Chapter Text
1 Year After the Battle of Endor
Entry 1
It is amazing how much difference a year can make. A year ago I had power and prestige. I lived the good life in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. I was a professional that took great pride in my work, having trained for years to become a highly skilled Force-strong assassin and enforcer for the Emperor. But then came the destruction of the second Death Star and the death of the Emperor. This tragic event fueled uprising-after-uprising across the galaxy and left a void in leadership, resulting in intense infighting among the Moffs. Eventually the Empire became a fragmented and ineffectual government.
Some Moffs took their naval fleets and moved to wild space. There, they set up their own personal kingdoms, leading with an iron fist over their domains.
They were fools.
United the Empire could have thwarted the Rebel Forces over time, but as a divided force they were easily defeated by a ragtag band of insurgents that, I grudgingly had to admit, had exceptionally shrewd leadership. Leia Organa, the Princess turned General, was very effective in inciting dissidence on strategic worlds. Industrial planets such as Kuat, Balmorra, Bakur, Tyre and Corellia threw in their lot with the Rebels and when they did the rebel forces effectively controlled the Kuat Drive Yards and a majority of the weapons manufacturing plants.
The Empire needed a strong leader, but every time a Moff came forward to fill the role of supreme leader another Moff –hoping to claim the office himself—assassinated him.
I was at a crossroads. I worked deep undercover for the Emperor...so I didn't have any status in this new Empire. In fact I was certain that the few people who did know of my existence would undoubtedly attempt to kill me if they realized I survived. I came to the conclusion that I needed to change my appearance, identity and start over.
My decision to stay with the floundering Empire was a pragmatic one. I knew the political and social structure of the Empire. I understood how it worked. I was familiar with many of the key players that remained in power, even if they didn't know me- and the Empire was recruiting heavily. With a new identity I could begin anew. My intensive training in piloting, slicing, and surveillance, along with my fluency in multiple languages should equate to quick movement up the ranks.
It was then I had an epiphany…it was a plan to ingratiate myself to the new Empire and secure a position of power. I would first join the Empire under a new identity. Then I would capture Luke Skywalker, the Empire's most wanted Rebel, and get myself on the fast track to promotion. Skywalker was the pilot who destroyed the first Death Star and was rumored to be a Jedi, but I truly doubt he had any formal training. The Jedi Order was decimated during the Jedi purge and any survivors were quickly hunted down and killed by Darth Vader's Inquisitors. Intelligence reports indicated he was a former moisture farmer from Tatooine—meaning he is probably was some bucktoothed, rimworld bumpkin with bad hygiene, a primary school education, and a total lack of culture. The only thing going for him was undoubtedly some minimal Force ability, which allowed him to get that lucky shot during the Battle of Yavin.
He shouldn't pose a problem for someone of my abilities.
First I needed to establish my new identity and the best place to find unneeded official identification is in the aftermath of a combat zone. When traveling through a war torn world of Chibias I came upon the body of a woman with my approximate height, age, and who had a passing resemblance to me. She was slightly heavier than I was, but people are known to lose weight during time of war, and when they do, their facial features change. I believed I could pass for her with some modification of my appearance. I stole her identification and then dragged her body to an abandoned speeder and stuffed her into the trunk. After a few days in the oppressive heat she would no longer be recognizable by anyone.
I sliced into the government computer systems and made sure she had a clean record. I was thrilled that she was a college graduate, never arrested and didn't have her fingerprints or DNA on record. She was a blank slate that I could work with. I looked down at the identification card and smiled. The woman had the same eye color as me. I simply had to dye my hair black to complete the transformation.
I would become Litassa Colay, Imperial new recruit, and say goodbye to my previous identity, Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand.
