Chapter 35:

Mara Jade left the shuttle with Admiral Solo and went their separate ways; Solo to his quarters and Mara to hers, since Darth Atrox was with Darth Vader. She'd given orders to have the prisoners moved to detention cells, and then went straight to her quarters. She hadn't been back here since… since Vader claimed the throne. A lot had happened since then, even though very little time had gone by. She could feel that things had changed, but for better or worse, she could not determine. One thing she did know, she was tired, in body and spirit. With a weary sigh, she sat down in the small room of her quarters reserved for meditation, and began clearing her mind of distractions. Her last thought before she surrendered to the oblivion of the meditative state was to wonder when Atrox would send for her.

Padmé brought Leia to a small house that belonged to the resistance movement in Moenia, and told her to wait there while she did some investigating. "We need someone who can repair the hyperdrive, with little or no questions asked, and that's not easy to find here. If we could find someone sympathetic to the Rebellion who can help…" she trailed off.

Leia nodded, understandingly. She'd had many experiences like this in the past, sneaking around looking for help. "Be careful," she squeezed her mother's arm, gently.

Padmé smiled. "Don't worry, I know my way around. I've… helped the Rebellion get a foothold here. The queen… is a staunch supporter of the Empire."

Leia could sense her frustration. "We'll find a way to stop them, I promise."

Padmé nodded. "We will." She kissed Leia's cheek, and said, "I'll be back soon. Stay out of trouble."

Darth Atrox continued to sit in Darth Vader's chamber for several minutes before he finally got up and reentered the throne room. Vader was sitting on his throne facing the windows overlooking Imperial Center. Atrox walked over to his father and stood next to his throne and also looked out over Imperial Center. "I can sense your guilt, father." Atrox muttered.

Vader whirled on his son, the rage inside him skyrocketing to astronomical levels. "You will learn your place, boy. Get out of my sight, now." He glared at Atrox, his voice a low growl.

Atrox turned towards Vader, unaffected his rage. In fact, Atrox's rage was mirroring his father's. "No. You failed my mother, didn't you… or worse." Atrox growled back in a voice even darker than Vader's, his face contorted with rage.

Vader's tone became deathly cold. "Watch your tongue or I'll remove it, boy," he growled, lightsaber igniting with a snap-hiss. "It seems you need to be educated about where, your, place, is."

Atrox's tone followed his father's. "We both know that I am more powerful than you are, father. Tell me what happened to my mother, or I'll forcibly get what I want to know." Atrox said as he ignited his saber staff.

Vader snapped. Almost blind with rage, he whipped his blade around towards his son. Atrox's blade was there, blocking as he flipped the hilt around to sweep the other blade towards his father's waist. Vader leaned back enough for it to miss him… barely, and twisted his saber up to slash at Atrox's neck. Atrox parried at the last second, the blades mere inches away from his neck. Slowly, agonizingly, he inched his blade forward, finally breaking the saber lock, and both blades broke away from each other. Furiously, Vader faked a stab, with such venom that Atrox brought his blade up to bat it aside, when at the last moment Vader twisted the blade around his son's, sending it spinning into the far end of the room. Vader shot a brutal kick to Atrox's stomach, sending him sprawling to the floor. In an instant, Vader's blade was at his throat, Vader himself shaking with barely restrained fury and rage.

Atrox could feel the heat from Vader's lightsaber on his throat. "Fa- father- master, forgive me. I- I have a right to know about my mother… l- like I had a right to know about you. What about her honor, you really don't want me to know." He paused, and sneered, "Besides, we both know you will not kill your only loyal offspring."

Vader said nothing at all for a long moment. Finally, he said, "No, I would not kill my 'loyal' son…" Atrox relaxed, slightly, as Vader continued. "But I said nothing about punishing him for his arrogant foolishness."

"I-I accept any punishment that you deem fit, father." Atrox said, sending feelings of submission through the Force.

Vader watched Atrox, closely, probing the deepest depths of his being. He then laughed, harshly. "You sound so certain, my son." He reached through the Force to touch Mara's mind, making sure that Atrox knew what he was doing. Come to the throne room at once, Jade. He received Mara's acknowledgement, and then dragged his son to his feet with the Force. "Come," he smiled, darkly. "Your punishment awaits." He sealed Atrox in a force cage, just as Mara entered the room.

"Lord Vader, you sent for me?" Mara asked, eyes narrowing as she took in the scene.

Vader nodded, once. "Lord Atrox is in need of… discipline. I was hoping you could help me." A slight smile crossed his face.

"A- as you wish, my lord," Mara muttered, a little distrustful.

Vader turned towards Atrox and smiled at him. "Now, my son, you wanted to know about your mother… very well." He paused, raising both arms up, pointing at Mara Jade and began to blast her with lightning. "Obi-wan…" the lightning grew more powerful as his rage increased, "turned her against me." Mara convulsed as an even more painful blast hit her. "Twisted her into betraying me, into bringing him to kill me."

Atrox could only stare at him, helplessly, as Vader's words and actions cut into his heart with a precision and cruelty that was unmatched. "No…" he whispered, clenching his fists helplessly. "No, you're wrong, she wouldn't…."

"SHE DID!" Vader said as he continued to increase the lightning's power as his rage continued to increase, his hurt evident in his voice.

Mara was in agony, the lightning more powerful than anything she had experienced before. She didn't know what she had done to deserve such a punishment, then looked up at Atrox and suddenly understood. Vader was punishing him.

Atrox's expression was tortured as the ideal of his mother that he held in his heart was shattered into a thousand pieces. And then there was Mara, bringing her emerald eyes, dulled with pain, up to meet his, and he knew she felt used.

Smiling at Atrox coldly, Vader stopped the lightning and walked up to Mara and knelt down beside her. "Now you know why the Sith do not have attachments, it weakens them. Consider this my son's first lesson for you. I will now allow you to begin your training as a reward, report back to me when you are fully healed in the medbay." Vader whispered to her.

Mara lifted her head, weakly, to look him in the eye. "Sith have it pretty bad, then," she whispered, and slumped forward, unconscious.

Vader glared at her for a moment. "Soon, you will learn, Jade." He got up and released Atrox from the force cage. He then looked his son in the eye. "Now you know the truth, my son. Take Jade to the medical bay and begin to educate her in the ways of the Sith."

Atrox stared at his father, bleakly. "You have my complete loyalty, master. All the rest of my family has betrayed me."

Vader touched his son's arm, the first hint of affection he had ever bestowed on him, and said, "It is fortunate that I found you before you were completely indoctrinated in the Jedi lies. Go now, and take your new apprentice to the medical bay."

Atrox nodded, once, and used the force to summon his saber staff over to him and placed it on his belt. Then he walked over to where Mara lay. He gently scooped her up in his arms, and carried her out of the throne room, drained of almost everything but a dull anger settled in the center of his being.