Redemption Part 7

Redemption
Part 7: Illusions
By SJ 12-23-01/05-02 (skyjade@globetrotter.net)

________________
Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belong to me; everything belongs
to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.
See my homepage for more details.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/3702

Special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne, for her
help with the final editing of my new stories. Thanks for giving
me some of your precious time, my friend :)
__________________

Almost three weeks after his 'discipline', Luke was still holding up even though
he was responsible for atrocities. He and his father were still laying dormant,
aware that it wasn't time to strike yet.

That night, as it happened every night after an operation, a nightmare came to
him.

He was not aboard his ship, but in the small town which they had cowardly
attacked earlier that day, witnessing everything that distance had kept him from
seeing during the day. He walked down the main street of the small town,
dressed in his usual uniform, except for one detail which appeared in all his
dreams: his uniform was pure white, but was smothered under the blackness of his
cloak.

Houses were burning all around him; some rebels, and not so rebels, were
defending their families' lives with hand-held blasters or captured imperial
weapons, but foremost in his mind, there were human and alien victims wherever
he laid his eyes. The cries of parents mourning their children, of children
mourning their parents, rose from all around him, suffocating him with their
emotional pain and sorrow.

Then, unlike the other nights, his nightmare continued.

Stormtroopers plowed down the streets once again, gathering the survivors of the
battle and roughly handled them until they could be herded into their respective
transports. Luke tried to close his eyes as he witnessed the horrors and
violence that his troops had brought upon their prisoners, but he wasn't in the
physical realm; his eyelids didn't keep him from seeing everything...

Then the streets were once again quiet, the imperial storm gone, leaving behind
nothing but havoc and death. As Luke dejectedly gazed around himself, he
noticed an hazy shape at the end of the street, a black-bloated cloud... from
which came the Emperor's sickening cackle of pleasure.

Oh yes, he reflected sadly, he had satisfied the despot once again... but at
what cost for his soul, he asked himself as he turned away from the darkness.
Even though he didn't condone what he was responsible for, he still did those
things, he reminded himself. He had killed too many innocents to ever forgive
himself.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered in regret as he lowered his chin to his upper
chest, his head too heavy with guilt to hold it upright.

How long would he have to commit such atrocities, he asked no one, or perhaps
his sister, he admitted.

"It was not your fault, Luke Skywalker," a new, unknown voice answered him
gently.

Startled, he raised his head once again--- and gaped as he identified the source
of the voice as being one of his dead victim whom had now risen from the dead,
unmarked by the horrors of the late battle. Barely registering these facts,
Luke gazed around himself--- and saw that all the beings who had been dead just
seconds ago were once again alive and gathering around him. Unlike what he
expected though, they didn't scorn at him, nor did they attack him; instead,
they smiled gently at him, nodding as if in comprehension.

"You are not responsible for what happened here, nor anywhere else, young Jedi,"
a woman commented when he gazed at her.

"He is," a child added, pointing his finger at the dark cloud which was still
hovering malevolently above them.

For a moment, Luke feared that he had been uncovered, but before he could act on
that fear, another man spoke.

"He doesn't see past your cloak, Jedi of the Light, nor does his servants."

"In time, you will fulfill your destiny," a young woman who reminded him of Leia
continued gently.

"But after how many lives have been savagely taken?" he inquired in despair.

"Sadly," an older man, whom Luke recognized as one of the leaders who had been
killed during the attack, "a battle can't be won without sacrifices, Jedi
Skywalker, but once we are past this difficult moment, we know that you will
make the loss of our mortal lives worthwhile."

"No," Luke argued slightly, "no life will ever replace the ones I took through
my army. You can't forgive me."

"But we do, Luke Skywalker," a young teenager told him gently. "We all do, us,
and the others who left this life before us."

Luke felt himself reel in disbelief; how could they forgive him when he couldn't
forgive himself?.. Didn't they realize that he had made them suffer uselessly?

"We have but two demands to rest in peace," an older lady cut in his thoughts,
stepping forward from the group until she was standing right in front of him.

Luke understood that she was a strong spirit, one who would speak on the others'
behalf now.

"I will do everything I can, even give my own life if I have to," he promised
solemnly.

"That is where you are wrong, Jedi Skywalker," she slightly rebuked him. "You
must 'not' die; you must promise to keep hope and see this through, then go on
until you join us of natural causes."

