Things are about to get interesting for our heroes. Hope you enjoy :)

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We all make mistakes,

You might fall on your face,

But you gotta get up!

-Conqueror, Estelle and Jesse Smollett

With a stealthy prowess, Chewbacca had climbed up to the higher branches and now perched just below Leia, who had used the Force to jump to that height. From that vantage point, they watched the proceedings on the grounds in front of the Imperial Academy. Peering through a pair of macrobinoculars, Leia was bored by the endless drills the cadets performed in synchronized rows. She hoped this was not a waste of valuable time.

She lowered the binocs and searched below but could not see Han or Luke. Reaching outward, she sensed them both: Han, wary and anxious; Luke, cautious and hopeful. Raising the binocs, she renewed her vigil, leaving herself open to any ripple in the Force.

She tried not to focus on the discomfort of her position between the branches; the way the hard bark dug into the backs of her thighs, or how uncomfortable her left foot was, propped against the lower branch.

Something tugged at her and there was a sudden, slow swell in the Force, something that seemed to unfurl dark, rancid feelers that reached out to scour and tarnish the shimmer in the Force that Leia was always able to sense. Her heart seemed to cease beating for a breathless moment, as if something in the Force had just squeezed it tightly enough to steal her breath. She tensed between the branches, abruptly unaware of her physical discomfort.

The inner being that she normally left open to the galaxy at large cringed, trying to creep back inside her and escape the shadow that now seemed to cast a pall across all of existence. She resisted against the urges of fight or flight, fear growing cold in her belly. Pushing back at it with the strength of her will, she strove for calm amidst the turmoil. She couldn't allow herself to be driven by fear. Closing her eyes, she took in several steady breaths then opened her eyes, prepared to assess the situation.

She felt the approach long before she saw it. He was large, dressed in armor quite similar to the Death Watchers; clearly Mandalorian, the armor black and red, bringing to mind blood and death. A dark red cowl blanketed his helmet and surged down his back to a cape that distended behind him as he marched purposefully.

He strode slowly, menacingly towards the troops, a vile vapor of evil emanating from him, pouring like bile into the air around him. Leia felt it like slime oozing and writhing through the air. Darkness simmered, malicious intent rose in waves through the Force, seeming to cause even the smallest of nearby life to shrink back in fear. Leia could almost feel the Life-Force of the leaves and branches shudder.

Trying to remain passive and unmoved, she watched through her binocs, sensing Chewie's inquisitive concern. It was difficult to shoulder the heavy darkness that, for her, was as present as the air she breathed.

The being turned in a quick arc to inspect the last line of troops and she saw a glint of silver, the lightsaber hanging loosely from the belt of ammo, reflecting the sun. The tiny hairs on her arms rose, leaving her charged and expectant.

He spun very suddenly and, through the binocs, Leia was certain his head had tipped up towards the tree and eyes were gazing back at her through the visor of the helmet.

Stunned, her stomach seemed to fall out as the binocs tumbled from her hands and fell to the ground. As if scalded, she recoiled, closing off her connection to the Force and cloaking her presence. Without a word, she began to clamber down the tree. Chewie hooted quietly as he followed.

Lowering herself the last few meters, she landed gracefully with the help of the Force. Chewie joined her shortly and Han and Luke rushed towards them.

"What did you see?" Han asked sternly.

Slightly breathless, she nodded her helmeted head. "We can't talk about it here. We must get some distance and then I'll tell you everything."

Han was clearly not pleased with her answer but he nodded grimly, trusting her as he always did. They began their trek back through the woods in silence. Afraid to leave herself open and vulnerable, Leia remained closed to the Force. Her mind was a whirlwind, tumbling in every direction. She was certain this was the Emperor's new apprentice, Vader's replacement. He was clearly strong in the dark side of the Force.

This only complicated things that were already close to impossible. She struggled to fight against feelings of a defeat that hadn't come yet. The Rebellion had already lost so much, had an armada of obstacles up against them. The death of Vader had been their only victory. Now, it almost seemed hollow.

Arriving at the edge of the woods, the group piled into the borrowed speeder and took off in the direction of the docking bay where the Falcon was berthed. Leia was relieved that no one questioned her yet. She needed to be far away from the darkness before she would feel able to speak of it.

The rush of the wind made effective communication difficult, but soon they were outside the docking bay and Han was cutting the engine. He had parked on the side, away from the foot traffic of other beings. Leia felt heavy, weighed down by this terrible, new knowledge.

From his seat beside her, Han turned and placed a hand on Leia's knee, brow lowered over dark eyes filled with concern.

"What did you see?" he asked in a low tone.

