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ladyofleithianIn which the rescue attempt begins, and things don't go as expected.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: This is another one of my favorite chapters, if only because of the Padme and Vader conversation, the interaction between Mara and the others, and the whole twist with Terminus pursuing them personally. Also, the garbage chute sequence and the chapter ending. I think this might be one of my best chapters, actually.
The matter of infiltrating the Death Star wasn’t what you called particularly hard. All right, Mara thought, it was hard. After managing to at least get some stormtrooper armor from some particularly gullible stormtroopers who fell for the old “hey, can you give us a hand down here” trick, not to mention the “we’re taking in this Wookiee and these civilians in for questioning” act (to say that Chewbacca had to take some convincing was no doubt an understatement; Mara had almost worried that the Wookiee would actually rip her arms off), they finally made it to the computers. Mara finally took the time if only to remove the stormtrooper helmet; somehow, she thought, she almost didn’t know how the stormtroopers endured. They could hardly see anything in that helmet for one thing. Also, she thought, it could get awfully hot in there. She knew that it was the least of her concerns considering there was still the issue of getting caught as well as the matter of rescuing the crew of the Tantive IV, but even so, she could not help but worry.
Mara turned to look at Han. “You know,” she said, “I think the stormtroopers fell for our earlier trick too easily. I just hope they’re not planning anything.”
Han snorted. “Yeah, because what Chewie and I just had to do means that they were falling for it.”
Mara rolled her eyes. “If you wouldn’t blast everything in sight,” she said, “Maybe this would go a little more smoothly.”
“Bring it on!” A sort of cocky smile flashed across Han’s face. “I’d prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around.”
Mara was about to retort that the “sneaking around” was actually quite important if they were going to pull off this rescue mission when Threepio, thankfully, managed to interrupt. “We found the computer outlet, ma’am.”
“Awesome,” Mara said, “Artoo, can you access the records? See where they may be being held?”
Artoo gave an affirmative beep. It was after a long, almost tense while that Artoo finally managed to report back. THEY’RE ON LEVEL FIVE, DETENTION BLOCK A-A TWENTY THREE. ACCORDING TO IMPERIAL RECORDS, THEY’RE SCHEDULED TO BE TERMINATED.
“Stanging hell…” Mara ran a hand through her hair. The Empire was particularly known, amongst other things, for their executions. If they failed to save the crew of the Tantive IV…
“What is it?” Now Ben looked worried. “What’s wrong?”
Mara took a deep breath. “Ben, Leia,” she said if only softly, “You’re not going to like this. But they’re being held at Level Five Detention Block A-A-23. The bad news is that they’re being scheduled to be terminated.” Even saying it was enough to make Mara, almost in spite of herself, feel almost ill.
Ben and Leia, meanwhile, looked almost as if they had been kicked in the chest by a Gamorrean. Several Gamorreans, really. Still, they managed to regain their composure if only quickly. Leia spoke. “Is there a way to infiltrate the detention block? After all, there’s always a way.”
Mara turned towards Artoo. “Artoo,” she said, “Do we have anyone in our way of getting to the cell block?”
YES, Artoo said, IT’S VERY HEAVY SECURITY. AND CONSIDERING THE RIOT THAT MR. I’D-PREFER-A-STRAIGHT-FIGHT-TO-COMMON-KRIFFING-SENSE AS WELL AS CHEWBACCA JUST STIRRED UP…
“Well, great,” Mara said if only sarcastically, “We’re going to have to fight our way to the complex. That’s going to be fun.”
Han grinned. “Are you kidding? That’s what I’ve been waiting for!”
“Han.” Leia, this time. “Do you think this is some sort of adventure? People’s lives are at stake.”
Mara doubted that she could have ever been more grateful for Leia speaking up than she was now.
Han looked ready to come back with a retort before Lady Nemo, thankfully, spoke up. “Artoo,” she said, “Can you get a readout on the matter of the tractor beam and how to shut it down? I don’t think that us rescuing the Tantive IV crew is going to be of any sort of use if we don’t have some sort of means to get out of there.”
Artoo toodled if only softly. It took a long while before he brought up the readings for the tractor beam.
Lady Nemo walked over towards the terminal, seeming if nothing else, thoughtful. “Apparently,” she said, “There are seven places where the tractor beam is connected to the main reactor. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave.”
Han took the moment to interject. “Honestly, for people who think that they can catch and keep traitors, they’re really not that good at it.”
And there, at the very least, Mara had to smile if only slightly. There was something about that joke, at the very least, that was enough to make her slightly like Han again.
Vader seemed to chuckle as well. “I don’t think you have any idea,” he said, “I mean…” He then seemed to falter, become less amused. “The Emperor and the others have been making a lot of irrational decisions lately. I mean…honestly, I think that this is just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg.”
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” Mara said. “It means that the Empire can be brought down.”
Vader turned to look at her, and a sort of smile seemed to come across his lips. “You’re already adjusting to being a Rebel Alliance member quite nicely,” he said.
“I don’t know about that,” Mara said. She knew full well that she couldn’t return home. Not really. And yet it didn’t mean that she wasn’t somehow uneasy.
Lady Nemo then interjected. “Kitster and I,” she said, “Need to talk. About the matter of shutting down the tractor beam.” A beat. “Call it…unfinished business.”
“You two are going alone?” Han seemed almost incredulous. “Do you want to throw your lives away?”
Lady Nemo’s face seemed to go almost gentle. “Han,” she said, “It’s the life of someone in this business. Being willing to make the hard decisions where no one else will. Now…can you please let Kitster and I speak?”
Silence.
“Sure,” Han said, with a sort of softness that Mara didn’t expect. “Just…do what you’ve got to do.”
Even as Lady Nemo and Vader left, Han turned to look at Mara. “I swear,” he said, “She’s probably one of the strangest passengers I’ve ever had.”
“She’s not that bad,” Mara said. “I mean…she’s a really nice person.”
“Yeah,” Han said. “Nice but strange.” A beat. “Honestly, though…does she want to get captured by the Empire?”
“I don’t think any of us do,” Mara said.
Han snorted. “So that’s one thing that we agree on. Well,” he said, and his voice became more serious, “Besides…besides Alderaan.” He sighed, ran a hand through his hair. “I do wonder why they do it, really. I mean, what’s the damn point?”
“There isn’t any point.” Leia, this time. “They just destroy because they can. That’s why we fight against them. Because no Empire should be built on the backs of fear and slavery.” And the fire in her eyes, the sheer grief in them, almost terrified Mara. Even just looking at her…
Silence.
“Yeah,” Han said, and Mara could not help but notice a sort of sadness in his face. “It shouldn’t.”
Mara took a deep breath. “Han,” she said, “Can you tell me a bit more about you?”
Han seemed almost surprised, almost as if, in all his years, he hadn’t really expected anyone to, of all things, ask him about himself. “Well, sure,” he said, “What do you want to know?”
“Well,” Mara said, “Anything, really. Where you came from, what sort of passengers you carried…”
Han chuckled softly. “You sure you want to hear about my passengers?”
“Well, sure,” Mara said. “I mean…why not?”
“Well,” Han began, “There was this whole smuggling mission I had to Nar Shaddaa…”
***
It was in the relative privacy of one part of the control room that Padme and Vader could finally talk if only in private. She had already sensed Vader’s reaction when she had read out the matter of the information at the terminal, about the matter of shutting down the tractor beam. The sort of tense sort of fear, the sort of worry, of what Terminus would do with her when he found her. She could understand his reaction if only slightly; after all, Terminus and the Empire were not known for being particularly gentle towards their prisoners. And yet at the same time, there was something else in his reaction, something that had almost startled her though she supposed that maybe she shouldn’t have really been that surprised – after all, it was perhaps as obvious as anything else – it was the fact that really, he didn’t want to lose her.
Padme supposed that she shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, during the Clone Wars, even though they were on different sides, she knew that Vader had a sort of admiration and a sort of worship for her. The way he looked at her sometimes, almost as if she was one of those angels from Iego that others mostly brushed off as the matter of legend. Even something about that almost scared her, if one was to be truthful. The sort of devotion that he had. And yet even that…what was startling was the fact that there wasn’t anything particularly carnal in it, not really. It was the sort of respect mixed in with a sort of innocence in the way he felt towards her that made it remarkable.
Vader was very much like a hero out of a fairytale – innocent, idealistic, wanting nothing more than to make things right again. And that, Padme thought – that was one of the reasons he simply wasn’t made to be a Sith. She had tried to help him a few times over the course of the war, to say that the Sith wasn’t the right path for him, and yet even trying to tell him that – he seemed almost frightened, as if he couldn’t imagine a life outside the Sith.
Padme supposed that she shouldn’t be surprised. After all, if one had been growing up with Sith beliefs all but drilled into their head since they were small children, it would be almost terrifying if someone suddenly suggested a way out. But it didn’t mean that it didn’t break her heart. Because there had to be something more for Vader. There had to be. He couldn’t simply just give up.
“You seem to be scared,” she said, and if nothing else, the sort of tense fear that was already vibrating through Vader’s body didn’t seem to be letting up any time soon.
