Disclaimer: These characters are property of Lucasfilm Ltd. I am making no money from this. Also, I know certain lines are directly from the film Return of the Jedi (screenplay by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan) as well as Timothy Zahn's Vision of the Future. I do not claim these lines as mine and are simply using them for effect. Credit for them belongs to the original writers.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: What would have happened if Mara Jade had been allowed on Jabba's sail barge...

Feedback and Archiving: Send comments to addie_logan@yahoo.com or IM me with AIM at SaraWisdom. Archive anywhere you want, just let me know first. And visit my webpage at https://www.angelfire.com/scifi/addielogan.

Author's Note: I originally wrote this story about a year and half ago under my former pen name, Hanna Solo; however, I was reading over the work I did back then and decided it needed work. So, I have decided to do re-writes of the stories I wrote as Hanna Solo and post the new versions under my new pen name. Hopefully, they're better now. :-)

 

Twists in Destiny

By: Addie Logan

 

Luke Skywalker looked down into the mouth of the Sarlaac as he was prodded towards what Jabba the Hutt intended to be the young Jedi's death. Luke nodded to Lando Calrissian, who was disguised as a skiff guard, looked up towards the sail barge, and then gave a salute. As Luke began to walk towards his intended doom, an astromech droid on top of Jabba's massive sail barge released a cylinder-shaped object into the air from one of his compartments.

The young, red-haired, green-eyed dancer who stood behind the slug-like Jabba saw her chance. If she could catch Skywalker's lightsaber before it reached him, he would have no weapon—making her task of killing him all easier. With amazing grace and agility, the woman leapt up, somersaulting in the air and landing at the edge of the sail barge. She then stretched out with the Force and brought the lightsaber to her, clutching it tightly in her shaking hands.

Luke looked on in horror as he lost the Force grip he had had on his saber, and it flew into the waiting grasp of a woman who appeared to be one of Jabba's dancing girls. A wicked grin spread across the woman's face as she held the saber, and Luke knew she was not at all what she appeared to be.

Chained to Jabba on the sail barge, Princess Leia felt her stomach drop as she saw Luke's lightsaber change direction in midair and go not to Luke's hand, but to one of Jabba's dancers instead. Leia looked down at the skiff that floated beside the barge. She glanced at Han, who seemed so helpless, still blinded from Hibernation Sickness. They had worked too hard to save him for it to end now. All Leia could think about was getting the lightsaber back down to Luke. Suddenly, the saber flew from the dancer's hand and back down to Skywalker.

Luke caught his lightsaber in shock. How had it gotten down to him? He hadn't used the Force to bring it down to him, had he? He pushed away his thoughts, deciding not to wonder how the lightsaber got to him, but just to be grateful that it did.

The dancer tried to rip the lightsaber away from Luke again, but this his hold on it was too strong. She watched as the battle raged on below her. How could this be happening? She had come so close to fulfilling her master's command and killing Skywalker, yet now she had failed. Suddenly, it went dark all around her. Her eyes focused quickly, and she looked around to see Skywalker's Rebel Princess friend strangling Jabba with the chains the Hutt had kept her enslaved by. The dancer smiled grimly. At least Jabba was getting what he deserved.

Suddenly, the dancer felt her danger-sense tingling. She had to get off that sail barge as quick as possible. Using the Force to guide her, she leapt onto the skiff. There, a blinded Han Solo as well as a traitorous guard were already waiting for Skywalker and the Princess. Since both the men had their attention on saving their friends and themselves, the dancer was able to sneak onto the skiff undetected. She hid behind some crates as the floating vessel flew away from the exploding sail barge. She shielded herself from Skywalker's Force sense and hoped she'd be able to stay concealed until it was time to strike.

*** *** ***

Luke Skywalker approached his X-Wing with his astromech droid, R2-D2. Luke stopped, sensing something was wrong. A woman stepped from the shadows. Luke immediately recognized her as the red-haired dancer from Jabba's. She pointed a blaster at him. "Going somewhere, Skywalker?" she asked.

"Actually, I was just on my way to visit an old friend," Luke replied, radiating calmness with his Jedi demeanor.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"Why not?"

"I was sent here to kill you."

Luke sighed. Just how many people were there in one galaxy that wanted to kill him? "Who are you?" he asked.

"You can call me Arica," the woman told him as she tightened the grip on her blaster.

"Alright, Arica," Luke said, doubting that that was indeed her real name, "why exactly do you want to kill me?"

Arica felt Skywalker attempt to prod her mind with the Force and get her to reveal more than she was willing. "Don't try your Jedi Mind Tricks on me, Skywalker," she said angrily. "They won't work."

Luke was surprised at how easily she resisted his Jedi powers, and knew he'd have to try something else to keep her from shooting him. "I don't think you really want to kill me," he said.

"What makes you say that?" she asked, finding herself growing rather annoyed with this farmboy turned self-proclaimed Jedi Knight.

"Because if you did, you would have pulled the trigger by now," Luke pointed out, using the Force to keep his voice calm and soothing.

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to."

"No, I guess it doesn't." He took a tentative step closer. "Why do you want to kill me?"

Arica's grip on her blaster never wavered. "It is my master's desire that you to die; therefore, it is my desire as well," she answered.

"Who is your master?" Luke asked.

"I'm not telling you that."

Something about this woman intrigued Luke. She was obviously strong in the Force, and had retrieved at least some training on how to use those abilities. And something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. "I want you to come with me," he said.

Arica showed her first signs of nervousness. "What? Do you not realize that I seriously want to kill you?"

"I understand that," Luke replied. "You are standing there with a blaster pointed at me, after all. But I want you to come with me anyway."

"You're crazy, Skywalker," Arica declared. "Aren't you even slightly afraid of me?"

"Fear is of the dark side."

"Oh, don't start that Jedi crap with me," she hissed, her emerald-green eyes flashing. Luke took advantage of her momentary distraction to grab hold of her blaster with the Force, making it fly from her hand to his. "Give me that back," she ordered.

Luke gave her a small smile. "Something tells me that wouldn't exactly be the smartest thing in the galaxy for me to do," he said. "Now come on with me. There's someone I want you to meet."

Arica sighed. "You aren't going to give up, are you Skywalker?"

Luke shook his head. "I wasn't planning on it."

"Fine, Skywalker, I'll go with you," she conceded, "but only because it will give me an opportunity to kill you."

"Then I guess that's just a chance I'll have to take," Luke said softly.

*** *** ***

Arica stared at Luke Skywalker as he lay in some sort of Jedi trance. She shifted uncomfortably in the cramped seat of the Y-Wing. Skywalker had seemed somewhat reluctant to leave his X-Wing and astromech droid behind, but he knew that two people in an X-Wing would be way beyond cramped and had figured that a fiery redhead with an intense desire to murder him probably wouldn't be too thrilled if she had to spend the whole trip sitting in his lap.

Slowly, Arica pulled out her small holdout blaster from her boot and pointed it towards Skywalker. She took a deep breath. All it would take would be one shot and her job would be done. She would be able to return to her master with her mission successful. She watched as Luke Skywalker took slow, steady breaths. For the first time, Arica noticed just how handsome he was. She reached out and brushed a strand of sandy-blonde hair from his face. Suddenly, she pulled her hand back, as if she had just been stung. What was she doing? This was Luke Skywalker, the greatest enemy of the Empire, and she had to kill him. But something was holding her back, keeping her from doing what she knew she needed to do. The young woman placed her holdout blaster back into her boot and burst into tears.

Luke awoke to find Arica crying softly in the seat beside him. Without a word, he undid her crash webbing, lifted her limp form, and sat her down in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his chest. Luke stroked her hair as he rocked her back and forth, waiting for the flood of tears to stop.

