Hello all, and welcome to another installment of Coming Home. I am feeling much better, thank you for all your well-wishes for me post surgery. I hope you are still enjoying the story. Thanks again.

Emerson

Part XXV

Mara Jade could not believe what she was hearing. Could the boy be any more altruistic or predictable? It was the very thing she'd expect Luke Skywalker, as hero of the Rebellion and all around upstanding, self-sacrificing, and simpering fool to do. The real surprise was the way that smug Princess and his own Father had reacted. Honestly, this was all a little too dramatic for her. She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes, and pushed the muzzle of her blaster deeper into Organa's back.

And yet, in spite of the overwhelming tension roiling in the room, and the many conflicting emotions she could feel, one sensation struck her above all others. It came from Vader. Though her Sith training was incomplete, though she was not as strong in the Force as Skywalker or her Master, Mara felt Vader's deep concern for Luke. Sensed his desire to protect his son. She tried to find an exact label for this emotion...it seemed so very complex yet deceptively simple. As she watched Skywalker's words settle in Vader, witnessed the reaction they caused...it dawned on her. Luke turned to face his Father, and more was said in the silence of his blue eyes than ever could have been spoken aloud. Even hidden under layers of dark armour and machinery, his face masked, that emotion radiated from Vader and enveloped his son. Mara realized, with a pang of jealousy, that it was something she would never know. Here, now, watching the last of the Jedi with his Sith father...was the closest she'd ever come to feeling the love of a parent. The concern of a father. To be that important to someone... It was beautiful, and heart-breaking...and Mara was forced to experience it second hand. Vicariously. Through Skywalker, the very man she'd been taught to hate; and from Vader, a man who had earned it.

The universe seemed in that long moment to hold its breath. Waiting. There were important decisions to be made which could have dire consequences, and Fate was wise enough to know what moments needed to be marked. When Destiny would deign to pause. The moment passed, though, with the first cackling laughter which came from Palpatine. He seemed genuinely amused by Skywalker's proposal.

"Ah, my young apprentice, I am certain you realize that is impossible. I will not allow your Father to escape his punishment...nor you to elude your fate. No one leaves the Executor...I have seen to that." He gestured languidly out toward the view port, indicating the darkness behind him. Perfect timing...Mara thought, as several Imperial flagships appeared, filling in the emptiness with their massive silver hulks. No way out.

Luke thinned his mouth grimly, flashing a glance to his Father before speaking. "Point taken, your Highness."

Palpatine nodded slowly, and spoke directly to Luke. "Perhaps you would be interested in hearing exactly what I propose, young Skywalker?" He fairly beamed with his dark intent, his obvious enjoyment of tormenting the boy seemingly radiating off him.

"Luke, no. Whatever he offers, don't except it...he..." Leia pleaded with Luke, but was silenced by another shove from Mara.

"Quiet, Princess. Don't speak until you are spoken to...didn't your precious royal upbringing teach you any manners?" Jade hissed from behind her. She readjusted her grip on the blaster, and realized that Vader was watching her intently. Mara gave him a blank stare, letting her face betray nothing. Inside, she went cold as she faced down the Dark Lord. If Vader lived through this...if Skywalker somehow beat Palpatine...well, she'd have a lot of answering to do. Mara doubted she'd survive Vader's wrath.

"What is your answer, Skywalker?" The Emperor was in no mood to mince words. "Are you prepared to hear what your destiny is?"

Visibly bracing himself, Luke faced the Emperor fully. "Yes. I am ready."

"The virus you carry, this disease...you are aware that I engineered it. I designed it. It is my creation." A hesitation, long enough for Luke to assent. "You must also know I hold the cure for it. It is possible for you to be free of this disease. You can overcome it. But not without some sacrifice." Palpatine stood, emphasizing his words. "You must give in to the Dark Side. Become my willing apprentice and I will free you from the virus. The Princess will be sent back to the Alliance...Lord Vader will remain here, until I have determined what exactly to do with him." Vader kneeled at that, relief flooding him. Time to play the penitent servant. If he could stay here, with his son, there was still a chance for redemption. Palpatine took a few steps closer. Leia was shaking her head in disbelief, but uttered no sound. Time to add a small incentive. Indicating with his hand, his gravel voice carrying effortlessly across the throne room, the Emperor said, "Jade, come before me."

She went to him instantly, re-holstering her blaster and ignoring Skywalker completely. Mara stood below him, several steps down, between her Master and Luke, and waited.

He would have wanted to present her differently, but unfortunately it had to be done now. "I am sure you are aware of Mara Jade's Force potential, young Skywalker, as well as her beauty." Mara frowned at this...she was already getting the feeling she wasn't going to like what she heard. Again that sickening sensation was taking her over...the sense of revulsion he gave her. His next words shocked her to the core. "She is yours, my young apprentice...your consort as my new Dark Prince. I can assure you she is a worthy match for you, and will be completely obedient. Together you can be the beginning of a new Sith Empire. Your children will be the heirs to the greatest power the universe has ever known." Palpatine never even looked at her.

