Beyond - Legends Betrayal (Luke, Mara, Karrde, Leia, Han and others)

Yep, I don't think Luke is going to like what he finds there.

Thank you. I got off quarantine on the 4th of December and a couple days later I got put back on quarantine. I just have a never ending flow of sick people exposing me to a certain virus. I have to self monitor...but still go to work until 14 December. I really hope I don't get sick. My son is coming home on Christmas Leave from the Army. He will stay with his brother, but I intend on seeing him once off quarantine. Wish me luck. My nephew just recovered from the virus and now I found out my sister's husband has it. Please keep my family in your thoughts.

Here is a short post.

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Star Destroyer Redeemer

Commodore Eli Vanto turned to his Supreme Commander sitting in the Captain's chair on the flight deck. “We will be exiting hyperspace momentarily, Sir.”

Luke nodded. “Shields up and weapons systems at the ready. Stay alert. We don’t know what to expect.”

The helmsman pushed a series of buttons and the long bright lines reverted to points of light. Luke immediately went on alert when he caught sight of hundreds of Dreadnaughts floating in space. Most of the ships were dark and looked inoperable, but a few had small repair ships buzzing around them. “Focus on the activity on the port side of the view screen. Scanners! Are those robotic repair droids with supply ships or do we have living beings in the area?”

A young female ensign reviewed her screens before turning to Luke. “Droids on the outside. Sensors have detected a few lifeforms onboard. None of the ships have activated their weapon systems or shields.”

The Supreme Commander turned to the communications officer. “Hail them on all frequencies, especially the more common Old Republic channels.”

“Aye, Sir.” The young male lieutenant carried out the orders. “No response yet, Sir. I will continue monitoring.”

Luke saw moment on the starboard side and was relieved when he realized it was the Chimaera coming out of hyperspace. “Notify Grand Admiral Thrawn what little we know at this point.”

The lieutenant on the comms acknowledged the command.

“Sir,” the officer running the sensors called out. “There are life forms on the planet below. It appears there are pockets of civilization. One major city, but other small municipalities scattered throughout the northern hemisphere.”

“What planet?” Luke’s searching gaze crisscrossed the front view port until he noticed a burst of what looked like chain lightning illuminating a dark, cloud covered planet momentarily before it plunged back into darkness. He focused his attention on the sphere while reaching out with the Force. It was then he felt something reaching back…a darkness…something evil. The feeling of hate and despair was so intense he took a step back and he sucked in a startled breath.

Eli turned to his Supreme Commander looking concerned. “What is it, Sir?”

Luke took a few calming breaths before turning to the man. “I don’t know. Something is wrong…something involving the Force. Contact the Grand Admiral and inform him that I am turning over command of the recon operation to him while I make contact with Emperor Vader. I’ll be in my quarters.”

Luke felt terrible about leaving the bridge, but the planet below reminded him of the cave on Dagobah. So much so, that he practically ran to his quarters. When he was behind closed doors, he opted to wait on telling his father in preference to somebody who might be able to sense what he was feeling at the moment. “Obi-Wan!” He looked around the sitting area of his quarters trying to catch a glimpse of the specter. “Damn it! Make yourself useful for once!”

After a moment the blue, shimmering image of his old Jedi Master materialized. Luke rushed to the Force ghost. “You said you can’t ghost recon around the galaxy…but how about the planet below?”

“I thought you didn’t want my help.” He gave Luke a defiant gaze as he sat on his couch.

With some effort Luke managed to not reply acerbically or lecture the spirit about sitting on his furniture. “Ben, are you going to put the galaxy in danger just to spite me?”

The spirit looked offended at the suggestion. “Of course, not…but an apology might be in order.”

“Fine, I’m sorry for yelling at you. Can you tell me what I am feeling from the surface of the planet?”

The old Jedi closed his eyes, but almost immediately his eyes popped open. “Oh.”

“Oh? What do you mean by oh?”

The Force ghost’s expression was one of apprehension. “I have never felt anything quite like it. I must investigate.” Obi-Wan’s image vanished leaving Luke alone in the room. He wasn’t sure what to do. If he called his father, he was positive his old master would reappear at a very inopportune moment and probably in full view for his father. As the minutes crept by, he became more and more anxious. Eventually he saw a shimmering in the corner of his eye. “What did you…” He stopped mid sentence when he realized he was not looking at Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“Master Yoda?”

The green, diminutive Jedi was standing on a side table holding his glimmer stick. “Master Yoda,” Luke repeated. “You’re dead? Did…did my father find you? I never told him about you. I would never have put your life in danger.”

“Hmmm,” the Jedi Master muttered. “Dead, I am. Return to finish your training, you did not. For years I waited. Of boredom, I died.”

Luke gazed at his old master slack jawed. “Are you really joking at a time like this? I may have stumbled upon…I don’t know…some darkside vortex. I need help. What should I do?”

Master Yoda shook his head. “Never learned patience I see.”

“Yes, It’s true. I’m impatient. I have a fleet of Dreadnaughts floating over a planet that feels…evil.”

“Yes, yes, the planet. Ixigul, it is called. The Jedi historian Kli the Elder described it. A Sith bastion, it is. Hmmm.”

“The cities,” Luke choked out. “Are they entire cities of Sith? Did I bring my crew to a kriff’n Sith planet?”

Before Yoda could answer, Obi-Wan suddenly reappeared prompting a startled yelp from Luke. “Shavit! Give me a warning before you materialize centimeters from me.”

“Sorry,” the old Jedi actually sounded apologetic. “I thought it best that I returned post haste. We have a problem.”

“Master Yoda told me,” Luke said apprehensively. “We’re in orbit above a Sith planet.”

“Oh, it is much worse than that,” Kenobi said ominously. “I felt a familiar presence down there.” He turned to Master Yoda. “Palpatine.”

Yoda’s eyes went wide before they slowly fluttered shut in concentration. After a minute his eyes slowly reopened. “Palpatine it is, but different he feels.”

“Maybe because he is dead,” Luke ventured. “My father killed him. He must be floating around as a ghost down there.”

Kenobi shook his head. “No, he is very much alive…for now. He is not looking well, though.”

Luke shook his head while pacing nervously. “I saw him get sucked out into the vacuum of space.” He stopped when a thought came to him. He turned to the two Jedi spirits. “Could it be a clone? My father found a cloning facility in the Emperor’s palace.”

The two Jedi Masters exchanged looks. “Possible, it is.” Yoda ventured.

“We need to retreat,” Luke muttered. “Wait for reinforcements.”

“You will simply allow Palpatine time to prepare for your return,” Obi-Wan advised. “Destroy the ships in orbit while they are not manned. Take away his ability to strike in force.”

Luke nodded numbly. “I need to discuss this with the Grand Admiral.” He then turned on his heel and left his quarters.

Obi-Wan looked over to Master Yoda sadly. “We lost him to Vader.”

“Underestimate the boy, do not. Anakin and not Vader, perhaps he found.”

Master Kenobi scoffed. “Darth Vader is far too evil to have returned from the darkside.”

“Possible all things are.” Yoda said before his form slowly dissipated leaving Kenobi alone to contemplate his words.
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Emperor Vader’s Private Shuttle

As closer they got to their destination, the more troubled Mara became. The cause of her unease was a tremor in the Force and she knew the source: Lord Vader. For some unfathomable reason the Dark Lord was becoming more and more anxious as the hours passed. She couldn’t comprehend what would put Vader on edge, but it must be something horrific. She sat next to the man in the copilot seat, wanting answers but not daring to ask.

Fortunately, it was the Emperor that broached the subject. “I have kept something from my son…a secret. I want your advice before telling him. I wish to avoid his…disapproval. Perhaps you will know the best way for me to inform him of my deception…or whether I should tell him at all.”

She sat silent for a moment before answering. “Are we talking about a big secret?”

“Yes, it is what you would call…big.”

“What is it?” When he didn’t answer she tried another approach. “Why did you hide…whatever it is…from him?”

“There are many reasons. But one reason is I told him I had changed. I wasn’t the same person who choked Admirals and blew up planets.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And that’s not true?”

“It is true enough.”

She shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t help you if I don’t know what you are talking about.” Vader switched a couple buttons and pulled back on a lever taking the ship out of hyperspace prompting Mara to gasp at what she saw through the viewport.

Vader pointed out the transparisteel window. “That is one of the things I have been hiding from my son.”

Mara Jade was rendered speechless, her jaw slack with surprise. A planet, a blue gas giant, filled the view screen. The large world was surrounded by numerous moons. In orbit above one particular green moon was... the Death Star.

 

One word, no two. Wow and fascinating.

 

Okay, there's a lot to unpack here. First of all, this story continues to entertain.

Also we seem to have TROS happening a few decades early.

 

Oh, I loved this! Master Yoda as wise as always

So interesting! The whole thing! How will all this unfold?
Can't wait for your next update, really. I want to know what happens next!
Great job!

Good luck with your quarantine, I hope you get to see your son before the holidays are over.
You and your family will be in my thoughts
Be safe.

 

Thank you. I am glad you are liking the story. I have been writing this fanfic for a year now. I am hoping to come to a satisfying conclusion soon.

Yeah. I figure if Palpatine had the Katana Fleet then it would move up the time table since he wouldn't need to build 200 Star Destroyers from scratch. He has only been dead for a few years. I know it is a HUGE coincidence that the Katana Fleet ended up near Exegol (also spelled Ixigul in ancient texts) but there are so many plot holes in the sequel trilogy that I think having the Katana Fleet slaved together and transported to that location is more reasonable than Palpatine getting the planet inhabitants to build 200 Star Destroyers and then hide the fully manned ships...were they under ice or dirt or where did those ships rise up from? I refuse to read the novelization, so maybe somebody can tell me where those Star Destroyers came out of hiding.

Oh yeah, I love how these rimworld inhabitants all have a Coruscanti accent (British). And why can't a Star Destroyer bank sharply and knock off space horses riding on the hull. I often imagine a bunch of stoned writers coming up with this stuff. Hey, if you liked it, more power to you...but I thought some of the things that happened were put in for the visuals despite any irrationality of the situation. But that is just my opinion. Ewoks taking on the Empire in ROTJ was equally ridiculous.

Thank you. I got another call from Employee Health. There seems to be an outbreak on one of the floors I worked on. Luckily I am very antisocial so social distancing is not too hard for me.

I am glad you like the story so far. I am trying to tie up loose ends. Luke is captured on Bespin so he hasn't went back to see Yoda who eventually died of old age. Also Palpaine had people working on the second Death Star either before or right after the destruction of the first Death Star. Nobody questioned me about those two things, so I kept them until the end.

I am hoping to get this story finished soon. I still don't know how to end it. I am thinking of a few endings.

