Chapter 40:

Mara lay under the black sheets in Atrox's bed, her hair a red-gold cloud against the dark pillows. Atrox had risen a few minutes ago, feeling the need to report to his master about something urgent. She watched him through half-closed eyes as he dressed, feeling… content? euphoric? peaceful? For now, she was content just to lie there, looking at him, reflecting. The passion between them had been so powerful that it became tangible, like lightning rushing between their bodies, the sensation only serving to increase the pleasure both were experiencing. He turned for one last look at her before leaving for the throne room, and she smirked. "You look like you're on your way to your execution, Skywalker."

Darth Atrox continued to look at his apprentice and smirked, "I'll just have to think of a suitable… punishment for you later, my apprentice."

She laughed, softly. "Oh, I'm sure you will."

Atrox chuckled in response and reopened his bond with his father as he walked out of the room.

Vader sensed his son reopen their bond, and waited for him to arrive. He had had ample time for his anger to simmer, and the knowledge that Atrox was on his way to see him only served to anger him further. As Atrox entered, Vader turned his throne around to face him, a deep scowl settled across his face, waiting for his son to speak first.

Atrox walked up to the throne and knelt before it, smirking at his father… waiting for him to address him first.

Vader, with great difficulty, refrained from exploding at his son. His eyes narrowed, dangerously, however, and he asked, "How is your apprentice's training progressing, Lord Atrox?"

Atrox continued to smirk at Vader through the hood of his cloak and said, "She is beginning to embrace the dark side of the Force, master. Not to mention… exploring my bed at the moment."

Vader's expression contorted with fury as he finally released his wrath upon his son. Within moments he was on his feet, blasting Atrox with lightning fueled by his rage. "I TOLD YOU SHE WAS UNWORTHY OF YOUR ATTACHMENT!" he raged at his son, stepping up the power of the lightning with each word. "I tolerated your feelings, allowed you to train her, and this," he spat the word as if it was something foul, "is how you repay my generosity? No more!"

Atrox remained kneeling, turning the pain caused by the lightning into rage, fueling his connection to the dark side. "If she is unworthy of me… then mom was unworthy of your attachment." Atrox muttered, touching Mara through their newly developed Force bond.

Vader's fury reached the breaking point, and he snapped, "Leave your mother out of this!" He shoved his son to the floor with the Force, and said, his voice dangerously cool, "Your mother was not one of Palpatine's shuttas."

Atrox chuckled at his father's outburst. "Interesting… why would you care so much for someone who betrayed you and was the cause of you being in that… suit? Furthermore, I know that you will not permanently damage me, I am all that you have left of that shutta."

Vader paused. "If I'm not mistaken, son, my wife bore two children. Do not assume you are indispensable to me, Lord Atrox. My daughter," he reflected, "bears a striking resemblance to her mother."

Mara felt Atrox's touch on her mind, and could feel through their bond that Vader was punishing him. She tentatively gave him a mental caress, angry that Vader would harm him because of her.

Atrox felt Mara's mental caress and smirked at his father with new determination. "Not for long. She has had her chance to join us and puts that vaunted rebellion in front of family… If that is like your wife, then you were a fool to marry her in the first place, not to mention to still have feelings for her. If I find my so-called sister… I am going to make her suffer."

Vader glared at his son, coldly. "At least I respected my wife enough to marry her in the first place."

Atrox glared back, and spoke coldly, "I am beyond caring… father. You would never approve of us. Search my thoughts if you think you're powerful enough."

Vader laughed, coldly. "No need for that, my son. However…" he used the Force to knock Atrox unconscious. "I think I shall go pay a visit to my future daughter-in-law."

Mara had just finished dressing when the door opened. Knowing instinctively that it was not Atrox, she turned around, suspiciously, to find her fears confirmed. "You," she breathed, glaring at him with her bright emerald eyes.

Vader's cold, burning yellow eyes glared at Mara. "You will kneel and show me proper respect... now. My… son is not here to save you if I decide to end your pathetic existence."

Mara's eyes flashed, dangerously. "What have you done with him?"

Vader lifted his hand and pulled out his lightsaber hilt. "The way I punish my son is none of your concern. This is your final chance, show me the proper respect or I will kill you where you stand." Vader replied, his voice colder than ice.

Mara's lightsaber was in her hand almost at the same moment as his. "Tell me where he is and what you've done to him, or by the Force, I'll find him myself."

Mara's blade met Vader's in midair, the energy blades crackling where they touched. Vader disengaged his blade from hers, and struck again, their blades touching in a quick flurry of blows, Vader's heavy and designed to overpower, while Mara strove simply to deflect the brunt of the attacks away from her. She was cautious, very cautious, keenly aware that one false move and she would be dead. If she could let him consume his energy in attacking her, she might have a chance once he grew tired. If she survived that long.

Vader aimed a slash at her midriff, and smirked as she parried the blow. "You can never hope to defeat me, fool girl. You're wasting your time."

Mara glared at him, and ground out, "If you think I'm just going to stand here and let you kill me, you've got another thing coming."

Again Vader struck, this time at her shoulder. "You could never be good enough for my son. His potential far exceeds your own, and always will."

She took the full force of that blow, barely keeping the blade from touching her. She lost it, then, and began counterattacking, snapping with each blow, "Why… can't you let… your son… decide that… for himself?" Her emotion peaked, anger and desperation rushing through her, penetrating through Atrox's unconsciousness through their bond.

