It had been one assignment after another, the Emperor's orders bouncing he and Mara from one planet to the next while his father could be found wreaking havoc on enemies of the Empire that conveniently appeared on the opposite side of the galaxy. Luke knew why, just as his father did. It was the truth no one acknowledged because it wouldn't do anyone any good. For now, Palpatine's orders were to be followed with the utmost loyalty, and Luke was proving himself the loyal little pet that the Sith Master wanted.
It had been just over a year when he learned that his father's and his paths were crossing. He reached out often, their bond as strong as ever no matter the distance, but he hadn't been so long without laying eyes on him since his father had found him with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Now, as the shuttle he and Mara piloted - the babysitters masquerading as pilots long since abandoned for a more discrete approach when available - came out of hyperspace in the Mustafar system, it was everything Luke could do to keep his expression even. It had been eight years since he'd been near the planet that he'd called home for the first year with his father. Life had taken him in many unexpected directions since then, but in many ways, it had started there. He'd learned to trust his father and his father had taught him more than Obi-Wan had ever dared. His father had faith in him. He knew what he could be and he trusted Luke in turn to fulfill his potential. Luke wouldn't let him down.
"Homesick?" Mara teased, nodding towards the volcanic planet just off to the left of its moon that was their actual destination.
"Just thinking."
"Loud enough for the whole system to hear."
He felt his face flush a little and his partner flashed a triumphant grin. He rolled his eyes, letting her enjoy herself at his expense. He'd get her back eventually in one of the few games they still indulged in.
"Lambda T-4, we have you entering the atmosphere of Nur," a voice chimed over the system, sounding more bored than Luke thought he'd ever heard. "Please state your business and clearance codes."
"Transmitting codes now," Mara answered, keying in their top secret clearance status codes that would bypass the first instruction.
There was a long moment as they continued their descent and Luke let his gaze sweep the crashing waves on the moon below. A year on Mustafar and he'd never given its moon much of a thought. It was beautiful, in its own dark and stormy way. The closer they drew, the more power he felt off of the waves as well as the giant fortress spiking up above the them. Fortress Inquisatorious didn't appear to have any shields, but there would be enough firepower to blast them out of the sky if some idiot got the codes crossed.
"Taking their time, aren't they?" he muttered, easing back on the descent ever so slightly.
Mara shrugged. "They're just verifying. Your dad should already be there, so they'll be expecting us."
Luke huffed a response and the comm system chimed. "Lambda T-4, you are cleared for landing in bay three." He picked up speed again and glanced at Mara.
"You haven't been here either, have you?"
"No. No real reason to deal with the Inquisitors until now." He felt her mood shift ever so slightly like it did when she was weighing a question. He motioned for her to go ahead. "I hate when you do that," she grumbled.
"Just ask."
"Zero patience." She shook her head, resetting. "Has your dad told you why we're being called in on this?"
Ah. Luke knew that Mara knew that he and Vader communicated, just as everyone involved simultaneously knew that it was frowned upon and impossible to stop. That's why she'd been hesitant to ask. He tilted his head, caught between pretending he didn't know what she was talking about and being straight with her. He flipped the switch and the thrusters allowed their shuttle to hover as it came into the dock. "No," he said at last and they touched down. His senses flooded with his father's presence and the smallest smiles touched his lips.
"A little professionalism, fly boy," she muttered, the nickname the only sign she was teasing as she stood and chatted for the exit. Luke punched the button for the back ramp and followed, pulling himself together. He was the son of Darth Vader, a future Sith. Someday he would command the Inquisitors and first impressions lasted.
The two teens exited the shuttle, drawing only a few glances at the fact that neither wore a uniform of any type. Instead they were both clad in dark colours, Luke's a bit more reminiscent of Jedi robes than Mara's, with lightsabers hanging from their belts on full display this time. Luke spotted his father in the distance with a tall, ashy-pale creature dressed in an Inquisitor's uniform with the same strange lightsaber fastened to his back that the Inquisitor his father had killed had had.
