Chapter 1: Mother and Son

Three years later…

Mara Jade set down on an out of the way space station on the Corellian Trade Spine. 'Almost three years. I've been on the run for three years and still I can't stay in one place for more than a month without stormtroopers knocking at my door. If I wasn't so well trained and they were trained properly, I'd be dead now.' Mara finished the shut down sequence on her small, old transport and moved to the main deck. She looked down at her son sleeping on a small bunk on the main deck and smiled. She pushed his light red hair out of his face. "I wish I could give you the life that you deserve. You should have better than running for you life. If only your father…" Mara was unable to complete her thought as the tears welled up thinking of what she has lost due to the Emperor. She went to her quarters and cried herself to sleep.

Mara woke the next morning and entered the main cabin to find Ben playing awake and watching one of his favorite holos. "Did you sleep well, Ben?" He gave her an innocent look and nodded, his blue eyes shining. "That's good. Will you be good for J3 for a few hours? Mommy has to take care of a few things."

Ben nodded as earnestly as he could. "I'll be my bestest." Mara grinned and tousled his hair.

"J3, guard the ship. I'll be back in a few hours." The green and white astromech beeped in acknowledgement. Mara slipped through the corridors of the station and made her way to the nearest cantina. 'Now to see if I can find a contact with the Rebellion and check on that rumor about a Jedi in their ranks.' Mara ordered a lomin ale and scanned the cantina with a little help from the Force. 'There. The Corellian and the Wookiee definitely have some times with the rebels.' Mara picked up her drink and headed over to a secluded table where the Corellian and Wookiee were arguing over botched repairs. Mara laughed to herself. 'This could get interesting.'

The Corellian looked up when Mara reached his table. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so. What do you know about contacting the Rebellion?"

The Corellian quickly put on his best Sabaac face while the Wookiee tensed up. "Look. I don't know where you got an idea like that, but I don't know anything about the Rebellion."

"Please. Just hear me out." The Corellian studied her for a moment and then waved to the open seat in front of Mara, inviting her to sit down. "Thank you. I'm Mara Jade."

The Corellian stretched his hand across the table to shake hands in greeting which Mara readily accepted. "Han Solo. This is my first mate, Chewbacca, but you can call him Chewie." Chewie growled a greeting of his own.

Mara nodded in response Chewie. "Nice to meet you both."

"So why do you want to get in touch with the Rebellion?"

Mara's face turned solemn. "I'm a former Imperial agent with a death mark from the Emperor himself." Han cocked his eyebrow at this unexpected statement. "I was party to some rather sensitive information." Han nodded and signaled for her to go on. "I left his service close to three years ago and have been on the run with my son since. My son…my son is Force sensitive. So am I actually. His father was already killed for that very reason. I heard a rumor that the Rebellion has a Jedi in their ranks. A Jedi is the only one who could protect my son. I need to know he will be safe so I can go after the Emperor and avenge his father's death."

Han remained silent for a moment, causing Mara to question whether she should have just blurted out everything she did. "I have a friend who may be able to help you out. Meet me at docking bay 49 in four hours. I wouldn't plan on coming back to this place, so bring your son too. Oh, and dress warm."

Internally, Mara let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I'll pay you what I can for the transport of course." Han nodded in agreement and Mara turned to leave the cantina. As soon as she was out of earshot, Chewie growled a question to Han.

"Don't you dare tell Luke I said this, but I've got a good feeling about her. We can trust her. Luke will know what to do once we get her back to the base." Chewie grunted a wary agreement.

Mara spent the next four hours negotiating the sale of her old transport and astromech. She no longer needed them and would need the money to pay the man who was transporting them to the Rebellion. Mara was pretty sure this was not a scam but patted the lightsaber and blaster under her cloak for reassurance. If they tried anything, they wouldn't know what hit them. Mara arrived with Ben at docking bay at the appointed time. She immediately looked over the ship and frowned.

The ship's captain stepped out from under the ship where he was running a pre-flight check. "The Millennium Falcon. She'll make point 5 past lightspeed. She make not look like much, but she's got it where it counts."

Mara nodded, knowing that Han was not just boasting. A closer look at the Falcon had confirmed that it was in fact a fast ship. "This is all I can afford for passage. I hope it's enough." Han took the credit chip Mara offered and nodded his acceptance. "Captain Solo, this is my son, Ben. You'll have to forgive him. He's a little shy."

Han looked down at Ben, half hidden behind Mara's leg. "That's ok… If you're ready, you can get on board and we can be making our way out of here. We should be at our destination by nightfall tomorrow." Han watched Mara make her way up the ramp carrying Ben. "Chewie, is it just me or did her son remind you of someone?" Chewie growled a confident response. "The Kid?... Must be a Jedi thing."

The Millennium Falcon made its way through the atmosphere of Hoth and landed at Echo Base without trouble.

Han left the cockpit of the Falcon and found his passengers in the main cabin. "Welcome to Hoth, planet-sized snowball and current home of the Rebellion's Echo Base."

Mara gave Han an amused smile. "I thought you didn't know how to reach the Rebellion."

