Title: Republic Saga - Alliances, Chapter Eight
Author: Jonathan Evans
Author email: noggins@btinternet.com
Republic Saga Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/republicsaga
Summary: With the shields down the Republic strikes while Mara tries
to escape Thrawn for the second time. Will her feelings stop her again?
REPUBLIC SAGA
ALLIANCES
CHAPTER EIGHT
For the second time Mara found herself at the lowest she
could possibly go. Wandering through the old, seedy district
of Coruscant she found herself at the home of Zsan Treil,
the Jedi woman who had protected her but found herself on
the wrong side of Maul's lightsaber. The door was left ajar
and she pushed it open slightly to look inside.
In the corner of the room was a figure rummaging through
the ancient human's artifacts, throwing unwanted items
across the room, often smashing the more fragile ones
on the wall. Finding something that was wanted the strangely
familiar being pocketed it. Mara put her hand around the
hilt of her lightsaber and slowly moved in.
She hadn't been seen yet noted by the broken datapad
flying aimlessly through the air but finding itself on
a collision course with her head. Using the Force she
made it stop in its motion. After several seconds the
figure turned around, noticing that the pad hadn't made
a crashing sound on the floor. His eyes were filled with
fear as he saw the item he had just hurled floating as
if held by an invisible force.
Mara realised who it was. The mad old man from the cantina
who claimed to be a Jedi when being accidentally bumped.
He obviously remembered who she was and tried to make
an escape. As he ran he found the datapad fly in front
of his face and shatter on the wall. "If you want that
to be your head," Mara informed him. "I'd not move."
"The woman is dead," the 'Jedi' stammered. "She couldn't
use any of this. I could."
"For what? To sell it on the black market? Making money
out of other's poverty?"
"Jedi don't do that. I am a Jedi. As are you, it seems."
The Emperor's Hand walked in front of the old man and
pushed him gently against the wall with her finger.
She wasn't showing any violence but it was more than
enough for her companion to realise she wouldn't hesitate
in doing so if she had to. "Actually, my dear, unknowing
friend, I am a Sith." He started to panic, trying to
shimmy away from her put soon noticed an arm was blocking his
path. He threw the bag of loot to the floor before finding
himself there too. He looked as if he was about to beg
for mercy.
"I'm so sorry. Don't kill me. I'm not really a Jedi."
"I knew that."
"You did? Then you'll let me go?"
Her booted foot came down on his hand that over confidently
let itself rest on the floor. The old man let out a howl.
"You may not be a Jedi but I'm still a Sith. The woman
who lived here taught me the Black Arts and I will not
have anyone trying to bury her memory into the ground
before she is even dead two days."
The man finally caved in. Tears started coming from his
eyes as he fell limp and weak in fear for his life. Mara
lifted him up by his collar. "You will put everything
back in its place. I will be back to ensure that
nothing is moved. If it is you will be the first person
I destroy."
"Wh... What if someone else does it?"
"You're going to make sure that they don't."
"Oh-okay. I'm sorry. Thank you... thank you for sparing
me."
"So you should be." Mara went to the man's belt and
took the lightsaber hanging from his side. Just as
she'd noted during their last encounter it was broken
and possibly beyond repair, the durasteel shell rusting
in places. She put it on her belt and dragged the
thief out of the house and shut the door behind her. With
one move she threw him through the air until he landed
on the floor with a thud.
For the first time Mara smiled as she watched him run
away as fast as his legs could carry him. No one would
harm Zsan's possesions now.
Then it happened. Shrapnel began to fall from the sky
like rain. Mara glanced upwards to see battles taking
place between Republic and Imperial fighter, laser
blasts flying in all direction and... bombs. B-wings
were focusing on the control centres but some of
their missiles were not quite hitting the targets
they were meant to as some found themselves heading
into the slum districts. One exploded in the cantina
next to her. Two Wookies outside were caught in the
blast which sent Mara flying through the air. She
managed to land on her feet but realised others were
not so lucky.
"Screw this," she muttered to herself as she ran towards
the docking bay she had left her private starship
after she last came to the planet. It had been a long
time and she could only hope that it hadn't been
stolen. At first the high pitched sound behind her
meant nothing but as it became louder she realised
there was more to this than she thought. Whipping around
with her lightsaber activated, Mara Jade found herself
face to face with a concussion missile headed straight
for her.
* * * * * * * *
Leia led her father and the rest of the group to the
designated landing point for the rescue shuttle but it
soon became evident that they were going nowhere. The
air battles rained around them and there was still no
sight of their salvation.
