Star Wars: Traits Of Descent

by Madman007

  Chapter Twelve

  Tepasi - Former site of Broadwater home

  She continued to gaze at the pile of metal and wood that had been charred and destroyed years ago. The place had been left as it had been then. Like it was forgotten. She could almost still smell the faint odor of burnt ozone from the fire that once blazed long ago. Perhaps in some mystical way, it was still burning. This was once her home. It was also the last resting place of half her family. The only images she could call up from her limited memory was of Voxan standing before the flames and her father helping her run through the forest to escape.

  As she found out recently on Mahc Tiernan's ship, that wasn't Voxan who started the fire. It was his son. Mahc himself. The young version of the notorious hitman was standing several yards before her. He was as still as she. Perhaps he, too, was in the process of calling up his own memories. She couldn't imagine what his would include.

  After a few more moments of reflection, Mahc called out to her, "You getting anything yet? Are you remembering more?"

  She slowly shook her head at him, her dark blonde curls dancing in the breeze and into her face. She brushed them out of her eyes and yelled back, "I don't remember any of this. I was too young."

  "What a pity. Well then, allow me to enlighten you." He started walking closer to her as he spoke. "I was standing not far from where you are standing now. I was out here waiting for father's signal from inside the house. It was quiet in there for a while. And then the screams started. There were several different ones, male and female of various ages. They were subjected to excruciating pain. There were pleas for him to stop. He wouldn't. Fingernails were torn off. Sensitive nerve endings were agitated." As he described the macabre torture, Mahc wore an unusual smirk. Almost as if he wished he had conducted the torture himself.

  "Can we please skip the details?" she snapped. "You are describing the torture of my mother and brother."

  He chuckled. "Yes. That would be what your memory tells you. Your memory doesn't include your father."

  "What are you talking about? Father and I weren't there."

  "Weren't you? Where were you?"

  "At the med center. I sprained my ankle that night."

  "Did you? Can you remember any bandages or a brace?"

  "What are you doing? Is this how you treat your victims? By confusing them first?"

  "I'm trying to tell you the truth."

  "I know the truth. Elan Broadwater was my father and he raised me. And I know that you and your father killed my mother and brother in cold blood."

  He neglected to answer her immediately as he walked around her among the tall weeds. He finally mentioned, "Elan Broadwater. A name as false as my own."

  "I'm actually quite aware of that. Father had to hide us both physically as well as in name."

  "No. He didn't. The Jedi did."

  "What are you talking about? What does the Jedi have to do with this?"

  "Plenty."

  "All right, stop with the cryptic answers."

  He paused and asked, "How well did you know your father?"

  "That's none of your business."

  "Oh, but it is, sister. I'm going to tell you how much it is my business." He spread out his hands and announced, "Let's recap. You don't remember any injuries to yourself that night. You knew your father's name wasn't his own but you didn't know the source of the false name. And I'm betting that you don't even know that your own name is false. In fact, it's backward."

  "Backward? Now you're just talking gibberish."

  "It would sound like that to you. It will all make sense soon." He gestured to the area beside him. "See, I was standing right here that night. I was waiting for father's signal for me to set off the detonators. The screams from your parents and brothers..."

  "I didn't have broth..."

  "Hey! Let me finish! Now, where was I? The signal. The screams ended but that didn't mean they were dead. Not yet. Father gave the signal that he was clear and I set off the detonators. The blast went straight up, just like we arranged the charges to do. The fire was blazing."

  "And my family was in there!" she cried out in tears. "You are not human and neither was your fath..."

  The slap from his hand hit her hard across the cheek. Her head jerked to the side but she didn't fall. He methodically exclaimed, "Let. Me. Finish! Don't worry, there'll be time for questions and comments afterward. Meanwhile, I'd tone down the bad mouthing of my father. So, where was I again. I hate being interrupted, by the way. The fire was burning. In the midst of the blaze, I saw my father coming towards me. But there was something odd. He was carrying something. As he got closer, I could see he was carrying someone." He looked at her directly as she rubbed her cheek and emphasized, "You."

  "No. You're lying. That was my father who escaped with me. What about our speeder? How did it blow up? I do remember that."

  "Oh. Well, that was me. See, father and I didn't come to terms when it came to his plan for you. We argued. It came to blows. Can you imagine that? Father and son fighting?"

  She remembered her talk with Luke Skywalker when he revealed to her that Darth Vader was his father. She was sure the Voxan and son fight didn't include lightsabers.

  Mahc went on. "He said he was leaving with you and I got so mad that I took a DL-Photon Launcher and blew up the speeder."

  "You mean our speeder. And what do you mean about his plan for me?"

  He shouted at her. "When are you going to wake up? Your father was already a crisp, burnt corpse by the time I blew up our speeder. Along with him was your mother and two brothers."

  "That's....impossible. If that's your version...that would mean Voxan..."

  Mahc cheered, "Ah, are we on the same page now?"

  "No! It can't be! That's impossible. He helped me escape."

