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The Sith Lord and the Scientist Section D - Part 8

Imperial Center, Coruscant System, Core Worlds, Year 3, Month 10.

DAY 28

***

It’s early in the morning when the Executor finally exits hyperspace. Our slow approach to Coruscant annoys me. I need to find out what Xizor has done in my absence, gather what information I can, and present it to my master. Patience might be a useful trait for a Sith Lord, I ruefully note, but it has never been one of my strong points.

As I watch Imperial Center’s moons grow larger, I debate what I should do. Is it too soon to say anything to the Emperor about the Falleen’s plot to kill Luke? Xizor ranks highly in Palpatine’s eyes at the moment. Any criticism might be brushed off, as it has been in the past, as envy, even though my master should know better than that.

But if I say nothing?

I let out a sigh.

If I remain silent, now, no doubt Palpatine will be irritated at me, later, for not informing him. My master wants to know everything about everyone - except when it is convenient for him to remain ignorant.

‘We have arrived,’ Kallic announces at last.

‘I am leaving at once,’ I state before heading away from the command deck to my shuttle.

My flight down to the surface is uneventful, and while I would prefer to go see my wife, reporting to the Palace must come first.

I am quickly ushered into the tower throne room.

‘Do get up, Lord Vader,’ I am told almost as soon as I have knelt.

‘My master,’ I begin my report. ‘The rebels still have the computer. I am sure they consider it to be valuable, given that I destroyed a spaceport on one of Kolthisian moons, as instructed.’

‘From his absence, you were unsuccessful in obtaining Skywalker,’ Palpatine observes.

‘He had already escaped from the bounty hunters before I arrived,’ I admit, ‘and from what I was told when I interrogated their leader, there are rumors Xizor intends to see Skywalker dead.’

From his expression I know he is unconvinced.

‘You disappoint me, Lord Vader,’ he scolds. ‘I sense that your judgement is shaded by something of a ... personal grudge here.’

‘No, my master,’ I protest. ‘I am merely concerned about the criminal’s treachery. If he is in fact trying to kill Skywalker...’

I am cut off rather abruptly.

‘Really, Lord Vader,’ he chastens me, ‘I would certainly need more evidence than a rumor from some bounty hunter to move against so valuable an ally. Did he not give us that rebel base? Has he not put his vast shipping fleet at our disposal?’

I knew he would demand more proof than what I can currently supply.

‘I have not forgotten these things,’ I tell him, keeping my voice as level as I can. ‘But I have also not forgotten my promise to bring young Skywalker to the dark side. Skywalker turned would be much more important to the Empire than Xizor.’

Surely he can see that my son is of more value to us than the Falleen? If not, I will have to persuade him this is the case.

‘Indeed he would,’ Palpatine sarcastically comments, ‘if you can turn him.’

I keep my body still and force myself to not to react to that barb.

‘I can, my master,’ I affirm, ‘but not if he is slain before I can get to him.’

‘Young Skywalker has managed to stay alive this long,’ he notes, almost sounding amused. ‘If he is as strong in the Force as we assume he is, he will continue to do so until you find him, don’t you think? And if he is not as strong as we believe, then we have no use for him anyway.’

I grind my teeth in frustration. His logic, as always, is difficult to disagree with. It doesn’t help that I thought in much the same way at Bespin. Still, I don’t like having this argument used against me.

And the thought that he considers Xizor almost as an equal to my son, that he puts his faith in the Falleen, rankles me.

Xizor has no morals and can never be trusted.

‘Since it seems so important to you,’ he allows, ‘I give you leave to search for Skywalker, but only for a short while, for there are other tasks I would have you perform. Is this satisfactory?’

No, it isn’t, I want to snap at him, but restrain myself.

‘Yes, my master,’ I reply instead.

I need to find Luke and gather the evidence for the case against Xizor. Either one would require much effort and focus, but to do both at the same time? Then there is my wife and family to worry about. It will not be easy to do everything I must.

‘Go, now, Lord Vader,’ I am dismissed. ‘I am sure you are eager to begin.’

His throne swivels and it is obvious he has nothing left to say to me.

***

I sensed Ani’s close proximity hours ago, but I knew it would take him a while to return home. He had to go make his report to Palpatine first, and, no doubt, there was other pressing business for him to deal with before he could come see me. Once, I might have resented anything which delayed him, but I have grown to accept that this is how our lives will be.

With a sigh, I pick up my datapad and look quickly at the new files I have just added to it. There’s not much I am able to do to help my husband. For the moment, he has me looking for patterns in the movements of the Rebel fleet. So far, I have found nothing. Everything they have been up to appears completely random. As if they would do anything easily predictable, I ruefully note. They are too smart for that, and I probably won’t discover anything Ani’s other analysts haven’t already. No, I am sure this is a project he has designed to make me feel useful.

Someone stirs, so I set my hand on my stomach to quiet him. If Leanan’s prediction is correct, it will be about a month before he is born.

‘Behave, you,’ I scold my second son. ‘You will be out of there and keeping mommy busy soon enough.’

I stare into the flames of the fireplace and muse a little. What name has the Sith Lord has chosen for him? Just as with Mikal and the twins, this is one topic he has never discussed with me, and I suspect I won’t have an answer to that question until after our son is born.

‘Your father had better not name you after your uncle Jamie,’ I add. ‘His reputation for being a troublemaker is one you don’t need to live up to. One mischief maker in the family is plenty for mommy to look after.’

‘Talking to him again?’ I hear Ani ask me.

I look up and smile at him. His helmet is off, so he intends to stay for a while, and I can sense he is in a good mood.

‘He seems to like it when I read to Mikal and the twins, too,’ I sheepishly admit, feeling a bit silly that my husband has caught me doing something considered so stereotypical of pregnant females.

The Sith Lord doesn’t tease me about it, merely comes over and joins me on the couch.

‘You must be cold,’ he observes when I snuggle up to him and tug his cloak over my body, adding it to my own which I am already wrapped in.

‘Yes,’ I reply. ‘The children are napping, so I decided to come in here and warm up by the fire.’

‘If you aren’t feeling up to it, perhaps we should stay in,’ Ani suggests, ‘instead of going shopping.’

I consider that option for a moment. He’s been so preoccupied or busy of late that quiet time with just the two of us has become a precious commodity. When he has been free to spend time with me, it’s been as a family, not a couple. At night, he often comes to bed long after I have fallen asleep. I miss talking to him or simply curling up in his arms while he touches my hair and face.

‘Let’s stay here,’ I agree. ‘We can go out to look for presents later today.’

‘You just want to have me all to yourself,’ he teases, knowing full well that’s what I have been thinking.

I reach up, draw his face to mine, and kiss him.

‘Do you have a problem with that, Sith Lord?’ I ask after I lean away from him.

No, he answers as he pulls me in close again and resumes the kiss I had interrupted.

***

I begin to focus my concentration, intending to practice healing my injuries once again. Slipping deeper into the Force, I feel a ripple which should not be there. My curiosity piqued, I reach for it, hoping to identify this unknown individual who has disturbed my meditation. Whoever it is fades away, disappearing back into the grey monotone which characterizes Coruscant. Annoyed, I decide to resume what they had intruded upon.

The dark side still has twists and turns in store for me, but I am far more wary of its allure than I was when I first became a Sith. It far too easily becomes an addiction as powerful as any drug, giving that head long, euphoric rush yet exacting a heavy price in return. For a moment, I consider my master. Physically, he deteriorates faster with each clone body he transfers into. Careless overuse of the dark side continually poisons his body as well as corrupts his soul.

I have no intentions of allowing that to happen to me - cannot allow that to happen to me. And Luke is the key to avoiding that fate. His power added to my own will allow me to heal myself, will let us both channel more of the Force than one of us alone ever could.

Luke. My son. My future ally and apprentice.

A smile crosses my face.

Soon my son will be with me, but sooner still I must see my master off on his retreat to Byss. I lower my helmet with a touch to the controls and leave my meditation pod. Time to run an errand.

‘Maia,’ I call to my wife when I see her in the kitchen with the children. ‘I have a chore to do, but will be back soon.’

I receive a nod and soft caress to our bond in reply. It’s evening snack time for all of them. She’ll be busy until I return and help her with bedtime.

All too quickly I am walking at the Emperor’s side, accompanying him to his shuttle. How short he is now, I observe. This clone body is withered, aged, and almost at the end of its useful lifetime. Soon, he will be assuming another one.

‘I anticipate that I shall return in three weeks,’ he reminds me. ‘I trust you can keep the planet from falling apart while I am gone?’

I bristle at his questioning my competence but simply reply, ‘Yes, my master.’

‘I expect no less,’ he confirms. ‘Any news of Skywalker?’

He expects results in mere hours?

‘Not yet,’ I admit. ‘We will find him.’

‘Perhaps sooner than you expect,’ he cryptically hints.

I stare at him, puzzled by that remark. He is wearing that half-smile he uses whenever he knows a secret his audience doesn’t. Has he seen something in the future? Perhaps his spies have discovered where Luke is? No further information is revealed, so I stop at the bottom of his ship’s ramp. A squad of Imperial Guards flank and escort him up and into the shuttle, to the rhythmic tap of his cane.

I am being toyed with, I decide. Palpatine might trust me more than any other being, but there are limits to that trust. In the end, it doesn’t really matter. Luke will seek me out at Endor. This I know will come to pass from Maia’s odd foreknowledge. Even if he doesn’t, his Force presence will mature to the point where my son won’t be able to conceal himself. Once a Jedi’s training begins, their connection to the Force starts to grow, strengthen, and there is no way to easily stop that.

In the meantime, I have other, more important worries. Luke will have to wait. While my master is gone, Xizor will take advantage of that. The Falleen will need to be watched carefully. My agents are already working all hours looking for his past mistakes, and it’s only a matter of time before Xizor makes another one.

And I will be waiting to catch him when he does.

***

DAY 29

It’s not exactly the right day for this, but for once I intend to celebrate a holiday from Earth. Quickly surveying Ani’s office, I decide that all is in place and ready.

‘Satisfied?’ Ani quietly asks.

I reply with a smile and a nod.

‘I suppose that’s the closest we will have to a real fir tree,’ I admit as I lean backwards into his chest and feel his arms wrap around me. ‘The Chief Botanist at the Skydome Botantical Garden did his best to find something to match my descriptions, and Cyran and Daini managed to obtain ornaments which are similar to those used at home.’

‘I still don’t understand what all the fuss is about,’ he teases. ‘It seems to be an excuse to give presents to each other.’

‘It’s an old religious holiday from home,’ I remind him of what I had told everyone yesterday. ‘We are celebrating it a few days late, from my best estimates, but who cares. The children will have a good time anyway.’

‘Perhaps we should go back to bed,’ my husband suggests, ‘and let the children discover what’s in here on their own.’

I squeeze his hand in agreement and let him lead me back to bed. We settle into one another’s arms, pretend to be asleep, and listen for any signs that our three youngsters are stirring.

