Author's Note: Sorry I didn't update this story for a few days, but here's a new chapter!

Chapter 19: Xizor

Darth Vader stared at his son in shock. "Where did you learn such a song?"

"Ben taught it to me." Luke explained to his father. He didn't see why his father had to make a big deal about everything, even singing a song. The important thing was that Mara was going to come and see him! Excitement bubbled through him at the thought. "Isn't it great? Mara loved it!"

The Sith Lord rolled his eyes under the mask, and then waved a fist at his son. "Mara is furious with you! She'll probably try to kill you now. It is best if I hide you somewhere secure where she can't find you."

"Hide? I'm not going to hide!" Luke protested, a wild look in his blue eyes. "I have to see her! Today!"

"I will have none of this foolishness on my ship!" Vader reprimanded the boy. Why couldn't Luke see how dangerous Mara really was? Was her beauty blinding him to the truth of her deadly ways? "She is annoyed with your calls. You called her over sixty times and kept hanging up! That is enough to drive anyone mad."

"Well, I was nervous!" Luke admitted sheepishly. "But the hard part is over now and I told her! When she gets here we can go on our first date!"

"Your first, last and only date." Vader muttered under his breath. His stupid son was going to get himself killed! "Look, Luke. I cannot allow you to go on a date with Jade. I will speak to her first."

"But…" Luke sputtered. How could he convince Vader that Mara wasn't as bad as he thought she was?

Vader moved forward and grabbed Luke by his shirt and shoved him backward into the closet. Pressing buttons on the control panel, Vader locked the closet door. His son would be safe in there among his extra capes and sets of armor. Yes, his personal quarters were the securest place on board Executor and were even safer than the brig.

"HEY! Let me out of here!" Luke pounded on the locked door with his fists. "You can't lock me in here! That's not fair! LET ME OUT!"

"No, Luke, you will stay in there for the time being." Vader informed him. "I need to go speak to Jade."

"Ben! Get me out of here!" Luke called to his friend from within the closet.

Obi-Wan glanced up at Vader's black mask, noticing that as a Sith Lord he was taller. "Really Anakin, locking him in a closet. Is that really necessary?"

"Yes," Vader replied, fuming. He reached out and gripped Obi-Wan by his cream colored tunics, shoving him roughly against a wall. "I will not underestimate Jade. She is a ruthless killer and thanks to you she is now hunting for my son! And where did you learn such a song? You were always preaching love was forbidden to Jedi! That is what we fought over and why I'm forced to wear this mask!"

"It's just a song, Anakin!" Obi-Wan's blue eyes widened in panic. His former Padawan had him firmly in his grip and worse; he was losing control of his emotions again. "I … I just like singing in the shower! I had no idea he was going to do something like that!"

Vader glared at him, the anger rushing through his body. "A likely story."

"It's true! I swear!" Wrapping both hands around Vader's black glove, the Jedi tried to get free or at least lessen the grip. But it was for naught, for Vader gripped him with his mechanical hand. There was no way Obi-Wan could over-power a machine.

"Let us get something straight." Vader began. "I am the Master now and you will do as I say."

The Jedi nodded in agreement. He would placate Anakin for the moment, but he couldn't allow a Sith to command him. He was still a Jedi. Still, this situation left little choice at the moment. Nor did he wish to get involved in another lightsaber duel with Vader, especially if it wasn't necessary.

"Good." Vader yanked him towards the door leading into the hallway. "You will come with me to see Jade."

Obi-Wan had no choice but to follow Vader.

...

Meanwhile down on Coruscant, Mara Jade was heading towards her personal shuttle. She had almost reached it when a figure appeared on her personal landing platform. Her body tensed and then relaxed when she recognized the man with the long topknot of black hair. She stared at him with her green eyes, alert and one hand hovering near the blaster on her hip. "What are you doing here?"

Prince Xizor smiled at her as he boldly came closer. "I think we both want the same thing."

"And what might that be?" Jade asked. She had no time to be dealing with the Falleen at the moment. She wanted Skywalker!

