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Through the patchwork of stars in the galaxy, a TIE Fighter twists and turns its way through the chaotic battle in its midst. Beyond the Rebel and Imperial starfighters is the unfinished Death Star II. The TIE Fighter's path is meant to go directly to the Death Star, and two X-Wings have noticed that along with the TIE Fighter's pilot's impressive evasiveness.Mara Jade watches as the Death Star gets closer and closer in the window of the TIE Fighter she pilots. She needs to be on that battle station, for the Emperor may need her help. However, the X-Wings on her tail appear to want to come with her or at least blow her up. The console of the fighter informs Mara of the location of the enemy ships, and she can tell that they are getting closer to her. Mara looks up at the battle, and she counts in her head. One... two..."You just messed with the wrong pilot."The TIE Fighter pulls up in an evasive move, and the two X-Wings crash into a Mon Calamari cruiser that was flying perpendicular to the three ships.Mara laughs proudly at the escape as she corrects her ship's course to avoid the crash. Her mind is now only focused on reaching the Death Star, but that's before Mara notices something strange in the ensuing fight. One by one, Rebel ships start turning around, and it's not an evasive maneuver. No, instead, they fly away from the battle and from the second Death Star. From the exposed part of the Death Star, flashes of light emerge. Then, the Millenium Falcon and another X-Wing fly out of the Death Star II. Mara slows her ship down.The Death Star II becomes nothing more than a ball of fire in an instant. The explosion moves like a wave through the expanse of space, and it pushes back Mara's ship, as she was not close enough to be burned by it. The sudden movement makes the ship unable to respond to movement from the controls, but Mara makes no effort to stabilize the ship.Blankly staring at the dwindling explosion, Mara knows that the Emperor's dead, and she doesn't know how to feel about that. Her feelings are as unsearchable as the blazing yet shrinking explosion. She should feel angry and upset, and maybe she does, but those emotions run through her as a weak pulse.The fighter stabilizes, and Mara aimlessly grabs the controls. She steers herself away from the explosion and looks around for fellow TIE Fighters to regroup with and indeed finds some. Before she can make her move, however, Mara feels the ship jostle and sees pieces of metal fly past the edge of the window. The console beeps angrily at Mara and informs her of not only the damage to the left wing but also of the X-Wing approaching her. Now more alert, Mara steers the ship out of the X-Wing's path.The TIE Fighter zips frantically through space, having a less determined path than it did earlier. The X-Wing fires once more at the fleeing Imperial ship, and it takes no time to leave after its laser bolt has struck the left wing of the TIE Fighter.Mara thinks of every curse word imaginable when she feels the rocking of the ship and hears the beeping of the console. She has to land this thing or else face a long death unlike the Emperor's. The only planet nearby is the Forest Moon of Endor, and Mara has no choice but to direct her failing TIE Fighter there.On Endor, an Ewok guard stands at his post and watches the sky, where the explosion of the Death Star II could just be seen. The Ewok is still chattering to himself in excitement, and he fails to notice the falling spacecraft off in the distance."...been here?""General, there's been...Imperial...""...lightsaber?"Mara barely opens her eyes, and her blurry vision tells her that it's nighttime and that there are three figures nearby her. Two of them are watching her while the third is busily communicating into his comms. Mara wills her body to listen to the three Rebels, specifically the one on the comms, and continues to act like she's still unconscious."Very well, General, we'll return with the Imperial as soon as we can."The comms turns off with a click, and Mara makes her move. The Rebels fall to the ground, and they find themselves pinned to it. Mara stands up. Her legs feel like jelly, but she won't let that stop her."How'd you find me?" she asks, clenching her teeth to hold back a wave of nausea."We were riding in the woods," the Rebel with the comms answers hurriedly, "and we came upon your crash.""Where are your vehicles?" Mara uses the Force to persuade the Rebel into answering."Over there."Mara looks past the Rebels and sees three speederbikes resting nearby. "Where can I get a ship out of here?""Nowhere," one of the other Rebels answers, "There's no way you can get out of here without someone noticing you."Mara ignores the woman's comments and presses deeper into the woman's mind. The woman trembles in discomfort, but Mara is able to retrieve information of a ship that she can reach if she's fast enough."Thank you," Mara says like she didn't just coerce information from the woman. She walks to the speeders, keeping the Rebels pinned."Why are you still fighting?" the female Rebel asks, noticing Mara's labored steps, "The war's over, lady; we won."Mara mounts herself onto the speederbike, grasping the controls. "I never stop fighting."The speederbike roars to life, and Mara leaves the Rebels behind her.
