main
side
curve
  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.

Tags:
  1. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    I like the cover story to get them transported to their destination and Mara's idea about concealment training. LOL on the discussion about bragging and reputations
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  2. RX_Sith

    RX_Sith Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2006
    So, their mission is about to begin and Luke is definitely a novice in espionage activities.
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  3. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    Poor novice Luke but he's cute all the same and Mara doesn't realize just what a catch she might have.

    I think she's glaring at me so I'm going to be over there.
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  4. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    Thanks. We need to get those two into an intimate situation so we can get some romance going.
    He's a farmboy. It would take years of training to become a spy.
    Although Mara doesn't have any great animosity toward Luke, I can understand her thinking that they have no future together. One of the two would have to leave their life and she is not ready to throw in her lot with the New Republic. She is loyal to the Empire. Eventually things will get bad enough to sway her to his way of thinking.

    Thanks everybody for reading.

    ___________________________________________________

    Entry 24

    “I can still sense you in the Force,” I whispered to Skywalker for the tenth time in the last hour. We were both sitting on the cabin deck, cross-legged, facing each other as he practiced Force concealment. His blue eyes were closed and his face was a mask of concentration, but he couldn’t fully hide the vast amount of Force energy emanating and swirling around him.

    He blew out a frustrated breath before opening his eyes and rubbing a hand down his face. “I don’t know why my Master didn’t teach me this technique. It’s an extremely useful skill.”

    “You know it’s useful now….but when your Masters were in training they probably thought the Sith were extinct. Believing they had no Force-strong enemies, perhaps they saw no need to conceal their Force presence.”

    He shrugged. “Maybe.”

    “Palpatine was a different story,” I continued. “He worked closely with the Jedi Order for years, first as a senator and later as Chancellor. To fool the Jedi he had to perfect not only Force Concealment but mask his affiliation. After all, he couldn’t walk around the Jedi as a total Force void. He had to let the Jedi sense him in the Force, albeit faintly, but what they did sense had to be perceived as benign. These skills were taught to the Inquisitorius. They were the people tasked to hunt down and kill any surviving Jedi.”

    He looked me in the eye. “Is that what you were trained to do? Kill Jedi?”

    I shook my head. “The Jedi were believed dead by the time I was fully trained. My job was…” I hesitated for a second trying to come up with a story that was close to the truth without revealing my true role. “I was basically a Force-strong loyalty officer. I tracked down and dealt with traitors within the Empire. I never killed rebels during the uprising.”

    He nodded. “That’s good to know.” He paused before asking the next question. “So you know how to hide your true nature when it comes to the Force…meaning you could be a Sith Lord and I would never know it.”

    “Sure,” I said with a chuckle. “But how many Sith Lords are willing to start over in the Empire as a lowly private just to survive.”

    He gazed at me intensely. “It could all be a ruse. You make contact with me, gain my trust, try to infiltrate the New Republic and then destroy us.”

    I thought about it. He was partially correct. I am trying to gain his trust, but as long as the treaty held I wouldn’t move against him. “I have no desire to breach the treaty and neither do my superiors.”

    A smile tugged at his lips. “But you don’t deny trying to gain my trust.”

    “I am with Imperial Intelligence. I never hid that fact.” I gave a short laugh. “But don’t worry, I’m not going to attempt to torture information out of you.”

    “Oh,” he said sounding disappointed. “With that tight body suit you’re wearing I thought you planned on seducing me.”

    “Dream on Dunerider.”

    “I see you don’t strictly adhere to the espionage playbook you mentioned earlier,” he said jokingly as he stood and offered me his hand to help me to my feet. “Since we are in hyperspace lets see if Captain Kort will let us see what he is transporting.”

    I took his hand and allowed him to assist me off the deck. We exited the cabin and wandered down the long corridor leading to the front of the ship. As we entered the galley we found Captain Kort leaning against the bulkhead sipping what smelled like Corellian brandy. A wide smirk crossed his face upon seeing us. “The young soon-to-be newlyweds have finally emerged from their cabin. I hope everything was comfortable.”

    “Yes, thank you,” Skywalker managed to mutter without blushing.

    Kort pulled out two glassed from a galley cabinet. “Would you two like a drink?”

    “No, I think I have had enough to drink for one day.” I looked in the direction of the ship’s flight deck. “Can you tell us where we’re going?”

    His eyebrows drew together in irritation. “The coordinates lead us to nowhere. So either a ship big enough to dock my freighter will be at the location when we exit hyperspace or we’ll be given alternate coordinates for a second jump at that time.”

    Skywalker looked around nervously. “This is a huge freighter. A ship would have to be as big as a Battlecruiser to dock this thing.”

    “That’s what I’m afraid of. I’d much rather touchdown on a planet or space station docking bay. Getting pulled into a military ship makes me feel…vulnerable.”

    “Well, there is nothing we can do about that now,” Skywalker murmured. “Can we get a peek at the cargo?”

    Kort finished his drink before answering. “No can do. They were sealed at the port…if I break the seal my reputation would be ruined.”

    Skywalker’s lips drew into a flat line of disapproval. “You mean you don’t know what is on your ship? You could be supplying weapons to warlords.”

    Kort stepped down the corridor motioning for us to follow. “I may not know the contents of the cargo containers, but I can give you an educated guess and I don’t think it’s weapons.”

    “And how would you know that?” Skywalker asked.

    Kort turned to face us while continuing to walk backwards towards the cargo bay. “Because when I was a teenager, near the end of the Clone War, I interned as a loadmaster to a legitimate trader. I would weigh and measure cargo containers so I could guarantee I had an evenly distributed load secured on speeder trucks or air shuttles. You don’t want things shifting in the cargo bay and causing a crash.”

    The Jedi shook his head. “How does that help you determine what is in your cargo bay now.”

    The smuggler smiled. “There are cargo manifests for legal trade. Back then I knew what was in the containers and I became intimately familiar as to what certain items weighed and how they were transported.” He stopped in front of the cargo bay entrance and opened the door. “My best guess is we are transporting hyperdrive propulsion systems or possibly thermal oscillators.” He led us into the bay where massive metal crates were carefully stacked and tied down with straps and netting.

    “You like to secure things the old school way,” I commented wondering why he didn’t use cargo stabilizers—a combination of tractor and repulsor technology to hold the payload steady.

    “Repulsor immobilization systems can fail.” Kort tugged at the netting. “This is durasteel cable netting. It is resistant to vibroblades and small blaster fire. I do have a modified tanglefoot field generator that can kick in and hold everything in place if the electronic tie down sensors indicate a break or slippage.” He looked over to Skywalker. “It also takes much longer to unload cargo secured in this manner. I thought you could use the extra time to spy on whoever this shipment is going to.”

    I had to grin. I was starting to like this smuggler. The man was smart and displayed forethought. The only thing I couldn’t understand was why he was risking his life and business to help the rebels. He had been playing it safe for decades, why change now? I decided the easiest way to find out was to ask.

    “Captain Kort, I want to thank you for taking us on this mission, but I was wondering why are you taking the risk?”

    The smuggler walked to the exit. “Because the rebels are certain the Empire is building another Death Star.” His expression darkened. “The Imperials destroyed an entire planet…a billion people in one shot. I’m not going to let it happen again. I’m going to be part of the solution this time.” He turned and walked out of the cargo bay.

    I glanced over to Skywalker. “If the rebels think it is the Empire…why am I here?” I was starting to worry. If it turns out the Empire is actually involved…what then? This entire treaty could be subterfuge…a way to get the New Republic to lower its guard. It might be so secret even Imperial Intelligence doesn’t know the plan.

    The Jedi shook his head. “We don’t know who is building something big. Everybody assumes it is the Empire…but the fact you are investigating the same thing tells me it’s somebody else.”

    I almost rolled my eyes. Skywalker is far too trusting.

    I looked over the cargo containers. “It doesn’t look like weapon crates. It may actually be ship components.”

    He sighed. “Ships to do what?”

    “I guess we’ll find out when we get to our destination.”
     
  5. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Superb discussion about Force concealment and trustworthiness ;) I like Kort too. :cool: He seems to be someone you can do business with and know what you're in for. :D Ominous theorizing about who's scheming what. And whether or not the treaty is a subterfuge. :eek:
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  6. RX_Sith

    RX_Sith Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2006
    Force concealment will definitely come in use later on in Luke's life when he is hiding from the First Order.
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  7. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    I like the discussions that are happening and the thought processes.

    Starkiller Base?
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  8. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    If the treaty is subterfuge then Mara isn't privy to that information. I was hoping for more more canon Star Wars books so I can keep this as Nu-Canon as possible, but so far I haven't read anything helpful. Thanks for reading.
    Oh yeah, it will come in real handy. I wonder if Luke taught that to Kylo Ren? I often wonder if Rey was actually trained in the ways of the Force but somebody altered her memory to keep her safe. That would explain how everything came naturally to here.
    Maybe, but if it is, it is in it's infancy.

    Thanks everybody for reading.