You've grown, the thought echoed over the bond he shared with his father and Luke wondered if it had been intentional.
"Lord Vader," Mara greeted, the closest thing to humility that Luke thought she could manage with his father. She turned towards the ashy-pale creature. "Grand Inquisitor."
"I'd heard rumour that the Emperor's Hand would be assisting on this," the Grand Inquisitor said, his tone almost amused as he looked Mara up and down. Then those eerie yellow eyes turned on Luke and the teen held his gaze unwaveringly. "And you… what might you be?"
"My son, Natus," Darth Vader boomed and there was something satisfying in the startled expression that the Grand Inquisitor couldn't keep from his face.
He regained his composure and gave the smallest of bows. "Lord Natus."
The title added weight to the Sith name he'd been given that Luke hadn't expected, but he kept his expression even and his gaze hard. "Father, I understand our next assignment is yours."
"It is," he confirmed. "Come." He turned, and Luke instantly fell into line with him, just a step and a half behind as had been their habit in the Palace, and it left Mara and the Grand Inquisitor in their wake. Strange how quickly the dynamic changed.
Do not dwell on her feelings, his father chided. In this matter, she answers to you.
They continued through the bay, Luke watching the Imperial soldiers and Inquisitors all around them. He reached out, trying to gauge the size of the fortress. It reached out and down, power radiating off of every wall as it held the waters out and, deeper down, something in. It was a prison. Interesting.
Father led them to what appeared to be a briefing room, surrounded by large windows that stood between them and the vast ocean on the other side. Inquisitors waited for them there and offered their lord a bow upon entry. Luke's gaze swept the two women - one a dark skinned Human with long braids and a hard look. The other appeared to be a Mirialan, though if she were, her green skin had paled so that it almost appeared a similar shade to the Grand Inquisitor - and he found the Human watching him back, the slight tilt of her head pulling her uniform back just enough to show the bandages beneath. Luke let his gaze turn lazy as the Grand Inquisitor moved forward, acting as a bridge between Darth Vader and those that did his bidding.
They had uncovered a confirmed rumour of a child - the Grand Inquisitor's word, though a little probing confirmed the child was closer to fifteen or sixteen - that had shown tremendous power. They had received permission to recruit and train the Force sensitive individual rather than destroying him.
"Then why haven't you?" Mara asked, her cold tone drawing a spike of irritation from both Sisters. Irritation… and embarrassment.
"Because they couldn't," Luke answered. "They tried and failed."
His father's breathing altered just enough for Luke to pick up on the snort that no one else seemed to notice. "Indeed, and their failure has opened an opportunity for you. You will deliver him here. He will not become a Jedi."
"How would he?" Luke asked. "Any Jedi that would teach him are dead."
The room grew a little colder as his father's mood shifted, but he was relatively certain that the chill was aimed at the Inquisitors. "Not all. Grand Inquisitor, provide my Master's Hand with anything she and my son will require. Natus."
The abrupt summoning caught him by surprise and Luke felt a flicker of curiosity from Mara as well. Just as quickly, she turned to the Grand Inquisitor and began drilling him for information
—-
Vader strode through Fortress Inquisitorius with intentional steps, military personnel and Inquisitors alike scattering to make way for the Sith Lord. Behind him he felt his son keeping up, his own footsteps much more certain than they had been when he left the Palace on Coruscant. He was older now and stronger. He'd always been quick to pick up on feelings around him, but to be able to pick apart what the Inquisitors had failed at from their own thoughts… He'd taken what his father had taught him and built on it. It was impressive, but that did not mean he had completed his training. He would be tested in ways he had not been yet.
Doors opened for them as Vader led Luke into another private meeting room and closed behind them. "The Emperor has been pleased with your progress," he stated, not turning to look at the boy who was quickly growing into a man outside of his father's care.
"We've had many successful missions. I admit, I was a little surprised we were called away from Lothal. We were making progress."
