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Star Wars: A New Dawn (TheCorsair, Xanaphia)

Elsewhere...

Ashoka closed the door of the residence Sheila had loaned them and leaned against it, breathing a sigh of relief. Zeltros was a sanctuary of sorts from the Empire, and Dame Golb was a valuable ally of the Rebellion, but visits were always nerve-wracking in a way that neither Sheila nor Master Quentin had ever understood. The Togruta were a warrior race. A predatory race. The discipline of the Order had taught her to discipline and channel her instinctive aggression, and Anakin’s headstrong impulsiveness had been one of her greatest lessons in how to balance her nature and the calm that was required to allow the Force to flow through her.

Zeltros threatened all of that. The air was laced with pheromones, and the Force was alive with the uninhibited emotions of the Zeltrons. All of it left her walking a razor edge - one single slip, and she would plummet from the path of the Jedi. She would risk becoming exactly what the Order - what everyone but Anakin - had believed her to be. It was strange to contemplate, but her greatest risk of falling to the Dark Side was a planet where the Light was strong. “There is no emotion,” she whispered to herself, closing her eyes and concentrating, “there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.”

“Ah,” laughed an oddly familiar voice. “The puerile ramblings of the Jedi. I had such hopes for you, Agent Fulcrum.”

Her eyes snapped open as her hand closed around the hilts of her lightsabers. The speaker was near, but not in the room. And in the Force she could feel a chill, dark presence. A strong presence, one she’d sensed before.

“Who are you?” she asked, ripping the seam out of her tight skirt - she needed to be able to move, after all.

“You don’t recognize me?” There was a mocking pout in the voice, and she heard movement in the kitchen. “Surely you remember me from Mandalore, Ashoka Tano. Or would you prefer Snips? I feel we know each other that well, really?”

The nickname froze her blood. Only Anakin had ever called her that. Who was this? She slid forward, soundless on bare feet, cloaking her movements as Master Quentin had tried to describe to her. Then she froze as the lights flared on in the kitchen. A figure in black stood there, the crimson skin of his face as horned head mottled with black tattoos. There was a cup of tea in his hand, and a double lightsaber at his waist, and she had no doubt he could ignite it before she could reach him. “Darth Maul,” she breathed.

He smiled, revealing a mouth filled with sharp teeth. “Ah, yes! You do remember!” He gestured, and she felt the flare of dark power as a second cup drifted to his hand. “Come. We have much to discuss, you and I.”

“What could we possibly need to talk about?” she replied, playing for time.

“Matters of mutual interest,” came his reply as he poured a second cup. His red-yellow eyes glittered with hatred as he looked back up. “The destruction of my former Master, Darth Sidious.”



“This presents certain problems,” Luke finally said, not bothering to move. Instead he nestled closer, pressing his bare body into Mara’s as he spooned up behind her. “I’ve no desire to meet be yet, but my minder will grow suspicious if I don’t reappear soon.”

Dawn was pouring ruddy light through the windows, illuminating the bed in which he and Mara were still entangled. There’d been little enough sleep over the course of the night - lust and desire had overwhelmed fatigue as they’d pushed each other to the limits of endurance. “And I’m not certain I can walk. You may have finally broken me.”
 
Ahsoka watched the Sith with slitted eyes. What was he playing at? No, likely not playing but… “Why do you oppose Darth Sidious?

Maul smiled without mirth, pulling out the seat for her with the force, “Is it all that important? His downfall would benefit the rebellion, wouldn’t it?”

She declined to sit, pursing her lips in thought, “And create an instability that would allow for someone else to come in and seize power.”

“Yes, because clearly I could come out of nowhere, with no support or allies and claim that seat of power for myself,” Maul posited, tone dry. He had a point but…

“You want something out of this,” Ahsoka pointed out, arms crossed over her chest, “You certainly aren’t offering to fight in the name of freedom and the restoration of the Republic.”

“My motives may not be so noble or self-sacrificing, but my desire to destroy Darth Sidious is sincere. And with my skills and knowledge, I could be a major asset to the rebel alliance.”

He had a point there. Even the most extreme factions of the rebellion had their place. Main command might have distanced themselves from them, but even Saw Gerrera was useful to the rebellion at times. Mara and Leia were both darkside trained force sensitive, whose skills had already made them indispensable to the rebel alliance. And Maul could be a powerful ally…

But only if he could be trusted. And trusting him was nearly impossible at this point. But she could atleast hear him out. “What are you suggesting?”

“We are at a precarious point in history. The opportunity to oust the emperor will soon be at hand, but if we are not careful or prepared, the chance will slip by, and Darth Sidious will grow more powerful, more entrenched. The key to victory lies with Princess Mara Jade Palpatine.”



Mara clung to Luke’s arms, hoping to keep him close a while longer still. The thought of parting didn’t sit well with her, especially without knowing when they could meet like this again. Why hadn’t they hooked up while she was still at court? When they could have had something together? But she knew she never would have been receptive to him with the hatred the Emperor had cultivating in her. Only now that she was outside his reach and could think for herself could she truly see Luke’s appeal. The very thing that allowed them to come together was the thing keeping them apart.

Still… “Stay a bit longer,” Mara asked, not hiding the longing in her voice. No point. He’d feel it emanating from her mind, drifting along the currents of the force. “It’s well known that Zeltros inspires such feelings of…closeness and connection with others. At the very least, you are going to need to bathe, before you meet with anyone else. Unless you want the whole galaxy to smell me on you.”
 
Stay a bit longer,” Mara asked, not hiding the longing in her voice or her thoughts.

“I want to,” Luke replied, stroking her hip. “But, well, I’m just one part of this delegation. And Thrawn is far more observant than I like.”

She wasn’t going to give up that easily, though. “It’s well known that Zeltros inspires such feelings of…closeness and connection with others,” cane her oh-so-reasonable response.

“True,” Luke allowed, fully aware that the argument was a ploy, and equally aware that he was perfectly willing to be persuaded. “It’s exactly why the Empire sent a diplomatic mission.”

She rolled over, voice dropping to a husky purr. “At the very least, you are going to need to bathe, before you meet with anyone else. Unless you want the whole galaxy to smell me on you.”

The statement sent an odd thrill of guilt through him, followed by relief. Leia, he thought. Ge hadn’t thought of his sister - one way or the other - the whole night. But he forced himself to push the thought away, distracting himself by lingering over the taste of her lips. “I got a glimpse of the tub,” he murmured as his hand traced the gentle arch of her spine. “And I’ve seen smaller pools.” He cupped has be firm buttock, pulling her against his hard body. “Join me,” he purred, biting gently at her lower lip. “Although I must say I like the thought of everyone smelling me in you.”



Kalin awoke slowly, warm and content and blissfully exhausted. He stretched carefully, working hard not to wake up the delightful young man curled against his chest or the buxom matron warning his back. Then he reached out cautiously, touching the soft, pale skin of Lady Leila’s cheek. She stirred, then looked at him with confusion n her large blue eyes. “Did you sleep well?” he asked with a smile.
 
A gentle hand caressed her cheek, waking Leia from pleasant dreams of crimson carnality. Or perhaps she was still dreaming, finding herself surrounded with scarlet skin and the scent of sex. It took several moments for the memories to catch up to her, to recall how she lost herself to passion, fucking and sucking and cumming until she passed out from sheer pleasure. Relaxing into the embrace of a soft, curvy woman, Leia nodded.