    .
    .
    .
    .

    Entry 25

    We ate with the crew last night. Adar and Hoku didn’t speak much, but kept a watchful eye on Skywalker and me…although I believe seventy percent of the time they were staring at my bosom. It is a bit irritating to have middle-aged men slowly chewing their nerf steak while gazing at parts of my anatomy. Twice I noticed Kort gave his men a warning glare. Hoku did try to engage me in conversation, but his thick rimworld accent was hard to decipher.

    “Where are you from Hoku?” I eventually asked. “I don’t recognize your accent?”

    His eyes darted to his boss and then back to me nervously, obviously not wanting to reveal more about himself than needed. He eventually shrugged and answered. “Nowhere in particular. I mainly grew up on a ship.”

    “Same here,” Adar added with an obvious Corellian accent.

    I didn’t even bother asking Kort. He had a hint of a Coruscanti accent that was muddied with rimworld slang. I suspect he grew up on the City world, left as a young man and spent most of his time in the outer rim.

    “How about you, Senni?” Captain Kort asked. “Are you from Coruscant?”

    I wasn’t surprised that he guessed correctly. I hadn’t bothered disguising my distinctive accent. “I grew up there, but I left after the fall of the Empire to travel.”

    He grinned slightly as he turned to Skywalker. “Tell me, how did you and your betrothed meet?”

    The Jedi looked uncomfortable. “We met on Hodk II.”

    I almost groaned audibly. Hodk II is such a backwater cesspool that there was bound to be questions as to why we were there. I didn’t have a chance to come up with a decent lie before the older man started to ask questions.

    “I heard you were briefly captured on Hodk II by the Empire. Is that true?”

    Great,’ I thought with a sigh. Obviously—while the Empire was trying to hide their blunder—the Rebels were spreading the news. I don’t blame them. One man takes out an entire Imperial extraction team. It’s great publicity for the New Republic, and it makes the Empire look like a bunch of bumbling incompetent morons.

    ‘And you can thank yourself for that,’ I admonished myself. If I didn’t deactivate those Force shackles Skywalker would have been securely restrained and sent to an interrogation facility…at least until the treaty secured his release…if he was still alive that is. I looked over to the Jedi and felt a strange sense of relief. When I first captured him I didn’t consider his fate, but after having time to think about it, I realized the Imperial Interrogators would have done unimaginably cruel and sadistic things to the Jedi. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy…and Skywalker wasn’t my worst enemy.

    “Yes, I was apprehended, but quickly escaped.” He motioned towards me. “I had just met this beautiful woman that captured my…my everything. I couldn’t bear to leave her, so I had to refuse the Empire’s invitation to visit their interrogation cell for a long chat.”

    Kort chuckled while gazing at me over his glass. “I can’t blame you Skywalker. You are engaged to an amazingly beautiful woman.” He gave me a nod. “If you don’t mind me saying.” He smiled softly. “I wish you two the very best.” He finished his drink and then stood. “If you excuse me. I need to get some sleep before our exit from hyperspace tomorrow.” Without a word, his men stood with their captain and departed to the front of the ship.

    I looked over to Skywalker who was grinning. “I think I handled that fairly well.”

    I blew out a harsh breath. “You told him I captured your…everything. Can you give him more hints about what actually happened?” I gulped down the remainder of my wine before grabbing my plate and moving them to the galley dishwasher. “You are terrible at subterfuge. You’re lucky you have the Force because without it you would have been dead a thousand times over.”

    “I guess I am lucky to have you along to keep me out of trouble.”

    “Damn right,” I moved aside and allowed him to load his dishes into the machine.

    “When we get to our destination, try not to get me or yourself killed.”

    “Yes, ma’am,” he said with a flippant salute.

    “Knock it off, or I’ll shoot you out the airlock.”

    I moved down the corridor to our cabin with Skywalker following close behind.

    “That would put a bit of a damper on the Honeymoon,” he said cheekily.

    I slapped the door entry panel. “Remind me to kill Solo when we get back.”

    He chuckled as we walked through the open door, but then he went silent. I could feel his discomfort at our intimate sleeping arrangements. I pulled my satchel off the top bunk and grabbed a sleeping shirt and shorts out of it. “There’s no reason to make the situation awkward.” I tossed my bag in the corner of the room as I moved to the cabin door. “In the past I have traveled and billeted with Stormtroopers. I’m used to living in close quarters with members of the opposite sex. So, if Solo set up this situation to make me feel uncomfortable, he missed the mark.”

    Skywalker grinned sheepishly. “No, he did it to embarrass me…and he didn’t miss the mark.”

    “I’ll dress in the ‘fresher.” I opened the cabin door and looked back to the Jedi before exiting. “I’ll be back in ten.”

    I changed in the ‘fresher and got ready for bed. When I returned Skywalker was already asleep.

    That’s good. Tomorrow might be a very long day.

    Entry 26

    Mid-morning was the scheduled time to exit hyperspace. Either there would be a ship at the location or alternate coordinates would be given at that time. That much we knew. According to Kort, the unknown region is not completely unknown. He had enough information in his private star charts to determine there wasn’t a planet at our destination.

    As the time to real space conversation neared, we all stood on the flight deck waiting anxiously. “Thirty seconds before reverting to real space,” Adar said while looking over his flight controls.

    “I want shields up and weapons ready when we exit,” Kort muttered while chewing his lower lip.

    “Five seconds,” Adar announced before the stretched star lines transformed back to pinpoints of light. Everything went quiet as we gazed out the viewing port to empty space. There wasn’t a ship, spaceport, asteroid or planet anywhere nearby.

    “That’s a bit anticlimactic,” Kort said quietly. “I guess we wait for further instructions.”

    “Wait, what!” Hoku said from his station. “The Nav computer activated.”

    Kort rushed up behind the man’s seat and looked over his shoulder. “Who activated it?”

    Hoku threw his hands up in confusion. “I don’t know. I didn’t.” He looked at Adar. “Did you do something?”

    The blond man was frantically consulting his computer. “Somebody is remote accessing our controls.”

    “That’s impossible,” Kort exclaimed in disbelief. When the ship surged back into hyperspace his face went pale. “This is not supposed to happen this way.”

    “You said you never did this run before,” I said pointedly. “How would you know this isn’t supposed to happen?”

    He looked back to me, his eyes wide. “Because my friend did this run a month ago. He said he was given coordinates, he dropped the cargo off at a remote and nearly deserted port, and then he was off. The only thing asked of him was to erase the coordinates from his Nav Computer, which he did.”

    “How do you know he was telling the truth?” Skywalker questioned.

    Kort shook his head in frustration. “We worked together for over a decade. He is like a brother to me. He would have told me if this happened to him.” He turned to his pilot. “Where are we going?”

    Adar pulled up various screens on his computer. “The ship isn’t giving up that information. I don’t know how this is happening. Nobody can control a ship manually through hyperspace. There must be a burrower virus in the system. Perhaps it rode in on the back of the initial coordinates transmitted to us.”

    “I checked the information for malicious content before I downloaded it into the computer,” Hoku fired back. “If there was a burrower it’s a type we’ve never seen before…something undetectable.”

    Kort gritted his teeth. “This has to be the work of the Empire. Those sneaky bastards.”

    I couldn’t verbally disagree with the man, not when he assumes I’m a rebel. To be honest, I have never heard of this type of technology. If they can remotely control a cargo ship could they do the same thing with an Imperial Battle Cruiser? I was starting to hope it was the Empire because I don’t like the idea of anybody else having this type of technology.

    Skywalker touched my elbow and motioned for me to follow him to the corridor. When we were out of earshot from the crew he threw at me the obvious questions. “Is this the work of the Empire?”

    I shook my head. “If it is, I don’t know how they’re doing it. And why would my boss send me to investigate if the shipments are for the Empire?”

    Skywalker looked at me suspiciously. “Maybe you are here to make sure I don’t discover the truth.”

    I coughed suppressing a laugh. “If I wanted to do that I could have killed you on Hodk II.”

    “Unless this is all part of your master plan.”

    I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. We needed to prepare for what awaited us at the end of this jump and not fight with each other. I reached out and grasped his shoulders with my hands, staring him in the eye. “Reach out with the Force. Can you sense any maliciousness on my part?”

    He took a deep breath and concentrated before shaking his head. “No, but you have already told me you are trained to conceal.”

    I made a frustrated grunt and dropped my hands, but the Jedi quickly grasped them in his own and gazed at me intensely, reaching out with the Force. After spending nearly two decades under the tutelage of a Sith Lord who could pop into my head unexpectedly, I learned how to compartmentalize and hide away thoughts. I carefully hid any memories of my former life as Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand, and let him see flashes of my alias' life…Litassa Coley Imperial Intelligence Officer. I must have convinced him because eventually he smiled softly and said, “I believe you.”

    “Okay.” I waited for him to let go, but he continued to hold my hands awkwardly until I finally shook my arms free. “We don’t have time for this.” I returned to the flight deck where the three crewmembers were running through diagnostics while yelling numbers and slicing codes back and forth to each other.

