Imperial Center - The Imperial Palace

Juno Eclipse stood unbound before the Imperial family. Mara stared straight ahead and Galen glared at nothing. The Emperor sat on his thrown, considering her like a tragic problem that he wanted to fix but in the most delicate way. "Tell me, Captain;" he asked, all politeness, "why- just... why? You are a member of our family! We loved you as such. Why would you betray us?"

Juno's eyes were blinking rapidly and she said in a choked voice, "Kashyyyk, Caamas, Callos, Alderaan, Emberlene - those worlds all suffered terrible fates whether it be enslavement or total annihilation. Each one was a needle in my gut but the final was Alderaan. Callously, it was blown to fragments with trillions living on it. After that, I knew that I could not continue to serve this Empire."

"Juno;" said Galen and his breath hitched as he did.

"I'm so sorry, my love;" said Juno, completely breaking down, "I'm so, so sorry but I couldn't anymore. I just couldn't. I wanted to believe that you have some good in you and truly, I still do. You're a good man, Galen."

Lord Starkiller had stared down between his feet. After a long pause, he looked up and said, "My name is Darth Starkiller, Captain, and you are a traitor to the Empire - my father's Empire. You will face every consequence for it."

"My Lords;" said Mara quickly, "I would normally agree with you whole heartedly that she must face punishment. However, during the course of my investigation, I found that Captain Eclipse - sorry, former Captain Eclipse is pregnant with Lord Starkiller's child. I think that, for the sake of full justice, we should leave her alive until she gives birth. Then, her execution may proceed."

The Emperor rubbed his chin before looking to his son. "Lord Starkiller?"

Before he could even answer, Juno seemed to find a deep, hidden fire. "Emperor Vader;" she said, venom lacing her tone, "Emperor Darth Vader who murdered his master Darth Sidious and stole his throne - his second master right after he killed his Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi."

Starkiller looked sharply at his father and Mara stared at Juno, aghast at her words. "That's write, Children of the Emperor;" said Juno, her voice cold and hard as Mandalorian iron, "your father was a Jedi. What's more, he was the Jedi that he is most proud of defeating."

Now both of the Vader's children were looking at him as shock and realization fell upon them. Juno smirked a hard, angry smirk and said, "That's right, my beloved and my Lady; Emperor Vader was once the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker."

The revelation smashed Starkiller and Mara as their father stood. His eyes blazed with a sickly yellow and he said in a voice that was barely in control, "You know and say far more than you should, Juno Eclipse. I think a public execution would be fitting for your treason."

"Father;" said Galen, before amending with a bow, "My master and Emperor, I agree that her execution should be as public and as gruesome as possible. If the needs be, I will swing the blade that severs her head from her shoulder myself but father;" and he looked pleadingly at the Emperor, "she carries my son. I would not see him destroyed with her."

For several tense moments, the Emperor of the known galaxy studied both his son and his son's former lover before his eyes returned to the warm blue that they had been before. "Very well, my boy;" he said, "we will see that she gets everything that she needs so that the baby is delivered. But then," his face hardened again, "she will face the consequences of her actions."

"Very well, your majesty;" said Starkiller.

"Guards;" the Emperor said, "take this traitor-"

"Father;" said Mara, stepping forward, "allow me to escort her. I will see that she is set up in a cell here in the palace where she will get the care she needs while still being under heavy security."

The Emperor frowned. "Would not Lusankya Prison be better, me dear?"

Mara couldn't contain her sneer completely, "With all do respect, I do not trust Isard or her people. It would be better if she were here in my opinion."

The Emperor nodded, "Very well, my daughter. See that it is taken care of."

The Emperor's Hand bowed and turned to Juno. "Move;" she said, her voice cold.

Without a bow or a look at the Emperor, Juno turned and marched down the throne room. Mara immediately got on her comlink and ordered that one of the medical wing's secure rooms be prepared for a prisoner. She ordered that a guard contingent be set there as well and that full medical staff and a nutritionist be sent as well. When all her orders were sent, she placed her comlink on her belt. After a long silence, Juno looked at her. "Thank you, my Lady."

Mara's snorted, "For what? Why are you even talking to me, traitor? I'm making sure the baby is healthy for Lord Starkiller, not for you."

"Even so;" she said, "I appreciate it and I appreciate that you aren't sending me to Isard, so thank you."

They got into a lift and Mara growled, "Spare your gratitude. Like I said, it's all for Galen. Either he or I will most likely be handling your execution when this is all over."

Tears were still rolling down Juno's cheeks as they got out and Mara turned to the woman and snarled. "No one is buying your act, traitor. You're a rebel spy who is seeking the downfall of the whole Empire and of my family! You should be grateful we're letting you live as long as we are."

