Beyond - Legends "The Shadow of Fate" (SJRS Challenge: Episode VII) Complete! 29 August

Thank you! The flashbacks are fun to write

I think Mara and Shada would be great friends, but I guess in the profic the timing never worked out for that friendship to be explored - I'm glad I'm able to do a bit of it here. Thanks for reading (again), gal!

Thanks! There can be friendly rivalry without malice, and I think that's how Mara and Shada would interact with each other - they appreciate each other's honesty and ambition, but aren't going to step on each other to get it. But Shada's going to encourage Mara to train with Luke because she thinks it's best for her, as well as opening an opportunity for herself

 

Tags: Gemma

Chapter 20



1 NRE

Leia stood in the centre of her bedroom, hands on her hips and scowling at her own indecision. Before her on the bed lay several dresses, as she had been unable to decide which would be most appropriate for that night’s ball kicking off the Liberation Day celebrations.

Of course, there was the blue of Alderaan to show solidarity with her fellow refugees. Red and white had been the official colours of the Alliance, accordingly adopted by the New Republic and represented in its crest, and as such Leia knew that they would be popular choices. White also represented her senatorial past and had become somewhat synonymous with her during the Rebellion. Sometimes Leia felt so far away from the girl she had been only a few years previous, a determined spitfire devoted only to her cause and ignoring the chance for anything else. Princess Leia who had clad herself in white senatorial gowns as well as white fatigues sent a message to those surrounding her; that she was unadorned and single-minded. White was the colour of duty; the colour of queens and dignitaries and decision makers. She wore the dark blues and oranges of a New Republic Minister now, and found herself shaded. More nuanced, perhaps.

Han ambled in from the outer living quarters and cast a cursory glance over the collection of gowns on the bed. “Making the decisions on which nations rise and fall, princess?”

Leia allowed herself a gracious smirk at his little joke, but was far more concerned with the fact that one of his arms was hidden behind his back, and the other far too casually hooked in his trouser pocket.

“What do you have behind your back?” she asked him.

Han’s face cracked into a familiar grin. “Can’t get anything past you, can I?” he said, and held out his hand with great flourish. On his palm rested a small blue box tied with a neat white ribbon. “Happy Liberation Day,” he told her.

“What’s this?” she asked, unable to keep the pleased smile from her face as she took the box from him.

“Open it and find out, Minister,” Han teased her.

“Are you trying to start a new tradition?” she asked him as she undid the tightly tied ribbon. The newly-coined Liberation Day had been Mon Mothma’s brainchild, a way for everyone on Coruscant and the rest of the galaxy to commemorate the final fall of the Empire. A week’s worth of celebrations had been organised for the inaugural event, with the ball planned for that evening. And yet the giving of gifts seemed a step too far, in Leia’s opinion.

“For us, maybe,” Han told her, as if sensing her confusion. “It makes more sense than gifts for Life Day or Naming Day. Today we’re actually celebrating something we helped accomplish.”

Leia was touched by his thoughtfulness, and opened the box to reveal a beautiful round locket nestled among blue felt. The silver chain was delicate and simple, but Leia gasped as she saw the blue-green gemstone in the centre of the setting. In the light the stone glinted, and deep within its core there were streaks and strands of every known colour of the spectrum.

“This is an Alderaanian Opal,” Leia breathed, and looked up at Han with tears in her eyes. “How did you get this?” Even in her childhood, Leia had known that such stones were rare and expensive, mined in the deep core of the planet. Now that Alderaan had gone they were a true rarity.

“I had Karrde track one down for me,” Han explained. “He’s damn good.”

“But it must have cost a fortune,” Leia protested.

“What do I care about credits?” Han said, as he took the necklace from Leia and moved around to stand behind her, draping it around her neck. “I just figured I’m going to be able to take this kid to Corellia one day, and show him his heritage, but Alderaan’s gone.” Han fastened the clasp and rested his warm hands gently on her neck. “At least you’ll be able to show him this.”

Leia felt her eyes water and her heart fill with overwhelming love for her husband.

“The Han from six years ago would have cared about the credits,” she said softly, reminding herself of how much he had changed. Or rather, she corrected herself, how much his true self had come to the fore.

“The Han from six years ago would probably be dead in a ditch somewhere by now, if it weren’t for you and Luke.” Han paused, his large hands squeezing her shoulders gently. “I’d probably still be a wall ornament in Jabba’s Palace.”

Leia turned around and put her hands on Han’s chest, looking up at him. “Or if it wasn’t for the two of us, you might have paid him off sooner and never had to go through that.”

“Nah,” Han put his arms around her, his hands pressing softly into the small of her back. “I would have peeved him off sooner or later. You both saved me,” he said seriously. “In every way possible.”

“When did you become such a sap,” she teased him lightly, but was unable to stop smiling.

“Well I’m about to become a father,” he told her. She pressed close against him, even though her belly was still relatively flat. “I have to start being sappy and telling bad jokes-”

“Start telling bad jokes?” she queried.

Han laughed. “Alright, alright,” he said cheekily, and stole a kiss from her. “You’ve got my number.”

“I always did,” she told him with affection. “I love you, Han.”

To his credit, he didn’t go for the easy option and tell her that he knew. Instead, he kissed her again, murmuring against her lips, “Don’t forget it.”

“Never,” she whispered back, and drew him closer.


*******

29 NRE

In the dark chambers of Jabba’s Palace, Svel took his time to drink in the sight of the young woman before him. He examined and appraised Kara’s dark features; her high cheekbones and dark eyes so familiar to him. He’d seen her in Anchorhead, of course, that day when the Skywalker’s had been absent and he couldn’t resist sneaking in there to watch her as she cleaned her X-Wing. But he'd been unobserved then, felt but not seen. He hadn't had the pleasure of seeing the steel in her eyes.

“Who are you?” Kara asked him, her crisp Coruscanti accent cutting through the air like a vibroblade. “How do you know my name?”

“How could I not know you?” Svel asked, smiling at the girl. “You look so much like your mother,” he added. He’d barely known Sidel Ravenlok, the woman to whom he’d been betrothed practically since birth, although they had spent enough time together before Svel took up his commission for him to fix her beauty in his mind. He had not loved her, but had been slighted all the same when he’d heard she’d married a Rebel, that she was actively fighting in their cause and that she had played a role in the Invasion of Coruscant.

He should have married Sidel, uniting the Houses of Ravenlok and Delrond in a common purpose: the progenation of a new Galactic Order, a fresh Sith bloodline created from the highest aristocratic lines. Now Svel would fix that mistake. He would procure Kara Ravenlok for his son, and through their line the Sith dynasty would be born.

“You’re Delrond, aren’t you?” Kara challenged, holding her saber outwardly so the tip pointed towards him.

Svel smiled, pleased. “Clever girl.” Did she have ability as well as brains, he wondered, and drew his own saber, igniting the blood red blade. Before he could allow her to play the role he had designed for her, Svel had to be certain she was worthy.

Kara stepped back slightly and into a defensive pose, and Svel did not miss the action. It was a Jedi move, but he paid it no mind. She would be broken of those habits soon enough.

“Why did you come here?” Kara asked.

As his answer Svel simply attacked, spinning his saber in a classic attack utilising Form V. Their blades clashed and Kara parried, quickly using the basic yet effective defence of Form VII. It was an excellent move, her footwork and the power behind her thrusts perfectly balanced, but Svel had expected no less from a student of Skywalker’s. His dueling skills were legendary.

They crossed sabers again, and although Svel pushed her limits, he did not go in for any kill moves, content to assess her skill as if they were merely sparring. However Svel quickly discovered that he had underestimated her, as he realised only a second too late she had been deliberately backing up against the wall of brains preserved in large glass jars. Her back against them, Kara parried the thrust of Svel’s saber and then stepped aside before slashing the jars above them with her blade. The contents of the jars poured over Svel, and he thrashed around blindly for a few moments, spluttering about in the viscous yellowed liquid.

When his equilibrium returned, Svel saw Kara standing in the centre of the room, her blade still ignited and her stance defensive. She’d had the opportunity to flee to the protection of her comrades but she had not done so. Interesting.

“A reckless act, young Jedi,” Svel taunted her. “Would your master approve?”

“How did you know my mother?” Kara asked, ignoring his jibe.

“If you know my family name, you should already know that,” Svel said, approaching her slowly. “Your mother and I were to be married, my dear. I should have been your father, Kara, not that Rim scum she swept up from the gutter.”

Kara inhaled sharply, and Svel could feel her anger spike red hot. She lunged at him, her saber swinging wildly, and Svel engaged her with glee.


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

Fin crept silently through the shadows which embraced the walls of Jabba’s Palace, feeling the pull of the Force. The Jedi were here. Fin hadn’t been sure why he’d suggested to his father that they explore the home of the once smuggler-king, only that his instincts told him to do so. Evidently, the Force had led him exactly where he wanted to be.

Fin was at home in the shadows, he knew how to navigate them. One of the Jedi was in north tower, another in the bowels of the palace, and yet another by the landing platforms. But the strongest presence, the one who radiated pure, sickening light, was nearby. Fin could feel him.

Keeping to the walls and in the dark shadows, Fin descended the stairs into the former throne room where Jabba the Hut had once kept court. It was empty now, save for a figure in Jedi robes hunched over the large grated section of the floor, deep in contemplation.

“You might as well come out.” The figure spoke, his ‘Rim accent unmistakable although perhaps tempered slightly by years lived in the Capital. He stood and turned, his gaze focussed directly on Fin’s hiding spot in the dark. “I know you’re there.”

Skywalker looked at him, as if he could see through the darkness, as if his gaze could pierce any shield or barrier Fin had erected. He realised that he had been recognized - if not his face, than his presence in the Force. He drew his lightsaber immediately and brandished the blood-red blade.

Skywalker simply looked back at him, unconcerned. “Who are you?” he asked, cocking his head slightly to the side. “What do you want?”

“It doesn’t matter what my name is,” Fin told the older man. “I’m the man who is going to kill you.”

“I see.” Skywalker had the audacity to smile.

“I am serious, old man.”

Skywalker laughed. “My boy, you have to understand that I have heard many such claims,” he gestured to himself with both hands. “And yet here I remain.”

“That’s because you’ve never met me,” Fin proclaimed, slipping into the attack stance. Then he rushed at Skywalker, swinging his blade quickly in an effort to throw the Jedi off balance. Skywalker simply stared at him, and only at the last moment ignited his green saber to fend off Fin’s attack.

