Disclaimer: All characters belong to Lucas films and Timothy Zahn. I
am making no money nor claiming any rights to characters.

Author's note: I had posted this chapter originally as a round robin,
but had an inspiration and decided to finish the fic myself. I am re-
posting chapter one to give a reminder of what went on before I post
chapter two.

Special thanks to HewgleyMom who was so gracious to beta my story.

THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY

Prolog: This story occurs at the end of Empire Strikes Back and
continues through Return of the Jedi. Emperor Palpatine has
discovered the last known location of Luke Skywalker is in the
Dagobah system. Palpatine
dispatches his best assassin, Mara Jade, to the system with orders to
find and kill young Skywalker. However,
unknown to Mara Jade as she arrives the dank little swamp planet,
Luke Skywalker has left the system in route to
save his friend and ally Han Solo. While at Dagobah, Mara Jade
encounters a being she won't soon forget.

Chapter One: Little Green Gnome

The imperial shuttle landed with a soft thud. Not her best landing,
but then there wasn't much of a landing pad in
the dense swamp. Mara Jade busied herself with a brief post flight
check, then rose to leave the shuttle taking one
last look at the picture of her latest target. `Not much of a target
at that', she thought to herself, `really no more
than a boy, barely a man.'

As she disembark the shuttle, she looked around at the dank
surrounding and grimaced
as she anticipated a long trek through the marsh. "Well, at least
the kill will be fast," she said aloud. Scowling
she tossed the picture of Luke Skywalker into the shuttle, grabbed
her bag, and headed into the bog.

She hadn't gone far when she began to feel she was no longer alone.
A small figure stood ahead of her and though
she considered gabbing her blaster, she sensed no danger. She
approached the being mildly surprised he hadn't
run. He was less than a meter tall and stood with a walking stick
supporting his weight, although she suspected he
could walk without it.

The two studied each other for a moment until Mara finally broke the
silence. "I'm looking for someone," she
said in her best imperial voice.

"Found someone you have, hmmm?" The green being replied calmly.

Mara raised an eyebrow at the small creature's boldness. She replied
without pause, "His name is Luke
Skywalker. He's a human, about 20 standard years, blond hair, blue
eyes." She studied the creature trying to
decide if any emotion crossed his face, but he remained
impassive. "Have you seen him?" She tried.

"Seen him I have," the little creature replied calmly.

Annoyed at the his brief answers, Mara professionally polite
composure began to falter. "Where is he?" She
demanded.

"Tell you, I will not," the being replied evenly.

Anger soared through Mara as all patience left her. She bent down to
the creature, grasping his tunic between her
thumb and forefinger pulling him within inches of her face. She
looked him squarely in the eyes, and in her
deadliest voice whispered, "Listen you little green gnome, if you
don't want to end up at the bottom of that slimy
pond over there, you will tell me what I want to know. No more games!"

The creature studied her briefly. He sensed a great deal of hate in
her; however present also, although well hidden,
was pain, sadness, and a considerable amount of loneliness. Calmly,
showing no emotion he replied, "Much anger
I sense in you Emperor's Hand."

Mara, taken back, quickly stood up releasing her prey. "How do you
know that?"

The creature continued passively, "Much hate also Mara Jade. Many
have you killed."

Mara was at a complete loss. No one knew her title let alone her
name, but a hand full of the Emperor's top brass.
"Who are you?" She questioned harshly.

"Master Yoda I am," he replied.

"Master?" She repeated confused. Slowly it came to her. "A jedi?
You're a jedi!" She seared. Her thoughts
collected, she drew her light saber. She would get some answers from
the gnome then kill him and Skywalker too.
She smiled inwardly knowing how pleased her master would be with this
added bonus.

Yoda turned his back to her and was slowly walking away. He stopped
when her heard the snap hiss of her saber. Unmoved he replied,
"Trained your mother, I did."

That gave Mara pause. As a well of long forgotten emotions began to
stir in her, Mara stammered, "You're
lying."

He continued, "Lie I do not. A jedi she was."

"No, that's not true. That's impossible." But there was no
conviction in her voice.

Yoda now turned to the young woman before him. "Much like her you
look. Same eyes, same face. The hair is
your father's I think." Yoda paused as if in momentarily lost in
thought. "Yes, yes, the hair is your father's. Brave
he was, bravest among all jedi."

Mara couldn't hide her shock. "Both my parents were jedi?" She
became introspective, anger and hate dissipating
leaving behind numbness and vulnerability. Softly she added, "I
don't remember my parents."

"Spare me and tell of them I will, hmmm?"

Mara dumbly looked at her hand still holding the ignited light
saber. She turned it off and looked back at the jedi
master confused, as if silently asking what to do next. Something
about this little jedi made her feel calm. Still
more confusing to her, the anger she usually felt suddenly didn't
seem so important. Things seemed a bit foggy, as
if someone had placed a shroud over her feelings of hate and Mara
couldn't quite remember why she was suppose
to be angry in the first place.