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During her time as the Emperor’s Hand, Mara never had a place she called home. More accurately, Mara never had a place she stayed at for longer than a few days. The closest she ever had was a room on the Eclipse that was about the size of a motel’s. It was there that she’d stay whilst waiting for the Emperor to assign her a new mission, which didn’t take him long to do. Mara never bothered decorating the monochrome room- the only personal belongings inside being her clothes, weapons, and other essentials. Moreover, she never particularly enjoyed sleeping in her room and instead found it easier to sleep in cheap motels and hastily-made campgrounds on backwater planets. However, Mara would take her lackluster room on the Eclipse any day over her current sleeping arrangements. It’s not like her current room is any different from her old one in terms of color, as they both share that Imperial gray, but what is different is the number of occupants in the room. Mara took for granted the solitude that came with her room on the Eclipse. Here on the Imperial Star Destroyer Scorcher, Mara shares her quarters with fourteen other women, some of whom aren’t quiet sleepers. Another thing Mara took for granted was her bed on the Eclipse, which was wider than her current bed and also lacked starchy sheets. By the time Mara can shut out the snoring of her bunkmates and ignore the itch her sheets bring, the alarm sounds, and another day, if you can call it that while in space, begins. Speaking of the alarm, it signals the start of another day with its insistent buzz. The first thing that comes into Mara’s mind when she opens her eyes is the desire to destroy that stupid alarm with the Force. However, rational thought kicks in and warns her that destroying the alarm will cause her problems. It doesn’t stop Mara from turning it off prematurely. It’ll cause some confusion, but everyone on board will consider it a technical issue before they ever think it’s the work of a Force-user. “Sounds like the alarm glitched again,” one of Mara’s bunkmates comments. Point proven.Stepping out of the shower, Mara quickly towels off and puts on her uniform before anyone in the community fresher can notice her nakedness (private freshers, another thing Mara took for granted). She approaches the mirror, staring back at the reflection she’s become acquainted with in the past three months since the Battle of Endor. Between being stuck on a spaceship and briefly visiting planets with varying climates, Mara’s skin has remained a pale that borders on being ghostly. Her red hair, looking darker because of its dampness, is slightly longer, but Mara notes she’ll have to cut it to the Imperial-regulated length soon. She ties it up in a bun and tucks it under her cap. Looking at this woman in the mirror, Mara doesn’t see Mara Jade, Emperor’s Hand, but another Imperial grunt whose name is about as meaningful as the work she does. It’s demeaning, to say the least, but it’s what Mara must be now that the Emperor is dead. She scrunches her nose in displeasure at the thought, her reflection doing the same, and leaves the fresher.The fluorescent lights in the walkways of the Scorcher leave little to go unnoticed. That doesn’t stop Mara from trying to avoid being seen. She stays close to the wall without being too close and lets the bill of her uniform cap cast a shadow over her face. When she passes by a fellow crew member whose name she doesn’t bother remembering, Mara doesn’t greet them or spare them a passing glance. Thankfully, nobody bothers to venture out and attempt a conversation with Mara, having already found their own friends to survive with on this ship. Mara goes about to her next task on her grunt-work to-do-list, but as she’s walking, she can sense someone’s presence coming her way. “Chin up, Jade, you look like a spy skulking around like that,” the someone remarks, startling Mara.“Says the one sneaking up on me, Sheah,” Mara quips back.“Oh, please, like you didn’t know I was coming,” Sheah Tullin says with a knowing wink. She loops her arm through Mara’s and walks with her. Sheah wears a uniform that looks similar in color to Mara’s, but Sheah stands out with her Mirialan-green skin and geometric tattoo that runs down her right temple. “What are you off to now?”“Running diagnostics on the alarm system.”“Ah, the alarm was uncharacteristically short earlier. I wonder why?”Mara lets her mouth tilt up into a mischievous smirk, “No idea. We’ll just have to see what the diagnostics say.”“Yes, but something tells me your results will be inconclusive.”Sheah and Mara laugh together at their banter. A few other Imperial soldiers stare at them, and it isn’t lost on Sheah and Mara.“Don’t trip over yourself while you’re staring at us, Spinner,” Mara snarks. “It’s Spanner,” the disgruntled Imperial snaps back.“No one asked,” Sheah adds. Turning her attention back to Mara, she asks, “Since we already know why the alarm was short today, how about we go watch a show?” Mara knows what “show” Sheah is referring to. “Oh, but Plazzo will be mad if I don’t get that diagnostic report in,” she says with feigned concern. She and Sheah laugh as they go into a room off from the walkway.The conference room of the Scorcher is meant only for the higher-ranking crew members of the starship. Mara’s not one of them, but she is allowed inside the conference room if she’s bringing caf to the officers inside. A hovering drink tray at her side, Mara pours out the drinks to the officers, making sure that Vice Admiral Plazzo doesn’t notice her. It’s not that difficult, as not one officer acknowledges Mara. Well, Sheah does, raising her cup of caf to Mara in thanks. Having fulfilled her caf-serving duty, Mara leaves the conference room for the adjacent kitchen that she made the caf in. Sitting on the counter, Mara savors the last sip of the hot chocolate she made prior to entering the conference room. Once her cup’s out of the way, Mara crosses her legs on the counter and closes her eyes. She recognizes the Force as quickly as she would a friend in a crowded room, and she seizes it as aggressively as she would a target assigned to her. Mara reaches out, and she hears the beating pulses of the officers in the conference room. Then, she can hear their voices when they speak, and they appear in Mara’s mind’s eye.