In Shadows and Darkness

Chapter 30

Mara arrived for her shift as normal almost an hour later. Luke had returned to his three private rooms, Mara crossing the dark, empty dining room to enter the lofty drawing room where Luke and Reece were talking. Reece glanced up, automemo in hand, from his seat opposite Luke in the drawing room, his back to the bedroom. He held her eye for just a moment in acknowledgement, then turned back to Luke. "... which require your attention, though they can wait until your return if you'd prefer?"

Luke too turned about to glance briefly over to Mara as she entered, then turned back to Reece, "No, put the documents on my 'reader, I'll deal with them on the flight over then transmit them back to you. I need to get moving as soon as possible."

Reece nodded, marking his own notes as such. "If so they can be in place by the time you return; it should only take three days to have all the reassignment details operative. Core-Fleet personnel will be assembled onboard the Patriot to be transferred to Project Redress when it next returns. Rim-Fleet personnel will board at Sullust."

"Good."

"Also Flight Con contacted your office. Your shuttle and escorts are prepped as per your request; they requested a departure time- at your convenience."

"Did you contact Lord Vader's Aide?"

Luke knew he had to be in Mosiin Province, two hour's south, by midday on another minor errand for the Emperor which any number of people here could have attended to, but it was also an opportunity for him to pick up a little new technology; Ghent, Karrde's prodigy slicer, was waiting there to load a new cipher code onto Luke's automemo, ready to download into various systems, downlinks, uplinks and comlinks in his offices here on Coruscant.

Aware that his existing ciphers must be the sole interest of a good many slicers under many masters, not just the Emperor, Luke had long held the habit of employing several codes, both official and unofficial, replacing them at random intervals rather than when he felt his security may be compromised- one thing his stint with the Rebels had taught him was that if you even suspected it, then it was probably too late.

But he also wanted to discuss the Force-disturbance with his father before he left. Luke was due to remain at Mosiin only three days, though something at the back of his mind told him even that would be far too late. Again Luke tried to see what had caused the rift...but the knowledge twisted and collapsed in on itself, looping back in a continuous twist of cause and effect, its consequences stretching as far into the future as he could see, yet right now it was still so small as to be insignificant, so mundane as to be easily overlooked; forgotten... he could so nearly see it... almost touch it. The fingers of his left hand closed involuntarily, aware that it was right there in front of him, almost close enough to touch!

Luke opened his eyes, staring without seeing at Reece sat directly before him, his back to the wall, his expression anxious and apprehensive.

He dragged his mind back to the moment; to what he needed to achieve here and now. Vader was in the Tingarn Imperial Barracks less than two hours away to the North, but Luke couldn't be seen to hold off going to Mosiin Province to speak with him, and anyway, he wanted to be away from the Palace as quickly as possible, knowing that the longer he remained the more likely it was that Palpatine would call for him to discuss the strange disturbance, and somehow he felt deeply unwilling to do so.

It occurred to him that if Vader made some excuse to remain at Tingarn Barracks overnight then Luke could fly to Mosiin as ordered and slip away around midnight after he had supposedly retired. If he took an Interat-TIE, he could effortlessly reduce the four-hour journey to less than three, enabling them to speak in far more safety than they ever could here in the Palace, and still be back by dawn...

There was only one flaw in that plan; Mara. It was she and not Reece who was assigned to accompany him to Mosiin. If Luke tried to slip away under cover of night then one way or another she would know.

Wez was looking expectantly at him, and Luke blinked; "Say that again?"

"I said, Lord Vader's offices informed me he is scheduled to return to the Palace tonight." Reece repeated, already aware that Luke needed to speak to his father urgently and this would necessitate an editing of plans, so he was braced for a tense day.

"Fine. In that case we'll set off now." Luke turned to Mara, "Are you ready to go?"

She blinked, surprised, "Right now?"

He merely looked at her and, realising she should correct her tone this publicly, Mara stood quickly; "Yes- I'll just need to return to my apartments..."

"Do it now." Luke glanced to Reece as he rose, "Inform Flight that we'll depart immediately."