    “Kriff!” Adar screamed letting us know that he had come to an impasse. “I don’t know how they did it and I don’t know where we’re going.”

    “Shavit!” Kort ran a hand through his black hair. “Keep running diagnostics and find that malicious programing. I may not be able to do anything now, but I don’t want anybody to be able to take over my ship again. Find it!”

    “Yes boss!” the two men said simultaneously.

    He turned and looked at Skywalker. “I don’t suppose you can use your Jedi skills to find out how this is being done?”

    The Jedi shook his head. “Sorry Captain Kort. This is a mystery to me.”

    He reached up and massaged his temples. “Okay, there is nothing we can do about it now, but get ready. If you are going to wear a disguise, get it on Skywalker. If we pop out of hyperspace to a waiting Imperial Star Destroyer I’d rather not have the famous Luke Skywalker on board.”

    “I’ll get on that.”

    “I’ll help,” I said as I followed Skywalker to our cabin. After all, I know how to circumvent Imperial facial recognition technology. I just don’t know if I can successfully disguise the most recognizable Rebel in the galaxy.
     
  9. RX_Sith

    RX_Sith Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2006
    Looks like trouble is brewing for Luke and Mara.
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  10. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    Well it's easier to lie if you use the truth in the lie. :)

    Oh boy, looks like they might be in some trouble.
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  11. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Superb and fun with Litassa ;)
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  12. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    Those two attract trouble.
    I think using some of the truth makes remembering the occasional falsehoods a little easier.
    Thank you. I'm glad you like it.

    __________________________________________________________________________



    Entry 27

    “Hair dye?” I said incredulously. “Really? You think you can dye your hair and nobody will recognize your face?”

    The Jedi looked down at the box of hair-coloring and frowned. He then gestured towards me. “What about you? What’s your disguise?”

    “I don’t need a disguise. Intelligence recruits have their image scrubbed from all Imperial data banks. Any information about me is kept in a secure network that isn’t electronically connected to anything outside of the agency. This way if we had to go undercover to root out a spy, he or she couldn’t use our own face recognition technology against us.”

    “Oh,” he said softly. “What do you suggest then?”

    I put out my hand. “Let me see your Dunerider identification.”

    He pulled the ID out of his trouser pocket. I scrutinized the photo. It was slightly blurred…most likely on purpose. The identification said he was a blue haired, blue eyed, and light skinned male from the planet Bartoli. I looked up from the photo and frowned.

    “You do know facial recognition is based on the distance between specific points of a person’s face—the distance between the eyes, from the bridge of the nose to the chin, the width of the face, the shape of the cheekbones or the depth of the eye sockets. There are dozens and dozens of measurements that can help identify a person. The color of your hair isn’t a factor.”

    I grabbed my carry-on satchel and pulled out a jar I carry for emergencies. I held it up to him for inspection. “This has cream that causes swelling of tissue. If you put it on your cheeks or the temples it will skew computer measurements.”

    He took the jar from me, unscrewed the top and gave it a sniff. He quickly held the jar out at arms length upon smelling the cream’s repulsive odor. “I can’t blend into a crowd smelling like this.”

    A smile crossed my lips. “The smell dissipates quickly. The swelling can last up to forty-eight hours.” I reached into my bag and pulled out some protective gloves. “I’ll help you put it on.” I dabbed some cream on the fingertips of my gloves. “This may sting a little,” I said as I spread it on his temple.

    His eyes went wide. “Sting! It feels like my face is on fire.”

    He tried to push my hands away but a stern look gave him pause. “You’re the mighty Jedi. Use some pain blocking technique. It will only hurt for a few minutes.”

    He grunted as his eyes watered from the cream’s vapors. “My Master didn’t teaching me how to block pain.” He startled when I started working on the other side of his face. “I wish he did. It would have come in handy when the Emperor was frying me with Force lightning.”

    I lowered my hand and gawked at him in astonishment. “He attacked you and you lived?”

    He rolled his eyes. “No, I died. I am an extremely fleshy Force ghost.”

    I couldn’t help but chuckle. “It was a statement of astonishment, not a question.” I looked him up and down. “I’m impressed. Maybe you have some potential…Jedi.”

    Entry 28

    After dying his hair we returned to the flight deck. Hoku gave Skywalker a double take. “Oho! Did a pitter-beetle sting you? You’re all swelled up.”

    Captain Kort turned to see what his crewman was referring to and laughed. “Wow, that looks painful.”

    Skywalker glared at me through swollen eyes. “Yes, it was painful, but I was told by my beautiful fiancée that the pain wouldn’t last more than a few minutes, and she was right. What she failed to tell me was that once the pain subsided intense itching would ensue.”

    He reached up to scratch his face but I slapped his hand away. “Rubbing it won’t help. You’ll get the cream residue on your fingers and then the next thing you scratch will swell up.”

    Hoku smirked. “So don’t scratch your…”

    “Hoku!” Kort interrupted him. “I’m not sure what you were planning to say, but I am certain it wouldn’t be appropriate in mixed company.”

    The chastised crewman turned back to the navigation computer. “Sorry boss.”

    Before Kort could reply the ship shuttered.

    “Leaving hyperspace,” Adar said from the pilot seat.

    “Where are we?” Captain Kort asked.

    The crewmembers scrutinized their readouts. “Unknown. None of the stars are on any of our maps. Sensors show a planet behind us.” Adar turned the steering yoke of the ship rotating it until we could see a brown and green world below. The sun was to the rear of the planet plunging the side we were facing into darkness.

    “Sensor’s show a breathable atmosphere with a slightly higher than standard gravity.” Adar turned to look at the Captain. “What now?”

    Kort crossed his arms in front of his body. “Get us closer and then wait for docking instructions.” He turned to Skywalker and me. “When we land and start offloading, do whatever you are going to do quickly. If you get caught say you were looking for a refueling speeder or searching for something to eat. Or better yet, don’t get caught.” He started to turn back to his men when he stopped and returned his attention back to us. “I know the temptation may be great, but I would advise that you two resist kissing each other.” He gave a chuckle. “Swelling would truly mar Senni’s captivating face.”

    I was about to shoot back some snide remark when I felt amusement emanating from Skywalker. I turned to see a wide grin on his face and a sly glint in his swollen eyes. “I don’t know if I can resist,” he said as he reached out to me. I was fairly certain his threat of skin-to-skin contact was in jest, but I wasn’t taking a chance. I shoved him away from me…hard. “Don’t even think about it Skywalker.”

    “Ouch!” Hoku muttered. “I bet she carries his lightsaber in her purse.”

    I was giving Hoku a deadly glare when a planetary communication interrupted our little discussion. “Freighter Habcamber please transmit your security code and await landing instructions.”

    Adar leaned forward and talked into his transceiver microphone. “This is Freighter Habcamber, transmitting security code.”

    There was a long pause before we got a response. “Affirmative. Proceed to the following transmitted coordinates. You will be contacted by the port master upon touchdown.”

    I took in a deep calming breath and let it out slowly. “Here we go.”

    “Come on,” Skywalker whispered while motioning for me to follow him. “I think it is time to let you know what I have in the case.”

    I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t think he made any subspace messages to his superiors since we’ve been on board. “I thought you said showing me the contents wasn’t a call you are authorized to make.”

    He shrugged as we moved down the corridor. “If we are going to work together, we’re going to have to trust each other.” He stopped at our cabin door and turned to me. His blue eyes met mine, direct and probing. “I can trust you, can’t I?”

    I wanted to say ‘Yes, of course, absolutely’, but for some reason I hesitated. Lying to him would be easy and I had enough experience with the Force to make him believe, but that didn’t feel right. “Luke,” I said softly. The name sounded almost foreign on my tongue and I suddenly realized this was the first time I have called him by his given name. “I am a loyal to my government, but I will do everything I can not to endanger you, your family, or the treaty with the New Republic. With that said, my loyalty is to the Empire.”

    I thought my words would disappoint him, but he broke out in a wide grin. “Now I fully trust you. You could have lied, but you didn’t.” He opened the door and stepped inside. I followed behind as he grabbed the metal suitcase and opened it. Inside was what looked like ship tracking devices.

    “I thought about using those too,” I said. “But anybody going to this much trouble to hide their activities has to scan their ship for trackers.”

    The Jedi lifted up the small disk. “These are passive ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time. They are activated by Cronau radiation emitted by a ship’s hyperdrive. When a ship goes to hyperspace it sends out a signal.”

    I shook my head. “We can’t track a signal from hyperspace.”

    He started filling his trouser cargo pockets with the trackers. “That’s true, but Cronau radiation is emitted by the hyperspace engines for a second or two prior to entering lightspeed and for a second after it falls back to real space. The trackers will send out a signal during those short windows of opportunity and then they go silent again. Most ships aren’t doing active scans in the seconds prior and after a jump. They should go unnoticed.”