The smuggler just shrugged. "So I lied. If you'll wait here, I'll go find a friend of mine that can help you find that Jedi you were looking for." Mara gave Han an appreciative smile and went to get ready to disembark as Han made his way down the ramp.

Han exited the Falcon and set to work finding Luke. Unable to find him in his quarters or working on his X-Wing, he started to ask around. "Wedge, do you know where Luke is?"

"He's out on patrol right now. He's not due back in for about an hour."

"Thanks Wedge. Could you let him know I'm looking for him when he gets in." The pilot nodded and Han began to walk back to the Falcon to wait for Luke, but stopped and turned on the heel of his boot at the sound of his name. He looked around and found Princess Leia looking straight at him with her arms crossed and a stoic look on her face.

"Captain Solo. You've returned. Were you able to get the supplies we requested?"

"As a matter of fact, I was, your Worshipfulness." He answered with all the swagger he could muster, earning him an icy glare from the princess. "In fact, I even managed to snag you a new recruit."

Leia smiled at this. "Well, you may be good for something after all. May I meet this new recruit you found?"

"Well, Luke is the one she really should be talking to." Leia gave Han a questioning look to which he with a shrug. "Some kind of Jedi thing. However, he's on patrol now, so I'm sure you could speak to her for the time being."

"I would love to."

In her private Alliance office, Leia looked over Mara doubtfully. "So, Miss Jade, may I ask why you wish to speak with our resident Jedi?"

Mara gave her a defiant look not liking the feeling of being interrogated. "It's a long story."

Leia kept her face impassive, not willing to give an inch until she could insure Luke's safety. "We have time. And keep in mind, that a Jedi is a very dangerous person to keep around. We can't just go giving their identity to anyone."

Mara turned her eyes away from the princess and responded bitterly. "Fine. We'll do this your way." Leia smiled triumphantly, earning herself in icy glare.

Mara began to speak in a soft, sad voice. "I was once the Emperor's Hand, his personal assassin. I followed his orders without question. I realized three years ago that I was a blind fool."

Leia face softened upon hearing the woman open up like she did. "What happened?"

Mara's face brightened a small fraction at the memory of the day her life changed. "I was sent to Tatooine. There, I met a boy. No. I met a man. A good man who showed me that what I was doing was wrong. He showed me the love and compassion that was missing in my life. This was the man I was sent to kill." Leia's eyes went wide upon hearing the former assassin's confession. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill him and I would not serve a man who would have me kill someone so innocent. I had to go back in order to leave the Emperor's service silently and keep his existence secret, but not before I showed him how much he meant to me." Mara began to tear up. "I left Tatooine, but not alone. Shortly after I returned, I realized I was pregnant. I ran. I would not allow the Emperor to take my child. After I gave birth to a son, Ben, I returned to Tatooine to leave him with his father so he could be safe, but I was too late. The Empire had already destroyed his home. No one could have survived that, even the bodies I could find were scattered practically to ash. I didn't protect him. He's dead because I waited too long to return to him." Mara buried her face in her hands, weeping softly when she finished her tale.

Leia sat there for a moment absorbing Mara's story as the former assassin quickly regained her composure, wiping the tears from her cheek with the back of her hand. 'Luke. She's talking about Luke. She must think he was in the homestead when it was destroyed.' Leia spoke to the woman across the desk in a soft, supportive voice. "I know someone who may be able to confirm your story. He grew up on Tatooine himself, and may have known this man. If it checks out, I'll make sure you meet our Jedi right away. But first, tell me something. Does this man have a name?"

A small smile formed on Mara's face when she thought of the man she had fallen in love with years before. "Luke. His name was Luke. We never told each other our last names. It was safer that way."

Leia gave the woman across from her a supportive smile. "Thank you." The princess than turned away for a moment and flipped on her comm. "Lieutenant. This is Leia Organa. Tell General Rieekan to call Commander Skywalker in from patrol. I need to see him right away…Organa out." Putting her comm away, Leia returned her attention to Mara. "Now Mara, this still doesn't tell me why it is so important that you meet with a Jedi."

Mara hesitated for a moment. "My son…is Force sensitive, like his father…and myself. I have to use what I know of the Force to keep him shielded or the Emperor will find him and take him away. I will not allow that to happen, but I must avenge his father. The only one who can protect my son is a Jedi. He needs to be trained. Can your Jedi do that?"

Leia gave Mara a knowing smile. "I'm sure our Jedi would be more than happy to train your son. However, I don't believe you will have to leave."

Mara raised her eyebrow quizzically at the princess's unexpected statement. "What do you mean?" Leia's comm buzzed, interrupting their conversation. She flipped it on.

"Organa…That was quick…Send him in…" She turned to Mara and smiled. "Commander Skywalker is here to corroborate your story."

Luke entered Leia's office. "Leia, General Rieekan said…." Luke stopped suddenly and stared at the woman seated across from Leia's desk stunned. "Mara!"

Mara's head shot up suddenly upon up hearing the voice she never thought she'd hear again. "Luke!"