Where Am I Going To?
Part One
Chapter Sixteen
A.N.: Quick little note – sorry if I end up butchering Mara Jade. My experience in writing her is nilch, excluding the one shot of her twelve years old in "Where You Were Going To." Please feel free to point out errors or suggest literature I could read in order to improve upon her the next time I set down to write a little something with her in it.
He was still deciding if he was quite willing to walk through that door. Doubtless, it needed doing. But it would mean admitting something to his master that he hadn't readily admitted to himself yet. He didn't want to. Facing that reality was…torture. No matter what he told himself, he just couldn't face what all the evidence was pointing to. He preferred the illusion that it hadn't actually happened….. It just wasn't fair!
Darth Vader was sternly clutching the late Obi Wan Kenobi's lightsaber – to be laid at his master's feet. An offering of sorts, a buffer for the news he'd deliver. He'd briefly pondered handing over Luke's discarded weapon as well. After all, events had made it entirely too clear that Luke was now his enemy. Even if he wasn't dead, it was still an option. After all, he was dead to his father, wasn't he? Lord Skywalker was dead, the rebel boy wasn't his son. Was he? But his heart denied that so strongly….
That was the worst part of all. Luke would never stop being his son. No matter what. He'd adored that boy for seventeen years, only to see him cruelly snatched from his loving hands. The greatest Sith Lord in history! And all because of Vader's training, not some damn Jedi Knight! But that wasn't why he felt so heartsick, and he knew it. However unwilling he was to admit that he'd lost more than a star protégé, the Dark Lord knew that the wound extended far beyond that.
He'd lost his boy….his baby boy, who'd grown up far too fast, and left far too soon.
The Lord of the Sith almost would have preferred it if he were dead.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly put one foot in front of the other, and walked through the door, Obi Wan's lightsaber in hand.
Mara Jade was busily putting on a brief show of what her latest cycle of training and meditation had helped her accomplish, and the Sith Lord waited impatiently for the girl to finish. Her magenta blade off, Jade had sunk to the ground on one knee, her fiery hair cascading over her shoulders.
A vicious smile spread across Palpatine's yellow teeth as he rubbed his wrinkled hands together in anticipation of what he could now accomplish with his favorite assassin. "Very good, my Hand. But, I sense that it is not coming quite as easily as you promised me it would. Perhaps you have not been working as hard as you said you have?"
"Forgive me, my Master," she panted, still trying to regain her breath after the surprisingly tedious exercise. "I have been trying."
"Yes…" the emperor muttered. "And you will try again. If it is not better by the next time I ask, I shall not be pleased. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly," she replied, lowering her head a little more. She quickly rose and moved to the side as Vader now took center stage.
"I have killed the Jedi Obi Wan Kenobi, my Master," he said with relish. Mara could never top that, and she was clearly quite astonished. Everyone else – including herself – was certain he had been dead already. "I present his lightsaber to you." Rising from his kneeling position, he proffered the grizzly trophy, and came close enough for Palpatine to quickly snatch it up, caressing it greedily. Jade was watching the Dark Lord of the Sith in pure envy, crossing her arms and pursing her red lips.
"Very good, Lord Vader! Excellent news….but….." Darth Vader stiffened instinctively, awaiting. "I sense a great unrest. You have news for me." It was not a question. Lord Vader had better have news for the emperor, or else he was hiding something, and that was rife for vengeance.
Vader's breathing was heavy, but even, and he tightly shut his eyes – unseen, as it always was – for a moment. He could make up a story on the spot…but no….Luke's treachery exceeded all bounds. He'd raised arms against his sire in defense of a heretic Jedi. Whatever he got, he deserved. The Dark Lord could not save him this time.
"It has been brought to my attention…" he began nervously, "that….Lord Skywalker has betrayed us." There. He'd spat it out. Whatever happened now the Lord of the Sith was entirely not responsible for.
Mara Jade could do nothing to stop the astonished gasp, her hands falling to her sides, staring. Emperor Palpatine's grip on the lightsaber tightened in a very distasteful manner.
"What?" he asked very slowly.
"That's impossible," the Emperor's Hand smoothly denied, nervously brushing some of the red hair out of her face. She laughed apprehensively, nervously plucking at her sleeve. "You're wrong," she flat out stated, shaking her head. "You're wrong."
"When did you find this out?" the emperor asked, entirely ignoring his favorite assassin.
"Yesterday. I came back to Coruscant as soon as I could in order to tell you. I am due back at the Death Star as soon as you have no need of me."
"I'm telling you, you're wrong!" Jade shouted, taking a leery step foreword.
"And what events transpired to bring you to this conclusion? It was my understanding that you thought your son dead, Lord Vader."
"I thought he was."
"What happened?"
"What are you saying? Can you even hear yourself?"