“Better than I have in a long while. Though I am not sure if I will be able to walk right for the next week.” She laughed lightly, feeling light. Feeling unburdened from years of shame and hate, dark emotions that clouded her every thought and threaded her every desire. “Is there somewhere I can bathe?”

“Yeah, there is an adjoining washroom. though if I were you, I’d abandon any notion of actually getting clean in there,” Kalin teased with a smirk, showing off perfect gleaming teeth. He disentangled from his bedmates and helped her do the same, before pulling her up into his arms. “Allow me to spare you from walking, until the heat of the water can sooth aching muscles.”

Leia beamed, allowing herself to enjoy the attention, allowing Kalin to continue distracting her. After all, he was doing such a great job of it. She’d have to come again. And maybe she’d bring that handsome captain, Han. Getting sandwiched between him and Kalin would be worth the next morning ache.

The fresher was a combination steam room and spa, with a large tub at the center, and several smaller tubs scattered throughout. Already a few were occupied, more couples and moresomes indulging in in one another.


Luke’s taste was still on Mara’s lips as she made her way towards the dining room for breakfast. If she weren’t so hungry, she might have savored it awhile longer, committed it to memory before they’d have to part ways. For now, she’d have to be content with the pleasant ache he left inside her. She might not have smelt of him, but she still wore the fucked silly smirk on her face as poured herself a cup of tea.

“Mara,” Ahsoka called, placing her hand on Mara’s shoulder, “Where were you? You didn’t return last night and I was worried.”

Mara blushed, rubbing the back of her neck, “Sorry about that. I guess Zeltros got into my blood.” Now was not the time to tell her how she bedded a member of the imperial court.

“Don’t forget that we are at war here,” Ahsoka cautioned, eyes scanning the room. “Come, we need to talk in private.”



“Darth Maul? A sith wants to meet with me?” Mara asked, furrowing her brow, “Why?”

“He claims he wanted to defeat Palpatine, repay his treachery. And he claims you have a role to play in this.” Ahsoka explained, still on edge despite the privacy of the dwelling Sheila provided them.

“Can he be trusted?” Mara asked.

“No,” Ahsoka answered without hesitation, “Not a sith. Even though I can tell he is sincere in his desire to defeat the emperor.”

“But…He could help the rebellion, couldn’t he?” Mara asked, thinking back to plans she had made with Luke. Plans that appealed even more now, with this offer on the table. “Perhaps I could at least meet with him.”
 
"Did you enjoy the evening, Lord Vader?"

There was a knowing smirk to the question that, under most circumstances, would have led Luke to humiliate the speaker in some fashion. Not out of sadism, precisely, but out of a need to reprimand the speaker and to instruct onlookers that one did not take liberties with a Lord of the Sith. But this was no ordinary speaker. This was an Imperial Grand Admiral, and he didn't have the authority to punish one at a whim. "I did, Mitth'raw'nuruodo."

The blue-skinned alien smiled faintly. "Ah, very well done. Your pronunciation is nearly perfect. Quite well done, for one who does not speak the Noble Tongue." He adjusted the lapel of his white uniform, and fell in beside the young Sith. "And did the Princess Mara enjoy the evening as well?"

Luke nodded, unsurprised that Thrawn had successfully identified her. "She gave me no reason to believe otherwise. Have you informed the Emperor that she is here?"

"Should I?" Thrawn's question was bored. "Our first duty is to shepherd Zeltros into the Empire, not to pursue his disobedient daughter. And we have much to discuss on that front."

"You make diplomacy sound like war," Luke observed as they entered a conference room. The walls were illuminated with holographic displays of Zeltronian art, slowly shifting from painting to sculpture to calligraphy. He didn't have an eye for the styles, but they appeared quite lovely.

"Diplomacy is war, Lord Vader," Thrawn replied. "It is something you should bear in mind, because none of the other Sith I have observed appear to realize this fact. Even the Emperor, for all his plans, is far too willing to make use of force and compulsion." He gestured at the displays. "Such tactics will be counterproductive, here on Zeltros."

Luke eyed Thrawn curioiusly. "You think to school the Sith in the uses of power?"

"Yes." The Grand Admiral's response was unhesitating.



Kalin would have liked nothing more than to spend the day pampering Leia, indulging her desires and teasing out her fears, slowly guiding her towards healing. But she had come in the train of the Alliance's embassy to Zeltros, and she had duties to attend to. So he escorted her through the streets of Paradise, pointing out locations of interest as they neared the Golb estates. As they entered the residence, he heard Ashoka and Mara speaking. "Even though I can tell he is sincere in his desire to defeat the emperor.”

“But…He could help the rebellion, couldn’t he?”

"Could who help the rebellion?" he asked, entering the dining room. The two women were seated at one end of a long table of black wood, sipping tea. He poured poured two mugs and offered Leia one.

"A... a Sith Lord," Ashoka said. "Darth Maul."

Kalin squeezed honey into his mug. "A Sith Lord? I thought they ruled the Empire, now. Why would they offer to help the Alliance? But, that may be beside the point. My mother delivered a message to my agent, giving me the location of the cache that Master Quentin secreted here. Would not the secrets of the Jedi be of more use in battling the evil of the Sith, than another Sith Lord?"
 
“Would they? After all, the Jedi have been wiped out, and the Sith persist,” Leia pointed out, stirring her tea before sipping at it.

Mara nodded in agreement. “How else to defeat a Sith Lord than to study their methods? It is beneficial to me to study as many sides as possible, pulling knowledge and power from several sources.”

“Studying the darkness threatens to pull you into that darkness,” Ahsoka warned turning her gaze from Mara to Leia and back to Mara again. “Your father knew this well, and struggled with his knowledge. It’s a knifes edge of light and dark and you must work constantly to maintain balance. I advise against it.”

Mara sat in silence contemplation, considering Ahsoka’s warning. Loss crossed her mind, tinged with guilt over how she dismissed his words when he was alive. What she wouldn’t give to have him here now, to bask in his teaching and wisdom. Exhaling slowly, she let the loss flow through the currents of the force. She knew what she had to do.

“Take me to the holochron. I still wish to follow in my parent’s footsteps.”
 
Kalin sighed in relief at Mara's decision. His calling was ambivalent to the teachings of Sith and Jedi both, since both groups honored the living Force, but also twisted it in unnatural ways. The Jedi respected life and lived in harmony, but denied the very idea of love. The Sith embraced passion and emotion, but sought to rule nature with an iron fist. But he'd sensed the horror that clung to the one Sith artifact he'd encountered, and was heartily glad that Mara was rejecting something so... vile. "All right," he said, sipping his tea. "As soon as we are finished with breakfast."


"This... isn't what I'd expected," Ashoka said, looking around. "I mean..." she gestured vaguely. "No, I don't know what I mean. I just thought it would be... different."

"Like the tomb of Freedon Nadd on Dxun?" Kalin laughed.

"Yeah," Ashoka said. "Not... this."

They hadn't had to leave Paradise to visit Quentin's cache. They hadn't even had to go particularly far from the Golb Estates. The old Jedi Shadow had, it seemed, rented a moderate-sized storage cube at the starport. "Mother says he funded it through anonymous sources," Kalin added. "Effectively purchasing it, by setting up a foundation that paid the rent in perpetuity and routing the payments through random, anonymous tracks across the HoloNet. Ownership names change randomly as well, to make it appear to be truly rented." He grinned at Mara. "Tafayl Quentin was, it seems, slightly paranoid. Perhaps that was for the best, after the Jedi were destroyed?"

