I just wanted to say a bit THANK YOU to everyone reading this story. I hope you are enjoying and continue to enjoy. :)
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CHAPTER 6
Everything is settled, master.
Very good. You will contact me when you have more specific rendezvous coordinates, and I will send my best troops to Dantooine to take care of the defectors. You have done very well, Mara.
Thank you. Mara felt the familiar approval wash over her bond with the Emperor, only now it did not fill her with pride as it once used to. She could sense her master's concern, and he reached out to touch her mind again.
Something is troubling you.
Mara was nervous, but still felt no need to hide her feelings from the Emperor. As long as she performed her mission as planned, he would never know her misgivings about whether or not she could go through with it. She would, however, eventually need to tell him about her concerns regarding abuses in the fleet. Just like with her concerns about Alderaan, he was sure to give careful consideration to her misgivings.
I am unhappy with the way things are run onboard the Accuser, master. I feel that the officers in charge are not living up to the high Imperial standards set by the Palace.
I see. I am troubled to hear your concerns. I will, of course, have my aides look into this matter as soon as possible. And we will speak further on your return to Imperial Center.
Yes, master. Thank you.
I have faith in you, my child. I know you will not fail me.
Even knowing what her success would entail, Mara also knew she could never fail her master. She was the Emperor's Hand. It was against her nature to fail.
Without another word, Mara felt Palpatine's Force sense reach out in one last caress before gently pulling away. As with every other time they broke contact, she felt a tremendous sense of loss and was forced to lie back, breathing heavily to calm herself.
She was on her own again.
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Palpatine touched the girl one last time before withdrawing from their bond. He was pleased with her most recent report; she finally had received concrete information regarding the rendezvous location, and he was more than certain that his commandos could take care of three TIE fighter pilots and the small Rebel force sent to collect them. Perhaps the Rebels would even send Organa on this mission. Mara would certainly receive high commendations if her mission resulted in Organa's death.
Beside him, his apprentice shifted slightly, clearly looking for an invitation to speak, but Palpatine would not give it to him. There was too much at stake.
"You will take the Executor to Dantooine to take care of the defectors. Use whatever force necessary. Of course I do not need to remind you that my Hand is not to be damaged."
"Of course, master. The defectors…are they to be brought in alive?"
"Unnecessary. We need no information from them. My Hand has provided it all."
"I see." Vader paused; Palpatine could sense that his apprentice was debating whether to pose his next question. After several moments, he apparently decided that it was worth potentially angering his master. "If Mara Jade poses a threat, what is to be done?"
The Sith Master glared sharply at his apprentice, clearly demonstrating his disapproval at the way Vader referred to the girl. If her status was to remain firm in the Empire, such informalities were not to be tolerated. Vader recoiled under his gaze, but did not retract his question.
It was an irrelevant question, Palpatine knew. He had raised the girl from early childhood and had no question of her loyalty. If he had, he would never have sent her into the fleet. Yes, Mara was experiencing some doubts and had been presented with truths that had unsettled her. But this was all a test, one Palpatine was certain she would pass. His Hand would betray her associates and venture on to serve her master once more. She would be reminded that her feelings and emotions were inconsequential to the success of her missions. She would reaccept her place in the Empire and her mandate to protect it.
"She will not, Lord Vader," Palpatine finally responded. "I have faith in her to do her job."
"Yes, master." For a moment, Palpatine thought that Vader would drop the subject. But he did not. "And if she doesn't?"
He knew what Vader was asking—did he have permission to take her out if necessary? The Sith wasn't surprised. He had encouraged the contentious relationship since the first introduction between his apprentice and his Hand. Vader acted openly hostile towards the girl, while she constantly struggled to earn Vader's approval. It was necessary to make sure that none of his acolytes ever united against him.
The thought of Mara Jade turning against him was unfathomable, but Palpatine knew that Vader would not leave until he'd received what he desired. Deciding to placate his apprentice, Palpatine nodded. "You may do what is necessary. But take care," he added, his voice taking on a threatening tone. "She is precious to me. See that she is well-protected."
"Yes, master." Pleased with his instructions, Vader bowed and left the Throne Room. Palpatine settled back in his throne and smiled.
Everything was going as planned.
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The briefing room was obnoxiously bright, just the way Luke preferred.
He stood at the podium, absently shuffling stacks flimsiplast as his pilots began filing into the room. They performed to his expectations, yelling out and bringing up their arms to cover their eyes. Luke did his best not to laugh at them. No matter how many times the Rogues filed into early morning briefings, they had never learned to prepare themselves for the startling brightness. It was something that had first happened by accident, but now Luke made it a point to turn up all the lights before his pilots arrived. He blamed the eternal prankster Wes Janson for being a bad influence.