Leia was dimly aware of Luke and Chewie leaning in closer as the Wookiee told them they saw a Mandalorian Warrior.

"He wasn't just a Mandalorian Warrior," Leia said quietly, her eyes at Han's chest. She took a shaky breath and met his gaze. "He had a lightsaber. And I could sense the darkness around him, inside him." She pointed a meaningful look at Luke, found his gaze turned inward, blue eyes luminous and a bit frightened.

Chewie growled a low question and Leia nodded to him. "I'm quite certain he's taken Vader's place at the Emperor's side."

No one questioned her and they all fell silent. Leia tried to banish the cold shadow that seemed to have burrowed inside her.

"Okay, so now what?" Han asked anxiously.

Leia sighed. "We return to the Fleet and notify High Command."

"They can't help us," Luke murmured, barely audible.

She turned her head and saw him gazing off into the distance, eyes unfocused but hinting at sorrow, brow worried. It made Leia even more uneasy but she pushed it aside. She returned her gaze to Han.

"We have to fully assess this threat and plan how we'll move forward. We shouldn't do that on our own. It's a decision for all of High Command."

Han nodded grimly. "All right. Let's get the Falcon prepped to take off." He gave a nod to Chewie.

They clambered from the speeder and entered the hangar. Halfway to the Falcon, Han grabbed Leia by the arm and she stopped, Luke reflexively halting beside her.

"Go on ahead," he called to Chewbacca, who barked in acknowledgement.

Leia peered up at Han expectantly, too unnerved to reopen herself to the Force and sense his feelings.

"Listen," he began gruffly. "Don't be gettin' any crazy ideas here."

Thoughts and feelings in turmoil, she remained utterly calm. "Don't worry, Han."

"That's not the response I was lookin' for," he growled.

Leia smiled gently, mind preoccupied. "Han, please. I have no course of action right now."

"Yeah, but I know you."

Leia glanced at Luke, who was staring at the ground. She wondered what he was thinking.

She offered Han a reassuring smile. "Let's not cross through any wormholes until we come to them. Okay?"

His mouth scrunched to one side and he was clearly not assuaged. With a loud sigh, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a long, tight squeeze before releasing her. They looked into each other's eyes for a long, poignant moment and Leia did not need the Force to know how he felt.

One arm still around her, they began heading towards the Falcon again, Luke trailing them.

A sudden rush of noise, like fire and water somehow gushing together, sounded from behind them and the trio spun around to see a blur of red and black streaking towards them.

Recognition struck instantly and Leia opened herself to the Force, felt the malevolent creature's presence radiating murderous intent. It landed two meters in front of them and the sound of the jet-pack's engine cut off.

Han's reaction was immediate; his blaster was in his hand before anyone could blink and he squeezed off several shots. The Mandalorian raised a hand and the blasts ricocheted from the palm of his hand and bounced harmlessly. In a flash, the blaster had been yanked from Han's hand to careen aimlessly and Han went flying backwards into a wall.

As he struck the hard surface, Leia tried to remain calm and centered, even as she felt Han's shock and confusion. She almost felt his head strike the wall then, in the space of a breath, and she could sense him no longer as he lost consciousness.

Heart constricting, stomach dropping to her toes, she forced those feelings aside, could not allow herself to lose focus and worry for the man she loved.

Facing the dark presence, Leia cast all else from her awareness. What Luke was doing in the face of this threat, she had no idea. She couldn't allow herself to think about it.

The Mandalorian was huge, almost as tall as Vader, red and black armor dented and scratched, black cape trailing. His attention was fixed entirely on Leia and she stared back unflinchingly.

And then his lightsaber was in his hand, glowing blood-red. Leia ignited her blue blade in response and took a defensive stance, weapon raised and ready. A Jedi did not attack; a Jedi only defended.

Darkness poured from the Mandalorian's form, seeming to threaten her through the spark that flared in the air between them.

In a frenzy of motion, emitting a loud battle cry, he spun in a thunderstorm of red and black, lightsaber arcing towards her. Summoning all of the calm and poise she possessed, Leia raised her saber in return and blocked the quick attack that bore down on her in a flurry of offensive strikes.

She sensed his momentary surprise at her ability to counter his attack so effectively. It fled quickly, leaving behind only the vicious desire to destroy her.

In a flash, Leia raised her lightsaber and charged him, blade swinging from side to side. Her opponent fell back slightly and Leia took advantage of his momentary lapse. She brought her blade up from below but he quickly righted himself to block the blow before pulling up to bring the lightsaber crashing down on her.