He bent over the lock. "The security key is just Kafayl Kaydia's birth date in GalStandard reckoning. But, and here's the tricky part, there's a small sliver of khyber crystal in the lock as well. It will not open to one who is not Force sensitive, and it will... react, to one who has embraced darkness."

"React how?" Leia asked, edging back a little.

"I don't know," Kalin replied honestly, tapping the key in. "How would a Shadow guard his secrets?"

Leia considered that, and remembered the holocaust he'd made of his desert home. Then she stepped back a few more paces. But the door opened easily and Kalin gestured for them to follow him in. The space beyond was modest, some four meters by four meters with glow panels on the ceiling. A cot rested against one wall, next to a chemical toilet. Another wall held a compact machine fabricator and a number of exotic tools, and several glittering crystals. Above the bench sat a plain lightsaber hilt and a small collection of other weapons. The opposite wall held single shelf containing a data slate, three bound books, and a a faintly glowing blue dodecahedron.

Cautiously, Leia picked up the lightsaber and turned it over. "It's so plain," she murmured. "But it feels... warm."

"The light," Ashoka told her. "It imprints itself, the same as the dark side. But most people don't notice it as much, because most people aren't as terrible as other people think."

Ignoring them, Kalin picked up the data slate and woke it up. "Here," he said, handing it to Mara. The image on the screen showed Quentin - hair sandy blonde, eyes warm, a smile lighting his unseamed face. One arm was around a slim, laughing redhead, the other playfully fending off her hand as she laughed and tried to throttle him - or, perhaps, hug him - for some foolish prank. "Your parents."
 
There was distant recognition of Quentin, far younger than the desert hermit she encountered not so long ago. It wasn’t merely years that aged him, she could tell. It was the grief, grief that was missing from this picture. The very portrait of happy couple, buoyed by love and promise for the future. Now it was a reminder of the family the emperor had stolen from her, so she could be raised to be his weapon.

“I can see why your mom said I have his eyes,” Mara mused, tracing the image with fingers. Here, like this, she thought could feel him in the force. Could feel his love and pride –a clear sign she was making the right choice. Still, something was off. Something Sheila had said, the day before. And I have no doubt he and Kaydia are thrilled to be joined again in the force.

All her life she reached for her mother, seeking the love the emperor couldn’t (wouldn’t?) give her. Reached and reached and reached and came up lacking. She’d given up at some point, Mara could hardly recall now. Given up on the idea that she’d ever know her mother’s love. Perhaps her mother was already too far gone into the force? But in the two weeks since she met and lost Quentin, she felt more love from him than either her sham of a father, or the ghost of her mother.

Sighing, Mara put down the data slate and picked up one of the bound books. The first seemed to be a journal of sorts, and within were hand-scrawled notes. Skimming, it seemed to be data, facts and figures about something called a “force bond.” Pages upon pages of notes, detailing range limits, and skill augmentation, measured against solo tests, demonstrating how much stronger they were when tapped into their force bond.

“My mother wrote this…” Mara noted, flipping through the pages, before looking up at Ahsoka and Kalin, “What is this force bond she is speaking of?”

“It’s not a Jedi teaching,” Ahsoka started, arms folded across her chest, “In fact it goes against the Jedi code. Attachment is forbidden.”

“And yet, as you can clearly see, it provided your parents with substantial benefits,” Kalin pointed out, “They taught some of it to my mother, who in turn thought it to me.”

Mara nodded silently at their points, thoughts shifting to Luke. Remembering the things tey did together, and remembering how his sensations bled into hers, and how her pleasure flowed towards his mind. At first, it had been conscious decision choice, seeking to use her own pleasure against him, teasing him as he teased her. But at some point in that evening, it became unconscious, the joining of their minds mirroring the joining of their bodies.

What they shared wasn’t a force bond, at least not on the level described in these pages, but perhaps the start of one. And if they could form one, it would prove highly beneficial for their plans if…if she were sincere in going through with them.

Mara put the book back on the shelf now, and Picked up the holochron. Like Leia had described the lightsaber, it felt warm. Comforting, like her father. Her real father. Turning, she held it up to Ahsoka, “Do you know how to use it?”

The togruta nodded, montrals writhing with the motion. “You need the memory crystal, which is likely one of these…” Ahsoka explained, motioning towards the collection of crystals. She sifted through them, and picked one that matched the holochron. “Focus your thoughts through the crystal, and the holochron will respond.”

Eyes closed, Mara focused her thoughts, until they resonated at the frequency of the memory crystal. The Holochron powered to life, blue light, forming into a humanoid shape.
 
The holochron pulsed, slowly awakening to life. As Mara concentrated, a figure formed above the crystal. It fluttered and flickered, then resolved into the image of Quentin Hall. Not the old, scarred man with the steel eyes, but the younger man from the images on the data pad. “Hello, Mara,” he said, then held up a hand. “No. I’m not your father. I am the guardian of the holochron, fashioned in his image and possessed of the knowledge he embedded within. I felt your name within your mind.”

The figure examined her, grey eyes seeming to stare into her very soul. “You aren’t a Jedi, are you? No, I can sense the darkness in you. Darkness, and the mark of the Sith.” He crosses his arms. “The knowledge within this holochron is not for you, Mara Jade Palpatine. I will only release them to a Jedi.”


Luke shifted in his seat, trying to pay attention. Not that he was uncomfortable, mind. Far from it, in fact - the Zeltron pursuit of pleasure, as Thrawn had explained, extended far beyond simple hedonism. Like everything else on the planet, the conference room was crafted to be comfortable and beautiful while remaining functional. But his mind was elsewhere, drifting along pleasant memories of the previous night and mixed uncomfortably with thoughts of his sister. He forced himself to listen to the ambassador explaining to the Queen why it would be in the best interests of Zeltros to join the Empire. He was droning on about discipline and order military strength, and Luke realized it was not going to work. It didn’t speak to anything the Zeltron cared about.

“Queen Manda,” he said, interrupting the ambassador as he rose. “Prince-Consort Riann. May I speak?"

"Certainly, Prince Amidala-Skywalker," the queen repled. "What do you wish to say?"

"Ambassador Janik is not wrong in his description of the benefits of aligning the Zeltron Commonwealth with the Empire," Luke began, conscious of the irritation in the Ambassador's angry gaze and the sudden interest from Grand Admiral Thrawn. "But dry facts are a matter for treaty negotiations, not for a meeting such as this."

Queen Manda leaned back in her chair, lifting a curious eyebrow. "Then what is appropriate, my lord?"

"What is appropriate, highness, is something that cannot be quantified in terms of production schedules or tabulations of natural resources." Luke gestured out the oversized windows. "They are important, but they do not speak to the heart of what the Empire needs. We arose out of the chaos of the Clone Wars, and even after the end of official hostilities we have been forced to wage war to subdue pockets of rebellion and treason. And we have become quite good at it." He sighed. "But, in the process, we have lost our soul. We have forgotten peace and beauty in the name of order and efficiency."

Squaring his shoulders, he looked straight at the Queen. "Zeltros has not. We seek an alliance, if not a union, with the Confederation to remind us that... that..." He shivered suddenly. "That we..." He shivered again, blue eyes flaming crimson as he opened himself to the Dark Side. As he looked around, feeling a terrible threat in the Force.

"My lord?" the Queen asked, struggling to mask her sudden fear of the deceptively strong young man before her, her fear of the chill power she suddenly felt radiating from him. "Are you well?"