“I am,” Vader said. “More than scared. I mean…” He seemed to be almost struggling with the matter of what he was saying even as he said it, as if he was trying if only vainly to make his own words, his own vocal chords obey him. “I…I don’t want you to die, Padme,” he said. “You’re perhaps one of the most amazing, skilled, kind, wonderful Jedi that I’ve ever met, and I just don’t want you to die.”
“Who said anything about dying?” And somehow, Padme could not help but be almost afraid. Because everything that he was saying, at least in that moment – it was all but saying “I love you, Padme” without saying it explicitly.
“I know,” Vader said, “But Terminus…” He took a deep breath. “He’s gone, Padme. I can’t exactly describe it, I can’t say that I knew him as well as you did, but whatever was there…it’s gone. I know that the first few weeks when he was recovering from the surgery that Sidious did on him…he wasn’t even himself, Padme,” he said, and the way he spoke now, it was almost as if he was saying, Why did you do this to him, Padme? Why did you leave him there to die? This isn’t you. And Padme knew that he was right. If Terminus hadn’t told her to run, if she didn’t have Sabe to take care of, as well as Mara and Ben and Artoo and Threepio, she wouldn’t have run. Somehow, in her mind, she was already picturing what could have happened if she’d saved Terminus. If any of this could have been avoided. “He was just…” He bit his lip, almost as if holding back the tears. “He was just so filled with rage. And I suppose that’s what Sidious wanted, I know that I told him to concentrate on his hate just to heal himself because that’s what the Sith do – Padme, I just wonder: is all we do hate? Is that all we’re made for?”
His voice shuddered and then cracked. Padme, if only gently, placed a hand on his shoulder. “Of course not,” she said. “It may be all the Dark Side is. That is its nature. But it’s not all you are. You…” She took a deep breath. “You are made for more, even if you don’t see it. You’re far worthier than you think you are.” A beat. “And I’m certain that there’s hope for Terminus as well. He could have left me to the Emperor at Sullust, he probably had every right to, but he didn’t.”
“What do you mean? What did he do?” Vader seemed almost confused now.
“He told me…run.” Padme watched the look of utter amazement come over Vader’s face. “I just wish,” she said, “That I hadn’t listened to him. But I thought that I’d at least honor his memory. And save Sabe.” She took a deep breath. “Believe me, I never would have left him there if he hadn’t…” And even saying it aloud, she swore that her voice, embarrassingly enough, cracked. By the twin suns themselves, Jedi aren’t supposed to lose control…
Vader seemed to sense her distress, because he reached up towards her face. He looked at her if only to ask for her approval, to ask if it was all right if he tried to comfort her. Padme merely nodded. He ran his fingers along her cheek in that moment, a moment of comfort. There was something about his fingers, Padme thought, that felt nice, really. Gentle fingers. Sort of like a mechanic’s fingers. Slender and tough and yet gentle at the same time, brushing away the tears that were finally falling. His eyebrows seemed to furrow now, almost as if in distress.
And it was then that she felt herself being crushed against him, almost hard enough to the point that she nearly couldn’t breathe. Vader was already making sounds in his throat, almost like he wanted to say something, anything, but Padme sent him a suggestion in the Force, a gentle suggestion that he didn’t have to say anything, not really, that it was all right. That it was, no matter what happened, all okay. Even as the tears all but flowed out of her, the tears if only for Qui-Gon, if only for Ahsoka, if only for everyone who had died horribly and needlessly and so very far away from home, she felt almost embarrassed – Jedi weren’t supposed to weep, not like this – and yet she almost couldn’t stop. Vader continued rubbing her back if only gently, murmuring things that sounded like nonsense and yet were comforting, at least in this moment.
She finally drew away, tears staining her face. Vader’s fingers were gentle, tentative, continuing to wipe away the tears that had messed up her cheeks. His eyes, gentle, questioning, still so very full of concern, and so very filled with compassion, that Padme almost couldn’t help but be enthralled by him. There was always something bizarrely enthralling about Vader, in the way he carried himself and the way he spoke, but it was moments like this, seeing Vader’s gentle heart plain on his face, that enthralled her all the more. Because he was a genuinely good man. He just didn’t really realize it.
“I’ll go with you,” Vader said, if only softly.
“You don’t need to,” Padme said, “I mean…”
“Padme,” Vader said, “I’m not letting you die back there. You…” He took a deep breath. “You are too good of a woman to die back there.”
“Then we’ll go together,” Padme said. “Ready?”
Vader took a deep breath. If nothing else, he looked genuinely pained, genuinely frightened at the idea of having to face off against Terminus, but nonetheless, more than anything else, he seemed ready. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m ready.”
They headed back to the control room now. Han looked at them, almost curious, as if wondering what really happened back there, but to Padme’s relief, he said nothing. Already, just telling Vader the truth of what happened at Sullust was draining enough; somehow, she didn’t need Han’s judgment.
“Kitster and I will be heading over to shut off the tractor beam,” she said. “Mara…you’ll be going to rescue the Tantive IV’s crew, right?”
Mara merely nodded. There was a sort of determination and a sort of steel in her face that reminded Padme, almost, of Sabe. There was something at least in that that was enough to hearten her. She could only hope that Mara and Ben and the others would be all right. If they were hurt…
Don’t think like that, she told herself. They’re not going to be hurt. And yet it was a sort of worry in the back of her mind, almost mother-like come to think of it, that they would.
“I’ll stay behind,” Elizabeth said, “Watch the droids.” A quick, almost cocky smile, somehow, Padme thought, almost like the Sabe of old. “Trust me, I can more than handle myself with a blaster.”
“Same here,” Owen said. “We’ll lock the doors if they come by.” A beat. “And just hope that they don’t have blasters or something.”
Padme couldn’t disagree with that. She could only hope that Elizabeth, Owen and Beru, as well as Threepio and Artoo, would be all right.
“Good luck,” she said, “All of you.”
She turned now to Mara. Even looking at her, looking at the woman who was all but Sabe with Obi-Wan’s hair and painfully expressive jade green eyes, Padme swallowed. There was so much that she wanted to tell Mara. About her father. About her mother. But she knew she couldn’t, not yet. There would be a time, but not here, not now. Not when she wasn’t ready if only to hear the truth. If she foisted it on Mara too early…
“Mara,” she said, “Just remember. The Force will be with you, always.” If I don’t return somehow, carry on in my stead.
Mara grinned. “Good luck, Lady Nemo. Be careful.”
“You too.” Perhaps there was no such thing as luck, just the Force, Padme supposed that in a sense, they were one and the same.
After all, she thought, even as she headed outside with Vader, dodging the watchful eye of Imperial officers and stormtroopers alike, she would need all of both luck and the Force she could get.
***
“Other Jedi, here?” For the first time in a long while, Grand Moff Tarkin looked almost skeptical. “Are you certain about that?”
Terminus stood now in the conference room, looking directly at Tarkin. The Grand Moff was flanked by other Imperial soldiers. And even in this moment, Terminus could not help but feel at the very least a twinge of irritation. Tarkin – the man who was so very used to seeing traitors everywhere, but when Jedi showed up, those who could actually pose a threat to the Empire, he didn’t seem to believe it. Then again, Terminus supposed, he probably shouldn’t be surprised. After all, the Empire had done their best if only to make certain that the Jedi were all but exterminated. Terminus himself had played a role in it, as had Vader and Ventress, the two taking to the matter of the hunt in different ways – Vader as a sort of solemn duty, and Ventress with a sort of passion and ferocity that would have awed the Sith of old. Vader preferred to strike if only in numbers – something Terminus could not disagree with – while Ventress preferred to strike alone. And Terminus himself…Terminus merely followed orders and did what he was told, something that still troubled him late at night as he meditated.
Was it the right thing to do? The Jedi were a threat to the Empire, yes, but whatever their threat…they didn’t deserve this.
Tarkin, meanwhile, continued on. “The Jedi are extinct. Their fire has gone out of the universe. You, my friend,” and there was a sort of unpleasant twinge in Terminus, because whatever they were, whatever their working relationship was, they weren’t friends. Not really. Working partners, perhaps, allies, yes. But not friends. He hadn’t liked Tarkin much at all back when he was Obi-Wan Kenobi, and that hadn’t changed now. “Are all that’s left of their religion.”
“I felt it. On Tatooine. A tremor in the Force. Whatever you may say,” Terminus said, “The Jedi still live. I don’t believe their fire has been extinguished as much as you may believe.”
Tarkin seemed to be about to reply when the comlink buzzed. Terminus tilted his head even as Tarkin answered it. Over the comlink, a voice said, “Governor Tarkin. We have an emergency alert on Level A Detention Block AA-23.”
And through the Force, Terminus could feel it. Not just the presences of Lady Nemo and Lord Vader – and he silently resolved if only to deal with them later for what they had done – but the presence of the girl. Mara Lars. Shining bright and vibrant through the Force.
Tarkin’s response to the comlink voice was crisp. “Put all sections on alert.” He then turned towards Terminus. “Are you well, Lord Terminus?”
“The girl – the Lars girl. She is a Force sensitive. I have felt her.”
