A Lost Legacy

Chapter 2: Revealing A Demon


"Bravo Four, make a run for the bridge, and take that Star Destroyer down now!"

"Roger that Bravo Leader. Moving into attack position."

"Bravos Five and Six, cover him!"

"Copy that Bravo Leader. We're coming about now. Watch out Bravo Eight, you've got an interceptor trying to close in on you!"

"I got it, don't worry Bravo Eight I'll have this interceptor out of commission in no time."

"Admiral, they're approaching Sector 3!"

"I want those Star Destroyers taken down now! And is there any word about the planetary shield?"

"Sorry, Admiral, but we cannot find any reason for it to have shut down. And it has yet to be restored."

"Ok, then I want ourselves positioned just above Sector 2, so that we can try to intercept them. Also, I want to know where that unidentified ship is, and I want it either destroyed or captured."

"Right away Admiral."


It had taken Rilys Enthyr only two years to become leader of Bravo Squadron, and his skills were nearly unmatched. He could fly any ship with skill, but excelled in a sturdy fighter. Which was the very reason he found himself flying straight down towards a Star Destroyer firing rapidly to destroy one of the shield generators.


"Luke, what's wrong?"

"There's been an attack on Coruscant. I'm going to be taking several Jedi with me to try and help out, but I'm sure the fight will be over before we can even get halfway there."

"I'm going with you."

"No, Mara, you are needed here…"

"Luke, the temple will be fine without me. There are other Jedi capable of ensuring that everything functions as it should."

"Listen, I… I had a premonition."

"What was it of?" the concern in her voice was clear, and she placed her hand on his shoulder for further emphasize.

"There was a white light, replaced by a strange city on a cliff. I've never seen pictures of such a city before, and when I searched the databases we've recovered I found nothing that could be even close to it…" he stopped, and the Jedi standing opposite of him immediately sensed his hesitation.

"What more is there, Luke?"

"The light returned, but it was dimmed by a dark cloud, and then I saw the city of Aldera, but it wasn't the same as it was in the paintings Han gave to Leia, it wasn't the same as the databases show. And then I sensed someone, someone who died long ago."

"I can see that you already know who it is."

"I-I only feel something, shrouded in shadows. The dark side is growing stronger, Mara. I cannot see as clearly as I should. I only sense a darkness that I sensed only when in the presence of Emperor Palpatine, or Vader."

"What do you believe it means?"

"Mara, what if the Emperor didn't die on the Death Star? I saw him fall, and afterwards the Force was clearer than ever before, yet… I survived falling from the central core of Cloud City. I can't think of another plausible answer. He must be alive. If it were my father I would be able to sense him more clearly, and he turned back to the light; gave up the darkness before he died."

"Then that settles it. I'm taking you to Coruscant; I believe you may find your answers there."

"No, Mara, you are needed here."

"Luke, do you know nothing about me, your own wife? You cannot do this alone, and you cannot meditate on this if you're trying to pilot a ship. I suggest we leave soon, any more time debating this will only be time wasted."


"M'Lady, I'll head to the Control Center to see about restoring power to the building."

"Be careful, Winter, something is clouding the force, I cannot see clearly, but something is amiss. Use caution, and move quickly."

"I will, M'Lady, be careful, and may the Force be with you." With that she turned and was gone down one of the corridors, lit only by the dim lights powered by the emergency backup system.

Leia waited for a moment before calling her lightsaber to her hand with the force. She watched it fly gracefully from inside a secret pocket within her dress; she never wore it in plain sight in order to keep various politicians at ease. At the moment she felt much more at ease knowing she was armed, and not defenseless.


"Any readings from the planetary shield?"

"We have received a transmission from the planet, Admiral, and they wish to assure you that they are doing their best to restore the shield."

"Alright, are we almost in position to cut those Star Destroyers off?"

"We're nearing Sector 3 now."

"Good, I want a status report on the battle."

"Here is the current report of lost ships, it's one hell of a battle."

"Any word from Rogue Squadron?"

"We haven't missed the party yet have we, Santé?"

"Good to hear from Wedge; we've been better."

"I heard, how many Star Destroyersare within the atmosphere now?"

"We've taken two down already, but there are still three heading towards the Senate Arena."

"How in the hell did they get past the planetary shield?"

"We're still investigating that; we believe they used a ship that we've never seen before to somehow wipe the shield out."

"Damn, when will they ever stop?"

"They'll stop when we have eradicated all their ships."

"Right, where are we needed?"

