Chapter 44: Rule of Two

There was a disturbance in the Force.

It spread across the galaxy like a shockwave, starting at an insignificant corner of space and moving outward into the rest of the cosmos. The balance between light and dark, already leaning toward the latter, was knocked further off kilter. It was felt by everyone with even the slightest sensitivity to the Force, and all others had a gut feeling that something was wrong. Conflict intensified across the galaxy, all factions fighting fiercer than ever before, the very idea of peace being ignored. War would only get worse, until one side obliterated all others.

And at the epicenter was the little blue marble called Earth.

The stolen ship soaring through the blue void of hyperspace, Mara swore she saw a ripple in the void.

Something was terribly wrong, and she had a pretty good guess as to the cause. Mara left the ship on autopilot and stood up from the pilot's seat, walked over to the hatch behind it, and took a moment to listen. The banging on the other side had stopped a while ago, and she didn't hear any voices on the other side. It seemed that her captives had gone to sleep, having nothing else to do in there. She couldn't blame them, they had to have been exhausted after everything today, just as much if not more than Mara was right now.

Mara opened the hatch and stepped through, spotting Aang and Toph sleeping half a meter apart, and she jammed a foot into Aang's leg. "Wake up."

Aang startled to consciousness, and he looked up to see her standing over him. "Oh, now you come out. Care to tell why you brought us into hyperspace?"

How he could tell from this windowless chamber was something Mara would need answered later. "You really think your rebel friends would let Darth Vader's ship approach them? The Executor was already suspecting something was amiss. Both sides would have shot us down if we stayed in the system."

Somehow, Aang wasn't satisfied with that. He sighed and rested his head against the wall. "So where are we going?"

Mara knew he wouldn't like that answer, so she didn't give it to him. "I'm more concerned about what we left behind. I heard you say a name when you were fighting Vader. Vaatu was it? You know what it is?"

The memory was fuzzy, it wasn't even his after all, but Aang could recall the gist of it. "A dark spirit, imprisoned long ago, with an axe to grind against the physical world."

"And… how exactly do you know this?" Mara asked.

"I'm not entirely certain myself," Aang admitted. "When I'm in the Avatar State, it's like all the other Avatars are in my mind with me. One of them knew this Vaatu, and whatever Vader wants with him, it can't be good for anyone."

Whatever that was, Mara figured it must have happened, given the bad feeling in her gut. So she turned around to return to the cockpit. "Then time is of the essence…"

At the center of his Empire, the Emperor was not happy.

He felt the disturbance in the Force, being well attuned to the Dark Side, and this was certainly the work of a powerful darkness. Part of it was familiar, recognized as the presence of his current apprentice, though warped by something else merged with his very soul. The other part felt like the very essence of the Force, a personification of the Dark Side itself, unlike anything he had ever felt before. He didn't know what Vader had come across, or what he had done to disturb the Force in this way, but it demanded that he take action.

Emperor Palpatine was in his private quarters, deep within the palace and very far from any prying eyes. Sitting in a comfortable chair and leaning over a computer terminal, he investigated the full extent of his apprentice's treachery from the comforts of home. Vader had attempted to cover-up his truce and rendezvous with the rebels at Earth, but it had been discovered by Palpatine's spies nevertheless. They had not discovered Vader's purpose in all of this, but the disturbance in the Force gave Palpatine a pretty good guess.

He was going to need a new apprentice. The current one was getting too ambitious for his own good.

Palpatine had been planning on replacing Vader anyway, but not quite this soon, and his preferred choice for a replacement was not ready. He had his eye on someone amidst the rebellion, someone he was certain he could turn to the Dark Side of the Force, but it appeared that Vader had gotten to the young Skywalker first. It seemed unlikely that he could recruit this young man now, so Palpatine would need someone else for his new apprentice. One candidate came to mind, provided that Vader hadn't discovered and killed her already.

