Underground, near the Lusankya

2 hours later

Darth Vader lifted a gloved hand as he carefully approached the large door. Behind him, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca halted. Tregast had led them to the tunnel shuttle in the Galactic Museum, they had all piled in, and now they were at a discharge bay outside a sinister door leading, presumably, to the Lusankya.

It was, Vader confessed to himself, a risky move to bring his children, his son-in-law, and himself (the crowned Emperor of the galaxy) on an unknown shuttle to a strange, buried, Super Star Destroyer/prison. But he had felt an urgency in the Force to proceed quickly, and the twins had concurred.

And now, here they were. He stretched out toward the great ship, and sensed his children do so as well. Luke was the stronger twin in this area; he had a remarkable capacity to discern sentients from a distance.

"I feel individuals, but farther away," Luke murmured, "And no one feels angry or aggressive. They feel sad, hopeless, in pain, hungry, thirsty …"

His voice trailed away, and Leia put a hand on her brother's shoulder, "We'll get them out."

"You bet we will," Solo muttered, and Chewie howled in agreement.

Vader shot a concerned look at the princess. Leia was strong, one of the strongest individuals he had ever met, but she had suffered in a place very much like this, and at his hand.

"I don't sense any guards," Luke said, even as his eyes somehow met his father's eyes behind the mask.

"But there is danger," Leia said softly.

Vader hesitated, then his lightsaber was lit and flashing red, carving a hole through the door into the Lusankya.

The great door crashed open in front of them, and Vader stepped through carefully.

(It occurred to him that he was being remarkably cautious. He had a great deal to live for now, and 2, no 3, no … many precious people to protect.)

There was an open area beyond the door, 10 meters by 5 meters, with a series of 4 corridors, walled in Imperial gray, leading off into the distance. The Emperor frowned and glanced at Luke, who nodded toward one particular corridor.

The father nodded, the son followed, with the daughter, her husband, and Wookiee companion in pursuit.

They walked carefully down the corridor, hesitating before each cross corridor. No one was nearby. No sentient. But a feeling of danger grew in Vader's remaining organic bones. Something was coming. Bomb, perhaps? No, it didn't feel like that, but …

And then a blast door slid open, and 4 droidekas rolled through the door, blasters firing away.

Vader found himself muttering Huttese imprecations he'd not used in a lifetime, even as he deflected the bolts with both lightsaber and the Force. Behind him, Luke and Leia also had their sabers lit and were deflecting, even as, by mutual understanding, they retreated to the nearest cross corridor and took cover.

"What are those?" Luke demanded. The droidekas had stopped firing, apparently realizing their prey was currently out of reach.

"Droidekas," Vader said worriedly. He knew droidekas, had fought with Obi-Wan against them, but the twins had no experience. And they were tricky, sneaky, surprisingly smart fighters, with strong shields and tremendous armaments.

Somewhat to his surprise, the Wookiee roared at some length. Solo muttered his own frustration in Huttese, before sidling protectively near his wife, "They're heavily armored and shielded, with powerful blasters. Chewie says he hasn't seen any since the Clone Wars."

Vader nodded, tightly, "They were largely shut down and destroyed but obviously Palpatine ..."

One of their adversaries suddenly rolled into sight and began blasting again. Vader deflected again, even as he thought furiously. The droidekas were weak from behind, but with 4 in the corridor it would be difficult for him to take them alone. And Luke and Leia were unprepared to fight them, so ...

There was a sudden, incredible surge of Force energy, and the droideka battering Vader's shields was abruptly lifted up in the air and hurled with colossal power against the far wall. The wall dented, the droideka shrieked electronically, and then it collapsed to the ground, sparking.

Leia's lightsaber scythed forward now and cut through the droideka before sweeping back into her hand. It was destroyed.

Vader shot his children an incredulous look. These machines used powerful electromagnets for movement and thus could cling to most floors. The power involved in that move against the droideka was beyond anything any Jedi had ever managed.

But there were two, not one. Two Skywalkers.

"Impressive," he found himself saying, "Most impressive."

Luke looked startled, then pleased, then embarrassed.

Leia apparently didn't hear him at all, as she was quietly conversing with Chewbacca. She abruptly retreated farther down the corridor and cut loose a panel which was attached with hinges and a coded lock to the wall.

Quickly, the giant Wookiee leaned over and lifted up the panel in his hairy arms. It was 2 by 2 meters, and, by the looks of it, made of 3 cm thick durasteel.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked in a puzzled tone.

