Saga Ebon Hatred (Post-ESB AU Luke, Leia, bit of Vader, Mara & Han) Updated 6/10 - COMPLETE

Hey all, I'm back for now. Thanks for the feedback. You're both onto something...

*Yawns, mumbles something then falls asleep at her desk and snores*

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[b]Part X[/b]


*Vader's POV*


I never wanted this. You may not realize it, but for things to end this way was not my intention. It is a curious sensation, being completely and utterly powerless after all these years of controlling the galaxy ? the entire galaxy with the exception of one being, namely my master ? with a durasteel grip. I find myself helpless once more. The feeling speaks of broken promises, for power over helplessness was the one reason why I crossed the threshold ? had I not been so desperate to save her ? I dare not speak her name, for it would be sacrilege beyond words. It would be spitting on her grave.

I was a fool to think this would bring me absolute control ? perhaps I only believed what wanted, blinded by intense desire. It is almost amusing, cruelly so, but amusing nonetheless that none of it was true. All he spoke of - power over life and death and the like ? the seductive promise remains unfulfilled. It was all a lie, a ploy to make me bend to his will. I know this now, but it is far too late ? I?ve known it from the moment I woke in the aftermath of The Duel. My chains ? instead of being broken, they are merely reinforced. The Dark Side has me trapped in its icy hold ? for eternity. I am forever enslaved.

So I watch you, paralyzed, unable to take action of any kind. Secretly, in the darkest corners of my frozen black mind, out of reach to the emperor?s piercing, burning gaze, I feel pride at your actions. I want you to fight him. I value your resistance. I want you to give him hell. But I know your efforts are in vain. The outcome is clear, the future written. He will break you and he will have you. He will [i]own[/i] you.

Your haunted, shadowed blue eyes bore right through me. They consume my very soul. They accuse me. They eat away at my very core. And they call out to me ? they cry out for me. As you belatedly recognize me, no doubt in fear. Or are you well beyond fear? I cannot tell, because your presence is clouded, faint, even. I know what you are doing. You retreat into yourself, finding solace in the depths of your own mind. You extricate yourself from inside. I know this as you finally meet my gaze, almost understanding.

Softly, and so faintly you mouth the word. [i]Father[/i]. It is too silent for a whisper, silent as my eternal tomb of darkness, but you scream in my mind. You reach out, and Force, I want to [i]save[/i] you. I want to save you, more than anything, but I find myself encased in my icy grave. How can you save someone when you need to be saved yourself? How can you save someone when you yourself are lost beyond salvation?

I know what you want. You long for death. You yearn for the end. And as much as I loathe myself for it, I wish for it to be so as well. I fervently hope you will die soon, for your sake. I do not feel pain. I have long since learned to shut it out ? eventually, we all do. But this is as close as I have ever come in twenty-one years.






*Mara?s POV*


I gaped, wide-eyed, at Emperor Palpatine, my master. Never had I felt this tempted to disobey my orders. Never had the mere thought flashed across my mind, in fact. Never had I dared to question his judgment. His words vanished into thin air the moment they left his mouth, but they still echoed in my mind. [i]You will capture Princess Leia Organa and bring her to me, alive and unharmed.[/i] He said nothing about what would happen afterward, but I could read between the lines.

I knew what this meant ? a simple yet effective tactic. And I didn?t like it one bit ? I hated it. And I would have done anything to stop it were I not the one in charge of the task. Hell, I would have deliberately sabotaged the mission had I not been the one carrying out. Maybe I could?[i]Maybe I[/i]?

?Master...? I trailed off, mentally kicking myself. [i]Smart, Jade, smart. Now you?ve done it.[/i] The damage was d

 

This is a great fic, Sithspawn.

About that Luke in the slave outfit at Jabba's you mentioned earlier. *shudders* Thanks for adding an extra year (at least) onto my therapy time.

 

That post was excellent, Sithspawn. Poor Luke. I loved the way you wrote that last section -- it was beautiful, but so sad! Mara's POV was very well written as well. I'm still a little confused though.... Guess I'll have to wait and find out how this all fits together. Looking forward to the next post!

 

Alright. I'm back. Swamped with work, but I will make an effort to update this faster.

