Solid food again. She must be in a good mood. Luke gingerly sat up and picked up the plate and jug of water. He had lost all sense of time and didn't know how long he had been trapped in this cave anymore, just that he had been here long enough that it seemed like forever. He wasn't even sure how long there went between their torture/talk sessions, but occasionally it felt like he was close to getting through to her. There would be the slightest of hesitation in her replies, or a glimmer of doubt and insecurity in her eyes, but then it would be gone again in an instant and the cracks would close back up. To say it was frustrating would be to put it mildly.
She knows the truth, but won't admit to it. Why does she have to be so stubborn? Unfortunately Luke remembered what she had told him about her connection to Palpatine and how Palpatine had shown her his version of the events on the Death Star. Palpatine. It is all about him. He's the one who have turned her into this cold hearted, merciless killer. If it weren't for him she would probably be a good person, maybe even a nice person.
Luke picked at his food. It really needed some spices to give it flavor.
Yes, he decided, she might actually be a good person somewhere underneath all that hate and anger. She certainly had morals. She hadn't liked discussing Alderaan or the treatment and enslavement of other species in the Empire. And when he had suggested that women were also kept down, she had held her chin up and insisted that those with the will to rise high could do so, like she had. Luke had countered that with reminding her she was a Force-sensitive and that that was the reason Palpatine had chosen her, nothing else. That particular one had resulted in quite an intense round of lighting so Luke knew it had struck a cord. When she couldn't find a good response to what he said she lashed out instead and ended the conversation. It wasn't fun or pleasant in any way, but Luke knew he had to keep at it. There must be some way to get through to her, I just have to find the right way.
He really had no other choice, but to accept the pain and look for another way to tear down that wall around her heart and mind.
§
It's too bad I don't have any equipment to test for pregnancy. Would be nice to know when I'm pregnant. Mara monitored the jedi slowly eating and drinking on the security screen. He had come to faster than expected. Not by much, but it was there. Perhaps the damage hadn't been as bad as she had thought or maybe he was getting stronger again. Should I hold back on the food? It won't do if he becomes too strong again, just strong enough to give me a child.
She studied him closely. She didn't see much of a difference, but she had timed him these last few days, and he seemed to heal faster now. Perhaps he really was getting a bit too strong again. Or maybe it was just his natural survival instincts that kept trying to heal him faster and faster.
She smiled. That would be a rather interesting phenomena.
She pursed her lips and looked into the distance. She could go to the nearby town and get a pregnancy test, but that meant leaving Skywalker without observation and of course the risk of being exposed.
She shook her head. No, it wasn't worth the risk. She would just keep at it until she was sure. Besides the sex no longer hurt; it was even enjoyable now that she had found a way to protect her knees and shins from the hard stone, and she was starting to look forward to it.
Whoever knew bringing the Empire back to glory could feel this good? I just need to find a way to break him and turn him into an Imperial and then everything will be perfect. She smiled as she looked at the man on the screen again. You will be mine, Skywalker. Mine and mine alone.
§ §
"General? May we have a moment of your time?"
Cracken looked up and was somewhat surprised to see Iella and Winter both standing in the doorway. He waved them forward. "Of course. You two have joined forces?"
The two women nodded.
"Winter came to my office yesterday to collaborate her research with mine; she has also been searching through those who have had their walk at the palace and wanted to see if my research could shed any light on hers."
She looked at Cracken for a clue he might have told Winter anything about her chosen research angle, but saw nothing as she took a chair in front of the desk.
"Did it?"
Iella looked at him wryly. "I think she shed more light on mine than the other way around, sir." It had taken a while due to lack of sleep and being completely focused on her current task at hand, but her mind had finally remembered Winter and where they knew each other from. It had also remembered that Winter had a perfect memory, something that was not common knowledge.
Winter just smiled mildly. "Iella's research has been very interesting to see and follow for the last day."