Fin had to admit, Skywalker’s reputation had not been exaggerated. He slid easily between several forms of lightsaber combat within a few moves of each other, parrying Fin’s attacks with practiced ease. But Fin had the power of the dark side to fuel him, and he called on his hatred for Skywalker, who represented everything he had been raised to loathe, on his thirst for power and dominion over others, to correct the mistakes of the past.

He felt a surge of power through his veins and Fin attacked Skywalker again. And yet it was not enough as once again his attack was thwarted by Skywalker, who seemed to move as fluidly as the rippling wind. Their sabers clashed, red on green as Fin stepped up the intensity of his attack, but Skywalker matched him move for move, that same arrogant smile never leaving his face.

At one crucial moment, Skywalker found his opening and kicked at Fin’s abdomen, which he had left unprotected for less than a second. Fin went careening to the floor, barely able to keep hold of his lightsaber.

Skywalker looked down at him, unconcerned. “This fighting seems rather unproductive.”

Fin felt rage boil within him, at Skywalker’s presumption, at his arrogance, and most of all at his superior skill. Leaping to his feet, Fin let out a great roar as he ignited his saber again and rushed towards Skywalker, ready to beat him or die in the attempt.

*******

Eren ran down the spiral staircase of the tower, hearing Kara’s cry for assistance through the Force. Ben’s comm message had been clear, and it seemed that Kara had found herself a Sith. Flying across the small courtyard and down into the subterranean chambers, Eren pulled her saber from her belt, igniting it as she ran down the stairs and into a gloomy chamber were Kara and the Sith were locked in a fierce lightsaber duel.

The Sith spun and parried Eren’s thrust as she approached, and Kara took advantage of his distraction. But the Sith was ready for her, calling to his hand another saber hilt from his robes and igniting it, blocking her blow. The three fought, Eren and Kara with each of their blue blades, and the Sith with his two red ones. Eren quickly discovered that the Sith was an accomplished duelist, and held his own against the both of them.

Then the Sith froze, as if he felt something disturbing, his face stripped of all save a sickening fear. He spun out of the duel with Kara and Eren, pulling his sabers free and flinging out with his arms. They were knocked back by a forceful blow through the Force, and Eren flew through the air, barely retaining control of her own body to spin mid-air and land into a crouch. Kara did not fare so well, falling in a pile of limbs onto the ground.

When Eren looked up, the Sith was gone, and when she reached out through the Force she felt his form retreating...but where? She moved to Kara’s side and helped the young woman up.

“Are you alright, Kara?” she asked.

Kara nodded, although she looked a little dazed. Eren tried to reach out for the Sith presence again, but this time the way was jumbled, as if the Sith’s Force sense had gotten confused with another’s. Concentrating, Eren tried to separate them...and then she felt the unmistakable presence of Luke Skywalker in the rooms above. It seemed he was duelling a Sith of his own.

“Come on,” Eren tugged on Kara’s arm. “We need to get to the throne room.”


*******

Red and green sabers clashed between them, and Luke was impressed by the young Sith’s technique. It was unrefined, but powerful, and the Force flowed strongly through him, yet to be tamed. It was this and his age that made Luke think the young man was the apprentice, not the master, and so Luke was fighting to defend, not to win.

The Sith fought left handed, which Luke found intriguing. Still, it took little effort to adjust to the altered style, mirroring the Sith’s movements easily. As they fought across the length of the chamber, Luke saw a small object fall from the boy’s robes, but he did not notice it, and so Luke pushed it from his mind to focus on the duel.

The young Sith’s face was intense, and Luke could feel him drawing on the dark side to augment his power and keep up with Luke’s fluid movements. As for himself, Luke needed no such assistance, allowing the Force to direct his movements with pure instinct, his blows becoming gradually more powerful as he wore his opponent down.

And yet the Sith was determined and refused to give in. Eventually, Luke grew weary of toying with the young man, realising that the boy’s Sith master could also be loose in the palace. The Sith apprentice quickly took note of Luke’s distraction, and lunged forward with a powerful swing of his saber. But it had been a feint, and in two strokes Luke first knocked the saber from the Sith’s hand, sending it flying across to the other side of the chamber, and then sliced through the boy's arm just above the wrist, severing it completely.

The young Sith howled in pain and collapsed to the floor, clutching his arm. Luke stood above him, an overwhelming pity coursing through his senses. He’d been through that same ordeal once, the shame and pain intermingling until it felt as if the body could no longer take the onslaught of agony. But Luke did not regret the action - it was far better to injure to end a duel than to be forced to kill.

“What’s your name, son?” he asked kindly, extinguishing his blade and clipping the hilt back onto his belt.

The boy looked so young, despite clearly being in his late twenties. But felled he had the air of a child, his lip trembling as she grasped his severed stump, covering it shamefully with his sleeve. “Fin,” he spat out spitefully.

“I don’t know what has led you down this dark path, Fin,” Luke continued. “But it is not too late - it is never too late.”

Fin looked up, his gaze murderous and Luke was saddened to see flecks of orange and yellow in his dark eyes. Hate rolled off the boy in waves, so intense Luke took a step back.

“Why?” Luke asked, genuinely curious. “Why do you hate me so much?” Other than the fact I’ve just cut off your hand, he thought ruefully.

Either Fin did not have an answer, or he simply refused to give it. He turned away from Luke, crawling on the ground back over to his saber, and Luke almost admired his courage.

“There is no answer there,” he continued gently, allowing Fin to continue to move slowly towards his fallen weapon.

Luke heard footsteps, and turn to see Eren and Kara run into the room, sabers in hand. “Nice of you to join us,” Luke said smoothly. “Where have you been?”

“Duelling a Sith,” Eren said evenly, and she looked far more composed than Kara, who was unusually pallid and unsettled.

“Ditto,” Luke said, indicating Fin on the floor, still diligently crawling across to where his weapon had fallen. “You see, Fin,” he addressed the young man. “My friends have come to my rescue, but where is your Master? He had abandoned you - he cares nothing for you.” The boy was young, Luke thought to himself, perhaps he could get through to him and convince him to abandon the dark.

Fin grasped the saber in his right hand, but before he could ignite it the entire building was rocked with a shattering explosion. The entire side wall of the throne room and staircase crumbled, opening what remained of the chamber to the harsh winds outside. It took Luke a moment to realise that they were not natural and he lifted a sleeve to shield his face from the swirling sand which invaded the area. A large ship hovered in the opening the explosion had created, and Luke realised that they had fired their lasers at the wall, which had relented to the onslaught.

The gangplank of the ship was down, and a figure in black stood at the apex, one arm holding onto the ship’s hull and one hand outstretched towards them. Fin rose into the air, being carried back towards the ship by his master’s hold.

“Luke!” Eren screamed from behind him, and he didn’t require further instruction. Luke held out his own hand to capture Fin’s form and pull him back. But he was met with strong resistance, and for a moment Fin hovered above the ground, suspended between Luke on the ground and the other Sith in the ship. The boy screamed, and Luke realised that his insides were in danger of being torn apart if they both kept their Force grips on his body.

Luke looked up at the Sith on the ship, and their eyes met for the briefest of moments. But it was enough for Luke to understand. There was no way the Sith would allow Fin to be taken prisoner. Either he would retrieve the boy, or he would allow him to be torn apart in the struggle. It was a choice Luke didn’t need to think about, and he dropped his hand. Fin’s body was swiftly taken inside the ship, and the gangway closed behind them. Then the ship took off over the desert, and Luke could do nothing but let it happen. Eren and Kara were at his side in moments, watching the retreating ship as the wind and sand died around them.

“I think they jettisoned something,” Eren said, squinting into the distance, and Luke did not doubt her enhanced eyesight, courtesy of her Pau’an heritage.

“We can go see what it was,” Kara said, but Luke’s attention was elsewhere, walking across the floor of the throne room to where the object had dropped from Fin’s robes earlier. It was a rock of some kind, quite ordinary, but when Luke picked it up a painful jolt coursing through his entire body. Stowing the item quickly away in his robes, Luke turned back to Eren and Kara, realising that they were one Jedi short.

“Where’s Ben?” he asked.

As if on cue he heard a call through the Force, very much like the weak sound of a child who had fallen from his playset and was desperately calling for help.

Dad…

“Outside,” he told Eren and Kara and ran out of Jabba’s Palace, into the hostile desert where Eren had seen an object fall from the ship. The dunes were high and his feet sank into the sand with every step, but Luke did not stop until he reached his son. Fear gripped him as he found Ben’s prone form at the bottom of a sand dune, but Ben smiled up at him weakly.

“Ben, what happened?” Luke asked, kneeling down in the sand and began to examine his son with shaking hands. If he’d been dueling the apprentice Sith, and Kara and Eren had been dealing with the master, what had Ben been up to?

“I found their ship,” Ben said weakly, and Luke quickly assessed that he was not seriously injured, just winded. He'd been able to cushion his blow with the Force. “I was exploring when the Sith came back, but I was able to get to the escape pod chute as they were leaving.”

“You jumped?” Luke asked, and looked up to see Kara and Eren had caught up with him.

“They were still flying low,” Ben explained, and sighed. “Would you rather I stayed there?”

“No,” Luke told him, relief flooding his voice as he squeezed Ben’s shoulder lightly. “No I would not.”

"I didn't have time to find anything useful, but I did managed to plant a bug in their navcomputer," Ben said as he sat up gingerly. Luke immediately moved to support his son’s shoulders and help him up.

"Once I key into their course using the tracking systems on the Fury,” Ben continued with a satisfied smile. “We'll know exactly where they're headed."

 

The Han/Leia scene - all melty goodness! SQUEE! Han is a darling, a genuine keeper!

~!

Great action scenes. Luke was amazing, very much in character with skill and compassion for Fin.

Bravo for Ben planting the tracking device.

 

HAN WINS AT LIFE. (And so does Luke, being his usual Farmboy BAMF self, natch. )

Mara would be proud of her little Sneaky McSneakerson son.

 

Firstly, I want to thank everyone for reading this fic, it's very precious to me and I hope people are enjoying it. This chapter actually marks the half-way point, so I hope you'll stick around for the rest.

I also want to thank those who nominated this fic for the Fanfic Awards - it was nommed for Best AU, Best All Around, Best Epic, Best Original Character (Zeb), Best Canon Relationship (Leia and Mara and Leia and Han) and Best Original Relationship (Luke and Kara). I have to pare these down to three categories, but I just wanted to give my thanks first - I very much appreciate it

Thank you! Han's a big ol' softie underneath, and is actually really thoughtful - he knows how much it will hurt Leia to have not much to share of her Alderaanian heritage with their children, and does what he can.