Tarkin raised an eyebrow. “And what will you do with her?”
“I must face her alone.”
“Are you certain about that?” Tarkin seemed all but disbelieving.
“Yes.”
Terminus left the room in that moment, tensed, more than ready for what lay ahead of him. At the very least, he hoped that he was more than ready. Tarkin no doubt believed that he was going to kill Mara Lars, but if nothing else, he couldn’t. Not really. Not just because she was really only a teenager – he had killed younger, but even that he was far from proud of, necessary as it was – but really, because in the end, she was really the only family that he had left. His own family back on Stewjon was no doubt gone, and Padme had betrayed him. Vader had also betrayed him. Ahsoka was gone as well. Even those losses…
He didn’t care about Padme, not really. Or Vader.
No, that was wrong. He did care about them. But they didn’t matter. They couldn’t matter. As long as he found Mara again. And Sabe. Even if Sabe didn’t want anything to do with him. Or Mara for that matter.
She was in the cell block. Level A, Detention Block A-A-23. It would be easy to find her there.
Terminus headed now towards the turbolift. No matter what happened, nothing would prevent him from finding Mara Lars and the others. Nothing at all.
He would find her. He would tell her, at the very least, who he was. And perhaps from there…perhaps everything could be made right again.
***
The problem, Mara thought, with planning a successful escape was the matter of getting out. Getting in was relatively easy, and that was definitely saying something, considering that they had to make their way past the stormtroopers – which was sabotaged, to say the least, by the matter of Han deciding to be less than subtle and just shoot, as well as other factors – and then towards the cell block. But getting out was worse. It was almost as if every stormtrooper out there was alerted to their presence and thus, was trying to kill them.
“Have you ever done this before?” Ada said. She was a pretty young woman, with copper hair.
“This is my first attempt,” Mara said. “Our first attempt at least.” She ducked behind a wall, drawing her blaster if only to shoot the stormtroopers who were attacking, along with Han. “I just hope our future rescue attempts go as well.”
“No offense,” Ada said, “But me too.”
It was later that they met up with Han and Chewbacca, who were heading out of the turbolift door. To say that the turbolift was busted was putting it mildly – it seemed to be a mess of durasteel and flame and smoke.
“Well,” Han said, “Looks like our only escape route’s just been cut off.”
“I can see that,” Mara said. She picked up her comlink. “Threepio,” she said, “Are there any other ways out?”
Threepio answered, but even his answer seemed to be almost jumbled.
“Can you repeat that?” Mara shouted over the din. “I didn’t copy.”
“I said all systems have been alerted to your presence, ma’am! The main entrance seems to be the only way in or out.”
Mara sighed, rubbed her forehead. “Gods damn it…”
“Look,” Han said, “It’s going to be all right. I promise.”
Unfortunately, Han’s promise seemed to be almost negated by the additional arrival in store for them. Because at the end of the hallway, even through the mess of stormtroopers, came Darth Terminus himself, a dark, towering figure against the mass of white. And the way he looked at them, so very cold, a dark sort of shape against the pale armor of the stormtroopers, was enough to chill Mara to the bones.
Han didn’t seem to waste any time. He started shooting at Terminus, but Terminus seemed to deflect his blaster bolts almost as if they were nothing more than annoying bugs. They bounced off his red lightsaber, which shone in the dim light of the hallway. Mara turned towards Han. “It’s no use, Han, just trust me. The blaster’s not going to work.”
“Right,” Han said. Even at the end of the hallway, Terminus seemed to be advancing towards them, not necessarily with any sort of anger, but almost as if he was gesturing towards Mara. Asking her to come with him.
No. No chance.
Mara looked frantically around. There had to be some sort of escape route. Somewhere, anywhere…
It was looking around towards a small grate in the wall that she finally found their way out. An idea started to form, and she shot at it. The smell was terrible, almost like a bizarre mixture of blaster fire and whatever trash the Empire was keeping in there, but there was really no other choice. They were going inside that trash compactor or they were going to die. The choice, really, was theirs.
“Come on,” Mara said to the others. “Get in there.”
Chewbacca groaned if only in protest.
“Yes, I know,” Mara said, “But it’s either that or dying.”
And she jumped inside.
The inside of the garbage chute was almost damp and messy and filthy and foul-smelling. Even wading through the garbage – because it wasn’t walking, really, Mara thought, but wading; she felt almost so submerged in whatever the Imps threw down there that it felt almost like she was literally about to drown in there – trying to find the exit…
Mara was already working at it, even as Ben, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and the others landed in there as well, but unfortunately, it was magnetically sealed. She sighed. “All right,” she said, “I really don’t have any clue what I’m doing.”
“No stang,” Han said, heavy sarcasm in his voice. “The garbage chute was a wonderful idea. What an incredible smell you’ve discovered!”
“Sarcasm’s not going to get you anywhere,” Ben said, if only calmly. “And will you not yell at her? She did the best she could, considering the circumstances.”
Mara turned towards Ben, smiled if only a bit. “Thanks,” she said, finally. She took a deep breath. “Listen, Han,” she said, “No matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, we are not going to panic – ’’
It was then that a sort of howl echoed through the garbage chute. It wasn’t a sound that sounded human, really, and it didn’t sound like any sort of sound that Mara had heard either. If nothing else, it sounded almost like something from the Corellian hells themselves. Chewbacca, meanwhile, made sounds of unease.
Mara sighed. “All right,” she said, “Even if there’s valid reason to panic, we’re not going to panic.”
“That’s good advice,” Han said, if only semi-sarcastically. “Don’t panic.” He sighed. “It sure as hell isn’t going to do us any good while we’re stuck here.”
***
The matter of switching off the tractor beam was, almost, Padme thought, a bit too easy. Even edging onto the ledge along with Vader, she felt, almost, like she used to do with Obi-Wan, on some of their infiltration missions. Logging into the console, helping to switch off the tractor beam. Even slipping past the troopers was easy, because even in between the chatter and the occasional, “What’s going on?” the troopers didn’t seem to really notice them. By the time they made it to the opposite hallway, Padme wiped her brow, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness that they didn’t find us,” she said.
Vader, meanwhile, seemed almost tense, not so certain.
“What is it?” Padme said. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think it’s over yet,” Vader said. “Terminus isn’t after us. Not necessarily.” He took a deep breath. “I can feel it. He’s heading towards the garbage chute.”
“Why the garbage chute? He can’t – ’’
It was then that Padme felt a sudden stabbing sensation through the Force. Almost, she thought, as if someone had forced a vibroblade through her forehead. She rubbed it, suddenly very terrified – Mara and the others were in danger.
“We have to go find them,” she said, “Sabe and the others as well. Come on.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Vader said.
And they headed out, towards the garbage chute. Padme could only pray that they could get there in time, and save Mara and the others from the terrible fate that no doubt awaited them.
***
To say that things had gone from bad to worse was an understatement.
No sooner had the creature in the garbage disposal finally let go of Mara, allowing her, at least, to have some sort of relief from struggling against it, did the walls start moving. And not just slowly either. It felt, if nothing else, almost as if they were squeezing her body – squeezing it tighter and tighter – and despite how she and the others braced metal poles up against the walls, they seemed determined to squeeze them tighter.
“Well, there’s one thing that’s for sure,” Han said. “We’re all going to be a whole lot thinner.”
Mara couldn’t even argue with him in that moment. Instead, she frantically dialed the comlink. At the very least, if she could reach Threepio and the others…
“Elizabeth!” she shouted over the din of the walls continuing to cave in. “Threepio! Can you hear me?”
No answer.
“Gods dammit…” Mara rubbed her forehead. All right. Calm down. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. It was a lie, of course, but at the very least, if she could find a way to at least keep calm somewhat…
She continued pressing metal poles against the wall, anything in the garbage disposal that she could find, if only to keep the walls from pressing any closer. Even if they were about to die, they weren’t going to stand there cowering and crying while the walls continued pressing against them. Next to her, she could see Ben, Leia, Chewbacca, Han, and the crew of the Tantive IV doing their best as well.
Still, it wouldn’t be enough.
Threepio, buddy, she thought, You better pick up that comlink quickly…
It was after a long, seemingly agonizing wait that Mara’s comlink buzzed. She picked it up. “Where were you?” she said.
“I’m very sorry, ma’am.” Threepio’s voice sounded almost indistinct over their connection. “We ran into a bit of…trouble.”
Mara sighed. “Right,” she said, “Sorry. I…we’re in kind of a jam. Can Artoo find a way to shut down the garbage disposal?”
“What are you doing in there?”
Mara rubbed her forehead. “Long story short, Terminus found us and we had to hide. You should probably hurry. The walls – we’re trying to hold them, but I doubt we can do it for long.”
A series of questioning beeps over the comlink this time. Artoo.
“He’s wondering if you mean all of them, ma’am.”
“Yes,” Mara said, “All of them. Just to be sure.”
Silence reigned if only for a long time – well, if one counted the grinding of the garbage disposal walls, at the very least.
“You think he can do it?” Ada, this time.
Mara ran a hand wearily through her hair. “I hope he will,” she said. “I just hope.”