Cracken nodded. "I have no doubt about that. I trust you didn't come here to chitchat though?" Cracken knew both women well enough to know they had something, but whether it was a clue to Skywalker's whereabouts, who held him prisoner or something completely different, he did not know.
"You are correct, General," Winter replied.
Iella produced a datacard and put it on the desk. "It's a bit of a long shot, General, but we have found these two ... curious."
"Curious?" Cracken took the card and slid it into his computer. Two images lying side by side came up on his screen with some basic info underneath.
"Yes, sir. Both have a history of being in the palace during Palpatine's reign, both would be considered beautiful by most human standards, and both look fine on the surface, but other than that they don't seem to have much in common."
Iella tapped the screen to indicate the first woman. "Roganda Ismaren. Winter has found evidence of her being around the palace during the later years of Palpatine's reign, but aside from her name and age, we haven't been able to find out much about her. Her official records have just the most basic of information.
"The other one is Mara Jade. She is listed as a palace dancer during the later years of Palpatine's reign, but again we don't have much more than that and her name and age.
"Both women are listed as being native to Coruscant."
"Anything suspicious about them or their backgrounds? Aside from having worked at the palace?"
The women exchanged a glance. Then Iella spoke.
"No, sir."
Cracken raised an eyebrow. "Nothing at all?"
"No, sir, nothing in their files or what we have found indicate that there should be anything wrong or suspicious about them."
Now Cracken frowned at them. "Yet you still thought it worthwhile to call attention to them. Why?"
This time it was Winter who spoke up. "Because of what we didn't find, General. Their records are clean. Very clean. Normally when you start digging you will find other little things; hospital visits, vaccines given, health check ups, schools they have attended, friends and family. Not for these two."
"There's no schools or hospital visits at all?"
"Oh, there is. But even those records are too clean, too perfect."
Iella looked into his eyes. "Almost as if they weren't real, but thought up by someone."
"You think the records may be fake?"
"It's possible, sir," Iella stated. "But there's also something else; both of these women have completely vanished after Endor."
"Vanished?"
Iella and Winter nodded.
"There are no records of them anywhere that we have been able to find."
Cracken leaned back in his chair and looked at the two women on the screen thoughtfully. Too perfect records, had a connection to the palace, and had both disappeared after Palpatine's death.
"You are right; they are curious cases. Of course, there's the possibility they simply decided to make themselves disappear precisely because they have worked at the palace and are somewhere in the Outer Rim living a quiet life."
Iella nodded. "Yes, sir, that is a very real possibility. But finding out whether or not that is the case would most likely take a far greater effort than we have been able to do from here and on our own."
"You want more resources." It wasn't a question, but Iella nodded and Winter inclined her head.
"We will need them if we are to conduct a more thorough search, General."
Cracken looked at Winter. He didn't know how much Iella knew since they were careful not to advertise the fact, but Cracken was well aware of Winter's perfect memory and had made use of it more than once. He knew that she would remember all the information she found and if she didn't think it matched up right then she was probably right. He drummed his fingers thoughtfully.
"I trust you have droids pulling as much data as possible?"
"Yes, sir. We currently have three pulling data from different parts of the galaxy."
"Any soundbytes?" This was the important thing. If they could get a soundbite to compare to then they might quickly be able to either rule out or focus their search on the women.
They both shook their heads.
"Sadly, we haven't been able to find any so far. We are still looking for that."
Cracken nodded. "I'll give your another two droids to pull data, but I won't assign more people to this. You said it yourself; this is a long shot and I can't justify spending too many resources on it until you have something better and more solid than 'curious'."
"We understand, General. The droids will be helpful." Winter inclined her head in thanks.
Iella stood up. "Then we will not disturb you anymore, sir. If we get something more solid we will inform you right away."
Cracken nodded to them. "Best of luck. I do hope you get a breakthrough, because we could certainly use one."
Iella nodded again and Winter gave him a solemn look. As they walked out Cracken silently added: "May the Force by with us all. Especially Skywalker."