Atrox was jolted awake, and immediately sensed that Mara was in grave danger. He doused his Force signature, completely engulfing himself in the dark side of the Force, manipulating it to conceal himself from everyone. His body seemed to absorb the shadows, reflecting the shadow off of him, hiding him from view as he rushed to his quarters.

Vader allowed Mara to rain blows down on him, blocking each of them with little difficultly. Once there was a lull in her attacks, he aimed a blow of his own at her neck, only to meet her blade midway, a desperate glint in her eye.

At that moment, Atrox reached his quarters, and entered just as Vader remarked, "Why he would choose you, when he could have had any woman in the galaxy, is beyond me. Obviously, he didn't have the opportunity to cultivate much taste in that backwater world he grew up in."

Atrox drew his saber staff and moved quickly towards his bedroom, keeping himself concealed from view. He at once took in the situation, and ignited his saber staff, lunging towards his father even as he emerged from hiding.

Vader barely sidestepped the blade, his danger sense giving him a split-second warning. He stepped to the side, positioning both Mara and Atrox in front of him, so as to have no enemies at his back, and glared at his son. "So. You are going to betray your father, as well? You're no better than your sister. You disappoint me."

"No, I am not going to betray my father. But I will not let you destroy my apprentice either. It hurts you to see your son taking a woman, it hurts you because mom died by your hand, but that does not make it my problem. If I wanted to kill you and take your place… believe me, I would have done it when I first realized that I was more powerful than you are!"

Vader stared at his son for a moment, stunned by his nerve. Finally, he said, coldly, "You are fortunate you're my son, or you would be dead for saying such things. And as for your apprentice… she appears to be learning her lessons well, I can sense the dark side in her." He paused, and smirked at Mara. "Continue. I would like to fully test your saber skills."

Mara glared at him, and shot Atrox a glance. He nodded, and said, "Enough with that lightsaber, my apprentice. Try the saber staff."

Mara let a few thoughts escape through their bond of just what she thought of that instruction, but nonetheless complied. She deactivated her lightsaber and hooked it onto her belt, then unhooking and ignited her saber staff, and gave Vader a determined look.

Vader ignited his own saber, as Atrox took a few steps into the background and resumed his dark camouflage. Vader raised an eyebrow, briefly, at the place where his son had last been, noting how impressive Atrox's skills were becoming, then didn't have time to reflect on it anymore as Mara struck. She was keenly aware of the lower edge of her blade, knowing that it was all too easy to take off her own leg with it. Vader caught her blade in a saber lock, giving her a smirk, and she glared at him, hissing, "I hate you." She broke the saber lock, and spun around, bringing the opposite end of her saber staff up to strike him again, only to once more find her saber locked against his. Her eyes blazed, traces of yellow bleeding into them, and she snapped, "If it were not against my master's will, I would kill you where you stand."

Both Sith Lords chuckled, pleased by her hate. "Good, my apprentice, very good. Let the hate flow through you. Give in to it, let it course through your very being!" Atrox announced from the shadows, standing somewhere near his apprentice.

Mara felt the warmth of his approval rush through her, then frowned as she focused on his instructions. Her eyes narrowed as she opened herself to her hatred, knocking back Vader's blade and striking with stronger and surer blows as the power of the dark side began to course through her.

Padmé dropped out of hyperspace near Coruscant, now known as Imperial Center, and waited to be hailed. She hadn't been back since the rise of the Empire, it was too dangerous. Now, though…

She was startled out of her reverie by the comm beeping. She hit the switch, and a voice blared, "Unidentified ship, this is Imperial Center Control. What is your purpose here?"

With a sigh, she thumbed it open, and replied, "Control, this is the Forsaken Hope. I… I need an audience with Lord Vader."

There was silence on the comm for some time, then a sharper, more cynical voice came on. "Hope, this is Admiral Solo. What is your business with Lord Vader?"

Padmé paused. Finally, she said, "Give him my name, and tell him I'm here."

"And what is your name?"

"Padmé Amidala… Skywalker."

The comm was silent for much longer this time. Then it crackled back to life, and the Admiral's voice came back on, slightly more respectful. "Dock at the palace. Lord Vader will see you immediately."

Mara deflected Vader's thrust, and spun her blade quickly around to strike at his neck. "You set great store in… being loyal to someone, in serving, don't you?" Vader noted, as he brought his blade up to block her attack.

Mara glared at him, and forced his blade down with her own. "I believe in having a cause to dedicate myself to, but only those I choose to be loyal to. Anyone else can crash and burn for all I care."

Vader was about to reply, when Han entered, hesitantly. "Er, Lord Vader, I—"

Vader turned on him, shooting him a dark look. "I hope this is important, for your sake, Admiral."

"Er, yessir. You see, there's someone coming who wants to see you. She told me to give you her name." Han shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortably.

Vader continued to glare at him, expectantly. "Well? What is it?" He froze as the first syllable rolled off the Admiral's tongue.

"Padmé Amidala Skywalker, Lord Vader."

A small glass ornament shattered as Atrox lost control and emerged from his concealment. His expression was one of mistrust and suspicion, and he spat, "It's got to be some kind of a trick, an assassination attempt on my sister's part, maybe. Have her killed."

"No!" Vader snapped, countermanding Atrox's orders. "I will see her. Send her to the throne room." Han, realizing he was dismissed, left as hastily as he dared. A moment later he was back, nervously, and said, "Oh, um, Lord Atrox, the transport carrying the rest of the Desert Sands unit just reported in, as well, sir."