Anakin pondered the situation. "We're going to have to
find some other escape route out of here. Any idea
where they keep starships on this planet?" He knew
the answer before he finished his question. On a
skyscraper just opposite them sat a rather shiny
looking Nubian vessel that reminded of the Naboo
Royal Starship that... she had. Why couldn't he get
to terms with her death? It had been so long ago and
now he had a daughter he never thought he had. Why was
the memory of the goddess-like queen so hard to accept?
He brought himself to, shaking his head back into motion.
The ship was aged and had quite a few modification, a
series of blaster cannons salvaged from something
more Correllian but he wasn't going to complain. He took
out his laser sword. "Cover me!" With a huge leap he
made the gap between the buildings as Keylar, Lando
and Narril fired at any fighters that would have interfered
with his attempt.
On the other side, Skywalker forced the sliding door open and
entered. It was dirt and obviously hadn't been used in
quite some time. The license must have run out years
previously and the owner wasn't able to afford to register
it again. Right now, whether or not it was legal to fly
by Imperial standards wasn't his problem as he raced to
the cockpit to start up the engines.
Upon pressing several buttons it did just that but with more
of a stutter than a roar but that wasn't exactly important
since, as long as they got them off the ground, they
would be fine.
* * * * * * * *
Keylar watched as the impressive vehicle lifted off and
headed towards them, the door open enough for them
to jump onto the landing ramp and to safety. Keylar
prepared for the leap, his legs bending slowly.
Just then a piece of the nearby building broke
loose and headed for the hull of the starship. With
a loud crack, the shields blocked it in time and, in
slightly more fragments, it fell down to the parts
of the city below.
The Mandalore jumped up and scrambled into the cargo
hold. Lando and Narril were soon after followed by
Leia whose Jedi dexterity allowed her to make it
much easier than the others.
"I'm going to catch up with my father. We should get
us off this dump." She disappeared through a set
of sliding double doors as the brothers and the
Mandalore staring out over the battlefield until the
landing ramp blocked their view. "Strange, isn't it,"
Lando commented. "We're leaving the planet so we
can take it over. I'll never work out Ackbar's
mentality."
* * * * * * * *
Admiral Dasson looked at the viewscreen where Thrawn's
face was barking orders to him. "I will be taking my
private shuttle and meeting with you. Ensure that
the fleet does not evacuate to hyperspace until I am
safely aboard."
"Yes, my Lord," the nervous officer replied. Was this
the time to tell the Emperor that they had captured
a Republic pilot? Realising it would put him in a
slightly better mood than the one he was currently
in, Dasson voted yes. "And another thing..."
"Yes?"
"An enemy pilot was captured and is currently in the
holding cells. We haven't got anything but his
name, rank and number but that's enough to tell us
he could be useful to us."
"Excellent. I look forward to meeting him."
"Yes sir."
The face disappeared only to be replaced with the view
of the stars and the battle going on outside. The Empire
seemed to have the upper hand against the Republic
fleet but with the capital of the galaxy below soon to be
under the control of the enemy they were definately
going to be the losers in this battle. It was only
best to cut their losses and get out while they could.
This, despite what impression he gad to give to the people
under his command, was what Captain Dasson had wanted
from the start. He didn't believe in Thrawn. Hell, he
didn't really agree with Palpatine and his obsession
with sorcery. All Petri Dasson wanted was to maintain
order. He was brought up to believe in order and it
was his god given right to ensure that everyone else
did to. If it meant killing the occasional anarchist
then so be it.
Dasson walked to the front of the bridge where his first
officer was looking out into space where TIE fighters of
all kinds - standard, Interceptor, bomber - were going
head-to-head with their Republic counterparts.
"You heard our orders?" Dasson asked.
"Yes sir," Commander Rellith replied. "Evacuation is
our only bet. It will give us time to regain our
forces and come back even stronger."
Dasson was forced to agree. "Indeed. Our problem is
the very battlefield. It's our property, at the moment
that is, and therefore we immediately find ourselves
on the defensive. When we're here next the tables will
be turned."
* * * * * * * *
Mara swifty sliced forward and somersaulted backwards as
the explosion ripped through the street but to a lesser
extent than it would have if not for her. Before she
could accept the thanks of those she had saved she started
running towards the only safe place. Her starship was
definately not far from here.
She jumped over the rubble of a collapsed building,
ignoring the helpless aliens trapped underneath and
picked up her pace more to avoid further rubble falling
from the sky. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a
spark and looked up to see a sleek, shiny starship taking
off from a landing platform some miles above. She knew
the Skywalkers were there but had to remain focused.