"An ISB agent has been sent in your stead." Vader paused at one of the large windows that opened out into the ocean and Luke came to stand next to him, his hands clasped behind his back and those blue eyes so like his own once were staring out into the depths. He watched him for a long moment, trying to get a better read on him. The last year had been difficult, even if neither were allowed to show it. Though if Palpatine's intention had been to drive a wedge between them, he'd been unsuccessful. He had missed his son, though. More than he had even given himself a moment to realize.
"You know… if anyone ever fires a couple rounds off in here, these windows aren't going to hold," Luke said as he touched the glass, his vocalized thought filling the empty air and intentionally quiet bond between them.
"No one is foolish enough to attack this fortress."
"It only takes one fool with what he believes is a purpose," Luke answered seriously, disproving Vader's immediate assumption that he'd just been filling the silence.
Luke shifted, but kept his shoulders back and his chin tilted up. "Mara and I have seen more than our share in the last few months, Father. I don't understand why."
"They are merely sparks that need to be extinguished. Do not concern yourself with them, Son. Instead, your focus must be on the task at hand." Blue eyes studied him internetly and Vader turned to face him fully. "Do not mistake the Inquisitors' failure for utter ineptitude."
Slowly, he saw the carefully crafted mask of stoicism start to crack. It was in the eyes first - Luke's eyes often betrayed him - and by the time it worked its way down to the way his lips quirked upward at one corner, his brows drawn down and his head tilted ever so slightly, the amusement had broken fully through. "Are you worried for me, Father?"
"Yes." The word rode out sharply on an exhaled breath and it served its purpose to startle some of the weight back into the conversation that should never have left it. He needed Luke to understand. He couldn't underestimate this foe. "Few Force-sensitives remain that have the untapped power to make them a potential use for the Inquisitor Program. Avron Elrick not only proved his potential, but training."
"You do think he has a Master," Luke mused softly, a little awe making it into his voice.
"Perhaps, but more likely a Padawan with delusions of grandeur. I do not require both, only Elrick."
"And if the delusional Padawan comes to his rescue?"
"Then you will kill him."
Vader felt the hesitation, even as Luke squared his shoulders a little. "Wouldn't two Inquisitors be better than one?"
"We are nearing the mark, my son. Soon you will join me, but to do that, you must commit and prove yourself capable."
Confusion flashed briefly over their bond. "I am capable, Father. I am committed."
"Then deliver Elrick and dispose of his would-be Master."
Father and son stood alone in the room, the younger desperately trying to regain control of his feelings that betrayed him. On impulse, Vader reached a gloved hand forward to rest briefly against the side of the teen's head. The words couldn't be spoken, but the meaning was clearly accepted, and Luke gave a short, terse nod. "I'll bring him to you, Father," he swore and turned on heel.
He'd grown in the last year. Matured. If Vader didn't secure his son at his side, Force only knew what would happen. The time was now, and he knew Luke would come out victorious. He was, afterall, his son.
—
For what little good the Inquisitors had done to bring in Avron Elrick, Third Sister had at least managed to plant a tracker on him during their battle. She'd been more offended than Mara thought she had the right to be when she'd questioned if that would actually lead them to Elrick, but the tracker had proved useful. They tracked him to the Bryx sector and must have damaged his hyperdrive because he didn't get very far after the short skirmish.
"Is that where he landed?" Luke asked as he slipped into the co-pilot seat, finally relinquishing his post in the gunnery station, and motioned towards the splotchy red and brown planet below.
"It is. What can you find on it?"
He already has a datapad in hand, scrolling through the details. "Anzat," he read aloud. "Breathable atmosphere, looks like we have a presence there and it looks like there's really only one spaceport. I'm sending down an alert to grab him when he lands."
"They won't be able to hold him," Mara counted and received a shrug for her efforts.
"Worth a shot."
"Anything in the databanks to indicate if he has allies there?"