Ampersand: Thank you. As for Luke in a metal bikini, I find the image droolworthy...Yes, I am deranged.

Knight_Aragorn: Thank you very much. Rest assured, there's more angst comming up. There's only a few more chapters left, but they'll be dark. *devil horns* As for it being confusing, that is my intention. Everything falls into place, though.

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[b]Part XI[/b]



*Leia?s POV*


I sighed as I stared at the greenish, vile-looking substance in front of me, most likely unsuitable for human consumption. Here I was, reduced to sitting in a seedy bar on Ord Mantell, crawling with filth and all sorts of vermin, for lack of anything better to do, but no less than I deserved. It was as if my life had ended that fateful day on Dagobah, when I mercilessly slaughtered my brother. Even now, the mere thought of it made me ill. I would have broken down right then were I not drained of all emotion.

No, perhaps my life had not ended, merely spiraling out of control, slipping beyond my grasp, hitting an endless string of dead ends. Dead ends, like this one. Dead ends. Even now, it was hard to believe ? the concept of what I had done, it was overwhelming. It wasn?t the fact that I had brought about a death ? I had killed many times before. It is something you grow used to: you do not like it, but you do it out of sheer necessity.

It?s the fact that it wasn?t so with Luke that made it so much worse, that made my hands tremble and my eyes burn, that triggered the loathing I directed at myself. I had always felt a connection with him, though I had never been able to name what it was. Not like with Han ? [i]Han. I cast you away. I loved you, yet I threw you away[/i] ? No, it had been different, but no less meaningful. And I?d thrown that to the winds as well. Why had I been so cold, the very Ice Princess I had once born the title of? Had I become the very thing I?d killed? A mirthless laugh wormed its way out of my mouth. The irony of it all. Leia Organa, ? [i]Organa? Skywalker? Vader?[/i] ? Jedi in training ? [i]Not anymore. Never again will I use the Force[/i] ? living up to the legacy of a Sith Lord she coincidentally happened to be the offspring of.

In fact, that was the greater irony ? that I had destroyed him not for the crime of turning to the Dark Side ? [i]willingly?[/i] ? but for merely existing, for who and what he was. Oh, how painfully amusing it was that all along I had been the very thing I had despised with such fervour, that I had longed to slay. With such reasoning, I should have slain myself as well. But I had not, damn that ounce of self-preservation that remained. I did not wish death upon myself, and distantly, detachedly, I was sickened by it. I should have been dead. I had no right to exist.

As if in response to the thought, the barrel of a blaster found itself pressed against my back. Previously nonexistent adrenaline skyrocketed. My heart hammered in an ominous rhythm, declaring my death sentence.

?Move it, Organa, if you value your life,? Snapped a female voice, and, disgustingly, I walked as she pressed forward. Once out of the bar, we stopped, and what little thoughts there were in my blank mind were intercepted by the cold numbness of a stun bolt penetrating me.



I woke up to a blistering headache and?strapped to the copilot?s seat in the cockpit of a ship? I turned my head to my left. My captor turned out to be a red-haired, green-eyed woman clad in a dark red jumpsuit and armed to the teeth. Who was she? Somehow, she did not fit my image of a bounty hunter?But what else could she be, an assassin? Had she been one ? or at least a competent one ? I would have been dead long ago?I briefly entertained the notion of fighting her and hijacking the ship, but thought better of it. [i]No Force, remember?[/i]

?Good. You aren?t going anywhere.? It was as if she was reading my thoughts?A split second later I realized that she was force-sensitive. Her presence confirmed it,

 

A new post!! I was starting to wonder what had happened to this story. Good to see it's not dead.

Eww, that... food? in front of Leia sounded disgusting. Puts me off seedy bars in Ord Mantell, that's for sure.

Good to see Leia and Mara working together. I don't think things are going to be as easy as they think though.... Palpatine's words were more than a little ominous. And I wonder what kind of state Luke's in by now? He wasn't going too well last we saw him.

Looking forward to your next post! It feels like we're getting very close to the end now...

 

A fascinating alternate storyline. I look forward to the next instalment!

I must admit though, I'm a little surprised that Obi-Wan didn't realise that Leia had killed a clone.

