Shadows of the Night, Part XXXVII

Main Unity Shadows of the Night

An Imperial shuttle left the battered remnants of an old Corellian Corevette that had served for her base of operation. For now her name meant nothing. She had assumed dozens of identities over the past three years, none her own. The name Darth Whind was unknown to almost all, and few knew of Mara Jade. The fact was, she was alone now; no master, no apprentice, the last of the Sith. As she pulled back on the hyperdrive controls she thought absently about that time, the day it all came crumbling down.

Vader had tricked her, it was that simple. It was the only way he could have defeated her; she was younger, stronger, faster than he was. And yet, he'd caught her... and while he'd rejected the Dark side, he still showed no mercy. She still bore the scars; one just under her right breast where the blade entered, the other beneath her right scapula where it exited. The blow was mortal, and she had collapsed to the floor as she died. That had been the fatal error, she thought grimly; like some bizarre trail of dominoes it had led to the fall of the Empire. A single moment, she thought with disbelief. Had she dispatched Vader the Emperor would have finished off Skywalker, Picard, and the cyborg and the victory would have gone to the Empire. It was that close, she thought, that close to victory, and it all went wrong.

But it wasn't bad luck, that much she knew. Luck is only an excuse; the truth was that it was the destiny of the Death Star to fall, and for the Emperor to die with it. But destiny did not say that that was the end.

The powers wielded by the Emperor were truly unknown to both his enemies and allies. Even Mara had not known the extent of his abilities. She had seen the events through his eyes, recalled them with agonizing slowness. There was the flash of warning of imminent danger, and the realization that there wouldn't be time to react to the approaching explosive. Not in reality at least. But in the mind, especially the mind of one so in command of the Force as he, one second can be an eternity. There were records of Jedi with the ability to actually transfer life energy into another, to heal even the most mortal of wounds. That required time and laying on of hands, but those Jedi had no idea the power of the Dark Side.

The Emperor gave her new life and a new purpose. She'd lurched onto the transporter and escaped the demise of the Death Star, although with... unexpected consequences. By the time she arrived at her destination she'd found herself being hunted by Hirogen and just trying to stay alive. Getting off the planet had taken too long; by the time she'd returned, the slide was too far gone. She'd been forced to watch it all collapse... all she could do was hope that she could rebuild it. Thrawn would prove his usefulness in that regard, though only for a short while. He was clever enough to rebuild what was lost, but that would eventually make him a threat. Fortunately, she'd already prepared for that eventuality.

The shuttle came out of hyperspace and slipped into the dock of the Incaciad, the command ship of the Empire in lieu of Thrawn's absence. With the finishing touches of her Imperial uniform she exited the shuttle and marched with a crisp step to the man who was now in command of the Milky Way territories of the Empire. She stepped into the room with the standard military step she'd perfected over the years, not distracted in the least as General Taar gave a dressing down to Admiral Hulliss.

"You will move the battalion to the indicated coordinates, admiral," Taar said with barely restrained anger. "That is an order."

"I will not endanger my fleet to indulge Thrawn's puppet," Hulliss replied. "The ships stay where they are."

"Admiral," he said, the fury behind his soft words evident, "you will move those ships or you will be removed from command."

Hulliss laughed. "And how precisely do you plan to do that?"

Taar glared at him. "Do nothing, and find out."

Hulliss smile vanished suddenly. "Very well, general. I will move the battalion immediately."

"Good," Taar said, and cut the holo, turning around to sit on his desk. "These admirals will be the death of us all," he muttered.

"If I may say, sir," Mara said, "you certainly showed him who's in authority."

Taar nodded slightly in acknowledgement, but he clearly was distracted by what had just happened. "What do you have to report, lieutenant," he said, looking at Mara's rank insignia.

"Report from Imperial Security Bureau," she said, handing it over.

He took it from her and glanced at it as he went to set it aside, only to look back at it in amazement. "Impossible," he whispered.

Yes, she thought, it certainly is strange isn't it. Definitely something you'll want to tell Thrawn when he returns.

"He was executed," he mumbled. "How could he possibly have escaped?" He looked up at Mara as if suddenly realizing she was there. "Dismissed," he said, and she turned, unable to hide the small grin she bore as she stepped out of his office. Yes general, she thought, Picard's alive. What are you going to do about it?

It had taken some time, but the information Garak provided them had pinpointed the system Boba Fett had traveled to. The Millennium Falcon descended just outside the remains of a camp; "remains" being the operative word. It seemed that whatever had happened here had left little evidence of who lived here and why. That matters little to a Jedi.