As much as I dislike writing action, I did have fun writing the scenes in Jabba's palace with our heroes and the Sith finally face to face.

He does, doesn't he? He's got it where it counts

Ben is very much like his Momma - but he's reckless like dear ol' Dad

 

Tags: Gemma


Chapter 21



1 NRE

The vast ballrooms of the former Imperial Palace were teeming with guests there to attend to the first inaugural Liberation Day ball. The rooms were much like Mara remembered, except flags with the symbol of the Rebel Alliance - no, the New Republic - were hung where the Imperial crest had once been proudly displayed. Karrde was at her side, the passive look on his face concealing a simmering excitement. To see the high vaulted ceilings, intricately moulded architecture and gilded trim must be impressive for a first visitor, but to Mara the sight was so familiar it was difficult to share his enthusiasm.

The dress Shada had lent her was beautiful, if a little daring for the occasion. It was made from a dark green shimmersilk, and the full skirt fluttered pleasantly around her legs. The front of the bodice was tight-fitting and high necked, but there was no back at all to the dress, the material skirting around the side of her breasts and leaving her skin bare from the nape of her neck until the skirt began at the small of her back. Her wore her hair unbound, allowing the loose curls to flow around her shoulders, and had also borrowed a circlet of jade glitterstones from Shada which she wore on her crown.

Mara had asked Shada when she’d ever had occasion to wear such an outfit, and the other woman had simply looked at her with knowing gaze and raised one eyebrow. Mara hadn’t enquired further. It actually felt good to be back in finery, and Mara couldn’t deny that she sometimes missed the fashionable clothes she’d once worn to events at the Imperial Palace. Any modesty had been drilled out of her early in life, and as they walked through the crowd Mara could see that her dress was hardly the most audacious in the room. Republics and Empires may rise and fall, Mara thought to herself with amusement, but the fashionistas hardly seemed to change at all.

“Ah, there is Minister Organa,” Karrde said as he spotted Leia over the other side of the room, standing with her husband who kept tugging at the high collar of his full dress uniform. “I do want to talk to her about her proposal.”

“Go ahead,” Mara urged him, although she didn’t really want to be stuck the whole night chatting about regulating trade and legitimising the smuggling profession. She didn’t want to be there in the first place, but it was her duty to support Karrde in his business dealings, and it would be a snub for her not to attend when Organa Solo had singled her out with an invitation. That, and Mara had one other call of duty.

She found Luke propping up a wall on the side of the ballroom. He was dressed elegantly in black and grey, although several medals adorned the breast of his tunic.

“Hey, Skywalker,” she greeted as she approached him. “You look very shiny.”

Luke grimaced and brushed at the metal, as if he wanted to sweep them all off his chest. “Leia asked me to wear them. Since I resigned my commission she can’t make me wear full dress like Han, but she was persuasive about these things.” He looked her up and down and swallowed heavily. “You look very nice,” he said, certain that he was meeting her eyes when he did so.

“There’s that farmboy charm,” she teased him, and his face creased into a self-deprecating smile. “You know I never took you for the unsociable type,” she continued, leaning her back against the wall beside him. He’d certainly never wanted to stop talking when they were on Myrkr. “Why are you hiding over here?”

“I’m not, really,” he said. “But this is such a formal event, I’m afraid I’m a bit out of my depth. I think I offended the Baroness Devela when I called her Madame.”

Mara raised her eyebrows - among the rigid and pompus Coruscanti elite, that was indeed a faux pas. “You should have addressed her as My Lady.”

“Well, I’m a farmboy, like you said Mara,” he said genially. “I’m afraid I haven’t gotten the hang of social protocols yet.”

“It’s a different kind of war,” she agreed, surveying the room. “Except you never know whose side you’re on. The seven highest ranking aristocratic houses own practically everything on Coruscant,” she told him, leaning into him conspiratorially. “That’s the Earl and Countess of House Willish over there - their family built half of the Senate District.” She pointed out a pale elderly couple with white hair and pinched faces, then a dark skinned man and woman. “Next to them is the Baron Ravenlok and his daughter.”

“Oh, I know Sidel,” Luke told her, looking over at Sidel Ravenlok and giving her a small wave. Sidel smiled and waved in return, then inclined her head towards the elderly couple and rolled her eyes. “She was invaluable to the Alliance.”

“So the rumors she married a Rebel are true,” Mara mused. Even though Myrkr was in the Core and she was in the information business, Coruscanti gossip was slow to reach her. Not that she’d had a particular use for it, not like the old days.

“Yes, a good friend of mine, actually,” Luke told her, and Mara fought the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he was. “He must be at home with their daughter,” he added. “I don’t know anyone else, though,” he added, urging her to continue.

Mara scanned the room. “The Fileishi of House Tretril are by the bar, which doesn’t surprise me,” Mara continued to point out the various dignitaries. “Might as well be called House Lush.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste, remembering an evening in which she’d been required to ferret some information from Count Fileishi. It had not taken too many drinks to get him talking, but the smell of his alcohol-laced breath still made her gag. “And the Giranis of the Pike House are here, interesting.” Mara grabbed a glass of wine from a passing waiter as she studied the pair of Togrutas. That particular family had fled Coruscant in the early days of the Empire when the pro-human policies had started to form a clear pattern.

Of course, Mara had grown up learning that such actions had been necessary. The Separatist movement which had torn the galaxy apart during the Clone Wars had been primarily made up of non-humans. As such resentment had brewed, and Mara now saw that Palpatine had taken advantage of that for his own ends, her insides twisting bitterly at the realisation.

“The one thing you have to know about the aristocracy is that above all else, they’re out for themselves,’ Mara told him seriously. “They’ll fawn over you, flatter you, and support you while your stock is high, and abandon you as soon as someone more useful comes along. They’ve seen the end of the Old Republic, the rise and fall of the Empire and now your New Republic is in power, but it makes no difference to them. Play along with their little games, and you’ll do fine Skywalker,” she advised.

Luke looked at her warily. “Where did you learn all of this?”

“Oh, I had to attend these for years,” she waved her hand airily. “It’s a good way to gather intel.”

“Or stalk a target?”

Mara shrugged. “Sure.”

They lapsed into silence, and Mara watched Luke surveying the crowd.

“Have you given any more thought to my offer?” Luke asked eventually, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.

Mara sipped her wine. “Yes.”

“And?”

“And I’m still thinking.” She wanted to broaden her powers and strengthen her connection with the Force, but Mara simply wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a Jedi. It was an idea she had railed against her entire life, but on the other hand, it had turned out that practically everything she had ever believed in had been wrong. At the beginning of the night she’d been so sure that she was going to tell Skywalker no, but she found herself uncertain yet again.

She had a good life with Karrde’s organisation, and there could be exciting times ahead if Organa Solo’s plans came to fruition. And yet Mara couldn't shake the memory of her and Skywalker in the rain on Myrkr, her blaster pointed at his chest. Come with me, if you like, he'd said. So that I won't be the last anymore. The words kept running themselves over in her head.

“The Senate has agreed to let me refurbish the old Jedi Temple,” Luke turned to her. “I’m going there tomorrow to explore - why don’t you come with me? No pressure,” he added quickly.

In truth she was somewhat curious about the Jedi Temple. After it had been sacked at the end of the Clone Wars the Emperor had sealed it shut and forbidden any to enter into the grounds.

“Alright...” she agreed. But before she could add any caveat, Sidel Ravenlok breezed over to them, her flowing pale blue gown setting off the dark tone of her skin to perfection.

"Hello, Luke," Sidel kissed his cheek in greeting, and Luke’s unease fell away, smiling and embracing her in return. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" she asked as she pulled away.

"This is Mara Jade," Luke said, and Sidel smiled warmly as she shook Mara's hand.

"Forgive me, Mara," Sidel said. "Have we met before? You seem so familiar."

Mara had likely been below Sidel’s notice in the Imperial Era. If the Ravenlok heir had noticed Mara at all she likely would have thought Mara was just another social climber looking for someone to latch onto. She didn’t ever recall them crossing paths, although Mara had certainly known who she was. Nor had she guessed Sidel’s rebel sympathies, which told Mara the woman knew how to keep her true motives hidden.

“I grew up in the Imperial Palace,” Mara replied, unwilling to elaborate further. She did not miss the tiny, querying look Sidel gave to Luke.

“Mara works for Talon Karrde,” Luke said smoothly.

“Oh, really?” Sidel’s face lit up in a bright smile. “Leia was telling me all about her plans, they sound wonderful.” She reached forward and linked her arm with Mara’s. “You simply must introduce me to him Mara,” she added, leading her away. “I’m sure you don’t mind, Luke.”

“Not at all,” Luke smiled graciously. “See you tomorrow, Mara,” he called after her. “1300 hours.”

Mara let herself be led away by Sidel, seeing little point in resisting. She steeled herself for a warning from the woman, and wondered whether she had recognised her after all. Mara had been expecting a visit from Leia Organa Solo or her husband, urging her to stay away from Luke or pressing her to keep their secret about Darth Vader’s true identity, but as yet there had been no contact. Sidel did however lead them over to where Leia was standing, for the moment alone. Mara couldn’t help but appreciate Leia’s perfectly fitting white gown and elaborate hairstyle, and yet she noticed that around her neck hung a simple silver chain and locket with an opal setting.

“Leia, dear,” Sidel greeted her, finally releasing Mara to kiss Leia on the cheek. “We’re looking for Talon Karrde, Mara here was going to introduce me.”

“I’m afraid Han has enticed him away for a sabacc game,” Leia recounted with a long suffering sigh, although she gently touched her locket. Then she turned to Mara and gave her a warm smile. “Hello, Mara. I’m so glad you could come.”

Mara nodded politely, unsure if the warmth of the other two women was genuine or a front. She didn’t dare try and reach out through the Force, knowing that Leia would likely detect any attempted probe.

“My brother tells me he’s asked you to stay on Coruscant and train with him,” Leia said evenly.

“Oh, are you a Jedi too Mara?” Sidel asked.

“No,” Mara responded, shifting uncomfortably.

“Luke says that she’s very strong in the Force,” Leia told Sidel. “He want her to help him start his Jedi Academy.”

“Oh, you must!” Sidel enthused. “Luke is a dear man, but he is so alone in this undertaking. And then we can see more of you, Mara.”

Mara wasn’t sure why Sidel wanted to see more of her, she’d barely spoken two words since they’d met. “I haven’t decided whether to accept or not.”

