Harry Potter and the Dark Lord of the Sith

Chapter 47.

The team had been walking for several hours when Han held up his hand, ordering them to stop. Harry moved up and saw a pair of stormtroopers in the clearing ahead.

"You stay put," Han whispered. "Chewie and I'll handle this." With that, the smuggler and the Wookiee crawled ahead.

Harry watched them and nudged Ron. "Come on."

Ron, following Harry, crawled off to the side of the path. When Ginny turned to them, Harry pressed his finger to this lips.

Ginny started to move, but Harry made an angry gesture, motioning her down. She nodded.

Han must have reached the stormtroopers, since Harry heard shouts, and blaster fire, followed by the whine of speeder bike engines. Crawling over a fallen tree trunk, he and Ron saw two more troopers hurrying to their vehicles.

"Let's go," he said, picking up his Firebolt. Ron grabbed on behind him and they took off.

An explosion roared below them. Ron whooped. Harry was too concentrated on flying, but he briefly saw--before they sped out of sight--two Imperials being chased by a bike carrying two people in rebel uniforms.

"Harry watch out!" Ron shouted, although Harry was already dodging the bolts being sent their way from below. He looked down. Four more Imperials. Just our luck.

"Ron, take over!" he said, and, not giving his friend the time to ask any questions, dropped off the broom. Using the Force, he twisted himself into the right position and gave one of the Imperials a hefty mid-air kick, sending him tumbling off his bike. Harry took his place.

"Stupefy!" he heard Ron yell as he swooped past him, taking out the closest stormtrooper. Harry took his bike after the remaining two. They were speeding towards each other, firing streams of red bolts, hoping to catch him in the crossfire. Harry let his instincts take over, dodging their fire. He tried firing himself, but his guns wouldn't work. However, he did get an idea...

His bike was going to pass between the two enemies. Through enhanced perception the Force gave him, he could see them draw their sidearms in preparation... He smiled. Just as the stormtroopers were about to fire, Harry took a Force-enhanced jump to the right. His bike, reacting, veered off and crashed into the trooper passing on the left, taking both out in the explosion. Harry landed with his lightsaber drawn, ready to face the last Imperial.

He needn't have bothered. In mid-air, the bike, along with its rider, came to a sudden stop and exploded.

He looked further and saw Ron lower his wand. Shutting off the lightsaber, he ran towards him.

"Ron, we did it!" he shouted. Ron looked at him and cringed. Harry frowned. "Ron, what's wrong?" Instead of answering, Ron lifted up a strange piece of burned wood. The end, much wider than the rest, was composed of thin filaments turned black from the fire, some of which were still smoking.

Harry gasped as he realized that this was all that remained of his Firebolt.

XXX

"I'm sorry," Ron managed.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"That guy you kicked off--he had a grenade."

"And you couldn't avoid it? Harry stared at his friend. Ron was a good Quidditch player, and Bludgers were much faster than any thrown grenade.

"You don't understand," Ron explained. "He didn't throw it. He simply detonated it. Took himself out as well. I barely could cast the shield charm on myself."

"Ron, it's okay."

"No, it's not! I'll never be able to repay you..."

This made Harry angry. "Do you think I care?! It's a stupid broomstick, for crying out out loud! You think I'm not going to be your friend anymore because of this?"

"Harry--"

"Forget it. Broomsticks can be replaced."

"Not here."

"So? We'll get back home... But,"--he smiled-- "would you stay there?"

"What do you mean?" But Ron was rapidly moving his eyes, avoiding Harry's gaze.

Harry laughed. "Come on. Don't tell me you don't like the company."

"The company?"

"The company of a certain female I won't name," Harry finished, smiling.

Ron flushed. "There's nothing between me and Jan!"

"Yet," Harry countered.

Ron said nothing, but Harry understood. He decided to stop teasing his friend.

"Lets' get back," he said. They had to rejoin the rest of the Rebel infiltration squad before nightfall.

However, only a few minutes into their trip, Harry raised his hand and stopped.

Ron ran up. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Harry said. He headed towards an enormous tree twenty feet away.

"Harry, what--" Ron tried, but Harry, as he was circling the tree, suddenly switched into a ready stance, raising and igniting his lightsaber.

And he came face to face with Mara Jade.

XXX

"You!" Ron yelled, drawing his wand. "Stupefy!"

Mara fell. Harry glared at his friend.

"What?" Ron demanded. "She's the one who kidnapped Hermione. She captured you. She works for the Empire. She--"

"Ron, I know all that," Harry said. "But she also helped me escape from the Emperor."

"What?!" Ron screamed. "And you didn't tell us?"

"Seemed to be no point at the time," Harry defended himself. "I didn't think we'd meet again. You know, she still hasn't told me..."

"Told you what?"

"Ron, does she look in any way familiar?" Harry asked.

"Well," he said, "she could be a long-lost cousin with that hair of hers--but come on, Harry. That's not possible."

"Maybe not," Harry agreed. "But it is somehow possible to make her look exactly like my mother."

"What?" Ron yelled again. "How?"

"I don't know... but I thought she was my mother when we first met. That's why I hesitated back there... and she took advantage of it."