“In another day, we will reach Akiva,” states Admiral Tav Cortan. “From there, we’ll regroup with the Imperial forces on-planet. Any questions?” Sheah raises her hand. “Commander Tullin,” he says, the mild annoyance in his voice not going unnoticed. “Were you not informed that the Rebels have captured Akiva, Admiral?” Cortan scoffs, “Actually, Commander Tullin, the rebellion on Akiva is still ongoing. We’re putting our efforts into ensuring that Akiva remains an Imperial planet.” “Then we should have done that a week ago,” Sheah states calmly, revealing a black and red data card and inserting it into the terminal in the center of the table. A hologram illuminates the room, and the information displayed indeed confirms that Akiva has been a planet of the New Republic for the past week. “As you can see, the Rebels will shoot us down on sight if we get anywhere near Akiva.” “How have I not heard of this?” Cortan asks after awkwardly clearing his throat.“Because someone was jamming our long-range comms.” An eerie silence settles in the room, but Sheah is the only one who doesn’t look concerned. “Commander Tullin, do you have any idea who’s been doing this?” Cortan questions. “Moreover, do you have proof of this?” Plazzo adds. “Of, course, Plazzo.” Sheah reaches forward to change the image on the holo. “I learned from one of our ensigns that my message to Grand Admiral Sloane about our departure for Akiva did not come through. Further research showed that something has been blocking our messages.” To prove Sheah’s point, the holo displays a report detailing the jamming of the Scorcher’s communication system. “Our slicers were also able to figure out that the message from Grand Admiral Sloane requesting our presence at Akiva was faked.”“Then who sent it, Commander?” Plazzo questions.“You did, Vice Admiral,” Sheah answers matter-of-factly. Before Plazzo can counter the accusation, Sheah switches the image on the holo, “The slicers were able to find that the message was sent from an account on your personal computer.” Admiral Cortan’s eye twitches as he clenches and unclenches his fist. “Vice Admiral Plazzo, if Lord Vader were still alive, I would have him choke you to death,” he seethes.“Admiral, Commander Tullin is a liar! I would never betray the Empire!”“You would if the Rebels were offering you a large sum for your assistance.” Sheah switches the holo image again, and a series of messages appear detailing a conversation between Vice Admiral Plazzo and an unknown Rebel informant discussing payment for handing over the Imperials. Vice Admiral Plazzo’s face flushes an embarrassed red. “These are fabricated messages! Someone is trying to frame me,” he spins to Sheah, “You, you stupid Mirialan, you had the slicers plant those messages.”The corner of Sheah’s mouth twitches. “If I wanted to frame you for treason, I wouldn’t have been around to be accused of it. Admiral Cortan,” Sheah looks to the admiral, ignoring Plazzo’s sputtering, “has there been enough evidence for you?” “More than enough.”“Admiral Cortan, I-““Vice Admiral Plazzo, you have put our crew a week behind the rest of the remnants of the Empire at a critical time such as now. Not only that, but you planned to sell us out to the Rebellion. And for what? Credits? Recognition?”“I am loyal to the Empire, Admiral,” Plazzo insists despite the quiver in his voice. “And you are a terrible liar.” Admiral Cortan presses the intercom button on the table. “Somebody come and escort Vice Admiral Plazzo to our nearest containment cell.”“What?” Plazzo shouts. In a few moments, two Stormtroopers arrive to drag Plazzo out of the conference room, ignoring the former Vice Admiral’s demands to release him. Admiral Cortan runs his hand over his face, blowing out a frustrated huff. “Alright, we’re not going to Akiva, then.” After an awkward silence, Rear Admiral Lys speaks up, “Where are we going, then, sir? We need to find somewhere to refuel.”“May I suggest Arkanis?” Sheah asks. “Arkanis?” Lys echoes.“Arkanis has the officers academy, and not only that, but with Akiva now under their control, the Rebellion has their sights set on Arkanis. We can lend our firepower to the troops on-planet.” Cortan considers the suggestion. “It is the closest Imperial planet.” He taps the table with his hand, “We’ll set a course for Arkanis, then.” Just like that, Mara loses sight of the meeting, but not by her choice. She tries not to pay too much attention to the ache in the back of her head and the breathlessness she has. Instead, Mara focuses on the revelation of Vice Admiral Plazzo’s betrayal. He seemed like someone who wasn’t satisfied with being a Vice Admiral of the Imperial Navy, if his general grouchiness towards his subordinates were any indication. Mara won’t miss him. After waiting for the shakiness in her legs to go away, Mara leaves the kitchen through the other entrance and goes about to the rest of her list of jobs, which no longer includes running diagnostics on the alarms.Thirty minutes before curfew, and Mara is in the personal quarters of Commander Tullin. “Did you hear the part where he promoted me to Rear Admiral?”Make that Rear Admiral Tullin. “No!” Mara exclaims in surprise, “Rear Admiral, just like that?”“I did expose a traitor in our ranks,” Sheah turns away from the window in her room to look at Mara, “well, we did.” “Thanks for giving your slicer the credit.” “Anytime, Mara.”