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The Fett Dynasty II: Siege of Orri Prime	By : WLTDNFADED Category: Star Wars (All) > General Views: 3810 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- 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
- 17
- 18
NOTE: The piece of music referred to in this chapter is Beethoven�s Seventh Symphony, Second Movement. If you wish, I highly recommend listening to it. It will play an integral part in the story to come.

Ivy
Episode 2

Chapter 11

The Quality of Mercy
Boba Fett was fully aware of the gawks and grunted whispers of the New Republic Pathfinder troops behind him, though his body language belied neither his awareness nor the agonizing injury in his side. He stood, stoic and straight, armored and helmeted, on the library balcony, staring down at the bustle of Republic ground transports, ambulatory vehicles, and medics pushing stretchers of Republic, Orrian, and Imperial wounded into the palace. The Republic medical frigate loomed in the sky near the horizon, with dozens of shuttles carrying medical personnel and supplies zooming back and forth. The palace had been established as a makeshift hospital as well as temporary New Republic headquarters for the campaign. The library became a rest area for Republic troops and pilots, where they chewed and gulped on the various food and drinks laid out for them. Although Fett stood outside and the thirty-some Repub soldiers remained in, he could, thanks to his audio preceptors and the open doors, hear everything they whispered with near perfect clarity:

�So why is he here again?

�Maybe somebody kicked over a rotten log.�

�Wonder how much he cost. Probably demanded one of Solo�s twins as payment.�

�Shyeah, no kidding. Why�d Organa hire him? We could have taken those clowns ourselves!�

�Yeah, and maybe left a few of them alive. Did you see that pile? The guy�s a psycho.�

�Craner, keep it down, he�ll hear you. You wanna end up like them?�

�Wasn�t he one of Vader�s cronies?�

�Hey, Vader�s dead�and so�s his money. Gotta go where the credits are, so he comes crawlin� to the Republic.�

�He�s probably in with Czethros. That�s why he let him get away.�

�Yeah�Boba Shoot-Anyone-In-The-Back-For-A-Credit Fett. Scumbag.�

�Why don�t you guys shut the hell up.�

That statement was not whispered. �Rear optic,� he quietly ordered his helm. The range finder on the side tilted back, and the tiny holo-camera built in it displayed the room across his visor�and zoomed in on Wedge Antilles, seated atop one of the library tables.

�In case you hadn�t noticed when you were THERE,� Wedge sharply continued, �he saved Lady I�Lai and her baby�s lives. If he�d waited around for your rookie asses, that Bothan would have killed them both by the time you guys decided to showed up.�

�Oh yeah, flyboy, he�s a real hero,� the young sergeant named Craner scoffed, wiping his nose. �Didn�t see the Bothan, did ya? Takes a lotta guts to fry someone into charcoal.�

Fett clenched his eyes shut.

�Good thing we got the Lady away from him, or else he probably would have snuffed her too.�

Tycho Celchu stood up. �He said leave it alone, Craner.�

Craner also stood�as did several of his comrades. �Why you throttle jockeys standin� up for him? A year ago he was runnin� with the Empire. Or did you forget what he did to General Solo?�

�Knock it off!� Pilots� and soldiers� heads alike turned to the door, then the assembly snapped to attention when they saw General Rieekan standing in the doorway. He glared his subordinates down for a brief moment before focusing on Sergeant Craner. �Your loyalty to General Solo is admirable, Craner. Now keep it to yourself.�

�Yes, sir.�

Rieekan stepped to the side and let Dr. Him�bron enter the room.

Him�bron strode across the library floor straight to the balcony. Once he had stepped out, Fett requested over his shoulder, �Close the doors.� Him�bron nodded and complied, turning and shutting the glass doors. Only when the doors were closed did Fett show any hint of reaction. �What�s happening?� he asked harshly.

�Kai is fine,� Him�bron reassured him. �Exhausted and a few bruises, but perfectly fine. I don�t believe he should suffer any future trauma because of this.�

�I�Lai?� Fett snapped, grabbing Him�bron�s arm. �What about I�Lai?�

Him�bron regarded the bounty hunter for a moment, taking in a deep breath before saying, �The bite was deep, but not too deep, and she suffered no serious blood loss but�� He paused. �She has a heart murmur she didn�t have before. Her brain scan is completely abnormal, showing dangerously heightened activity in her frontal lobe and�she�s in severe shock.�

Him�bron heard Fett take a long breath. �Will she die?�

�No,� the doctor answered softly, �but she�s not well. She�s sedated and resting now.� He knit his brow. �What happened in that ship?�

�I�don�t know.�

�Why didn�t you come in with her?�

�They wouldn�t let me. Took her and Kai away from me at the docking bay, and held me there at blasterpoint.� A bitter chuckle. �They�re keeping an eye on me. Rieekan wasn�t pleased by what he found in the foyer. Besides, these idiots don�t know about I�Lai and me. I prefer to keep it that way�for her sake.�

Him�bron nodded, and looked off toward the early evening sky. �So�when do I look at that knife wound?�

�It�s fine,� Fett lied.

�Dropping dead won�t do I�Lai or your son any favors, Fett.�

The Mandelorian helm turned away from the doctor toward the low sun. His voice was low. �Won�t it?�

Him�bron was about to royally chastise the bounty hunter when the roar of engines shrieked over their heads. He looked up to see the Millennium Falcon, flanked by Luke Skywalker�s X-wing, clear the roof of the palace, pivot and descend to the great lawn.

�That would be General Calrissian.� Him�bron turned to go. �I better get down there.� He was abruptly stopped by Fett, who grabbed his coat, pulled him to his a side, and threw his arm around his waist.

�Hang on,� Fett grunted as he ignited his jetpack and shot off the balcony. Him�bron gasped and instinctively threw his arms around Fett�s neck as they flew over the activity below toward the landing Falcon. The Falcon�s ramp opened just as Luke, landing behind it, climbed out of his hatch and ran over. Fett landed a few meters from the ramp, releasing Him�bron, who hurried toward the Falcon. A flurry of medical personnel surrounded the ramp as Lando, hooked up to numerous IV�s, was pushed down on his stretcher by Han and the Pathfinder medic.

Him�bron pulled a bio-scanner from his coat. �Status?�

�Critical,� answered the medic. �Heart rate and blood pressure are stable, but weak. Body temp is high�I applied bacta, and antibiotic IV, but I think infection is setting in.�

�We have to get him in a bacta tank, NOW. Get him in there.�

As they hurried the stretcher toward the great ballroom doors, Lando, awake and feverish, caught sight of Boba Fett standing several meters away, observing. He bolted up against the stretcher belts, freeing his good arm from the restraints, and pointed at the bounty hunter. �YOU!� he yelled, struggling. The party stopped, and all heads turned Fett�s way. Lando continued his fevered rant. �They came because of YOU! You brought them here! You son of a BITCH!�

�Sedate him!� Him�bron barked at the medic, as Lando continued to thrash against his restraints with Han trying to hold him down. Hurriedly, the medic prepared a syringe, and stuck it in Lando�s arm. Lando almost immediately calmed, flopping back on the stretcher, his head rolling side to side as his chest heaved for air. Han said nothing but, as he gently pulled the blanket back over Lando, shot a deadly glare at Fett before continuing to push his friend toward the palace.

Luke, who had kept a short distance from the scene, bowed his head and sighed before shooting a glance at Fett. Fett hadn�t moved. He stood perfectly still, his only movement being the turning of his helm as he watched Solo, Him�bron, and the rest of the medical party disappear through the ballroom doors. Luke broke into a trot toward the bounty hunter. �Fett,� he breathed as he stopped in front of him, �He�s delirious. He didn�t mean it.�

�Yes he did. And he�s right.� Fett tore away from the Jedi and broke into a fierce stride back toward the balcony.

Luke followed. �Where are you going?�

�To see I�Lai.� And do what I should have done the day I met her, he added silently.

Luke nodded as he came up behind him. �I�ll come with you. I desperately have to speak to her about��

Luke never finished the sentence. With astounding speed, Fett stopped, spun around, and grabbed Luke by the front of his flight suit. He brutally hoisted the smaller man from the ground as is if he no more than a child, holding him just above his shoulders. Several Republic troops saw this and immediately came running, blasters aimed, shouting orders at the bounty hunter to drop their superior officer.

�NO!� Luke hollered back at the troops. �Drop your weapons! DROP THEM! Fall back, NOW! That�s an order!� Reluctant and confused, the troops obeyed, stepping back. Luke turned back to Fett�s visor. �Put me down, Fett,� he demanded calmly.

�Listen to me carefully, Skywalker,� Fett growled lethally deep within his throat, tightening his grip on Luke�s suit and pulling him even closer to his mask, �because I�m only going to say this once.� He punched every word for clarity. �Stay away from my family! You and your sorcery have caused enough damage.�

�Fett, you don�t understand what�s going on here! She needs my help, she�s in danger! Do you want her to become like�� He stopped.

�Like who?�

The words did not come easy. �Like Vader?�

Slowly, Fett lowered Luke and let him go. He glared at the young Jedi. �That won�t happen.�

�Why not?�

�I won�t let it.�

�You can�t stop it.�

�Watch me.� He gave Luke a shove before turning and continuing toward the balcony.

�Then explain what happened in that ship, Fett,� Luke called after him. �Tell me what happened to that Bothan.�

Fett stopped just shy of the balcony�s edge, turned, and growled, �He got what he deserved.� With that, his jetpack fired, and he shot up and over the balcony rail.

He hit the brick terrace and continued his stride, never breaking his rhythm. Flinging the glass doors open, he stomped into the library, roughly shoving aside any pilot or soldier remotely in his path. Rieekan held his ground in the doorway. �Where are you going, Fett?� Fett answered him by shoulder-butting him aside as he exited the library. �Fett�!�

Fett ignored him, ignored the troops following him, ignored the gawks and stares of the Republic and Orrian personnel as they backed out of his way as he pounded down the glistening corridors�and did what he could do ignore the warm stickiness now running freely again under his suit and down his leg, as his impulsive actions of the past few minutes had just reopened his knife wound�

* * *

She hadn�t awoken completely yet, but the damp sensation felt refreshing on her brow, and she smiled softly. Her eyes closed, she nestled her head a little deeper in the soft pillow, and inhaled the light scent of lilac she liked to spray throughout her chambers. Sounds from the room began to infiltrate her consciousness�the soft breeze from her the terrace doors, a glass of water being poured, the strange beeping of what sounded like a medical monitor. A hand slid into hers, and she grasped and squeezed it, her smile spreading�until she realized it was small and soft, and not the rough and calloused hand that had become so dear to her�

I�Lai�s eyes bulged open, gasping for air, and tore her hand away from Leia Organa�s. �Wh-what are you doing here?� she demanded breathlessly.

