CHAPTER VII

"Starkiller," Juno began carefully. It took all her willpower to remain composed. Initially she had felt confused, angry and insulted. It wasn't every day she was abandoned on the dance floor and left to pay the bill alone. After sleeping it over she felt ashamed and stupid. She had to speak with Starkiller now. She didn't want to spend rest of their time in awkward avoidance. "Can we talk?"

The young man tensed barely noticeably and didn't turn to look at her. "Sure."

The lack of any hostility encouraged her to walk into the common lounge, past the assassin where he was seated at the table, enjoying his breakfast.

"I wanted to apologise," she said and took a seat opposite to him.

Starkiller's brows furrowed, probably in an attempt to look confused, but it only managed to make him look angry. "Why? There's nothing–"

"There is," she interrupted. "I shouldn't have forced myself on you like that. I can see you're uncomfortable. It wasn't professional, it wasn't right. I got carried away and I'm sorry. I don't even know you. For all I know you have someone waiting for you. You might not even like me or–or women in general..." she finished awkwardly.

"Juno," Starkiller began. "Don't. It's...fine. It was fine. We're fine."

A flicker of hope sparked in Juno's heart and she smiled shyly. "I'm glad."

"Good. Don't let it bother you. Nothing has changed."

Hasn't it? Juno dug her nails against her palm. She would have preferred something had changed. It definitely had for her.

"Good," she agreed, but her heart wasn't in it. At least it was done. She had apologised, her apology had been accepted and they could go on as they had so far. She stood back up and headed for the little wall-integrated kitchenette.

"Do you know where we're heading next?" she asked after making herself a cup of caf and something small to eat in silence.

"Lord Vader hasn't been in contact yet."

Juno accepted the words with a nod and sat back opposite to him.

"It's odd," the assassin suddenly announced. "He's never taken so long to contact me."

"Maybe he's just giving you some room to finish the task," she suggested.

"Impossible. I told you, I've informed him that I'm finished."

"He's a busy man," Juno pointed out. "He could be fighting somewhere at front lines right now."

"You might be right," he admitted with discontent. While they didn't talk, the young assassins remained with her in the lounge as she ata until the door opened and PROXY walked in.

"Master–"

"Is it him?" Starkiller looked like he was ready to leap from his seat.

"Yes. Lord Vader wishes to speak with you."

"Finally..!"

Starkiller was up and leading the droid out of the room in an instant.

"Juno, get us ready for take off. We'll leave immediately after I know our next destination."

"Roger that."

She hurried after him and took a turn to the cockpit. This was it, she thought. This was her chance to learn more about her mysterious companion. Closing the door behind her she sat at her seat and started computers from their standby mode. Juno counted silently to thirty before pulling out her datapad from the seat's pocket. Her heart pounded nervously as she connected to Rogue Shadow's security system and brought up the camera feeds. She chose the live feed from Starkiller's large training room and pressed record.

She saw PROXY standing at a lit circle in the otherwise darkened room. Starkiller had knelt down on one knee and kept his head bowed down. Juno reached for the headset and and pulled it over her head while never letting her eyes leave the assassin. For next minute or so nothing happened. Starkiller just waited kneeling on the floor with hands on his knee in silence with PROXY standing in front of him. The young man's companion stood equally unmoving and silent until it suddenly seemed to straighten up.

"He's here," Juno heard the droid announce as a hologram began forming around it, making him grow taller and bulkier. She turned up the volume as the image of Lord Darth Vader seemingly solidified and Starkiller bowed down his head further.

"Is it done?" the dark lord's voice boomed in her ears. Knowing that Darth Vader was actually star systems away did nothing to ease her nervousness. She could feel the hairs stand up on her arms.

"Yes, my Master," Starkiller replied. "My mission is complete."

"Are you certain?"

Juno could have sworn she saw Starkiller flinch and then tense even further. "I am certain. Shaak Ti is dead, my Master."

"If that is so then I am certainly surprised to see you alive."

"She was the hardest target I have faced, I admit, my Master, but she is dead," Starkiller assured Darth Vader with barely disguised anger. His manner of addressing Lord Vader was polite, but Juno would never have dared to use that tone on Vader.

"Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"Master Ti had an apprentice," Starkiller told. "She is dead now, too."

"Good."

"And we –I ran into... Ti's apprentice had engaged one of the Emperor's Hands."

Juno's ears perked up at the title. She had never heard it before yesterday, but it sounded like someone directly under the Emperor's command. She had not been brave enough to research it or the name Starkiller had given his brother: Mara Jade.

"The Hand has been dealt with," Vader's agent finished to her surprise. She would have expected Starkiller to blame her death on the Jedi. Surely they were supposedly on the same side? It worried her, had kept her awake at night almost as much as the kiss had kept her restless. Why was it so important for Jade to die to ensure her silence? Just because she saw Skywalker? Who was that boy?

"We will discuss that later," Lord Vader said. "Return to Scarl at once."

"Yes, my Master," Starkiller replied again, but PROXY'S projection was already disappearing. The droid faltered –an error in its system no doubt, but his owner was quickly back on his feet to support him.

"It seems like Lord Vader already has a new mission for you," the droid simpered.

"I hope it's not another test," Starkiller grunted. "It's time. I'm ready to face the Emperor. He must see it. Our time to strike is now."

Juno couldn't stop herself from gasping. No... No, this couldn't be happening!

"Perhaps this will be it," the droid suggested. "It does seem like you are closing your primary programming!"

Juno felt faint and her face had gone deathly pale. Pure, absolute terror gripped her heart and she didn't know if she knew how to breathe anymore.

"Yes. Finally..." the assassin said softly in her ears.

I can't panic now, she told herself. If she did, she would surely die. But if even Lord Vader himself was in on the conspiracy to assassinate the ruler of the free galaxy...was there anything at all she could do without signing her own death sentence on the side? A heavy, cold lump twisted in her stomach. She was going to be sick. There was no way for her to contact anyone without Darth Vader finding out. He had explicitly told her he would know if she did break that rule. Even if she managed to warn someone, Vader would have his agent kill her instantly. Despite the kiss shared by them, she had no doubt Starkiller could carry out such order.

Juno had nothing to bargain for her life. Nothing at all.

But if she didn't alert anyone... She could always claim she knew nothing. She wasn't supposed to know any of this.

Would anyone believe her? What if Starkiller truly would succeed? Then she had nothing to worry about –no! Starkiller succeeding wasn't an option! It was her duty as an Imperial citizen to report this. Emperor Palpatine's life was in danger! Even more so if even Lord Darth Vader was scheming against him.

But if Starkiller didn't succeed...she would be arrested for sure. She would be treated as an accomplish. She would face execution for treason. They would never believe she wasn't involved –or if they would she would still be executed for treason for not passing on the information she had.

She felt like crying at the hopelessness of the situation. No matter what she did, she would likely end up dead.

On the screen she saw Starkiller make a move towards the door. "Come on, PROXY. The sooner we leave the better."

Starkiller would be in the cockpit in less than a minute to tell her they would return to Scarl. Juno pulled away the headset hastily, trembling fingers quickly cutting the live feed. She looked at the recorded file and deleted it hurriedly. She would pretend she knew nothing. She was not ready to die. Any other option would guarantee her death. This was her best option, it had to be.

She only had seconds to open something else on her datapad and collect herself before she heard the door open. Despite expecting it, she found herself jumping.

"Captain, complete the take-off preparations. We are–" The young man cut himself off. Juno could feel his eyes on her.

"What's wrong? You're upset."

"I... Nothing," Juno stammered. Starkiller could see right through her, couldn't he? She would be dead within seconds.

"Just... The season finale of Seven Level Heaven," she finished faintly, turning around to show him the datapad where the final minutes of the holodrama's episode were playing. She had watched the drama while waiting at Scarl.

"You watch that?" Starkiller asked with genuine confusion. He glanced at the screen and then, throwing Juno completely off balance, smiled. "Wait until you see the Empire Day special."

"W-what?"

"If you think the season finale is upsetting, you'll be dazed for a week after the special," he said smugly. He threw himself on the jump seat and adapted a more serious look. "No, seriously. I need season four now."

