A/N: Hey all, well, Ghost has arrived! And, as she's fighting Fett the same time Luke's facing down Jade, we all know now they're not the same person. Sorry to those of you who were perhaps wanting that…but I promise Jade not being Ghost will be worth it in the end. Anyways, I hope you're still liking, MANY thanks to the new reviewers who made my day 110% happier by letting me know their thoughts for the first time. And also a big thanks to the reviewers who came over from Ep. IV to Ep. V! It's soooo awesome to see those familiar names! Love it!
*So, the only question I got is why did Luke's blood NOT match the sample of Anakin Skywalker's from the Temple records at the end of Ep. IV? A: when Luke found out Anakin was his father, he had Link and Mouse change the sample in the Temple records to someone else so it didn't match Luke's anymore. It's in Ep. IV someplace, but I don't remember which chapter, I think it's Ch. 4 or 5, but don't quote me on that. Anyways, that's why. So, onward!
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SW Ep. V: Jedi Assassin Ch.4—The Eye
When Luke had remarked before pulling those TD's out before things were about to 'heat up,' the kid had not been kidding, Han thought.
He ducked behind some work stations as the new group of dark everything's swarmed in around them.
The only consolation was, he and Chewie weren't taking them on…solo, he guessed.
Han groaned.
Behind him, the other armored man, Warhead, came rushing in, body slamming the last two Inquisitors while the five ladies in leather synth and armor spread out to clean house with the Sith assassins.
That left the sorcerers and warriors to Han and Chewie.
Oh, the fun of it.
He ducked behind the panels as more sapphire-white lightning shot over their heads.
"Remind me Chewie," Han remarked, "to tell the kid the next time he wants to keep me 'safe' that I'll stay at home where I'm not safe, ok?"
Chewie harned in agreement.
Over them, they heard the tell-tale sound of security systems whining as they fired up.
"Super-ship 001 sector 706 security activated. Scanning for hostiles," the computer announced over-head.
"Uh-oh," Han drawled wearily.
"Hostiles located, preparing to terminate."
All around the immense room, secret panels opened, and a mind-numbing array of laser cannons, blasters and rapid-fire gunnery appeared.
Everyone froze, caught off guard.
"Terminating acquired targets."
Blaster fire instantly erupted all around them.
Han dived down, Chewie beside him.
Han yelled into his earpiece. "Quick! You two tech-hermits turn this off before—"
Link and Mouse laughing hysterically stopped him cold.
"What are you two lunatics-?"
"Uh, genius," Link quipped, "did you notice yet that the weapons aren't firing at you?"
Han dubiously peered just a fraction over the consoles to see bloody devastation unfolding all around them—but he and Chewie, Warhead and the girls were not being fired at.
They were all concealed behind hardware…but surely the computer systems can still detect them?
"Tell me you did this," Han stonily told the two hackers.
"Nope, but you're on the right track—for once," Mouse returned.
Ah; the bird. So that was where he disappeared off to then.
"Tell Feathers thanks," Han said as he watched the last Inquisitor fall.
So, now only mangled bodies lay between them and the nearest door.
Han sighed heavily and rose, tugging on Chewie to do the same.
"Let's get out of this madhouse," he grumbled as the team fell into step behind him.
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Mara could feel something being ripped loose from her mind, like binders falling away or layers of walls being shredded to dust—
Or both.
The only reason she was aware of it even as the searing pain drove screams from her otherwise fully restrained lips was of the training.
She'd been trained to resist torture—
She'd been trained to separate herself from the pain, to keep control of her mind even in agony—
But when the memories began to surface…there was no training to face this.
Mara was so stunned by the pictures that wove themselves together before her inner eye, she only half-realized the pain had ended, and her body was still once more.
Pictures, images of vistas, of mountains and people she thought she recognized flitted, danced, paraded across her mind. People waved to her, calling her a different name, one she could barely make out, people who looked happy and loving reached out for her, laughing amiably, gesturing for her to join them in their bliss.
She felt the tears come.
She didn't remember their names, she didn't know what they were calling her, only that it wasn't 'Mara,' but she could feel their love. She was enveloped by it, like a warm cloak, shielding her from the cold realities of the galaxy. She could feel their gentle hands as they touched her, hugged her, she could feel soft lips brush her brow as a woman with shorter red-gold hair bent over to kiss her affectionately, and the tall man beside her with emerald-green eyes tussled her hair fondly.