***
If there was one of many things that R2-D2 was made for, it was performing miracles. He had done it plenty of times in the past – repairing hyperdrives, repairing ships just in time, hacking into computers just in time if only to save the day. It was who he was, in the end. What he was. He supposed that being in Padme’s company definitely helped – together, they had had so many adventures. He was, really, no stranger to the act of performing a miracle.
He could already sense Threepio’s anxiety – the protocol droid was always anxious, granted, but he was anxious here especially – and Sabe, Owen and Beru’s fear. It was a fear he was all too familiar with. It was the sort of fear that he had seen with Obi-Wan and Padme in regards to Ahsoka Tano. The young Togruta Padawan that they had that they had seen as their own child.
He had been quite fond of Ahsoka as well. True, they hadn’t gotten off to the best of starts – with her deciding to call him “Ar-Too-ey” for some reason he could never truly comprehend. But he had grown fond of her nonetheless. She had been the heart of the team. The one who, in times of moral uncertainty, was more than willing to persuade them back on the path of doing the right thing. She didn’t always succeed – it had been one thing he had worried about with his two masters (because in a sense, Obi-Wan was almost his master as well), the matter of them somehow going down a path that they would never have gone down normally. A path that, simply, wasn’t who they were – but most of the time, she had been the heart of the team. The one that helped them, the one that had kept them together. After Ahsoka had died, there had been no one to stop his two masters, but Obi-Wan especially. Too many children had died, really – too many innocent children, people who had died senselessly, needlessly, and in great pain.
Mara would not be one of these children. Neither would those with her.
So even as Artoo hacked into the computers if only to shut down the garbage disposal, one purpose, one directive, was prominent in him. One purpose, one directive, ruling over all.
Sabe’s children will not die here tonight. Neither will their companions. No matter what happened, he would shut down the garbage mashers on the detention level, all of them. He would save the day. He would make it all right.
And even that…that made it all easy.
Then again, Artoo thought, when wasn’t it easy?
***
Mara was almost ready to give up, to accept her fate – they had tried so hard. They had done their best if only to try and brace the walls, stop the walls from caving in, but even that…that couldn’t last forever. Even though there was something in her that could not help but be angered at this (it wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. That they had to die here, to die this way – when finally, the garbage mashers stopped. Even hearing that sound, that wonderful sound of them just coming to a halt…
Mara squeezed her eyes shut in relief, pressing a fist over her chest if only to calm herself. Already, she was terrified, so very terrified at nearly dying, and yet so very much relieved.
From over the comlink, she heard Threepio’s voice, distressed, so very distressed. “Curse my metal body! I wasn’t fast enough to save them. My poor mistress…”
“Threepio,” Mara said, “I’m okay. We’re all okay.”
And even saying that out loud, she couldn’t help but grin, turn towards Han, and throw her arms around him. Han seemed almost surprised, before returning the hug. All around her, she could see the others laughing if only in relief, hugging the other, and she grinned. They’d made it. They’d all made it.
“Oh thank the maker.” Threepio’s voice sounded so very relieved in that moment that Mara could swear she felt something wet prickling her eyes.
“Mara.” Owen’s voice. “Thank goodness that you’re okay. I…” He took a deep breath. “I thought that I lost you.”
“I’m here,” Mara said. “I’m all right. Just trust me on this.” She took a deep breath. “Did you run into any trouble…coming down here?”
“We did.” Elizabeth Nerus this time. “But Threepio…he was excellent. He actually managed to con his way past a bunch of stormtroopers.”
“There’s really no need to praise me, Mistress Elizabeth…” Threepio said.
“Oh, come on,” Elizabeth said. “You were amazing.”
Silence.
“Mistress – I never – I never thought – ’’ Threepio seemed, truly, at a loss for words.
Mara smiled. “Threepio,” she said, “You’ve done great. Artoo also. We just have one last favor to ask you. Can you open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number…” She tilted her head if only to read it slightly better. “Three-two-six-eight-two-seven? Yeah, can you open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number 326827?”
“Gladly, ma’am.”
Moments later, the pressure maintenance hatch was opened. Mara brushed her hair away from her eyes. “Threepio, Artoo,” she said, “You’re amazing.”
“There’s really no need to thank us, Mistress Mara. We’re just doing our jobs.”
“You might be,” Mara said, even as they climbed out of the chute, “But you’re doing them beautifully.”
***
She was here. Terminus could feel it, so very keenly, in the Force. The same, bright sort of presence that he had felt on Tatooine. His daughter’s presence. And the presence of others as well – the crew of the Tantive IV, Ben and Leia Organa, and so many others. People who, more than anything, needed to be stopped, if only for the good of the galaxy.
Long ago, he would have said for the good of the Empire. But even “the good of the Empire” didn’t seem to be right anymore. If he could only find a way to find Mara…
He had found her. She was already coming out of the garbage chute. He supposed that he had to give her some credit if only for that act of cleverness. He almost didn’t expect it of her. Then again, her mother had always been clever. He supposed that was one of many traits that he was glad that she had inherited from her mother. Clever, kind, gentle Sabe…
Even thinking about it was enough to hurt all over again. He had lost so much in the Clone Wars, and before it, and after it. It felt almost as if the Clone Wars themselves were a wound that had made its way through his life, taking everything away from him. Taking away Qui-Gon, for example, taking away Jedi that he had sparred with and joked with and laughed with and bickered with and confided in at so many times. Taking away Ahsoka, and Padme, and Sabe, and so many others. His daughter, most of all. What a life they could haveknown if not for the Clone Wars.
Before Sabe, he had never thought that he would leave the Jedi Order. If one had asked his younger self if he ever intended on leaving the Jedi Order, he would have thought it to be ludicrous. The Jedi Order was his life, the Jedi Order was his home, the Jedi Order was his family. It was the only family, at least before Sabe and Mara, that he had ever truly known.
So many things, taken from him. And it hadn’t stopped there. He’d had to kill so many of his friends, people that he had once fought alongside in the Clone Wars. He had thought that turning against Mace Windu when the latter tried to assassinate the Chancellor was the worst he could do. He had thought that turning against the Order itself, killing almost all of them including the younglings, was the worst that he could do. But the process of killing the Jedi who had escaped, as well as the matter of Vader turning on him…
He had lost too many people he had cared about. Now, he thought – now was the time to make it all right. It was meant to be made right. He had done so much wrong in his lifetime, in his career as a Jedi as well as his career as a Sith, that at the very least, if he could make it all right –
She was there. Coming up the hallway, talking with the others. The smuggler, Han Solo – one of many people who were enemies of the Empire – arguing with her about where to go now, and her trying to tell him, at the very least, no matter what happened, to just do what she said. If Terminus could smile underneath his helmet, he would. Because if nothing else, she sounded so much like him, back when he had fought in the Clone Wars. She wasn’t so different from him, really. And something about that, even in spite of it all, managed to send a feeling of warmth through Terminus’ chest that he almost wasn’t expecting.
It was then that she paused. He was still in the shadows, watching her, observing her and the others.
“What is it?” Leia, this time.
“I don’t know about you guys,” Mara said, “But I have a very bad feeling about this.”
“We’ve just gotten out of the garbage chute,” Ben said. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
“I don’t know,” Mara said. “I think it’s best that you be on your guard, really. All of you.”
Terminus watched even as they approached. There was something about them, he thought, that almost reminded him of back when he fought in the Clone Wars as well – the friendships that he had made along the way, even those with people that one wouldn’t really, truly expect to become friends with. If there was one thing about the Clone Wars that wasn’t terrible, it was the friendships and the alliances that one made along the way. Watching others grow stronger as well, becoming more than you could have ever imagined them of being capable of, and knowing, in some cases, that you helped them. He still remembered the matter of the Onderon mission, trying to free Onderon from the Separatists’ clutches, and training Steela and the others. Steela had died, and for all the grief it had caused them all, for all the fact that she didn’t need to die, if there was any sort of solace in any of this it was the fact that, simply, she had died with honor. She had died bravely, and without fear. She had died doing the right thing. And that was the best consolation that he had had – although as the needless deaths continued, the deaths that didn’t need to happen, the deaths that were cruel and needless and so very, for all Obi-Wan had tried to avoid thinking that word or using that word considering how un-Jedi-like it truly was, unfair, even that consolation had worn thin. All those deaths and all those nightmares. At the very least, he could not walk the white current and undo everything that had happened, but he could at least begin to make things right again. Make sure that this didn’t happen again.
And Mara, he thought, was definitely a good place to start with that.
It was in that moment that he emerged from the shadows. Mara looked up at him now, a sort of fear in her eyes though she quickly steeled herself, drew her lightsaber. Han now shot at him, as did Leia Organa and the others, but Terminus managed to at least deflect those blaster bolts with ease. He then reached through the Force, snatching each of them from their hands. He then turned back to Mara, who looked up at him with a sort of determination that was so very Sabe that even though they were in a currently less-than-desirable position (and that was putting it mildly. He never wanted this to happen, any of this) he couldn’t help but feel a certain sort of warmth spreading through him again.
My dear girl. Our beautiful daughter. Determined to the last.