There’s the door, Ani notes.

It’s Mikal, I confirm.

Our son ignores us and runs through the kitchen into the other rooms. He helped decorate the tree last night, and after my stories about Christmas, can’t wait to see what’s under it. A minute later, he is back and launches himself up and onto our bed.

‘Mommy, daddy,’ he cries, ‘presents!’

‘Yes, son,’ his father confirms, ‘presents for everyone.’

‘Yes!’ Mikal happily shouts.

‘Not so loud,’ I gently scold him. ‘Your sisters...’

‘Are awake,’ Ani breaks in when he sees a blonde head peer in at us.

If Shmi is up, then Cat will soon follow.

The comm chimes. Ani’s expression grows annoyed, and I give him a rueful smile. So much for some family time this morning.

‘My lord,’ Jir quickly says, fully aware he is calling far earlier than normal, ‘one of your agents has an urgent report for you to see in regards to Luke Skywalker.’

I sense the Sith Lord hesitate. He can’t decide what is more important to him at the moment - time with our children or dealing with business related to his eldest son.

‘Go see what he wants,’ I suggest. ‘We won’t open anything until you have returned.’

‘I will be there shortly,’ Ani tells his aide before shutting off the comm.

He receives a quick kiss and a gentle nudge off the bed from me.

‘Hurry back,’ I remind him. ‘You don’t want to miss any of the fun.’

***

I wait impatiently in the conference room for my agent. His message stated he had information for me and that we needed to meet immediately. When he arrives I calmly regard him while he reveals the existence of a recording of someone bribing an Alliance crew chief, using the incentive of credits, to get her to kill my son.

‘You are certain of this?’ I ask him once he has finished his report.

‘Yes, my lord, I am certain,’ he replies.

Proof.

Proof at last that someone is trying to kill Luke, but it is not enough to indict Xizor. He works through layers of agents rather than directly. I allow myself to feel a touch of triumph. That this recording survived shows the Falleen is slipping a little.

‘And you have the tape and documentation?’ I prompt him as a check.

‘Already in your files, Lord Vader,’ he confirms with a smile.

Ready for my review, which I will do as soon as I am able.

‘You have served me well. I will not forget this. Continue your search,’ I dismiss him.

He leaves quickly, but will be back as soon as he discovers anything else I should be made aware of. If he does find evidence of Xizor’s involvement, I will reward him suitably for it.

Unfortunately Xizor is not named in that tape. It will take time to back track from that agent who spoke to the crew chief - to see who contacted him and then who contacted them, and so on. Eventually the trail will lead back to the Falleen. Of that I have no doubt.

And every small clue, every careless mistake, I will pounce on, but for now, I will wait, much as that chafes.

Soon I will have what I need to destroy him.

***

‘Daddy!’ my eldest shouts. ‘Hurry up!’

Ani’s back at last, and not a minute too soon. It was becoming harder and harder to get Mikal to wait. With an amused smile, I watch my son run over, grab his father’s hand, and do his best to tug the unresisting Sith Lord along.

‘Why don’t you open one of yours first, son?’ Ani suggests.

There is no objection from Mikal. He has already sorted the presents into stacks for each of us since I used that task to keep him occupied for a few minutes. But our son takes the one I made for my husband and gives it to his father, instead of selecting one for himself.

‘You first, daddy,’ Mikal insists.

Ani accepts the wrapped package and sits down beside me. Mikal quickly gives his sisters each a parcel, brings one to me as well, then plunks himself down on the floor to work at opening one of his. The twins promptly tear off the paper while my son is more meticulous about removing the wrapping from his. I take my time with mine, using my fingernails to pull off the tape. Whenever one of us is without a present to open, Mikal hands out another. My husband, I note, is finding this all quite entertaining.

‘You will fall behind,’ I tease when the Sith Lord’s stack of gifts remains untouched.

‘It’s more fun watching the rest of you,’ he confesses, ‘but since you insist.’

He opens my gift to him first. It’s a surcoat I made to match the gabal wool cloak he was given on Rhinnal. On the sly, I had contacted Nilsa Kieger, Speaker for the clans, and arranged to have the fabric woven for me. Fortunately, the Speaker was pleased to provide this rare gift along with an explanation of the more unusual properties of the tenticulon ink which was used to dye it.

Ani’s fingers carefully unfold the fabric and stroke it. It’s soft, wonderfully soft to the touch, just like the blanket I received for son number two when we were visiting Rhire.

‘You went to quite a bit of trouble to get this for me, didn’t you?’ my husband asks.

I smile a bit shyly and nod at him.

‘I had to be ... very persuasive,’ I admit, ‘but it wasn’t as hard as you think.’

‘I will keep it with the matching cloak, and the other set you made for me before,’ he decides. ‘It should be set aside for special occasions.’

His hand reaches over to mine, so I take it and give his fingers a squeeze.

‘Now, you need to open my gift to you,’ he prompts.

I turn my attention back to the small box currently on my lap and start to open it.

***

Maia’s with the children, cleaning up the wrapping paper and boxes which were all over the floor in my office. It’s a necessary chore, but I need to spend some time in meditation. I excuse myself and retire to my pod.

I relax, sink into the Force, and allow it to wash over me. My wife’s light presence shines in the room beside me. Mikal and my unborn son are glowing embers next to her, and the girls appear as mere sparks. Nothing surprising in any of that. I knew long ago my daughters would never have the strength that their brothers or my wife does.

Stretching out farther, there are no unexpected disturbances, merely the background I have grown accustomed to feeling when I am on Coruscant and my master is elsewhere. I allow myself to drift, letting the Force take me wherever it wills.

Then there is a peculiar shift in the Force, an eddy created by a presence I recognize.

Luke.

My son is here, on Coruscant.

I reach out and call to him, Luke.

But I cannot touch him - something, no someone, is blocking me. A frown crosses my face. There is no one else left who is as strong as Luke, so what could be happening? I push at the peculiar echo, but it vanishes as does my son’s signature.

It’s time to leave my meditation chamber.

Time to find Luke.

Time to put my plans into motion.

***

The children are busy, happily playing with their new toys. I take advantage of their distraction and Cyran’s presence to slip away, intending to go see what my husband is doing. He’s not in his meditation pod, so I partially retrace my steps and go into his office.

Ani is at his desk, working, but looks up once he realizes I am there. He extends a hand towards me, so I walk over, take it and let him draw me in close. Once I am at his side, he rests his other hand on my stomach. I sense him reach inwards, using the Force to check on our unborn son, before he lets his hand fall away and sighs.

‘What’s wrong, love?’ I quietly ask him.

‘Luke is here, on Coruscant,’ he reveals. ‘I do not know why he is here, but I need to make sure he stays out of trouble.’

I bite my lip. It sounds like there is another confrontation between father and son in the immediate future. Ani brushes my cheek with his hand at my reaction to this news.

‘I expect he will either seek me out, or deliberately avoid coming anywhere near me,’ he reassures me. ‘If the former, then I will have no choice but to capture him. If the latter...’

My husband’s voice fades away. He really doesn’t know how to handle his eldest son. Every time the topic of Luke has come up, Ani has only talked about him as a rebel who needs to be caught. Now, though, I can sense that his feelings for Luke are far more complicated and conflicted, and connected in some way to our second son.

I take both of his hands in mine and hold them tight. Ths Sith Lord has avoided discussing his plans with me, but he needs to sort himself out.

‘Please talk to me, Anakin,’ I offer. ‘You have been tearing yourself up inside over what to do about Luke for far too long.’

He hesitates, tips his head down to look at where his hands are in mine. His left one he pulls free, then with a light touch traces the rings on my finger - the gold band from our wedding on Naboo, and, beside it, the new gold one, set with a blue diamond, which he had given me this morning.

‘Ani,’ I prompt him again.

A sigh escapes from his mask, then he turns me about before settling me on his lap.

‘I don’t have many choices to pick from, Maia,’ he finally admits. ‘If I leave Luke to his own devices, my master will order me to hunt him down or send others to do that task. At least if I am the one who captures him or who he surrenders to I can protect him a little. He would become my apprentice, and be subject to my control.’

‘But that isn’t what is really bothering you, is it?’ I persist in seeking an answer. ‘There’s more to it than that.’

His helmet turns to look away from me. This is something he doesn’t want to tell me, I decide.

‘To keep Mikal from my master,’ he slowly, reluctantly divulges, ‘I was forced to offer our second son in exchange. That’s why I was determined to delay your third pregnancy as long as possible, but I should have known that Palpatine would never allow that.’

I wait patiently for Ani to finish. He hasn’t told me anything I didn’t already know or surmise from our previous conversations along these lines.

‘There is only one way I will be allowed to keep him,’ my husband reveals, replacing his hand over our son, ‘I will have to give the Emperor someone else in trade - someone he wants more, someone who will be of more use to him.’

It takes a moment for what he has said to sink in, and when I fully realize what he will be driven to do, I slide my arms around his shoulders and pull him close.

No wonder he has been so torn - Palpatine will force him to choose between his two sons, a decision no parent should ever be faced with. And I suspect it will be Luke he opts to surrender to his master, not the child I am still carrying.

‘Oh, Ani,’ I try to soothe him as best I can with my touch and our bond.

‘Hopefully,’ he does his best to comfort me, ‘it won’t come to that. If events go the way I intend them to, it will be a decision I will never have to make.’

I give him a squeeze of support and rest my head on his shoulder. Ani will find a way out of our dilemma. He always has in the past.

***

I watch Maia leave my office for the fourth time today. She’s been checking on me regularly this afternoon. From our bond, I know she is still concerned about me, but revealing the source of much of my stress of late has greatly eased my mind. Whatever happens, I know she will always be there to support me, no matter what decision I make in the end.

It’s not yet time for dinner, so I decide to try my experiment, again, as I have so many times in the past month. I leave my desk, seat myself in my pod, remove my helmet, and prepare myself.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

I let the dark side take hold, allowing my anger at my inability to breathe, at the state I am in thanks to Obi-Wan, to fill me. Opening the pod now, I decide to try this without the sealed and specialized atmosphere that’s within it.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Visualize yourself as cured, see your lungs becoming healthy again, I tell myself. I feel the change as it occurs. Scarred tissues smooth out, elasticity returns. Cool air from outside the sphere fills my chest.

Breathe in, breathe out.

I don’t let my other emotions to touch my rage. Every time they do, the healing fails.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Let’s see how long it will hold. I look at the chronometer. Almost two minutes. A new record. Someday I might be able to maintain this indefinitely and rid myself of the cursed armour. I can’t allow Maia to heal me, but perhaps Luke...

A smile crosses my face at the thought of my son at my side.

The dark energies dissipate, my lungs revert to their injured state, so I close the pod to protect myself.

It’s just a matter of time. For now, two minutes will suffice, but one day it will be longer, much longer than that.

***

‘Dinner,’ I call to three hungry children and my husband.