Luke was stricken, but he nodded anyway.

"You must also promise us to look after our children and families," the woman
continued seriously. "They are in your hands now; in time, you will have the
power to set them free."

"I give you my word that they will be safe," he promised them--- then he was
once again alone in the now completely empty street.

In the distance, the cackling Emperor continued to oversee the now beaten city.
Luke locked his gaze on him for a few seconds, then he turned away---

And woke up.

Ever since he had been hurt, he had taken the habit to sleep on his stomach;
Mara was slightly under him, content to lay under his left arm, slightly pressed
against his warm skin.

Mara, he thought with a wince of sadness in his heart. Things weren't the same
between them since he had discovered the truth of her servitude with their
master. Of course, he conceded that their distance was more than realistic-
looking after what he had heard, but at the same time, it wasn't solely due to
that. When his father had told him to dampen his use of the Force, he had had a
flash of himself loving Mara. At first, he hadn't understood it, but the more
time passed, and the more it had become obvious to him that his love for Mara
could make him reveal his Light just as easily as if he were using the Force.

Hence, he had reluctantly applied his cool attitude with her too, but it wasn't
easy. Sometimes, he did slip back in his old persona, to simply compliment her
ever-gorgeous figure, but also to show her that their love wasn't completely
dead either. He still had hope that once this mess they were in would be over,
she too would realize that she was a good person. However, with the Emperor
around, he didn't even entertain any hopes to breach through to her.

He pulled her slightly closer to himself, dimly reflecting that he had to be
suicidal to sleep with his worst enemy... but she was also his best friend and
lover. It was all so complicated, he sighed silently, careful to not wake her
up. Dimly, he wondered if it would have been any easier if he had lived in the
other life that his sister had shown to him.

He would never know, he admitted, and it didn't really matter. The only thing
that did matter, he reminded himself as he closed his eyes once again and tried
to catch up on his sleep, was to survive while he had to, then use his gifts for
the good of the galaxy.

He drifted back into sleep on that secret thought.

******

Five days later, Luke was as busy as ever, leading meeting after meeting with
his different officers to discuss new strategies to use in their upcoming
operations.

While her lover had never used his men this much before his discipline, Mara had
to admit that he was more efficient that way. He had training and experience as
an agent, but his officers had the experience of leading troops and groups of
ships.

What slightly miffed her about this though was that in her guise of Lady Vader,
she couldn't assist to those meetings. Instead, she was left to herself for
hours on end. At first, she split her free time between the ship and their
quarters, to keep up appearances, but as the occasional meetings became routine,
she lessened her time outside their quarters until she wasn't going out unless
Luke was with her. She was tired to parade around when she could train and
prepare for her undoubtedly upcoming mission.

She knew that the Emperor was now mostly reassured about her boyfriend; when he
wouldn't have any doubts anymore, she had no doubts that he would send her on a
new mission, she could feel it. What she wondered though was what her master
was still feeling as doubtful in Luke. She had probed him times and times
again, and she never found any incriminating thoughts or feelings.

Instead, he was cool, focused on his duty to the Emperor... a little too much
sometimes for her taste, but she could do with it. If their being less intimate
was what Luke needed to return in the Emperor's grace, she thought to herself as
she lunged away from her practice droid's attack, then so be it.

The droid was right on her heels again.

She whirled on her heel, scored another ten points with her roundhouse kick,
then an extra fifteen with a heel judiciously placed at the apex of its legs.
Unlike a human of course, the droid didn't stop for that, but she only needed to
score another twenty points to deactivate it... and break a new record.

She flipped backward and away from his sweeping leg, then jumped back to her
feet--- and Forcefully-pulled her blaster from her wrist-holster before she shot
the robot with a low-powered bolt in the head. As expected, the droid shut
down, putting an end to her practice session.

She checked her chrono, and smiled. Three minutes and twenty-three seconds.
She had indeed broken her record this time.

"This calls for a celebration," Luke's voice commented from behind her.

She whirled around, surprised to have been caught off-guard by him. He was
leaning sideways against the door frame, his arms crossed over his leather-
covered chest. If not for the ever-ominous appearance of his cloak, she
reflected that he would look almost relaxed and boyish. She crossed her arms
over her own chest, as if miffed by his suggestion.

"And why not try to break that record instead, my Lord," she teased him.

He winced slightly at that, then straightened.

