Luke had to fight to keep himself calm. Even as the violent humming of the tractor beam rattled the ship, his mind raced. He forced himself to take a breath. "What do we do?"

"What we aren't going to do is anything stupid." Ahsoka got up from her seat and opened a compartment on the floor in the cockpit. She dropped two cylbinders into the compartment and covered it up. "All our blasters are in the hold. We aren't going to get them. You're going to talk us out of it. We don't want to draw attention to me. I'm just the body guard."

Luke nodded. "Here goes nothing, then."

The ship was pulled into the Assessor's hangar bay. Luke had been inside a true Star Destroyer before. In those, the Riptide wouldn't even take up a significant fraction of the hangar. In the small Immobilizer-class cruiser, however, the Riptide took up half the hangar deck. Through the viewport, Luke could see that a number of Imperial Navy officers had their blasters at the ready.

Ahsoka seemed to be taking a more tactical assessment of the situation. "No stormtroopers. Just Navy soldiers. Strange."

Luke smiled just a little. "They weren't expecting us."

Ahsoka blinked a moment. "What?" She looked over at Luke in surprise.

"There weren't any other cruisers in the region. They were just pulling ships out of hyperspace. Maybe they were looking for things to inspect. They just happened to get us."

Ahsoka frowned, but she nodded. "Alright, let's go with that." She placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Just remember. You're the diplomat, you're flying under your father's banner. They're the ones who have to justify themselves."

He nodded. There was a loud clack as the ship touched down. "Follow my lead." He said, and he headed for the boarding hatch. He summoned every ounce of patience he had, then hit the release. The hatch opened, and the boarding ramp lowered.

Two Navy officers in gray-green uniforms were standing at the bottom of the ramp, blasters raised. One of them, a Devaronian male, barked orders quickly. "You'll descend the ramp now."

Luke affected his crisp Coruscanti accent. "Your Excellency."

"Excuse me?" The Devaronian growled. He lifted the blaster slightly, as if taking sight to threaten.

"I am an ambassador from Alderaan, on a diplomatic mission. You are to address me appropriately."

There was a moment of silence from both parties. The Devaronian lowered his blaster. "Your Excellency, if you would disembark."

"Of course," He smiled, and he lowered the boarding ramp. "May my bodyguard come aboard as well?" Luke asked.

The officer looked up the ramp at Ahsoka, who was crossing her arms across her chest, trying to look intimidating. "She'll stay aboard your shuttle." He said.

Luke nodded. "Very well." He turned back to Ahsoka. "If they illegally search the ship, send a message to Alderaan to detail them of the Empire infringing on our diplomatic status."

"Of course, Your Highness." Ahsoka couldn't help but smile, and Luke sketched a lazy salute to her as a way of farewell.

He turned back to the officer. "I'd like to speak with your commander."

"That's already been arranged," The Devaronian officer said. He gestured towards the turbolift.

They started across the hangar, with the squads who had gathered dispersing. Once they were inside, the officer keyed in a location, and the lift started to move.

As they moved, Luke felt a disturbance in the Force. It wasn't like anything he had felt before. His previous interactions with the Force had been with Ahsoka in a controlled environment, full of life and serenity. This was much different. Rage, passion. Instinctively, Luke recognized it from his lessons. The Dark Side.

The lift opened into a hall, where the officers led him to a door. The officers stood on either side, standing at attention. The door opened, revealing an office inside.

The office itself, Luke recognized as what would have been the commander's personal ready room. However, the woman sitting behind the desk wasn't even wearing a Navy uniform. Luke hypothesized that she wasn't even in the military.

The woman sitting with her legs propped up on the desk, reclining back in the chair. Luke knew, immediately, that she was the source of the Dark Side here. She wore loose-fitting trousers and a jacket, both black. The most striking feature, however, was the fiery hair that framed her intense face.

"Luke Organa, Prince and Heir to the House of Organa, son of Bail Organa, who legally adopted a war orphan and turned him into one of the youngest diplomats in the Imperial Senate." She said them as if recounting them from pure memory. She looked him over. "I somehow expected you'd be taller, Prince Charming."

"I get told that a lot. My holos aren't exactly flattering." Luke said. "And you are?"

"My name is Mara Jade. I serve the Emperor." She gestured to one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Take a seat, Your Excellency."

Luke strode over to one of the chairs and took a seat. As he got closer to Mara Jade, he realized that she couldn't have been older than him. She had an intense energy to her, but he could read her even without using the Force. "How should I address you?" He asked.

"Mara, or His Imperial Majesty's Hand. I prefer Mara, personally." She moved her feet off the desk, moving to stand. For someone who had just remarked on Luke's height, she wasn't exactly a tall woman herself.

Luke smiled. "Mara, then. I'm a member of the Imperial Senate, returning from a diplomatic mission to Dac. The Riptideis a diplomatic vessel, with all the appropriate transponder signals. Why were we placed in a tractor beam and detained?"

A little smile crossed Mara's face. "Your Excellency, I'm sure you know that there is quite a bit of Rebel activity these days. In fact, there have even been reports that the Rebellion has been using diplomatic vessels to smuggle materials these days."

"Unsubstantiated reports are hardly a reason to detain my ship." Luke said. "Unless you have reason to detain us, and mind you, that's quite a bit to say for a diplomatic vessel, I will inform the Senate."

