It was a great display of trust that Palpatine had shown Mara when he had allowed her to view the surveillance cameras that had been planted in Luke Skywalker's room, and despite Mara's having constructed a strong mental barrier to block her presence from Skywalker, his turmoiled emotions were so strong that she could detect a more than a hint of what they consisted of.

That, and the look on his face that she saw on the vidscreen, caused her heart to wrench in agony.

Palpatine didn't care about Luke's feelings. He just wanted to mold the boy into a worthwhile servant, and when the challenge was over, he would toss Luke aside like yesterday's garbage.

All the memories that Mara had of her life were of her servitude to Palpatine. It was always 'Kill this person,' 'Carry out this order,' 'Do this,' 'Do that...'

Well, she was tired of following orders. She wanted to take an action of her own choosing.

It might be the last thing she ever did...But if that were the price she had to pay, then she would gladly take the consequences.

She would show Palpatine that she had more backbone than he had ever imagined...

Hum, buzz, slash, spark, parry.

Luke paid no heed to Leia's, Han's, and Padmé's desperate pleas. All he concentrated on was the duel. To him, there was nothing else.

Palpatine stood to the side gleefully, giving words of encouragement that Luke didn't hear. Palpatine kept speaking despite his knowledge of this, however. His words were more to annoy the spectators than to urge on the fighting Jedi.

Vader was very careful with his blows, making sure that neither his lightsaber nor Luke's weapon buried itself in the boy's chest.

A part of the Sith Lord's mind that wasn't concentrating on the battle observed Luke's blank eyes. Usually, they were bright and full of life, but now they were mere shallow pools that looked like they had no story to tell and never had.

The youth's face held a grim line of determination as he fought with vigor, swinging a blow at Vader that nearly knocked the man's saber out of his hand.

Somehow, Vader managed to keep hold of his weapon, and then he attempted to deprive Luke of his. But the boy had a death-grip on his saber that was not about to be released.

The Dark Lord was disappointed by his failure in getting rid of Luke's lethal lasersword, but still he continued on, hoping that an opening would present itself.

"Luke!" a female voice yelled, providing Vader with a welcome moment of distraction in which he knocked his son's lightsaber onto the ground and then called it to him via the Force.

"Mara?" Luke's eyes were shining with surprise and elation, the saber long forgotten.

"Jade," Palpatine warningly growled. "You have disobeyed me..."

"You're alive," Luke whispered, stunned.

Mara merely nodded, and the Emperor spoke again. "Leave us now, Jade, before I decide to have you executed here and now."

Luke stepped forward threateningly, an angry gleam in his sapphire eyes. "You'll have to go through me, first."

"You dare to challenge me, Skywalker?" the tyrant chuckled. "You are speaking empty threats that mean nothing to one with my power."

"You're wrong, as usual. I have more power in these two hands—" the youth held them up in emphasis, "than you have in your entire body. Power isn't about using your anger to achieve an end. Power is being able to control yourself and your feelings and triumph over the evil that lurks inside your soul. Power is about doing what you can do for others, not giving into temptation. You don't have power. All that you have is a failing government full mostly of people that you've warped into thinking that they want to serve you."

Mara's first thought was that the farmboy's explanation had pretty much summed up everything, and her second thought was to wonder why in space she was entertaining rebellious thoughts.

But deep in her heart, she knew why.

She didn't know how, and she didn't know when, but somehow she had fallen in love with the Jedi that she'd dubbed 'farmboy.' She had finally succumbed to the pull of a black hole from which there was no escape.

Yes, she'd fallen in love with Luke. Hopelessly and eternally.

Forever.

There were only so many times that Palpatine would let himself be insulted by a Jedi without inflicting punishment upon him. This particular Jedi had gone over the limit.

The only warning that Luke had was Palpatine's raising of his hands. But before Luke could react, blue lightning poured forth from the evil ruler's fingertips and coursed through Luke's body.

Luke let out a loud cry of pain and slumped to the floor, his hands crossed over his stomach.

Palpatine continued his angry assault, and Luke painfully swiped at him with a hand, missed, and then kicked at him.

The Emperor stumbled backwards just barely perceptibly, and Luke brought himself weakly to his feet and charged at Palpatine like a rampaging bantha.

All of this happened in a manner of seconds, giving little time for anyone else to respond to the change of events. Leia and Mara cried out Luke's name simultaneously, and Han and Padmé watched the strange blue electricity pass from the aged man to the youth. Vader stared down at the two sabers in his hand, mentally weighing the possible effects of the actions that he could choose to take.

Instead of running into his victim, Luke collided with a Force-created bubble and fell back onto the floor. Palpatine laughed tauntingly and continued to make the electricity flow through the boy's weakening body.

Gasping, Luke somehow managed to stand up again, and he closed his eyes. He concentrated on the Force and managed to absorb the energy into his body. Then he turned the energy outward and destroyed the Emperor's protective barrier. He rammed into the unsuspecting ruler, this time managing to execute the move, and the two tumbled to the floor, Palpatine still hitting him with lightning even as they fell.

One particularly strong bolt caused Skywalker to fly backwards, and the three females rushed over to him, only to find themselves blocked by an invisible Force field that the cruel Imperial leader had created. As he kept his attack coming, he snarled at them, "This is our battle alone!"

Thoughts fleeing from his mind, Luke kept crying out in pain and moaning for his father to come help him. Vader started to stride towards his son, but he found himself stopped by the Force barrier. He watched helplessly.

Somehow, Luke constructed some sort of a plan through his increasing pain, and he tried to get a Force-hold on Palpatine's neck. However, his invisible grip was easily dissolved by Palpatine who kept laughing tauntingly. He tried to slow the ruler's heart as he had with the Deh'th'tu'thouw, but his attempt was again thwarted.

Letting out a final groan, he closed his eyes and was still. Palpatine poured a few more lightning bolts into the youth's body. Seeing no motion, he walked over to Luke and prodded him with a foot. He reached out to the Force to check his presence and sensed nothing but an empty hole. Then he leaned down to grab Luke's wrist and check his pulse.

—Only to find his throat being constricted by a hand with stronger-than-human strength. Panicked, Palpatine tried to pry Luke's hand off with the Force, but Luke had no intention of letting go.

Fine, the Emperor snorted inwardly. He no longer needed this body. He would take one of his clones'. It was a bit earlier than he had originally planned to switch, but no matter.

But before Palpatine could do so, for Luke, Vader, and him, everything went black.