Chapter XXXVIII

The Lambda-class shuttle breaks through the rising smoke from the smoldering terrain before deploying the landing gear and gracefully landing amongst the chaos. The two squads of four Death Troopers immediately hurry off the shuttle once the ramp drops. They form a wide defensive circle at the ramps bottom as Thrawn walks down beside Darth Vader.

Thrawn scans the area as he is sure Vader is doing the same through his helmets dark red lenses. The Jedi Temple, as he knew - and dreaded - has been reduced to a mound of carbon scored rubble. Later and out of Lord Vader's knowing, he will personally pay to contract some ragtag scavengers along the Outer Rim to search through the debris for any of the Temple's surviving artifacts.

Thrawn gestures to the Death Troopers, "Search the area, bring any surviving Rebels alive to me."

The Death Troopers comply with the Grand Admiral's orders and break off from the circle to spread out as they conduct their search. The troopers scan the burning jungle surrounding the plateau. The once vibrant green color of the jungle, now reduced to small patches surrounded by the charred surface and burning timber. The bombardment was a devastating blow on the planets beauty, but a strong example of the Seventh Fleet's superiority in the Imperial Navy.

"May I ask, Lord Vader? What became of the apparent Sith?" Thrawn humbly asks Vader.

Vader looks on at the Temple ruins, "Destroyed, buried beneath the rubble of the Temple. He is no longer a threat to the Empire."

"And the Jedi?"

"Dead."

Thrawn suddenly sees out of the corner of his red eye, a Death Trooper running towards them from the jungle. He immediately comes to attention before the Grand Admiral and Sith Lord.

"My Lord," he says through his helmet, "We believe we have captured one of the Rebels. She was found taking shelter in the jungle, when we approached her, she showed hostile agressions."

"Bring her before me."

The Death Trooper raises his hand in the air and gestures for his comrades to bring out the prisoner. Seconds later, two troopers walk out with the woman between them. She is limp and the troopers must hold her up by her extended arms, and her feet drag against the ground.

The troopers get twenty paces from Thrawn and Vader, when suddenly the limp woman sparks back to life and proceeds to assault her captures. She takes hold of them as she wraps her arms around theirs before somersaulting backwards. The move twists the troopers arms backwards until they are dislodged from their sockets.

In unison, the troopers scream in agony as the woman pulls the blaster pistol out of a Death Troopers holster.

The trooper by Vader and Thrawn pulls up his blaster and puts his sights on the woman. However, Vader's black gloved hand covers his sight picture as a gesture telling him to hold his fire.

The woman slams the blaster across the Death Troopers head before shooting and killing the other. She kicks the last trooper from behind to the ground and executes him with a shot in the back. Finally, she notices Thrawn and Vader, she instantly aims the blaster at them.

"Fascinating." Thrawn says.

Vader raises his hand at the woman and uses the Force to create a stasis field around her. She freezes in her tracks trying desperately to move, however the Force constricts her movements. Vader approaches the frozen woman with Thrawn and the Death Trooper beside him.

Thrawn studies the woman's physique. Her body is slim and fit, more so than most human adolescent's, evidence her nimble skill in combatives is from years of rigorous training. Her fiery red hair provides a glimpse into her origin, as red hair such as hers is a common trait found in some of the core worlds.

"Who are you?" Vader slowly asks.

Her teeth are clenched due to the stasis, "What do you care? Your Empire has destroyed my home. Why not destroy me too?"

"Ah, but this is not your home is it?" Thrawn inquires.

The woman's bright green eyes fill with hate towards the Chiss, as if mad at him for revealing something she's tried to keep hidden.

A smile creeps across Thrawn's face, "You need not say anything, your facial cues behold your answer; that being, you are not in fact from here. Further begging the question: why are you here? A Rebel perhaps?"

"My allegiance is neither to the Empire or any Rebellion. I'm just trying to make my way through the galaxy."

"As a mere scoundrel?"

The woman almost smiles, "It's a living. With that nut job dead, I was going to search the Temple ruins for any junk I can make some kind of profit on."

Thrawn glares at the woman, he doesn't take her calling the Temple's art "junk" lightly.

The Grand Admiral steps forward to further interrogate the prisoner, when Vader suddenly raises a hand.

"Leave us." he orders.

Thrawn, though slightly irritated, respects and adheres to Darth Vader's orders before leaving with the Death Trooper.

Once the two are far enough away, Vader releases the stasis field around the prisoner while using the Force to call her weapon to his opposite hand. Though disarmed, she refuses to let her guard down and ready to take on Vader if given the opportunity - even though, she wouldn't stand a chance against the Sith Lord.

"It is obvious you are skilled in combat," Vader complements in his monotone voice, "skills that must have taken years of training and improvement. Your past is of no concern to me, however as the Grand Admiral said, I know you are no mere scoundrel."

Her fists slightly clench.

"Now, your name?"

She seems to stare straight through the lenses in Vader's mask to see his eyes as she opens her mouth.

"Jade. My name is Mara Jade."

"Whether that is or isn't your real name, is irrelevant. What I have to offer you however, isn't."

Mara stands up straight and brushes a strand of red hair off her face.

"Being?" she mockingly asks before smiling with a laugh, "A place in your ranks of Stormtroopers? How about a dancer for your almighty Emperor?"

"No." Vader says clenching his fist, "Something much more valuable, prestige and honor."

"As what?"

"As the Emperor's protection as well as his hand and eyes on the front lines."

Mara laughs, "Isn't that your job?"

"It is, however I am well known through the Imperial military. You on the other hand, are not. You would be virtually invisible to the entire military as well as-"

"The Senate." Mara finishes Vader's statement, "That way I can carry out the Emperor's doings without drawing the attention of the Senate; thus keeping any unwanted information hidden?"

Vader is quiet.

"Precisely." he says at last, "You carry out his demands in secrecy, and you will be well reimbursed courtesy of the Emperor."

Mara looks away from Vader and towards the Temple ruins, considering the Sith's proposal and the likelihood of her salvaging anything profitable from the ruins.

"It's a tempting offer," she says, "However I'm going to have to pass, I'm doing just fine where I am now."

Jade fearlessly turns to walk away, disregarding the fact that Vader could easily kill her then and there for rejecting his offer as well as her knowing of his intentions with her.

"As a scoundrel?" Vader persists from behind her.

She stops again, willing to listen to more.

He continues, "It is not necessarily the life you prefer, is it? You still long for the adrenaline and adventure you once had, otherwise you wouldn't have attacked those troopers. A real scoundrel would run from the fight. Fighting and war is in your blood, it is your natural instinct to run towards the fight." Vader pauses, letting his words sink into Mara Jade. "The Emperor can offer you what you really want, what you crave, what you live for."

Mara faces Vader again, knowing he is right. It has been years since she has fought for a purpose and against more honorable opponents. Indeed, she misses the life she once had, she only wishes it hadn't ended with such repercussions. Perhaps this may be her second chance, to live that life again this time serving for the Empire - more specifically, Darth Sidious.

"Very well," she says, "I will take you up on that offer."