  "Voxan helped you escape...from me!"

  "No. My father loved me. He had a heart!"

  "Your 'father' grew a heart once he saw you. Of course, he loved you. You won over his heart. He found compassion after that. All I won from him was his passion for killing. Before this house burned, his work was his life. It was more important to him than his own son. He made an art out of controlled violence. I inherited his trogai fu shontu. His 'traits of descent' as the Hutts call it. The sins of the father are inherited down to the son. But I tried to get closer to him. He denied me. He built a ray shield around him so nothing could ever touch Skarce Voxan." Mahc took a moment to calm down and his voice softened when he said, "Until he met you."

  She was speechless. She wasn't trying to make sense of his words. She decided to play along with this crazy man's memories. "What did I do?"

  Mahc laughed. "You know what you did? He saved you for last. The rest of your family were lying in their bedrooms inches from death. They were all scared as it was happening to them. But not you. You didn't run away. He was about to kill you. He had a thing about not torturing small children. That was the only evidence of his heart that I ever saw. No, you actually ran to him...and hugged him. See, you did something that no other victim of his had ever done. You showed him unconditional compassion. And that's all it took. He clicked. You, of all people in the galaxy, took down Skarce Voxan without firing a shot. And at age three!"

  "No. That wasn't me. I wasn't the 'her' that he fell in love with. You're delusional."

  Mahc signed impatiently. "You mean after my emotional outburst you still don't believe me? I guess denial is powerful. No worries. I have proof."

  "Proof?"

  "Yes. So you two escaped. And you went to live in hiding somewhere. I'm guessing Coruscant. He had to tell you something as you grew up. See, your youth at that time worked to his advantage. Let's see, what could he have told you? The most notorious assassin in this galaxy's history brutally murdered your mother and brother. I can only guess that he had me play the role of himself. After that night, we were dead to each other. So, he borrowed the name of your own father, who, in turn, received it from the Jedi. But he had to be a p
erson of high stature. One who had to have done something so threatening to Black Sun that they would have sent Skarce Voxan after him and his family. A senator from Tepasi, perhaps."

  "How could you know that?"

  Mahc tapped his head with his forefinger. "Instinct, sister."

  "How do you know he wasn't a senator?"

  Mach spread his arms out to present the surrounding area like a showman. "Look around, sister. The house that once stood here has been reverted to a pile of old, charred junk. Does this look like a place where the people of Tepasi would honor a beloved senator? Especially one that was burned to death along with his family. I think not. This place has been forgotten. By the way, future reference, nobody can be the head of anything on Tepasi without having the name Tagge."

  "How do you know that wasn't my father's name?"

  "Still not convinced, I see. That's all right. I brought physical evidence." He reached into his vest pocket and produced a old folded piece of flimsi. He held it out for her to take and she did reluctantly.

  "What is this?" she asked.

  "Open it up."

  She started to unfold it carefully as it crinkled with age. When it was completely unfurled, it revealed itself to be a poster-sized chart. There were three names written on top. Below each name were a series of tick marks at various intervals. She whispered, "A Tall Poster."

  "You know about them?"

  "Father made me one when I was little."

  "Well, isn't that a coincidence. As you can see, the children on that poster didn't live to be very tall. Save for one."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Let's try something. If you would, read off the names on the poster. Left to right."

  She shrugged and called out as she read. "Pap. Cho. Alexhi."

  "Perfect. Now, turn the poster around to face me. That's it. Hold it up to the sunlight. Good. Now the first two names were obviously boys. I want you to spell the name of the girl as you see it."

  She shook her head and obliged him. She started spelling it. "I...H...X...E...L." She started to slow her speech down as she said the last letter. "A."

  "Look familiar? Take out the X and you have a name. You see, father just used your father's new name. For yours, he simply took your true name and twisted it backwards. The X wouldn't have made sense, so he took it out and added an apostrophe. This Tall Chart was taken from your house that night. Voxan took it along with your mother's gem on her necklace."

  She plopped down into the tall grass, still holding the poster. The weight of truth was too heavy for her to stand. "This isn't real," she said with stunned emotion. "How could I have been raised by Skarce Voxan and not become a monster like you?"

  "We'll never know now, will we? Father...our father...is dead."

  "He was not my father."

  "But you've been calling him that this whole time. All your life, in fact. But your question is valid. Skarce Voxan was a killer for hire who enjoyed killing way too much. The one who stops him from killing isn't a strong warrior or even a Jedi. It's a little girl who shows him love." Mahc paused to reflect a moment and then stated, "Perhaps he was escaping with you after all. Maybe he was escaping from himself."

  She spoke in a hoarse voice. "Why are you telling me this?"

  "I felt you deserved the truth."

  "That's a kriffing lie. You have a plan just like you planned the murders of all those Vigos."

  "I found out who you were just recently. Father did hide you both fairly well. I would have never guessed he would take a job as a custodian at the Imperial Palace. In his former life, he would consider that to be several levels below a bum. Once I discovered the name Broadwater and connected it with Tepasi and the Jedi, I formed my mission."