Juno could only stare. "S-sorry? You watch Seven Level Heaven?"

This time Starkiller looked actually a little uncomfortable. "Yes..? I guess you could say I'm addicted," the fearsome secret agent and assassin admitted sheepishly as Juno continued to stare at him in utter shock.

"It's a good drama," he said prickly.

"You watch Seven Level Heaven?" Juno repeated –and burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. The growing embarrassed annoyance on Starkiller's face only made it worse. Stars! She thought she would die and now, and now..! An actual assassin, an actual secret agent watched the same drama she did and it had just saved her life.

"I'm– I'm sorry, sorry!" she managed between her laughter. "I didn't expect that."

"What's so funny about that?" he asked comically grumpy.

"Nothing. Everything," she replied unhelpfully. "I mean...you're one of Vader's agents! And you watch Seven Level Heaven!"

"That's not funny."

"It is a bit."

Starkiller scowled at her as he waited for her to collect herself. "Are you done?"

"I think so."

"Good."

"Good."

"So..." Starkiller started with what was clearly an attempt to not sound too enthusiastic, "who do you think killed Meler?"

"You mean it's still not revealed in the special?"

"No, it just complicates things."

Juno frowned. "But there are three seasons. I've only seen two. And you still don't know who killed him?"

Starkiller shook his head.

Juno slumped against the seat. "Oh stars, I need to see it."

"Yes, you do."

Juno looked at the datapad she still clutched in her hands. "I still can't believe you watch it."

"I have outside interests as well," the young man said defensively. "You do things other than fly ships, too."

"Unbelievable," she said, shaking her head a little in bewilderment.

"Forget I ever mentioned it," Starkiller grumbled.

"No, no. Stars, I'm sorry!" It was still hard for her to hide her amusement. "Seriously, I think it's great. Just a bit...unexpected."

Starkiller huffed in a mockery of offence. "I came to tell you we're going back to Scarl."

The words sobered Juno instantly. She turned quickly back to Rogue Shadow's console. "Roger, I'll get us in the air immediately."

"To answer your question," she began once the sublight engines hummed to life, "my money's on Xaria Mark."

Starkiller, who had moved to the co-pilot's seat turned to her with an unreadable expression. For a moment Juno held her breath, thinking perhaps he had realised...

"Xaria's definitely the most obvious candidate after Ilial," he said. "But if you think about it, Hally and even Robbie, that guy from the shop, both had a reason to want him dead. Did you hear the theory about Robbie?"

"No, I'm actually really new to this drama," she admitted as she piloted the Rogue Shadow to the skies of Kway Teow. By the time they were in space and the computer was calculating the jump he was only beginning with the complex, but entirely sensible and a little mind-blowing theory.

The moment Rogue Shadow pulled out of hyperspace an alarm rang to indicate a ship or ships within scanning range. They were still too far away from the massive star destroyer they had visited earlier for them to see it with a naked eye, but Rogue Shadow's scanners were first rate –as were its cloaking capabilities. Juno knew for certain that no ship would be able to see them with scanners. She reached to silence the small noise that wanted to let her know of the presence of the building site.

"Here we are again," she said just for the sake of saying something. Starkiller had left the cockpit earlier, but had returned like summoned when she began to get ready for taking over piloting the ship again.

"Yes," he agreed, standing cross-armed between her and the co-pilot's seat which PROXY had now occupied. She wondered if he was nervous at all, based on what she had heard. She certainly was, but she tried to keep the fear at bay. It had helped to chat so long with him about something so absurdly normal as a hit holodrama. But as they now approached the shipyard, she felt her anxiety build up. They were now close enough to see it hang against the space, blending in with faraway stars.

"Captain," PROXY spoke. "The scanner indicates eight Imperial-class Star Destroyers within 50 000 kilometre range."

"What?"

Juno's hands flew to the screens. Even Starkiller leant closer to see the constantly updating 2D map of the area and as she scrolled through the scanner readings.

"This can't be," she gasped. "The Empreor's fleet... It's the Emperor himself."

"Of course," Starkiller breathed in. He straightened his back and stared longingly out of the viewport.

"Should we leave?" she asked, hoping he would say yes. "There's no way we've been spotted yet."

