Author's Note: Okay, actually, I'll be starting another story, but will continue with this one.Still an AU, will be entitled "Eternity and Infinity", in which Anakin never turned to the Dark Side. I know there have been like "thousands" of that type of fiction but this is my very own speculation. His family life, Jedi life, and a new Sith menace (how could anyone forget that?!).Few OC characters and EU characters included.
Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.
Mirage of the Midnight Sun
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.
Chapter 15: In the Name of an Angel
Mara Jade strode briskly along the corridors of the Death Star. She didn't need to worry about being spotted, the Force cloaked her prescence from the rest of the Battle Station, and the cameras overhead were not a problem at all for someone with her expertise. But she kept her guard regardless, intense, emerald-green eyes watched for signs of unexpected company. Her mission was to extract a certain prisoner from the Maximum Security Section, Cel-Block 985 to be exact. Without the knowledge of anyone else besides herself and her Master, Darth Vader. Leia Organa, was that prisoner, Princess of Alderaan and a Rebel Leader, but also the daughter of Anakin Skywalker. Mara was one of the few who knew the Sith Lord by his former name. He was as close to a father as Mara could get. Anakin practically raised her since she was merely ten years old. The stubborn red-head was an orphan, both her parents were killed in a tragic mining accident on far away Kessel when she was very young....none survived..I'm sorry, Mara...figures she could not remember...but not 'just' an ordinary orphan, she was found to be Force sensitive, and that must be one of the reasons why the Dark Lord took particular interest on her. Anakin wanted an apprentice of his own, even though it was forbidden by the Sith Code, he was always apt to break the rules..."What is your name, young one?"..."Mara. Mara Jade."...that was her voice not too long ago...when Darth Vader found her among the ruins of what was once the great city of Theed...burning...burning...Mara stood amidst merciless walls of flame...but she never cried, crying was for the weaklings, and Mara Jade was most definitely not a weakling...she would die..the flames will swallow her being...it would be painful...she knew...but she won't cry...she won't...she couldn't...the darkness was coming...Mara's light was fading...the darkness kept closing in...and on it's depths was a light blinding in it's intensity...the darkness carried the light...and the light carried the darkness...follow the light, Mara...we'll walk in the sky...Mara...Mara Jade...
She could not and would not fully understand why the Dark Lord bothered with her...perhaps she reminded him of someone..nor could she remember how exactly did he save her from the flames...all that she knew was that the darkness carried the light...but she never would have asked...Mara never asked about her Master's past, what she knew was only what he told her...his name...he was once a Jedi Knight. That is all, he won't talk about how he got the armor, or why...It doesn't matter. Darth Vader taught her the ways of the Dark Side...seemingly endless days of meditation...Lightsaber duels...techniques in espionage...all those, the emerald-eyed girl learned best and fast, she was very independent-minded and would not take crap from anyone.. Mara lived on Bast Castle for most of her young life, due to the fact that her very existence must be hidden from the Emperor, until the Dark Lord needed her services which she gave with uttmost willingness, dedication and loyalty... and not without some measure of grumbling. She never saw Anakin often since he was always off planet, especially when the civil war broke out...and Mara had a missions of her own to be carried out...gathering information about the Alliance, exposing traitors and anomalous elements...but she enjoyed every moment when they were both at home...she lived with the man and not with the monster...almost.