“Hello, Mara,” he said.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: This is another one of my favorite chapters, if only because of the Padme and Vader conversation, the interaction between Mara and the others, and the whole twist with Terminus pursuing them personally. Also, the garbage chute sequence and the chapter ending. I think this might be one of my best chapters, actually.
The matter of infiltrating the Death Star wasn’t what you called particularly hard. All right, Mara thought, it was hard. After managing to at least get some stormtrooper armor from some particularly gullible stormtroopers who fell for the old “hey, can you give us a hand down here” trick, not to mention the “we’re taking in this Wookiee and these civilians in for questioning” act (to say that Chewbacca had to take some convincing was no doubt an understatement; Mara had almost worried that the Wookiee would actually rip her arms off), they finally made it to the computers. Mara finally took the time if only to remove the stormtrooper helmet; somehow, she thought, she almost didn’t know how the stormtroopers endured. They could hardly see anything in that helmet for one thing. Also, she thought, it could get awfully hot in there. She knew that it was the least of her concerns considering there was still the issue of getting caught as well as the matter of rescuing the crew of the Tantive IV, but even so, she could not help but worry.
Mara turned to look at Han. “You know,” she said, “I think the stormtroopers fell for our earlier trick too easily. I just hope they’re not planning anything.”
Han snorted. “Yeah, because what Chewie and I just had to do means that they were falling for it.”
Mara rolled her eyes. “If you wouldn’t blast everything in sight,” she said, “Maybe this would go a little more smoothly.”
“Bring it on!” A sort of cocky smile flashed across Han’s face. “I’d prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around.”
Mara was about to retort that the “sneaking around” was actually quite important if they were going to pull off this rescue mission when Threepio, thankfully, managed to interrupt. “We found the computer outlet, ma’am.”
“Awesome,” Mara said, “Artoo, can you access the records? See where they may be being held?”
Artoo gave an affirmative beep. It was after a long, almost tense while that Artoo finally managed to report back. THEY’RE ON LEVEL FIVE, DETENTION BLOCK A-A TWENTY THREE. ACCORDING TO IMPERIAL RECORDS, THEY’RE SCHEDULED TO BE TERMINATED.
“Stanging hell…” Mara ran a hand through her hair. The Empire was particularly known, amongst other things, for their executions. If they failed to save the crew of the Tantive IV…
“What is it?” Now Ben looked worried. “What’s wrong?”
Mara took a deep breath. “Ben, Leia,” she said if only softly, “You’re not going to like this. But they’re being held at Level Five Detention Block A-A-23. The bad news is that they’re being scheduled to be terminated.” Even saying it was enough to make Mara, almost in spite of herself, feel almost ill.
Ben and Leia, meanwhile, looked almost as if they had been kicked in the chest by a Gamorrean. Several Gamorreans, really. Still, they managed to regain their composure if only quickly. Leia spoke. “Is there a way to infiltrate the detention block? After all, there’s always a way.”
Mara turned towards Artoo. “Artoo,” she said, “Do we have anyone in our way of getting to the cell block?”
YES, Artoo said, IT’S VERY HEAVY SECURITY. AND CONSIDERING THE RIOT THAT MR. I’D-PREFER-A-STRAIGHT-FIGHT-TO-COMMON-KRIFFING-SENSE AS WELL AS CHEWBACCA JUST STIRRED UP…
“Well, great,” Mara said if only sarcastically, “We’re going to have to fight our way to the complex. That’s going to be fun.”
Han grinned. “Are you kidding? That’s what I’ve been waiting for!”
“Han.” Leia, this time. “Do you think this is some sort of adventure? People’s lives are at stake.”
Mara doubted that she could have ever been more grateful for Leia speaking up than she was now.
Han looked ready to come back with a retort before Lady Nemo, thankfully, spoke up. “Artoo,” she said, “Can you get a readout on the matter of the tractor beam and how to shut it down? I don’t think that us rescuing the Tantive IV crew is going to be of any sort of use if we don’t have some sort of means to get out of there.”
Artoo toodled if only softly. It took a long while before he brought up the readings for the tractor beam.
Lady Nemo walked over towards the terminal, seeming if nothing else, thoughtful. “Apparently,” she said, “There are seven places where the tractor beam is connected to the main reactor. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave.”
Han took the moment to interject. “Honestly, for people who think that they can catch and keep traitors, they’re really not that good at it.”
And there, at the very least, Mara had to smile if only slightly. There was something about that joke, at the very least, that was enough to make her slightly like Han again.
Vader seemed to chuckle as well. “I don’t think you have any idea,” he said, “I mean…” He then seemed to falter, become less amused. “The Emperor and the others have been making a lot of irrational decisions lately. I mean…honestly, I think that this is just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg.”
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” Mara said. “It means that the Empire can be brought down.”
Vader turned to look at her, and a sort of smile seemed to come across his lips. “You’re already adjusting to being a Rebel Alliance member quite nicely,” he said.
“I don’t know about that,” Mara said. She knew full well that she couldn’t return home. Not really. And yet it didn’t mean that she wasn’t somehow uneasy.
Lady Nemo then interjected. “Kitster and I,” she said, “Need to talk. About the matter of shutting down the tractor beam.” A beat. “Call it…unfinished business.”
“You two are going alone?” Han seemed almost incredulous. “Do you want to throw your lives away?”
Lady Nemo’s face seemed to go almost gentle. “Han,” she said, “It’s the life of someone in this business. Being willing to make the hard decisions where no one else will. Now…can you please let Kitster and I speak?”
Silence.
“Sure,” Han said, with a sort of softness that Mara didn’t expect. “Just…do what you’ve got to do.”
Even as Lady Nemo and Vader left, Han turned to look at Mara. “I swear,” he said, “She’s probably one of the strangest passengers I’ve ever had.”
“She’s not that bad,” Mara said. “I mean…she’s a really nice person.”
“Yeah,” Han said. “Nice but strange.” A beat. “Honestly, though…does she want to get captured by the Empire?”
“I don’t think any of us do,” Mara said.
Han snorted. “So that’s one thing that we agree on. Well,” he said, and his voice became more serious, “Besides…besides Alderaan.” He sighed, ran a hand through his hair. “I do wonder why they do it, really. I mean, what’s the damn point?”
“There isn’t any point.” Leia, this time. “They just destroy because they can. That’s why we fight against them. Because no Empire should be built on the backs of fear and slavery.” And the fire in her eyes, the sheer grief in them, almost terrified Mara. Even just looking at her…
Silence.
“Yeah,” Han said, and Mara could not help but notice a sort of sadness in his face. “It shouldn’t.”
Mara took a deep breath. “Han,” she said, “Can you tell me a bit more about you?”
Han seemed almost surprised, almost as if, in all his years, he hadn’t really expected anyone to, of all things, ask him about himself. “Well, sure,” he said, “What do you want to know?”
“Well,” Mara said, “Anything, really. Where you came from, what sort of passengers you carried…”
Han chuckled softly. “You sure you want to hear about my passengers?”
“Well, sure,” Mara said. “I mean…why not?”
“Well,” Han began, “There was this whole smuggling mission I had to Nar Shaddaa…”
***
It was in the relative privacy of one part of the control room that Padme and Vader could finally talk if only in private. She had already sensed Vader’s reaction when she had read out the matter of the information at the terminal, about the matter of shutting down the tractor beam. The sort of tense sort of fear, the sort of worry, of what Terminus would do with her when he found her. She could understand his reaction if only slightly; after all, Terminus and the Empire were not known for being particularly gentle towards their prisoners. And yet at the same time, there was something else in his reaction, something that had almost startled her though she supposed that maybe she shouldn’t have really been that surprised – after all, it was perhaps as obvious as anything else – it was the fact that really, he didn’t want to lose her.
Padme supposed that she shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, during the Clone Wars, even though they were on different sides, she knew that Vader had a sort of admiration and a sort of worship for her. The way he looked at her sometimes, almost as if she was one of those angels from Iego that others mostly brushed off as the matter of legend. Even something about that almost scared her, if one was to be truthful. The sort of devotion that he had. And yet even that…what was startling was the fact that there wasn’t anything particularly carnal in it, not really. It was the sort of respect mixed in with a sort of innocence in the way he felt towards her that made it remarkable.
Vader was very much like a hero out of a fairytale – innocent, idealistic, wanting nothing more than to make things right again. And that, Padme thought – that was one of the reasons he simply wasn’t made to be a Sith. She had tried to help him a few times over the course of the war, to say that the Sith wasn’t the right path for him, and yet even trying to tell him that – he seemed almost frightened, as if he couldn’t imagine a life outside the Sith.
Padme supposed that she shouldn’t be surprised. After all, if one had been growing up with Sith beliefs all but drilled into their head since they were small children, it would be almost terrifying if someone suddenly suggested a way out. But it didn’t mean that it didn’t break her heart. Because there had to be something more for Vader. There had to be. He couldn’t simply just give up.
“You seem to be scared,” she said, and if nothing else, the sort of tense fear that was already vibrating through Vader’s body didn’t seem to be letting up any time soon.
