Then he saw it. His helmet’s light-amplifying visual sensors picked out a hazy column of light rising up at an angle from the Palace itself. The beam was emerging from the upper half of the pyramidal collection of towers. It was hard to notice against the blaze of illumination from the Palace itself, but it was there, and it was getting brighter. Vader switched to infrared viewing, and confirmed his suspicions. His readouts told him that the heat content of the energy beam was growing as it narrowed. The pace of these changes was quite slow, but measurable. Suddenly, Vader understood that the beam wasn’t going up—it was coming down.
“He is using the orbital solar energy transfer satellites to heat up the organic explosives!” Vader said suddenly and loudly.
Mara Jade jerked the controls in surprise and the airbus swerved momentarily. “What?” Mara exclaimed. “He’s using what?”
“The orbital mirrors. He is redirecting and focusing solar energy onto the Palace, to create another explosion like the one in the greenhouse,” Vader said. “Only this one will no doubt be much larger in scope.”
Mara was shocked. “He can do that? But…we can’t let the whole Palace be destroyed. That would kill tens of thousands of people!”
“Evidently, Ashka Boda does not care about that,” Vader replied. He thought for a moment. “I believe we must separate once again. It is not your place to confront a dark Jedi. I will face him myself.”
“Are you going to kill him?” she asked, hesitation in her voice.
By now, both of them knew the reason for the question, and Vader chose his answer carefully. “I will do what is necessary to protect the life of the Emperor,” he said.
Mara evidently could find no fault with that. “What do I do?” she asked.
Vader pointed at the night sky above them. “You must take a fighter and destroy the orbital mirror. Perhaps the process can be stopped in time. I presume you know how to pilot a TIE fighter?” Mara nodded. “Good. We will land on the roof of the Imperial Security Operations Building. They will have a fighter available there. Are you authorized to obtain such equipment?”
“It won’t be a problem,” Mara assured him.
“I will proceed to the Palace, and try to find the dark Jedi. With the Force on our side, we should be victorious. The Emperor placed his trust in us to resolve the problem of Ashka Boda. We will show him that it was not misplaced.”
Mara seemed grateful for the vote of confidence. Vader knew she had been out of her league before. Hopefully, she would be successful tonight, and restore the Emperor’s faith in her. Aside from the real importance of her task, Vader personally wanted her to succeed. His unaccustomed compassion flowed from his understanding of what it was like to have Palpatine as a Master. Once Vader had overcome his resistance to her helping him, he had seen some of the bravery and determination that she must have needed to rise as high as she had. He knew Mara’s fall would be just as far as her rise, when the Emperor judged her. He didn’t want to see her destroyed like that—it would be too graphic a reminder of the abyss he himself hung over.
Soon, Mara landed the airbus on top of the enormous ImpSec building. She leaped out of the pilot seat and ran down the steps to the roof. Vader took her place at the poorly maintained driver’s controls, and lifted off again the moment Mara was clear. He could see her out the window being surrounded by security forces, but he knew she would be able to handle herself.
The Sith Lord aimed the sluggish public vehicle at the Imperial Palace, swearing by the Force that when this was all over, he was going to find this particular airbus, and remodel it with his lightsaber. The bus was unimpressed by his threats, and as it crawled towards the Palace, Vader could physically sense the dwindling of precious time.
Mara held herself steady and proud as she faced a stern and haughty Captain of Imperial Security. She was surrounded by stormtroopers, and her ride had just departed. She knew she must look like a mess, with her weapons lost, her hair filthy, and her black skinsuit ragged with tears. But she faced the Captain’s sneering disdain, holding on to her dignity as if it were a rope, and she, suspended over a chasm. She was still the Emperor’s Hand, at least for now. As yet, there were no real consequences to Palpatine’s displeasure with her, and she intended to take full advantage of her position while it lasted.
“What have we here?” asked the Captain of Security in clipped tones. “Were you kicked off of that bus, or is this some sort of prank? Either way, you’ll regret your choice of destinations. This is a restricted area, and the penalties for trespass are very harsh indeed.”