She would never fail him, certainly not on something as simple as this. It was still a risky job, but not enough to give Mara mynocks in the stomach. It seemed only a few seconds ago when the Dark Lord contacted her. She was on Planet Austuroi, a world whose climate resembled that of Kamino, minus the swirling sea.....always dreary and soggy, more specifically on a dingy restaurant called Darklighter's, tracking an important and very elusive Alliance High Commander, who goes by the name S-Prior. No one knows how exactly S-Prior looks like, but according to spy reports, he or she rubbed ranks with the likes of Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, clearly belonging to the highest etchelons of the Rebel Alliance. Mara received a good lead...not to mention a hunch...that S-Prior would make a clandestine appearance on Austuroi, most probably on the small function hall across the restaurant, by nightfall. But an emergency summons from her Master ground her mission to a halt..."Jade."...his cold, metallic voice came through the private, heavily encrypted communications channel..."Jade here. I'm listening."..."Your current assignment is terminated. Leave for the Death Star immediately. I will send the coordinates and explain the details on the way." and with that the line fell silent. Mara detected a strange urgency in the Dark Lord's tone which left no room for further arguments...never mind the fact that she would not see the face of S-Prior, whom she had been following for more than a month...from Coruscant to Naboo...and now here. Mara hastily returned to her vessel, The Emerald Dawn, a modified Imperial Class shuttle, equipped with half a Star Destroyer's fire power, especially designed to travel long distances, and waited for further instructions. So, disguised as a Maintenance Crew, wearing standard Imperial-Mech gray overalls, The Hand of Darth Vader, boarded the Death Star.
Darth Vader had undergone a significant change, that Mara Jade was almost sure of. Something about his aura...maybe. The darkness carried the light...follow the light...we'll walk in the sky...she wondered why those phrases kept on coming back. In her opinion it was quite a surprising twist in the order of things that the Senator from Alderaan was her Master's daughter. The Dark Lord once ordered Mara to shadow the younger Organa, because he suspected that the Princess had something to do with the Rebellion, and he had been right. And it was Mara's information that eventually lead to the Senator's capture. A tiny crack in the Sith Lord's past...which invoked many questions...who was the woman who loved Anakin Skywalker? where was she know? what did she see? had she seen beyond the darkness? and most importantly who was Anakin Skywalker before Darth Vader was ever born?..sure she had seen brief glimpses of Anakin, but...Mara berrated herself for asking too many questions, it's just not like her at all...not at all. The Battle Station was quite enormous, it was easy for someone without proper orientation to get lost, but that 'someone' was not Mara Jade...I'm almost on the Maximum Security Level...you just wait, Princess...she thought.
"There was only one way to make Organa reveal what she knows, then." Governor Tarkin spoke authoritatively, as they stood on the Death Star's viewing gallery, overlooking Alderaan. It only took a few moments for the Battle Station to reach the relatively peaceful world, almost a mirror image of Naboo. "If you had conducted a swift investigation, the plans would have been on our hands, this wasn't like you Vader, the idea to capture the Princess was yours." the Senior Officer continued to reprimand the Dark Lord..."Do you not realize that with every minute wasted, those plans slip further and further away? No matter, I have ordered Organa brought here. Captain?"...Princess Leia Organa was escorted inside to join Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin, her hands were bound...Anakin dreaded this moment, he already knew what was on the older man's mind..."Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board." such poison-laced words coming from his own daughter somewhat stung the Dark Lord, but also gave him a sense of pride....I guess I deserved that, I was blind, but not anymore....he thought. Anakin stood behind the Princess. While Tarkin's hands briefly caressed her face..."Charming to the last. You don't know how hard I found it signing the order to terminate your life!" Leia recoiled at this gesture and took a step backward...Anakin fought the impulse to Force-choke the Governor where he stood...Get your soiled hands off her!...he thought fiercely, barely restraining himself...but not yet. The plan...he must follow the plan...his agent was already on board...Patience, my young Padawan, patience...Obi-Wan's voice echoed in his mind.."I'm surprised you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself!" his wife seemed to have spoken through the Princess. Anakin knew what was coming and it would cause unbearable pain to his new-found child, considering how much of Padme lived within her...his wife went through great dangers to save her homeworld, and the Dark Lord was sure his daughter would have done the same, if she had a choice, but the fate of the Rebellion was at stake, Anakin regretted with all his being, to have placed her in such a position...I'm sorry Leia, I could not intervene with this one. Not until you were safe. Forgive me...he placed a hand on the Princess' shoulder, meant to give her at least some measure of comfort when there would be none.
