Thank you everyone for reading this so far and for your comments. This has now reached it's end. I'm working on some new fics for Ekaterin so hopefully they will be up soon.
There is an alernative ending to this that I will put up later
Anyway on with the story!

Chapter 4. several years later.
I feel so smothered. My mind is smothered, my whole existence is smothered. Palpatine controls where I go, what I do even how I act. By now he has curtailed by time with Mara. If this is what it is like to be free. What would it have been liked to being trapped?

Mara. I can't trust her. She's dangerous to both Vader and I. Especially me. Ever since I was no longer used to train her, Palpatine had been growing tired of me. Snapping at me more than usual.

But that may be just because of his upcoming project. The Death Star. Or I should say the second deathstar. The first didn't quite go to plan. There was some interference from a Jedi. I had thought that all the Jedi were dead but they weren't, sadly. Even after that Jedi had been cut down one still remained. The last Jedi. Vader's son.

Vader had acted strangely after that; intense, angry. Quite a few admirals had suffered subsequently.

Of course finding out you had a son would come has a shock. Then finding out he was part of the Jedi disease must have been horrific.

My Master was going to deal with this lone Jedi and had sent Mara out to eliminate him. It would be the final test of her skills. Yes, she had dealt with politicians before but even I had done that. This time she would be going up against a Jedi. I only ever had the chance to find one. I was sent out like a child before I could confront him.



I doubted Vader knew what Mara was up too, she could shield her thoughts well. I had only found out by accident.




Right now I was as far away from Palpatine as possible. Still I was not as far away as I wanted to be. He repulsed me more and more each day and d@mn Mara noticed that too. I was sure she was turning him against me.

I settled back into the force, letting it caress my mind. My progress had stopped; ever since I had put myself into a trance it was as if I had locked the unopened knowledge of the darkside. Perhaps Palpatine did know what I had done.

My objective was simple in this assignment. I didn't have to kill anyone, hurt anyone bar the incompetent techs. Vader had taught me how to deal with them. All I had to do was to make sure the new materials for the Death Star had not been compromised in anyway.

My anger flared up. He could have sent anyone else on such a demeaning task but why me? What had I done this time? I doubted he regarded me as a hand anymore.


Hah! Idiot. I should have taken care of her when she first came into my care. "Oops Mara did I just *accidentally* gut you or oops did I just stab you?"

Focus, I reminded myself sharply no use in crying over in lost chance. Palpatine would have killed you anyway. Technically one of her few companions I should be one of her most trusted friends. But that never happened and it never will happen.

Yet once my anger had subsided and my jealousy was once more brought under my control I did not regard her as a enemy. I felt...a little pride. She may have come under Palpatine tutelage but I in a way cleaned her up. I passed on to her my skills, taught her how to become stone in a situation, when to rely on her anger. How to look down on people... In a way she could have been more to be than a pupil. Yet Palpatine made sure she never was...

----

I surveyed the crates in the hanger bay, they should have been already have been checked for bombs but it never hurt to be extra careful. Vader was somewhere on the ship. I imagined they had a new commander by now. Mara had probably dealt with Vader's son. She was strong enough to.

My senses suddenly flared as I neared one of the crates. It looked exactly like the rest and there appeared to be nothing wrong with it. Yet the force was telling me otherwise. The darkside kept pushing me towards it.

I yelled for one of the scurrying techs to bring over a scanner and he hastily complied. Nothing, the crate was same. There was nothing wrong with it. I gritted my teeth together.
"Send for Lord Vader."
The tech visibly balanced and ran off to do so.

I could not wait for Vader to come; the force was telling me time was of the essence. Taking the initiative I opened the top of the crate using the force to steady my actions. No point in letting it blow up prematurely.

I braced myself as I looked in to it. Shoot it still looked normal. Closing my eyes I envisioned it with my mind. It was the standard military design I'd expected. Stretching into the force I made sure it would be safe to remove the outer materials. Carefully I lifted the materials off and came face to face with it.

It had just finished ticking down.



I gasped taking a step back but before I had even the chance to shout it exploded. I felt something tug at me, trying to drag me back from it. Lights flashed in front of my eyes as the force of the explosion lifted me up into the air. It threw my body towards the wall as if I were only a rag doll.

My back hit the wall first and I jerked in agony as I slid down the wall. A burning sensation was already coursing through my body and I felt as if every part of me was on fire. I was dimly aware of others frantic screams. Their pain began to sweep over me in uncontrollable waves, adding to my own.

Suddenly I felt myself been gently lifted up. Now I understood what had slowed my descent. "Vader." I rasped.

A healing wave brushed over me, barely beginning to heal my injuries. Vader had knelt down beside me, holding me in his arms. I realised he was attempting to heal me.

"A medic will be here soon." He said matter of factly.

A medic. He knew it by the time the medic would get here it would be too late. My face was reflecting in his suit. At least what was left of my face.

"Vader...please-" I was broke off by a fit of coughing, blood speckled his suit.
"My memories...please." I couldn't get more that a few words out at a time, it hurt too much to talk.

He eased me back on to the ground and placed his hands on either side of my face. I felt a surge of the darkside and I nearly screamed. Memory rushed after memory. Racing through my mind as they reasserted themselves.




A torrent of images flooded my mind, it was if my entire life flashed before my eyes in seconds. Every emotion I had ever felt, every sense of happiness or pain I had ever encountered, it felt like I was experiencing it all over again. I gasped as it suddenly ended. Only now did I realise what Vader meant when he told me it would hurt.

Emotionally I was devastated.

All my years here I wondered what secret past I had held and had wished to learn it. Maybe I had wished too much. I was a Jedi, a healer. Me? A Jedi. Who for some reason got to live while her friends, no, family were cut down in front of her. So this was Uisce, this was who I was.

"Thank you," I struggled to form the words in my burning throat.

"You can't go back now," He told me simply.

I squeezed my eyes together in understanding, unable to move my head without incurring more pain. I couldn't go back to being Ekaterin now that I knew I was Uisce. Yet I couldn't be either.

Guilt overwhelmed me as tears finally began to spring to my eyes. I had helped track down my fellow Jedi, killed people who could have helped them. What had I done? Why hadn't I tried harder to break free? Why couldn't I fight it?
I bit back more bitter tears. It didn't matter now. I was tainted with the Darkside. Even as the light began to touch me once more it wouldn't be enough.

"Vader, tell Mara she will survive, she will be stronger." As will you I silently thought but didn't voice. He knew.
Vader nodded his assent; at least I thought he did.

My mind began to drift away and I sensed that my breathing was gradually getting shallower. I felt as if both sides of the force were swirling round me and all I had to do was to reach out and grasp it. The light began to envelop me as I took my last ragged breath.

-----Aftermath--------

I was awakened by the sound of a rushing stream. Opening my eyes I noticed I was back at the temple. How? Not after what I had done...

"Uisce!" A voice called.
I turned round to the direction that it had come from.

Ore-dai strode towards me, taking me into his arms.

"I shouldn't be here." I stuttered.

He smiled sadly, brushing away the tears from my eyes.
"Why not? You didn't know what you were doing. You weren't the same person."

I smiled slowly, still unsure. Looking round me I could see my Master coming towards me. Her kind compassionate face looking at me with affection.

I was home, finally I was home.


The End.