Chapter 25
After getting permission to join the assault squad to Endor, Luke and Leia returned to the Falcon which was parked in the small hangar on the Rebel cruiser. "Where's Obi Wan?" Leia asked when they entered the main hold to see a bored-looking Han lounged out on his chair by the technical station.
"In the cockpit," Han said languidly. "He's pretty pissed off at you guys still."
"Could you ask him to join us?" Luke asked. "Leia and I need to get changed."
"Into what?" Han asked, getting to his feet.
"Our uniforms," Luke said excitedly, holding up a set of folded clothes. "I can finally get out of these ridiculous things."
"Hey!" Han exclaimed. "Those are my clothes you're besmirching, kid."
"Whatever," Luke said, brimming with excitement. "Be right back." Leia followed Luke out of the main hold and down the hallway. Taking a right into the guest room, Leia threw off her dirty robes and changed into the uniform the Rebels had provided her. Frowning in the mirror at the ridiculously large camouflaged poncho, Leia heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," she said.
Opening the door, Luke walked in, a huge grin on his face. He was already wearing his uniform. "Looks cool, right?" he said.
"That's not the adjective I would use," Leia muttered. "How are we going to be able to fight in these ridiculous things?"
"Oh, it'll be fine," Luke said, waving his hand. "Besides, we can take the ponchos off later."
Deciding that this ought to be the least of her concerns, Leia picked up her helmet off the bed and followed Luke towards the main hold. There they encountered a disgruntled Obi Wan sitting on the bench by the hologram table. Han was standing across the room, clearly not knowing what to do with himself. When they entered, Obi Wan looked up briefly and refused to make eye contact with either of them.
"We have a job for you, Obi Wan," Leia said, crossing her arms in front of her. "If you're willing, that is."
"What's that?" Obi Wan asked, his eyes fixated on the table in front of him.
"Luke and I are going with the Rebels to Endor," Leia said. "We want you to come with us."
"What's on Endor?" Han asked.
"A shield generator," Luke told him. "The Empire is using it to defend the Death Star while its weapon systems are not operational."
Obi Wan scratched his nose and looked up. "What would I do?' he asked bitterly.
"We need you to cover us," Leia said. "Luke and I are going to try and steal an Imperial vessel to get up onto the Death Star."
Obi Wan narrowed his eyes as he looked back at her suspiciously. "And what if I refuse?" he challenged.
Leia shrugged nonchalantly. "We can manage without you, although if you really want to defeat the Emperor you would put aside your feelings and help us."
Indignant, Obi Wan looked away. "You will need my help against the Emperor," he said.
"I disagree," Leia replied. "You will be more helpful to the Rebels on Endor."
His jaw clenched angrily, Obi Wan didn't speak for a moment. "Fine," he said finally. "But you should know I'm not happy about this arrangement."
"Believe me, we know," Leia said, rolling her eyes. Leia then turned to Han. "Do you want to come with us?" she asked.
Han raised his eyebrows at the offer. "Me?" he said incredulously. "I don't know –"
"I want you to come," Leia said, although she wasn't sure why.
"You do?" Han asked, clearly surprised. "Oh… well, okay then."
"Great," Leia said quickly, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "You should probably shave first," she added, no longer making eye contact with him. "It's protocol, you know."
"Oh, yeah," Han said. "Of course, sure. No problem." When he didn't move, Luke gave him a pointed look. "Right now?"
"Yes, now!" Luke said, sounding more amused than angry. Nodding, Han turned and left in a hurry.
Recovering from her inexplicable bout of embarrassment, Leia shook her head and turned back to Obi Wan. Considering him for a few moments, Leia reached down to her belt but was impeded by the damned poncho. Growling irritably, she held the flap up and awkwardly managed to produce Obi Wan's lightsaber.
"Here you go," she said, throwing the weapon back to its owner. "You'll be needing that."
Catching it, Obi Wan looked back at her curiously. "You are a very unusual woman, Princess Leia," he said as he reattached his lightsaber to his own belt.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked sharply.
Obi Wan stroked his chin silently for a moment. "You are both very much like your parents," he said, glancing at Luke as well. "You are both clearly Padme's children. But whereas Luke takes after Anakin, you take after your father's other persona: Vader."
Leia frowned, unsure whether or not she should be indignant at this assessment. She was saved, however, by Han's return. "That was absurdly fast," Luke said.
"You never said I had to do a good job," Han said gruffly. Looking at his face, Leia could see he was covered in cuts and bumps from the hastily performed shave. His uncouth beard was gone, however. It looked as if he had cut his hair as well. Much to Leia's chagrin, she couldn't help but admit he looked much better. He really was quite handsome…
"Are we ready to roll?" Han asked, looking directly at her.