Thanks everybody for reading.
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Star Destroyer Redeemer

Luke rejoined Commodore Vanto on the flight deck as he fought to hide his unease. “Report,” he ordered a little more curtly than usual.

Eli Vanto didn’t seem to notice Luke’s apprehension as the apprised his Supreme Commander of the situation. “Grand Admiral Thrawn has deployed two squadrons of Tie Fighters. They are doing a reconnaissance of the fleet. None appear operational at this time. Our long-range scanners show no evidence of planetary shields or defense cannons. There is also no indication of orbital planetary defense platforms.”

“Good, good.” He took a breath before continuing. “We’ll let the recon team continue their work. Keep monitoring the planet. They may have hidden warships planetside” He gestured to Vanto to follow him. “A word in your Ready Room.”

“Of course, Sir.” He called over his shoulder. “Commander Dekker, you have the bridge.”

Vanto followed his superior into the Ready Room. As the door slid shut behind him, he asked, “Did you talk to the Emperor?”

Luke shook his head. “I decided not to notify him until I confirm my suspicions.”

Eli’s brow went up. “And those suspicions are?”

The words came out of Luke in a whisper. “I sense Palpatine on the planet below.”

That was obviously the last thing Commodore Vanto was expecting to hear. His jaw went slack as he stammered out his questions. “What? I thought he was dead?”

Luke ran a hand through his blond hair as he started pacing the room nervously. “I thought so too. I think it might be a clone. There was evidence in the Imperial Palace that he was working on cloning himself. He believed he could transfer his consciousness into a clone body and live forever.”

“Sir,” Vanto said slowly. “You can’t let this information get out.”

Luke stopped his pacing and turned to the older man. “Why not?”

Commodore Vanto looked extremely uncomfortable. “Sir, I have the upmost respect for you…but you did blow up the Death Star and hundreds of thousands of loyal Imperials with it. Some see your father as a usurper of the throne and you as former rebel scum. Many Imperials might welcome the return of Emperor Palpatine.”

Luke was shocked by that revelation. “How can you say that? The man was evil! Look what good I have done since I was promoted to Supreme Commander.”

Vanto put his hands up in a calming gesture. “Yes, Sir. I know that and probably deep down your citizens know that also…but you and your father…”

He trailed off hesitantly.

“Oh, for kriffsake, Eli, speak freely. I need somebody to be brutally honest with me now.”

Commodore Vanto looked like he wanted to be anywhere but having this particular conversation. “Sir, before I continue, I need you to know I have the upmost…”

Luke cut him off. “Yes, I know…the upmost respect for me, but…”

Vanto sighed deeply. “People fear you and your father. You two are the last known beings capable of wielding the Force. That makes you laser-sword carrying wizards. You have killed just under a million Imperials and your father likes to slaughter Admirals that disappoint him. It is hard for the common Imperial soldier to put those things aside just because they now have a good health care plan.”

“They hate me so much that they would welcome back a Sith Lord? You do know that makes him an evil wizard!”

Vanto blew out an exasperated breath. “Emperor Palpatine never really showed off his Force abilities. Most people had no idea. Palpatine used your father to do his dirty work. Imperial citizens didn’t see Palpatine as the villain. He was an elder statesman and leader of the Empire that got murdered by his second in command.”

Luke pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Okay, I don’t mention Palpatine to the general population. What about Grand Admiral Thrawn?”

“Of course, tell him,” Vanto said adamantly. “He is the most brilliant commander I have ever worked with. He will give you sound advice.”

Luke looked the man in the eye. “Will he? He’s not scared of me or my father? If he got rid of us, he’d be next in line for the throne.”

Vanto laughed. “Grand Admiral Thrawn has no aspirations of sitting on your father’s throne. He is brilliant, but he has no patience with the overly emotional and irrational species populating our galaxy…especially humans. The Chiss are empirically minded. To him, leading the sentients of our galaxy is like herding loth-cats. It is more trouble than it’s worth. He wants a binding alliance between governments. If the Empire remains in competent hands and doesn't attempt to attack the Chiss Ascendancy...he is more than happy to leave command and control of the Empire to others.”

Luke nodded, feeling the truthfulness in Commodore Vanto’s words. He also knew Eli Vanto has served with Thrawn since they were cadets at the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant. If anybody knew the Grand Admiral it was Commodore Vanto. “Okay, let’s contact him.”

Emperor Vader’s Private Shuttle

“You ordered the construction of another Death Star,” Mara exclaimed, “After your son blew up the first one?”

“No, Emperor Palpatine ordered it built. I did not know about it until I became Emperor. He didn’t trust anybody after the plans of the first Battle Station leaked. He kept the workers isolated with multiple layers of security.”

She shrugged. “Why keep this from Luke? I think he would understand.”

“I will show you shortly.” He maneuvered his shuttle to one of the battle stations huge docking bays, landed smoothly, and powered down the ship. He then gave out a mechanical sigh as he stood while lowering the front boarding ramp. “I wasn’t hiding the Death Star from Luke as much as something inside. I can’t explain. You will have to see it yourself.”

At the bottom of the ramp a squad of Stormtroopers stood at attention. The Emperor walked past them without a word and moved into a turbolift where Mara joined him. “Throne room.”

The doors slid shut and they started to move, first horizontally at a high rate of speed, and then it slowed before moving vertically. Eventually the lift stopped, and the doors slid silently open.

They were in a grand throne room. A black cushioned chair was centered on an upraise platform with a large round window behind it. Vader walked toward the throne but didn’t move up the steps leading up to the chair. Instead, he went to the left of the seat of power and activated a panel causing a door to slide open. He stopped at the entrance as Mara positioned herself next to the Dark Lord and peered inside. There was a long corridor with metallic beams spaced every three or four meters with some strange looking reflective walls in between.

“Does this lead to another laboratory?” she asked.

“No.” He stepped into the room. “On the Death Star schematics this room was designated as the Room of Mirrors.” He stood in between two beams and stared at his reflected image. “It took some research, but I eventually discovered its purpose.” He turned to Mara who moved to stand next to him. “These mirrors,” Vader motioned to the reflective metallic wall in front of them. “Are not mirrors…they are portals…doorways between time and space of different realities. You can see the past, present and future of alternate universes…if you know how to manipulate the Force into showing you its secrets, that is.”

Mara clamped down on her emotions to hide her disbelief, but the Emperor must have sensed her incredulity. “I don’t expect you to take my word. I didn’t believe it myself at first…but I have seen things…things I have kept from my son.”

“Like what?”

The Dark Lord reached out with his hand and touched the reflective metal. Mara jumped back when a vision of a dark forested area appeared. She took a tentative step forward and regarded the image in disbelief. It was far too detailed to be a hologram. She extended her hand to touch a nearby fir tree, but Darth Vader grabbed her wrist, preventing her. “No, do not interact, simply observe.”

She gazed at the image and realized she wasn't looking at a forest floor, but somewhere high up in giant trees. There were elevated wooden paths connecting primitive huts built onto the branches. “Is this Kashyyyk?”

“No, this is the forested moon of Endor. We are currently in synchronous orbit above it.”

She was going to ask another question when movement caught her attention. “Luke?” Luke Skywalker, wearing black clothing walked briskly down a pathway until he reached somebody. Mara couldn’t see who he was talking to because Luke stood between her and the mystery person. After a few moments he took a step closer to the unknown individual and dipped his head down to what could only be a kiss. Eventually the two parted and Mara was finally able to see Princess Leia. “What the Kriff! He said they were just friends! Was he kriff’n her because if he…”

“No!” Vader interrupted her tirade. “They were never romantic…not in this reality…not ever.” He took a deep mechanical breath and blew it out. “It appears my wife was carrying twins. Princess Leia is my daughter. She is Luke’s twin sister.”

“Oh,” Mara said, relieved that her spike of jealousy was unfounded. “A sister?”

“This is what I was hiding from Luke.” Vader turned and gazed down at Mara. “I feared if he discovered the existence of his sister, he would betray me and return to her cause.”

Mara thought about it for a long moment. “I don’t think Luke would risk losing all the reforms he has established.”

“That is why I approved all of his reforms! Do you actually believe I have suddenly become compassionate and selfless? No, I am looking out for my own self-interest. I want to keep a good relationship with my son, and I am willing to indulge his charitable and humanitarian instincts to do so.”

Mara wasn’t sure if she should be irritated with Vader for manipulating Luke or not, since it appeared that Luke was getting more out of the Emperor’s machinations than Vader was. “What about me?” She asked. “Am I part of your manipulation?”

“Yes, you are!” Vader said as he motioned her down the hall. “There are dozens of different universes. Some turn out well for my son and in others his fate is forlorn.” He stepped in front of another mirror and placed a hand on it. It shimmered and revealed an image of what appeared to be the throne room on Coruscant. Luke was dressed in a strange black and red armored uniform. It was reminiscent of the armor worn by the now defunct Inquisitorius, but with a crimson cape and chest plate. In Luke’s arms, he carried a toddler. It was a blue-eyed boy with a mop of bright red hair and wearing a nondescript jumpsuit. “You want to see grandpa?” Luke asked the child. As Luke approached the throne, the seat spun around revealing Darth Vader. Luke lowered the boy to the floor so he could run to the Emperor. To Mara’s surprise Emperor Vader stretched out his leather clad arms and scooped up the boy placing him on his lap. Vader’s grandson reached up and tried to push the buttons on the Emperor’s chest plate. Darth Vader gently redirected the boy’s hands. “No, no…do not touch.” He looked up to Luke. “I would not be surprised if your wife is teaching him to be an assassin.”

Mara’s jaw dropped as she turned to Emperor Vader in her reality. “Is that my son?”

Vader nodded. “Yes, in this universe and time. It does not mean it will happen to you here.” He moved further down the corridor. “There are timelines…alternate universes where Luke does not have you in his life.” He touched the mirror and an image of a stony shore appeared. Waves were breaking against rocks causing sea spray to hit a half dozen portly creatures currently lounging on an unknown beach. They had leathery gray skin, long necks, flipper feet and four large teats near their hind legs. A decrepit old man walked down to the shoreline to one of the creatures and places a bottle to one of teats and milked the beast. He then turned and drank out of the bottle, green lactate secretions dripping down his unkempt beard. Mara focused on the man and gasped. “Luke?”

“Yes,” Emperor Vader said, his voice dripping with disgust. “He is an unmarried, childless hermit whose diet is primarily fish and sea cow milk.”

Mara shuddered. “He looks ancient.”

“I have watched this timeline many times." Vader's motioned to his son. "I believe he is in his early fifties.”

“Fifties!” Mara made a face when the bearded Luke took another swig of green milk. “He looks terrible.”