“I won’t miss Plazzo, especially after he called you a stupid Mirialan.”Sheah’s jaw clenches. “Neither will I.”Mara regrets bringing up Plazzo’s insult. “What do we plan to do on Arkanis?” she asks in an attempt to change the topic.Sheah walks away from the window to her desk, leaning against the front of it. “Have you heard of Project Harvester, Mara?”Mara knows quite well about Project Harvester, “It’s how the Emperor found me.”“Then you know that he has found other Force-sensitive people through it, yes?”“Of course,” Mara stiffens, “but I was the only Emperor’s Hand.”“Yes, I know,” Sheah states with a disinterested wave of her hand. “What I’m trying to say is that there are people out there like you, Mara, and who’s to say that one of them won’t be our next Emperor?”“That’s ridiculous,” Mara scoffs. “Nobody can replace the Emperor.”“You said it yourself that the Empire is weak without someone strong in the Force there to rule them. People like Cortan and Plazzo don’t understand that, but I do.” Sheah leans forward, “I just need the names of the people the Empire found through Project Harvester and where on Arkanis they are, and together, we can establish a new reign.” Mara considers Sheah’s words. It is true that Mara believes that the Empire can’t survive without someone like the Emperor. Although the Emperor created his empire through cunning and knowledge of the galaxy’s political and societal machinations, Mara knows that he would not have been as skilled as he was without his immense power in the Force. Perhaps she does need to find that person who has the potential to be powerful in the dark side of the Force and set them on the path to becoming the next ruler of the Empire, and Mara will redeem herself after having already failed the Emperor. However, “Why can’t I do it?”A patronizing smile appears briefly on Sheah’s face, then disappears. “Why did you stop listening before I got promoted?”Mara looks away from Sheah, finding the Mirialan statue on the desk more interesting. “I got cut off.” “By what?”“Nothing, I- I just had a headache,” Mara answers simply. She’s said enough; saying any more will only suggest that Mara is becoming weak in her Force abilities. Sheah seems to think so, though, if the unimpressed look on her face is any indication.“And how often have you gotten these headaches since the Emperor died?”“Just a few times. I am not getting weak, Sheah.” “Hm. Fine then, even if your abilities aren’t weakening, have you ever considered that there could be someone out there who’s stronger than you in the Force?”Mara doesn’t like to entertain that thought. “I was his Hand, surely that meant something about my power.”“What about Lord Vader?”“That’s different.”Sheah sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Mara, this is not just about finding the next Emperor. Think, who does the Rebellion have that we don’t?” Mara doesn’t answer immediately. “Do you need a hint?”Mara shakes her head. She knows who Sheah is speaking of, but Mara hates to say his name. Every syllable in his name that she speaks ignites a new vengeance in her. Just the mention of him reminds Mara of all that she’s lost because of his actions. In all her life, Mara has never hated someone as much as she hates, “Luke Skywalker.”“Yes. Good to see that you’re paying attention,” Sheah remarks.“You may not have him, but you have me.”“I know, but what’s one Force-user compared to tens or hundreds? Skywalker may have killed Vader and the Emperor, but I’d like to see him take down an army of Force-users.”Mara smirks. He may be powerful, that Skywalker, but he can’t be that powerful. “As would I.”“And the only way you can see that is if you find those Force-users on Arkanis and get them to me.” “I will.” “Good,” Sheah reaches over to her desk’s computer and taps a few buttons on its keyboard. A holo of a message appears. “Grand Admiral Sloane wanted us to go to Arkanis. We’re supposed to evacuate the Arkanis Academy.”“Shouldn’t they stay and fight for the planet?”“We have enough troops on the planet. Even then, we’re just evacuating the students who still barely know how to hold a blaster and their teachers. Obviously, it’s going to be quite busy.”Mara picks up on the knowing glance Sheah shoots at her. “Obviously.” Sheah smiles. “Well then, you should get some rest. You know what to do, correct?” “Yes, Rear Admiral Tullin,” Mara responds, a small smile on her lips. “It’s weird calling you that.”“Get used to it,” Sheah jokes.“I’m sure by the time I do, you’ll be Vice Admiral.” “You’re right.” Sheah chuckles, and Mara does the same. “Thank you for your help, Mara,” she says, sincerity in her voice, and takes Mara’s hand, “you’re the only one on this ship I can trust.” “Well, I owe you one. I’d probably be stuck on some backwater planet if it weren’t for you.”“You’re welcome, by the way.” Sheah releases Mara’s hand, “Goodnight, Mara.” “Goodnight, Sheah.”When Mara finally goes to sleep, she has the same nightmare that visits her almost every night. Mara walks to the throne of the Emperor. It’s just she and the Emperor in his throne room, but from the window in the room, a battle is clearly waging in the stars. Mara stops walking and kneels before the Emperor. “My Master.”“Mara Jade,” the Emperor drawls. “You’ve failed me.”Mara looks up at the Emperor. “What? How have I failed you?”“You let me die, Mara. Why didn’t you stop him?”