Mikal, as always, is the first to appear. He must be preparing for another growth spurt, I decide, since he has been eating more than usual the last two weeks. Shmi and Cat are slower, and each is carrying one of their new sticker books. Ani thought those would be safer than giving our twins something to color, but more stickers have ended up on the walls, furniture, toys, and our two girls than in their books designed for that purpose.

My husband trails in long after we have started to eat. He leans over and kisses me before sitting down and picking up his supplement drink. His mood has improved considerably from where it was this afternoon. Perhaps talking to me about how he feels has helped him a bit, even though I still don’t know exactly what he plans to do about Luke. I suspect he won’t know that himself, until he is put into a situation where he has to make the decision he has been doing his utmost to avoid.

‘Can we do a puzzle?’ Mikal asks.

‘After you have finished eating,’ I tell him. ‘We will do one of your new ones.’

‘And after you have practiced your shielding,’ Ani adds another condition.

I nod in agreement. Thirsk has seen to Mikal’s physical training on a daily basis, but with how busy the Sith Lord has been, our son’s Force training has become irregular. While I have tried my best to work with my eldest, he always seems to respond better when it’s his father giving the lesson.

I start to stand up, to go get the fruit and nut cake I had made for dessert, but Ani stops me with a touch on my arm.

‘I’ll get it for you,’ he volunteers as he gets out of his chair, ‘and tomorrow, I will cook dinner.’

‘Oh?’ I tease him. ‘Is there a special occasion I am not aware of?’

‘No,’ he replies. ‘No special occasion. I just want to impress my wife with my culinary prowess.’

I start laughing. He knows I still have problems with the autochef and it has been quite a while since he made ‘ice cream’ for me. It’s rather apparent that’s what he is up to.

‘Go ahead and spoil me all you want,’ I accept his offer and the slice of uj cake he hands me with a smile. ‘I won’t say no.’

***

I stand out on my Castle’s balcony, waiting for my wife to join me. She’s putting the children to bed, but knows I want to see her once that task is finished. A soft wind I cannot feel stirs my cloak while I contemplate the skyline.

Luke is here, nearby, but I cannot find him using the Force. He has learned to conceal himself from me when he isn’t tapping into that energy field. Soon, he will do that again and then, hopefully, I will be able to draw him to me.

What has me more concerned is why he is here. After Bespin, he has avoided confronting me, so perhaps he has another purpose in mind. Surely the rebels haven’t sent him to attack the Emperor in his stronghold? Only a fool would attempt such a thing. Still, one man, one small ship can slip through Coruscant’s skynet defenses, strong as they are, and carry out a covert mission of some sort.

What is it my son? I call out to him, trying to locate his presence once more. Why have you come here? Let me hear you, reveal your whereabouts, and I will come to you.

There is only silence in reply. Not that I really expected anything else given our history.

‘My Lord Vader,’ I hear my agent call from behind me.

I had left instructions with Lieutenant Jir to admit him at any time, so he must have more information for me.

I turn and ask, ‘You have something for me?’

‘Yes, my lord,’ he confirms. ‘We have uncovered a pirated copy of certain planetary files for Falleen thought to be destroyed.’

‘Why should I find this interesting?’ I prod, a touch annoyed.

This is not what I am paying him to find for me.

‘It contains some material about Prince Xizor’s family,’ he promptly answers. ‘His father was the king of a small nation there.’

The frown on my face pulls at old scar tissue. What has this to do with anything?

‘I knew his father was royalty,’ I admit, ‘but I understood that Prince Xizor was orphaned at an early age.’

He hesitates.

‘Not precisely, my lord. You may recall a biological experiment on Falleen...,’ he pauses a moment before continuing, ‘went awry a decade or so past.’

How can I ever forget that disaster? It has returned to haunt me repeatedly.

I remember standing on the command deck of the Devastator, looking down at Falleen and having to make my decision.

I remember Captain Bolvan bringing me the projections for how the necrotizing bacteria would fan out through the population, an invisible plague which would wipe out millions if it was allowed to spread to that world’s other continents.

I remember every word of the conversation I had with him.

‘Sir,’ Bolvan had suggested, ‘If we requisition the ordinance from Project X27 in the Outer Rim, we could incinerate the bacteria from orbit...’

‘And annihilate everything on the planet,’ I had broken in. ‘No, the Emperor may still have some use for the Falleen.’

‘Lord Vader,’ he had protested, ‘there is no cure...’

He wanted to take the easy path, use the simplest solution, and destroy the entire planet in the process.

‘Captain,’ I snapped at him. ‘You must learn when it is appropriate to offer your counsel. Now is not the time.’

Thankfully Lieutenant Hilja had approached us at that point. Bolvan was treading dangerously close to earning himself an early retirement.

‘You requested my presence, Lord Vader?’ Hilja asked.

It was then I made my decision - a decision to spare as many lives as I possibly could.

‘Yes, Lieutenant Hilja. Prepare for an orbital bombardment of Falleen,’ I gave him the necessary, orders. ‘Center it on the research facility and everything around it for forty kilometers.’

He left to carry out those instructions, and I stood there and watched thousands die to spare billions.

Curious. The choice between the many and the few. I told Maia that I had never faced the same decision as the leader in her story, yet, ironically, I have. Only the circumstances were different.

‘Yes, I recall,’ I tell my agent.

‘During the, ah, sterilization procedure, some Imperial citizens’ lives were lost,’ he states.

‘A regrettable incident,’ I note, wondering where he is going with this.

He touches the holoprojector on his belt and a blue image appears between us. It is obviously a family portrait, and one of the males is Xizor. A younger version of him, true, but it is unmistakeably him.

‘Prince Xizor’s family,’ my agent confirms what I have just inferred. ‘All of whom were killed during the destruction of the mutant bacterium which escaped from the lab.’

Realization dawns.

‘How did the records of this come to be destroyed?’ I ask.

He shakes his head and reveals, ‘We do not know. For some reason, all references to Xizor’s family simply vanished, shortly after the destruction of the city.’

I was in charge of that project.

It’s personal, very personal. Xizor doesn’t just see me as a rival for my master’s attention - he blames me for the death of his family. And he wants to exact his revenge by killing Luke. Being Falleen, he must have bided his time, waiting for an opportunity. First, he went after my wife using Lieutenant Keol, but Maia and our children are too well protected for him to ever reach them now. So, instead, he has decided to strike at Luke, who is far more vulnerable.

The Falleen are a patient species. A Sith Lord can be equally so.

‘Once again you have served me well,’ I tell him, pleased with what I now know. ‘When you finish this project, you will no longer need to worry about money, such is my gratitude.’

‘My lord,’ he responds with a low bow.

I dismiss him with a wave. My wife is on her way to see me. There will be just a few minutes to think and plan before she is here.

***

DAY 30

***

I give my wife a light kiss on the nape of her neck and get out of bed. It’s a bit early to be awake, but I want to work in my office without the risk of being disturbed.

‘Yes, dear?’ a sleepy voice mumbles at me though she doesn’t open her eyes.

‘Go back to sleep,’ I order in a whisper. ‘I need some private time to finish a few things.’

‘Alright,’ she agrees.

***

I don’t bother opening my eyes when I feel Ani give me a kiss, roll away from me, and get up. He probably has work to do which he doesn’t want an audience for.

‘Yes, dear?’ I ask, just in case I am wrong.

‘Go back to sleep,’ he scolds me in a low voice. ‘I need some private time to finish a few things.’

‘Alright,’ I concede without arguing.

For a moment he stands beside the bed, watching me. As I drift off again, I feel him pull the blankets up over my shoulder and his light caress along my side. I don’t fight the sleep which quickly claims me.

***

I watch her for a few minutes, until her breathing resumes its usual sleep pattern. A few stray hairs have pulled out of her braid and her face is relaxed, peaceful. With a careful touch I draw the covers up and over her shoulder. Lately, she tends to get chilled so this should help. My fingers ghost down her arm, pause and linger at her waist. She’s not as big as she was with the twins, but is a bit larger than when she was when pregnant with Mikal. I resist the temptation to reach inwards and check on our son. That will only rouse him and perhaps wake my wife in turn.

‘Little goddess,’I softly say to her, ‘you know what my choice will be, don’t you?’

Choice? As I leave her side, and put my armour on, I weigh that word. There really isn’t any choice in this for me. I cannot hand my innocent, helpless, newborn son over to my master. Luke at least is an adult and able to defend himself, but he is still no match for Palpatine. So, I will have to either surrender Luke, or take the third option and refuse to give either of my sons to him. If I decide on the latter, I can only hope the consequences for my disobedience are not fatal.

Or perhaps there is another alternative?

I give my head a shake at the notion which has just entered it. That won’t be possible until Luke has had some Sith training. My own physical limitations mean that I cannot take the Emperor on directly myself, for to do so would result in instant, lethal punishment. How unfortunate that Luke didn’t see reason and join me at Bespin. If he had, I would be ready now and so would he.

Time, I silently curse, has never been on my side.

I take the soul trap from its compartment and set it down on my desk. While I told Maia there were no instructions for how to open it, that hasn’t stopped my experiments to find a means to do so whenever Palpatine has been off planet. This time, I focus my senses on how and where the ancient seams and joins in the metal plates have been welded together. The Force has been used here, I note, just as the holocron in my master’s collection described. Carefully, I prod at one of the apparent weak points where its door is shut. The energy holding the trap closed shifts to compensate, so I push harder.

After a few more minutes of this, I rotate Michael’s prison with my fingers while I think about what I have just discovered. Any attempt to pry the door open or pull one of the seams apart results in a redistribution of the Force holding the construct together, but there is a limit to how much pressure the trap can resist. I play with the silver and black pyramid, flipping it from hand to hand. With enough Force applied in the right spot, the soul trap should open and, in theory, free whoever is caught within it.

Should I make an attempt at it? I glance towards where my wife is sleeping. Better to try this when she isn’t awake and without her knowledge. There’s no reason to raise her hopes then dash them again if I fail.

I replace the soul trap on the desk and stare at it. It’s been nice and peaceful without the pest hanging about, but if I can free him, he will owe me for that. There are quite a few tasks a Jedi ghost would be useful for, including keeping track of Luke or spying on Xizor.

With a sigh, I prepare myself, then hold my hand above the soul trap. Sending my senses downwards, I select the best, weakest spot, and slam as much of the Force as I can into that location. The pyramid starts to glow as it redirects its stored energy to where I am hammering away at it. Come on, I urge it, give way and yield to me.

Nothing happens.

Frustrated, I draw on more of the Force, channelling it through myself and directly at that spot without any real attempt to control it. The trap becomes more incandescent, but I can sense that it won’t withstand much more of this.

Casting about, I look for other sources of energy I can draw on and quickly find one.

Maia.

Our soul bond will let me tap into her reserves. For a brief second I hesitate. This will wake her up, no doubt, but I can explain to her why I have done this afterwards. I caress our bond, then reach across it, adding what I safely can of her strength to mine.

The pyramid flares even brighter, temporarily blinding me.