"Excellent question," thought his father.

"We gotta draw them out," Solo said cheerily. He huddled next to Chewie behind the panel and the two dashed into the main corridor and began running down the hall toward the droidekas. The captain yelled "Ahhhhhh!" and the Wookiee howled exuberantly. There were laser blasts, then more, and abruptly the yelling came closer to the Vader and the twins again. Han and Chewie were now running backwards, keeping the panel in front of them for protection even as the droidekas rolled after them in pursuit.

Once the mechanical assassins stormed sufficiently close, Luke and Leia leaped into the fray. The twins lifted one droideka and hurled it against the wall even as they deflected bolts from the other two. The machines did their lethal best, but Vader was behind them within seconds and had taken out another from behind. The remaining droideka spun in circles with shields up, no longer firing as it focused all its energy on its shields.

There was another howl from Chewie. Luke and Leia moved rapidly out of the way as the giant furball raced down the corridor and hurled the durasteel panel straight at the droideka. Its shields collapsed, the droideka screamed, Luke chopped it in half, and then it was all over except for the sparking.

Once all was safe, Vader stared in astonishment at this son-in-law, "That was very unwise, Captain Solo."

Solo lifted an eyebrow even as he shot a cocky grin at his wife, "It worked on the Death Star."

"It sort of worked on the Death Star, though Luke and I ended up swinging across a bottomless chasm in spite of your heroic efforts," she riposted back with a smile, "Let's go, shall we? And keep your guard up."

Vader stared in astonishment at his son, "On the Death Star?"

"Later, Father," Luke said with a quirk of his lips, "Let's find those prisoners."

/-

Cell 157A

High Security Block

The Lusankya

She could just let go. She knew that. The thread of her life was weak. She could choose to let it snap. She could be free from this existence, from the pain, the exhaustion, the thirst. But the galaxy was changing. Dimly, through the raging dehydration which sapped body and mind, she knew something had altered in the very fabric of the Force.

There was a harsh beep at the door of the cell, and it slid open. She opened her eyes with difficulty. A dark shape loomed there, then stepped into the room.

She stiffened in horror.

"Vader," she managed to croak.

"Snips, Snips!"

/-

"Dehydration and starvation, mostly," Leia said in distress. "It doesn't look like they have had anything to eat or drink in several days."

"I've found some stores. We can start distributing food and water ..."

"Start with water, Han. Most sentients can live far longer without food than water."

"You've got it, Leia."

"I'll contact Doctor Sert and have him bring a cadre of medical personnel," Luke chimed in.

"Ok, but when he comes you need to escort him here, just in case there are other droidekas hovering somewhere."

"Leia, you need to be careful too ..."

"I'm always careful, Luke."

"Ha!"

/-

Medical bays

The Lusankya

2 hours later

"These medical facilities are inadequate," Sert said in controlled frustration, "It seems that the med droids were focused on keeping the prisoners alive for further interrogation, not actually healing them."

"Doctor, we'll have the most critical patients moved to the palace as soon as they are stabilized," Leia assured him.

"Starting with her," Vader said.

Doctor Sert glanced at the tall Togruta lying unconscious on the bed, with bacta pumping into both arms, "As you wish, your Highness."

Leia lifted her head alertly, "General Dodonna is waking up."

/-

General Jan Dodonna, the hero of Yavin who had led, from the command center in the Massassi Temple, the Heroes of Yavin who had destroyed the Death Star, opened his eyes slowly.

For a moment his vision swam, but when they cleared, the image of a small and beautiful princess met his wondering gaze. Could it really be? Or was this yet another trick, another attempt of Isard's to coerce and manipulate him?

"Princess Leia?" he croaked, then winced at the pain in his throat.

"General," she responded, her eyes filling with tears, "We thought you'd been killed on Yavin IV during the retreat. I'm so sorry."

He shook his head to clear it, even as he glanced at his arms. Bacta was pumping into both, along with unknown medications. But he knew, from long and agonizing experience, that torture drugs were not part of the mix.

Compared to the last two years, Jan Dodonna felt positively good.

Or dead. One or the other.

Leia (if it was Leia) handed him a glass of water. Thankfully, he gulped it down, relishing in the cool liquid which soothed his throat.

"Where are we?" he asked carefully. It wasn't necessarily Leia. In fact, it really couldn't be Leia. Indeed, it had better not be Leia, for if Leia was in custody by Isard, then it would mean yet another bright symbol of the Alliance was lost forever.