 

Luke and Arica spoke very little for the remainder of the trip. Luke almost asked her about her earlier breakdown, but one glance at the look in her eyes and he decided against it. She already wanted to kill him enough as it was.

Arica looked around her new surroundings as she climbed out of the Y-Wing. "Skywalker, why in the name of the Empire did you take me here?"

"What, you don't think it's a quaint little vacation spot?" Luke asked, amused by her annoyance.

She glared daggers at him. "Sorry, I don't have much of an affection for swamps."

"It'll grow on you eventually," Luke assured her as he surveyed their surroundings. Yes, he had managed to land them in the correct place. He figured he probably had the Force to thank for that. He looked back at his reluctant companion. "Oh, be careful around the water," he warned her. "Last time I was here some sort of creature almost made a meal out of my R2 unit."

"Great," Arica muttered, looking down at her mud-caked boots in disgust. "I wonder if this could actually get any worse."

Almost as soon as those words were out of her mouth, a huge flying creature swooped down and carried her off. "Luke!" Arica screamed as the creature took to the sky with her tightly gripped in its talons.

Luke grabbed his blaster and pointed it towards the creature, but, with the pattern in which it was flying, it would be all too easy for him to shoot Arica instead of the creature. Reaching out through the Force, Luke touched the creature's mind and filled it with thoughts of how the prey it had just captured would not make a tasty meal. The creature dropped Arica and flew off to locate something that would make a better supper.

Luke used the Force to guide the falling Arica to a gentle landing in his outstretched arms. After catching her breath, Arica looked up only to lose her breath again by meeting the penetrating gaze of Luke Skywalker's ice-blue eyes. She wanted desperately to look away, but found that she could not. Suddenly, Luke began to chuckle.

"What is it," she asked.

"I just realized that back there when you needed me you called me 'Luke.' You've never done that before," he replied.

Arica climbed out of his life-saving embrace and began to dust herself off. "That's a mistake I won't make again, Skywalker," she said coldly.

Luke sighed. He noticed an aching in his arms now that he was no longer holding her. Something told him that it had nothing to do with the burden of supporting her, but everything to do with a longing to hold her again. He pushed that thought out of his mind. Now was definitely not the time for that. They were there for a reason. "Come on. We need to find Master Yoda."

"Master what?"

"You'll see," Luke said as he began to make his way towards the diminutive Jedi's hut.

Arica sighed and followed him

*** *** ***

"Master Yoda, are you here?" Luke called into the small hut.

A small, green creature with big, pointed ears stepped out in front of them. Arica screamed. Luke put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her. "That's Yoda," he explained.

The little green man laughed. "Yoda, I am," he said. He pointed up at Arica with a crooked, knobby finger. "But who are you?"

"Arica," she responded, trying to remain calm and telling herself that she had no reason to be jumpy around a bizarre little, green swamp critter.

Yoda shook his head. "That you are not. That you are not."

Arica grew defensive. "How do you know who I am or who I'm not?"

Yoda laughed again, although Arica found nothing about the situation all that humorous. "Many things I know, yes," he replied thrusting his finger at her again. "Many things I know through the Force."

Arica felt very exposed, as if this strange creature could read her mind, divine her every thought, no matter how well she guarded it. "I know who I am," she snapped.

"So sure of this, are you?" Yoda asked.

"Yes."

"Then maybe a mirror need you."

Arica said nothing else. She knew who she was—didn't she?

Yoda turned to look up at Luke, deciding he had said enough to Arica. "Come with me," he told the young Jedi. "Talk we must."

Luke nodded and followed Yoda into the hut. Arica remained outside, sensing Luke wished to be alone with Yoda. She leaned against the wall and began to think.

She knew Master Yoda's questions had meant something beyond whether or not her name was Arica. She had always been sure of who she was—proud even—but ever since she'd met Luke Skywalker that had begun to change. Not only was she no longer sure of who she was, but as she looked back on her life and some of the things she had done, those former feelings of pride quickly faded into regret and a little bit of revulsion. And, as if to make matters worse, she was no longer even sure about how she felt about Skywalker. She had tried to hate him, since it was always so much easier to hate someone she hated, but now she wasn't sure if that was going to be possible. She had to stop herself before she became attached to Skywalker. She had to carry out her master's orders.

Her master's orders. Yet another thing she was beginning to doubt. Arica had realized that this was the first time in her life that she had questioned the will of her master, and that thought scared her more than any other. She had always accepted his orders unconditionally, yet here she was with Luke Skywalker—a man who's very existence was a threat to her master's life—and she couldn't bring herself to kill him. That lead Arica to ponder yet another confusing thing: her sudden inability to carry out her master's orders quickly and without any sense of remorse.

She had killed so many time before, without a worry or care. But now, here she was stuck in a swamp with a man who she, in all rights, she should have killed ten times over by then. What was it about Luke Skywalker that made her unable to just blast him and never look back?

Arica sighed again. She felt so lost. She kept seeing his face in her mind, his sandy blonde hair falling in front of his bright blue eyes. She remembered how good it had felt when he had comforted her when she was crying. No one had ever done that before. She remembered crying only once before, when she was very young. She had fallen and scraped her knee, and had gone to her master in search of comfort. He had pushed her away, telling her that he had no time for weaklings who cried at such minor things. She had made herself stop crying after that, swearing that she would never again do something to so displease her master. No matter what happened, she vowed to never again let one more tear fall from her emerald-green eyes.

Then Skywalker had appeared in her life and, within only a few short hours, she had broken that promise to herself. Still, Skywalker had not pushed her away, the way her master had done. Instead, he had held her, made her feel safe. Arica sat down and pulled her knees up against her chest. All she could think about was how warm and strong Luke's arms had felt. In the cockpit of the Y-Wing she felt things she'd never felt before, and it frightened her. Her whole life was crashing down around her and, try as she might, Arica couldn't find anything to hold on to.

*** *** ***

Arica didn't even realize she had been sleeping until she woke up with a jolt. Something had just happened, though she wasn't sure what. She felt cold inside. After a few minutes, Luke stepped out of the hut. Arica stood up and noticed the pain in his eyes.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice soft.

"He's dead," Luke replied, a far off look on his face. "Yoda's dead."

"I'm sorry."

Luke looked at her, expecting to see cold indifference written across her face, but found instead what he knew to be sincere sympathy. "He was my Jedi Master," Luke told her. "Now I'm alone. The last of the Jedi."

Even Arica wasn't sure where the next words she spoke came from. "You may not have a Jedi Master anymore, but you still have the Force. It will guide you."

Luke nodded. "She is right," a voice behind Arica said. "And Yoda will always be with you." Luke's gazed shifted to just a little past Arica. "Obi-Wan..." he said softly.

Arica looked puzzled. Then she turned around to see a shimmering figure standing behind her. "Is that Obi-Wan Kenobi?" she asked in disbelief.

Luke nodded as he walked off to speak to the spirit of his former mentor and friend. Arica let out an exasperated sigh as she sat back down beside the hut. She felt so left out.

*** *** ***

Luke stared at the apparition of Kenobi, trying to absorb what he had just been told. Leia was his sister? It seemed strange to Luke, and yet, somehow so right.

"Luke?" Obi-Wan said, "you know that the woman you are traveling with is more than what she seems, don't you?"

"Yes," Luke replied. "Though I'm still not sure exactly who she is. She hasn't been in any rush to tell me."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm not sure even she knows anymore. When you first met her, she was known as the Emperor's Hand—Emperor Palpatine's personal assassin. However, now I have the feeling she doesn't view things as she once did."

Luke felt a lump build in his throat. He knew that someone important had sent Arica after him, but to find out that she was in the employment of the Emperor himself...