  "How am I supposed to take this information? How do I know you concocted all of this?"

  "But you know deep inside that it is true. It's too bad you don't have Force potential. Otherwise, you would have no doubts."

  "This is too impossible to believe."

  "But too close to the truth to ignore. I know I'm not the most reliable source. But I assure you that the events that I described are true. Why would I lie?"

  "So you can scare me easier. So you'll have me in such an emotional state that I won't fight back. That way you can kill me slower."

  "Well, you have me there."

  "Why?" she cried. "If what you say is true then father...your father...would have wanted me to live."

  "I'm sure he would. But as you can see, he's no longer here."

  She nodded. "You don't want me to live. Haven't you given me enough pain already?"

  "You don't know pain!" he shouted. His voice echoed throughout the vast forest. "He never considered my pain after seeing him carrying you! In a speck of time, he gave up a son and gained a daughter. It's what he wanted all along. He threw me out! I was only someone to pass on his name. His legacy. That's all. You were his chance at redemption! I wasn't. Tell me about pain now!"

  She gulped. "I'm sorry you feel that way. But it's not my fault. The one who can answer your pain is gone. Be angry at him."

  "I am angry! If it wasn't for you, I could have gotten closer. I might have been the one to take care of him in sickness. I could have meant something to him." His voice started to crack with emotion. He was no longer speaking to her. He was talking to a corpse. "Instead, I had to spend years wondering if I could have been raised to be a saint."

  "I'm not a saint."

  "No? Have you murdered people not just for money but for the joy of doing it? To see that life disappear from victims and enjoy it? That's the passion I inherited from Skarce Voxan."

  "You didn't have to be like that. You had a choice. But you chose to be a killer like your father once was."

  "But he chose to give you integrity, ambition...and love. Don't you see how both of you have ruined my life? Don't you see how much hate I have for you?"

  "Perhaps you ruined it on your own? You made yourself guilty because you didn't have a need or want to change your ways. The ways that your father taught you. So you went out and destroyed all of those who betrayed you, not Skarce Voxan. And then you set out to destroy the one person who finally gave Voxan a reason to live. What you can't stand is that it wasn't you."

  Mahc's voice calmed. "Sounds to me like you're starting to believe."

  "Maybe not believe. I understand."

  "Then understand this. You were part of my mission. You were, in fact, the end to the mission. And I never leave a mission unfinished." He reached behind him on his belt to retrieve a long, sharp vibroblade. "Prepare for your true pain, sister."

  Once she saw the silver shiny blade, she knew he meant business. She dropped the Tall Poster and tried to quickly to get herself up and start running. In her haste, she stumbled to the ground first and then broke into a run. And run she did. She headed into the deep green of the forest that lined the clearing for the former home of the Broadwaters. She dared to look back at Mahc. He was coming for her in definite steps with a maniacal grin and his blade held out.

  "You can't run anywhere close! There's no one here, sister!"

  She turned her head straight forward and ran like she never had in her life. Soon her only obstacles were in front of her in the form of fallen tree limbs and tall grass. She remembered the obstacle course that she tied the best time with in her training days at the NRS. The forest deepened and the numerous tree leaves started obscuring the sunlight. The running panic reminded her of a time with her father on Coruscant. They were both out shopping in a crowd close to the Winter Solstice holidays. She couldn't have been more than seven or eight. The crowd had become heavier and she lost contact with father. She searched all around but all she could see were more people. She panicked. She cried out for him. Finally, she saw him. She ran to him with glee. He was waiting for her to come into her arms as she emerged out of the crowd. They hugged each other and he picked her up. She remembered looking at him and being happy.

  This time there was a dif
ference. Father changed. He became older. His eyes deepened. Scars started to appear on his face. He spoke, but not with his voice. Not the one she knew. This was a cold voice. A voice without remorse. "Hi, honey. You're safe now."

  No! I am I'hela Broadwater!

  She ran.

  Elan Broadwater was my father!

  She jumped over a dead log.

  Mahc Tiernan is a liar. He only said this so he could kill me easier.

  She was determined to run faster.

  I won't make it that easy for him.

  As she decided this, she came upon another clearing in the woods yet the trees above were still holding the sunlight back. She slowed and finally stopped to catch her breath. She looked up and saw a monstrous building. She started to walk around it's massive size. From the flat square bisected by a semi-circular tank, she surmised that this had been an old hydro-treatment plant. She focused on the closest end of the building. There was a small metal staircase leading into a passageway inside.

  Suddenly, she heard a voice coming from the forest.

  "I'm coming, sister! You can't escape from me again!"

  She muttered to herself, "Wanna bet?"

