The mug of freshly made Caf steamed on the low table in front of her, it was artfully ignored. Luke withdrew to a chair a few meters away and began to slowly sip his own beverage. Since her emotional outburst earlier, Mara had remained uncharacteristically silent. She sat gazing at her boots, breathing steadily, maintaining formidable barriers. Her behaviour was once again glacial. The Caf he made may help draw her back into civilised conversation, though the stimulant would take some time to act. It was far safer to allow Jade to regain her composure at her own pace.
Luke scrolled though a discarded data pad whilst waiting. The entries surprised him; a catalogue from the late Emperors private collection, a detailed diagram of the Imperial Palace, a rota for palace security personnel, his own teaching schedule from Yavin. He looked up and saw the trader regarding him with her cool green stare.
"You have been busy Jade", a bemused grin flitted across his tanned features. "Planning to break in to the heart of the New Republic are you?", the joke died on his lips.
Mara arched an eyebrow, "Well done Skywalker, now go to the top of the class."
Silence stretched out awkwardly as Luke struggled with the enormity of her admission.
"Mara, you can't do this."
Again silence.
"Looks like quite a straight-forward operation, actually", she added, casually stretching her arms above her head, pulling her black jumpsuit tightly against her trim figure. "Nothing I haven't done before."
"But Mara", he swallowed nervously, "if you get caught, the New Republic would see you as an Imperial agent. They would order your immediate execution… I wouldn't be able to…" he hesitated and pushed his blonde fringe from his eyes, "I can't let you do this, it's not right". She stopped, moving her attention riveted to the man who was daring to dictate to her, she felt her muscles begin to tighten.
"This is why I told you to go, bloody noble Jedi", she snarled. Anger was of the Dark Side. Jade quickly quelled her rage. The Nurf only wanted to help her, she should be grateful.
After taking a few deep, calming breaths, relaxing into the contours of her chair, she let her mental shielding drop to a more sociable level. Mara faintly perceived Luke's ill hidden concern for her. She continued in a softer voice.
"Listen Skywalker, I gave the Emperor a few things, he stored them in his private archive, I want them back, no big deal. It's not as if I want to steal anything that's not rightfully mine." He was not deceived by her change in tactics.
"Then we can ask Leia, and she can release the objects to you, legally."
"This side of Hoth!"
"Mara, be reasonable…"
"Reasonable is a blaster on stun, not a word to describe your sisters Government." He was insufferable. " I won't take the risk she could say no, and it will alert them to the rest of the collection. I was planning on destroying it before the New Republic ever become aware of its existence".
"Collection?"
"Yes", she looked towards him slightly perplexed. "How much of that pad have you read?"
"Not much."
Jade rolled her eyes he had been examining it for 20 minutes, she had hoped it could have done the hard work for her. She took a sip of Caf, it slipped easily down her throat. Best explain the lot to the dozy farm boy.
"The New Republic are spending a lot of credits searching what was once the seat of Imperial Authority."
He nodded.
"The Emperor did the same when he came to power, except he made a decent job of it. Over the centuries various administrations built covert areas, concealed chambers, secret corridors and the Empire put most of that technology to use." She took another sip of Caf then returned her full attention to the Jedi. "The New Republic are finding these places and seizing the contents. There are a few items they shouldn't find." She gestured to his artificial hand. "Might be a few family heirlooms of yours hanging around in there too."
"Mara I don't understand" she continued ignoring the confused look in his blue eyes. "If the lowly Emperor's hand was preserved for immortality, then the great lord of the Sith would have qualified". Jade failed to keep sarcasm from her voice " C'baoth most likely only used a small section of tissue from the hand you lost, it was bobbing about in a specimen jar last time I was in there, Vader usually took samples from interesting interrogation subjects too, so…"
"Mara that's enough" His comment spilled out sharper than intended, "What are you talking about?"
"The Emperor's trophy room, his favourite collection of biological trinkets. My target for annihilation"
"My hand, Leia's interrogation extracts, the last bodily remains of my father, hidden in the palace, why…."
"Experimentation, but mainly to gloat over." That would make a twisted kind of logic, he began to understand. The Emperor was warped, of course he would gain pleasure from the suffering of others, pain inflicted in his name. This was a collection of fitting tribute for a Sith. Luke briefly closed his eyes silently thanking the gods that Mara had survived his evil. She had been trying to protect him, to deal with this problem without implicating a Jedi Master or burdening him with yet more evidence of the Emperor's malevolence. Her beauty was amazing.
"What did he take from you, Mara?" he asked evenly
"He didn't take anything. I gave." She had finally confessed, Luke did not react as she had expected, he just patiently waited for her to continue.
"I was every micron the good Imperial. My life meant nothing if not used for the Emperor's grand order, so why should my body be any different? I offered him my left ovary, and he took it. He had always told me I was special, that Force Sensitives, uncorrupted by the Jedi were rare, that I was his truest servant." Jade stopped, she was getting emotional again; the thought of the apparatus unguarded and vulnerable to any lucky scanning crew was almost unbearable.
"The ovary was removed and placed in a specially constructed support unit. The entire apparatus was placed in carbonite until needed. In addition, a brain scan suitable for flash learning was made. When activated, the ova mature at a normal rate. 10 ovum were stored separately to be used if the organ failed to recover from hibernation once re-animated. It was my wish that my master would not be inconvenienced if I failed him and died. If this finds it's way in to the wrong hands, Luke, think of the damage that could be done. Me, at my most loyal to the Empire. It needs to be destroyed. I need to see it done."
"How do you intend to accomplish this Jade?"