"Princess Leia, before your execution I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now."... she had expected to be severely tortured, yet it never came, Vader acted strangely, asked even stranger questions and took her Japor snippet pendant, then returned it afterwards, not saying a word...but it would still come to this, Leia thought..."The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." she managed to say, Vader's hand was on her left shoulder, but she barely noticed...a creeping fear now threatened to swallow her, as she watched her homeworld from the looking glass..."Not after we demonstrate the power of this station. In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that'll be destroyed first. Since you are reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power...on your home planet of Alderaan."...at those words the fear escalated to full blown anger and horror, she longed to tear the monster that was Tarkin apart...how could such people exsist?!...Darth Vader...Governor Tarkin...The Emperor.....I'll never forgive all of you for this...never...she thought, darkness seemed to want to take her very soul to depths from which she would never return...the anguish and guilt of not being able to prevent this savagery wouldn't end...a part of her would die with Alderaan..."No! Alderaan is peaceful. We have no weapons. You can't possibly..."...she bargained, even though she knows it would all be in vain...i'm sorry, daddy. i failed you. i'm sorry...she repeated over and over, summoning Bail Organa's image on her troubled mind, she struggled to memorize every feature, every expression, of the man she came to know as her father...whom she would never see or hold again....memories of joy, sorrow and love..."You would prefer another target? A military target? Then name the system!" Tarkin's voice floated like a foul, bile-ridden cloud.
Now Leia was torn between her duty to the Rebellion and duty to her homeworld. If she disclosed the true location of the Rebel base, with this station's power, the Rebellion would be over in the blink of an eye. Everything they have fought and died for would amount to nothing more than stardust...yes...they were Stardust Soldiers...."I grow tired of asking this. So it'll be the last time. Where is the Rebel base?"....she had to choose...goodbye daddy..i'm sorry...my people, please forgive me..this was the only path i can take...."Dantooine....They're on Dantooine."...Senator Leia Organa lowered her head, knowing she sealed the fate of Alderaan with those words. A repulsive smile crossed Tarkin's face.."There. You see Lord Vader, she can be reasonable."...the Governor then turned to one of the Admirals..."Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready."...Leia's anger flared so violently that she almost lunged at this epitome of evil that was Tarkin, but Vader's hand held her in place..."What?!"...A chuckle escaped the Grand Moff's lips..."You're far too trusting. Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don't worry. We will deal with your Rebel friends soon enough."..."No!"...the rebel Princess uttered helplessly....forgive me everyone, please...she implored once more.
Moments passed, a huge beam of light emanated from within a cone-shaped area of the battle station and converged into a single laser beam, directed towards Alderaan...
"Wake up Leia! Wake up...it's all a bad dream.." She had nothing to fear now, her father was here and it was all a bad dream, Bail Organa hugged his daughter, a storm raged outside the palace windows. "Won't the storm ever pass, daddy?".."All storms pass Leia, and a beautiful day replaces them."..."Really?"...chocolate-brown eyes filled with doubt stared back..."Do you not believe your father?" Bail asked teasingly..."Of course I do. You're the best daddy in the galaxy!"..."Ok, you go back to sleep now. Remember, tomorrow's a new day."..."Daddy, I'm still scared, will you stay here until I fall asleep?"..."Of course, little one."...she slowly drifted back into the comforting darkness, knowing daddy would always keep his Princess safe...
...and the planet that was her homeworld was blown to space dust in front of Leia Organa's eyes...
"The Queen was worried. Her people are dying."
...Padme Naberrie, Amidala of the Naboo, told Anakin Skywalker a long time ago, and young as he was, Anakin felt Padme's inner turmoil, and longed to ease the pain however he could. History repeated itself, could he do it now?...could he quench the same anguish that tore every fiber of his daughter's consciousness...could he?...probably not, she hated him now, more than ever. True, he spared her the physical pain of torture...but replaced it with something worse than death.
But I won't hurt you again, Princess. Nor let others. I promise.