"You're needed most to help intercept those Star Destroyers, there are still four heading for the capital. Bravo, Cipher, and Helix Squadrons are all down there now. We're positioning ourselves in Sector 3 in an attempt to further stall their progression."

"Alright, I'll go find Rilys and let him know we're here to help."

"May the Force be with you, Wedge."

"Yeah, same to you, Santé. Be careful will ya? After all, you are flying the most expensive ship in the galaxy aside from the Death Star."

"It'll take more than those Star Destroyers to take us out, just don't get yourselves killed, the New Republic needs you."


"Leia! I can't tell you how happy I am that you're ok."

"That's surprising, seeing that you're not my husband." She had barely spoken the words when she whirled around, the golden yellow blade of her lightsaber illuminating the darkness. She watched the being that looked exactly like her husband, but all she could sense in the force was darkness. No, this isn't Han. You know the dark side has never been able to cloud his love. The darkness can never shroud love.

"Wha- what are talking about, Leia? Of course it's me!"

"Then why do I only sense the dark cloud of the Sith when you're standing so close? Why can I not feel your love for myself, for others emitting from within you?" Her eyes pierced those of the perfect replica of her husband like daggers, "Whomever you are, you cannot fool me with your mere disguises."

"So be it." Came the deep, booming voice, and Leia jumped back in confusion as her husband dissipated into a black cloud. She held up her blade in an attempt to fight off the darkness, and it wasn't until she saw the figure cloaked in black standing before her that she lowered her blade into a defensive position, waiting for the other to strike.

She hardly had time to register the appearance of the crimson blade before she had jumped to the side, easily parrying off the attack. Her eyes searched for an easy way out of the halls to a room more suited for such a fight. While they were spacious enough for senators of thousands of star systems to pass through with ease, she knew that there wouldn't be much room to maneuver around a skilled warrior with a lightsaber.


Winter carefully proceeded down the darkened hallways as she peered intently through the shadows to see if anyone was blocking her path. It was then that she heard the slight intake of air. Her body completely froze as her eyes scanned for the source of the breath. It wasn't until she reached the next corner that she saw the two men dressed in black and crimson armor. She had never seen body armor of the sort they were wearing, and that alone made her more cautious as she silently moved back against the cool wall.

Her mind didn't race, in fact she had never lost control of her thoughts. Not once had Winter become distracted, and this time was no exception. There are two of them, if I'm careful I can take both of them out without them getting a chance to pull anything. Just turn around the corner, fire twice, and move on to the Control Center. She carefully removed the steel band around her wrist and usedthe reflectionto see the two men still standing in the hallway. Okay, the neck is fairly exposed, that ought to take them down. She clipped the band back around her wrist without making a sound, and drew her blaster.


Gold clashed with crimson as their blades met repeatedly, sending showers of sparks across the hallway. Leia was carefully heading back down the hallway that would lead to the antechamber below the Senate Arena. Without warning the being Leia surmised had to be a Sith Lord lunged at her. Leia parried once more, but stopped herself from giving into the frustration of having her plan abruptly halted by being cut off. Without hesitating Leia sent a sudden wave of what was meant to merely knock the other off the ground, but she was shocked to see the wave of violet light shoot forth in a spiral, throwing the Sith backwards with greater force than Leia had believed possible.

Not waiting to see the results she raced down the hallway, and used the force to open the doors of the elevator. Once inside the shaft she leapt up to another ledge, and doing so she slowly made her way to one of the upper levels of the gargantuan structure. With another nudge of her hand the doors opened once more, and she found herself standing in another hallway, identical to the one she had just left. She cautiously moved along the soft red and pale gray walls using the force to try and see any beings that might be near, but she was finding the force becoming even more shrouded in darkness.

A loud crackling noise behind her caused her to spin around, and she watched in horror as the doors of the elevator shaft opened once more to reveal a woman with glowing red eyes, and pure white skin floating in midair. The black cloak fluttered around her, as did her long black hair. Blue streaks of lightning flew uncontrollably throughout the shaft as she forcefully landed on the ground. The lightning still echoed, as it seemed to follow her towards the President of the New Republic.


"Open fire! I want those Star Destroyers wiped out immediately!"

"Admiral, we have an incoming transmission from the Millenium Falcon."

"Send it through immediately."

Moments later she heard Han's voice come out over the com-link she now held in her hand.

"Santé… Leia is still in the Senate Arena, I can't explain how, I just know. I need to get there, but I'll never get past all these TIE Fighters, not to mention the Star Destroyers without a gunner."

