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

Very hilarious with Wes and Timmons plus Luke and Mara.

 

Oh Wes. Never change

All this Mara introspection about how she has to always keep secrets from Luke makes me curious for a bit of Luke POV. I know that it's not going to happen in this story obviously, since it's a diary, but I'd be curious to know how he feels deep inside about the whole situation, if he's in the same logic of knowing that there will always be secrets he has to keep from her, and most importantly if he ever gets any glimpses of her past during the moments when their Force bond is strongest. That last bit applies to her as well -- is there a moment when she'll come across info that she didn't want to have? If yes, it will be interesting to see how she handles it.

 

A part of me is glad that they are happy but the cynic part of me knows that a life like this can't last long.

I know it's most likely going to end differently but a part of me hopes/wishes it to end in tears and heartbreak.

 

I also sense severe heartbreak ahead, but seen how dark the NJO books were & how things went for Leia & Han between RotJ and TFA, I hope for the better here.

 

Thank you. I'm glad that chapter was SQUEElicious!

Thanks. I am going to research what tall tales Wes has ever told and try to incorporate them into the story.

Yeah, no Luke POV. If Mara does come across info about Luke at least it won't involve Callista. I got this whole story in my head about how Rey ends up in the desert and how she knows all of this Force stuff, but I don't know if I will get it down before December. The movie will screw up my fanfic canon. And then I will become discouraged.

What? Why would you want a sad ending? The NJO was enough sadness to last a lifetime. This isn't going to be a fairy tale, but it won't be a tragedy either.

In my mind, these next few years will be the happy ones for Luke. Before he decides to train Jedi and the Knights of Ren put a bloody end to that plan.

Thanks everybody for reading.

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Entry 70

For the next two days Skywalker and I went out and visited the normal tourist attractions. We tried to keep things low key with very little, if any, public displays of affection. There were some questions from reporters about an Imperial associating with the New Republic’s greatest hero, but, surprisingly, Leia Organa Solo ran interference for us.

She informed the media that, “Captain Litassa Colay, the Imperial officer who saved many innocent civilians at the economic summit at Naboo and the person who personally assisted in my rescue from terrorists, is visiting our beautiful capital and I have asked Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker if he would show her the sights.”

I am not sure if the news reporters bought that explanation, but it did seem to reduce the amount of holojournalists following us.


Entry 71

We took my shuttle to a very isolated and uninhabited area of Chandrila. Luke said there was a massive cave system at the location where we could practice Force techniques unobserved.

We landed the shuttle and then walked a kilometer in hot jungle conditions until we found the location of the cavern. Walking in sweltering heat and contending with blood sucking insects wasn’t my idea of a fun date, but Skywalker was so excited about having a chance to spar with lightsabers that I couldn’t say no.

We had brought four large glow sticks to light up the cave’s large grotto. Once we had the sparring location adequately lit, Skywalker handed me the Inquisitor lightsaber he bought for me. I have to admit it was a strange sensation to have a crimson blade in my hand. I don’t know who the previous owner was, but I could feel the residue of darkness pulsated through the blade. Whoever he was…he was evil.

Skywalker was standing about three meters from me, green lightsaber in hand, and grinning like a kid in a toy shop until he noticed my hesitation to use the blade. He deactivated his lightsaber and stepped forward. “What’s wrong Litassa?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.” I gazed at the weapon for a long pause before returning my attention to Luke. “I don’t know the extent of your lightsaber knowledge, but the kyber crystals in a Sith lightsaber start out the same as any Jedi’s weapon, but when wielded by a darksider the darkside of the Force permanently alters the crystal. The damage turns the blade red. That’s why almost all Sith have crimson lightsabers.”

“Did you have a red lightsaber?”

“No,” I said honestly. “I didn’t use the light or dark side…but something in between. My lightsaber turned magenta in color.” I moved the humming blade, side to side, getting familiar to its feel. “The sensation is strange.”

“Should we forgo the lightsaber practice?”

“No, it just feels a different. I can wield it.” I moved into an en garde position. “Let’s go at it slow. It’s been a while since I used a saber.”