Starkiller shook his head. "No. Continue as planned."

"Alright."

She accelerated and kept closing in on their destination. It grew larger and larger until there was nothing else for them to see from the viewport, and the closer they got the worse the fear gripped her throat. What should she do? Should she try to take an advantage of the situation and contact the Emperor as soon as the assassin left to meet Lord Vader? Should she just keep quiet and hope for the best? It took all her will power not to think, but the questions remained at the back of her mind. She counted her blessings for Starkiller being so preoccupied with whatever it was he knew of the situation.

She still didn't know when Rogue Shadow touched down to the hangar floor and Starkiller took his leave with his droid.

"Be ready to leave immediately," he said. He paused at the door. "Lock the ramp. I'll be back."

Juno nodded despite he wouldn't see it and bid her goodbyes quietly: "I'll see you later then."

She watched him walk away through the open door. When the ramp closed she crouch down and buried her face into her hands.

Shame you're going to assassinate the Emperor. I think you might succeed. I hope you– no, I should hope you fail. Shame you make me doubt where my loyalties lie. Shame your actions will get me killed.

...what a shame I hope you don't die.

It wasn't as easy as she had thought, certainly not with her heart pounding and blood rushing in her ears, a voice at the back of her mind urging don't do this, but after some trial and error and some searching the security feed was on her screen. She saw Darth Vader standing in front of a massive wall length viewport as Starkiller entered the room and walked straight towards him. The feed had no sound, but she assumed they were talking as the young man assumed his place next to the man he had called master. It was difficult to say without finding a way to zoom in closer. She watched in silence until they both suddenly turned –and then things went horribly, horribly wrong.

She smothered a scream into her palm, unable to tear her wide eyes away from what she was seeing. Minutes passed in horrible silence that only her terrified, choked cries disturbed –and then there was a knock on the door. Her heart jumped to her throat, but she wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

With a deep breath Juno reached for the blaster and braced herself.

Starkiller took a moment to stand up straighter and gather all the self-discipline he had. This was it, hopefully. Today they would kill the Emperor, him and his Master together. Today would be the day the began their journey to bring to true order and justice to the galaxy.

Imagining himself standing next to his Master, finally equal, made him feel giddy, but he pushed away the feeling. He had to be in control of himself. After this was done, he might not be an assassin anymore. He imagined himself dressed regally like he'd seen people in the Imperial Court do. Oh, Luke would laugh at his mental image! But Luke would be a prince himself. He smiled at the idea. They would go to Coruscant and there would be no need to hide who they were anymore. Perhaps Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen would come with them. Once Lord Vader ruled the galaxy with Starkiller at his side, they wouldn't need to scrape and pinch on the Great Chott Salt Flat anymore. Lekauf could finally return to his family.

"Is anything the matter, master?" PROXY asked. As always, the droid was right behind him, loyally following him.

"Nothing at all," he replied, letting the smile wither away. Cool and composed, he thought to himself.

He waved his hand to open the doors and marched forward, leaving PROXY behind. His master stood in his familiar spot by the viewport. This time the ship was positioned so that the nearby sun could be seen in the distance, but the transparisteel protected their eyes from its true brightness.

Normally he would've knelt down to wait for Master to acknowledge his presence, but this time he walked forward with confidence. He'd been knighted, he wasn't a mere servant anymore. He had defeated Shaak Ti. He was ready to fulfil his destiny.

His steps echoed in the chamber, breaking the near silence only his master's regular breathing disturbed. It was a sound so familiar to him he hardly even registered it anyway.

"My Master, " he began. "Shaak Ti is dead as promised. As is her apprentice. I've brought you their lightsabers."

"And the Hand?" Darth Vader asked as he accepted the three hilts Starkiller offered.

"She's dead, too." Starkiller unclipped her hilt and offered it to his Master. Vader levitated all four weapons in front of his mask before quickly casting them aside. The hilts clattered on the floor somewhere at the side of the room.

"Mara Jade," Vader pronounced, having barely even glanced at the weapons.

"Yes," he confirmed, in awe that his Master had recognised her from the hilt alone.