  She darted towards the staircase and climbed up. They creaked as she went up but they held together. There was a doorway at the top. The sliding doors seemed to have lacked a working servo-motor for some time. The doors had been stuck open with less than a half meter gap. She had to squeeze through the narrow opening. She was expecting to see complete darkness inside the abandoned plant. The ceiling had partially caved in allowing the Tepasi sun shine in. The metal walls were now a dull orange-brown from the multi layers of rust. There was an acrid smell of dust and decayed water. Above her were a series of catwalks to gain access to the massive cone-shaped hydro processors. She considered them archaic since she knew that the Core systems no longer treated their water supply inside plants such as this one any longer.

  She looked up at the catwalk and saw many nooks it provided. Excellent places to hide.

  Mahc Tiernan squeezed through the opening of the forgotten hydro plant. Between running at his own pace through the deep woods and sucking in his gut to fit through the small opening, Mahc was very much out of breath. He had maintained a healthy diet over the years that kept himself fit. Age was his enemy now. There was no regime to counter that. After he took several moments to catch his breath, he looked around at the vast empty area. He shouted making his voice echo against the walls and equipment. "Well, isn't this quaint! What a nice little hiding place you found." He added an ingredient of mockery to his words. "This is such a big place. However am I to find you?"

  He waited but there was no reply. "Don't think I can't. I have all the time in the galaxy. No jobs coming in. Yes, that's right. I'm unemployed. Funny thing, it seems now that Black Sun and the Empire are no longer in full power, nobody wants to hire assassins anymore. I find myself with tons of free time. Can you imagine that?"

  No answer.

  "Oh, I get it. The silent treatment. You know, I've been warned about this with women. Wives, girlfriends, and especially sisters. Sisters are the worst at giving the silent treatment. So I hear. Now, I'm not worried that you don't believe what I said is true. The point is that I believe it. So, you shouldn't really mind if I call you sister. I mean, after all, we were raised by the same father."

  "Skarce Voxan was not my father!" her voice echoed from somewhere in the age damaged facility.

  "Ah, there you are! Finally decided to join the conversation, did you?" Mahc still focused on the echo of her words as if trying to pinpoint their source. He started climbing the nearest ladder that led to a catwalk. He kept on speaking to her disembodied voice. "Now, technically, you are right. Skarce Voxan wasn't your biological father. Voxan took care of him in the house. Typical torture, like I said before. All the torture groups used. Blunt, sharp, hot, cold, and loud. Well, he didn't use loud too much. Not that it made too much noise. He just considered it too tame. But no matter what the job was, the targets received the same treatment." Mahc grunted as he climbed onto the catwalk. He started walking along the metal grating, and it creaked too but held in place.

  He continued to taunt her. "But your parents and your brothers were not quite dead before I set off the detonators. They wished they were. I can assure you that once that fire hit them, they could definitely feel it. They were already in too much pain to scream. But here's the thing." He paused as he eased his way along the catwalk searching the alcoves for her. From above, he could see an enormous circular tank filled with dark, murky, tainted water. He continued on.

  "Father told me his brilliant plan when he came out carrying you out. You were actually asleep in his arms. He told me something about your mother that was rather interesting. While she was deep in pain from the torture, father told her that he was keeping her daughter for his own. Do you know what she did? She didn't cry or plead for her own life. No, she smiled at him. Can you believe it? That's a mother for you, I guess. I never knew mine because father shot her to death. Your mother knew she was going to die but she was relieved that her daughter would be saved. And it didn't matter how Voxan was going to raise her daughter. She just was glad that she'd be alive. Wouldn't she be proud of you today?"

  "You don't deserve to talk about my mother!"

  "Just keep talking, sister. Not long now." He kept searching high and low. She sounded closer. "I can tell I struck a nerve, didn't I? That's okay. When I find you I can sever that nerve. And after that, I'll slice you with small minor cuts. It won't kill you. That's right, I'm going to make you bleed slowly."

  "No, you won't," announced another voice from behind Mahc. Mahc spun around to see Jedi Master Skywalker standing on the catwalk a few meters away.

  "Well, if it isn't the Hero Jedi. Come to grieve your precious Vigos? How is the Ithorian doing? I lost track for some reason."

  "Because we destroyed the device inside the gem. And the Ithorian died a standard hour ago."

  "Isn't that a shame? Where's your better half? Her head okay?"

  "Down here! And my head's fine." called out a feminine voice from the lower level. Mahc looked down to see the figure of Mara Jade standing with a high-powered blaster-rifle pointed at him. "I know you've always wondered how good of a shot I am, Mahc. Call me that again and you're going to find out."

  "Mara, why do you deny your true feelings? You know that you and Jedi Boy up here are a perfect match."

  "That's none of your business! And I'm not denying anything."

  He leaned on the catwalk railing. "Of course, you are. You were one of the most highly acclaimed assassins in the galaxy. Next to me. Then again, I didn't have a boss like Palpatine. Tell me, did he ever tell you where you were from? Do you even know what system you were born in? Father, at least, made up a past for Alexhi. The truth was too complicated for a three-year-old. Palpatine never supplied you with information on your parents, did he? Hell, how do you know your true name?"

  Mara gritted her teeth and shouted up at Mahc emphatically, "I am Mara Jade! That's all I need to know. And this is so not about me. This is about I'hela."