"You mean a Master?" She heard his fingers dance across the screen as she took them into orbit. "Maybe… there's only been one known Jedi noted in Anzati history. She never made it past Knighthood, but there's also no record of her death. Karis Sali."
"Could be who he's running towards."
Luke made a small, noncommittal sound. "I don't know… I think these records must be incomplete. Says she was born three hundred years ago."
"Then just a place to hide," Mara agreed and the spaceport was coming into view as they descended.
They landed without any trouble, but as predicted it had been a waste of time to involve the local security. Two men dead and at least five more injured, Elrick was nowhere in sight. Thankfully their beacon was still active.
Active, and leading them below the spaceport and into the valley that was filled with mist. They lost precious time as one well-meaning Imperial transport pilot tried to talk what he thought were just two kids out of the pursuit. They shook him, finally, and started after their mark.
"You think he's heard one too many specter tales?" Mara asked as her boots skidded in the soft mud on their way into the valley.
"Maybe not. Even our records had some spooky descriptions of the natives," Luke answered with an unexpected seriousness lacing his voice. "They feed on a sentient's essence, supposedly."
"Did your dad say anything about them?"
"No."
"Meaning it could be untrue, could be he didn't know, or…"
"Could be he wanted us to figure it out for ourselves." They hit the bottom and she could barely make him out just a handful of steps away the fog was so thick. "He seemed to think this was a big one. Maybe the one that lets me join him."
Mara frowned a little at that. He hadn't talked about joining his father for a good two or three months now. She'd hoped he'd accepted his place, at least for the time being, but there they were again. "Do you really want to?" she asked carefully, inching towards him.
"Of course. That was the whole point of this."
She pushed a sharp breath out through her nose. "Glad to know I was just a landing pad on your way across the galaxy."
"That's not what I meant!" he argued, and he must have realized his voice was as loud as she had. He grimaced and turned to look at her, mist dancing across his skin and his eyes were the clearest part of him. "It's not what I meant," he repeated, though quietly this time. "I just mean it's the next phase. I join my father, learn the ropes of the Imperial Navy, and you—"
"Go on alone," she finished for him.
His hand snapped out, catching her by the wrist. "You're never alone, Mara. I'd never—"
It hit them both at once. A fluctuation in the Force. A warning. He released her and they both grabbed for their lightsabers, purple and red igniting just in time as green came slicing through the mist. Mara caught the blade with her own and she felt Luke take an intentional step back. Suddenly, the mist started to part, rolling outward and away from them at his command, and it revealed Elrick on the other end of the lightsaber.
He was tall, with narrow eyes the colour of lava and skin almost as dark as the stone it would have created, blue-tinted blood caking the side of his face. Now open and on display, he lashed out, swinging his blade around expertly at her and using his height to his advantage as he barreled down on her.
But Luke came from the other side, splitting Elrick's attention. The older teen parried well enough, his boots slipping in the muck all three were battling in. He swung, he parried, but Mara and Luke had spent their childhood sparring against each other and the past year honing their partnership. It wasn't long before the green lightsaber was driven from his grasp and he backed up and away from their blades. "Kill me then. I won't go with you," he snarled.
"That's not your fate today," Luke answered as he adjusted his grip on his blade.
Mara was ready to join him as he started forward, but suddenly every muscle tensed like it had been frozen in place. Her fingers twitched without command and her lightsaber fell, the blade snapping out of existence, and a sense of dread crept up from behind her like the mist.
"Mara!" Luke shouted, but Elrick had taken advantage of her immobility and had called his lightsaber to him. Green clashed with red and the older teen drove Luke back so that there was a greater distance.
A strangled curse left her as the mist crept around, a figure that was vaguely human emerging. Grey skin and dark hair, the woman's coal-black eyes felt like they cut through to her soul, and all at once Mara couldn't help but remember Luke's description of them: they fed on the essence of sentient beings.
