looked around nervously. “Because I’m a Jedi.”

    It took every milligram of willpower not to laugh in his face. “That is the worst come-on line I have ever heard.”

    He looked so flustered at that point that I almost felt sorry for the man. “No really,” he insisted.

    I looked him up and down and smirked. “What next? Are you going to offer to show me your lightsaber?”

    His eyes widened innocently. He opened his mouth to talk but quickly closed it. I was fairly sure he was about to run away. I decided it was time to stop playing hard-to-get. “You have peaked my curiosity…Jedi.” I nodded toward the hotel a half block away. “I have a room where we can talk if you promise not to kill me.”

    “I promise,” he said with a grin as he followed me down the road, into the hotel lobby, and down the hall to my room. Before I inserted the door keycard into the locking mechanism I looked at him sternly. “No funny business.”

    He shook his head. “No. I’m not that kind of guy.”

    Although I was trying to clamp down on the Force I couldn’t help but sense the truthfulness behind his words. I realized that for the first time ever, I have been completely wrong when it came to coming up with a criminal personality profile. Skywalker wasn’t the drunken womanizer I imagined he would become after a taste of celebrity. He somehow managed to maintain his sense of decency and a strong moral compass. I nodded as I unlocked the door and gestured for him to enter. “I believe you.”

    A wide boyish grin blossomed across his face and the delighted gleam in his blue eyes was full of such hope and promise… that I almost regretted pulling out my blaster and stunning him as soon as he crossed the threshold.

    He managed to turn toward me before he collapsed. His look of surprise was comical. I wish I had a holovid imager to capture the moment. I could have made a humorous animated graphic and become a holonet sensation.

    He might not be a Jedi, but he was strong in the Force, so I wasn’t going to take any chances with him. I closed the door and then grabbed my tote, opened a hidden, ray shielded, compartment on the bottom of the bag and pulled out two sets of stuncuffs. I put a pair on his hands and one on his ankles before gagging him. That should hold him long enough for an undercover extraction team to get here.

    Once he’s delivered I will have proven my worth to the Empire.
     
  21. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Mara was able to stay focused on her objective but woohoo! She is captivated even if she won't admit it [face_laugh] [face_love]
     
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  22. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    Mara had Luke figured all wrong and bonus points she is taken by his physical appearance.

    There are two ways this could go but I am sure it will be amusing to the nth degree.


    Thank you for alerting me!
     
  23. RX_Sith

    RX_Sith Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2006
    So Mara captures Luke; now what?
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  24. JadeLotus

    JadeLotus Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2005
    Aw, such a nice meet-cute and then Mara doesn't even hesitate - [face_laugh] Things are going to get very interesting when Luke wakes up.
     
  25. gaarastar58

    gaarastar58 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 19, 2010
    I like that Luke exceeds Mara's expectations and she's fully aware of his power. She also seems more mature than him with a better sense of how the world works, which makes a lot of sense given her background as an assassin.
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.