“I hope you do, Mara,” Leia said, touching her arm lightly. Mara looked at the other woman in surprise. Did she simply want to keep Mara close to keep an eye on her? That couldn’t be it, since if Leia was truly concerned about Mara’s intentions, she’d want her as far away from Luke as possible. “If only to make me feel less guilty for not helping him myself.” Leia smiled and Sidel gave a pearly laugh, but it seemed to Mara that there was a layer of truth behind the light comment.

But she wouldn’t be pushed into this, Mara decided. Not by Karrde, not by Organa, and certainly not by Skywalker. She would go to the blasted Temple, but that would be the end of it.

_______________________________________________________________________________

29 NRE

With a blaze of blue streaking light, the Peerless Joy entered hyperspace. Svel leaned back into the pilot’s chair, contemplating for a few moments before he went to confront his son. They hadn’t expected to run into the Jedi that day, but Svel had known that it was bound to happen sooner or later, and had given Fin clear instructions not to fight the Grand Master alone. But his son had defied his order, lost his hand, and could have ruined everything Svel had spent years carefully planning. Svel did not try to dampen his disappointment or anger, but instead used to to fuel him, to solidify his resolve. His son needed a reminder that Svel was the Master, and his instructions were to be heeded no matter the situation.

Svel made his way back to main hold of the ship where Fin was crumpled in the couch beside the dejak table, nursing the stump of his arm. He looked up when Svel entered the room, his face a mixture of shame and fear.

“I told you not to confront Skywalker.” Svel’s voice was soft and dangerous. “You were not ready.”

“Should I have run?” Fin asked, his dark eyes defiant and his tone sharp. “The Sith do not run.”

“The Sith are patient,” Svel told him harshly. “The Sith wait in the shadows for their opportunity. They do not strike before they are ready, and reveal to the enemy all of their weaknesses!”

“I’m tired of waiting,” Fin rose, his tall frame seeming to fill the room. His fear melted away and was replaced with whit-hot anger, so quick and sharp Svel almost flinched.

“I’m tired of lurking and hiding,” Fin said, his voice venomous. “I’m tired of you, father. I’m more powerful than you, I know it. Skywalker knows it, I felt that from him. I don’t need you anymore.”

Svel felt his blood burn, and without warning he drew his saber, lunging at his son. Fin ignited his own blade, his eyes bright with anticipation. The two fought aggressively, their red blades clashing against one another furiously in the small ship’s quarters. Despite his missing limb, Fin was not only holding his own, and Svel felt within his son a great surge in his Force power. It was almost as if there was a finite amount of usable Force in the room, and Fin was monopolising it, leave Svel weakened and exposed.

Fin had finally tapped into the hatred and fury which would make him a true servant of the dark. And yet not even Svel was expecting his son to deliver a blow so powerful it knocked the saber from his hands as he was thrust back with a powerful Force push directed only by the flicker of Fin’s dark eyes. Svel’s back hit the hull of the ship painfully and he sank to the floor as his son advanced on him, red saber held against his throat. Fin’s irises were rimmed orange and red, the expression on his face murderous and blazing with power and purpose.

Svel had always known that one day his son would kill him. It was the way of the Sith, after all; a Master to wield power, and an apprentice to covet until he was strong enough to take it. Palpatine was the exception of course, and as Darth Sidious he collected and discarded apprentices as he saw fit. And although Svel admired his former Emperor, he worshipped the Sith of old. So Svel accepted and expected that one day, his son would be strong enough to turn on him. It was not his fate to build the Sith dynasty - it was his son’s. He was ready for death, if that was the act that would make his son a true Sith.

And yet Fin hesitated. He held the blade to his father’s throat with his right hand, so close that Svel could almost feel the burn of it against his chin, but his son did not strike. Breathing heavily, Fin stared down at him, and Svel felt his son’s anger recede. The saber deactivated, and Fin clipped it back onto his belt, his jaw clenching visibly.

Then he turned and stalked out of the room.

****

Fin walked through the corridors of his father’s ship, hot tears stinging in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He knew he should probably go to the medbay and get a droid to look at his arm, but Svel did not even slow down as he passed by the entrance, seeking something more important than treatment of a physical ailment.

He had sparred against his father many times, but never had they fought in such a way. Never had Fin felt the drive and power that coursed through him, and he found it incomprehensible. Why had he been able to summon up such brute force against his own father but not against Skywalker? Could it be he had felt his father’s disappointment and anger so deeply that he’d had no choice but to strike back? And yet he had not been strong enough to make the killing blow, even though the dark side had whispered to him to do it.

But how could he? Svel was his father. The only one who had ever cared about Fin, the only family he had. But Fin knew now that he was stronger in the Force than his father, his potential greater - he had felt it when Skywalker had reached out to him, felt Skywalker’s own surprise and perhaps a little fear at Fin’s power. He’d also sensed a strange familiarity, as if Fin had felt Skywalker’s presence before. Or perhaps not Skywalker’s presence himself, but a presence that closely matched Skywalker’s.

To be alone with his thoughts, Fin retreated into the monuments room, a chamber which had been set aside for the treasures he and his father had accumulated. They had spent years roaming the galaxy together, chasing down leads and rumors to find every Sith and Jedi artifact that they could; holocrons, crystals and artifacts. The mask of Darth Revan. The lost Sith scrolls of Andeddu. The ancient Darkstaff, although the power had long been drained from it. Lumiya’s lightwhip. The skull of his mother’s rancor, which had perished not long after she herself had died. As a boy, Fin had sat inside its large jaws, pretending that it was still alive, that it was carrying him carefully in its mouth while his mother rode on top, taking them to safety.

The collection was precious, for through these items and the Force Fin had seen the past. Palpatine's Senate robes had shown him it was Darth Sidious he had orchestrated his own appointment to Chancellor. The lightsaber of Mace Windu had shown Fin the power and art of shatterpoints, although he had yet to master them. He had seen Jedi and Sith history through these objects, which held more information than any holocron.

At the heart of his collection was his treasure trove of Skywalker artifacts. An engine from an old T-16 Skyhopper, a blaster rumoured to have been from the rebel base on Hoth. A red-bladed shoto Fin had paid a bounty hunter an obscene amount to steal. A deactivated R7 droid Skywalker had once used when his R2 unit was unavailable.

Fin searched through his treasures, placing his hands on each of them in turn and drawing out their sense memories, trying to place the familiarity that had passed between him and Skywalker when they had dueled. He had only ever been able to glimpse fragments from Skywalker’s objects, and at a much lower success rate than Fin was used to. It was if the Force had blanketed Skywalker with its protection, shielding any outsider from gleaning too much of his personal history.

Finally Fin came to the pride and joy of his collection - a blue-bladed lightsaber recovered from the bowels of Cloud City on Bespin. The hand itself had long since disintegrated, but Fin had been able to track down the saber, although it had taken many years. Skywalker’s first lightsaber, the one legend told had once belonged to his father Anakin.

It had never yielded anything to him in the past, as if the Force was guarding it’s secrets close with this object more than any other. But this time as soon as Fin picked up the handle with his right hand he was assaulted by a barrage of images - the face of a young teenager alight with pride and accomplishment as the saber’s construction was completed - a frantic brattle against a white-haired Sith Lord and the sharp, burning pain of his opponent’s saber slicing through his arm - the loving embrace of a dark-eyed woman - the wry smile of a friend and comrade as they fought back to back - the impertinent laugh of a young Togruta as she took down a squad of droid soldiers.

Fin’s hand began to burn against the saber’s handle which had become unbelievably hot, but he held on. These were not Skywalker’s memories, he was seeing, Fin realised - they belonged to someone else.

Clarity dawned, and Fin saw once again the massacre of the Tusken camp on Tatooine. Except this time, he was the dragon with its blue fire and sharp claws, slaughtering all in his path with precision and rage. And finally, he saw his own reflection in a looking glass hung on one of the Tusken tents. Tall, sandy-haired and with a Jedi padawan braid - a man Fin had seen many times in his own research of the Clone Wars. And yet this man was fuelled by rage and pain and anger, the intensity of it sending an electrical current through Fin, making his grip loosen on the saber’s hilt.

Fin backed away, breathing heavily as the saber fell to the floor with sickening clatter. The dragon had been Anakin Skywalker, still a padawan, he realised. That was the Skywalker-like presence he’d felt before, he just hadn’t known who it was. There had been darkness in the hero's heart so young, although the stories about him made that difficult to believe. But Fin was seeing a history through sense memories that could not be denied.

Somewhat hesitantly, Fin knelt down on the floor and reached for the saber again. This time, he channelled the burning pain the contact caused back through the Force and used it to fuel himself. His thirst for knowledge and clarity overcame the pain, and Fin clutched the saber tighter, opening himself up to the Force and tearing the memories from the object violently.

This time, Fin saw Anakin Skywalker with yellow eyes and a dark hood, leading Clone Troopers up the steps of the Jedi Temple. With the same lightsaber Fin now held, he cut down his Jedi brethren in the vast chambers, slaughtering the younglings too trusting and surprised to resist. He saw him reach out a hand and make the dark-eyed woman, heavy with child, clutch at her throat; he saw an epic duel in fire against his former friend and comrade, ending in unimaginable pain as his flesh melted away. He saw himself kneeling before his Sith master, and being granted his new name.

Breathing heavily, Fin came out of the trance, finally knowing the terrible and exhilarating truth the Force had tried so hard to hide from him before.

Anakin Skywalker was not only the dragon, Fin realised. Anakin Skywalker was Darth Vader.

 

Woohoo, Mara's getting there, first with the visit to the Refurbished Temple. Her gown sounds absolutely gorgeous! Drop-dead! I like Sidel. Her warmth does not seem contrived at all. ~! Excellent stuff with Fin and Svel.

 

These past few chapters have been especially awesome! Love the fight between Luke and Fin! Keep up the awesome work!

 

Nice updates!

 

Thank you! I headcanon Mara as a bit of a clothes hound - in day to day life she chooses simple and practical clothes, but secretly loves fine and beautiful clothes. I'm glad Sidel comes across as genuine - Mara's naturally a bit more skeptical!

Since in this universe only a few people know Darth Vader's true identity, Fin discovering that it was Anakin gives them an advantage.

Thank you! Lightsaber duels are not one of my strengths, so I'm glad it worked!

Thanks!

 

I loved how Han presented his lovely gift of the necklace to Leia. And thought that the dress Mara is wearing is to die for. I enjoyed the conversation between Mara and Luke and how he complimented her on how she looked.