***

When I wake again, it’s with a startled jerk. Ani is using the Force, channelling it in an almost wild fashion, and drawing on not just his own strength, but mine as well. Curious, and a bit upset that he didn’t tell me what he was planning to do, I push myself upright. My head spins with that movement.

Somehow, I manage to get to my feet despite how drained and exhausted I am. Each step produces a struggle to stay balanced and upright. If someone were to map my progress, they would assuredly think I was drunk, I decide. My vision blurs as Ani pulls more of my energy into himself. I resort to using my hand against the wall to guide myself, and stagger into my husband’s office.

He’s at his desk, staring straight ahead at someone I can’t quite make out through the haze I am now seeing. My knees finally begin to buckle underneath me and I start to pitch forwards.

The Sith Lord bolts from where he is sitting, grabs me, and holds me secure in his arms.

‘Ani?’ I call to him as my mind goes blank.

***

There is an explosive sounding crack as the point I had been focussing my efforts on fails at last. For a moment, I see spots, so I blink rapidly to clear them. On my desk, in front of me, the soul trap is open, one of the triangular panels rotated sideways on a central pivot to reveal its dark interior. In the ready to use position, I note.

Standing in the middle of my office is Michael, still in his Sith robes, looking around with a shocked expression on his face. At least he seems no worse for wear despite being locked away for weeks.

‘What?’ he blurts out, sounding completely baffled. ‘How’d I get here? Weren’t we chasing some Jedi?’

Behind him, I see my wife stagger drunkenly for a few steps as she walks towards us. My freeing her brother has woken her up, drawn her to me, and obviously left her drained and disoriented. Ignoring Michael, I rush to her and catch her before she can fall and hurt herself.

‘Ani?’ she gasps as I lower her to the floor.

‘Sithspit,’ I curse aloud as her eyes shut and she slips into unconsciousness.

Using our bond the way I just did was a very bad idea. Hopefully she will recover quickly and this will merely be a passing weakness.

‘What have you done to her?’ Michael snaps at me as he drops to a knee next to me.

He’s recovered faster than I thought he would.

‘Your refusal to follow my commands on Rhinnal resulted in you being locked inside a Sith soul trap,’ I explain to him. ‘I couldn’t get you out on my own so I used some of her strength to free you.’

I sense his disbelief.

‘Make yourself useful for once, pest, and help me with her,’ I growl at him. When it becomes obvious he doesn’t understand what I want him to do, I add, ‘Let her know you are here with your bond. If you can share some of your Force potential with her, then do so.’

I return my attention to Maia and carefully lift her up. She will be more comfortable in our bed. Michael silently follows us out of my office and into the bedroom. After I ease my wife out of my arms, her brother sits beside her and takes her hand in his own. His Force presence flickers erratically as he touches their lifebond, so I know that for once he is doing exactly what I have told him to.

Good.

Because he is a Jedi ghost, Michael’s connection to the Force is a more direct and cleaner one than my own, and one without any taint from the dark side. In spite of the twinge of jealousy I feel, I know it’s far better for him to replenish his sister’s reserves in this way than for myself to do so.

Two eyes slowly open and gaze about. Maia’s still only semi-aware and hasn’t realized who is sitting beside her. I kneel next to our bed and look into her face.

‘Little goddess,’ I murmur to her, ‘there’s someone here to see you.’

She seems puzzled by that until her head turns towards the room’s other occupant. Then, there is a slow, indrawn breath.

‘Michael,’ she says as she exhales. ‘You got him out.’

Her fingers seek my cheek, slide to the back of my neck and draw me close.

‘Thank you, my love,’ she tells me before her lips meet mine.

***

Maia, I hear a familiar voice in my head. Little sister, please wake up.

I ignore it at first. It’s merely my brain playing tricks on me again. Michael is gone, locked away within that cursed Sith gadget. He isn’t coming back. When the voice becomes more insistent, I decide to do as it is telling me to. Maybe that will make it go away so I can sleep some more. When I open my eyes, Ani is on the floor, kneeling beside our bed, and peering into my face. He’s quite worried, too, from his expression.

‘Little goddess,’ he quietly says, ‘there’s someone here to see you.’

I furrow my brow in response. What does he mean by that? His quarters are pressurized and sealed. No one could have come in here without my husband putting his helmet on before letting them in. A light squeeze to my hand, which isn’t from Ani, causes me to turn my head.

I breathe in slowly when I see who is there.

‘Michael,’ I state the obvious. ‘You got him out.’

My husband has managed to do what he thought was impossible. I reach over to him, run my fingers across his cheek, to the back of his head, and pull him closer.

‘Thank you, my love,’ I tell him, truly meaning it, before I kiss him lightly on the mouth.

He gently pushes me back onto the pillows, taking hold of my hand when it slides away from him.

‘You need to rest,’ Ani advises. ‘I want you to stay in bed today and behave yourself.’

‘But..,’ I start to protest.

‘Bed,’ he insists, waving a finger in front of my nose. ‘I will explain what happened later, after you have recovered.’

The comm starts to chime in that pattern I always dread hearing. The Sith Lord slowly stands up, releasing my hand once he is fully upright.

‘Your boss wants to talk to you,’ I wryly note. ‘He always has such wonderful timing.’

‘Make sure she stays put and behaves,’ Ani orders Michael. ‘This shouldn’t take very long.’

I watch him put his helmet on and leave, then turn my attention to my brother. We have some catching up to do.

***

Palpatine has atrocious timing, but freeing Michael has caused enough of a disturbance that he has probably decided to find out what I was doing.

‘My master,’ I answer as I kneel on the activated Holonet terminal next to my meditation pod.

‘Lord Vader,’ he acknowledges me. ‘How are things there?’

I debate for a few seconds how to respond, then decide to play ignorant. Unless he asks me directly, there’s no reason for him to learn what I have done.

‘Calm,’ I tell him. ‘There are no problems.’

‘Stay alert, Lord Vader,’ he orders. ‘I have felt a disturbance in the Force.’

I resist the urge to laugh or let my amusement show. Every Force sensitive in the sectors surrounding the Core has, no doubt, felt the wrench which occurred when the soul trap finally opened. None of them, however, will know exactly what happened.

‘Yes, my master,’ I reply.

He signs off rather abruptly, so I stand still for a moment, considering what to do. My master would have felt my successful experiment this morning, and that has my personal Force signature all over it. Perhaps he has sensed something else other than that? Luke is on Coruscant, so maybe my son’s presence is what has him concerned. Or has Xizor’s game playing created future ripples Palpatine has seen which I have not?

At least the Falleen is someone I can do something about. It’s time to let him know I am aware of his plot to kill Luke.

‘Get me Prince Xizor,’ I tell the comm console.

Xizor promptly answers my call and seems a bit taken aback that I have contacted him at this hour. He is awake rather early or stayed up very late depending on how one looks at it. That means he isn’t sleeping.

‘Lord Vader,’ he greets me, ‘what a pleasant surprise.’

I don’t bother replying with the standard, polite set phrases.

‘Perhaps not so pleasant,’ I flatly state. ‘I have been made aware of your attempts to kill Luke Skywalker. You will cease all attempts to harm the boy immediately.’

He doesn’t react, keeping his face an expressionless mask. His spike of anger though, is obvious. I have caught him and he knows it.

‘Your information is in error, Lord Vader,’ he tries to talk his way out of the corner I have just driven him into. ‘And even if it were correct, I am given to understand that the boy is a Rebel officer, all of whom are traitors and wanted dead or alive. Is this sudden change of policy an Imperial decree?’

I ignore his pathetic effort to divert my attention.

‘If Skywalker is harmed,’ I deliver my ultimatum, pointing a finger directly at his hologram’s chest, ‘I will hold you personally accountable.’

‘I see,’ Xizor slowly says. ‘I assure you that if I should come across Skywalker, I will extend to him the same courtesy I would to you, Lord Vader.’

At that, I shut off the comm. There is no reason to prolong our conversation and I have made my point. Regardless of my warning, I expect the Falleen will continue to hunt Luke. Now, though, he has been put on notice. As soon as he makes a mistake, as soon as I can prove his duplicity, I will kill him.

***

I shift about as I watch Ani remove his helmet. It’s lunchtime and I am bored with lying in bed. He was rather insistent that I stay put, which I have complied with because I don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of his lectures. Still, I am very tired, so if he wants me to behave, I will.

‘I will bring you something to eat,’ my husband offers.

My ears perk up. He promised to make dinner today. This means ice cream for me! I nod eagerly in anticipation of what my dessert will be and receive one of his rare smiles in return.

While he sees to the children, I let my thoughts wander a bit. Michael has no memory of being locked up. For him, it was if he had jumped in time and location, from Rhinnal to here, without the intervening weeks happening at all. Perhaps that’s for the best. If he had been aware, instead of in a state of limbo, he probably would have started to go mad inside the Sith soul trap.

I tip my head and concentrate. My brother is nearby, but off on an errand for Ani. The Sith Lord is going to take advantage of the debt my brother owes him. He will be an effective secret spy for my husband to use whenever the Emperor isn’t around.

I hear Mikal agree to go play with his sisters for a few minutes. Their meal is finished which means mine should arrive soon. The beeping of the autochef tells me I am correct about this.

When Ani comes in, I move over so he has a place to sit beside me. His drink is on the tray he is carrying, too, so it will be lunch in bed for both of us.

‘I made your favorites,’ my husband tells me once he is settled.

‘You are going to spoil me,’ I tease in return.

‘I should spoil you more often,’ he replies before giving me a quick kiss.

‘You aren’t in a rush to go somewhere today?’ I ask, curious what he might have planned.

‘No,’ Ani admits. ‘Not unless I have a reason to.’

His head tips and I can sense him concentrating on something. I don’t pry and wait for him to start talking again.

‘Luke is still on Coruscant,’ my husband reveals, ‘but he is hiding from me. I am hoping your brother will find him for me before Xizor does.’

I nod in answer while I nibble on my ice cream. It will melt if I don’t hurry, and I want to try something on my husband before he leaves again. The rest of my lunch I will finish after he’s gone.

‘Iced dessert first?’ he notes with some amusement. ‘That’s not very healthy.’

‘Depends on what you intend to do after you’ve eaten it,’ I reply with a wicked smile.

I send the tray to the floor using the Force, and close the bedroom door with a wave to the control panel. Ani merely raises an eyebrow. He has no idea what I am going to do.

‘Down you go, Sith Lord,’ I order as I push him flat onto his back, ‘it’s your turn for dessert.’

He starts laughing, only stopping when I yank off his codpiece. Then, I can sense him realize exactly what I am up to. When my frozen mouth contacts his skin, the sharp inhalation and shiver he makes urges me on. The effects from the cold don’t last very long, but it does give me a few ideas for other things to do to him.

‘I think I will have to try that on you sometime,’ Ani says in a low, husky voice once I have finished with him.

‘Enjoyed that?’ I tease, though I know full well that he did.