The creature circled her, even as lightsabers hummed and clashed in battle behind, and Karis Sali tilted her head. "Have you come then, to take my apprentice for the Empire?"
If the Anzat woman expected Mara to answer, she should have loosened her grip. As it stood she felt like she was being crushed by some unseen force. Or perhaps the unseen Force. It was strange. Maybe this is what it felt like when a Jedi used the Force, but Mara would have thought there was less darkness involved. Less barely-bridled rage.
Sali came to stand directly in front of her and she tilted her head. Mara could feel her rummaging inside of her mond. "You are more," the Anzat murmured. "So much more, yet so much less than what you could be. You serve the one that will bleed you dry because you do not know anything else. Your family, your life… all stripped from you. There will be nothing left if you devote yourself to an empty cause."
"You know nothing," Mara managed.
"I took an oath once," Sali said, "to put away my cravings, these desires of my kin. The Jedi Order helped me find another way. I can help you find another way."
Mara flexed her fingers as best she could against the hilt of her lightsaber, but it barely moved. "The Order is dead."
"Perhaps it is." A sadness made its way into Sali's face and it shifted, pockets opening up in her cheeks to produce tentacles. "And we are both doomed."
The Anzat woman approached and Mara struggled against her hold.
—-
Luke found himself face down in the mud, muscles burning and temper blazing. He'd been up against foes of every shape and size in the last year, but never a Force-sensitive. He'd been waiting for the opportunity usually only allotted to his father and his Inquisitors, but there he was squandering it. Elrick, even injured, was fast on his feet. Fast, nimble, and - just as Father had warned him - powerful. With a sweep of Elrick's arms, the Force had turned against Luke and had sent him skidding back so that he tumbled feet over head.
He snarled dangerously as he pulled himself to his feet, calling his lightsaber to his hand. The hilt snapped to his palm just in time to flick the trigger and brace himself against the incoming swing of green. Luke pushed back, swung hard, and skidded to his knees to duck the swipe at his head. He popped up on the other side, taking advantage of a rock to leverage his weight off of as he let the Force propel him upward, and he flipped while still in the air so that he could land a blow as he passed. His red blade connected with green, stopping his forward movement, and instead he focused his power downward and drove the would-be Jedi to his knees.
A silent, mental scream broke through his concentration as he landed, and Luke's head whipped around to where Sali loomed over Mara, tentacles extended as if she intended to feed off of her. "No!" he screamed, flinging his hand out and power erupted from him. It lifted the Anzat Jedi from the muddy ground, suspending her there with her limbs outstretched and her head tilted back and far away from mara.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he could feel Elrick stand to take another swing at him and his opposite hand swung out, two fingers lifting from his lightsaber was all it took to drive Elrick back in his fury.
Mara still hadn't budged from her terrifyingly taught position that Sali had frozen her in and Luke stalked forward. "Let her go!"
"Only if you let us go!" the Anzat answered, straining to speak from where she was suspended. "We want nothing of you."
"And I need nothing from you," Luke said and his fingers twitched. Bones snapped and life evaporated from her dark eyes as he allowed her body to crash to the ground.
Mara sucked in a strangled breath even as Elrick screamed behind them, anguish ripping through the air as he raced forward, desperate to end the battle no matter if he found his vengeance or his death. Luke used the Force to redirect the blade and he slipped around, blocked it at his back as he pivoted, and swung around with his opposite hand and lifted Erick in the air as he had his Master. The other teen gargled and choked against the invisible hold and Luke felt the anger threaten to overtake him.
But killing him wasn't the goal.
With effort, he released the newly unconscious Elrick down into the mud and turned back to where Mara had collapsed. Fear surged and Luke darted forward only to drop to his knees next to his friend. "Mara?" he called desperately, his palm against her cheek. He hadn't seen how close Sali had gotten. If she's gotten her tendrils on her and drained her. If she had…..
"Don't go," Luke begged softly, cradling her. "Don't go."
And in his arms, she didn't budge.