She dropped to the ground with a speed that a non-Force user couldn't have followed with his eyes then rolled past his feet in a blur, jumping up behind him, blade raised expectantly.

Just as her blade came up, he was bearing down on her again, but Leia was prepared for the onslaught. She whipped her lightsaber around to crack and sizzle against his, blue and red shoving against each other in an aura of purple. They remained in that position for a long moment, each using the Force to push the other back.

With an inner grin of satisfaction, Leia propelled him backwards and he skidded along the ground, a screech of metal blasting through the hangar. He was on his feet again before Leia could think of what to do next.

A bold fury gleamed in the air and he charged Leia with a roar, saber a bright burst of movement. Jumping up slightly, she crashed her saber into his, igniting a staccato of attacks and parries that matched each other equally. With a crack and a hum, he spun into an upwards tumble, one leg jutting out to kick Leia squarely in the stomach.

A groan, a harsh gust of air and the wind was knocked entirely out of her as she flew backwards and landed hard on her back, slightly stunned. Forcing a breath into her lungs, she jumped back up to her feet, trying to orient herself as the Mandalorian sprung towards her again. Without a moment to spare, she met his attack with an upwards swing of her blade.

Still a bit winded, Leia was forced to retreat to a far corner of the hangar. As her back neared the wall and she feared she would be trapped, she breathed more deeply, soothing her lungs and tuning into the Force more sharply.

She blocked the blow he rained down on her then managed to parry more offensively, using the Force to drive him backwards again. Regaining some ground, her optimism rose and, in a quick motion, she bore her lightsaber to one side, then feinted to the left in an unexpected move that just barely took her opponent by surprise. He blocked her, but with not a moment to spare.

Taking advantage of having thrown him off balance, Leia slashed her lightsaber hard against his, swiveled it across the other direction, and took that moment to sprint a short meter. Now away, she did a fast double jump and flew atop the Falcon.

Gazing down at where he stood in a defiant stance, Leia gathered her breath and worked at centering herself. A nagging concern for Han began to creep into her thoughts but she thrust it away and concentrated on her connection to the Force.

Below, although his face was obscured from her vision, she could sense the Mandalorian's dark anger.

"Who are you?" she called in a demanding tone, her voice ringing out through the hangar. If she could procure some information from this encounter, all the better.

"You'll be dead before you can find out!" His deep voice was louder than hers, with a tinny quality caused by the helmet.

Breath now steady, she allowed herself a small, haughty smile. "You are sadly mistaken. Evil won't win this time."

A bellowing laugh flew from his helmet. "Evil always wins, foolish woman."

"If you are so certain that I will be dead then it wouldn't hurt to tell me your name."

He laughed again, a short bark this time. "If you are so certain that you won't be dead then come back down here."

"In good time." She smiled again.

Something akin to a growl spouted from him and he slashed his blood-red blade back and forth in front of him. "Your mate…I believe I killed him." His tone was a taunt.

Part of Leia knew he was baiting her…another part felt a tiny spike of fear that gusted deep inside her and rose towards the top. She felt her breath quicken again and tried to slow it back to normal. She wondered dimly where Luke was but couldn't allow herself to be distracted.

On the floor of the hangar, the Mandalorian raised a gloved hand to his head. "Yes…" he said in a tone of concentration. "The blow to the head caused bleeding in his brain. I see it…that was the cause of death."

It seemed impossible to slow her breathing now and she swallowed hard against fear. Was it safe to reach out for Han's presence? Or would that moment of distraction be her demise?

She couldn't risk it. Her focus needed to remain on this dark being. She had to believe he was toying with her in order to get through this. The belief that Han was all right had to sustain her so that she could obliterate this thing from the galaxy. When it was over, she could allow herself to check on Han. He had to be okay.

And this needed to end.

With a deep breath, Leia stepped to the edge of the Falcon and allowed herself to drop off the side, feet striking the floor several meters from the Mandalorian. In a quick move, she started at a run towards him then jumped up and executed a double jump that sent her soaring over his head.

The next few moments whizzed by in a blur: Leia overestimated the height of her jump and, as she tumbled in the air, she was closer to her adversary than anticipated, her focus not as keen as necessary, her core vaguely off-center and distracted by a deep concern she tried so hard to ignore.

A sudden, searing, soul-blinding pain hit, thrashing through her and blanking her mind. There was nothing but sheer agony and Leia didn't even know where it stemmed from; she screamed, a primal outcry of pain; when she landed on her side with a thud, the scream stopped, torn from her with her breath.

Something roared in her ears, but the pain caused her to moan and that obliterated all else from her senses.

Her body went into shock and, mercifully, everything went black.