I might not be allowed to have any fun, but Ani can.

‘Come here, wife,’ he playfully growls.

‘We must be good,’ I remind him as I snuggle up to him and rest my head on his chest. ‘No fooling around allowed.’

‘Yes, I know,’ he ruefully admits, ‘but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.’

***

Leaving Maia behind to rest for the afternoon, I head to my castle’s command center. I need to see what reports have come in since this morning.

Jir stands up and nods when I enter the briefing room.

‘Lord Vader, you asked to see anything regarding this name,’ he tells me.

I stare at him, wondering who he might be talking about. When he hands me a flimsy, I run my eyes down the transcript, stopping when I reach what I have been waiting to obtain. I have you now, Skywalker, it reads.

‘Where did this originate?’ I ask, needing confirmation.

‘An encoded transmission from the ship Virago, my lord, en route to the skyhook Falleen’s Fist in high orbit,’ he verifies what I have scanned. ‘The ship is registered to...’

‘I know who it is registered to,’ I break in as I crumple the printout in my hand.

Finally I have the proof I need. It was only a matter of waiting, patiently, for Xizor to make a fatal mistake.

‘Prepare my shuttle,’ I order.

Xizor was warned to stay away from my son. He chose to ignore me. It’s time for the criminal to pay the price for that error.

I smile as I head towards the hangar and send my ship up to the Executor. There’s no need to play the Falleen’s games any longer. Now, I will play by my rules.

‘Status?’ I snap at Captain Kallic when he meets me in the docking bay.

‘Ready for whatever you need done, my lord,’ he answers, sounding a bit flustered by my unexpected, unannounced arrival. He half-runs to keep pace as I march to the command deck.

‘How long before we can get around the planet?’ I demand.

‘A few minutes, my lord,’ he nervously answers.

‘As soon as we come within range, establish communications with the skyhook Falleen’s Fist,’ I order. ‘I will speak with Prince Xizor.’

‘Of course, my lord,’ Kallic promptly responds.

I stand motionless and look out the transparisteel windows. The Executor is moving as fast as is safe, given the heavy traffic around Coruscant, but it seems painfully slow. My mind counts off the minutes. Soon, now, we should be in position.

‘We have decoded the transmissions between Prince Xizor and his fleet,’ the Captain reveals as he hands me a datapad.

I quickly read through what is obviously an attack on the Millenium Falcon. Xizor’s own words and actions have condemned him. Returning the datapad, I wave Kallic away and resume my vigil.

‘Coming within range, Lord Vader,’ I hear from the crew pit.

Finally.

‘Good,’ I decide. ‘Deploy your fighters. Protect the Corellian freighter which his fleet is illegally attacking.’

If Kallic finds my commands odd, he doesn’t argue. After Kothlis, he has acquired some common sense and no longer questions what I tell him to do. Perhaps there is some hope for him after all.

‘Send a signal to Prince Xizor. I will use the Holonet terminal off the bridge,’ I decide.

The Falleen answers my call immediately.

‘Lord Vader,’ his hologram chides me. ‘Why is the Imperial Navy attacking my ships?’

I pause, amused by his feigned ignorance. He knows why, but this conversation will be recorded and seen by my master. It’s necessary for me to be absolutely clear in what I say and mean.

‘Because those ships, under your orders, are engaged in criminal activity,’ I flatly state.

‘Nonsense!’ Xizor protests. ‘My ships are trying to stop a rebel traitor who destroyed my castle!’

I smile. Luke has been busy today. Losing much of his wealth is what has driven the Falleen to make the mistakes I will now use against him.

‘You have two standard minutes to recall your vessels,’ I inform him. ‘And to offer yourself into my custody.’

It’s important to be seen as polite and civilized, but I know he will never surrender to me.

‘I will not,’ he refuses, his voice showing some of his anger. ‘I will take this up with the Emperor.’

Ah, yes. Run to my master for protection. That won’t work this time. How fortunate Palpatine is on Byss and has left me in charge.

‘The Emperor is not here,’ I advise him. ‘I speak for the Empire, Xizor.’

‘Prince Xizor,’ he petulantly corrects me.

‘You may keep the title,’ I allow, ‘for another two minutes.’

He pastes a forced, fake smile onto his face.

‘What are you going to do, Vader?’ he sneers, dropping all pretense at being polite. ‘Destroy my skyhook? You wouldn’t dare. The Emperor...’

I cut him off, not wanting to waste any more of my time with this.

‘I warned you to stay away from Skywalker,’ I remind him. ‘Recall your ships and surrender into my custody or pay the consequences. I will risk the Emperor’s displeasure.’ Pausing a few seconds, I add, ‘However, you will not be there to see it, this time.’

I shut off the Holonet terminal, leaving Xizor to make his decision, and return to the command deck. The encryption team has finally unscrambled the transmissions between his skyhook and navy in real time, and is playing them over the audio system.

‘My prince, we are being destroyed by the attackers!’ I hear someone frantically reporting. ‘We are outnumnbered and being slaughtered! I need permission to offer our surrender! Highness?’

There is no response from Xizor as time rapidly slips away. Soon, there will be none left.

‘Prince Xizor, please respond,’ the commander implores his master. ‘We must surrender or we will be blown to pieces! Please!’

Time’s up, I decide.

‘Two minutes have elapsed, my lord,’ Kallic confirms. ‘His fleet is being obliterated, but still Prince Xizor remains silent.’

The Falleen is probably trying to escape, but I know he can’t make it to his ship in time.

‘Commander,’ I order the Executor’s Chief Gunner, ‘destroy the skyhook.

‘Yes, my lord,’ he acknowledges.’

My flagship’s heavy lasers flash into life, touch the skyhook, and shatter it into a billion glowing pieces of rock, metal, and organic debris. It’s nowhere near as satisfying as killing Xizor slowly myself, in person, with my lightsaber, but I can’t help smiling anyway.

Goodbye Xizor, I think, and good riddance.

***

DAY 32

I give Ani a worried look as he ducks into the ‘fresher to have a shower. Palpatine came back early this morning, and my husband has to go report to him. Something tells me that the Emperor might not be very pleased about Luke’s escape and Xizor’s death.

Tossing the covers aside, I slowly get out of bed. My center of gravity has shifted again and if I am not careful, I am a bit unsteady on my feet. This pregnancy had been progressing in a similar fashion to what happened with Mikal, but yesterday son number two decided to move. He dropped downwards. His head is now firmly stuck in my pelvis and he hasn’t shifted from there despite my attempts to get him to. Hopefully he will decide it’s more comfortable back where he was a week ago.

‘You are more stubborn than mommy, aren’t you?’ I scold my stomach as make my way into the kitchen to deal with breakfast. ‘Hopefully you won’t be too stubborn after you are born.’

I open up the cooler and select a jug of supplement for Ani. A few pokes at the buttons on the autochef, and ‘pancakes’ soon appear for the rest of us. My husband is busy getting dressed from what I can hear, so I look in on our children before checking on him. All three are sitting in Mikal’s bed while he tells his sisters a story. The Lost Bantha Cub, I note, amused as I watch for a while. My son has heard it enough times that he can recite it without knowing how to read the words.

‘Hello, beautiful,’ Ani whispers in my ear from behind.

His arms slide around my waist and hold me close. I reach up and touch his mouth with my fingertips. He’s smiling, no doubt from the scene in front of us.

‘They get along quite well with each other,’ my husband says.

‘Just wait until they are older,’ I tease. ‘Once there is something to compete over, that will change a little.’

‘I wouldn’t know,’ he admits. ‘I had no brothers or sisters, and the other padawans in the Jedi temple never really felt like siblings to me. I was so much older than they were when I was admitted for training, so perhaps that’s why.’

I turn around in his arms to face him and kiss his cheek.

‘Trust me,’ I tell him with an amused laugh. ‘Brothers and sisters will always find something to fight about, but when it’s important for them to stick together, they will.’

He raises a questioning eyebrow.

‘I know this from experience,’ I reveal. ‘The bonds between siblings can be very powerful.’

His fingers brush my cheek before he gives me our morning kiss.

‘From what I have seen you and your brother,’ Ani decides after he pulls back and looks in on our children again, ‘I will yield to your wisdom on this topic.’

***

I go into the audience chamber and slowly approach the throne. Palpatine ignores me and continues to stare out through the window, his back to me. That’s one way he shows his displeasure. He knows I am here but won’t move until he has made his point, I decide, as I kneel and prepare to wait as long as it takes.

Do I have reason to worry? I ask myself that question while I am left to my thoughts in the lengthening silence. The Emperor specifically told me to leave Xizor alone.

My master swivels about to face me at last, but I don’t look up and keep my eyes fixed on the floor right in front of me.

‘You defied my orders, Lord Vader,’ he flatly states.

There’s no point in denying the obvious.

‘Yes, my master,’ I admit. ‘But I hope I have not failed you.’

‘Get up,’ he allows.

I stand immediately and receive a smile in return.

‘I am not unaware that Xizor served his own ends,’ he reveals, ‘and that you were shrewd enough to uncover his plot. I knew about it, of course.’

I stay silent, expecting to hear more.

‘Are we certain he is dead?’ Palpatine asks.

‘I do not see how he could have survived,’ I answer. ‘I watched his skyhook be blown to bits.’

‘Just as well, ‘ he tells me. ‘Black Sun is useful, but it is also like a chirru - cut off its head and another will appear to replace it.’

He leans back into his throne and starts laughing at his own clever comparison.

‘Perhaps its next leader will be equally dangerous,’ I caution.

‘No leader of Black Sun could ever be a match for the power of the dark side,’ he notes, amused.

‘But what of the plan to ensnare the Rebel leaders?’ I prompt, concerned that Xizor’s games may have created a mess I will be told to sort out.

‘The new Death Star will draw them in,’ my master reassures me, ‘and this time, you and I will be there to finish the Rebellion.’

He’s already planning ahead, to what will happen at Endor.

‘Young Skywalker will be there, too,’ he adds. ‘I have seen it.’

At that, I let out a sigh. I know Luke will come to me at Endor since that was in Maia’s mind as part of her strange foreknowledge.

‘All is proceeding exactly as I have foreseen it, Lord Vader,’ he finishes.

Another smile is bestowed upon me and I freeze inside. Has his connection to the dark side allowed him to look into the future in detail? Can he accurately predict what will happen? Does he know with certainty the same things I do?

‘Yes, my master,’ I give my standard response.

I will have time, later, to plan for the future. For now, Xizor is gone and no longer an irritant.

‘Then there is the matter of his destroyed palace,’ Palpatine muses. ‘It would be best if the public remained unaware of the truth behind that.’

‘Imperial Security needs a new headquarters,’ I suggest.

‘An excellent idea,’ he replies, amused at the notion. ‘The destruction can be explained as clearance before the start of a construction project.’

‘I doubt Xizor would have appreciated the irony,’ I tell him.

‘It is of no consequence, my friend,’ he dismisses my concerns with a gesture. ‘Fete Week will be upon us soon, but I have a task for you to finish, first.’