Time seemed to freeze. Although she knew it was only a matter of moments, more than one thought flew through Mara's mind. He was giving her away...as if he owned her. She was transferable, like some physical token of an intangible power. Mara knew she owed the Emperor for many things, quite possibly even her life...but the idea that he could barter her body to obtain what he wanted was sickening. In all her missions, any of her undercover work or mundane Imperial functions, Palpatine had never treated her as a simple concubine.

And now, she was for sale.

He didn't care for her...not at all.

Before Mara could even become properly incensed, someone came to her rescue. The Princess, of all people, had stepped up to stand next to Skywalker, and was actually defending her, in a way. Mara only half heard what she was saying...she watched to see how Luke was reacting to the Emperor's offer. The colour had drained from his face in disbelief.

"How dare you...how can you be so despicable? This...this girl isn't some kind of trinket you can trade to gain Luke's favour. What makes you think that Luke would even consider something so heinous?" Leia huffed her indignation, unable to properly articulate her anger. Vader, for his part, had stood again and was slowly moving closer, one hand on his lightsabre.

But Palpatine didn't give Organa's words much weight. The fire in them, he payed attention to. Her mannerisms, the flash of her eyes...they seemed familiar to him somehow. He studied her...and Luke. Back and forth between them. They stood next to each other and faced down the Emperor himself. Palpatine regarded them a long moment, and the epiphany came to him so in that moment he would have sworn he'd been physically struck. He could feel their bond sing in the Force, could sense the connection with Vader, but even had he not been Force-sensitive, Palpatine would have been a fool not to have seen it. They were the very likeness of their parents, and standing side by side, save for the difference in height, the Emperor was transported some twenty odd years back. It was Padme and Anakin all over...and suddenly the ghosts of his past were materializing before him. Now he knew why the Princess was on board the Executor. Now he understood why they'd been found together, Luke and Leia. She'd come to be with her brother, and Vader had welcomed both his children with open arms.

If the temptation of Jade could not convince Skywalker...then perhaps a threat to not only his Father but also his sister could sway him to the Dark Side.

And suddenly everything changed. They all felt it, like a ripple across a dead-still lake, the realization of their relationship quivered through the room. A deep sense of dread filled Vader then...his shapeless worries had materialized into his greatest fears, like some looming dark beast. Now Palpatine knew all. Now there was no escape.

"Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan...or perhaps more appropriately, should I say Leia Skywalker? Tell me, Senator, did your Father tell you about your mother?" he was goading her. "Did he tell you how he turned to the Dark Side for the love of her? How he desperately tried to save her life and failed because of his jealousy and hate?" Palpatine paused, letting his words sink in. "That he killed her?"

That had the effect he'd wanted.

He could feel anger starting to brew in them, bubbling just below the surface. How far could he push them?

Mara had backed off the stairs, slinking away like a snubbed lap dog whose Master has no time for her. The twins had stood their ground, and Vader's pride surged in his chest watching them. He unhooked his lightsabre carefully from his belt, and slowly approached the Emperor.

"Stay where you are, Lord Vader." Palpatine rasped, his eyes never leaving the twins. Vader did as he was told, but shifted his grip on his lightsabre, concealing it beneath his cloak. "I have grown tired of this game, young Skywalker. If you will not willingly turn, I will be forced to use drastic measures to motivate you." His voice dropped again to a whisper. "I warn you not to force my hand."

"I will not turn," Luke said quietly. "I am a Jedi, like my Father before me." Indicating Vader with a nod of his head, Luke took a deep breath. He was fatigued...he had to conserve his strength. There wasn't much time left. He could feel the virus draining away his energy. He could sense his Father was moving ever so closer to them. Not knowing what exactly, he knew Vader had something planned. Luke stepped in front of Leia, pushing her gently aside.

The Emperor's anger was palpable, but he seemed to accept Luke's denial of the Dark Side. He could not make him turn. Raising his arms straight out toward Luke, he rasped, "So be it...Jedi."

And the air exploded with a blue-white intensity as the dark Force lightning ripped through the room. Through the noise, Luke could have sworn he'd heard the familiar snap-hiss sound of a lightsabre. But the pain Luke had been expecting never came. Still, he could hear the crackle of the lightning, smell the burn of the ozone. Opening his eyes, Luke could see he was not the chosen recipient of Palpatine's wrath.

His Father was.

Lightsabre burning, Vader was trying to ward off the Emperor's assault.

And he was losing.

With a sickening realization, Luke watched as his Father fell to his knees under the barrage of lightening. His Father would die...and he would be the cause. With a strangled sound in his throat, Luke surged forward, igniting his own lightsabre. Heading straight for Palpatine, he raised his blade upward, intending to cut the Emperor down with a single stroke. Taking one last leap forward, Luke swung down with all the strength he had left.

His lightsabre never found its target. Mara Jade appeared before him, and met his blade with her own, blocking his attack. Luke stumbled back several steps, taking a more defensive stance. Mara's green eyes burned, and he sensed a thrill of excitement from her. Stealing a glance to his Father, Luke could see him prone on his knees, lightsabre extinguished...completely vanquished. Palpatine's laughter only grew as Mara advanced toward Skywalker with murderous intent.

And Luke felt, for the first time since being brought before the Emperor, a total and all-consuming sense of despair and overwhelming guilt. He would die...Leia and his Father too...and it was all his fault. He'd brought them to this very moment.

And there was no way out.