  Mahc kept on. "But you two have so much in common. You both have forgotten your true past."

  "Not forgotten. I know mine all too well. Now, enough distractions. Where is I'hela?"

  "You mean Alexhi."

  Luke emphasized, "She means I'hela. What have you told her?"

  "The truth. Naturally. By the way, how did you know we'd land here?"

  Luke said almost too proudly, "Mara figured where. All we had to do was research the last known residence of Elan Broadwater."

  Before Mahc could reply, a sudden joyous shriek came from the catwalk further up. She came out from her hiding space behind the tip of one of the giant hydro processors. "I knew it! He was lying the whole time."

  "I'hela!" Luke shouted. It was too late.

  Mahc broke into a run and then into a forward roll to avoid Mara's blaster fire. After his roll he sprinte
d toward her. She tried to get away but Mahc was too fast. He caught up to her by grasping a clump of her dark-blonde locks and he pulled her back. She yelped in pain as he flipped her around so she would be facing out towards Luke and Mara. Mahc brought his blade up to her neck. "Stop firing, Mara, or you'll be catching her head from down there!" As Luke approached with cautious haste, Mahc turned to him to call out, "And no tricks, Jedi! You already know I'm not weak-minded."

  "Don't do anything to her, Mahc," Luke pleaded.

  "What? You mean like this?" He took his blade and slashed her right leg. She cried out in more pain as he brought the blade back up to her neck. Her blood was seeping out onto her pants and then to her bandage from her previous injury. Mahc announced in her ear, "That's just cut number one!" He looked at Luke. "I said I'd bleed her slowly."

  Luke tried to induce a sense of calm into her. She was crying uncontrollably now. No telling what Mahc had told her. Luke softly called out to her. "I'hela. Stay calm."

  She shook her head wildly. "No....I'm...too scared."

  "Don't be. Remember your training." Luke smiled before he said his next phrase. He was finally given the chance to say it to someone else. "Mind what you have learned. Save you it will."

  With that, she stopped crying.

  Mahc taunted her again. "Are you going to listen to a Jedi over your brother?"

  She stated with emphasis, "You are not my brother." She then took the heel of her left foot and stepped hard on Mahc's left foot. Once he was in pain, he dropped the blade. She then elbowed him in the stomach and he keeled over. As soon as he got himself up, she did a left-sided roundhouse kick that landed on the side of his cheek. His sideways momentum forced him into the catwalk railing, which broke away with age. The pieces of railing fell into the tank of dank water. Mahc started to fall but he grabbed a bottom piece of sturdy railing at the last second. There he hovered over the tank of thick, poisonous water.

  Instead of crying for help, Mahc laughed. "Well, I really underestimated you, Alexhi."

  She kneeled on her good leg. "And you keep calling me that."

  "It is your true name."

  "How am I to believe that?"

  "There's something else that father left me in that message. He wanted me to give it to you. Though, it's in my right pocket. I'm in too much of a situation here to get it."

  Luke called out, "Grab my hand, Mahc."

  "No! She needs to reach into my pocket first."

  She bent over and ignored the pain in her leg for the moment. She reached his pocket and found something. She pulled it out and looked at it. "A safety deposit datacard?"

  "I don't know what's in it. But I can guess."

  She stared at the card and uttered, "Even in your position now, you're still keeping your story." She looked up Luke instead of Mahc for confirmation. "It's all true. Isn't it?" When Luke frowned and said nothing, it was all the answer she needed. She looked down at Mahc, who was straining to keep holding on to the railing with one arm. "Your mission is over. Give me your hand."

  "No. There's one more thing to do. You've proven yourself worthy. Father would have been proud of you."

  She uttered, "He was proud of me. And in a strange way, he would have been proud of you, too."

  "No, he wouldn't."

  "Why not?"

  "Because...I don't like who I've become."

  With that said, Mahc Tiernan let go of the railing willingly. His body plummeted down and into the dark, contaminated water. The splash was soft due to the density. Ripples came and disappeared. There were no air bubbles that came up.

  There was a long awkward silence after the water calmed. It was somehow a bizarre memoriam for the man who called himself Mahc Tiernan. Whomever knew his birth name were now all gone.

  She lifted herself up by a stationary section of the top railing. She winced in pain as she eased carefully on her right leg, now sustaining two injuries in the past several hours. She stared down at the still dark water below.

  "Are you all right," asked Luke.

  Instead of answering, she said, "You already knew."

  "Yes," Luke replied sadly.

  "And you tried to get here before Mahc gave his own version."

  "We tried but we knew time wasn't on our side."

  "How did you find out?" She looked at Luke directly now.

  To answer, Luke reached into his own tunic pocket and took out a portable holo-projector and handed it to her. "Mara found this holo-pic of the last known victims of Skarce Voxan." He turned it on for her and instantly a blue-white image appeared above the flat circular device. She stared at it. It showed a family sitting at a table with the mother holding a cake ready to serve. A Life Day cake. She looked hard at the image and shrugged as she started to say, "I don't see anything that would..." And she stopped. She saw just bellow the mother's neck. A star-shaped ruby gem with diamonds at each point hanging from a necklace. She also saw that the mother looked rather pregnant. "Is that.."

