Author's Note: Fan fiction is the world of 'what ifs' for me. Free Fall is the extension of the 'what if' on that fateful day on the cloud city of Bespin in the movie Empire Strikes Back. What if…Luke is captured but does not yet realize the identity of Darth Vader.

Thanks for taking the time to stop in and read. I hope you enjoy.

Free Fall

One ceiling glow lamp illuminated the small holding cell that had become Mara Jade's new reality. A constant high buzz emanated from the light, and after she had thought she was going to go insane, she finally learned to tune it out. Not that it mattered. She was to be executed soon, and the noise was now the least of her worries.

Death was not something to be feared, she told herself repeatedly. She only had to keep her brave face, not let them see any fear. She would go out defiant, and no threats or mind tricks would break her resolve. Though she tried not to look, she could see a small reflection of herself in the prison cell's handle. Her red hair had become a mass of greasy locks and dark circles underlined her green, now passionless eyes. She felt the life had drained from her face. And it had. These were, she thought, the last moments of her short life. Though she had brought death to many as the Emperor's assassin, and had shamefully at one point enjoyed the work, her own death had never really come to her mind as an inevitability. She had been invincible. Now at last that it came to her own life, she could not fathom what was ahead of her.

For a standard year now, she had betrayed the trust of her Emperor, and had willfully defied his commands. It had started when his call for assassinations had gone beyond the usual corrupt rulers and crooks. The Emperor had commanded her to kill beyond the usual targets including women and children. She would never forget the eyes of the first child she had killed. His dark blue eyes haunted her in dreams and made her disobey the one who she had never questioned.

She shuddered suddenly cold, though the stale air never changed, or moved. So she was to die. She only wished her last and final action had been successful. She had tried to assassinate the Emperor himself. Had managed to bring the small vibroblade through his skin and deep towards his heart. How he survived, she did not know, but the next thing she knew, she awoke in this cell. No water, no food, no human contact. Just the incessant buzzing overhead.

She closed her eyes, concentrating. Hopefully this would be over soon. She wanted more than anything to just die with dignity and a brave face. They would undoubtedly try to get information from her before her death, and with her last breath, she would give them nothing. She knew all the drugs the Emperor had at his disposal, had used them on her own victims, and she knew how to resist them.

It was the waiting that was hard. She felt paralyzed as she heard footsteps approach from the distance. The buzzing grew louder, for one instant and the small holding cell door began to slide open with a hiss. A tall security officer ducked his head down to enter her cell flanked by two stormtroopers. He had a strong chin, bronzed skin and looked down at her with pitiless brown eyes.

He cleared his throat and averted his gaze, as if speaking to her were beneath his station. "The Emperor," he said, a sneer apparent behind his voice, "wishes to extend you an invitation."

Mara could not believe her ears. This was not what she was expecting. "An invitation?" she croaked. Her mouth was so dry, the very breath needed to speak tore at her insides.

She could see a vein in his temple throbbing. She could almost see his thoughts, knew that he thought she deserved to be shot and quartered. She had done the most unthinkable betrayal.

"An invitation to speak with him," he explained curtly.

Mara started shivering. So the games had begun. She would not be taken in this time, and would show the Emperor that she could not be so easily manipulated. The secret location of the people she had rescued from him was safely locked in her mind.

She looked up at the expectant security officer. What was her former Master plotting this time?

"Tell him," she whispered after a long silence, "...that I am at his disposal."

She smiled to herself. Yes, she would die, but she would go out kicking.

With his duty done, the officer turned and pointed for the two stormtroopers to part. They left and once again the cell door slid down and she was alone. Alone, and wondering when the Emperor would make his next move.