�Sssh, I�Lai, it�s all right now,� Leia soothed, sitting on the edge of the bed, �You�re safe, it�s over.� She reached for her arm�

But I�Lai recoiled, shrinking back into the pillows. �Where is Kai?!� In a panic, her eyes moving wildly over her room, she shrieked, �Where is my son?!� She tried to sit up. �What have you done with him?!�

Furrowing her brow, Leia responded softly, �He�s all right, I�Lai, he�s with Nikoa in the nursery.�

I�Lai suddenly grasped Leia�s hand, her voice a choked whisper. �Please don�t take him away, Leia�please, I�m begging you�don�t take him from me�please��

�I�Lai, shh,� Leia caressed her forehead as she tenderly pushed I�Lai back into the pillows.

�You will, yes you will! You and Luke, you�ll take him, because that�s what Jedi do! They take� the babies�� Dizziness spun in her head, and she fell back against her pillows, crying.

Worried, Leia picked the damp cloth off the bed and rinsed it again in the basin on the nightstand, folding it and replacing it on I�Lai�s forehead. She grasped the glass of water, leaning over and offering it. �Here, I�Lai, drink��

She did, lifting her head slightly to better sip, then lying back. She opened her tear-soaked eyes. �Why�why are you here, Leia?�

�Because I�m your friend,� Leia murmured, smiling softly, touching her face. �I care about you.�

I�Lai�s eyes narrowed into suspicious slits. �Do you?�

Leia straightened up, taken aback and hurt. �Yes, I�Lai, I do,� she answered simply.

I�Lai squeezed her eyes closed as new tears formed. �Leia�I�m�I�m so sorry. I thought you��

Leia ran a gentle finger through the new white streak in I�Lai�s hair. �You thought I what?�

I�Lai pulled way from her caress, rolling to her side and burying her face in the pillows. �Please, Leia, forgive me �� she sobbed quietly, �Forgive me�please forgive me��

Leia closed her own eyes to stop the tears from flowing. The utter despair and terror she felt in I�Lai�s soul was almost too much for her to bear.

�Madam,� asked the medical droid next to the monitor, �should I send for the doctor?�

�No, Two-One-Bee,� Leia answered softly, �he can�t help her with this��

��

�Fett, I�m warning you, STOP!� Rieekan shouted after him. I�Lai�s bedchamber lay just a few meters up the corridor, and Rieekan gestured to the Pathfinder guard in front of her door.

As Fett ferociously came toward him, the young man stepped in front of him and put up his hand. �You can�t go in there, by order of General Rie��

To which Fett answered him by grabbing his uniform, throwing him across the hall against the wall, and punching the door controls open.

Leia�s head snapped up as Fett stormed in. He stopped, however, when he saw Leia sitting on the edge of the bed. His visor lingered over I�Lai sobbing in her bed, before he turned to her. �Your Excellency,� he said quietly, civilly, �I want to be alone with I�Lai.�

Before she could answer, Rieekan appeared behind Fett in the door, with two troops behind him with their weapons raised. �Fett, you�re coming with us��

�No,� ordered Leia, raising her hand. She got up. �General, it�s all right. He has a right to see her.� She walked towards the door, gesturing to a reluctant Rieekan to follow.

Fett looked at the Two-One-Bee Unit. �You too. Out.� The unit glanced at its patient for a moment, then back at the bounty hunter, before disengaging from the medical console and wheeling out of the room, the doors closing behind it.

Slowly, attentively, Fett came around the bed, sitting lightly on the edge. He reached up and unlocked his helm from his armor, lifting it off his head and setting it on the floor. He removed his gloves, all the while gazing on I�Lai. She looked so small, so frail under her crumple of blankets, her face still buried in her pillows. �I�Lai?� he whispered, reaching to touch her silken hair�

Only to have her retreat from him, curling herself into a ball. Her voice was small, weak, and hopeless. �No�please, Boba. Don�t touch me.�

He shut his eyes tight, and bowed his head. Of course she didn�t want him touching her. It was his fault this happened, he lead them here. The pain in his side was nothing compared to the anguish now gripping his heart�

Until he heard her rasp, �I�m a monster.�

He lifted his head. �I�Lai, no.�

�I killed someone.�

�You were protecting our son, and yourself. No one can blame you for that.�

�I killed him with the Force, Boba.� It was then she turned to face him, and he swallowed the anger seething inside him as he once again saw the vicious bruises marring her angelic face. Her eyes, as teal and clear and lush as ever, brimmed over with complete desolation. �I stood there, and I burned him to death.� She squeezed her eyes shut. �I�m damned.�

He leaned over her, touching her face. �I�Lai, they all think I did it. Let them think that. No one has to know.�

�Luke knows,� she whispered. �Leia knows.�

�So what?� he muttered.

�They could lock me away.�

�I�d like to see them try.�

She started to cry softly. �Boba�I�m so scared�something�is happening to me�something terrible�and I can�t stop it�� She turned away�

Only to have Fett pull her back to face him. �No you don�t. You don�t look away, you tell me, now. What�s happening to you?�

She opened her eyes, and gazed at his face. That scarred, battered, swarthy face that most would consider unappealing, even frightening, but what she had always deemed as nothing less than beautiful. He caressed her cheek, running a very gentle thumb over the bruise near her eye. His expression was stern, but his eyes were soft, compassionate. She found courage in those bottomless pools of onyx, and when she spoke, the tremor was gone from her voice. �I wake up in the night screaming, and I never remember why. I find myself in rooms of the palace, and I have no idea how I got there. I lose time, all the time�Hours will have gone by, and I can�t remember what did, or where I�ve been. I wake up on the floor sometimes, in the middle of the day. And I have�terrible thoughts.� A breath. �Thoughts of lust, vengeance�power. I see a huge black fleet leaving a thousand planets burning in its wake. I see myself bathing naked in a bath of blood drawn from the conquered. I see Kai slaughtering hundreds of innocents, as I stand behind him and encourage him, reward him for it. I see� agony, destruction, death. All at my hand. And I feed off it. I welcome it.� She closed her eyes. �I walk these halls in terror, all day. And anger�I feel so much rage, so much�betrayal, that I am driven mad by it�And the only thing that comforts me is�the dark. I�ll stare into the night for hours, it�calls to me�� She paused briefly, taking another breath, before she opened her eyes and ended, �And I always feel like I�m being watched.�

�By who?� he asked, barely a whisper.

�I�I don�t know�� she answered softly, tearfully, shaking her head. �I can�t see it, I can�t hear it, but�I can feel it, Boba. I can feel eyes on me�all the time�� Her breathing started to become erratic. �I can feel it in my blood��

Although many would think I�Lai had gone insane, Fett, having experienced her abilities through the bond they obviously shared, knew better. He pressed on, trying to keep her focused. �Is it here now?� She shook her head. �Is that what happened today?�

She nodded. �I don�t even remember it, Boba. All I remember is�smelling something burning�� A single tear rolled from her eye.

Fett drew his lips into a thin line. �How long has this been going on?� he demanded quietly.

�Since you left.�

�Damn it, I�Lai. All those transmissions�why didn�t you ever tell me?�

�I was afraid.� A soft sob broke from her throat when he saw him bow his head and curl his fist. �I know how you feel about the Force. I was afraid that�if you knew what was happening, you�d never come back.�

He lifted his eyes again, locking onto hers in a muted glare. �That was foolish.�

�But now you have to leave me.�

�What?�

�Leave me, and take Kai with you. Tonight. Never come back.�

�I�Lai,� he hissed through gritted teeth.

�Boba!� she cried, bolting up, hitting his armored chest with her fists. �I could do it again! And who would be next? You, maybe�or even�� The thin wall of control crumbled, and a wail of anguish erupted from her throat. �And they�ll come for me, Boba, they�ll lock me away where I can never hurt anyone again, and they�ll take Kai, and I�ll never see him again�and I�d rather have him with you than with strangers, locked away in some temple�� She shoved him violently. �Just leave me! Run! Take Kai and run! Before I hurt both of you! I�couldn�t�go on living�if I hurt you��

Her entire body wracked with her hysterical sobbing, but Fett would have none of it. He tangled his fingers into her hair and pulled her face in front of his. �Now you listen to me,� he rumbled softly, his dark gaze piercing into her tear-soaked teal eyes, �I�m not going anywhere, understand? I am not leaving you, so get that fool idea out of your head right now. And Kai stays, right here, with us.� He pulled her closer. �I am not afraid of your power, I�Lai. No matter how horrible you may think you are, blowing up a rapist with your mind doesn�t even compare to what I�ve done the past thirty years. So you will stop pushing me away, and you will stop keeping things from me.� He leaned in even closer. �And if anyone, and I mean ANYONE comes for you, they�re going to have to get through me first.�

�Boba��

�I�m not finished,� he murmured curtly, his eyes boring into hers. �Now you are going to do what I tell you, and I will not take no for an answer. Do you understand me?� She nodded, and calmed somewhat, but she still shuddered, her lip shaking as she looked into his eyes. Still holding her in his firmly tender grip, he stated gruffly, �Marry me.�

The trembling stopped. �What?� she breathed, stunned.

�Marry me, today. Become my wife.�

�You�want to�marry me?�

�Yes.�

Her eyes glistened, and she furrowed her brow. �Why?�

He still held her gaze, but he sighed in mild exasperation. She doesn�t know why, he thought. And then he realized that I�Lai had no reason to know why. Hadn�t he ignored her for months during his recuperation from the Sarlaac, when she had rescued him and opened her home to him? When they finally did reconcile, he had left almost immediately afterwards, never giving her any idea as to when he would return. His transmissions to her were all in code, and consisted of little more than reports that he was still alive. It was to protect her, and Kai. But now he understood that he had done nothing to protect I�Lai from her own doubts�He had never told her how his body ached for her at night�s fall, or how he would shove the whores of Nar Shaada away from him when they offered relief. He never told her that, as he worked, he would play the vid of her reading to Kai in his helmet, or how, as he looked into the night skies, he would seek out stars that matched the color of her eyes�

Tell her now.

