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The Taming of the Jedi	By : DMSandArica Category: Star Wars (All) > General Views: 35807 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-The Taming of the Jedi
- 2-Part 2
- 3-Part 3
- 4-Part 4
- 5-Part 5
- 6-Part 6
- 7-Part 7
- 8-Part 8
- 9-Part 9
- 10-Part 10
- 11-Part 11
- 12-Part 12
- 13-Part 13
- 14-Part 14
- 15-Part 15
- 16-Part 16
- 14
- 15
- 16
Thank you so much for the feedback!� I think teh!muse may have finally recovered enough from recent
traumatic events in the EU to write again.�
;)

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Part 15

The announcement of the Emperor�s death came exactly one
week after Luke�s departure from the Death Star. His friends and colleagues
stood transfixed in front of holoscreens in almost
every quarter of the Rebel base. No details of the sovereign�s death were given
and speculation and rumors ran rampant among the frenzied press.

Luke stood in the command center conference room with Leia, General Carlist Rieekan and Commander Wedge Antilles as holonews
reporters repeated the headlines over and over:

Emperor Palpatine Dead!

An Empire Mourns

Tragedy on the Death Star

Wedge was the first to speak. �It�s a trick. Has to be,�
he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Luke glanced sideways at his friend, but said nothing. For
her part, Leia was flipping through every known
channel, Imperial and illegal Independent, and the news was the same
everywhere.

�Word on the street is that we did it,� said a
voice from the back of the room and all eyes turned to see Han Solo depositing
his travel bag inside the doorway. Sauntering into the room, Han greeted Leia with a crooked grin that she returned with a warm
smile of familiarity. Luke blinked, looking away and then back at them again.

Wedge, oblivious or uninterested, crossed his arms over
his chest and commented to no one in particular, �I still say it�s a trick.�

Luke cleared his throat, glancing around the room. �It�s
not a trick,� he said, pausing until he had everyone�s attention. �The Emperor
is dead.�

�How do you know?� Rieekan asked
quickly. A former commander of covert operations, the General had earned a
position of respect in the Alliance
with his ability to analyze and act to preserve the safety of his subordinates.
As such, Luke hoped to gain his support in the upcoming negotiations and faced
the older man squarely.

�I was there,� Luke answered. �I saw him die.�

Wedge, Han and Leia all turned
to him in unison with expressions wavering between shock and disbelief.

Stepping forward hesitantly, Leia
clasped his arm with a gentle but firm hand, her face darkening as she asked,
�Did you kill him?�

Luke shook his head. �No.�

�How did he die?� she pressed.

�I can�t say exactly how yet,� he answered
hesitantly, unsure if the truth would hurt or help Mara in her bid for a truce.
�I didn�t kill him,� Luke repeated when Leia frowned
skeptically. �But I did not prevent his death either.�

Han�s irreverent snort eventually broke the awkward
silence that followed. �Guess word on the street isn�t pure Hutt
grease this time.�

* * *

That night, Luke had finally drifted into a restless sleep
when he was awakened by the sound of pounding on his door. Pulling on his robe,
Luke opened the door to find Leia standing there,
eyes blazing.

�What�s wrong -?�

Leia
pushed past him, slapped on the holonet, and keyed
for the replay function on the first news channel she found.

�We�ll start with this.� She gestured pointedly toward the
screen.

Luke followed her finger and was startled to see holonews cameras focused on the statuesque form of Lady
Jade. Dressed conservatively in black with her hair pulled back tightly from
her face, she was standing behind a podium surrounded by advisors, most of whom
he recognized from the conference on the Avarice.