“His sister has not aged any better.” He stared at the ragged Luke for a moment. “This universe is difficult for him. He does not have his father or you.”

“Where am I in this alternate universe?”

“In this particular reality…” Emperor Vader made a ‘who knows’ gesture. “Not in my son’s life. Perhaps with practice you can find yourself…but it can only give you an indication as to how different decisions can affect your life…it cannot foretell your exact future.”

“Knowing that Princess Leia is your daughter…have you considered reaching out to her? You talked Luke into seeing you in a different light…why not Leia?”

Vader shook his head. “I tortured the Princess and forced her to watch the destruction of her planet and with it the death of almost everybody she has ever known or loved. She will never truly come to terms with what I have done. Not enough to fully forgive me.”

“Are you sure? There must have been some alternate universe where she forgives you.”

Emperor Vader stood silent for a very long time before he spoke. “In one timeline I died saving Luke. He and Leia become Jedi…and Leia finds a way to forgive me.”

“Then there is hope.”

“In almost all alternate realities it is Leia’s son who goes to the darkside. Having me in her life will most likely only hasten the inevitable.”

He walked down to another portal, but Mara stopped him before he could touch the mirror. “Stop, I don’t want to see any more.” She ran a hand over her face. “What do you want from me?”

He turned and walked down the corridor to the exit. “I only want your advice. None of the alternate scenarios have me alive and him knowing Leia is his sister. Should I tell Luke about his sister? Will he turn on me?”

She followed him out to the throne room. “He won’t turn on you. You are his father. I think you should tell him about Leia, though. He was angry at the Jedi for lying to him…he doesn’t like people lying or omitting the truth. His life has been full of falsehoods.”

Emperor Vader looked out the large transparisteel window. “I will tell him.” He walked over to the throne and touched a button on the armrest. “Admiral Fel bring us to the coordinates along the route I specified earlier.” He didn’t wait for a confirmation but turned and gestured for Mara to follow him. “Come, I will show you to your quarters. We should rendezvous with Luke in the matter of hours.”

 

This insight into the typical Imperial mindset is very intriguing
“People fear you and your father. You two are the last known beings capable of wielding the Force. That makes you laser-sword carrying wizards. You have killed just under a million Imperials and your father likes to slaughter Admirals that disappoint him. It is hard for the common Imperial soldier to put those things aside just because they now have a good health care plan.”
“They hate me so much that they would welcome back a Sith Lord? You do know that makes him an evil wizard!”
“Emperor Palpatine never really showed off his Force abilities. Most people had no idea. Palpatine used your father to do his dirty work. Imperial citizens didn’t see Palpatine as the villain. He was an elder statesman and leader of the Empire that got murdered by his second in command.”

I love this timeline:
Luke was dressed in a strange black and red armored uniform. It was reminiscent of the armor worn by the now defunct Inquisitorius, but with a crimson cape and chest plate. In Luke’s arms, he carried a toddler. It was a blue-eyed boy with a mop of bright red hair and wearing a nondescript jumpsuit. “You want to see grandpa?” Luke asked the child. As Luke approached the throne, the seat spun around revealing Darth Vader. Luke lowered the boy to the floor so he could run to the Emperor. To Mara’s surprise Emperor Vader stretched out his leather clad arms and scooped up the boy placing him on his lap. Vader’s grandson reached up and tried to push the buttons on the Emperor’s chest plate. Darth Vader gently redirected the boy’s hands. “No, no…do not touch.” He looked up to Luke. “I would not be surprised if your wife is teaching him to be an assassin.”

He touched the mirror and an image of a stony shore appeared. Waves were breaking against rocks causing sea spray to hit a half dozen portly creatures currently lounging on an unknown beach. They had leathery gray skin, long necks, flipper feet and four large teats near their hind legs. A decrepit old man walked down to the shoreline to one of the creatures and places a bottle to one of teats and milked the beast. He then turned and drank out of the bottle, green lactate secretions dripping down his unkempt beard. Mara focused on the man and gasped. “Luke?”
“Yes,” Emperor Vader said, his voice dripping with disgust. “He is an unmarried, childless hermit whose diet is primarily fish and sea cow milk.”


Eagerly awaiting further strategies and revelations, particularly Luke's reaction to the timelines.

 

I have ALWAYS loved this of Luke, he is never afraid of the truth

This conversation between Luke and Vantu is just perfect. Very well done!

LOL! Oh! How much I love Thrawn! Your depiction of him is brilliant

I really like how you are writing Vader and Mara interacting. It is so interesting what you write here about the mirrors.
I so much wish the last Trilogy would just turn into a bad dream or an alternate reality that never happened!!! But it is what it is
But I have enjoyed how you have written this part and your hints to the plot in the movies

Really looking forward to your next update.

Keep safe

 

I also like that particular alternate universe. My thinking is Luke does establish the Imperial Knights. I based the description of the uniform on the comics.

I too hope it is a bad dream. There are rumors that the Room of Mirrors in the second Death Star was a variation of the World Between Worlds seen in Star Wars Rebels. I think it was called the Chain Worlds Theorem. Some SW fans on the internet are using this theorem to hypothesize how the Sequel Trilogy could become non-canon. I didn't watch all of Rebels, so I may be getting this wrong, but it looked like it was a series of doors to alternate timelines. According to Wookieepedia:

According to Wookieepedia it seems that the doors tie together different times in one dimension, but I am making it into alternate dimensions. So this Luke is not the one who killed Vader above Endor and he is not the man who drank the green milk from the Thala-siren on Ahch-To.


Thanks everybody for reading!
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Star Destroyer Redeemer

Luke’s discussion with Commodore Vanto was enlightening. He never considered the populace could possibly want the return of Emperor Palpatine. Upon reflection he realized Eli was probably right. Very few people truly knew Emperor Palpatine…the man who fell to the darkside and reinvented himself as Darth Sidious. No, most Imperial citizens remembered Sheev Palpatine as the well-liked senator from Naboo and a man that was promoted to Supreme Chancellor by popular vote. He was an elected politician who, during the height of the Clone Wars, was granted emergency war powers that eventually devolved into a dictatorship and the creation of the Empire. Once secure in office there was no need for Palpatine to pander to the voters like most politicians do. He could become the recluse dictator and for most people…out of sight, out of mind. Palpatine was crafty enough to deflect the blame of any war crimes onto the late Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Vader or some other military official.

That was a concern for Luke, but the resurfacing of the Sith Lord brought with it other worries…problems that only another Force user could solve. Luke had a strategy to eliminate the threat of Palpatine, but when he voiced his plan to Grand Admiral Thrawn he met resistance.

“Supreme Commander,” The holovid projection of Grand Admiral Thrawn said slowly. “Although I cannot order you to abandon your plan… if you are correct…if Emperor Palpatine is alive, either as a clone or through some other mysterious aspect of the Force…facing him alone is extremely ill advised.”

Luke visibly bristled, somewhat offended at the lack of confidence his subordinate exhibited. “I am a skilled Force user.”

“Of that I have no doubt, Supreme Commander.” Thrawn paused in thought before continuing. “But, by your own account, when you and your father confronted the emperor years ago, you barely escaped with your lives.”

“I wasn’t fully trained,” Luke said emphatically. “My father completed my training.”

Admiral Thrawn heaved a sigh before trying another argument. “Sir, we have not sensed any troop movements from the planet below. There is no reason to act at this point.” Thrawn pointed toward Commodore Vanto standing next to Luke. “At this time, the Commodore and I do not have the authority to stop you, but I will notify the Emperor and he can extend that authority to me.” When it looked like Luke was going to argue Grand Admiral Thrawn quickly added. “Please take into consideration that your father will undoubtedly execute me and possibly Commodore Vanto if we allow you to put your life in jeopardy.”

Luke’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “He would…wouldn’t he.” It was not a question, but a statement of fact.

The tension in Commodore Vanto’s face and body visibly relaxed with Luke’s words. He looked at his Supreme Commander curiously, “Sir, why are you so anxious to go planetside alone?”

Luke’s hand went down to his lightsaber absently. “As you pointed out earlier, there is a concern about how the Imperial population will react to the reemergence of Emperor Palpatine…. meaning they might prefer being under his rule than that of my father. Knowing Palpatine is alive might cause unrest, therefore, the less people knowing he’s alive the better. If I bring a battalion of men to the planet’s surface to hunt him down the news will eventually leak out. If I go alone then that won’t be a problem. I can sense his presence…I can find him. Second, we currently have the element of surprise. Every second that passes is more time for Palpatine to plan his attack.”

“Sir, I doubt additional time will be of any help the former emperor,” Thrawn assured Luke. “The Dreadnaughts are currently not functional. Otherwise, they would have pressed an attack while we only have two ships in orbit. They undoubtedly know we called for reinforcements immediately after locating the fleet. What can the Emperor do to us without ground-to-space weapon systems or orbital platforms? We should wait for reinforcements. They will be here within the hour.”

Luke shook his head. “I think it would be best that I take care of the Palpatine situation before my father arrives.”

“Sir, your stubborn refusal to see reason is somewhat unusual. You have, in the past, displayed some nonsensical behaviors and each and every time I have discovered they were desperate attempts to obfuscate the truth.” Admiral Thrawn’s red eyes bore into Luke’s blue orbs. “Supreme Commander I cannot make informed decisions when you are obviously concealing relevant information from me. I will reiterate Commodore Vanto’s question and I hope you will answer truthfully this time. Why are you determined to go planetside before reinforcements arrive?”

Luke threw his hands up in frustration. “I haven’t told my father about Palpatine yet. I fear what will happen when he finds out. Mara Jade is with my father.” Luke blew out a shuttered breath. “My father had already voiced his concern that Palpatine might have placed a subconscious command into Mara’s head. We have discovered one subliminal order already….” He trailed off before looking up at the hologram image of the Admiral, his eyes pleading. “I have two fears: one is Palpatine can resume control over Mara Jade and second, my father might do something to her to preemptively diffuse that danger.”

Vanto’s eyes widened. “You mean kill her?”

“No…he’d probably try to imprison her as a safety measure…but knowing Mara she would resist…and things could turn dangerous.”

“Sir,” Thrawn began slowly. “It is my opinion that your father will not harm Miss Jade.”

Luke’s brow furrowed. “How can you say that with any certainty?”

The Admiral straightened his white uniform as he cleared his throat. “Because after your rescue from Myrkr and the subsequent capture of the former Emperor’s Hand…your father was very adamant that she was not to be harmed…very adamant. In fact, he appeared just as concerned for her welfare as yours. When I notified him that you two shared a room…his interest in your relationship was so intense that I immediately knew your connection with the Emperor was familial.”

Luke let out a scoffing laugh. “I suspect you knew we were father and son at the onset. You probably figured out Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were one-in-the-same as soon as you two came face-to-face.”