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Entry 2
The Empire is full of idiots and I honestly don't know how I never fully comprehended this before. It isn't like I didn't see the warning signs. We built a colossal space station capable of annihilating entire planets, but Imperial engineers failed to put a metal grate over a thermal exhaust port. And there was that humiliating defeat on Endor where an elite stormtrooper garrison was decimated by a village of one-meter-tall, primitive Ewoks with rocks and wooded spears. ROCKS AND WOODEN SPEARS! One would think these embarrassments would urge Imperial commanders to buckle down and increase unit readiness, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
I walked to the local military garrison and inquired how I could join up to fight the rebels. I was referred to a young lieutenant who scrutinized my stolen identification, looked up to me and my newly dyed black hair, before smiling lecherously and handing me a datapad to fill out a recruitment application. I filled out the forms, turned it in and that was it. I am officially part of the Empire. I could be a rebel secret agent, but they wouldn't know. I would be extremely surprised if the lieutenant actually ran a background check on my stolen identity.
I requested to be sent to an intelligence unit. The young officer said that shouldn't be a problem since most women are sent to non-combat units. It is nice to know the remnants of the Empire continued their old custom of misogyny (sarcasm fully intended). I am given a shuttle transport ticket and a datachip with my orders. Tomorrow I report to an initial training center for a physical and inprocessing.
Now I understand how the rebels can gather such detailed intelligence on the Empire-operational security is sloppy!
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Entry 3
I am starting to regret my decision. Suppressing the urge to Force choke my drill instructors is giving me a migraine. The training is a joke when it comes to women. We train in coed companies, but the platoons are segregated. During our platoon runs the men are way upfront maintaining a good four-minute-kilometer pace with boots and heavy pack, all the while singing horrendously sexist cadences. Meanwhile the women were lagging behind at a casual seven-minute-kilometer crawl, wearing running shoes (so the weaker sex doesn't get shin splints), no pack and while chanting a children's show tune disguised as a double-time cadence. I only have another week of pretending that I don't have any prior military training and then I am off to my advanced job training for the Intel Corps.
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Entry 4
The Intelligence Corps training is rudimentary. We covered the different types of military intelligence to include: signal, imagery, and area intelligence. We also were instructed in Battlefield surveillance, counterintelligence, geospatial intelligence, and cryptologic Network warfare. One of our assignments at the end of the course was to attempt to create a backdoor program capable of accessing a Rebel computer system. I was fairly sure this was a lesson in frustration. If there were any Rebellion (or New Republic as they are now calling themselves) computer systems that haven't been breached then it is unlikely a class of fresh Intel recruits would have any success in doing so. Given the time frame we had for this assignment I doubted I could pull this off. I decided to play it safe and attempt to slice into older computers. I knew the six-year-old PX-W operating system was riddled with security holes and when the company that manufactured these system platforms started producing the next generation system they totally stopped allowing software patches and virus protection updates to occur. It was the company's way of getting computer owners to purchase their new system. Unfortunately for the Rebels, money is tight and they can't afford to procure new processors every few years. I ran a PX-W code scan through the New Republic Holonet in an attempt to find vulnerable systems. I found a few and miraculously one belonged to a low-level supply clerk for an X-Wing fighter squadron on a remote NR held planet. It wasn't much, but it did allow the Empire a peek into supply requests for that particular military unit.
My instructors were duly impressed. What they didn't know was—using Palpatine's old passcodes—I also designed a second backdoor program to spy on the Empire. If I was ever going to find Skywalker I needed fresh intelligence from all sources.
It is only a matter of time before I have that Tatooine farm boy in my hands.
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Entry 5
Before I finished my Intel training the Empire was dealt a terrible setback on the planet Jakku. Jakku is a desert mining planet in the Western Regions with little strategic value other than it makes a good jumping off point into the Unknown Regions. Grand Moff Randd was determined to take over that sector for reasons unknown (at least to me) and committed most of the Imperial fleet. That fool was so confident that he reportedly said during the battle that this conflict would 'live forever in history as the place where the Empire defeated the Rebellion once and for all.'