"I never much liked her," the Sith Lord said almost amusedly. "However..."

Starkiller spun around as he heard the doors open. His eyes widened as he saw PROXY walk towards them, wearing a hologram of the Emperor himself. He knew instantly it was just that –a hologram. He felt his master's arm around him and before he even registered it, a burning pain pierced through him. For some reason, he saw Felucia.

"Poor boy…" Shaak Ti's words rang in his ears. "The Sith always betray one another."

The genuine sadness and pity of her tone had set his blood boiling. What did she know of him or his Master?!

"But you will learn soon enough."

He hadn't believed it, had never quite imagined it like this. There were no words for the sickening feeling that was his Master's lightsabre sticking out of his stomach. He thought he would have screamed, but all that came from his lips was a shocked gasp of disbelief and pain.

"Jade led him to us," his Master snarled into his ear. The lightsabre hissed as it was deactivated and Vader let go. For whatever odd reason, he thought it must have been the first time his master ever held him. His legs gave in and he collapsed on the cold durasteel floor, still in denial of what was happening. It had to be a mistake. Jade was dead. Luke said she was dead!

The Emperor's image walked to them. While the ancient looking man wasn't truly physically there, Starkiller imagined he could still feel the pure darkness and evil lurk beneath his robes. He didn't look like an emperor at all. He was an old man, hunched and crippled.

"Vader's assassin she said," the Emperor spoke as he looked upon him. "I've known for years he was working behind my back and I allowed it. I allowed him to keep you and train you."

"No," he managed to gasp as if just denying what was happening could change it.

"I congratulate you, Lord Vader, for your attempt to betray me, but this ends here. You have forgotten your place." The Emperor's raspy voice was sinister and angered, but controlled as he spoke to his apprentice.

My master betrayed me. The thought hurt almost worse than the searing hole in his body did.

No! The Emperor did something! a desperate part of him insisted. His master would never betray him, not now, not after twenty years. He had been nothing but loyal to Vader. There was no reason for Vader to have done this.

"You had your little project, your insignificant pet, run around my galaxy without supervision. Now he has killed my favourite toy. The best Hand I had," Darth Sidious scorned. "Or perhaps you ordered it, Lord Vader? You never did like my dear Mara Jade."

"He acted alone," Vader said, speaking for the first time since embracing his apprentice for the first time in his life and then stabbing him in the back.

"Master, please," Starkiller pleaded. "We can defeat him together."

"You will do no such thing, boy," Emperor Palpatine spat out as if the word itself were filthy. "Lord Vader."

"Yes, my Master?" Darth Vader asked.

The Sith Master's wrinkled hand balled into a fist. "Kill the boy."

If possible, Starkiller paled even further. "Master, no..!"

"Dispose of your apprentice at once or I will kill you both," Sidious threatened, bony hand pointing at the transparisteel. A star destroyer had moved closer to be seen in front of the sun. One word, and the fleet would fire, destroy the shipyard with the three lives onboard. Whatever would happen to Juno now, Starkiller wondered suddenly wih a pang of guilt. As always, he had led his pilot to death.

No... No this couldn't be happening! Was there nothing he could do to stop this? With all the strength he had left, he stood up to face his master.

Please... The words didn't leave his lips. Attacking Vader didn't even cross his mind. It was deeply rooted in his spine. It was, like PROXY would say, part of his programming. He would never raise his hand against his Master. And should Darth Vader deem him a failure beyond salvage, he had the right to kill him. But this...this wasn't right! This wasn't supposed to happen!

He looked into his Master's mask, suddenly certain this had happened before. He felt small and vulnerable and scared and utterly, utterly helpless at the feet of this man. Gone was the fierce Sith apprentice and powerful assassin. In this moment he was just Galen Lars –or was it Galen Marek? —a frightened, defenceless child facing a monster and the monster looked back.

Assessing. Calculating.

"Please..." he managed, but his voice was weak. He knew it was hopeless. He couldn't take down anyone with his wound. He couldn't help his Master take down Darth Sidious. Neither of them could escape if Vader defied Sidious. He watched his master turn to look at the Emperor, as if waiting for his orders.