_____________________________________________________
next chapter: The Circle is Now Complete
Disclaimer: i dont own star wars.period.george lucas does.im not making any money, not a cent, over this.
Mirage of the Midnight Sun
A skywalker family fic.Slightly AU, follows the plot of the series but has a few tweeks here and there. Starts with Vader capturing Leia on EP IV. I cant remember much of the dialogue and some names of the officers and stuff, so forgive me if i have to improvise.
Chapter 15: In the Name of an Angel
Mara Jade strode briskly along the corridors of the Death Star. She didn't need to worry about being spotted, the Force cloaked her prescence from the rest of the Battle Station, and the cameras overhead were not a problem at all for someone with her expertise. But she kept her guard regardless, intense, emerald-green eyes watched for signs of unexpected company. Her mission was to extract a certain prisoner from the Maximum Security Section, Cel-Block 985 to be exact. Without the knowledge of anyone else besides herself and her Master, Darth Vader. Leia Organa, was that prisoner, Princess of Alderaan and a Rebel Leader, but also the daughter of Anakin Skywalker. Mara was one of the few who knew the Sith Lord by his former name. He was as close to a father as Mara could get. Anakin practically raised her since she was merely ten years old. The stubborn red-head was an orphan, both her parents were killed in a tragic mining accident on far away Kessel when she was very young....none survived..I'm sorry, Mara...figures she could not remember...but not 'just' an ordinary orphan, she was found to be Force sensitive, and that must be one of the reasons why the Dark Lord took particular interest on her. Anakin wanted an apprentice of his own, even though it was forbidden by the Sith Code, he was always apt to break the rules..."What is your name, young one?"..."Mara. Mara Jade."...that was her voice not too long ago...when Darth Vader found her among the ruins of what was once the great city of Theed...burning...burning...Mara stood amidst merciless walls of flame...but she never cried, crying was for the weaklings, and Mara Jade was most definitely not a weakling...she would die..the flames will swallow her being...it would be painful...she knew...but she won't cry...she won't...she couldn't...the darkness was coming...Mara's light was fading...the darkness kept closing in...and on it's depths was a light blinding in it's intensity...the darkness carried the light...and the light carried the darkness...follow the light, Mara...we'll walk in the sky...Mara...Mara Jade...
She could not and would not fully understand why the Dark Lord bothered with her...perhaps she reminded him of someone..nor could she remember how exactly did he save her from the flames...all that she knew was that the darkness carried the light...but she never would have asked...Mara never asked about her Master's past, what she knew was only what he told her...his name...he was once a Jedi Knight. That is all, he won't talk about how he got the armor, or why...It doesn't matter. Darth Vader taught her the ways of the Dark Side...seemingly endless days of meditation...Lightsaber duels...techniques in espionage...all those, the emerald-eyed girl learned best and fast, she was very independent-minded and would not take crap from anyone.. Mara lived on Bast Castle for most of her young life, due to the fact that her very existence must be hidden from the Emperor, until the Dark Lord needed her services which she gave with uttmost willingness, dedication and loyalty... and not without some measure of grumbling. She never saw Anakin often since he was always off planet, especially when the civil war broke out...and Mara had a missions of her own to be carried out...gathering information about the Alliance, exposing traitors and anomalous elements...but she enjoyed every moment when they were both at home...she lived with the man and not with the monster...almost.