"You'll forgive me if I pass this time," he answered as he walked inside the
room until he was standing right in front of her.

"Later then," she nodded while she silently berated herself for not remembering
that he still wasn't up for any unnecessary exercise.

While most of his superficial cuts had healed almost completely, his right
wrist, knee and hip were another matter. His father had cut him more deeply
there; Luke constantly had to strain to hide his remaining limp and stiffness.
It was less painful than two weeks ago of course, but she could see that he
wasn't healed yet; she could still detect a slight lack of balance whenever he
rested on his right leg, and his right arm was more still than his left one was.

"How long have you been watching," she asked him to change the subject.

"Since you scored forty," he answered softly. "It truly was impressive, Mara,"
he then told her seriously.

"Thanks," she nodded as she leaned closer to him, drawn despite herself to his
handsome features. "I guess I must be more stir-crazy than I thought I was,"
she commented lightly.

Luke accepted her silent offer; he also leaned closer. "Wonder what we could do
to shoo away your boredom," he half-whispered even as they closed in for a sweet
kiss.

The moment that his lips touched hers, she melted against him, wrapping her arms
around his neck even as his arms snaked around her small, lightly clothed body--
- then his comlink went off.

They both reluctantly pulled away, exchanged a disappointed glance, then Luke
pulled his comlink from his belt and turned it on.

"What is it?" he inquired seriously.

While he listened to Piett's explanation, Mara tried to recover from the
interrupted moment of passion. She was still tingling from his touch, his
passion. It had been almost a week now since the last time that they had found
some free time for the two of them, real free time. She could feel that, had
they not been interrupted, it wouldn't have been a mere kiss this time; it would
have led to hot, searing embraces for which she was downright yearning for. She
knew that this kind of craving wasn't exactly what neither she nor Luke had been
trained to accept in their lives, but with Luke, it was different.

It felt right, wonderful... and their bond was like it used to be while they
made love. Not the bleak, barely alive bond that they were now sharing, thanks
to his sister's attempt to overcome him... Luke's hand rested on her shoulder,
gently drawing her out of her thoughts.

"Mara, are you all right?" he asked her solicitously.

"Yes, I was just thinking," she answered truthfully. "So what is going on?"

"A sudden report of a new base less than an hour away from here," he informed
her grimly. "We'll continue this later, okay?"

"Promised?" she asked, then caught herself and frowned slightly.

By the gods was she that desperate now?, she berated herself.

"I give you my word," her lover whispered lustfully, kissed her once again on
the lips, a long, sweet kiss, then he turned away and exited the training room.

Mara remained where she was standing and slowly brought her fingers to her lips,
tracing them as if to recreate the feeling of his mouth against hers. There was
no way around it, she resignedly admitted to herself, she still simply loved him
with all her heart, and her heart solely existed for him.

*Mara Jade,* the Emperor's voice suddenly cut in her thoughts, then remained
there.

She knelt where she stood, then respectfully bowed her head.

*What is thy bidding, Master?*

Parsecs away, on Coruscant, the Emperor used his link with his best remaining
assassin to study her. She was tired to babysit young Vader, yet she wanted to
be with him, truly with him. Slightly worried that his keeping her with the
youth for this long had woken up disturbing feelings in her, he scanned deeper,
and found out that his discipline on the youth had taught her to crush her own
heart... although her love for young Vader would always remain.

Thanks to his own, perhaps ill-advised plan to allow the two youths to be
together, he sneered in disgust, conveniently forgetting the past results of the
couple to focus on his 'new' plans. However, he decided that as long as Jade
didn't have feelings for anyone but the boy, he would let her be; she was too
good an element to discipline her too much... for the moment.

Next, he checked her memories to see if she had noticed any strange things about
the youth; what he discovered greatly pleased him. At last, he was truly
gaining control over the boy, even more than what he had ever managed before
when he had overcome him while his sister had been alive.

Satisfied with his discovery, he addressed the obedient young woman.

*How is our young Lord Vader these days?* he inquired coolly.

*Efficient, Master,* she answered him. *He calls on the expertise of his
officers, he takes the less costly and most efficient tactics, and he feels less
and less... of anything,* she finished with a small note of regret.

So he had been informed well and the two youths were growing less passionate
with each passing day. His strategy had worked then; it pleased him. He had no
use for the bond between the youths anymore; he now had other plans for the two
of them, mostly for the boy's services to him. He made a note to separate them
soon, but not just yet.