He doesn't want to do it, Galen thought for a fleeting second. Please no, not like this.

"Do it."

"Don't!" he screamed pathetically as Vader's arm moved, sweeping him up in the air and against a group of piping at the far end of the room. He'd been thrown around and against things throughout his life, but never like this. He couldn't have broken free from Vader's hold even if he'd had the strength to try. He couldn't even scream when the hit dislocated his arm. Shock had overcome him. His entire life crumbled around him. The grand destiny he'd fought for all his life shattered to pieces.

His master had betrayed him. He was about to die.

He could hear bones breaking, knowing they were his own, but it was all distant and far away. The only pain he felt was the anguish of betrayal.

"Yes, good." The Emperor's creaky, sickeningly delighted laugh echoed in the chamber. He was liked a child kicking down a sandcastle and stomping on it, ecstatic at the face of destruction. "Kill him, kill him!"

What would happen to Luke now? Who would train him? Who would protect him?

The thought of the boy stung his eyes. The boy he'd once so resented and who'd be come so important to him. He would never see Luke again. Vader had not only taken him his life with his treachery, he thought hazily. He'd taken him his family, too.

No, Starkiller realised with sudden clarity as he slammed against hard durasteel, whatever little air escaping his lungs. Vader was not the traitor. He was the traitor. He and his actions alone had led Sidious here. Cold terror crept up his spine as he realised he could have led him to Luke.

With realisation came acceptance. He felt no pain as serene calm filled him and only sadness remained. He looked into Vader's mask once more, no longer hearing the Emperor's laughter or his words. His world had become silent.

I'm sorry, he wanted to say. I understand now. I failed you, my Master.

The transparisteel shattered at impact and the vacuum of space sucked him out. The last thing he saw were the Executor's emergency shutters closing, leaving him to die alone.

The dull hum of the hyperdrive enveloped the cabin, drowning all other noises into distant voices. Luke sat in his seat with his dark robe pulled tightly around him, head bent awkwardly in his attempt to sleep in the artificial night of the spaceship. The lights had been dimmed, yet through his half sleep, half meditative state he could make the faint sounds of a group of children still running around despite all passengers were instructed to remain at their seats. It wasn't exactly cramped –there was a small shop with scattered seating around at the back and enough space to walk around.

Rest didn't come easy to Luke. Jade's death still haunted him. It hurt and confused him that it did. He couldn't remember a single detail of the vision her death had brought forth, yet it would not leave him. It probably never would. Every time he closed his eyes he could almost see, almost hear, almost feel. It was all there, just lightly beyond his reach. Sometimes it felt like he could almost grasp a piece of it, just a tiny bit, but the harder he tried to chase the fleeting images the further into the fog of his mind they dispersed.

It did nothing to ease the ache at his heart. The vision had been of his future, Luke was sure of it –and he had destroyed it with his own hands as he murdered Mara Jade. In that moment, with that one action, the entire universe had shifted and cried out in horror at the wrongness of it.

Luke had wept and held her limp body in his arms, begging for forgiveness. Her's. The universe's. The Force's. He'd begged for life to return to her, but there was no bringing back the dead and no reversing the time. In that moment Luke would have given his life in exchange for her's —a girl who was a complete stranger. An enemy. And so, so important for the Force and for his future. He would have given anything to ease the agony that pierced him with each heartbeat and with each breath he took without her. She had not been meant to die this way.

As the night began slowly creeping to the jungle her body grew cold in his arms, his eyes ran out of tears and the pain gradually dulled, leaving him with a void of nothingness in place of something he had never even known had been there. Luke lay her down on the ground, combing her hair with his fingers until it framed her like a blazing halo. Her eyes were open, but there was no life behind her empty gaze.

Numbly he began looking for the discarded weapons. While Mara's death had deeply unsettled him, he felt nothing looking at the headless corpse of the Jedi girl or her decapitated head. She hadn't deserved to die either, Luke thought distantly as he picked up her hilts. She had deserved her faith even less than Jade had, yet he couldn't bring himself to care for her. She was a Jedi. She had attacked him first. She would have killed him if he hadn't killed her.