 

Thank you! Han's a charmer I spend way too much time thinking about what the characters are wearing in this fic, and couldn't resist Luke noticing

_________


Chapter 22



1 NRE

It was with some apprehension that Mara walked through the grounds of the former Jedi Temple on Coruscant, keeping pace with Skywalker’s eager strides. It had been neglected for over twenty years and yet the Emperor had not demolished the place as one may have expected. Rather it had continued to stand empty in the centre of the city, as a reminder of Palpatine’s power. He was one man, and he had annihilated the Jedi Order which had stood for a thousand years. If the Jedi had been helpless to stop him, what chance did anyone else have?

It made Mara shiver, as if the place held a million ghosts following their movements with watchful eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself protectively as they climbed the vast steps leading up to the ziggurat.

“Why do you want to rebuild this place?” Mara asked Skywalker, seeing that he was equally affected by the disturbance in the Force - probably more so. “So many died here.”

“That’s exactly why we need to reclaim it,” Luke told her, his eyes on the temple above. He was wearing the coarse white robes of a Jedi Knight that day, and a long brown cloak which billowed behind him as they climbed the steep steps. For the first time since Mara had met him, he truly looked like a Jedi, and she wasn’t overly comforted by it.

“The Jedi must be reborn here, in the place where the old Order died,” he continued. “This Temple was defiled, and turned into a place of darkness. We must bring light in again, and lead the Jedi back home.”

“We?” she asked him, trying to keep her voice light. “Don’t go throwing that word around too liberally, Skywalker. I haven’t agreed to help you yet.”

Luke gave her a small smile. “Of course.” They soon reached the base of the ziggurat and the entrance to the vast caverns that made up the temple proper.

“Look there,” Luke guided her, pointing to the stone pillars surrounded by rocks and debris on either side of the door. “According to the images I’ve seen, there were once statues of great Jedi Masters standing at the entrance. They must have been destroyed during the attack.”

Mara eyed the rubble, imagining the imposing statues which had once stood there, intimidating all who entered. “I thought the Jedi were meant to be humble,” she said in a clipped voice.

Luke shrugged. “The Temple had stood for thousands of years and I suppose some hubris crept into the Order. Perhaps they lost sight of their true purpose, and so were blind to the darkness that was growing right under their noses.”

Mara looked at him, surprised that he would criticise those who he had always seemed to revere.

“I don’t deny that the Jedi made mistakes,” Luke continued on seeing her reaction. “In fact some of the rules and traditions I’ve discovered in my research I’ve found difficult to understand or agree with. And I will not be bound by them.”

He started walking again towards the entrance, and Mara hastily followed. The large double doors were blocked, and looked as if they had been perma-sealed. Luke gave her a grin.

“Will you help me?” he asked, indicating the door.

Mara crossed her arms and gave him a hard look. “I’m certain you can do that by yourself.”

“True,” Luke nodded. “But if I’ve learned anything in the past few years, its that just because you can do something on your own, doesn’t mean you should.”

Mara sighed and uncrossed her arms, extending out her hand towards the door while Luke did the same. She could feel his presence in the Force next to hers as the reached towards the door, and Mara allowed herself to be guided by him to find the weaknesses in the solvent. Such refined use of the Force had never been her strength, and yet together it seemed a simple task.

The doors blasted open with a force which surprised the both of them, and Luke laughed nervously as he made his way towards the now open entrance.

“You see,” he called over his shoulder. “We work well together, Mara.”

“Shut your stoopa mouth, Skywalker,” she said lightly as she followed him, and was answered only by his pleasant laugh. They walked through the mezzanines of the large central chamber, with Luke explaining his plans on where he wanted to house the Academy for the teaching of lessons, for the reconstruction of the Archive, for public viewing rooms and learning centres so that all would have access to their knowledge. The new order would not be shut away, hoarding their secrets and maintaining their mysticism, he told her. They would be a resource to the people.

Despite herself, Mara was impressed by his plans, and slowly her fears began to melt away. She’d known since Myrkr that Skywalker was no ordinary Jedi; now she saw why. Although he wore the robes of an Old Republic Jedi, Luke Skywalker was truly a new breed - or what had they called him back in the days of the Rebellion? The New Hope.

And yet some doubt still lingered. Mara leaned against a large circular pillar in the main mezzanine and regarded Skywalker thoughtfully as he talked at length about public goodwill. Could she be one of his Jedi, under his instruction and order? She’d served too long under another, and didn’t want to give up her freedom so soon after she had reclaimed it.

“I know you’re concerned about having another master,” Luke said as he turned to her, as if he had sense her thoughts. Mara quickly fortified the barriers in her mind to stop anything else leaking out. “I understand that, Mara, I do. And I don’t want you to do anything you feel uncomfortable with. We can learn from each other.”

His words made sense, and Mara sighed heavily. “I’m just not sure about this, Luke.”

“Stay, please,” he asked, taking a step towards her. “Help me. You can leave at any time, and I’ll understand. But become a Jedi first.”

Was he offering her a way out? To be a Jedi in name only, and go wherever she wanted once Knighted? “But once I am a Jedi won’t I need to stay with the Order?” she asked carefully. “Even if it would just the two of us to start with.”

“No,” Luke told her emphatically. “I don’t want my Jedi to be constrained by Knighthood – I don’t want them to be mine at all.” He gave a self-deprecating smile, and turned back towards the vast caverns, his dark blonde hair glinting in the sunlight that filtered in from above.

“I will train anyone who wants to learn, teach them everything I know, and when they are Knighted they can choose to stay and serve with the Order, or they can leave and take their knowledge and skills out into the galaxy. But they will never be considered lost, and they will never be abandoned. They will always be Jedi.” He turned back and his gaze locked on hers, pleading with her, challenging her.

Mara cast her eyes down to the floor. “I wonder if your old masters would agree with you,” she said softly. He was talking of an entirely different Order than the one that had been destroyed. If his plans came to fruition, he wouldn’t so much be rebuilding the Order as reinventing it.

“I haven’t seen them,” Luke told her. “Not since my father, Yoda and Obi-Wan appeared to me on Endor, and they didn’t speak then. I think…I think they want me to do this on my own. They tried to control fate once before, and it ended only in darkness.” He swallowed heavily, and Mara could tell he’d given the matter a great deal of thought. “I cannot be the kind of Jedi who would cast out another simply because they disagree with me, or wish to serve other than at the whim of a Master’s council.” He was quiet for a moment, waiting for her to lift her gaze back up to his.

“Do you agree with me?” he asked when it did.

She took a deep breath, then smiled and nodded. “You certainly know how to sell it, Skywalker.”

“Then you’ll stay?” He stepped forward, an excited, desperate hope in his eyes.

She took a deep breath. “I promise I’ll stay until I am a Jedi, if you promise not to try and convince me to stay after that.”

It was a compromise, a way for her to increase her abilities and yet leave without guilt at the end of it, and a way to him to test his teaching skills without fear of training someone he did not know.

Luke’s eyes were bright, and his face split into a wide grin. “I promise.”

“But don’t expect me to call you Master,” she warned him. “Because I won’t, not ever.”

“I wouldn’t want you to,” he told her, and stuck out his hand. “So we have a deal?”

Mara rolled her eyes, but shook his hand. “Alright, farmboy.”

“Good,” he said, still grinning, and from within his robes he retrieved a lightsaber hilt, although Mara saw immediately that it was not his own. “Here,” he added, holding it out to her. “I made this just in case.”

Mara took the saber from him and examined it for a few moments. It was a finely constructed blade of a simple yet elegant design, slightly shorter than Skywalker’s own hilt, with an asymmetrical pommel cap. It was quite distinct from the saber she’d once wielded as the Emperor’s Hand, and yet when Mara ignited the deep blue blade she found it to be perfectly balanced and lighter than her old model.

“So you can practice, until you make your own,” Luke told her, in case she had misinterpreted the gift. “When I built mine I modelled it on Obi-Wan’s, to honour him, and if I’m honest the schematics I found in his hut on Tatooine were all I had to go on at the time. But for your blade I designed something unique. That...seemed appropriate.”

Mara shut off the lightsaber and held it in her hand, the metal cool and comforting against her palm, allowing Skywalker to babble on. When she finally looked up, she saw that he was nervous, perhaps fearful that she would dislike or misinterpret his gift.

“Thank you,” she told him softly, unsure of what else to say. It was all that appeared to be required, for Luke smiled again, more easily this time.

____________________________________________

29 NRE

In a training room of the Jedi Temple, the purple blade of Jaina’s lightsaber saber clashed heavily against her opponent’s green. Tenel Ka was lithe but strong, and she held her ground, their crossed sabers crackling at the impact point. Jaina grinned and shifted her weight onto her back foot, pulling her saber away and stepping out of Tenel Ka’s forceful swipe.

It had been a while since Jaina had been able to spar with her friend, as Tenel Ka had just returned from the Hapes system where she’d been assisting her former Master Kirana Ti with her investigations. A freshly minted Jedi Knight at twenty two, Tenel Ka was a worthy opponent, the movement of her saber fluid and precise, and the two fought to a stalemate.

“Enough for today, Jaina?” Tenel Ka asked, although she did not wait for an answer as she extinguished her saber and headed towards to bleachers surrounding the sparring square. Jaina was somewhat relieved and followed, sinking gratefully onto the lowest rung of benches and reclining back.

Tenel Ka was tall and long-limbed, and when she stretched her arms above her head to cool down after the match it made her height seem even greater. Jaina had once been jealous of her friend’s stature, the long crimson and copper hair she often wore in a fish-tail plait down one shoulder and her perfect, smooth skin. As a teenager Jaina had always felt slightly self-conscious of her small frame and slightly prominent teeth. Of course, she’d grown out of such thoughts, and had learned that standing next to the most beautiful woman in the room had its advantages. It meant she could watch others unobserved, gauge their reactions and personalities before they’re even noticed her.

“Did you have a chance to see your parents while on Hapes?” Jaina asked as she took a sip of water to rehydrate herself.

“No,” Tenel Ka sighed somewhat sadly, stretching one long leg against the bleachers. “Kirana Ti thought it best for the investigations if we didn’t go to the palace.”

Jaina grimaced in sympathy. Tenel Ka’s father Prince Isolder had been raised as the only surviving heir to the affluent and matricarcial Hapes system, and had somewhat unconventionally married Teneniel Djo, a Dathomiri witch and now Queen Mother. She’d never been able to get the full story of that out of anyone, but Jaina knew her parents and aunt and uncle had been involved somehow.