But it wasn't an act and Mara could tell. Juno was heartbroken. Even so, she didn't respond. When they finally reached the cell, there were already guards, two orderly droids and a medical droid there. A young woman with short, military hair and a middle-aged man also waited for them. "You requested a nutritionist, my Lady?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Yes;" said Lady Jade, "this prisoner is pregnant with Darth Starkiller's child."

Nothing more truly needed to be said. The young woman, clearly a doctor, immediately said, "Come over and sit on the bed, prisoner. We need to ensure that you are healthy and the child is developing appropriately."

As they began, Mara looked at the nutritionist. "I want her to have access to the healthy foods possible. If ever she is even slightly hungry, it will be your job to ensure that the kitchen brings something. If anyone gives you grief, tell them I ordered it. If they still do, contact me immediately."

"Of course, my lady. As you wish;" said the nutritionist.

"What about cravings?" asked the doctor suddenly.

Mara frowned at her. "Excuse me?"

"Pregnant women deal will cravings and sudden bouts of nausea, especially towards certain foods. If we are going to be giving this prisoner every level of care, we are going need more than just a nutritionist - no offense, Doctor Palux."

The nutritionist smiled wryly, "None taken, Doctor, and I think you're right"

Mara looked at the plucky young woman, deciding that she instantly liked her. "What's your name, Doctor?"

"Well actually, it's Commander, begging your pardon, my Lady;" she replied with a bow, "and it's Commander Salene Dumare."

"Well then, Commander, you will work in conjunction with Doctor Palux to ensure that the prisoner gets everything she needs when she needs it. She will be your responsibility. Understood?"

They both bowed and Mara turned and left them to their work.

When the doctors had left and Juno was alone, she utterly broke down. All of her emotional strength was spent and she couldn't keep up the facade of quiet and dignified resistance. She had lost everything now but that's not what hurt most. What hurt most is that her beloved Galen hated her. She knew that it was inevitable and she knew that she had done the right thing but it still felt as though she had shoved a lightsaber through her own heart. Curling up on her bed, she wept until she passed out from exhaustion.

Hours later, she woke to find Galen sitting in a chair, considering her through red-rimmed eyes. Slowly, she sat up and stretched before wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her chin on them. Neither of them said anything for quite some time. Finally, in a voice that was rough with sorrow, Starkiller asked one question in one word. "Why?"

Juno couldn't meet his eyes. "I already said why, my Love. All the atrocities - the enslavement and the genocide, I couldn't sit by anymore. I just couldn't. This Empire has become even worse than the Republic it overthrew. I saw an evil and I had to fight it."

"So you think that my father and my sister and I are evil?" asked Starkiller, his voice perfectly neutral.

Juno's blue eyes shown with unshed tears. "No, my love. I don't believe that either you or your sister are evil. Your father..." and she shook her head sorrowfully, "I simply think he doesn't care - that he allows the Grand Moffs, Grand Generals, Grand Admirals and Warlods do as they please, treating other beings as less than them because of their species or even simply because of their sex or skin color. But you and your sister, you both care about this. You both care about this galaxy. I'm just afraid that the two of you can't or won't fight for change because of your father and who he is."

Galen shook his head and said, "If these things concerned you, Juno, I would have readily taken them before my father. You know how Alderaan effected me. You know that I hated that it happened. All of these concerns, you could have brought to me. Instead-" and he stopped abruptly, his eyes blinking rapidly.

I one movement, he stood to his feet and turned away from her. Juno wanted to go over to him and embrace him from behind as she had many times before. Mustering her courage, she said in a quiet, pleading voice. "Galen;" he turned to face her. "We could leave. We could take the Rogue Shadow and just go. We could start a new life together - you and me and our child."

He looked at her as if shocked that she would ever suggest such a thing. Climbing off the bed, she went to him and took his large, scarred and callused hands. "The Empire won't last, Galen. The Rebel Alliance is growing in numbers, in support and there are even rumors that more and more Jedi are joining their cause. Even your father can't withstand the will of hundreds of trillions of beings. But you and I, we can leave. We could just go away somewhere and live in peace."

Again, he turned away, staring at nothing. Unable to stop herself, Juno wrapped her arms around him and sobbed, "Galen, I love you. I love you so much. Please, just take me away."

His hands closed over hers and for a short time, they just stood there. Juno even began to think he would listen until the temperature in the little room seemed to drop. Carefully, his hands pried hers loose and he stepped out of her embrace. Turning to face her, his face was as cold and hard as it had been in the throne room. "I told you before, prisoner, that my name is Darth Starkiller and you cannot tempt me to betray my Emperor or my Empire as you have. My loyalty is to my father, my sister and what we have built. And you... from now on, you are nothing to me."