A faint smile crossed the Grand Admiral’s lips. “I had my suspicions. The point is, everything the Emperor has said and done since Mara Jade arrived in your life has indicated that she is of great value to him. It is my belief the Emperor wants Miss Jade in your life. His motives are still unclear. Perhaps he believes she will be a suitable mate or effective bodyguard. Either way, I cannot see him hurting Miss Jade unless she attacks the Emperor.”

Luke threw up his hands in exasperation. “Which she may do if Emperor Palpatine had implanted a suggestion to kill me or my father.”

“Supreme Commander, you are determined to risk your life based on a string of assumptions. Contact your father and Mara Jade. If your fears are reasonable, I suspect Miss Jade would voluntarily isolate herself in a detention cell in an effort to prevent Palpatine from using her. If Emperor Palpatine is indeed alive, it would be better that Miss Jade and the Emperor are forewarned.”
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Death Star II Mobile Battle Station

Darth Vader rang the entry bell to the dignitary quarters he assigned to Mara Jade. After a few moments she opened the door wearing a clean, borrowed flight suit and hair wet from a recent shower. She stared at the Emperor with a surprised expression on her face. “Ah…did we reach the Katana Fleet already?”

“No, we will be there within the hour. We should arrive shortly after the 501st and 3rd Fleet rendezvous with the Chimaera and Redeemer.”

“Oh,” was all Mara said as she stood in the doorway for an awkward pause.

Vader cleared his throat, making a deep booming sound. “May I come in?”

Mara looked flustered as she moved away from the door entrance and gestured for the man to enter. “Of course, Emperor Vader.”

She fiddled with her wet hair. “Sorry, I just came from the shower.”

Vader nodded as he walked over and lowered himself on a cushioned seat in the sitting area. Mara, looking nervous, sat down on a couch across from the Dark Lord. “Can I help you with anything? You need more…advice about talking to Luke.”

He sighed deeply. “I just received a message from my son.”

“Oh, did you tell him about the Death Star and the Room of Mirrors?”

“No, not yet. I didn’t want to get sidetracked. He thought I was aboard my flagship, the Executor. He asked for you, but I told him you were resting.”

There was another pause. “What did he want? Is he alright?”

Emperor Vader gazed at Mara. “He is worried about your safety. He said he senses the disturbance in the Force foretold by the Chiss Navigator. He believes Palpatine is on the planet that the Katana Fleet is currently in orbit above. He worries that the former Emperor might have placed a subliminal command in your mind. He suggested that you’d be confined for the good of the crew and yourself.”

Mara looked at Vader dumbfounded. “How can this be? Is it a clone?”

“Perhaps.”

She fell silent before nodding her head. “If Luke thinks that is wise, I’ll go willingly.”

“I doubt there is a detention facility that can hold a trained Force User. You could influence the guards and even if we surrounded you with droid security you could use the Force to short circuit them or tamper with the electronics of the field generator.”

Mara’s posture stiffened. “Then what do you suggest?”

“You stay by my side. I am confident that I could stop any danger you posed to me or the crew.”

“By killing me if I did attack?”

“That would be a last resort. My son needs you. Of that I am certain.”

“And you also think I am carrying his child,” Mara said distantly.

“Of that, I am not certain. You could go to the Infirmary and take a pregnancy test.”

“Is that an order?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“What are we going to do about Palpatine…or clone Palpatine?”

“I will deal with him.” He rose from his seat and started to move toward the door. “It is my destiny.”

“What should I do?”

“Do not speak of Palpatine to others. He may still have a loyal following within the Empire." He turned back to her. "Notify me when your hair is dry, and I will come for you. We should exit hyperspace shortly. I want you near me in case Palpatine attempts to gain control over you.”

She stood and stared at him in silence.

“Do not worry,” Vader said. “I assured Luke I would protect you. I intend on keeping that promise.”

 

Wonderful conversations, Thrawn being brilliant and intuitive as always And Vader and Mara continue to be superb as a team discussing options.

 

I can completely understand Luke's reasons for wanting to face the Emperor by himself, but fortunately he's got Thrawn to make him see reason
Please, don't let Palpatine get his evil hands on Mara!
I wonder to which lengths would Vader go to protect her

I am not familiar with this World Between Worlds as I have not watched "Rebels", neither I watched TLJ nor TROS - too disappointed with TFA to do it, my interest in the sequels died because of the way they treated the original character arcs in the first movie.
But I'm sure that whatever inspiration you get out of this World Between Worlds concept it will be great and suitable to your story

Great update as always!

 

For some reason, this made me think of that moment in Avengers Infinity War when Thor showed up in Wakanda like, "Bring me Thanos!" Dunno why.

 

I think in this situation--Luke alive and with his father--Darth Vader would see Mara as a good match for his son. He has to know they would have Force-strong babies. I could see them getting along.

Thanks! I didn't watch Rebels, but some SW conspiracy theorists believe it could be a way to put the Sequel Trilogy onto an alternate universe timeline. Once I heard about that particular theory...where Reylos still have their story, but people who didn't like the ST ending could get another ending that they might like better... I went and watched the Episode of Rebels that had it. I then went to Youtube and did some more research.

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Here is a better explanation but will have Mandalorian spoilers:

Spoiler: Mandalorian

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I actually just watched this Mandalorian video today and it is a great explanation. If the theory is true and there is one AU where Luke is a failure and one AU where the events of the Mandalorian take place...my story is in an entirely different AU. And that is seen in my fic where Vader shows Mara three of many AUs involving him and his son. There are infinite timelines.

Some people think the Room of Mirrors on the second Death Star was a different version of the World-between-Worlds. Other people think it is like the cave on Dagobah that shows the Force user their worst fears. I am not sure which one is true, but I liked the idea of alternate universes so I went with the room having doorways to different alternate universes.

Vader sees his son and himself because he trained himself to do so. He told Mara that with practice she could find herself in the worlds that she is not in Luke's life. The main reason this is important is because it lets the reader know that we are not in the universe that the ST happened. Because the ST universe had Luke refusing Vader's offer. This is a different universe. Which makes sense because this is an AU story. lol!

Thanks! Vader is very protective of his son. And he thinks there is a possibility that Mara is carrying his grandchild (haven't decided if that is true of not). So he has more than one reason to protect her.

Thanks everybody. I had a few days off work. I got my second Vaccine shot and couldn't drag myself out of bed for a few days. I get this way with the flu shot, so no worries. I am feeling better. But I was able to eventually get to the computer and write something.

Thanks everybody for reading.



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Star Destroyer Redeemer

Thrawn’s personal armada came out of hyperspace first and was quickly followed by the Third Fleet and a number of Emperor Vader’s 501st Legion ships. All together there were eight Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, four Victory-Class Star Destroyers, four Interdictor-class Star Destroyers, ten Carrack-Class Cruisers and two dozen Close Support Craft.

Luke gazed out of the bridge viewport somewhat in awe at the massive fire power of which he was in command. It was at this time that he realized he wasn’t sure what his next move should be. They had come to find either an abandoned fleet or the Resistance outpost. Instead, they found a planet that was most likely infested with Sith and led by the clone of Darth Sidious. They were prepared to fight the Resistance, but now he was faced with a planet full of people that have yet to show any aggression towards him or his people. It didn’t feel right to do a preemptive attack.

“Your order’s, sir?” Commodore Vanto asked.

Luke turned to his subordinate standing by his side. “We came here to commandeer ships. Until the population on the planet show aggression, we don’t attack…but ensure all ships are prepared for a fight. Shields up and weapon systems online. Get the shuttles ready to ferry our engineers over to the Katana Fleet. Have fighters escort them. I want two platoons of Stormtroopers to breech the Dreadnaught that we sensed lifeforms aboard. Try to take the prisoners alive and have them interrogated. We need more information about what is down on the planet below. Also, inform Admiral Pellaeon that I want him to take his fleet to the backside of the planet. I don’t need any enemy ships launching from there to surprise us.”

“Yes, Sir.” Vanto barked out orders to his crew and had Luke’s orders transmitted to the other ships.

“Ensign Walker,” Luke addressed the ship’s communication’s officer. “Contact my father on the Executor. I want to make sure he doesn’t have contradictory orders.”

The young lieutenant nodded before sending off the transmission. After a few seconds his hand when up to his earpiece before turning back to Luke. “Sir, the commander of the Executor said Emperor Vader is not with them. He will be arriving shortly in a new flagship.”

That caught Luke off guard. He didn’t know his father had commissioned a new flagship. He turned to Commodore Vanto. “Did you know anything about that?”

Eli shrugged. “No Sir, maybe he wanted it to be a surprise.” Commodore Vanto suppressed a smirk. “Do you have a birthday coming up?”

Luke scoffed under his breath.

Ensign Walker called out, “Sir, would you like me to contact Coruscant Central Command inquiring on the proper frequency to contact the Emperor?”

“No need. I was able to contact him earlier on his private frequency. I’ll get ahold of him shortly.”

Luke watched as Admiral Pellaeon maneuvered his ships around the Katana Fleet and took positions at the rear of the planet. Thrawn was obviously giving orders of his own as various Star Destroyers were deployed to positions enveloping the abandoned Dreadnaught Heavy Cruisers and planet. Luke recognized it as a precursor to a possible pincer maneuver if ships attacked from the planet below. Eventually, a group of breeching shuttles approached the cruisers. If they were lucky there would be little need for them. There was a distinct possibility that the magnetic shields that would normally prevent a ship from entering a docking bay without permission were now nonoperational. The bad thing about that was the crew would have to wear Enviro-suits until they could slice the airlocks and enter the interior corridors.

Once the boarding crew entered the dreadnaught and secured the ship, the engineers would attempt to get the engines operational and fly them to the galaxy core. There, they would be refurbished and added to the Imperial Navy. Any ship not able to make the journey would be destroyed. Depending on the number of ships salvaged, Talon Karrde would most likely have a substantial finder’s fee coming to him.

The shuttles were almost to the fleet when an uneasy sweat started to dampen Luke’s brow and the nerves started to dance in his stomach. He wasn’t sure what brought on this case of the chills, but he was sure something bad was about to happen. “Sensors!” he called out. “Do we have any incoming ships?”

“Weapons scan is negative,” the Intercept Officer replied. “Visual, mass, radiation, and proximity sensors are also negative for enemy contact.”

That should have allayed Luke’s fears but the tension in his body increased and he could feel the hair at the base of his neck raise on end. “Contact all ships. Tell them to proceed with extreme caution.”

Commodore Vanto moved up to Luke’s side. “What is it, Sir?”

Luke shook his head. “I feel…I think it is the Force…it is telling me something bad is going to happen.”

