Mara Jade walked through the old cantina that she used to work in. She washed dishes. Even though she hated doing it, she was glad to have an honest job bringing in honest money. She wore her hair down, like usual, and her tight black leather outfit. Even though she didn’t have time to race swoops anymore, she wore her swoop goggles.

 She walked down the bar. “Hey Baby!” and “It’s illegal to look that good! I’m surprised you don’t have a bounty on that!” were heard as she walked by the scum of the universe… or at least the scum in this cantina.

 I don’t know how I ever left all of this glory… She thought as she pulled out a chair on the end, and motioned her finger up to a container of a drink of some kind. Her belt held her lightsaber. The very same one that Anakin Skywalker fought with in the clone wars. It swung down past the seat when she sat down.

 In the corner, and old drunken man sat. His face was hideous. He had hair on one side of his head, and was bald on the other. “Ponda, see that girl? She’s got that same weapon as that guy that got you over ten years ago!” He said. An Aqualish was sitting next to him. His left arm was missing. He grunted and growled as he stood up. Mara Jade didn’t even take notice to him when he was standing right behind her. He put his only hand on his shoulder, and flung her around. She instinctively brought her knee up between Ponda Bobba’s legs. The Aqualish keeled over, moaning. The man in the corner got up, and fired a drunken shot. It missed her by a meter. The aqualish started to get up, and Mara kicked him in the face. He fell back, and landed on the corner of Dr. Evian’s table. The oppisite corner shot up, and sracked against the Dr.’s face! Soon, a whole platoon of Stormtroopers was in the doorway!

 “What? Stormtroopers? The Empire is back?” Mara said aloud.
 “Yes, Mara, as am I.” A voice called in her head.
 “Noooooo!” She screamed as she heard Emperor Palpatine’s voice ring between her ears.

 Mara brought out her saber, and charged the troopers. She cut them down, and ran into Jade’s Fire, her ship. I left Yavin 4 for a while to get away… She thought as she left the Tatoonie’s atmosphere.

 “Luke? This is Mara… I was just in an old cantina on Tatooine, and I got into a little hassel…”
 “Mara, what’s wrong? What happened?” Luke could hear the shakiness of his wife’s voice.
 “S-Stormtroopers… they were there…and I heard him…” Mara said.
 “Who?” Luke asked, feeling his wife through the force.
 “Palpatine.”
 “A clone?” Luke wondered.
 “I think, his voice sounded young.” Mara Jade said, setting the jump coordinates for Jade’s Fire.
 “Well, what are you going to do?”
 “I’m coming to Yavin 4. We’ll meet up, and discuss this. Call Leia and Han, tell them to meet me there, ok? I love you.” Mara said, and ended communications with her husband which who, at one time, she hated.
 

 On Yavin 4, Luke, Leia, Han, Winter, Chewbacca and Mara Jade all sat at a round table, in the center of Luke’s Jedi Academy.

 “I figure this,” Leia said, “We have no idea where those troopers came from, and have no scouts or spies out.”
 “So how could they have known Mara was in that very cantina on Tatooine?” Han asked, slumping back in his chair. He’d gotten used to these meetings, but he still didn’t like them. He preferred to just be told where and what to shoot.
 “The force. Somehow that clone, or what ever it is felt me…” Mara said, her glassy green eyes stared at the table, her arms crossed over her chest.
 “So, could he feel you now, Mara?” Han asked.
 “If he could, he would.” Luke answered for her. “ I doubt Palpatine, if it’s even him, would wait. He never did before…”
 “I’m going to go back to Tatooine. Luke and Han, you guys stay in the falcon while Leia, Winter and I go into the cantina. I’m sure the three of us will get picked up, and we’ll refuse, and cause a scene, just like before. I want to find this guy, and take him out fast…” Mara said.
 “Well it sure looks like you’ve got ever thing covered. And after you get a message?” Luke said.
 “Then we’ll run to the Falcon, where you guys will be waiting…” Mara finished, and looked into Luke’s blue eyes.
 “Sounds good too me, we leave in the morning. Now lets get some sleep.” Han said, and stood up. Leia and the rest did the same.
 