There it was! In a hidden garage just ahead. Mara made it
to the entrance and entered her authorisation code and...
nothing. She'd been blocked out. She'd paid for two years
rental. The passwords should still be active unless someone
had changed them.
With that the door opened. Despite the darkness Mara
could see there was someone in here, someone she didn't
want to see at this precise moment in time. Darth Maul
sneered. "Why do you bother, my dear Emperor's Hand.
Every time you try to escape I will always be there to
capture you again. It is your duty to Thrawn that prevents
me from destroying you here. Strange, isn't it?"
The young woman frowned bitterly. "I wouldn't know."
"But don't think you'll be going on any more jobs for
him this time. The only reason he wants you is to..."
a smile covered the Sith Lord's lips. "...punish you."
"I'd like to see him try."
"He'll do more than try."
Maul whipped out his lightsaber but before Mara could
react the handle collided with her skull. She heard a
loud crack from within and just before she passed out
noticed blood trickling down the side of her face.
* * * * * * * *
Anakin sat alone in the cockpit to the starship they
had just borrowed. All sorts of thoughts went through his
mind as he controlled the vessel further towards the
atmosphere and out of the range of any attacking fighters.
Why did he let Thrawn go? He could have fought - to the
death if necessary. Why did he get so afraid? And... and
just the thought of Her made him shut down. How could it
be possible that he couldn't accept the death of his
wife that occured over twenty years ago?
"Father, we're safely aboard."
Anakin turned around quickly as if he wasn't expecting
Leia to walk in on him. The Force should have alerted
him to her presence. He was getting stronger with
each day that passed. Of course. He was too distracted.
He calmed down before spoke again. "I'm glad to hear that.
Shall we rejoin the fleet?"
"Couldn't think of anything I'd like more," his daughter
smiled as she took a place next to him. "Let's get going!"
* * * * * * * *
Mara hit the ground with a thud and finally came to, although
still a little groggy. The first thing she saw as her eyes began
to focus again were two leather-booted feet. She looked
up and squinted to see Thrawn looking down on her. A frown
covered his face. "You betrayed me Mara Jade," he hissed
in a voice completely different to the one Mara had last
heard him speak with. It was more... familiar.
"Master?" she asked.
Thrawn held out his hand and Mara felt herself being lifted
to her feet by the Force until she was at eye level with the
emperor. "I trained you to serve me. You were meant to
follow my orders without question."
"I - I didn't know it was you. I thought..."
"You thought it was Thrawn. That would be acceptible if
you were anyone but the Emperor's Hand. You should know
me from the other side of the galaxy."
He dropped Mara to the floor again. When she tried to
get up she was pushed down by another foot - that of
Maul. He was getting some perverse pleasure out of his
treatment of her and the more Mara noticed the more
her anger got out of control with no way to work it off.
"I tried to follow your last orders..."
"I changed my orders to you. Leia Skywalker is to be mine.
She is to be my apprentice... my new Hand."
Maul, with one strong push, took Mara to the ground completely.
He held her down with his foot as he spoke to his master.
"And what is to become of... this?"
"She will be punished. I am a forgiving person, Mara, but
you have gone beyond even my generosity." He smiled but
realised that it made the age show even more on his
face. He gave a quick glance to the Dark Lord. "Bring her
into my shuttle."
The Sith picked Mara from the floor and dragged her up
the landing ramp of Thrawn's personal shuttle all the
while wondering what he would be refered to in the future.
Thrawn or Palaptine. But more importantly, where would
he stand if Skywalker's daughter became his replacement.
* * * * * * * *
"I'm getting a communication from Admiral Ackbar," Leia
informed her father as a indicator on her console began
to flash uncontrolably. "Shall I respond?"
Anakin frowned. "I'd rather we waited until we got back
to base before we tell him anything. He's already got
enough against the Jedi as it is. He may start firing
on us if we tell him we failed."
Leia nodded with a smile. She rejected the call and
took over the sensors again. Within seconds another
emergency stopped her from relaxing. "Father, there's
an Imperial shuttle coming up behind us. It's weapons
are active."
"Palpatine!" Anakin hissed as looked at a nearby viewscreen.
He began to charge up their weapons. "Last time I flew
one of these babies it didn't have much in the way of
blasters. Looks like we're about to see the tables turned."
"You're suggesting we attack? After you stopped us from
taking him on back at the Temple? Are you sure that's
such a good idea?"