After Luke had his amusement for the morning, it was time to get down to business. "Listen up Rogues, we've got another pick-up scheduled for next week."
Wes's hand shot up in the air. "Ooh, where it is? Are we going to Mon Cal? Please tell me we're going to Mon Cal. They have beaches there!"
"Of course we're not going to Mon Cal, we're not nearly that lucky," Hobbie said.
"It's not Tatooine, is it?" Wedge asked. "I really don't do well in warm-weather climates."
"Speak for yourself, I could use a tan!" Wes countered. "The ladies love a tan."
"How would you know?" Dack retorted.
Luke let the pilots carry on for few more moments before moving on. "Alright children, settle down. Janson, I'm sorry, but we are not going to visit Ackbar's relatives."
"Dammit. I never get to have any fun on this job."
"Nor are we going to Tatooine, and I would encourage you to remember that your esteemed commander hails from Tatooine."
"Yeah, and you hated it there," Wedge reminded him.
It was a reminder that stung Luke; he'd always wanted to get off Tatooine. He'd finally gotten the chance, but it had cost his aunt and uncle their lives…and his innocence.
Well, there was no use dwelling on that. Luke shrugged. "I did. But anyway, if you can't go to Tatooine, why not go to the next best place?"
"You mean hell?"
"Very funny, Janson. Just for that, you get to help Hobbie with laundry duty this month." Wes groaned in protest, but Luke ignored him. "No, we'll be heading for Dantooine."
"Dantooine? You mean where the abandoned Rebel base is?" Zev asked.
"Yes, which makes it the perfect place for a pick-up. The Empire will never suspect us going back there. Just in case, though, be prepared for a firefight. We're not predicting any trouble, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully, we won't even have to get out of our X-wings on this trip."
From the back of the room, Dack raised his hand. "Excuse me, commander, but aren't there a lot of farms on Dantooine?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, farms would indicate the presence of farm girls, would they not?"
"Don't get your hopes up, Dack. We won't be there long enough for you to meet your soul mate. Besides, farm girls can be notoriously picky. Trust me, I know."
"Ahem." Wes cleared his throat. "Speaking of ladies…"
Luke rolled his eyes, knowing exactly where Wes was taking this. Luke had transmitted the information about the defectors to his pilots' datapads the previous evening, with instructions to be prepared to help them acclimate to the Alliance. Apparently Wes had found some information that intrigued him.
Sure enough, Luke was correct.
"I think there was a typo on my report, boss. According to the information, one of the TIE pilots is a woman."
"Yes, Wes. That is correct."
"So…um…I'll volunteer to show her around. If you know what I mean."
"What makes you think she wants youto show her around?" Wedge asked. "She probably wants someone who's actually…attractive. Like a Corellian."
"Hey, she's my age!" Dack protested. "You should all back off and give me a chance."
"No way, Dack. Women like older men. Not ancient like our pal Senesca here, but old enough to have some experience under his belt. You know. Like me." Wes placed his hands behind his head.
"Please. The only experience you have with women is kissing your mom good night."
"Hey!" Wes smacked Hobbie on the arm. "You promised you'd keep that quiet!"
"Can I please get your attention?" Even though the Rogues had just been ribbing each other senseless, they all shut up as soon as Luke began speaking again. He had to hand it to his pilots—they knew when to have fun, but they knew when to get serious. "Thank you. Anyway, yes, one of the pilots is a woman. I'm hoping to offer her a spot on the roster, if she fits well with the squadron. I hope none of you have a problem with that."
"Are you kidding? Have you seen what she looks like?" Wes balked, holding up his datapad. "She's a knockout, boss. She can be a member of my squadron any day."
"I'm glad for your approval, Wes, but I'm serious about this. The Alliance has a female Commander in Chief but hardly any female pilots. I want her to feel like she can fit in with us, and not have to worry about getting hit on all the time."
"So…are you saying that you don't approve of relationships between squadron mates?" Wedge asked. "Because, you know, just in case we do get any female members, that would be nice to know."
"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying not to make her uncomfortable. Contrary to what you may believe, not every woman's dream is to spend the night with Wes Janson."
Wes placed a hand over his heart. "That stings, Luke."
"Anyway…I guess what I'm trying to say is just be nice, okay?"
"Sure," Wedge nodded. "No problem. We'll make sure she is completely unaware of our competition to win her heart."
"And speaking of romance," Wes said, moving on to the next topic of conversation. "We'll be escorting the Millennium Falcon, correct?"
"Yes."
"And Princess Leia will be accompanying us on this mission, correct?"
"Yes."
"And Han Solo will be captain, correct?"
