Wilt thou forgive that sinne; through which I runne,
And do run still: though still I do deplore
-John Donne, "A Hymne to God the Father"
Twenty-Six Years After the Battle of Endor
Darth Starkiller and Mara Jade were unquestionably two of the most dangerous individuals in the galaxy. When they were together, they both felt… almost human.
They surely knew how dangerous it was, leaving themselves completely vulnerable to each other. The danger is probably what attracted them to each other in the first place. But now… it had been going on so long, they both knew there had to be something else there, even if they didn't dare admit it even to themselves.
They didn't hold each other afterwards. Starkiller sat up on the edge of the bed, while Jade lie on the other side of the bed staring at him in silence.
Starkiller's voice interrupted the stillness. "I need to ask you a favor."
Most people would cringe and hasten to obey any request the Sith made. Jade grinned dangerously. "Most people would consider what we just did a pretty big favor, Starkiller."
He was not usually easily amused, but these encounters seemed to awaken something of his gentler side. There was a trace of a smile as he answered, "This requires your particular talents. Or those of one of your people."
That got Jade's attention. They never discussed business during these encounters. She sat up. "Who's the target?" It had to be someone important for Starkiller to bring it up to Jade personally.
Starkiller reached into the pile of clothes next to the bed and retrieved a datapad, which he then handed to Jade. Upon reading the outline of the assignment, Jade whistled in surprise. "That's one heck of a job. Almost wish I had time to be out in the field these days."
If Jade were one of his subordinates, Starkiller would have simply ordered her to do it herself and killed her if she did otherwise. Whatever else Jade was, she was not one of his subordinates. Authority was something of a fluid concept during their encounters together.
"I need your best, Jade," Starkiller told her. "And I need the target alive."
"That's easy enough," Jade assured him. "I'll put one of my students on it."
Jade was probably one of the few people to ever have the rare privilege of seeing Starkiller look uneasy. "You're sure a student can handle this assignment? Infiltration, extraction, the whole thing?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Jade answered impatiently. "With Tahiri Veila on it, it's as good as if I were taking care of it personally."
Fallen
Darth Starkiller; Sith Lord (male human from Tatooine)
Mara Jade; Bounty Hunter's Guild Mistress (female human from Coruscant)
Tahiri Veila; bounty hunter (female human from Tatooine)
Commander Anakin Solo; Rogue Leader (male human from Hapes)
Admiral Wedge Antilles; Supreme Allied Commander, Navy (male human from Corellia)
General Han Solo; Supreme Allied Commander, Army (male human from Corellia)
Captain Jaina Solo; pilot, Millennium Falcon (female human from Hapes)
Prince Isolder; Regent (male human from Hapes)
Alema Rar; bounty hunter (female Twi'lek from Ryloth)
Zekk; bounty hunter (male human from Coruscant)
Lowbacca; bounty hunter (male Wookiee from Kashyyk)
"Wilt Thou Forgive?"
The group of people gathered for the holo meeting with the President was a fairly arbitrary one, as one would expect with Han in charge of the meeting. Wedge, Isolder, Han, and his children were all present. This selection of friends and family was fortuitous, as anyone else likely would have been uncomfortable about the somewhat casual tone between the Supreme Allied Commander of the Army and the President of the Alliance. Present on the President's end were General Tycho and Winter Celchu, also close family friends of just about everyone present.
The President was clearly pleased to see every member of her family alive and well; yet another benefit of the group that had been assembled. Perhaps Han was turning into a politician after all.
Isolder's presence made things very interesting, and Wedge observed his conversations with Han and Leia very closely. There was a definite sense of warmth, but also an undercurrent of tension. Wedge was pretty sure he understood the source of this tension. The resemblance between Isolder and another earnest, heroic man that had once been among their number was hard to miss. And Han and Leia had been even closer to Luke Skywalker than Wedge had been, so he could understand why the acquaintance of a similar man provoked a strange mixture of good and bad feelings in the two.
I really wish you were here now, Luke, Wedge told his dead friend and former commander silently. We could really use your help.
"So we're agreed," Leia was saying as Wedge snapped out of his reverie. "We maintain a presence of one fleet, half Alliance, half Hapan."
"All Alliance," Isolder corrected. It took a moment for everyone to understand that he was making a statement of unity, not refusing to commit Hapan forces to the defense of the system. Once that moment passed, Leia smiled gratefully.
