Chapter Twelve:
(Content warning: Young readers use caution in this chapter; scene of torture and sexual assault at end.)
Moff Vered stared at his screen long after it went blank. Mara Jade was getting married. To Luke Skywalker of all people!
Damn you Jade! You don't deserve to be happy! He thought furiously. He had been sure his first attack would be her undoing, but the little wench had gone and made her life all the better.
We are not through, Mara… not through at all! Vered promised her silently. I will return to finish what I began, mark my words!
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Two weeks before the big day, Mara and Leia stood in the dress shop doing a final fitting for their gowns. Mara stood on the alterations box, patiently allowing the Twilek to check for anything amiss.
"Mara, you look stunning!" Leia said, as she stood being fitted for her own bridal party gown.
Leia's dress was a light lavender color with dark purple accents. It was a simple thing, but Leia didn't mind: Mara was meant to be the center of attention here, not her. And Mara was absolutely spectacular in her gown. She had chosen a dress that, in Leia's opinion, suited Mara very well. It wasn't gaudy or too flashy, but instead tastefully elegant.
The gown was floor-length with a little excess spilling into a natural train at the rear of the hem. The material was a silky piece covered in a sheer material from the bust-line down. Lovely flowers were embroidered here and there along the bodice and to just below the knee. There were layers of the more sheer fabric lower on the dress to give it volume without being overdone.
But Leia's favorite part of the gown was the sleeves: they formed inverted triangles over her shoulders to fasten barely to the top of the dress while also meeting at the base of Mara's neck. The front of the gown dipped down into a tasteful if somewhat shallow and curved v-neck, accenting Mara's chest nicely.
Mara caught her staring and blushed self-consciously.
"Luke will not be able to believe his eyes, Mara." Leia added, trying to alleviate the other woman's wedding jitters.
"Do you think he will like it?" She questioned nervously.
"Trust me; Luke will be too busy looking into your eyes to notice much of anything else." Leia quipped. "But yes, Luke will be beside himself when you take the floor."
Mara looked almost embarrassed by her next question, and she made sure the four of them were alone before speaking.
"I, um, was kind of hoping you could help me pick something to wear for the honeymoon?" Mara asked quietly. "I'm not too good at picking out lingerie…"
Leia grinned. "You mean you want me to help my brother's wife pick something to wear for his eyes only? Not embarrassing at all!"
The women shared a laugh.
"Well, just pretend you're picking something out for Han." Mara jibbed.
Leia held up her hands. "I can tell you without a doubt that Han's tastes are far different from my brother's."
"How can you be sure?" Mara asked, only half seriously.
"Because I know the two of them, and they think differently." Leia answered. "Mara, Luke is still a man, and he will love you in anything, I promise."
"It's just that, I want to choose something that will really make him go crazy." Mara said thoughtfully. "But where do I begin?"
Leia considered this for a moment.
"Start with something that shows your personality." Leia said slowly. "That will at least give you a foundation to build on. Trust me when I tell you that lingerie can get as conservative or as erotic as you can imagine."
She giggled. "I remember a piece I wore for Han as a joke. It was a play on my gold metal bikini that Jabba the Hutt forced me to wear. But it was far skimpier. I thought his jaw was going to hit the floor when he saw me."
Mara smiled broadly at the thought of Han Solo at a loss for words.
That'll be the day. She thought wryly.
"Alright, Miss Jade." The Twilek said as she stood, fluffing out Mara's dress. "I think that about does it. What do you think?"
Mara turned a slow and purposeful 360, inspecting every inch of her wedding gown.
"It's perfect, thank you." Mara finally decided.
The two women returned to their fitting rooms to change into normal clothes, and left the shop. Leia led Mara to her favorite place to buy lingerie. When they got to the door, Leia instructed her Noghri bodyguard to wait outside.
Mara looked around in mild apprehension, a sense of déjà-vu filling her as she remembered coming to a similar store not so long ago. But this time her head was clear as a bell, and she was not picking something out to seduce Luke.
Well, at least not in the same way! Mara's naughty streak laughed.
Leia put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"
Mara nodded. "I just don't know where to begin." She said with a wave of her hand.
The store was huge, and nearly every square inch of the place sported various styles and colors of lingerie. Mara was grateful that they were in the very least sorted by color, which made it easier to pick a place to start.
"What color should I pick?" Mara added.