"I discovered him on board the Death Star aiding the Jedi in an attempt to help Princess Organa escape. When I tried to stop Kenobi, Lord Skywalker tried to go to the late Obi Wan Kenobi's aid. He failed – since I killed him on the spot – and instead of returning to his rightful place, ran off with the princess and their accomplice. Even now our homing device is tracking them."
"This is very disturbing," Palpatine said, his eyebrows raised as he tapped his fingers together.
"Luke would never-"
Mara Jade had broken from her spot at the side and rushed to the Sith Lord. They wheeled on each other, angrily snapping. It seemed like they would come to blows.
"Forgive me," he snarled, "if I don't think I know my own son better than you do, Jade."
"You obviously don't know him well enough. Luke wouldn't…It couldn't have been-"
"If you had been there then you would have known the exact same truth I know!"
"I don't believe you!"
"Both of you, stop this at once!"
It was an order not to be disobeyed, as the booming voice proved only too clearly, and both parties dropped to their knees immediately in humble reverence. Anger radiated off of them, and they shared a common glare even prostrated before the emperor.
"Lord Vader," he began slowly, "if what you say is true, then by no means must young Skywalker be allowed to live." The shock passed over the pair like a small wave, and fled just as quickly. "I want him killed on sight."
"Y-yes….my master." The reluctance was all to clear. "But if he could be turned….He already has a taste for the Dark Side, he cannot run from it forever. Besides which, it would be seventeen years of very hard and devoted training wasted."
"And do you feel you have worked too hard to have it wasted?" sneered Palpatine. But the Dark Lord of the Sith was willing to rise to the bait on this one occasion only.
"My Master, forgive me, please, but yes. He is very….valuable." That, at least, didn't sound too sentimental. "All I need is a little free reign and I will turn him, I swear it."
The sound of his breathing was the only thing heard for a moment before Palpatine finally spoke. "Alright, Lord Vader, you will have your time. But only if and when it pleases me. If I become bored of this little venture of yours, I will end it very quickly, and you will not protest, agreed?"
"Yes, my Master."
"Good. You both may go."
The pair thanked him in unison and rose to go. Once out the door, Mara stopped and stared at his back for a moment. "You can't kill him," she finally said, and he stopped in his tracks.
"Of course I can kill him," snarled Darth Vader. "I raised him, I know all of his weaknesses. I can kill him."
"No, that's not what I mean. You are quite capable of killing him….But you won't. I…I can't let you."
He turned slightly, and for a moment, said nothing. "Careful, Jade. Or you'll discover just how painful it is to have bonds broken. Take some advice and leave off the path before it starts."
"Don't be stupid," she protested. "He's your son. Doesn't that mean something to you?"
"Should it?"
"I'd like to think so."
"Then you're a fool. He means nothing to me."
She shook her head, causing a lock of her fire hair to fall into her green eyes. "No. I still don't believe you."
To Be Continued…
Wow, great response for the last chapter! That's really encouraging!
xInuyashaxangelx: -big smile- Thanks! Here's the promised update
Annmarie Aspasia: Actually, Leia explains why she trusts Luke in…probably the next chapter, I don't know. That might take a while. As for the advice on flames, thanks. It's good logic, and logic is the best way for me to tackle my insecurities.
Schnickledooger: I think Luke would be scarred for life if he found out that way.
Padfoot Reincarnated: Yeah a new fan! I love those! Well, I'm glad you like it. Hope you enjoy the ones to follow.
5canto: Wow, I'm sure your English is a lot better than mine…let me take a wild guess: Spanish? No? German? Ah, Italian? Well, foreign language of some kind. Well, I'm glad you like it, and hope you will continue to read it! Your support is very nice.
TorontoBatFan: Oh, be careful there. Remember, this is AU. And, as Obi Wan said to Luke I don't know how many chapters ago "How old was I when my mother died?" "Two." Now, would Kenobi lie about that? Doubt it. Is Leia there? Look carefully. I'm not saying she is. I'm not saying she isn't. I'm just saying to think very carefully about it. And I won't tell you if you're right or wrong if you guess.
Well, I know that when I had to turn a guy down (same guy) I told him he was really sweet, and that I didn't want to hurt him. Suffice to say, for my little AU, Luke hasn't seen much of the dating scene beyond a very short tryst with Mara. And that ended up not going so hot.
I definitely agree that Luke won't attach himself to Yoda like he did to Obi Wan. If and when he gets to Dagobah are still entirely up in the air, however.
Myotismon13: Is she his sister? Really? I'm just messing with you, but honestly. Have I said she was? Ooohh… I am so evil. I'll let you torture yourself over that for a while.
Joy4eva: Late reviews are better than no reviews
Cookiemunster: I don't know-y. Nobody-y?…uh, well, that didn't quite work but….
Jedi-lover: Whoot! Glad you loved it enough to read through the whole thing! As a note, I read your Jedi Vignettes, and adored them! I would have reviewed, but the server didn't want to let me…..