"I sense something," Luke declared. "A presence. One such as..." He shook his head, stilling his nerves with an act of will. His eyes remained lit with red flames as he bowed. "Excuse me, I beg you. I... there is something I must attend to." With that he turned on his heel, his cloak swirling around him as he strode from the room.

The Queen watched him leave, casting a knowing glance at her consort. "Well then." she said smoothly as Riann rose and left the room. "Ambassador Janik. Will you continue?"
 
“The knowledge within this holochron is not for you, Mara Jade Palpatine. I will only release them to a Jedi.”

That rejection hurt. Hurt even more coming from a hologram with her father’s face, speaking in his voice. And to add insult to injury, he called her by the name of the man who stole her from her rightful parents, away from their legacy as Jedi. Striving for calm, she reminded herself this was a program, merely developed with a strict set of parameters, not a judgment on her character. Still, it felt like a vicious circle.

“Jedi? I have to be a Jedi to access this? I thought this was going to help me become a Jedi?” She asked, voice stilted, snappish. Even more now, Luke’s plan to usurp the power from the Emperor appealed to her. If she couldn’t be a Jedi, she could be Empress.

“So, how does one become a Jedi?” Leia asked the question, “Quentin Hall might have been paranoid, but I have a hard time believing he would go through this trouble of preserving knowledge just to let it rot in obscurity if no one else could access it. There must be some way to become a Jedi. And I bet the secret is hidden here, somewhere.”

Mara nodded; Leia’s argument made sense. The answers were here, somewhere. Sheila had said each cache would lead to the next. So Mara picked up the next book, flipping through the pages, getting a basic understanding of it’s contents before…before… Something hit her, danger, carried on the currents of the Force. And not just herself, either, as everyone present seemed to flinch or shiver on cue. “What is that?

“Could be Darth Maul,” Ahsoka noted, glancing toward the door with narrowed eyes. “He was quite insistent on meeting with you, and might not want to wait for me to arrange the introduction.”

“We need to leave then. My father went through a lot of trouble to keep this place secret, and it would disgrace his memory for it be discovered because four force sensitives happened to be standing in it. And we are going to have to deal with this Darth Maul, at some point.”
 
“Yes. You will have to del with Darth Maul,” a new voice declared. “At some point.”

Kalin turned slowly. A Zabrak stood framed and n the doorway, his crown of horns barely visible beneath the bowl drawn up over his head. His face was heavily tattooed, ebon and crimson patterns completely obscuring whatever the natural color of his sky n had been, and his eyes flickered with orange and crimson flames. A weapon hung at his side - a lightsaber, Kalin guessed, but larger and heavier than the ones he’d seen with Ashoka or with tafayl Quentin.

The Zabrak smiled, revealing yellowed fangs. “And I am here.” He inclined his head ever so slightly towards Ashoka. “Thank you, Snips, for bringing the shadow vahdar to me.”

“You followed us!” Ashoka snapped, hands dropping to the hilts of her lightsabers.

“Of course I did,” the Sith Lord replied. “Did you think I actually believed you would bring her to me?”

“But... how?” Leia asked, thumb resting on the switch of the lightsaber from the bench. “I... I sensed something, but nothing from...”

“The မှောင်မိုက်အရိပ်၏ရင်ခွင်,” Maul said. “A teaching of the Sith, permitting us to move unnoticed. However else would we have survived the millennia of our exile?” He stepped forward, smiling again as Ashoka raised the hilts of her sabers. “But you were not taught this secret, were you? Neither of you. Your Master has failed and betrayed you, as he failed and betrayed me.”

He raised his gloved hand. The dark side stirred, and the holochron tore itself from Mara’s grip to land in his hand. “The cripple was correct, Princess Mara. You are no Jedi.” Contemptuously he tossed it aside, not bothering to watch as it bounced heavily across the floor. “You are one of us, one of the Sith.” The same hand extended outwards. “Come with me, and I will complete your training.”


Luke stride through the palace, senses open to the Force. The darkness he’d sensed was palpable, growing stronger as he followed the traces through halls and galleries and gardens. Their beauty was lost on him, as were the aroused, alarmed gazes if the Zeltron he passed. He was aware of them all as obstacles, nothing more. The chill power at its heart was a strength he’d only felt in the presence of his father, or that of the Emperor himself.

This was neither of them.

Slowly, inexorably, he approached the palace wing set aside for the Imperial mission. Stormtroopers, discipline already lax after just a few days on Zeltros, hastily snapped to attention at his approach. He ignored them as well. They would have seen nothing or, if they had, they would not remember.

The darkness was strongest as he reached his own rooms. An invitation, he realized. An invitation and a warning. The power within wanted to be sensed. Wanted to be found. An invitation? he wondered. Or a trap? Steeling himself, he opened the door.

“Hello there.”

There was a an in Mandalorian armor seated in the center of the room. A lightsaber hung at his hip, and the dark power radiated from him. He gestured, beckoning Luke closer. “Come here, my friend. Don’t be afraid.”

“I’d be a fool not to be afraid,” Luke replied, closing the door. “And I’m no fool.”

“And yet you enter,” the Mandalorian observed.

“Fear is just another path of the Dark Side,” Luke replied. “Fear, anger, hatred. All of these are tools of the Sith.”

The black helmet moved slightly. “But you are no Sith.”

“Not yet,” Luke stated.

“Not yet.” The Mandalorian settles back, watching. Silence reigned.

“Who are you?” Like demanded. “Why are you here?”

“Who am I? I am called Mandalore, now. Leader of the Death Watch. But I have been known by different names”. He reached up, and his helmet clicked and hissed as it disengaged from his armor. He drew it off, revealing grey hair, and an iron-grey beard, streaked with brown, and a face seamed with age. “Darth Skalho, for example.”
 
Mara stood impassive, meeting the fire in Maul’s eyes with stoicism. There was a certain temptation, temptation that had played in her mind since Luke made her his offer. Empress Mara. She recalled what they shared and what they conspired towards. Power.

Her father had offered a path. Balance. Serenity. Peace. But what good was any of that when others had power. The power to take what they want, to destroy families, communities, entire planets… Jedi teach was shat her parents had, and still the emperor stole her away with his power. Vader killed her mother and father, because ti was within his power to do so. Jedi teaching were all well and good, but meant little without power.

Maul had power. She could feel that, radiating off him like the bitter chill of winter. And right now, he had power over her. “And if I don’t?”

Maul met her question with a smile. A smile that managed to make him even more monstrous. “You think you can gain the knowledge to defeat your father from the ghosts of the Jedi? He crushed the Jedi, men and women with far more knowledge and experience than you can ever hope to gain. You couldn’t even mange to overcome the holochron.”

Mara stepped forward, refusing to cower before Maul, “And how would Sith teachings help me to defeat the Emperor?”

“You have rage. A deep pool of rage within you. I would teach you to use it. To harness it. To embrace it. Once you do, your potential will be limitless.”

It would be easy to say yes. To take another step towards the future Luke laid out before them the night before. But something stopped her, some guilt and obligation. Her eyes moved to the Holocron, laying on it’s side, the hologram flickering weakly. She couldn’t deny her father’s last request.

“I cannot extinguish the Emperor’s darkness with more darkness. Only the light can vanquish the dark.”

Maul snickered, “I should have killed that cripple before you found him. There wouldn’t be any doubt in your mind then.”

