Chapter Sixteen: Phantoms

"We fell for it," Ahsoka said quietly as the other members of the strike team busied themselves in preparation for the coming attack. Rescue plan, Mara reminded herself. "They tricked even Master Windu, Skywalker!"

"We have the advantage," Anakin said sternly. "They think they have all the Jedi cornered."

Anakin then looked at the Mara. "Kenobi?"

Mara nodded and stepped forward, connecting her datapad to the holo, making sure she hid away the access to her personal information. Now wasn't the time for dark revelations.

"Gallispied have seventy battle units over the planet." She zoomed in on the image. "The highest concentration is in the capital, where the so-called peace talks with Serenno are taking place. Our negotiation team is here."

Mara then brought up more images. "Master...General Skywalker has transmitted orders to the Council and the outlying teams. Rescue and strike teams have been set up in the rest of the Jedi positions. It seems that the outlying planets have no part in this deception."

Anakin nodded to her and she stepped back. "Serenno and Gallispied want to deliver a blow to either the Republic, the Jedi Order or both. The battle units need to be deactivated. The Republica Navy has been called into service in an emergency session in Senate."

Leia, Mara thought to herself.

"Let me make this clear. Our objectives are to rescue the teams and take out the battle units. Intel indicates that specific individuals are going to be holding the remote units. Retrieve them."

Everyone was silent.

"May the Force be with you," Luke finally said and everyone moved off.

o0o

Mara had spent the short amount of time she had before the mission in her cramped quarters. She hadn't slept and was trying to meditate. Everything she held dear was connected to the fate of this mission. She should have realised that Serenno's hatred of both the Republic and the Jedi ran deep. In retrospect, it had been obvious at the negotiations. Her mind had been preoccupied, however. She wondered just how much damage Dooku had done if they were going to such extreme lengths. It would cause the Republic to have to put any former Separatist systems under close scrutiny.

In short, the galaxy was about to turn into chaos. They had had twenty years of relative peace. Why now? There was a feeling Mara carried with her in the back of her mind. Anakin and Luke had assured her that the deceit had nothing to do with her. How could it? She was just one Jedi—still a padawan.

A powerful one, the voice reminded her. She fought back and silenced it. Her mother hadn't been able to fend off against the onslaught but she was stronger. She had to be. The return of Mara had nothing to do with Serenno's choice to bring anarchy into their structured, organised world.

Another fact taunted her—she was technically a Count. With her mother dead and no other family, her claim to being a Count would be undisputed. She let herself wonder if she hadn't been smuggled off world, tucked into the spice-ridden womb of her mother, would she be amongst the deceitful Counts now?

Mara was tired of the constant war inside of her. More than ever she wanted to break down and confess. She was slowly being split in two—she was a Jedi, a champion of peace and also a terrified and scared woman on the brink of what felt like eternal darkness.

She tried to relax and focus on her meditation. Now was the time to be sharp. She could fall apart when this was over.

There was a knock at her door. She could sense who was on the other side. She didn't answer. The door opened to reveal a tired looking Luke. "Can I come in?"

Mara didn't move her body, only nodded her head. He sat next to her on the tiny bed, mirroring her posture. "Thank you," he said. "Because of you we might actually stand a chance."

Mara closed her eyes and tried to channel her emotions into serenity. "The Force guides us, Skywalker. I just hope we're not too late."

She felt a soft kiss on her forehead. It calmed her. "I'll see you out there, Red."

She didn't even notice as Luke slipped out of the room.

o0o

Mara's civilian clothes suffocated her. Her functional Jedi tunic was on safely underneath but she missed her robes. The large, shift dress did nothing for her. However, if they were to successfully dock close to the capital, their disguises had to fool the guards. As far as they were aware, the attacks hadn't been launched and Gallispied was still conducting business as usual.

Time and surprise were on their side and they intended to use it. Once again, Mara had been given the same mission as both Luke and Ahsoka. They had each been assigned an area and were required to find and identify the individuals with control over the battle units. Mara's hand longed to touch her lightsaber but she didn't dare. It was accessible but hidden and it would have to do for now.

They agreed that as a padawan who wasn't completely recognisable throughout the galaxy, Mara would be responsible for the talking. She had tucked her flame red hair into a hood and darkened her face with some Elsh makeup. Everyone was ready, although Mara could sense the tension in the cabin.

There was a lot at stake. Not just the decommissioning of the battle droids, but the rescue of her father and Padmé weighed on everyone's minds. It was during moments like this that Mara completely understood why the Order had banned emotional attachments. She loved her father more than anything, and no matter what was happening between her and Anakin, Padmé had always been there for her.