"She's strong in the Force."

"I know."

"What should I do about that, Ben? That's why I wanted to bring her to Master Yoda—in hopes he could tell me."

"You must learn to trust your instincts, Luke," Obi-Wan said softly.

"I know, Master."

"Luke," Obi-wan spoke as he began to fade away, "She has the potential to be a great Jedi; however, she also has great potential for the dark side. Be careful. Don't lose her the way I did your father." With the last bit of advice, Obi-Wan Kenobi was gone.

Luke pushed himself up from the log and went back over to Arica. He extended his hand to help her up and, much to his surprise, not only did she accept, but also she didn't let go of him once she was standing. Cautiously, Luke reached up and pushed a strand of red-gold hair from her face. Arica reached up and took hold of Luke's other hand.

For a long moment, they just stared at each other, unspoken emotions passing between them. Suddenly, Luke pulled away, and Arica looked confused. "What is it?" she asked.

"Arica, what's the Emperor's Hand?" Luke asked, trying to keep his voice calm and steady.

Arica turned away from him. "Where did you hear about the Emperor's Hand?" she asked.

"Obi-Wan," Luke explained. "He told me that Emperor's Hand is Palpatine's personal assassin and you're it. Is that true?"

"Yes." She turned around, the defiance that had shone in her eyes before they'd reached Dagobah back again. "You knew I want to kill you, Skywalker," she said, her voice low, almost like a hiss. "I've never kept that fact hidden from you. Why are you acting so shocked over this now?"

Luke ran his right hand through his hair. "I didn't realize you were working directly for the Emperor. I thought you were most likely an Imperial, but I had no idea that you were..." He cut himself off in mid-sentence, his train of thought changing. "Are you a Dark Jedi?"

"I'm not any kind of Jedi," she snapped. She had been seeming to warm up to him, but now Luke could tell she was closing herself off again. He wondered if he shouldn't have said anything to her just yet, but it was too late to turn back now.

"But you're a Force-sensitive working for Palpatine. He didn't try to turn you to the dark side?" Luke asked.

Arica shook her head. "I don't think he saw the need," she replied. Then, soft enough that he couldn't hear, she added, "Not yet anyway."

Luke turned and began to walk back to the Y-Wing. "Let's go," he called to her. "There's nothing here for me now."

Arica followed, wondering what would happen to her now. Would she become a prisoner of the Rebellion? Would Skywalker try to send her back to the Empire? She wasn't sure which one would be worse. The Rebels would surely imprison her—if not execute her—but she was sure nothing they could do could compare to what her master would do if he found out how she had so miserably failed in her mission.

Arica questioned her decision to accompany Skywalker on this little excursion, but knew there was nothing she could do to change things

*** *** ***

Arica and Luke said very little to each other on their return trip. Arica felt lonely and wished that Luke would look at her, let her know that he didn't judge her for her services to the Emperor, and make her feel less ashamed. Realizing that Skywalker's opinion meant that much to her, Arica silently scolded herself. The last thing she needed to worry about was whether or not the Rebel Jedi liked her.

When they finally reached the Rebel base, Arica felt fear growing in the pit of her stomach. He hadn't taken her back to the Empire, forced her to face Palpatine after her treachery, but what would happen now that she in the hands of the Rebels? She knew if the situation was reversed and this was the Empire, she'd be shot immediately, no questions asked, but what would the supposedly-kind Rebels do?

A small part of her wanted just to kill Skywalker then. Sure, she'd probably never be able to get back to her master after killing the Rebel hero in front of that many people, but at least she'd be able to carry out his last command.

Luke walked over to her side of the Y-Wing and extended a hand to help her down. Arica sighed as she accepted his aide. Who did she think she was kidding? She'd never be able to kill him now. She should have just done it that day by his X-Wing, before she'd somehow grown attached to him.

"Come with me," Luke said briskly, snapping her back to the present. The sharpness of his words stung, but Arica showed no signs that she had been hurt. He led her down a series of corridors until they reached a door. He opened it, walked in, and then waited for her to follow. Once she was inside, the doors slammed shut behind her, and Arica jumped a little at the sound.

"I'm going to find Leia," Luke said. "Stay here."

"What are you going to do with me?" Arica asked, unable to go a minute longer without knowing her fate.

Luke stared at her for a moment. "I'm not sure yet."

"Are you going to imprison me?"

"I don't think that's going to be necessary," Luke told her. His expression softened. "Obi-Wan told me to teach you about the light side of the Force. He didn't want me to make the same mistake with you that he made with my fa…with a former student of his."

"I don't think I'd make much of a Jedi, Skywalker," she said softly.

"You're surprise yourself, Arica."

"I…I don't know."

"I have to find Leia," Luke said.

Arica nodded. Luke walked towards the door, brushing against Arica. She felt her whole body tingle from the light touch. Luke must have felt it, too, because he stopped and turned around to face her. He looked down into her eyes and gently cupped her chin in his hands. Arica gasped in surprise as his lips touched hers, but soon she was kissing back.

Luke broke away sooner than she would've liked. He kissed her lightly on the mouth one last time before leaving the room. Her legs unsteady, Arica walked backwards until she reached the couch. She sat down, then reached up to touch her lips. She could still taste him. Arica shook her head, trying to clear her mind of all thoughts of Luke Skywalker.

Her attempt was unsuccessful. By now she was already in too deep.

*** *** ***

Luke walked back towards his quarters, where he knew the woman he had come to know as "Arica" would be. He felt tired and worn, with more weighing on him than ever before. He had had full intentions of telling Leia the truth about their relationship, and maybe even that they were Vader's children, but with the impending attack on Endor, Luke knew that was going to have to wait.

Now here he was, heading towards Arica. The woman was a walking contradiction. She was Emperor Palpatine's personal assassin, and had sworn that she wanted nothing more in the world than to kill him, but to Luke it seemed more like she was falling for him. Although the lack of control frightened him, Luke knew he was falling for her as well. Still, he had to wonder if this was all part of some sort of Imperial plot. She had had plenty of opportunities to kill him, so why wait? True, he had taken her blaster, but Luke knew that someone calling herself "the Emperor's Hand" would be able to kill him in ways other than simply blasting him. Was Emperor Palpatine the type of person who would send someone to toy with him first, the way a nek plays with its food?

Luke stared at the door to his quarters for a long time, somehow nervous to enter. He could sense Arica still inside. How would she react when came in? Would she say anything about the kiss, or would she just pretend it never happened? And what did he want her to do? Part of him did wish it had never happened, but her lips had been so soft...

Finally Luke punched a series of numbers into a keypad, and the door slid open with a sharp hiss. He walked in to find Arica, curled up on the couch, asleep. He walked over and knelt down beside her. She looked so innocent and peaceful, not at all like the vicious killer that she claimed to be. He stroked her cheek, shivering at the soft warmth of her skin. He kissed her lightly on the lips. She stirred, but did not wake.

Luke picked her up and carried her to his bed, knowing she'd be more comfortable there. He laid her down, then kissed her on the forehead. Arica's eyes opened ever so slightly, and she smiled at him, before closing going back to sleep. Luke returned her smile, although he knew she couldn't see him

Luke walked back into the living room, thoughts of Arica drifting through his mind. He didn't fully understand his feelings for her, but how could anything that felt so right be wrong?

"Get a grip on yourself, Skywalker," he muttered to himself. Sure, Arica was beautiful, but she had expressed an burning desire to kill him on more than one occasion Even if she didn't plan on making good on her threat, that still wasn't exactly a good basis for a relationship. Still, he trusted her, even though she apparently didn't trust him enough to even tell him her real name.