"We're on the Lusankya still, General," she responded gently, "But we'll get you into better medical facilities as soon as you've stabilized.

Dodonna stared at (not) Leia. It couldn't be Leia, because ... because ... Leia wouldn't be here if she was Leia. Leia was not a traitor, she was too strong to be turned, and she would not help that (numerous insults filled his head before he discarded them all as being inadequate for Isard) to destroy him.

The woman's gaze grew suddenly sharp, and her face twisted in distress, "Oh Jan, please ... please ... don't ... I really am Leia. Isard is dead, Palpatine is dead. We're here to rescue you. I can't imagine what you've endured the last two years, but please don't think this is some terrible trick."

"Believing that everything could be a trick has kept me alive, and sane" Dodonna said gravely, his eyes on the lovely countenance.

Leia took a deep breath and leaned back, closing her eyes, "I understand, General."

/-

Erb's Bar and Fine Entertainment

Coruscant's underbelly(14 levels down)

2 weeks later

The girl slid a credit chip into the Gamorrean's meaty hand, and slipped into the seat on one side of the table. The pig-like bouncer nodded, grunted, and turned away, even as a hologram appeared suddenly on the table.

"What would you like to eat, and drink, Madam?" the Twi-lek image inquired cheerfully.

"Two Coruscanti light beers, two nerf burgers, and a side of blue tubars," she responded absently, drumming her fingers on the table lightly.

Above the bar were holoterminals showing a variety of programming, though the din of the bar made hearing anything well nigh impossible. The woman let her eyes drift. A shockball tournament. A show, apparently, on the best way to care for pet tals. She straightened slightly as the next terminal shifted to the black clad figure of Prince Luke Skywalker, who was speaking intently with Cray Shifton, one of the hosts of the official Imperial Network. She couldn't hear a word of the interview, or speech, but it was obvious from the sudden silence of many of the females that Skywalker's looks had attracted their attention.

"I've heard he's short, though," a tall and exotically clad human said from a table nearby.

"Better than being 4 meters tall like his father," a Twi'lek in a blue cloak commented with a smile even as her lekku twitched.

There were chuckles, before a Togruta said thoughtfully, "He'll be married off soon, I'm sure. Every young, unmarried female in the Coruscanti elite is after his blood, and I've heard that high Imperial officials from other Core worlds are finding ways to bring their eligible daughters to Coruscant for the peace talks with the Alliance. There's even going to be a dress ball in a couple of weeks. Not that I'd want him. Vader for a father-in-law? Not appealing."

The woman looked up now as a (short) cloaked figure stopped in front of her.

"May I sit down?"

"Certainly," she said with a casual wave.

The figure slid into the seat across for her, and Mara Jade pushed a button which caused dingy curtains to slide close, blocking them from view. Just as the curtains closed, the Twi'lek female was heard to say, "But he's so cute!"

Luke Skywalker pushed the hood off his face and ran a hand across his face even as he grimaced, "How can this be my life?"

Mara chuckled even as a panel opened in the wall and their food slid out. She pushed a glass of beer towards Skywalker and raised a glass, "To Prince Luke."

"Very funny, Mara," Luke muttered back, "And keep it down. I don't need to be overrun by enthusiastic women."

"Relax, Skywalker, these grimy curtains have sound suppression. That's why I picked this place."

"Great," the youth responded, his eyes focused longingly on the nerf burgers.

"Eat up, Skywalker," Jade said as she grabbed her own burger.

For a few minutes, the two ate silently.

Mara finally spoke with deliberate calm, "Thanks for meeting with me, Skywalker. I know you have a great many duties now."

She was fairly certain she kept any bitterness out of her voice. A few years ago, Skywalker was a moisture farmer toiling away in an Outer Rim backworld, and she had been moving among the Imperial elite; admittedly as a spy and courtier, but at the time she had thought she was quite an important person.

How life changed. How her own view of her life, of who she was, had changed.

"I've enjoyed our communications since you contacted me 2 weeks ago, Mara," Skywalker replied cheerfully, even as he took a bite of tubars.

She lifted a curious eyebrow.

"We've exchanged 8 messages and had one holocall. You've insulted me 14 times. I need someone like you to keep me grounded. I have my Rebel friends, of course, but most of the Imperials bow and scrape before me. It's freaky."

He finished one last bite, swallowed, and leaned back now with a smile of pleasure, "That was great, Mara. You've got terrific taste in food. I cannot tell you how many weird things I've been forced to eat in the last couple of weeks."