"White is customary for the first night." Leia said helpfully. "After that, it's free game."
"Alright, white it is then. How about something black too? Or red? Pink?" Mara said as she moved to the white section.
"How about nude?" Leia jibed.
Mara turned her head to see the brunette holding up a skin-colored corset and panties.
"I think I would just disappear in that." Mara bantered back.
"You could play hide-n-seek." Leia pressed with a wide smile.
They chuckled heartily at that, and Leia replaced the garment, moving to help her sister peruse the selection. About half an hour later they had managed to find Mara one white babydoll that was completely sheer except for small portions of the bust-line, accompanied by skimpy white panties. Another hour after that Mara also had a black and red monokini, a pale yellow bra and panties set, a skimpy pink thing that Leia was surprised Mara had selected, and a blue dress with equal parts silk and tantalizingly sheer lace.
Mara asked the salesclerk to have her outfits delivered to her apartment so Luke wouldn't find them, and they left. Mara noticed as they walked out the door that it was now dark, and there were few people out on the walkways. Her danger sense flared just as Leia gasped.
"Kathraa!"
Mara spun, and felt her eyes widen at the steel-grey alien lying in his own blood. Leia moved to him, but just then Mara's danger sense flared.
"Leia, wait!" She cried.
A dark shape leapt from the shadows, grabbed Leia, and threw a bag over her face. It ran down the streets, carrying its prey, Mara in hot pursuit.
Sithspit he's fast! Mara cursed: she was falling behind, even with her athletic abilities. Mara drew on the Force to augment her speed, and started to regain the distance. The figure led Mara through a winding labyrinth, which grated on her nerves. She used the Force to hurl a trash bin at the figure's feet, and it crashed to the ground… only to leap to its feet and run off once more.
Mara growled in irritation.
She sensed something behind her, and glanced back, but in the dark, and while running, her eyes couldn't make anything out. Without warning, Mara tripped over something scaly and hard, and went crashing down, nearly breaking her wrist when she tried to catch herself.
Before she could recover, however, something grabbed her by her hair and put a sharp blade to her throat.
"Don't move, Jade." A rough voice warned.
"Who are…?"
Mara's question was cut off when something blunt slammed into her head, and darkness took her.
Little did she know that a man was shadowing her captors.
When Mara came to, her head was swimming horribly, and her eyes refused to focus. Her wrist hurt like it had been strained when she fell, and she was cold.
"Mara, welcome back!"
Mara's blood frosted over.
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Luke sat in a chair in the Solo's sitting room, wondering why Mara and Leia weren't home yet. It was getting late, and neither he nor Han had received so much as a call from either woman.
Luke tried to raise Mara's comlink for the third time that evening. Han, he noted, looked just as concerned. It was getting quite late, after all.
"Maybe they went out for drinks with some of their lady friends." Han suggested after a long silence.
Luke sighed, running a hand down his face. "I can't blame them. All this wedding planning is hard work. I'll be happy when we can just sit back and enjoy the event."
Han chuckled at that. "Enjoy your wedding? Kid, the only part you are going to truly enjoy is the time at the altar. After that you and Mara won't have more than a few minutes to yourselves at a time." He offered his best cocky grin. "Trust me."
Chewie came into the room then, having just checked on the kids. He wuffed something, and Han shook his head.
"Nothing yet, Chewie."
The Wookie glanced at Luke, and asked another question.
"You want a drink?" Han translated.
Luke glanced at the Wookie. "Sure, Chewie. Thanks."
Their friend lumbered off to the kitchen, surprisingly quiet for such a large being. He returned moments later with three glasses of amber liquid.
"Ah, the good stuff. Thanks old buddy." Han said as he accepted his cup.
Luke took his own drink and sipped it cautiously. He settled back into his chair tiredly, closing his eyes despite his worry. He was worn out from a day of trying on suits and checking on other wedding preparations. He'd also had to attend a few meetings that were not related to the grand event.
Luke steadied his breathing, wondering if he could catch a few minutes of rest before the ladies returned. No sooner had he drifted off, however, than a jolt of alarm and anger flared up, hitting him like a hammer.
Luke jerked up, spilling his drink.
"Hey, watch the upholstery!" Han complained. "Leia will have my hide otherwise!"
But Luke wasn't listening; he was trying to trace the source.
"Luke?" Han sat up straighter; realizing that is brother-in-law had 'the look'.