It didn't quite work out that way. The New Republic was victorious and the enemy captured Captain Ciena Ree, the commander of the Star Destroyer, Inflictor, but not before she ordered her ship scuttled to prevent the Rebels from acquiring it. Our last Super Star Destroyer, theRavager, was lost in that battle along with numerous AT-AT and AT-ST walkers and countless casualties on both sides.
Jakku was a failure of epic proportions leaving the Empire in shambles. If the Imperial command can't rectify this situation I might have to change sides in this war.
I can't believe I actually wrote that. It is treasonous to have such thoughts…but so many things have changed in the last year, including my priorities. I once served the Emperor loyally. My devotion knew no bounds. But what did that get me? Nothing.
I need to look out for myself now.
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Entry 6
The New Republic has become overly confident and lax when it comes to communication security protocols. More and more New Republic personnel are transmitting unencrypted messages. While the Moffs attempt to consolidate forces and recover from the Jakku debacle, I have continued my search for Skywalker. I have picked up chatter that he was sighted on the planet Hodk II. It is a neutral planet, but they may be considering siding with the NR now that the New Republic handed the Empire a colossal setback. I graduate from my Intel Corps training next week. I will report to my new unit on Epta Prime, a small temperate world in the galactic inner rim. Once there I will be given the option of taking the standard two-weeks leave or save my vacation time for later. Maybe I will travel to Hodk II and try to get a glimpse of the NR golden boy. If I capture him I could send an encrypted message to the nearest Imperial ship and request a prisoner extraction.
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Entry 7
I travelled to Hodk II in civilian clothing and with forged documentation. I felt there is no need to inform the border agents that I'm an Imperial. Fortunately there are only a few towns on the entire planet. I suspected the rebels could be found on the planet's sole spaceport called He'ghos. That hellhole not only has a refueling center, but the city is home to the highest number of taverns and prostitutes per capita than any other location on the planet.
I am certain I will find Skywalker there.
I have good reason to be confident. I have searched for other high profile marks and found them. The secret is 'know your enemy' and my criminal profiling skills are flawless. I have come up with a profile for this Rebel: He is a man in his early twenties and former moisture farmer from a sparsely populated planet and now he is the biggest hero of the rebellion and a self-proclaimed Jedi Knight. He is known and revered by rebels and NR sympathizers all over the galaxy. That rapid change of fortune, from farmer to hero, is a recipe for disaster. Sudden fame leads to substance abuse, debauchery and other self-destructive behaviors. My best guess is I can find Skywalker at some shady bar, drinking whiskey, leering at women and attempting to get any receptive female into bed by announcing he was the man who blew up the Death Star. It is typical bravado behavior seen in successful pilots and it is as disgusting as it is predictable.
The public transport shuttle I flew on to Hodk II set down at the He'ghos spaceport with a loud thud, followed by a screech of metal and a sudden jerk as the ship listed sharply due to a broken landing strut. Luckily I was still in my crash webbing. The foolish passengers who ignored the flashing 'Stay Seated' neon sign ended up flung into the far bulkhead. There was a lot of confusion, moaning and panicked passengers. When the shuttle stopped shuddering, I unbuckled, stood and grabbed my tote bag intent on leaving this entire fiasco behind me. I looked down the exit aisle and sighed in frustration when I realized in order to actually leave I would have to step over an extremely elderly and injured woman sobbing on the floor. I hesitated, wanting nothing more than to start my mission to capture Luke Skywalker, but, with a grunt of frustration, I tossed my bag onto my seat and knelt down to assist the injured passenger sprawled on the deck. I helped her into a sitting position and examined the gash on her head. She had grey hair, pallid blue eyes and fragile thin skin that was nearly translucent, but was quickly turning a bluish-black color from intense bruising. I reached back to my tote and pulled out a shirt and tore off a strip big enough to use as a bandage and pressed the cloth to the wound to quell the bleeding. "You'll be alright."