Palpatine leaned back in his throne, closed his eyes and focused on the Force, searching for the presence of his Hand. It was a tricky thing, to sense a person's presence from across the galaxy, requiring great skill and power in the Force. He sensed her en route to him, and he was pleased to know she was alive. But he sensed something else with her, something strange and unsettling, though from so far away he couldn't get a clear picture of what she was escorting. It was certain to be interesting when she arrived, and he didn't want to wait any longer than necessary.

Palpatine pressed a button to contact the servant in charge of traffic around his palace. "Clear my personal landing pad. I am expecting company."

A young voice answered the call. "As you wish my Lord."

The call was ended, Palpatine stood up and walked toward the door, still disturbed by what he sensed in the Force. "Vader… what have you done?"

In a remote part of the galaxy, the last Jedi Master was disturbed from meditation.

Yoda had been going through his daily routine, midday being time to meditate and focus on the Force, and that was when he felt the disturbance. He felt the darkness spreading across the cosmos, unlike anything he had ever felt before. He didn't know what it was, or where it came from, but he was certain he could not ignore it. Yoda stood up, turned away from the little hut that was his home, and walked into the swamp with his cane in hand. There was a place he needed to visit, a dark place that concealed his light in the Force, sure to be strengthened by the disturbance.

It was a short walk to that hole in the ground, and a shorter climb down into the cave below. Yoda walked through the cave, stopping halfway through and resting his hands on his cane. "I am here. If the Force is to show me a vision, I am ready to see it."

The tree roots buried in the walls and ceiling seemed to grasp at Yoda, and a thick mist filled the air. Yoda ignored the roots, breathed in the mist, and kept his gaze forward. A figure appeared in the distance, slowly walking through the mist, shrouded in shadows that no eye could gaze into. It looked mechanical, but breathed like a living being, and had an otherworldly aura around it. Deep red eyes appeared on the figure, looking straight at Yoda, as if peering into his very soul. Yoda met that gaze, sensed the darkness within this figure, refusing to back down from it.

"It is not the Emperor," Yoda muttered. Yet he was not relieved to know that it was not the Sith Lord at work, for it meant another evil was growing stronger. "A rival then, to challenge the rule of two."

The otherworldly aura grew around the figure, stretching above to take on a shape of its own. It filled the space of the cave, with shadowy tentacles creeping along the walls, mingling with the roots all around Yoda. He stood his ground, letting the dark shapes surround him, not giving in to the fear of the darkness. The red eyes rose up and grew larger, reaching the ceiling of the cave and looking down on Yoda, as if to make him feel very small. Yoda closed his eyes, kept his mind clear, letting the darkness pass without being consumed by it.

When Yoda opened his eyes the cave was empty, everything appearing as it should be for an ordinary cave. He let out a breath and turned around, heading back to the entrance and climbing out, returning to the swamp above. The vision replayed in his mind all the way back, trying to make sense out of it. Yoda reached his home, stopped at the door, eyes closed and breathing in rhythm. Whatever the vision represented, Yoda knew he could not ignore it. Something had to be done, more than simply waiting for that student of his to return to Dagobah.

Yoda turned away from the hut, walked toward a part of the swamp he hadn't been to in years, having thought he would never need to use a spaceship again. "It's time to make a return."

Emerging from hyperspace in friendly territory, Home One rejoined the rebel fleet.

Leia was not looking forward to it.

She had her report ready, and could imagine how the other rebel leaders would react to it. They were not going to be happy, having lost quite a few fighters, the entire delegation for the ill-conceived truce, and the Millennium Falcon. The silver lining of severely damaging the Executor would help, but it wasn't enough to fill in that pit in Leia's gut. Otherwise the mission was a failure, and it had cost them several of the rebellion's most well renowned individuals. Morale was already falling, and only going to get worse as word of the loss spread.

Soon enough Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma were aboard Home One and in the meeting room with Leia. They read through Leia's report, and Ackbar nodded as he finished. "So you never found out what Vader wanted with Luke?"

