Love of the Darkside

Disclaimer: Star Wars does not belong to me and if this fic is like any
others it is purely by coincidence.

"Sir?"

Luke Skywalker turned to eye the young woman in front of him.
"My master instructed me to see to your comfort."

"Oh, really. And who would your master be?"

"Emperor Palpatine."

Luke eyed the redheaded young woman skeptically. She didn't appear
dangerous but looks could be deceiving.

"Why should I trust the words of a fickle woman. Tell me that."

The woman struck out at him with a snarl at that comment. Luke grabbed
her arm and held her in a tight hold as she struggled against him. "Miss
Jade will you please calm yourself?" Luke said as he released her and the
instructor came towards them.

"Jade!" He barked, "that is a good way to get yourself killed."
"I could have taken him."

"You let your guard down. When under cover it will do you no good
whether or not you could 'take him down'."

"Sir," Luke interrupted, "perhaps it would be more helpful if she
learned from obvious mistakes."

"Like what?" Mara Jade spat at him.

"Jade, perhaps you could have taken me down but perhaps if there's no
other way then to fake your way through the mission-" Luke left it off at
that.

Mara sprung at Luke but not in time as he stepped back and forced her
to the ground. He pressed against her arm until she yelled in pain. Luke
released her and she rubbed her sore shoulder.

"That was a cheap shot."

"Jade, this is Lord Skywalker. He's to be your new master.

Mara turned to stare at Luke in shock. She had heard of Lord
Skywalker. He killed people even more unmercifully than the late Darth
Vader. Her master had taken a liking to him and had named him his successor
and right hand man just for that reason. The kind stranger couldn't possibly
be the Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Miss Jade, you disappoint me. The emperor spoke very highly of you."

"I can do better, I promise."

"Really, I haven't seen it. I'd hate for my faith in the master's
judgement to dissipate because of a flawed specimen."

Flawed specimen? Those words thundered through her mind as she angrily
turned to face him. She wanted to strike out at him but she couldn't move.
"Miss Jade, don't try that again."

Mara glared at the man as he rose an eyebrow questioningly. "You dare
to challenge me?"

"Yes," Mara snarled at him, "I do."

"Oh, you do?"

Mara paused before answering before letting her mouth drop open. He
was playing with her!

"Miss Jade, do you know why you're here?"

Mara shook her head as she glanced up at Lord Skywalker. The stories
she had heard of him shocked her. She has heard that he was the cruelest
they came. "I assumed to be your bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?" Luke asked incredulously. "You certainly have been fooled
young Jade."

"What are you even talking about?"

Luke shook his head and signaled her to follow him.

___________________

Mara glanced around the room as Luke shut the door behind him. She
could easily recognize it as the quarters of a high ranking Imperial, almost
as high ranking as the Emperor himself. And then it all made sense. The
words that her master had used. When you meet this man tell him you are to
see to his comfort.

His comfort, his comfort, his comfort, the words echoed in her head.
"Miss Jade?"

"What do you want from me?"

Luke smiled thoughtfully and she melted at the sight of it. How could
he be evil? "I think you know very well Miss Jade."

Mara stood in shock as she stared at him.

"You seem to have mistaken my intent." Luke took several steps forward
as he closed the gap between them and rested a hand on her arm. His hand was
strong and callused obviously from much work.

"What does the master wish of me?"

"It is not as much what he wishes of you but what I do."

"Why me? You could have so many others."

"You've intrigued me, Miss Jade. I've seen how you work and what I'm
seeing right now is not exactly what I had expected for our first meeting."
"What do you want of me?"

"A companion, a mate, some one who can actually keep up with me. The
mistresses the master has offered me bore me. I'm not looking for a
mistress, but a wife."

"I thought Sith Lords didn't have wives."

"They do not have wives whom they have loved for many years. It's more
intrigue than love."

"What?"

"I believe you understood me perfectly fine."

Mara nodded her head as she glanced at him. She understood him but she
wasn't as sure about him as she had hoped.

___________________

The Emperor glanced at them, his yellow eyes gleaming, his voice raspy
and old as he saw before him his servants.

"Lord Skywalker, you come to me for a reason. And Lady Skywalker, you
have become more than I could ever imagine of you."

"Thank you, my master," Mara said as she bowed her head to her master.
She had received a new name and a new position and as she glanced at the man
alongside her she felt settled in this knowledge. She was sure she would
never love this man though, but in the Emperor's service love was a shallow
word. It had not place, here, in the Empire.

"Master," Luke spoke up before him, "what is it you wish of us?"

"An assignment, for the both of you."

"Yes master."

___________________

Mara handled the lightsaber easily as she glanced up at her partner,
her husband. She had never expected anything like this in her work for the
Emperor.

"Mara, the weapons," Luke spoke up for the first time in the trip.
"What about them?"

"You won't be needing them."

"What?" She echoed as she glanced over his form. Luke's expression was
not one to be taken to questioning as Mara handed over the blaster.
Luke cleared his throat and she finally gave in and tossed her
lightsaber and powerpack over to him and he nodded his head. He took a
single step closer to her and took her chin between two fingers. "Don't be
discouraged, Mara. This is the way it is to be," he lowered his head and
kissed her softly.