A/N: Aww look… sparks of friendship- maybe. There is also more of Obi-wan's plans. What could he be up to? ;) A lot of secrets are finally revealed.. what are they? You'll have to read to see! Thanks to my fantastic reviewers who keep me on my toes and to everyone who has faved this story. It means a lot to me. :)
Despite her dislike of working with the Rebels, Mara's mouth twitched into a slight smile as she observed Calrissian struggling to secure the last of the storm trooper armour on himself, and Solo stood sitffly, tugging slightly at the collar of the officers uniform. Just one final touch needed… Stepping over to him she figured she'd better help with this part. "Ready for the last part of your disguise?" she asked him.
"I know I'm going to regret this… but what is this vial for?" he asked.
"We'll get to that in a minute. First…" she pulled a pair of clippers out "We need to get that cut military grade." As she considered the height different she motioned him to a chair. "You should probably sit for this." Han sighed.
"Couldn't we just shave Chewie instead?" he asked. Mara snorted.
"Ha, you want to propose that idea to him? I like my arms where they are thanks… though I do wonder what a bald wookiee would look like…" she said. Han noted she seemed to be in a better mood today. Hopefully she would stay in one so long as they stayed off certain topics. He was learning quickly what would set her off, and made sure to avoid those topics. Learning of her early training and that she was raised by Palpatine certainly helped in that.
"Well, Chewie has a life debt to me so I doubt he'd kill me for it or de-limb me… but let's not put that to the test shall we?" Han said as he sat and let Mara shave him into a proper military cut. His officers uniform felt even more uncomfortable now. She was apparently able to pick up his feelings as she cocked her head at him and gave him a questioning glance.
"You were an officer once weren't you?" she asked. "You defected. Why?" Han shrugged.
"I didn't agree with their treatment of wookiees." he said.
"Chewie was a slave you freed wasn't he?" she asked. A flicker of emotion crossed her face and was quickly hidden, though not fast enough. Han knew he was playing with fire asking personal questions of her, but he had a hunch.
"You were a slave too weren't you?" he asked. She sighed and nodded.
"I technically still am. I don't really know if it was my real parents I was pulled from or not. I just know they cared for me. I don't actually remember being on the slave ship… I was too young I suppose. I just know because I saw the documents." she said. As she did Han saw for the first time a sort of sad tiredness in her instead of her usual hard edge.
"Still are?" he asked. She tensed and snapped back to her strict leader persona.
"Technically." she answered tersely "And it's not your business."
"No, it's not." Han agreed. So much for good mood.
"Hand me the vial" she snapped. As he did, she donned a pair of protective gloves.
"What is that stuff?" he asked, leery.
"It's a mild irritant. It causes some localized swelling. It will go down in a couple hours, by which point we will be long gone. Are you done asking questions?" she asked and Han nodded. He winced as she rubbed the oil in a pattern on his face to look like swelling from a battle so it would not be obvious it was to hide his features. It burned alright. Stepping back to admire her work, Mara saw a spot for improvement, but she would need Solo's ok first. "This is going to sound a bit crazy but.."
"You want to punch me?" Han asked. Mara laughed.
"It would help complete the look." she said.
"Do it." Han told her. He figured it would both help his disguise and let her vent her anger a little. She drew her fist back and was just driving it home into his chin, splitting his lip when Leia walked in. Flying over she glared vibroblades at Mara.
"What in the nine Corellian hells?" she asked. Han stood and stepped between her and Mara before Leia started a fight.
"It's ok sweetheart. Part of the disguise as all. I told her to hit me." he assured her. Leia looked skeptical but let it go.
"Be careful out there." she told him. "I'm worried about you… I hate I can't be with you." she said as she bit back tears, not wanting to cry in front of the Imperial agent. Mara however took the hint they needed some privacy for their goodbyes and slipped from the room.
"Be at the ship in five Solo." she said over her shoulder as she left. Once she left the room, Leia cried and Han held her.