�Because,� he murmured huskily, lifting his eyes to hers, �I want to bury myself inside you every night, and wake to your flesh around me. I want more young with you. I want to protect you, and teach you, and, � a breath, �I want you to teach me�how to�live.� He lowered his eyes. �You make me feel�� He dropped his hands to her lap, flexing them in�frustration� as he grappled for words� �You�ve never� been�afraid of me, I�Lai�� He clenched his eyes shut as he bowed his head�

She spared him. She touched his face, combed her fingers through his spiked sable hair, and lifted his chin to meet her eyes, sparkling with tears. She leaned in and whispered against his lips, �Yes.�

His eyes widened. �You will?� Tears flowed down her cheeks, but her smile was sweet, happy. He sighed sharply, blissfully, as he tangled his fingers into her plush ebon hair�he even thought the white streak was beautiful on her�and crushed his lips against hers, passionately, tenderly, intensely, over and over again, before wrapping his armored arms around her and crushing her against him, burying his face in her fragrant neck. He deeply breathed her in, caressing the satin of her skin with his scarred cheek and whispered hoarsely, tenderly, and urgently, �I love you.�

A soft sob broke from her as she pulled him into her, wrapping herself around him, holding him as to never let go. The fierce embrace caused her bite wound to throb, but she didn�t care. She cried into his hair, running her fingers through it, caressing his neck as she felt the chains of desolation and terror fall free from her soul. *He loves me*, she sang in her mind, over and over and over again, *he loves me. He loves me. He loves me�*
He loves me.

+No.+

*He loves me.*

+No. No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!+

��

�NOOOOOO!� The Sith Lord eyes flew open as his trance was broken by her voice undulating through the currents of the Force. He leapt to his nimble feet, crouching on the black stone slab as he tore at his horns. �No!� He launched off the slab to the cavern maw where he howled at the raging winds, �NOOOOOOOOOOO!� His voice, armored with the Dark Side, rippled through the winds, dispersing their current, hitting the apex of an ancient black rock formation, and shattering it into dust.

He slapped the sides of his head. +You will come to me! You will! You have tasted the Dark Side, Archae�el! You�ll never be rid of me! I will haunt you every moment, every day, in your dreams�ARCHAE�EL! You are mine! MINE! MIIIIIIIIIIIINE!+

��

+MIIIIIIINNNNNE!+

She heard it, his voice, somewhere in the depths of her consciousness, but�she merely closed her eyes and held her Boba even closer.

But suddenly and unexpectedly, Fett broke the embrace. He took her wrists, lowered her hands, and gently eased her back into the bed. �You need rest.� Quickly, he pulled the blankets back over her, partly to warm her�but mostly, to hide the stain of his blood now soaking into her nightgown and on the bedsheets. �I�ll handle everything.� She smiled and nodded, touching his face once more. He brushed the lock of white back from her forehead, a subtle smile pulling his lips, before he turned and bent to pick up his helm�and sharply grunted.

She rose to her elbow, concern wrinkling her brow. �Boba, what�s wrong?�

�Shhh�� he hushed, turning around and placing a finger on her lips. �Sleep.� Again, she nodded and smiled, closing her eyes, nuzzling into the pillows. He watched her briefly, ensuring she was falling asleep, before he stood up, re-donned his helmet, and staggered to the door.

He stepped out�to see Leia Organa and General Rieekan standing in the hall. Shit, he swore silently as he turned to go�

�Master Fett,� Leia called softly behind him, �I�d like to have to a word with you.�

He pulled himself straight, turning his back to them and his bleeding side towards the wall. �Make it quick.�

Leia hesitated, glancing at General Rieekan, before stating, �Although the General and I do not condone�many of your actions today, I wanted to tell you that�you have done the Republic a great service in rescuing Lady I�Lai.�

He shifted his helm over his shoulder slightly. �No disrespect, your Excellency, but�I didn�t do it for you or the Republic.�

�I know,� she replied. �I understand your reasons and, now, so does the General.� She sighed when she saw the bounty hunter�s shoulders tense and his helm turn away. �He wanted to confine you, Fett. I had to tell him.�

�Despite the fact that your excessive use of force was� unsettling, to put it mildly,� Rieekan said crustily, �Nevertheless, I can�t help but wonder if I hadn�t gone to such lengths to save my own family.� Fett heard him sigh behind him before he added, �In all my years of military service, I have never seen work like that. Where the hell did you get your training?�

�Nowhere,� he grunted, swallowing down the nausea rising in his gullet. �I trained myself.� He took a step forward--

�Fett, wait,� Rieekan said, stepping toward him, �I want to talk to you about�an offer.�

�Not now.� His vision swirled�

�Fett,� Leia piped in, �Please�I know you don�t want any payment, but�we�d like to reward you somehow.�

He stopped, and was silent for a moment, before turning over his shoulder again. �There is one way you can reward me.�

�And that is?�

�I take it, President Organa, that you have some sway�with the intergalactic media?�

Leia nodded. �Yes, you could say that.�

�Then this is what I want.� He turned just enough so his visor was facing Leia fully. �I want you to issue an official statement saying�any rumors regarding Boba Fett�s involvement in the battle of Orri Prime are exactly that�rumors. Boba Fett died on Tatooine, in the Pit of Carcoon, six months ago.�

Leia took in a long, slow breath as she met Fett�s eyes through his visor. �I�understand.� She nodded, and smiled softly. �Consider it done.�

Fett took a deep breath, despite the unbearable pain it caused him, nodded and murmured, �Now I have to talk to someone about getting married�� He turned again to leave.

�Maybe,� Rieekan interjected, �I can help you with that.�

Leia smiled, and touched his arm, before turning to Fett. �General Rieekan is also an Alderaani spiritual elder, and an ordained chaplain in the Republic forces.�

�I can marry you both, if you wish. If you don�t mind a military rite.�

Fett stopped, and fought a stumble. His vision was tunneling, and their voices sounded muffled, even through his audio preceptors. �I would prefer it,� he rasped, �but�I don�t know about�I�Lai��

The last point of light winked out within his eyes, and all went dark.

��

Inside her chambers, I�Lai tried to sleep, but was too overjoyed to even close her eyes. However, her broad smile melted slightly when she realized she felt something sticky and wet on her nightgown�she reached down and patted the spot, and when she drew her hand to her face, it was covered in blood�

She ripped the covers off the bed, to see the dark red stain saturated into the bedding�

�Gods�� she gasped, �Boba��

Her dread escalated to full-scale panic when she heard the crash just outside her door.

��

�FETT!� Leia shrieked, running to the bounty hunter sprawled on the floor, falling to her knees. Rieekan followed, kneeling beside him and turning him on his back. It was only then Leia saw the gash under his armored vest, and the scarlet smear across the white marble floor. �He�s bleeding!�

Rieekan snapped at one of the Pathfinder guards, �Get a medic! NOW!�

The bedchamber�s doors swooshed open, and I�Lai stopped in the doorway, her nightgown stained from her hip to her knee. �BOBA!� She rushed to him and fell to her knees, taking his helmed head in her arms, cradling him. �No�no��

��

�If there is, indeed, a new star forming this day, let it shine its newborn aura down on these two beings, on this day, while they enmesh their hearts��

�AAAAHHHGG!�

General Rieekan looked up from his prayer-pad. Fett, unhelmed, stripped bare to the waist and strapped to a med-bed, tensed his whole torso up and ripped an anguished growl out of his throat as Dr. Him�bron injected the surgical nanites into his wound. I�Lai held him close to her as she lay curled around him. He threw his cold glare at the doctor. �Do you have to do that now?� he hissed through hard breaths.

Unfazed, Him�bron didn�t look up. �Do you want to live long enough make it to, �Till death do us part?�� He glanced slightly toward the Two-One-Bee unit. �Apply more local.�

Fett fell back against the thin pillow, panting, as the med droid sprayed local anesthesia across his open wound and Him�bron continued his work repairing Fett�s slashed ribs. I�Lai gently wiped his sweating brow and chest with a soft cloth. �Boba, please,� she pleaded soothingly in his ear, �let the doctor give you something.�

�No,� he grunted, firmly shaking his head, �No drugs.� He turned to face her, sliding his arm out from the restraint to caress her cheek. �I want to remember this.� I�Lai smiled, and caught his hand in her own. He glanced at Rieekan. �Well? Go on.�

Rieekan threw an exasperated glance to Him�bron, who just shrugged and shook his head, before clearing his throat and continuing the reading. ��and declare their love for the universe to bless��

From across the med center, Nikoa, lying in her own med bed and door holding a sleeping Kai, listened to Rieekan�s litany. At one point, I�Lai turned her eyes from the General to her entrusted maid, smiling warmly and happily. Nikoa did what she could to mimic I�Lai�s smile, even as Maul�s velvet voice slinked through her mind, and invisible talons clutched at her throat�

You have failed me.

Nikoa squeezed her eyes shut as she attempted to take a breath. Master, I did not know�their bond was�that potent�

It was your duty to know, treasure. I have kept you alive this long�only to have you fail?

Master�

All future sons will be useless to me now. They will be children born of�LOVE.

Nikoa heard him snarl that last word as though it was filth. Master, if need be, take my life now. I most humbly give it to you for my failure�

Oh, no, my treasure�your work here is not yet done. There was a pause. Archae�el has not yet awakened, but she has stirred. Perhaps the way to wake her fully�is through Domein�

Nikoa gasped a deep breath when she felt the claws release her throat. She looked down at the baby in her arms, who looked back at her with those astounding eyes that seemed far too mature for his age. That will take much time, Master. Years perhaps.

Yes�it will�

�Do you, I�Lai�er�� Rieekan paused from his recitation to glance up from his prayer-pad. �Lady I�Lai�what is your last name?�

I�Lai hesitated, glancing at Fett, who in turn seemed to ask the same question with his dark eyes. �I�have no last name, General. As a courtesan and concubine, I was deemed Imperial property, and hence it was illegal to possess a surname.�

�I see. Well then�do you, I�Lai, take this man, Boba Fett��

�Mareel,� Fett rasped abruptly.

The General glanced up again. �Excuse me?�

Fett sighed, and repeated, �Mareel. Jaster Mareel.� He turned to I�Lai and murmured, �Boba Fett is dead.�

I�Lai gasped, as realization sunk in. �Boba�no��

�I swore to protect you, I�Lai.� He laced his calloused fingers through her soft tapered ones. �This is the only way I can.�

She gazed at him, mouth agape, tears swelling in her eyes, before she cupped his face and kissed him hungrily, passionately. He eagerly returned the kiss, taking her lips with ardent force, ensnaring his fingers through her hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her leg around his.

Standing at the foot of the med bed, Rieekan huffed and snapped the prayer-pad off. �I now pronounce you man and wife you may now kiss the bride,� he finished irritably.

�I hate to intrude upon this moment,� Him�bron added to the couple locked in their zeal, �but would you please hold still and lie back so I can finish performing surgery on you?�

I�Lai broke from Fett�s lips, blushing and smiling shyly. A subtle smile crossed Fett�s lips as well as he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand before complying. �How does it look?�

�Better than before,� Him�bron answered. He turned to Two-One-Bee. �Suture.� The droid handed him small, pen-like device. �Now hold still.� Very carefully, he ran the point of the device along the gash. As the tip traced the wound, the edges closed up behind its trail. Fett winced, clenching his jaw, and held his breath until the doctor had closed it all the way. �All right, done.� He gestured over Fett�s scarred torso. �You have a new one to add to the collection.� He pressed a button on the side of the bed, and the restraints popped off and slid back in their housings.