Where they her parents? Wait; why did she seem to feel they had been?
'Had been?' Why did she think that? Did that mean they were dead now?
Yes; yes, somehow she felt certain they were. But, how?
The first crystal-like tear fell down one cheek; she knew how they had died.
The memories were vague, almost made of smoke, but in a very dark corner of her mind, she recalled:
The Emperor. Her master had ordered their deaths as he took her away.
"Attend to the others," he had directed the Crimson Guard as he boarded his shuttle with Mara.
Mara hadn't realized what that phrase had meant then, she had been—how old?
She wasn't certain, very, very young she deduced, perhaps five.
But she was fully aware now, what 'attend to them' had meant: execution.
No living relations to come and try to free her later on.
Free her.
Free.
"I am free," she had snarled to Specter.
"…you're not…but you will be," he had evenly replied.
Slowly, achingly, she shifted her body, still sprawled on the floor, to face him.
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Fett finally got a hit in, connecting his armored fist with Ghost's chest.
The assassin grunted as he went flying across the room, slamming hard into the opposite wall.
To his credit, the assassin instantly leapt to his feet, reaching for a blaster.
Fett instinctively whipped out one of his best: the bulky but effective C4-Atomizer.
And saw Ghost pointing the exact same model at him.
He groaned angrily, tossing it aside, seeing Ghost react the same and yanking out another weapon.
The each pulled their high-density incinerators on each other.
"'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery' my hide," Fett barked, irritation rising hot inside of him.
Ghost holstered the blaster only to pull a larger one. "Your copying me is kinda juvenile, Fett; didn't know you did that sort of thing."
"Me copying you? Are you—"
Fett stalled when he pulled a second blaster the same moment he pulled a second.
And those were the same model too.
"This is getting old, assassin," he growled.
Ghost moved as if to say something, then paused.
"You mean, you're not doing this on purpose? Pulling the same weapons as me?"
Fett rolled his eyes. "I'm a bounty hunter, not an assassin. And this isn't funny," he added in a threatening voice.
"Hmm," Ghost said thoughtfully, but ended it there. He pulled out—a slave drive?
Fett had a terrible premonition, and jumped to one side—
Just as Ghost's ship blasted holes from the other side of the outer wall, decimating where he was just standing.
Craters, but this killer was efficient.
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Luke knelt down beside her, making a point to not remove his helmet, though he knew it'd help reassure her.
Unfocused emerald stared wide at him; he could see the memories weaving themselves back together in those dazzling orbs.
"You were right," she avowed numbly.
Luke caught the devastation in her voice; it was a horrifying thing, learning your entire life had been a lie—a means to someone else's ends.
A feeling Luke was acquainted with.
He nodded. "I'm sorry," he softly told her, trying to make his vocabulator-altered voice less intimidating, "but, this is your chance. You know now the Emperor used you all along, but it wasn't your fault, you were only a small child. But, you're an adult now"—barely, he noted—"you have a chance to get away, live your own life."
Mara shook her head, her eyes sobered with something dire. "No," she countered quietly, "he can reach me, anywhere; I'm connected to him, when he realizes what you've done"—
A massive disturbance in the Force stilled them both.
Fade darted to the wall of viewports behind them. Friend, look! She called, gesturing with her tail.
Luke helped Mara up carefully, and they both rushed to the Ethereal's side.
"What is it?" Luke asked.
Mara's face was lined with grave acceptance. "The Eye of Palpatine," she replied.
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Ghost felt it when something monolithic and revoltingly evil barged into her awareness, making her gag. She flipped clear of Fett, and glanced out a side port.
It was enormous, more leviathan than the ship they were fighting on. But, it was shaped different.
"Well, Fett," she cut in, holding up a hand, "it seems our date is over." She waved and Fett looked in that direction.
Solo and the others decided that moment to rush into the corridor with them, halting behind Ghost. Han saw the monstrous ship outside.
"Great," he mumbled, "what in the Nine Corellian hells is that?"
"My cue to leave," Fett announced dryly, "you're right assassin: this will have to wait." He made a flippant gesture to Solo. "Solo, you're so incompetent you can't even handle being captured right."
With that, he turned and marched away.
Solo cocked his blaster and made to follow, but Ghost raised an arm to bar his way. "We've got bigger problems, Solo."
Solo dropped his shoulders in concession. "Yeah: getting out of here and past that thing."
Chewie harned.