"I'm afraid not," Leia admitted. "But my gut says he got it, whatever it was."

"We need more than gut feelings," Mon Mothma said, still looking over the report.

"I know," Leia said. She sighed and set a hand on the table. "Our spies, not the bothan ones, need to get back there and see what's going on."

"That may prove difficult," Ackbar said. "As far as we know, the empire isn't sending more ships to Earth for quite some time. Until that changes, we won't be able to smuggle spies into the area."

Mon Mothma set down the report. "So you don't know where Luke and Katara went, Aang just up and disappeared, and Han is probably dead. That is a lot of our big guns that we just lost."

"Go ahead, say it, I know you want to," Leia said. "This entire mission was a mistake."

"Well… not entirely," Mon Mothma said. She passed over her own report to Leia. "It was a good distraction, kept the Executor off our backs, and we've been able to secure resources for a new base."

"We even have a planet in mind," Ackbar added.

Skimming through the report, Leia came across that planet. "Never heard of this… D'Qar. Good, hopefully it's as obscure as it sounds. But that's beside the point."

"Yes, we're getting off track," Mon Mothma said. She turned her attention back to Leia's report. "Do you think the damage was enough to finish the Executor?"

Leia shrugged and threw up her hands. "Maybe, maybe not, I had to leave before it could happen. Either way, I think we have something worse to worry about."

For a moment, Vader simply stood and studied his current form.

It was strange to have flesh in his arms and legs again, even if it was fused with the machinery that had been his limbs. Breathing unassisted was a euphoric sensation, tasting the air as it rushed into his lungs. With one hand he grabbed the control panel on his chest and ripped it off, no longer needing it and tossing it away. He leaned to one side, cracked his arms and back, stretched to the other side and did the same, feeling limber and youthful again. His fingers ran over the top of his head, feeling the fuzz of new hair beginning to grow, not a trace of burned skin remaining.

But then Vader heard movement, and he turned toward the tree beneath the connected portals. It was where he left Ozai, and he saw him rising to his feet. Vader focused on the Force, the spirit world shifted around him, taking him straight to the tree and Ozai next to it. Up close he grabbed Ozai by the throat, and was tempted to snuff out his life then and there. But that could wait a few more minutes, now that he knew what Vaatu had in mind for the firebender. Ozai struggled against Vader's grip, but he had no chance of escaping it.

Vader threw Ozai to the ground, forced him onto his knees, and let go of Ozai's throat. He placed one hand on Ozai's chest, the other on the forehead, and focused on his newfound power. Vader's eyes glowed bright red, and Ozai felt pain that tore into his very soul. Yet it reminded him of being brought into hyperspace, where a vital part of his being was always ripped out, only far worse. The glow in Vader's eyes lasted a few moments, and then he let Ozai fall to the ground, yet the pain he felt remained.

Ozai tried to get up, threw a punch to firebend at Vader, only to fall backward instead, not even a wisp of smoke from his fingers. "What… What did you do to me?"

Holding up a fist, Vader opened his hand, and flames ignited in his palm. "Your power is mine now. Your usefulness has come to an end."

With a smirk on his face Vader turned his hand around, palm facing the helpless man before him, and fired a plume of flames from his hand. Ozai screamed as he was burned alive, though the screams only lasted a few short moments. All that remained was a charred skeleton, smoke billowing out from the few scraps of burned flesh left behind. Vader was quite pleased with the result, enjoying the ironic death far more than he knew he should, and all the possibilities presented to him. He turned away from the corpse and walked away, ready to leave this place behind.

After a trip that seemed to take far too long, the stolen ship emerged from hyperspace.

At first Mara wasn't certain what to expect, since this was Darth Vader's personal ship and should not be expected above Coruscant right now. She carefully piloted the ship through the crowded space around the Empire's capital planet, keeping her distance from the Star Destroyers on patrol. Yet they didn't request Vader's personal codes, which had Mara thinking something was amiss. But then she realized the most direct route to the imperial palace was clear, and only one man could arrange for express transit at the center of the Empire.