Luke did feel somewhat afraid, though it had nothing to do with Arica's past or her death threats. He was falling in love with her.

*** *** ***

Arica woke up feeling frightened, although she was not sure why.

Luke burst into the room, a look of worry on his face. "Arica, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she replied, trying to assure herself as much as him. Her location suddenly became clear. "Why am I in your bed?" she asked.

Luke chuckled a little at the confused and almost frightened look on her face. "Why Arica, don't you remember?" he teased.

"Remember what?" she asked cautiously.

"Falling asleep on the couch and then me carrying you in here," Luke said with a smile.

Arica glared at him. "You didn't have to scare me like that," she snapped.

Luke's grin faded. "Would anything more than that really be so bad?" he asked.

Arica looked away, refusing to give him an answer or to allow him to see her blush. Luke decided now would be a good time to change the subject—though he doubted the next conversation would sit any much with her. "I'm going to ask something of you, but I want you to know that you can say no," he said, his voice calm and steady.

Arica turned around to face him, her face no longer as red as her hair. She could sense the importance in his tone, and pulled the blanket closer to herself for security. "What is it, Skywalker?" she asked.

He let out a deep breath, and wondered if he was doing the right thing. After all, she was an Imperial. But Obi-Wan had told him not to let her slip away, to show her the light side, and he felt this was the way to do that. He knew if she could succeed in this, then she would someday become a Jedi. "We, the Alliance I mean, are planning an attack on the new Death Star," he told her.

Arica turned pale. "But the Emperor will be there. If you rebels succeed, he'll die."

Luke sat down across from her on the bed. "I know," he said. "That's why I want you to come with us. I believe you have the potential to become a great Jedi Knight, despite what you think; however, you must first face the evil of the Emperor."

Arica looked down, saying nothing. She knew Luke was right. Suddenly, the nightmare that had woken her flooded her mind, and she felt a whole new wave of fear. "The Emperor knows we're coming," she said, her voice sounding distant. "He knows of my betrayal, and he's going to kill you in front of me to teach me a lesson."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take if it means helping you," Luke said

"I don't think I can do it, Luke," she said, forcing back tears. "The Emperor's been like a father to me. I'm not sure if I could stay away from the Empire, even if I wanted to."

"Arica," he said, taking her trembling hands in his. "You aren't going to be the only one facing inner demons here." Luke took a deep breath in preparation for his confession. He had to tell her this—she had to know just how much they were in this together. "Darth Vader is my father."

Arica felt her breath still in her chest. No wonder the Emperor had wanted Skywalker dead so badly. She knew now that if she didn't do this she would forever be haunted by fear of Palpatine. "What's your plan?"

"Han Solo's leading a team down to the surface of Endor's Forest Moon to destroy the Death Star's shield generator. I'm going with him. I want you to join us. Can you do that?"

Arica sighed. "I don't want to," she admitted. "I'm afraid of what will happen." Luke opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "However, I know fear is of the dark side, which is why I'm going with you."

Luke nodded, relieved by her answer. "I just need to know one thing," he said. "Will you fight for the Alliance, or will you go back to the Empire?"

Arica swallowed hard. She had know that question would come eventually. "I'm going to be honest," she said. "I can't promise you I will fight for the Rebels." She added quickly before Luke couldn't argue, "But I can promise I won't fight for the Empire. I may not be able to help you, but I won't betray you."

Luke nodded. "Fair enough," he agreed. An awkward pause between followed, neither sure of what to say. Luke leaned down and kissed Arica on the forehead. Then, overcome by passion, he pulled her to him and kissed her with an emotional fury that she had never known before.

Luke pulled away, troubled by his sudden inability to think clear. He stood up, mumbling, "Night, Arica," before walking away.

With Luke gone, Arica shivered. She felt so alone.

*** *** ***

"So who is this girl exactly?" Han asked after Luke requested that Arica be added to the Endor strike team.

"Someone I met recently," Luke said, deciding that telling Han that she was Palpatine's personal assassin would not exactly score her points with the recently-appointed Alliance general.

Han raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, Kid. This is a vital mission to the Rebellion, and they already have one strike against them with me in charge." Han gave Luke a quick lop-sided grin, but then his face got solemn. "Seriously, Luke, I'm not sure I like the idea of bringing a virtual stranger on a mission like Endor."

"Please Han. I wouldn't ask you to do something like this if it was not important. Arica can be trusted. Just give me the benefit of the doubt on this one," Luke pleaded.

"Is this one of your Force things?" Han asked.

Luke nodded.

The older man raised his hands in a gesture of submission. "I learned long ago not to argue when it has to do with your Force. Arica's coming. But let me just warn you now, Chewie's not going to like this one bit. He can be very untrusting of strangers."

"Thanks, Han."

"No problem, Kid," Han replied, although that wasn't quite how he felt.

"What are you two talking about in here?" a familiar female voice asked. He turned around to see Princess Leia enter the room. Han's face lit up as soon as he saw her, and she rushed over to give him a quick kiss.

"Hello, Leia," Luke said.

Leia took hold of Han's hand, but smiled at Luke. "Hello," she replied.

Solo ran his free hand through his scruffy brown hair. "We were just discussing an addition to the Endor strike force," he said.

"Oh? Who?" Leia asked.

"Her name is Arica," Luke answered. "She's a friend of mine."

"Just a friend?" Leia asked teasingly.

Luke blushed a little. "Yeah, she's just a friend," he said softly.

After a long pause, Han said, "I'd like to meet this Arica since it looks like she's going to be a part of my team."

"Yeah, you should meet her," Luke agreed, despite the fact he wasn't sure if a meeting between Han and Arica would exactly go smoothly. Luke knew Arica was still wary of the Rebels, and meeting one of their generals was mostly likely not on the top of her to-do list.

"Maybe we could all have dinner together tonight," Leia suggested.

"Um, I'll see if she's up to it," Luke said.

"Great," Leia said with a smile. "I'll get in touch with you in a bit to discuss details."

Luke nodded, said his good-byes, then left the room to go discuss the dinner idea with Arica.

*** *** ***

"You want me to have dinner with Han Solo and Leia Organa?" Arica asked, her eyes flashing. "Are you crazy, Skywalker?"

"Arica, it'll be the best way to get Han and Leia to trust you, and that's going to be important if you're coming with us to Endor," Luke pointed out.

Arica sighed and flopped back on the couch. "I don't think I can do this, Skywalker."

"What, have dinner?" Luke asked as he sat down beside her.

"This whole Endor mission," Arica replied. "The Emperor is the closest thing to family I've ever had. I know he's evil, and I should turn away from him, but I'm not sure if I can. This is so difficult, Luke!" Hot tears began to run down her cheeks.

Luke pulled her over to him, and she rested her head on his chest. "Just remember, you aren't in this alone," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I know," she said. "You'll have to face Darth Vader, your father."

Luke swallowed hard. It was strange for him to hear anyone else actually refer to Vader as his father.

"It's just like you told me last night," Arica went on. "We'll both have to face our demons." She forced herself to stop crying.

"So you do see how we're in this together," he said.

Arica nodded. She sat up, "Luke, I don't have anything to wear to dinner. All I have is this flight suit I'm wearing."

Luke smiled down at her. "I'll see if Leia has anything you can borrow."

*** *** ***

Arica gripped Luke's hand tightly as they walked to the princess's quarters for dinner.

"Skywalker, I don't want to do this," Arica said once they reached Leia's door.

Luke gave her a quick kiss. "It'll be fine," he assured her.

He knocked on the door, and Leia answered. She glanced over the woman had brought with him. Something was familiar about her, although Leia could not quite place her finger on what. "Hello," Leia said with her warmest smile. "You must be Arica."