“I am,” Vader said. “More than scared. I mean…” He seemed to be almost struggling with the matter of what he was saying even as he said it, as if he was trying if only vainly to make his own words, his own vocal chords obey him. “I…I don’t want you to die, Padme,” he said. “You’re perhaps one of the most amazing, skilled, kind, wonderful Jedi that I’ve ever met, and I just don’t want you to die.”
“Who said anything about dying?” And somehow, Padme could not help but be almost afraid. Because everything that he was saying, at least in that moment – it was all but saying “I love you, Padme” without saying it explicitly.
“I know,” Vader said, “But Terminus…” He took a deep breath. “He’s gone, Padme. I can’t exactly describe it, I can’t say that I knew him as well as you did, but whatever was there…it’s gone. I know that the first few weeks when he was recovering from the surgery that Sidious did on him…he wasn’t even himself, Padme,” he said, and the way he spoke now, it was almost as if he was saying, Why did you do this to him, Padme? Why did you leave him there to die? This isn’t you. And Padme knew that he was right. If Terminus hadn’t told her to run, if she didn’t have Sabe to take care of, as well as Mara and Ben and Artoo and Threepio, she wouldn’t have run. Somehow, in her mind, she was already picturing what could have happened if she’d saved Terminus. If any of this could have been avoided. “He was just…” He bit his lip, almost as if holding back the tears. “He was just so filled with rage. And I suppose that’s what Sidious wanted, I know that I told him to concentrate on his hate just to heal himself because that’s what the Sith do – Padme, I just wonder: is all we do hate? Is that all we’re made for?”
His voice shuddered and then cracked. Padme, if only gently, placed a hand on his shoulder. “Of course not,” she said. “It may be all the Dark Side is. That is its nature. But it’s not all you are. You…” She took a deep breath. “You are made for more, even if you don’t see it. You’re far worthier than you think you are.” A beat. “And I’m certain that there’s hope for Terminus as well. He could have left me to the Emperor at Sullust, he probably had every right to, but he didn’t.”
“What do you mean? What did he do?” Vader seemed almost confused now.
“He told me…run.” Padme watched the look of utter amazement come over Vader’s face. “I just wish,” she said, “That I hadn’t listened to him. But I thought that I’d at least honor his memory. And save Sabe.” She took a deep breath. “Believe me, I never would have left him there if he hadn’t…” And even saying it aloud, she swore that her voice, embarrassingly enough, cracked. By the twin suns themselves, Jedi aren’t supposed to lose control…
Vader seemed to sense her distress, because he reached up towards her face. He looked at her if only to ask for her approval, to ask if it was all right if he tried to comfort her. Padme merely nodded. He ran his fingers along her cheek in that moment, a moment of comfort. There was something about his fingers, Padme thought, that felt nice, really. Gentle fingers. Sort of like a mechanic’s fingers. Slender and tough and yet gentle at the same time, brushing away the tears that were finally falling. His eyebrows seemed to furrow now, almost as if in distress.
And it was then that she felt herself being crushed against him, almost hard enough to the point that she nearly couldn’t breathe. Vader was already making sounds in his throat, almost like he wanted to say something, anything, but Padme sent him a suggestion in the Force, a gentle suggestion that he didn’t have to say anything, not really, that it was all right. That it was, no matter what happened, all okay. Even as the tears all but flowed out of her, the tears if only for Qui-Gon, if only for Ahsoka, if only for everyone who had died horribly and needlessly and so very far away from home, she felt almost embarrassed – Jedi weren’t supposed to weep, not like this – and yet she almost couldn’t stop. Vader continued rubbing her back if only gently, murmuring things that sounded like nonsense and yet were comforting, at least in this moment.
She finally drew away, tears staining her face. Vader’s fingers were gentle, tentative, continuing to wipe away the tears that had messed up her cheeks. His eyes, gentle, questioning, still so very full of concern, and so very filled with compassion, that Padme almost couldn’t help but be enthralled by him. There was always something bizarrely enthralling about Vader, in the way he carried himself and the way he spoke, but it was moments like this, seeing Vader’s gentle heart plain on his face, that enthralled her all the more. Because he was a genuinely good man. He just didn’t really realize it.
“I’ll go with you,” Vader said, if only softly.
“You don’t need to,” Padme said, “I mean…”
“Padme,” Vader said, “I’m not letting you die back there. You…” He took a deep breath. “You are too good of a woman to die back there.”
“Then we’ll go together,” Padme said. “Ready?”
Vader took a deep breath. If nothing else, he looked genuinely pained, genuinely frightened at the idea of having to face off against Terminus, but nonetheless, more than anything else, he seemed ready. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m ready.”
They headed back to the control room now. Han looked at them, almost curious, as if wondering what really happened back there, but to Padme’s relief, he said nothing. Already, just telling Vader the truth of what happened at Sullust was draining enough; somehow, she didn’t need Han’s judgment.
“Kitster and I will be heading over to shut off the tractor beam,” she said. “Mara…you’ll be going to rescue the Tantive IV’s crew, right?”
Mara merely nodded. There was a sort of determination and a sort of steel in her face that reminded Padme, almost, of Sabe. There was something at least in that that was enough to hearten her. She could only hope that Mara and Ben and the others would be all right. If they were hurt…
Don’t think like that, she told herself. They’re not going to be hurt. And yet it was a sort of worry in the back of her mind, almost mother-like come to think of it, that they would.
“I’ll stay behind,” Elizabeth said, “Watch the droids.” A quick, almost cocky smile, somehow, Padme thought, almost like the Sabe of old. “Trust me, I can more than handle myself with a blaster.”
“Same here,” Owen said. “We’ll lock the doors if they come by.” A beat. “And just hope that they don’t have blasters or something.”
Padme couldn’t disagree with that. She could only hope that Elizabeth, Owen and Beru, as well as Threepio and Artoo, would be all right.
“Good luck,” she said, “All of you.”
She turned now to Mara. Even looking at her, looking at the woman who was all but Sabe with Obi-Wan’s hair and painfully expressive jade green eyes, Padme swallowed. There was so much that she wanted to tell Mara. About her father. About her mother. But she knew she couldn’t, not yet. There would be a time, but not here, not now. Not when she wasn’t ready if only to hear the truth. If she foisted it on Mara too early…
“Mara,” she said, “Just remember. The Force will be with you, always.” If I don’t return somehow, carry on in my stead.
Mara grinned. “Good luck, Lady Nemo. Be careful.”
“You too.” Perhaps there was no such thing as luck, just the Force, Padme supposed that in a sense, they were one and the same.
After all, she thought, even as she headed outside with Vader, dodging the watchful eye of Imperial officers and stormtroopers alike, she would need all of both luck and the Force she could get.
***
“Other Jedi, here?” For the first time in a long while, Grand Moff Tarkin looked almost skeptical. “Are you certain about that?”
Terminus stood now in the conference room, looking directly at Tarkin. The Grand Moff was flanked by other Imperial soldiers. And even in this moment, Terminus could not help but feel at the very least a twinge of irritation. Tarkin – the man who was so very used to seeing traitors everywhere, but when Jedi showed up, those who could actually pose a threat to the Empire, he didn’t seem to believe it. Then again, Terminus supposed, he probably shouldn’t be surprised. After all, the Empire had done their best if only to make certain that the Jedi were all but exterminated. Terminus himself had played a role in it, as had Vader and Ventress, the two taking to the matter of the hunt in different ways – Vader as a sort of solemn duty, and Ventress with a sort of passion and ferocity that would have awed the Sith of old. Vader preferred to strike if only in numbers – something Terminus could not disagree with – while Ventress preferred to strike alone. And Terminus himself…Terminus merely followed orders and did what he was told, something that still troubled him late at night as he meditated.
Was it the right thing to do? The Jedi were a threat to the Empire, yes, but whatever their threat…they didn’t deserve this.
Tarkin, meanwhile, continued on. “The Jedi are extinct. Their fire has gone out of the universe. You, my friend,” and there was a sort of unpleasant twinge in Terminus, because whatever they were, whatever their working relationship was, they weren’t friends. Not really. Working partners, perhaps, allies, yes. But not friends. He hadn’t liked Tarkin much at all back when he was Obi-Wan Kenobi, and that hadn’t changed now. “Are all that’s left of their religion.”
“I felt it. On Tatooine. A tremor in the Force. Whatever you may say,” Terminus said, “The Jedi still live. I don’t believe their fire has been extinguished as much as you may believe.”
Tarkin seemed to be about to reply when the comlink buzzed. Terminus tilted his head even as Tarkin answered it. Over the comlink, a voice said, “Governor Tarkin. We have an emergency alert on Level A Detention Block AA-23.”
And through the Force, Terminus could feel it. Not just the presences of Lady Nemo and Lord Vader – and he silently resolved if only to deal with them later for what they had done – but the presence of the girl. Mara Lars. Shining bright and vibrant through the Force.
Tarkin’s response to the comlink voice was crisp. “Put all sections on alert.” He then turned towards Terminus. “Are you well, Lord Terminus?”
“The girl – the Lars girl. She is a Force sensitive. I have felt her.”
Tarkin raised an eyebrow. “And what will you do with her?”