"Why, Skywalker, of course!" Xizor laughed, his topknot of hair blowing in a sudden gust of wind. He reached into his belt and pulled a tiny round pink object out and popped it into his mouth. Chewing, he closed his eyes for a moment and luxuriated in the power that coursed through his body. "Hmmm… you don't happen to have any, do you?"

"Have what?" Jade asked as she eyed the green skinned Falleen suspiciously. What had he just eaten? She knew that Vader and Xizor had fought not that long ago, the result being the destruction of Xizor's Skyhook and his castle. Word was that Skywalker had also been involved. In the end, Palpatine had sided with Vader and that was the last she had heard of the incident until now. Obviously Prince Xizor was a sore looser and wanted revenge on Skywalker. Well, the annoying Jedi was hers!

"Pills, my dear, pills!" Xizor laughed loudly as he came closer. The drug was rushing through his system now. He could feel the incredible rush it gave him and he loved it. But the supply he had stolen from the doctor's office was almost gone now and he needed a new supply. Unfortunately, none of the Empire's medical droids would give him any! How he hated those uncaring metal beasts! If it were left to him, he would have them all destroyed!

"Why would I have pills?" Jade asked, confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you do!" Xizor accused angrily, his happy mood vanishing within seconds when it became clear she wasn't going to give him any pills. His face turned a darker shade of green as he leaped at her. "Give them to me!"

Mara moved like lightning, her black boot rising to meet Xizor and the Falleen Prince crashed to the metal landing platform. "Now get out of here, you pest! I'm after Skywalker and have no time to play your foolish games."

Xizor watched as Jade walked up the ramp into her shuttle, her long red hair trailing down her back. He fumed for a moment in silence. How dare she kick him! He was a Prince! He was the Mighty Xizor, owner of Black Sun! He was the Master of Pills! Scrambling to his knees, Xizor launched himself up the ramp after her. The element of surprise was on his side and he leaped onto her back, crushing her to the cold floor of the shuttlecraft.

"Get off me!" Jade commanded. She was dazed that he had attacked her like this. His crazy behavior made no sense. His fight was with Vader, not her. Xizor wanted Skywalker for himself and was planning on getting rid of her was a possibility. Well, she'd see about that! "Skywalker is mine!"

"Skywalker?" Xizor asked as he struggled to hold Mara down on the floor of the shuttle. "Is he your source?"

"Yes! He's my source of annoyance!" Mara buckled and managed to throw Xizor off, the Falleen flying into a dark corner of the shuttle and hitting his head against a seat. She glared at him and pulled out her blaster. Aiming at his chest, she paused to see what he would do.

"Is it powerful, this Annoyance?" Xizor asked. He had never heard of a pill by that name but then they were always coming out with new ones. He had never dreamed that Skywalker was a pill dealer, but then, it made perfect sense. Who better to slip under the watchful eyes of the government then such an innocent looking farm boy? Yes, he had the perfect cover! But no matter, he would go to Executor and find Skywalker!

"Yes, it's very powerful!" Mara thought back to the sixty some com calls, her face twisting in displeasure.

"Good! Take me to Executor!" The Falleen demanded.

Mara considered throwing Xizor off her ship, then re-evaluated the situation. It would be better to let Vader deal with the man. Besides, his presence should keep the Sith Lord busy while she hunted down Skywalker. "I will, but if you ever touch me again I'll kill you."

Xizor only grinned at her as he rose to his feet. The pills Skywalker was providing Jade must be incredibly powerful if she was willing to kill for them. He moved to the back of the shuttle and went into the refresher. Closing the door securely, he opened Jade's medicine cabinet and peered within. Most people, he knew, kept some type of pills in there and he wasn't disappointed. But when he examined the various bottles his elation at the find fell. They were just ordinary pain pills, totally useless! Angrily he tossed the bottles against the far wall where several of them cracked, spilling their contents all over the floor. "There must be something in here!"