"Hungry you are, yes? Come, come...good food I have. Eat you will and
tell you of your parents I shall. Come."
And he again turned from her and began to walk away.

She watched his departure for a moment deciding what she should do.
She really shouldn't follow him; she should
kill him and be done with it. Her master would not approve. He
would be very displeased with her. She had a
mission to complete and was shrugging off her duty. But the prospect
of finding out about her parents was too
great. And, for the first time in her life, Mara Jade put her needs
ahead of her master's and began to follow the
small jedi through the swamp.

Chapter Two: Revelations

Mara continued to follow the small jedi through the mire that was
rapidly growing darker as evening approached.
Blackness caressed the trees casting an ominous sensation of
isolation around her. Mara increased her pace to a
slow jog to keep up with the jedi master, not wishing to become lost
in the darkness of the night.

They seemed to be following a crude path flanked with vegetation.
Fallen limbs and brush lay randomly across the
path creating barriers Mara had to slow and climb over. Ahead, Yoda
seemed to veer left off of the path. When
Mara reached that spot, she found herself standing in a small
clearing that housed a meager hut. He stood in its
doorway and beckoned to her, "Come in child. Good food I have."

After a slight hesitation, Mara followed the jedi into the hut,
ducking down to avoid hitting her head on the
unusually low door frame. The hut was one room and housed two cots
toward the back. In the middle of the room,
a small eating area centered around a fire pit. A fire burned low
with a pot suspended above it. A foul smell from
the pot caused Mara to shudder. Yoda beckoned her to sit on a log
that lay aside the fire. He happily scooped a
ladle full of the offensive concoction into a bowl and presented it
to her graciously. Mara tried to remain
impassive, but frowned in distaste. She politely took the bowl and
was dismayed to find the jedi waiting for her to
take a bite.

"What's in this?" She questioned, then realized she probably didn't
want to know. "Never mind; it's probably a
secret recipe," she stammered.

Yoda watched with amusement at her attempts to show politeness and
was impressed knowing politeness was most
likely a foreign concept to her.

Mara took a bite of the stew, and it took every ounce of her resolve
not to spit it out. The taste was worse than
some of the punishments the Emperor had inflicted upon her when she
was a small child. She forced herself to
swallow then offered to the jedi who seemed to be awaiting her
reaction, "It's very...interesting."

Yoda seemed to smile, or maybe she saw a smile in his eyes. "Good!
More you can have. Now, tell you of your
parents I will."

As he told her told the story, Mara became mesmerized as she tried
picture her parents in her head. Yoda told
Mara her parents' names were Dane and Sarah Kaden. Sarah (Halcyon)
Kaden came to the jedi temple as a small
child after her parents died with an illness that had infected their
village. Yoda instructed young Sarah, along with
other padawans her age, in the very beginning teachings in the
force. She had been a bright child, eager to please,
and she possessed a gentleness about her. She had eyes the color of
bright jade jewels that were full of mirth and
mischief. She often played jokes on her peers, and occasionally her
jedi masters. Although this behavior was not
usually encouraged, many masters found themselves greatly amused by
her antics. Sarah had shown some talent in
telepathy which, when further developed, surpassed some of her
masters' abilities.

Dane Kaden was tall and rugged with a thick stalk of red-gold hair.
He was quite serious and possessed an aura of
kindness and understanding that seemed to comfort all those around
him. He was always first to volunteer help
during a crisis and never seemed afraid of failure. Dane held his
peers with a high regard and was often found
coaching ones who struggled with their jedi lessons. Yoda felt, had
it not been for the war, Dane would have made
an exceptional jedi master.

Dane and Sarah married shortly before the war broke out. As the jedi
began to be executed, Dane sent a pregnant
Sarah into hiding until the birth of their child. He had felt a
great struggle within him, feeling torn between
protecting his wife and unborn child and protecting the lives of the
many he had pledged to defend. In the end, he
was killed on what was to be his last mission before joining Sarah in
seclusion. He died aiding another jedi master
smuggle a young woman out of Naboo who, ironically enough, was also
pregnant.

Yoda paused in his story, seeming to collect himself. It appeared
merely discussing these memories had greatly
saddened him. He again began to speak in a whisper. He told Mara
that three years after the death of her father,
he had received a vision. Mara's mother, who was in great anguish
that seemed to heighten her telepathy ability,
was able to show Yoda flashes of incidents occurring just prior to
her death. As the jedi master spoke, Mara could
see the images in her mind...stormtroopers crashing through a
doorway, heavily armed...a small child clinging to
her mother, crying hysterically...a soldier ripping the child from
the young mother's arms...a hooded figure
standing in the doorway...the woman begging the figure to spare her
child...the hooded figure of Palpatine
laughing as he sent lightening through the young mother ending her
life.

