C'baoth gazed at him from under bushy eyebrows. 'You will,' he said darkly. 'As will your sister. And her children.' Luke's chest tightened. 'I can protect them.'
'Can you teach them, as well?' C'baoth countered. 'Have you the wisdom and skill to bring them to full knowledge of the was of the Force?'
'I think so, yes.
C'baoth snorted. 'If you think but do not know then you gamble with their lives,' he bit out. 'You risk their futures over a selfish whim.'
'It's not a whim, Luke insisted. 'Together, Leia and I can do it.'
'If you try, you will risk losing them to the dark side,' C'baoth said flatly. He sighed, his eyes drilling away from Luke as he looked around the room. 'We can't take that chance, Luke,' he said quietly. 'There are so few of us as it is. The endless war for power still rages-the galaxy is in turmoil. We who remain must stand together against those who would destroy everything.' He turned his eyes suddenly back on Luke. 'No; we can't risk being divided and destroyed again. You must bring your sister and her children to me.'
'I can't do that,' Luke said. C'baoth's expression changed-'Not now, at least,' Luke amended hastily. 'It wouldn't be safe for Leia to travel right now. The Imperials have been hunting her for months, and Jomark isn't all that far from the edge of their territory.'
'Do you doubt that I can protect her?'
'I...no, I don't doubt you,' Luke said, choosing his words carefully.
'It's just that-'
He paused. C'baoth had gone abruptly stiff, his eyes gazing outward at nothing. 'Master C'baoth?' he asked. 'Are you all right?' There was no reply. Luke stepped to his side, reaching out with the Force and wondering uneasily if the other was ill. But as always the Jedi Master's mind was closed to him. 'Come, Master C'baoth,' he said, taking the other's arm. 'I'll help you to your chambers.'
C'baoth blinked twice, and with what seemed to be an effort, brought his gaze back to Luke's face. He took a shuddering breath; and suddenly he was back to normal again. 'You're tired, Luke,' he said. 'Leave me and return to your chambers for sleep.'
Luke was tired, he had to admit. 'Are you all right?'
'I'm fine,' C'baoth assured him, a strangely grim tone to his voice.
'Because if you need my help-'
'I said leave me!' C'baoth snapped. 'I am a Jedi Master. I need help from no one.
Luke found himself two paces back from C'baoth without any recollection of having taken the steps. 'I'm sorry, Master C'baoth,' he said.
'I didn't mean any disrespect.
The other's face softened a bit. 'I know you didn't,' he said. He took another deep breath, exhaled it quietly. 'Bring your sister to me, Jedi Skywalker. I will protect her from the Empire; and will teach her such power as you can't imagine.'
Far in the back of Luke's mind, a small warning bell went off. Something about those words ... or perhaps the way C'baoth had said them ...
'Now return to your chambers,' C'baoth ordered. Once again his eyes seemed to be drifting away toward nothing. 'Sleep, and we will talk further in the morning.'
He stood before her, his face half hidden by the cowl of his robe, his yellow eyes piercingly bright as they gazed across the infinite distance between them. His lips moved, but his words were drowned out by the throaty hooting of alarms all around them, filling Mara with an urgency that was rapidly edging into panic. Between her and the Emperor two figures appeared: the dark, imposing image of Darth Vader, and the smaller blackclad figure of Luke Skywalker. They stood before the Emperor, facing each other, and ignited their lightsabers. The blades crossed, brilliant red-white against brilliant green-white, and they prepared for battle.
And then, without warning, the blades disengaged ... and with twin roars of hatred audible even over the alarms, both turned and strode toward the Emperor.
Mara heard herself cry out as she struggled to rush to her master's aid. But the distance was too great, her body too sluggish. She screamed a challenge, trying to at least distract them. But neither Vader nor Skywalker seemed to hear her. They moved outward to flank the Emperor ... and as they lifted their lightsabers high, she saw that the Emperor was gazing at her. She looked back at him, wanting desperately to turn away from the coming