The starship shook as a blast hit it. The determination
in the old Jedi's eyes increased fourfold. "You bet it's
a good idea."
* * * * * * * *
The Nubian designed ship span around on its axis until it
was facing the Imperial shuttle. Three shots rang out as
the laser blasts hit the quickly approaching vessel. Inside
Maul staggered across the cargo hold and collided with the
wall. Mara jumped to her feet and flew at him, her foot
causing a loud crack in his ribs. As if he didn't feel
any pain, the Sith grabbed her leg and threw her to the floor.
"You shouldn't have tried that, Jade. I could very easily kill
you right her."
"Go ahead."
Maul ignited one end of his lightsaber and stabbed down at
Mara's face, only stopping just before the skin. He
laughed. "You'd like that wouldn't you? For me to kill
you before our master can torture you. I didn't credit
your intelligence enough."
"You need some yourself to be able to do that."
A growl came from deep down Maul's throat as he tried
to resist using his anger and killing her where she
lay. Another shot hit them.
* * * * * * * *
Leia began to panic. "Father! Their shields are much stronger
than ours. We can't take any more shots! You said yourself,
we'll have a better chance when we meet them next!"
Anakin seemed determined. He switched the weapons to proton
torpedoes and held his thumb above the trigger. He said
nothing in reply to his daughter.
"You can't use them at such close range! We'll be destroyed
too and what good would..."
"There is no death, there is the Force!"
Leia shouted out her next words without even thinking about
them. "Mara's on board that ship!"
Anakin turned around. "What?" The Shuttle flew passed them
and into space. With a flash it entered hyperspace and
disappeared. The elder Skywalker looked annoyed. "They
got away." His daughter said nothing but he could sense
the relief she felt.
* * * * * * * *
"Today a great victory has been won," Mon Mothma said in
broadcadt that could been seen all over the galaxy. She
stood in the centre of the Galactic Senate as hundreds of
camera droids from every holo-network circled her. "The
Republic once again has control over Coruscant. From this
strong vantage point we will be able to maintain control
over the galaxy and ensure that peace is finally restored
after the regime of the Empire. It will be hard and will
take a very long time but all I request is that the former
Republic worlds meet once more in the Senate in order to
sign the New Republic Treaty. It has been a long, hard
journey and it is not over yet. Thank you."
The holograph disappeared and Hela Zapalo looked over at
Adi Gallia. "Yet some worlds will never be able to return."
"Naboo lives on in the hearts of its survivors, Hela. It
is your job to ensure it never dies out as Palpatine wanted."
Kas Grendor spoke up for the first time since Mothma began
her speech. "There was no mention of the Jedi," he informed
the rest of the Council. "I feel she is afraid to talk of
us. There are too many people like Ackbar in the Republic."
"As the Chancellor said herself, the journey is not over
yet," Master Yarled stated.
Gallia nodded. "Nonetheless I still fear that we will not
be properly represented in the Senate."
* * * * * * * *
Leia had settled into her quarters on Coruscant in an area
that had not been seriously damaged in the attack. Her father
had recommended a nearby nightclub that he claimed to
have frequented when he was still an apprentice but she
didn't feel like joining the celebrations that were
starting there.
The lights in her room were off so she quickly noticed
the blue glow which signified her brother's presence.
She turned to look at Luke's shimmering spirits and
noticed the smile on his face. "Palpatine is gone
and the light has returned. I have missed you, sister."
Leia smiled jokingly. "You'll never guess what my day
was like."
"Actually I was with you at all times. It was painful
not being able to show myself but the darkness was too
much. I couldn't project myself."
"Well I'm glad you can now. Father is having problems
in dealing with letting Palpatine go yet at the same
time he was the one who suggested we do so."
Luke nodded. "He has a lot to deal with. You must remeber
he lost much of his life trying to be Boba Fett, the loss
of his powers didn't help. They are returning yet he can
no longer control them. Give him time."
"I guess so," Leia replied. "He did question my reasons
for letting Palpatine go. He thinks my feelings for
Mara Jade are blinding me to my mission."
"And what are your feelings towards her?"
"I... I don't know," the Jedi princess whispered loud
enough for her brother to hear. "She wants to kill me
yet she can't bring herself to. I want to help her but
father doesn't understand that."
"So you understand that the time will come when you
must face her. If she has got over her initial
apprenhension and is willing to destroy you, will
you be prepared to do the same?"
"I am ready to face her, Luke."
"That wasn't what I asked."
"I know."
THE END.... FOR NOW
To be continued in Republic Saga - Betrayal beginning very soon!