"How could you think she--"

"I told you, she looks exactly like her. I've studied those photos for hours, I wouldn't make a mistake like that. And I think she knows why."

"Harry, she's an Imperial. You don't trust her just because... well..."

"Not really," he said, taking the lightsaber off the woman's belt and removing the blaster from her hip. "At least," he said, "not until I get some answers. Ennervate!" The woman stirred, turned over, saw both Harry and Ron pointing wands at her.

"Stupid," she muttered.

"Mara Jade," Harry said.

"Harry Potter," she replied. "And this is?"

"Ron Weasley," Harry supplied. He looked at Mara carefully. "You're alive."

She snorted. "I am not that easy to kill," she said simply. "You, of all people, should know that."

"Who do you think--" Ron started, but Harry held him up.

"You know," he told Mara, "I have absolutely no reason to trust you. And you yourself admitted as much. Our escape was too simple... and then we were conveniently separated, leaving me to face Voldemort alone. So you better have a proper explanation for everything."

"Everything," Mara asked?

"Everything," Harry repeated. "Starting with how you came to look like my mother."

"Well," Mara said, "I guess--"

"Wait a moment," Harry glared at her. "Your blaster."

"What?"

"The one in your sleeve."

"Oh." Disappointment came over her face, but her expression also bore a tinge of... respect? If Harry had to guess, he would say exactly that.

"Like I was saying," Mara started when Ron put the blaster away, "I guess what I am is the best place to start. Potter... I am your mother's clone."

"A what?" Ron demanded.

"A clone. Genetic replica, grown in a vat from your mother's cells."

"I know what a clone is," Harry said. He did... sort of. The last summer he spent with the Dursleys, the news of cloning had been all over Muggle TV. "Messing around with nature, they," Uncle Vernon declared. He turned to Mara.

"Oh, rubbish," Ron interrupted his thoughts. "Harry, you don't believe that load of--"

"Ron!" Harry yelled. "Later." He turned back to Mara.

"All right," he said, "How long have you known?"

"About three months. I've been searching since our battle at Bespin. You said I looked like your mother, and I thought that was impossible, as well."

"Why were you after me?" Harry demanded.

"I was ordered to bring you in by my Master."

"Palpatine," Harry supplied. Mara nodded.

"Let me guess," he continued. "Kidnapping Hermione was just a way to get to me, since you had no idea where I disappeared off to."

Mara gave him another nod.

"You--" Ron attempted again, but Harry gave him another sharp stare.

"Why did you help me escape, and how did you get into the prison?"

"I didn't like the truth when I found out," she said simply.

"The truth?"

"The truth. You see, I know you're not from this galaxy... from another world, for lack of a better term. I thought I was special--the Emperor's Hand." Ron gasped at that. Harry had more control, but he still flinched. "When I broke into the files, I found out that first, I wasn't the only one--and second, that I was only a product of a biological experiment to test the compatibility of humans from the two worlds. And so... I left."

"Just like that?" Harry laughed. "Uhm, Your Majesty... I quit?"

Mara sighed. "Hardly. His agents are still after me--I've killed at least four of them in the last month alone. I also had to block my mind so he couldn't find me in the Force."

"So why expose yourself by helping me escape?"

She gave a mirthless laugh. "I'd like to say it was all noble and that I wanted to atone for my past--and it's partially was. But mostly... it was for my own protection."

"Explain."

"He wanted you alive. I knew--or rather, I guessed--that he would try to turn you into his service. It would be just like him to give the job of hunting me down as your first assignment."

At that, Harry was silent. He knew all too well what anger, hatred, and vengeance could do. No doubt he would have eagerly taken on the job.

"Voldemort," Harry said. "How did he get here?"

"He's somebody from your world, right?" Receiving confirmation, Mara continued. "I don't know. I never came a cross the name in any files I looked at. But I assure you, I didn't lead you to him. That gate crashing down was a surprise for me as much as for you. If that was a trap, it was rather poorly planned."

"Really?"

"Yes. For one thing, it depended on me walking ahead of you. If it had been the other way, I would be the one facing that... Voldemort."

Harry nodded. "All right," he said. "Why are you here now?"

"I didn't know if you were dead or alive, but if you lived, I guessed you would be here," she answered. "As I said, I do wish to atone for my past actions... so I brought some vital information to your commander."

"What information?" Ron demanded.

"I will give it to your commander," Mara said.

Harry breathed heavily. "All right," he said. With that, he handed Mara her lightsaber and sidearm.

Ron gasped, but Harry took the holdout blaster and returned it as well.

"Harry, you can't..."

Harry stopped. "Why not?" he asked.

"Just because she looks like your mother--"

"First, Ron, it's rude to talk about a person as if they aren't there. Second, I don't trust Mara because she looks like my mother."

"Then why?" "Because my feelings tell me it's the right thing to do."

"Your feelings. Just like that."

"You trusted Lando," Harry pointed out.

"Well, I still--"

"Excuse me, maybe we should get going?" Mara interrupted them.

Harry nodded. "You're right," he said. "Come on."

They took off. Harry was walking in front, seemingly relaxed. Behind him, Mara was scanning the surrounding as she moved forward. Ron brought up the rear, hand on his wand, keeping an eye on Mara.