“I must face her alone.”
“Are you certain about that?” Tarkin seemed all but disbelieving.
“Yes.”
Terminus left the room in that moment, tensed, more than ready for what lay ahead of him. At the very least, he hoped that he was more than ready. Tarkin no doubt believed that he was going to kill Mara Lars, but if nothing else, he couldn’t. Not really. Not just because she was really only a teenager – he had killed younger, but even that he was far from proud of, necessary as it was – but really, because in the end, she was really the only family that he had left. His own family back on Stewjon was no doubt gone, and Padme had betrayed him. Vader had also betrayed him. Ahsoka was gone as well. Even those losses…
He didn’t care about Padme, not really. Or Vader.
No, that was wrong. He did care about them. But they didn’t matter. They couldn’t matter. As long as he found Mara again. And Sabe. Even if Sabe didn’t want anything to do with him. Or Mara for that matter.
She was in the cell block. Level A, Detention Block A-A-23. It would be easy to find her there.
Terminus headed now towards the turbolift. No matter what happened, nothing would prevent him from finding Mara Lars and the others. Nothing at all.
He would find her. He would tell her, at the very least, who he was. And perhaps from there…perhaps everything could be made right again.
***
The problem, Mara thought, with planning a successful escape was the matter of getting out. Getting in was relatively easy, and that was definitely saying something, considering that they had to make their way past the stormtroopers – which was sabotaged, to say the least, by the matter of Han deciding to be less than subtle and just shoot, as well as other factors – and then towards the cell block. But getting out was worse. It was almost as if every stormtrooper out there was alerted to their presence and thus, was trying to kill them.
“Have you ever done this before?” Ada said. She was a pretty young woman, with copper hair.
“This is my first attempt,” Mara said. “Our first attempt at least.” She ducked behind a wall, drawing her blaster if only to shoot the stormtroopers who were attacking, along with Han. “I just hope our future rescue attempts go as well.”
“No offense,” Ada said, “But me too.”
It was later that they met up with Han and Chewbacca, who were heading out of the turbolift door. To say that the turbolift was busted was putting it mildly – it seemed to be a mess of durasteel and flame and smoke.
“Well,” Han said, “Looks like our only escape route’s just been cut off.”
“I can see that,” Mara said. She picked up her comlink. “Threepio,” she said, “Are there any other ways out?”
Threepio answered, but even his answer seemed to be almost jumbled.
“Can you repeat that?” Mara shouted over the din. “I didn’t copy.”
“I said all systems have been alerted to your presence, ma’am! The main entrance seems to be the only way in or out.”
Mara sighed, rubbed her forehead. “Gods damn it…”
“Look,” Han said, “It’s going to be all right. I promise.”
Unfortunately, Han’s promise seemed to be almost negated by the additional arrival in store for them. Because at the end of the hallway, even through the mess of stormtroopers, came Darth Terminus himself, a dark, towering figure against the mass of white. And the way he looked at them, so very cold, a dark sort of shape against the pale armor of the stormtroopers, was enough to chill Mara to the bones.
Han didn’t seem to waste any time. He started shooting at Terminus, but Terminus seemed to deflect his blaster bolts almost as if they were nothing more than annoying bugs. They bounced off his red lightsaber, which shone in the dim light of the hallway. Mara turned towards Han. “It’s no use, Han, just trust me. The blaster’s not going to work.”
“Right,” Han said. Even at the end of the hallway, Terminus seemed to be advancing towards them, not necessarily with any sort of anger, but almost as if he was gesturing towards Mara. Asking her to come with him.
No. No chance.
Mara looked frantically around. There had to be some sort of escape route. Somewhere, anywhere…
It was looking around towards a small grate in the wall that she finally found their way out. An idea started to form, and she shot at it. The smell was terrible, almost like a bizarre mixture of blaster fire and whatever trash the Empire was keeping in there, but there was really no other choice. They were going inside that trash compactor or they were going to die. The choice, really, was theirs.
“Come on,” Mara said to the others. “Get in there.”
Chewbacca groaned if only in protest.
“Yes, I know,” Mara said, “But it’s either that or dying.”
And she jumped inside.
The inside of the garbage chute was almost damp and messy and filthy and foul-smelling. Even wading through the garbage – because it wasn’t walking, really, Mara thought, but wading; she felt almost so submerged in whatever the Imps threw down there that it felt almost like she was literally about to drown in there – trying to find the exit…
Mara was already working at it, even as Ben, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and the others landed in there as well, but unfortunately, it was magnetically sealed. She sighed. “All right,” she said, “I really don’t have any clue what I’m doing.”
“No stang,” Han said, heavy sarcasm in his voice. “The garbage chute was a wonderful idea. What an incredible smell you’ve discovered!”
“Sarcasm’s not going to get you anywhere,” Ben said, if only calmly. “And will you not yell at her? She did the best she could, considering the circumstances.”
Mara turned towards Ben, smiled if only a bit. “Thanks,” she said, finally. She took a deep breath. “Listen, Han,” she said, “No matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, we are not going to panic – ’’
It was then that a sort of howl echoed through the garbage chute. It wasn’t a sound that sounded human, really, and it didn’t sound like any sort of sound that Mara had heard either. If nothing else, it sounded almost like something from the Corellian hells themselves. Chewbacca, meanwhile, made sounds of unease.
Mara sighed. “All right,” she said, “Even if there’s valid reason to panic, we’re not going to panic.”
“That’s good advice,” Han said, if only semi-sarcastically. “Don’t panic.” He sighed. “It sure as hell isn’t going to do us any good while we’re stuck here.”
***
The matter of switching off the tractor beam was, almost, Padme thought, a bit too easy. Even edging onto the ledge along with Vader, she felt, almost, like she used to do with Obi-Wan, on some of their infiltration missions. Logging into the console, helping to switch off the tractor beam. Even slipping past the troopers was easy, because even in between the chatter and the occasional, “What’s going on?” the troopers didn’t seem to really notice them. By the time they made it to the opposite hallway, Padme wiped her brow, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness that they didn’t find us,” she said.
Vader, meanwhile, seemed almost tense, not so certain.
“What is it?” Padme said. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think it’s over yet,” Vader said. “Terminus isn’t after us. Not necessarily.” He took a deep breath. “I can feel it. He’s heading towards the garbage chute.”
“Why the garbage chute? He can’t – ’’
It was then that Padme felt a sudden stabbing sensation through the Force. Almost, she thought, as if someone had forced a vibroblade through her forehead. She rubbed it, suddenly very terrified – Mara and the others were in danger.
“We have to go find them,” she said, “Sabe and the others as well. Come on.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Vader said.
And they headed out, towards the garbage chute. Padme could only pray that they could get there in time, and save Mara and the others from the terrible fate that no doubt awaited them.
***
To say that things had gone from bad to worse was an understatement.
No sooner had the creature in the garbage disposal finally let go of Mara, allowing her, at least, to have some sort of relief from struggling against it, did the walls start moving. And not just slowly either. It felt, if nothing else, almost as if they were squeezing her body – squeezing it tighter and tighter – and despite how she and the others braced metal poles up against the walls, they seemed determined to squeeze them tighter.
“Well, there’s one thing that’s for sure,” Han said. “We’re all going to be a whole lot thinner.”
Mara couldn’t even argue with him in that moment. Instead, she frantically dialed the comlink. At the very least, if she could reach Threepio and the others…
“Elizabeth!” she shouted over the din of the walls continuing to cave in. “Threepio! Can you hear me?”
No answer.
“Gods dammit…” Mara rubbed her forehead. All right. Calm down. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. It was a lie, of course, but at the very least, if she could find a way to at least keep calm somewhat…
She continued pressing metal poles against the wall, anything in the garbage disposal that she could find, if only to keep the walls from pressing any closer. Even if they were about to die, they weren’t going to stand there cowering and crying while the walls continued pressing against them. Next to her, she could see Ben, Leia, Chewbacca, Han, and the crew of the Tantive IV doing their best as well.
Still, it wouldn’t be enough.
Threepio, buddy, she thought, You better pick up that comlink quickly…
It was after a long, seemingly agonizing wait that Mara’s comlink buzzed. She picked it up. “Where were you?” she said.
“I’m very sorry, ma’am.” Threepio’s voice sounded almost indistinct over their connection. “We ran into a bit of…trouble.”
Mara sighed. “Right,” she said, “Sorry. I…we’re in kind of a jam. Can Artoo find a way to shut down the garbage disposal?”
“What are you doing in there?”
Mara rubbed her forehead. “Long story short, Terminus found us and we had to hide. You should probably hurry. The walls – we’re trying to hold them, but I doubt we can do it for long.”
A series of questioning beeps over the comlink this time. Artoo.
“He’s wondering if you mean all of them, ma’am.”
“Yes,” Mara said, “All of them. Just to be sure.”
Silence reigned if only for a long time – well, if one counted the grinding of the garbage disposal walls, at the very least.
“You think he can do it?” Ada, this time.
Mara ran a hand wearily through her hair. “I hope he will,” she said. “I just hope.”