It was then that the bridge was bathed in a bright blue light and the ship shuttered violently knocking Eli off his feet. Luke stabilized himself with the Force and halted Commodore Vanto’s fall. The man floated in midair for a second before Luke lowered him to the deck.

Vanto was shaken but immediately started shouting at the crew. “What the hell hit us? What did we miss? That came from the planet! How the kriff did we miss a weapons system large enough to hit us?!”

The Intercept Officer pushed buttons frantically before turning to Commodore Vanto with panic in his eyes. “Sir, it must have been an ion cannon. Our sensors are disabled.”

“Ship-to-ship communications are also disabled,” another officer called out.

“Shields down.”

“Weapons malfunction.”

Luke stood in disbelief as each bridge officer confirmed all systems hit by the bolt of light were down, including the ship engines. “What is working?”

“Ray shielded interior systems are still operational,” the Bridge Engineer called out. “Intercom systems, Life Support, Navigation computers, artificial gravity, and internal doors.” The man paused to listen to something on his earpiece. “Sir, I have been informed that the bay magnetic shields failed opening the area to vacuum. There are casualties.”

“And we can’t contact the Chimaera?”

The communication officer shook his head. “We have internal comms, but the exterior signal relay is not functioning.”

“Kriff!” Luke walked over to the bridge’s large transparisteel windows. It was then he noticed the Redeemer was not the only ship affected. Three other Star Destroyers, including the Chimaera were dark and listing to the side. “There are at least four Star Destroyers hit!” He pointed to the ships in the distance as he turned and glared at the Intercept Officer. “How did our sensors miss a weapon’s system large enough to take out four of our ships at once?”

The man looked terrified having never seen his Supreme Commander so angry. “I don’t know, Sir. Perhaps they have a cloaking device of unknown nature.”

There was another brilliant flash in the distance. Luke turned and realized this was not a bolt from an ion cannon. This stream of energy was similar to cloud-to-cloud or chain lightning one would see in large thunderstorms and it was quickly disabling the other ships of the fleet.

Eli moved next to Luke, his jaw slack with surprise. “That can’t be lightning.” He paused. “I know current can flow in a vacuum, but we wouldn’t be able to see it. There’re not enough electrons in a vacuum to ionize. Anyway, I’ve never seen lighting leave the atmosphere of a planet. This must be a new form of plasma cannon.”

Luke shook his head dejectedly. “No, this is Force lightning. I’ve seen it. I’ve been hit by it before.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “This is coming from Palpatine.”

Eli made a noise that started out as a scoff, but he quickly disguised it as a cough. “Sir, if you had been hit by something like what just hit us…I doubt there would be anything left of you. How could you and your father kill a man that can do what we are seeing?”

Luke closed his eyes as he took a few slow calming breaths. “That planet is called Ixigul. It is a Sith bastion and probably a darkside nexus. Its population are Sith cultists. There is a chance that Palpatine is tapping into the power of the nexus or perhaps drawing power from the populace. With a million Sith to draw power from…this could be possible.”

An idea came to Eli. “Sir, you once told me that your father deflected the Emperor’s Force lightning with his lightsaber. Was that true?”

Luke rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. “Yes. Are you suggesting I get out on the hull of the ship and ward off the attack with my lightsaber?”

Eli gave an irritated expression. “A lightsaber is plasma blade. If a plasma blade could deflect Force lightning perhaps a plasma cannon can disrupt these attacks.”

Luke nodded absently. “Yes, but our weapon systems are down.” He looked out at the ships in the distance as they one-by-one were hit by blue bolts of lightning. “And it looks like everybody else is in the same predicament.”

“You sent the Third Fleet on the far side of the planet. Unless Palpatine can make the lightning move like a guided missile, there is a good chance they are still operational. We just need to get a message to them to attack using their plasma cannons. Then maybe they can do a space-to-ground bombardment.”

“How do we contact them. Our ship-to-ship communications are down?”

Eli thought about it. “Perhaps the Tie-Fighters tethered in the ventral bay were shielded enough to keep their thrusters and radios operational. The signal won’t be strong enough to get a message to them from here, but if they could move closer, they could communicate with Admiral Pellaeon’s ships. If we send one or two then they perhaps could go unnoticed by those on the planet.”

“The bay is a vacuum, would a pilot in an enviro-suit fit in a TIE-Fighter?"

Commodore Vanto thought about it for a moment. "We have a handful of TIE Advanced X1s. They are large enough."

"That might work. Send two of your best pilots.” Luke turned to the communications officer. “Ensign Walker, does the Naval Academy still teach military flash code?”

The man looked confused. “Yes sir, but that uses short burst transmissions, and our transmission relay is down.”

“Yes, but it can be done with light. We have Hi-intensity searchlights on some of our Hull Repair Droids. See if any of the HRDs are functional and we’ll send the Grand Admiral a coded message using flashes code. Commodore Vanto will brief you of our plan. We may also be able to use the transmitters in our TIE-fighters to communicate with the TIE-Fighters on the other ships, that is if any are still functional.” He walked to the Ready Room. “Meanwhile I am going to try to contact the Emperor.”

“But Sir,” Eli started to object. Luke turned and smiled weakly. “I have a way to contact my father without a transceiver. If I can contact him or Mara, then they could possibly relay a message to the Third Fleet if our Tie-Fighters are unsuccessful.”

A look of understanding crossed Vanto’s face. “Yes, Sir.”

 

Awesome twist On the edge of my seat.

 

Okay.. its taken me a while to catch up (my apologises! been absent a while) but it's been so good to see where this story has led to so far.

Leia and Han's interaction with Talon was tense. Can't believe they were gonna try kidnapping him! Bit concerned that Leia's blaster was set to kill..

Very glad Vader saved Mara and co. I found it fun to see Mara and Vader interacting more in posts after this rescue without Luke around. Nice to see Vader opening up to her.

The pregnancy possibility? Found it hilarious that Vader was the one to voice it to Mara and she was like 'me?! no way! wait a minute..?'. The later chat about it between Luke and Mara was so sweet, I like that Jade is coming round to the idea as long as it's together with Skywalker.

Glad Luke knows about Leia being his sister and that Mara finally gets this info too.

That Death Star reveal was awesome! As were the portals to past/present/future/alternate realities!

Now to have found Palpatine (clone? or not clone?).. with an abandoned fleet or the Resistance outpost.. and with giant Force lightning powers kicking off! So ace!

Look forward to more, really enjoying this fic!

 

Thanks for reading. I am glad you are enjoying the story. I hopefully am getting close to an ending.

Even Karrde thought that wasn't intentional. He thinks she just grabbed Han's blaster as an afterthought. Of course Han (shoot first) Solo always has his blaster set to kill.

Because he can see the other dimensions where Luke is without her, Vader knows Luke is a better man with her...whether it is Luke as a Jedi or an Imperial Knight or in any other capacity. He wants what is best for his son.

I haven't made up my mind about the pregnancy, but in all of my other stories it seems like birth control doesn't work when it comes to Luke and Mara when the Force wants them to procreate. If the Force wants them to have a kid...it is going to happen.

It is going to be interesting when Vader reveals this to Luke. Is Luke going to act surprised or finally admit he got the news from his ghostly former Jedi Master?

I have been reading all types of theories about the room of mirrors that Rey went into in TROS. I didn't read any of the novelizations and so I am only going from what I read online about the room. Many believed that it was similar to the cave in Dagobah. Other people thought it was another version of the World between Worlds from Rebels. Either way Rey was able to see an evil Rey. I suspect this was Rey if she either grew up with her grandfather or Rey after a fall to the darkside sometime later in her future. Why she would sharpen her teeth...that I don't know. For me it was an easy way to show Vader and Mara futures where Luke didn't have her in his life. It also gave Mara a glimpse of her having a family.

You know...if the Force lightning didn't happen in TROS and I wrote that into my fic...you all would be like, "What? Really? Not possible." But since it is canon...I might as well put it in. lol!

Thanks everybody for reading and taking the time to review.

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Death Star II Mobile Battle Station

Mara had finished drying her hair and notified Emperor Vader as he requested when she started to feel strange. There was a pressure behind her eyes that eventually got her left eye twitching. She was worried she was coming down with something when she heard a faint voice call out, “Mara! Father! Can you hear me?”

It was Luke. She sat down and rubbed her fingers against her temples as she concentrated. “Luke! I’m here!”

She felt the pressure ease and loosening of tension. She realized she was sensing Luke’s feeling of relief upon contacting her. “Mara! Palpatine has attacked the fleet.” There was a pause or a break in concentration but eventually she heard the words. “Force lightning….took out…entire fleet.”

She jumped when Emperor Vader stormed into her quarters unannounced. “Do you hear him?”

She nodded and risked putting up a hand gesture for ‘quiet’. “Luke! Did you say Force Lightning?”

There was another longer pause. “Stay away. Palpatine has attacked the fleet. I need you to communicate a message to Admiral Pellaeon’s ships.”

“What is he saying?” Vader burst out impatiently. “I only heard my name. I can’t make out what he is saying.”

Mara glanced up at the Emperor. “Palpatine took out the fleet with Force lightning. Is that possible?”

“What?”

Mara heard Luke call out again. “Wait, Luke is talking again.” She concentrated and reached out with the Force, listening, straining to hear. She looked back to Emperor Vader. “Luke said Palpatine is on a Sith planet and is tapping into some dark energy. He is disabling most the fleet with Force lightning. There is a possibility that Admiral Pellaeon’s ships are still functional, but he can’t communicate with him. He wants us to relay a message for him to use plasma cannons on the planet.” Her eyes went wide. “Luke, wants us to stay away.”

“That is not going to happen,” Vader said firmly. “Never! Ask him for the coordinates of the planet. The exact coordinates.” He walked over to the room’s computer and pulled up a Celestial Coordinate System map allowing him to locate astronomical coordinates based on the galactic center. “If he can give you the coordinates input them here.”

Mara acknowledged Vader with a nod before walking over and sitting in front of the computer. She called out to Luke for the location of the planet. After a minute she started typing a string of numbers.

Vader started at the map for a second before ushering Mara out of her seat and taking over the keyboard. He punched in a second sequence of numbers and then digitally drew a line between the two. He pointed at the new coordinates he inputted. “Tell Luke we will be exiting hyperspace at this location. If possible, make sure the path between that location and the planet are clear of our ships. He may be able to use the Force to push them away.”

Mara stared at Vader knowing what he was planning. “Should I tell him we are coming in the Death Star?”

“If I can hear him then Palpatine might be able to hear him also. The Sith will know we are coming, but hopefully they will be unprepared to take out a battle station.”

Mara nodded then closed her eyes and sent the information to Luke. Eventually her eyes fluttered open and she returned her gaze to Vader. “Luke is not happy we are coming. He realizes he can’t stop you, but wants to ensure we will send that message to Admiral Pellaeon.”

