Chapter 11: The Former Emperor's Hand
"No. I am your father."
Luke's battered face became a mask of anger and disbelief as he clung to the antenna array with all his strength. He couldn't be. There was no way Obi-Wan would have lied about this. "No. No. That's not true! That's impossible!"
Darth Vader spoke to his son with conviction. "Search your feelings. You know it to be true."
Luke could fell the truth of Vader's words through the Force, but he could not accept this. There was no way he could be the son of that thing. His son was not an heir to such a dark legacy. He cried out his refusal, fighting back tears. "No! No!"
The Dark Lord brought his hand to a fist in front of him, giving power to the offer he was about to make. "Luke. You can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son." The Dark Lord unclenched his fist and extended his open hand to his son, beckoning him to join him on the catwalk. Unwilling to accept his hand, Luke searched the room for another way out. He found only one. Luke closed his eyes, contemplating his decision. 'Vader and the dark side or possible death and the light side…I choose death. Mara, please forgive me. Ben…I'm sorry.' Luke closed his eyes, steeling himself for his desperate escape.
The Dark Lord's voice rumbled, drawing Luke's attention back to him. "Come with me. It is the only way." Vader's voice strengthened Luke's resolve. He turned to look down into the city's core and was about to let go and fall into the abyss when a familiar voice stopped him.
"There is always another way." Vader and Luke both turned to face the end of the catwalk where Mara Jade stood, the hilt of her lightsaber in her hand and fire shining in her eyes.
The Millennium Falcon shot out of Bespin's atmosphere in hot pursuit of the Slave I. Its passengers were not going to give up the ship's captain without a fight. Having shaken off the effects of the stun grenade, Leia took control of the situation. "Lando, man the guns. Aim for the engines. We want to disable the ship not destroy it." Lando quickly exited the ship's cockpit and headed back to the turbolaser turrets. Leia turned to look at the determined Wookiee in the co-pilot's seat. "Chewie, we're going to get him back. Take the controls. I'm going to the other gun turret." Chewbacca turned for a moment and howled his agreement before refocusing all his attention on the ship's controls. They were gaining on the bounty hunter's ship. He would not fail Han again.
If Vader was surprised to see Mara Jade standing at the end of the catwalk, he did not show it. His voice was level as he took a step towards the young woman. "We meet again Emperor's Hand."
Mara's grew dark upon being reminded of the life she once led. "I am not his hand. My name is Mara Jade." Mara looked past Vader and pointed to Luke at the end of the catwalk. "And he's coming with me whether you like it or not."
In response, Vader reignited his lightsaber. Mara's violet blade quickly sprang to life in front of her, ready for the coming battle. The Dark Lord reached out into the Force in order to determine the nature of their relationship. Vader's voice boomed at the young Jedi. "So, this is why you left the Emperor's service. You found the boy…and you have feelings for him. I'm sure the Emperor will have great interest in your…union." When he realized the strength of the bond between the two, Vader realized that his son would never join him as long as she was in the picture. There was only one thing to do to put Luke on the path to the Dark Side. The Dark Lord slowly marched down the catwalk towards the young woman, holding his lightsaber in one hand before him.
Luke saw the determination in Mara's eyes, but he had to do something. He would not allow her to die here at Vader's hands. Their son could not lose both of his parents. Luke was able to call to his love in a hoarse voice. "Mara, get out of here. Save yourself. It's me he wants."
Mara's eyes softened for a moment, but, ultimately, Luke's plea only steeled her resolve. She looked past Vader for a moment and responded to Luke with a determined voice. "I'm not going anywhere without you. I won't lose you again. Not while there's something I can do about it."
Turning her attention back to Vader who was now a saber's length away from her, Mara slashed her blade up, aiming for her opponent's chest. Crimson blade met violet with a violent spark and the battle for Luke had begun.