He nodded as he activated his weapon. We circled each other cautiously before I took the offense, swinging my saber high and slow. It was an easily defendable strike and if Skywalker faltered I was ready to end this lightsaber session immediately and opt for wooden staffs. Luke gave a disappointed roll of his eyes as he easily countered my attack with a parry and thrust. “You don’t have to baby me, Litassa. I have fought with a lightsaber a few times against my father.”

I smirked as I countered his attack and then spun around in an assault that would have removed his head from his shoulders if he failed bring his saber up in time to stop my blade. “I heard of your duel on Bespin. Didn’t you lose your hand during that fight?”

He did a feint to the right before attacking to his left. I easily parried and riposted. “That is true,” he admitted. “But the second time we met, I took his hand.”

“I’m impressed,” I said with a tinge of awe. “I wouldn’t like to go against Darth Vader in a death match.”

Luke lunged forward thrusting his lightsaber in my direction. “Did you ever train with my father?”

I circled around him looking for an opening. “No, he had a core group that he initially trained and those people trained the Inquisitors that followed. I had dozens of instructors in all types of combat training, but never your father.”

I pressed forward, performing a number of thrust and swings. To my surprise, Luke did an impressive job at countering every one of my attacks until I finally worked my way through his defenses…and stopped my blade centimeters from his neck. We both stood there dazed as the realization that I could have killed the man slowly sunk in. As the shock faded I looked down and saw that Luke’s blade stopped short of impaling me through the stomach. If we had a little less control we would have died on each other’s blade. “I think we should take a break.” I whispered as I shut down the weapon.

Luke did the same and stepped back. “That was a little closer than I would have liked.”

I nodded. “You skill is considerable for a man who started training in his late teens.”

Luke grinned. “Thank you.” He clipped his lightsaber to his belt his before he bent down and rummaged through a small backpack he had brought along. He pulled out two small canteens and held one out to me.

“Thank you,” I said as I took the water bottle and drank. Luke sat down on a small boulder on the cave floor and made room for me to sit next to him.

“Litassa, you once said you were an experiment—a Force-neutral Inquisitor—neither Jedi or Sith. How does that work?”

I hesitated for a moment before I answered. “The Emperor was well educated in the history of the Sith, Jedi and the Force. He had a library with the writings of dozens of Force-sects, such as the Dai Bendu, The Potentium, the Voss Mystics, Rakata, Legions of Lettow, or the Dark Acolytes. He wanted to create a legion of Force strong followers but he didn’t want to develop enemies that could band together and overthrow him. I believe he regretted the development of the Inquisitorius. They may be watered down Sith…but they were still Sith with the same greed and insatiable thirst for power as he had. It was a bomb of corruption that was just waiting to go off. The Moffs also saw the danger and that is why they killed most Inquisitors after Palpatine’s death. They posed a threat to their rule.” I paused for a breath. “Palpatine knew there was more to the Force than the light and the dark. If a person could avoid the corruption of the darkside without having to adhere to a stringent and stifling Jedi code…then a strong and fiercely loyal Force adept, one without the thirst for power, might be created.”

Luke nodded in understanding. “What skills did you learn?”

“You know I learned Force Concealment or Buried Presence because I taught you how to do it, along with blanking out security holocams. I was also taught how to do Force illusions, slow down or freeze a blasterbolt, I can paralyze the enemy, do Force shoves, Force assisted jumps and cushioning of falls, telekinesis, levitation, Force persuasion, mind melding, and some precognition.” I took a breath and continued. “I was never specifically taught darkside techniques, but because I was trained on how to defend myself from a Force user, I think there are some I could perform, such as the memory rub, or the Force choke. I’ve never practiced them, so I’m not sure.”

He stared at me slack jawed. “Wow. There is so much you can teach me.”

I was afraid this was going to devolve into another ‘Litassa, join me so we can train Jedi’ talk, so I quickly presented my thoughts on the matter. “And I will teach you, Luke. I will teach you, because I care for you…but I will never agree to train new Jedi. The galaxy is a better place without them or the Sith. I think for the first time ever the Force is in balance. Yes, there are a few Force users, but none as strong as Palpatine or the Jedi of old. You and I are just specks within the flow of the Force…but if you train dozens or hundreds or Jedi…it will cause a shift. And that is dangerous because if there is a shift to the light, there is almost always an equal and opposite shift to the dark. The Force wants to remain in balance. If the Jedi rise…so will the Sith. It’s better if neither exist.”

