General Officers Quarters #135
Executor
In orbit around Zhanox
Captain Lorth Needa shivered slightly as the door to his quarters chimed. It could not be Lord Vader, of course, as the Sith never bothered with announcing his presence before he strangled someone.
As Needa had nearly been strangled a few days previously. Even now, he could feel the ghostly talons around his neck which had almost taken his life. Only the incredible interference of the Rebel's Most Wanted, Luke Skywalker, had saved his life. Vader had been far too busy dealing with the Alliance intruder to finish off Needa, who had been hauled off to a med bay and competently treated by a comfortingly matter-of-fact droid.
Since then, he had been waiting in his quarters for something to happen, probably his execution for failing to capture the Millennium Falcon.
Gloomily, Needa activated the sensor and a moment later, Admiral Firmus Piett strode through the door.
Needa snapped to attention, "Admiral Piett."
"Captain Needa," the other man said, his gaze fixed over Needa's right shoulder. "Proceed to docking bay #67, where you will take Shuttle Tyrannus to Kuat, where the Avenger is guarding the shipyards. You will take command of your vessel there and continue the fine work for which you are well known."
Needa blinked with a mixture of disbelief and hope. Back to the Avenger? Away from Vader? He opened his mouth to ask a question, then closed it. He did not know Admiral Piett well, but the rigid look on the man's face indicated questions would not be welcome. It seemed likely that Piett was operating outside Vader's direct orders, which was bold, brave, and loyal.
"Yes, sir."
/
Crew quarters
Imperial Palace Casino Hotel
Ord Mantell
Mara Jade trudged wearily into her tiny living quarters and kicked her shoes off. A moment later, she walked into the tiny refresher and carefully removed her bright purple wig. Her natural hair was bound up in an uncomfortable bun, and she swiftly removed the pins to let her hair cascade freely. That felt much better.
She quickly stripped off her odorous clothing and took a rapid sonic shower, after which she threw on a sleeping garment. She wandered over to the lone chair in her quarters and sank into it, closing her eyes as the headache lurking in the back of her skull shifted forward and intensified. She had spent too many hours serving drunken patrons amid the clamorous din of the gaming tables today, and was thoroughly sick of the smell of cigarra smoke.
This mission, she admitted to herself, was not one of her favorite. She had been here some weeks already, tediously collecting information about the organization running the casino. Her Master had not told her why he was interested and thus she had to collect financials, staffing records, visitor logs, and so on. It was taking a very long time.
Not, of course, that she would ever question her master's orders. She merely hoped that soon she would have a more challenging mission.
With a sigh, Mara collapsed onto her bed, which creaked angrily under her slim form. Given that some of her fellow wait staff were thrice her weight, she guessed that on occasion, the flimsy beds cracked and failed, dropping them ignominiously onto the floor.
This place really was a dump.
She felt a sudden buzz and sat up, reaching for the transmitter hanging around her neck. A message meant that the Emperor wanted her for something else, which pleased her immensely. It was unusual for him to not contact her first through their mind link, but perhaps he was busy.
She rose and made sure her door was locked, then sat back down and tapped in the code to access messages. A moment later, a small holograph formed and the woman took a convulsive breath. It was not her master, it was ... it was …
"Hey!" the figure said with a cheerful smile. "I'm sure this is a big surprise but I am you, or at least I will be you, maybe. I am Mara from a different timeline and from the future. I know where you are because I was you, and I remember that nasty casino like it was yesterday. I truly cannot understand why people like to eat fried Rishi eel, since it seriously smell like eopie vomit to me. And you and I both know we actually have smelled eopie vomit. Ick. So anyway, what else … hmm, remember when we uncovered the minor embezzlement of that planetary governor on Corellia? And you let him go because his daughter was sick and he was covering her expensive treatment? You know you never told anyone about that, and Palpatine would have murdered you if he knew, so I am you. Obviously."
Mara winced at these words. It was all true. She did hate fried Rishi eel with a deep and abiding disgust, but she had never admitted it to anyone else. And she had let off the governor, even lied to an Imperial captain though not to Palpatine himself …
"So, moving on because I don't have a ton of time. Palpatine is a horrible, evil person. He is, Mara. I know your mind will rebel against that concept because mine did when I first realized that he was a despot, that he was a manipulative murderous rancor, and he sent his troopers to snatch you as a child. He murdered your entire family. You aren't the only Hand. There are many, and all are just minor characters on his dejarik board. You owe him nothing. I sort of worry about telling you all this because I was obsessively devoted to the old vanx, but I want you to escape before I did in my timeline. At the end of this message, I will give you codes to access remotely some files about the Hands program. It is icky watching and you will probably be ill after you see it. I was.
I'm married to Luke Skywalker now. Yes, that Luke Skywalker. Who is Darth Vader's son. Seriously. But unlike Vader, Luke is a fabulous guy even if he is an Outer Rim farmboy. We have a baby boy now and I'll include a vid of that as well.