“Master, I-“Before Mara can finish her sentence, the Emperor starts choking. Mara looks around frantically, and her eyes finally settle upon a cloaked figure with an outstretched fist. On pure instinct, Mara ignites her saber, basking in a purple glow as she charges at the cloaked figure. Her arms raise her saber high and swing it down in an arc. Just as the saber reaches him, however, the figure vanishes, leaving Mara’s saber to crash to the floor in a flurry of sparks.For a moment, Mara stands still, trying to catch her breath. She puzzles over how the figure disappeared but stops when she hears the Emperor fall out of his throne. Extinguishing her saber, Mara runs to the collapsed Emperor. “Master?”The Emperor grips Mara’s wrist like a vice. “You will kill Luke Skywalker,” he commands, his voice dark and yet so loud. He takes one more breath, and then he’s gone.“Master!” Mara cries, but it’s no use. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she repeats, hot tears welling in her eyes. But before the first tear can fall, the throne room bursts into flames and falls apart, taking Mara and the Emperor with it. Mara never wakes from her nightmares screaming and crying. Instead, her eyes just snap open, and the rest of her body remains paralyzed in fear. She would think that by now the recurring nightmare wouldn’t scare her anymore, and yet it does. When she can move again, Mara reminds herself of her upcoming mission on Arkanis and convinces herself that this will lead her to redeeming herself for letting the Emperor die. She will avenge her master, even if it’s the last thing she does.
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It never stops raining on Arkanis. When there isn’t a torrential downpour, a light drizzle covers any surface it can reach. Still, citizens and long-term visitors of Arkanis would take the drizzles over the downpours any day. Too bad today’s a downpour day. Mara’s opinions on rain vary. If she’s not on a mission, it’s nice to watch and maybe stand in. If she’s chasing down a target, it’s a nuisance trying to slip her or make it hard to keep her target in sight. But if Mara’s on a mission like she’s on right now, the rain is a somewhat helpful ally. All of the Scorcher’s crew are on an endless loop from the Scorcher to the Arkanis Academy and back, picking up and dropping off supplies and academy students along the way. With all of the people milling about, Arkanis Academy is flooded by a deluge of gray and black and white figures that leave behind a trail of muddy footprints. Outside, the drenched officers have to shout orders over the torrent to their equally-drenched crew, and the same could be said of those inside, where the overlapping voices create a new kind of storm. It’s a chaotic environment, and it’s the kind that Mara needs. The first rule of breaking the rules and not getting caught is to follow the rules for while. When she stepped off of the Scorcher, Mara didn’t beeline to the nearest place that could lead her to Project Harvester. Instead, she listened to Rear Admiral Lys’s orders, and she’s been delivering ration packs to the Scorcher for the past few hours. During that time, Mara soaked in the rain, exchanged dirty looks with Commandant Brendol Hux’s son - he gave her the stink-eye first, though - and listened to the other crew members gossip about Vice Admiral Plazzo’s betrayal. The news spread like wildfire, and everyone was theorizing as to what exactly Plazzo did. Nobody has an accurate theory, and they may never find out, as there won’t be a trial for Vice Admiral Plazzo. Just before the Scorcher landed on Arkanis, Vice Admiral Plazzo committed suicide. Regardless of what Plazzo did, he made his guilt apparent to everyone with his final action. Mara isn’t heartbroken over Plazzo’s death, but it still brings a strange feeling in her. Mara stops thinking about Plazzo’s death when she notices Sheah, who’s in a conversation with a few other high-ranking Imperials. She shoots Mara a look that suggests Mara get to work on her mission. Now’s the time to break the rules. She sneaks off into an abandoned classroom to begin her mission. Mara won’t waste time slicing through the Academy’s computers for even the slightest hint of Project Harvester’s location. Instead she sits on top of the desk at the front of the room, closes her eyes, and reaches out to the Force. It’s overwhelming upon first contact with the Force. Mara senses every single person in the academy. Even if they cannot do what Mara can, every living being in the academy has the Force, for they could not even live without it. Ignoring their presence is like ignoring a swarm of insects, but training makes it possible. Mara narrows her focus. She thinks she feels a surge of the Force that could lead to Project Harvester, but then she sees that it’s too close to the main hall of the academy. Chalking that surge up to the amount of people surrounding it, Mara looks elsewhere. It’s then when she feels a surge stronger than what she just witnessed. It’s far away from the main hall, and she tries her hardest to visualize where exactly it is. Finally, she sees a stone tower surrounded by choppy, gray waves. Mara recognizes it from her study of the academy’s maps as Area Null. Before she can overexert herself, Mara comes back to reality and opens her eyes to the classroom. She looks at the door that leads out to the hallway, and a flick of her wrist opens and closes it. Should someone decide to check the logs of when the door’s opened and closed, Mara’s trick won’t raise any suspicions. Her next step is taking off her cap and taking out the rain poncho she meticulously folded into a square and hid under her uniform jacket. Mara takes off her jacket, revealing a black, long-sleeved shirt made of a lightweight, water-wicking fabric. Because she didn’t wear a poncho, Mara’s jacket soaked up all of the rain and has become an unneeded