He opened his mouth to argue but I held up my hand. “Stop. If you want to debate that point, I won’t teach you anything. I will not support the rise of the Jedi. I just won’t.”

He looked terribly disappointed, but he dropped the subject. “Okay,” he said softly. “Can you teach me how to freeze a blasterbolt?”

I smirked. “Sure,” I said as I pulled out my blaster. “Get ready.”

I expected him to startle, but he didn’t. Instead a slow, sexy grin slipped across his face. “I know you won’t shoot your sexy moisture farmer.”

I rolled my eyes and gritted my teeth. He is never going to let me forget that particular moniker I bestowed upon him during a private and passionate moment together. “Don’t be so sure, Farmboy.” I tried to maintain the illusion of irritation, but I couldn’t keep up the façade. I smiled tenderly before leaning in to kiss him.

Force training could wait.

 

A Mara by any other name...
Very good entries. Keep it up.

 

Well I admit one of my reasons for wanting this to end in a failed relationship is that I believe that I have moved beyond my desire for more recognizable things/stuff in the NuCanon and looking for something new/different. While I am a fan of Mara Jade I have made peace with the idea that Luke most likely didn't marry or had a long term relationship or a family with someone. He would have been too busy rebuilding the Jedi Order to date (and it wouldn't be fair to the woman either to come in second in Luke's life and relationships are hard and when you add rebuilding an organization from the ground up and deciding how you're going to do it and what you're keeping and changing it makes things harder) and if he had children he would have to weigh all his choices and decisions and second guess his choices when it came to his children, should he be their teacher first in this situation or be their father?

The more time that passes the less and less I think and feel that Rey is connected genetically to the Skywalker/Solo Family and I am perfectly fine with learning that she's someone new (I am a little tired of the 'Rey Kenobi' idea and have heard of 'Rey Palpatine' but haven't read any fan fics with her related to Palps).

However, it's nice to see that Mara is opening up a little to Luke and seems to be drifting further and further away from the Empire on a base level.

And yes I want Luke to be happy but at the same time I think on a certain level i am tired of fan fics where Luke is/was married or had a relationship and Rey is his child and I just want something new where Rey is concerned (I know you started this last year so I'm not hating on you for that since at that time I wasn't tired of the whole 'Rey Skywalker' thing and was open to the possibility).

It's still a great fic so don't let my ranting get you down and you know where you're going with it.

 

Wonderful conversation about neutral Force users and balance.
Lots to think about, and the points seem well-thought out and rather plausible. It gives a whole new slant to Mara's decision not to train others.
It is certainly better than "Because I don't want to or think I can." I never thought any refusal would be because of self-doubt or a perception of a lack of skill.

 

I always wondered how the Jedi could be so wrong about Anakin. He was the one who would bring balance to the Force. Then I started to wonder if Anakin did bring balance, but not in the way the Jedi expected. The Jedi never saw themselves as part of the problem. Maybe having midichlorians is not normal. It is an infection in sentients that disrupts the living Force. It will be interesting to see what the new canon says about this.

 

Great training between Luke and Mara plus more snarkiness between them.

 

This was a wonderful update, Carlos Danger. You gave me much to think about. The light side and the dark. The sith and the jedi. Thank you!

Litassa is a very fascinating personality, not only due to her skills.

 

Yay, update!

I'm really enjoying how you made Mara more knowledgeable than Luke about the Force -- of course she would be, she's been training since forever -- yet you still show his raw talent. I'm curious to know how much she's adapting/leaving out of what her training actually consisted of. I'm not particularly good at this aspect of SW lore but she comes across as a very good liar in that she's mostly telling the truth

Oh, and please don't get discouraged by TLJ if it contradicts your head-canon -- we'll still be here to read your fic anyway!

 

Oh, and please don't get discouraged by TLJ if it contradicts your head-canon -- we'll still be here to read your fic anyway!

Ditto! As a matter of fact, that makes me stick like velcro to fanfics

 

Thank you. I appreciate you reading.