Mara was already speaking, her voice composed, confident
and controlled:

�Citizens of the Empire. It is with the gravest of
sincerity that I confirm, undeniably, the death of his Excellency, Emperor Palpatine. I regret that I cannot divulge his cause of
death as it is still under investigation at this time.� She paused during the
murmurs that followed, waiting patiently to continue. �As the Emperor�s
second-in-command, I have assembled his advisors to assist me in maintaining
order in the Empire and to aid us, its citizens, during this time of
transition.�

Leia
stopped the replay and turned to him, her hands planted firmly on her hips. �Transition. The leadership council believes that she
is plotting the destruction of the Alliance .
What do you think?�

�I -� Luke stammered. �I don�t -�

�Lady Jade appears exceptionally calm about her Emperor�s
death, doesn�t she?� Leia continued, her voice rising
in agitation. �In fact, maybe she killed the Emperor herself. Any
thoughts on that?�

�Leia,� he started, taking her
hand gently. �Please calm down.�

Jerking her hand away, she reached into her pocket and
pulled out a datapad and slammed it onto the table. �Or how about this. Maybe we should start here
instead.�

Leia
switched the datapad on and Luke�s skin turned cold
as his own voice emanated from the audio port, replaying the conversations he�d
had with Mara since his return.

�What the hell is that?� Luke blurted out.

�One of our security techs brought to my attention the
fact that you�ve been routinely patching into Imperial channels.�

�You�ve been spying on me?� Outrage burned in his
gut as he stared at her disbelief.

�I had to promise to monitor your transmissions personally
or this data would have been turned over to the entire council.� Leia�s face was contorted with anger and grief as she
continued, blinking back tears. �What was I supposed to do? You could have
jeopardized the security of the entire base! What if the Imperials traced
your transmissions and found our location?�

He was about to explain that he had only contacted Mara
and people he trusted, when he noticed that the voices from the datapad � his and Mara�s voices - were now speaking in the
hushed tones of intimate dialogue.

Staggering backwards, Luke sank down into the closest
lounger. His cheeks burned crimson as the audioplayer
revealed and betrayed his true relationship with Mara. Shakily, he reached over
and slapped the player off, burying his head in his hands.

�Has anyone else heard that?� he mumbled into his palms.

�No.� Leia�s voice was hoarse,
trembling with emotion. �How could you, Luke? You joined her. You helped her kill the Emperor.� He lifted his head
slowly and the tears she had been fighting to hold back streamed down her
cheeks now. �What�s happened to you?�

The room tilted when he gazed into her horrified eyes. How
had he come to this? To have reached a place where his own sister
thought she had betrayed her and all of his friends. Rubbing his face briskly,
he stood and faced her. �Please�sit down,� he implored, holding out his hand as
he stretched out in the Force as well. �I can explain everything.�

* * *

For what felt like hours, Luke divulged all he could about
his alliance with Mara, omitting certain private inconsequential details. Leia had listened without interrupting and rose now to join
him on his lounger. Taking one of his hands into both of hers, she stroked it
carefully, studying his fingers with an awkward intensity.

�Luke,� she started quietly, lifting her eyes to meet his.
�I think you need to see Doctor Shiradi.�

�The psychiatrist?� He frowned, confused. �I�m not crazy, Leia.�

�I know that,� she answered quickly. �But I just think
that you�ve been through a very stressful ordeal and that you might,� she
paused, taking a breath, �benefit from talking to a professional.�

�I don�t need a doctor,� Luke protested. �I�m fine.�

She nodded, patting his hand a little harder. �I believe
you. I do.� Yet she looked at him with that expression of hers that meant she
had made up her mind and would not be swayed. �But it was mistake to expect you
to come back to work so soon. You need to rest. And I think you might make some
different decisions once you�ve had some time to recover and talk to the
doctor.�

��Different decisions�?� Luke sat back, shaking his head incredulously. �You think I�ve
been brainwashed?�

�No, Luke -�

�That�s it, isn�t it?� He stood abruptly, pacing to the
opposite side of the room. �You think Mara coerced me into this. That I�m not
in my right mind.� Luke rounded on her. �I can assure you -�

�You had an affair with a Sith!� Leia
had jumped to her feet and now confronted him head-on. �You�re a Jedi, Luke!
And I may not know much about the Force, but you sleeping with the Emperor�s
apprentice cannot be�� she flicked her fingers through the air, searching for a
word. �Well, it can�t be normal!�

Holding out his hands in a placating gesture, Luke
answered calmly, �She�s not like that. She�s nothing like the Emperor.�

�What do you mean? So, she�s a good Sith?�

�I�m not sure she�s completely a Sith
at all.�

Leia
stared at him, stunned. �Listen to yourself, Luke.�

Waving away her concern, he continued earnestly, �Wait
until you meet her, Leia. You�ll see for yourself.
She wants peace and we can do it. I know we can. You have to trust me on
this.�

Leia
did not answer, but turned her back to him, staring at the image of Lady Jade
still frozen on the holoscreen. He could feel the
tangle of emotions swirling within her and she moved jerkily toward the door,
rubbing her forehead. The conflict within her finally settled and she turned to
him with saddened resolve.

�It�s time for your annual evaluation anyway. And I can
have General Rieekan relieve you of your duties until
you have been cleared by Doctor Shiradi. Don�t make
me do that, Luke.�

Tiredly, she palmed the door open and left.

* * *

Three days later, Luke was sitting alone in a private room
in the medical ward when Leia swept in bearing a flimsi report and a broad smile. �Good news. Doctor Shiradi has declared you perfectly sound of mind and body
and finds no reason that you cannot return to normal duties.�

Luke dipped his head in concession. The doctor had already
given him the report, but he�d felt obligated to wait for Leia�s
blessing before leaving the medical ward. There was one other chair in the room
and she took it, furrowing her eyebrows as she regarded him thoughtfully.

�You were serious about being a liaison with the Empire
and setting up peace negotiations, weren�t you?� she asked.

�Yes,� he answered simply.

Folding her hands, Leia studied
the top of her boot. �I�ve spoken with General Rieekan
and Mon Mothma and they are willing to explore the
option of a meeting between the two parties. Can you arrange it?�

Luke couldn�t help but smile in relief. �I�ll comm Mar � Lady Jade � and start working on it
tonight.� He dared not let his thoughts dwell on how much he missed her or how
desperately he looked forward to seeing her again for fear that his body might
betray his longing in a most undignified fashion.

�Good,� Leia answered
conservatively while fingering the edge of the flimsi
report. �Can I ask you one more question?�

�Of course.�

She seemed to withdraw into herself, as if building up
courage before continuing. �Part of the report from Doctor Shiradi
references physical traces of what could have been restraining devices on your
wrists and ankles.�

Her brown eyes shining wide with affection and potential
pain, she asked quietly, �Did she torture you?�

�No!� he answered immediately. Sliding from his chair,
Luke knelt in front of her, holding her arms tenderly. �No, of
course not.�

Leaning forward, she touched his cheek and he felt her
fingertips tremble in spite of her seemingly calm exterior. �Good,� she said
again, lingering for a moment longer before drawing herself upright with hasty
composure. �Then meet Han and me at the upper level tapcaf
tonight and we�ll have a drink.�

A quick embrace and she was gone, leaving Luke to wonder
if there was something else in that report that had set her on edge. He
hadn�t realized that the doctor had noted physical traces of anything.
Luke fingered the cuff of his left sleeve. Could Shiradi
have possibly seen something else?

Edging his sleeve upward, Luke turned his wrist over in
the harsh light. There were fine scars there, but the lines were so thin and
faded that the doctor must have had some type of enhanced vision to have seen
them.

His days of being shackled to Lady Jade�s wall were so far
removed from his thoughts now that he might have believed them to be only a
dream had it not been for the faint evidence still embedded in his skin.

Did she torture you?

He pulled his sleeve down, fastening the cuff.

Had there been pain?

Picking up his jacket, he headed for the door.

There might have been pain. But
he could only remember pleasure.

(to be continued�)
- 14
- 15
- 16
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The Taming of the Jedi