“No,” Mara agreed, but not for the reason he would have figured, “No, there wouldn’t be.” She gripped her father's saber in her hands, not yet igniting it.
 
Maul smiled at her response, displaying his yellow fangs in an amused grimace. “Good,” he purred. “Vengeance. The muttering of a cripple have not entirely softened you.”

“You should speak of Master Quentin with greater respect,” Kalin replied. “He...”

“Was a maimed old fool,” Maul interrupted. “A mad hermit, clinging to delusions in his desert cave. Will you follow his path, Princess Mara? The Jedi are extinct, the last fragmented remains of their Order these scraps of lore and a woman rejected by their Council before her training was complete. This is the age of the Sith, Mara Jade Palpatine.”

mara jade hall-voss

“Come with me.” His burning orange eyes stared deep into her green ones.

trust your feelings, mara

“Do you take her for a fool?” Leia snapped.

“I do not, Leia Vader.” Maul looked at her. “I offer this to all of you. I have the knowledge you need to defeat Darth Sidious.” His gaze shifted to Ashoka. “To restore the Republic, if you choose. The Jedi failed when they numbered in the millions. Their way will not help you now.”

trust in the force
 
Emboldened by her father’s presence, Mara shook her head. “Only balance can restore the Republic. And balance cannot be restored by adding more darkness to the galaxy.” Still, she replaced her father’s saber at her waist.

Maul narrowed his eyes, “You deny me, and yet also lower your own defenses. What are you playing at?”

“You are not my enemy, Maul. Our paths may be different, but our goals the same. Join us in opposing the emperor. Your skills and strength could prove a great boon in our efforts.” She held her hand out, this time.

Mara could feel the incredulity in Ahsoka and Leia’s gaze turned towards her and echoed in Maul’s laughter. “Are you trying to recruit me, Princess Mara?”

“Why not? We oppose the man at the head of a genocidal regime, who commands a vast and powerful military. You have already turned against him. All that is left to turn against the darkness. Fighting the emperor in his element will never succeed. We must band together if there is any chance for victory.”

“There is victory, Princess, for I have seen it. Under my guidance, we will achieve our vengeance.”

“Then work with us, with the rebels. Because I cannot consent to becoming another man’s weapon.”
 
"What?" The word exploded from both Ashoka and Leia as both women stared at Mara as if she'd lost her mind. "Work with us?" Ashoka continued, outraged. "Mara, he's Sith!"

Now Leia gave the Togruta a hard look. "So am I, and you don't.."

"He's the Sith Lord that took over Mandalore! Twice!" Ashoka's voice was a passionate hiss now. "You can't..."

"I accept," Maul stated, calmly lowering his saber and clipping it to his belt. "It's been a long time since Mandalore, and I care for little more than revenge. If working with your little rebellion will allow me to achieve it, to see my former Master cast down and his goals destroyed, then so be it."

"But that's... that's..." Ashoka stammered.

"Careful," Maul laughed, mockery wielded like a dagger. "There is no emotion, little Padawan. There is peace. Or have you abandoned the Code, along with the Order?" His gaze swept over the supply cache, by turns amused and surprised as he saw the things that Quentin Hall had considered important enough to store there. "Interesting," he finally said with a hint of grudging respect. "Perhaps I should have spoken longer with the old man. There are a number of unexpected treasures here." A gesture brought a small stack of hand-sized black disks drifting towards him. "Lanvoraks. I never would have expected to find such a thing in the arsenal of a Jedi. Perhaps it is true what they say - the difference between a Jedi and a Sith is the Shadow that is cast."

"Master Quentin was never tempted by the Dark Side!" Ashoka snapped.

Maul tucked the disks into a pouch. "You will find, Snips, that all souls are touched by darkness. It is universal, far more so than the light the Jedi clung to. And I read the old man's soul." His sharp teeth flashed in a feral grin. "Your Master Quentin would have been great, had he simply stopped deluding himself. Now, gather what you came for. There is much to do."

what is a jedi, mara? a voice whispered, drifting on the wind from the direction of the holochron. who are you?


"The Force led me here," Darth Skalho declared, pouring himself a glass of wine. He held it up, offering it to Luke, then placed it on the table. "After two decades of planning and seeking, I found a vision."

"A vision of what?" Luke asked, pouring his own glass. The two men sat across from each other in the drawing room of his suite, gently feeling each other out. Each trying to decide if the other was an immediate threat. "What brought you to Zeltros?"

"Revenge," Skalho answered, sipping the wine. "After the end of the Clone Wars I was, I admit, somewhat adrift. My Master was dead, betrayed by his Master and his newest apprentice. The woman I loved was dead. And everywhere, everywhere, the forces of the Empire hunted the last of the Jedi Knights." He regarded Luke with critical eyes. "Which reminds me. You should train your agents to better understand the difference between Jedi and Sith. They hunted me for a time. Until I... dissuaded them."

"Revenge?" Luke questioned, prompting the old man to continue.

Skalho huffed. "You are so much like your father, Luke. Impatient. Always looking to the future. Never paying attention to the moment. I..."

"You knew my father?" He knew the question was bait, but he couldn't help himself.

"I trained your father, boy," Skalho laughed. "He was the best star-pilot in the galaxy and a cunning warrior, but arrogant and headstrong." He sipped his wine. "But, yes. Revenge. I saw it clearly, when I felt the death-throes of Alderaan. That much death strengthened my meditations, allowed me to see my path - a path that led me here."

"Revenge for what, though?" Luke asked.

Skalho set the wine down. "For the death of my Master, at the orders of Darth Sidious. For your father's betrayal of me, on Mustafar. For the murder of the woman I loved, by the woman known as Scarlett. And even for the death of my first Master, Qui-Gon Jinn." His eyes flickered with crimson fire as he leaned forward, locking his gaze with Luke's. "You are the key to that revenge, Luke Skywalker. I have seen it, seen it in the dark side of the Force. You hold the key to the destruction of the Emperor. Come with me. You must learn the ways of the Dark Side, if you're to come with me to the wreckage of Alderaan."

Luke laughed, harsh and skeptical. "And what makes you think I'm going anywhere with you?"

"Because I have forseen it," Skalho replied, calm and assured. "Because it is your destiny."
 
Mara blinked twice, before letting a grin curve her lips. Huh, it worked. Yet another unexpected ally. Still, another ally was preferable to another enemy, even if that ally was a Sith, dripping with the dark side. Still, his advice was prudent. So she grabbed as much as she could carry, from the bound books and lightsaber hilt to the crystals and lastly the holochron.

Retiring back to the dwelling Sheila had provided, Mara put away the belongings she had collected and placed the holochron on her borrowed dresser. She was going to have to try again, but she knew this wasn’t a problem that could be solved with brute force. Power wasn’t the answer here; wisdom was.

The mattress shifted as Mara settled onto it, legs crossed before her and her hand palm up, resting on her knees. Blocking out her distractions, she closed her mind, and let go of the force. She would not control it, she would let it guide her instead, focusing on the questions her father had whispered to her.

What is a Jedi?
Who are you?

The Jedi represent the legitimate authority in the galaxy, in the ways the emperor never would. At least, that was what her father had told her, while he hid his connection to her. And still, she could remember the hope in his voice, when he turned to her and asked her to learn the Jedi ways. She wouldn’t let him down. Sinking back into her memories, she continued to meditate.

"There is emotion, yet there is peace.
There is ignorance, yet there is knowledge.
There is passion, yet there is serenity.
There is chaos, yet there is harmony.
There is death, yet there is the Force.”