"Hold on a second." Luke murmured.
A knock at the door startled Luke out of his musings, and Han answered the door cautiously. A dark haired man in a black outfit stood tall and proudly in the hall. He nodded curtly to Han, then saw Luke, and offered a second nod.
"Soontir Fel?" Luke asked in astonishment. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"
"I'm sorry to say my coming here is due to no pleasure whatsoever." Fel replied briskly. "Your sister and fiancée are in trouble."
Luke was instantly on his feet. "What do you mean?"
Fel offered a short sigh. "I am here on Coruscant following Moff Vered. The Moffs have suspected the man to be participating in some, well, less scrupulous activities. He disappeared right before he was due to meet with the other Moffs, and they asked me to investigate. I… what?" He asked when he saw Luke's face.
Han turned, and felt alarm bells ring in his head. Luke's face had gone pale, but his eyes shown with a depth of fury Han had never before seen.
"Vered?" Luke's voice was a deadly whisper.
Fel nodded, glancing at Han, who shrugged.
"I tracked him to an abandoned office building deep in the under levels." Fel finished.
Luke broke into a sprint, and Fel backed out of his way, only to follow him to the lift.
"Chewie, stay with the kids!" Han yelled as he, too, followed Luke.
"You know where this office building is already?" Fel was asking as the doors closed.
Luke merely nodded.
"We can take my speeder, it is waiting outside." Fel offered.
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Mara worked overtime to try to clear her mind, not wanting to lose control like before. She shifted her limbs… and received a shock. Mara gasped in pain, belatedly understanding that they had her in stun cuffs.
No. Mara realized. Not just stun cuffs… I'm back on that wretched table!
Mara stretched out with the Force, trying to find a way to unlock the cuffs. She frowned after a minute, wondering why the cuffs weren't obeying her.
"Ah, I know you are a Force user, Jade; which is why I took precautions this time." Vered scoffed, brandishing an empty syringe. "This was filled with a Force-blocking drug. It allows you to feel it, but not use it."
Mara snarled at him, and he advanced, brandishing a sharp bladed knife. It glinted hard in the bright light flooding the center of the room.
"Now, Mara, why did you have to go and get engaged, huh?" Vered accused, bringing the knife to her shirt.
"Strange thing about getting engaged, it's usually to someone you love." Mara shot back.
"You don't deserve happiness. Assassins can never live truly happy lives." Vered grated.
"Stay away from me, or Luke will…"
"He'll what?" Vered sneered. "Will he kill me in cold blood? That wouldn't be very Jedi Master-like of him, now would it?"
He slid the knife under her shirt and carefully cut two holes in it, exposing her bra. Mara spat in his face, a move that earned her a backhand to the face. She reeled from the force of his blow, and he proceeded to tatter the rest of her shirt until it was nothing more than a fishing net.
Mara screamed her fury at him, attempting to touch the Force again, but it eluded her like a wet bar of soap in the shower. She wanted this man to pay, but some part of her wondered what Luke would do to Vered if he found him. And the prospect of what Luke was capable of doing brought to her a new level of fear. A fear of losing Luke to the Dark Side.
Mara wanted this man to pay, but not if it meant sacrificing Luke.
"So…" Mara taunted, trying with mediocre success to remain calm. Her breathing was starting to come in labored draws. "Is this the only way you can… get women to sleep with you? You have to strap them to a… metal table and stun them beyond comprehension?"
Vered threw back his head and laughed.
"Oh, my dear; I have plenty of women who willingly succumb to me. And, I might add, of their own free will." Vered said, puffing his chest out.
"Really? How intoxicated are they by that point?"
Vered's laughter died, and he snarled. "Insolent whore!"
He retrieved something from where she couldn't see, and slammed it down on her ankle. Mara screamed in agony as her bone separated, sending fiery shoots of pain through her.
Vered cut through her pants, catching her legs in multiple places as he did so, and ignoring her hisses of pain. He then pulled her underwear down and cut her just above the hips, digging in deeper this time.
Mara jerked, howling in torment first from the knife and then the stun cuffs as their voltage intensified. He used the knife to cut the middle of her bra, and forced the fabric away. Vered's face came into view, and she saw that his eyes were wild and enraged.
He's lost it! She thought, fearing for her life for the first time since waking.
Luke! She thought desperately, knowing that he couldn't hear her without her ability to use the Force. Luke, help me!