Chapter 7

The next morning Mara went to visit the Grand Master at his office. She dreaded continuing their conversation about his father and what she learned from Emperor Palpatine's Journals, but if he truly wanted answers, she would reveal all.

She rang his office door buzzer and waited. After a moment Master Luke Skywalker opened the door wearing his full Jedi robes and a dazzling smile. "I didn't expect you this early in the morning. I heard you went out clubbing with Jaina."

"I didn't stay long." Mara shook her head with a roll of her eyes. "It was a bit of culture shock to me." She paused and waited to be invited inside, but Luke didn't move from the doorway. She looked over his shoulder and into his office curious if she caught him at a bad time. "Are you busy? I promised you we would continue our conversation. I can come back later if you like?"

"Oh, no, no, I would love to talk." He motioned down the hallway. "Would you like to continue our discussion in one of the conference rooms?"

She gave him a curious look. "Why not here?"

Luke turned back to his office. "I ah…I thought you might be more comfortable talking with me in a more public venue."

Mara scoffed. "I think maybe it's you that will feel more comfortable." She gave him a knowing look. "Does the Grand Master feel uncomfortable having a young lady alone in his office with him?"

Luke's face flushed. "You are good at reading people." He took a cleansing breath before he motioned her inside. "I do admit the only thing faster than hyperspace is the speed of which rumors fly within the temple." He closed the door behind them and gave a forced smile. "But if you are comfortable with possibility of a barrage of undignified rumors concerning the Grand Master and the mysterious and beautiful redhead from the Imperial planet Drakos spending time together behind closed door…I suppose I can manage." He gave her a disarming grin as he motioned to a chair in front of his desk. "Please sit down." He went behind his desk and moved his chair to the other side until it faced Mara's. "I don't want you to feel like you are a subordinate called on the carpet by your commander." He sank into his desk chair and settled into a relaxed position.

"Now I feel like I am talking to a psychiatrist," she joked as she shifted in her seat. "Shouldn't I be lying on a couch?"

Luke raised an eyebrow. "There is one in the corner if you are so inclined."

She shook her head. "No, I wouldn't want anyone to walk in and think the worst."

He chuckled and quickly changed the subject. "So, why didn't you like the club?"

"Why?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Where do I start?" She propped an elbow on the armrest, leaning her head against her palm. "Let's see. The place was too crowded, too noisy, and it stunk of too much body spray and cigarra smoke. The pulsating lights gave me a headache, most of the music was grating on the nerves and impossible to dance to. When I went to the 'fresher I was certain there were a number of people inside the stalls having sex. I was groped by some letch on the dance floor and one of Jaina's friends received a smartpad holovid of some man's uninspiring reproductive organs."

Luke's jaw dropped. "Kids are doing that nowadays?"

Mara nodded. "Yes, and if you're shocked, can you imagine my surprise. You had thirty years to adjust to this reality."

"I understand," Luke said slowly. "If you'd like…I can have our archivist download historical documentaries for you to peruse." He grinned. "In fact due to the thirtieth anniversary of the destruction of the second Death Star there is a holo-festival going on at local theaters. They are showing movies that were made from the time of the fall of the Old Republic to the establishment of the New Republic." He chuckled softly. "I have to admit that most of the Imperial films are mainly propaganda, but they are amusing in hindsight." He rubbed a hand over the stubble of his chin in thought. "I'm sure there are a number of Knights who would love to accompany you."

"How about you?"

"Me… what?"

"Why don't we go together? I think it'll be fun. I really can't identify with anybody my physical age anymore. I have much more in common with you than anybody else."

Luke shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "You do know if we go out together every paparazzi on Coruscant will have us in their holovid sights."

Mara glowered at him. "What's with you? You don't want to be around me in private, you don't want to be seen together in public. Why am I even here? Maybe I should go." She stood and straightened her tunic. "My spy skills might be of little use nowadays, but I was a decent pilot in my day. I simply need to brush up on the new ship technology and I can be on my way."

She moved toward the door but Luke stood and gently grasped her by the elbow. "Please Mara, stay. There is so much I can learn from you. I think the Force brought you into my life for a reason."

She turned, her green eyes blinked in surprise. "A reason? What reason?"