 

Yes, I'm still alive, just a little short on time...

Knight_Aragorn: No, you'll never catch me abandoning a fic. I finish what I start. And yes, we are drawing very close to the end. If everything goes as foreseen, this is the second to last post.

Rosh_Penin: Thank you As for Obi-Wan not realising it was a clone, its presence was revealed at the same time as the 'real' Luke's Force sense was concealed by Palpy's, leading Obi-Wan to believe that he abruptly turned to the Dark Side.

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[b]Part XII[/b]





Their plan, or lack thereof, was not as successful as they had intended for it to be. In fact, it was a disaster. Somehow, stealthy as they?d been, they had been detected and surrounded within minutes of their entrance. As they were escorted to wherever they were going ? detention block, probably ? Leia broke the silence to lighten the mood, though it had no effect on the feeling of dread that hung in the air around them.

?You know what? Next time, I?ll do the planning.? Mara snorted.

?What planning??

?Exactly what I had in mind.?

?I hate to disappoint you, princess, but I don?t think there will be a next time.?

It seemed that Mara was right, because shortly after they arrived at the entrance of what Leia assumed was the Emperor?s throne room. She would have given anything to instead be brought to a detention cell. The last thing she wanted was to face a Sith Lord ? that would be certain death or something infinitely worse.

?Look on the bright side. At least Vader?s not in there?? Bright side indeed. She would have gladly taken Vader over Palpatine. The two of them fell silent as they were brought into a dim, spacious stone hall before the despot himself, imposing if withered and frail-looking.

?Welcome, Princess Organa, Miss Jade,? He rasped. Then, turning to his traitorous servant, ?I see the mission was successful, although you seem to have gotten sidetracked?? Mara Jade said nothing.

?Nevertheless, the two of you will be very helpful in the turning of Young Skywalker.? Mara snorted in contempt. Leia?s eyes blazed with fury.

?I will sooner die than help you.? The dark ruler simply smiled, almost patronizing.

?I know you will, Young One, I know.?





*Leia?s POV*

Involuntarily, I shiver at his words. There is something chilling about them, something ominous, as if doom had just been prophesized. Dark, frigid dread fills me, and I seem to crystallize into a lifeless ice sculpture, so fragile, so easily shattered?There is something very wrong about this, more than it should be. I cannot help but foresee downfall. Not just my own, but everything. It is like a vision of the past, as if I already know the outcome, and there is nothing I can do to change it. The numbing feeling of helplessness freezes me in places.

My foreboding thoughts are broken as my suspicions are confirmed. I watch, frozen, as my brother is thrown at the despot?s feet. I swallow hard and vainly try to restrain the sob as I lower my eyes upon the battered, bloody figure before me. He struggles to his feet and I almost fail to recognize him. His ripped, tattered black robe offsets his deathly pallor. He looks wasted, his face sharp and bony, but it is the eyes that frighten me.

He is dying inside. I can see it in his eyes ? so hollow, so broken, so lifeless. He doesn?t see me. Perhaps he does, merely not acknowledging me. He is like an empty shell. No feeling seeps from his mind, closed tightly, as if to protect it from the darkness. He must be inside. Somewhere in the depths of my own mind, I wonder if he is still there. I try to tell myself that he is not yet destroyed ? he is stronger than that. Deep down I recognize the lies, the uncertainty. I can feel him drown within his own presence. I did this to him. It?s all my fault.

Enter the Dark Lord. For the first time I see it as the misnomer it is. He is clearly not the lord here. Something in his stance betrays submission?he seems almost weary. I cannot see his face, but written all over it are an

 

Well, I'll hold my tomato untill untill I see what happens...

Great posts, I had some catching up to do...

 

Leia's dead?

You seem to have a tendency to do that...

Wow, that was a surprising post. Luke...? Hopefully Vader and/or Mara can turn him back somehow.

Yes, I know what you're thinking...'Not only does she write such a dreadfully short post, but she just has to be evil in it'.

No, I think I'm kind of used to that now. Isn't angst fun?

Looking forward to the next post!

 

Eep!

 

Okay last part...You are going to hate me, lol.

Webogirl: I have a feeling your tomato will find its way to my face

Knight_Aragorn: Turn him back, eh? If you say so...Yes, angst is fun. There should be more of it in this post.