    He tossed me a tracker. I examined it for a moment before slipping it into my jacket pocket. “Even if you have a transmission before and after…there isn’t any holonet transceivers or signal boosters in the unknown region. How are you going to pick up the signal or know where it is coming from?”

    “We have been sending out shuttles to the unknown region for months to spread probe droids. With enough out in space we should be able to triangulate a location. It’s a long shot, but it is worth the risk.”

    I nodded. “So when we transfer cargo we slip a tracker onto the freighter accepting the shipment.”

    "That's the plan." He handed me a couple more tracking devices before closing the case. “Meanwhile we observe and try to determine who we are dealing with.”

    “That sounds simply enough.”

    Skywalker nodded slowly, not looking confident. “Hopefully everything will go off without a hitch…unfortunately that rarely happens with my plans.”
     
  13. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Terrific plans - they seem straightforward enough - and I like that Litassa/Mara was essentially honest about her trustworthiness.
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  14. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    Good way to fool some facial recognition software and I know about pain spreading after I cut up some hot peppers for my dad. My fingers burned for days.

    Nifty trick and lets see if it will work or if they will be able to plant it without getting caught.
     
  15. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    Thanks. I think these two will continue to struggle with trust for a while.

    I have to admit it was a nod to TTT and Mara hiding Luke's face with that poison plant. Like JJ Abrams I am willing to seal from the past SW stories. lol!

    Thanks guys for reading.


    ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________


    Entry 29

    We landed at an isolated but extremely active spaceport bustling with ships from all over the galaxy. Although there were various species manning the cargo freighters there was a noticeable lack of Hutts. This was surprising since Hutts own a huge percentage of the galaxy’s smuggling operations. Although they usually hire outside of their species to do their smuggling they often send at least one Hutt boss to oversee large cargo runs.

    The entire crew of the Habcamber was on the flight deck. Adar and Hoku were going through their landing checklist while Captain Kort grumbled under his breath that if he didn’t have a passenger with a million credit bounty on his head he would strangle the people responsible for electronically commandeering his ship.

    “With the peace treaty signed, the Empire no longer has a bounty on his head, do they?” I asked the Captain.

    The older man chuckled. “It was officially retracted, but some criminal organizations like Black Sun and the Snikmord syndicate have decided take up where the Empire left off. “

    I looked over to Skywalker who was on the far side of the flight deck gazing out to the docking bay where heavily armed individuals in black coveralls intermingled with the smugglers loading and off loading cargo. “Why would criminal organizations want him?”

    Kort shrugged. “It’s a ‘wanted alive’ bounty, so they probably want a Jedi of their own. With time and torture he might be turned to their way of thinking. He could be a great asset.”

    I blew out a frustrated breath. I thought there was no longer a bounty on Skywalker. Having every criminal and smuggler out to looking for him complicated matters. I can only hope his swollen face allowed him the anonymity he needed for this operation. I turned back to Kort. “I doubt anybody could torture him into cooperating.”

    He nodded in agreement. “That’s probably true. I have heard of his bravery. He is not a man to bend to the will of a warlord.” A slight grin touched his lips as he leaned in to whisper to me. “Now…submitting to the will of a beautiful woman…I could see that.” He gave me a wink. “I have never seen a man so smitten. He never took his eyes off you during the entire trip. I’m sure you could get him to do anything you want.”

    I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. If Skywalker was watching me it was because he didn’t fully trust me. Unfortunately, Captain Kort believes Skywalker and I are engaged lovers so I really can’t say anything to dispel that belief.

    “If that were true he would put down the toilet seat after using the fresher,” I said sarcastically.

    Kort laughed. “You’ll get him trained eventually.” He clapped his hands together then gestured towards his men. “Let’s get to work.”

    ….

    I risked wearing a mechanic’s cap with a concealed spy-cam. It was small and sewn into the lining of the hat with the camera disguised as part of a decorative emblem centered on the front panel. After this mission I would return the footage to my headquarters and run a facial recognition scan on the video.

    We went to the cargo bay and released the tie-downs and stacked the smaller crates on a hoover-sled. The larger containers would have to wait for a load lifter. Skywalker and I exited the ship, guiding the sled behind us, and were met at the base of the ramp by a tall, lanky man in his mid-fifties wearing a civilian zip-up coverall and holding a datapad. “Cargo from the ship Habcamber goes to bay forty-two and reloaded on the ship berthed there.”

    “Yes, Sir,” Skywalker muttered with eyes down, playing the part of a beaten down or bored crewmember.

    As we moved toward the location I stole a backwards glance to the man’s seemingly innocuous wardrobe. There was no designation on the coveralls but I noticed he had three vertical creases starched into the back fabric and two vertical creases on the front. The man also made sure his gig line lined up with the edge of his belt buckle. That, along with the highly polished Imperial issue footwear told me either he was a former Imperial or one undercover. If he was undercover I would wager he's working for one of the disenchanted Moffs that disappeared with their fleet to parts unknown a year or so ago.

    The thought that rogue Imperials might be behind these massive shipment became very disconcerting when I noticed about twenty children, all wearing identical gray trousers and tunics, walking down another freighter’s loading ramp and surrounded by a handful of security guards. Their young eyes were cast down and they remained eerily silent as they marched out of the ship and through the massive docking bay. The younglings didn’t look abused or malnourished, but I could sense they feared the men escorting them through the spaceport. They could have easily been mistaken as students in a private school if it wasn’t for the fact that they wore tracking collars around their neck—the kind used by various crime syndicates. These younglings weren’t on a primary school field trip—they were cargo—they were slaves. Of that I was certain.

    Their situation did not go unnoticed by Skywalker. I could feel his anger welling up and I had to put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from doing whatever he was going to do.

    “Don’t do anything that will get us killed.” When he tried to step forward I pushed him back. “You can’t win this way. You owe it to the crew to stay quiet.”

    Frustration burned in his eyes, but he stopped and nodded slowly. “Somebody needs to do something about this eventually.”

    I turned to face him fully putting my hands on his shoulders. “And we will. We will get the information to our governments and we will shut down the slavers…but not now.” I stared at him intently. “Do you understand? You can’t let your emotions get the best of you. You have to remain calm.”

    He lowered his eyes and sighed. “You sound like my old master.”

    I made a huffing noise as I dropped my hands and stepped back. “Obviously that was a lesson you were slow to learn.”

    “True.” He took in a deep calming breath and let it out. “I’m okay. You’re right, two people cant stop this. Our governments will have to handle it.”

    “Good.” I paused, regaining my composure. “Good, because I don’t want to get us and the crew killed.” I turned and continued guiding the hoversled to our destination.

    Senni,” Skywalker whispered. “I’ll mount a tracker on the ship we’re going to. Can you think of a way to tag the other ships without causing suspicion?”

    “This is a conversation we should have had on the ship.” I rolled my eyes and gave a slight shake of my head. “They’re your trackers. I thought you had a plan.”

    He looked around the bustling spaceport. “I didn’t expect it to be this busy.”

    “Let’s get this cargo loaded and maybe we’ll figure something out.” We arrived to docking bay forty-two and started unloading the containers onto the ship. On the way across the bay I had noticed some port technicians that went ship-to-ship refueling or doing maintenance. If I could steal one of those uniforms it would give me an excuse to move freely around the spaceport. The problem was I didn’t know where those uniforms were stored. I could take out a technician, but if anybody found an unconscious semi-clothed employee the port would go on complete lockdown. I had to think of another way to move around with impunity.

    Skywalker and I completed unloading the sled and were walking down the ship loading-ramp when I heard a squawking in the distance. It was coming from a large cage transported by a load lifter. Inside were hundreds of Blubberbirds. They are fat, stupid, flightless birds whose eggs are used galaxy-wide for food. I gave Skywalker a nudge. “If that cage fell and busted open that would make a wonderful diversion.”

    “It would.” He gave me a mischievous grin. “Let’s do it.”

    As we neared the screeching birds I reached out with the Force and pushed the cage. When I felt Skywalker do the same I nudged the side of the load lifter so it appeared to malfunction. The machine shuttered as Skywalker knocked the cage off the forklifts. I wasn’t sure if the cage would remain intact so I utilized the Force to unlock the cage door right before it hit the ground. The sound of hundreds of startled birds was almost deafening…and then the mayhem began. Technicians, mechanics and smugglers were running around chasing the feathery animals. “Everybody help catch them!” I heard one guard yell. I complied by following a bird under a ship. As I grabbed up the animal I place a tracker on the ship hull. I ran back and deposited the bird in the damaged cage, which now had a technician opening and closing the door as people deposited the birds inside. I moved to another bird and another ship and saw Skywalker doing the same. Twenty minutes later I was out of trackers and most of the birds were back in their cage. We returned to our hoversled and made our way back to the Habcamber. Captain Kort, who most likely didn’t witness the depressing slave situation, was at the bottom of the ramp laughing boisterously.

    “All we needed is a jizz-wailer playing a jaunty tune and we would had a hysterical holonet vid.”