The youth was obviously in his grasp once again, and content to be there, but
just to be sure, he would leave his Hand with him for a short while longer, then
he would set his new plan in motion.

*Good,* he commented to his obedient servant. *I don't have any other mission
for you for the moment, my Hand, but I shall soon. Be ready to resume your
other duties,* he advised her coolly, aware that she had lounged around a lot,
foregoing her rigorous training for a while. But not anymore. It was time to
resume where they had left off before that unpleasant accident with the spirit
of the rebel princess.

He cut off his link with the red-head, then sent an order to his other agents to
intensify their surveillance of the other youth. If he were to leave him
'alone', he wanted to be sure that the danger or a returning Jedi was well and
truly eradicated.

******

It was now a month and a few days after the second, most unpleasant day in the
life of Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker.

Like all the other days since Luke's 'discipline', he was overseeing the patrol
operation concerning a convoy which had stumbled in one of their hyperspace
trap. Since the convoy had tried to escape them, they were now being
investigated from bow to stern and outer hull to outer hull.

Whereas he had first taken part to those operations, Ani had slowly withdrawn
from them to let his officers deal with their prisoners. He himself couldn't
see anymore misery which he was still responsible for.

As he gazed at the inoffensive-looking Corellian frigate which was now berthed
in the main hangar bay of the Executor, he dimly wondered how his son was
holding up. He hadn't heard from him for a month now, as if he were upset with
him, he reflected sadly. However, he reminded himself, he knew that he wasn't.
Instead, he suspected that it was yet another way to keep up appearances. He
could only agree with him, he reflected sadly. Considering the reports of his
son's operations, he knew that he was fooling everyone around him... He didn't
want to risk his cover-up with something as 'trivial' as a conversation between
them, he decided.

However, given what he himself had read in the reports, he suspected that his
son's soul was undoubtedly even heavier with sorrow than his own was.

Quiet footsteps cut in his thoughts, informing him that his admiral was now
standing at attention behind him.

"Yes, Admiral," he inquired without turning around.

"My Lord, Lord Vader's shuttle has entered our sensor range just moments ago.
It will land in the hangar seven-two-five-three."

While Anakin was extremely surprised by this information, he didn't give any
sign that the upcoming arrival of his son was not expected. He slowly turned
around until he could stare down at the aging man.

"I leave the rest of the procedures in your hands, Admiral."

Then, as the other bowed in obedience, he left his observation station and
headed toward his son's chosen landing bay.

He was just in time to witness the final procedures. Behind him, the two squads
that he had managed to gather formed a row of honor. Then, the ship's hatch
opened and his son came down the ramp.

Unlike the last time that he had seen in such a context, he wasn't grim nor
frowning. Instead, he was the perfect example of a cool head and attitude.

"Father," he bowed, his voice neutral.

"Welcome, Son," he answered back, then turned around to leave the hangar bay.

His son followed silently.

"Your coming here is quite unexpected," Anakin commented in his best imitation
of Vader.

"But necessary. I have uncovered troubling information about a regrouping
Rebellion," the youth explained seriously, his eyes still locked in front of
him.

"Again?"

Luke only nodded in answer, then flashed him an upward glance which carried his
deeply hidden sorrow. They were causing this, he understood, yet they couldn't
do a single thing about it... for the moment.

"We are currently leading an operation, Father," he added, like the good servant
that he was now supposed to be. "I have the feeling that this can wait for a
short while until our duty is finished."

Anakin dismissed his comment. "We were already mostly done with it; your own
teams are cleaning up and Admiral Ozzel is overseeing its completion here.
Come," he invited him.

His son followed in silence... all the way to his quarters in which they sealed
themselves.

Once there, he hurried to warn his son to be silent, then reached out and
scanned his quarters. As he had expected, new bugs had found their way in
them. Using the Force, he ripped them away from the walls and floor, then
gathered them into his right hand where he crushed them before proceeding toward
his inner quarters.

Behind him, his son gaped as he repeated the operation in all his quarters until
he was sure that they were safe now.

"Doesn't the Emperor mind your finding them?" Luke finally inquired as they sat
in his father's office where they would be able to discuss tactics.

Anakin shook his head in reassurance. "It's like a game for him," he explained
seriously. "If I find them, then I'm not an easy target and he likes that."