The trio descended the ramp of the Falcon with their weapons drawn, their eyes closely monitoring any signs of an ambush. They hadn't detected anyone in the area, but they knew better than to take chances with either Vader or Fett. "Looks deserted," Han said, holstering his blaster but still tense. "Whatever happened here looks like it happened a while ago. There's some growth inside that shelter over there that looks to be months old. I'd say we missed the party."

Luke nodded as he looked around. There was no sign of his father's presence anywhere; just as before, he seemed to have vanished. Except that this time Luke had a little more to work with. "Keep an eye on things," Luke said. "I don't expect this to take long, but I can never tell for sure."

Han nodded in agreement but his tension didn't decrease. "Just don't start assimilating anything on me, okay?"

Luke walked over to the remains of the shelter, taking a seat among the spreading vines and ashes. He looked within, trying to find out what had happened here. The memories were distant, but after some concentration he finally started to see something.

Vader sat in a position rather similar to Luke's on this very spot, contemplating what was to come. Despite all that had happened he still was strong in the Force, and knew what was to come. Nevertheless, he accepted it as his destiny, and waited with patience. Finally, he heard the footsteps crunching on the soil outside the door. "Enter," his deep voice rumbled.

He didn't turn to look, but he knew who was there; he recognized his presence. "You traveled a long way to find one as unimportant as I," he remarked to the bounty hunter.

"A contract is a contract," Fett replied. "'Always fulfill the contract; there are no exceptions.'"

"I understand," Vader replied.

Fett was quiet for a moment. "I thought I'd give you the opportunity to surrender. The Cardassians want you alive."

"Yes," Vader said, "But not for very long."

The scene vanished, and Luke struggled to return to it. These distant memories were hard to focus on, but he renewed his effort and met with some success.

Vader stepped over the ridge, his every sense alert for the latest attack by the bounty hunter. There was a snap-hiss sound as he lit his blade, and he stepped carefully over the top of the small ridge. Suddenly he turned around as two blaster shots came from behind, his blade snatching them out of the air. He rushed in the general direction, alert for signs of where Fett might be hiding. There was a slight disturbance, and he leaped into the air. As he passed overhead the trap went off, but failed to catch the former Dark Lord as he turned and landed, blade at the ready, watching for a sign that the bounty hunter was coming to check his trap. After a few seconds he moved onward, as it seemed the bounty hunter was too clever to be taken in by his own trick. There was a small clattering sound of shifting rocks, and with slow steps Vader approached-

Luke lost it again. It was very frustrating, but he pressed onward, trying to find out what had happened.

Vader crouched near the smashed wreck of what had been his home, Fett's small missile having succeeded only in damaging property. The past few days had been especially dangerous; Fett was getting more and more aggressive in his attempts to catch him. He kept alert for any signs of him; he'd been attacking Vader at a distance. He knew he couldn't match him in one-on-one combat so he was trying to stay away from him while he attacked. Vader had been looking for the opportunity to change that.

He caught a glimmer of movement, just a few meters away actually. He sprinted in a slightly different direction, hoping to confuse Fett. At the same time, a group of rocks suddenly shifted behind him, causing the bounty hunter, for just a second, to become distracted; it was all Vader needed.

Fett turned back and saw Vader fall out of the sky at him. His blaster fired; three shots, center of mass. If Vader had been anyone else, he'd be dead. Pity for Fett, he thought as he sliced through the blaster rifle, he wasn't. Fett fired his cable, but Vader deflected it easily with the Force. He swung; cyborg fist met Mandolarian helmet. Fett lost his balance as his helmet cracked on the impact and he fell down. Vader put one foot on his chest and held his lightsaber just over Fett's face. The only sound was the buzz of the blade and Vader's breathing.

"For being an honorable man," Vader said finally, "I will spare your life this time; and only this time. I am leaving here; do not follow." He considered for a moment, and then swung his blade through Fett's right arm, severing the limb. "Go to a medlab," he said. "Don't follow me."

Luke shook his head. Moved on, he thought grimly. So, he is still alive, but just as strongly hidden as he was before. But at least he could take comfort in knowing the truth. Maybe he could search the surrounding systems- No. His father was trying to evade the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, he certainly would have put a great deal of distance between himself and this planet. Then Vader said it again. "Don't follow me."

Luke's eyes widened as he realized Vader was speaking to him. "Father."

"Don't, Luke," he warned. "Don't follow my path."

"Father, we want you to come back with us!"