"Don't worry, Han, I'll send a few fighters to escort you, they'll fall in behind you. We already have your coordinates."

"Why doesn't that surprise me? Be safe, Santé, and don't do anything I would do."

"May the Force be with you, Han."

"Yeah, right back at you. Now let's put an end to this madness."

"Agreed. Santé out." She shut off the com-link, and immediately returned her attention to the battle taking place outside the large viewport of the bridge. Lasers and missiles flew in all directions as tiny explosions of fighters decimating them and sending debris crashing into the steel buildings far below. Her eyes watched as one of the remaining Star Destroyer's hull began to buckle in on itself, and smiled grimly as the thick base of the towering bridge broke free in a large explosion. The massive ship immediately lost control, its engines now sending it away from the planet into the battle still raging above.

"Bravo Leader, you need to escort the Millenium Falcon to the Senate Arena. Consider this top priority. The President is still within the building, do whatever you must to ensure she is safely extricated and in safe hands before coming back to help finish this up.


"Sir, what should we do? We'll never get around The Vanquisher in tact."

"Silence, you fool! I have direct orders, and I will not break them. Now return to your station, or I will have you shot!" The older man snarled menacingly at the young private. They both watched as the four missiles rapidly burst through the steel at the point where the upper levels of the Star Destroyer met the thick bulk of the body. No one had a chance to do anything as their world suddenly began to spin, and they merely caught brief glimpses of the body of the massive ship slowly climbing out of the atmosphere. Seconds later the top of the destroyer harmlessly rammed into an empty landing platform sending out waves of flames.


Luke shot up from his seat with such suddenness that she couldn't help but jump. Her dark, red hair fell loosely along her back, and she immediately turned to face her husband. "Luke, what's wrong? What did you sense?"

"I felt a surge of light, and it was followed by a dark veil. Then there were two glowing, red eyes. Leia is in danger. I'm afraid that there may be a new Sith Lord."

"If there is, then there must be an apprentice as well."

"Then this is even worse than I realized…"

"What else is there Luke? What aren't you telling me?"

"I'm sorry, Mara, it's just that, I saw, well, I saw Leia fighting someone in a black cloak within the Senate Arena. She- she did something I've never seen a Jedi do before."

"What did she do?"

"She was going to use the force to push the Sith, but instead she shot out a strange purple light. It moved in a spiral, and when it hit the cloaked figure it sent them hurtling at least thirty feet. Tell me, do you feel anything strange?"

"Wh-what do you mean, strange?"

"Strange in the Force. Is there a shadow that is stopping you from sensing anything, or do you feel stronger, or weaker… anything strange at all?"

Mara Jade was renown for her ability to sense things through the force, and Luke had only met a few Jedi who could meditate as deeply as she often would. And now, he could see the intensity of her face as she closed her eyes tightly, and began to meditate.

Half an hour later she allowed herself to open her eyes. Luke wasn't ready for the surprise that was clearly written in her green eyes. "What did you see?"

"I saw chaos. A light was growing stronger, yet, at the same time the darkness grew more powerful as well. Then I saw a small amulet. It was little more than a piece of wood with some indistinct markings on it, but, well, I sensed love surrounding it. But there's more." She paused, unsure of how to finish, but just looking at Luke brought her back to her senses, "It is not Palpatine that you sensed, Luke. I know his presence in the force, and I know that the darkness was not from him. It must be Vader."

"Mara, something terrible is going to happen, and I'm afraid that we'll have no power to stop it."


The Millenium Falcon soared between skyscrapers, making the most direct beeline possible for the Senate Arena. Han noticed when Rilys and another member of Bravo Squadron had pulled up behind him, but he hadn't bothered to give them any more than a perfunctory greeting. He bit his lip as he pushed even harder on the throttle, praying that the ship that had saved him so many times would not let him down now.


Winter spun around the corner and fired twice. The two armored men immediately fell to the ground, and she raced past them. After another few minutes she successfully entered the Control Center, and immediately began working to reboot the power systems that had shut off. These systems should still be up and running, those men must've shut them off… It was then that she noticed the hand jutting out from behind a large computer console. She instantly held her blaster out, ready to fire if needed. When she turned the corner she could see the man had been stabbed with what appeared to be a lightsaber. She cautiously withdrew the handle and was disturbed to see the short crimson blade. So it is a lightsaber, it's just about a fifth the length of a normal blade. I wonder if there have been any other daggers like these? She gracefully turned the weapon off, and latched it to her belt before moving to the main console.