The moment Mara had left Luke turned back to Reece. "Contact Lord Vader on a secure channel; tell him to find a reason to stay at Tingarn Barracks tonight; I'll meet him there. He needs to arrange for clearance for an Interat-TIE with a non-military ID to land and give me the permission code- I'll fly in alone around three hours after midnight. When you get the code, transmit it to me in with a few documents- anything will do. Also tell him I'll bring the key to a new cipher code which'll be in effect from midnight tomorrow."

Reece nodded committing this to memory- there were some things one never wrote down. "What will you do about Jade?"

Luke pursed his lips, "I don't know yet, I could do with leaving her here but that's impossible. I'll think of something- I have 'till nightfall."

Reece considered; "Perhaps it would be better for Lord Vader to return to the Palace tonight then..."

"NO!" Luke interrupted, more forcibly than he had intended... why? He calmed, aware that his chest and shoulders had tensed. "No- tell him to stay at the Barracks... it's important."

Reece nodded but, seeing Luke's eyes turn to the door, his question was left unsaid.

It was Hallin rather than Mara who walked in, as Reece had expected, performing his customary neat bow before looking up, glancing from man to man, as yet unaware of the morning's events. "What- have I missed something?"

.

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Within the hour Luke was heading down from the West Tower to the restricted landing platform set to the rear of the Main Palace roof where his unit was waiting to launch, having contacted the Emperor's office and received permission to depart, Mara and a small contingent with him.

He'd contacted the Emperor's Offices rather than the Emperor himself by comm as early as possible that morning, hoping that his permissions would be pre-approved. Since the trip was on the Emperor's command, he'd gambled that all authorizations were already in place, and sure enough the relevant permissions had been transmitted and now he had every intention of leaving before his Master changed his mind.

It occurred to Luke belatedly to wonder whether Reece would check that there was a squadron from the 701st in his escort- without them his chance of getting a TIE off base without it being queried at Mosiin Barracks was slim. The 701st answered only to Luke, so provided he supplied advance clearance, their movements and more importantly, pilot ID's wouldn't be queried by the Commanding Officer there. Plus their fighters had the necessary stealth equipment onboard to ensure a covert flight beneath general radar, provided he didn't fly too close to the Palace.

He frowned, not breaking pace; he could ask Reece to check that his escort was 701st on an open comlink without raising suspicion, and Reece would undoubtedly realise the rest. Turning to Mara at his side, he held out his hand, "Comlink please?"

Mara nodded, hand going to her belt, used to Luke using her or anybody else's comlink if they were close- he never carried his own...

Luke turned round sharply, sensing Mara's panic as she fumbled at her belt-

"What?"

Mara moved a half-step closer so that she couldn't be overheard, heart fluttering against her chest; "I left it in your apartment."

"Where?" Did he really need to ask?

"It must have been when I left in a hurry." It was an excuse she knew, and she was better than that- she shouldn't need one and even if she did she certainly shouldn't voice it.

Luke walked on for several steps, silently cursing. It would be easy to reassure himself that no-one would see it in the bedroom of his private quarters, but there were any number of Palace servants who entered there legitimately and despite their being in his own personal house staff, not all of them could be trusted- some quite the opposite.

It would be all too easy to convince himself that they would naturally assume it his, but everyone knew he never carried one, his own choice in an effort to make himself a little harder to track or spy on. He briefly considered contacting Hallin or Reece via another comlink, both of whom were still in his apartments waiting to carry out his orders, but to do so would simply reinforce their opinions as to the recklessness of the risks he took. Which left one choice;

"Go and get it. Quickly."

She turned and set off through the Palace at as near to a run as she dare, aware of how damning it could be if found- to both of them.

Instead of taking the main entrance to Skywalker's apartments, Mara stopped three storeys below at the level providing standard quarters as well as kitchens and house service facilities for servants who staffed the sprawling Perlemian Apartments- Luke's apartments. Two storeys above and below his apartment had always been closed off, crammed with fortification and reinforcements originally designed to hold the Emperor's Jedi, and surveillance intended to confirm and ensure his obedience once Palpatine had gained him.

To one side of the large, heavily-staffed kitchens was a direct access which had since been cut through the security measures- an access staircase and automated dumb-waiter which led directly up into the Grand Hall and the State Dining Hall beyond... but there was also a second, concealed entrance hidden behind a blank at the end of a little-used corridor in the refrigerated stores- The Reserve.