Carefully, Fett pushed himself up to rest on his elbows, examining the newly closed injury. �How long will I be on my back?�

�If your DNA hadn�t been scrambled by some two-bit quack on the Outer Rim, I�d say two days. But you�a few hours.� Without warning, Him�bron grasped Fett�s arm, pulled it taut, and sank a hypo into his vein.

Fett scowled, aggravated. �Haven�t you seen enough of my blood for one day?�

�This is for a test.�

�What test?�

�A midichilorian count.�

�A what?�

Him�bron withdrew the hypo and capped it. �General Skywalker wants to know why you and Lady I�Lai seem to have a Force-bond. He�s running a test to see if you are, indeed, a Force-sentient.�

�You can tell Skywalker to kiss my��

�Boba,� I�Lai interrupted with firm gentility, running her fingers across his cheek. Fett glanced up at her, and his lip pulled up in a smirk.

�And you,� Him�bron admonished gently, focusing on I�Lai. �I don�t care how good you feel right now, no more running and traipsing around! If you must be with him, you lie here and rest! I�ll be back to check on you both in a couple hours.� His gruff scowl melted away into that warm, fatherly smile I�Lai found so endearing. �And congratulations, my dearest.�

�Thank you, Dr. Him�bron,� I�Lai murmured, smiling back.

�Dr. Him�bron,� Rieekan said as the doctor passed him, �Would you be so kind as to ask her Excellency to come in?�

�But of course, General.� Him�bron went through the sliding doors and walked a few paces down the corridor to the neighboring room. He palmed the door and walked in, chirping, �And how are we feeling?�

�Why do doctors always say that?� grumbled Lando from his bed, his arm and shortened leg hoisted up in traction. �Tell you what�I�ll cut off your leg and then you can tell me, OK?� His joke was met with the soft laughter of Han, Chewbacca, Leia, and Luke all surrounding his bed.

Him�bron frowned. �If I had the choice of facing off three dozen blood-thirsty mercenaries or having to deal with all the surly patients I�ve had today, I think I�d take the mercenaries right now.� As the others chuckled again, he pulled the bio-scanner from his pocket and ran it over Lando. �Have you found one you like yet?�

Lando glanced at the viewer screen to his side and the prosthetic legs it displayed. �They all look the same to me. As long as it doesn�t interfere with my� �social agenda�, I really don�t care. But,� he added, holding up his arm, �the color has to be a perfect match.�

�Hey,� Luke interjected jovially, holding up his cybernetic hand, �mine matches pretty well.�

�Is that why you always wear that black glove?�

Han chuckled, as did Chewie, but Leia threw a mildly anxious glance at Luke, as she knew the reasons behind the glove. But her unease was assuaged when Luke merely smirked and said, �Fashion statement.�

Lando chuckled weakly, then turned to Him�bron. �Well?�

Him�bron looked up from his bio-scanner, and smiled. �You�re fever�s down, your blood count looks favorable. You�re going to be just fine in a few days. But hurry up and pick one�the sooner you choose, the sooner you�ll be walking again.�

Lando nodded, then lifted his chin. �Dr. Him�bron�how is I�Lai?�

�She�s much better, Baron. Her heart has returned to a normal beat, her brain activity has calmed, and I�m sure the wedding has definitely helped her spirits.�

Lando�s face fell. �Wedding?�

�Well, yes, Baron. She married Master Fett not more than five minutes ago. Didn�t anyone tell you?�

Lando�s eyes shifted to meet those of his friends, all of whom turned theirs away to some other point in the room. He sighed and, setting his jaw straight, turned back to Him�bron. �Give her my congratulations when you see her again, Doctor.�

�I most certainly will. Oh, your Excellency, General Rieekan wishes you to join him in the other room.�

Leia nodded, and leaned over to squeeze Lando�s hand before standing and heading for the door. Luke patted Lando�s arm and followed her and Dr. Him�bron, leaving Han and Chewbacca alone with Lando.

Han glanced down at his friend, who was staring at nothing on the wall. �You OK?�

Lando shrugged. �She made her choice.�

�Would it make you feel any better if I said I don�t agree with it?�

�Not really.� Chewbacca grunted something, and Lando glanced at Han. �What did he say?�

�He said he�s sorry. And so am I, buddy.�

Lando drew his lips into a bemused smirk. �I gotta say, I�ve had some shitty days in my life, but this one has definitely been the shittiest so far.�

��

As Leia strode through the doors of Fett�s room, Luke stayed behind with Dr. Him�bron. �Did you get the sample?�

�Right here.� Him�bron handed him the hypo of Fett�s blood.

�He didn�t argue?�

�I think after taking on a small army and losing a couple pints of blood, he�d calmed down a bit. Although he was somewhat adamant about you kissing a certain part of his anatomy.�

Luke smirked as he sunk the tip of the hypo into the small bio-scanner he pulled from his flight suit pocket. He closely perused the data blipping across the tiny screen before sighing. �1500. Almost negligible, but it could be enough for him to block out a Force-user�or let one in.� He looked up. �Do you have the other one?�

Him�bron pulled another hypo from his pocket. �I got it a little while ago, when she was under sedation. But I don�t understand, General Skywalker�I thought we already ran a midicholorian count on Lady I�Lai.�

�We did. But�I want to run another one. I just have a strange feeling.� Again, he ran a scan, but this time, he breathed a sharp breath of alarm. �That�s not possible.�

�What?�

�40,000 mids.� Luke looked at the doctor with dread in his eyes. �Her count went up.�

��.

As Leia came through the med-room doors, Rieekan slid the payer-pad into his vest pocket. �All right, down to business.� He turned to Fett, his heavy brows once again drawn together in stern expectation. �We have a few questions we�d like to ask you, Master�Mareel, namely�what happened to Czethros?�

Fett felt I�Lai�s hand anxiously tighten around his fingers. �I don�t know,� he muttered, his gaze sharp within Rieekan�s glare. �I left him there for the your men. I made sure he wouldn�t go anywhere.�

�And how did you go about ensuring that?�

�I ripped out his bionic eye.�

Leia and Rieekan glanced at each other with mild displeasure before Rieekan pressed on. �Then how can you explain his escape?�

�I can�t.�

Rieekan folded his arms. �There are those within my ranks, Fett, that believe you may have had some hidden agenda underneath all this. Many who believe that, because of your past dealings with the underworld, that you and Czethros had some sort of partnership��

�Tell your ranks to take one good look at my wife,� Fett growled quietly, his eyes slitting dangerously. I�Lai squeezed his hand nervously as she turned the more badly bruised side of her face away.

�Master Fett is telling the truth,� came a low female voice from across the room. They turned to look at Nikoa in her bed, still holding Kai. Her lip quivered slightly when she said, �I helped him escape.�

�What?� I�Lai gasped.

Nikoa�s eyes suddenly grew afraid, darting back and forth at Leia and Rieekan, and her words came in short, anxious gasps. �I�was hiding in the kitchen when all the commotion in the foyer started. I became frightened and took the servants� stairs up to the second floor. I wanted to help her Ladyship but�I am just an old woman, how could I possibly get her away from Czethros and that horrible beast of his?� She started to cry softly. �I hid in a doorway near her office�I heard all this terrible yelling, and then I heard blaster shots, and my Lady screaming�I was so terrified for her�and then, I heard a man scream. I thought it was possibly Master Fett, so I ran toward the skywalk. But when I got there, I saw it was Czethros. He seemed to be in horrible pain and, despite everything he had done, I couldn�t just leave him there to suffer�� She wiped a conjured tear from her cheek. �I went to help him, but�he pulled out a blaster and forced me to help him escape!� Her sobs became deeper. �He held the blaster to my head and made me lead him outside to one of his Snipers. And then�he�hit me�� Nikoa�s thin body heaved fiercely with the force of her sobs. �I�m so sorry�I tried to stop him��

�Nikoa,� I�Lai breathed, sliding off the bed and moving to her, wrapping her arms around her maid and son. �It�s all right, there�s nothing you could have done��

As she soothed her old friend, Fett watched on, his eyes narrowing with misgiving as he remembered that Czethros� blaster had skidded at least two meters away from him during their fight�

Leia sighed heavily. �How he got past our defense perimeters, I have no idea, but�what�s done is done. He�s gone.� She straightened herself and prepared herself for the next question, which was not an easy one for her to ask. �Now�who killed the Bothan?�

There was a short silence before Fett and I�Lai both answered simultaneously, �I did.�

�I�Lai, no.�

�I won�t let you lie for me, Boba,� I�Lai said calmly. She took a step toward Leia and Rieekan, and drew herself straight and regal before them. She looked Leia right in the eye. �I killed him.�

�With the Force?�

�Yes.� She swallowed hard. �And I am willing to accept the consequences.�

Leia opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Fett. �It was self-defense,� he rumbled with cold bluntness. �He would have raped her and killed my son. She didn�t have a choice, and you know it.�

Leia dropped her eyes to her lap before raising them to I�Lai. �Is this true?� I�Lai nodded. �Can you tell me exactly what happened, I�Lai?�

�No, Leia, I can�t. I don�t remember any of it.�

�I see.� The young President sat quietly for a moment. Although I�Lai stood composed before her, Leia could feel the fear and shame emanating from her through the Force. She glanced briefly to Fett, and for a brief moment, she locked into his glare. She took a breath before she spoke. �Since this incident falls within the jurisdiction of the Jedi and is not a matter of state, I feel it is better if General Skywalker handle this.� She rose from her seat, turning to I�Lai. �I will speak with him this evening, and we can arrange for you to meet. Agreed?� I�Lai nodded, casting her eyes to the floor. Leia, stepping toward her, touched her cheek. �I will speak with him,� she repeated in a gentle, assuring tone. I�Lai cupped her hand over Leia�s and nodded again. Leia broke away and turned to Rieekan. �I think all further concerns can wait until tomorrow, General.�

Rieekan nodded. �Agreed.�

�We�ll contact you in the morning. Please, get some rest, I�Lai.� Leia moved to Nikoa�s bed and took her withered hand. �Mistress Nikoa, there is no reason to fear. We are all just relieved that you were not seriously hurt, and I commend you on your bravery.�

Nikoa simpered, and squeezed Leia�s hand. �Thank you, your Excellency.�

Leia rose, and stepped toward Fett. She outstretched her hand. �Again, on the behalf of the New Republic, I would like to thank you for your service today.�

Fett eyed Leia�s hand, then lifted his glare to her face. A small gasp caught in her throat as she heard his words through her mind�

*Take her from me, and you will have to deal with me.*

As Leia returned Fett�s glare, a new understanding lit in her mind, growing ever darker with each second as her consciousness streamed�

She forced a sharp breath, and blinked. She lowered her hand. She murmured, �You have my word.�

Fett said nothing more.