"R2-D2! Just where do you think you're going?" His question was met only with a group of terse beeps and whirs, to which he could only muster, "What do you mean Mistress Leia needs our help? If she needed help she would ask for it! Besides, what if she shows up, and we're not here? She'd either wait for us, or leave us behind, and either way she, or us could get harmed if one of those Star Destroyers makes it past Admiral Carresan."

C-3PO waited for a moment after the more derisive and curt replies from the smaller droid as it continued to roll towards the exit of the hangar they were in.

"I have a feeling something very bad is going to happen… Artoo, wait up!"


Leia swung her lightsaber rapidly to deflect the rain of blows coming from her opponent. She had never before faced such an aggressive adversary, but somehow she felt more exhilarated than ever before. It was as if she could feel the force flowing through her thicker and faster than ever before, and she waved the door behind her open without effort as they continued to fight along the corridor.

"What are you?"

"I, M'Lady, am your destruction." A low, feminine voice hissed as Leia studied the sharp pointed features of the creature's white face. Her dark red eyes glowed as if they were on fire, and their blades continued to clash fiercely as their strikes grew even more rapid and fierce.

"Admiral, the Millenium Falcon and Bravo Leader are just entering Sector One now. They're clear of the TIE Fighters, and we have word from the rest of Bravo Squadron. They're on their way back from their patrol now."

"Good, keep me updated. Now, how about those Star Destroyers?"

"There are only two that remain, but there are an awful lot of enemy fighters."

"Admiral, we just received a transmission from one of the spaceports nearby, they're sending out all the ships they have that are armed and ready to go, so we'll have some more fighters and a few freighters to help."

"Good, send them a message telling them to help out with the TIE Fighters, and to be careful we don't need a lot of civilian casualties on our hands."

"Right away Admiral."


Han quickly pulled the Falcon to a stop, and turned the ship around so that they could make a faster escape if necessary from the hangar. Seconds after he had landed he was already down the landing ramp and had his blaster in hand while charging down the hangar bay. He heard the X-Wing fly in behind him, and only stopped when he heard a loud grating of steel on steel. The ship hadn't stopped skidding when the pilot leapt out of the cockpit and rolled to the ground. He watched the man wearing a specialized black jumpsuit with another black tunic that had been the standard issue for Alderaanian pilots.

"What are you waiting for Han? I'd have caught up to you anyway!"

Han smiled grimly before he turned and started off again, "Just because you're ten years younger! And you know you shouldn't disrespect your superiors, I am an Admiral after all!"

"Yeah, well, let's find the lovely woman you somehow seduced, and get out of here!"

True to his word the Alderaanian pilot had easily caught up to Han, and within moments they were racing through the dimly lit halls of the Senate Arena.

"Elevators are offline, Han."

"Damn, well, Rilys, you got any ideas of how to find Leia?"

They stopped when they both heard a quiet familiar beeping sound. "That sounds like anArtoo unit… Leia would haveThreepio andArtoo here, and they probably wouldn't be too far from her."


Winter cautiously sat at the main console. Her hands moved skillfully across the rows of levels and buttons, and within moments she could hear the familiar hum as power surged through the rest of the consoles once more. She glanced at the translucent hologram screen that appeared before her. In a matter of minutes the room was once more bathed in the gentle white light that illuminated everything clearly. It was then that she felt the presence behind her, and she instantly shot her left arm up as a rope was brought around her neck.

Whoever was attempting to strangle her had clearly not expected her to have quick enough reactions to completely slip her arm between the rope and her slender neck. Her long, silvery white hair whirled around her shoulder as she jumped up, ramming her heel into the foot of her attacker. She then rammed her elbow backwards, where it connected with solid body armor.

Knowing it would take more than that to defeat her opponent she jumped so both her boots landed solidly on the main console before doing a back flip over the armored man's head. Without hesitating she pulled the dagger she had found free and inserted its red blade into the being's neck.


Leia smiled as the lights in the hallway began to flicker on one after another, illuminating the now bright corridors. The smile faltered when she saw four men dressed in black and crimson body armor blocking her path behind her. She couldn't hide the surprise as they pulled out their own lightsabers, and she was even more surprised to see the blades weren't even half the length of a her own shimmering blade.

Knowing she was outnumbered and cornered she once more used the force to send the strange guards flying backwards as the hallway was cast into a deep purple light. Her mind then focused on the sealed door behind her and with little effort opened the door. Moments later she had back out into one of the delegation pods. She held her blade steady waiting for the next assault from the mysterious Sith.


To Be Continued…


Notes: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, but I won't be posting another chapter until I get some reviews...