weight. She pulls up the mask that was hidden under her jacket collar from her neck to her nose and covers her red hair with a head scarf. Down go the goggles that Mara managed to hide under her uniform cap. They’ll make seeing in the rain somewhat easier than seeing with the naked eye. Now, Mara slips on the poncho, pulling the hood over her head. If someone were to suspect that Mara sneaked away from her duties, they would probably look for a red-headed woman in a soaking-wet Imperial uniform, not a masked figure wearing an inside-out poncho. Mara’s final step is taking her jacket and cap and hiding it in a drawer of the desk that would be empty. However, one item rests inside the drawer.For most weapons categories, Mara doesn’t have a preferred weapon. She can adapt to any blaster or other handheld weapon and make no attachments to it. But she makes an exception for the lightsabers. No saber could replace the one that rests in the desk drawer before her. Her blood, sweat, and tears went into crafting her lightsaber, making it one of the few things Mara can say is hers. It was hard to entrust it to Sheah whilst onboard the Scorcher, but it was the only way Mara can keep her lightsaber safe. But for now, it’s all Mara’s. She greedily exchanges her wet clothes for her lightsaber and clips it to her belt. Ready to go, Mara steps over to the window, opens it, and climbs out. Now is the part where the rain becomes a hindrance to Mara’s mission. The academy buildings are all rectangular, and the material used to construct the walls are very smooth. Therefore, they are impossible to climb during a downpour. So, Mara hops out of the first-story window and lands feet-first on the muddy ground. Her boots don’t look much different despite hitting a mud puddle. She takes off for the shore near the academy, using the jungle brush as cover. When Mara does reach the shore, the downpour has still not relented, and the waves are still choppy. It’d be foolish to swim the thirty meters to Area Null, even on a good day. Luckily, there is still a personal watercraft hidden in an alcove on the shore. Clearly, the watercraft and others like it aren’t meant to be seen by the academy students, but the people in charge of Project Harvester must get to Area Null somehow. Mara pushes the craft out to the waters, mounts it, and starts it. She glides over the choppy waters, occasionally hitting some turbulence. Thirty meters later, and Mara’s reached the dock of Area Null. She expected to see some other vehicles by the deck, but there’s only one, a watercraft similar to the one Mara rode. When she gets on the deck, Mara glances back at the academy and can almost see the Scorcher. They leave in an hour, but Mara will be in and out of Area Null before they depart. Despite the ancient appearance of Area Null’s exterior, the interior looks quite modern, almost having the same aesthetic of the academy’s interior. Mara’s boots clack against the dark tile floors as she passes by off-white walls. Some of the doors have small windows in them, but when Mara glances inside, the rooms look empty. In fact, the whole building seems oddly empty. Sure, Area Null probably wouldn’t be as hectic as the academy, but it also shouldn’t be this quiet. Moreover, getting in the building was also quite easy, as the door was unlocked and the alarms disabled. For a building that’s strictly off-limits to academy cadets, Area Null is not very secure. To Mara, this probably means that Area Null was evacuated much earlier than the rest of the academy. And yet, she can’t ignore the watercraft she saw by the dock or the disabled alarms or even the strong presence of the Force she felt surrounding this place. Speaking of that, Mara can still feel the Force in Area Null, but she assumes it’s because there were Force-users here. She tries to ignore it, but the Force still leads her into a room with a sign that says “Operations Room.”The Operations Room is a large room that could almost pass as an auditorium if it weren’t for the numerous computers in the room. The circular rows descend to an area designated for a holo display and for officers to review data and give orders to those who sit at the computers. However, there are no officers giving orders nor lackeys operating the computers, but there is someone at the floor down below. It takes all of Mara’s self-control to not javelin-throw her lightsaber at Luke Skywalker. Of course he’s the reason Mara felt the strong Force presence at Area Null. Of course he was the one who left the watercraft at the dock and the door to the building unlocked. And of course he’s the person using the holo display to look at the list of people under Project Harvester. Technically, Mara can kill him right now. She’s already discovered several ways to do it, and the Emperor’s command that she keeps hearing in her nightmares is sounding in her head. Mara doesn’t go after him, though, because Mara doesn’t want Luke Skywalker to die from a single lightsaber stab. No, she wants his death to be slow and painful, and she wants him to die knowing that Mara Jade, Emperor’s Hand, killed him. “I may not have eyes in the back of my head, but I know you’re up there,” Skywalker states, breaking the silence in the room.“And what of it?” Mara marches down the steps to the floor below and sees Luke turn to face her. “I don’t think Jedi are allowed here, Skywalker.” A cheeky smirk that Mara wants to slap off appears on Luke’s face. “I seem to have a habit of going to places I don’t belong.” Mara spies Luke’s right hand resting over a part of the holo display. “Obviously. What’s that under your hand?” Another smirk, “Nothing.”