It was this unmonitored covert entrance which Mara used, intending to keep her return below the radar, coming out in the walk-in store in the Music Room of Luke's apartment. From here she slipped through the West Drawing Room, skipping quickly across the main corridor and into the massive, opulent but little-used Stateroom, coming out into the corridor which led to Luke's private rooms.

It was the route with least surveillance, though in truth it wasn't particularly the lenses Mara wished to avoid- she had every right to be in Luke's apartments and could easily have been picking up anything for him, particularly since the last three rooms she would enter had all surveillance routinely nullified by Luke to ensure his own privacy. But the fact was she didn't want to be caught by Reece, Skywalker's other 'watcher', the eyes and ears of Palpatine in Luke's private rooms- and the reason why the Emperor was confident enough to allow Luke the occasional dissent in disconnecting security lenses.

Nor did she want to face Hallin particularly, whom she knew would just take the opportunity to get high and mighty with her, particularly if he found out why she was here.

But it seemed she'd made it without encountering anybody, staff and security routinely moving to the entrance to the apartment - either to the Staff Wing or to the Guard's Rooms - when Luke wasn't in residence. She was halfway down the last hallway, congratulating herself at having made it so easily, when the door to Luke's private rooms began to open-

Glancing to her left, Mara slipped quickly through the door there and into Luke's office, the only other room which had nullified surveillance, hoping to avoid whoever it was, thinking she recognised Reece's voice as she did so.

She backed across the large office, suddenly fearing he would use this common short-cut to the Staff Wing-

Her eyes were drawn momentarily to the bulk of the massive desk and she took three steps toward it, intending to hide beneath, before changing her mind at the last moment and heading for the second exit opposite the one she had entered. She was halfway there when the door release sounded behind her-

Knowing she wouldn't get out and manage to close the automatic door in time, she ducked into the small fresher close to her, this door opened by hand. She'd made the right decision, because she barely had time to pull it closed, carefully holding the handle to silence the latch sliding home, before whoever it was entered the room, their voice muffled but audible.

"...wish he wouldn't. It's an unnecessary risk, to go so far out of his way. It'll mean he's gone around seven hours- that's a hell of a long time for something to go wrong."

It was Reece's voice; Mara listened in silence, ear to the door, willing him to walk straight through the office and out again at the other exit.

"He must feel it's important enough to warrant it. You know he wouldn't take the risk otherwise."

Hallin's voice- he must be with Reece; Mara heaved a silent sigh of relief at having avoided them both.

"And in a fighter!" Reece continued, unmollified, "He needs to get a ship out of Mosiin Barracks, fly it dangerously close to Palace surveillance and get it into Tingarn Barracks where his father is, all under the radar."

'His father... at Tingarn Barracks'- they were talking about Luke!

"I thought Interat-TIE had a low..." Hallin hesitated, instantly out of his depth, "Radar... silhouette or something?"

"Radar profile, and they do, but the stormtroopers in both Barracks have eyes in their heads- and ears. It doesn't matter how radar-reflective the I-TIE is or how many release orders he issues at Mosiin, he's still got to land it at Tingarn."

Mara frowned now, her curiosity peaked. If Luke was intending to go to Tingarn Barracks then it was clearly without the Emperor's permission...

"Which reminds me- I should probably check that it's one of the Echo flights from the 701st who accompany The Heir to Mosiin- theirs are the only fighters which have been modified to have their call-signs adaptable. He can't very well broadcast a 701st military ID heading into Tingarn."

They hadn't moved from the office, but now Mara's original reason for hiding was forgotten in this rush of information-

"Oh!" Hallin said quickly, as if remembering, "He told me to tell you that if it was fast enough, he'd take Karrde's slicer's ship instead- it'll be somewhere very close to Mosiin Barracks when he gets there, he said, because the slicer's dropping off a code or something... did I not mention this? He said to still get an Interat-TIE prepped though, in case it's not."

"Where was I when this little chat was going on?"

"You were on the comm and Jade had come back into the room- he only had a moment; he whispered it to me."

"Is there anything else, before I go and arrange a meeting The Heir's already changed his mind about?"