  "Abri Helan was her name," Luke supplied. "Her husband, Ghill. Her two sons, Pap and Cho. And still inside her was Alexhi. She was born not long after this holo was taken. They were all murdered by Skarce Voxan. Ghill had accidently been witness to a murder on Coruscant committed by a high-ranking Vigo in Black Sun. After his testimony in court, the whole family was placed into a program overseen by Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi. The Deponent Security Program. It gave the Helans a new life and name hidden from Black Sun."

  "Broadwater was their new name," she stated.

  "Yes."

  "It must not have been a good hiding place since Voxan found them. It was here on Tepasi."

  "Yes. In the house that once stood there." He handed her something else from his pocket that he had unfolded. "I came across this back there. You might want it."

  She took the Tall Poster and looked down at the names of the children. Then she looked back at the holo. "He killed them all. Pap. Cho. Abri. And Ghill." She focused on the father's features and saw a familiar shaped nose."What happened to Alexhi?"

  Luke breathed and explained, "It was assumed that the whole family was killed. We checked the original records before Voxan somehow had them altered. They never found the body of Alexhi."

  There was a silence as his words sunk in. She popped up her head. "What happened to the Vigo in the trial? The one who Ghill witnessed?"

  Luke smiled. "He was tried and convicted. For all we know, he died in the Kessel mines."

  She nodded. "Good."

  "Obi Wan spoke very highly of the Helans. He said they showed great strength and courage to do what they did." He saw her tears and knew she would have a hard time accepting this. Just as he once did. He changed the subject. "Where's the datacard from?"

  She looked at it and read off the top, "First Galactic Bank of Coruscant."

  "That bank has been there forever. I wonder what's in the box."

  "Guess I'll have to find out." She hesitated before she said, "I now know how you must have felt, Luke, when you discovered that a horrible fiend was your true father. You and I are the reverse of each other. At least you weren't raised by that fiend."

  "Voxan didn't raise you to be like that. For whatever reason, you were his chance at a new life."

  "Or his redemption. That's what Mahc said."

  "Mahc was never given a chance at redemption. He became the fiend that Voxan first raised. I can see how he could be angry at you."

  "I think Mahc was much more angry at himself than anyone else."

  Luke smiled and nodded. "A wise point of view. You seem to be taking this well."

  She furrowed her brow at him and scoffed, "Then you're not reading me in the Force correctly."

  "I know. I just thought you needed some encouragement. I will give you some advice. I wouldn't suggest keeping your feelings hidden inside you. If you ever need to talk, I will listen." He paused and added, "Just like your father would have."

  And that was the trigger. She couldn't hold her emotions back any lon
ger. Her tears came in a flood and she broke out in an audible cry. Her head landed on Luke's shoulder and he placed his human hand gently on her head. He let her cry on.

  Jade's Fire cockpit - twenty-six standard hours later

  "So, she'll be all right?" asked the blue-white image of Corran Horn on the holo-projector.

  "I don't know about all right," replied Luke, sitting in the co-pilot's seat. Mara was busy flying her ship. "She needs time. She's taking a few weeks off from her NRS duties."

  "Good idea for all of us. Especially after this one."

  "I can't take off, Corran. You know I still have students on Yavin."

  "Of whom are being taken great care of by Tionne and Streen."

  "They do fine. I still miss my students. It'll be a nice change of pace from this past week."

  "You got that right. Hard to believe that Voxan was I'hela's father. Never figured him to be the fatherly type. Hope I'hela's taking it all right. Uh, that is what we're calling her."

  "That is her official name. Voxan made sure of that. He made it legal."

  "Right. Well, I'm taking some time off myself."

  "You are? Where will you and Mirax go?"

  Corran made a mischievous smile and replied, "Our bedroom seems like an exotic place."

  Ever the one to be easily embarrassed, Luke stuttered, "Oh...uh..all right...good luck with that."

  "Oh, I will. I'll get a lot of practice."

  Changing the subject quickly, Luke stated, "Seriously, Corran, I want to thank you for your help and cooperation on this one. It was rather different."

  "Yeah, no Sith Lords or ultra genius Imperial Commanders this time. Though, I will admit Mahc was as much of a challenge for both kinds. Sorry it didn't turn out too well."

  "Well enough. Fortunately, the remaining Vigos didn't have much family left."

  "And the ones who were left probably figured they should have died years ago. Ah, family. What am I getting myself into?"

  "That all depends on how you raise them, Corran."

  "Too true, Luke. Too true. Well, I'll let you go. Is Mara dropping you off at your X-Wing?"

  "Yes. Thanks for taking the shuttle back."

  "No problem. I had to take it back early this morning. If the Rouges found out I piloted that junk I'd never hear the end of it. Until next time, my friend. May the Force be with you."