“Tell him we will notify the Admiral. Advise him you have to limit communication in case Palpatine is listening in.” Vader stood and motioned for Mara to follow him. “Come with me. We are going to the bridge.”

Star Destroyer Redeemer

Luke broke contact with Mara Jade and let out a frustrated groan. He asked her and his father to avoid the area. He should have known there was no way they would abandon him. At least they could get a message to the Third Fleet. Maybe they had a chance to ending this problem before his father’s arrival.

He strode out of the ready room and onto the bridge, calling out to Commodore Vanto. “Report.”

Eli turned to face his Supreme Commander. “Sir, the TIE-Fighters have moved around the back of the planet. There is a good chance they were successful in contacting the Third Fleet. I have crewmembers checking the functionality of all the TIE fighter and Shuttle radios berthed within the ship and we have the hull repair droids ready to go outside to signal the other ships in the fleet. The vacuum in the bays has delayed operations. It is harder for the crewmembers to do function checks while in an Enviro-suit.”

“I understand,” Luke acknowledged. “I was successful in contacting my father. He is on the way and plans to attack the planet probably as soon as he exits hyperspace. I checked the positions of the various ships and it looks like he will have a clear line of fire. I think with the Third Fleet softening the target with plasma cannons my father might have a chance at a successful planetary bombardment. We will…”

Luke was interrupted by a blinding flash. He brought his arm up to shield his eyes as the Redeemer was hit by another blast of Force lightning. The ship rocked violently as the lights flickered and the computer screens went dark. After a few seconds emergency power was restored, and the various stations rebooted.

“I should have gone down and taken out Palpatine,” Luke muttered under his breath. He wondered if it was too late. They did have functioning TIE-Fighters. There was a chance that a ship of that size could slip Palpatine’s notice. He looked at his wristchrono and realized he didn’t have time. His father’s ship would be coming out of hyperspace before he would be able to fly to the planet’s surface. He had to standfast and pray for a miracle.

Death Star II Mobile Battle Station

Mara Jade had to run to keep up with Vader’s long strides. “Emperor Vader, if you blow up the planet with this station’s laser the explosion will take out all ships within the orbit…including your son. I know you want to kill Palpatine, but you have your people to consider.” She was fairly certain Emperor Vader didn’t give a flying kriff about his navy, but Luke was Vader’s legacy. He wouldn’t risk losing his son…unless…unless he really thought she was pregnant. Then perhaps he would settle for a grandchild as an heir. Was he going to risk killing everybody just to take out his former master? Should she try to stop him? A cold shiver ran down her spine when she realized the only way to stop Emperor Vader once he came to a decision was to kill him.

Emperor Vader suddenly stopped and stared at her menacingly. “Mara Jade, you must learn to shield your thoughts better.”

She gulped nervously and broke out in a cold sweat as she realized he sensed her treasonous musings. Vader had expressed concern that the former Emperor might have put a Force suggestion in her mind and now she gave him reason to believe it true. “Palpatine is not controlling me,” she said weakly, knowing it probably wouldn’t save her from his wrath.

“Yes, I know. You are considering attacking me to safeguard Luke. You are willing to face certain death for him.”

She wasn’t sure if that was a question or not, but she decided to answer truthfully. “Yes, I would do it to protect him.”

He stared at her for a few more seconds before turning and continuing down the corridor. “Good.”

She was flabbergasted by his response. She continued to follow him, determined to dissuade him from using the battle station to take out Palpatine. “I don’t understand.”

Vader didn’t stop but glanced over in her direction. “Your concern for my son is admirable, but unwarranted. I do not intend on harming him or my Fleet. There are power settings on the laser. We can kill Palpatine while keeping the planet intact. There will not be fragmentation.”

Mara was relieved to hear that, and shocked that Darth Vader thought her willingness to fight him to save Luke was a good thing. For the first time she considered that Vader truly loved his son and didn’t see him merely as a way of continuing the Skywalker name.

They arrived at the Death Star’s bridge and Vader pointed to the communications station as he addressed Mara. “Use the communications station to send a message to the Third Fleet.” He turned and addressed a tall, dark haired, human male in an Admiral’s uniform. “Admiral Fel, power up the weapon systems. Place the superlaser at twenty percent and all other systems on full power.” He sat down in the Command Chair and tapped on a datapad built into the armrests. “I am inputting the coordinates for our target. We will fire the laser as soon as we exit hyperspace.”

“Should we wait long enough to ensure our ships are not in the path of the shot before firing?” the Admiral asked with an accent Mara found peculiar. She recognized the obvious Corellian inflection but there was a modulation in his words that reminded her of the speech pattern of Admiral Thrawn and also Commodore Vanto. She suspected the Admiral spent time on Csilla before taking command of the battle station.

“No need,” Vader replied. “My son will ensure the path of the laser is clear.”

Mara truly hoped this was true. Vader put a lot of trust in his son, but she wasn’t sure any Force user could push a floundering Star Destroyer to safety if they were indeed between the Death Star and Palpatine.

“Yes, Your Eminence,” the Admiral said before calling out orders to his crew.

The communications officer vacated his seat allowing Mara to sit and compose orders to the Third Fleet indicating they should use plasma cannons to bombard the planetary location where the lighting attacks originated. She didn’t specify the reason, but she included a warning for them to stay clear of a particular section of space. She didn’t need any Star Destroyers flying into the path of the superlaser. She frowned when she didn’t get a response. There was a chance that the Third Fleet was taken out by Palpatine already or they were in the middle of a battle and too preoccupied to respond. She looked back to Emperor Vader as she stood and relinquished the seat back to the communications officer.

She knew he told her to limit communication with Luke, but she desperately wanted to know that he was okay. She considered reaching out to him, but she feared Vader would hear her and she was already treading dangerously around the Dark Lord. She started to walk over to Darth Vader when the pressure behind her eyes returned, the same feeling she felt before she connected with Luke earlier. “Emperor Vader,” she called out. “I think Luke is trying to contact me.”

Vader stood and closed the distance between them. “What is he saying?”

Mara reached out in the Force readily, eager to touch Luke’s brilliant Force presence, but what touched her mind was evil and malignant.

She drew in a sharp breath when she heard her former master’s familiar voice echoing through her head. “My Hand return to me.”

Her eyes snapped up to Vader’s as she felt the blood drain from her face. Vader moved closer until he loomed over her, tall, dark and deadly. She feared what he would do when he realized Emperor Palpatine was trying to call her back to his service.

“What did he say?” Vader repeated.

She shook her head. “It’s not Luke.” She took a deep breath against the panic. “It’s Palpatine.”

She flinched when Palpatine called out to her again, this time more demanding. “Emperor’s Hand! Obey! Return to me!”

She pulled in a shuttering breath as she closed her eyes and tried to shield her thoughts and keep the Sith voice at bay. The shouting in her head became louder and nearly unbearable. She opened her eyes and looked up to Vader pleading. “Don’t let him control me again. I don’t want to hurt Luke.”

“I won’t let him have you,” Vader boomed as he reached toward Mara.

She wasn’t sure what was happening as her vision darkened and then suddenly went black.

 

Wow, just wow! The turn of events & Mara's realization about Vader, the way the Death Star can be adjusted is intriguing

Yikes, Palpatine trying to reassert control over Mara.

 

Oh it'll be interesting to see how Luke plays that reveal out..

Haha! Very true!

OMG that new post was great!
Really enjoyed how Mara and Vader interacted again. Jade gotta shield her thoughts better when thinking of killing someone who is also Force-sensitive and close by!
And that twist at the end with Palpatine trying to contact Mara! Of course he would try! So tense!
Look forward to more!

 

You have me on the edge of my seat!

 

Yeah, jerk Palpatine is at it again. It wasn't too surprising to see him again in ROS, mainly because of Dark Empire. Clones are all over a GFFA. What I never understood was why Palpatine keeps shooting lightning when it is getting bounced back at him. You would think he would change his tactics. Why couldn't he Force shove his attacker away or levitate something to hit them. It just seems stupid to keep doing something that is hurting you. It reminds me of my big brother grabbing my arm and forcing my hand to hit myself while saying, "Why are you hitting yourself." You know, I think I answered this question in one of my fics. Palpatine was shooting Force lightning and it was getting reflected back to him, so he shot force lightning upward and tore apart the ceiling which fell on his attacker.

Thanks. I am still trying to figure out when the big reveal will happen and what Luke will say when Vader tells him he has a sister. I think Vader likes Mara Jade. Maybe he sees her as the daughter he will never be able to have a relationship with.

Thanks. I hope I have come up with something good. You know, I just realized I have written a huge story and so far Luke has not activated his lightsaber. But then who would he fight?
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Star Destroyer Redeemer

“Sir, Admiral Pellaeon’s fleet is moving from behind the planet,” Commodore Vanto called out to Luke as he studied the long-range sensors. He looked up and smiled. “They are bombarding the planet using plasma cannons. Your plan to contact them has obviously worked.”

Luke rose out of the command chair and walked over to the bridge viewport. He could see streaks of plasma bolts piercing the planetary atmosphere. As soon as one Star Destroyer stopped firing, a second ship took up the bombardment. There was a pause in the Force lightning and Luke could feel a surge of hope from his crew. “How close are we to getting weapons back online?”

His weapons officer answered. "Unknown sir. The attack was like a huge power surge. Engineering is replacing burnt out parts as fast as possible.”

“Do we have any functional shuttles that can shoot a tether line out to our breeching ships and pull them back to safety?”

The engineering officer turned to address Luke. “The Wing Commander reported earlier having three functional Lambda-class shuttles and four troop transports.”

Luke looked at the chrono on the wall there was less than ten minutes until his father’s ship exited hyperspace. He didn’t want to put more ships in harm’s way, but at the same time he didn’t know if the breeching shuttles had functional life support systems. The troopers did travel with enviro-suits and those had at least a three-hour oxygen supply. They could wait a bit longer. “Have all functional shuttles prepped and crews standing by.”

“Aye, Sir.”

Luke watched the blaze of plasma bolts rain down on the planet below causing mass destruction. He sighed deeply knowing all of this devastation was to kill one man…one evil, malicious Sith Lord. He couldn’t help but wonder how many innocent children were being murdered by his fleet. He knew this was a Sith planet, but the children…the children could be saved and reeducated to turn away from the darkside…couldn’t they? He was torn as to what to do. He took a calming breath as he reassessed the situation. The first order of business was stop Palpatine’s attack. Hopefully the plasma bolts found their target. If so, he would have to send medics down to help the injured, then he would work to isolate the planet. He would set up a shipping/hyperspace quarantine of the system ensuring no ships leave the planet. After the Katana Fleet was salvaged, he would have gravity wells placed along the hyperspace route. This would effectively isolate the planet and prevent the inhabitants from using the hyperspace lane discovered by the Chiss Navigators. Nobody would get in and nobody would get out.

