The Senate room itself was a small, semi-circular room - whitewashed and nondescript. The galactic senators sat in sunken boxes in rows where they looked upwards to address the chair - his excellency, the Emperor - albeit through a thick layer of transparisteel. The affair emphasised who the real decision maker was and his blatant lack of respect or trust for everyone else. The delegates themselves were mainly tired, elderly politicians who rarely challenged anything and simply felt priveleged to be human beings and worthy of being in the Emperor's presence at all. As per usual the delegates would plead their people's desires to the Emperor only to have their requests ridiculed and refused. Years of such treatment meant that most of the Senators were cynical and corrupt and their only interest was to have their extravagant lifestyle subsidised by their peoples for another term of office.

Mara Jade, voyeuristically monitoring the Senate's proceedings, thought privately that the whole system was rather pointless. The Senate bore little resemblance physically or politically to the old Republic Senate. Palpatine had skilfully downsized and delayered it over his years in office to the extent that it was little more than an Imperial puppet show and held little real power. Mara's opinion was therefore shared by the majority of those who actually knew what was going on there. To everyone else, the Senate was a symbol of the feeble democracy remaining in the galaxy.

It was being disbanded anyway.

As if there's much to miss, thought Mara who was not thrilled at the prospect of spying on another dull session of the illustrious Imperial Senate. Mara had a clear view of all the delegates from her hiding place, one of many which secretly smothered the outside of the Senate walls. If an individual delegate dared to step out of line, dozens of blaster bolts would hammer into him from the secret compartments before he even realised his stupidity in not suspecting that such measures were implemented in the first place. It didn't happen often, but it was a powerful, if gruesome, reminder that rebellion was not to be tolerated.

The Rebellion. Which was why Mara was spying on the proceedings in the first place. Her mission was to track a senator from some unimportant mid-rim territories, Kalie Teemos, whom the Emperor suspected of having Rebel sympathies. He had discovered in advance that the Senate was to be abolished and the Emperor did not want the news to get out before he could publically announce his more 'efficient' system of galactic control. Mara had so far discovered that Teemos was characteristically planning to divulge the secrets to the highest bidder later that day . She had found no evidence, however, that Teemos had connections to the Rebellion and suspected that his motives lay only in lining his own pockets with the stolen information.

So far, however, he had remained withdrawn from the Senate proceedings. Mara's eye danced over the Senators. Teemos didn't seem to be doing anything suspicious - nothing at all. Mara searched but failed to find any suspicious body language. Suddenly, Mara's concentration was broken by a female delegate rising to address the congress. The fact that she was female helped Mara to identify her as the Alderaanian princess Leia Organa.

Mara felt a chilling flush of jealousy (hatred?) towards the ladylike princess. She sported a slinky violet dress which shimmered luxuriously as she turned towards the Emperor, was recognised and permitted to speak. Mara saw her regularly in the Senate because she stood in for her father, Bail Organa, when he was too busy to attend. Mara knew the princess to be idealistic and spirited from her experience in monitoring the princess outwith the Senate, but Mara could never quite fathom the young woman. She was only slightly older than Mara, yet Leia Organa seemed a great deal more mature and balanced. She was all of these but still lusciously feminine.

Rich, fashionable, beautiful... Mara couldn't bring herself to complete the list as Leia Organa addressed the Emperor.

"Your excellency," she began, "I wish to bring to your attention the issue of forced conscription into the Imperial Navy of graduates of the Alderaan flight academy." She paused, her face saddening as she continued. "We are peace-loving people and do not believe that we should be forced into Imperial servitude against our will. I request that a commission be sought to investigate the matter"

And articulate! thought Mara, finishing the list. How would the Emperor respond?

"Young fool," hissed Palpatine, "your people should be glad to help towards the greater good of the Empire. Princess Leia - the Empire notes Alderaan's reluctance to aid the Empire willingly. I suggest that your people reconsider their requests in future lest Alderaan be used as an example to the galaxy that rebellion in any form is not acceptable!."

An excellent recovery! thought Mara. The Emperor had not yet proved that the princess was involved in the Rebel Alliance - Mara had spent long enough trying - but thinly-veiled threats should let her know that she was under suspicion. The woman's demeanour never cracked under the suggestion in front of the holocams which analysed each gesture and so she sat disconsolantly once again. Perhaps she wasn't a Rebel. Perhaps she didn't believe the Empire would dare move against her people.

