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Chapter 25 – The Goal

"In other words," Bel Ibis added, "congratulations kids, you're getting a divorce."

Luke mentally paused at the word: Divorce.

A marriage he never wanted in the first place, but was softly shoved into, would be null and void. No longer would he be at the center of attention. He could return to the Jedi and continue his quest for a better understanding of the force.

He wouldn't have Mara anymore.

Would she still want him?

The Lady was stock still, a complete mask of emotions, even Luke couldn't tell what she was thinking or how she would react to the news. He desperately wanted to talk to her but couldn't in front of everyone. Was she seeing this as an opportunity to get rid of him and not have to deal with figuring out her emotions?

The Imperial shuttle landed, figures descending the ramp as they stood watching in an awkward silence. Grand Admiral Doruk, a large boisterous kind of man, approached them, scowling.

"You told them already?" he huffed.

Bel Ibis simply shrugged, "Thought about waiting for you but you took too long."

Whatever banter the two were about to engage in, friendly or no, was cut short as Mara swiftly called to one of the lieutenants who were waiting in the background to be porters to the guests.

"Gentlemen," she turned back to the group, "you've had a long travel. Please, freshen up, eat if you must, we will then meet in the main conference room in two hours. Lieutenant Lavits here will help you with anything you need."

Mara didn't give them a chance, she turned on her heels and with a long, quick, stride towards the exit, never once looking at him or making a gesture. Luke wanted to run after her but was still paralyzed by the thought of what she might say.

"I asked you to let us tell her together," Doruk turned to the senator, "as a courtesy."

"Where was your courtesy on Ryloth?" Bel Ibis shot back. "Perhaps you should have thought of that before excluding her from such important talks?"

"Gentlemen," Anakin gently interposed himself between them. "What's done is done. I suggest we take the kind offer while it still stands, hmm?"

The rival politicians glared at each other but both knew bigger battles were yet to come and backed down. As they turned to the lieutenant and called to the rest of their entourage, Anakin turned his attention towards Luke.

"You seem troubled," Anakin stood in front of him now, bringing him out of his continually jumbled thoughts. "It's all over your face."

"This… is a turn," was the safest way he could phrase it. "One moment I'm forced into a marriage, the next I'm being forced out."

Anakin raised one brow, "I thought you'd be pleased."

"I would be pleased if the governments could make up their minds and stop frelling about," he snapped, raising his voice much to his annoyance, then frowned, "sorry."

"No, it's okay," Anakin nodded slightly, "it's a rough time, for all of us. Nothing seems to be going to plan."

"Yeah," he shook his head, knowing what he needed to do. "Excuse me father, I need to speak to Mara."

"I'm sure you do," the elder Skywalker said after a moment's consideration.

…

Mara was angry, really, really angry. Boiling point angry. The kind of angry that makes even a normal person want to rip everything around them to shreds, starting with the pillows and ending with anything in the cooling unit that was water soluble.

Thing is, she wasn't sure what she was more angry at:

She was excluded from such an important negotiation, again.

She was being told now who she couldn't be married to.

She was going to have to divorce a man she was… was… who she… liked… a lot.

Everything she had been doing was for nothing.

"Mara?" Luke's voice came softly from the door of her office.

Stopping what she was doing she looked over her shoulder at him. "Luke."

"I…" he cleared his voice, moving forward in a light shuffle, "I don't want to get a divorce… but if it's what you want…"

"You think I want a divorce?" she asked evenly, brows slightly creased.

"Hopefully not," he frowned. Normally Luke knew her so well she wanted to strangle him, and now he was at a loss and thinking she wanted to end what was between them.

Did she want to end this? Sure, it would make life so much easier. She wouldn't be stuck trying to figure out what was going on, in both her head and her heart. Luke could go back and live with his family and find some girl who wasn't as emotionally wrecked as she was.

So much easier…

"Luke," she stood and walked over to him, his face showing strength she knew she didn't have. "Don't you want to go back to the Republic? Be with your family."

He thought about this, his face became wracked with turmoil.

"I could never abandon my people," Mara said into the silence, the bitter taste of the fact the council had purposely excluded her still stinging the back of her throat. "The council may not want me, but I will not defect, I will not set that example for the Empire."

Luke took her hands in hers, "I love you, so much," his voice was longing, "but I can't defect either. I will not leave my whole family and everything I believe in. I am a Jedi Knight. I may not be able to serve alongside my brethren but I will not turn my back on them."

"I understand," she said softly and he pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her, holding her close.

Mara thought of the past year, of her time with the Jedi Luke Skywalker, a man who was unlike any other she had met, who earned her respect as well as her trust. A man who had learned all her secrets and never once used them against her. The darkness was gone, or at least dormant, and it was because of him. She gave him her body and he did nothing but treat it with care.

