Mara's eyes tracked a small tuft of dust as it blew across the cell's floor, forced on by the stale, artificial air that blew out of a dusty air-vent that had probably already been outdated even during the Old Republic. Her entire life now, it seemed, consisted of watching that small tuft of dust, comprised of skin-cells, hair, dirt, and gods only knew what else, as it drifted lazily back and forth over the smoothed duracrete floor. She found it easier to watch the dust ball than to contemplate her life, her actions, what she had done. She had instantly reverted to her old ways, Palpatine's way, shutting out the painful, murderous thoughts and focusing, instead, on something mundane.

Like dust.

Dust. She had reduced her baby boy and her husband to dust. They would both soon be nothing more than memories and dust in the wind, carried away from their funeral pyres and scattered by the winds. Never mind the fact that Luke still lived, apparently, still fighting for his life in the trauma induced coma that Mara had forced upon him, by choking him in the same brutal manner she had done to their son... Mara herself choked on a sob, and grabbed her head, willing the dark thoughts out. It was easier to not think of Ben, with his head turned in an unnatural angle, and Luke…

The ysalamiri in the room prevented Mara from actually knowing what was happening to Luke, through their Force-bond, but his underlying sense was still there, in her head. She knew he still lived. But he had lain for hours, unconscious and dying, before Leia returned from off-planet and felt the destruction Mara had wrecked through the Force. According to her guard, Leia had to be sedated after leading the authorities to the Skywalker apartment.

Her guard. Mara scowled, thinking of the Twi'lek male who thought that it was he who was keeping Mara in her dank cell. He liked to lord over her, telling her of the holonews and of the state of chaos that reigned in the wake of Luke's imminent death. He was cruel and harsh, and if this were a different time and place Mara would have already over-powered him and escaped, putting as many systems between herself and the trouble she was in as possible.

As it was, Mara had waved her right to a trial and proclaimed herself guilty. She wanted to suffer, and to be punished. She longed for her death, as deserved as it was. In fact, she craved her own death, in much the same way she had craved Luke's death, those many years ago.

The Twi'lek guard came into the cell, stepping on and picking up Mara's dust ball with his grimy boot. "You have a visitor," he snarled, glaring down at her where she sat, ramrod straight, on her cot.

Mara's eyes remained fixed on where the dust ball had been, her sight now filled with the guard's old, worn nerf-hide boot.

"Did you hear me, woman?" The Twi'lek continued, enjoying his display of power over the formerly famous woman. "You have a visitor, murderess."

Her distraction gone, Mara's mind raced.

What sort of woman murders her husband, the man she loves?

And what's worse…what sort of Mother murders her own child?

Luke had been reading a holonovel…he had been raving over it, for longer than a week, much to Mara's chagrin and amusement. Irrationally, now, Mara thought, He'll never finish it.

And that night…the night she'd…Luke had been loving her, showing her with his touch how much he adored and worshipped her….And she had betrayed him…attacking him when he was at his most vulnerable…just as she had been taught.

Then, Ben…so afraid of the dark, and the monsters that might hide there. Mara's fingernails dug into her palms and warm blood began to fill her hands. He didn't know the worst monster of all slept just down the hall and claimed to love him above all others.

Ben had been regulated to the dark forever, by his mother. His murderer.

The slap across Mara's cheek forced her head back, and she grunted in surprise, her thoughts of Ben and Luke dissipating as she instinctively raised herself into a defense position, ignoring the blood that still poured from her palms. The guard, however, was ready--and the fight wasn't really there in Mara, anymore, and he grabbed her upper arms, shaking her violently to the tune of words that came out of his mouth.

"I said, YOU HAVE A VISITOR, MURDERESS. Hands behind your back," The guard produced a pair of stun-cuffs.

Mara glared at the guard, but complied, hardly caring who her visitor was. The sting on her cheek felt good, and she found herself wishing the guard had hit her harder.

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Mara was forced into another darkened room, coming to an abrupt halt when she saw who her visitor was. The guard pushed her down into a chair, and stepped back against the wall, ready to react if Mara were to decide to try and flee.

"Hello, Master," Jaina Solo snarled, belittling Mara's now former title and spitting it out, as if it tasted foul in her throat.