    “Thanks,” I said dryly as I moved the sled up the ramp. I was surprised that the cargo bay was now empty. “That was quick. Are we leaving?”

    He shook his head. “Not yet. I was told the crew needs a debriefing before we are approved for departure. They’ll probably threaten or bribe us into silence. If they took over other ships there is no way this would stay a secret unless they had some means of keeping smugglers quiet.”

    I turned to Skywalker. “I’m going to the flight deck to get a better view of the spaceport. I wan’t to see if I can identify any of the ships.”

    “I’ll go with you.”

    When we arrived at the flight deck we found Hoku and Adar running scans for malicious software. A wide smile crossed Adar’s face. “I found it.” He stared at the screen for a long time and shook his head. “It is a burrower virus, but for the life of me I can’t figure out how it got into our system.” He turned to Hoku. “I guess I should delete it.”

    “No!” I said a little louder than I intended. “Let me put a copy on an exterior drive first. Maybe we can figure out how it got into the system.”

    I ran back to my cabin and grabbed a mini-drive out of my satchel and then returned to the flight deck and handed it to Adar. “Put any information about the virus and any hyperspace coordinates you can retrieve onto the drive. Don’t delete anything unless Captain Kort demands it. I would like to scrutinize your computer system thoroughly when we get out of here, if I can.”

    “If we can,” Luke said softly, reminding me that we were going to share information on this mission.

    I nodded as Adar handed the drive back to me. “Here you go. I bet the rebels would like to figure out how to highjack ships remotely.”

    “I bet they would,” I said as I slipped the drive into my pocket. Skywalker looked at me suspiciously, but said nothing.

    Captain Kort’s voice came over the ship’s radio. “We have a five minutes until our debriefing appointment. You might as well come on down and be ready when he gets here.”

    The crew followed Skywalker and me down the corridor and outside the ship. I stood next to the Jedi and checked out his disguise. His face was still swollen and his mop of blue-dyed hair was a tangled mess from chasing blubberbirds. It was a good disguise. I doubt his sister would recognize him.

    I returned my attention to the docking bay and waited for our debriefing personnel to arrive when my breath froze in my chest. Coming toward us was a member of the Inquisitorius. He wasn’t in the traditional black and red robes, instead wearing a one-piece black coverall, but his face was unmistakable. I met him briefly a couple times while working as the Emperor’s Hand.

    I turned around to face Skywalker. “The man walking toward us was part of the Inquisitorius. We have to conceal our Force signatures like I taught you.” I then gritted my teeth and closed my eyes in frustration realizing that, for me, disguising my force signature was only half the battle. He might know my face! “Stang! He might recognize me,” I whispered to Skywalker.

    The Jedi looked over my shoulder, his eyes going wide. “What do we do? We don’t have time to go back to the ship and get a disguise for you.”

    I looked at the Jedi’s swollen face and only hoped there was enough surface residue from that irritation cream to help me. “Pretend we’re kissing.” I said as I pulled him close, rubbing my left cheek over his before gently touching his earlobe with my lips. I felt Skywalker’s shock as I did the same for the other cheek. I smiled as a burning sensation spreading across my face let me know it was working.

    Skywalker cleared his throat before whispering to me, “We can’t stay this way forever. He’ll get suspicious.”

    I almost laughed when I realized the Jedi didn’t understand the reason for the amorous embrace. He thought I was simply trying to hide my face. “You’re right.” I stepped back and regarded the Jedi. “How do I look?”

    “Beautiful,” he whispered in a confused tone.

    I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close so I could whisper in his ear. “I rubbed against you to get that cream on my face. I want my face to swell. Is it working?”

    I leaned back and saw a blush cross his face. “Yes. It’s working.”

    Hoku gave me a tap on the shoulder. “I don’t want to break up your smooch-fest, but our debriefer is here.”

    I took a deep breath and braced myself for what might come. I turned and smiled widely at the Inquisitor hoping my face was different enough to fool him and that Skywalker and I concealed our Force signature enough to avoid suspicion.

    “This is your debriefing,” the man said with a cocky smile. He had his hands behind his back as he rocked back on his heels. “When you return to your ship you will allow the navcomputer’s preprogramed coordinates to bring you back to the outer rim.”

    My eyes went wide when I realized the Inquisitor was using a mind trick on us. I knew how to block his efforts, but I wasn’t so sure about Skywalker.

    “Once out of hyperspace,” he continued. “You will erase your navigation records regarding this cargo run. You also will not remember anything about the trip other than you dropped off your cargo at a temporary port, saw nothing of interest, and then departed. Do you understand?”

    His gaze fell over the smuggler crew. From the corner of my eye I could see Hoku’s blank expression and a slight node of his head. The Inquisitor turned to me and I made a concerted effort to stare at him dully. He smirked before stepping in front of Skywalker. The Jedi’s eyes glazed over as he slowly nodded that he understood.

    “Good,” the Inquisitor said as he stepped back. “You are cleared for departure.”

    The crew broke ranks and stumbled up the loading ramp. I saw Kort shake his head like a man trying to wake up from a bad dream. Skywalker and I followed close behind, closing the ramp when we reached the top. “Captain Kort! Get us out of here.”

    Under normal circumstances I am sure the Captain would bristle at me giving orders on his ship, but he simply nodded and motioned his crew to the flight deck.

    When they were gone I turned my attention to Skywalker. “Are you alright?”

    He blew out a breath as he leaned against a bulkhead. “I guess the Empire is behind this.” He gazed at me sadly. “Are you in on this? I don’t get it? What’s your angle?”

    I grabbed him by the elbow and led him to our cabin and closed the door behind us. “It’s not the Empire…at least not my Empire. My Empire doesn’t enslave children.”

    He looked at me angrily. “No, just Wookiees.”

    I glared at him, but couldn’t argue that fact. Wookiees were rounded up and forced to do construction on the two Death Stars. I took a deep breath and let it out. “I will find out who’s doing this. If it is the Empire…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. I refused to believe it possible. “It’s not the Empire. It’s not, because I wouldn’t be part of an organization that enslaves children.”

    He gave me a fixed stare. “Are you sure about that? Weren’t you trained as a child? How about the other Inquisitors?”

    I glared at him. “We’ve had this conversation before. I don’t know how I came to the service of the Empire…probably the same way most Jedi had no idea how they ended up living at the Jedi Temple. But that’s in the past. This is the present. I’m not involved in what’s going on here. If I find out it is the Empire…” I hesitated for a moment, not sure if I wanted to make a promise I might have to keep. “Well, you might have another Imperial deserter for your New Republic.”

    His eyes blinked in surprise before his gaze sharpened on my face. “Okay, I guess I’ll have to believe you.” he said in an even tone. “I was never an Inquisitor. I wasn’t trained to lie or deceive. You have me at a disadvantage.”

    I was surprised by his words, but I was even more shocked at the cold hollow feeling that his declaration evoked in me. His words might be true, but it stung. “Fine, Skywalker. When we are back to the known galaxy, you don’t have to deal with me anymore.” I turned and opened the cabin door.

    “Litassa,” he began, sounding contrite.

    I turned and silenced him with a stare. “Don’t talk. Just don’t. I’m going to check on the crew. Hopefully that Inquisitor didn’t memory rub more than he had to.” I abruptly turned and left him and his accusations back in the cabin.
     
  16. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Excellently riveting - my goodness so many undercurrents of ominous goings-on with slavers and Inquisitors [face_nail_biting] You can tell Luke is conflicted about trusting Litassa and she is surprised by her own reaction to the mixed emotion, which points out her own tangle of feelings nicely. :) I am glad those trackers and recordings will be available even if Kort's crew doesn't actually remember anything. :eek:
     
    AzureAngel2 and Carlos Danger like this.
  17. Jedi_Perigrine

    Jedi_Perigrine Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 22, 2008
    What great story! I don't tend to read diaries, but I like the way you've just worked it in like a story. It flows nicely, and the characters are very believable. I think you've done a great job building Mara's spy persona.

    Good job! =D==D=
     
  18. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    Children meant for the Stormtrooper Corps? [face_thinking]:(

    [face_rofl] That scene with everyone chasing the birds was hilarious! If there's a recording I will lend you GalVid (my name for the GFFA's equivalent to YouTube) so they can share it.

    Is Mara in love with Luke? She seems really hurt that he believes that she would keep something like the abduction of children from him. And considering how Rebels said how the Inquistorius gets new members . .. the odds are high that Mara was forcibly taken from her family; unlike the Jedi where the parents could turn the Jedi Order down.
     
  19. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    Thanks for reading. This has to be a very difficult relationship for the two. Their first meeting wasn't the best first impression. lol!

    Thank you. I am glad you are enjoying it.
    Mara is not in love with Luke...yet. I think he is growing on her though. I think those are new Stormtrooper recruits. I figure this is thirty years before TFA so some of the senior troopers we saw in the movie are probably now getting trained. I think their was a six year old Captain Phasma in that group. The actress that plays her is in her late thirties. :)

    Thanks everybody for reading!