General Solo leaned forward. "I'll keep the flag here on the Eldest." After a pause, he added "With your permission, of course, Madame President," with a roguish grin.
Leia smiled back, something she probably wouldn't have done in other company. "As long as you think you can handle it, General Flyboy."
After the obligatory hurt look, Han glanced significantly at his daughter as he added, "Certain non-military personnel are also welcome to stick around for a while if they'd like."
Jaina looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Actually, Dad, I kind of have a mission."
Han looked disappointed; understandable, given how rarely he had all three of his children in one place. "Jaina, I'm not suggesting that your supply runs aren't important, but couldn't you get someone to cover you for a while?"
"Actually, this particular run is kind of important," Jaina answered. "Dangerous. They really need me on this one."
There was a hint of pride in Han's understanding smile, but Wedge was far more interested in Jaina's expression. It looked almost exactly like Iella's when she wanted to tell him something but knew she couldn't.
The rest of the meeting was fairly uneventful, which was just as well, as Wedge was now distracted by thoughts of how long ago he had last seen his wife. Wedge really wished she had accepted the offer to be in charge of Alliance Intelligence. He knew she was probably right about being more valuable out in the field, but she would be safer behind a desk.
As Leia called the meeting to a close, and she and Han wished each other goodbye, Wedge reminded himself that his wasn't exactly an uncommon situation in the Alliance. During the early years of the Rebellion, very few couples actually got married because of this very problem. Unfortunately, the war had been carrying on for three decades now, and that was no longer an option for many of the war's veterans.
We all just make the best of things, Wedge reflected. Perhaps one day they would no longer need to compromise. For now, all they could do is survive.
A trio of bounty hunters formed a loose circle around their intended victim. Each carried a deadly weapon; she faced them barehanded. Any human observer would fully understand how doomed the girl was.
The girl did not appear to share this understanding. In fact, she was grinning fiercely.
She was Tahiri Veila; absolutely lethal in combat, everything about her perfectly shaped and honed into a weapon. She was proficient in the use of almost every weapon known to man. She had taken down opponents twice her size in unarmed combat without breaking a sweat. Though she was largely unknown to the outside world, among the members of the Bounty Hunter's Guild Tahiri had already gained near-legendary status. Her name was spoken in the same hushed tone of voice as Guild Mistress Jade's and even Boba Fett himself.
The young bounty hunter's jade green eyes suggested strong focus, and had been trained from an early age to take in every detail of her surroundings by reflex. Dropping into a defensive crouch, she used the brief lull before the battle to observe her adversaries. A Wookiee armed with a chain, a nervous looking young man armed with a quarterstaff, and a battle droid armed with a blaster.
The droid tried to end the contest as quickly as it began, leveling its weapon at Tahiri's chest. The young bounty hunter dropped to the ground with feline grace, and rolled to her feet in a low crouch, lunging at the droid's legs.
As she was diving, Tahiri was struck hard in the back by the Wookiee's chain, sending her flat to the ground. She couldn't roll out of the way before she was struck again; this time the chain wrapped around her leg, restraining her as the droid took aim again. At this point, many fighters – even experienced ones – would have been finished. Tahiri was not.
The droid fired, and Tahiri yanked on the chain. With an incredible display of strength, Tahiri pulled its wielder directly into the blaster bolt's line of fire. She heard the Wookiee hit the ground with a dull thud.
She hoped Lowbacca wasn't dead; he was a very useful bounty hunter. But she wouldn't let it phase her if he was. Tahiri had been a teenager the first time she had made a man scream for mercy. Her parents had been killed when she was very young; too young to remember them. If any remnant of that trauma remained somewhere in the back of her mind, she was extremely good at hiding it, even from herself.
Taking advantage of the momentary confusion, Tahiri leapt into the air, tackling the battle droid. She managed to outmuscle the droid fairly quickly, and destroyed it with its own weapon. In one smooth motion, Tahiri rolled to her feet and aimed the blaster perfectly at her last opponent.
No, too easy, she decided as she watched Zekk regard her warily with his weapon held in a loose defensive position. Tahiri set the blaster on the ground in a very deliberate motion, and kicked it far out of reach. Her eyes never left Zekk's.
They circled each other, moving closer each time. Tahiri held her bare hands at chest level, ready to catch any blow the other bounty hunter might attempt to land.