—
There had been a consistent cold that clawed at him even after leaving Anzat as if the mist had worked its way though his skin, permeating his muscles and clinging to his bones. It wrapped around his lungs and filled his mind, whispering words of doubt following him wherever he went, despite the overall success of the mission. The Jedi was dead, the apprentice had been delivered to Fortress Inquisatorious, and the medics said that Mara should wake soon.
But they'd said that yesterday. They'd said it when they'd arrived the day before that too. The longer she slept, the more the whispers felt true: he hadn't been strong enough and he'd failed her. He gave an involuntary shiver and tried to push them back. She'd be okay. She had to be.
Luke pulled in a deep, steadying breath through his nose as he approached the door leading to the lower chambers. Father had arrived back on the planet and he'd been summoned. He thought the medical staff - slim as it was in the Fortress - was likely relieved to see him go. He had only left Mara's side when pulled away by duty. It was the only reason he'd left now.
He moved through the dark hall, and he couldn't help it when the tombs on either side drew his attention. Frozen there were sentients of every shape and size, and at the end he saw the newest addition: Karis Sali, her neck still at an odd angle from where he'd snapped it. Luke stopped and stared, uncertain how he should feel about the trophy on display that had once been a living, breathing sentient.
"You really must be his son to have been able to defeat her."
Luke whipped around at the unexpected voice. How the Third Sister had been able to creep up on him like that, he had no idea. She either had mental barriers that anybody would have killed for or he really was distracted. Maybe a bit of both. Whichever the case, he felt the briefest flicker of smugness from her and she nodded towards the end of the hall. "Your father is waiting."
He moved past her, walls falling back into place and she felt like a void of anger and bitterness and ambition, just like her brothers and sisters. She didn't walk with him, but he felt her watch him to the end of the hall and the door that opened for him there. On the other side stood his father with another Inquisitor. Elrick was strapped to a table, sweat standing against dark skin, and he struggled to pull air into his lungs.
What's happening? Luke asked over their bond, not willing to put his ignorance on display.
"He is being remade," his father answered out loud, drawing Elrick's attention. The teen let out an almost feral scream at the sight of Luke and a wave of cold slammed into him. It was all he could do to remain steady under it and the Inquisitor returned to his work, the torture reclaiming Elrick's attention.
Luke grimaced, turning his gaze to his father and reminding himself what Elrick's Master had done to Mara. There was a long, brutal moment before the Dark Lord turned, cape whipping at his ankles and his son was relieved to follow him out. Thankfully, the Third Sister was nowhere to be seen as they exited, the door stifling Elrick's screams behind them.
"Do not waste your pity on him, my son. He would have struck you down the first chance he had. Now, we will break him and the pieces will be put together as an Inquisitor. He will serve you."
"I don't need his service," Luke managed, the chill running through him again.
"And yet you will have it. You have earned it." There was a moment when only the mechanical breathing from his father's suit filled the silence. "When she wakes, you will return to Coruscant with the Hand. She will make her report and you will join me then. I have foreseen it."
Luke swallowed hard, the thought of parting with Mara leaving him sadder than he would have admitted out loud. He pursed his lips, wondering if there was a way he could ask for more time without it sounding like he had changed his mind. He still wanted to join his father, but almost losing Mara was like a terrible glimpse into what life would be like without her and he hated it.
Another chill ran up his spine and he squeezed his eyes closed. "Father, I think they did something to me. I don't know what, but since Anzat it's been so cold."
There was a flicker over their bond. A heaviness of guilt that Luke rarely felt from his father. And just as quickly as it had come, it was shut off again. "I once taught you to sharpen your fear to your advantage. This too will strengthen you."
"How?"
"You will learn to use it. I will teach you once you have joined me on the Executioner."
"Why not now?" Luke pressed. He didn't like the idea of living with this terrible feeling any longer than he had to. It weighed on him like it might pull him under if it stayed with him too long.