The Emperor was expecting her.

Mara flew the stolen ship toward the planet, passing through the atmosphere of the night side. From orbit all the lights from all the buildings glittered like the stars, like some fantastical crystal ball hanging in the void. The ship flew at a near perfect dive through the atmosphere, only pulling up at the altitude of the tallest skyscrapers, flying horizontal for the last few kilometers. The massive imperial palace was directly ahead, surrounded by patrol ships on constant guard. Those ships parted to let Vader's ship pass through, allowing access to the Emperor's personal landing pad.

Landing with the starboard side facing the palace, Mara shut off the engines and opened the inner hatch. "Alright you two, stand up. We're getting off here."

Having gotten some measure of sleep on the way here, Aang was about as rested as he could be, given the circumstances. "And where is here?"

"Coruscant," Mara answered. She made sure both Aang and Toph were awake and on their feet, then opened the outer hatch and gestured for them to exit first. "Don't make any sudden moves. Keep your mouth shut until told to speak. I'd rather not be ordered to kill you."

A little cranky from being woken up, Toph grunted and shrugged. "Uh-huh…"

The three of them climbed out of the ship and walked onto the landing pad, which aside from them was empty. Mara kept Aang and Toph in front of her, one hand on a blaster and the other on her lightsaber, making certain they knew she had weapons at their backs. They were barely halfway across the pad when the large doors to the palace opened, and there were three figures emerging from the darkness inside. Two of them were the crimson uniformed personal guards, the pikes they carried looking ceremonial yet functional, flanking the robed man in between them.

From what she felt in the vibrations, Toph could tell there was more to this shriveled old man than he seemed. "So we get to meet the boss after all…"

"Quiet," Mara whispered. "That's the Emperor. You will show respect."

The two groups of three met just outside the palace, and the Emperor observed the prisoners brought by his servant. "Report."

With a decision made by the rebel leaders, the fleet prepared for a trip to hyperspace.

The coordinates of their destination were sent to the captains of every ship, all of them eager to get underway. Word of a new base in the works spread like wildfire, though the details of where they were going were kept secret. It certainly helped to improve morale, and the crewmen were glad to be going anywhere but back to Hoth. The ships were moved into formation, permitting the entire fleet to make the jump, once the order was given. However, just before they could get into hyperspace, something else came out of it.

Looking at it through the viewscreen, Leia saw the problem. "Does anyone recognize that ship?"

It was a very small ship that just arrived, seemingly with an impeccable sense of timing, as if expecting the fleet's imminent departure. It appeared to be a one-man vessel, smaller than even an X-Wing. The design was spherical with narrow wings bolted onto the sides, very minimalistic and seemingly without weapons or shields. And it was almost completely covered in moss, except for patches burned off by engines and thrusters, as if it had been left in some damp wilderness for decades and only now brought out of storage.

Receiving no proper answers from the bridge crew, there was only one course for Leia to take. "Well what are you waiting for? Fire up the tractor beam and bring that ship into the hangar."

Leia made the trip down there while the officers worked, reaching the hangar just as the little ship was being brought inside. She got to watch it pass through the atmospheric force fields, and the tractor beam set it down on the hangar floor. Up close Leia got to see it with her own eyes, and the ship appeared to be in even worse condition. Underneath all the moss and bits of vines was a hull corroded with rust, and Leia wondered how it was even remotely space-worthy. Crewmen were surrounding this little ship, and Leia approached just as the cockpit opened.

Inside was a small green man, old beyond recognition, like the ship. "Don't shoot, I mean you no harm."

There were several blasters pointed at him, and Leia pushed one away with her hand. "Stand down. I highly doubt he's from the Empire. Well, not in this decrepit craft anyway."

"Yes, listen to her," the green old man said. "She is wise beyond her years."

Not certain of that, Leia wondered why he would make that claim. "Who are you?"