"I'm so worried. I can't do this without you Han. You have to come back safe. Promise me you will!" she sobbed.
"Sweetheart, I will do everything I can to get back to you. I promise. Jade knows what she's doing. I'm sure it will be fine. She isn't the type to take risks." he assured her, stroking her hair and kissing her gently.
"What if she turns you in?" Leia asked.
"She won't. I'm sure of it. She's got a strong sense of loyalty and I can't see her betraying anyone." Han said.
"I hope you're right." Leia sighed.
"Trust me Princess. I may not have the Force… but I know people and she's a good person. Misguided maybe, but a good person."
Vader sighed as he felt a familiar presence in the Force. Just what he needed to make his night complete. More cryptic messages from a dead Jedi Master. "Hello Obi-wan." he said wearily. "What is it you want now?" he asked.
"I sense a new dark presence in the Force. I wished to warn you. This presence hunts you, waiting for the time to strike." Obi-wan said.
"Funny, I thought you would want me dead so you can move on." Vader rumbled.
"I do not wish your death my friend. Far from it." Obi-wan explained.
"Care to explain old man?" Vader asked, cocking his head slightly. What was his former Master up to?
"I could tell you… but you would fight against it." Obi-wan answered in his typical cryptic manner. Vader lost his patience at that and ignighted his lightsaber, taking a few swings at the old man. The blade passed through harmlessly of course, but he felt a little better for doing it anyways. Sometimes the only way to handle violent emotions was, well, violently. Obi-wan glared at him. "Are you quite done with that?" he asked tersely. Vader smirked under his helmet.
"Depends how long you want to keep playing this game." he answered.
"Believe me when I say it's for your own good. I want to help you." Obi-wan sighed. Vader would learn the truth eventually, but too early would only delay and complicate things.
"So you plan to just keep showing up and delivering cryptic messages? I grow tired of this old man." Vader grumbled. Obi-wan shrugged.
"Trust in the Force my friend, it will show you the path I guide you to when you are ready for it."
"Is that supposed to be any less cryptic?" Vader grumbled. Obi-wan laughed.
"That is as un-cryptic as I can make it my friend. You will know what I mean when the time is right. Continue to train your son and Jade. You will need their help." Obi-wan told him growing serious. "They are the key. Without them you will fail in the path the Force has set for you."
"What of Jade's renewed loyalty to her Master? He binds her in every way. Whether she complies by force or by will, she is his and his alone. If she is made to pick between myself and my Master, she will pick him if for no reason besides self-preservation." Vader said as he sunk into a chair.
"You must help her break those chains. I sense she is already beginning to doubt her purpose. If you can offer her safety and a place with your son she can be swayed. She serves less out of love for her Master now, then she does out of fear of disobeying."
"He has punished her then?" Vader asked and Obi-wan nodded.
"The first time you trained her. It was why she was willing to follow you then." Obi-wan explained, and Vader nodded at the realization. How had he not seen it before? Jade had always been aloof to him, but that day she had been almost relieved to see him when he explained his purpose. He hadn't see any injuries, so he hadn't considered it… but then the Dark Side could harm in ways that would not leave physical marks… That was why her force sense had been fearful. It was not his presence that had caused her fear, but the mental tortures of the Dark Side tearing her mind. He admired the girl's strength. Many would have broken down entirely or gone mad from the experience.
"Then she will return safely from her mission at least?" Vader asked.
"Always in motion is the future… but I foresee no immediate danger to her." Obi-wan answered. Vader breathed a sigh of relief. Despite their rocky introductions he was beginning to really care for the girl like the daughter he never had. He noticed Obi-wan smiling at him.
"What?" he asked.
"I think perhaps it is time you learn certain truths I have kept from you long enough."
"What truths?" Vader asked warily.
"First, you must guard this information with your life. The Emperor must never learn of this." Obi-wan said sternly.
"Of course. You think I would tell him any of this?" Vader asked. Obi-wan smiled.