I say nothing, wondering what he intends me to do.

‘The rebels need to think that the falsified plans they have stolen are important enough for me to send you after them,’ my master reveals. ‘You will go assist my Hand, Stele, who has captured a rebel who was involved in the theft. Whatever information he has, extract it from him, and use it. If you can confuse the rebels, and force them to search for the tapes they want, all the better. Let them fall into chaos. Your hunt for them will be purely for show, of course. ’

‘Of course,’ I echo back, annoyed that I am being ordered away on a pointless mission which will separate me from my family yet again.

‘It should only take you a few days. If you hurry back, you won’t miss Fete Week,’ he tells me, his smile widening. ‘You should enjoy that while you can, for I have an errand of some importance to send you on next month.’

I give a quick bow and leave. Soon, I will be dispatched to Endor, to speed the progress on the second Death Star. Surely this is what he is referring to.

***

I can sense that my husband is not very happy about something when he comes back from his meeting, but I wait until he has entered his office before saying anything to him about it.

‘He’s sent you off again,’ I state the obvious.

There is a frustrated sigh in answer from my husband.

‘I am to go deal with the rebels and send them on a wild goose chase,’ Ani wryly admits. ‘I should only be gone for a few days.’

I reach up from where I am sitting on the couch, so he catches my fingers in his.

‘Hopefully I will be back for the New Year’s Fete,’ he reassures me. ‘Palpatine seems to have no interest in seeing you, so I doubt you will be summoned while I am gone.’

‘I don’t think he’s forgotten...,’ I start a response to that.

The Sith Lord silences me with a shake of his head.

‘Don’t tempt him,’ he warns. ‘Stay inside and out of sight. The less he sees of you and the children, the better.’

Confined to quarters, I ruefully note. It could be worse. At least there is more space in his castle to move around in than on the Executor.

‘When do you have to leave?’ I ask. ‘The children are still napping.’

‘Now,’ he answers. ‘Don’t wake them to say good-bye to me. Later, you can explain to Mikal that I had to go do a few things.’

No chance for a kiss or anything else other than a quick embrace, then. A frown crosses my face. It’s not fair, but I won’t complain. I have finally accepted that life with Ani is completely unpredictable.

Imperial Supply Base, Eridan System, Year 3, Month 10.

DAY 34

***

‘Again,’ I order ruthlessly, ignoring the screams which erupt from the throat of the rebel in front of me as a needle plunges into his shoulder a third time.

‘He can’t take much more of this, my Lord,’ Stele warns.

I wave him aside. The drugs the interrogator droid is administering are painful, but not fatal. Tay Vanis will survive this session.

‘That is my worry, not yours,’ I snap. ‘If my methods disturb you, you are free to leave.’

I sense my master’s Hand hesitate before he spins around and stalks out. Stele is far too loyal to protest outside the security cell, but he has not liked what he has witnessed the past two days. Nor have I enjoyed any of it. It is merely the necessary means to reach an end.

‘I know where the tapes you stole are, Vanis,’ I hiss at my prisoner. ‘Your droid has them, and I have your droid.’

His eyes open and I sense his desperation, though he says nothing in response. Fool. Staying silent will serve no purpose. I draw closer and stare down at him. He pulls futilely at the bonds holding him secure in the chair.

‘Oh, yes,’ I reveal. ‘I know all about the tapes you stole at Kothlis. I know what is on them and who you gave duplicate copies to. Yom Argo is already dead.’

His breath is drawn in slowly as he attempts to cover his shocked reaction.

‘The question remains as to what I will do with you,’ I muse aloud. ‘I could kill you, but that is far too easy a punishment. Instead, I will use you.’

I step back and consider my options for a moment. My master wanted the rebels sent on a hunt for those tapes. It should be simple enough to plant rumors which will lead them to Vanis and his droid. A carefully reprogrammed droid, I correct myself, and a trail designed to keep them busy for weeks. Unfortunately, Vanis will not willingly co-operate, so I will have to render him harmless and incapable of providing any resistance rather than risk a successful escape attempt on his part.

Drawing closer to Vanis again, I touch his forehead. His eyes roll upwards as I slam into his mind with the Force. Rifling through his panicked thoughts yields nothing more than what I have already extracted from him.

‘Noooo,’ he screams as I tear mental connections away, rendering him a simpleton.

‘So it ends for Tay Vanis,’ I flatly state, letting my hand fall away from him.

He completely collapses in the chair and will need to be cared for like a child. Perhaps simply killing him outright would have been kinder, but this is a more suitable penalty for one who has been a repeated nuisance to me. When Luke and his friends finally find him, their compassion will compel them to take Vanis with them, hopefully slowing them down long enough to be captured.

I step into the hallway. Stele is waiting for me.

‘I have rendered Vanis harmless and useless to the rebels,’ I tell him as I head to the Command Center. ‘See that he is cared for. His X-wing is to be left where it crashed for the rebels, who will come after him, to discover. His droid, I will also put to good use. The appropriate rumors will need to be planted and a trail laid to lead them here.’

Stele glances over at me.

‘You do not care for my plans?’ I ask, annoyed that my judgement is being questioned.

‘It seems too convoluted,’ he protests. ‘Why go to all this trouble?’

I stop and turn to him, amused by his almost naïveté. He is of much the same military mind set as I am and dislikes the more unscrupulous aspects of his job.

‘The Emperor has ordered me to keep the rebels busy searching for those tapes,’ I admit. ‘I am simply obeying his commands.’

He says nothing to that, merely nods and continues to accompany me. I dismiss him when I reach the Holonet station. This requires privacy.

I know Luke will be one of those who tracks down Vanis, so I will ensure the recording plays once the door to the cell is opened and my son’s voice pattern is recognized.

‘Luke,’ I begin, and after pausing for a few seconds to allow for his reaction, I continue, ‘By the power of the Force, I have foreseen that you will come, following the trail of your fellow rebel, the great Tay Vanis. Only you have the skill, the determination, and the training to follow a path so cold, twisted and dangerous, and ... so pointless.’

I decide to reveal my plans, to let him know how many steps ahead of him I have been and how I have manipulated the situation.

‘As you have guessed by now, I captured Vanis some time ago,’ I reveal. ‘I chose to conceal this from all but my troops in this installation. It suited my purposes to do so. By hiding the truth, I made certain that none of your rebel spies could ever learn it. You were kept very busy, looking for a man I already possessed...’

I pause again, as I realize that a search for Vanis might be a way to occupy a few others as well.

‘... and certain ambitious members of the Empire were kept equally busy and harmless at the same futile task. Now, I bid you farewell, but so that your long weeks of searching will not be in vain, I leave you, as a gift, the contents of this room,’ I sign off, shifting my right hand to rest at my belt, and extending the left one outwards. ‘Accept them, with my compliments, young Skywalker.’

With that, I stop the recording. It takes a few minutes to finish setting the system to play it under the conditions I want met.

Now, to deal with the droid.

I open the door to the maintenance room and look at LE-914. ‘Ellie’ is safely outfitted with a restraining bolt and has been shut down. Everything I need to reprogram her is at hand, but it would be best to limit the degree of tampering to the minimum necessary. Her reactions will be more natural that way. I will hide her in plain sight and put her to practical use, I decide. Until the rebels appear, she will serve as the inventory keeper for the base. Only after they ask about Vanis will her true nature emerge, and it won’t be until they retrieve the recording from his X-wing that she leads them here. As for the tapes, I will leave those with her, where she has hidden them, and let the rebels think she has kept their existence a secret.

Reaching over to the workbench, I select the first of the tools I require. This is the type of work I prefer to be doing, rather than ‘sneaking around’ as Jix would put it. Still, Stele was right. Subterfuge is not always the best way to solve a problem.

***

Imperial Center, Coruscant System, Year 3, Month 10.

DAY 35 (NEW YEAR’S EVE)

It’s early when Ani gets out of bed and leaves my side. I know what he is up to, so I keep my eyes closed, feign being asleep, and wait. He probably made my New Year’s present months ago, just like I have been working on his ever since Nilsa sent me the gabal wool and firehead leather. My husband is in for quite a surprise, I decide as I nestle into my pillow. I was up in the middle of the night for a ‘fresher run, so I have already put his wrapped present in his office.

I listen intently, expecting him to hurry back, but Ani doesn’t. Instead, there is silence for quite a long time. Then, I hear his footsteps and feel him set something down near my feet, before his weight is next to me.

‘There is no point in pretending you are asleep,’ he teases. ‘I know you are awake.’

He is sitting right beside me and can tell I am acting, but I refuse to open my eyes or move.

‘Stubborn,’ Ani calls me.

His lips are firmly pressed against my temple for a few seconds.

‘I suppose that’s one of the reasons why I fell in love with you,’ he notes, amused. ‘You were the first woman in two decades who loved me and was more obstinate than I am.’

‘Oh?’ I finally answer him. ‘How so?’

I hear a low chuckle, but still keep my eyes closed.

‘I have been pursued by the wealthy, the ennobled, political climbers, and thrill seekers,’ my husband reveals. ‘All of them were more interested in what I could do for them than anything else. Only you loved me for who I was, despite all my efforts to shove you away.’

At that admission, I do open my eyes. What he just said doesn’t make much sense to me. My confusion must show because Ani just shakes his head and looks sheepish.

‘I didn’t want to lose someone else I loved, so ...’

‘... you tried to get rid of me instead,’ I finish for him.

‘Thankfully, I failed miserably,’ Ani admits.

‘Good thing, Sith Lord,’ I tease him. ‘There’s no way you can get free of me now.’

‘Nor do I want to be,’ he replies.

His fingers brush down my face so I smile up at him.

‘I think I like spoiling you,’ he adds, glancing to the foot of the bed.

I look to see what he is referring to. He’s brought my present for him from his office, and another much smaller box, which must be his to me, too. Curious, I start to push myself upright and struggle for a few seconds before Ani quickly moves to help me.

‘Your present first,’ I insist once he has me propped up with a couple pillows.

He reaches down and picks it up. Like Mikal always does with his presents, Ani gives the box a shake. There’s nothing inside which will rattle or make a noise.

‘That won’t help you,’ I warn him while I do my best not to laugh.

His fingers rest lightly on top of his present. I know he is trying to figure out what is in it without cheating or resorting to the Force.

‘Another cloak?’ he asks.

I shake my head.

‘That’s one guess used up,’ I tease him.

‘It can’t be a new surcoat, since you just gave me one of those.’

‘Nope,’ I admit, ‘it isn’t, and that’s guess two gone.’

‘That wasn’t a proper guess,’ he scolds.

I cheekily stick my tongue out at him.

‘I know it has to be something you have made for me,’ Ani starts to think aloud, hefting the wrapped box in his hands, ‘and it is heavy...’

I smile at him, refusing to give him any hints. He has one chance left.

‘One guess left,’ I remind him.

‘Two,’ he starts to argue.