Mara didn't even look fazed at that. "While I can't prove it, Luke, I know that in your service are several rebels. It's not a coincidence that Alderaanian ships are more likely to be hijacked by the Rebellion."

"Why, Mara, that's why we were going to Dac. Alderaan is very concerned about our shipping routes. We wanted to construct new cruisers to buffer our merchant fleet and protect our shipping."

The look that Mara shot him was icy, her green eyes boring into his. He could feel her, her power in the Force, pressing at him. He steeled himself, forming his will into a shield around his mind. The power of her probes rippled through the Force, like hot irons prodding at his mind.

"Back off," Luke warned. "I'm not helpless, Miss Jade."

The power receded, and Mara looked him over with a new interest. "You're full of surprises, Your Excellency. Not many people can resist a mind probe."

"Not many people know what it is." He said. "It's only a matter of discipline."

If looks were blasters, Mara's glare would have vaporized him on the spot. "Prince Organa, you would be wise to mind your tongue over His Majesty's Hand." She paused a beat. "Have a lovely trip home to Alderaan, Your Excellency."

Luke took that as his cue to rise. He met her gaze. "Alderaan appreciates the help you have in protecting our space, Miss Jade."

She gestured to the door. "Leave before I decide to test how good your mental shields really are."

He exited the office, where the two officers were still waiting. One of them looked back to the office, where Jade made a shooing motion. "Take him back to the hangar. He's free to go."

"This way, Your Excellency." The Devaronian officer said. He and his compatriot led Luke towards the turbolift. When it keyed, it opened to reveal a man in Imperial Marines uniforms. The two officers showed Luke in.

After a quick check of the officer's rank insignia, Luke spoke. "Major, I didn't know that Interdictors were assigned to the Marines' command."

The Major, who cleared his throat. "Ah, usually not, Your Excellency." He lacked the fine Coruscanti accent, and was something much rougher. "The situation's complicated, as most inter-branch operations are. But where are my manners? Major Bacara, Imperial Marines." He had a number of fine gray streaks in his dark hair, but Luke had no doubt the Major was still quite the capable warrior.

"Bacara," Luke tried the name out. "Well, despite the inconvenience it placed upon us, Major, be assured we thank you for your continuing protection of Imperial Space." He looked back to his escorts, than to the Major. "If you don't mind me asking, I can't quite place your accent. You don't speak like many of the Imperial Academy graduates I've met."

Bacara laughed. "I was in the service before the Imperial Academy existed, Sir. I'm a clone, so the accent is Mandalorian."

That was it. Some of the older officers that Luke had encountered had some of the same accent. He could see it now. "Thank you, Major. That's quite enlightening."

The lift stopped, and the door opened, but not onto the hangar deck. "This is my stop. A pleasure to meet you, Prince Organa."

"And you, Major Bacara."

The rest of the ride was done in silence. By the time they returned to the hangar, the troops had scattered. Instead, there was a lone deck officer, doing some routine inspections of the ship.

Ahsoka was standing at the bottom of the boarding ramp, eying the deck officer. "And I want to make sure that the ship is refueled completely. It's your job to make sure of that."

The deck officer, who looked utterly miserable, nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I-"

"Captain," She corrected him, almost too eagerly.

Luke paced towards Ahsoka. "You're enjoying this too much," He whispered as he got closer.

She shrugged. "Maybe. How did things go?"

"We're free to go. I think that we were an accident, or they didn't find what they wanted." He gestured to the ship. "Let's finish up here and go inside."

She nodded, then to the deck officer. "Once you're done here, hail us so we can get underway."

The deck officer nodded like the Emperor himself had spoken. "Let's." Luke said, and they ascended the ramp.

Once they were inside, Ahsoka asked. "So, how did you get them to let us go?"

Luke shook his head. "I talked with the person in charge of this operation. Her name's Mara Jade."

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"That's what she said. She was young, about my age." He paused a moment. "Ahsoka, she could use the Dark Side. She tried to reach into my mind."

Ahsoka leaned back against a bulkhead, cupping her jaw in thought. "We've had rumors of several operatives of the Emperor. Inquisitors, they're called. They're part of the Emperor's Sith Order. They're Jedi hunters."

Luke frowned. "She called herself the Emperor's Hand."

"I think that means she's highly placed." Ahsoka noted. "Just where in the power structure she is, though, I don't have a clue."

A buzzing sound, the comm, started to ring through the ship. Luke hit a wall panel, responding. "Organa here."

"Riptide, Assessorflight control. You're clear to leave."

Luke shook his head. "Very well. Thank you, Assessor, and give me regards to Miss Jade and Major Bacara." He cut the comm channel, then looked to Ahsoka. "Was it too easy?"

"I'm not sure." She said. "Whatever we do, though, we should be on our toes. Can you get us into hyperspace?" At Luke's nod, she continued. "Good. I've got some messages to send to some of the cells. The Rebels need to know an Interdictor is sitting on this route."

Luke smiled. "Alright. I'll get us in the air. You go do your own Fulcrum stuff." Luke headed towards the cockpit, knowing that as he started to warm up the engines, that despite what he knew, they couldn't be out of the clear just yet.