Author: Jonathan Evans
Author email: noggins@btinternet.com
Republic Saga Homepage: http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/republicsaga
Summary: With the shields down the Republic strikes while Mara tries
to escape Thrawn for the second time. Will her feelings stop her again?
REPUBLIC SAGA
ALLIANCES
CHAPTER EIGHT
For the second time Mara found herself at the lowest she
could possibly go. Wandering through the old, seedy district
of Coruscant she found herself at the home of Zsan Treil,
the Jedi woman who had protected her but found herself on
the wrong side of Maul's lightsaber. The door was left ajar
and she pushed it open slightly to look inside.
In the corner of the room was a figure rummaging through
the ancient human's artifacts, throwing unwanted items
across the room, often smashing the more fragile ones
on the wall. Finding something that was wanted the strangely
familiar being pocketed it. Mara put her hand around the
hilt of her lightsaber and slowly moved in.
She hadn't been seen yet noted by the broken datapad
flying aimlessly through the air but finding itself on
a collision course with her head. Using the Force she
made it stop in its motion. After several seconds the
figure turned around, noticing that the pad hadn't made
a crashing sound on the floor. His eyes were filled with
fear as he saw the item he had just hurled floating as
if held by an invisible force.
Mara realised who it was. The mad old man from the cantina
who claimed to be a Jedi when being accidentally bumped.
He obviously remembered who she was and tried to make
an escape. As he ran he found the datapad fly in front
of his face and shatter on the wall. "If you want that
to be your head," Mara informed him. "I'd not move."
"The woman is dead," the 'Jedi' stammered. "She couldn't
use any of this. I could."
"For what? To sell it on the black market? Making money
out of other's poverty?"
"Jedi don't do that. I am a Jedi. As are you, it seems."
The Emperor's Hand walked in front of the old man and
pushed him gently against the wall with her finger.
She wasn't showing any violence but it was more than
enough for her companion to realise she wouldn't hesitate
in doing so if she had to. "Actually, my dear, unknowing
friend, I am a Sith." He started to panic, trying to
shimmy away from her put soon noticed an arm was blocking his
path. He threw the bag of loot to the floor before finding
himself there too. He looked as if he was about to beg
for mercy.
"I'm so sorry. Don't kill me. I'm not really a Jedi."
"I knew that."
"You did? Then you'll let me go?"
Her booted foot came down on his hand that over confidently
let itself rest on the floor. The old man let out a howl.
"You may not be a Jedi but I'm still a Sith. The woman
who lived here taught me the Black Arts and I will not
have anyone trying to bury her memory into the ground
before she is even dead two days."
The man finally caved in. Tears started coming from his
eyes as he fell limp and weak in fear for his life. Mara
lifted him up by his collar. "You will put everything
back in its place. I will be back to ensure that
nothing is moved. If it is you will be the first person
I destroy."
"Wh... What if someone else does it?"
"You're going to make sure that they don't."
"Oh-okay. I'm sorry. Thank you... thank you for sparing
me."
"So you should be." Mara went to the man's belt and
took the lightsaber hanging from his side. Just as
she'd noted during their last encounter it was broken
and possibly beyond repair, the durasteel shell rusting
in places. She put it on her belt and dragged the
thief out of the house and shut the door behind her. With
one move she threw him through the air until he landed
on the floor with a thud.
For the first time Mara smiled as she watched him run
away as fast as his legs could carry him. No one would
harm Zsan's possesions now.
Then it happened. Shrapnel began to fall from the sky
like rain. Mara glanced upwards to see battles taking
place between Republic and Imperial fighter, laser
blasts flying in all direction and... bombs. B-wings
were focusing on the control centres but some of
their missiles were not quite hitting the targets
they were meant to as some found themselves heading
into the slum districts. One exploded in the cantina
next to her. Two Wookies outside were caught in the
blast which sent Mara flying through the air. She
managed to land on her feet but realised others were
not so lucky.
"Screw this," she muttered to herself as she ran towards
the docking bay she had left her private starship
after she last came to the planet. It had been a long
time and she could only hope that it hadn't been
stolen. At first the high pitched sound behind her
meant nothing but as it became louder she realised
there was more to this than she thought. Whipping around
with her lightsaber activated, Mara Jade found herself
face to face with a concussion missile headed straight
for her.
* * * * * * * *
Leia led her father and the rest of the group to the
designated landing point for the rescue shuttle but it
soon became evident that they were going nowhere. The
air battles rained around them and there was still no
sight of their salvation.