Zekk finally broke the rhythm, leveling what would have been a skull-shattering strike at Tahiri. But she let herself fall smoothly out of the way, caught the quarterstaff in both hands, and used it as a pivot point to launch herself into a swinging kick at his chest. The boy crumpled to the ground at her feet. As soon as he could manage it, Zekk raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
Leaving nothing to chance, Tahiri clamped her stuncuffs over his wrists. She faced away from the door. "Capture," she announced to her unseen observers. "You're going to have to do better than that."
The door slid open. Tahiri had been expecting an evaluation from a low-level Guild instructor; instead, she found herself facing Guild Mistress Jade. Most students would be dismayed to find themselves in the formidable woman's presence.
Tahiri ignored the flurry of activity as other Guild members saw to her variously vanquished foes. She smiled pleasantly at her mentor. "Guild Mistress," she greeted.
"Miss Veila," Jade answered coolly. "Actually, we're just getting started. The display you just put on convinced me that I was right to choose you for this assignment."
Tahiri suppressed a grin. "A commission?"
"Of sorts," Jade answered enigmatically. "This mission requires someone with your exceedingly rare combination of skill and anonymity. It will involve infiltrating the innermost levels of the Rebel Alliance; something even Imperial Intelligence has failed to accomplish." After a pause for effect, Jade raised a brow. "Interested?"
"Very," Tahiri confirmed. "What can you tell me about the mark?"
"I can tell you everything about him." Jade replied. "But for starters, his name is—"
"Anakin Solo."
The panel turned green upon recognizing Anakin's voice authorization, and he stepped into the debriefing room. Ten other pilots sat in the dimly lit room, and Anakin had to stifle the urge to wait for the arrival of the eleventh.
Anakin's heart was heavy as he glanced from the empty seat to the surviving members of his squadron. Everyone looked like they had just been punched in the gut; even the normally loud-mouthed Teep looked somber.
"All right," Anakin said without preamble. "Let's just get the hard parts out of the way. A full investigation will be conducted into Lieutenant Dinger's death, but initial survey suggests we're dealing with a mechanical failure here, not sabotage." Anakin swallowed. "We're grounded until a full maintenance check can be done on all eleven remaining fighters. Flight Officer Capstan?"
"Sir?" Anakin's wingmate answered.
"You are hereby promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. New callsign Rogue Nine. You're to take over as Three Flight leader."
Anni momentarily brightened, but looked somber again before answering, "Thank you, sir,"
Anakin understood how everyone felt. Rogue Squadron had led a charmed existence under his command. This was the first Rogue pilot who had died since Anakin took command. And he hadn't died gloriously in battle with the enemy, sacrificing himself for a worthy cause… his fighter had simply exploded on the hanger bay floor. Just like that.
"Sir?"
Anakin shook himself from his reverie to acknowledge Teep's question. "Go ahead, Five."
The boy was unusually respectful. "If you don't mind my asking, sir. Who's going to be your wingmate?"
"No one, for now. Command will assign someone before too long." Seeing no other questions, Anakin decided to cut the meeting short. "You're all on leave until further notice. I'll keep you updated on the investigation and our flight status. Dismissed."
As Anakin watched the room empty, he reflected that it would be best for the new pilot to be on his wing, anyway. Because of their unusually low attrition rate, Rogue Squadron had grown together in a way that would likely seem unusual to an outsider. The transition process would be eased if Anakin could oversee it personally.
Besides. Anakin could handle himself. He needed to know that none of his pilots were flying alone. He wasn't about to lose anyone else.
Tahiri was not an expert slicer. She had been trained in the skill as much as was necessary for her profession, but it wasn't enough to even think about cracking the Guild database's protected files. Neveretheless, Tahiri had spent more than a decade trying to make up for her lack of expertise with sheer determination.
She had never met her parents, but she had to know who had been responsible for their deaths. She had to know that the suspicion she had harbored for all these years was wrong.
As usual, frustration was Tahiri's only reward for her tedious hours of work. Just as she was about to abandon her futile project, Tahiri heard approaching footsteps.
"Well, well," came a contemptuous voice. "If it isn't the Jade Princess."
Oh, great. "Hello, Alema." Tahiri knew nearly every member of the Guild harbored some resentment towards her for the favor Guild Mistress Jade showed her, but Alema was by far the most outspoken of these. "Was there something you needed, besides sour cloudberries?"