Mara stared at her former apprentice, seeing not her, but Luke, and understanding now the pain he must have felt when she had thrown his title at him so harshly in their past.

"Have you nothing to say to me, Master?" Jaina continued, as long moments past in silence. Jaina, taking Mara's silence for defiance, slammed her hands on the table in front of her. "Wait...perhaps I should call you, Aunt." Jaina's voice gave that word even more distaste than master. "Well, you have torn our family to shreds, and yet you sit here silent, merely staring at me? Speak for yourself, Aunt! Why have you done these things!"

Mara, still lost in her thoughts of Luke, golden and masterful, looked beyond Jaina and still said nothing.

Jaina slammed her hands back down on the table, this time in frustration. Mara didn't even jump, staring still at the back wall, staring through her niece and former apprentice, as if nothing were happening at all.

Jaina was crying, fat tears dripping down her face and angry red splotches splashed across her cheeks.

"It's wasn't enough, then, that you had a death mark against Uncle Luke, was it, Aunt? You couldn't succeed in killing him so you reverted to your old ways—the way of your true Master? You infiltrated…and waited. You gained our respect, and our love and devotion, and then you murdered your husband and your child!"

Mara's eyes, vacant until that point, flashed with pain momentarily before the walls were erected again. Jaina, trained by Mara, noticed however, and reacted.

Her tears were drying on her cheeks, but a new look entered her eyes. A feral look, unremembered, but probably learned from her former Master. "You think that you are feeling pain? You don't even understand the word. Let me tell you what you've done, Master: You have murdered your entire family…yes, even those that still breathe. You choked the life out of your husband, in a fit of rage. And your son, Aunt, that precious baby—you did more than choke the life out of him. His little baby neck was shattered and the bone was reduced to dust. What could your son have possibly done to warrant that from you, his Mother?"

The pain was back in Mara's eyes, but still she would not look at Jaina.

"…But that wasn't enough, was it, Aunt?" Jaina sneered, pacing the room. "You had to finish it all, completely, just like a good assassin should. And so, my Mother lies now, in the med-center, delirious and mad, calling for her lost twin. She doesn't recognize anyone…you have murdered both of Vader's children as surely as if you had choked Mom, as well!" Jaina laughed, half-mad herself. "Does that make you feel good? Feel proud? You have fulfilled Palpatine's last command…times two!"

Jaina was unhinged. The guard had made no move to stop her, so she jumped up on the table in front of Mara and grabbed her shoulders to force the older woman to look her in the eye.

"And Dad…is broken. First Chewie. Then Anakin. Now…you've killed nearly everyone else. His wife. His brother. His nephew. He's gone and I have no doubt that he's brought an end to himself. My Dad was strong….but you have made a mockery of that! We trusted you, Aunt. I trusted you, and loved you above most others…!" Jaina began squeezing Mara's shoulders, digging in her fingers until Mara's face contorted in pain.

Jaina bowed her head down, still clutching Mara's shoulders, and allowed her tears to keep falling. "I just want to know, Aunt Mara…" she began, sounding very much like the child she was when Mara had first married Luke, and Jaina had adored her, "….why you gave in to your fear? Why did you do this?"

"Your fear…your fear…your fear…" The words bounced around in Mara's brain, as Jaina continued to sob on the table in front of her. Why did I give in to my fear?

"Oh, gods, Mara…"

Mara's head snapped up, as she heard Luke's voice in the room with her. But, no…the only sounds were of Jaina's sobs and the guard's boot scrapping against the floor.

"It's fear, Mara, not death. But fear!"

Mara started, what fear? I have no fear. At least…that's what she had told Luke…once.

Jaina sat back abruptly, getting no response from her Aunt. She wiped the tears from her puffy cheeks with the back of her hand, and tried once more. "Why, Mara? You could have told someone…told me. Years ago, when Ben was sent to the Maw…I knew of your fear, your doubts. I could have helped…" Jaina's voice cracked as she whispered, "Why did you do it?"

But Mara, stunned to have heard Luke's voice in her head, gave no answer, and Jaina began to cry fresh tears, as the guard removed Jaina's grip and shoved Mara back out of the door.

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