He was a man she would do anything for… except that. The Empire was her home, its citizens her people. She would never disgrace them by going to the Republic.

Even if the council had turned their back on her.

"I'm tired, Luke," she admitted, pulling back, "so tired."

"I know," he brushed his hand against her cheek. "I know."

Their eyes met and an understanding passed between them.

"Well, let's get this over with?" she managed a weak smile.

He squeezed her hand. "It will be okay… it will always be okay."

…

After a bit to eat and an opportunity to clean up and change, the guests were brought into a large conference chamber which was basically a long white room with a long white table with twenty white chairs and two Imperial Blue banners hanging on each end. That was the one thing about the Empire that Anakin would never admit to his wife he liked. He appreciated their tendency to not lean towards the flair and dramatic. Anakin was from the desert, simple and functional ruled the day.

Grand Admiral Doruk sat across from Bel Ibis and the two continued to glare daggers at each other.

How was the peace expected to work if even the high level officials couldn't get along? Anakin was afraid at any moment he'd have to come between the two men before blasters were drawn. No, not blasters, they weren't allowed to take them off the ship. Anakin got to keep his lightsaber though, probably of his own son's doing he guessed.

As for Luke, what happened in the hanger bay was a source of confusion for the Jedi Master. He would have expected his son to be relieved at the news, and while there was a small measure of that… there was so much more. His son was a jumble of emotions and he would have liked to talk about it with him but he ran away, after Lady Jade. Anakin had his theories but surely he was mistaken?

"Gentlemen," Lady Jade strode in, Luke beside her. The two groups started to stand as is polite but she cut them off with a hand gesture and sat down at the head of the table, Luke taking the chair to her right. "Now, tell me what the frell is going on?"

"Well, Lady Jade," Doruk started, eyeing Bel Ibis who sat back in his chair, "an emergency conference was called under the guise of an anniversary discussion. It was decided that the peace treaty cannot stand anymore."

"There is more conflict now than when we were in a cease fire," the Corellian senator cut in. "The corporations are using every loop hole, citizens are migrating in droves due to taxes, and protestors have gotten violent."

"Perhaps the Republic should have kept a stronger hand on things," Jade shot back.

"Perhaps the Empire should have had more consideration for Republican business interests to keep the market balanced," Luke slid the comment right in under hers.

The two of them glanced at each other and nodded in agreement.

"The point is," Doruk ignored them, "it's too late now. We have to scrap the treaty, force the division again."

"Why not make a new treaty?" Jade asked. "Spend this time making a workable treaty instead of backtracking into possible war?"

"Because it will never work," Bel Ibis answered, "the New Republic and Empire simply cannot get along."

"As it stands, you're right," Luke quickly said, "but it can work if you give it a chance."

"Pipe dreams, boy," Doruk huffed.

"We've made up a plan," Bel Ibis slid a datapad across the table towards Lady Jade who caught it and began reading. "It's a step process in closing the borders and the trade. This should allow everyone time to make sure they are on the side they want to be on before it's over."

"I see," Jade continued to read the room went silent.

Anakin didn't have to be a Jedi to see that neither Luke nor Jade liked what was happening. Hell, he didn't like what was happening. Peace was always the ultimate goal, that's why he was willing to not so much as push but at least not pull Luke out of the arranged marriage. Now both sides were giving up? Padme had been pro-looking for another solution but was vastly outnumbered and even she was eventually silenced.

He asked the Force for guidance and all it told him was one word: patience.

Anakin didn't have a good track record with being patient.

"Well," Jade passed the datapad over to Luke, "I would ask you why I wasn't informed of this little talk but I'll spare you your pre-arranged scripted answer."

Doruk bristled, "Lady Jade—"

"Silence," she cut him off with a powerful stroke to the tone of the word, "save it for someone who cares."

The Lady's reputation, or more accurately her grandfather's, preceded her. Anakin knew she was not a dark side user but she proved she was sharp and not to be underestimated at Leia's wedding. His son, however, didn't seem fazed at all by her and he trusted Luke to have a better understanding of the Lady than himself.

There was a short stare down between the two but it was easily won by Jade. Doruk then cleared his throat and said, "Your presence is… requested," he might have been about to say 'required', "on Coruscant for the announcement. The senator and Jedi are here to collect young Skywalker."

"You'll have a day to pack," Bel Ibis added, "that should be enough time?"

"That would be enough, yes," Luke nodded.

"Good," Doruk started to stand, "glad this is over with."

"Were do you think you're going?" Jade said to the man, the others around the table who had also been starting to stand went still in their seats.

"We're finished here?" Doruk managed to say, completely unsure of himself.