“Besides,” Tenel Ka added. “If my father knew about Master Skywalker’s suspicions he wouldn’t have let me leave again. I’m certainly not going to tell them anything now that we know there are Sith on Tatooine.”

“I know how you feel,” Jaina commiserated. For a moment she wished her parents were several thousand light years away and thus unable to constrain her, but she quickly pushed that thought aside as selfish and unkind. “Mara’s in charge while Uncle Luke’s away, which means I have to stay here with her.”

“Coruscant has it’s appeal though?” Tenel Ka said slyly, gracefully sliding onto the bench next to Jaina and elbowing her playfully. “Zeb’s here after all,” Tenal Ka teased. “Oh, don’t look at me like that,” she continued at Jaina’s stare. “It’s completely obvious, don’t try and deny it.”

Jaina sighed. “Yeah, he’s here.” She couldn’t help but smile, her feelings for Zeb still awash with the exhilaration of a new relationship. It helped that they had been working closely together on their mission, which afforded them the time to sneak away and be alone most nights. Although on that subject Jaina was still cautious, not wanting to rush into anything.

“Well congratulations, he’s totally hot to trot,” Tenel Ka enthused.

Jaina laughed. “What?” Tenel Ka was usually very stoic and serious, but did occasionally express moments of levity with those she knew well.

“I wouldn’t kick him out of the bed for eating snack-crackers, is all I’m saying,” Tenel Ka winked.

“Have you ever kicked anyone out of your bed?” Jaina countered. Her friend had an even worse reputation for breaking hearts than her cousin Micah.

Tenel Ka shrugged. “I suppose not,” she grinned wickedly. “Never had any cause too.”

“No one would dare eat crackers in your bed I guess, Tenel Ka,” Jaina continued to tease her, for while her friend was good-natured and jovial, she was equally fastidious and severe, every inch a Hapan princess.

“They’re otherwise occupied,” Tenel Ka winked at her, and they laughed together. “But I’m happy for you, Jaina,” she continued. “Plus, it makes things easier for everyone.”

Jaina felt her good humour fade. “What do you mean?”

“Well he’s practically a Solo anyway,” Tenel Ka shrugged. “If things work out between the two of you, it makes everything...nice and convenient.”

“That’s not why I’m with him,” Jaina said defensively.

Tenel Ka looked horrified that Jaina had taken offence . “I know...I didn’t mean…”

Jaina turned away, disturbed at what Tenel Ka had said so easily assumed. She was so certain that she’d chosen to be with Zeb because of her growing feelings for him, the one thing in her life not dictated by her family or her duty. But was she simply falling into the position everyone expected her to take?

But those thoughts were interrupted by an insistent buzzing from Jaina’s wrist, and she flipped it on. “Solo here.”

“Jaina,” her aunt’s voice came through the comm. “Come to the Master’s Council, please.” And in typical Mara fashion, she hung up before waiting for an answer.

“Must be important,” Tenel Ka said somewhat longingly, but Jaina wasn’t feeling particularly sympathetic to her friend in that moment. Of course Jaina knew she hadn’t made that comment about Zeb to hurt her, but Jaina was still slightly annoyed. Besides, attending the Master's Council was hardly exciting compared to going on off-world missions.

“I better go,” she said, hopping up and heading out of the sparring rooms, across the vast mezzanines and up to the central spire of the Jedi Temple which had been home to the Masters Council chamber under the old Order and the new.

When Jaina entered the Council was already in session, and she saw her uncle’s holoprojection standing in the centre of the Master’s circle. Jaina crept silent behind the chairs and moved to stand at Mara’s right shoulder, her aunt giving her a small nod of recognition.

“The Sith Master revealed himself to Kara as from the family Delrond,” Luke was saying. “We must assume that he was the commander from the Emperor’s Star Destroyer you told us about, Mara. He’s the right age, and seemed to have had Imperial training.”

“Svel Delrond,” Mara nodded. “Well at least we have a name now.”

Jaina looked at her aunt, but received a gentle push back with the Force. Later. Jaina knew that while she and Zeb had been investigating the lower levels, Mara had been researching the man she’d once crossed paths with during the Imperial Era. Now it seemed, they had confirmation that he was indeed the Sith.

“And the apprentice?” Mara asked. “Who was he?”

“He called himself Fin, but that is all we have to go on,” Luke told them. “Although it was strange that Delrond rescued him. Usually the Sith would abandon their apprentice to their fate - their Order is sink or swim. There must be an emotional bond between them.”

“Or he simply didn’t want the apprentice to be captured,” Mara reasoned.

“No,” Luke shook his head. “I felt concern from Delrond, more than a Sith master should feel for his apprentice. And in Fin, I felt a familiarity.”

“What do you mean?” Cilghal asked, her bulbous eyes blinking.

Luke took a deep breath and took a few moments before answering. “When I was on Dathomir,” he began. “I did feel something...I dismissed it as remnants from my previous visits, but I recognise it now. It was the boy Fin.”

“He’d been there before you,” Mara reasoned. “Why?”

“Dathomir is a planet teeming with the Force,” Kirana Ti spoke up. “Even though the Nightsisters are long gone it is a natural target for Sith investigation.”

“But why now?” Mara asked. “Right before Luke and Kara went there?”

“Perhaps Master Skywalker’s visions were caused by their presence there,” Cilghal reasoned. “That is where the Disturbance began.”

“Then someone needs to go back,” Luke told them. “Perhaps I missed something. Master Ti, perhaps you and Jedi Ka would be most appropriate,” he suggested.

Kirana Ti nodded. “Yes, Master. Of course.”

Despite herself, Jaina felt her heart sink a little - she would have loved to go to Dathomir, to explore such a world where the Force was so powerful.

“Can I suggest that Master Pax and Jedi Ravenlok meet you there?” Luke continued. “They dueled Delrond here on Tatooine, they know his presence now and may assist you.”

“What about where the Sith are headed now?” Mara asked.

“Ben was able to attach a tracker to their ship,” Luke said, unable to keep a smile of pride from his face. “When we get a reading on where they are headed, I will follow.”

“Let us know immediately,” Mara said, and Jaina could see that her hands were clasped a bit too tightly in her lap. “And we’ll send backup.”

“This is all very well, but it still leaves us nowhere on the Dark Lady,” Kam Soulsar spoke up. “The two Sith you encountered were male and human, so who is instructing the young Zabrak?”

“I have been researching the Jedi Archives,” Tionne said. “And can find no reference to such a title, other than it was an alias once used by Shira Brie.”

“It’s not her,” Mara said resolutely. “She’s dead.”

“Can you be absolutely sure, Mara?” Kyp Durron, himself recently returned to Coruscant, asked her. “One hundred percent?”

Mara sighed heavily. “No.”

“Then someone should investigate,” Luke told them. “How about you, Kyp?”

“Fine by me,” Kyp answered, and Mara clenched her jaw. “Perhaps Padawan Solo can fill me in on what she has discovered about the Zabrak so far to assist in my investigations,” he added, and Jaina nodded somewhat regretfully, hoping that the assignment was not being taken away from her.

“Alright, everyone, you have your instructions,” Luke said, clasping his hands in front of him. “May the Force be with you.”

 

Tenel Ka is a player! Ha! I like the snack-cracker comment.

 

Oh, I love Luke's ideas for re-inventing the Order, how he says that just because you can do something by yourself doesn't mean you should. The Jaina/Tenel Ka scene - love the gal-palness at first. The mission ideas sound exciting and full of potential/actual adventure for all.

Jaina's defensive reaction about Zeb - never thought that she was falling into the "familiar" or "expected" there, although growing up together there would naturally be an ease and warmth between she and Zeb, but not automatically leading to romantic feelings. That's not enough reason for her to try and squelch them either.


LOL on the compromise in the flashback. Something tells me Luke will be able to persuade Mara into staying after.

 

"Complete" EU!Hindsight Luke gets to be perfect. The thing is, this is how he really should have been, rather than the irrational, all-over-the-place guy we got.

This is all I keep thinking about with Mara, LOL:



YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THE FARMBOY.

Ahh, Jaina, you have so much growing up to do.

 

I thought this was a perfect idea from Luke and I found Mara's counter to be perfect. I like how he presented her with the lightsaber and talked about its design.

I enjoyed the conversation between Jaina and Tenal-Ka; but I was sad that they really didn't get to finish it since it didn't end on an entirely happy note.

 

Thanks! I know Tenel Ka was kind of stoic in Legends, but I wanted to give her a fun steak

Thank you! Jaina needs some gal pals, I think

Jaina hadn't thought of it that way either - her relationship with Zeb seemed like something that was within her own control and not like most other things in her life related to expectations and duty. She's overthinking things, as teenager are wont to do!

Ha, you may be right!

IKR? Luke has the best of intentions and has really thought through what he wants to do - but he still has plenty of room for mistakes

He's very persuasive, although he doesn't actively try to convince her of anything - he is just himself, which is what Mara responds to.

She's much closer in maturity to 19 year old Luke than 19 year old Leia


A/N: Since a few new characters have been introduced, I thought I'd post updated version of the "cast" for this fic. Let me know what you think!

 

Tags: Gemma

Chapter 23



1 NRE

Luke eyed the holocamera before him uneasily. Although it was not yet recording, it still made him nervous. Luke hadn’t wanted to do the interview at all, but Mon Mothma and Crix Madine had talked him into it. It was important for the galaxy to know their heroes better, they had said, and reverse Palpatine’s anti-Jedi propaganda. Leia and Han had done theirs months ago, to a welcome reception and great appreciation of the people galaxy-wide. They had taken Han and Leia’s love story into their hearts, that of the Rebel princess who had lost everything but her determination to fight against the Empire, and the rogue smuggler who had given everything up to help her.

That didn’t make Luke feel any better, though. Leia was a consummate politician, had been giving speeches and facing interrogations since she was fourteen years old. Han had a confident, gregarious personality and was always quick with a joke to charm and disarm. But Luke, although he was easy and sanguine around his friends, found himself forever a farmboy in front of those he did not know well. In battle or stressful situations, he could get by, but in everyday life he often found himself tongue-tied. Not to mention that Luke needed to be very careful not to give anything away about his family history.

Mara had asked why he didn’t just lie, and offered to teach him the art of subterfuge, but he had refused. Then he’d added lightly that since she was now in training to become a Jedi, she should try to avoid lying, and she’d laughed for a long time. Leia had schooled him in political maneuvering to avoid a question rather than lying, but Luke wasn’t sure it would ever be one of his strengths.