‘One,’ I insist.

‘Stubborn,’ I am dubbed.

‘And so are you!’ I give my usual reply.

‘Very well, my stubborn little wife, I will simply open it and find out what it is that way,’ Ani concedes.

He carefully pulls the tape away from the wrapping paper. Delaying tactics, I note. Ani will prolong this as long as he can just to be a brat. Eventually, he folds up the paper and sets it aside. I don’t encourage him to hurry up since that will only have the opposite effect. It’s a good thing I didn’t seal the box shut or my husband would be slow about taking the top off, too.

Finally, and with a bit of a flourish, the Sith Lord lifts the lid away. For a long quiet moment, he stares at what is sitting in his lap.

‘You made this?’ he asks, sounding rather astounded.

I nod while his fingers brush the black leather garment which is still folded and in its box.

‘When?’ he prompts as he lifts the top of his new bodysuit and spreads it across the bed covers.

‘The last two months,’ I admit. ‘I worked on it whenever you were busy with the rebels or Xizor.’

‘I wasted far too much of my time on him,’ Ani growls.

He tosses the box on the floor after laying out the rest of his present.

‘I don’t recognize the type of leather,’ he tells me as he rolls one of the supple sleeves between his fingers.

I glance towards the children’s room. Mikal is stirring. His restlessness is easy to sense. Soon, our eldest will be wanting his breakfast.

‘It’s firehead leather, from Rhinnal,’ I reveal. ‘Nilsa sent it with the gabal wool. I am not sure why she did that because I had only asked her for the wool. Her note was a rather cryptic one, too.’

‘Perhaps she thought it would go with the cloak and surcoat,’ he suggests.

‘Perhaps,’ I agree. ‘Her message simply stated she had a feeling you would need it.’

The Sith Lord freezes, and I know he is considering what I have said. Before he can ask for more information, a door opens and Mikal peers out at us.

‘Daddy!’ our son happily calls.

***

‘Good morning son,’ I automatically answer while I think about the odd message the Clans’ Speaker had sent to Maia.

The Jedi Chapterhouse was on Rhinnal for two reasons - the first was medical and the second practical. Force sensitivity was known to be relatively common among the native population. Keeping a permanent Jedi presence there was a convenient way to find, test, and then send those children deemed suitable to Coruscant for training at the Jedi Temple. Nilsa might be one of those who managed to escape the Order’s notice. She’s far too old to be a problem, I decide, and her gifts are harmless enough. Perhaps she has merely sensed trouble ahead for me and is trying to send a veiled warning to be careful.

Mikal clambers up onto the bed beside his mother and I, and gives her a hug. His eyes spot Maia’s present, so he points at it.

‘That’s your mother’s,’ I state before he can ask about it.

‘You can help me open it,’ my wife tells him when I hand her my gift.

I watch the pair of them as Mikal rapidly pulls the wrapping paper off. A lock of hair falls into Maia’s face so I gently brush it back behind her ear. She looks up at me in response and smiles. Only four years ago I was spending this day, like most of my time, unhappy, miserable, and alone. Now, I find it hard to remember what that was like. My family has filled so many voids in my life.

‘What’s in it, mommy?’ I hear Mikal wonder.

‘Let’s find out,’ Maia whispers to him in a conspiratorial tone, trying to make it sound like it is a big secret.

My wife gives the box a shake while holding it up to her ear. She hands it to Mikal and lets him do the same. I let out a low chuckle. They won’t hear anything because I was careful how I packed what’s inside. No clues can be gained that way.

‘No noise,’ our son admits.

‘Go ahead and open it,’ she encourages him.

Mikal pulls off the tape and removes the lid. The material I had used to keep the present from moving quickly ends up on the floor. He gives the velvet wrapped gift which was buried in the middle of it to his mother. Her fingers carefully feel what is inside, between the questioning glances she sends my way.

‘More jewellery?’ Maia guesses.

I smile at her. That’s not quite right.

‘One guess gone,’ I announce.

She makes a face at me and starts laughing.

‘Open it, mommy,’ Mikal urges.

‘Alright,’ I will,’ she agrees.

Her fingers untie the tasselled cord holding the bag shut. It doesn’t take her very long to carefully pull out the mothsilk enclosed gift inside.

‘You really wrapped this up well, didn’t you?’ she teases me.

‘Now why would I make it easy for you?’ I reply in kind.

The mothsilk is soon unrolled, revealing two hair combs with opalescent gems crowning them. I watch my wife turn them over in her hands, reflecting light from the stones I had twisted gold wire around to hold them in place.

‘They’re beautiful, Ani,’ she tells me. ‘Thank you.’

I reach over, take one from her hand, and use it to hold her hair up and away from her face.

‘Mommy’s pretty,’ our son comments.

‘Yes, she is,’ I agree with a smile.

I hear the sounds of two sets of bare feet running across the kitchen floor. Shmi and Cat are awake. They join their brother on the bed with their mother and I, and my youngest daughter quickly climbs into my lap and wraps her arms around my neck. Daddy’s girl Maia tends to call her. Of all my children, she is the one who constantly seeks my company, even when I am in a foul mood. I settle Shmi close to my chest, allowing her to kiss my cheek before she is off, chasing her brother and sister back towards their bedroom. My eyes follow them until they disappear from sight. They will be back again, in a few minutes, to demand breakfast.

***

The children are having their afternoon naps, and I am in Ani’s office experimenting with different hairstyles, trying out as many ways as I can come up with for how to use the latest of his gifts. My husband has been working at his desk, going over various reports, but every time I asked for his opinion, he obliged, looking up from whatever had his attention to offer his suggestions for what to attempt next.

‘I’m not bothering you?’ I ask at last.

He doesn’t glance up at me, just answers, ‘No.’

‘But,...’ I start.

‘If you were being a pest or I wanted you to leave,’ Ani tells me, ‘I would say so.’

This time, he gets up and comes over to my chair, across from where he had been sitting. His hands cup my face, turning it up to look into his own.

‘In a way, I miss it being only the two of us,’ he reveals, reaching down to take my hand in his. ‘I remember all those nights when you sat beside me on the floor while I worked. You would fall asleep with your head leaning against my side. Somehow you never woke up when I carried you to bed.’

I feel myself start to blush. He must have thought I was silly and foolish.

‘Not silly,’ Ani gently teases me, ‘nor foolish, but hopelessly in love with me.’ Before I can reply to that, he sets a finger across my lips, and adds, ‘Just like I was hopelessly in love with you.’

My mouth opens in surprise at his admission. He simply chuckles at my reaction and kisses my forehead.

‘I was just better at hiding it,’ he admits, ‘and I enjoyed those quiet evenings with you as much as you did.’

‘You weren’t that good at hiding it, Sith Lord,’ I bug him a little bit. ‘Rick and Bill knew what was going on, and so did just about everyone else at the costume party by the end of the night.’

‘Your friends only knew because I made sure my behaviour would let them figure it out,’ Ani scolds. ‘I wasn’t blatant about it until after they went around telling everyone I was going to propose to you that night and elope with you after you told me ‘yes’.’

‘They didn’t!’ I exclaim at this piece of new information.

‘Oh, yes, they did,’ my husband confirms. ‘I overheard them doing exactly that.’

So that’s why the Dean made the comments she did. Bill must have been gossiping with her before she dealt with Nigel. I make a few annoyed noises. My friends, no doubt, had quite a bit of fun at my expense after Ani and I left the party.

‘I can just imagine what they told everybody afterwards,’ I grumble.

‘That we’d run off to find someone to marry us,’ Ani suggests. ‘Rick did say he would cover for us.’

‘It’s far more likely that he said we had left early to go have some fun,’ I decide.

‘Now that sounds more like what Liz would do, given what you have told me about her,’ he replies.

I let out a sigh. Despite all my promises to not get homesick, I still miss my friends and wish a visit back home was possible. Ani stiffens a little and I get the strangest of fleeting impressions from him. What is he concealing from me about home? I have always assumed he had done something too embarrassing to admit to, but before I can say anything more or ask about it, his mouth is hard against mine.

Kiss me, wife, he orders. I now have to put on my armour and go attend the festivities.

I comply, release him when he pulls back, and watch him go. The Emperor won’t be at the New Year’s Eve celebrations tonight and neither will I. Quite a few of the normally scheduled events, like the public executions of a few prominent rebels and infamous criminals, have been cancelled for security reasons. My husband still has to go for appearances’ sake even though he would prefer to remain at home with me.

He’ll be fine, I tell myself. There’s no reason to worry. Ani will stay only as long as he needs to and be back quickly.

***

I hurry away from my Castle, moving as rapidly as I can to the Imperial Palace. The sooner this nonsense is done with, the better.

When I arrive, I stalk past the various advisors and court riff-raff who are waiting in the Grand Corridor. My master has chosen to be absent, even though he is in residence, delegating the chore of being the Empire’s public face to me. Why he has done this, I am not sure, but I will follow his orders, as I always do.

First on my agenda is the military parade. I go to the review balcony, ignoring anyone who tries to gain my attention. Behind me, I hear those who have been invited taking their places. Seeing the New Year’s Eve display from this vantage is considered a privilege, but I can sense that my presence here is an unexpected and unwelcome one. So, the Emperor is using me to play his games yet again. A frown crosses my face. I dislike being treated as a mere pawn in his plots.

Rather than be seen as presumptuous by assuming Palpatine’s throne, I stand in front of it, resting my hands on the railing while I stare down the route the parade will take. In the distance, the first TIEs which will lead the fly-bys are visible. I watch silently as they are joined on the street below by stormtroopers marching in precise formation.

My troops, I observe with a smile. The 501^st, from the Executor, are in the lead. Their helmets turn in perfect synchronization as they acknowledge me with an eyes-left command from their Drill Sergeant. I reply with a nod rather than a military salute. They are followed by legions based on Coruscant, AT-ATs, and other ground vehicles, while fighters continue to pass overhead.

For a moment, I wish my wife were with me. Maia’s sarcastic comments and amusing observations would alleviate some of my boredom, but she is too uncomfortable from her pregnancy to really enjoy today’s festivities. Besides, it’s safer for her to stay home, away from potential danger, and any possible risk of an encounter with Palpatine.

The last of the parade goes by the balcony, but I continue to remain motionless and gaze after them. No one will leave until I do because they are afraid of offending me. I sense the anxiety levels rising in those who are behind me. Let them worry needlessly, I decide. Fear is always a potent deterrent, but at the moment I have no pressing reason to harm or make an example of any of them. Even if I did, why create any negative publicity for myself by doing so during a galactically broadcast event?

When enough time has elapsed to make my point, I spin about and retreat inside the Imperial Palace. Palpatine told me to attended the start of the evening’s Fete in an hour. Until then, rather than go home and come back again, I will find a quiet place to meditate.

As I make my way through the gardens, I discover that only the popular ones have any occupants. The one which is my goal is deserted, so I wander around its perimeter before sitting on the same bench Maia once had a nap on, after her first formal presentation to my master. For a while, I close my eyes and try to relax, but a familiar presence hovering nearby is a constant distraction. Finally, I decide to do something about that.