Dropping his hands he stepped back. "For months I've been having prophetic dreams…visions of a great evil approaching. I thought it might be Sith in origin, so I have been scouring the galaxy to find this mysterious enemy. When I heard about the planet Drakos I had an incredible urge to go there…and I found you."

She put her hands on her hips and gave him a guarded look. "I hope you don't think I'm your shadowy adversary, because I'm not. I am more than happy that the Emperor is gone and I never liked Vader and his Sith Inquisitors."

Luke raised his hands in an apologetic gesture. "Mara, I know you're not evil, but I think you have the key to finding it. You read Palpatine's Journals and because you were in stasis they are pretty much fresh in your mind. You might know the location of a lost imperial base or Sith world. We won't know what your contribution is until we get a chance to talk." He motioned to her chair. "Please Mara."

She glared at him but sat down. "I'll help you, but for a price."

"What price?" he asked warily as he returned to his seat.

She pulled back loose wisps of her red-gold hair as a slow smile crept across her face. "I want you to bring me out somewhere that someone of my generation would appreciate. Perhaps that holo-festival you mentioned."

Luke regarded her silently for a moment before he shook his head in frustration. "You're used to getting your way, I see." He thought about it for a moment longer before he shrugged his shoulder. "Fine. We'll go to the Holo-festival."

"Okay," she said somewhat mollified. "What questions do you have?"

He leaned back and drew a deep breath. "You said you would tell me about my father and how he fell to the darkside." He looked at her expectantly.

A soft groan escaped her lips. "You are not going to like what I have to say."

Luke nodded solemnly. "I have been wondering about it for decades. I want to know the truth."

Mara looked down at the floor and nodded. "Okay, but I warned you."

Jacen rolled onto his back stretching his sore muscles before turning to his beautiful bed companion. He paused to admire her nestled in the warm bedding, her red hair spread around her like an aura. He groaned when he caught sight of the wall chrono. "It's midmorning already." He moved closer and nuzzled his lips against Tenel Ka's neck, making a small line of kisses from her jaw to her shoulder. "Wake up sleepyhead," he whispered as he ran a caressing hand down her arm.

She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. "That was a wonderful night. I wish it could last forever."

"I wouldn't mind having you in my arms every night for the rest of my life." He leaned in and dropped a kiss on her lips. "You'll just have to marry me."

"That would be nice, if only it could be."

"It can be." He sat up in bed his dark eyes filled with enthusiasm. "I've been thinking about this and I came up with some ideas to help you sway your parents into abandoning their antiquated practice of marrying off their daughter to a stranger."

She turned in bed to face him not looking hopeful. "And what are these ideas."

Jacen grinned as he leaned over the edge of the bed to grab his trousers. Tenel Ka couldn't help but reach out and pinch his bare bottom as he did so. "You have the most perfect posterior," she said with an admiring gaze.

Jacen sat up in bed holding a piece of folded flimsiplast he secured from his pants' pocket. He gave Tenel Ka a lusty grin acknowledging her compliment. "And you have the most perfect everything…I don't want to lose you." He opened the flimsiplast list and started to read. "Okay, the first thing I have is you should stress to your parents that marrying you off to a noble of one house only reduces the threat of assassination from that particular ruling party. You would still have dozens of others that would still plot against you. But if you marry a Jedi Knight." He pointed to his chest. "Meaning me. I could defend you from all threats from the various royal houses. Anybody threatening you will find themself at the end of my lightsaber."

Tenel Ka closed her eyes and sighed. "It is true marrying a noble only minimizes the threat to me." She looked back at him. "As for defending me from all threats…you have to realize my family has thousands of enemies plotting our demise. You couldn't possibly guard me from all danger. And if you could, I'm not sure the Hapes Sanitation Department could handle the amount of decapitated heads littering the streets." She leaned in and kissed him.

Jacen's brow furrowed. "Okay, that brings me to my second idea as to how to protect you. A Jedi can often detect deception…and I am fairly good at that skill. Marry me and then have all your nobles come to the Palace to personally swear allegiance to the ruling family…an allegiance to support and defend the queen." Jacen gave her a sly smile. "And when they swear this oath I can tell you if they are lying or not."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what would happen if you determine if they are lying?"