There was no way she was leaving without them, and she could say the same for the Skywalkers and Ahsoka. "Are we all clear?" Anakin asked.

"Yes Master," she said, mimicking Ahsoka. She took a deep breath. Her time was now.

o0o

She still couldn't believe that their deception had worked. Mara had put on quite a performance—a skill she hadn't really ever used until today. When it had looked as if they were going to refuse them, she had relented and used the Jedi mind trick. They then passed through without incident. The remaining strike team were still on board and had their orders.

With only a nod, Mara took the first exist. A part of her wanted to scream and turn back and follow the rest or even stow away back on the Defender.

The better part of her won. She felt Luke through the Force and convinced herself that he would be fine. If anything, she was the one that needed protecting. She was all too aware that she was still a padawan with at least two years until she even had the opportunity to take her trials. It was amazing that she was even allowed on the mission, especially unsupervised. Anakin must have pled her case to the Council very effectively. She was going to do it properly this time.

Mara kept her head down as she walked through the streets of Gallispied. It reminded her of Serenno, except the structures shot upwards. It wasn't as grand as Coruscant, or even Naboo, but still held some beauty in its antique architecture. For the most part, the beings ignored her. She spotted only humans as she made her way to the looming building that were home to the negotiations.

And the battle units, Mara reminded herself. She couldn't lose focus. For reasons still unknown, Serenno and Gallispied wanted to see the Jedi dealt a swift blow. Right now, Mara thought Anakin suspected that they wanted to show they had power and not actually activate the units. Mara didn't agree. If they had gone to the trouble to organise the deception, they had a reason.

The building loomed in the distance. Ultimately, the entire strike team would end up there. It was Mara's job to get them into the building. Anakin had put his trust into her so she knew she could do it. After she was able to break into the building, she would hack the alarm systems. Then, it was time to get out of there.

Mara had much more faith in her fellow Jedi than herself. She wholeheartedly believed that once she did her own duty, they would be able to save the day. Anakin and Luke rarely worked together, but when they did, it was explosive. She thought about Luke. She could feel that he was very focused on the task at hand. The best way to encourage him, she thought, was to honour her own commitments and get the job done.

It took her a half hour on foot to reach the building. Considering the whole conference was a farce and the two systems were in the midst of a cold war, there wasn't a lot of security surrounding the building.

Mara pulled the hood further over her head, hoping her tell-tale red locks were securely tucked inside. It was now or never. She spotted the customary two guards at the front of the entrance. Using skills she hadn't had the time to refine, she tried to ascertain whether the Jedi mind trick would work on her.

Luckily, it seemed that they were. She walked up the steps. Predictably, they gripped their blasters and ganged up on her with stern faces. "Identify yourself."

Mara looked directly into the guard's eyes. "I need to get into the building."

His eyes glazed over and Mara wanted to shriek with happiness. Her father and Padmé were in there and she was one mind trick away from ensuring their safety.

"Go through," the guard responded.

"Wait a minute!" the other guard interrupted before Mara could push past her. She turned her attention to the other guard. "I need to pass," she demanded, more insistently.

Watch as it happens, a voice commanded. She looked amazed as the other guard's eyes glazed and he silently moved out of the way. The fact that she had taken control of another being's mind was astounding. She never realised just how powerful it could make a Jedi feel. She knew the Jedi had power, but she rarely used it. Not this kind.

You liked it, the voice accused her.

Finally, she came to her senses. Her path inside the building was clear. She had done it. She didn't wait any longer and entered the building. Her first impression was that the Gallispied government was holding out on the rest of their population.

The entire building took opulence to the extreme. There were large pillars holding up the foundations for the floors, which allowed Mara excellent vantage points. She spotted a terminal close to her point. With quick and silent hands, she pulled out her datapad. The ground floor wasn't particularly busy but there were staff manning the turbolifts and a few guards with blasters.

Only human. One shot and they're dead.

Steadfastly ignoring the voice in her head, Mara frowned as she spotted a pair of beings walking to the nearest turbolift. The human she didn't recognise but from his clothing, it looked as if he were part of the Serenno contingent. What was more starting was his companion.

Neimoidian.

Cato Neimoidia wasn't a close system. Something wasn't right. She suddenly remembered that she had a job to do. In the split second the entry staff was facing the opposite direction, Mara ran to the farthest pillar, as quick as her legs would take her. She barely managed to get there. She gathered her breath and turned to face the wall.