Thanks. I have a feeling that Rey wont be Luke's child in the new canon...unless he thought his child died and that was not the case. I have a very hard time seeing Luke as a deadbeat dad or somebody who would basically orphan his kid on a desert planet and let her fend for herself. Mara makes some uncomfortable decisions later on in this story and it is going to be a pain not making her look like the bad guy, but I have some thoughts on the matter that would make her decision look reasonable. Thanks for reading.

Thanks. This is my favorite SW couple. I think the new canon will suffer without her.

Thanks. Litassa/Mara does not like the idea of the rise of the Jedi or the Sith. I can see this being a big obstacle in their relationship when Luke decides to train a new generation.

Thanks. I love SW but in recent years I have dreaded watching the new movies and the reading the new books. I grew up with the EU. I didn't like much of what was written, but I did love many of Tim Zahn's characters. That is what I will miss the most and so far the new characters in the movies don't impress me. What is really depressing is that I know I probably will never see any new releases of any of the "Legends" EU books.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

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Entry 72

We spent three days doing Force drills…albeit there was a lot of breaks between training sessions for more romantic endeavors.

The Jedi is a quick learner. He was able to freeze blasterbolts within an hour. Fortunately for him the energy bolts don’t have to be travelling directly at him for the skill to work, otherwise he would be floating in a bacta tank after the first attempt. Instead, I would shoot above his head or to his side while practicing until he felt confident for a head-on shot.

He was already skilled in telekinesis and levitation, so I decided to work on communicating with one another through the Force. Luke said he was able to hear his father over the vastness of space. He was also able to communicate with his sister when he was close to death and hanging from a communications antennae under Cloud City. Although I don’t like the idea of another Force user being able to pop into my head like Palpatine once did, I do realize that it would be a very handy skill to possess…especially when we were considering having a long-term clandestine relationship. It would be nice not having to worry about our transceiver communications being compromised.

We traveled back to the large cave system where we first sparred. I didn’t think anybody could be able to pick up our thoughts while in the city, but having millions of people surrounding your location could cause interference and delay the learning process.

We were sitting cross-legged, facing each other while on a large blanket in the middle of the cavern grotto. The area was dimly lit by a lone glowstick giving the area an almost romantic atmosphere. I know it made the Jedi amorous. Twice I had to smack his hands away as he tried to reach out and caress my knees and thighs.

“Pay attention,” I admonished him.

“You have my full attention,” he said playfully.

I sighed deeply. “Do you want to do Force training or do you simply want to kriff all day?”

He looked to the cave ceiling as he rubbed his chin in thought. “That is a tough choice.”

I heaved a sigh. “Were you this frustrating with your other Force instructors?”

He chuckled loudly. “Umm…no, but Yoda and Ben Kenobi didn’t distract me like you do.”

I let out a short laugh and shook my head. “You said you communicated with your sister. Trying doing the same with me.”

“Okay.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. I waited and waited, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and glanced in my direction. “Did you pick up anything from me?”

“No.” I tried to think back as to how the skill was taught to me, but I was so young when I was trained in Force communication that I don’t remember. I decided to try different approaches. “Instead of thinking of words, try images.”

He nodded before closing his eyes and furrowing his brow in concentration. After a few moments I felt a buzzing in my brain. I could visualize static for a moment before an image coalesced. Once I realized what I was seeing I smacked him on his knee while giving him a stern look. “Stop that!”

He smiled widely. “I guess that means my image projection was successful.”

“I hope your sister didn’t get a glimpse of what you were projecting.”

His smile dropped from his face. “You don’t think she can pick up on our communications, do you?”

I smirked. “I don’t know, Farmboy. You haven’t learned control or zeroing in on a particular target yet. For all I know you have just sent a nude image of yourself to every Force user on the planet.”

That realization appeared to put a damper on his libido. “Stang…do you really think so?”

I was fairly certain he didn’t, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. “I guess you will just have to ask your sister if she has been having impure thoughts about you lately.”

He buried his head in his hands and groaned. “I hope you’re the only one who saw what I was thinking.”

I tried to keep a straight face, but failed. “I hope so too,” I said with a snicker. I reached out and put my hands on his knees and stared him in the eye. “My turn.” While remaining in eye contact I pulled the Force around me and projected a message. ‘Luke. Can you hear me?’

The way he startled indicated he heard me loud and clear. He sucked in a surprised breath before grinning wildly. “Yes, I hear you.”