Jacen grinned mischievously. "Maybe we can build a trapdoor where they'd stand. When they lie, I push a button and they drop into the Rancor pit. I'm sure you can get some Rancors from the Singing Mountain clan on Dathomir." He gave her a wink.

She chuckled. "We are not feeding the nobles to Rancors." Her smile turned to a frown. "Please be serious. I doubt the gentle Jedi Knight I know would truly advocate such a ghastly demise, even to my worst enemy."

Jacen broke out in a sheepish grin. "You got me. Maybe we could drop them into a pit of gungans and Kowakian Monkey-Lizards and let them be driven mad by shear annoyance?"

Tenel Ka laughed. "Or we make then watch the New Republic Senate Budget meetings and bore them to death."

"That'll work," he said as he sprang out of bed and began dressing. He gazed at his lover, lying on her side and looking gorgeous. "Get dressed. You have a lightsaber training class in twenty minutes. You don't want to be late."

She gave a low chuckled. "I don't think I have to worry, I'm sleeping with the instructor."

Jacen hopped on one foot as he put on a boot. "Yes, and for that I am very grateful…but if we both show up late people will start to talk." There was a roguish twinkle in his eye. "Ah hell, maybe we should take our time. I am more than happy to have our relationship out in the open."

That remark got her out of bed and dressing. "Let me talk to my parents first…then we'll discuss our future."

He finished buttoning his tunic before he walked over and pulled her into his embrace. "Please convince them. I don't want to end up a celibate Jedi hermit like my uncle."

"I will." She leaned in and kissed him softly. "Like your uncle, you are definitely too hot to be a hermit."

Mara watched Luke with concern. After she told him about his father's slide to the darkside, his roll in the Jedi Purge, the slaughter of the younglings and the death of his mother, the blood drained from the Grand Master's face as he slumped in his chair motionless, stunned into silence.

When he finally replied his words were a whisper, his voice miserable. "He killed my mother?"

She shook her head. "The journal was unclear as to how she died. Palpatine believed Darth Vader killed her in a fit of rage and Obi-Wan spirited her away. But she couldn't have been dead because you and your sister were born. I do know Palpatine convinced your father he murdered his wife and unborn child."

Luke's head jerked up. "Wife? The Jedi were forbidden to marry."

"He broke a lot of rules. He fell in love, married and had children."

"My mother, what was her name?"

Mara looked to the ceiling in thought. "I told you the details I may not remember. She was in the senate and her name was something like…Patty. No, that's not right." She looked towards Luke. "I'll recognize the name. Just get me a list of senators during that time frame."

He took a shuddering breath. "I'll do that." He stood looking emotionally exhausted. "I need to meditate. I know I said I wanted to talk to you at length about my visions, but I need time to compose myself."

She looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

He shook his head. "No, it's good to know what drove my father to the darkside. If he obeyed the no-attachment tenets none of this would have happened."

Mara frowned. "No, him having to hide his relationship is what put a crack in his armor. If he could have gone to his masters and told them the problem without the risk of retribution then he would have no need to learn a darkside skill to help his wife. Instead he would have called an obstetrician, scheduled an ultrasound and then have her put on bed rest. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't be seen with a pregnant senator, so he thought the best way to handle this problem was to seek advice from a Sith. The Jedi put unreasonable restrictions on their members. No love, no attachment? You should be happy when your loved one joins the Force? Happy? What a load of rubbish."

Luke stared at the top of his boots not knowing what to say. "Maybe," he finally muttered.

Mara stood and walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know this is a lot to take in. I do want to stress your father was exploited by a master manipulator. If Palpatine was not in his life I am positive he would have ended up a good man and a great Jedi…like his son."

He gave a weak smile. "Thanks Mara."

She gave his shoulder a squeeze and then moved to the door. "Let me know when you would like to talk again." She stopped and turned back to him. "And Luke…"

He gazed in her direction. "What?"

"Remember you promised me a date." She gave him a playful smile before walking out the door.

That revelation astounded Luke. "A date?" The words were foreign to him. "How does she get me to do these things?" He grabbed his office chair and dragged it back behind his desk before dropping into its deep cushions. He shook his head and smiled. "I guess Palpatine wasn't the only master manipulator."