With that, he left her. Juno had thought that she was devastated before. Now, she was utterly destroyed. Crumbling to her knees, she wept again. She wept so hard that her entire body soon ached from the shuddering convulsions of her sobs and she held the sides of her head and curled up on the hard floor. She was only partially aware when Commander Dumare came in and said, "Come on, Sweetheart. Let's get you into bed. Lying on the floor won't be good for you or the baby."

The doctor gently lifted her up and was surprised when Juno wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly, seeking comfort wherever she could get it, apparently. Salene felt herself choke up and cleared her throat. "Now, now, you need to take care, honey. Take a deep breath and try to contain yourself."

With shuddering, hitching breaths, Juno allowed herself to be laid on the bed. The good doctor checked on her vitals and scanned her for any problems before wishing her a goodnight and heading out.

Galen could sense his sister's distress through the force. She was almost as heart broken as he was about the prisoner. When he got to her quarters, he his the door chime. "Go away;" came the surly, slurred reply.

That's how Galen knew that she was truly upset. Pulling his comlink, he keyed Captain Atharious Rawshek's frequency. "This is Captain Rawshek;" came the dutiful reply.

"Captain, this is Lord Starkiller. I need you to come to Mara's quarters. She's heartbroken and could use some company I think."

There was a pause and Starkiller could hear a little shuffling on the other side. "I am on my way now, my Lord. If I may ask, what happened?"

Starkiller wanted to snap at him but it was a natural question for someone to ask about a loved one. "There was a betrayal in the family and it has cut all of us very deeply, Captain."

"I see. I am on my way now. My deepest condolences, my Lord."

Galen couldn't help but smile. Now this was a good man for his sister. Hopefully he would remain so. "Thank you, Captain. I will see you soon."

He put in a dataspike which caused the door to open. At a table with various bottles of very potent alcohol sat Mara. Her cloak was on the floor and her jumpsuit was unzipped and around her waist, leaving her in a sleeveless crop-topped under shirt. Sighing, Galen went over and sat with her. Sighing, she said, "I said 'go away', Galen. I don't want to see anyone right now."

She was clearly drunk and her glass still had alcohol in it. "Can I have a drink or two with my little sister? It would help me feel better;" he said.

He knew that if he made it about himself and how he felt, he would probably have a better result. Mara thought about it and then said, "Sure;"

Using the force, Starkiller pulled a tumbler from the shelf and poured himself a drink before downing it. They sat in silence for several minutes before Mara looked into his eyes, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "I'm sorry;" she whispered.

Galen stood and circled around the table to hug his sister from behind and kiss the top of her head. "What in space are you sorry for?" he murmured.

"I got Juno arrested. I found out that she was a traitor. I broke your heart."

Galen was always amazed by Mara's empathy for him. He loved her, it was true but if the situation were reversed, he would feel bad for her of course but not so bad as to get wasted and apologize for it. "Hey;" he said and knelt down beside her, gently using a hand to make her look at him. "You didn't break my heart, Mara. That was Juno. She's the one who betrayed us. She's the one who broke all of our hearts. Like father said: she was family and now, she's a traitor. You simply found her out. Mara;" and he leaned up and kissed her forehead. "Thank you. You do great work for us. I just wish it hadn't had to be you who found her."

Mara tried to smile but it was clear that she couldn't do it. She still felt so terrible. Galen wiped her tears away and went to sit back down. In one smooth motion, he finished his drink. "Thank you also for sticking up for the prisoner in regards to my child. I appreciate that more than I can even express."

"It's the least I could do;" Mara said before slugging back her drink and unsteadily pouring herself another one.

The door chimed and she growled loudly, "Buzz off. I'm not in the mood."

Galen chuckled and said, "It's just your captain coming to check on you."

Using the force, he opened the door and Captain Rawshek strode in. Taking in the situation with a glance, he grabbed a third chair and asked casually, "What are we drinking tonight?"

"Alcohol;" said Mara, lifting her glass to display the contents.

Atharious and Galen shared amused looks and the former said, "I see. Let me grab a glass."

"Allow me;" said Galen and another glass flew from the counter and landed with a soft plop in Atharious's hand.

"Much obliged my Lord. May I ask, how are you doing?"

Galen sighed and shook his head. "It's a terrible shock. I loved this woman with all my heart and now I learn that it was all a lie."

"No;" said Mara, sounding miserable. "That's the worst part, Galen. None of it was a lie. She loves you like crazy, even still. I can tell she does. But she so firmly believed that what she was doing was the right thing to do that she became a spy despite that. That's what makes this so much worse."

Tears were running down her cheek again and she took another drink. "She was so sure that she was right and yet, she never gave up on the idea that you were going to run away with her, especially considering the baby."

Atharious's eyes widened and he looked at Galen. "The baby, my Lord. Forgive me for intruding but is Captain- I'm sorry, prisoner Eclipse pregnant?"

"Yes, she is;" said Galen, staring at the amber liquid in his tumbler. "I'm going to be a father - a single father, apparently."