Anakin pondered the situation. "We're going to have to
find some other escape route out of here. Any idea
where they keep starships on this planet?" He knew
the answer before he finished his question. On a
skyscraper just opposite them sat a rather shiny
looking Nubian vessel that reminded of the Naboo
Royal Starship that... she had. Why couldn't he get
to terms with her death? It had been so long ago and
now he had a daughter he never thought he had. Why was
the memory of the goddess-like queen so hard to accept?
He brought himself to, shaking his head back into motion.
The ship was aged and had quite a few modification, a
series of blaster cannons salvaged from something
more Correllian but he wasn't going to complain. He took
out his laser sword. "Cover me!" With a huge leap he
made the gap between the buildings as Keylar, Lando
and Narril fired at any fighters that would have interfered
with his attempt.
On the other side, Skywalker forced the sliding door open and
entered. It was dirt and obviously hadn't been used in
quite some time. The license must have run out years
previously and the owner wasn't able to afford to register
it again. Right now, whether or not it was legal to fly
by Imperial standards wasn't his problem as he raced to
the cockpit to start up the engines.
Upon pressing several buttons it did just that but with more
of a stutter than a roar but that wasn't exactly important
since, as long as they got them off the ground, they
would be fine.
* * * * * * * *
Keylar watched as the impressive vehicle lifted off and
headed towards them, the door open enough for them
to jump onto the landing ramp and to safety. Keylar
prepared for the leap, his legs bending slowly.
Just then a piece of the nearby building broke
loose and headed for the hull of the starship. With
a loud crack, the shields blocked it in time and, in
slightly more fragments, it fell down to the parts
of the city below.
The Mandalore jumped up and scrambled into the cargo
hold. Lando and Narril were soon after followed by
Leia whose Jedi dexterity allowed her to make it
much easier than the others.
"I'm going to catch up with my father. We should get
us off this dump." She disappeared through a set
of sliding double doors as the brothers and the
Mandalore staring out over the battlefield until the
landing ramp blocked their view. "Strange, isn't it,"
Lando commented. "We're leaving the planet so we
can take it over. I'll never work out Ackbar's
mentality."
* * * * * * * *
Admiral Dasson looked at the viewscreen where Thrawn's
face was barking orders to him. "I will be taking my
private shuttle and meeting with you. Ensure that
the fleet does not evacuate to hyperspace until I am
safely aboard."
"Yes, my Lord," the nervous officer replied. Was this
the time to tell the Emperor that they had captured
a Republic pilot? Realising it would put him in a
slightly better mood than the one he was currently
in, Dasson voted yes. "And another thing..."
"Yes?"
"An enemy pilot was captured and is currently in the
holding cells. We haven't got anything but his
name, rank and number but that's enough to tell us
he could be useful to us."
"Excellent. I look forward to meeting him."
"Yes sir."
The face disappeared only to be replaced with the view
of the stars and the battle going on outside. The Empire
seemed to have the upper hand against the Republic
fleet but with the capital of the galaxy below soon to be
under the control of the enemy they were definately
going to be the losers in this battle. It was only
best to cut their losses and get out while they could.
This, despite what impression he gad to give to the people
under his command, was what Captain Dasson had wanted
from the start. He didn't believe in Thrawn. Hell, he
didn't really agree with Palpatine and his obsession
with sorcery. All Petri Dasson wanted was to maintain
order. He was brought up to believe in order and it
was his god given right to ensure that everyone else
did to. If it meant killing the occasional anarchist
then so be it.
Dasson walked to the front of the bridge where his first
officer was looking out into space where TIE fighters of
all kinds - standard, Interceptor, bomber - were going
head-to-head with their Republic counterparts.
"You heard our orders?" Dasson asked.
"Yes sir," Commander Rellith replied. "Evacuation is
our only bet. It will give us time to regain our
forces and come back even stronger."
Dasson was forced to agree. "Indeed. Our problem is
the very battlefield. It's our property, at the moment
that is, and therefore we immediately find ourselves
on the defensive. When we're here next the tables will
be turned."
* * * * * * * *
Mara swifty sliced forward and somersaulted backwards as
the explosion ripped through the street but to a lesser
extent than it would have if not for her. Before she
could accept the thanks of those she had saved she started
running towards the only safe place. Her starship was
definately not far from here.
She jumped over the rubble of a collapsed building,
ignoring the helpless aliens trapped underneath and
picked up her pace more to avoid further rubble falling
from the sky. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a
spark and looked up to see a sleek, shiny starship taking
off from a landing platform some miles above. She knew
the Skywalkers were there but had to remain focused.