"Huh? Oh… yeah, let's go," she stammered.
"There has been a disturbance in the Force," Darth Sidious said to his servant. "Have you felt it?"
"I have, my Master."
Sidious closed his eyes and contemplated the rupture in the Darkness. A brilliant ray of light now pierced through, blinding Sidious with its intensity. Who could be the source of such power?
"Could it be… Vader, my Lord?"
"Don't be a fool," Sidious snarled, opening his eyes and glaring at his young servant. "Vader has no light left in him."
"Then who –"
"Silence!" Sidious barked. Grasping the armrests of his chair, Sidious looked down and thought. The last Jedi in the Galaxy was Kenobi who couldn't possibly account for this level of power. Then who could it possibly be? Was it possible that Anakin Skywalker had returned? He had thought that he had successfully purged the light from the so-called Chosen One long ago. But how else could he explain Vader's miraculous disappearance?
"I want you to go to Endor," Sidious ordered. "I want you to uncover the source of this disturbance."
"Yes, my Master," his servant said with a deep bow. "I won't fail you."
Anakin woke up early the next morning, having been unable to sleep well that night. Rolling over, he could tell that the sun had only just risen based on the faint ray of light peeking through the bottom of the door to the hut. Taking a deep breath, Anakin rolled over again. Lying on his back, he stared blankly at the ceiling for a few moments.
Next to him, Padme was mercifully still asleep. She was curled up next to him, instinctively seeking his warmth in the early morning chill. Anakin looked at the top of her head and absently rubbed her back with his left arm. Looking away, Anakin bit his tongue hard and tried to sit up. Padme stirred, however, causing Anakin to freeze. She couldn't wake up. If she did, he would have to say goodbye all over again…
Secretly glad that he had an excuse to stay in bed a little longer, Anakin remained motionless. After a few minutes, he regained his courage and made another attempt to get up. Gently removing Padme's hand from his chest, he slipped out of the bed silently. Padme made a soft groan when he left, but she was clearly still asleep.
Anakin stood over the bed motionlessly for a minute, absorbing every detail of Padme's face. Rationally, he understood that he hadn't deserved the past three years with her. That way, it theoretically would have made it easier to leave. It was as if he had been in a dream for all this time and he had finally woken up to reality. This logic didn't work, however. His feet were still stuck to the dirt floor, unable to move. Unable to turn away from her for the last time. Unable to do what had to be done.
How he wanted to slip back into bed and back into that dream. He didn't want to have to wake up! He didn't want to have to face reality. But Luke and Leia's lives were at stake. If he truly loved Padme, he would turn away from her right now and save her children. So why couldn't he do it?
Perhaps Leia was right. Maybe he didn't actually love Padme, but was merely obsessed with her. In retrospect, this was undeniably true when he had first met her. After all, he had barely known her when they had gotten married. Had he simply been infatuated with her and not truly in love?
Feeling frustrated, Anakin rubbed his temples and started pacing about the hut, taking great care to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible. How could he think that? Of course he loved her! His entire life revolved around her and everything he had ever done as an adult had been with her in mind.
So that was why he had to leave her now. The most important thing in the Galaxy to Padme was not him, but her children. Anakin had known this from the moment she had spread her arms out to defend them from him on Corsin three years ago. He had to make sure that they survived. He had to do this for Padme's sake.
He stopped pacing and took a deep breath. Picking up his cloak from the back of a chair and wrapping it around his shoulders, he turned to face Padme one last time. She looked so peaceful in bed, totally oblivious to his anguish. With a monumental effort, Anakin tore his eyes away from her and moved to the door. He grabbed the handle with his mechanical hand and paused. Every fiber of his being protested with what he was about to do. His arm began to shake and he felt the metal of the handle begin to crumple under his ironclad grip. Wrenching the door open, Anakin threw himself out of the hut before he lost his resolve. Closing the door behind him, Anakin closed his eyes and exhaled loudly. He had done it. He had left her.
"Look! There's a shuttle up there."
Having landed on Endor with the strike team, Luke, Leia, and Obi Wan had slipped away with Han's help. Now they were crouched behind a rock looking up at the elevated hangar by the shield generator.
"But how are we going to get there?" Leia asked.
"What do you mean? The entrance is right there," Luke said, gesturing to the elevator in front of them.
"We'll be detected, Luke," Leia said, rolling her eyes at her brother's naiveté.
"Not necessarily," Luke said optimistically.
"The place is probably crawling with Stormtroopers," Leia said. "We wouldn't stand a chance."