Without another word, Leia turned and left the room. Rieekan turned to I�Lai and took her hand. �Your Ladyship,� he murmured as he bent and kissed it. He then turned to Fett. �We�ll resume tomorrow,� he said tersely before he strode out the door.

The nanosecond the doors slid closed, Fett unsnapped the bed�s restraints, bolted off the bed, and strode to his armor piled in a nearby chair. �Get Kai.�

I�Lai furrowed her brow. �Boba, what are you doing?�

�We�re getting out of here,� he declared quietly as he hoisted his armored vest and jet pack off the chair and snapped it around his bare torso.

�What?� A slight pang of panic gripped her chest. She suddenly had visions of Fett blasting his way off the planet� "Where are we going?�

Hearing the nervousness in her voice, Fett turned to her and, with a slight reassuring smile, said, �Not far. Somewhere quiet.� He donned his helm, then stretched his hand toward her. �My place.�

I�Lai breathed a slight sigh of relief, and smiled. She went to Nikoa in her bed slipped her arms under Kai. �Don�t worry, Nikoa,� she murmured, noting the wary, worried look in her maid�s eye. �We�ll be all right. Just rest.� Reluctantly, Nikoa released her hold on Kai, and I�Lai cradled him in her arms as she came toward Fett. Fett lifted her into his arms and moved toward the window. As he moved, I�Lai giggled softly and opened the windows by use of the Force. Without breaking his stride, Fett stepped up on the sill, ignited his jetpack, and flew out of the room.

��

*You can�t be serious.*

*Leia�*

*Do you know what you�re suggesting?*

*I�m not talking about imprisoning her�*

*That�s exactly what you�re saying, Luke.*

*I�m suggesting that she live permanently at the Temple. Leia, you don�t understand how powerful she really is! She needs training! She�s too dangerous to�*

*Be free?*

*Leave untrained.*

�Have I mentioned lately,� Han grumbled from his sprawled position on the couch, his head back and eyes fixed on the ceiling, �how much I hate it when you two do that?�

Leia and Luke simultaneously shot irritated looks at Han before darting them back at each other. �I�m not separating her from her son and husband, Luke.�

�It wouldn�t be forever,� Luke huffed, pacing across the Falcon�s hold. �Just a few years��

�Of complete isolation.�

�Of intensive training. They would be years out of my life too, Leia.�

Leia clenched her eyes before springing them open. �I have to say no, Luke. I cannot publicly condone this.�

�Publicly condone?� Luke�s mouth gaped as he stared at his sister. �This isn�t about politics!�

�Of course it�s about politics,� Leia replied coolly. �This is our first military victory as the New Republic. And my first wartime act as the president of a newly-established egalitarian government will not be confining a popular public figure on no other grounds but that we suspect she may become a dangerous.�

�Kinda sounds like someone we just overthrew, doesn�t it� Han muttered, unmoving.

Luke stopped pacing. Sighing hard, he looked at her. �You felt her today, didn�t you?�

�Of course I did,� Leia replied, reaching for her mug of caf on the holochess table.

�Then you realize how strong she is.�

�Yes.� She looked at him intently. �But you also realize why she did it.�

�Leia, I�m not talking about her reasons behind killing him, but the method. It was the Dark Side, pure and simple.�

�I�m not confining her, Luke. There has to be another way.� She took a sip from her mug.

Luke slumped on the couch next to Han, and ran a hand through his hair. �There are a lot of factors involved here that you don�t understand��

�Then how about enlightening me?� Leia snapped softly and sat down.

Luke paused, taking in a deep breath. �I can�t yet. Not until I get all the facts.�

�Well then, until you can present me with all the facts, I�Lai stays here, with her family, and in her governor�s seat.� She took another sip, then lowered the mug to gaze thoughtfully at her brother. �Luke, I know you�re concerned but�this is the way things work. It�s all about compromise.�

�I never thought you�d put your public image ahead of the good of the galaxy, Leia,� Luke muttered.

Han lifted his head and gawked at his brother-in-law. Leia stiffened in her seat and raised her chin in that particularly patronizing way that always irked Luke. �And I never thought you, of all people, would ever suggest incarcerating a wife and mother simply because you fear her, Luke.�

Luke glared at his sister, hurt and offended, before pushing himself off the couch, grabbing his cloak, and striding fiercely toward the hatch.

�Kid,� Han called after him, �come on, where you going?�

�I need some air,� Luke snapped as he stomped down the Falcon�s ramp into the late summer night.

The hold was silent for a few moments before Han cracked, �Well, that was pleasant.�

�He�s tired,� Leia murmured, rubbing her eyes. �We all are.�

�He was like this during the party on Coruscant, too. He just about snapped my head off when I mentioned I�Lai. I don�t think it�s all exhaustion.�

�He�s the only Jedi in the galaxy right now, Han. He feels personally responsible for the actions of anyone under his guidance. Yes, I think he�s overreacting but�I understand why.�

Han eyed her caringly. �You know he didn�t mean that thing about your image, Leia.�

�I know.� She finished the last of the caf in her mug. �Luke is a magnificent man. He is selfless, idealistic, and wholly committed to restoring the Jedi Order. But Luke is not is a politician. He doesn�t understand the intricacies involved.�

Han nodded, and stretched his longs legs. �Refill?�

Leia smiled and handed her mug to him. �Please.� Han took the mug and walked into the galley. �How is Lando?� she called after him.

�Physically, he�s fine,� Han called back, pouring the caf into mugs.

Leia tilted her chin. �But�?�

With one in each hand, he came back out. �He�s putting in for a transfer.� Handing a mug to Leia, Han shook his head. �I tell ya, I�ve known Lando a long time, and I�ve never seen him this hung up on a woman. And then she goes and actually marries that bounty hunting creep.� He blew a disgusted breath between his teeth. �I�Lai could have any man in the galaxy. I just don�t understand what a beautiful girl like that sees in that ugly mug.�

Han didn�t see Leia�s eyebrow cock at his mention of I�Lai�s beauty, but he certainly heard her when she softly remarked, �I do,� into her mug before taking a drink.

Irritably, he set his mug a little too hard on the holochess table and folded his arms over his chest. �OK, that�s it.�

Leia looked up innocently. �That�s what?�

�What is this �thing� between you and Fett?� he demanded harshly.

She knit her brows. �I don�t follow you.�

�Well, let�s go down the list, shall we? First, you have Lando and me go all the way to Tatooine, in hostile space, to go dig his ass out of a sand dune��

�You volunteered for that, Solo. And I told you my reasons why.�

�THEN you agree to have him released from I�Lai�s custody��

�He was never technically a prisoner of the Republic, Han. I trusted I�Lai�s judgment��

�THEN you hire him on this operation and let him do whatever the hell he wants.� He glared at her with the same mix of hurt and indignity she saw earlier in Luke�s eyes. �And all this time, I�ve wracked my brain trying to figure out why. Why, Leia?�

She closed her eyes, and lowered her head. �I have my reasons, Han.�

�Is it because you�ve just forgotten what he did to me, to us on Bespin?�

She snapped her head back up, and Han immediately recognized the quiet fury that could simmer in her chocolate eyes. �No Han, it�s not because I have forgotten. It�s because I remember precisely what he did to us on Bespin, and in Jabba�s palace.�

Han scowled, confused. �Come again?�

�It�s complicated.�

�What, more �political intricacies?��

�Yes.� She held his glare firm as she took a deep breath. �You want my reasons, Han. All right, here�s the first and foremost reason: We need him.�

Slowly, Han took a seat. �What do you mean, we need him?�

She sighed. �If today proved anything to me, Han, it proved that this fight has taken on an entirely new and frightening aspect. It seems the Empire is taking on new recruits� and they�re recruiting powerful heads of organized crime.�

�Leia, you know as well as I do that the Imps have always used crime lords in their under-the-table dealings��

�But not like this, Han. They�ve never actually used them in combat, fought side by side with them. If it is true what Chewie said earlier, that Czethros bought the Destroyer, that means the Empire was working for him, and not the other way around. Can you imagine the ramifications of vast Imperial technology landing in the hands of criminals?� She leaned forward. �It would be an entirely new war. A war that I�m not positive we could win with the forces we have now.�

Han paused before lifting his eyes to hers. �So what does Fett have to do with all this?�

She straightened up. �Boba Fett is a dangerous man�too dangerous not to have a cause. And after seeing what he is capable of, Han, I came to the conclusion that�if it ever came to a time when a man like him had to choose sides, I want him to choose mine.� She paused. �And I can give him something the Empire or a crime syndicate can�t.�

Han sat back. �Meaning I�Lai?�

�Yes.� She looked away when she saw the incredulous expression on his face. �Don�t look at me like that.�

�Gods, Leia,� Han breathed, �do you realize what kind of gamble you�re taking here? Kest, you saw what he did today��

�And how many stormtroopers did you leave dead on the battlefield today? How many pilots did you shoot down?� she retorted quietly.

�That�s different!� he snapped, rising to his feet.