Well, that's enough of dismantling your worldview today. Oh, just in case you are inclined to waffle, I just helped the Millennium Falcon escape from the Empire so Vader and/or Palpatine will be hunting you down to kill you. So get yourself to the Rebellion as soon as possible. Leia Organa is expecting you.
Live a good life, Mara. You deserve more than being a slave to Palpatine. Jade Skywalker out."
/
Vader's private quarters
Executor
4 weeks later
In orbit around Hoth
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, stared incredulously at the frozen image of the red headed woman. It was from the security recordings of the Excelsior, where the Millennium Falcon had landed some weeks previously. Jade had used her Hand codes to order Captain Vuta's technicians to fix the Falcon's hyperdrive and then the freighter had blasted into hyperspace, bypassing Bespin entirely.
There were so many levels of possible outrage but mostly he was flummoxed. Because as ridiculous and absurd and insane as it seemed, there was only one possible explanation to this.
Mara Jade was his daughter and Luke Skywalker's twin sister.
He took a step closer, cursing the red lenses of his mask, peering into the woman's face, struggling to find a similarity between the lovely face in the image and the painful but glorious memories of his lost love, Padme.
He didn't see it. Jade was beautiful, without question, but she looked nothing like Padme, nor did she look like Anakin. Genes were odd things, but the red hair? The green eyes? Where had those come from?
Nevertheless, Vader couldn't come up with any other theory. Future Luke had mentioned that his twin sister had accompanied him on some of his trips to the past. This Mara Jade was almost certainly not the Mara Jade of this timeline. That one was slavishly devoted to Palpatine. Indeed, Vader had managed to track down the woman's location – she had fled only days before from an undercover op on Ord Mantell and had definitely not simultaneously been helping the Rebels escape on Hoth. Therefore, Mara Jade, Luke's sister, had clearly come back in time and warned the current crew of the Millennium Falcon to avoid Bespin.
Vader sighed deeply. Palpatine was not going to be happy about his failure to track down his son, whose power in the Force was growing by the week. At least the boy's power was eclipsing that of his twin – a twin who must remain hidden. Vader had considered the possibility that Darth Sidious knew that Mara Jade was Padme's child, but had discarded it. Jade had, he knew, been sent on multiple missions which could have easily ended in her death. Not, of course, that Sidious cared about her well being, but as Vader's daughter she had sufficient value that the Sith Master would have been less reckless with her life.
Regrettably, he himself had risked his own daughter's life at least once. Vader had interacted with individual Hands on a few occasions and more than one had died during his brutal training. Jade, regrettably, had suffered a few broken ribs during one of their meetings.
Still, it could be worse. At least his daughter was an Imperial of sorts, and he hadn't done anything really awful to her, like tortured her for hours on end. That was a blessing.
/
The Death Star
Around Endor
About a year later
The elevator rose swiftly and silently up, and Darth Vader sought to shield his mind from both his master and his son. His emotions struggled to break free but he would not allow them, even as his mask kept tilting toward the prisoner to his right. His son. He had never laid eyes on this version of his son before, since the boy had avoided Bespin. This Luke looked so much like Alter Luke, except Alter Luke had hugged him and this Luke was deeply disappointed in him. No hugs for now, anyway.
The discussion on the Endor moon had been a difficult one emotionally. Luke had surrendered to Imperial forces and been taken to his father; the youth, dressed in black, had pleaded with his father to turn away from the Dark Side, and Vader had been forced to tell him no, firmly.
"It is too late for me, Son," he had told his idealistic boy.
And Luke had looked back with sorrow in his eyes and replied, "Then my father is truly dead."
Now they were standing side by side, ready to face Palpatine together. Luke's mind was tightly shielded, but his father felt his grief.
The door slid open and Luke stepped forward obediently, with Vader walking to his side and slightly behind him. He didn't expect the boy to suddenly resist, but you never knew with Skywalkers. The manacles on the youth's hands were the best that credits could buy, but Luke's future alter had divested himself of similar bonds with startling ease.
Luke climbed the stairs and stopped as Palpatine's throne turned around slowly.
"Welcome, young Skywalker," the Decrepit One rasped, "I have been expecting you."
Luke glared at the dark figure for a moment, and Sidious spoke even as he twitched a pale, bony finger, "You no longer need those."
The boy's binders opened and fell to the ground. Well, that took care of that. Now Luke could go completely crazy if he wanted. Really, Palpatine loved to be dramatic. It was going to get him killed one of these days. Hopefully today.
"Guards, leave us," the Emperor ordered. The red robed guards turned and glided away on silent feet, leaving the threesome alone.
Well, that was convenient.
"I look forward to completely your training," Sidious continued in his annoying, oily voice. "In time you will call me, Master."
"You're gravely mistaken. You won't convert me as you did my father," Luke replied with remarkable calm.
"Oh no, my young Jedi," the Emperor replied, rising to his feet and hobbling forward. "You will find that it is you who are mistaken, about a great many things."
This was it. This was the moment …
No, shields, shields, Vader!