Jade cocked a sarcastic eyebrow, "Like the best wines, the most expensive Nabooian crabs, all that?"

The young Jedi shook his head gloomily, "You're right. My aunt Beru told me to never complain about food. But the food's neither Tatooine nor ration bars, so it makes me feel very out of place. Even more so when I have to figure out 6 forks and 8 spoons. For all that Tatooine was a wretched barren wasteland, I find myself missing it on occasion. It was home."

Mara started slightly before lifting her glass to her lips to conceal her emotions.

"I guess you never really had a home, huh?" Luke asked gently, apparently reading her with ease.

Tears (she had never cried before, now it was a near daily event) filled her eyes, "No. Or at least, I don't remember it."

He nodded, "My offer from our last exchange of messages stands, Mara ..."

"I don't need counseling, Skywalker. I need ... well, I want absolution. Forgiveness. For my crimes. You've given me freedom when I don't deserve it, and I will use that freedom to try to bring some comfort and, if necessary, financial assistance to those whom I've wronged."

Luke stared at her gravely, then pulled a loop from around his neck and handed it to Mara. At the end was a data stick.

She took it reverently, "Thank you."

He gazed at her worriedly, "Don't get yourself killed, Mara. I know you are very accomplished but loss runs deep ..."

"If I'm killed by family members avenging the death of their loved one at my hands, then so be it. I deserve that."

"Do they deserve that, though?"

"I don't understand, Skywalker."

Luke sighed, his blue eyes solemn, "Killing out of anger and rage and bitterness isn't good for anyone. In a strong Force user, it can result in chaos and destruction across the galaxy, as it did with my father. In a more 'ordinary' person, it can lead to a soul destroying bitterness. I truly believe that no one should ever kill out of hatred and vengeance. The courts will be in session in time, and if someone brings out a complaint against you that is valid, we'll have to arrest you, Mara, and you'll stand trial. But that's the right way to do it, not ... not murder, not revenge."

She looked at him in astonishment, and then a reluctant smile graced her face, "You really are naïve, in a rather adorable way, Skywalker."

"I assume that's an insult?"

"Yes ... and no. I mean, you seem remarkably innocent and kind for Vader's son, and for a man who grew up on Tatooine. But on the other hand, you and your sister have single handedly brought down an evil despot, and rehabilitated another. So maybe goodwill, kindness, love really do pay off. I don't know. I just know, right now, that I need to look at these names, this information, about the people I've killed and see if I can help those that I've wronged."

Luke stared at her gravely, "Very well, Mara. If that's what you feel called to do."

Hesitantly, he stretched out his right hand, and she reached out her own hand with equal uncertainty.

"But if you just need someone to talk to, please contact me anytime. I enjoy talking to you. And if my adorableness is too much for you, my sister is a reasonable listener, and she has a more astringent edge. And we do have professional counselors ..."

"No stinking way, Skywalker, about the professional counselors, I mean."

Luke pulled back his hand and nodded, "Ok, I get it."

"I don't need anyone else messing with my head," she bit back, feeling a strange panic in her mind.

"A good counselor, especially a Mind Healer, isn't like that," Qui-Gon Jinn said, suddenly appearing next to Luke.

Jade jumped in astonishment and Luke winced slightly, "Jinn, I wish you would give us a little warning before showing up like this! Maybe you could cause a slight wind or, I don't know, make a weird little ring tone in the Force ..."

"Duly noted, Luke," Jinn said, "But Ahsoka's stirring and I want to be there when she regains consciousness. I just dropped in to give Jade a quick piece of advice."

He turned to Jade, his face more grave than usual, "You will need Mind Healing, Mara Jade. At the right time. Palpatine harmed you. For now, follow the path before you but don't discount Luke's offer. I promise you that a Jedi will not manipulate you like Palpatine did. You've had to make your own way your entire life, but in time you will need to get help from others. Just pick some healthy people."

She stared at him, then sighed, "It distresses me greatly to think you might be right, Master Jinn. But you've got experience and authenticity, and I know I'm not quite right in the head. I'll keep your advice in mind."

"That's all I can ask for," Jinn said, and then his eyes brightened, "Are those blue tubars? I miss eating those. It's times like this I wish I wasn't dead."

Author Note: Happy New Year! My continued thanks to those of you reading and following and favoriting and commenting. And thanks to my wonderful editor, my beloved husband.