He would wait for his father’s arrival and then finalize his plan.


Death Star II Mobile Battle Station

Mara felt the sensation of movement. It was a rocking motion that she was familiar with—Luke carrying her to their bed where they would make love for hours. A sexy half smile graced her lips as she tried to open her eyes. She managed to get them slightly open, but the world around her was blurred, like she drank way too many Corellian whiskey shots. She lazily reached up to caress Luke’s face as she whispered his name. She frowned when her hand hit something hard and metallic…possibly dura or plasteel. She traced the contours…they were angular with jagged ridges sweeping over where Luke’s eyes should be. “Luke,” she said drowsily.

There was a deep mechanical laugh and the sound of heavy breathing. “Wrong Skywalker.”

That sentence roused her quickly out of her daze. She looked up and when her eyes finally focused, she realized she was being carried by Darth Vader. She panicked upon realizing she was being cradled in his leather clad arms. “Holy Sith!” She yelled as she squirmed for release.

“Calm yourself,” Vader said brusquely as he set her down on her feet. “I had to render you unconscious to break the connection between you and Palpatine.”

Mara quickly surveyed her surroundings and realized she was in a conference room. “How long was I out?”

“This room is off the bridge. You were unconscious for only a few seconds.” He pulled out a chair and gestured to it. “Sit down in case I need to do it again.”

She blushed hotly. “Did I say anything…improper.”

A deep chuckle emanated from Vader’s voice synthesizer. “Verbally, no…but you left no doubt as to your feelings for my son.”

She buried her head in her hands mortified.

“Did Palpatine hurt you?” Vader asked after a long pause. She jumped when she felt Vader’s hand on her shoulder. He quickly pulled his hand away and dropped it to his side in an almost crestfallen motion. Mara realized the Sith Lord’s actions were an awkward attempt to comfort her.

She shook her head. “He caused me pain, but nothing permanent. I was scared more than anything.”

He pulled a chair out from the conference table and sat down. “You have to learn to block out Palpatine.”

She shook her head sadly. “I spent most of my life mentally attached to that Sith Lord. I could never block him out. You think I didn’t try? Nobody wants some old decrepit man popping into your head when you are fifteen and in the shower.”

She could feel Emperor Vader’s unease. “Did he do that…often?”

She scoffed. “Often enough that I knew it wasn’t a coincidence.”

She could feel a spike of anger from the Dark Lord…which surprised her. She could see Luke getting angry at that revelation, but not his father. It was almost as if Darth Vader cared about her. She pushed away the thought and reiterated her position, “I can’t keep him out.”

He placed his hands on his knees and leaned slightly toward her, his gaze intense. “You can and you will. You are far stronger than Palpatine ever expected. He…we always underestimated you and now you are even stronger. You can silence his voice in your head.”

She felt the pressure behind her eyes starting to return. “Somebody is trying to contact me. Gods! I hope it’s Luke.” She closed her eyes and was disappointed to hear Palpatine’s cackling. “I feel your presence along with the traitor who attempted to kill me, Darth Vader. Kill him! Kill him and join me as my new apprentice.”

She concentrated on blocking her old master, but she felt grossly overmatched.

“Who is it?” Vader asked.

She sighed deeply. “Palpatine.”

“What is he saying?”

She decided long ago it was useless to lie to Vader. “He wants me to kill you and become his apprentice.”

Vader leaned back in his chair looking completely unconcerned. “And do you feel the urge to strike me down?”

Mara thought about it and frowned. “Surprisingly…no. I usually would follow his orders blindly and without hesitation.”

“He has no power over you.”

“Except the power to nag me. I don’t look forward to a life of him pestering me to do his bidding night and day.”

“Shut him out!” Vader ordered. “End your servitude once and for all!”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she let her eyelids flutter shut. “I’ll try.”

“No!” Vader boomed. “By saying you’ll try you are recognizing the possibility of failure. You cannot have any doubt. You will do it! You have the power, more so now than ever. Rid yourself of his influence. My son has faith in your abilities…and so do I.”

Mara looked at Vader wide eyed and shocked by his words of encouragement. Luke had changed his father, there was no longer denying that. She nodded and closed her eyes.

“Stay out of my head!” she thought back. “I will never do your bidding.”

A spike of pain surged behind her eyes. It was the familiar retribution she often endured when she failed her Master. “Obey!” Another surge of pain hit her, making her vision spin and causing her to slump in her seat.

She felt Vader’s hand on her shoulder again as he steadied her. “Fight him!”

She risked a look of irritation. If felt like Palpatine was trying to split her head open; she didn’t need Darth Vader urging her on like a darkside cheerleader. “I am. He’s too strong.”

“No, he is not,” he said hotly, but then paused and visibly pulled back on his anger as Mara felt him calm and center himself. “Palpatine spent his whole life searching for his elusive dyad. He scoured the galaxy looking for a Force-sensitive that would share a unique Force bond with him—two individuals with one Force essence. It would increase his power exponentially making him the most powerful Force-user that ever lived…but he never found that other Force-sensitive. It wasn’t me; it wasn’t his former master; it wasn’t Darth Maul. I am certain he tested you, to see if you were his mysterious dyad, but you failed to bond with him also. His narcissism never allowed him to consider that he was the problem...that he was never destined to be part of any Force dyad.” He pointed a gloved finger in her direction. “I believe you are part of that dyad…but not with him.”

“With Luke?” she said with a wince as the pain threatened to render her unconscious.

“Perhaps.”

“Then I need Luke.”

“No! The power is within you!”

Mara fought through the waves of pain and concentrated. She heard Palpatine cackling and taunting her. She imagined him as the frail, ugly, pathetic old man who made her childhood and teen years a living hell…although she was too brainwashed at the time to realize it.

‘Kriff him!’ she thought to herself. She began to push back. The pain rolled over her in waves and her breath came in short pants interspaced between painful body spasms. She imagined this must be what it felt like to be in labor except instead of pushing out a baby she was trying to rid herself of a wrinkled, soulless piece of skidcrud. She pushed through the intense pain, desperately fighting against Palpatine’s hold over her.

“Do it for Luke,” Vader encouraged her.

Her mind drifted to Luke and she automatically reached out to him, franticly searching for his bright presence in the Force to ground her and give her strength. Instead, she found Palpatine blocking her connection with Skywalker. “Oh, my poor girl,” Palpatine said menacingly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Skywalker cannot help you. He wasn’t a match for me before and he is just as powerless now. Perhaps I will keep you two as a breeding pair. Your children will be my Force-strong servants.”

“Like hell!” she hissed as she pushed back harder. She reached out again trying to locate Luke, instead she found a tendril of the Force searching out for her. She didn’t know where it came from, but it was pure and powerful and full of the light side of the Force. She took a chance and embraced the power and with the last bit of her strength she pushed. “Get away from me!”

She startled when she heard the screeching sound of metal against metal. As she opened her eyes, two things came apparent: the pain was gone and Emperor Vader’s chair, with him still sitting upon it, was now approximately two meters from its original location. She looked down at the floor and noticed scuff marks where the legs of the chair scrapped across the deck. Somehow, she Force shoved the Sith Lord away from her along with shutting out Palpatine. She looked up at Vader nervously. “Did I do that?”

“Indeed, you did.” Vader said evenly. “Is he gone?”

The headache was still throbbing behind her eyes, but the sharp pain from Palpatine's attacks disappeared. “Yes, I believe so.” She stood stiffly; her gaze transfixed on Emperor Vader. “I didn’t mean to push you. That was an accident.” She gave an apologetic gesture. “In all honesty, I didn’t think it would be possible to Force shove you.”

“It was possible because you, Mara Jade, are the Dyad.”

She looked at him confused. “A dyad entails two people…was that Luke who helped me?”

“That is something I cannot determine. It is a Force skill I do not possess.” He looked up at the wall chrono. “We will exit hyperspace in eight minutes.” He moved to the door. “Come, we have a battle to prepare for.”

 

Luke's strategy currently and looking ahead is very sound. The whole scene with Mara was AWESOME!

 

I really enjoy Vader and Mara's interactions. They are perfect! You're doing such a good job with this
I wonder who the other part of the Dyad will be?

Thanks for the update!

 

Thanks. I sort of like Mara and Vader together. Mara may have been an assassin, but she was extremely loyal. If she pledged her loyalty to Luke then Darth Vader knows she would never betray him. Also, I think even Vader has to admit Mara and Luke make a cute couple.

I think you already know who the other part of the dyad is. lol! Thanks for reading!

Thanks everybody who is reading and a special thanks to everybody who commented. It is much appreciated.

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Star Destroyer Redeemer

Luke watched the Third Fleet attack of the planet for only a few minutes before he felt a strange sensation. It was like static in his brain and a gnawing sense of danger that made the hair on his arms and back of his neck stand up on end. He assumed he was sensing the deaths of so many people on the world below. It was a very disconcerting sensation. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly while pinching the bridge of his nose.

His change of behavior obviously caught the attention of Commodore Vanto. “Are you well, Sir?”

Luke took a shuttered breath and tried to force a reassuring smile on his face…a smile that quickly faded when he heard Palpatine’s dark voice in his head. “My Hand return to me.” In a panic he reached out for Mara through the Force but was denied when his connection to his lover was violently severed. He wasn’t sure how Palpatine did it, but he managed to disrupt Luke's Force bond with Mara Jade. He could still feel the emotions of his crew members, so he wasn’t devoid of the Force entirely.

Luke shuddered as he realized Palpatine had grown far more powerful since his supposed death. He could disable an entire fleet of Star Destroyers with Force lightning and had effectively blocked his ability to communicate through the Force. Now he was trying to recruit Mara Jade back to his service. What if his father was right and there was a Force suggestion in her mind? What would happen if she attempted to kill his father? Panic hit and a feeling of vertigo washed over him. Almost immediately Commodore Vanto was standing beside him. “Sir, you don’t look well.” He put a hand on his arm and guided Luke to the bridge’s ready room. As the door slid closed behind them Vanto steered Luke to an empty seat at the room’s small conference table. “Sir, please sit down.”

Luke nodded mutely as he lowered himself to the chair with Eli taking a seat across from him. “What’s wrong, Sir?”

“Palpatine is still alive.”

“If he is in a bunker, then that is not unexpected. Admiral Pellaeon will undoubtedly continue the bombardment. We have at least stopped the Force lightning attacks. Your plan is working.” He looked at his wristchrono. “And according to my calculations your Father’s ship should be here in minutes.”