"Very true my friend. The truth is… you do have a daughter." he said. Vader was floored. He stood utterly speechless for a minute before recovering his voice.
"Who is she? Please tell me it's not Mara Jade! I'd hate for my son to experience that!" Vader asked alarmed. Obi-wan shook his head laughing.
"What do you take me for?" he asked. "No, Mara Jade is not your daughter. You have met her though." he said.
"Who?" Vader pressed.
"Search your feelings my friend. You will know her." Obi-wan told him. Vader sifted through memories then hit a face that looked familiar. Dark hair and eyes like Padme… of course, why had he not seen it? He had tortured her, held her back while her home world was destroyed. How had he not known then… Leia was his daughter. Padme had been carrying twins! He crumpled to the ground at the realization… the great irony of it all. He quickly shielded his thoughts tightly before the Emperor could detect any emotion from him. How could he ever hope to reconcile with her? His daughter was literally at war with him. Obi-wan looked at him sadly. "You understand why I did not tell you sooner?" he asked softly. Vader nodded.
"I understand, Obi-wan. I need some time to deal with this…" he said sadly and Obi-wan nodded.
"I shall leave you for now my friend." he said as he vanished back into the Force. Vader was more determined then ever to get Luke away from his Master. He could not tell his son just yet he had a sister. Luke was not good enough at shielding from the Emperor just yet… but he would teach him… and somehow, some way he would find his daughter and apologize if it was the last thing he did.
As they made the jump towards Endor, Han shifted uncomfortably. Leia had asked him to ask more questions of Jade, but her mood was so unpredictable he wasn't sure it was such a good idea. As Han tried to think of how to approach the conversation with her, Mara turned to him. "What Solo? Just spit it out." she snapped. He wasn't sure if it was her years of training or the Force that told her, but since she asked…
"Leia wanted me to ask you about Luke… she misses him and wants to know how he is." Han said. Mara's face softened.
"Oh. Well I suspect I hurt him in taking off the way I did… but… he is well. He's happy, even if he doesn't always agree with our Master." she said softly. Han smiled.
"You wouldn't have anything to do with that happiness would you?" he asked. Mara smiled genuinely for the first time since she had met them.
"Very observant Solo. Yes, we are together, if that's what you are getting at." she told him. Noting his hesitation she cocked her head at him. "There is something else, isn't there?" she asked.
"I uh, wanted to tell you a bit more honestly why I saved Chewie and defected… and why I pressed you about being a slave." he said.
"They are related?" she asked. Han nodded.
"I was a slave myself. A wookiee raised me… she died to free me. I swore if I could ever help a wookiee I would. When I met Chewie I was an Imperial Officer and he was a slave. I remembered my promise… and did what I had to do." he explained. Mara was unsure what to say. She wasn't really used to these deep conversations with… well, anyone. She said the only thing that came to her mind.
"I uh, guess that's why you understand Shyriiwook so well." she said shifting uncomfortably. Turning the conversation back to a more comfortable area she told Han "I am going to use high level Imperial access and recognition codes to get us in. Don't try use these without me. They are personal codes, and trust me when I say using them will throw out a lot of alarms in the system if they are used by anyone else. I rank with Vader… so you can imagine what would happen if someone used Vader's personal codes without Vader present." she said. Han took a minute to digest that. She was definitely not a standard agent. Ranked with Vader? Oh stars what had he got them into? Still she seemed as moral as La'Rone had said. How did someone end up raised by the Emperor, grow up in the corruption of Imperial Palace, be trained as an assassin… yet stay so moral? Nodding at her Han spoke.
"Vader eh? He can't be any fun to work with." he said. She shrugged.
"He used to be miserable to be around… occasionally homicidal, til Luke arrived. Guess it helps him having his-" Mara stopped dead as she realized what she was about to say…. and yet, did it matter? It was hardly secret on Coruscant anymore. Eventually the Rebels would hear of it. Sighing Mara finished her sentence. "Having his son around." she finished. Han's jaw dropped.