The green old man came out of his ship, wooden cane in hand as he walked over to Leia. "I am Yoda."

"Yoda…" Leia repeated, recognizing the name. "Luke was training under you, right?"

"He was," Yoda said.

"Well then you came to the wrong place," Leia said. "Luke isn't here."

"So he isn't," Yoda said. By now he was right in front of Leia, resting his hands on his cane. "Then I must be here for someone else, wouldn't you think?"

"Then why are you here?" Leia asked.

Yoda smiled as he looked up at her. "I'm sure you would want to hear it in private, of course."

Leia had a gut feeling that would be true. "Right this way."

As Vader approached the northern portal, the arch of golden light was severed, returning the portals to their separate pillars of light.

He paid it no mind, having expected it to happen sooner or later, now that he didn't need to hold the portals together with the Force. Vader walked into the portal and vanished within it, reappearing in its counterpart in the material plane. The cold hit him immediately, feeling it for the first time in decades, and Vader took in a deep breath of the frigid artic air. The sky was much brighter than he remembered, and it wasn't because he was using his own eyes now. Brilliant aurora filled the night sky, stretching beyond the horizon in every direction, far brighter than any aurora should be.

But then the aurora began to fade, from directly above the portal and spreading across the sky. Vader closed his eyes and reached out with the Force, sensing the power within the fading aurora, realizing the connection it had with the portals. Joining them had affected the material plane, and letting them come apart had reversed the effects. Soon this world would return to normal, or what passed for it in this backwater part of the galaxy. It didn't matter, not when Vader had what he wanted, the portals could be closed for all he cared.

It was time to leave.

Vader walked down the path through the forest, which seemed to be more alive than it was just a few hours ago. The trees were covered in freshly grown leaves, the bushes were packed with flowers in full bloom, and small animals frolicked in the foliage. He figured this place fed on the energies from the portal, and had more to draw upon now that the portal was open. It didn't matter to him anyway, and he kept walking until he reached the edge of the forest, where the cold intensified as he stepped on ice and snow.

By now the aurora had returned to normal, and the stars peeked through the colorful bands of light. Vader stopped and looked at the sky, eyes squinting as he searched for something in particular, which seemed to be missing. The Executor should have been visible from here, if as a point of light brighter than any star, yet it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Instead there were many smaller lights streaking across the southern sky, easily mistaken for a meteor shower, but Vader had a feeling it was something far worse.

And then Vader looked for something that should be just outside the forest. "Where is my ship?"

While his servant told him of her experience on Earth, Emperor Palpatine studied the two captives.

He could sense the power that resided deep within the teenage boy Aang, not hampered in the slightest by the severed hand. It reeked with the Light Side of the Force, yet it was nothing like any Jedi. By comparison the young lady Toph was of little importance, though Palpatine did recognize the name from the reports of her short time in imperial captivity. Learning that she could create lava and control impure metals in addition to commanding earth was intriguing, but something to delve into at a later time.

And then there was the subject of Vader's treachery, which concerned Palpatine most of all. "You didn't follow him into this portal?"

"I did not," Mara admitted, even if it might seem like a failure on her part. "I'm no match for Vader. Following blindly would have just gotten me killed."

"Yes, surely," Palpatine said. He looked at Aang again. "Yet this boy was able to fight him. Perhaps a demonstration is in order?"

Aang didn't say a word, merely looking down and covering the stump with his hand.

"Hmm…" Palpatine muttered. He raised a hand and stretched out his fingers, pointing all of them at Aang. "You really should speak when spoken to."

With a jerk of his fingers, Palpatine called on the Force, and lightning shot from his fingertips. Thin arcs of purple electricity coiled around each other, struck Aang right in the chest, and he was knocked off his feet. Aang fell to the cold metal floor of the landing pad, his body twitching while purple sparks crackled around him. But the pain was temporary, as Palpatine intended with this short burst of Force Lightning, usually enough to get his victims to comply. Yet Aang seemed to recover more quickly than most, already rising to his feet, eyes narrowing as his gaze met Palpatine's.