But Vader said nothing as the planet faded into an office, and slowly the metallic exterior of Vader was removed, revealing the tortured soul beneath. He wore Jedi robes, his face wet with sweat and stitched with desperation and grief. His breathing was tormented, as if unable to believe he could be capable of his actions. "What have I done?!" he lamented.

And then a figure appeared, one that froze Luke's breath at the sight. "You are fulfilling your destiny, Anakin," said the Emperor in a beguiling tone. "Become my apprentice. Learn to use the Dark side of the Force."

Luke's father seemed like he couldn't even look at him while he thought, as if he knew how wrong it all was, but was willing to turn the other way, to ignore the evil that stood before him. "I will do whatever you ask," he said, his tone filled with pain and defeat. "Just help me save Padme's life". Luke could see on his every feature the oh-so familiar sense of fear and despair. "I can't live without her." And to Luke's horror, he got down on his knees before the most malevolent man in the galaxy. "I pledge myself to your teachings."

"Good. Goooood," the Emperor crowed quietly. "The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become." His father showed reverence before the hateful man as he said the words that would shake the galaxy for decades to come. "Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth... Vader."

Luke shook his head as he watched. How could it have come to this? How could his father have given in to this evil? "Understand now, you do." Luke turned, and there was Yoda, with Obi-Wan at his side. "See you the path your father walked? See you where it ends? You must turn back, Luke."

Luke's breath froze in his lungs. "You... you can't mean-" He looked into their faces. "I've followed the light side," he said firmly.

"Not always," Obi-Wan said.

"She was in danger!" Luke said. "She was hurt! How did you expect me to react when someone I care for suffers?!"

"As a Jedi," Yoda said plainly. "Care, you must; as we care for all life." He shook his head. "But you... you have shown selfishness. Jealousy. The stepping stone to fear, they are." He looked into Luke's eyes. "Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."

Luke's breath quivered with fear. "No," he said quietly. "No, I won't."

"Luke, beware your feelings," Obi-Wan said. "You have become a slave to them."

Luke looked about in despair; when he spoke, the words practically exploded from his mouth. "I have devoted my life to fighting darkness and evil." His face betrayed his frustration. "And I have never asked for anything! All I want is Annika; why can't you let me be happy?!"

"Because if you walk this path," Obi-Wan said, "then you will become the very darkness and evil you now oppose." His face was downcast. "As your father did."

"Never!" Luke insisted.

"Twice have you failed," Yoda said.

"But I've learned from it!"

"No," Yoda said with a weary shake of his head. "You have not. Still afraid to lose her... still afraid to let go."

Luke trembled in anger and frustration and fear. "No!" he shouted. "Annika's mine! I won't sacrifice my love for her on an altar built by dead men!"

"Luke, you must learn to control your feelings," Obi-Wan said.

"I have," Luke said firmly. "I will follow your teachings, but there are some places I refuse to go. Love, joy, what good is defending the galaxy if we have to turn our back on them?!"

"No one says you must, Luke," Obi-Wan said. "But you have allowed love to turn to hate, joy to turn to despair. You cannot control these emotions."

"Your greatest strength, Annika is," Yoda said. "Yet also, your greatest weakness."

"Learn to distance yourself, Luke," Obi-Wan said. "Your feelings can be used to serve the Dark side."

"I won't give in to darkness," Luke said. "But nor will I give up Annika. She has shown what she's willing to give up for me, now you're asking me to give back less?"

"Control, Luke."

"I am in control!"

"Forewarned, you have been," Yoda said, "yet still you refuse to see."

"Luke," Obi-Wan warned, "you must turn away from this path, or you will face the enemy alone."

"I won't," Luke said. "I'll have Annika at my side."

Yoda shook his head. "That is why you will go alone." Luke fumed and turned to leave, but Yoda called after him. "Luke! Remember your training!" Luke turned back, but his face bore disdain. "A Jedi will only use the Force for knowledge and defense." He shook his head. "Not to attack. Never to attack. Never to destroy. The way of the Dark side, that is." Luke turned and vanished. Yoda sighed. "Told you I did. A mistake, the girl was."

"You admitted yourself, she is also his greatest strength," Obi-Wan said. "To lose her would have destroyed any hope the galaxies had."

"Weak, she has made him," Yoda said. "Vulnerable."

"I do not deny that," Obi-Wan said with a weary tone. "I wish we could help him."

"Into the shadow of the Dark side, we cannot tread."

"I know," Obi-Wan said. "We're just left to watch. I only hope that if he fails... that she can finish what Unity demands."

Go To Part XXXVIII
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