"I have an idea. You two wait here," Obi Wan said suddenly.
"Where are you going?" Leia hissed as Obi Wan stood up and stepped out from behind the rock. Obi Wan didn't answer her, however, and slipped away towards the base.
"I don't like this," Leia murmured as Obi Wan disappeared from sight.
"Me neither," Luke said. "But let's give him a chance." Unable to come up with an alternative, Leia waited for Obi Wan to return, becoming increasingly impatient with each passing minute. Frustrated, she opened her mouth to say something but Luke held up his hand.
"I sense something," he whispered. "I think someone is watching us."
Leia froze and tried to detect what Luke was sensing. "I don't sense anything –"
A sudden flash of red caused Leia to dive out of the way. Rolling on her back, Leia sprung back to her feet elegantly and drew her lightsaber. In front of her, she saw that Luke too had drawn his weapon and was dueling with a veiled man wielding two red lightsabers. Having never faced an opponent with more than one weapon before, Leia hesitated briefly before jumping into the fray.
During her brief moment of deliberation, the mysterious man had kicked Luke in the chest, sending him flying. Jumping forward, Leia swung down while the man was looking the other way. Without looking at her, the man parried Leia's blow with their right lightsaber and pivoted with lightning speed towards her, swinging the lightsaber in their left hand at Leia's head. Ducking, Leia rolled past her opponent and jumped back upright by Luke's side.
"Who are you?" Luke asked as their mysterious opponent branded their weapons menacingly at their side.
"You first," they said in a feminine voice. Leia raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"You're a woman?" she asked, trying to see her face under the cowl.
Growling, the woman suddenly leapt at Leia, both of her lightsabers held over her head. Luke's green blade intercepted the dual assault, allowing Leia to back out. Bending her knees, Leia leapt into the air and flipped over both Luke and the attacker. As she landed she swung her blue blade at the woman's feet, who only just managed to evade the strike.
Taking advantage of her momentary imbalance, Luke swung hard and pushed her down to the ground. Luke targeted a kick at her arm but the woman managed to roll away just in time. As she jumped to her feet, however, Leia pushed her back again using the Force, sending her flying into the rock. Evidently unfazed by this, she jumped back up and faced them again.
"Who are you?" she asked them.
Luke glanced at Leia, clearly unsure if he should answer. Leia shook her head, deciding it was a bad idea to engage their attacker. She was undeniably some sort of Dark Side user.
"Vader trained you, didn't he?" she asked.
"What do you know about Vader?" Leia asked, her eyes widening with surprise.
"Is he your master?" she asked, ignoring Leia's question.
"What does it matter to you?" Luke said, puffing his chest out and lowering his lightsaber slightly.
"Vader is my nemesis," she growled. "I seek to destroy him."
"Why? What did he ever do to you?" Luke asked.
"Enough questions," she said irritably. "Tell me who you are right now or I will kill you."
"You couldn't kill us if you tried," Leia retorted provocatively.
Snarling, the woman leapt forward once again, this time swinging one blade at both of them. She expertly fought off both of them for a few moments before spinning away from Leia and engaging Luke with both of her blades. Caught off guard by the rapid assault, Luke fell down to the ground and held his lightsaber in front of him. Panicking, Leia jumped at the woman but was pushed back with the Force and landed with a thud several yards away.
"Tell me your name!" she heard the woman shriek at Luke. Outraged at his silence, the woman struck down at him with her right lightsaber. Luke managed to absorb the blow with his green blade, but was unable to repel her. The woman pushed down hard, bringing Luke's own weapon inches away from his throat. Winded, Leia was unable to move…
A hooded figure suddenly leapt over Leia and kicked the woman away from Luke. Brandishing a blue lightsaber which Leia recognized at once, Obi Wan began dueling with a skill she had never thought imaginable from the old man. Finally able to get to her feet, Leia rushed forward to assist Obi Wan but she found that there was little for her to do. Having disarmed her of her left lightsaber, Obi Wan kneed the woman directly in the gut. Doubling over, Leia saw her opportunity and swung down at the woman's right lightsaber, decapitating the weapon at the hilt.
On her knees, the woman's cowl finally fell away revealing a young red-haired woman with a spattering of freckles on her pale cheeks. "Skywalker," she said acrimoniously, looking up at Obi Wan's still hooded face with a snarl.
Obi Wan snorted and shook his head. "I'll take that as a compliment," he said, sounding somewhat out of breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luke get to his feet and pick up the woman's other lightsaber. "But alas, no. I am Kenobi," Obi Wan said.