Solo raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Chewie, don't be ridiculous, of course that ship isn't going to fire on us; we're in an Imp—"
Boom! Boom!
The ship rocked hard from side to side as the other ship opened fire on them.
"I stand corrected!" Solo yelled, grabbing for the nearest wall.
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Luke grabbed Mara and made for her ship.
Outside, the newcomer vessel, which was easily five times the size of the super-star destroyer they were on, had opened several bays in its rocky form. Luke had thought it very likely an asteroid converted to a destroyer, just by the looks of it, but when those guns had shown themselves…Luke had cringed.
Only the DS's main cannon had been larger.
He practically flung Mara onto the ramp of her converted yacht when the next blasts had hit. Luke heard the onboard computers declaring life-support had been hit.
He yelled into his vambraces-comm. "Noc! Get the shields up!"
Chatters on the other side replied that he was doing exactly that. Luke turned up to Mara, who was reaching for him.
"Come with me!" she shouted over falling cross-beams.
Luke shook his head. "I've got to get the rest of my team! Go!"
Mara tried to grab for him, but Luke used the Force to throw her into her ship, close the ramp and activate the lift-sequence.
"I'll follow," he told her in the Force, "get out of here! We'll meet up later; just go someplace safe—and far from Palpatine."
Her yacht whined loudly as it raised itself off the hanger and headed for the bay opening.
Luke turned to Fade. "Go with; keep her safe from the Emperor."
Just then, screeches of alarm came over his comm—the message was clear: Noc was saying the shields had failed.
Over them, the ceiling cracked open, air howled as it was sucked out.
I won't leave you; she'll have to fare on her own, Fade declared, winding her tail around Luke and quickly phasing through the nearest walls.
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Han yanked on the lift-off controls as Chewie practically fell into his seat beside him.
"We're outta here, Chewie," he coolly said, hoping to himself the kid was okay.
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Ghost reached her ship with Warhead and the others close behind. Noc flew in as the landing ramp began to raise. She turned to him as he landed on the back of the co-pilot's chair.
"Glad you could join us," she said with a relieved smile.
Noc clanked his tongue on his beak in relieved reply.
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Fade ghosted them into the Revenant as the super-vessel outside hammered the ship without mercy.
Once Luke was seated in the pilot's chair, he hastily got them off the ground.
He pulled off his helmet, his pale face set with determination.
"Change of plans, Fade," he coldly said.
She peered at him.
"We have to take it out," he said, gesturing to the Eye. "It'll be the next Death Star if we don't."
Fade nodded. She then looked off into space, then back at him. Ghost informs me Nocturne is with her and all right.
"Good, tell him to get into that thing's programming; Link and Mouse can help us take it apart."
Over his comm, Link came on. "Boss, we're ready when you are."
Luke nodded. "Then let's get that ship."
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Mara shook the remnants of dizziness from her as her ship swooped into the vast cauldron of space.
Her Imperial markings would keep her safe from The Eye, she felt confident of that.
But, the Specter, he was far from safe.
She touched a finger to her one temple. Why? Why had he shown so much compassion, risked so much to save her? They had never met, they had been enemies, battling on opposite sides.
So, why did he essentially jeopardize his mission to liberate her—a total stranger?
She was at a loss to understand it. Assassins didn't feel sympathy, did they?
Did he? Mara wondered.
He had told her she'd be free; he revealed later on she'd been a tool, used for the Emperor's gain.
Had the Specter been once the same: the prisoner of another, used by another?
Something inside of Mara whispered that yes: that was what had compelled him to snatch her from her blind servitude.
Blinding lights splashed across her cockpit's viewport, jarring her back to herself. She peered out to see her 'enemies'' ships battling The Eye.
She felt the Force tell her in an instant: if she didn't help them, they'd lose.
She pulled on the controls to change her course.
She wanted to fly away, as the last stupefying effects of her 'liberation' wore off, Mara could sense feelings rising: anger, pain, confusion, revenge, agony, all bubbling up slowly, longing to overwhelm her. It was so much, to in an instant go from devoted servant to enlightened former pawn.
But no; Mara wanted to be sick at the irony, but she fell back on her training to stay in control. She'd scream, rant, cry and emotionally fall to pieces then put herself back together later on.
She had a debt to repay, and vengeance to mete out.
Specter needed her help…and Palpatine needed to pay.
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A/N: That's it for now kids! Enjoy!