That was what Luke feared. Would Mara Jade be able to defy her old master? Luke knew she wouldn’t go willingly, but what if she was unable to resist? He took a couple calming breaths before standing.

Commodore Vanto had an expression of concern as he rose out of his seat. “If you are not feeling well, Supreme Commander, perhaps it is best that you stay here. I am confident that I can take care of anything that arises.”

Luke steadied himself before reaching out and giving Vanto’s shoulder a friendly squeeze. “I have no doubt you are more than capable of commanding this ship without my help. I simply wish to witness my father’s arrival.”

Vanto grinned. “I don’t know what Emperor Vader has in store for the enemy, but I am sure it will be swift and effective.”

Luke gave a tight smile. “That I don’t doubt.” He shook off his apprehension and walked back to the bridge.

“Fifteen seconds until the Emperor’s arrival,” one crewmember called out.

Luke and Vanto walked over to the large transparisteel viewport. From there Luke could see the Third Fleet continuing to shower the planet with plasma bolts. Palpatine was obviously alive, but at least he is hunkering down somewhere and unable to press his attack.

Luke was startled when a sudden darkness enveloped the fleet and the planet below. It was as if the sun was suddenly eclipsed. He turned and asked the bridge crew. “Do we have a visual of what’s behind us? Are we within the orbit of one of the planet’s moons?”

Before the crew could respond, a young ensign came running onto the bridge, out of breath and with a look of shock. “Supreme Commander! It’s the Death Star!”


Death Star II Mobile Battle Station


Emperor Vader and Mara Jade stood on the observation deck as the battle station exited hyperspace. There they found hundreds of Clone War era Dreadnaughts floating out in space along with a dozen modern Star Destroyers. Most of the ships were drifting without power but one group, possibly the Third Fleet, were very active and currently doing a planetary bombardment via plasma cannons. She reached out with the Force and felt pure evil emanating from the planet. Luke was right, this was a planet of Sith. She searched for her old master and eventually she could feel his presence, but instead of his usually narcissistic malevolence she instead felt confusion and fear. That put a smile on her face.

‘Good,’ she thought.

“Do we have a clear shot?” Vader asked, surprising Mara that he seemed actually concerned.

“Yes, Sir,” Admiral Fel replied.

“Then fire!”

She felt a slight tremor as the battle station’s huge laser finished its final power cycle. Then, with a bright flash of green light, a powerful beam shot through space and made a direct hit on the planet.

She gasped as she felt the death of so many people, but at the same time she sensed a marked decrease in the suffocating presence of the darkside.

The laser burned through the atmosphere and started to peal up the crust of the planet. Lava erupted and the plant glowed an orange red color as the skies filled with dark smoke. Emperor Vader gazed down at the dying planet before turning to her. “I am the Chosen One…the one who would bring an end to the Sith.” He pointed a gloved hand toward the destruction. “This was my destiny.”

Star Destroyer Redeemer

Luke’s jaw went slack as he saw the green glow of the Death Star laser piercing the darkness of space to make a direct hit on the Sith Planet.

“Noooo!” Luke said alarmed not knowing what would happen to his fleet when the planet exploded.

“We’re too close!” Vanto exclaimed seeing the danger.

The bridge crew froze… their fear palpable through the Force. Luke could only watch as the deadly laser tore through the atmosphere and ripped into the planet’s mantel. He expected a huge explosion upon impact, but the planet’s death was slower and, in a way, more horrific. His breath caught as he felt the death of millions…so many people calling out in terror as the planet became lifeless. He imagined this is what Obi-Wan felt when Alderaan was obliterated. Once again, the Empire had destroyed an entire world and this time he was responsible along with his father. He was jarred out of his musings when his crew let out a loud cheer. It was a sound of relief and jubilation as they now realized they were not in harm’s way and the enemy was decimated.

They were thrilled; Luke wanted to vomit. He turned to Eli Vanto who smiled brightly at their victory. “Take charge Commodore. I need to contact my father.”

If Vanto noticed the change in Luke’s demeanor he didn’t let on. “Yes Sir!”

Luke ran a hand over his face as he walked off the bridge and down the corridor to his quarters. He wasn’t sure exactly what he felt. He reached out to Mara Jade and this time there was nothing preventing their communication.

“Mara! Are you okay?”

“Yes!” He felt her relief. ‘Did you feel it? Palpatine’s death?’

‘I felt death.’ He made it to his quarters and went directly to the liquor cabinet and pored himself a tall stiff drink. He downed the shot before continuing his Force communication. ‘I heard Palpatine call you. What happened?’

‘He tried to get me to return to him…but I fought him off.’

Mara must have sensed his surprise. ‘You father thinks I am the mythical Dyad…but he is rather vague as to who the other part of the dyad is.’

Luke contemplated that for a moment before asking a more pressing question. ‘Why didn’t you tell me he has a new Death Star?’

‘He asked me not to. He didn’t want to give Palpatine a chance to prepare for an attack.’

Luke’s ire rose. ‘More likely he knew I would never approve of the destruction of a planet.’

When she didn’t respond he reached out to her again. ‘Mara?’

‘He did what he had to do.’ There was a long pause. ‘Don’t…’

She didn’t finish her thought. ‘Don’t what?’

‘Just…talk to your father before reacting.’

Luke was thankful she didn’t use the word overreacting. ‘Okay, send me over a shuttle. Most of ours are disabled by the Force lightning. I want to talk to my father.’




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Awesome resolution of the Sithly threat!

 

I really really like your portrayal of Luke performing his Imperial duties, keeping him in character so brilliantly.
Oh my! Looking forward to that Luke-Vader talk.
Great job! As always

 

Thanks. I don't think Luke is too happy about how his father solved the problem...but he needs to forgive his father.

Yeah, Luke is pissed, but I think Mara will talk some sense into him.

Thanks everybody for reading. I had the weekend off and I was able to do a little writing.

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Death Star II Mobile Battle Station

Mara had been on the bridge when Luke had contacted her. She had kept her eyes open and attempted to maintain the appearance of alertness, but that didn’t fool Emperor Vader. As soon as she broke contact with Luke, she felt Vader’s eyes upon her. She blew out a breath and turned to the Dark Lord.

“Were you communicating with my son?”

She nodded.

He walked toward the bridge exit while motioning for her to follow. She fell in step with Vader as he moved down the corridor. “What did he say?”

She didn’t want to get between Vader and Luke, but she also knew when the Emperor asked a question you answered. “He asked me to send a shuttle. He wishes to speak to you.”

Vader made a mechanical sound that she believed was a dismissive, ‘Pffft.’ He stopped in front of a metal door long enough for it to slide open allowing him to enter. Mara hesitated slightly at the threshold when she noticed this was obviously Vader’s private quarters. It was sparsely furnished but held a large bacta tank similar to the one in his quarters on Coruscant. He turned and beckoned for her to follow. She entered, wary as to why she was here.

“Can I assume,” Vader began in his low rumbling voice, “that my son did not send his heartfelt thanks and appreciation to his father for saving his fleet?”

“No,” she said softly. “He’s a bit upset over the destruction of a planet.”

She felt a spike of anger from the Emperor before it subsided. “I understand how he feels. I was equally upset when he destroyed my first battle station.”

She wasn’t sure if Vader was being flippant or subtly pointing out Luke’s hypocrisy. Skywalker did kill hundreds of thousands of Imperials and therefore he was probably not the best person to lecture his father on the indiscriminate taking of life.

Still, there was a difference. Darth Vader was not at all moved by the deaths of so many on Alderaan or this last planet he just destroyed. Luke, on the other hand, carried guilt.

“Lord Vader,” Mara began, determined to defend Luke. “Your son is not like you…or me. You and I were trained by Palpatine to be ruthless. Luke was raised in a loving household and trained to be a farmer. He once told me the deaths on the first Death Star horrified him. He was able to tolerate the guilt when he was with the Rebellion, but once he joined the Empire… he got to meet Stormtroopers and naval personnel. He befriended the people behind the armor. They were no longer the faceless enemy. That is when the enormity of what he did hit him. Don’t pretend you don’t understand what's going on in your son’s heart. You knew he wouldn't approve of this battle station because of what it can do. What it did do.” She moved a step closer to Darth Vader but then thought better of it and moved diagonally, further into his quarters, but still keeping her distance. “Let me go and pick up Luke. I’ll talk to him. I know you did what you had to do. It is foolish to leave the enemy to your back…especially when the enemy is a planet full of dark Force users. Allowing them to live would have been a catastrophe waiting to happen.”

Darth Vader walked over to a shelving unit and opened a small cabinet. “You would speak on my behalf in an attempt to mitigate my son’s anger?”

“If you so desire, Emperor Vader.”

He reached into the back of the cabinet and picked something up. When he turned she realized he was holding a lightsaber.

“Ummm…” She wasn’t sure what this was all about, but it did make her uneasy. “Or not. Whatever you want, Sire.”

She forced herself not to jump when he activated the lightsaber. To her surprise the blade was not red, but a light blue. He looked at it for a long moment before deactivating the blade and walking toward Mara. “You should have a lightsaber.” He held it out to her. “Take it.”

Mara tentatively reached out and grasped the weapon. She examined it noting it looked very much like the hilt to Luke’s current green lightsaber. She glanced up to Vader. “Was this yours when you were…a Jedi?”

He shook his head. “No, Luke was wielding that weapon when I took his hand. It disappeared on Cloud City. I did not attempt to recover the weapon. If Luke knew the history of that lightsaber…he would not have wanted it.” He pointed to the saber in her hands. “That was his mentor’s lightsaber—Obi-Wan Kenobi’s. I did not give it to Luke due to the way I acquired the weapon.”

“You mean, killing Kenobi?”

He made a dismissive gesture. “Kenobi foolishly challenged me to a duel, and I was the victor.”

“Why me? Why do you want me to have this weapon?”

“You need a lightsaber to protect my son.”

Mara stared at him silently, knowing there was more he wanted to say.

“Kenobi was once my Master, but he betrayed me. Still…I could not bring myself to destroy his weapon. Probably the same way he could not bring himself to kill me when he had the chance.” He turned away and she could sense he felt uncomfortable. Perhaps he revealed more than he intended. “There is no hidden meaning to my gesture. You need a lightsaber and I have a spare.”

She was more than happy to drop the subject. “I will use it to protect your son and the Empire.” She slid the weapon on the side cargo pocket of her flight suit, not having a place to clip it on her belt. “Thank you.”

He waved her off before clearing his throat. “Take my private shuttle to retrieve Luke. Perhaps you can talk some sense into my son before he arrives.”

“Yes, Emperor Vader.” She turned and left his quarters and moved briskly to the shuttle bay. Hopefully she would be able to curtail some of Luke’s anger before he met with his father.




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