  "And with you as well."

  Corran's image disappeared and Luke turned back to Mara, who was staring at him as if she were waiting.

  "What? Are we there?"

  She replied, "We've been parked in the hangar for several minutes while you and Corran chatted away."

  Luke nodded. "Sorry. You know, my gratitude extends to you as well. You were a huge help on this case."

  "What does Han always say? Now you owe me one, kid. Wait a moment, if I do my math right, you owe me two."

  "I owe you more than that."

  She ignored his innuendo. As usual.

  Luke spoke more heavily. "Something Mahc said bothered you, didn't it?"

  Mara sighed in frustration for a few seconds, and then she was serious. "Mahc didn't die with his true name."

  "We may never know his true name."

  "Just like we'll never know Mara Jade's real name."

  Finally understanding her concern, he started, "Mara..."

  "Palpatine always called me that. And Mahc made me wonder. Did he make it up like Voxan did with I'hela? Or did he get it straight from my parents, of whom I have no clue who they are. I never saw my birth certificate, if it even exists."

  "Are you done with your self-pity?"

  "It's not self-pity." He raised his brow at her. "All right, maybe a little."

  Luke assured, "Trust me, nobody can create a name as strong as Mara Jade. Our names alone do not define us. They are not our identity. It's like the Errant Venture. Booster renamed it from whatever the Empire named it..."

  "The Virulence," Mara supplied.

  "Right. Booster renamed it and made it his own by painting it red. But essentially, it's the same ship no matter what name you give it."

  "Yes, but a ship doesn't care what you call it. When we name and rename living beings it gets a little more confusing." There was a silence held between them before she said, "Look, I'm all right. It's just another issue to add to my pile."

  He reached out to touch her hand to give her assurance. She retracted her hand way too quickly. He frowned.

  He gathered all of his strength to say what he needed to. If he didn't do it now, when would he? "Mara...we need to talk."

  "About your departure time. Look, there's your X-Wing waiting for you to take you to your students."

  "You know what I'm talking about. We've been dancing around this for quite some time now."

  For the first time since he had met her, Mara's mental barriers came completely down. He knew it wouldn't be for long.

  She turned to him and spoke in a serious manner. "I'm going to tell you something and it better not leave this cockpit. I know about your admiration of me as well as your secret wish we could be more than we are now. I do...sometimes...think about...us. The simple reason why I don't act on it is that I'm not ready. I've been alone all my life, Luke. I'm not used to people caring for me. I can adjust to nearly anything you throw at me. For some reason, I can't adjust that easily to being with someone serious. At least right now." She paused to add, "I have to find out who Mara Jade is first."

  Luke stared at her, even more impressed at her reluctant honesty. "That's understandable."

  "Just so you know, I won't have an answer to that in the next week. Or month. Maybe years."

  "I can wait."

  "No. I don't want you to wait. That's not fair to you. If you are lucky enough to find a good life with someone, go with it."

  Luke considered her words and replied, "Maybe I've already found that someone."

  Mara turned to stare out at her ship's cockpit. She said softly, "Maybe."

  First Galactic Bank of Coruscant - a standard week later

  She stepped through the doors of the bank. Finally. It took her long enough to come. After several days of camping out in front of the HoloNet in her apartment, she finally told herself that it was time. There was no way she could go back to her NRS duties this early. She was too much in a mental state. Her chief understood. Staying at home with nothing to do wasn't the best of ideas. It was too much time with her own confusion and doubts. She didn't dare bring herself to visit her father's...Voxan's...burial site. She had heard from Luke that there was a small memorial to the Broadwaters on Tepasi. That wasn't even a distant thought to visit there yet. Maybe someday.

  Her father. She was still calling him that. To the galaxy he was known as Skarce Voxan. He had been a monster to many victims during his time. His time before her. She never saw any evidence of that monster as she grew up. Did she really change him that quickly? Can someone like that switch off the violence at the first touch of a hug? She couldn't begin to imagine that level of power to change someone's personality in the space of a few minutes. Her view of it was that the father she knew was always there inside Voxan. She had somehow brought it out of him.

  But to think of all the times her father would curse the name Voxan. The things he said he would do to Voxan once he caught him. Looking back now, he could have been cursing his own son. Voxan made a choice that his son couldn't handle. His son wanted to stay in the darkness.

  "Can I help you, Miss?" The short balding teller behind the bank's counter addressed her.

  "Uh, yes. I have a datacard for a deposit box here. I just found it. It...it was my father's." How strange it was to call him "father" in public. She had to be careful in public. The Vigo murders were blamed on Mahc Tiernan and the press salivated at the fact that Mahc was the son of the notorious Skarce Voxan. Her story and revelation of who brought her up wasn't disclosed to the public. Only her chief and the Jedi knew and they were sworn to secrecy. She added to the teller, "He died recentl
y."

  "Oh, I am so sorry. So you found this card and have no clue what is in the deposit box?"

  "Pretty much."