She would never fail him, certainly not on something as simple as this. It was still a risky job, but not enough to give Mara mynocks in the stomach. It seemed only a few seconds ago when the Dark Lord contacted her. She was on Planet Austuroi, a world whose climate resembled that of Kamino, minus the swirling sea.....always dreary and soggy, more specifically on a dingy restaurant called Darklighter's, tracking an important and very elusive Alliance High Commander, who goes by the name S-Prior. No one knows how exactly S-Prior looks like, but according to spy reports, he or she rubbed ranks with the likes of Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, clearly belonging to the highest etchelons of the Rebel Alliance. Mara received a good lead...not to mention a hunch...that S-Prior would make a clandestine appearance on Austuroi, most probably on the small function hall across the restaurant, by nightfall. But an emergency summons from her Master ground her mission to a halt..."Jade."...his cold, metallic voice came through the private, heavily encrypted communications channel..."Jade here. I'm listening."..."Your current assignment is terminated. Leave for the Death Star immediately. I will send the coordinates and explain the details on the way." and with that the line fell silent. Mara detected a strange urgency in the Dark Lord's tone which left no room for further arguments...never mind the fact that she would not see the face of S-Prior, whom she had been following for more than a month...from Coruscant to Naboo...and now here. Mara hastily returned to her vessel, The Emerald Dawn, a modified Imperial Class shuttle, equipped with half a Star Destroyer's fire power, especially designed to travel long distances, and waited for further instructions. So, disguised as a Maintenance Crew, wearing standard Imperial-Mech gray overalls, The Hand of Darth Vader, boarded the Death Star.
Darth Vader had undergone a significant change, that Mara Jade was almost sure of. Something about his aura...maybe. The darkness carried the light...follow the light...we'll walk in the sky...she wondered why those phrases kept on coming back. In her opinion it was quite a surprising twist in the order of things that the Senator from Alderaan was her Master's daughter. The Dark Lord once ordered Mara to shadow the younger Organa, because he suspected that the Princess had something to do with the Rebellion, and he had been right. And it was Mara's information that eventually lead to the Senator's capture. A tiny crack in the Sith Lord's past...which invoked many questions...who was the woman who loved Anakin Skywalker? where was she know? what did she see? had she seen beyond the darkness? and most importantly who was Anakin Skywalker before Darth Vader was ever born?..sure she had seen brief glimpses of Anakin, but...Mara berrated herself for asking too many questions, it's just not like her at all...not at all. The Battle Station was quite enormous, it was easy for someone without proper orientation to get lost, but that 'someone' was not Mara Jade...I'm almost on the Maximum Security Level...you just wait, Princess...she thought.
"There was only one way to make Organa reveal what she knows, then." Governor Tarkin spoke authoritatively, as they stood on the Death Star's viewing gallery, overlooking Alderaan. It only took a few moments for the Battle Station to reach the relatively peaceful world, almost a mirror image of Naboo. "If you had conducted a swift investigation, the plans would have been on our hands, this wasn't like you Vader, the idea to capture the Princess was yours." the Senior Officer continued to reprimand the Dark Lord..."Do you not realize that with every minute wasted, those plans slip further and further away? No matter, I have ordered Organa brought here. Captain?"...Princess Leia Organa was escorted inside to join Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin, her hands were bound...Anakin dreaded this moment, he already knew what was on the older man's mind..."Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board." such poison-laced words coming from his own daughter somewhat stung the Dark Lord, but also gave him a sense of pride....I guess I deserved that, I was blind, but not anymore....he thought. Anakin stood behind the Princess. While Tarkin's hands briefly caressed her face..."Charming to the last. You don't know how hard I found it signing the order to terminate your life!" Leia recoiled at this gesture and took a step backward...Anakin fought the impulse to Force-choke the Governor where he stood...Get your soiled hands off her!...he thought fiercely, barely restraining himself...but not yet. The plan...he must follow the plan...his agent was already on board...Patience, my young Padawan, patience...Obi-Wan's voice echoed in his mind.."I'm surprised you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself!" his wife seemed to have spoken through the Princess. Anakin knew what was coming and it would cause unbearable pain to his new-found child, considering how much of Padme lived within her...his wife went through great dangers to save her homeworld, and the Dark Lord was sure his daughter would have done the same, if she had a choice, but the fate of the Rebellion was at stake, Anakin regretted with all his being, to have placed her in such a position...I'm sorry Leia, I could not intervene with this one. Not until you were safe. Forgive me...he placed a hand on the Princess' shoulder, meant to give her at least some measure of comfort when there would be none.