Aang held his hand close to his chest. "You call that lightning? I've seen better."

Incensed by that remark, Palpatine spread his fingers further apart. "Doubtful."

He unleashed more Force Lightning from his fingers, filling the air between him and Aang with violet electricity. But then Aang reached forward, as if to catch the lightning, and catch it he did. Aang had two fingers pointed, and the lightning passed through them into his arm, yet it did not inflict any pain. Instead the lightning followed his arm, went around his heart, and pooled in his gut, held there by unconventional use of firebending. Palpatine didn't see this of course, his view of Aang obscured by his own Force Lightning.

Not hearing any painful screams this time, Palpatine held up his other hand, unleashing more Force Lightning from it. Aang held his stance and kept his focus, sweating as he struggled to maintain the redirection firebending. Mara could see what he was doing, and she had a very bad feeling about this. Toph was inching away from everyone else, well aware of the dangers and not wanting to get struck by mistake. Still not getting the desired reaction, Palpatine stopped making the Force Lightning, and now he could see Aang almost wreathed in electricity.

Unable to use his wounded arm for his, Aang redirected the lightning back up the same arm it came in through. He unleashed the lightning in one short burst, aimed right back at Palpatine, and spreading out toward his guards as well. All three of them were hit by the redirected lightning, the guards were knocked off their feet, and even Palpatine recoiled in pain. Aang was finished in a short moment, and his arm was numb from electricity flowing in both directions. Now the electricity was crackling around Palpatine, and the guards, and the Emperor was most furious.

Toph was already running, and the scooped up Aang in her arms, glad she had the muscle to do it. "I hope you've got airbending back in you, because we need to fly."

Mara was chasing after them. "Get back here right now!"

It was too late, Toph had already reached the edge of the landing pad, overruling her fear of heights to jump off the edge. She and Aang were falling through open air, and Mara could only watch from the edge unable to follow safely. It was a fifty story drop to the base of the palace, with nothing between them and a hard impact at the bottom. Aang recovered feeling in his arm, and he started airbending with it and his legs, forming a sphere of wind beneath him and Toph. The ball of wind carried them away from the palace, soon disappearing behind nearby skyscrapers.

By then Palpatine had recovered and walked to the edge, and he turned toward Mara. "I trust you did not know he could do that."

It was a long trip through hyperspace, but worth it to check out a possible planet for a new base.

The fleet arrived in a remote system, far removed from the nearest civilization. Typical star, three planets, moderate asteroid belt, mostly typical as solar systems went. The exception was the third planet, which had extensive rings around its equator, a rare feature for terrestrial worlds. Those rings cast large shadows on the tropical latitudes, lush with forests and shallow seas, likely filled with all kinds of vicious creatures that called this planet home. It looked like a suitable place to set up shop, though any planet would do at this point.

During the trip Leia had brought Yoda to her quarters, wanting privacy while dealing with the old man. "Alright, mister Yoda, why are you really here?"

Yoda walked over to the wall and rested his back against it. "Surely you are aware. A greater threat is coming, only a matter of time before it is unleashed upon the galaxy."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Earth, would it?" Leia asked.

"Aang's world, I believe so, yes," Yoda said.

Leia groaned at that confirmation, shaking her head while putting a hand to her face. "That planet has been nothing but trouble ever since the Empire found it."

"And it will only be worse," Yoda said. "I cannot remain in exile any longer, not while this ancient darkness spreads across the galaxy. My student is beyond my reach, and I am not powerful enough to face this threat. I must pass my knowledge on to another, before the darkness consumes us all."

"If what Luke told me about you is true, it must be truly dire if you can't get to him," Leia said. She sat down in a chair and leaned forward. "I presume it is not a coincidence you managed to find me."

"Of course," Yoda said. "Luke spoke highly of you, and I have every reason to believe it, if you are anything like your father."