"Yes. Princess Leia?" Arica politely shook the brunette's outstretched hand.

"Come on in," Leia said, moving out of the doorway. "Han's already inside."

Arica followed Luke into the room, using Force calming techniques Palpatine had taught her to quell her nervousness. Luke led her to a tall, roguishly charming man who she assumed to was Han Solo.

"Han, this is Arica," Luke said.

Han shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Arica."

"Same to you, General Solo."

Han smiled. "You can call me Han."

Arica returned his smile. "Han then."

"I'm sure you both must be hungry," Leia said. "Come on over to the table. We were actually able to dig up something other than standard Alliance rations."

Arica had to bite her tongue to keep from commenting that the rations given out by the Rebels were somehow even worse than those of the Empire. "That sounds great," she said.

The four of them walked to the table and began their meal.

*** *** ***

Through most of the night, Arica and Luke gave each other shy looks and smiles, with Luke even taking hold of her hand a couple of times. Leia leaned over to Han and whispered in his ear, "Just friends, huh?" Solo responded with a crooked grin.

Arica tended to keep to herself, listening more than talking, but doing all she could to seem merely shy, as opposed to antisocial She answered all Han and Leia's questions honestly, but careful not giving away too much information. Still, she was glad when it was time to leave. She and Luke said good-bye to Han and Leia, then headed back to Luke's quarters.

Leia stared at the door long after Luke and Arica had left. She felt Han place his hand on her shoulder. "What is it, Sweetheart?" he asked.

"It's Arica," Leia replied. "I feel like I've seen her before, but I can't think where it..." Leia stopped in mid-sentence as realization sunk in. She turned around to face Han, her expression one of shock. "She was the dancer on Jabba's sail barge that tried to keep Luke from getting his lightsaber!"

"Are you sure?" Han asked.

"Positive," Leia assured him. A new thought crossed her mind. "What if Luke doesn't know that it's the same woman?"

"I'm sure does," Han said. "He seemed nervous about Arica meeting us. That could be the reason why."

"What if she jeopardizes the Endor mission?" Leia asked.

Han pulled Leia to him. "Luke assured me he knew what he was doing on this one. We're going to have to trust him."

"I hope I can do that, Han," Leia said, hugging him tightly.

*** *** ***

Arica felt herself relax as soon as she entered Luke's quarters. Something made her feel safe there. "Leia seems to think we're a couple," she said after a minute.

"We're not?" Luke asked, only half teasing.

Arica looked at him, confused. "Well…I…um…" she stammered.

Luke smiled as he walked over to her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close. "Do you want us to be?" he asked softly.

Arica didn't know what to say. She wanted Luke, but she still retained some remnants of her loyalty to Palpatine.

Afraid of what her answer would be, Luke kissed her. Much to his relief, she kissed back. After a long moment, he pulled away and looked into her eyes, searching for any doubts, but finding only affection and desire.

"Luke," Arica began, "Before anything happens tonight, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Luke asked as he reached up and stroked her cheek.

Arica all but melted at his touch, but she knew she had to go on. She needed to tell him this and prove that she trusted him, and wanted him to trust her as well. "Arica isn't my real name," she admitted.

"Really? I never would have guessed," he with teasing sarcasm.

Arica gave him a dirty look, but continued her confession. "My name is Mara Jade."

Luke smiled at her. "Mara Jade. I like it."

Mara smiled back, and blushed a little.

Luke's expression turned serious. "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me."

Mara wasn't quite sure of how to respond. Finally, she just smiled slyly at Luke. "Want to go to bed now?" she asked.

Luke grinned. "I think that's the best idea I've ever heard," he said as he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

*** *** ***

Mara woke up in the middle of the night after yet another nightmare. She tried to sit up, but found that Luke's arm was wrapped around her. She began to struggle to get free, feeling trapped.

Luke woke up. "Mara, what's wrong?" he asked.

Images of Mara's nightmare flooded her mind. To her, it was much more than a dream. The Emperor knew of Mara's ultimate betrayal and was anything but happy. Mara felt guilty and afraid. She pushed Luke away from her. "Please, leave me alone," she said as she rolled over and stared at the wall.

Confused, Luke reached over and touched her arm. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Don't touch me," Mara ordered.

"Fine," Luke said as he climbed out of bed. "If that's the way you want it..." He then left the room and went to sleep on the couch.

Mara wanted to stop him but found herself unable to move or speak. How in the name of the Empire had she gotten herself in such a mess? All she had wanted to do was kill a man, something she had done easily many times before. But this time had been different, and now her world that had once been so cut and dry was turned upside-down.

*** *** ***

For the next couple of days before the mission, Luke and Mara said very little to each other. Luke spent much of his time helping the Rebels ready themselves, while Mara stayed in his quarters, alone. She wanted to tell Luke she was sorry for the way she had acted the previous night, but every time she tried she found herself at a loss for words.

She felt almost relieved when it was time for the troops to leave for Endor. As the whole Alliance rushed about, preparing for the upcoming battle, Mara felt as if the tension between her and Skywalker was not as strong as it had been. By the time they had joined the rest of General Solo's crew by the stolen Imperial Shuttle, Mara and Luke were at least speaking, although it was nothing more than conversation pertaining to the task at hand.

When it was time to leave, Mara walked nervously onto the shuttle. Part of her just wanted to run away, maybe get on some other ship, and fly back to the "safety" of the Empire. However, she knew now that she had betrayed her master, the Empire would never be safe for her again. Her only hope of survival was to be the one thing she swore she'd never be: a Rebel.

Mara sat down and strapped in. She tried to relax, but all attempts she made were futile. She felt a strong, warm hand on her shoulder, and all her troubles seemed to melt away. She looked up only to find herself staring into Luke Skywalker's deep blue eyes.

Mara gave Luke a small smile of gratitude, realizing that he was responsible for the calm she was feeling. He gave her a simple nod, and then sat down himself. Mara listened absentmindedly to the small bit of conversation buzzing around the shuttle's cockpit. She heard General Solo make some sort of comment about being afraid he'd never see his ship again, but other than that, she didn't hear much.

Slowly, the shuttle began to move away from the base, and Mara felt a strange sensation wash over her. The Rebel base had felt secure to her, and, in a strange way, it was the same sort of security she'd know serving Palpatine. But now, she was speeding away from safety and heading right into the heart of darkness. She let out a deep, emotional sigh as the shuttle went into hyperspace.

*** *** ***

The only moment that Mara found anywhere near exciting the whole trip to Endor was when General Solo transmitted their clearance code, and it seemed for a minute that the Empire might discover them. Other than that, Mara felt bored and lonely. She had long grown tired of responding to the name "Arica," but neither she nor Luke had told any of their companions to call her anything else. Even Luke had gone back to calling her "Arica." She hated hearing him call her that most of all. He said it not as if he was simply calling her by a pseudonym in order to keep her true identity a secret. It was as if Mara Jade, whom he had loved that one night, no longer existed, and in her place was no more than Arica, the pitiful excuse for an Imperial assassin.

Mara took a deep breath as she stepped out of the shuttle and into the forest of the small Endorian Moon. It was nice to feel something in her lungs besides the stale, re-circulated air she had had to breathe on the shuttle. The air had seemed staler than that of the Rebel base, and Mara knew it was because it was from an Imperial shuttle. That air was just like everything else Mara had ever known during her life with the Empire: cold, lifeless, and overly sterilized. But this moon was different. It was green, fresh, and new-full of life. She felt it was fitting for her to start over on a world such as that one.

She looked around at her companions. They were Rebel soldiers, not the polished, cocky stormtroopers Mara was accustomed too. These Rebels were a ragtag group, unsure of their future, but ready and willing to fight for what they believed to be right.