“Don’t say it, think it.”

He closed his eyes. It took a few minutes, but eventually I heard a faint ‘Yes’ in my head. I laughed happily. “I heard you.”

He gave a celebratory shout before reaching forward and pulling me into his arms. “I think this deserves a celebration.”

I pulled back far enough to look him in the eye. “What do you have in mind?”

The images that flooded through my brain brought a blush to my face. “Luke, I really, really hope your sister isn’t picking up any of those images.”

“So do I,” he said breathlessly before he captured my lips in a passionate kiss.


Entry 73

It was a wonderful week, so much so that I didn’t want my time with the Jedi to end. Of course, Skywalker picked up on my emotions and tried to convince me to stay.

“Litassa,” he whispered to me while we were lying in bed. “Don’t leave.”

I dreaded this conversation, although I knew it was inevitable. “Luke, please don’t start this. I don’t want to end such a wonderful vacation with an argument. You said a long distance relationship would be acceptable. You said it was more than you had.”

“Yes, I said that,” he moaned. “But I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to separate after this week.”

I leaned in and kissed him softly. “We will see each other again. We will have weeks like this over and over. I promise you. The separations may be difficult, but it will make our reunions that much sweeter.”

He smiled sadly. “Sweeter sounds nice.”

I could sense through the Force that didn’t believe his own words…and, to be honest, I don’t know if I believe them either.

I'm going to miss my Farmboy.

 

Slowly falling in love, excellent.

And Litassa/Mara goes back to duty. Hm....

Update soon.

 

Wonderful acquiring of skills in communicating. Great assurance that their reunions will be frequent and "sweeter" for the absences.

 

Duty is the one thing that connects Luke & Litassa/Mara. And their different views on the Force might be the bomb that blows their relationship in the long term.

 

That or I'm very tired, let me take a shower and later we can....
later
What the... What did you do with Litassa? I don't know how you got in here, redheaded lady but I'm a Jedi!

 

Force communication is certainly going to be a useful skill for the two of them, but if Mara is going to keep secrets from Luke (and we know she'll keep at least one very important secret) she's probably already practicing her shielding skills on the way back to Imperial space... Meanwhile, Luke is still goofing around in the Force. I hope Leia didn't pick up any stray thoughts!

 

She sure knows how to kill the mood!

Yeah, in my opinion there's no way anyone could make Rey Luke's daughter and have him dump her on Jakku with no intentions of coming back for her and not have it come off as anything but cruel. My sister Joyce tried to argue that maybe he planned on coming back for her or did it to protect her but it doesn't hold water. She was around five when she was abandoned and left on a hellish planet in the care of either nobody or somebody that would just exploit her and that doesn't sound like Luke unless he was having a serious BSOD moment and the current timeline gives us no reason for Luke to have left her there if he is her father. And if her mother is the one that dumped her there then it was either an act of spite or she didn't care about what happened to her. Either way Luke would have hopefully known she was still alive and would have looked for her; heck Leia and Han would have looked for her.

Honestly you could have Mara sever the relationship because she discovers that there are people more interested in potentially getting a Force Sensitive child out of the relationship or somehow hurt Luke. Yes she doesn't want to end the relationship but it's for the best.

 

There's still hope for Rey Palpatine.

Imagine, Litassa/Mara find out them evil Imperials knocked her out and then up....
Fearing what Luke might do do a kid of Palpatine, and unwilling to bring a Palpatine kid up herself, and hating the Imps, Palps, and heself....

I'm so sorry Carlos Danger if I read your mind....

 

Great training techniques that will be very useful for Luke and their training together has brought a renewed sense of purpose for their relationship.

 

Will do.

A long distance relationship is hard, but I think these two kids will make it work out.

I agree. That would be a great reason to put some drama into the story.

Yeah, lets hope so...otherwise Leia might get confused as to why she is thinking of her brother in that way.

I will be interested in seeing who Rey is the kid of in the movies. It is a bad situation she was thrust into and since I swore I wouldn't go buy a bunch of the new canon books, I don't know if any of the new novels have shed any light on her parentage. Anyway, I am sure it will be something disappointing. I haven't been happy about the Star Wars movies since the OT.

Yes, I am trying to think of ways to keep them together. They make a good team. As long as the Empire and NR have a treaty there is no reason not to have these two working together.