He wished either woman, or both, were with him now for moral support. Instead, he was alone, and Luke told himself he was being ridiculous, that he had faced Sith and warlords and murderous bounty hunters, and yet he was afraid of a little interview? One in which Madine said that he himself had vetted the topics and that they had complete control over the situation. Luke reached out to the Force to calm himself, and found a small measure of comfort.

It wasn’t too long before two beings entered the small interview room, a tall male Togruta in a nondescript tunic and trousers, and a purple-hued Twi’ek in a modest black dress that nonetheless clung to her body in an attractive fashion.

“Oh, Master Skywalker,” the Twi’lek greeted him enthusiastically, bounding over and shaking his hand. “It is so wonderful to meet you.” She looked him up and down and gave him a toothy smile. “You’re wearing your Jedi robes, fantastic,” she added. “You look wonderful in them, by the way.”

“Uh...thank you…?”

“Oh!” the Twi’lek blushed. “Nabrina’vida,” she introduced herself. “But you can call me Nabrina. Or Nab. Or whatever you like, really.” She smiled prettily, but it only made Luke more nervous.

“I’m Majoka,” the Togruta introduced himself, and shook Luke’s hand. Then he went over to the holocamera and started fiddling with the equipment.

“Call me Luke,” he told them both.

“You may know me from the Starz Channel?” Nabrina said as she and Luke sat down in the interview chairs. “Best and Worst Dressed on Coruscant, 101 Sexiest Citizens of the New Republic, that sort of thing.”

“Oh.” In truth Luke didn’t have any idea who she was or the programs to which she had referred.

“I know that is all rubbish,” she said, self consciously adjusting her thick-rimmed glasses. “I want to be a serious journalist, and this interview is my big break.”

Luke smiled genially. “I hope I can help.”

“I’m sure you can, Luke.” Nabrina beamed at him. “Don’t worry about anything - NRI have final cut on the interview, so I’m sure they’ll take out anything unflattering.”

Somehow, Luke was not reassured, but forced a smile. Why was he participating in this farce?

“Are you ready, Luke?”

He cleared his throat. “Sure.”

“Maj?” she asked over her shoulder.

“Ready, Nab,” Majoka answered, and began recording.

“Luke Skywalker,” she began, flashing him another bright smile. “Perhaps the most famous name in the galaxy. The man who blew up the first Death Star. Hero of the Rebel Alliance on Hoth, Endor, Mindor and countless others. The General who helped liberate Coruscant from the Empire just over one year ago. The last of the old Jedi Order, and dare we hope, first of the new. That’s quite a resume.”

“I suppose so,” Luke tried and failed to smile.

“Hold tape,” Nabrina said to Majoka, and he stopped recording. Then she leaned over and put her hand on Luke’s knee. “There’s nothing to worry about, Luke,” she told him gently. “Don’t worry about the camera. We’re just having a nice conversation here, getting to know each other. Okay?”

Luke took a deep breath and exhaled, put at ease by her words. “Okay,” he nodded. Nabrina leant back and nodded, signalling to Majoka to start recording again.

“Let’s talk about your childhood, Luke,” Nabrina said, adjusting her tone to remove all of the previous bluster. “You were raised by your aunt and uncle, correct?”

“Yes,” Luke nodded. “Actually, I was not their blood relation. My grandmother Shmi married Cliegg Lars, who was my Uncle Owen’s father. When my parents…” Luke paused. “My father’s friend and fellow Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi took me to Tatooine not long after I was born, and they took me in. They were fine people.”

“That was when you were separated from your twin sister?” Nabrina asked.

“Yes,” Luke nodded. “Masters Kenobi and Yoda thought it best to separate us for our own protection, and Bail Organa took Leia in while Obi-Wan took me to Tatooine.”

“And you never knew about each other?” Nabrina said with genuine emotion, and Luke shook his head. “How terrible.”

“I suppose they thought it was for the best,” Luke said, that old pang of hurt rising again. “And I try to be thankful that we were reconciled eventually.”

“Would you say the Force brought you together?” Nabrina asked.

Luke smiled, grateful for a question far more suited to him. “The Force is mysterious and we can never be sure it it truly has intent, but I believe that no matter the circumstances, Leia and I would have found each other.”

The questions continued in the same vein for a while, and Luke found himself loosening up the more he talked.

“Let’s talk about your parents, Luke,” Nabrina changed track from a line of questions about Luke’s understanding of the Force. “We know that your father was Anakin Skywalker, a great Jedi hero of the Clone Wars. In fact, he even earned the nickname The Hero Without Fear.”

Luke cleared his throat with discomfort. “That’s right.”

“But what about your mother?” Nabrina continued. “Rumor has it that you’ve discovered her identity.”

“Her name was Padmé Naberrie, otherwise known as Queen Amidala of the planet Naboo,” Luke began, grateful for the direction of the question. “She first met my father during the Blockade of Naboo, when her starship landed on Tatooine for repairs. My father was a slave owned by a junkshop owner-”

“A slave?” Nabrina asked with sympathy. “Oh my, how terrible.”

It was always surprising to residents of the Core Worlds that there had been slavery long before the Empire. They never gave much thought to the ‘Rim, which was wild and savage and had never been fully tamed by either the Republic or the Imperials. Slavery was still widespread on Tatooine and countless other worlds, and Luke was determined that Jedi efforts in the coming years would be directed to its elimination. It had disappointed him to learn that the Old Republic Jedi had not done the same.

But he chose not to share this with the galaxy just yet, and so directed his attention to telling Nabrina about his father.

“Anakin helped my mother and her Jedi escorts - one of whom was Obi-Wan Kenobi - obtain the parts they needed by winning a podrace,” Luke continued. “Anakin was freed and taken to Coruscant to join the Jedi Order under the tutelage of Obi-Wan. Ten years later, he was tasked with Padme’s protection when her life was threatened by the Separatists.”

Nabrina leant forward in her chair, engrossed in Luke’s story. It felt good to talk about happier times, and at least this point Luke was eager to share with others. His mother had been a great hero, too.

“The Jedi of the Old Republic were not allowed to form attachments or to marry,” Luke said with some sadness. “But Anakin and Padmé...fell in love, and I suppose what they felt for one another was too strong to resist. They married in secret following the Battle of Geonosis.”

Nabrina sighed happily. “That is so romantic,” she said. “But it all ended in tragedy, of course,” she continued. “Anakin we know was killed in the Jedi Purges, but what of your mother?”

“I don’t know how she died,” Luke answered, and at least that was the truth. The circumstances of his and Leia’s birth and how they had ended up in the custody of Obi-Wan and Organa respectively was still a mystery. “But I suspect the Emperor was responsible - she was a vocal opponent of the Empire’s formation.”

“And yet years later you stood before Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader,” Nabrina said. “The two men indirectly responsible for both of your parent’s deaths, and you did not seek revenge on them?”

“Revenge is not the way of the Jedi,” Luke told her.

“Rumor has it that Darth Vader was himself a fallen Jedi,” Nabrina continued, consulting her notes. “Perhaps an apprentice of Count Dooku who took his master’s place after the Clone Wars. You fought against Vader three times, is that right?”

“Technically, yes,” Luke nodded, a little uneasy. “He was one of the pilots flying against us when we made the assault on the first Death Star. I then fought against him on Bespin, when he took my hand.” Luke held up his prosthetic right limb. “And finally, we duelled on the second Death Star during the battle of Endor.”

“Where you defeated him.”

“The Emperor and Vader tried to manipulate me into serving the dark side,” Luke said carefully. “They threatened my friends, my sister, and I am ashamed to say that for a moment I gave into my anger.” He paused for a moment, contemplating whether to elaborate considering Nabrina looked rather scandalised.

“But then I realised that the path of the dark side was not an option for me, and that I would never become like Vader and Palpatine. That I was a Jedi, as my father had been. I threw away my lightsaber and renounced the dark, even though I knew it left me with no defence.” Luke sat up a bit straighter, that moment still one of pride. “I was of no use to the Emperor if I could not be turned, and so he tried to kill me with Force lightning. At the end, Vader turned against his master to save me.”

Nabrina looked at him, wide eyed and following his every word. “Why?”

Luke thought carefully about his next answer, the same one Mara had asked him on Myrkr. It had felt good to tell the truth to her, as if a weight had lifted off his shoulders.

“I...knew that there was good still in him - that deep down, he was still the Jedi he had once been.”

“How did you know that?”

Luke looked down at his clenched hands, contemplating his answer. He could tell the truth and finally, people would know. Even if the NRI censored the interview, he guessed Nabrina’s reporter’s instincts would get the word out somehow, and he’d be pressed for a public statement. Surely Madine and the others would not force him to lie to a direct question? He could end all of this deception.

“A Jedi can look into another’s soul,” he said as he looked back up. No matter how much he wanted to do it, Luke could never betray Leia in such a way, could never cause her additional pain. “I felt the good in him and I was right.”

Nabrina looked captivated and a little in awe of him. “Do you know what they’re calling you, Luke," she said softly. "Out there in the galaxy?”

Luke shook his head.

“They’re calling you incorruptible,” she told him with a smile. “You are their hope, Luke, their shining light in the darkness. I can see that it makes you uncomfortable, but it is the truth. There are so many out there who have suffered under the Empire, and because of you they are now free.”

“I...hope I don’t disappoint them,” was all he could say.

“I’m sure you won’t,” Nabrina flashed him a brilliant smile. “Now, you were able to redeem him, so do you have any suspicion on Darth Vader’s true identity?” she asked, and he was momentarily paralysed by the question. “Luke?” she pressed.

Luke looked at the holocamera, and then down at his hands again. “I am certain that he was once a Jedi,” he said eventually as he glanced back up, careful to look Nabrina directly in the eyes and keep his voice steady. “One who lost his way, but died in the light. I am thankful to him for saving my life, and allowing the Jedi Order to be reborn.”

It seemed to work, and Nabrina moved on. “What are your plans for the new Jedi Order?”

“The Senate has granted me permission to begin restoring the Temple on Coruscant,” Luke slipped far more easily into his answer this time. “I have taken on an apprentice, and once she is Knighted I will take on another, and then another, all of whom I hope will teach others in turn. It will take time, but the Jedi will thrive once again to serve the Republic.”

“That is wonderful news,” Nabrina told him. “Although there was anti-Jedi sentiment at the end of the Clone Wars, public opinion has swung back in their favour, most would say thanks to you, Luke.”

“There were always allies of the Jedi, even during the dark times,” Luke told her. “Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and many members of the Rebel Alliance who kept hope alive.”

“And yet some are concerned that the Jedi had too much power in the Old Republic. Will your new Order mimic the old in all aspects?”