The words of the codes flowed through her. She still carried a lot of hate and anger over the loss of her parents, but that did not mean she couldn’t find peace. The teachings of the Jedi were unknown to her, but the knowledge persisted, waiting for her. Memories of Luke stirred a passion within her, and yet the memories of his arms wrapped around her as she slept against him brought her serenity. The allies she’d surrounded herself with were as varied as the day was long, and still, they had come together to accomplish a singular purpose. Her father, Quentin, was dead, and yet he was one with the force, still reaching and guiding her.

Balance. The code teaches balance, and from that point of balance, she could move in whichever direction she needed. Perhaps even closer to the knowledge her father wanted her to have. Once again, Mara took up the crystal, and focused through the holochron, seeking balance with it, not control.
 
The holocron glowed with a light that could only be perceived through the Force, and the gatekeeper-image of Quentin appeared once more. He seated himself cross-legged in the air, examining her intently. "You're back," he observed, sounding slightly bored. "Why? I already told you: the knowledge within this holocron is not for Mara Jade Palpatine. I will only release it to a Jedi." With that, the image faded away.

After several minutes, it reappeared. "Why are you still here? This holocron is only for a Jedi." Rising, it clasped it's hands behind it's back and appeared to pace around her without moving. "Mara Jade Palpatine is no Jedi," it continued. "Churning emotion - anger, and hatred, these fill the mind of Mara Jade Palpatine." It made a shooing gesture with one hand. "Go away, Mara Jade Palpatine. Go. Leave me."


Darth Maul paced the room he'd been given like a caged tiger, counting the steps as he followed the wall. Ten paces, then turn. Ten more paces, then turn. Repeat. His mind raced, considering his options. Princess Mara was a flawed tool, for all the strength she possessed. She was conflicted, her purpose clouded by her affection for the old cripple he'd left to live in the wastes. It made no sense. Why would the daughter of Darth Sideous be to strongly attracted to a broken old Jedi? Who was he to her?

The Zeltron could be a problem. Not in a confrontation - he clearly could sense and wield the Force, but his training was a weak and debauched thing. He was a healer, not a warrior, and Maul knew he could destroy him in a heartbeat. But he had influence, that was clear. Influence over Princess Mara and Lady Leia. He would have to subvert the Zeltron, he decided. Or arrange his death, if he could not be subverted. The man could deflect Princess Mara from her destiny, and that could not be permitted. He would have his revenge.

That left Lady Leia Vader. Leia Skywalker, daughter of Anakin Skywalker. She was powerful as well, more powerful than she knew. Perhaps... had Skywalker sired her as a vahdar as well? Her strength was great enough to be one. If Mara failed him, perhaps she...? "Come in," he said, feeling the presence in the Force as the door opened. "I've been expecting you."

"I know," Leia replied.
 
This time, when the holochron denied her access, Mara did not get upset. She did not get angry when it called her by the pretender’s name. She did not despair as the image of her father dismissed her. Balance was the key. Wasn’t it?

"Why are you still here? This Holocron is only for a Jedi."

“You will find me too stubborn to give up. I made a promise to the man who created you, and I will not let a program kept me from that promise,” Mara explained, just suppressing a smirk.

"Churning emotion - anger, and hatred, these fill the mind of Mara Jade Palpatine."

With a deep breath, she sought balance. “Yes, there is emotion,” she agreed, fingers laced before her, “and yet there is peace. My emotions do not control me.”

"Go away, Mara Jade Palpatine. Go. Leave me."

“No, Mara Jade Voss-Hall will not go. There is too much at stake for me to give up, too many depending on me. The Jedi are the light that can resist the Emperor’s darkness, and I will not let that light be extinguished.”



Leia stood tall before Maul, even as he towered over her tiny frame. She would not be afraid, even if she should be. The power that poured off the Sith was as dark and suffocating as the power she felt from her father.

“The power you offered Mara, the teachings,” she started, meeting his amber-fire gaze, and not backing down, “I want you to teach me.”

Maul’s lips curled in amusement. “You’re not asking.”

“No, I am not,” Leia acknowledged, features still.

Maul studied her for a time. “Why? Did you not just try to persuade Mara from accepting my advice?”

“Yes, because I did not want her to have it. I want it. Teach me, and I will ensure your vengeance.”

Maul laughed, and Leia almost flinched at the hideous sound. “There is a hunger in you. It will serve you well.”
 
The image of Quentin Hall stared into Mara’s eyes for a full minute. Then he smiled. “The light cannot be extinguished, Mara Voss-Hall. The Jedi may fail, but the Light still there.” He held up a hand. “The Light connects all things, flows through all things, steers and is steered by all things. To be a Jedi is to be in harmony with that light, Mara. Seek neither to control nor to be controlled.”

The image sat cross-legged, hovering in the air above the holochron, and gestured for Mara to do the sad. “Forget all that you have learned. Forget all you have mastered of the Darkness, all that you believe you know of the Light. All of it is illusion. None of it will help you.” He watched Mara for a moment, then nodded. “Clear your mind. Breathe. Breathe, and listen.”



“Much of what Sidious has taught you is a lie,” Darth Maul declared, watching Leia. “Much of what Vader has taught you is hubris, parlour tricks to impress the ignorant.” He paced the room like a great cat, mechanical feet clean cling on the time, turning from time to time to observe true reaction of the young woman kneeling at the Center. “The Dark Side is not power, my young apprentice. It is not strength. It simply is.”

Leia glanced at him sharply. “My father says that...”

“Your father is a fool,” Maul replied. “Or a liar. Strength comes from within. The Dark Side merely allows you to express that strength.”

“The weapon does not make the warrior,” Leia remarked.

“Exactly.” Maul wheeled my n her. “There is freedom in the darkness. Freedom, but not strength.”

Leia considered that. “Then why,” she began, “do...?”

“Do i ally with the Princess who would be a Jedi?” Maul laughed. “There is strength in the Jedi, my apprentice. Strength may be found in the followers of the Light as well. Only a fool ignores a fool when it is useful.”
 
Mara sunk into the force, consciousness giving way to the immensity of connection between all life forms. It was disorienting at first, with so many people within the vicinity, and the curiously strong feelings of Zeltrons, but once she stopped trying to control it, everything became easier. Simpler. Everything just was.

Luke was nearby, his presence magnetic in the force. Magnetic and dark, opposing and drawing her in all the same. It would have been easy –too easy– to get caught up with him again, memories of the night before breezing along nerves. But, with another long exhale, they were gone.

Zeltros was filled with love. Appreciation for beauty. Tenderness, comfort, affection. Closeness and connection. Passion, desire divorced from jealousy, need that was not selfish. Warm. The sensations were everywhere, but not strong. Like a thin sheet, stretched taut over a mattress.

In contrast to this, were the burning spots of selfish desire and hatred. They were few, and burned brighter that the pleasant benevolence of Zeltros. She recognized Luke, from their night together, and Leia from their time together, and even Maul, from his brief threats and temptations. Still, another was near, seething miasma obscuring her ability to sense them.

Another deep breath, and the distinctions between light and dark vanished as well, and only the force remained. Her surrounding were seemless, amorphous, without boundary or limit. She was without boundary or limit consciousness slipping away and melding with the greater sensation. Show me, she thought, the words dissolving into impression as she opened herself to new teachings.
 