Tears ran down Mara's face as she hugged her arms around knees now
drawn to her chest. Emotions bombard
her; hate, anger, shame, regret, remorse, helplessness. How she
could have served the monster responsible for the
death of her parents. She looked to Yoda, as if to explain or offer
some excuse, but the words seemed to fall
unspoken on her lips. After a moment, the jedi took her hand and led
her to the area where the two cots sat. One
was smaller, obviously meant for Yoda, but the other would easily
accommodate someone Mara's height.

"Sleep here you will. My student is away. His bed you may use.
Sleep now and talker further tomorrow we will."
The jedi master words, though soft spoken, left no room for refusal.
Mara laid down on the cot, certain no sleep
would find her tonight, but within minutes, she was lost in a
dreamless slumber.
_______________________________________

The next morning, Mara awoke to an empty hut. She rose from the cot
and ventured outside.
She found the small jedi standing nearby; his back was to her. She
approached him slowly, quietly, not wanting to
disturb his thoughts.

"Time for you to leave it is," he spoke gently.

Mara felt a rush of fear as loneliness threatened to overwhelm
her. "But I don't want to leave. Can't I stay here
with you?" She pleaded, as the prospect of returning to Palpatine
seemed more than she could bare at the moment.

Reading her mind Yoda firmly stated, "Face him you must, only then,
free will you be." He stopped briefly as if to
consider his next advisement. "Learn the ways of the force you
must. A jedi master you will need. Find him you
will, and my regards give to him."

He turned toward Mara, and for the first time Mara could sense the
magnitude of his power. She shivered at the
thought of how easily he could have killed her instead of offering
her help. But, she could also see the light in his
eyes was fading. Years of experience as an assassin watching her
victims die told her that soon the little master
would be gone from this world.

Yoda studied the young woman who was lost in thought before him.
Much had changed in her in a short time, but
much work still lay ahead. Yoda pressed on, "A message I have for
Palpatine."

Mara carefully listened, the confusion was plain upon her face as she
didn't quite comprehend the meaning. In the
end she found herself nodding in acceptance of the message. "I will
tell him, Master Yoda."

Yoda turned away without another word and Mara took that as cue she
had been dismissed. She turned and began
walking back toward the shuttle. She turned back to Yoda one last
time, as if to say thank you, but he was gone.

Mara reached the shuttle without incident and was surprised to find
she had remember the way back to the ship.
As she sat in the pilot's seat powering up the computer for take off,
she again looked at the picture of Luke
Skywalker. She now had an understanding that if that tiny jedi had
been his master, she had greatly
underestimated Skywalker. She smiled at her chagrin. Now came the
feat of finding herself a jedi master.
Looking back at the picture an idea came to her. But, would he do it
was the thought filling her mind as she lifted
off the planet.

Chapter Three: Unlikely Allies

Mara punched some codes into her computer and was given permission
to dock on the enormous vessel. Once aboard, she set out to find the
intended party she needed to see. She was mildly surprised, as she
walked unhampered through the corridors, how easily she had gained
access to what she assumed would be a highly secure vessel. Perhaps
she had been expected.

She found him standing alone in a large conference room as if waiting
for her. He stood with his back to her, gazing out the unusually
large window port at the many stars beyond. He seemed calm, but as
she entered the room unannounced, she couldn't help worry that
perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea after all. As she drew
nearer to him, he turned casually to her and said, "Ah, Miss Jade,
this is unexpected. The Emperor's Hand is paying me a visit?"

Mara took a deep breath and began, "I've just returned from the
Dagobah system. I went there to kill your son." All pretense of
politeness gone as Darth Vader glared at the young woman before him,
mentally visualizing squeezing her heart in his head.

Although Mara could not read his thoughts, she new enough to quickly
add, "I didn't find him." Vader seemed to calm slightly, but Mara
knew her life was still in danger. She continued before he could
silence her for good. "I did find a jedi master named Yoda. He sent
you his regards."

Vader could not hide his surprise from the force sensitive one. "So,
Yoda is alive and has begun my son's training."

"Yes, Yoda is alive, but not for long. It seems as if it is his time
to move on from this world; I saw it in his eyes."

Vader eyed the woman suspiciously. Why was she here freely giving
him this information. Although he had some regard for the woman's
abilities, he usually found her overconfidence in herself annoying.
She thought too much of herself. She thought she was able to dube
anyone into believing her. He was not anyone. "So why are you here
and not groveling at your master's feet?"

Mara continued unaffected. She had known Vader all her life and was
use to his verbal barbs at her servitude. Others feared Vader, and
although she knew he could easily kill her, she did not fear him.
That point in itself greatly bothered Vader, much to Mara's
amusement. "I've come to talk with you. Palpatine doesn't know I'm
here."

Slightly impressed she would refer to the Emperor by name and not
title he replied, "I don't believe you, Mara Jade. When have you
ever acted on your own thoughts?"

"He knows of your plan to join with your son and overthrow him.
That's why he sent me to Dagobah. He wants Skywalker dead before he
is an issue."