“Oh, come on, I know you’re downloading those files,” Mara points to the holo of the Project Harvester details, “to a data disk.” “And?”“And, you should know you’re not the only one who wants those files.”“Too bad I only have one data disk.”Mara reaches into a pouch, taking out her own blank data disk. “However, I’m sure it’d save me more time if you just handed over yours.” “Oh, I’m sure,” Luke smiles again, “but I won’t.”“Figures. I’ll just download them myself, then.”“If only they weren’t being permanently transferred.” That’s a problem. As soon as the files on Project Harvester are downloaded, they’ll be wiped from Area Null’s computers. Along with that, interrupting the download could corrupt or delete the files.Mara should have killed Skywalker when she had the chance. “Fine, I’ll wait.”“You do know I’m not handing the data disk over, right?”“Oh, I know.” Mara gets a few steps closer to Luke, “I’m just going to make sure you don’t get it.” “How so?” “Take a guess.” Before Skywalker can make another quip, Mara grabs him by the wrist and flips him over her shoulder. Luke lands on his back, but he can’t get up when Mara plants her foot on his chest. “You could have given me a warning.”“Not a chance, Skywalker.”As quickly as she flipped Luke, Mara flies across the floor thanks to Luke. She hits the ground with a thud. “There were exactly five other ways you could’ve thrown me off without using the Force,” she complains as she pushes herself up.“I’d suggest you get out while you can. You don’t want to underestimate my power.” Mara sees Luke’s hand going to his lightsaber clipped onto his belt. “Oh, give me a break. I know who you are, Skywalker,” Mara unclips her saber and ignites it, “and you shouldn’t underestimate my power, either.”Judging by the look on his face, Luke wasn’t expecting his foe to have a lightsaber. Mara takes advantage of his confusion and charges at him, saber raised to strike. Before Mara can strike him, Luke has his saber ignited and clashed with Mara’s. He pushes forward, but Mara sidesteps him, her saber sliding off of his. Luke falls forward, but he stretches out his hand and stops in mid-air. He regains his footing just in time before Mara can slice him open. The arc that Mara swung ends at the floor, sending up a flurry of sparks. Mara keeps her saber on the ground and swings it up at Skywalker, pelting him with tiny sparks. Luke hisses in pain and steps back. “Ow.” Mara swings again at Luke. She would have wedged her saber in his shoulder had not Luke blocked the attack at the last second. Luke disengages and quickly goes on the offensive. Mara mirrors Luke’s footsteps as he charges forward, blocking and parrying his every attack. When Luke almost has her against the front row of computers, Mara decides she’s tired of being on the defensive. She lets herself fall back against the table the computers rest on, brings her legs up, and kicks Luke in the chest, adding two more muddy footprints to his shirt. Luke stumbles back, and Mara uses the Force to send him all the way back to the rows opposite of her. She rushes to those rows and makes steps of the tables. Luke is awkwardly sitting on the floor of third row closest to the top. His saber is also extinguished. Mara stands on the table, peering down at Skywalker. “What’s that about underestimating your power?” Luke ignites his lightsaber and makes a sloppy sweep at Mara’s ankles. Mara leaps back and lands on the floor of the fourth row. She steps onto the nearby table just as Luke gets on the table of the third row. “Looks like I’ve got the high ground,” Luke remarks.In response, Mara sweeps at Luke’s legs. Rather than get his legs cut off, Luke jumps over the purple blade. Mara draws her saber back and sends it forward to Luke’s thigh, but Luke avoids that attack, too, with a sidestep to his left. He swings down at Mara, but his green blade only meets Mara’s purple.“This would be more fun if you got on my level,” Mara grunts as she parries another attack from Luke. She steps to her left, giving Luke a place to jump down to.“You’re right.” Luke makes the jump from the third row to the fourth, and his fight with Mara resumes. They repeatedly cross blades as they walk across the table. Mara takes long strides backwards to avoid stepping on a computer, and she sends one from the third row flying to Luke’s head, something that Luke pushes all the way back to the wall. Neither pay mind to the computer shattering upon impact. Luke ducks when Mara swings at his head. “How is yours purple?” he asks.“What?” Mara takes her left foot back when Luke tries to stab it. As Luke extinguishes his saber to get the blade out of the table, Mara plants her right foot against his left shoulder and kicks him onto his back. “Cheater. Distracting me during a fight?” she questions as she takes a few steps back.“I had to ask.” Luke jumps up and charges at Mara. She stands there, saber raised, and counts Skywalker’s steps. One, two, three…By Luke’s fifth step, Mara jumps off of the table. Luke halts, the momentum of his charge almost knocking him down. Mara gets back on the table, now behind Luke, and tosses her lightsaber to her left hand. She runs up behind him, grabs his collar, and pulls him to her. A purple glow illuminates Luke’s face as Mara holds her lightsaber dangerously close to his neck. “Choose your next move wisely, Skywalker, or you’ll get to see what you like without a head.” “Who are you?” Luke questions, cringing from the heat of the lightsaber.“None of your business.”Mara watches Luke try not to struggle in her grasp. She feels electric from having Luke Skywalker so close to his demise. However, she remembers her personal vow to give Skywalker a slow death and to let him know who killed him. Is this how she wants Luke Skywalker to die, decapitated by an anonymous foe?