I am trying to write more while I have time. College starts up next week. I will once again be very busy.

Thanks everybody for reading. This is a short little post.

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Entry 74


I returned to Epta Prime and reported to Commander Darten’s office. He smiled brightly upon seeing me. “Captain Colay, it is so nice to have you back.” He gestured for me to enter his office. “Have a seat. I have some intelligence data I would like to confirm with you.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. I wasn’t expecting an audit of my work. “Did you find any discrepancies in my last report?”

He shook his head as he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a datapad. “No, no. I was going over Specialists Tommin’s intelligence data and I wanted your opinion.”

I snorted in amusement as I sat down in the seat across from his desk. “Sir, the New Republic pegged her as an Imperial almost immediately. I doubt anything she was told is accurate. Perhaps if she stole documents or sliced into their computers she might have discovered some actual pertinent information.”

“Well, let’s see.” He started scrolling through his data files until he found what he was looking for. “According to Specialist Tommins the New Republic has genetically altered ewoks to increase their brainpower so they could serve as Starfighter pilots.”

I laughed. “Sorry, but I can’t confirm that story. I never saw any ewoks while on Chandrila.”

“Good to know. I won’t forward that report to the General then.” He continued to read through his datapad before he stopped and looked up to me. “Have you ever seen or heard of any man-sized, sentient, green rabbits with the ability to talk Basic and shoot blasters.”

I gazed at my commander incredulously. I was sure he was now making stuff up. “Did she really report that?”

He nodded while smirking. “Yes she did. She also claims she heard reports that the notorious bounty hunter, Boba Fett, didn’t die on Tatooine, but escaped and is living on Mandalore.”

I didn’t know what to say about that one, so I simply shrugged.

“How about her report that there is a clinically depressed sentient mountain on the planet Endor that bawls like a baby.”

I shook my head. “I would think if that were true tourists could flock to see it.”

“My sentiments exactly,” my commander said before going on to another topic. “How about droids with the ability to use the Force?”

“I haven’t heard about that.”

“Snot vampires? Giant cyborg jellyfish?” He looked up to me. “No? How about space worthy wooden spaceships?”

I shook my head while trying to suppress a grin. “Sorry sir. I can’t confirm any of those reports.”

He sat back in his seat and made a mock sigh of frustration. “You just can’t get good help these days.” He looked back to his datapad. “How about the reports that you were seen snuggling up with a certain Jedi at Ha’rrod’s restaurant on Chandrila before returning to your shared hotel room. And then you were off to the beach, sightseeing at the local royal gardens and then flew off to a remote part of the planet for some spelunking adventures.”

The smile quickly slipped from my face as I bristled with irritation. “I was there on vacation. I didn’t realize I would be spied on by the Empire. Did Tommins report that?”

He gave me an innocent look. “Tommins? Please! If ignorance was bliss, she’s be the happiest person in the galaxy. No, this intelligence came from a much more reliable source…my wife.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. “Your wife is spying on me?”

He shook his head. “No, but she watches a lot of holonet and you and the Jedi were a daily fixture on the show TGZ.”

My jaw dropped. “TGZ? The Gossip Zone?!” I groaned as I ran a hand down my face. “I should have known the paparazzi wouldn’t give us a break.”

A toothy grin spread across his face. “You need to come to my house for dinner. Marta is dying to get the ‘details’ from you.”

A frustrated groan escaped my lips. “No offense, but that is the last thing I want to do.”

He shrugged. “That’s too bad. After all, she has the ear of your commander…a person who could give you orders to various assignments near Chandrila…if I was so inclined.”

My eyes narrowed. “That’s blackmail, you know.”

He chuckled at my discomfort. “Turning down the offer will not jeopardize your career. I value your work far too much. It is up to you. Truthfully, I have no desire to hear the sordid details of your relationship with Skywalker. It is my wife who requested your presence to dinner…or should I call it ‘ an interrogation’.”

I sighed deeply while thinking about my options. I raised an eyebrow as I gazed at my commander. “Exactly how much influence does your wife have over you?”