The anger returned to Vader with vigor. The Emperor had lied to
him. He had no intention of bringing his son into the Empire. Vader
had been fooled. Palpatine had known all along of his plot of
betrayal. Vader had to act quickly. He again watched to woman in
front of him. She was obviously part of Palpatine's plan to trap him
and would have to die. For some unknown reason that saddened him a
bit. Still he couldn't resist toying with the young woman who had
become his nemesis over the years. First he would play along with
her, make her think he believed her story. Next he would trick her
into giving away her motive. Finally he would do away with her.

"Why would you tell me this Mara? The Emperor would kill you for
your betrayal." He questioned anticipating her pleasure in believing
Vader was dubious of her intentions. But, her next words shocked him.

"I think we've been pit against each other far too long, Lord
Vader." Mara said evenly sensing Vader's surprise at her verbal show
of respect. "For years he ingeniously tricked us into hating each
other. Think of all the times he praised one in a way that belittled
the other. We continuously fought for his attention and competed to
show who was the more valuable servant, the most loyal. Palpatine
enjoyed this strife between us, because it made it unlikely that we
would align ourselves against him."

Vader was greatly impressed that Mara had finally figured out what he
had known all along. He had given up hope she would ever come to the
realization that the old despot had been controlling her all along.
And because of this, Vader began to wonder if perhaps Mara Jade were
sincere in her visit to him. Still he needed to be cautious.

Vader decide directness would be the best approach. "Are you
insinuating you want to become my ally against the Emperor?"

Mara returned his directness, "Actually, I was insinuating I become
your student." She held her breath. Everything hinged on Vader's
decision.

Vader was incredulous! Was she trying to trick him into admitting he
was ready to commit treason? If so, she was playing the part
admirably, he had to give her that. But still, too much was at
stake. How could he believe one he had mistrusted for so long.
Another thought came to him. Yes, the Emperor was crafty. It would
be just like him to send the girl to Vader to entrap him, knowing
that if Vader were innocent, he would kill the girl for her
blasphemy. A cold realization hit Vader as he imagined the lengths
the Emperor would go to trap him, even killing his most trusted
hand.

Mara stood in uncomfortable silence watching as Vader struggled with
his decision to believe her. A sense of foreboding pressed upon her
mind the need for urgency. She had to do something, and something
quickly, to make Vader believe her. Something that he would know the
Emperor would never allow her to do no matter what the mission. The
idea came to her, and without contemplation, Mara kneeled before
Vader and spoke earnestly, "My offer is sincere---Master."

Vader is struck dumb at her visible show of humbleness. Before he
could speak she continued. Vader could sense the pain in her
words. "Palpatine murdered my parents. He stole my life and made me
his slave. I have served him without question, with complete
devotion my entire life. I would have died for him, but it was all
meaningless. I don't matter to him; I'm expendable. I will serve
him no more."

Mara hesitated briefly to allow her words take root in Vader's mind.
She continued with vigor, "And what of you, Lord Vader? How much
have you sacrificed for him, your wife, your friends, your freedom?
Now he wants your son as well. How much more are you willing to give
him. How long will you continue to be his slave?"

After a pause Vader responded, "And so thought you would ask me to
train you. Why me?"

"Because you were a jedi once. Surely you still remember how to be
one."

Had it not been for his helmet, Mara would have seen his mouth drop
open in shock. "Am I to understand, not only do you expect me to
train you in the ways of the force, but as jedi and not a sith?"

"Yes, Master...Skywalker," she replied softly.

Vader turned away without corrrecting her use of his former name,
silently wondering if that part of him is truly gone after all.

Mara continued, "Palpatine would never suspect the two of us joining
against him. He is overconfident. He is too occupied with the
rebels and your son. He won't see this coming."

Vader said nothing. Mara rose and walked behind him tentatively
placing her hand on his shoulder. "I will be a good student. You
know I will. Then, we will face him together as we should have long
ago."

Vader turned to the woman, "What's in it for you?"

"Freedom."

"And for me?" He asked.

"Redemption," she replied

Vader stared at her for a long moment before he spoke. "All right
Mara. We will begin your training this evening. But if I find you
are deceiving me, you will beg for death before I finish with you."

Mara's only response was a brief nod. She promptly left the room
and, once outside, released a breath she didn't realize she had been
holding.

Chapter Four: The Master and the Padawan

Mara entered Vader's private docking bay shortly after the evening
meal. He was waiting for her by a lone tie-fighter, his personal
shuttle. The room was empty of crew and Mara wondered if perhaps
Vader had arranged for the seclusion. There was no squabbling
between them; no pretense of their former animosity.

Without greeting, Vader spoke, "Mara, I believe we should begin with
something simple. I would like you to lift my tie-fighter using the
force."

Mara was dumbfounded and stared at Vader wondering if perhaps she had
misheard him. He faced her, and without emotion stated, "You may
begin."

"Yes Master," Mara said after a brief pause.