You will kill Luke Skywalker.
Mara can feel the Emperor’s vice-like grip on her wrist. His voice rings in her ears, and for a moment, Mara wonders if this is all a dream. “There’s conflict in you.”Upon hearing Luke’s voice, Mara blinks, her eyes focusing again. “There is no conflict.”A breath of laughter escapes Luke. “It’s radiating off of you.”Anger bubbles up in Mara. “You know nothing about me.” She moves her lightsaber, but before her blade can slice through Luke’s neck, it extinguishes itself. Mara doesn’t know what makes her more angry- that Skywalker distracted her again or that he used the Force to turn off her lightsaber. She shoves him forward. “Nerfherder!” “Sorry I didn’t want to lose my head,” Luke snarks. Her lightsaber reactivated, Mara rushes Luke, letting out a frustrated yell. She swings down at his head, and Luke’s barely reignited his saber when he blocks her. Sparks rain down as Luke’s blade slides against Mara’s whilst extending. They’re locked in a standstill, both trying to press the other back. Over the hum of Luke’s and Mara’s lightsabers, the holo display beeps. The files are done downloading.Just like that, Luke and Mara both forget about their fight and race to the holo display. As they leap across the rows, Mara and Luke try to make each other stumble. Luke sends a computer towards Mara, but she just slices it in half with her lightsaber. Mara swings at Luke’s middle, but Luke jumps over it, adding in a flip that sends him down to the next row. In response, Mara takes a huge leap that only someone confident in their landing skills would take. With a roll, Mara lands on the floor in front of the front row, putting her in the lead. As soon as Mara stands, Luke trips her with the Force before landing on the floor of the holo display and taking off. With a wave of Mara’s hand, Luke is pushed to the side, hitting the front row’s table. Mara stands up again and uses the Force to bring the data disk to her. But the data disk doesn’t finish it’s journey to Mara’s hand, as it stops in mid-air.Luke stands opposite of Mara with a grimace on his face and his hand outstretched. He placed himself and Mara in a tug-of-war for a data disk, and he shows no sign of giving up. Then again, Mara doesn’t plan to, either. “What do you want with these files?” Luke asks.“I could ask you the same question,” Mara retorts. She strains to pull the disk to her but is met with further resistance from Luke. “I’m trying to save them.”Save them? Mara wants to laugh. She’s a product of Project Harvester, and Skywalker has done nothing to save her. He probably just wants to save them for his own gain. Skywalker just wants to make sure there’s nobody as powerful as he, and he’ll be sure to keep the other Force-users in check. That’s what Mara thinks. When she looks back at the data disk, Mara notices something’s wrong.“You’re going to break it!”Luke’s eyes go to the data disk, and he realizes that the data disk will, in fact, break if he and Mara keep struggling over it. Unintentionally in sync, he and Mara both lower it to the floor gently. There’s a moment where Luke and Mara just stand still. Both of them need to catch their breath from their tug-of-war. Nevertheless, they stand poised to pounce upon the data disk, but they keep their eyes trained on the other.They dive for the data disk simultaneously, but Luke still gets it first. Mara wraps herself around Luke’s torso and keeps him on the ground. She grabs the arm that holds the data disk and pulls on it. With Luke’s arm parallel to the floor, Mara uses her leg to keep it pinned down and starts to pry his fist open with her hand. She’s so caught up in opening Luke’s hand that she doesn’t see his saber ignite before it’s too late. Mara feels the sting of a lightsaber burn on her left arm, and she bites her tongue from trying to avoid screaming in pain. Her grasp involuntarily loosens, giving Luke time to get away from Mara. “Get back here!” she shouts. Luke doesn’t listen, though, choosing to leave the room. Mara chases after him. She follows Luke out all the way to the dock where their stolen watercraft are. Luke wastes no time to get on his and take off for the shore. Mara does the same. It’s much more dangerous traversing the rough waves when chasing someone, but Mara doesn’t slow down. She manages to catch up to Luke after the latter had to slow down to avoid getting capsized. They hurtle towards the shore, and as the water gets shallower, the watercraft get more turbulent. Luke and Mara leap off before they can get flipped with their watercraft. Both of them experience a rough landing into the sand, but it’s better than literally crashing and burning. They look at the burning wreckage before standing. Luke starts to run away, and Mara, having had enough of chasing Skywalker, stops him in his tracks. He tries to struggle against the Force-hold Mara has on him but to no avail. However, with each passing step, Mara feels a wave of nausea. Maybe the shock from her burn is getting to her, or she has a concussion. Or worse, maybe Mara’s overextended her use of the Force. Whatever it is, Mara refuses to let go of Luke. A thunderous roar sounds from above, and it’s not thunder. Mara looks up and sees a Star Destroyer flying towards the atmosphere. The Scorcher is leaving early, and it’s leaving without her. Dread rises in her at the thought of all of the consequences this brings. She’ll be accused of being a deserter. Sheah will be annoyed with her. Mara will have failed her mission again. That last thought is probably the reason why she collapses onto the sand.