"Then," the young Jedi observed seriously, "I'll start scanning my own quarters
too," he commented.

"Why?" his father inquired, leaning forward in his chair in worry.

Luke sighed in both relief and sorrow. He would miss her... yet he would
finally be free to spy on the Emperor.

"The Emperor has called Mara back into service. She will leave in two days...
and we don't know if she will return after that or not. I figure that if he
doesn't have her 'insight' anymore, he'll resort to bugs..."

"Indeed," his father agreed with him. "it's quite possible."

"I can't take any chances with him anyway," the youth commented seriously,
"especially since I will begin to prepare our attack," he added grimly.

"Do you know how you will proceed?" his father inquired with interest, leaning
back in his chair.

"I will gather information," Luke began, recovering his edge of when he had been
an agent, something he now realized he had lost in commanding duties. "I will
'strike' during the night, once we are done with the attacks. My troops are
used to see me get full nights of sleep; they will never suspect that I'm not in
my quarters," he explained, determinate.

"Unless they notice that a ship is missing," his father pointed out seriously.

Luke answered him with a grim smirk, one of his first in nearly a month as he
let go of his rigid self-control. "They won't, don't worry," he reassured him.
"I might look like nothing more than a fleet commander," he then added
teasingly, "but I trained when Mara was asleep; I'm still a spy and assassin."

"It would sure be a shame for you to lose those when we need them," his father
answered seriously.

"Exactly," his son nodded. "What about you, Father? Have you been able to work
on our plan?"

"Not much," he admitted. "but I did begin to read the books about the Dark
Side. So far, I haven't found anything new. I just read, then tried to forget
what wasn't necessary."

"I know what you mean," his son agreed with him. "I don't want to remember
those either. Every day," he continued more sadly, "I do what I have to do to
survive, then work double time to forget it and move on... but this is so
awful...," he winced, lowering his head in shame.

"Yes," Anakin nodded, standing up to step around his desk; he rested his hand on
his son's shoulder. "How are you holding up?" he inquired worriedly.

"Probably as well as you are, Father," he answered, slowly locking his eyes on
his shielded ones. "I also have nightmares... dreams that show me what happened
because of me, but the spirits of the dead ones always forgive me... the true
me."

"But you don't forgive yourself, do you?" he asked, slowly sitting on the edge
of his desk.

Luke followed him with his eyes, then barely shook his head.

"I can't," he finally commented seriously. "If I do, then it will mean that I
accept evil as necessary, as unavoidable... as inconsequential," he finished in
disgust. "I can't do this to the memories of all those innocents."

"But eventually," his father answered gently, "you will have to give up your
guilt, as they ask us to do."

Luke, who had been lowering his head, suddenly raised it again and stared at his
father.

"You have those too?" he asked in confusion.

"Every night," Anakin nodded sadly. "All night long, about the present... and
the past."

Luke, who meant to add something, fell silent as he understood that his father
was facing his whole life.

"At first," the older man explained softly, "I resented them, I didn't want to
face those visions, but then, when I stopped to fight against them, I discovered
that they were meant to heal my soul."

Luke was still silent, attentive to his father's wisdom.

"It's not easy," Anakin commented with a shrug of his shoulders, "but slowly, I
am overcoming my guilt."

"To lay it on the Emperor's shoulders?" the youth inquired as he remembered his
own dreams. "I can't---"

"No, it is still on my shoulders," his father explained gently, comfortingly,
"but it is in the past, and could I return in time, I wouldn't repeat it."

True, Luke conceded, he wouldn't either, but he wished that he didn't have to
hurt more people as of now. Before he could comment anything though, a soft
glow appeared on their left until his sister was once again beside them.

He hadn't seen her for a long while now, he thought, bitter-sweet.

"Listen to Father, Luke," she entreated him softly, "everything is proceeding as
it must for the two of you to fulfill your destinies. If you hang onto your
guilt, you will remain vulnerable to the Dark Side... and the Emperor."

"But it is so hard to bear the weight of those deaths and tormented souls," he
argued, jumping to his feet to face his sister. "Leia, I don't know how long
I'll be able to keep up this charade of cruelty."

"It won't be long anymore, Luke," she reassured him, "but you must hold on; only
then, will you be able to make sure that it doesn't happen again."

"He is right though," Anakin observed seriously as he too stood from his seat to
stand beside his son. "How much more torment will be necessary before we can
put an end to it."