She turned her attention to the tie-fighter trying to decide if Vader
had a lot of faith in her, or was merely attempting to show her her
limitations. Either way, the fact that he was allowing her to
practice on his personal shuttle made her both a little uneasy and
touched at the same time.

Mara reached out with the force and attempted to raise the vessel.
Nothing happened. Vader whispered softly, "Don't think about it so
much; you're trying too hard. Let go of your physical limitations
and open yourself to the force around you."

Mara nodded and refocused her attention on the shuttle. She let out
a slow breath and relaxed herself. She felt a tingling of energy
around her.

"Now," Vader continued, "visualize that energy around the
shuttle."

Mara concentrated on the tie-fighter imagining it rising into the
air. Slowly, the shuttle began to wobble, then remained still.
Vader spoke, "Still trying too hard." He placed his hand on her
shoulder, "Again, Mara." This time when she reached out with the
force, she felt her master's added power flow about her and out
toward the vessel. Together they lifted the tie-fighter half a meter
off the landing pad.

"Good, now hold it there," he said as he began to pull back his
force energy. Mara felt the shuttle begin to sink and she redoubled
her efforts.

Vader encouraged, "It's only heavy if you let it be. Your eyes see
the size and tell you it's too heavy. Ignore them. You must not
trust your eyes, they can deceive you. Judge instead by what you
feel, what the force tells you to be true."

The shuttle leveled off and remained suspended in the air. Vader
removed his hand from Mara's shoulder. He studied the young woman
beside him, impressed with her strength in the force. Had the
Emperor known of her power all along? He wasn't one to miss
something blatantly obvious, so the question remained why hadn't he
trained her himself? Perhaps he was apprehensive with the notion of
having too many force empowered slaves around him. Another question
nagged at Vader. If he had brought his son before the Emperor, and
they had managed to turn Luke to the dark side, would Palpatine have
kept both Vader and Luke alive? Wouldn't same apprehension persuade
the despot to kill one of them?

Vader turned his attention back to Mara. She was totally absorbed in
her task and completely unaware of her surroundings. Vader leaned
closely toward her and whispered, "Your mother begged for her life."

The tie-fighter slammed down onto the docking bay. Mara turned to
Vader and he could feel the anger radiate off her. "What did you
say?" She demanded.

"I said, `your mother begged for her life.'"

Mara became enraged. How could she have trusted him? How could she
have thought he was anything less than the monster she had always
known him to be. "You son of a ...!" She screamed, unable to finish
the sentence. "You killed my parents! It was you!"

Vader remained calm, "No Mara, I wasn't even present when they
died. I had nothing to do with their deaths."

"Then why did you say..."

"To test you, Mara," Vader interrupted.

Her face showed confusion, but the anger continued to simmer within
her. "Mara, you must know that the Emperor will do and say anything
to confuse you, anger you, and defeat you. He will attack your
weaknesses and any emotion you display. You think he doesn't know of
your longing for your parents? He knows you well, child, better than
you realize. He'll use your pain against you. He'll make you so
angry that you'll lose your senses and act out in haste. "

Mara's fury abated completely leaving behind embarrassment. How
easily Vader had goaded her. With her head cast down, she appeared
focused on her shoes. Vader used one finger under her chin and
gently raised her head until she was looking into the eyes of his
helmet. Softly he added, "Mara, your temper is your greatest
deficit. It always has been. Even as a young child you were
feisty." Vader mused inwardly at the memory of a young red-haired
child, no more that five years, glaring defiantly at a trainer who
had broken her finger for talking back to him.

Humbled Mara replied, "Yes Master. Shall I begin again?"

"No, I think that's enough for tonight. It grows late. Meet me in
the engine room before breakfast. We'll practice with light
sabers." The girl nodded and they both departed out separate doors.

_____________________________________________________

Mara's training with her new master continued in secret for few more
weeks, periodically interrupting when Palpatine called one or the
other to a complete a mission. Most of Vader's missions allowed Mara
to remain on his ship, albeit in seclusion from the crew. The
Emperor was none the wiser, because Mara's foremost assignment had
been to infiltrate the ship and spy on dark lord. She was to inform
Palpatine of any suspicious behavior. Of course she had found none,
much to Vader's entertainment, and they often shared a good laugh
over this.

Vader trained his padawan in the use of light sabers. He instructed
her how to block blaster fire and how to shield her thoughts. Mara
learned to successfully lift many objects with the force, including
Vader's shuttle. Her master challenged her daily by trying to anger
her or cause her pain. She became better able to manage her temper,
although was never able to let go of her feistiness, which seemed to
amuse Vader. A special camaraderie developed between the student and
teacher, often times resembling a relationship of daughter to
surrogate father. When their final training session took place, both
were heavyhearted.

"Mara, it is time." Vader began. "My son has surrendered himself to
stormtroopers on the planet below and is en route here. Palpatine
has ordered me to bring Luke before him."