“I can’t see,” Luke protested, moving his head reflexively. It didn’t matter, of course. With the blast shield down, the Mandalorian helmet was as dark as the depths of space.

“Can’t see,” Skalho sniffed derisively. “Your eyes can deceive you, don’t...”

“...trust them,” Luke huffed. “Yes, I know. My father taught me as much. I’ve just never liked this exercise.”

Something solid cracked against the helmet, sending him staggering. “This is not a matter of like!” Skalho snapped angrily. “You will learn to fight, when and how you must with the full night of the Dark Side! Now begin!”

Luke ignited his saber at the same instant as Skalho, moving towards the icy chill he sensed in the Force. Then he lunged, his blade buzzing and cracking as the Sith Lord parried repeatedly. Let the old man lecture. This was an exercise he’d mastered years ago. Any master of the Force could fight without sight, let alone...

“No!” Leia screamed as the helmet tore away. Let me checked his stroke barely, just before the crimson blade tore into her breast. Garbed in white, eyes wide with terror, she stared at him.

“Leia?” he gasped, horrified.

Terror mutated into contempt as she drew herself upright. She raised her hand, and black lives turning lashed out. Can get off guard, all he could do was scream in agony as the unleashed power of the Dark Side threw him across the room. “Your senses can deceive you,” Leia said in Skalho’s voice. She stepped forward, shimmering and transforming into the Sith Lord as she - as he - did. “But I thought you mastered this already? Years ago?”

“I hate you,” Luke gasped.

“Good,” Skalho laughed. “Now stand up. And this time, pay attention.”


“There is more to the arts of the Sith than raw power,” Maul declared. He was seated in the center of the room, cross-legged, watching Leia as she worked through a basic saber form. He’d blow enfolded her first, and bound her dominant hand behind her back. And for good measure, drones were randomly firing at her. A simple enough exercise, except that he’d forbidden her to deflect any shots with h r blade.

“I thought... power... was the goal...” Leia gasped, straining to avoid the shots. Not every effort was successful, but showing any signs of pain would be met with punishments.

“Yes. But brute force is only one means to power,” Maul added, leaning slightly to allow a shot to bypass him. He was participating in the exercise as well, the better to demonstrate mastery. “A lesson I did not learn until long after Sidious cast me aside.”

“Then... what...” Leia gasped, sweat dripping down her face.

“Deception. Chaos. Misdirection. Persuade your enemies to fight one another. Direct them to achieve your goals for you. Let them face shadows and their own fears.”

“How?” Leia asked.

“Consider this exercise,” he suggested. “For an hour you have suffered, pain and exhaustion. For what?” He laughed. “To evade drones that do not exist?”

“What?” She tore the blindfold away and looked around. A drone stared her in the eyes for a split second before firing, dropping her to the ground with a cry of pain.

“Misdirection,” Maul laughed. “Meditate upon it, my young apprentice.”



“The secret to the Force,” declared the image of the holochron, “is that there really is no secret.”

The show meeting image of Quentin seemed to pace back and forth, gesturing in the air as if sketching with his hands. “Oh, yes, there are techniques and methods and rituals, holding Chris’s and texts filled with the more of the ages, and all of that. But consider this, Mara. Where did it all come from?”

He turned, looking at her. “Think of the very first being to sense the Force. She had no teachers. No texts, no hidden lore. Nothing to draw upon at all, save the living Force itself. And yet...”. He gestured expansiv my. “All if it. Jedi. Sith. Teras Kasai. Dai Bindu. Zedanadal Makai. Nosh’terosa. All of the traditions. None of them possess wisdom she lacked. None of them possessed power she lacked, or insight, or ability.”

He dropped into a sitting position. “There is nothing more I will teach you today. Clear your message nd, Mara, and meditate upon this.”
 
The knowledge wouldn’t be lost. Couldn’t be lost. So long as a being could feel the force, the knowledge would remain. It was already in her.

Mara nodded, comforted by the holo-presence of her father. A technological reproduction, sure, But real enough to feel a connection, a focal point of his energy in the force.

Were they any of her mother, she wondered, or had he crafted these only after her death? Of course, he had. After the purge of the Jedi, he must have scrambled to preserve the Jedi teachings. And her mother was already dead by then.

All that remained of her mother was in the notebook, handwritten notes about the bond her parents shared. A small sliver of their relationship, told in dry, clinical terms. But the picture from the datapad displayed a happy couple, deeply in love. A couple in love, despite the stringent demands of their Jedi Order.

Mara spent the rest of the after meditating, contemplating her father’s words and her mother’s absence and Luke’s offer and her own ambitions. Her past and her future and her present until the enormity of it was overwhelming.

There was another Zeltron even she was expected to attend tonight. A feast of the senses, a Zeltron custom that engaged guests every sensation. Truthfully, after the emotional weight of the day, she need this break. She was hungry. And Luke would be there, inciting a second hunger in her. She was rather looking forward to seeing him again.

Sheila had sent up a black dress for her to wear. Not modest, except by Zeltron standards. Not with it’s deep v neck, displaying her cleavage and high slits exposing her thighs. Perhaps she oculd incite a hunger in Luke, as well.


Leia looked in the mirror, checking herself for visible marks from the training she engaged in with Maul. Her black gown left arms bare, with only a sheer cape extending from her shoulders to cover her bare back. She might have been sore from the earlier exercise, but it didn’t show on her skin, and that was a relief.

Despite how she had banished him from her mind the night before, Luke weighed heavily upon her now. They still hadn’t had a chance to speak, not since she’d been taken from the Deathstar. Certainly not last night, when she tried to make him jealous, before surrendering to pleasure, seeking freedom from her obsession. Was he doing better in moving past her? Had he found sanctuary in Mara? Would he leave her behind, to cope with her perversion alone?

No. There was a reason she submitted and suffered through Maul’s training. Once she was strong enough, she’d have everything she could want or desire. Everything, and everyone.

With a confident smirk, she made her way downstairs for the banquet.
 
"I... don't know about this," Luke said, examining himself in the black suit his valet had laid out. It wasn't actually all that different from his normal wear, but he was feeling waspish and irritable. Hours of training with Darth Skalho and more hours of study and strategy with the Grand Admiral had occupied what little free time he'd had between diplomatic meetings, and he chafed at it. He longed to see Mara, or Leia, or both, and his nights had been laced with fevered dreams of one or both of them. Dreams, or... visions?

Grand Admiral Thrawn snorted once. "It suits you," he declared. "And it was a gift from the Queen, so it would be insulting not to wear it."

"I could just wear a uniform," Luke countered. "You are." What would Mara wear, he wondered? And Leia? Something easily removed? Or something allowing free access? He shifted uncomfortably, feeling himself grow hard at the thought of pinning his sister to a wall, skirts hiked around her hips as he claimed her before everyone and convention be damned! Or Mara, on her hands and knees as he mounted her as he'd teased as they'd fucked.

The Chiss snorted again, then brushed a small fleck of lint from his white dress uniform. "I am a Grand Admiral, Lord Vader. You, on the other hand, hold no formal rank within the Imperial Armed Forces. What uniform would you wear?"

Pursing his lips, Luke nodded and tried to clear his head. "Your point is taken." Reaching out, he called his lightsaber to his hand and hung it from his belt. "Let's go. This Feast of the Senses is waiting."


"How do I keep getting myself into these things?" Ashoka groused, shifting uncomfortably. She didn't care for the dress Duchess Sheila had provided. It had looked modest enough, at first. Until she'd put it on, and discovered that her orange skin showed through the sheer grey top.