"It will take time." His father turned, and Luke could feel yellow eyes watching him from behind his mask. "It will not always feel like weakness," he promised, his voice a little softer.
"I trust you," Luke promised and raised his head.
"You did well, my son. Go. It won't be long."
Exactly what wouldn't be long, Father didn't say. He strode forward, leaving Luke to find his way back to the small medical wing alone.
—
She couldn't remember what had happened. There'd been something between landing on Anzat and the sharp smell of a medical facility, but Mara couldn't remember what that was. Her mind felt sluggish, but she pushed past the haze and into consciousness, she found her training fell into place without effort and fed her details about her surroundings. Sharp angles, echoing footsteps, a tiny room… It was too small to be the medical wing on Coruscant and too well stocked to be Anzat. Nur then. She'd been dragged back for delivery, which at least meant Luke had gotten out alive. Probably. She looked to her left and then to her right. No, definitely.
In a chair, slumped at what would prove was a horribly uncomfortable angle once he woke up, slept Darth Vader's son. She watched him for a long moment, taking in the familiar features of the boy that had managed to worm his way past every defense she had and had become her friend. She'd fought with him, bled with him, and saved his life on more than one occasion. It looked like his turn to save her this round.
He stirred and Mara let her eyes slip closed again. She heard him stretch, the chair scraping and he popped his neck loudly before a long moment of silence. "You just going to keep pretending to be asleep?" he finally asked, and Mara couldn't help her own snort of amusement over it as she let her eyes slip open. Luke stood over her bed now. "How're you feeling?"
She took a moment, carefully stretching out each limb and each digit, finding everything exactly where it should be. "Whole."
"Listen to that vote of confidence," her friend snarked, but the amusement didn't reach his eyes.
"What happened?"
"You had a run in with an Anzati Jedi that nearly killed you. You've been out for a couple of days."
"Did you… win against them both?"
"You don't have to sound so surprised."
"Yes I do. Two Jedi? You're good, but…"
He gave a shrug. "There was a lot riding on it."
"Right. Joining your dad on the Executioner."
His blue eyes flickered to meet hers and Mara was a little taken back by the intensity in them. "I thought she was going to kill you. I thought you were… I killed her before she could. I ended it." He pressed his lips together, looking away and a shiver passed through him.
Mara reached out, her fingers light on his wrist as she pulled him towards the bed and scooted to give him room. He took it, but instead of sitting on the edge like she'd expected he folded his legs up and slid them under the blankets to settle back against the headboard. "Okay then," she snorted, but leaned against his arm, the closeness comforting in the wake of what they'd been through. "Thank you. For saving my life."
"You've done it for me."
"And I'll do it again," she promised and heard him sigh, dropping his head to the side so that his cheek rested against her red hair. "You're going, aren't you?"
"Guess that depends on what you tell the Emperor."
"Do you want to go?"
"I don't want to leave you."
"That's not an answer."
"Sure it is." He slunk down just a little. "Could we not talk about it?"
Mara nodded and sighed, letting her eyelids droop and she hooked her arm through his. It was stupid. It wasn't like he was leaving the Empire. He was just continuing his training. They'd see each other. They'd have missions that crossed, the Emperor would make sure of it. She knew all of that, but even as she tightened her hold on him and he leaned in a little more, she couldn't help but feel like this was the beginning of the end.
TBC
Notes: And Luke takes another step into the Dark Side... This was a tough one to write, but fell nicely into place once I decided on the planetary backdrop for their chase. Major shoutout to Nimata_beroya for the the planet recommendation. The Anzat are only in the Legends stories now, I believe, and they're super creepy, so it sort of matched nicely for Halloween weekend. It worked out very well for what I needed though and it was really fun to have a brief moment with the Grand Inquisitor before he flings himself into oblivion rather than answer to Vader for failing him. Speaking of that... there may be a future chapter that Rebels fans will enjoy soon ;)
Next Time: Luke adjusts to his new life on the Executioner.