"You knew Dad?" Leia asked. "I never thought a lowly senator was worth the attention of such a famous Jedi master."

"Organa was a close friend," Yoda said, though there was a twinge of guilt in his voice. "When the Republic fell, he was one of the few allies I could trust. And I see he kept that trust by keeping the secret of my exile."

"Uh-huh…" Leia muttered. "Well I'm not sure how well I'll be able to help you with finding a new student. Luke was the only one in the rebellion who could do the things he did."

Yoda chuckled a bit. "Now that is a matter of perspective, depending on your point of view."

Needing answers for what happened during his absence, Vader reached for the sky with one hand.

He focused on the Force, and the power within him, joining them together to grasp at the heavens. His eyes glowed red, and through the Force he snared one of the moving points of light in the sky, changing its course and bringing it toward him instead. As the point of light came closer Vader could see what it truly was, an imperial escape pod recently jettisoned, one with deserters inside fearing for their lives. Vader made the pod slow down, turned it around so that its hatch faced him, and set it down on the tundra nearby.

With a wave of his hand Vader tore the hatch clean off the pod, tossing it far away to crash in the snow. There were two imperial officers and a stormtrooper inside, all of them startled by what was going on, none of them recognizing Vader in his new appearance. He didn't need them to understand, and wasn't in the mood to wait for a lengthy explanation of events. Vader pulled one of them to him with the Force, grabbed the officer by the forehead, fingers clenching tight on the man's scalp. Eyes glowing red, reaching out with the Force, Vader took what he needed from the poor man's mind.

Once he was finished Vader dropped the man, and he looked at all the other lights moving across the sky. "So the Executor has fallen."

That was certainly a setback, in just about every sense of the word. It was the flagship of the imperial fleet, and losing it would be a massive blow to morale. It was also Vader's preferred ship in his missions across the galaxy, few others could compare to the Executor. More importantly was that he needed such a ship to fulfill his plans, and all the subordinates that were required for running the Empire. It was going to take time to arrange for a replacement, especially once the Emperor realized exactly what he was doing.

Still, while this would be a significant delay, it was not an insurmountable one for Vader, taking the first steps to the nearest imperial outpost. "It seems you will have some time to prepare, Master…"

Emperor Palpatine returned to the interior of the palace, leaving behind the embarrassment at the landing pad.

Mara had expected him to be furious, given that Aang had turned back the Force against him. Yet Palpatine was strangely calm, as if impressed by the act, or more concerned about other matters that demanded his attention. He brought Mara deep into the palace, into the throne room kept perpetually shrouded in darkness, and took his seat on his throne. There he dismissed his guards, having no need for them, but kept Mara in the throne room. She stood in front of the Emperor, keeping silent while he contemplated the situation, until he looked Mara in the eyes.

"Do you believe this Avatar can be turned to the Dark Side?" Palpatine asked.

"No, I do not," Mara answered. "If what Aang told me is true, Vader sought the Dark Side counterpart to his unique power. I believe Aang is inherently unable to be turned because of this."

"Yes, I see…" Palpatine said, returning to deep thoughts and contemplation. After focusing on the Force for a time, he looked at Mara again. "It seems that I am in need of a new apprentice. I had hoped to recruit the young Skywalker, but he is not yet ready to replace Vader."

Mara kept silent, patiently waiting until he directly asked something of her.

Palpatine leaned back, folded his hands, and smiled. "My dear, surely you know the answer to this dilemma? You have performed well as my Hand. I believe you will be even better as my apprentice."

A/N: Whelp, it's that time again for another hiatus/time skip. I'm hoping it will be the last one, the next arc needs to be the last one if I'm ever going to finish this story. But if it's any consolation, I've got a miniseries that is finally ready to upload in the meantime. In two weeks we're going back to DBZ with another crossover, set during the seven year time skip between Cell and Buu, The Saiyan Pilgrimage.