Chapter 39:
Leia found her mother sitting on the back step of the house with a cup of something strong steaming in her hand. She sat down next to Padmé, who turned and asked, "What happened to you?"
Leia knew what she was referring to. "It… it was Luke," she admitted, unhappily. "He spoke to my mind, and told me things. Things about… you, and Obi-wan, and our- our father," she looked up to meet Padmé's eyes. "He- he hates you, says you brought Obi-wan there to kill Vader, to kill our father. I'm… I'm sorry."
A tear formed in Padmé's eye, and she quickly brushed it away. She took a long sip of her drink, to steady herself, and said, "So the lies of Palpatine continue."
Leia hugged her mother reassuringly, "If you said that Palpatine lied to him 23 years ago, then… then dad does not know otherwise. Since- since Luke has always wanted a father all his life, Vader would have told him what he believed to be true."
Padmé nodded, quietly. "You're right." She sighed. "I have to help them, somehow. I don't know what good I'll be able to do, but they need to know, about- about me, and about the truth. It probably won't help any, but… I have to try."
Darth Atrox returned to his quarters and began to meditate, feeling the dark side coursing through his body like his own blood. He could sense his sister thinking about him again and easily forced his way into her mind, tearing through her mental shields effortlessly. I sense your fear of me, of my power. You should be…
Atrox did not let Leia have a chance to respond before he began to force her to live his memory of what he had done to the troopers in the throne room, forcing her to feel everything he felt, his power growing, his connection to the dark side accompanied with the fear of the troopers, their pain… their suffering.
Leia's face creased in pain as he tore his way through her defenses. Her expression turned vacant as she tried to restrict his access to her thoughts, and then had a distinct look of horror as she was forced to witness Atrox's experiences. Padmé put her arm around her daughter. All she could do was hold her, and hope that whatever was happening would stop soon. "Oh, Ani… why?" she whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Once Atrox finished forcing Leia to live his memory, he sent his father's pride of him. I have not even discovered my true potential yet. The Alliance will surrender… now, or I will be sure to… unleash my full potential on them.
Leia refused to allow him to feel what was running through her head. You would do that anyway, if only as an example to the rest of the galaxy. Even if I had the power to make the Alliance surrender, I wouldn't.
Suddenly, their mental bond became… colder than any either had experienced. Atrox had let his pure dark side aura come in to contact with Leia's mind. Very well… sister. I look forward to… interrogating you. Atrox coldly, but calmly said through their mental bond and then broke off their contact.
Leia gave a long shudder, then awakened with a start. She looked at her mother, clearly upset. "It- it's worse than I feared, much worse," she whispered. "I… I don't know if he can be saved."
Padme's tears continued to roll down her cheek, as she looked into Leia's eyes and demanded to know everything. "Leia, tell me what happened. It's Luke, isn't it? "
She nodded, but couldn't meet her mother's eyes. "He… he's fallen so far… I felt him, he was… he was darker than the cave on Dagobah, I've… never felt anything like it." She shivered. "He tortured the stormtroopers that killed his aunt and uncle; he… made me watch as he killed them. I… I don't know what to do."
Padmé sighed. A resolve had been forming in her during the past few hours that hardened into certainty. "I have to talk to him. Both of them. They should be told the truth. I- I hid to protect you both, but now I can't do that anymore, there's no reason to hide from- from my husband, or my son. Maybe I… could help bring them back."
Leia looked up into her mom's eyes. "I'm coming with you. I- I need to settle things with my brother." She said with a newfound determination.
Padmé shook her head. "You mustn't. The Rebellion needs you, especially since… since Luke is gone. You have to warn them, you have to keep fighting. If… if I fail, the Rebellion must continue, and you are their last hope."
Mara slipped the last piece into place, and turned the finished saber staff over in her hands. It had started out as a daunting task, but she had managed to find a workaround that solved certain problems, though it created others. If she built two separate hilts, all she needed was a sturdy way of sealing them together and she was set. She thought her solution was an effective one: the hilts were connected with a locking mechanism, so that they almost screwed together on the ends. With a half twist, the two halves came apart to create two separate lightsabers. It… wasn't exactly what Atrox had asked for, but she hoped he would accept it.
Darth Atrox had just severed his connection with his sister when he sensed that his apprentice had finished her task. Excellent work, my apprentice. Come to my quarters at once and I'll inspect your work.
Mara tossed the hydrospanner back onto the workbench, and left for Atrox's quarters. Once she arrived, she rapped on the door, sharply, and once she was admitted knelt before her master, and waited to be acknowledged. "I finished the job you gave me… master." She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to calling him that, 'farmboy' or 'Skywalker' came much more readily to her lips than 'master' or 'Lord Atrox'.
Atrox turned around and observed his apprentice's kneeling form. "You may rise, my apprentice. Show me your saber staff," he said as he got his own saber staff out and ignited both ends. "Do not hold back, then… I will reward you for your efforts, my apprentice."
Mara shot him a glare that would have burned through durasteel. She stood up and ignited her new saber staff, both of the crimson blades activating simultaneously. "You have got to be kidding me," she mustered. She hadn't stopped to sleep while she was working, and already she was expected to fight with a weapon she wasn't familiar with?