Chewie did his best to follow every juke, twist, turn and spiral that the Slave I went through in its attempt to evade the chasing Millennium Falcon. With the wild maneuvering, Lando and Leia were only able to make contact with its engines a few times, but were unsuccessful in breaking through the ship's shields. They could not risk destroying the ship or they would destroy the very man they were trying to save. The Slave I's path finally straightened and Leia pulled the trigger the second she was able to lock onto the ship's engines. Her shots just flew out into the vacuum, however, as the Slave I vanished into hyperspace, taking Leia's newfound love out of her life. Leia was unable to stop the tears from falling as she collapsed in the gunner's chair.
Mara leaped high into the air to avoid Vader's blade as it made a wide arc intended cut her at the legs. She somersaulted backwards into the nearby control room in order to take herself out of the danger of fighting on the catwalk. She also wanted to draw Vader away from Luke so he could come back to the relative safety of the catwalk. As soon as she landed, Mara brought up her blade to block downward slash from the Dark Lord. The force of his blow caused her to lose her balance and she fell to the floor. She quickly rolled to the side and Vader's blade cut through the floor, missing its intended target. Mara knew that if this fight continued, she stood no chance. The only thing keeping her alive right now was her superior agility. Soon, however, she would tire, unlike Vader whose cybernetic limbs did not know fatigue. As she got her feet back under her and met another powerful strike with her lightsaber she knew she needed a plan.
Luke took advantage of Mara's drawing Vader away by inching his way back onto the catwalk. He knew that Mara was out of her league just like he had been, but did not know what he could do without a weapon or even a right hand to hold it in. He looked at Vader wildly swinging his lightsaber at Mara through the door of the control room. Luke realized that Vader had been holding back before, but now, he was letting go. He wanted Luke alive, but Mara was a different case entirely. Helpless to aid his love, Luke was about to scream in despair when he caught a flash of thought from Mara. "Be ready to run." Luke knew better than to question her and prepared to flee as soon as she gave the word.
Vader stalked Mara who had managed to make it to a concealed spot when the Dark Lord's violent attack caused him to lose sight of her. Vader reached out with the Force to find the young Jedi, but his sense was hazy. She was cloaking. Impressive. Vader knew he would have to goad her into giving up her position. "Your skills are no match for mine. Give up. Skywalker's destiny lies with me."
Mara ignored him, reaching out with the Force to take the one shot she had left. This was the one time she was thankful for all the dirty tricks and secrets the Emperor had taught her in the past, in her other life. 'Please let it still be there.' Mara felt what she was looking for in the Force and smiled. She flipped the switch and Vader's form stilled, his crimson lightsaber still humming in his hand.
She called toward the exit of the control room. "Luke! Let's go! We don't have much time." Luke ran into the control room and stilled when he Vader standing in the middle of the room like a statue. The anger pouring about off the Dark Lord slammed into him through the Force. Mara grabbed Luke's arm, ignoring the anger that was coming at her as well. If they stayed around, he was sure to turn the Dark Side energy he was building up against them, regardless of his mobility. "Come on! He'll be able to reset his circuits in a couple minutes. We have to get out of here." Luke finally turned to run, following Mara with all the speed his weary body would allow.
Lando manned the Falcon's controls, waiting for the hyperspace jump coordinates from the ship's stubborn navigation computer as Chewbacca tried to get Leia to calm down. Chewie was finally able to coax Leia out of the gunner's seat and carried her to the couch in the Falcon's main deck. After a mournful howl of empathy with her feelings, Chewie walked back to the ship's cockpit to hurry their escape.
Leia didn't respond to the Wookiee's attempt to comfort her, her face pale and body lifeless. She felt as if her life had been taken away all over again. She had already lost him more times than she cared to think about. Everyone she cared about suffered…and Vader was sure to take Luke next. Finally overwhelmed by what she feared she had lost, Leia's tears were about to return. Just as the first droplet rolled down her cheek, Leia felt a spark of something…oddly familiar, yet unlike anything she had felt before. She leapt out of her seat and ran for the cockpit with a new sense of purpose. Chewie and Lando were shocked when the door to the cockpit opened revealing Leia. The princess' jaw was set in determination and the fire had come back to her eyes in spite of the wet trail on her cheek. "We have to go back. Luke and Mara need our help. It's not over yet."
