The Trace Which Remains

Chapter 13: ...unholy games...

Luke awoke to three people at his bedside, his bleary eyes taking their sweet time to register the sight of his father, sister, and Dr. Severeth. His heart skipped a beat to see Anakin's arms bandaged, and he tried to reach for him.

Pain sent klaxons blaring through his mind as he realized that his shoulders were aching
insanely.

Severeth, who had been tending the monitors, turned towards him, bloodshot eyes behind
spectacles which still had a streak of blood on them. "Take it easy, Jedi. Even I've never been beaten like that." The young physician touched a fingertip to Luke's forehead, and the pain suddenly ebbed.

Anakin stared as he realized that Severeth was using the Force. "A Force-healer..."

Luke froze. Severeth had done nothing but help him. He didn't know how his family would
handle someone who claimed to be a Sith- a fully trained, renegade Sith.

Leia cleared her throat. "I noticed your lightsaber..."

"It was a necessary risk. I would rather be found out than lose a patient. Not to mention... to be honest, I've using you, Skywalker."

"Using me?"

Hesitant, Severeth paused before continuing. "As... a test subject for certain treatment.
Nothing harmful! I... was not sure how well my healing would work. My... 'master' was no
healer. She studied forensic work, while I preferred saving lives. I found some... old journals which have been instructing me in the art of healing."

Anakin murmured, "A dark Jedi?" Luke was sure that he hadn't meant for it to be heard, but
Severeth stiffened.

"Not a Jedi at all. I am the last true follower of the traditions of the Sith."

Leia's eyes flashed. "Sith? What do you mean?"

Staring at Leia flatly, Severeth spoke quietly, matter-of-factly. "I was trained by the first apprentice of Darth Plagueis, Darth Morata. She never told me how she left him, but later on, another failed apprentice of his killed him- Palpatine. I found the journals of Plagueis before the destruction of the first Death Star, and jumped ship as soon as I could. My idiot of a 'mentor,' as well as Palpatine, had it all wrong- the Sith were not meant to be a harmful force in the galaxy."

He pulled his ubiquitous laptop onto a table, and opened a file. "Plagueis discovered that the ways of the Sith were created by two people- the first, a legendary leader called the Sith'ari. The Sith'ari said that, to obtain power, we need to absorb pain from others. The other- his adoptive brother- was jealous and twisted the Sith'ari's words. He claimed that true power came from the pain of others- which he intentionally left ambiguous. The common Sith couldn't hear the difference- the second command was interpreted as meaning that you gained from causing pain."

Luke could see the horror dawn on Anakin's face. "So it's all been a misunderstanding."

Severeth nodded. "And since then, the Sith have believed that power comes from treachery
and deceit. I apologize for hiding my affiliation from you- although in reality, we all serve the same thing. Life. The Force does not care whether healing is done by Jedi or Sith."

"But how do you use the Dark side?" Leia asked.

A wry grin crept across Severeth's face, and Luke could swear he had seen that grin before- on a different face, though. He couldn't quite place it...

"There are two forms of energy. Standard energy comes in different forms- kinetic,
gravitational, light, electromagnetic... but the other form is the absolute negation of that energy. Dark energy, absorption and negation, is how I use the Dark side. I learned from the journals of Plagueis that one can absorb another's pain- and convert it into energy for their own use. Many Sith would create pain to gain energy. I just seek out situations where people are already in pain- and take that pain from them."

"Force-anesthesia. Wow." Luke now understood how Severeth had been able to reduce his
pain with just a touch, earlier.

"Precisely." Severeth began re-checking Luke's monitors. "But we have more pressing
matters. Highness, is there any news on how those guards got the information?"

"No." There was a deep resignation in her voice. "Even they don't know. And the only one of them that will cooperate with us is the one who calls himself Zeta. Only Mon knows his real name, and she's sworn not to tell anyone."

"What do they have against Father?"

"I don't know yet. The only thing they have in common is that they are all from Coruscant."

Severeth rolled his eyes. "LOTS of people are from Coruscant. I'M from Coruscant."

"My point. All I know is that they hate Father to the point of betraying the Alliance."

Luke gasped. "You called him Father!" He ignored his torn lips and bruised face, and smiled.

Leia reached for Anakin's shoulder, and the two of them exchanged a smile. "Yeah. I...
realized that I was more of an enemy to myself than he is to me. He... was very supportive to me when we found you."

A buzz interrupted them, and Luke heard Mon Mothma's voice through the door com. "I'm
sorry, but we have to place Vader back into a cell now, if the doctor feels he is healed
enough."

Severeth returned, "Can it wait a few moments?"

"Five minutes."

Anakin knelt, brushing Luke's hair out of his eyes. Luke trembled, soaking in the tenderness like a starving man devours the finest cuisine. Luke looked down at his father's arms, and cringed.

"They are healing fine, son. Just a few scratches."

"Did you..."

Anakin lowered his eyes. "I... lost control. You were in so much pain..." A sobbing sigh
escaped the older man's throat. "Please, son... don't blame yourself. It was neither of our faults."

Luke was about to speak again, but Anakin gently silenced him with a kiss, a delicious,
tempting breath on his lips, so lightly caressing that it didn't aggravate the injuries. Something about that kiss caused Luke's mind to swirl into a moment of ecstacy, a millisecond which left his mind at peace even when the kiss ended far too soon. They shared a profound moment of emotional unity, before Anakin rose, gripping Luke's fingers softly. "We will be together- they cannot keep our souls apart, or our hearts from loving."

Leia embraced Anakin as well, causing Luke's heart to soar. At least some things were going well. Anakin pressed the door switch, and told Mon Mothma and a coterie of guards, "I'm ready."

Luke leaned his head back, savoring his father's kiss and the first real certainty that his family could find peace. "You're growing strong, Leia. You were the one who found me, weren't you?"

She seemed to shrink, causing Luke to regret phrasing it that way. "Yes... I could sense where they had taken you."

He smiled reassuringly. "If you hadn't, who knows how long it would have taken for me to be saved? You're beginning to trust in the Force." She blushed at the praise.

"I'm just learning where my intuition is coming from." A beep from her wristcom caught her
attention, and Luke could see that as she read it, her spirits rose. "Han's back!" She gave Luke a hug, and, after a pause, hugged Severeth as well. The doctor awkwardly patted her on the back.

"Bring him by. I'm already feeling better."

Leia nodded, and said to Severeth, "Thank you for all of your help- I can't possibly say how much it means to all of us."

"No problem, Highness."

She hugged Luke again, and murmured, "You were right about Father. And... you make a cute
couple." She rushed out the door as color flooded Luke's cheeks. Severeth turned to leave,
but Luke stopped him.

"She's right- you've gone far and above duty in helping me. Thank you, Doctor."

Severeth shook his head. "Thank you, Jedi Skywalker. I wasn't expecting to be accepted by
you or your family... it's nice to have support."

"No problem... and call me Luke."

Severeth smirked, and replied, "Then call me Myka."

****

Leia was taking it very calmly, Han thought, as the two of them watched the incriminating
recording together. A grim smile touched her face.

When it ended, she told him, "Perfect."

****

Code-name Zeta carefully tread the halls of Home One, trying to reach his quarters safely.
They had caught all but one of the other members of the League- and he knew that the last
member would be out to get the man who had betrayed them.

But he never made it to his quarters. Waiting outside...

"You will not live to regret turning your back on the League of Vengeance," Alpha growled as he covered Zeta's mouth with a large, powerful hand. The rusty dagger, still gleaming from Skywalker's blood, snaked its way towards Zeta's throat...

Zeta didn't even hear his body hit the deck.

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