Mara thought about General Han Solo's wookiee companion, Chewbacca. By the Empire's standards, Chewbacca would be no more than a slave, worthless aside from his extraordinary strength. But in the Alliance, Chewie had found a home, where he was worth so much more to his friends and allies.

Then there were Han and Leia. Mara could sense their new, yet strong love for each other. She had never known an emotion even akin to love when she had been with the Empire. Not even for her master, who had raised her from a small child. No, she had not known that emotion until...until Luke. Just the thought of Luke made her heart ache. She knew that she loved him, although she feared now that it might be too late to tell him. She watched him as he looked around, the sun dancing on his blonde hair and his blue eyes sparkling. He was in contrast to all Mara had ever known.

Mara smiled to herself. Yes, this was truly the man she loved. A man that could understand the pain and darkness she knew, yet still had enough light inside of him to care for her the way she so desperately needed. It suddenly dawned on Mara that, by some strange twist in her destiny, that this man who had begun as just another person she had been ordered to assassinate had become all she needed in her life. Like Mara, Luke was a walking contradiction of Light and Dark. Mara had to tell Luke right then how she felt about him. She couldn't play this game anymore; she loved Luke Skywalker, and he had to know.

But before Mara could go to Luke, an image of her master, Emperor Palpatine, appeared in her mind. "You have betrayed me, Mara," he said in a voice so evil that it chilled Mara to the bone. "For that, you shall pay dearly."

Mara's whole world turned black.

*** *** ***

When Mara Jade regained consciousness, she found herself lying in the arms of Luke Skywalker. She gave him a small, weak smile to let him know she was okay.

"She awake, Kid?" Mara heard General Solo ask. His voice sounded far away, but she knew he was close.

"She just woke up, Han," Luke replied.

Luke looked back down at Mara, his eyes full of concern. He brushed a strand of red-gold hair from her face. "What happened?" he asked softly.

"I guess I'm just tired or something," she answered, not wanting to discuss the real reason for her collapse in front of a group of Rebel soldiers who were listening to every word she and Luke said, even if they were pretending not to be.

Luke nodded, knowing it was more, but not wanting to push her. "Are you going to be okay now?" he asked.

Mara nodded, to illustrate her point, got to her feet. She immediately wished she hadn't, since the initial head rush made her feel as if she were going to faint again, but after a couple of seconds she was fine.

She smiled at Luke. "So are we going to do this or not?"

*** *** ***

The mission had been going well, and Mara was beginning to wonder if maybe the Rebel Alliance had a chance at victory after all. Then, the scout troopers had been alerted, and Luke and the princess had gone after them on speeder bikes in order to stop the troopers from calling for backup. Now Mara was sitting with General Han Solo, beside a tree, waiting for Skywalker and Organa to return.

"Can I ask you something?" Han asked Mara.

"Shoot."

"What's going on between you and Luke? Are you just friends, or..." He cut his sentence off there.

Mara shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure most of the time," she replied.

Han grinned at her lopsidedly. "I know how that goes."

"Is that the way it is with you and Leia?" asked Mara, figuring if he could pry into her private life, then she could pry into his.

Han laughed a little. "Maybe," he replied. "She says she loves me."

"You love her, too?" Mara asked.

Han shifted a little. "You sure know how to turn the tables on a guy," he pointed out.

"It's one of my specialties," she said with a sly smile. "So do you?"

"Probably," Han replied after a second.

Before either Mara or Han could ask anymore questions, Luke walked out of the woods. Mara hadn't even realized how much she'd been worrying about him until she saw him. On impulse, she ran up to him and threw her arms around him.

Luke was surprised by her sudden display of affection. "Miss me?" he asked softly.

Mara pulled away, looking slightly embarrassed. "I was a little worried," she admitted.

Luke smiled warmly at her, and then the two of then walked over to where Han was standing and looking around nervously.

"Where's Leia?" Han asked as soon as Luke approached.

"What? She didn't come back?" Luke asked.

"I thought she was with you," Han replied, his tone almost accusatory.

"We got separated," Luke explained. "Hey, we better go look for her."

Han nodded, and the search was on.

*** *** ***

During the next few hours, Mara found herself first wandering through a forest, then captured in a net by fuzzy little creatures, almost made into a meal by the said fuzzy little creatures, and finally set free and made a part of the tribe of the aforementioned fuzzy little creatures. Now Mara was standing a few meters away from a wooden bridge waiting for Skywalker. He had told her to wait there for him while he talked to Leia, and then they would go in search of Vader.

She watched the emotions play across Luke and Leia's faces and wished more than anything that she could tell what they were saying. Mara found herself struck with fear. What if Skywalker had feelings for the Princess? What if that was what he was telling her now? Mara had assumed that Luke cared for her, not Leia, but he had never actually told Mara he loved her.  

Mara pushed that thought out of head almost as quickly as it came. She could sense that Luke shared a strong bond with the Alderaanian Princess; however, she knew that while it was love, it was not romantic love, but something else entirely. She made herself a mental note to ask Luke about it after the battle—if the Rebels were victorious, that was.

Luke walked away from Leia, who was still standing on the bridge, crying, and over to Mara. "Will she be all right?" Jade asked.

Luke glanced back over at Leia. "Han's with her now. He'll comfort her."

Mara nodded. She wanted to ask Luke what it was he had said to the princess, but knew now was not the time. "Well, looks like it's time to find Vader," she said, staring out into the starlit Endorian night sky.

"Are you okay with this, Mara?" Luke asked. "You'll have to face the Emperor."

Mara met his eyes with a steady gaze. "And you'll have to face your father. We both have a difficult task ahead of us, but this is the only way we can truly defeat the Dark Side and reach our true potential in the Force," she replied.

Luke took hold of her hand. "Sounds like you actually have been listening to me," he said. "So are you ready to go?"

Mara grinned. "Almost," she said as she used her free hand to reach in the pouch around her waist, pull out a silver cylinder, and clip it to her belt. "Now I'm ready," she announced.

Luke raised his eyebrows. "A lightsaber?" he asked. "I didn't know you had one that all this time." Luke considered asking why she hadn't pulled it out and sliced him in half earlier when she had been claiming to want to kill him, but decided it was best not to bring up that particular subject.

Mara kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sure there's a lot you don't know about me, Skywalker," she teased.

Luke pulled her into his arms. "And I plan on learning all of someday," he whispered into her ear.

Mara clutched him tightly. "Guess that means we better win this fight, otherwise you'll never have the chance."

"We'll have the chance," he assured her.

"We better," Mara told him with a smile. "Otherwise I'll be all upset, and you know how I get when I'm cranky."

Luke chuckled softly. "I love you, Mara Jade," Luke told her, his voice full of emotion.

Mara felt a great swell of happiness at hearing those three words combined with her name. "I love you, too, Luke Skywalker," she replied. "You've brought light into my life, and I will always be grateful to you for that."

Luke looked down into her eyes. "I know that this is sudden, but I feel a connection to you, a sort of Force-bond that I never even knew could exist between two people." Luke swallowed hard, his nervousness apparent in the way he was tightly squeezing her hands. "Mara...will you marry me?"

"You mean if we get out of this alive?" she asked.

Luke shook his head. "I mean regardless."

Part of her wanted to make him sweat a little, to be the woman she'd always been and not make this too easy on him. But she knew she couldn't, not then, not with Luke. He had become a part of her, and she knew she could not allow her defenses to resurface.

"Yes."

** *** ***

Mara had thought she'd be afraid when she met Vader again, but she wasn't. And even now, when she knew the shuttle they were riding on would bring them to Palpatine, she felt strangely at peace. Mara knew it was her love for Luke that made her feel this way, knew it was finally having someone truly care for her that made her feel so whole.