"Yes, the Emperor has commanded me to `seek out and kill Han Solo and
Lando Calrissian.' I had planned to leave after this session."

With concern in his voice, Vader asked, "How do you plan on avoiding
killing them?"

Mara shrugged. "I'll just stall a bit. After all, the Millennium
Falcon `made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsces,' " she said
with an aloofness that clearly showed she didn't put much stock in
the rumor. "I'll just have trouble catching up with `the fastest
ship in the galaxy.'" She rolled her eyes, but smiled in the end.
Vader just shook his head in response and Mara could almost feel
mirth emulating from him.

Vader turned somber. "Mara, I want you to have this," he said as he
presented her with a light saber. "It was my light saber when I was
a jedi, before I----turned," he added softly. "I lost it in battle
with my jedi master...and nearly lost my life as well. Luke brought
it with him to Besbin. I took it from him in battle." Vader
reflected sadly at how close he had come to almost killing his own
son.

Mara could feel her master's pain and offered, "Master, perhaps you
should give it back to your son. He should have it, not me.
Besides, I already have a light saber."

Vader glanced down at the saber hanging from her belt. "Ah yes, but
then jedi typically don't carry light sabers with a crimson blade.
You have been my only student, Mara. You've worked hard. I'm proud
of you. I want you to have it. Luke will understand. And, for some
reason, I believe it was meant to be yours."

Mara reached out and tentatively took the light saber from her
master's out stretched hand. Vader continued, "Until we face
Palpatine, may the force be with you."

Mara looked at Vader and realized this could be one of the last
moments they shared together . With unshed tears in her eyes, she
replied, "Thank you, Master. And may the force be with you
too...Anakin."

She turned and walked from the room, and as Vader watched her depart,
a smile formed beneath his mask. Yes, it was good to be back.
Anakin Skywalker started toward the detention center. It was time to
let his son in on the plan.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Lucas films and Timothy Zahn. I
am making no money nor claiming any rights to characters.

Chapter Five: Confrontations and Resignations

The throne chamber was grand in size, but ordinary in appearance.
Centered in the room was a raised area fashioned like a stage of
sorts. Upon it sat an ominous looking chair that served as a
throne. There were no walls around the area, but the frontal edge
gave way to a wide staircase leading to the ground level. This
served the Emperor in two ways. It gave Palpatine an advantage to be
able to see persons wishing an audience long before they were able to
see him. This gave him a perverse sense of delight to see their
facial expressions long before they could attempt to mask them.
Although he could easily read their minds, it always amused him to
watch staff and prisoners arrive and see their fear long before they
entered the throne chamber. Most importantly, it served as
subliminal message of humility. No one was allow on the stairs
unless the Emperor granted permission. As one stood in attendance
below, he would have to look up to the despot, and thus giving the
Emperor an aura of superiority.

Mara Jade stood in the outer most area of the throne room hiding in
one of the Emperor's secret passageways. She was using all the force
ability she could muster to shield herself from the occupants in the
room. The Emperor sat on his throne. To an outsider, he appeared
relaxed, calm, almost serene. He looked so weak, so old that one
might assume he would be easy to kill. Mara knew that behind that
guise lay a savage full of power and malice, waiting for his latest
prey to give in to temptation and attack him. She could almost see
his anticipation at the prospect of conquering another Skywalker.

Beside the Emperor stood Vader. He appeared calm as well, but all
his attention seemed focused on the final member in the room. Luke
Skywalker stood behind the throne, facing away, as he watched the
battle in space from the large windows that aligned the back of
Palpatine's throne. He turned toward Palpatine and eyed the light
saber casually lying on the armrest of the throne. Mara was taken
back at the appearance of Luke Skywalker. He no longer looked like
the boy from the picture she had been given; he had become a man. He
was dressed in black and stood with confidence that seemed to give
him height. He had a commanding presence about him, and Mara felt
instinctively drawn to him.

As Mara continued to watch, it seemed as if Palpatine were taunting
Skywalker, encouraging him to take the light saber. No doubt it
was Skywalker's friends taking part in the battle outside and the
Emperor was playing on those emotions. Skywalker turned toward the
window, then abruptly turned back to Palpatine as his light saber
flew to his hand instantly igniting. Skywalker brought the green
blade quickly toward Palpatine's chest, and for a moment Mara held
her breath wishing he would succeed. Suddenly a red blade appeared
and blocked the green seconds before it made contact with the
despot. Palpatine smiled wickedly, his animosity and malevolence
filled the room. As it reached her, Mara felt her knees buckle as
bile rose to her throat. She shuddered briefly and pushed back the
ill feeling.

She watched mesmerized, as the green and red blades danced around the
room in a sadistic union. She wondered why Vader hadn't allowed his
son to simply kill the Emperor. The look on Skywalker's face gave
her the answer. He seemed enraged as he attacked Vader. Hadn't
Vader told Skywalker of their plan, or didn't Skywalker believe
him.