"Princess Leia, before your execution I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now."... she had expected to be severely tortured, yet it never came, Vader acted strangely, asked even stranger questions and took her Japor snippet pendant, then returned it afterwards, not saying a word...but it would still come to this, Leia thought..."The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." she managed to say, Vader's hand was on her left shoulder, but she barely noticed...a creeping fear now threatened to swallow her, as she watched her homeworld from the looking glass..."Not after we demonstrate the power of this station. In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that'll be destroyed first. Since you are reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power...on your home planet of Alderaan."...at those words the fear escalated to full blown anger and horror, she longed to tear the monster that was Tarkin apart...how could such people exsist?!...Darth Vader...Governor Tarkin...The Emperor.....I'll never forgive all of you for this...never...she thought, darkness seemed to want to take her very soul to depths from which she would never return...the anguish and guilt of not being able to prevent this savagery wouldn't end...a part of her would die with Alderaan..."No! Alderaan is peaceful. We have no weapons. You can't possibly..."...she bargained, even though she knows it would all be in vain...i'm sorry, daddy. i failed you. i'm sorry...she repeated over and over, summoning Bail Organa's image on her troubled mind, she struggled to memorize every feature, every expression, of the man she came to know as her father...whom she would never see or hold again....memories of joy, sorrow and love..."You would prefer another target? A military target? Then name the system!" Tarkin's voice floated like a foul, bile-ridden cloud.
Now Leia was torn between her duty to the Rebellion and duty to her homeworld. If she disclosed the true location of the Rebel base, with this station's power, the Rebellion would be over in the blink of an eye. Everything they have fought and died for would amount to nothing more than stardust...yes...they were Stardust Soldiers...."I grow tired of asking this. So it'll be the last time. Where is the Rebel base?"....she had to choose...goodbye daddy..i'm sorry...my people, please forgive me..this was the only path i can take...."Dantooine....They're on Dantooine."...Senator Leia Organa lowered her head, knowing she sealed the fate of Alderaan with those words. A repulsive smile crossed Tarkin's face.."There. You see Lord Vader, she can be reasonable."...the Governor then turned to one of the Admirals..."Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready."...Leia's anger flared so violently that she almost lunged at this epitome of evil that was Tarkin, but Vader's hand held her in place..."What?!"...A chuckle escaped the Grand Moff's lips..."You're far too trusting. Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don't worry. We will deal with your Rebel friends soon enough."..."No!"...the rebel Princess uttered helplessly....forgive me everyone, please...she implored once more.
Moments passed, a huge beam of light emanated from within a cone-shaped area of the battle station and converged into a single laser beam, directed towards Alderaan...
"Wake up Leia! Wake up...it's all a bad dream.." She had nothing to fear now, her father was here and it was all a bad dream, Bail Organa hugged his daughter, a storm raged outside the palace windows. "Won't the storm ever pass, daddy?".."All storms pass Leia, and a beautiful day replaces them."..."Really?"...chocolate-brown eyes filled with doubt stared back..."Do you not believe your father?" Bail asked teasingly..."Of course I do. You're the best daddy in the galaxy!"..."Ok, you go back to sleep now. Remember, tomorrow's a new day."..."Daddy, I'm still scared, will you stay here until I fall asleep?"..."Of course, little one."...she slowly drifted back into the comforting darkness, knowing daddy would always keep his Princess safe...
...and the planet that was her homeworld was blown to space dust in front of Leia Organa's eyes...
"The Queen was worried. Her people are dying."
...Padme Naberrie, Amidala of the Naboo, told Anakin Skywalker a long time ago, and young as he was, Anakin felt Padme's inner turmoil, and longed to ease the pain however he could. History repeated itself, could he do it now?...could he quench the same anguish that tore every fiber of his daughter's consciousness...could he?...probably not, she hated him now, more than ever. True, he spared her the physical pain of torture...but replaced it with something worse than death.
But I won't hurt you again, Princess. Nor let others. I promise.
_____________________________________________________
next chapter: The Circle is Now Complete