"His lightsaber," Vader said, reaching out his left hand with Luke's weapon. The Emperor smiled and reached for it, his gaze fixed on Luke.
Now.
Using the Force, Darth Vader depressed the hidden switch in his left hand. The green gas which spurted forth into the Emperor's face was noxious and potent. The Emperor's eyes widened in shock, his visage slackened in disbelief, and Vader spun Luke's saber around in his hand, depressed the activation switch, and proceeded to stab the green blade through the heart of his master. The look on Sidious's face was priceless. The aged mouth moved slightly, the yellow eyes were a mixture of fury and terror, and then Vader pulled the blade upwards to bisect the upper half of the old man's body.
"Step back," he ordered Luke, who obeyed with shocked eyes.
Using the Force, the younger Sith Lord lifted the now deceased body of his master and began chopping the form into columns and rows. You just never knew with Sidious. It would be so freaking annoying if the old man managed to survive being chopped in half even as Darth Maul had.
"Father," Luke said hesitantly. "I think he's dead."
The cyborg gazed down at the cauterized chunks lying on the floor like so much Axxilan Mincemeat, "I believe you are right, Son."
"So what was that?" Luke asked in wonder. "You were plotting to …"
"Kill him, yes," Vader stated, picking up one of Palpatine's feet and dicing it more thoroughly. It was fun. "I knew he would be distracted by your presence and thus believed this was my best chance to take him down. My limbs are prosthetics and I am mechanically inclined, so I was able to fashion a storage device for a potent sedative gas."
Luke stared at his father in awe, "Thank you. But why did you do it? If you think I'm going to turn to the Dark Side now ..."
Vader interrupted him with an irritable wave of one finger, even as he shut down Luke's saber with his other hand, "No, I realize you will not turn to the Dark Side, my son. To explain, I am aware that a year ago, the crew of the Millennium Falcon had an unexpected visitor from a future, alternate timeline."
Luke's eyes widened and he took a nervous step back, "What!?"
"I saw the security logs from the Excelsior in orbit around Hoth. Mara Jade ordered the captain of the ship to fix the hyperdrive of the Millennium Falcon. At the same time, Jade's present timeline counterpart was serving as wait staff on a mission to a casino on Ord Mantell."
Luke crossed his arms, "OK. I'm not admitting anything in particular, but what does this have to do with me not turning to the Dark Side?"
"At the same time, your future self visited me on board the Executor."
"Really?!"
"Really. He explained that he had refused to turn to the Dark Side, that Sidious almost killed him here on the Death Star, and I killed Sidious and died from the mortal wounds the Emperor inflicted on me. He also told me that if I was going to forge any relationship with you and your sister, that I had to dispose of Palpatine first. I concluded that he was right."
Luke's face was rigid with discomfort, his mind shields high, and Vader allowed his shoulders to slump slightly, "I am aware that Mara Jade is your sister, Luke."
Now the young face was rigid with shock, followed by a nervous chuckle, "Um, no, she's not."
"You cannot conceal it from me, Luke," Vader ordered sternly. "I mean her no harm."
Luke sighed, "She really isn't, Father. She's my, um, hypothetical future wife."
A full minute passed while Vader grew increasingly embarrassed.
"Oh," he finally muttered. "Your alter mentioned that his sister traveled back in time with him on more than one occasion, so I just assumed that Jade was your sister."
"We don't look anything alike," Luke pointed out. "Nor does she look like Padme."
Vader winced at the sound of his beloved wife's name, but forged on, "True. I was puzzled by that as well. So I hope and trust your sister is in a safe place right now?"
Luke narrowed his eyes and glanced toward Endor, "Is the sanctuary moon safe?"
The Sith jerked in horror and shook his great helmet, "Not at all! This entire operation is a trap for the Rebels. I am certain troops are waiting for the Rebel team down on Endor!"
His son looked alarmed even as he turned to face floating Endor, "Ok, thanks for letting me know. I need to talk to her!"
"Surely you cannot ..." Vader began, then trailed off. Of course they could. They were Skywalkers.
/
Bunker
Endor
"What?" Leia whispered aloud as she and the rest of the Rebel team walked softly toward the command center of the bunker.
"What what?" Han demanded quietly.
"Shhh," Mara muttered, "Luke is calling!"
The two women focused for a long minute as the commando team froze in place, waiting.
"The Emperor is dead!" Mara hissed sibilantly. "Vader killed him!"
"And this whole thing is a trap," Leia continued worriedly. "Vader says there are troops hiding here waiting for us."
"Good news about Palpatine," Han muttered, "weird news about Vader, bad news about trap."
Leia and Mara grinned at one another as each fingered her own lightsaber.
"We'll take care of it," Leia said confidently.
Author Note: One more chapter on this timeline! I know, I said that before but I just keep writing. I hope and pray you all are healthy and maintaining your sanity. We are blessed with a big house and five acres of land so we are doing pretty well. I know this is a hard time for so many. Many thanks to my husband who is working from home and editing like a boss for me!