“I don’t agree with the Jedi serving as a military arm of the Republic,” Luke told her. “We are peacekeepers first and foremost, and while any Jedi I train may also join the New Republic Navy or any other official office, the Order itself will not. That is why I resigned my commission.”

“And the rules against attachment?” Nabrina asked.

“I have not made all my decisions yet,” Luke told her with an easy smile. “But since I would not be here unless my father broke that rule, I must consider whether it is a suitable one for the new order.”

“Luke Skywalker,” Nabrina said formally. “Thank you for your time. We’ll be following your progress with great interest.”

Luke smiled in relief. “As will I.”

_________________________________________________________________

29 NRE

“The Chancellor recognises the honorable senator for the Darpa sector.” Zebula Pavish read from a datapad in the Chancellor’s pod of the Senate Chambers, and then took a seat beside Leia Organa Solo.

In his own senate pod, Trax Avarice stood and approached the lectern as the pod rose up into the centre of the chamber. Chancellor Organa looked at him expectantly, and Trax saw her jaw clench with displeasure, as if she knew what issue he was about to raise. She probably did, he reasoned with utter distaste, being a Jedi.

“I wish to draw to the Senate’s attention a number of concerning matters,” Trax began, placing his hands on either side of the lectern for emphasis. “Recently Jedi Master Tionne Soulsar made her report to this assembly, and yet I have discovered that she failed to mention several Jedi activities of relevance.”

A pod on his right raised up, and Trax saw the senator for the Chomell sector, Pooja Naberrie stand up at her own lectern. “Surely the Jedi must have many activities which they do not have the time nor the reason to inform the Senate about.”

Trax eyed the woman with distaste. Of course Naberrie would defend the Jedi - she was first cousin to Skywalker and Organa Solo.

“Perhaps so,” Trax conceded. “But I am speaking of a grave threat to the Republic. I have been informed by a reliable source that Master Skywalker and several other Jedi are investigating rumours of a Sith resurgence on Tatooine.”

There was gasps and muttered conversation throughout the Senate chamber, and Organa held up her hand for quiet. “And?” she asked.

“And if this is correct, surely the Jedi should have informed the Senate of this threat!” Trax said with exasperation.

“Senator Avarice, you are well aware of the charter given to the Jedi Order by this Senate upon its establishment,” Organa stated, her voice even. “If I recall you insisted on some of the clauses yourself.” Her statement was met by general amusement in the chamber, and Trax scowled. “Therefore you know that the Jedi have discretion in such reports, in the interests of public safety. If secrecy is required in their investigations to aid in their execution, it is permitted.”

“All I am saying is that the Senate should be advised of all Jedi activity,” Trax continued. “Considering that this government funds their Order!”

There was a general tittering throughout the chamber, and Trax could see that there were several senators nodding their heads. At their core, most people were afraid of the Jedi with too much autonomy, even though Skywalker’s Order was much more open than the previous one.

“As it does New Republic Intelligence,” Organa said harshly. “And the Republic Navy, and yet I do not hear you demanding reports from Director Ghent or Admiral Antilles about their investigations of any potential threats to the Republic.”

“Chancellor, you should recuse yourself in this matter,” Trax declared, trying another track. “You have a clear conflict of interest.”

The chamber murmured, and Trax knew he had to tread carefully. Organa Solo was exceedingly popular among the senators and with the general public. She stared at him from her position in the Chancellor’s pod with steely eyes.

“You yourself are a Jedi Master,” Trax continued, knowing that he had to test the waters. “Although you are no longer under the direction of the Jedi Council, you cannot deny that you are sympathetic to their decisions and interests. You own brother is Grand Master of the Jedi, after all.”

There was a general outcry of protest, with Naberrie demanding that he withdraw the accusation and several other senators agreeing. Although throughout the chamber Trax could see that he had supporters - some people agreed with him.

Leia raised her hands to calm the chamber down, then turned her attention of Trax. “Senator Avarice,” she began, her voice as calm as the still lakes of Navaro. “Being a Jedi simply makes me a servant of the people, the Republic and the Force, the same as being Chancellor. There is no conflict there. And yet no one can serve two masters, and so when I became Chancellor I gave up my seat on the Masters Council of the Jedi Order, and am no longer involved in their official activities. Everyone in this room knows this.” She took a moment to look around the chamber, which had fallen completely silent at her words.

“I took this action without prompting, and without request from anyone. I had hoped that certain senators would follow my example and remove themselves from various boards, committees and orders which may conflict with their official duties.” Leia pierced Trax’s gaze. “And yet, Senator Avarice, I note that you continue to be the Chairman of the Commerce Guild and the Manni Banking Clan. Perhaps your constituents on Ralltiir should be asking whether you have a conflict of interest between representing their needs and the interests of those organisations.”

The chamber erupted with enthusiasm and applause, and Trax knew that this battle went to Organa. She was too popular, and unless he turned public opinion against her she would continue to trump him time and time again.

He sat down in his chair, bitterness settling deep into his heart. For years he had waited for the opportunity to oust Organa, ever since she had been elected, in fact. He had been disappointed at every turn, and now knew that he must take matters into his own hands. Surely there must be some way to discredit her - he simply needed to find it. At least, Trax consoled himself, he had planted a seed of doubt, and the news of a potential rise of the Sith would spread quickly through the capital.

Of course, he didn’t believe in the Sith - that ancient order and obsession of the Jedi which had been lost to history. And yet the Jedi still feared their legend, as they had done in the Clone Wars to spread fear and grasp power for themselves. The Rebels had done the same during the Civil War, claiming that at the heart of the Empire was a Sith in the form of Palpatine. It had served their ends, a shorthand to claim Palpatine’s supposed evil nature, and the lie had swung many to their side. But Trax was a survivor, and he had learned well. If people still feared the Sith, he would use this rumor to his advantage.

At the end of that’s day’s session, Trax didn’t bother going to the Spires or any of his usual haunts. He went directly back to his lavish apartments, determined to devote that evening to coming up with a way to eliminate his political rival once and for all. And yet when he entered his apartments, his butler droid handed him a small package which had been delivered urgently that day.

Trax furrowed his brow and regarding the package curiously, since there was no return address. Sighing, he opened it up and saw that it contained a holodisc and a hand-written note with a single word scrawled on it: liar.

He played the disc in his entertainment unit, and up on the screen popped a purple-hued Twi’lek, gushing about her upcoming interview subject, Luke Skywalker. Trax sat down to watch the holo with only slight interest.

He had seen the footage before, of course. Practically everyone in the galaxy had been glued to the holonet for the first official interview with Luke Skywalker twenty-eight years earlier. And yet, as Trax watched it closely, it seemed the holo was different than what he remembered. Some questions he did not recall being asked in the aired version, and often Skywalker’s answers were longer than they had once been. Nor was there any cutaways to holos, footage or re-enactments to augment Skywalker’s tale.

Trax realised that the copy which had been sent to him was the raw, unedited version of the interview, before the NRI had censored anything they did not feel was flattering to Skywalker, the Alliance or the New Republic. He watched the holo carefully and noticed that Skywalker did not come across as well as he had in the edited version. He frequently looked down at his hands, rephrased his answers and stammered.

Trax had been in politics long enough to know when someone was avoiding a question, and Skywalker wasn’t even good at it. The original interview had included his words, of course, but the stammers and gaps had been removed, and the vision had moved from Skywalker’s face to holoreels or re-enactment footage to conceal his hesitation. Watching the original version Trax could see every crack, every concealment and every non-answer.

Looking down at the note in his hand, Trax read it again.

Liar.

 

What Luke said was true, from a certain point of view.

Nice update.

 

EEEEEEEEEK. HISSSSSSSSSSSSS!

This could be bad.

I'd rather have Borsk back, I think.

I hate ya for doing this to my heart, but I love ya, dear.

 

Regarding the interview, I have three words for you:

PUREST CINNAMON ROLL.

But more seriously, I loved how this reminded me of the meta-heavy approach to Luke's role as an inspirational figure to the galaxy in Shadows of Mindor. It's...flawed, but wonderful at the same time. But stangit, media stuff always comes back to bite you in the choobies eventually one way or another, lol.

Nab, honey, stop channeling Sheev, it's creepy.

LEIA, GURL, YOU SHUT THEM DOWN.

 

I thought that the interview with Luke was nicely done.

 

Luke very much hates employing Obi-Wan's "certain point of view" reasoning, but it is necessary is certain circumstances. Thanks for reading!

If this was a panto that would definitely be the audience reaction

Right back at ya!

TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD!

I've always thought the Big 3 had to have been super-famous, first as poster boys/girls for the Alliance, and then in some ways the "faces" of the New Republic. People would be clamouring for more information, which would suit NR, so of course they would start making documentaries and holofilms and interviewing the heroes of the war.

The wrinkle is it necessitates some misdirection about Vader, which required some pretty heavy editing They never expected that it would fall into the wrong hands, and the right conclusions drawn from it.

Nab, honey, stop channeling Sheev, it's creepy. [/quote]

Her interest in Luke is a bit different, though

Ain't no smackdown like a Leia Organa smackdown

Thank you!

 

Rockin' fine update with the interview. Luke did wonderfully. Very tactful and said enough to be truthful but not enough to harm anyone or cause a bigger sensation than necessary.

~!

Leia with Trax She's just gotten better with time and experience! Trax is a pure snake, vicious and slimy sneaky.

Fascinating how that scheming mind of his tied back to the interview with Luke which would in all likelihood seem innocuous or illevant to such plotting of his, at this date in time.

 

Love the interview! You captured Luke's personality perfectly. You can take the farmboy off Tatooine, but he's still a farmboy. Leia was raised to be in the public eye, to deal with interviews and such. Luke not so much. And Han? Well, Han's a Correllian and an ex-smuggler. People probably expect him to say something outrageous every now and then.

Avarice is rather getting on my nerves, and crap, he's just got his hands on the unedited interview. Given how easy it is for a liar to spot another liar, it's no surprise he'd suss out that Luke is hiding something, indeed, several somethings. He's got the perfect object to work from in ferreting out information to bring Leia and Luke down. Craaaaaaaaaaaap!

Of course, the entire Senate scene was eerie in and of itself. So reminiscent of the Old Republic. Somethings never really do change. You've got corruption and sychophants no matter how well the government is run. Of course, I did find it ironic that Avarice is representing a banking clan and commerce guild. Trouble starting in the same general area as the last time. Figures. Also - loved the brief cameo of Pooja! *waves to Pooja*

Excellent chapter! Thanks for sharing!