�How is it different?�

�I�m not a two-credit mercenary with a screw loose and an itchy trigger finger!�

�Not anymore,� Leia replied bluntly. Han stopped his pacing, and his shoulders sank as he glared at his wife. Leia, however, calmly held her ground. �We ran a background check on every one of those men Fett killed today. Not one of them had less than five death sentences on his head from various systems. If this is the new enemy, Han, then Fett is the new soldier we�re going to need to defeat them.�

�And even if there is the remote chance he�ll agree to join the Republic,� Han hissed quietly, �what makes you think you�ll be able to control him?�

�He won�t need controlling,� she replied simply. �As long we keep him with I�Lai.�

�And there�s that little question, isn�t there?� he said, coming to her and leaning over her. �What if Luke is right, Leia? What if she really could be dangerous?�

Leia looked up and cocked an eyebrow. �I thought you didn�t believe in that �hokey religion�.�

Han sighed. �Sweetheart, after spending the last few years with you and the kid�I�ve learned to believe just about anything.� He ran a hand through his hair. �So�are you willing to chance I�Lai going Dark Side to keep Fett in our ranks?�

�Anyone who is a Force-sensitive can be seduced by the Dark Side, including me. The question is�what could be the one thing that would affix her to the Light?� Gazing into his hazel eyes, she answered her own question. �Love.� She took a breath. �They need each other, Han. He will anchor her, and she him.�

Han said nothing for a few moments. He merely noted that strange, far-away look Leia would get sometimes, usually indicating that she was linked with the Force. �There�s more to this, isn�t there? It isn�t all just about politics, is it?�

�No.�

�Mind sharing?�

She eyed him, hesitant at first, before setting her mug down. �Before the battle, when Fett demanded he take the palace and you all were set against it�Luke advised me to call to the Force for guidance.�

�And?�

�I�I had a vision.�

Han seated himself next to her on the couch. �What was it?�

A breath. �I�was standing in the middle of the Tatooine desert, and suddenly, a small boy came up toward me over a sand dune. He was a beautiful boy, with blond hair and�amazing blue eyes; I thought at first it might have been Luke as a child, but�his Force signature was different�� She closed her eyes and shook her head a little, and Han could tell she was beginning to tremble. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she calmed enough to continue. �As he came up to me, he looked me right in the eye and asked, �When is a being worthy of redemption, Leia?� I answered, �When he atones for his wrongs.� The little boy then said, �And why would such a man be penitent?� I answered, �Because he is afraid?� And he said, �No, Leia�because he is no longer afraid.�� She wiped a tear from her eye. �He said, �We all deserve salvation, Leia--even those who seem least worthy of it�when we have finally known another�s love. We all deserve peace.��

She turned her face away, and Han watched her fight back her tears. �Was that all?�

�No,� she whispered. She turned back and met his eyes. �He gestured to me to bend down. When I did, he touched my face and said, �I never realized how much you look like�your grandmother��

Han caressed her cheek, and asked the question to which he already knew the answer. �Do you know who the little boy was?�

�Yes�� Leia forced the voiceless sobs back into her breast, but when Han wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest, her emotions won over her control. Han rocked her gently as she cried into his shirt�

��.

I�Lai sucked the air through her teeth and winced. Fett glanced up at her. �I know it hurts, I�Lai, but this patch has to be changed.�

�It�s all right, Boba,� she murmured, smiling a tad. �Go ahead.� Holding her nightdress to her chest, she took a deep breath as Fett gingerly peeled the old bacta patch off her shoulder wound. Blotting the wound with an antiseptic swath, he inspected it. �It looks better.�

�I heal fast. Like you.� She chuckled, and he smirked back. �How do you feel?�

�Satisfactory,� he answered in his curt military fashion. Then, he sighed slightly, as he lifted his eyes to hers. �I meant�I feel fine.� She chuckled again. He slid a fresh patch out of the med kit lying on the bunk, peeled off the back, and gently began to smooth it over I�Lai�s wound. As he worked, his calloused palm slid off the patch backing and onto her skin. Her warmth permeated his hand, sending its sensation up his arm and all through him. Unconsciously, he traced his fingers down her back, reveling in her skin�s silk under his touch, and he exhaled�

I�Lai watched his eyes travel from the wound on her shoulder to where her hands, pressed against her breasts, held her loosened nightdress�then saw him quickly avert his gaze away back to the med kit next to him, and he pulled his hand away. She reached for him, gently touching the bandage across his wound. �We should change yours, too,� she offered gently, and let her fingers travel upwards to touch the bare flesh of his naked torso�

Abruptly, he stood up from the bunk. �I should check on Kai.� He quickly strode out of the small cabin out into the Slave�s hold.

I�Lai watched him go, her brow knit in uncertainty. She glanced around the tiny sleeping quarters, and ran her hand atop the bunk that, judging from its sound firmness, had rarely been slept upon. She listened to the sounds of the Orri Prime summer night, barely audible through the Slave�s heavy plating, and sighed. She thought he had brought her and Kai to his ship so they could be alone. And now that they were�he had barely touched her, barely even looked at her. Her eyes fell on his armor piled in the corner of the cabin�and anxiety coursed through her as she readjusted the straps of her nightdress. Had he changed his mind about marrying her? Had he finally realized the scale of his sacrifice? There were been no bond rings, no certificates signed as yet�if he wanted, he could leave tomorrow. She forced her breaths to come slow and controlled, just as she forced down the fear that he no longer wanted her�

Out in the hold, Fett was consumed with his own uncertainties.

Bent over the drawer pulled out of the bulkhead, he tenderly stroked the forehead of his infant son sleeping in the makeshift crib. He gazed down at Kai�s face, taking in every detail of his tiny features, and softly smiled when Kai�s lip suckled in his sleep. His son, natural-born, a continuation of his line, his race. A gift from his woman�

His wife.

The thought of her, just mere meters from him, her sweet, clean scent still lingering in his mind, caused the ache in his groin to rage again. After what she had been through that day, the last thing she probably wanted was his hands on her, trapping her under him as he plunged into her, over and over�but, by the Slayer, that�s what he craved. He didn�t just want to bed her�he wanted crush her beneath him, possess her, reclaim her as his woman, his mate.

Just as the Bothan had tried to.

He clenched his eyes shut, and took a deep breath as he straightened up. The way I�Lai would look at him with such trust, such warmth, tore him apart. If she knew how I wanted her�I would disgust her. He had to be patient. He had almost lost her once today. If he did anything to frighten her, anything to betray that trust�he could never touch her again.

He tucked the tiny blanket gently under his son�s chin when he remembered something. Quietly, he moved to a cabinet in the bulkhead, opened it, and removed a duralloy gift box from inside.

He moved back to the cabin doorway, and stopped when he saw I�Lai sitting on the bunk, her feet tucked under her, waiting for him. Even with the bruises on her face and arms, the bacta patch on her shoulder, and the streak of white in her hair, he thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. With the dim light of the cabin enveloping her, she seemed almost ethereal. It gently illuminated her cheekbones, her bare shoulders, the crests of her breasts. Her hair tousled over her back, a few delicate ringlets framing her face. He followed the line of her body, down her side to the curve of her hips, through the thin satin of her nightdress. But her eyes were wide, troubled. Fett�s gut seized as, he thought, his earlier assumptions were correct. She was afraid�

�How is Kai?� she asked quietly.

�He�s sleeping.� Fett licked his dry lips as he stepped in. �I�� he started, his voice husky and� unsure? �I have something for you.� He held the box out in front of him.

I�Lai�s lips gaped at first in surprise, then smiled shyly as she took the box from his hand. She placed it in her lap, lifted the lid, and gasped. Very gently, she pulled out the small crystal sculpture of the bird he had bought on Nar Shaada.

Fett leaned against the door�s edge and folded his arms, casting his eyes to the floor and clearing his throat. �It�plays music. I downloaded something into its banks. The switch on the base.�

Carefully, she flicked the tiny switch. The bird began to rotate in her hand. A low, evocative melody hymned through the air, poignant in its tone, majestic in its rhythms. �What is it? Diax�kettu? Ypran?�

�It was composed by someone called�Baytoven, I think it�s pronounced,� he answered softly.

As the music swelled, I�Lai listened, entranced. �I�ve�never heard anything like this before�� She looked at Fett. �Is this Baytoven�Alderaani?�

�I doubt it,� he answered, a knowing smirk curving his lip. He gestured toward the ceiling. �Watch.�

As she turned her gaze upward, the hologram of the bird sailed from the sculpture, sweeping across the ceiling, its ethereal wings shimmering in the dimness, its colors melting and sliding from gold to violet to aqua, the wings folding and spreading to the intricate rhythm of the piece�

Fett�s subtle smile of pride fell into a troubled frown when I�Lai turned away from him and lowered her head. He took a deep breath. �You don�t like it.�

She lifted her head, and turned back to him. Her eyes glistened with tears�and she smiled. �It�s�it�s the most beautiful thing anyone�s ever given me.�

He exhaled in relief, even as his brow knit. Then why does she cry? he thought to himself in mild frustration. Do all women do this?

�Some do,� she answered him aloud, a soft laugh in her voice. Fett merely curved his lip.

She set the sculpture carefully on a shelf and slowly rose from the bunk. Her nightdress clung to her form as she stepped toward him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she nestled her cheek within the curve of his shoulder. She pressed her warm, slender length against him. �Thank you,� she whispered, her breath puffing delicately over his skin.

As the glide of skin through satin played across the bare flesh of his abdomen, Fett thought he was going to erupt. Her natural scent, blended with lilac, filled his head, and his breath labored as he fought for control. He tensed under her embrace, holding his hands to his sides and his eyes on the wall, a bead of sweat trickled along the scar on his cheek as he felt heat searing from his core through his skin�

She pulled back, sliding her hands to his chest, and bowed her head. �Boba?�

�Mm,� he grunted.

�Why�� Her low voice broke with a soft sob.

He felt her tremble against him, and he forced his eyes from the far wall to look down on her. �What?�

When she lifted her gaze, her eyes glittered in the dim light, and she bit on her lip to keep it from shaking. �Why� won�t you touch me?� she whispered.

A rush of breath broke from him. �I thought�after today�you� wouldn�t want me to,� he rumbled from deep within him.

A mystified smile almost crept across her lips�but then melted away, and her breath nestled in her throat when she saw the searing desire in his eyes: Dark, ravenous, the eyes of a predator chained. A flood of doubt, love, and visceral want swept through I�Lai�s very core. So much devotion, strength, uncertainty, concern�but underneath pulsed a rhythm ancient, territorial, and brutally male. His breath scorched her lips as he whispered in a half-growl, half-plea, �I don�t want to hurt you, I�Lai�like he tried to.�

Her eyes widened in astonishment. After what she had did that day, knowing what she was capable of�and he still her saw her as fragile, breakable. But even as his concern moved her, the primal need emanating from him aroused her, stirring that primitive place within her that bridged animal passion with sentient love. �You could never hurt me, beloved,� she assured him huskily. Slowly, she took his hand and slid it up, languidly over her hip, her ribs� until she cupped his palm around the fullness of her breast. She guided his thumb with her own over the hardened peak he found there, and panted against his lips, �I need you��

His thin brace of control snapped. Fiercely, he conquered her lips in an untamed kiss, his tongue drowning in the warmth of her sweet, hungry mouth. Pulling the straps of her thin gown off her shoulders, it took what little discipline he had left not to rip it off her as his calloused hands ran over her nakedness greedily, hungrily. I�Lai�s hands roved him as well, claiming his hardened body, devouring every cut of his muscles, every crease of his scars. When she boldly slipped her hand under the waistband of his loose pants and closed her fingers around his hardness, he growled into her mouth and pulled her from the floor, forcing her thighs around him, pinning her against him. His lips seared her neck to her breast, and his tongue and teeth caught her nipple as he carried her to the bunk.

There was no pretense of restraint. A reckless fumbling of clothing, a sharp gasp, and he was in her. Hot breath braised across her lips. He snared his arm under her waist and seized her against him, thrusting deep, hard. Tangling his fingers into her hair, he held her there, his black serpentine eyes burning into hers.