  The next morning, Mara was the first one out by Han’s ship. The rest came out, and set the coordinates for Luke’s home planet. An hour later, the arrived.

  Just like Mara said, the three girls went inside. The normal whistles and hoots of the lonely space travelers were heard. Mara nodded over to a table in the corner, and Leia and Winter sat down. They weren’t used to this atmosphere. Mara got herself a drink, and walked over to the table.

“Ya’ll ready? It starts now.” Mara said. She set the glass down on the table, and lifted her arms to stretch. She moaned a bit, and inhaled through her nose. She then dropped her arms down, and turned the chair around, so the back of it was away from her. She sat down, her legs spread a bit so she leaned on the chair back. “And now for the cherry on top…” She said, and then put the tip of the straw in her drink in her lips.
Just as she’d suspected, a tall, ugly, drunk walked up to her. “Yous three ladies wanna drink?” His voice was slurred.
“Sorry, you just missed out.” Mara said, and took a long sip.
“Ooooh…” He said with a hint of a burp. “Well, what about you two?”
“We don’t take drinks from you.” Leia said, getting exactly what Mara was doing.
“Come again,” The drunk said. He stumbled a little bit, and Winter had to bite her lower lip to keep from laughing.
“She means we’re fine.” Mara said, and dipped her finger into her drink, then she put it in her mouth, to taste the drink. The drunk stared.
“How come…” he said.
“Look, I don’t know if you think we’re giving off hints or what, but would you mind leaving us alone?” Mara snapped.
The drunk’s dumb expression soon turned to anger, as he hit Mara. She fell out of her chair. Leia stood up, as did Winter. Mara got up. The drunk turned away from Leia and Winter, to look at Mara. He put his hand up to her face, and smiled.

What a hideous animal. Mara thought as she looked right back into this alien’s face. Very quickly, the barrel of her Blastec was in his mouth. Mara heard a lightsaber ignite. She looked at Leia… hers was in her holster down by her waist. Luke was in the ship. She looked to the door, and saw…it. A real Sith. His head was a tall oval. He had black and white face paint on over his eyes and across his mouth. He held a black blade. He smiled, showing yellow, rotten teeth.

Mara pushed the drunk away, and ignited her lightsaber. The room cleared. All that was in it was Mara, Leia, Winter, a bunch of empty tables, and an Evil Sith. Leia and Winter stood pressed up against the wall. Mara jumped first and then the Sith…

They clashed sabers in the middle of the room. They bared down as hard as each of them could. The sith jumped back, and started to smile.

“The Jedi will die. Palpatine’s rules are the law!” He said, and his head lowered of his long, gray neck. His pupils vanished, and he started to laugh!

He jumped at Mara again, and Mara parried the attack. She went high, low, back and forth. The Sith new every attack that she threw. Leia finally got up enough nerve to start her saber. The ruby red glow bounced of her face as she jumped. She swung. The Sith blocked! Another black lightsaber blade came through the handle.
“Darth Maul sends his regards!” The sith said, and started attacking both Jedi with furious speed! Leia and Mara both blocked the attacks, and attacked back. The clash of the sabers was ear piercing! The Crsssfhhhh and Znnnnggg of the four blades made Winter fall to her rear. She pulled in her legs up to her chest, watching the Jedi and Sith battle.

“I’ve got to go, Han!” Luke said.
“What? Why?” Han asked, putting on his headset, waiting for Mara’s signal.
“The enemy is already there! I’ve got to go! You stay here, and get her ready to get outta here!” Luke said as he ran down the ramp.
 

Mara and Leia both held their defensive stances. The sith rolled his head around on his shoulders. Finally, he pushed up one hand, and Leia flew back to the wall, hitting it with a thud. He pushed the hand at Mara. She screamed, and forced the force away. Behind the sith, the wall shattered like ice. Mara lunged at the Sith, and sliced down. She hit nothing but the table he was standing on! She did a 180, and clashed sabers with him again.