He gave a shamed face grin. “I’m not emasculated, if that’s what you’re suggesting, but I do like to make her happy…even if it means playing matchmaker to a Jedi and a former…” He paused, perhaps hoping I’d finish the sentence. When I remained quiet he ventured on. “To a former mysterious member of Palpatine’s Imperial Court and current Intelligence Officer.”

I grumbled in defeat. “Tell your wife I’ll accept her invitation.”

“Excellent. She’s been busy with volunteer work lately, so it will probably be a couple weeks before we can get together.” He winked at me. “But I guarantee she will make time in her busy schedule to talk to you.” He looked down at his datapad before continuing. “In the meanwhile, I have an assortment of missions to be carried out. I sent the list to your office computer. Most are easy enough to delegate out to personnel under your command. There is one assignment I want you to look into personally. Admiral Creeden’s six-year-old son disappeared yesterday along with fifteen other children that were on a field trip to the Starship Museum on the planet Avslort. We are waiting for ransom demands, but so far nothing.”

“Sixteen children,” I whispered. “Are they all around the same age?”

He nodded. “They are first year primary students. The speederbus they were in is missing along with the adults that were chaperoning the outing. They all have clean records. Two were parents of children attending. The bus driver and the children’s teacher both have long school employment histories and they are pillars of their community. We don’t believe they are involved, but we can’t rule anything out as yet.” He stood, walked around his desk and closed the door of his office before returning to his seat. “I realize you don’t like to talk about your past,” he said softly so not to be overheard by anybody passing by in the corridor. “But there is something I’d like to know. Can you tell if a person is lying, or read minds, or get Force visions. Those are skills that would be very helpful in this investigation.”

I blew out a breath not wanting to answer. “If you're worried about people lying, I am sure General Iwanuk could get the truth out of anybody.”

He actually rolled his eyes before staring at me gravely. “Captain Colay, are you suggesting we send the Empire’s most ruthless interrogator to question primary school teachers or the grieving parents of missing children?”

I slumped in my seat. “No sir that would be a public relations nightmare.” I paused for a moment before answering his question. “I can usually tell if a person is lying, unless it is another skilled Force user. I can’t read minds, but I can sense a person’s intentions. I do have visions, but they are not always accurate.” I stopped and drew in a breath. “I am not as strong in the Force as Darth Vader, but I have similar skills with the exception of a few particularly vile darkside abilities.”

My commander didn’t respond right away. He sat in his chair slack jawed as some of the color drained from his face. I could sense he was surprised and fighting down a slight tinge of fear.

I cursed myself for answering so truthfully. All I accomplished was instilling dread in my commanding officer. Why did I have to mention Vader?

Finally Commander Darten found his voice. “You have to promise me something.”

“What?”

A slight smile curled up the corner of his lips. “Please don’t kill my wife during dinner if she asks you about your relationship with the Jedi and if the Force can be used to enhance sex.”

I sat stunned for a second before I laughed and I gave a sigh of relief. I surprised him by my admission, but it didn’t change his opinion of me.

“You have my promise, Sir.”

 

You can't escape the gossip rag reporters; unless you're Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala (there might have been rumors of the two but no proof).

Looks like the First Order, or what will be the First Order, has struck again.

Mara is probably grateful for the warning.


Ah, Bloodline didn't reveal anything about Rey's parentage except that, unless it's being kept tightly under wraps, Rey isn't related to the Skywalker/Solo Family and as it's supposed to take place six/seven before TFA it appears that for Rey to have been left on Jakku in relation to the second Jedi Purge to be completely false. Another book written from Rey's perspective reveals that she doesn't remember anything but Jakku and she references an Imperial Research Facility that people in battered Stormtrooper Armor guard and no one comes back from challenging them.

I also doubt that 'Rey' is her real name. She told BB-8 that she was 'classified' and a 'big secret'. Of course she could have been kind of mocking BB-8's reluctance to reveal anything to her.


EDIT: I will admit that the NuCanon isn't perfect and there are errors like in Lords of the Sith Vader is known around 5-8 years after RotS but in Rebels no one knows who the heck Vader is and no one panics when they hear 'Darth Vader'.

But I don't think that they would reveal something as big as Rey's parentage in a book.

 

Hah.
The jig is up. pwned by the TGZ!

Kidnapping case.... And children. Some people just don't follow the rules.

At least Mara has some ally in the Empire, it seems.