Disclaimer: I do NOT own Star wars, so don't sue me, ok?

AN: Hello folks, my first fic so please be gentle;)

Okay, first of all this is an AU story so don't like don't read. Secondly English is definitely not my first language nor is my auto(in)correct what it should be (it usually stuffs some Finnish to every sentence though I've changed the language English *annoyed*) so there might be mistakes I have missed, sorry about that...

Anyway, about the story; I have changed the original storyline quite a bit, here it was Mara in Byss, not Leia, to help Luke. I haven't read a thing about what really happened in Byss, and it shows. Also if the fact that some of the characters that died in the movies being alive is not your thing, this isn't a fic for you. And the AU part starts from the beginning and everything will differ from the expanded universe from there on (oh, and some changes to Padme and Anakin...)

Pairings; L/M and other canons including A/P

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The Jade Empire, part I: The beginning

We are more than we are, we are one -Lion king II

10 ABY, Byss

Hooded man sat on a throne at the top floor of Imperial Citadel. Cruel smile played on his lips as he watched "the hero" struggle helplessly against the darkness within. "Let the anger consume you, only that way you will be able to serve this galaxy, rid it from the horrendous decease you're calling 'the New Republic' and bring peace and stability", the hooded man said voice dripping with venom. "Yes, give up..."

"No don't listen to him!" The red-headed woman pleaded. She let out a shriek as she got shot with lightning.

"Be silent, my treacherous Hand, you shall receive your punishment later." The new born emperor hissed.

Oh yes he was going to enjoy breaking her newfound will-power, but that would have to wait. First he would have to make sure his stubborn new apprentice would be completely lost in the darkness, without the tiniest flicker of light left in his soul. He would not make the same mistake as he did with the boys father.

"No! Luke, please listen to me, you must stop this! Come back to the light, I'm begging you!" Mara pleaded desperation sweeping in her voice. 'This isn't happening', were her aguished thoughts; 'it just can't.' Mara didn't know anymore how long she had been trying to persuade Luke, but what she knew was that she, Mara Jade was on a brink of tears all because of some stupid jedi that couldn't keep away from trouble.

Luke turned around and looked at her, Mara looked in those yellow orbs;" please... come back to the light, to your family, friends... me!" A tear fell from her eye, and then she saw it. For a moment, a tiniest moment, his eyes went back to their natural pale blue before switching back to yellow. She knew he wasn't totally lost, she would just have to...

"Your desperation amuses me, give up the hope, give up the light and join him in darkness if you truly so wish to be with him", the emperor taunted. Mara felt pressure against her mind as Palpatine sought a way in.

"It's no use to resist, sooner or later you'll return to me, no matter how powerful you've become, you can not hope to defeat me, even the great Anakin Skywalker with all his power, fell."

'Anakin... of course, thanks Palpy', she tought regaining her composure;" don't let the darkness swallow you as it did your father! Be a better man than him!"

"You know nothing of my father!" Luke shouted in anger and ignited his lightsaber.

'Okay, that seems to have struck a nerve' Mara tought whilst taking a few steps back, 'think Jade, think.' Luke was evidently Angry and preparing to attack, but there was something in his eyes, something hidden, something she couldn't quite put a finger on. 'What ever it is, it belongs to the real farmboy' she decided. And as a final act, when Luke hesitated to attack, even tough Palpatine was encouraging him to, she reached towards him in the force.

Luke was drowning, drowning in the darkness, the maddened cackling Palpatine was letting out sounded in the background, it got stronger the more he struggled against the crushing darkness. Then a voice pierced his dazed thoughts, the most beautiful sound in the existence called for him, again and again, and then he felt it; light in the force, a hand reaching for the drowning man, searching, asking to be let in, offering salvation, security, stability... hope... love... a promise to chase the shadows away.

He pulled together everything left of his slowly dimming selfconsciousness and opened his heart and mind to let the light in, desperately reaching for the safety-net he was offered.

Mara felt him reaching towards her, his focus slipping. Mara knew what she would have to do, she knew the danger she was putting them both in, but what choice did she have? If she didn't act now all would be lost, so she dropped all her shields, drawing him from the suffocating dark waters he was drowning in, to her, surrounding him with her presence. But just as Mara had feared Palpatine tried to invade her mind the moment her shields dropped.

Palpatine could taste his victory! The foolish girl had dropped her shields and now he would have them both, his loyal Hand and a new sith apprentice. But just as he was about to pierce through the mind behind the fallen shields, something happened; a piercing, blinding light flashed across the force.

The light was so intense it pained to look at. Palpatine screamed, for no shadow can survive in front of such light and thus he did not see it in time, wasn't able to do anything about it; A flash of green light, a burning feeling and then nothing. The last of the Emperor's clones had lost it's head.

The moment they had reached each other something changed, their beings melting together with no restraining shields, they were not just Mara or Luke anymore, they were something much more. They were Mara and Luke, Luke and Mara, one person not two, one. One being, one faith, one soul, together. Two bodies, one will. Two hearts beating one. No more did the darkness threat them, there were only serenity, completion, vibrant colors, all together in perfect harmony.

Mara heard, no they heard, a scream and as one they moved. The already ignited saber in the hands of the one who was closer to their enemy, shadow, threat, was rised and then they moved and struck with the speed and skill of a master.

And in the millisecond that the dark soul had just been separated from last of it's houses, the part of them that was Luke called to force and used it to grap the shadow and vaporized it in pieces so small they could no longer be brought together, and banished them from this life, scattering them accross the chaos, where those small pieces of the most dangerous sith of all time would wait for the ending of time. And Mara knew that the nightmare that had plagued the galaxy for far too long was gone for good.

And then the moment of unity was over. Reluctantly they both returned to their own bodies. Mara looked around her, uncapable to fully understand what had just happened. The throne room of the Imperial capital on Byss was in completely disarray. She raised an eyebrow in confusion, she couldn't remember when that had happened nor how they both were still unaffected after practically standing in the eye of the storm.

"Death of a sith causes a pressure wave, an explosion. I'm sure you remember C'baoth?, and I shielded us, or maybe it was you..." Came anwser to her unvoiced, but not unheard, question.

"How did you..."

"Your shields aren't up"

"Yes they are", she argued back.

Both of them were quiet for a moment searching the force for anwsers, what they found was familiarity towards each other, that Mara could swear hadn't been there before. 'I wonder what this is about? The shields are indeed up, but why do I still get through? Well not completely, the memories are out of my reach but still...' Mara thought, except those weren't her thoughts! 'Oh Kriff!'

"Skywalker, we have a problem"

TBC

Sorry to leave it like that:( had to cut it from somewhere. So what do you think? Hopefully the next chapter will explain this mess a bit:)

R&R (please make the criticism constructive, I'm new in this)