Rosh_Penin and GreatOne: Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate...You know where this is going.

Without further ado...

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[b]Part XIII[/b]




It was over now. It had ended a mere three days ago. Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, fallen Jedi, his father was gone forevermore. With a single stroke of a blade, Darth Vader had been murdered by his own dark child. No resistance had been offered. He had simply stood, waiting to be cut down by the green fire. The shadow that wielded the weapon had shown no mercy.

Said darkness hid in a pitch-black corner ? the dark corner he resided in, where he found his only peace, where no one would bother him, where no one could see him break. He rested his forehead against his knees. The position was excruciating ? try as she might, Jade ? Mara now ? had not been successful in convincing him to accept treatment. It was no less than he deserved, of course, for the wretched, sithspawned little creature had done an act so vile that constant agony for the rest of his life could not redeem. Nothing could. In an almost perverse way, the sensation was orgasmic. As it was with potent spice, the more he felt the blinding rush of pain, the more he craved it, the more he longed for. Though it did not bring justice to the worthless little vrelt he was, it brought him satisfaction.

He dug his fingernails into a deep gash on the inside of his arm, raking them across the exposed flesh. A red mist fell across his vision, and he shivered at the disturbing pleasure. The blood, the fluid, deep red blood, it was so beautiful. So pure. So untainted. So unlike the dirty, filthy little sithspawn it flowed within. [i]Beauty of that kind should not be trapped in such a loathsome shell of filth.[/i] So he set it free.

As the lovely crimson spilled and hit the ground, he could almost feel a sense of euphoria. It was so blissful, so right. In his ecstasy he could hear someone laughing. Belatedly he realized it was him. And it felt so intoxicating. As he further sunk his nails into his own flesh, he laughed harder. The feeling, it was like delirium. Delicious, ecstatic delirium. The state of letting go of everything, where nothing mattered anymore. The laughter turned to sobs. Nothing mattered, for it was so dark and empty, dark and empty like him. And dead. Everything was dead. Everyone was dead. He was dead, leaving only the dark little thing inside the otherwise empty shell.

The evil little sithspawn was shaken from his musings by the hiss of an opening door. In walked the lithe, leather-clad figure of Mara Jade, red-gold curls trailing behind her like flames. To think that he had somehow captured such a graceful creature. Or perhaps she had captured the worthless, dark little sithspawn. Either way, he could see the love and concern in her gleaming emerald eyes. [i]I don?t deserve you.[/t]

Mara sat down at his side, draping a slender arm around his shoulder, embracing him as gently as she could. [i]I don?t deserve you. I am not worthy of you. Why don?t throw me away like we both know you should? Leave me, my love, before it is too late.[/i] She kissed him softly, and the darkness couldn?t help but return it. He gazed into the emerald depths, finding concern and?fear? [i]Don?t be afraid for me. Don?t waste yourself on me.[/i]

There was something about her; she could read you like a book without so much as a glimpse of your mind. Softly, tenderly, so unlike the assassin she made herself out to be, she spoke.

?You mustn?t blame yourself.? Such blind devotion. Such misplaced love. He blinked, then averted his gaze to the floor.

?Then who do I blame?? He choked out bitterly. Mara blinked, intelligent eyes bright with sadness.

?Look at me, Skywalker,? She said, stroking his cheek. ? Some

 

Wow.

(I'll expand once I have had a chance to digest this.)

 

Wow.

 

Now that was just mean.

When you say angst, you really mean angst, don't you? Poor Luke. Poor Mara. You did an excellent job capturing Luke's pain and darkness, and it was good to see Han again at the end. I was wondering where he'd gotten to. Nice work! You should write something light and fluffy next.

 

Holy...












Dude, that was heavy.

 

Thank you all for the feedback.

Rosh_Penin and ccp: Thanks

Knight_Aragorn: Thank you. But light and fluffy stuff...Never

ThePariah: Why thank you...But you're one to talk Your angst makes mine look like fluff, lol.

 

Really?!?

*starts being worried*

 

That's a good thing in my book...

 

What could I possibly say? It was a good fic, but I am in shock....

 

I love having this effect on people...