There it was! In a hidden garage just ahead. Mara made it
to the entrance and entered her authorisation code and...
nothing. She'd been blocked out. She'd paid for two years
rental. The passwords should still be active unless someone
had changed them.
With that the door opened. Despite the darkness Mara
could see there was someone in here, someone she didn't
want to see at this precise moment in time. Darth Maul
sneered. "Why do you bother, my dear Emperor's Hand.
Every time you try to escape I will always be there to
capture you again. It is your duty to Thrawn that prevents
me from destroying you here. Strange, isn't it?"
The young woman frowned bitterly. "I wouldn't know."
"But don't think you'll be going on any more jobs for
him this time. The only reason he wants you is to..."
a smile covered the Sith Lord's lips. "...punish you."
"I'd like to see him try."
"He'll do more than try."
Maul whipped out his lightsaber but before Mara could
react the handle collided with her skull. She heard a
loud crack from within and just before she passed out
noticed blood trickling down the side of her face.
* * * * * * * *
Anakin sat alone in the cockpit to the starship they
had just borrowed. All sorts of thoughts went through his
mind as he controlled the vessel further towards the
atmosphere and out of the range of any attacking fighters.
Why did he let Thrawn go? He could have fought - to the
death if necessary. Why did he get so afraid? And... and
just the thought of Her made him shut down. How could it
be possible that he couldn't accept the death of his
wife that occured over twenty years ago?
"Father, we're safely aboard."
Anakin turned around quickly as if he wasn't expecting
Leia to walk in on him. The Force should have alerted
him to her presence. He was getting stronger with
each day that passed. Of course. He was too distracted.
He calmed down before spoke again. "I'm glad to hear that.
Shall we rejoin the fleet?"
"Couldn't think of anything I'd like more," his daughter
smiled as she took a place next to him. "Let's get going!"
* * * * * * * *
Mara hit the ground with a thud and finally came to, although
still a little groggy. The first thing she saw as her eyes began
to focus again were two leather-booted feet. She looked
up and squinted to see Thrawn looking down on her. A frown
covered his face. "You betrayed me Mara Jade," he hissed
in a voice completely different to the one Mara had last
heard him speak with. It was more... familiar.
"Master?" she asked.
Thrawn held out his hand and Mara felt herself being lifted
to her feet by the Force until she was at eye level with the
emperor. "I trained you to serve me. You were meant to
follow my orders without question."
"I - I didn't know it was you. I thought..."
"You thought it was Thrawn. That would be acceptible if
you were anyone but the Emperor's Hand. You should know
me from the other side of the galaxy."
He dropped Mara to the floor again. When she tried to
get up she was pushed down by another foot - that of
Maul. He was getting some perverse pleasure out of his
treatment of her and the more Mara noticed the more
her anger got out of control with no way to work it off.
"I tried to follow your last orders..."
"I changed my orders to you. Leia Skywalker is to be mine.
She is to be my apprentice... my new Hand."
Maul, with one strong push, took Mara to the ground completely.
He held her down with his foot as he spoke to his master.
"And what is to become of... this?"
"She will be punished. I am a forgiving person, Mara, but
you have gone beyond even my generosity." He smiled but
realised that it made the age show even more on his
face. He gave a quick glance to the Dark Lord. "Bring her
into my shuttle."
The Sith picked Mara from the floor and dragged her up
the landing ramp of Thrawn's personal shuttle all the
while wondering what he would be refered to in the future.
Thrawn or Palaptine. But more importantly, where would
he stand if Skywalker's daughter became his replacement.
* * * * * * * *
"I'm getting a communication from Admiral Ackbar," Leia
informed her father as a indicator on her console began
to flash uncontrolably. "Shall I respond?"
Anakin frowned. "I'd rather we waited until we got back
to base before we tell him anything. He's already got
enough against the Jedi as it is. He may start firing
on us if we tell him we failed."
Leia nodded with a smile. She rejected the call and
took over the sensors again. Within seconds another
emergency stopped her from relaxing. "Father, there's
an Imperial shuttle coming up behind us. It's weapons
are active."
"Palpatine!" Anakin hissed as looked at a nearby viewscreen.
He began to charge up their weapons. "Last time I flew
one of these babies it didn't have much in the way of
blasters. Looks like we're about to see the tables turned."
"You're suggesting we attack? After you stopped us from
taking him on back at the Temple? Are you sure that's
such a good idea?"