I�Lai panted feverishly, opening herself to every thrust that stroked her fiercely, urgently, passionately. She was rapt in his possession, unafraid of his ferocity, unashamed in her response. A maelstrom of sensation flooded through her mind as well as her body. Even as she felt him in her body, she gasped violently when she suddenly felt him in her soul. All of his essence was laid out before her, engulfing her with images, echoes, feelings�Years of swallowed grief, decades of bleak self-imposed imprisonment of his humanness. The gaping eyes of every being he had ever killed. The wailed pleas of wives and children as he dragged their men, his merchandise, out of their homes drugged, bound, beaten. The aloneness of his existence, the futility of his days, and the rage, always the rage, confined behind a barricade of cold indifference and ruthless fortitude, but always there, always smoldering�

And fear. Yes, there was fear. Fear of his own humanity, fear of almost having lost her, his son�fear of his love for her�of failing her�

Fear. Pain. Torment. Betrayal. Vengeance�

She ensnared his shadows into her core, just as she snaked her arms around his shoulders and lunged frantically against him. She fed off his darkness, feeling the fear fill her, empower her�and the voice that now slipped through her mind was not his, but her own�

+They will all fear me.+

�I�Lai�?�

+They have forsaken me, betrayed me, cast me aside�+

*the cadence of a thousand drums pulsed in her ears*

+Lust will be my beacon.+

�Come back��

+Vengeance will be my sword.+

�Come back now��

+And fear�will be my ally�+

�Come back�I�LAI!�

She gasped hard and jerked violently as she was hurled back into reality by his voice. Fett still held her, still within her. Still looked into her eyes, watching their deathly white-silver irises slowly seep back into their lush blue-green hue.

�Boba�?� she moaned. �What�� Her words were caught in her throat when she saw the deep scarlet drip from the four gashes in his shoulder. She slid her hand off him, turned her palm to her eyes�and saw his blood seep from his flesh in her nails. �No�� she whimpered, her body heaving with near hysteria, �no�no��

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him, gently. �It�s all right,� he whispered into her neck.

�What happened?� she whimpered.

He lifted his head to gaze into her terrified eyes. There was no need to upset her with the details. �You went away,� he murmured simply. He stroked her cheek when she began to shake under him. He lowered his eyes. �I frightened you.�

�No, Boba, not at all�� The miasma of all of his primal emotions still lingered about his spirit somewhat, but was outshone by the glow of tender comfort and affection he projected to her now. The stillness, bravery, and completely commitment she saw in those dark eyes were almost too much to bear. �How can you love me, Boba?�

A question he had wanted to ask her a thousand times; A question with a thousand answers, none for which any words seemed sufficient. He slid his fingers through her hair, and murmured, �You are my wife.� He began to push himself off her, with the intent of freeing her from his body�s constraint�

Until she gently caught his shoulders. �No, don�t go. Please.�

A breath. �Are you sure, zja�iri�nae?�

She nodded, and a soft smile broke through her distress. Her heart melted in his native tongue. �What does that mean?�

Lowering himself, he pushed into her again, this time gently, and her eyelids fluttered. He brushed his lips against hers as he whispered, �My angel.�

He took her lips once more, but this time the kiss was slow, tender. His rhythm was also measured, sensual, caressing her from the inside, mindful of her pleasure. Her body eased into his tempo, and she returned his caress. Breaking the kiss, she nuzzled her cheek against his, listening to the litany of his breathing when she opened her eyes.

It was only then she realized that she had left the crystal sculpture playing. As she felt the sweet tension building in herself, and could hear it building in him, she watched the holographic bird sweep along the ceiling, its colors still morphing from blue�to gold�to violet�to red�

To black�

The bird halted its path to hover above them, its ebon wings slowly beating� it opened its snakish eyes, the colors of blood and flame, and glared its fiery fury down upon her�

As Fett�s body tensed and groaned with his final thrust, a single tear rolled down her cheek as she merely closed her eyes.

��.

Luke walked through the makeshift camp sprawled across the great lawn of I�Lai�s palace, hands on hips, paying more attention to the scorched grass beneath his feet than the subdued festivity around him. Several contained campfires scattered about the site were hosting different gatherings of various sizes and guests�pilots, soldiers, human, alien, Orrians and offworlders. Unlike the uninhibited victory parties following the battles of Yavin and Endor, these gatherings were fairly restrained and quiet in respect to the recovering wounded inside the palace. Nevertheless, Luke could hear laughter and stories being told. With every party he passed came jovial invitations, all of which he politely refused with a retiring smile and a wave of his hand as he made his way toward the wooded trail just east of the palace grounds.

Just as he came upon the trail, he noted a more private affair taking place over a small fire in the near distance. He turned to see Tycho Celchu sitting on a log, smiling and laughing, with Leia�s personal assistant and long time friend, Winter, seated at his side. The elegant young Alderaani woman was smiling as well, and seemed more relaxed and cheerful than he had ever seen her on duty. With a curiosity tinged with melancholy, he watched as Tycho entwined his fingers with Winter�s, and brought her hand to his lips, brushing it with a gentlemanly kiss. He saw Winter smile shyly and drop her eyes, only to have Tycho touch her chin and lift her gaze back to him. They hesitated for just a brief moment while they read each other�s gaze, silently seeking the other�s consent, before they leaned into the other to share a soft first kiss.

Luke closed his eyes, and turned away. Careful not to disturb them, he noiselessly moved to the path, disappearing into the trees.

The undercut of ozone and smoke tainted the otherwise fragrant night summer air. He glanced skyward through the trees, with Orri Prime�s three moons, in different phases, blinking through the leaves. As he walked, he tried to remember the number of gatherings he had walked away from, how many invitations, public and intimate, he had turned down during the time he had been with the Alliance�

And decided with a cheerless smile that he had lost count.

This was his choice, this life, this task to rebuild the Order. His choice to face the threats of the seen and the unseen. To restore a code that was so greatly needed in these unbalanced times. To forgo the countless needs and rituals the masses took as their legacy, their birthright�

Regret was not acceptable within the Jedi creed. But neither was uncertainty. Luke Skywalker was worn out from battling both.

His suggestion had stunned Leia, almost to the point of contention. He couldn�t blame her, as it had upset him too. He could fortify his reasoning behind a code of honor and sanctify it as benevolent intention toward the good of all when, indeed, he was advocating doing the exact thing that had been done to him, and his sister�and his father. He would be ripping a family apart.

And he had insulted his sister, accused her of putting her self-importance ahead of the people�s good�when, in truth, it was his own vanity he was protecting. Leia had been correct. He was afraid. Not of I�Lai herself, but of his own incapability, real or imagined, to be able to harness her tremendous natural power. A bitter smile crossed his lips. Perhaps he had begun to believe his own reputation as the savior of the galaxy, the new hope of the oppressed and vulnerable, the decreed leader of a new order, wise and just. But what was he, really? At the present moment, he considered himself no more than an egotistical, inexperienced child, conjuring thoughtless resolutions driven by panic and hubris because�

�It�s too soon,� he admitted to no one.

Bespin. Endor. Sidious. Vader�He had had no time to sift through the trauma of the events, no time to grieve. He had immediately thrown himself into his studies, his faith, and the restoration of the Jedi Temple. And he had taken on an apprentice when he himself was really little more than a padawan himself. A padawan with no teacher, no advisor, and no master.

A nearby rock looked inviting, and Luke sat. He reflected on I�Lai, remembering the moment he had first met her. How resplendent she had been in the Force, her essence a blinding beacon, calling to him even before he had entered the Dia-Orri system. He remembered how hopeful he had been, having found another like him. But that hope had been dissipating over the last months. Her destructive emotions had become almost tactile; fear, pride, frustration, shame, running like talons over his mind, and only seemed to grow more volatile under his guidance. And the Force itself became more shrouded to him, unable�or unwilling�to answer his questions, his doubts. Each time he had cast himself out into the nether-universe, seeking the dark entity of his visions and nightmares that he believed, somehow, was feeding off her, he would only return into himself empty, worn, and unaware.

And then there had been yesterday, in his office in front of the hologram of his friend and teacher, when he had looked into young Ben�s eyes�

He shook it off, and raised his head to stare into the darkened wood, only half listening to the surveyor crafts high within the atmosphere. In a voice low, clear, and completely forthright, Luke said, �I don�t know what to do.�

�There�s only one thing that can be done, Luke.�

Luke�s head snapped over his shoulder. Slowly, he rose to his feet, knitting his brow as he stared at the blue-hued apparition of a striking young Jedi. �Ben?�

Obi Wan Kenobi stood behind him, his face fresh and lightly bearded, his red-gold hair just brushing the collar of his Jedi robes. He stared at Luke earnestly, intensity glittering in his teal eyes. �Once one has drawn from the Dark Side, forever will it dominate their fate.�

The young Jedi stepped toward his dead master, shaking his head. �Ben, I don�t understand��

�You and Leia took priority, you had to be hidden, kept safe, protected from the Emperor.� Obi Wan sighed heavily, his shoulders bowing, and he clenched his eyes shut. �I couldn�t leave you behind alone, I couldn�t draw attention by leaving Tatooine. I couldn�t chase a ghost�I had no proof.� He looked at Luke again. �I�had hoped that it would never come to this, I hoped it had�just been�a nightmare.�

�Ben,� Luke breathed, �you�re not making sense.�

Obi Wan wiped his beard with his hand, and paced slowly. �It was during the Clone Wars. Your mother and father had been married secretly for many months�and Anakin was beginning his Fall.� Luke swallowed hard, and Obi Wan stepped toward him. �By this time, Anakin had been decorated with the highest honors, and promoted as Palpatine�s personal guard. Even as his Master, I was barred from seeing him. But Padme would message me, and we would meet to discuss our suspicions. The last time we met, she was terrified. I was worried about her, I tried to assure her that once the war was over, he would be the man he once was, and if he ever tried to harm her�she should come to me.� He sat on the rock. �The next day, I was sent on a mission to Tatooine to fight the Separatists� takeover of Mos Espa. And the night after the battle�� He closed his eyes and turned away.

Luke sat next to him. �What, Ben?�

Ben took a deep breath. �I had a dream�that Padme came to me in the night�and�� His voice trailed off as the disgrace consumed him.