Vader had taken her lightsaber as well as Luke's, and usually the lack of a weapon would have made her feel bare, exposed. But it didn't this time. She had the Force with her, and she knew that with it as her ally, she was never defenseless. She looked at Luke and noticed he was in some sort of trance, probably meditating. Vader piloted the shuttle almost silently, the only sound being the Sith Lord's artificial breathing. The Death Star II grew ominously on the horizon and Mara could feel the Emperor's presence getting stronger. She knew he was waiting not only for Luke, but for her as well, and she could sense that he was almost pleased by the union she had formed with Luke, hoping that he might be able to twist them both to his evil will.

Mara Jade made a vow to herself right there. She would not let the Emperor turn her back into his weapon—never again would she do his bidding. She would die before she would let herself fall back into the roll of the Emperor's puppet. As the shuttle landed in the docking bay of the Death Star, Mara felt at one with the Force. Skywalker walked in such a manner that Mara believed that he, too, had had somewhat of the same revelation she had.

"Are you going to be able to go through with this?" Mara was startled when she first heard Luke's voice in her mind, but somehow it seemed natural.

"It's a little late for me to back out now, even if I wasn't," Mara answered back. "But yes, I'm fine. The Force is with us."

Mara could feel Luke smile even though the grim expression on his face did not change. "I love you," he told her, mentally squeezing her hand.

Jade sent the same comforting gesture to him over their Force-bond. "I love you, too, Skywalker."

Part of Mara wanted to turn and run as soon as they reached the Emperor's throne room, but she didn't let her calm go away. "Welcome Young Skywalker, Dear Mara," she heard the Emperor cackle. "I have been expecting you."

With a flick of his hand, the Emperor caused the binders around Mara and Luke's wrists to fall to the ground. He dismissed his crimson-cloaked guards and then turned to face the two young Jedi that stood before him. The Emperor gave a sickly grin. "I am looking forward to making you both my loyal subjects," he said, the sound of his voice making Mara's stomach churn. "In time you will both call me Master...just as you once did, Mara Jade."

Luke became defiant. "I will never call you Master...and neither will Mara. Her days as your pawn are over, Palpatine," he said. "When you say you will convert us the way you converted my father you are gravely mistaken."

The Emperor rose from his great throne and walked over to Mara and Luke. Mara felt a wave of cold hit her as he approached. She wondered now how she had ever been able to live when she had been near the Emperor almost every day. Had she been that dead inside before she'd met Luke?

Vader approached his Emperor, handing him Mara and Luke's lightsabers. The Emperor discarded Mara's to the ground, allowing it to hit the metal floor with only a small clatter. Mara knew what he was doing. It was a tactic he had used on her many times before. He was attempting to make her feel small and insignificant. She pulled herself into an almost regal pose, making herself convey a sense importance.

The Emperor noticed Mara's defiant pose but chose to ignore it, deciding to instead prey on Luke. He hoped if turned Skywalker, Mara would quickly follow her lover to the Dark Side of the Force. Palpatine realized now that Mara had greater potential than he had seen in her before, and she could be more than his Hand—that she could truly be a Dark Jedi.

The Emperor turned to Luke, clutching the young man's lightsaber in his hand. "Ah, yes, a Jedi's weapon. Much like your father's," said the dark, cloaked figure. Palpatine noticed Luke squirm a little at the mention of his father and decided to use this to his advantage. "By now you must know your father can never be turned from the dark side. So will it be with you."

Luke realized what the Emperor was doing and refused to take the bait. "You're wrong," he informed the Dark Master. "Soon I'll be dead...and you with me."

The Emperor's cackle sent chills up Mara's spine. "Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of your Rebel fleet," he laughed.

Luke looked down at the ground, taken aback by the Emperor's knowledge of the Rebellion's plan, yet ashamed that he had believed that someone as strong in the Dark Side of the Force as the Emperor would not know of something like that.

Mara glanced over at Luke then glared at her former master. "Whether you know of the attack or not means nothing. They will still destroy you," she snarled.

The Emperor darted his eyes over at Mara then back over at Luke. "Despite what your companion may believe, I assure you we are quite safe from your rebel friends here."

Luke looked up at the Emperor. "Your overconfidence is your weakness," he told him.

"And your faith in your friends is yours," Palpatine snapped.

Mara gave Luke a soft look then flashed her green eyes back over to the hooded, wrinkled form of the Emperor. "Faith in your friends is never a weakness, Your Highness," she said.

Luke glanced over and gave her a quick smile, realizing how much she had grown inside since he'd first met her.

The Emperor glared at her then began to walk to back to his throne. "Everything that has transpired here has done so according to my design," he said as he walked. "Your friends up there on the Sanctuary Moon are walking into a trap. As is your Rebel fleet! It is I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them."

Mara sensed the anger building in Luke as his eyes darted between Palpatine and his lightsaber, still resting in the Emperor's hand. She tried to reach out to Luke, let him know that they could defeat the Emperor, and that Han, Leia, and the others still had a chance as well. But she could not reach him. It was as if Luke's growing rage had severed their bond. Mara let out an almost silent sigh of despair. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold on if Luke fell, and she feared that the entire Galaxy would be lost if he gave into that darkness.

Like Mara, the Emperor, too, sensed Luke's rising fury. He smiled, a vile, black-toothed grin. "Oh...I'm afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive," he teased.

Suddenly the Alliance fleet came out of hyperspace, only to be bombarded by the firepower of a large part of the Imperial Navy. The Emperor sat in his throne and gazed proudly out the large window, watching the space battle. "Come boy, see for yourself."

Luke and Vader approached the Emperor, but Mara did not. She stayed put, refusing to let herself be pulled in by the Emperor's tricks. Palpatine noticed this, but again chose to ignore her. He could tell that Skywalker was falling into his grasp and felt confident that once he fell, Mara would soon follow. The Emperor gestured to the raging battle. "From here you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance and the end of your insignificant Rebellion," he taunted Luke.

Luke glanced back down to his lightsaber, fighting with all his strength to resist grabbing his weapon and destroying the Emperor. Palpatine followed Luke's gaze and patted the saber. "You want this, don't you?" the old emperor asked the question, although he was already well aware of its answer. "The hate is swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant."

"No!" Luke yelled, refusing to give into Palpatine's will.

"It is unavoidable," said the Emperor. "It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now mine!"

"Luke, please, don't listen to him!" Mara shouted. "Don't give into your anger...that's what he wants you to do! If you give into the dark side now, the Rebellion truly will be lost! Please, Skywalker, listen to me! Together we can use the Light Side of the Force and defeat the Emperor the right way! Please, just remember all you've told me!"

Luke pulled his eyes away from the Emperor and his lightsaber and over to Mara. He felt his anger melting away at the sight of her face and the Emperor could sense this. "Don't listen to her, Foolish Boy," Palpatine said. "The Rebellion is already over. Your fleet is lost. And your friends on the Endor moon will not survive. There is no escape, my young apprentice. The Alliance will die...as will your friends.

Luke's anger began to build again. Mara wanted to cry. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen! Luke wasn't supposed to give into the dark side—he was so much stronger than that, she knew it!

The Emperor felt Luke's anger as well as Mara's hopelessness. "Good, I feel your anger," he told Luke. "I am defenseless. Take your weapon. Strike me down with all your hatred and your journey towards the Dark Side will be complete."

"Skywalker...Luke...don't listen to him! Fight him with the light side! I know you can do it, I've seen the all the goodness inside of you! Don't let the Emperor turn you into another Vader!" Mara pleaded.