Atrox attacked first, allowing her to simply defend during the first few moves. Thrust, step, slash, parry, and so forth. Gradually they began to step up their speed and skill, Mara quickly becoming more competent. She spun the blade towards Atrox, who blocked it, and then faked an attack towards Atrox's legs, instead bringing it up his side towards his shoulder. Atrox leapt over her head to land behind her, though she was turning even as he jumped. Almost before he landed, she was spinning her blade behind her. He parried, and counter-attacked with the other side of his blade. She brought hers up to block, and then lifted the blade up slightly and stabbed the end towards his chest. He sidestepped the blow, and remarked, "Good, very good. Now, give into your anger, your hate. Let it flow through you." Mara frowned, and attempted to comply, but the simple fact was that wasn't angry with Atrox, nor did she hate him. Her blocks faltered as her concentration became divided, and she barely stopped one of his slashes from taking off her arm.
Atrox took a step back from Mara and sneered, "If you cannot hate me, then hate the one who killed your former master!"
Mara's face turned white, and she felt a flash of anger at him for bringing it up. Deep down, though, she knew that her master was right; she could never forgive herself for failing the Emperor, for- for killing him. She lunged at Atrox, an angry glint in her eye.
"Good, my apprentice, very good." Atrox said as he felt the anger in his apprentice. He blocked her attack easily, and slid his blade down hers to bring the other side around to strike her. She knocked his blade away and struck at his feet, forcing him to jump over her head to avoid it. He landed behind her, and struck at her shoulder, only to find her blade there, with her glaring into his face, stopping his blade mid-strike. "You are learning quickly… my apprentice. But you are not the Master yet." Atrox said as he forced her blade back away from him. She tried to bring it around to stab him, but he wasn't there. She whirled around to find his blade at her throat. "You are beaten, my apprentice." Atrox said as his burning eyes stared into her own.
Mara glared back at him, and slowly closed off her saber staff. "You win, master… this time."
"You have learned well, my apprentice. However, you will not best someone who is far more powerful than you are." Atrox said as he deactivated his saber staff and returned it to his belt. His tone became gentle as he continued, "Besides, I can sense your… feelings for me. You… love me, don't you, my apprentice?" He said as he took a step closer to her so that they were mere centimeters from each other.
Mara felt her face grow warm, and she looked away. "I…"
"Can't deny it, can you?" He said as he placed his hands on her sides.
She looked into his eyes, searchingly, a trace of uncertainty in her eyes, as if she were… afraid, afraid of his reaction. "No…. I can't."
Atrox leaned towards Mara and kissed her, then pulled back so she could see his face and burning eyes.
She looked up at him, and her eyes narrowed, suddenly. "Are you alright? Your face…"
"Never better, Mara. The dark side gives us more power, but at a slight price. A little cosmetic discoloration is insignificant when held up to what the dark side offers. Surely it doesn't bother you." He gave her a small smile.
Mara frowned. "Have the effects of use of the dark side been studied? It could be… unsafe, unhealthy. I'm no medical expert, but it's generally a bad sign when your skin starts turning a grayish hue."
Atorx chuckled. "I can sense your fear, my apprentice. If you are in control, then nothing will be able to stop you. One of the differences between the Jedi and the Sith is that the Jedi believe that the Force has their destiny set for them, the Sith make our own destiny. We bend the Force to our will." He paused, allowing her to think on this, and then continued. "Now are you telling me that you would rather I take away your… reward?"
"No," Mara said, quickly. "I… I just wasn't expecting something like that." She bowed her head. "Forgive me… master."
"As you wish, my apprentice." Atrox whispered as he leaned back into her and began to passionately kiss her, his hands going for her back… exploring her body.
Mara trembled under his touch, slowly reaching up to lower his hood, revealing his gray-tinged face, ringed with whitish-blonde hair, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.
As Atrox felt Mara wrap her hands around his neck, he shut out the bond that he had with his father and began to reach out to Mara, sending intimate thoughts of them both and how they would one day rule the galaxy together, and his dark intentions for the troopers who had yet to pay for killing his aunt and uncle, not to mention those who would dare stand against them, filling both of their minds.
She clung to Atrox, all her senses filled with him, overwhelming her with the intensity of his emotions, and his sheer power.
Vader sensed Atrox shutting out their bond, and stormed off to his son's quarters, immediately suspicious. He reached out with the Force to slam the door open, only to find it sealed from the inside, his son using the Force as a barrier to his father. "Oh, so now he learns control," Vader growled, and used Force Sight to see into the room. What he saw enraged him; Atrox and Mara stood there, locked in a passionate embrace, apparently oblivious to everything else. Shaking with fury, he stormed back to the throne room to wait for his son.
Padmé finished checking the Forsaken Hope's systems, and then emerged for one last goodbye from her daughter. Leia embraced her, tightly, and whispered, "Be careful."
Padmé gave her a small smile, and said, "No, you be careful. If… if your father is anything like the man he once was, he will not allow me to be harmed. But I worry about you, out there with the Alliance. It's so dangerous…"
"I have my duty, as you have yours, mother. And I'd say yours is the more dangerous one."
Padmé squeezed her hand, gently, and said, "Well, we shall see. We should part now, and don't try to contact me, I would hate to compromise you in any way."
Leia nodded, saddened by the fact that she may well never see her mother again. "Good- goodbye, mother. I'm glad we met. May… may the Force be with you."
"And also with you." Padmé gave her one last look, then turned and boarded the Hope, inputting coordinates for Imperial Center.