***
If there was one of many things that R2-D2 was made for, it was performing miracles. He had done it plenty of times in the past – repairing hyperdrives, repairing ships just in time, hacking into computers just in time if only to save the day. It was who he was, in the end. What he was. He supposed that being in Padme’s company definitely helped – together, they had had so many adventures. He was, really, no stranger to the act of performing a miracle.
He could already sense Threepio’s anxiety – the protocol droid was always anxious, granted, but he was anxious here especially – and Sabe, Owen and Beru’s fear. It was a fear he was all too familiar with. It was the sort of fear that he had seen with Obi-Wan and Padme in regards to Ahsoka Tano. The young Togruta Padawan that they had that they had seen as their own child.
He had been quite fond of Ahsoka as well. True, they hadn’t gotten off to the best of starts – with her deciding to call him “Ar-Too-ey” for some reason he could never truly comprehend. But he had grown fond of her nonetheless. She had been the heart of the team. The one who, in times of moral uncertainty, was more than willing to persuade them back on the path of doing the right thing. She didn’t always succeed – it had been one thing he had worried about with his two masters (because in a sense, Obi-Wan was almost his master as well), the matter of them somehow going down a path that they would never have gone down normally. A path that, simply, wasn’t who they were – but most of the time, she had been the heart of the team. The one that helped them, the one that had kept them together. After Ahsoka had died, there had been no one to stop his two masters, but Obi-Wan especially. Too many children had died, really – too many innocent children, people who had died senselessly, needlessly, and in great pain.
Mara would not be one of these children. Neither would those with her.
So even as Artoo hacked into the computers if only to shut down the garbage disposal, one purpose, one directive, was prominent in him. One purpose, one directive, ruling over all.
Sabe’s children will not die here tonight. Neither will their companions. No matter what happened, he would shut down the garbage mashers on the detention level, all of them. He would save the day. He would make it all right.
And even that…that made it all easy.
Then again, Artoo thought, when wasn’t it easy?
***
Mara was almost ready to give up, to accept her fate – they had tried so hard. They had done their best if only to try and brace the walls, stop the walls from caving in, but even that…that couldn’t last forever. Even though there was something in her that could not help but be angered at this (it wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. That they had to die here, to die this way – when finally, the garbage mashers stopped. Even hearing that sound, that wonderful sound of them just coming to a halt…
Mara squeezed her eyes shut in relief, pressing a fist over her chest if only to calm herself. Already, she was terrified, so very terrified at nearly dying, and yet so very much relieved.
From over the comlink, she heard Threepio’s voice, distressed, so very distressed. “Curse my metal body! I wasn’t fast enough to save them. My poor mistress…”
“Threepio,” Mara said, “I’m okay. We’re all okay.”
And even saying that out loud, she couldn’t help but grin, turn towards Han, and throw her arms around him. Han seemed almost surprised, before returning the hug. All around her, she could see the others laughing if only in relief, hugging the other, and she grinned. They’d made it. They’d all made it.
“Oh thank the maker.” Threepio’s voice sounded so very relieved in that moment that Mara could swear she felt something wet prickling her eyes.
“Mara.” Owen’s voice. “Thank goodness that you’re okay. I…” He took a deep breath. “I thought that I lost you.”
“I’m here,” Mara said. “I’m all right. Just trust me on this.” She took a deep breath. “Did you run into any trouble…coming down here?”
“We did.” Elizabeth Nerus this time. “But Threepio…he was excellent. He actually managed to con his way past a bunch of stormtroopers.”
“There’s really no need to praise me, Mistress Elizabeth…” Threepio said.
“Oh, come on,” Elizabeth said. “You were amazing.”
Silence.
“Mistress – I never – I never thought – ’’ Threepio seemed, truly, at a loss for words.
Mara smiled. “Threepio,” she said, “You’ve done great. Artoo also. We just have one last favor to ask you. Can you open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number…” She tilted her head if only to read it slightly better. “Three-two-six-eight-two-seven? Yeah, can you open the pressure maintenance hatch on unit number 326827?”
“Gladly, ma’am.”
Moments later, the pressure maintenance hatch was opened. Mara brushed her hair away from her eyes. “Threepio, Artoo,” she said, “You’re amazing.”
“There’s really no need to thank us, Mistress Mara. We’re just doing our jobs.”
“You might be,” Mara said, even as they climbed out of the chute, “But you’re doing them beautifully.”
***
She was here. Terminus could feel it, so very keenly, in the Force. The same, bright sort of presence that he had felt on Tatooine. His daughter’s presence. And the presence of others as well – the crew of the Tantive IV, Ben and Leia Organa, and so many others. People who, more than anything, needed to be stopped, if only for the good of the galaxy.
Long ago, he would have said for the good of the Empire. But even “the good of the Empire” didn’t seem to be right anymore. If he could only find a way to find Mara…
He had found her. She was already coming out of the garbage chute. He supposed that he had to give her some credit if only for that act of cleverness. He almost didn’t expect it of her. Then again, her mother had always been clever. He supposed that was one of many traits that he was glad that she had inherited from her mother. Clever, kind, gentle Sabe…
Even thinking about it was enough to hurt all over again. He had lost so much in the Clone Wars, and before it, and after it. It felt almost as if the Clone Wars themselves were a wound that had made its way through his life, taking everything away from him. Taking away Qui-Gon, for example, taking away Jedi that he had sparred with and joked with and laughed with and bickered with and confided in at so many times. Taking away Ahsoka, and Padme, and Sabe, and so many others. His daughter, most of all. What a life they could haveknown if not for the Clone Wars.
Before Sabe, he had never thought that he would leave the Jedi Order. If one had asked his younger self if he ever intended on leaving the Jedi Order, he would have thought it to be ludicrous. The Jedi Order was his life, the Jedi Order was his home, the Jedi Order was his family. It was the only family, at least before Sabe and Mara, that he had ever truly known.
So many things, taken from him. And it hadn’t stopped there. He’d had to kill so many of his friends, people that he had once fought alongside in the Clone Wars. He had thought that turning against Mace Windu when the latter tried to assassinate the Chancellor was the worst he could do. He had thought that turning against the Order itself, killing almost all of them including the younglings, was the worst that he could do. But the process of killing the Jedi who had escaped, as well as the matter of Vader turning on him…
He had lost too many people he had cared about. Now, he thought – now was the time to make it all right. It was meant to be made right. He had done so much wrong in his lifetime, in his career as a Jedi as well as his career as a Sith, that at the very least, if he could make it all right –
She was there. Coming up the hallway, talking with the others. The smuggler, Han Solo – one of many people who were enemies of the Empire – arguing with her about where to go now, and her trying to tell him, at the very least, no matter what happened, to just do what she said. If Terminus could smile underneath his helmet, he would. Because if nothing else, she sounded so much like him, back when he had fought in the Clone Wars. She wasn’t so different from him, really. And something about that, even in spite of it all, managed to send a feeling of warmth through Terminus’ chest that he almost wasn’t expecting.
It was then that she paused. He was still in the shadows, watching her, observing her and the others.
“What is it?” Leia, this time.
“I don’t know about you guys,” Mara said, “But I have a very bad feeling about this.”
“We’ve just gotten out of the garbage chute,” Ben said. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
“I don’t know,” Mara said. “I think it’s best that you be on your guard, really. All of you.”
Terminus watched even as they approached. There was something about them, he thought, that almost reminded him of back when he fought in the Clone Wars as well – the friendships that he had made along the way, even those with people that one wouldn’t really, truly expect to become friends with. If there was one thing about the Clone Wars that wasn’t terrible, it was the friendships and the alliances that one made along the way. Watching others grow stronger as well, becoming more than you could have ever imagined them of being capable of, and knowing, in some cases, that you helped them. He still remembered the matter of the Onderon mission, trying to free Onderon from the Separatists’ clutches, and training Steela and the others. Steela had died, and for all the grief it had caused them all, for all the fact that she didn’t need to die, if there was any sort of solace in any of this it was the fact that, simply, she had died with honor. She had died bravely, and without fear. She had died doing the right thing. And that was the best consolation that he had had – although as the needless deaths continued, the deaths that didn’t need to happen, the deaths that were cruel and needless and so very, for all Obi-Wan had tried to avoid thinking that word or using that word considering how un-Jedi-like it truly was, unfair, even that consolation had worn thin. All those deaths and all those nightmares. At the very least, he could not walk the white current and undo everything that had happened, but he could at least begin to make things right again. Make sure that this didn’t happen again.
And Mara, he thought, was definitely a good place to start with that.
It was in that moment that he emerged from the shadows. Mara looked up at him now, a sort of fear in her eyes though she quickly steeled herself, drew her lightsaber. Han now shot at him, as did Leia Organa and the others, but Terminus managed to at least deflect those blaster bolts with ease. He then reached through the Force, snatching each of them from their hands. He then turned back to Mara, who looked up at him with a sort of determination that was so very Sabe that even though they were in a currently less-than-desirable position (and that was putting it mildly. He never wanted this to happen, any of this) he couldn’t help but feel a certain sort of warmth spreading through him again.
My dear girl. Our beautiful daughter. Determined to the last.
“Hello, Mara,” he said.