"No, you're finished," she stood and Doruk shrinked back into his chair, "I'm just getting started."

Lady Jade's eyes swept across the table and her anger was visible in the tight lines of her face and tension in her hands gripping the edge of the surface. She took in one long breath then laughed.

And kept laughing. Not maniacal laughing. Just laughing. Shaking her head.

"Lady Jade?" Anakin was able to ask seeing not a single trace of confusion on Luke's face, in fact, there was a touch of mirth there.

"You know," Jade managed to catch her breath, "since before I could remember I have been the good little Imperial princess. I have done anything, given everything, for the Empire, for this peace."

"And the Empire thanks—" Doruk began to say and the man was knocked backwards by a sweep of her hand. Not hard enough to hurt him, just enough to put him in his place.

Anakin was about to stand but he saw his son gesture to hold. Quickly he sensed out and still no dark side was seeping from the woman, just simple pent up anger like any normal, regular person might suffer through had they been in her place and not force-sensitive.

"Grand Admiral Doruk," Jade straightened her blouse, calming herself as the man struggled back to his feet with the help of an aid. Was she using a Jedi calming technique? "You can tell Chancellor Beddine that I will not be joining him on Coruscant unless he can get his act together. And by act I mean put the people first and stop acting like a five year old who can't share his toys!"

"You…" Doruk stood, shocked, "you won't be coming back to the Empire?"

She paused, swallowing hard, "Not at this time."

"But… where will you…?" he eyes glanced to the other side of the table where the New Republic representatives sat.

"The Tion Cluster," she answered, "it's neutral space."

"Oh," there was a note of relief in his voice, then, "but why? The Empire needs you now, more than ever."

"No," she shook her head sadly, "you and Beddine need me, and not to actually do anything but stand there and look pretty supporting your idiocracy. I'm getting tired of being the puppet. When you actually want my help in fixing this mess, you know where I'll be."

Anakin sat in mild shock at the exchange in front of them. Was Lady Jade, one of the Empire's staunchest supporters, abandoning the Empire? What could posses her to do such a thing?

"Gentlemen," Jade cleared her throat, "get the frell off my ship. All of you. Now!"

"Lady Jade," Bel Ibis managed to find his voice, "this is an unexpected turn, perhaps we can discuss it while we wait for Knight Skywalker to pack."

"There's no need to wait, you can leave now," Luke informed the senator. Anakin could sense something in his son that reminded him entirely too much of himself. He wasn't sure if that was supposed to make him proud or terrified.

"You said it would take a day?" Bel Ibis questioned.

"If I were to pack," Luke acknowledged, "but I'm staying with Mara and going to the Tion Cluster with her."

There was a small exchange between Luke and Jade, a deep understanding and acceptance of what they were doing and resolve to do it.

"You can't turn your back on the Republic!" Bel Ibis said with perhaps more whine than he expected, the man obviously conscious of Doruk still standing across the table in a similar predicament.

"I'm not," Luke's eyes met his father's, "I am following the Force and my heart. Peace was always the goal, always will be, and until the Republic sees that again, there is nothing there for me political wise. My family is of course always welcome to visit us in the Cluster."

Mary nodded in agreement. "We gave so much to our governments and they turned their backs on us. We have been used, abused, and I am not amused. You, Luke?"

"Hardly," he smirked.

"There will never be peace," Bel Ibis echoed his earlier words.

"The Empire and Republic cannot get along," Doruk agreeded, "we are simply too different."

"You're wrong," Jade shook her head, "peace is always an option."

"And it can be obtained," Luke added, confidence in his voice.

"You're being idealistic, boy," Doruk scoffed.

"Hey," Anakin jumped to his son's defense, "that boy has more back bone than you and the moral high ground, I suggest you shut up and listen. If he thinks peace can work, then believe him."

Bel Ibis turned towards the Jedi Master, "Aren't you going to try to stop him?"

He blinked, "Why?"

The senator frowned, "Right, I forgot who I was talking to."

Anakin looked to his son, "You're sure though, this is what you want?"

He nodded surely, "Yes."

"This is nonsense," Doruk exclaimed. "You want me to believe that you two honestly think the Empire and Republic can get along!"

Luke sighed, "How should I put this…?"

His son reached over and gently grabbed Jade's sleeve, tugging her towards him. She didn't shout or bulk but instead leaned into the gesture, falling softly towards Luke, ending up sitting across his lap. Before Anakin, or anyone, could register what they were seeing, the two began to kiss as two people well acquainted with each other would.

Finally the last piece of the puzzle hooked together for Anakin. His son, the man who wanted to spend his life dedicated to the Force, had fallen for the one woman in the galaxy he probably shouldn't have and she had obviously fallen for him as well.

Yep, he was his father's son alright.