Suddenly, Mara realized she had become so engrossed in the battle
between father and son, that she had allowed her shields to drop.
Palpatine was aware of her presence. She began to walk into the
throne room and felt the Emperor's fury ensnare her and she nearly
recoiled at the intensity. Never in her life as his servant had that
much fury been directed solely at her.

Mara continued to walk determinedly to the base of the stairs, giving
no attention to the battle going on beside her. Luke and Vader
became aware of her presence. Luke stepped back so he could eye both
the newcomer and Vader who were now flanked on either side of him.
Vader extinguished his light saber and stepped away from Luke, as if
giving pause to their battle as his master addressed the woman.

Keeping his senses on his nemesis, Luke lowered his saber but kept it
on and at the ready. He tentatively looked at the woman. She had
brilliant red-gold hair pulled back in a gentle braid. Her eyes were
the color of his saber. Fierceness and danger seemed to radiate from
her, and if he could sum her up in one word, it would have been
deadly. She was the most enticing woman Luke had ever seen.

Palpatine's voice took Luke's attention from the woman. "I did not
summon you Mara Jade," he stated in a cold voice.

The woman did not flinch, much to Luke's astonishment. She answered
in a calm and steady voice, "I have a message for you, Darth
Sidious, from Master Yoda."

Luke allowed his light saber to extinguish at the mention of Yoda.
He had allowed hi anger to control his actions. His father had not
been lying to after all. He looked sorrowfully at his father and
felt a gentle brush of warmth and understanding come from him.

Palpatine rose abruptly from his chair as an aura of indignation and
anger encircled him. He addressed Mara, barely controlling his
rage. "You spoke to Yoda? And what, pray tell, did that
insignificant charlatan have to say?"

Mara appeared unmoved and continued, "He asked me to tell you `the
Jedi Council requests your presence.'"

The Emperor did the last thing Luke expected. He began to laugh.
The laugh was cruel and hideous, without a trace of warmth. Although
he did not raise his voice, it seemed to echo thought out the
room. "You stupid, foolish woman! The Jedi Council is long since
dead."

"Yes," Mara replied. "And they request your presence---momentarily."

Hey Guys and Gals, here is the next part....sorry it's so short. In
hind sight, I can see I should add more battle to my battle
scenes...but I don't really like writing them. *wink* Jayden

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Lucas films and Timothy Zahn. I
am making no money nor claiming any rights to characters.

Chapter Six: The Deliverance

The room itself seemed to emulate the Emperor's wrath as he
spoke, "You will pay dearly for your betrayal child. Lord Vader,
finally, you may kill Mara Jade."

The Emperor smiled viciously, anticipating the girl's fear and
remorseful pleading for her miserable life. He was to be
disappointed, for Mara's only response was no response at all. She
remained calm and relaxed. Beside her, Skywalker also seemed unmoved
by Palpatine's demand. Realization sank in as the tyrant turned
questionably toward the man who had served half of his life as his
slave.

Anakin spoke with pride, his voice loud and clear. "I defy you
Palpatine. I will not harm my student nor will I harm my son. It is
time for your reign to come to an end."

Luke continued where his father left off. "You have failed Your
Highness. The jedi are alive and we three are only the beginning.
Surrender---or die."

The Emperor threw back his head as he laughed insanely. "You fools
think you can defeat me? You will soon learn differently." Without
warning his head came down as he raised his arms toward Luke and
Anakin, slamming their bodies with black lightening filled with all
the force of his vengeance.

Mara didn't wait. She charged the stairs toward her former master,
light saber drawn as the blue blade cast an eerie glow to her
determined face. The tyrant allowed her to reach the top of the
steps before he turned both hands on her, throwing her brutally down
the stairs with the intensity of his dark blast.

Palpatine paused briefly to scrutinize his quarry lying at his feet.
Young Skywalker was trying to raise in vain. He managed to lift
himself to his hands and knees, then fell unceremoniously to the
floor. Mara Jade lay near by him, unmoving and semiconscious.
Palpatine smiled congratulatory to himself as he pondered who he
would kill first. His smiled faded as he turned to where Vader
should have been and found nothing. Vader was gone. Alarm rose
in the despot as he searched for his former slave, first with his
eyes, then with the force. It was to no benefit, for he could not
sense Vader's presence anywhere. Fear stabbed at Palpatine as he
heard the snap-hiss of a light saber behind him. He turned in time
to see Darth Vader's red blade run him through. The last thought
that went through his mind, as he felt the fire of the blade sear his
black heart, was how he could have miscalculated Vader so
completely.

As the slain abomination's lifeless body fell to the floor, the room
seemed to quiet in an expectant pause. The Emperor's body then
exploded in what might have been a last furious attack on the
occupants in the room. Luke and Mara, still lying at the bottom of
the stairs, were able to shield their heads in their arms, but he
force of the blast seemed to assault Vader and cruelly threw him to
the bottom of the stairs. He landed with a sickening thud between
Luke and Mara.