Mara felt her head buzz as the implications of all this suddenly sank in; Reece knew already... he knew. The only way he could know all this was working for Luke... he was working for Luke!

Her mind went again to the Emperor's decision to appoint Reece as Skywalker's Aide, recruited by Pestage on Palpatine's order; he'd maintained that Reece's usefulness was in his capacity to unknowingly blunt his thoughts; nothing intentional or preconceived, he simply had what Palpatine referred to as a 'quiet mind'. It was this which had earned him his coveted position as Luke's Aide; the fact that his status as Palpatine's agent wouldn't be detected. And sure enough, Luke seemed not to have realised, eventually accepting Reece after a long, wary period of distrust...

Only it wasn't acceptance at all, Mara realised- it was recruitment; Reece had spent so long in Skywalker's company and Luke always took such care to remain for the most part out of surveillance, even here.

He'd had all that time- years- to unravel Reece. And who would know? Reece was deep cover, reporting to Pestage and intentionally given no direct contact with Palpatine. At a distance that naturally 'quiet mind' had clearly bought Reece immunity from the Emperor's scrutiny.

Had Skywalker know this- was that why he'd recruited him?

A stray thought came to mind, of long ago - the very first night that she'd secretly stayed in Luke's apartments in the Palace - the following morning when Hallin had come racing into the bedroom with a warning that Amedda was on his way there; she'd realised then just how trusted Hallin was, that he already knew about Luke and Mara's affair... but Luke had mentioned someone else too- had told Hallin to arrange for Wez to help hide Mara's presence there.

At the time, in the panic of the moment, it had slipped past simply because Luke had referred to Reece by his first name; Wez. He never normally did so in front of her; it must have been a slip under pressure. Now, she wanted to slap her forehead in frustration.

Why hadn't she spotted it?!

Luke could feed Palpatine anything- any information at all under the guise of reliable information diligently logged and reported to Pestage by Reece, always third-party because he was a trusted, deep-cover agent; no direct contact which may have compromised his cover.

Now, Mara realised just much freedom Luke really had; aside from herself, Reece had been the other constant undercover source which Palpatine had relied on to know Luke's movements when he was beyond automated surveillance... and here he was helping Luke sneak out under the Emperor's nose - in the Capital no less - to see his father!

His father! Mara hitched in a breath at that, her hand raising to cover her open mouth in disbelief; because this clearly wasn't some incredible, one-off event- this was routine. Luke had been holding secret meetings with Vader... the two people whom Palpatine absolutely would not allow any amity between had been meeting in secret for how long? Years, possibly-

Reece was speaking again, Mara barely hearing the first few words; "...immediately- command protocol; group three-nine-nine-six."

"Acknowledged; wait." The voice was unidentifiable, filtered as it was through a comlink. Mara waited in silence, part of her not wishing to know more, uncertain now what she should do.

How could Luke do this- to her, to Palpatine. How could he jeopardise everything he had built here for... for what? She wasn't even-

"Commander Reece." Vader's bass tones were unmistakable, even on a comlink.

"Lord Vader- you are in a secure location?"

"Yes."

"I'm charged to pass on a message from The Heir, my Lord; he asks that you remain at Tingarn Barracks tonight. He will make his way..."

"I am scheduled to return to the Palace- to remain would be problematic."

"I appreciate that, my Lord, but The Heir was insistent that this was imperative. He wishes to speak to you in person about the morning's... event. I believe he feels it to be time-sensitive."

"Where is he now?"

"On his way to Mosiin Barracks. He intends to fly from there to Tingarn tonight using- "

"Out of the question. The risks are too great."

There was a world-weary tone to Reece's voice now, as if this was far too regular-an occurrence in his own opinion as well as Vader's, "Indeed, my Lord; however, he would not be dissuaded."

Somewhere in the back of her head, the professional agent in Mara silently noted the familiarity to the exchange, the sense of prolonged association which indicated a long-standing situation.

"............ Very well. I will remain at Tingarn. Inform him to contact me on a secure channel when he departs Mosiin and again when he nears Tingarn Barracks. I will arrange for a secure landing site outside the Barracks and meet him there."