The elderly lady smiled appreciatively before she started to cry. "Thank you. In this galaxy full of evil, it is wonderful to find a young lady so caring."
I was startled by her words. 'When did I become caring?' The concept was foreign. So foreign, that I bristled at the comment, seeing it as a personal attack on my abilities as an assassin. Empathy was not part of my training. When I worked for the Emperor I never had pangs of a conscience…at least not this intense.
'What's happening to me?'
As I tended the woman's wound, I started to wonder how much influence the Emperor actually had over me. Since his death I felt conflicted and I found myself having more and more disturbing episodes of…altruism.
I didn't have time to contemplate the matter as the shuttle was filling up with medics from the local hospital. "Help is here." I started to stand but the woman grabbed my hand preventing me. She looked me straight in the eye and said, "My grandchildren always said I have prescience. Although, I think I'm simply a good judge of character. I can see you making a difference in this galaxy." She smiled. "Make a positive difference."
I felt a shimmering of the Force from the woman. She wasn't a Jedi, but she had some abilities. I quickly stood, grabbed my tote and elbowed my way out of the crowded shuttle.
"Make a positive difference," I scoffed under my breath. "I fully intended on making a positive difference…I am going to bring the Empire back to its former glory."
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Entry 8
I have been to just about every cantina in the area and so far I haven't spotted Skywalker. I have met a lot of men claiming to be Skywalker in order to impress me. It is so pathetic that it's almost humorous. Some of these imposters aren't even human. In fact, a Quarren tried to pass himself off as Luke Skywalker. When I told him Skywalker was reportedly human he quickly responded with an ingenious lie, "That is what the Empire wants people to think. Their human-centric speciesism doesn't allow them to believe a nonhuman could have possibly destroyed their battle station." When I asked him how an aquatic species survived growing up on Tatooine he didn't have an answer for that. Some Rebels weren't bold enough to claim to be the fabled pilot (and the most wanted man on the Empire's hit list), instead they proclaimed to be Skywalker's wingman or best friend. These men assured me Skywalker was on the planet somewhere. I just have to continue my search.
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Entry 9
I had left the hotel where I rented a room and had planned on checking out a few more taverns when I walked past a grassy recreational field where a group of men, mostly human, were playing a game of flingball. It is a game where teams toss a ball to each other and attempting to get the ball in the other team's net without getting tackled. It is a game popular on many worlds. I didn't give the players much notice until I heard one man yell, "Get it, Luke!" I turned to see the ball thrown to a blond man who immediately passed the ball to a teammate.
I watched the men play, wondering if I was observing Luke Skywalker. The man in question was blond and average stature—not some giant that New Republic propaganda would want me to believe. I considered calling out, "Skywalker!" to see if he would turn around, but then that would draw attention to me. Since I was convinced he was merely a pathetic Jedi wannabe, I decided to reach out with the Force and see if I could sense any nascent and faint Force abilities hidden within the man.
As soon as I stretched out with the Force his head snapped up, his eyes immediately focusing on me. I took a step back in shock. What I felt was not a man with minimal Force abilities—he was a beacon of the light side of the Force. The presence I felt was just as strong as Palpatine or Vader, minus the darkside malevolence.
When I noticed him walking toward me I broke eye contact and quickly walked toward my hotel. I couldn't confront him on the street in front of his comrades. My plan was to find him drunk in a bar and invite him back to my place where I would stun his rimworld butt and then place him in special-made stun cuffs the Inquisitorius once used to contain any Jedi captured after the purge. I couldn't do that in the open on a public street.
I could hear him calling to me. "Miss!"
I didn't turn around. I don't know if he sensed I was an Imperial or not, but I wasn't prepared to find out.
When I heard his footsteps go from a quick pace to a sprint I knew a confrontation was inevitable. I reached into my side jacket pocket and made sure my holdout blaster was set on stun.