"I'll gladly help you back out," Kalin replied. The Zeltron was wearing a white toga trimmed with gold, and a midnight blue half cloak.

"No," the Togruta snapped, shivering a little at the thought.

"Hardly enough time anyway," Kalin replied, rising as Mara entered the room. He eyed her with open hunger dancing in his eyes, then smiled and offered her his arm. "Shall we, Princess? The Lady Skywalker is... ah, here she is now!" The same erotic hunger danced in his eyes as he ran them over her figure, so artfully displayed in black. With a small gesture, he offered her his other arm. "All three of you to myself? Perhaps we could make our excuses and remain here, delighting our senses in one another?" With a knowing smile he offered Leia a memory of the taste of her pleasure on his lips.

"No," Ashoka snapped again.

"She is correct, no doubt," Kalin sighed dramatically. "If you seek to impress the Queen with your Alliance, you must attend." Gently, he led them towards the door. "I have summoned transport. Let us depart."
 
Leia didn’t say anything, but Kalin’s suggestion to skip the feast and indulge with him had appeal. Especially as he added the teasing sensory detail of her taste on his tongue, recalling her own memories of having him between her thighs. He had felt so good, and it had been so freeing to put Luke out of her head of the night. But still, she wanted to see Luke and talk with him. They had always been so close. Too close, perhaps, but this past month apart had been difficult. She missed him.

So, she sat silently in the speeder, brooding while Kalin filled the space with conversation. Ahsoka sighed and Mara laughed.

“Is this party another excuse for an orgy?” Mara teased, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her playful tone.

“We don’t just have orgies, you know,” Kalin laughed, “There is more to pleasure than carnality, and this feast is the perfect example of that. By engaging all the sense, each guest can experience a higher plane of bliss.” True belief captured his handsome features, between twisting into a smirk. Without skipping a beat, he added, “And it’s a good chance to recharge between orgies.”

Despite herself, Leia scoffed, shaking her head. Without looking his way, she reminisced about the taste of his seed, sharing the memory through the force, just as he had earlier.


The Zeltron “Feast of the Senses” lived up to its name, soothing instrumental music greeting the guests as they took their seats at long dining tables. Every detail had been carefully decided and scrutinized, with dimmed, intimate lighting and the inviting fragrance of prepared foods. Even the seating had been given special consideration, no sensation spared.

Luke and Leia had ended up next to one another, and Mara was across from Luke and Kalin beside her. Unable to help herself, she appraised Luke, before flashing a quick smile. He looked good in his suit, and it would look even better scattered across the floor and she tore him out of it. A thought she didn’t hide from him, carried along the currents of the force as she performed casual obliviousness in a drink of water. He’d be mad for her tonight, if she had anything to do with it.

By then the music shifted, into a lively, violin-driven piece. Conversation settled into a murmur, and droids moved in precession, passing out plates. Though, bowls would have been a more accurate description, filled with a thick custard and topped with translucent orange balls.
 
"Your highness," murmured a rich, deep voice. It belonged to a blue-skinned man with piercing red eyes, wearing the white uniform of an Imperial Grand Admiral. He bowed politely, taking Mara's hand and pressing it to his lips. "I am Mitth'raw'nuruodo, known as Thrawn in Galactic Basic, and it is my honor to seated at your left hand at this celebration of the Oririnkeuche." He smiled, and the flash of fangs behind his cerulean lips lent a predatory air to the gesture, but there was nothing beyond courtly grace in his manner as he took his seat. "Lady Vader, Lord Vader," he acknowledged with a nod, politely pretending not to notice Leia's icy glare. "And... I fear I have not had the pleasure, Zendanadai...?"

"Kalin Golb Zendanadai," Kalin filled in with a small nod of the head and a little smile. "And I should dearly love to rectify that ommission, Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo."

A touch of admiration lightened the Grand Admiral's expression. "Ah! You speak Vach'isst'il? I had not thought..."

"I am afraid I do not," Kalin replied.

"But you artfully reproduced the subtleties of pronunciation of my name," Thrawn countered. "Surely..."

"No, Grand Admiral," Kalin interrupted. 'I am merely good with my tongue."

Thrawn inclined his head. "I am certain you are. And your companion..?" He nodded at the woman sitting across the table from him.

"The lady Ashoka," Kalin said, making the introduction with a subtle gesture.

"Fascinating," Thrawn remarked.

"Why?" Ashoka gritted out.

"I would not have expected to meet a Togruta on Zeltros," Thrawn explained. "I understand that the pseudophereomone content of the air is... troubling, to your species."

"I'm a freak," Ashoka snarled. "I was born without a sense of smell."

"A pity," Thrawn chuckled. "For I believe the ofalctory sculptures of the renowned Chivia Tal are the first display of the Oririnkeuche."


The intracies of some of the displays were lost on Luke. Partly because he'd never had much interest in art, preferring flying and working on his ships and practice with his lightsaber. Partly because Mara kept wafting thoughts to him, thoughts that left him achingly hard. And the presence of his sister, sitting right next to him, didn't help at all. Her gown wasn't quite as aggressive as Mara's, but it clung to her like a second skin and proved to have veins of sheer silk that expanded and shifted as she moved. His covert appreciation of her figure blended with his memories of Mara and the teasing images she sent to make it hard to concentrate on anything.

The Togruta woman, Ashoka, wasn't helping any. But for entirely different reasons. She kept staring at him, searching his features as if looking for something. Or someone. It was as if she recognized, or thought she recognized, him. That wasn't possible, of course. He knew for a fact that he'd never encountered her before. She'd have stood out - there weren't that many saber-trained Togruta about, and he could feel the flicker of the Force about her. Contained, as if she were hiding it somehow, but there. But what did she want?

"This is delightful," Thrawn remarked, sampling a taste of custard with a small orange ball. "A delicate mixture of sweet and tart and savory. What is it?"

"Sweet lavender custard," Kalin supplied, "with tark ovaries."

Luke regarded the dish skeptically. Ovaries? Thrawn, for his part, tried another one with evident pleasure. "Lovely. I must try to obtain a copy of the recipe for my chef."

Lifting a spoon, Luke prodded the custard. "It seems an unusual combination," he remarked, waiting for Mara to place her own spoon on her tongue. When she did, he left her with a Force-carried sense memory of tasting it from his own stiff cock instead, as she knelt before him. She was still in her gown, in the memory, staring upwards at him as she lapped the lavender confection before the whole Zeltron court.


Leia's eyes narrowed as she watched Mara and Luke making eyes at one another, and a shameful sense of jealousy and longing built up in her. Mine, she snarled to herself. He's mine, bitch. As the thought flickered through her mind she saw Kalin glance in her direction, concern in his dark eyes, and the gesture annoyed her more. He didn't have a right to be worried about her! Several good fucks didn't supplant him in her.. .her...

Fuck.

Her mind touched Mara's, anger and jealousy and lust surging through her. In a vision she grabbed the Imperial Princess by her red hair, shoving her forward and bending her across the table. Mara tried to resist and Leia forced her back down, clawing her sheer skirts up and bunching them around her waist. "So damn hot," she growled, running her fingers over Mara's slit before slapping her ass. "Beg for me," she demanded, finding Mara's clit and pinching it. "Beg me to fuck you."

Then Leia blinked, and the vision was over. Fighting for control, she picked up her wine glass and took a sip. "Ovaries? And what exactly is a tark?"
 
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