"Thank you Lord Vader; I'll inform The Heir shortly."

There was the slightest pip as the channel closed, then a moment's silence, Mara still hidden bundled against the door in shock, her hand to her mouth.

"I need to find out which 701st unit is accompanying The Heirwhich units are accompanying The Heir." Reece's voice grew nearer as he approached the office door, "If I need to tag on one of the Echo flights I need to do it now before it looks inappropriate."

"Wouldn't it be better to do it from here?" Hallin's voice too grew closer.

"No, if I do it, it needs to be through official channels- I need to be in the Staff Wing for that."

The exit door slid open, Reece's voice cut off as it slid noiselessly closed behind him.

Mara stood for a long time in the dark of the tiny room, bewildered, wounded and outraged in the same moment, thoughts buzzing, hands shaking against the adrenaline of conflicting emotions and loyalties...

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.

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Waiting on the wide expanse of the black-tiled landing platform, hair whipped about by the high wind on top of the Main Palace, Luke gazed dispassionately out over the distant, haze-obscured spires of the city, thoughts still on the impenetrable Force disturbance that morning.

He glanced easily over to the distant guards just visible at the Tower entrances, all blue-clothed Palace Guards here on the open roof. They stood to smart attention, part-obscured by the utilitarian lines of the Lambda-class shuttle, wings folded up though its engines were active, awaiting Luke's permission to take off. To the far side of the platform, adding their own noise to the boom of the shuttle's engines, were six Interat-TIE's from the 701st, his close escort, though he knew that two squadrons were active and ready to launch from the Palace Barracks below when the shuttle was finally airborne... which would be as soon as Mara returned.

His thoughts went to Reece's question earlier; how would he sneak leaving the Barracks overnight past Mara? What he needed was a reason to keep her busy overnight at the Barracks, away from his empty quarters... or better still, not to have her go- to leave her here somehow.

He frowned, looking again to the flight-ready I-TIE's; if he just left now... No; she'd just get in an I-TIE and follow- and be fuming into the bargain when she landed. Which might not be such a bad thing... an argument might-

Mara practically burst out onto the massive granite landing platform seconds later and he turned to face her as she walked clear of the collonade, knowing instantly that something was very wrong.

She stormed over, eyes ablaze, shouting over the thrum of the engines, so furious that for a few seconds she couldn't string her words together. "What... just... what the hell did you think you were doing!? How long did you think you could get away with it here of all..."

Luke strode quickly out to grab her by the top of her arm, yanking Mara forward with enough force to shock her into momentary silence as he hauled her roughly back over behind the shuttle, where he knew the all-pervasive surveillance wouldn't have a clear line of sight.

She tried to yank free of him, fuming, but he kept a tight hold as he spun her about to face him, his tone low and quiet and very serious.

"You'd better get a grip right now because you don't want me to shut you up."

His tone gave her a split-second's pause but she wouldn't back down, head shaking. "You've crossed the line. I know all about your little clique- about Reece and Hallin... and Vader. I know you're going to see Vader tonight.

Luke remained silent for long seconds, eyes locked on hers, jaw clenched, thoughts buzzing-

When he finally spoke his voice was muted; hard and resigned in the same moment. "Well congratulations Mara- welcome to my life... have you told him yet?"

She knew exactly who Luke meant; "No I haven't told him! Stars, he'll rip you to pieces, you realise that!?"

Luke set his head on one side, tone sarcastic, "No, that hadn't occurred."

"Don't- don't even start..."

"Don't what? What the hell am I supposed to do Mara- you tell me? I can't stay like this forever; I can't keep doing whatever he orders... I won't."

"He gave you one inflexible order- would it have been so hard to keep?"

Momentary confusion shadowed Luke's eyes and thoughts alike as he ran quickly back over her words in his mind- 'I know about Reece and Hallin... I know you're going to see Vader tonight.'

That was it! That was what she knew- all she knew! He'd thought she'd uncovered the insurrection when all she knew was that he secretly met with his father, and Reece and Hallin were aware of it.

The momentary burst of relief evaporated in a second at the realisation; she may not think him capable of more - didn't want to think it - but if she told Palpatine even this much...