The starship shook as a blast hit it. The determination
in the old Jedi's eyes increased fourfold. "You bet it's
a good idea."
* * * * * * * *
The Nubian designed ship span around on its axis until it
was facing the Imperial shuttle. Three shots rang out as
the laser blasts hit the quickly approaching vessel. Inside
Maul staggered across the cargo hold and collided with the
wall. Mara jumped to her feet and flew at him, her foot
causing a loud crack in his ribs. As if he didn't feel
any pain, the Sith grabbed her leg and threw her to the floor.
"You shouldn't have tried that, Jade. I could very easily kill
you right her."
"Go ahead."
Maul ignited one end of his lightsaber and stabbed down at
Mara's face, only stopping just before the skin. He
laughed. "You'd like that wouldn't you? For me to kill
you before our master can torture you. I didn't credit
your intelligence enough."
"You need some yourself to be able to do that."
A growl came from deep down Maul's throat as he tried
to resist using his anger and killing her where she
lay. Another shot hit them.
* * * * * * * *
Leia began to panic. "Father! Their shields are much stronger
than ours. We can't take any more shots! You said yourself,
we'll have a better chance when we meet them next!"
Anakin seemed determined. He switched the weapons to proton
torpedoes and held his thumb above the trigger. He said
nothing in reply to his daughter.
"You can't use them at such close range! We'll be destroyed
too and what good would..."
"There is no death, there is the Force!"
Leia shouted out her next words without even thinking about
them. "Mara's on board that ship!"
Anakin turned around. "What?" The Shuttle flew passed them
and into space. With a flash it entered hyperspace and
disappeared. The elder Skywalker looked annoyed. "They
got away." His daughter said nothing but he could sense
the relief she felt.
* * * * * * * *
"Today a great victory has been won," Mon Mothma said in
broadcadt that could been seen all over the galaxy. She
stood in the centre of the Galactic Senate as hundreds of
camera droids from every holo-network circled her. "The
Republic once again has control over Coruscant. From this
strong vantage point we will be able to maintain control
over the galaxy and ensure that peace is finally restored
after the regime of the Empire. It will be hard and will
take a very long time but all I request is that the former
Republic worlds meet once more in the Senate in order to
sign the New Republic Treaty. It has been a long, hard
journey and it is not over yet. Thank you."
The holograph disappeared and Hela Zapalo looked over at
Adi Gallia. "Yet some worlds will never be able to return."
"Naboo lives on in the hearts of its survivors, Hela. It
is your job to ensure it never dies out as Palpatine wanted."
Kas Grendor spoke up for the first time since Mothma began
her speech. "There was no mention of the Jedi," he informed
the rest of the Council. "I feel she is afraid to talk of
us. There are too many people like Ackbar in the Republic."
"As the Chancellor said herself, the journey is not over
yet," Master Yarled stated.
Gallia nodded. "Nonetheless I still fear that we will not
be properly represented in the Senate."
* * * * * * * *
Leia had settled into her quarters on Coruscant in an area
that had not been seriously damaged in the attack. Her father
had recommended a nearby nightclub that he claimed to
have frequented when he was still an apprentice but she
didn't feel like joining the celebrations that were
starting there.
The lights in her room were off so she quickly noticed
the blue glow which signified her brother's presence.
She turned to look at Luke's shimmering spirits and
noticed the smile on his face. "Palpatine is gone
and the light has returned. I have missed you, sister."
Leia smiled jokingly. "You'll never guess what my day
was like."
"Actually I was with you at all times. It was painful
not being able to show myself but the darkness was too
much. I couldn't project myself."
"Well I'm glad you can now. Father is having problems
in dealing with letting Palpatine go yet at the same
time he was the one who suggested we do so."
Luke nodded. "He has a lot to deal with. You must remeber
he lost much of his life trying to be Boba Fett, the loss
of his powers didn't help. They are returning yet he can
no longer control them. Give him time."
"I guess so," Leia replied. "He did question my reasons
for letting Palpatine go. He thinks my feelings for
Mara Jade are blinding me to my mission."
"And what are your feelings towards her?"
"I... I don't know," the Jedi princess whispered loud
enough for her brother to hear. "She wants to kill me
yet she can't bring herself to. I want to help her but
father doesn't understand that."
"So you understand that the time will come when you
must face her. If she has got over her initial
apprenhension and is willing to destroy you, will
you be prepared to do the same?"
"I am ready to face her, Luke."
"That wasn't what I asked."
"I know."
THE END.... FOR NOW
To be continued in Republic Saga - Betrayal beginning very soon!