Luke and Mara slowly fought their way through the panicked crowds of Cloud City. The news of the Empire's imminent takeover had quickly spread through the city and everyone was hoping to depart before a garrison was able to land. Exhausted both physically and mentally from his battle with Vader, Luke had to lean on Mara in order to remain upright. Mara called on the Force to give them both extra strength until they could reach safety, far away from Vader. She had to keep her gaze forward to avoid falling into despair at the sight of Luke's battered face and missing hand.
Numerous warnings from the Force allowed the pair of Jedi to avoid the Imperial patrols which were securing the city. Slipping through side corridors, they followed a serpentine route to the platform where they had landed. The couple finally reached the entrance of their docking platform, but stopped short as the door opened. A legion of stormtroopers stood before a second shuttle sitting on the platform in front of their own. Vader's shuttle.
Thankfully, the soldiers had yet to notice their presence. Mara moved stealthily onto the platform with Luke in tow and hid behind a storage container. She looked over the situation and tried to formulate a plan that would allow her to get the injured Luke through the troopers and to their ship. Her thoughts became more desperate as she felt Luke begin to slip into shock from the injuries he sustained during his duel with Vader. Mara's eyes grew wide when she felt Vader himself approaching the platform. They would not be able to remain hidden much longer.
Mara was about to launch a desperate attack on the legion of troops in between her and her goal when the whine of repulsors to her right called her attention. She looked over to the edge of the platform to see the Millennium Falcon raising above the deck. The surprised stormtroopers quickly opened fire on the newly arrived ship only to be cut down by the Falcon's underside repeating cannon. Mara pulled Luke up to follow her as the ramp of the still hovering ship lowered to allow them access. Mara shoved Luke up the ramp and hit the actuator for the ramp as she dove in herself, seeing Vader march onto the platform with a lit lightsaber out of the corner of her eye.
Leia ran up to the two forms collapsed on the deck as she yelled toward the cockpit. "Go!" Her command was followed by the sound of the Falcon's engines going to full throttle and the trio was thrown back slightly as the inertial compensators struggled to keep up with the burst of acceleration. Leia looked down on Luke to see his face badly bruised. Her hand came up to her mouth as she saw that a burnt stump could now be seen where his right hand should have been. Her voice was soft. "What did he do to you?" By this point, Luke had finally succumbed to a state of shock, numb to his surroundings.
Mara lifted herself off the deck and moved to lift Luke to his feet. She was unable to keep him steady without the little help he provided and the two collapsed to the deck once more. Leia's sad brown eyes turned to meet Mara's equally sad green eyes. "Help me get him to a bed." Leia nodded and moved to support Luke from the opposite side of Mara. The two lifted the beaten young man off the deck and started to make small steps forward, Luke barely able to keep up with the smallest of steps in his current state. Mara turned to Leia, hoping to comfort the distraught princess as well as herself. "He'll get through this. Our farmboy is resilient." Luke stumbled and Mara had to brace herself to support his weight. "It'll take time though. Vader hurt him more than physically. I don't know what he did, but he'll pay for it." At this final statement, the fire returned to Mara's eyes, but she realized that Leia was bothered by more than Luke's state. The two finally got Luke to one of the Falcon's bed. After trying to make Luke comfortable, she grabbed the first aid kit from the other side of the room. As she prepared the bacta tourniquet, Mara turned to meet Leia eye to eye. "Something happened while I was gone."
Leia's eyes watered up at Mara's unspoken question. The princess' voice was choked and she turned away, seemingly ashamed at her weakness as she spoke. "Fett ambushed us at the platform. Stun grenade. We didn't even see it coming. He grabbed Han again. We tried to chase after him, but he jumped to hyperspace before we could disable his ship." Leia broke down upon completing her tale. Mara set down her work for a moment and led the distraught young woman to a chair in the corner of the room.