His daughter closed her eyes, seemed to listen to something, then she re-opened
them and gazed at them once again.

"After the next attack, on Bizan, there will be a new time of peace during which
you will have time to prepare yourselves. Then, a new sacrifice will be needed,
from one of you," she finished sadly. "Only then, will you be able to take
advantage of the end of the conflict and free the whole galaxy."

As always, Anakin noticed that Leia didn't give them any straight answers, but
up to now, their actions had always brought about what she had told him... or
Luke. But that sacrifice thing, Ani thought with dread... He didn't like it one
tiny bit, especially since he had the feeling that it would be needed from Luke
once again.

"Can you tell us about the Emperor's powers?" he asked her seriously.

She slightly shook her head. "I'm afraid that he is completely closed-off from
the Light side of the Force, Father. I can't find a link to his soul."

"Well, it was worth the try," Luke commented as he began to pace the small area
beside the desk. "What about Mara, Leia. Can you feel her?"

His sister took a moment to focus, then answered him: "she is very diffuse,
Luke... Her only link to us is her love for you."

Then there was hope, Ani surmised even as his son closed his eyes in relief.

"So if we summarize," his son began, business-like this time, "we have to strike
yet another decisive blow on mostly innocents, then it will be up to us to take
advantage of the resulting quietness to both gather information and set our
strategy up."

"And Luke will do most of the work since he can disappear whereas I can't really
do so..." Ani admitted reluctantly.

"But your knowledge of the Force is greater than mine, Father," his son reminded
him. "We will need it when the time will come to strike."

"And the Emperor doesn't suspect you at all, Father," Leia reminded him softly.
"However, he still keeps an eye on Luke."

"Point taken," he nodded at his children. "So I guess the only thing that
remains is to get to work," he commented seriously.

"The Force will be With You," Leia said gently, then she was gone once again.

"I miss you," he heard Luke whisper, then saw him hunch his shoulders.

Aware of his sorrow, he stepped closer to him, then gently hugged him in
comfort.

"She knows it, Luke," he reassured him. "Her time with us is short, but she is
always with us, and she knows our every thought. I'm sure that she misses you
too."

Luke didn't answer this; instead, he welcomed his embrace, leaning into it as he
used to do as a child.

"I'm so tired to fight for our souls, Father," he said almost too low for him to
hear him. "I'm tired to lie to Mara and fear the Emperor..."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ani commented, sending him feelings of
confidence and strength.

They would see this through, he promised both himself and his son. Naturally,
Luke returned his promise.

In the realm of the Force, Leia and Padme watched their two family members as
they set to work on their double plan.

They couldn't help but shiver in horror as they came up with a strategy to crush
the 'rebellion', but they smiled in pride when they begun to discuss their
other, more important plan.

"I wish that I could tell them everything," Leia commented seriously.

"But you wouldn't help them that way," her mother told her wisely. "Sometimes,
knowing the future isn't the best option available."

She for one knew that she would have tried to redeem Anakin, but it wouldn't
have bought her any time; worse, she conceded that she might have ended up in
the Emperor's claws with him... and their children. Had they been raised in the
Dark Side, she knew that the galaxy wouldn't be on the brink of freedom at the
moment. It would be on the brink of the darkest night that they had ever known.
But it wasn't the case, she reminded herself.

Her dear Ani, the man with whom she had fallen in love, had survived his years
of anger and lust for power, and now, with the help of their clever, surprising
son, they would both accomplish what the whole Jedi Order hadn't been able to do
way back when.

Perhaps because they hadn't seen the danger until too late, or perhaps because
they hadn't been through the fire, she now knew that they hadn't stood a chance
against Darth Vader and his Emperor. As thus, a dark time had fallen all over
the galaxy... a darkness that had almost eaten even her own son, but in the end,
like his father, he had survived the horrible challenge, and had emerged
stronger from his years of servitude since he now held keys that would allow him
and his father to succeed in their plan.

Without the much hated training of her son, Padme had to concede that they
wouldn't stand a chance against the dark Jedi and his army. The Jedis had been
right, she admitted. Her son was indeed the key of the future.

A much brighter future, for them all.

******

TBC in part 8: Second try

SJ: Skyjade@globetrotter.net (any positive stuff is welcome, but negative or
mean comments will be thrown down the Sarlacc s throat without being read.)