    ________________________________________________________________________________________


    Entry 30

    I found Skywalker sitting on the bottom bunk and fiddling with his datapad when I returned to our cabin. He set the contraption down and looked at me shamefaced. “Litassa, I’m sorry.”

    I waved him off. “There is nothing to be sorry about. The first day we met I stunned you and turned you over to an Imperial extraction team, possibly to be tortured. Why would you trust me? You would be a fool to do so. I don’t expect you to trust me.”

    He gave a disbelieving snort. “That’s a lie. I could feel your disappointment. It bothered you.”

    I narrowed a cold, hard look at him. “That’s not true.”

    This time he laughed. “It is true. I felt it—anger and disappointment. Are you telling me I’m wrong?”

    I folded my arms across my chest and turned so I didn’t have to face him. “I was maybe a little disappointed.” I glanced back at him. “My training did include knowing how to lie and deceive convincingly…and if I was doing that, then you questioning my intentions wouldn’t bother me.” I took a deep breath and let it out. “But, I wasn’t lying and so…” I shrugged and turned away. “It is hard to explain. I felt my integrity was in question…which is ridiculous under the circumstances.”

    “I wasn’t questioning your integrity.” I could hear the springs of his bunk squeak as he stood. “I am sure you are completely loyal to your government and your superiors.”

    I scoffed. “You know that’s not an accurate statement. Otherwise I wouldn’t have tampered with your stuncuffs and you’d probably wouldn’t be alive today.”

    “And for that I am forever thankful.” He gently rested a hand on my shoulder causing me to whirl and slap his hand away.

    He took a step back and made a disarming gesture. “Sorry.” He went back to his bunk and sat down. “I am sorry for accusing you of lying. I was shocked to discover an Inquisitor there. It had me wondering if I’ve been naïve in my dealings with the Empire.”

    “Did that just occur to you?” I asked with a smirk. I laughed when he gave an overly exaggerated mock sigh of frustration. “Skywalker, if the Empire is pulling a fast one on the New Republic, it is doing so without my knowledge. I have been straightforward in telling you various Moffs left the Empire and struck out on their own.”

    He nodded quietly before changing the subject. “How’s the crew?”

    “The crew is fine. They think they just finished the most uneventful and profitable cargo run they have ever experienced. They’re celebrating.”

    “What did you say the Inquisitor did to them…a memory rub?”

    “Yes.” I sat down next to him. “It allows you to erase memories from a person. The Inquisitor also added a thought suggestion.”

    He turned on the bunk to face me fully. “I have seen my master do the suggestion part. I’ve heard people call it a ‘Jedi mind trick’. I don’t know why he didn’t tell me about the memory rub.”

    “Because it is a darkside skill.” I ventured. “You can probably do it with the lightside of the Force, but I was always told the Jedi avoided certain skills, seeing them as evil…like the Force choke or the memory rub.”

    I can see him hesitate before asking me the next question. “Were you taught…those things?”

    “No.”

    As soon as I answered I knew I peaked his curiosity. “Why not? You said you trained as an Inquisitor.”

    Part of me wanted to tell him the truth, but I knew it was risky. I was closely associated with the most reviled man in modern history. Letting my identity to be known opened me up a whole host of consequences. Having Skywalker believe I was an Inquisitor was bad enough, how would he react if he knew I was the Emperor’s Hand? Would he tell his sister and the next thing I know I have New Republic agents hunting me down as a war criminal? My life depended on keeping my identity and link to the Emperor a secret. I decided the best way to explain things, while still maintaining the lie, was to interweave aspects of the truth into my explanation. “I was an experiment,” I said slowly. “The Emperor saw all Force strong individuals as threats. Most of his skills were passed on only to one person…your father. He was Palpatine’s apprentice. The Inquisitors were given a watered down version of darkside training. The Emperor feared they would band together and attempt to overthrow him if they became too powerful…and he knew that was a very real possibility because the darkside makes you ruthless and power-crazy.” I paused in thought before deciding the best way to proceed. “The Emperor wanted to see if he could train a loyal disciple without using the darkside of the Force. That’s what I was…a Force-neutral Inquisitor. The Emperor believed without the darkside the insatiable desire for power would not grow within me. I would be a loyal Imperial subject, strong in the Force, but one without the darkside tendencies to conquer and usurp power.”

    He raised his eyebrows. “And did it work?”

    “Do you see me trying to become the Empress of the galaxy?” I couldn’t resist a little sarcasm. “Maybe I should. I could be her royal exalted empress of the known galaxy and you can be my loyal, but naïve, cabin boy.”

    I was surprised when he playfully grabbed his pillow and smacked me across my midsection. I snatched it out of his hand and stood, doing my best to look angry. “Be careful Jedi or I’ll smother you with your own pillow tonight.”

    His eyes shone with amusement. “Wouldn’t that be a darkside skill?”

    I tossed the pillow back at him. “I am fairly certain I can accomplish the task without the use of the Force.”

    He shook his head and smirked as he repositioned his pillow on the bed. “I am sure you could.” He turned back to me, his blue eyes lingering on my face. “We make a good team. I enjoyed working with you. I’ll miss you when this mission is over. I hope we can do it again sometime.”

    I was shocked when I felt a sad loneliness projecting from the Jedi. He was telling the truth when he said he would miss me. He must have seen the surprise in my eyes because he cleared his throat and turned away. “Sorry. I guess I am overly sentimental.” He stood and made his way to the door.

    “Where are you going?”

    He ran a hand over his face trying to hide a growing blush. “I’m just going to tell Kort, Adar and Hoku how much I am going to miss them when we part ways.” He laughed uneasily. “That’s what I do. I don’t want you to think my somewhat impassioned declaration of comradely was focused entirely on you.”

    I chuckled at his discomfort. He was halfway out the door when I said, “I think I’ll miss you too, Farmboy.”

    I stifled a smile as his eyes went wide and he stood there like a dewback caught in the headlights of a speeder. Before he could say anything I pushed him out the door. “Give Kort, Adar and Hoku a kiss for me,” I said jokingly.

    The door slide shut, but I could feel Skywalker’s presence on the other side of the door as various emotions surged through him and projected clearly to me. He was confused, but mainly pleased with my words. I leaned against the door and wondered if he could feel my emotions though the Force despite my shielding. Could he sense my surprise? The great surprise that what I told him was true?

    I sure hope not.
     
    AzureAngel2 and Chyntuck like this.
  20. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    Well it seems that they both are struggling with feelings that they don't understand or realize how deep those feelings go.
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  21. enzo90

    enzo90 Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 28, 2016
    Very nice! Will Ben Skywalker come into play in this... Eventually, long from now, of course?

    And if you plan on mixing things with TFA... Ben Solo and Rey/ other new TFA characters that could make possible appearances?

    (Two Bens! [face_clown]
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  22. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    Mara is just starting to realize that Skywalker is the real deal. He is honest and a good guy.:D
    Probably not Ben because this based on the short story Reunion and that story reveals basically the ending to this story and there isn't a Ben, but another child. The link is in my signature.

    Thanks everybody for reading. I am so sorry for the delay in this post. I have been swamped with school work. A few days ago I took a test from Hell and failed it. The highest grade in the class was a "D". The teacher faced the possibility that her entire class was now going to suffer academically or she could give us an opportunity to make up some of the points...which she did. The test looked like she went through the text and looked for the tiniest details to ask questions on. The test covered FIVE chapters that had a ton of information. It was crazy.

    Anyway, I have been studying like a madman to pull up my grades. I am so burnt out. I wrote this today. I hope it doesn't disappoint.




    _________________________________________________________


    Entry 31

    When we exited hyperspace we found ourselves not at Rallo V, but near the Isarey space station. It is a transportation hub servicing the mid-rim in the Galactic South and centrally located between three small hyperspace routes that connect to the Corellian Trade Spire. It was a fairly large station and thankfully it had shuttles that connected to many highly populated planets. I shouldn’t have any trouble getting back to my home base on Epta Prime.

    After landing I said my goodbyes to the crew who appeared a little confused as to why they ended up in the mid-rim, but chalked it up to pilot error and too much celebrating the night before.

    As Skywalker and I walked down the passenger ramp, I noticed his furtive glances in my direction as nervous anticipation radiated off him through the Force. I truly hope he is not expecting a goodbye kiss or something equally ridiculous.

    “So,” he began. “I guess we should exchange contact information.”

    I chuckled under my breath. He sounded like a young schoolboy trying to get the pretty girl’s comlink number. I folded my arms across my chest and gave him a even gaze. “And why is that?”

    He rolled his eyes. “So, if and when, I discover where those shipments are going I can send you the information.” He pointed to my satchel. “And you have that download from the navigation system that may indicate how Kort’s ship was remotely accessed.” He gave me a guarded look. “Unless you want to keep that information to yourself. That technology would be a game changer. If the treaty failed…” He trailed off not wanting to go down that path.