Scowling, the woman looked sideways at Leia. "Are these your pupils?" she asked. "Training another generation of Jedi, are you?"
"You are in no position to ask questions," Obi Wan said in a steely voice. "Tell us who you are now." Instead of responding, the woman gave Obi Wan a murderous look and spat on his shoe. Outraged, Obi Wan reared back to slap her but Luke grabbed his arm.
"Ben, no!" he yelled. "Don't hurt her." Incredulous, Obi Wan nonetheless accepted Luke's demand and lowered his arm.
"I'd rather die than talk to you, Kenobi," the woman said savagely.
"We can arrange that," Leia said darkly, pointing her lightsaber at the woman's chin.
"Leia, stop!" Luke said, releasing Obi Wan's arm and stepping towards the woman. "She might be able to help us."
"Is that what you think, pretty boy?" she said to Luke.
"Yes, I do," Luke said, unfazed by the woman's vitriolic tone. "Would you at least tell us your name?"
The woman hesitated, clearly disarmed by Luke's genuineness. "Mara," she said in a less bellicose voice. "Mara Jade."
"Do you serve the Emperor, Mara?" Luke asked.
"I do," she said, narrowing her eyes at Luke.
"Sidious took a new apprentice?" Obi Wan asked.
"No," she said bitterly, her face contorted in rage. "He doesn't think I'm good enough to be his apprentice. He says only Vader is worthy of that title."
"I see," Obi Wan said, only now lowering his weapon. "Perhaps he hopes Vader will return to him someday."
"Fat chance of that," Leia muttered, keeping her eyes on Mara. "What should we do with her?" she asked.
"Can you take us to the Emperor?" Luke asked.
"And why would I do that?"
"Because you resent him," Luke said, taking another step forward. "He doesn't respect your abilities."
"How dare you speak ill of my master!" Mara spat viciously, causing Luke to jump back a step. "Darth Sidious is as wise as he is powerful! I can respect his wishes even if I don't agree with them."
"That's not true, is it?" Luke said. "I can sense the conflict within you."
"Conflict? I have no conflict."
"Then prove it," Luke said, dropping her lightsaber down to the ground in front of her. "Strike me down in your master's name."
"Luke, what are you doing!" Leia exclaimed.
Luke ignored her, looking back at Mara intently. "Go on," he said. "I am defenseless."
Eyes wide, Mara reached down and picked up her lightsaber. "Who are you?" she asked, seemingly in awe of this gesture.
"My name is Luke Skywalker," he said. "And I am not your enemy, Mara."
Convinced that Luke had lost his mind, Leia gripped her lightsaber tightly and prepared to strike Mara down if she made any movement. She remained totally still, however, turning her lightsaber over in her hand as she stared back at Luke in wonderment. "You're Vader's son?" she asked.
"No," Luke said. "I am Anakin Skywalker's son."
"Same difference," Mara said.
"Not to me," Luke said. Mara and Luke were silent for a few moments as Leia held her breath. What was Luke doing? Did he really think he could turn Mara into an ally after she had just tried to kill him?
"Bring us to your master," Luke said, breaking the silence after about a minute. "That's why you're here in the first place, isn't it? To collect us?"
"Do you think you will be able to kill him?" Mara asked.
"Why, do you want to help us?" Luke said.
Mara laughed humorlessly. "You don't stand a chance, Luke Skywalker," she said. "If you couldn't defeat me by yourself, you won't be able to defeat Darth Sidious."
"Perhaps not," Luke said. "Will you bring us to him?"
Mara glanced down at the weapon in her hands. "I'll take you but not your friends," she said, nodding at Obi Wan and Leia.
"Leia is coming with me," Luke said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "That is nonnegotiable."
"Is she your girlfriend?" Mara asked.
"Why should you care?" Luke countered.
"I don't," she said nonchalantly. "Just curious." Leia raised her eyebrows in surprise. What was going on? Was Mara… flirting with Luke? Leia felt a sudden urge to kick at Mara if that was indeed the case.
Perhaps sensing her irritation, Luke looked up at Leia and gave her a warning look. "Leia is my sister," he said. "She and I are going to confront the Emperor and put an end to this war."
"Is that so?" Mara said skeptically. "How noble of you."
"Will you take us to him?" Luke asked for the third time.
Mara scrutinized Luke's face curiously for a few moments before speaking, her eyes darting back in forth with nauseating rapidity. "Very well," she said finally, glancing at Leia as well who was still eyeing Mara with intense suspicion. "I will take you to my master. But make no mistake, Skywalker. He will destroy you and your sister if you attempt to kill him."
"We'll see about that," Luke said.