"Luke is his son?" he asked. No wonder the kid was sticking with the Empire. His girlfriend and his father were the Emperor's top servants.
"It's probably best this is kept quiet for now. I'd rather not face the questions from my Master as to how the Alliance gained this information. I'm sure you can understand." she said and Han nodded.
"So he has no idea you are working with us… or La'Rone I suspect?" he asked. Mara shook her head.
"He trusts my judgement in fulfilling my missions, and seldom asks questions. It's useful when I need to make… questionable alliances in fulfilling a task." she said.
"So what does Palps think you are doing here?" Han asked and Mara glared at his disrespectful tone.
"What I am doing here Solo is finding out if the information provided to the Rebellion is accurate and if it is who provided it. Only a handful within the Empire know of the construction of this battle station, which means a high ranking traitor."
"Good for us, bad for you." Han said. Mara nodded.
"You must understand no matter what we learn, I will have to warn my Master of the Rebel plan to attack and he will not come to inspect this station while the Rebel threat looms. I am aware working with you will provide the details of it, and there is a chance you will launch an attack with that information… but I need you to verify your data is accurate to confirm we have a traitor." Mara explained and Han considered that.
"I'm no Alliance leader, but I will let them know that the attack will just be on the station if they go ahead."
"We're coming out of hyperspace in five minutes" Mara said as the nav computer beeped. "Get ready to do this… Commander Oslo."
"Aye, agent Jade." Han said giving her a slight bow as they made their way over to the comm. As soon as they dropped from hyperspace a transmission came through.
"Who is this? I have no visitors scheduled. State your name and business immediately or be shot down." a voice came over the comm. Han was very glad he had decided to trust the agent. If they'd done this without her they would of been dead. Punching the comm on Mara answered.
"The recognition code is Hapspir Barrini Corbolan Triaxis. I'm here on Emperor's orders to perform a spot check. I will do a flyby of the Endor moon base then land." she said sharply. The voice at the other end sounded annoyed.
"I have received no such orders." he said.
"It would not be a spot check if you were told in advance." she snapped at him. Apparently his computer must of processed the code because he came back on far more respectful.
"My apologizes Emperor's Hand. Comm us when you wish to land."
"Affirmative." Mara said before flicking off the comm. Han let loose the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Looking at Mara he asked the question he was sure he already knew the answer to.
"Emperor's Hand?" he asked.
"My official title." she confirmed, as she guided them over the Endor moon. The base set up was quite impressive, though away from the shield generators there was plenty of safe space to land as well as what looked like a primitive village. They would have to approach from the far side of the moon if they were to avoid detection immediately. The sensors were on the Death Star, but the moon would block the signals. As long as there was no sensors on the moon itself… which Han couldn't see any, it did look possible. Next came the fun part. Landing. He held his breath again as Mara punched the comm on. "Requesting a platform to land on." she said.
"We detect other lifeforms on board the ship. Who is with you?" the man on the other end of the comm asked. Mara made a note to speak to the Emperor about his insubordinance after… or perhaps just deal with him herself. The Emperor might ask too many questions.
"Myself, Commander Oslo and my personal squad of stormtroopers are on board. I would advise against further questions and grant me a spot to land…"
"Captain Paget" the man answered.
"You should know the Emperor's Hand does not like to be questioned, or kept waiting Captain Paget." she warned.
"Yes ma'am. You are cleared to land- bay 78."
"Affirmative." Mara said as she brought the ship in to land. Here we go, she thought to herself as she engaged the landing gear, lowered the ship into place and strode towards the loading ramp with Han following her close, but still at a proper respectful distance and La'Rone, Calrissian, Grave, Brightwater and Macross slightly behind him. Even Mara was slightly apprehensive, but she schooled her face to one of calm and command as was to be expected of the Emperor's Hand and stepped out to meet Captain Paget. Inwardly she just prayed to the Force this worked