"Miss," Skywalker said as he lightly touched my shoulder. "Can I talk to you?"
I stopped and clamped down on my emotions before I turned and feigned a startled expression. "What?" I asked with a contrived worried tone in my voice.
The young man stood in front of me, wide-eyed for a long moment apparently at a loss for words before I felt him gently probing through the Force. He was trying to figure out if I was a Force adept. I don't care how strong he is in the Force, he wasn't going to get through my mental shields.
"What do you want?" I asked pointedly while scrutinizing his face. He was definitely the Skywalker from the wanted posters except he was better looking than the composite drawings indicated. He had a clean-shaven baby face, dark blond hair, mesmerizing blue eyes, and cleft chin. When he noticed me looking at him he smiled revealing straight white teeth. Stang! He looked like he could be on a NR recruiting poster. "Well?" I asked impatiently.
"I uh…." The rebel hero cleared his throat while looking at the ground and scuffing at black boot over the dusty road. "Hi…ahh…my name is Luke."
I continued to stare at him wondering where he was going with this conversation. I don't even think he knew what he wanted to say. He looked up and down the road nervously before he said, "Is there somewhere private we can talk?"
I knew he wanted to talk about the Force, but if I agreed to his request easily that might raise suspicion. I folded my arms across my chest and scowled. "I've seen you Rebel pilots in town recently. I hope you don't think I'm one of the local tramps that will sleep with any pilot to get off this dump of a planet." I considered slapping him for emphasis, but then thought better of it when he blushed profusely and averted his eyes. "Oh no…no…never….I just…I just." He stopped talking to reign in his composure. "Have you ever heard of the Force?"
My eyes narrowed. "It is some sort of religion outlawed on some worlds. Why?"
He drew in a deep breath. "It was the power the Jedi of the Old Republic utilized. Very few people can access its power. I think you are one of those people."
"And how would you know that?"
He once again looked around nervously. "Because I'm a Jedi."
It took every milligram of willpower not to laugh in his face. "That is the worst come-on line I have ever heard."
He looked so flustered at that point that I almost felt sorry for the man. "No really," he insisted.
I looked him up and down and smirked. "What next? Are you going to offer to show me your lightsaber?"
His eyes widened innocently. He opened his mouth to talk but quickly closed it. I was fairly sure he was about to run away. I decided it was time to stop playing hard-to-get. "You have peaked my curiosity…Jedi." I nodded toward the hotel a half block away. "I have a room where we can talk if you promise not to kill me."
"I promise," he said with a grin as he followed me down the road, into the hotel lobby, and down the hall to my room. Before I inserted the door keycard into the locking mechanism I looked at him sternly. "No funny business."
He shook his head. "No. I'm not that kind of guy."
Although I was trying to clamp down on the Force I couldn't help but sense the truthfulness behind his words. I realized that for the first time ever, I have been completely wrong when it came to coming up with a criminal personality profile. Skywalker wasn't the drunken womanizer I imagined he would become after a taste of celebrity. He somehow managed to maintain his sense of decency and a strong moral compass. I nodded as I unlocked the door and gestured for him to enter. "I believe you."
A wide boyish grin blossomed across his face and the delighted gleam in his blue eyes was full of such hope and promise… that I almost regretted pulling out my blaster and stunning him as soon as he crossed the threshold.
He managed to turn toward me before he collapsed. His look of surprise was comical. I wish I had a holovid imager to capture the moment. I could have made a humorous animated graphic and become a holonet sensation.
He might not be a Jedi, but he was strong in the Force, so I wasn't going to take any chances with him. I closed the door and then grabbed my tote, opened a hidden, ray shielded, compartment on the bottom of the bag and pulled out two sets of stuncuffs. I put a pair on his hands and one on his ankles before gagging him. That should hold him long enough for an undercover extraction team to get here.
Once he's delivered, I will have proven my worth to the Empire.