Mara put her hand under Leia's chin and raised her face to look her in the eyes. Leia was surprised at the determination in the young Jedi's eyes. "We will get him back. I'm not going to let him be taken away and neither will Luke." Leia nodded and wiped her eyes, hoping that she was right. She had to be right.
Mara walked back to tend to Luke once more, hoping to change the topic, quickly growing uncomfortable in the role of comforter. Sensing that Leia was calming down, Mara turned a curious glance toward the princess. "Leia, how did you know to meet us at that platform?"
Leia wiped a tear and sniffled before speaking in a broken voice. "I didn't. I just had the strongest feeling that you needed us and I couldn't shake it. Somehow, I just knew to head for that docking platform." Leia turned a curious gaze toward Mara. "Why?"
A flash of shock went over Mara's face just before she turned away, cleaning Luke's severed arm to properly place the tourniquet. 'Could she be Force sensitive too? Luke would know better.' Mara glanced up at Luke's bruised face and could feel tears forming in her eyes. She turned her gaze down and finally answered Leia in a whisper. "I don't know. I was just curious is all." Although she knew from Mara's reaction that there was more to the question than simple curiosity, Leia nodded to her before turning her gaze to Luke. Right now, there were more important things to worry about.
The Millennium Falcon shook as Mara wiped the last of the blood from Luke's face. He had finally begun to come around after they had given him a stim shot for fear that the shock he had fallen into would cause his body to begin shutting down. A bacta tourniquet was applied to his stump and an IV was connected to his left arm to counter his dehydration. Mara had applied bacta patches to his larger cuts. Once he was stable, Leia had left the small room to give them time alone.
When Luke slowly opened his eyes, Mara leaned down over the bed pulled him into a hug, thankful to see him awake again. Luke returned the embrace as tightly as his weary body would allow him. After lingering in Luke's arms, Mara finally drew back and pinned him with a determined glare. "That's it. You're never going off on your own again. I swear you attract trouble."
Luke was able to give Mara a small laugh in response before the memory of his battle came rushing back to him. Luke's small smile faded and he closed his eyes, turning his face toward the wall. 'My father. Vader is my father. It can't be true. It's…Ben, why didn't you tell me?' Mara's concern quickly grew as she felt Luke retreat back into himself once again.
Mara placed a hand on Luke's cheek and turned his face to look at her. Slowly, he opened he opened his eyes. Mara's face grew soft as the normally bright blue eyes of her love had dulled. She moved closer to him, hoping to provide comfort with her presence. Luke turned away once more when he saw the love shining in her beautiful green eyes. Mara was shocked at his actions. This was not like him. She spoke softly, hoping to get him to come out of his shell. "Luke, what's wrong? What happened?" When he didn't respond, Mara leaned in closer, practically whispering. "I know he hurt you more than physically. Please, let me in."
Mara was surprised at Luke's response to her plea. His voice was even, though quiet, as he stared blankly at the wall. "Mara, during your time with the Emperor, did you ever stumble across Vader's real name?"
A curious expression crossed Mara's face. She considered making him get to the point, but decided it was best to let him deal with this his own way. She thought back and one thing came to her mind. "I'm not sure if it was his real name, but Palpatine would refer to him as Anakin whenever he thought Vader was being weak. I never understood it. I didn't even think to question it at the time." Mara was surprised when she picked up a strong sense of hurt from Luke. How could her simple statement elicit such a strong reaction? She moved his head to face her once more, worry mixed with determination on her face. She was not going to let him give up. "Luke, what is it? Please, you can trust me. Just tell me what happened."
Luke swallowed and closed his eyes, not wanting to see Mara's reaction to what he was about to tell her. He wanted to keep it a secret, but he could not do that to her. Luke could not lie to her, not to Mara. He was the only one she trusted and he would not, could not break that trust. Even if he thought it could mean losing her. Luke opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come right away. Silence hung in the room. Finally, Luke was able to open his mouth and whisper the words he dreaded. "Mara, Vader is my father."