"My plan is the last entry on the pad. He quickly scanned the file. It was a good plan, though it could use a few adjustments now her resources had changed.
"When do we go?" It was a statement, not a question.
"Tonight."
Thank you for the reviews, much appreciated
Moonbug
Luke scrolled though a discarded data pad whilst waiting. The entries surprised him; a catalogue from the late Emperors private collection, a detailed diagram of the Imperial Palace, a rota for palace security personnel, his own teaching schedule from Yavin. He looked up and saw the trader regarding him with her cool green stare.
"You have been busy Jade", a bemused grin flitted across his tanned features. "Planning to break in to the heart of the New Republic are you?", the joke died on his lips.
Mara arched an eyebrow, "Well done Skywalker, now go to the top of the class."
Silence stretched out awkwardly as Luke struggled with the enormity of her admission.
"Mara, you can't do this."
Again silence.
"Looks like quite a straight-forward operation, actually", she added, casually stretching her arms above her head, pulling her black jumpsuit tightly against her trim figure. "Nothing I haven't done before."
"But Mara", he swallowed nervously, "if you get caught, the New Republic would see you as an Imperial agent. They would order your immediate execution… I wouldn't be able to…" he hesitated and pushed his blonde fringe from his eyes, "I can't let you do this, it's not right". She stopped, moving her attention riveted to the man who was daring to dictate to her, she felt her muscles begin to tighten.
"This is why I told you to go, bloody noble Jedi", she snarled. Anger was of the Dark Side. Jade quickly quelled her rage. The Nurf only wanted to help her, she should be grateful.
After taking a few deep, calming breaths, relaxing into the contours of her chair, she let her mental shielding drop to a more sociable level. Mara faintly perceived Luke's ill hidden concern for her. She continued in a softer voice.
"Listen Skywalker, I gave the Emperor a few things, he stored them in his private archive, I want them back, no big deal. It's not as if I want to steal anything that's not rightfully mine." He was not deceived by her change in tactics.
"Then we can ask Leia, and she can release the objects to you, legally."
"This side of Hoth!"
"Mara, be reasonable…"
"Reasonable is a blaster on stun, not a word to describe your sisters Government." He was insufferable. " I won't take the risk she could say no, and it will alert them to the rest of the collection. I was planning on destroying it before the New Republic ever become aware of its existence".
"Collection?"
"Yes", she looked towards him slightly perplexed. "How much of that pad have you read?"
"Not much."
Jade rolled her eyes he had been examining it for 20 minutes, she had hoped it could have done the hard work for her. She took a sip of Caf, it slipped easily down her throat. Best explain the lot to the dozy farm boy.
"The New Republic are spending a lot of credits searching what was once the seat of Imperial Authority."
He nodded.
"The Emperor did the same when he came to power, except he made a decent job of it. Over the centuries various administrations built covert areas, concealed chambers, secret corridors and the Empire put most of that technology to use." She took another sip of Caf then returned her full attention to the Jedi. "The New Republic are finding these places and seizing the contents. There are a few items they shouldn't find." She gestured to his artificial hand. "Might be a few family heirlooms of yours hanging around in there too."
"Mara I don't understand" she continued ignoring the confused look in his blue eyes. "If the lowly Emperor's hand was preserved for immortality, then the great lord of the Sith would have qualified". Jade failed to keep sarcasm from her voice " C'baoth most likely only used a small section of tissue from the hand you lost, it was bobbing about in a specimen jar last time I was in there, Vader usually took samples from interesting interrogation subjects too, so…"
"Mara that's enough" His comment spilled out sharper than intended, "What are you talking about?"
"The Emperor's trophy room, his favourite collection of biological trinkets. My target for annihilation"
"My hand, Leia's interrogation extracts, the last bodily remains of my father, hidden in the palace, why…."
"Experimentation, but mainly to gloat over." That would make a twisted kind of logic, he began to understand. The Emperor was warped, of course he would gain pleasure from the suffering of others, pain inflicted in his name. This was a collection of fitting tribute for a Sith. Luke briefly closed his eyes silently thanking the gods that Mara had survived his evil. She had been trying to protect him, to deal with this problem without implicating a Jedi Master or burdening him with yet more evidence of the Emperor's malevolence. Her beauty was amazing.
"What did he take from you, Mara?" he asked evenly
"He didn't take anything. I gave." She had finally confessed, Luke did not react as she had expected, he just patiently waited for her to continue.
"I was every micron the good Imperial. My life meant nothing if not used for the Emperor's grand order, so why should my body be any different? I offered him my left ovary, and he took it. He had always told me I was special, that Force Sensitives, uncorrupted by the Jedi were rare, that I was his truest servant." Jade stopped, she was getting emotional again; the thought of the apparatus unguarded and vulnerable to any lucky scanning crew was almost unbearable.
"The ovary was removed and placed in a specially constructed support unit. The entire apparatus was placed in carbonite until needed. In addition, a brain scan suitable for flash learning was made. When activated, the ova mature at a normal rate. 10 ovum were stored separately to be used if the organ failed to recover from hibernation once re-animated. It was my wish that my master would not be inconvenienced if I failed him and died. If this finds it's way in to the wrong hands, Luke, think of the damage that could be done. Me, at my most loyal to the Empire. It needs to be destroyed. I need to see it done."
"How do you intend to accomplish this Jade?"
"My plan is the last entry on the pad. He quickly scanned the file. It was a good plan, though it could use a few adjustments now her resources had changed.
"When do we go?" It was a statement, not a question.
"Tonight."
Thank you for the reviews, much appreciated
Moonbug