Luke ran down the long allies of Mos Eisly. He saw a large ship in docking bay 668. By the ramp, stood three men dressed in black. One other woman was dressed in long red flowing robes.

“He’s about to kill them.” One said.
“You did tell him to keep Mara Jade to me, didn’t you?” One man said.
“Yes, My Lord Palpatine.” The woman said, and bowed her head to him.
“Palpatine!” Luke yelled. All four of the siths turned their heads. Luke ran at them, and he ignited his saber! Palpatine just lifted his hand, and Luke shot back, and landed against the wall of a pub or cantina. He left a crater, and fell to the ground unconsious.
“Let’s go, leave him. We are only here to kill Mara Jade.” Palpatine said, and walked in the direction of the cantina that Mara Jade and the Sith were fighting in…

Mara Jada and the Sith were still fighting. Now, Mara only blocked attacks from the Sith, moving her saber and twisting her body to keep from death.
Mara saw an opening, and lunged at the Sith. He saber went through his shoulder. The Sith screamed in pain! He used the force to sove Mara against the wall. She hit her head against it. It shook her up for a minute, but she was alright. Her eyes opened wide, and she moved her head down. The Sith’s saber went straight through the wall!
Out of nowhere, Leia dropped down, and cut the Sith’s lightsaber handle in half! The Sith jumped back, doing back-flips.

“You tell Palpatine that we’ll kill him again!” Leia said, letting go of the button that kept her saber blade out.

“You just did, Princess.” Palpatine stood in the door. He through lighting at Mara. He pinned her up against the wall. Her head whipped back in pain. The wounded Sith walked to Palpatine, not taking his solid white eyes off the women. Above them, and loud crash was head, and the ceiling fell apart. Palpatine lost his grip on Mara, and she fell to the ground unconsious. Leia ignited her saber again, and rushed the two Sith. They jumped away, and dissapeared.  The Falcon had saved them. Leia still ran after the two Sith. The first attacker had kept going, but Palpatine stopped. “Go to the ship!” he called, and the first sith did as he was told.

Palpatine waited for Leia. When she arrived, blood red lightsaber out, Palpatine smiled, and flashed his cool white teeth. He jumped at her. She bent her arms, so her blade was in front of her face. Palpatine’s blue saber struck it. He bared down, pushing Leia to the ground. She was on one knee. She shoved up, and leaped into the air!
She landed about ten feet back, ready for Palpatine’s younger clone to attack. But, instead of he doing what she wanted him to do, he turned off his saber, and shot blue lighting at her! She blocked it with her saber. Above her head, the Falcon was hovering, it’s ramp lowered. She jumped into it, and it left for Yavin 4.

Palpatine lifted his wrist, and spoke into the comm-link in it, “We lost her. Hurry up, and we can still destroy them in space!”

Above him, a long V-shaped ship hovered. Palpatine used the force, and leaped into it.

Mara was resting against the wall of the Falcon’s cargo hold. She was weak from the attack. Leia ran into the cockpit where Luke and Han were. “We’ve got to get out of here! They’re going to follow us!” She said.
“Ok, get ready for the jump to lightspeed.” Han said. He never got tired of saying that.

The ship started to rock. Behind it, Palpatine’s ship, Night Caster had opened fire.
 

“Look’s like we’re gonna have a bit of fun first, eh?” Han said. “Leia, hurry and strap in!” He pushed a button on the control board. “Mara, you secure back there?”
“Yeah, I’ll be ok…” She said, weakly.

Han dove 90 degrees straight down to avoid enemy fire. The ship turned and twisted.

In the Night Caster, Palpatine watched as the female Sith piloted. “You’re going to lose them, Sha’to.” He said, coolly.
“No, I won’t.” Sha’to replied. Sweat started to show on her brim.

“Luke, are the coordinates set?” Han asked.
“Yeah, they’re ready!” Luke responded.
“Ok, punch it!” Han said. The Millenium Falcon vanished into light speed.
“You lost them.” Palpatine said.
“I will make it up for you, My lord.”
“If you don’t, I’ll kill you.” Palpatine said. “Now get us back to Kessel to we can figure out another way we can find her.”