Atharious nodded and took a drink before saying, "I don't know whether congratulations are appropriate at the moment, my Lord but if they are, consider them offered."

Galen laughed quietly and said, "Thank you, Captain. I think I'll go now and try to get some rest. I'm so exhausted."

Mara looked up, her green eyes wide. "You're leaving?"

It was times like this that Galen remembered that his sister was still less than twenty and sometimes, due to her harsh upbringing, she hadn't learned how to handle tragedy. It seemed that, during situations like this, she reverted to being an emotionally helpless young woman. With a sigh, he lifted her out of her seat and held her. "Yeah, I'm going to go - but don't worry, Mara. The good captain is going to be here to take care of you and look after you."

Mara nodded and said, "He always does. Atharious always looks after me and make's sure I'm okay. It's one of the reasons I love him so much."

Galen's eyes widened and he glanced over at Captain Rawshek. He was looking at Mara with so much tender affection mingled with pain that Galen couldn't help but feel just a little warmed inside. With a smile, he kissed his sister's forehead one more time and said, "Good night, Mara. Sleep well. We can spar or go flying or something together tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded eagerly. "I'd like that. Good night, Galen. I love you."

"I love you too, little sister"

When he was gone, Atharious wrapped Mara in his arms and said, "I'm so sorry, my love."

Suddenly, she seemed to break down again. Folding herself into his arms, she sank to the ground. "It's my fault, Atharious. I'm the one who investigated her. I found her out and I reported her."

"I know;" he said quietly, "hush now, my love. Shhh, shhh. It's alright."

"But it's not;" she sobbed. "Because I investigated you too. I had to be sure it wasn't you."

Atharious felt the tiniest twinge of hurt that she would even think that. But it didn't last. Considering the circumstances, he shouldn't be surprised at all. After all, the Lord Starkiller's lover had been a traitor. It stood to reason that he was under suspicion as well until proven otherwise. He remember the three nights or so where Mara had very uncharacteristically left her terminals and datapads logged in, unlocked and wide open for him to look at. If he had been a spy, it would have been the perfect time for him to get information for the Alliance. Of course, he had refused and closed down all of them, making sure that they were safe and secure.

Pulling away from her, he used one hand to look down into her eyes. "My love;" he murmured, "your mission is to find treason and corruption and you are absolutely brilliant at it. If you felt the need to investigate me in order to clear me, then it was your duty to do so - just as it was your duty to investigate Captain Eclipse. Now take a deep breath for me."

Mara took several and seemed to gain some control of herself. She still wouldn't willingly meet his eyes. "Come on;" he said with a smile, "let's get you some rest. I'll make sure you have water and electrolyte pills for the morning."

"Stay with me;" she said.

"Of course I will, my love. I'll stay as long as you need me too."

Galen strode towards his quarters, still highly depressed. "My Lord;" came a silky smooth voice.

Turning, he saw Roganda Ismaren stood there, dressed as usual in her seductive, mostly sheer shimmersilk garb. "I offer my most heartfelt condolences. I cannot even imagine how hard and heartbreaking it must be for you. If there is anything that I can do to ease your pain, I would do it. Anything..."

She seductively trailed a hand along the front of her revealing dress.

Galen considered her for a moment before hitting his door release and saying, "I could use a shoulder to cry on I suppose, Roganda. Please come in and have a drink. You know that you are always welcome in my quarters."

Smiling, she took his hand and said, "You are most gracious, my Lord. Come and let me ease your sorrow."

Aboard the MC75 Star Cruiser Arbalist

The emergency transmission came in the middle of the nights, just as all of them seemed to. One of the watch officers banged on Rahm Kota's door and the old general opened the door. "What is it?" he growled.

The young comms officer was silent for just a moment before clearing her throat and saying, "We just received an emergency transmission, General. You'd better come and hear it."

Kota nodded and summoned a robe and shoes. "Right, Ensign, let's go hear this emergency message."

On the bridge, he listened as a voice that was clearly altered for security purposes said, "General Rahm Kota, this is Rebel agent Axel. I'm making contact to inform you that Agent Fulcrum has been found out and captured. She is currently in the Imperial Palace medical wing being held as a prisoner. The reason she is there and not in Lusankya prison is because she is pregnant with Lord Starkiller's child. Requesting an immediate rescue for her."

Before the holomessage had even disappeared, Kota was heading off the bridge, presumably to get fully dressed. "Get the officers to the briefing room right now, Ensign. We need to get this operation underway immediately."

"Understood, Sir;" she said and immediately began contacting all unit commanding officers.

When she was finished, her partner, a female Twi'lek with pink skin said, "Did you know that the General was so jacked?"

"I had no idea;" replied the Ensign. "But you should have seen him without the robe on. By the stars, he looks like he should be twenty."

"Mm-hmm;" murmured the other.