Mara, however, knew that the Emperor's scientists had completed a deadly new weapon to maintain control of the star systems when the Senate was disbanded and martial law imposed. Mara wasn't sure how such a system would work, but presumably troublesome worlds like Alderaan could be threatened with it to make them comply. Which would make a change...

Concentrate Mara Jade! The Senate is disbanding!

Mara gasped as the invasive commands of her master echoed around her head. Mara's secret compartment exited through a hidden door into a diplomatic office and then into the Senate corridors where she joined the flow of delegates returning to their Coruscant appartments. Mara was faced with a vast array of people in multicoloured costumes. Identification of individuals was almost impossible - she had lost Teemos. Mara turned swiftly, heading directly into the barrage of politicians and their aides who continued on towards their transports regardless. As she brushed rudely past them she caught a glance of Teemos' bald head heading similarly away from the flow of politicians. Mara strode forward with increasing haste.

And straight into the princess Leia Organa.

The princess chuckled childishly as the pair fell to the ground. She accepted the hand of a female aide, was pulled to her feet swiftly and apologised for not paying attention in a polite and dismissive manner. Mara, however, was not skilled in social graces and so she clambered to her feet abruptly and stormed off with her dishevelled hair covering her eyes. Mara saw the princess walk away laughing with her friends and a golden protocol droid. Fortunately for Mara, Intelligence reported that the princess would be leaving on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan and Mara would consequently be unlikely to meet run into her again any time soon.

Mara's knees hurt as she continued tracking Teemos. While the princess had simply fallen over, Mara had been slammed painfully against the corridor wall. Her legs hurt too and moreover... she hurt. Who was there to pick her up when she fell? Who was there to share jokes with? Where were her friends? A dark feeling overcame Mara - the cloudy loneliness she felt from time to time. Mara's work was her life. The fact that she had nobody to speak to - not even a droid - that she was alone was upsetting to her. Mara gulped back tears. Mara was always jealous of young women like the princess - not because of her riches or power - but because she had a life of her own to lead.

Will I ever have a life of my own? thought Mara as she followed Teemos into the afternoon air.

***

Mara examined her reflection intently. Her ruby hair was long and flaxen, untied and free for a change. Her eyes were struck lightly with eyeliner and she had liberally applied lip-gloss - which was very fashionable at the time. Mara could see her youthful face tighten into a smile. That beautiful face.

Mara shook away the stray and irrelevant thought. Her appearance had been carefully crafted to convey the appearance of a rich Coruscant debutante. To help with her mission, nothing else...

Princess Leia, eat your heart out! shouted a little voice within Mara. Mara looked herself over once more and flicked a stray piece of hair back to the sides. Mara had never been narcissistic, but under the circumstances she had dolled herself up to the best of her ability. If doing so had lead to the side effect of boosting her self-esteem then so what? The girlish face that confronted Mara daily as she would prepare work had magically merged into the glamourous visage of a woman.

As if anyone cares. Depression once again threatened to take its grip on the young Emperor's Hand, tainting the moment of happiness. The only person who she was in regular contact with was the Emperor, and he was never concerned with her appearance. She had recently been introduced to Lord Vader for the first time. She was little more than a tool to either of them.

A tool. The thought chilled Mara. Throughout her years Mara had given blind loyalty to a man without any real ties to her. To suddenly realise that her loyalty, her devotion, had warranted nothing at all was scary - to look back on herself and wonder why she had given so much for so little. Was the New Order even worth serving?

Stop it! she told herself. Something within her banished such defiant thoughts deep down. Somehow, mysteriously she did feel a duty towards the Emperor, towards the Empire. She had a mission to get on with and it would take more than primitive emotion to put her off. She had her reputation to protect, after all.

The silver chrono showed that Teemos would be arriving soon. Mara left the bathroom and made her way back into the main chamber, her white evening dress swishing around her. The Starchaser was one of Coruscant's most exclusive nightspots and Mara seamlessly blended into the array of fashionable, attractive and wealthy clients. Surveying the surroundings, Mara was captured by the glamourous, inviting atmosphere which was so different to anything she had experienced before. Social events in Mara's busy calendar usually consisted of organised, uncomfortable and tense get-togethers of influential Imperials - usually one of which Mara was required to spy on or dispatch... But in the Starchaser, people got together because they wanted to - to socialise, to enjoy themselves. The concept was almost alien to Mara, but definitely appealing. Mara walked to the bar, her dress a multifaceted receptacle of a thousand different colours. She ordered a drink and was almost feeling confident enough to approach a group of women who looked around her age...