Luke was the first to react. "Father!" He cried out in dread,
fearing his father was already gone. He crawled to his father and
cradled him in his arms. "Father?" He questioned. Anakin stirred
then seemed to focus on his son. Mara crawled over to assist Luke.

"Luke, help me take this mask off," Anakin rasped.

Luke pleaded, "No, you'll die." He looked to Mara for support, but
her attention was on his father, as tears streamed down her face.

Luke turned back to his father and Anakin spoke, "Nothing can stop
that now. Please Luke, let me look at you once as my true self
before I die."

Luke assisted him in taking off the mask. Anakin's face was pasty
white with a deep gash across his face from an old injury. He looked
weak and tired, but his eyes held love and warmth as he gazed at his
son. Luke thought that it was the most beautiful face he had seen.

Anakin stared at his son, so strong, so kind, so much like his
mother. His gaze then fell upon Mara and he saw a forgiveness and
compassion that he had not seen since she was first brought to the
Emperor as a small child. He raised his hand to her chin. "Thank
you for believing in me Mara."

He dropped his hand down and reached out taking her hand in his. He
turned back to Luke and took his hand as well. "Thank you, my son.
Tell your sister I am sorry and that her father did not die in the
dark."

Anakin took Mara's hand and placed it in Luke's. "Pass on what you
have learned, Master Skywalker." And, Anakin took one last breath,
then died quietly.

Chapter Seven: When One Door Closes...

Luke and Mara stared down at the body of Anakin Skywalker, still
holding hands. His face seemed peaceful and serene. A loud
explosion nearby brought them back to reality as the blast ricocheted
through out the room, nearly toppling them over. Remembering the
battle beyond the station, they quickly dropped hands and stood up.

"We've got to get out of here!" Mara yelled over the noise of the
explosions.

Luke nodded. "I'm not leaving him," referring to the body of this
father. "He doesn't deserve to be left here."

Luke expected Mara might argue, but she seemed to consider his
request, then said, "We can take Palpatine's escape shuttle. It's
close and I have the security codes to fly it."

Luke stared at the woman before him and wondered how deep she had
been involved in Palpatine's empire. But his father had trusted her
and she was willing to help him, so without debate, he too placed his
trust in her. It felt right somehow.

Together they half carried and half dragged Anakin's body toward the
far left at the base of the stairs as debris began to fall around
them. They reached a metal wall and Luke looked questionably at
Mara. She motioned to a small crack in the wall that he would never
have noticed had he not she not pointed it out. As Mara placed her
finger in the crack in the wall, Luke heard a small click. A panel
in the wall slid away to reveal a short hallway. Mara urged them on
and Luke followed.

They came to a small room that housed a rather plain looking shuttle
one might expect a merchant or a trader to own. Luke was confused
why someone of the Emperor's stature would possess such an ordinary
ship. Mara seemed to read his thoughts and with a shrug
offered, "He didn't want to attract attention to himself if he needed
to escape."

As they entered the shuttle, Mara raced to the front and began
entering codes into the computer commanding the ship power up for
flight. Luke laid the body of his father on the deck of the shuttle
as there was really no where else to put him. He gave on last
longing look at his father, then headed up to Mara and took the
copilot's seat strapping himself in. Together they navigated the
shuttle safely off the space station and headed at a reckless pace
toward the planet below. Before they reached the planet's
atmosphere, they heard tremendous explosion and felt a torrent of
energy propel them forward as the Death Star gave way to a decisive
hit from rebellion fire. A silence followed that seemed to echo the
finality of Palpatine's evil rein.

______________________________________________________

Standing together they watched as Anakin's pyre burn into the night
casting a warm glow of light around them. Luke stared at was once
his father and couldn't help but feel a little alone. He had been so
close to having at least one parent in his life.

Beside him, Mara shared his loss as well. Vader had been part of her
life for as long as she could remember. Most of the years she had
been spent hating him; the final moments she had admired him. He had
been her confidant, her mentor, and in the end, he had given her
freedom.

Wordlessly Mara slipped her hand into Luke's and he turned to face
her. As he looked into her eyes, he knew that somehow she understood
everything he was feeling. This woman who was really no more than a
stranger to him, who was once an imperial, who risked her life to
save him was now offering him comfort. Silently he pulled her
into a fierce embrace, feeling some of the sorrow dissipate as he did.

Mara stiffened in surprise as Luke hugged her. She couldn't remember
every being hugged. At first it made her feel awkward and
vulnerable, but as he held her, she felt the loneliness begin to seep
away. Tentatively she returned the hug. Somehow, it just felt right
to be in his arms.

As the two held each other longer, they shared a single thought.
They knew that many trials would lay ahead of them, but they knew
that whatever may come, they could face it. They weren't so alone
after all.

The End

I want to thank everyone for reading & reviewing my story. I
especially want to thank Elizabeth for being my beta reader. I've
almost completed another story, which is a comedy. I will post it
sometime in the new year. Merry Christmas.....Jayden