    He was right. The technology to remotely commandeer ships could guarantee a military victory in any battle. If a rogue Moff was responsible he could draw the Empire and the New Republic back into a galactic war… and I was tired of war. “Do you promise to let me know if your trackers discover the cargo’s destination?”

    “Yes, of course.”

    I reached into my bag and pulled out a copy of the data retrieved from the ship's computers and handed it to the Jedi. “I made you a copy.”

    He looked down at the datachip in awe. “To be honest, I didn’t think you would give me a copy.” He gazed at me softly as a smile tugged on his lips. “Your superiors will have a fit if they discovered you shared this information.”

    I shrugged. “We discovered it together. You could have easily gotten a download for yourself. The fact that you didn’t indicates you trusted my word when I promised to make you a copy.”

    His smile brightened. “Do you trust me with your contact information?”

    I grinned as I pulled my datapad out of my bag and handed to him. “You give me yours and I’ll give you mine.”


    Entry 32

    On the way home to Epta Prime I carefully edited the video captured from the concealed hat camera. I had to remove my discussion with Skywalker about the Inquisitor recognizing me. I considered editing out the entire interaction with the Inquisitor, but my superiors should know former or rogue Imperials were involved. If asked why the memory rub didn’t affect me I will explain to my commander that once I watched the video the memories returned. I hate lying to Commander Darten, but the anti-Force-user bias is alive and well in the Empire. Letting him know of my abilities could jeopardize my life and my restored Imperial career. I encrypted the data and transmitted it to my superior officer allowing him to get a head start on analyzing the information.

    When I arrived to my base I immediately went to my commander’s office to report in. I found him sitting at his desk, frowning at his datapad and shaking his head. His door was open and he waved me in when he noticed my approach. “Lieutenant Colay, please come in.” He gestured at a chair in front of his desk. “Please sit down.”

    “Thank you, sir.” I sat straight in the chair and waited for my debriefing.

    “I was just looking at the information you transmitted.” He looked up and smiled. “It was very enlightening.” He looked back to the datapad. “It is very interesting, indeed.”

    I craned my neck trying to see what he found so fascinating, but he held it at an angle that prevented me from doing so.

    “I’m glad it was of some use.”

    He grinned. “More than you can ever imagine.” He turned the device around and I could see he had frozen the image of the Inquisitor. “This is Inquisitor Dritsek. He worked in the Imperial Palace while Emperor Palpatine ruled.”

    I was surprised Commander Darten recognized a member of the Inquisitorius. Their images were supposedly purged from any facial recognition systems. That made me nervous. If they weren’t actually taken out of the system, was there a possibility my image might be in some database? “How do you know sir? I thought the Inquisitorius weren’t in any facial identification systems.”

    He turned the datapad back in his direction and began looking at more images. “Oh, they aren’t in any system. I once worked in the Palace. That’s how I know him. I know the faces of just about everybody that worked and lived there.” He looked at me. “Everyone.” He pointed a finger to his head. “I have a eidetic memory when it comes to faces. It has served me well in this profession.”

    A sick knot formed in my stomach. If Commander Darten knew the Inquisitor’s face, did he know who I was?

    He gazed at the datapad and frowned. “Why was the holovid edited?”

    That knot in my stomach turned to a spasm. “What do you mean, sir?”

    He turned the datapad around and pressed play. “You had those hilarious images of you and Skywalker chasing birds around. You then went up to the ship’s deck and recorded images of the ships in the docking bay. Then it stops, but resumes when the Inquisitor starts talking to you and the crew. Why was it edited?”

    I avoided answering. “Why do you think it was edited? The camera could have been turned off and then back on again at a later time.”

    “Answering a question with a question.” He chuckled. “You really don’t want to tell me the truth, do you?” He leaned back in his chain and gave me a knowing look. “If the camera was turned off and later you reactivated the camera there would be a second or two when the autofocus makes adjustments. It is rare for any video recording device to not go through that procedure. That tells me that the camera wasn’t activated at that moment, but something was cut out.”

    I lowered my eyes and grimaced. He knew I edited the recording. I have once again greatly underestimated my superior.

    Instead of demanding an answer he changed the subject. “Okay, let’s forget that question. I have another. I can understand why Skywalker wasn’t affected by the Inquisitor’s mind meddling, but why weren’t you affected?”

    I had rehearsed my lie, but at this point I was reluctant to stick with the fake story. “I have a holovid of what happened.” Which is true, but that didn’t really answer his question.

    He laughed out loud as he stood, wandered past me and closed the door to his office. He then leaned on his desk regarding me with amusement. “When the Emperor died the Inquisitorius was hunted down and killed by shortsighted Moffs who saw them as cruel, Force-welding tyrants.” He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at the floor. “Some of them did deserve to die. I have seen what the darkside of the Force does to them. It poisons their souls and skews their moral compass. I wasn’t a fan of them either, but I thought many could have been reconditioned and given a chance to continue to serve the Empire.”

    I sat stiffly and remained silent. If Commander Darten knew my identity he probably figured it out months ago. I doubt I was in any danger. I just needed to find out what he knew.

    He pushed off from his desk and sat back down in his chair. “I know the Emperor’s Force users could choke out a person by just looking at them. It is a useful skill, but not one I would want to experience personally.” He cocked his head to the side and gave me an inquisitive look. “Do you think that will ever happen to me?”

    I slouched in my chair defeated. He obviously recognized me from the palace and knew I wasn’t Litassa Colay from the planet Chibias. He also suspected I was a Force user and now was wondering out loud if I planned to kill him.

    “How did you discover who I am?”

    He gave me an infuriating toothy grin. “I don’t know who you are? But by your response I now know your name isn’t Colay.”

    I gave an audible groan. Did I just fall for the oldest trick in the book?

    “Oh don’t feel so bad. Your false identity is flawless.” He leaned forward in his seat and pointed to his temple. “As I said I have a eidetic memory when it comes to faces. And I know I have seen you before in the palace. Because I recognized you, I did a background check when you came to my command. There is a real Litassa Colay that was a college student on Chibias and you look very much like her. Since I only saw you a few times in the palace I assumed you, meaning Litassa Colay, was on Coruscant at one point and may have worked at the palace as an intern. For the longest time I never gave it a second thought, but watching your holovid sparked a memory. I remember seeing you walk down a hallway in the palace as a group of Inquisitors were strutting down the same corridor. Those cocky di'kuts made everybody scatter out of their way…until they came up to you. They stepped aside for you. I remember wondering why, but soon forgot about it. After seeing your holovid, I became curious as to why your memory was still intact and it was then I realized Inquisitors never show much respect to senior officers, but they would kowtow to any Force-user stronger than them. I then began to wonder if you might have been an Imperial Force-user...one strong enough to put fear into an inquisitor. That would explain why you weren’t affected by this Inquisitor' mind-kriff and it would also explain Skywalker’s intense interest in you.”

    I stared at the floor contemplating my options. I didn’t want to confess my true identity, but I also knew I couldn’t continue this façade.

    “Lieutenant Colay,” Commander Darten said softly. “I don’t need to know your real name or previous profession in the Empire. I just need you to be honest in your briefings. I can’t have you censor your reports. I now suspect many of the irregularities in your previous after-action reports entailed hiding your abilities.”

    I blew out a frustrated breath. “If your superiors discover my past, they might not be as… forgiving.”

    He nodded. “True and I know that. Put in your official report what you feel safe revealing, but I want an unaltered report for my eyes only. You are an extremely valuable asset. I am not going to let the Moffs execute one of my best agents.”

    I gaze at him intently. “Why are you doing this? If a loyalty officer discovers you are protecting me, they might kill you.”

    “Loyalty officer,” he made a sound of disgust. “You can’t inspire loyalty at the end of a blaster.”

    I didn’t know how to respond to that comment. I was sure Commander Darten was a dedicated Imperial. I could sense it in the Force. What was his angle?

    “I don’t want to discuss this here in detail. I usually invite new officers to my house for dinner. Would you like come on over tonight? My wife would love to meet the young officer who I talk so highly about.”

    I hesitated in accepting the invitation. Was this a ploy to get me alone for whatever reason?

    “If you are reluctant to come I can get my wife on the comlink and prove to you that she does exist.”

    I was now wondering if Commander Darten was also a Force-user. How can he anticipate my thoughts with such accuracy?

    Finally I nodded. “I would love to meet your wife.”
     
    AzureAngel2 and Chyntuck like this.
  23. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    It would have happened sooner or later to her but I guess it's better that when it happened it happened with an officer that seems to be more open minded.

    Practical of Luke and Mara to swap communication information; maybe it will help lead to something more. ;)

    Could I use the lose birds as a basis for a scene in one of my fics at a later date?
     
    AzureAngel2 likes this.
  24. Carlos Danger

    Carlos Danger Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Jul 25, 2013
    Thank you for reading. Darten is a loyal Imperial and I think he dislikes the fact that a whole group of Imperials (Inquisitors) were hunted down and killed. They were loyal to the Empire, but were killed because senior Moffs were intimidated by their power. He sees it as a waste of talent. I am going to have Luke show up maybe in the next post. We got to get this love story in gear. :p And you can definitely use that bird scene in one of your fics.