"I grow tired of you, girl," the Emperor snarled at Mara. He released a shower of Force-lightning from his wrinkled finger-tips, causing Mara to fly across the room and into the wall.

Luke paled. As he watched Mara hit the ground, unconscious. He ran over to her and tried to wake her, but found her to be unresponsive. It was all Luke could take. With a warrior-like cry, he charged the Emperor, using the Force to call his lightsaber to him as he ran. He lifted his lightsaber to attack Palpatine, but Vader blocked Luke's strike with his own lightsaber. Luke began to fight Vader, but soon realized that he was giving in to the dark side. Quickly, he found a place to hide, hoping that he could remain hidden at least long enough to formulate some sort of plan.

*** *** ***

Luke crouched in a small corner. He could see Mara across the room, still crumpled in a huddled mass. He wanted to reach out with the Force, see if she was still alive, but he knew that as soon as he opened himself up, Vader would find him. He actually tried to clear his mind of everything, knowing that Vader could probably find him fairly easily. He heard Vader speak.

"You cannot hide forever."

Luke projected his voice, making it harder for Vader to determine where it was coming from. "I will not fight you." Against his will, Luke felt his thoughts drifting to Leia. He thought of how the Emperor had told him his friends on Endor would die, and he couldn't help but worry about her. He tried to push the thoughts from his mind before Vader heard them, but it was too late.

"Yes, your thoughts betray you," Vader said between deep, mechanical breaths, "Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for..." Vader stops for a second as he intercepted his son's stray thoughts. "Sister! So...you have a twin sister. Your feelings have betrayed her, too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will."

Luke felt his anger boiling up inside him as Darth Vader's suggestion that Leia could be turned. Luke would not allow that to happen. He jumped from his hiding place, his lightsaber in hand. He charged at Vader slashing with a fury the young man had never known before. He would destroy this monster before he could hurt Leia, no matter what the cost.

*** *** ***

Mara felt herself slowly reviving. She pulled her head off the ground, ignoring the pain. Luke had backed Vader against a wall and was hacking at him with a lightsaber. "No..." Mara whispered. Luke was the man who had shown her the path to light, and now here he was, engulfed by darkness. She wanted to jump up, to grab Luke and make him stop, to make him run away with her, maybe find a shuttle and get away, go somewhere where they could just be together. But she knew it wouldn't happen...not now. Mara felt as if every molecule of her body was crying out as she lay there, paralyzed and helpless to save the man that she loved.

She watched as Luke brought his lightsaber down on an all-but-defeated Vader. The green blade sliced into Vader's forearm, severing the Sith Lord's hand.

The Emperor cackled at the furious display. "Good! Your hate has made you powerful! Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side."

Luke looked down in horror as he realized that his father's right hand had been nothing more than a mechanical replacement, much like Luke's own black-gloved limb. "Never," Luke declared. He switched off his weapon and Mara breathed a sigh of relief. She could feel the anger and hate draining from Luke. Maybe they'd make it after all.

"I'll never turn to the dark side," Luke informed the emperor. "You've failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

The Emperor was infuriated by Luke's rejection of the dark side. "So be it...Jedi" he growled. "If you will not turn, you will be destroyed." Bluish-purple lightning shot from Palpatine's shriveled hands, causing Luke to fall to his knees.

Mara watched helplessly as her former master taunted Luke, and as her lover called out to his fallen father to help him. She couldn't let this happen, couldn't watch as the only person who had ever loved her died. She mustered all the strength she could and reached for her lightsaber through the Force. It flew from the ground to her outstretched hand and she drug herself to her feet. She pushed the power button on her saber, igniting the fuchsia blade with a snap-hiss. She charged at the Emperor, making sure to stay away from the path of anger. Palpatine sensed his Hand coming for him. He turned away from Luke, promising himself he'd finish the hapless Jedi soon. Bolts of Force-lighting shot from his fingers and towards Mara.

Mara felt the Force flowing through her as she brought her lightsaber up to block. Most of the Emperor's energy was deflected by the blade and sent flying back towards its source; however, a few stray bolts hit Mara and caused her to fly backwards and drop her lightsaber.

The ricocheted lightning bolts did little to harm the Emperor, however, it did send him flying back towards Darth Vader. Crackling lightning continued to flow from Palpatine's fingertips as Vader carried him over to the near-by central core and threw the evil emperor in, causing an explosion of dark energy to shoot up. Luke crawled to his father, pulling the dark figure towards him.

"You must leave now, Son," Vader said, his breathing sounding more labored than usual.

"I cannot leave you, Father," Luke protested.

"Luke, help me take this mask off."

"But you'll die," Luke protested.

"Nothing can stop that now. Just once, let me look on you with my own eyes."

Reluctantly, Luke removed his father's mask to reveal a man with skin so pale as to make it obvious that it had not seen the sun in over two decades. He had no hair and his face has horribly scared. Anakin Skywalker smiled slightly. "Now...go, my son. Leave me. You have to save Mara. She will need your help and you will not be able to carry us both."

"No," Luke protested. "I can't. You're coming with me. I'll not leave you. I've got to save you."

Anakin took a haggard breath through long-dead lungs. "You already have, Luke." He gave a weak smile. "You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister...you were right."

"Father...I won't leave you," Luke tried to protest. But it was too late. His father had already left him. Slowly, Anakin Skywalker's body faded away before Luke's eyes, much the way both Obi-Wan and Yoda's had. Luke wanted to take his father's armor—all that was left of him—back to Endor with him, maybe give him a proper funeral ceremony for a Jedi Knight, but he knew he could not. Mara was unconscious, and for all Luke knew, barely alive. Anakin had been right when he had said Luke would not be able to carry them both at one time, and the constant rocking of his surroundings alerted Luke to the battle raging on outside the Death Star and reminded him that his time was short. He would have to leave all that remained of his father.

Reluctantly, he got to his feet and lifted Mara in his arms, carrying her to a nearby shuttle. Without a word, he flew off the Death Star and to the safety of the Forest Moon's lush jungles just as the Empire's ultimate weapon exploded.

*** *** ***

Mara woke as the Imperial shuttle Luke had "borrowed" landed. "Where are we?" she asked groggily.

"Endor," Luke replied.

"How did we get here?" Mara asked. She tried to sit up but, after feeling a jolt of pain, decided she was much happier lying down.

"I flew us here," Luke replied as he shut off the ship.

"What about the Death Star…and the Emperor?" She paused. "Vader?"

Luke took a deep breath. "All gone. Vader gave himself to help us. After you deflected the Emperor's bolts Vader caught him and finished Palpatine off," he explained.

Mara could tell that Luke was near tears. "Come here," she said to him. Luke pulled himself up from the pilot's chair. He lay down beside her, buried her head in her chest, and let the tears flow.

They stayed there like that until nightfall.

*** *** ***

Leia ran happily to Luke as she saw him approach the ewok village, wrapping him in a hug. Mara limped behind Luke. Leia smiled and approached Mara, giving her a small hug. "I know," Mara said softly into Leia's ear. "Luke told me you're his sister."

Leia nodded. "And I know about you and Luke, too. I can sense it. I'll be proud to have you as a sister-in-law," the princess said with a warm smile.

Mara grinned and her green eyes sparkled. "It'll be nice to have a family."

Leia looked over at Luke, who appeared to be staring out at nothing, smiling. She went over to him and pulled him back over with his friends. Mara wrapped her arms around Luke's neck, pulling him into a joyful hug. No matter what destiny had in store for her, Mara knew that everything would be fine as long as Luke was by her side.

*** *** ***

Well, I didn't make too many changes, but I did clean it up a bit. Leave a review or email me feedback and let me know what you thought. If I get a lot of reviews I might consider doing a sequel, so if you want to see more of this, review!