  "Why don't I help you take a look. May I see the card, please?" She handed it to him and he inserted it into a wall-mounted datapad. "My, this is old."

  "How old?"

  "A good forty years."

  That made sense to her. She was coming up on her forty-fourth Life Day.

  The teller cheered as he suggested, "I can lead you through to the boxes. There's private rooms so you can look inside the box alone. Oh, I just need a name for verification."

  "I'hela Broadwater," she automatically answered. She gasped and wondered if that would be the name Voxan would put it under. She was about to correct herself but the teller nodded.

  "That's correct."

  Voxan knew she would find this box someday. Or he knew his son would give her the datacard to it. Her nerves were a wreck with anticipation. What could possibly be inside this box?

  "Now, if you would follow me."

  She injected, "I hope you'll excuse me if I can't catch up fast enough." She glanced down at her completely bandaged right leg and his gaze followed.

  "Not a problem, Miss Broadwater. This way."

  She followed him as fast as she could with a limp. He took her through a series of corridors to a back room with walls full of several lock boxes. Each one had a slot for a datacard to enter in. The teller went to the opposite side of the room where the lock boxes looked slightly older. He found the box with the same number on the card and he inserted it. The small door opened and he took out a rectangular metal box from the opening. He held it out for her but stopped as he said, "I'm sorry. Do you need help taking this in your condition?"

  "No, I'll be fine. Thank you."

  He said as she took the box in her arms, "Then this is yours. The private rooms are across the hallway. Use the datacard to open one." He handed it back to her. "When you are finished, just leave the box where it is and we will take care of it. That is assuming you will be taking the contents."

  "I have to know what the contents are first."

  "Of course. Bring the card up to my counter when you come up as well, please. Is there anything else I can help you with in your time of grieving?"

  "No, thank you. That's very kind of you. I'd just like to get this over with as soon as possible."

  "I understand, Miss Broadwater. I will then leave you be. Good luck."

  As he left, she found the private rooms and entered. She closed the door with her arm since her hands were carrying the long box. She set it down on the table provided. She sat at the chair and stared at it for several minutes. I've come this far, she thought.

  She opened the front lid and looked inside. The first thing she saw was an envelope addressed to "I'hela". There was also a smaller box and a portable holo-projector. She immediately grabbed the envelope. Her name had been hand written. More personal than just a datapad. She instantly recognized the writing as her father's. The father she knew. She opened it up and unfolded the flimsi. More handwriting. She read.

  Dearest I'hela,

  If you are reading this, I can surmise two things. One is that I am dead. And the other is that you know. Or you think you do. I imagine you are confused. I cannot blame you. You cannot imagine how many times I've wanted to tell you the truth. The real truth. After each year passed that became harder to do. There's nothing much more to say than to tell you that your birth name is Alexhi Helan. Whether you take it as your own or keep the name I gave you, is entirely up to you.

  Inside are some items that I thought you may want to keep. One is a family heirloom. The other is proof of your true family. Despite that I ended their lives, I wish them peace in the afterlife.

  I cannot blame you if you choose to hate me for the rest of your life. Trust me when I tell you that hate gets you nowhere. I know. I hated for such a long time that it ate at me from the inside. Until I met you. I hope someday you will find it in your heart to forgive me.

  To my devoted love of my life and savior,

  S. Voxan...your father in spirit.

  The last edge of the flimsi suddenly had a tear stain dropped on it. She folded it carefully and placed it back in the envelope. She picked up the small box and lifted the lid. Inside was the gem. The star-shaped ruby with diamonds at each point. She gently picked it up and instantly felt the weight difference from the one Voxan gave to her not long before he died. This one wasn't a fake. It suddenly dawned on her...why would he give her the fake version complete with the audio device? How did Mahc know when to activate the device? She decided it may be a mystery that could never be solved. And, frankly, it didn't matter. She had the original gem now.

  But it proved that she could never fully trust the father who raised her. Could she forgive him? Despite his lies to her, he did stop being a monster for her. And she had no doubt that he did love her, even before she read his message to her. Maybe she didn't need to trust him. She would remember him as the father he was to her. As the person who had freed himself from his own violence. And she had a hand in saving him. She would cherish her power until the day she died.

  My savior.

  She put the envelope and the jewelry box inside her tunic pocket and she reached for the small projector. It was a much older model than she had seen but she figured how to switch it on. A colored image formed. It showed a family of five. Her eyes moved across to each one. Mother, father, and the two brothers. Her eyes then focused on the toddler, who was being carried by the mother. The face was young, yet so familiar. She had seen that face in an older form through a mirror. On the back of the holo, there was type.

  The Helans last picture on Coruscant. Abri, Ghill, Pap, Cho, and Alexhi.

  With tears she closed the holo and pocketed it in her tunic as well. She stood up and left the room as it was. She limped her way back through the corridors and into the main banking area. She found the teller who took her down and approached his counter.

  "Is everything all right, Miss Broadwater?"

  "Yes. But that's not my name. It's Alexhi Helan."

  THE END