He returned to Jade, placing her blaster at her side. "I'm so sorry", he whispered one more time, fingers brushing against her pale cheek. For a long silent moment he remained knelt by her side, just watching her and wishing for some sign of conclusion. When none came he stood up silently and walked away without looking back.

And still he ached, even with so many star systems between them. He wondered if he would for the rest of his life. Half asleep, wrapped in his robe, listening to the endless hum of the hyperdrive he half dreamt, half remembered Mara Jade and the vision and all that was taken from him. The Force was like a warm, comforting blanket around his mind, dulling the pain as he reached for it for peace and strength.

He dreamt of Galen, marching down to Father somewhere far away. Proud and confident. Happy and hopeful and–

Luke's eyes flashed open and he gasped, sharp pain piercing his abdomen. Eyes wide in horror he looked down, expecting to see blood, but saw nothing. His hands trembled violently as he pried open the robe still expecting to see red stain his clothes. Someone next to him spoke, Luke realised distantly. His wide eyes met the woman's sitting next to him –he didn't even know which part of the galaxy she was from. The woman's hand hovered between them. Luke felt like throwing up from the utter horror he suddenly felt.

"Galen," he blurted out. It was Galen's pain he felt. His fear and his confusion.

The woman's hand reached for his shoulder with concern. The lightsaber was in Luke's hand instantly and she screamed. Why was she screaming?

Luke wasn't sure when he stood up, but he lurched forward, clutching his sabre so tightly his knuckles paled. Galen needed him. He had to help him, he had to–

"No... No, no..."

The pain in his abdomen spread, his mind was wrapped up in searing white agony and it took all his strength not to fall on his knees and clutch his head, for surely nothing in the galaxy could hurt more than he was already hurting.

He was wrong. His brother's pain and the mental anguish it gave him were torturous, yet the moment it stopped he would have given anything to have it back. As sudden as the pain had appeared as sudden it disappeared. Gone like a flame blown out, flickering and then vanishing.

Luke reached out to the Force in breathless panic, grasping onto the threads that were the deep bond he shared with his brother and that would always connect them no matter how many lightyears apart they were. But the more desperately he tried to chase it the quicker it escaped. Like a dream it unravelled in his head until it wasn't there anymore. There was nothing for him to hold onto.

Galen wasn't there.

"No..."

The Force around him was thick and cold, it chilled him to his very soul. He trembled, still desperately trying to find some sign that what he was feeling, what he was not feeling, was wrong. Everything around him seemed suddenly far too clear and far too bright. He could feel each being on this wretched ship, he could hear each terrified voice, feel each of their hearts beating in cruel mockery. He couldn't stand it. He wouldn't stand it. He had never been so enraged, so full of hatred towards another living being in his life.

There was panic around him, yet he now moved oddly calm without a proper understanding of what he was doing or what was happening. Only that the overwhelming amount of living Force around him suffocated him –it offended him. What right had all this life to surround him when the life of his brother had dimmed and disappeared like it had never existed at all?

Luke couldn't hear the screams of terror and pleas of mercy around him. He didn't see the slaughter that was his own doing.

Somewhere far and distant a familiar voice called his name. Pleaded. Luke! Stop, Luke! No!

"Leave me alone!"

No! Luke!

The grief that gripped his heart and twisted his mind was too overwhelming for him to care. Somewhere at the back of his mind he knew he should listen, but the darkness that had become him just wanted for all the voices around him to be silenced forever. If they would not, then he would surely have to claw at his ears until his nails scraped the skull so that voices could not get in. He could not rest until they were gone.

Luke stood dazed, ignited blade clutched in his hand. He blinked, for the first time truly seeing what was around him. It was eerily silent. There were scorch marks on the walls. Blasterfire, he thought distantly. Had there been a shooting? There were bodies everywhere. He couldn't feel any living Force around him. He was the only one alive onboard.

His breath caught in his throat at the sight, but it wasn't the carnage that brought the bile in his mouth. It was the horror at the realisation that nothing had changed. He still could not feel Galen.

As always, many thanks for reading. I hope you liked the chapter. Reviews are always much appreciated. (Though I'm sorry I didn't yet reply to all of the previous ones! I promise I will!)