She couldn't help but congratulate herself. Her job was nearly over. She plugged the datapad into the terminal. Her mission was to give control of the internal systems and the alarms to the Jedi. Once control was handed over, she could use the internal sensors to pinpoint the exact locations of the battle droids and the control devices.

Mara would transfer this information to the rest of the team and try and evacuate as many staff as possible. After that, there was an escape shuttle the rest of the team had planted with her name on it.

Do her thing and get the kriff out.

Mara hoped it would be that easy but she had a bad feeling about it. There was a soft beep from the datapad, indicating that Mara's hacking skills were needed. Her heart raced as her fingers worked, inputting codes and slicing through information. This is what she was good at.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. If she could get hold of one of the remote droid controllers, maybe she'd be able to reprogram it. It was risky and would mean defying her Master. Right now the objective was to remove the immediate threat and return to Coruscant. But she could do this.

Finally, her datapad let out a triumphant noise. She yanked it from the wall, its display screen a bright red. She hurriedly typed in her message and sent the override codes. Within moments, she received three affirmative messages. If their timing was right, once Mara cut off the turbolift and alarm access to the higher floors, Anakin would enter and Mara would have to then evacuate the lower levels.

Well, that was the original plan. If she could get her hands on the controller, just one, it would make this mission worth something. With expert fingers and some courage borrowed from the Force, Mara cut the power.

It's done.

If she wasn't a Jedi, she probably would have missed Anakin's form sneaking in. She was still relatively hidden behind the pillar and could watch with ease. She held her breath as Anakin was confronted by a member of staff. He brushed her off easily and she followed the direction his eyes were trailing.

A staircase.

Suddenly, a voice resounded in her head.

Obi-Wan knows we're here and knows they're being set up. Evacuate the ground floor now.

She didn't hesitate. One push from her finger and the alarms were nearly deafening. On Coruscant, if alarms went off, people generally went about their business very calmly. Here, it was as if they worshipped chaos and anarchy.

Bodies were pouring down the stairs in a frantic manner. The recording that accompanied the alarm started chiming in, instructing everyone to move to safety. Mara ignored the sound advice. She grabbed the datapad out of the socket. She leant forward and envisioned a clear path through the chaos.

As she weaved through the crowd, through her peripheral vision, she saw a familiar blonde figure enter the fray. She pushed on, hoping he wouldn't see her. With a quick reminder to herself, she wrapped herself in the Force, hoping the others would be too distracted to notice her presence.

Finally, she was at the turbolift on the far side. The turbolifts had automatically been disabled with the alarm but under her guidance, they sprang open. The crowd of people were beginning to thin so Mara assumed the lower levels of the building were just about emptied. The doors finally closed and faster than she expected, she was ascending.

Mara thought about what she was about to walk into. Luke would have to walk up the staircase so that bought her some time. She hadn't seen Ahsoka but that didn't mean that she wasn't here. If her father knew of the deception, he would be orchestrating a safe exit for everyone.

Her mission was to focus on getting her hands on the remote. Her faithful datapad was soon in her hands and Mara was furiously typing away. If she could scan the area for a signal, she could narrow down her options. She glared at the screen—it wouldn't be quick. But she didn't have time to sit and wait in the turbolift. She was coming up to the sixth floor. It was showtime.

She shoved the still calibrating datapad into its protective holder and readied her lightsaber. She extended herself and felt the Force around her. There wasn't anyone standing guard. If she was right, most of the delegates would be in the central meeting room.

The turbolift finally came to a stop. The door slid open and Mara, lightsaber in hand, stepped out. She breathed a sigh of relief as she confirmed she was alone, for the moment at least. She peeked around the left corner. With stealthy movements, she crept out of the turbolift. The very moment her boots hit the marbled floor, the sixth floor alarm began to sound.

Anakin.

She heard the sound of doors opening down the hallway. But before she could run in the opposite direction, she spied the figure of the Neimoidian down the left corridor. Her mind buzzed and suddenly, his familiarity registered. It was Rune Haako, one of the officers of Nute Gunray. He had been an instrumental figure in the Battle of Naboo, all those years ago. She dropped her shields and shouted to Anakin, her father and Luke.

Neimoidians are here. Got to be behind the battle droids.

Just as Haako exited the room, Mara's heart sank and she felt fear bubble up inside of her, taking control of every part of her body. Behind him, what looked like a Serenno High Officer and another Neimoidian were dragging a bound Padmé.

And before Mara could move or speak, the sound of a blaster penetrated her ears and the near-deafening alarms and the body of Padmé dropped to the ground.