Chapter 6



"Hey look." A guard said to his companion. "Over there. See?"

The other guard looked but saw nothing. "What?"

"It was some type of humanoid. Female I think. Walked like our red eyed Empress."

The other guard shook his head. "You and women."

"Him and woman?" a sultry voice came softly behind them. Both men spun swiftly, bringing their blasters up. They caught a glimpse of gleaming red-gold hair and cold jade eyes before two blaster bolts were fired at point-blank range into their chests.

"Suckers." Mara muttered as she holstered one blaster and headed on with her quest for revenge.

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Zekk peered around the corner of the building. Two alien creatures lay on the ground. Next to them lay two highly illegal blasters. Zekk grinned and scampered over to them gleefully. "Cool..." his eyes fairly glittered as he lifted the medium sized blaster in his hands.

**What do you think you're doing?** Djai sounded very disturbed, Zekk noticed.

**Nothing....** Zekk said slyly; trying hard not to smirk as he could feel Djai's agitation.

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Jaina's emotions screamed through the Force, her pain and sense of loss cutting wide swaths of blazing red in the darkness of the Force.

Even those who were not Force-sensitive could tell at a glance that she was in intense pain.

You could feel the heat radiating off of her small form even from within a few feet of her. The medics tried their best but Laedala knew that her daughter would more then likely be by the morrow.

Pacing out side the window that looked into Jaina's room Laedala watched helplessly and cursed the white-haired humanoid that had dropped her child. The name "Winter" was swiftly becoming the most insulting by-word known to Coruscant.

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Jacen lay still as the ship came out of hyperspace. His father no longer lay on the floor, a tall cuddly person-bear-thingy had come and taken him away. Jacen sighed contentedly.

Life was everywhere! Wherever here was he really didn't care. With a giggle that only babies can pull off, he began to search through the Force for something that he wasn't sure about. Something he needed but couldn't tell…

The only way I can think of to describe this to you would be if you were staring at the stars at night picking through them at random, that's how he was.

Another sense reached out, it was a brilliant blinding white one wrapped around a cool orange.

He gurgled with pleasure; it had come back again!

With a sudden surge of unexplainable panic, he threw everything he could at the Force sense, trying to bring it close to him as he had once before.

He whimpered as it pulled away.

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Zekk peered around the corner, and then back the way he'd come. Well… no one was coming. He darted out around the corner and raced along the long narrow hall.

**You got yourself in trouble again, didn't you.** Djai's voice was resigned.

**Not exactly-** Zekk halted abruptly then pressed himself into a small alcove with a water fountain. **The guards just have no sense. How was I supposed to know that I wasn't allowed to carry blasters around in here?**

Djai groaned. **Tell me that the guards are still alive.**

**That they are, but they are taking a "nap".** Zekk snickered.

Djai groaned again. **Dear Force, tell me you didn't!** he begged.

**Umm…** Zekk stalled.

"What are you doing? This is a restrict-" the stern Mon Calamarian was thrown back against the corridor end as Zekk flung a Force shove at her. She crumpled to the ground.

"Uh-oh." Zekk muttered. Glancing guiltily over his shoulder he slipped from the alcove and continued running down the hall to a plexi-glass room where a dark-haired baby lay dying.

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Mara slipped from the small hidden turbo-lift on the left of the great throne. Her sharp green eyes immediately ravaged the vast room for alarms and guards. Mara's contempt for the Alderinnian slut rose drastically as her sweep came up clean. Her lip curled; not even a vidfeed. The diminutive cinnabar haired woman sat on the throne, her pale skin emphasized by her vibrant colored dress.

"…I accept the terms of this treaty. When should I expect the arrival of you and your men?"

"I will be there as soon as I can wrap up a few… loose ends."

The back of Mara's neck tingled as she recognized the second voice as that of the red-eyed monster, Grand Admiral Thrawn.

"Of course. Laedala out." The false Empress pressed a button with one finger and the small blue holo-image flickered once and then vanished.

Mara drew the blaster from her arm holster and glanced swiftly at the power levels. Moving silently towards the throne, she quietly slid out the used power pack and it was with an audible click that she snapped the new one in.

As soon as the sound reached Laedala's ears she was staring at the blaster barrel that was pointed between her own glowing red eyes.

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Zekk stood at the clear wall, his dark emerald gaze fastened on the small, weak form on the medical bed in the center of the room.

**Oh no.** Djai sounded perfectly horrified. **Oh please. Please don't let that be her!! Tell me I'm dreaming!**

**Djai? What's the matter?** Zekk blinked and almost doubled over in pain as yet another bright red swath of pain crossed the pane of the living Force.

**It's… She's… Jai- GAHHH!!** Djai was too upset and disturbed to finish.

**What!?** Zekk asked exasperatedly.

But for he never received an answer.

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Laedala's burning red eyes met the cool jade ones of the assassin.

"Soo…" Mara drew the word out. "You are Empress now 'eh."

"That I am."

Mara's lip curled and she cuffed the former Senator's head with the barrel of her alternate blaster.

"You bitch."

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Zekk slowly lowered himself into the room where the Imperial Princess was being kept. The air-vents were very useful.

She was smaller then he had first thought, her dark brown eyes were wide and filled with pain. Her dark hair was wet from sweat and her entire body was red from heat even though her hands and feet were like ice chips.

A faint stirring in the Force warned Zekk but he could only stand by helplessly as the Force created a second bond that day. The first to the jade-eyed woman who he had tried to rescue, Lady Jade; now yet another bond was created. This second one was to a chocolate-eyed baby, Princess Jaina.

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Mara stood over the crumpled form of Laedala when her apprentice contacted her. She nearly fell over when his voice came over the bond as loudly and as clearly as though he stood next to her.

//Lady Jade? I… Where are you?//

Shaking her head, Mara forced herself to answer. //With Leia. The imposter Empress.//

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Zekk gently held the sleeping Jaina, for the first time in days she felt no pain.

**Umm… Zekk? What the hell do you think you're doing?!** Djai's voice was horrified, disbelieving, terrified. **Do you have ANY idea who that is?!**

**Princess Jaina?** Zekk asked bemused, his attention riveted on the small creatures delicate face.

**No! I mean yes, I mean… JUST PUT THE SITHLY THING DOWN!!!** Djai sounded as though his sanity had taken leave.

**What sithly thing?** Zekk asked, genuinely confused. **Jaina?!**

**YES!!!** Djai was practically shrieking.

Zekk winced.

This was not going to go well.