Such thoughts vanished as Mara identified Teemos from the corner of her eye. Like a starfighter moving into attack position Mara's professional insticts kicked into force. Teemos had no obvious bodyguards or associates. He was making his way towards a door at the other end of the building from Mara. She had begun to move over to his position, trying to seem as if she was mingling with the other clients. Was Teemos so overconfident that he had not brought bodyguards?

Mara was then drawn to a tall, dark man next to her acknowledging Teemos' presence with a small nod. He then pushed in front of Mara and other clients with a disregard for subtelty, swiftly converging on Teemos and blocking the door as the shorter man slipped through. The thought of having to fight her way past the guard was unattractive to Mara, although she had taken on more challenging opponents in her time with her trusty lightsaber.

Use your powers, child. Time is of the essence!

Mara acknowledged silently. When her master spoke to her through the force his presence was so tangible that she half-expected to find him behind her - she did not relish the thought at that moment. Mara's mind cleared as she took a deep breath and prepared to tap into the force.

"Hey there!" she cooed nonchalantly towards the stoic guard. He seemed to look right through her. "I need some help. You can help me." she added with a wave of her free hand.

The guard turned towards Mara as if he had been slapped in the face. "I can help you."

"Then let me through the door."

The guard paused, looking confused. "I'll let you through the door."

This is too easy, thought Mara, grinning, as the guard proceeded to do so. Her powers served her well. Without the Emperor she would never have been able to use them - she ought to consider that, at least. Her senses told her that Teemos was near, but she was confronted with an array of identical doors to choose. Mara's eyes closed reflexively and she soon identified the room where Teemos was in with another mysterious being. Mara brought out her lightsaber slowly, filled with a sense of dread.

Now or never. The young assassin pressed her back to the door as she had done many times before, but this time her brow was coated in sticky sweat and she had to sweep clammy strands of hair out of her field of vision. Teemos could be heard bargaining for something - no doubt another few thousand credits before he would divulge his secrets about the dissolving of the Senate. Mara was uncharacteristically apprehensive but there was still time to act.

Now or never. Focus.

Mara slammed into the door violently, flinging it open wildly. She simultaneously spun her body round, lit the lightsaber and assumed a battle stance. She found the terrified faces of Teemos and another human, their stark faces lit in ghostly purple from the lightsaber. Mara would lift the saber high, strike it down and kill both men, completing another successful mission in the great name of the Empire.

But Mara simply stood there entranced by the ridiculousness of the situation. She was being asked to murder a man guilty of simply knowing too much. Sure, he was going to share that information, but in a matter of days everyone in the galaxy would know. And that didn't justify murder in Mara's conscience.

Or did it? Somewhere within the frisky and nervous young girl lay the cool professional who had murdered time and time before; the dedicated Emperor's Hand who meant so much to her master. Why then couldn't she go through with her mission?

Perhaps this time it was one murder too many. Mara had come to realise how much she was missing out on normal life - free time, friendship, self-respect... She could never truly escape her destiny within the Imperials. Palpatine had too much control over her. But Mara had reached a turning point, realising how much she had sacrificed and how little she had gained.

The Emperor's Hand prepared to complete her grisly task, but realised that during her concentration lapseTeemos had escaped and she had failed her mission.

***

Palpatine had been furious. His best men had been killed for lesser failures, but Mara had largely been forgiven. Her sole punishment was to live with the knowledge that she had failed and dissappointed her master for the first time.

Mara stared vacantly out the window of her quarters in the Imperial Palace. Outside, normal life continued. Inside lay Mara's world of espionage, duplicity and danger. The distinction was now clear in her mind. She had concluded that the reason for her forgival lay in the fact that a legion of stormtroopers had gunned down Teemos shortly after he had escaped from her. Besides, the Emperor had a lot more on his mind.

Much had changed in the last week. Martial Law had been imposed, sweeping away the last remains of the Old Republic. While the Empire's agents had been chasing Teemos, Princess Leia had managed to sneak under their noses and steal plans of the new figurehead of the Empire, the Death Star. It had been destroyed in a hugely embarrassing attack by the fledgeling Rebel Alliance. The Princess was revealled to be a leading member in it after all.

For the first time a serious challenge had been made of the Empire's iron will. Ordinary people, Mara included, realised that the Empire was not infallible and began to question their allignment accordingly. But as many worlds began to declare alliance with the Rebellion, Mara had found a new resolve, a new focus, a new loyalty. The doubts of the last week had been cast aside by a new command.

There was a new enemy. The son of the fallen Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, who was beginning to cast ripples in the force.

YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!