"Are you going somewhere with this?"
"Yes. Is there any way we can place listening bugs in the ship, so we'll have some entertainment while in hyperspace?"
Luke placed his head in his hands, silently counting to ten. When he looked up, he met his XO's eyes. "Wedge?"
The Corellian nodded and smacked Wes on the head.
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On the night before the Accuser was to make orbit at Commenor, Mara thought she was going to be sick.
Many times over the past months had she been grateful that she had a single room; she had arranged to bunk on her own for various reasons, one being that it would enable to speak to her master without suspicion from a roommate. But that night she was grateful for an entirely different reason.
She was breaking down.
It wasn't unexpected. She'd been uneasy throughout this entire mission. When it had begun, she'd been confident and sure of herself, as she always was while serving as the Emperor's Hand. She expected her mission to go quickly and without any complications. She'd been more than pleased that her master had trusted her so much to carry out such an important task. And, of course, that he had taken her concerns to heart.
And now, she felt so unsure of herself and questioned every bit of training she'd ever received. It was all her fault, she knew. She had done what had always been warned against. This uneasiness was her punishment, her reminder of her place in the Empire.
There was a knock at the door and Mara reached out into the Force, not at all surprised when she felt Tycho on the other side. She'd expected him to check up on her on the final night. It was their last chance to speak privately before taking leave.
This was her chance to put a stop to it all before she had no other choice but to carry out her mission. She had to give Tycho one last chance to change his mind before she betrayed him. She owed him that much. He was logical and reasonable; surely he would understand her argument. And if she convinced him to stay in the Empire, then all her misgivings would fade away.
She opened the door without saying a word. She sat on the bunk while Tycho took the room's lone chair and stared at her expectantly. She knew what he was going to ask, but this time she didn't give him a chance.
"Do you think we're doing the right thing?"
Tycho blinked, surprised. "Of course. You know that I do."
Mara nodded. Of course she knew that.
"Have you changed your mind?"
"I know there are things wrong with the Empire. I just…maybe we're doing the wrong thing. Maybe we shouldn't leave. Maybe we should try to fix things from the inside." It was, in fact, exactly what Mara intended to do. She had already informed Palpatine that there were many abuses going on in his fleet. She intended to tell him everything on her return to the Palace, in hopes that he would address her issues. And she had no doubt that he would. After all, he had done so with Alderaan. Mara now had many reasons to distrust the Empire, but she would never give up faith in her Emperor.
"You think if we stay, we have a better chance of changing things?" Tycho asked.
"Yes! The Rebellion won a victory by destroying the Death Star, but do you really think they're powerful enough to take down an Empire? It just seems futile."
"Maybe it is—right now. But if more people like us change their minds, who knows how long it will be until the tide of the war is changed? How many people out there disapprove of what the Empire is doing, but don't dare defect to the other side because they're afraid the Alliance has no chance to win? If we all think that way…they never will."
"I just don't know, Tycho."
"Listen, Mara. I understand your concerns. I really do. When I first went to the academy, I believed in the Empire, but I also wanted to change it. I thought I could do that from the inside. I ignored all the abuses I saw and clung to the belief that things could still be changed. My classmates defected soon after we left the academy, and I still did nothing. Then Alderaan happened. And then I couldn't pretend anymore."
"But Tarkin's dead, and the Death Star is gone."
"Tarkin is dead. Palpatine isn't."
Mara's eyes widened imperceptibly before she remembered herself and clamped down on her emotions. "What…what do you mean? Tarkin was in command of the Death Star. He made the decision to destroy Alderaan."
"And who gave him that command, Mara? Who gave him the authority to make such a decision?"
"Palpatine, but—"
"Exactly, Mara. Palpatine did. The Emperor, who rules his Empire exactly as he sees fit. Who knows, maybe change is still possible from the inside, but I know one thing for sure: as long as he's around, I really don't want to stick around to find out."
She didn't answer. She had absolutely no idea what to say.
"Here's the real question, Mara: do you think it's fixable? If you do, then you need to stay on the Accuser tomorrow. If you're not completely sure, I don't want you going along with this. I trust you enough to know that you won't report where we've gone.
"But if you do agree with me, and you don't think that the Empire can be changed…then you need to come with me tomorrow. It's your decision to make. It always has been."
He watched her for a moment, looking for an answer to his question…but she still remained quiet, completely and utterly speechless.
Her decision…
Finally Tycho stood from the chair and patted her on the arm. Before he left the room, he turned around and smiled at her. "I know you're nervous, but get some rest tonight, okay? Tomorrow's going to be a busy day."
The following morning, the Accuser arrived at Commenor. Four TIE fighter pilots took their leave on the planet.
They did not come back.