He hurled more items out, carelessly throwing them over his shoulder. He was making a huge mess in Jade's refresher and he didn't care. The desire for pills had grown in him. It was an insatiable need just like water or food or air. He needed it and he needed it NOW. The medicine cabinet was almost empty and Xizor was about to give up when a dust-covered object jammed in the upper right hand corner caught his eye. It was a thin card and was partly hidden by the hinge. Hope rising in his chest, he reached for it. He gripped it with his long fingers and attempted to pull it free, but it was stuck! The darn cabinet's hinge was clinging to it!

"GIVE IT TO ME!" Xizor wailed as he yanked with all his strength. But it was wedged in tightly and refused to budge.

"What are you doing in there?" Demanded Jade as she twisted around in the pilot's seat to face the rear of the craft.

"NOTHING!" Xizor yelled back at her as he tore the door off the cabinet. "I'm just talking to myself!"

"You better not be wrecking my ship!" Jade threatened. "What was that loud crash I just heard?"

"I dropped my weapon, that's all! Nothing for you to be concerned with." Xizor held the desired card and blew the thick layer of dust of it. To his utter delight, he found a bunch of tiny pills on it! All the pills were in rows with the days of the week written above them. The Falleen Prince had never seen pills like these before. Since Jade had them hidden well, he deducted they must be very powerful indeed. Tearing open the transparent cover, Xizor dumped all the pills into his open mouth and gulped them down. Helping himself to a drink of water, he tossed the empty package aside. Leaving the mess on the floor, he exited the refresher.

On the floor, the card had landed face up with the words Birth Control Pills clearly visible, along with an expiration date of five years ago.

...

Back on the Executor, Luke seethed in the closet. For one, there was barely enough room in there for him with all the sets of armor. He kept shoving at them but there just was nowhere for them to go. "I got to get out of here!"

Turning around so he faced the back of the closet, Luke ignited his lightsaber and started cutting a hole in the back wall. It was slow work but he kept at it and soon he had a hole big enough he could squeeze through. He climbed through and looked around. He was in someone's personal quarters. Whose, he didn't know. But he had to get out of here before he was caught. He headed towards the door but then stopped mid-stride, his brain clicking. "If I go out there dressed like this, Father will catch me right away and then I can't see Mara. I need a disguise!"

Luke headed towards the closet, the one that belonged to whoever owned the room. He had been hoping for the white-and-black stormtrooper armor but only saw a few gray officer uniforms. "Great! Those won't fit me at all! I need a better disguise, one that no one won't question…"

The young Jedi rubbed his chin, and then hurried back to the hole in the wall. Reaching in, he pulled out a set of his father's black armor. Perhaps he could disguise himself as his father and sneak out of the room. Then when he found a quite place where he was alone he could ditch the disguise. Luke smiled. It was a brilliant plan, one he was sure Han would be proud of. Arranging the various pieces of armor on the ground, Luke tried to figure out exactly how to put it on. He didn't want to admit it yet, but it all looked very complicated.

After struggling with it for about an hour, he was finally incased in his disguise. Of course, Vader was a lot taller and wider than he was, so the outfit didn't fit very well. The extra length of leg was bunched up around his boots and the arms were trailing, as was the cape. The mask was open a bit around his neck so he could let air in to breath and Luke hoped no one would really notice. All he had to do was walk with firm steps down the hallway…providing he could see where he was going, that is. "How the heck does he ever SEE anything in this mask?!"

Stumbling towards where he thought the door should be, Luke stopped dead in his tracks. The door was opening! Someone was coming into the room! Panic gripped his heart and he hoped it wasn't his father.

"My Lord!" Admiral Piett exclaimed, shocked at finding Darth Vader in his quarters.

Luke motioned with his hand. "Out of my way!"

"Y..Yes, My Lord!" Piett quickly moved on the side. Then he noticed the large round hole in his wall and gasped. "My wall! What has happened?"

"I became trapped in my quarters so I cut my way out with my lightsaber." Luke explained, trying to make his voice low like Vader's.

Piett blinked in confusion. "My Lord…you seem a bit … shorter?"

Luke hurried out the door. "The laundry shrunk my clothes!"

Admiral Piett watched Luke stumble down the empty hallway, the long black cape dragging on the floor. "The laundry shrunk his clothes?"

To be continued…