Which made her wonder momentarily which category she fell into...
Hallin was nodding as Luke spoke, but his eyes remained wide, seeming all the more so because of his slight frame and olive skin. It seemed to Mara that even if she and Luke were not the panicking kind, then Hallin was doing enough for all three of them.
"And Nathan-" Luke added, making the fretful man pause at the door, "Try not to be around when Amedda arrives."
Hallin delivered a withering look and dashed out, leaving Mara to realise that he hadn't once met her eye or acknowledged her; only Luke.
Luke finally sighed into the silence, rubbing at the bridge of his nose, "See, this is why we don't meet in the Palace; for one thing Nathan would have a coronary within a week."
Mara was still staring at the closed door, "... he just took all my clothes..."
Luke lunged up and headed for the door, pausing just as he reached it to dash back and grab a gown which lay over a nightstand.
She smiled mischievously, setting her head to one side, "See, you make that whole panic routine look so much nicer... maybe it's the naked thing..."
He spared her a dry glower before setting off back to the door, pulling the robe about him as he went.
.
.
In the event, the visit was indeed to pass on an official communiqué from the Emperor; it was Flight Orders for the Patriot which, in a change from the intended shakedown flight, was to leave that morning for the Rim Systems- with a guest.
Palpatine would be on the maiden voyage of the Patriot, the Peerless and the Dauntless serving as escort.
That brought Mara back to reality with a bang, making her realise just how foolish they had been the previous night; not only had they been reckless in taking the risk themselves, but clearly Hallin also knew about it - and while Luke could teach Mara to hide her thoughts whilst near the Emperor, she was pretty damn sure that he couldn't do the same with Hallin- who was now about to spent several weeks in close proximity aboard the Patriot.
If Palpatine had wanted to caution, dissuade or just plain scare them, he couldn't have done a better job.
Chapter 25
Palpatine sat in the high, curve-backed chair on the Command Deck of the Patriot, specially fitted on his order to accommodate him on this journey, completing ignoring the tense, respectful bow by the medic Hallin as he walked briskly from the bridge, abuzz with nerves.
And well may he be; he clearly knew about Jade and Skywalker - was at virtual meltdown every time the two were together before Palpatine's close scrutiny - yet he had elected not to tell Palpatine of their trysts.
Palpatine had chosen the medic very carefully when he had first gained possession of his Jedi, seeking one person whom the boy would reasonably trust - one of a similar age and mindset with whom he could perhaps even build a friendship - confide in. He had at that point no clear knowledge of his new Jedi's mindset- if Jade were unsuitable to hold him, then perhaps Hallin would be more appropriate. Whichever- he needed something to exert control over the boy, something which could easily be taken away. Something that wouldn't withstand interrogation, if it came to the point that Palpatine needed facts.
His Jedi knew all this now of course- knew that the medic was living on borrowed time, that the thing which both protected and condemned him was Skywalker's continued association. For all his burgeoning strengths, his Jedi allowed himself far too many weakness- and he knew it.
Stood to the front of the Bridge, as far away from Palpatine as he could reasonably be and well aware of his Master's eyes on him, his Jedi was now with Admiral Joss and three officers, quietly conferring, Mara stood to loose attention at a tactful distance.
They were all uneasy with the fact that the Patriot was making a lightspeed jump with co-ordinates only, no planetary name or navigation inventory. Not that Palpatine cared; his military would do as they were ordered, and the reason for this journey was something he had purposely kept hidden from his Jedi. He wanted a genuine reaction on arrival; no time to hide true opinions behind shields- Skywalker was becoming far too adept at that.
And he still wore the ring; Palpatine hadn't failed to notice that. Though a few days had given him the perspective to see the fact for what it was; a minor dissent. Not so minor that he hadn't moved to prevent the boy from speaking to his father since the incident, bringing this trip forward to keep them well apart until Palpatine had finished sewing his little seeds of doubt in the boy's mind. The slightest of smiles twitched the corner of his lip in appreciation of the irony; here he had been, wary and watching for associations between the boy and his father, when in fact it had been his mother, the slip of a girl who had tried to turn Anakin's head, who had proved the problem.
Still, she had failed then and she would fail now; she wouldn't drive a wedge between Palpatine and the boy. He should thank her, he supposed; she had after all provided him not only with the man who had helped him create his Empire, but with the building-block to ensure that it thrived for generations to come. He had great plans for Padmés son, just as he'd once had for his father, and nothing as trivial as the boy's wilful intentions would derail him. Palpatine's greater plan rolled on regardless, and the boy was still dragged with it; this journey was proof of that.
Sulphurous eyes turned coldly on Mara as he considered long-term schemes and stratagems, some of which required her presence... others of which did not.
For now, he would tolerate their deceitful, impertinent little trysts because they served his purpose, immediate and long-term, but such indiscretions would not be flaunted within the Palace where Palpatine had other, larger games in play.
In the short term Jade bought him one more way to control Skywalker, however covertly. A valuable consideration, all things considered. She would never abscond and she would never betray him. Let the boy grow attached; Palpatine had already warned him repeatedly not to. That was the wonderful irony of it; despite all Palpatine's warnings that she would be a weakness- his demonstration of the fact- Luke had allowed her close anyway. So when Palpatine finally did use her to control him, Luke had no-one but himself to blame; certainly that was the lesson Palpatine would be looking to underline.
And he would need new control soon; he was beginning to question whether his old methods would work anymore. Still, one must be prepared to adapt- and Palpatine had always been flexible.
It would be a pity to think that he would never again be able to resort to the cell beneath the Palace as a means of controlling his fallen Jedi, but the boy was more Sith now than Jedi, and Palpatine doubted very much that it would hold him anymore. The barest shade of a private smile lifted bloodless lips into a shallow grin; yes, it would be a pity- he had always enjoyed their... exchanges on that particular battlefield, all civilized façades finally stripped away...
He settled back now, watching his Jedi closely as he stood at the front of the bridge, his iron determination not to turn or be intimidated beneath the Emperor's gaze blasting out, as enjoyably wilful as ever.
Yes, it would be hard to confine him again - to suppress and subdue by force.... but then perhaps he didn't need it any more; the boy's actions at the Patriot's launch had surprised Palpatine in their decisiveness and their commitment.