The Twi'lek's expression darkened, but Tahiri was not intimidated. "Oh, nothing from you," Alema answered scathingly. "I was just wondering what you did to warrant such a burdensome assignment."
Put a Wookiee in the Med Ward and humiliated a well-trained bounty hunter, you jealous wench. "You think you should be the one to infiltrate the Rebels?" Tahiri shot back. "Please keep in mind that you can't sleep your way into their ranks." Tahiri's imp was not suggesting laziness on Alema's part, and the Twi'lek's lekku twitched.
"Perhaps not," Alema answered, anger clouding her features. "I'm just surprised Jade is willing to subject her prized pupil to such… temptation. If you even know what to do with a boy, that is."
Tahiri shook her head at the other woman's imprudence. "Bring him back alive so Starkiller doesn't kill us, you idiot."
Alema's lekku twitched again. "Surely you've noticed by now that the boy might have… other uses."
Tahiri rolled her eyes. If Alema was going to survive long as a bounty hunter, she was going to have to learn to curb her many different appetites, including this one.
"Were I you," Alema went on, oblivious to Tahiri's contempt, "I'd probably make sure I caught him somewhere far away… so there'd be a long spaceflight home…"
"I'm sure you would," Tahiri answered shortly.
Alema betrayed her embarrassment by turning a deeper shade of turquoise. She had gotten carried away. But her purpose in coming here became clear when she spoke in a dangerous voice. "Well. Just be sure not to slip up, Veila. It would be a pity if another bounty hunter had to clean up after Jade's star pupil."
Oh, you witch. The attempt at intimidation may have been inept, but the threat behind her words was real. "I'll keep that in mind," Tahiri answered, refusing to be threatened.
Alema left without another word, and Tahiri felt certain she had not been as satisfied with the encounter as she had imagined she would be. A pleasant thought, at least.
Tahiri was not oblivious. Already she had heard other bounty hunters whispering about her assignment. In particular, many snide comments by other female bounty hunters similar to Alema's. Tahiri shook her head at their impertinence. Didn't they at least want to be above this kind of thing?
After a moment's contemplation, Tahiri pulled out the datacard Jade had given her and inserted it into the computer. She had planned to review the mission specifics tomorrow morning, when she was more awake, but she might as well have a look at this boy. If only to see why nearly every female bounty hunter in the Guild felt he was worth casually throwing their pride aside for.
The file came up. Oh, that explained the reactions of Alema and the others.
But Tahiri's attention was immediately seized by something quite different. There was something… familiar about this boy. Strange. How was it that he looked familiar to her? The only people Tahiri had ever known were bounty hunters, and she certainly wasn't being sent to catch a bounty hunter.
She felt like she was staring at a dream. Or a dream of a dream. Relax. Breathe. You're being silly. This is your first assignment; you can't afford to blow it.
So Tahiri did her best to ignore the quiet but insistent voice of destiny.
"She'll do," Starkiller conceded. "But I have to wonder… was that display a testament to her strength, or the others' weakness?"
"Zekk's a fine bounty hunter," Jade answered confidently. "And Lowbacca's a wookiee, but he never even laid a hand on her. You know I train my people very well."
Starkiller nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, she will most certainly do." He drew himself up as he prepared to take his leave of her. And then he spoke the words very few people ever heard from a Sith: "Thank you." And there was a tenderness in his voice that was not Sith at all. He turned to leave.
"Skywalker?"
The Dark Lord stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to face her. She had gone too far this time. No one else would dare —
But then their eyes met, and the anger in his heart stayed. The energy between them said, "I love you" even though neither of them was brave enough to speak the deadly words.
"What do you need with the boy?" Mara asked instead.
"Mara—" Luke employed her equally-unused surname.
Then she asked the question only she could possibly know to ask. "Are you considering a very dangerous career change?"
Starkiller shook his head. He had been hiding Force sensitives in Mara's Bounty Hunter's Guild for decades now, but she had sensed something about this was different. Luke felt it, the current of the Force had changed when he discovered this boy… but he still didn't know what it meant.
"I don't know," he finally answered truthfully. "Mara, the things I've done… the thing I am… I don't know."
Even if he wanted it, was redemption possible for a man who had done the things that Luke Skywalker had done?
The moment of choice would come soon. Either he would turn this boy, the most powerful Force user he had ever sensed, over to his father, or... everything would change.
With a sense of profound desolation, Darth Starkiller left the chamber of the only person fate had allowed him to show any sign of love.