He'd know... he'd know what Luke was doing. Or rather he'd suspect and for Palpatine that would be enough. He wouldn't care if it was true, or why.

Mara tried again to twist free but he held on to her, aware that even though they were hidden from the security lenses, the noise of the multiple engines drowning out their voices, he was still in deep trouble. He had to calm her down- talk her down.

Should he lie? It would be so much easier- she'd want to believe him; she always had.

As if hearing his thoughts she bit out, still livid, "You lied to me."

And he had, so many times. It had been so easy... and he knew why; "You lied to yourself Mara. I only let you."

She stilled, fiery temper shocked into momentary consideration and he shook his head, tone softening. Could he trust her? Should he? The Force was like a wind at his back, pushing him on...

So why did he hesitate?

Do it...

"You keep on telling me you want me to trust you, you want me to let you in... well now you're in."

"This isn't what I meant."

"No." he said, "You wanted a convenient, comfortable trouble-free truth. You wanted your truth, your way. But it's not mine and it never was - I never made any secret of that Mara. You want me - you want me to trust you? You want to step forward through that barrier? Well this is it, Mara... it's now or never."

"Is that an ultimatum?"

"No, it's just a fact. You always knew it would come to this- that one day you'd have to decide between him and me."

"Don't Luke; I won't be held to ransom by anyone - not even you."

"I'm not trying to force your hand Mara. I would have left this forever, you know that. I would never have asked ..."

"You'd have kept me in the dark! Kept lying to me!"

"Protected you..."

"Copishit!"

".. from ever having to be in this position." Luke said, his voice hardening now. "Don't play the injured innocent Mara- it doesn't suit you. We both knew we were playing with fire..."

"Me!? I've done nothing wrong!"

"No? Where were you last night?" he asked, pulling no punches, "How close have we been this last year? You saw the signs, Mara, you must have, you just chose not to read them. Your loyalties have been divided for a long time - you started this, not me. You've been holding me to ransom since I first met you... I've lived with your double standards for a..."

"I have double standards!? You're disobeying a direct order from the Emperor- a fundamental command; No unauthorised contact with Vader- none! He's always made that clear- what you're doing is a premeditated defiance bordering on treason and you know it!"

"Yes I'm disobeying; it's an unreasonable command; he's my father, Mara. What's your excuse, with us?" His words were clipped now, his own fast temper rising to match hers. "You saw something you wanted and whatever the hell irresolute morals you still had just became... what? An inconvenience?"

She twisted free and took a fast step back, and when she swung her arm up it was in a fist.

Luke stepped in quickly and caught her closed fist in his hand, reflexes like quicksilver. For a second she struggled to free herself but he was far stronger than she and merely held her hand until she stopped, her eyes full of fire.

"I won't let you do this Luke- I can't let you. It has to stop, do you understand?"

He shook his head slowly, eyes locked on hers.

"Don't make me stop you, Luke- because I only know of one way to do that, and I don't want to see you hurt."

"That's your decision to make, Mara- either you tell him, or you let this go..... But this is all or nothing, understand that - I won't be held to ransom any more and I'm not gonna have this argument with you again and again." He shook his head, voice very sure, "And I won't go down to that cell again- the only way he'll get me down there is in pieces."

"You know he'll do that. Without a second's hesitation."

"Yes... and so do you. Which makes it your call Mara. Not Palpatine's; yours. Whatever happens, it's on your head - no more easy excuses."

They remained locked in silent battle for long seconds, neither willing to give a fraction of an inch. Finally, Skywalker straightened and took a step back, releasing her, though his eyes never left hers.

"But let's lay all the cards on the table, just so you understand; I'm flying to Mosiin Barracks now as ordered. And if I'm under arrest when I land, you'd better make sure there's a hell of a lot of them waiting because the moment I think you've betrayed me I'm turning around and walking out of there forever... and you'd better tell them all to shoot to kill, because there is nothing they can do short of that which will hold me. Not anymore."

He turned to walk around the shuttle to the nose ramp, back very straight, chin high, completely self-possessed.

"Don't-" Mara said simply. The word, part warning, part appeal, stopped him at the ramp.

"Your choice, Mara." He said without turning, "My fate's in your hands- didn't I always tell you it would be?"

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