Luke�s breath stuck in his throat as his fleshed bristled. �Leia had the same dream, Ben.�

Obi Wan�s turned fiercely. �What did she see? Did she tell you, Luke?�

Luke nodded. �She told me she had dreamt of you and Mother, but that the woman wasn�t actually Mother. She was disguised as her, possibly through means of the Force.�

�The Dark Side,� Ben whispered. �I woke with the taint of it on me, it permeated my soul like the stench of decayed flesh. I couldn�t remember any of what went on during the night, but�I knew I had been with someone.� He glanced to the stars before closing his eyes. �That I had been�used.� He stood, and paced again. �I held your mother in the highest regard as a stateswoman and diplomat, and I had never thought of her in that manner. In my shame, I never told her or anyone about that night. Time passed�and Anakin had finally succumbed to Palpatine�s seduction. I arranged your mother�s escape, I was there for your birth, and her death�and then, Anakin and I battled.� He stopped, unwilling to go into the horrific detail with the son of his adversary. �I then brought you here, and stayed to watch over you, Anakin�s boy�and all the while I knew, in my soul, that somewhere out in the galaxy�there was a child of my own.�

Luke stared at the ground, stunned, before looking back up at Ben. �Your child is I�Lai.�

Obi Wan met his eyes. �Like I have said in the past, your insight serves you well.�

Luke exhaled sharply as an exultant smile started to form. �Ben, I�Lai is your daughter! This is wonderful��

�Do not mistake my acknowledgement of the truth for joy, Luke,� Obi Wan stated thickly, almost icily. �Yes, I�Lai is my child�My seed was stolen from me in order to create�this abomination.�

�What?� Luke whispered.

Those teal eyes that had become so hauntingly recognizable to Luke bore into his, and actually chilled him to his core. �I�Lai was conceived and brought forth through means of Sith biomancy. Created to be a living conduit for the Dark Side of the Force, an agent of evil.�

�You�re wrong, Ben,� Luke countered breathlessly albeit unconvincingly, since he was still reeling from the revelation. �She has an overwhelming capacity for good. She�s freed the people of her world, built them homes, towns��

�And they would do anything for her, correct? Including die for her?� Obi Wan asked simply. �Or kill for her?� Luke gaped at him. �The precipice that divides benevolence from oppression is a blade�s edge, Luke. As is the Dark and the Light.�

He simply shook his head. �She is no abomination.�

�Then explain why she can do the things she does,� Obi Wan pressed. �Tell me how a novice can harness such power. Tell me why every time she touches the Force, she grows stronger, and more unpredictable��

�I can help her, Ben!� Luke exclaimed.

�Tell me,� Obi Wan continued, glaring into Luke�s eyes, �why men will go at each other�s throats for her, and give up everything for her�including you.�

Luke froze, his jaw slacked in shock and shame at his Master�s words. Slowly, he sat back down on the rock. Obi Wan stepped toward him, his tone softer now, understanding. �You�ve been obsessed with her ever since you met her, Luke. Obsessed with her bearing, her innate power, her beauty. You dream about her at night�and you have just offered to spend the next few years in complete isolation with her, training her.� He crouched in front of his padawan, looking up into his face. �She would infect you, Luke, drive you mad with desire for her, and bring you to the Dark Side.�

Luke shook his head. �She�s not evil, Ben.�

�Not yet. But she will be. It is what she was created to be, and she will fall.�

Luke stared blankly at his Master. �Then what am I supposed to do?�

Looking directly into Luke�s eyes, Obi Wan declared quietly, �You must destroy her.�

Luke took a deep breath, let it out, and murmured, �No.�

�Luke��

�I won�t kill her, Obi Wan. I will not kill a wife and mother.�

Obi Wan set his jaw firm, and narrowed his eyes. �You would put the entire galaxy in imminent peril of apocalypse?�

Luke held his ground. �I would find another way to protect it other than killing your daughter, Obi Wan.�

Obi Wan rose to his feet. �Luke, you�ve seen her count! If she were allowed to continue, the crimes of Sidious would pale in comparison to the destruction she would bring forth!�

�Then I will face it when it comes!� Luke roared, rising to his feet and glaring at Obi Wan head on. �I will face it as a Jedi should!�

�You could protect the people now, Luke, by removing this threat��

�Like you told me to kill my own father?� Luke hissed through clenched teeth. �Tell me, Ben, is this what the Jedi really are, the sacred keepers of secrets and lies? Self-righteous assassins in the dark, eradicating those who are too strong, too different? Is that what you would have done had you known my father would fall to the Dark Side? Would you have killed him before it happened?�

Kenobi glared into Luke�s crystal blue eyes. �Yes. Had I known, I would have struck him down before the blood of a thousand Jedi stained his hands.�

�Even though he was your friend, your student?�

�My actions would have been proper within the Jedi�s oath.�

�Then the oath needs to be changed,� Luke rumbled from deep in his chest. �Tell me when, exactly, a Jedi�s oath to protect the people became more valuable than the people themselves? When did our codes and doctrines and dogma become more important than mothers, fathers, children�love?� He stepped back, still holding Obi Wan in his glare. �If becoming a Jedi is my destiny, then THIS is also part of my destiny, and I will not cower from it!�

�If that is your decision,� Obi Wan replied stoically, folding his hands into his sleeves, �then I cannot offer you any more of my help.�

Luke narrowed his eyes at his old Master. �Who said I wanted it?�

Kenobi closed his eyes, and heaved a sigh. �The Skywalker line. Proud, assured, and forever reckless.� He lifted his sad gaze back to his apprentice. �Farewell, Luke.� And with that, the apparition turned his back and walked into the wood, his ethereal aura fading with every step, until it blinked away in the darkness.

Luke stood still, clenching his fists at his side, his breathing heavy and hard. He looked into the heavens through the trees, squeezing his eyes shut tight to keep the tears back, and to keep the howl of despair back into his throat�

�And thus, the Old Jedi Order truly ends, and the New Jedi Order is born.�

With a sharp gasp, Luke whirled around at the sound of the small voice. Behind him, another blue-edged apparition sat on a log. A blond little boy, wearing the same dusty farm gear Luke himself had worn in his former life, seemed deep in his tinkering of a landspeeder dampering module�but not so preoccupied that he couldn�t look up from his work at the young Jedi. �I don�t even have words to tell you how very proud I am of you right now, Luke.�

Luke gaped at the boy, slowly stepping toward him. Despite the boy�s young age, he spoke in a manner vastly beyond his years, with a resonance and an elegant cadence to his voice that was very familiar. He reached out with a Force tendril. �Father?�

Little Anakin smiled lovingly. �Hello, boy. I�m so glad to see you again.�

�Father,� Luke breathed, crouching before him, �why are you a child?�

�On the other side, one may choose the form from when one was happiest in his life,� Anakin answered simply, continuing to turn a nut inside the module he held. He glanced away from his work, giving Luke a sly smile. �Or�would you prefer something more familiar?� He suddenly sprang two meters in height, his skin morphing into black synthleather, his drab farm clothes blackening and lengthening into flowing robes and a cape�and the still forest air was scraped by the harsh mechanical wheeze of his respirator as Darth Vader loomed over and glared down upon Luke�

Luke swallowed. �Not really.�

�All right then,� Vader�s resonant bass chuckled through his mask, �I�ll meet you half way.� The enormous form of Vader shrank many inches in height and girth, and the robes shortened into a dark tunic and trousers. The mask dissipated from his face, the helm lightened into a full head of blond hair, and Luke found himself looking into what could have been his own blue eyes. �Better?�

Luke returned his father�s bright smile. �Better.�

�Don�t be angry with him, Luke. Even here, some of the Jedi are still too deeply rooted in the old ways. He means only the best, but�Obi Wan is till clouded by�� He paused. �Guilt, shame�a great many things.�

�And you?�

�Yes.� Anakin smiled again, a tad sadly. �It is difficult for him. Having dedicated his life protecting my children from the Emperor, and from myself, he is now faced with the cruel irony that it is his own flesh and blood who may bring about the galaxy�s final destruction.�

Luke blanched. �Will she?�

�She has the potential. But as Yoda was so want to point out, �Always in motion is the future.� It is difficult to tell, even here.� Anakin looked intently into his son�s eyes. �But Obi Wan was right in one thing. There is a storm coming, Luke, the likes this galaxy has not seen since the ancient days, since the days of Exar Kun. And I�Lai will answer the call of the Dark Side, make no mistake. It is not a matter of if, but when.�

The young Jedi bowed his head in frustration. �Then what do I do, Father?�

Anakin placed his ethereal hands on Luke�s shoulders. �Prepare for it.�

�How?�

�You must learn the ways of the Sith.�

His eyes became huge. �WHAT?�

Anakin shook his head. �Do not mistake me, son. I am not telling you to become a Sith. I am telling you to learn their ways. Study their lore. Know them inside and out. Through knowledge of your enemy comes victory over them. That is something the Old Order could never seem to understand.� He slid his hands off Luke�s shoulders to step a few paces away. �I was a Jedi, educated in their ways, skilled in their arts of combat.� He turned over his shoulder. �Why do you think I was so damned good at killing them?�

The chill had returned. �Where would I find this lore.�

�The Imperial Palace. Palpatine�s private library.�

�The Imperial Palace is under Republic lockdown, Father.�

Anakin smirked, and cocked an eyebrow in the same deft manner as Leia often did. �I�m sure you can obtain clearance from your sister.� His face became serious again. �But learning the ways of the Sith will not be a quick undertaking. It will take, quite possibly, years.�

Luke scowled slightly. �If I�Lai is already tainted by the Dark Side, then we don�t have years.�

�Precisely. Therefore, you will have to buy some time.�

�How?�

Anakin casually paced back toward his son. �The answer lies on a planet called Myrkr. You must fly there tonight.�

�And what am I looking for?� Luke asked.

�Believe me, son,� Anakin replied, �you�ll know it when you find it.� Pause. �And when you do, you must bring it back here to I�Lai. It will buy you the few years you�ll need to rebuild the Order and prepare yourself.�

�A lot can happen in a few years, Father.�

�Indeed. But there is one thing I can assure you, Luke. And that is�those years will bring you the help you�ll need. From, what seems at the present, to be a very unlikely source.�

Anakin suddenly shot a look over his shoulder, as though responding to an unheard call. He turned back to Luke. �My time here is finished, Luke.� He smiled warmly. �Your mother�s calling me.�

Luke smiled, even with the touch of tears in his eyes. �Tell her�hello for me.�

Anakin placed a fatherly hand on his son�s shoulder. �She is very, very proud of you, Luke. And of�Leia.� Sadness misted his father�s eyes for a moment before he raised them again. �Luke, do one thing for me, would you?�

�What�s that?�

�Tell Leia�congratulations. And that I approve.�

�I will, Father.�

Anakin smiled, and squeezed Luke�s shoulder before turning away and walking into the woods. However, he stopped, and turned again. �One thing, Luke.�

�Yes?�

�When you begin learning the Sith lore�begin with I�Lai�s name.�

And with that, Anakin Skywalker�s presence dissolved into the trees.

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The Fett Dynasty II: Siege of Orri Prime