    I am getting this update in just under the wire. Life has been so busy with school it is not funny. This is the first day I had some time off in a long time.

    _________________________________________________________________________


    Entry 33

    Before the end of the workday my commander asked to see the unedited holovid. I now regret not learning how to Force choke somebody. He watched it like it was a blooper vid from some comedy.

    “Oh I just love this part.” He turned the datapad around so I would view the vid from where I was sitting in his office. He played the part of the recording where I was rubbing my face over Skywalker’s in the hopes of transferring some of the tissue-swelling cream onto my face. “Look at his eyes when you said, ‘Pretend we’re kissing’”. He started laughing raucously as I leaned forward in the video and Skywalker’s eyes went wide. “That man has it bad for you.”

    I made a huffing sound before crossing my arms across my chest and glaring at my superior. “He was just surprised by my actions.”

    He smirked as he turned the datapad around and squinted at the image, scrutinizing every detail. “Surprised maybe, but did you noticed he licked his lips nervously.”

    “He did not.”

    He laughed some more before handing me the datapad. I blushed when I noticed the Jedi did exhibit a slight flick of the tongue. “That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe his lips were dry.”

    He grabbed the device back and fast-forwarded the video to another spot. “This one is funny also.”

    He didn’t show me the vid but I heard my voice over the datapad saying, “How do I look” and Skywalker responding, “Beautiful.”

    He turned it off and set it down on his desk. “I didn’t think anything could beat the bird chasing scene, but seeing how flustered you made the hero of the rebellion is hilarious.”

    “Thanks,” I said dryly. I was just glad I turned off the vid-recorder once I was away from the Inquisitor. At least Commander Darten wasn’t privy to my conversation with Skywalker about my training. I guess it wouldn’t really matter. I have hid the fact that I was the Emperor’s Hand from Skywalker. I simply claimed that I was an Inquisitor and I am fairly certain that is exactly what Commander Darten believes my previous profession was prior to joining the Intelligence Corps. I am somewhat surprised that he hasn’t pressed me for more information.

    “You can deny it all you want,” my commander said with a grin. “But it is obvious that Skywalker is smitten with you.”

    I shook my head. “He’s not smitten. He distrusts me.”

    Commander Darten nodded. “That may be, but that doesn’t mean he is not interested.”

    I was getting a little irritated with this line of conversation. “Why are you bringing this up? Are you suggesting I seduce him for information?”

    His smile grew wider. “Do you want to seduce him for information?”

    “No!” I said emphatically.

    He stood and straightened his uniform tunic. “Then I’m not suggesting such a thing.” He motioned toward his office door. “You can go off-duty early. Dinner is at 2000 hours, casual dress. I live on Colonel’s Row, quarters fifty-three.”

    “Fifty-three at 2000 hours.” I stood at attention and waited to be officially dismissed, but he just gave a wave of his hand indicating that I should go. I’m glad he let me off work early. I need to purchase something casual to wear. I don’t want to arrive at his house looking like an assassin.


    Entry 34

    I was impressed by Commander Darten’s home. It wasn’t one of the connecting townhouses junior officers reside in, but a two-story brick home with a small fenced in yard with colorful flowers planted under the windows and along the walkway. I stopped at the door and checked out my new outfit. I wore slim cut trousers with ankle high boots and topped with a gray rib knit V-neck sweater tunic. It was practical but also what I would consider smart casual. I knocked on the wooden door and was greeted by my commander and an elegant looking, middle aged woman who introduced herself as the Commander’s wife, Marta Darten. I was once told officer’s wives were officious and always tried to wear their husband’s rank. Obviously I was misinformed because I found Marta to be a modest and extremely pleasant woman.

    “It is so nice to meet you, Litassa,” she said while shaking my hand. “Venn has told me so much about you.” She released my palm and took a step back. “I have to finish dinner.” She turned to her husband. “Venn, can you entertain our guest for a moment.”

    “Yes, Dear.” My commander motioned for me to follow him. It was odd seeing him in civilian clothes. He was wearing a long sleeved dress tunic and dark, untucked trousers over leather boots. He led me into what looked like the living room. “I have a bottle of sparkling wine chilled or if you want something stronger I have Corellian Brandy.”

    “The wine sounds good.”

    He smiled warmly. “I’ll go get you a glass.”

    When he left I took the time to look at the holos and 2-D captured images on his fireplace mantle. Most were of my commander and his wife, but there were a few of a beautiful young woman, probably about my age, with green eyes and black hair. Commander Darten never talked about a daughter but she would be the proper age if he and Marta had a child.

    He returned holding two glass flutes filled with amber bubbling liquid. “Here you go.”

    I took the glass and turned my attention back to the image of the young woman. “Is this your daughter?”

    I instantly regretted asking the question when I sensed a twinge on sadness from my commander.

    “No unfortunately, Marta and I can’t have children thanks to the Emperor’s mandatory immunization program.”

    I turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand.”

    He took a sip from his glass and then gave me a forced smile. “Shortly after Palpatine became Emperor he ordered attacks on rebellious planets. A group of revolutionaries used biological weapons against his forces, so he ordered his scientists to find a vaccine against the virus. And when they found a vaccine, he ordered all soldiers deploying to that particular planet to get the vaccination. I was attached to an infantry company as their intelligent asset, so I was given the injection.” He pulled in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Everybody was in such a rush to squash the insurgents that they didn’t bother doing human trials on the drug. About ten percent of the men in the unit became sterile as an unfortunate side effect. I was one of the unlucky few.”

    “Oh,” that is all I could think to say.

    “The girl is my late niece…my brother’s girl. She died while attending college.”

    “That is so sad,” I said quietly. “Was it an accident or illness?”

    He shook his head. “Neither. It was murder.” He took enough sip of his wine while staring at the image of his niece. “She was attending college at the Alderaan University of Art and Design when…it happened.”

    I let out a shuttered breath. He didn’t need to explain what ‘it’ was. She was on planet when Grand Moff Tarkin destroyed the defenseless world. I remained silent for a long pause before asking a question that probably shouldn’t be asked. “Sir, with all the pain the empire has given you and your family…” I hesitated for a moment. I was going to ask him how he could remain loyal to a government that destroyed his brother’s family and stole any chance of him having his own family, but thought better of it.

    “I know what you are going to ask,” he said with a chuckle. “How can I remain with the Empire? Why didn’t I tender my resignation under the circumstances?”

    “Yes,” I said with a nod.

    He finished his drink and set his glass down next to the image of his niece. “The immunization was early in my career and I truly believe it was an accident. Alderaan happened 6 years before I become eligible for retirement.” He turned and looked in the direction of the kitchen were I assume his wife was located. “It’s hard being a military wife. I was always gone. The missions were dangerous, so she never knew if I was coming home alive. I told her once I retire things would be different. We would travel and have fun as a couple. Unfortunately, if I resigned prior to my twenty-fifth year in service I got nothing. No medical, no pension, nothing. Marta and my retirement plans would be over. I would have to start my life over as a civilian in the middle of a war.” He smiled and gave me a nod. “You probably know how tough starting over is.”

    I nodded in agreement, but stayed silent.

    “Anyway, I blame Grand Moff Tarkin, the Emperor and Darth Vader, not the government as a whole. This was their secret little project. I didn’t even know about it until the construction was complete. I heard rumors that the Emperor had convicts from the penal world of Despayre to build the thing…and when they finished they tested their monstrous weapon on the planet. It was a way to get rid of any witnesses that weren’t loyal Imperials.” He heaved a sigh. “Tarkin, Palpatine and Vader—three men—corrupted the Empire and hijacked a government for their own evil purposes.” He shook his head sadly. “I’ve known hundreds of Imperial soldiers and not one of them do I considered evil.” He looked at me questioningly. “Do you consider me evil? Or yourself?”

    I shook my head. “No, and that is why I decided to start over. The government is worth saving.”

    Marta walked into the room holding a class of wine. “Dinner’s ready you two.” She smiled brightly and motioned toward a dining room. “I can’t wait to hear about your adventures with Luke Skywalker.”

    I know my face must have fell because my commander chuckled. “I forgot to tell you that Marta has been fascinated with Jedi Knights since she was a little girl.”

    I glared at my commander as I walked to the dining area. “Yes Sir, you did fail to mention that interesting tidbit of information.”

    He laughed out loud this time. “In your Basic training you were taught how to resist torture. You are just going to have to dig deep and endure the upcoming interrogation.”

    ‘Yep’, I thought jokingly. ‘I am really starting to regret not learning how to Force choke.’
     
    AzureAngel2 and Chyntuck like this.
  25. Lady_Misty

    Lady_Misty Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 21, 2007
    I do think a lot of people forget that some Imperials were just regular men that were trying to do what they thought was right and kept ignorant of facts or too afraid to do anything because of what would happen to their family if they did.
     
    AzureAngel2 and Carlos Danger like this.