‘I know you are there and I know who you are,’ I tell my stalker, ‘so show yourself.’

I don’t bother opening my eyes, and instead track their approach with my other senses and the Force. Fabric flows around them and rustles as they kneel at my feet. They say nothing, yet the potent mix of confused emotions I feel from them tells me almost everything I need to know.

Looking down, I see the top of my apprentice’s bowed head. She has modelled her armour after my own, covering her face with a mask although in her case that is unnecessary. Her injuries were not as severe as yours, I remind myself, but she will still spend the rest of her days living in much the same way as you, completely dependent on the systems implanted in her body.

‘Lumiya,’ I quietly address her.

A shake of her head in response.

‘Shira, then,’ I correct myself, deciding to humor her for a few minutes.

Some of her emotional turmoil is related to her new identity, and I also sense, to what she expects and wants from me. I hold in an exasperated sigh. We can only be master and apprentice. Any other relationship is impossible. Surely she should have realized by now that there is no point in pursuing what can never be.

‘Master,’ she replies without lifting her gaze from my feet.

‘Why have you come to me, my apprentice?’ I ask, deciding that formal mode would be safest under the circumstances.

Silence, then a wave of misery flows out from her. I understand where some of that comes from. Learning to cope with the aftermath of my own injuries and personal losses produced much the same initial reaction in myself, but I will not allow her to wallow in self pity. She will be of no use to me in that state. From my own experience, I know that focus is the answer to some of her problem - focus and turning her attention away from herself until she is better adjusted emotionally.

First, I will confront her feelings for me head on.

‘Would you have preferred that I left you to die?’ I pose the same question Palpatine had once asked me.

Her inner struggle and inability to answer is apparent, but one thought surfaces above all her others.

She thinks I kept her alive because I love her.

‘Master, I ...’ she starts, but I ruthlessly cut off what I expect will be a proclamation of undying love.

‘Do not fool yourself into believing that I saved your life based on any emotional attachment to you,’ I scold her a bit brutally, permanently slamming the door on what she was considering. ‘There has never been and will never be one.’

Her head tips up, and she looks directly at me. Now, I can sense her anger building. Given her personality, I have anticipated this reaction, but instead of preparing myself for a physical attack, I let myself sink into the Force, anchoring myself in the here and now. Lumiya is no fool. She knows I can and will kill her without lifting a finger if provoked into doing so.

‘Love is forbidden to a Sith Lord,’ she finally, sarcastically states, ‘yet you openly flaunt your feelings for your consort.’

I give my head an amused shake.

‘That, my apprentice,’ I admit, ‘is different.’

‘Is it? I was your lover, before,’ she retorts in response. ‘Now, you could make me your concubine, or even your second, lesser wife, if you so desire, so why should I be denied what she has? I am no different than she is.’

‘You think you should have the same status as my Lady?’ I reply with a laugh as I rise to my feet. ‘How little you know of Sith traditions and what I am permitted to do. Tell me, do you know what a merati is?’

‘A merati is a type of female consort,’ she dutifully repeats what must have been in one of Palpatine’s lessons about Sith culture. ‘She is a Sith Lord’s predestined mate, eternally bound to him through ritual and custom, and when he dies, she follows him into death and beyond. They are inexorably drawn to each other, even against their own wills, if the chronicles are true.’ Lumiya glances up at me and adds, probably thinking of herself, ‘The Emperor told me that a Sith Lord’s merati is the only woman a he is allowed to love because of the unbreakable Force bonds which bind her to him.’

At least she has learned something of Sith history, but that last bit is new to me. There is nothing in any of the holocrons or records to suggest a Sith Lord is allowed to love anyone, so my master has probably invented this to justify my situation. I look down at Lumiya while I weigh what to say next. Perhaps the truth is the best approach, since it seems to be the only way to rid her of this childish fantasy that I would take her as a mate of some sort.

‘You were my lover because I required one at that time and you were conveniently there,’ I reveal. ‘For myself, there was never any emotional involvement in it. All I needed from you was the physical part,’ I pause, consider what to add, then finish, ‘which, I have to be honest, was enjoyable. But that was all it ever was - a convenient physical liaison.’

There is a hiss of rage from her as she scrambles to her feet and steps back from me. I see her eyes narrow as she contemplates whether to attack me or not. In response, I shift my stance into a ready position as a warning.

“A convenient physical liaison,” Lumiya spits back at me. ‘Is that all I was to you? Is that all any woman will ever be to you? Is that what your wife is to you - a convenient physical liaison and means of breeding heirs?’

Furious at her accusations and wanting to discipline her for it, I impulsively slap her hard across the face, knocking her off balance and down onto her knees again. She has crossed a line I will not allow any apprentice of mine to step over.

‘Never speak of my Lady in that manner again, Lumiya,’ I coldly warn, pointing my finger directly at her chest. ‘She is my merati, my oath-bound, soul-bound mate, and you will give her the respect her position demands. If you do not, I will kill you for your defiance.’

A gasp accompanies the shock which pours out from her at that revelation. Underlying it, though, is as profound a sense of heartbreak as I have ever felt from anyone. The full implications of my words have hit her with an almost physical impact, I note, as I watch her struggle to breathe for a minute. There is no point in trying to comfort her. I will not say any words of sympathy to her nor will she expect to hear them from me. She has brought this on herself by foolishly chasing after a love she could never have from someone she could never possess.

‘Yes, my master,’ Lumiya acquiesces at last, the defeat obvious in her voice as she finally accepts that she will never be anything more than my apprentice. ‘I will respect your merati, and protect her and your children as I am bound by my oath as your apprentice to do. I will not mention my desires for you again.’

‘Good,’ I reply to her promises. ‘I see no reason to discuss this further.’

I leave her there, in the garden, on the ground, only pausing for a few seconds when I am out of her sight and hear the first sob escape from her. Perhaps I have been far too hard on her, but there is no point in going back or apologizing. All that would do is reinforce in her any lingering notions of my having romantic feelings for her.

Love is forbidden to a Sith for good reason, I remind myself, as I abandon her to work through her grief alone. This is a lesson I repeatedly tried to teach her, but she refused to learn it. Now, she will never forget it.

***

Ani’s still gone at bedtime, despite promising me he would be back early. I give up waiting for him, tuck the children in, read them a story, and watch over all three until they are sound asleep. Something must have happened to delay him. Hopefully it wasn’t the Emperor sending my husband off on another errand.

With a sigh, I slip out of the children’s bedroom. I had planned something special for tonight, but it seems that I will have to cancel that or do it alone instead. After a moment’s hesitation, I make my decision.

‘Arfour,’ I quietly call Mikal’s droid over.

He responds by rolling to where I am standing and letting out a soft whistle.

‘I am going up to the observation deck to watch the fireworks,’ I tell him, ‘so would you please keep an eye on the children and call me if any of them wake up?’

A few beeps let me know he will do this, so I pat his dome in thanks. Having him act as a babysitter is a back-up precaution on my part. I will sense through the Force if they stir or get into mischief.

It will probably be a bit cooler where I intend to be than inside, so I grab my cloak, wrap it around myself, and start for the door. Partway there, I stop, turn around and return to my bedroom. If I am up there by myself, I am going to take something to listen to. Rummaging about produces the data chip with some of the pop music I had transferred over from my cds ages ago. Ani hates most of the modern stuff, but he hasn’t heard everything I have.

As I exit into the room with Ani’s meditation pod, I nod at the two Noghri who are guarding the door. They will let their comrades know I have left and two more from my security detail will trail after me once I step into the adjacent hallway. The only place I am truly alone anymore is in the Sith Lord’s private quarters. My husband has made sure I will be safe whenever I am not by his side, even in his castle. I suspect he is worried Palpatine might try to grab me.

The ride in the turbolift to the observation deck is mercifully fast. My bodyguards who came up with me quietly fade into the shadows. Rather than go anywhere near the transparisteel separating the castle from the outside air, I drop myself into one of the comfortable chairs I had sent up here and stare towards the Imperial Palace. There’s a comm panel in the table between the chairs, so push the chip into the reader and set it to random play.

***

I finally make my escape from the palace and rush home. Maia expected me to return several hours ago, but two security incidents and a report of rebel activity had to be dealt with first.

She isn’t in our quarters, I soon discover, when I find our bed empty and peer in at our children who are sleeping soundly, guarded by Arfour. Rather than ask the droid or Noghri where she is, I reach out with the Force to locate my wife. I soon detect her presence up on the roof. That’s strange, I think with a frown. Given her fear of heights, why is she up there? No doubt Maia is up to some sort of mischief or has a surprise planned for me, I decide as I go to see exactly what she is doing.

I stop a floor before the one I need and opt to finish my journey using the stairs. My wife won’t hear me arrive that way, and I will be able to sneak up on her. The Noghri who followed her quickly spot me, but I silence and wave them away with a gesture. They retreat, using the same route I did, giving Maia and I some privacy. After they are gone, I silently watch her push herself out of the chair and stare out at the horizon. The music she was listening to finishes and another song begins, one I haven’t heard before.

‘You ask me if I love you and I choke on my reply. I’d rather hurt you honestly than mislead you with a lie...’

The lyrics prompt me to start thinking. How true those words are in describing my once divided heart and inability to tell Maia what she deserved to hear from me. I have grown past the point where I need to hide what I feel and can be completely honest with my wife.

I carefully, stealthily approach Maia, using the Force to dampen the sound of my breathing. She won’t appreciate my scaring her, so when I am an arm’s length away, I gradually allow her to hear me. Her reaction is the one I expect. My wife turns around and steps into my open arms.

‘Romance and all its strategy leaves me battling with my pride, but through the insecurity some tenderness survives...’

Pride.

I still have far too much of that for my own good. And what has it cost me in the past? Friends. Family. The man I once was. Much of what was important to me. Pride goes before a fall, I admit wryly to myself. My foolish arrogance has led to much of my own misery.

‘At times I’d like to break you and drive you to your knees. At times I’d like to break through and hold you endlessly...’

I’ve already done that, I realize. Broke her, drove her to her knees, and almost lost her as a result. Instinctively, I pull Maia in closer to my chest. There is no way I will ever allow myself to do that again, nor will I ever risk losing her.

‘And sometimes when we touch, the honesty’s too much, and I have to close my eyes and hide. I wanna hold you til I die ‘til we both break down and cry. I wanna hold you till the fear in me subsides.’

Hold her? Once, that’s all she asked of me, and I willingly obliged. It’s strange how that one simple, compassionate gesture on my part has led to where we are now. The music fades away as I lift my hand to her face and brush her cheek with my fingers.

Fireworks start to light up the sky.

Maia looks at me and says nothing. She doesn’t need to. The love I feel from her tells me everything.

As for death... I have no fear of that any longer.

I know what the next year will bring.

Continued in Section E

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