Mara had been sat there for what felt like ages, despite it only being around half an hour since the droids had left. They had given her no explanation, they just left the second she had exited the scanner. She had asked where they were going but they didn't answer.
She wondered just what they had seen during her scan. As far as she was aware, there wasn't much to see, just a few places where her bones had been reset and mended from the many injuries she had received over the years. But even when she went up to the monitors, she saw the information already classified.
With no more instructions or droids to tell her what to do, she decided that perhaps patience was the right course for now. She had sat herself down on the medical bed, running her fingers through her still damp red hair, using the force to stretch out.
Like a magnet, she had found Luke's force signature first, and though it had been a comfort at first - something she would never admit aloud - when she felt sounding akin to dread, she began to worry. When she stretched out again, though she knew the other Jedi had powerful mental shields, she felt the same from the others.
What had they seen which she did not know about?
In the half an hour she could feel them contemplating something and drawing conclusions, she sat nervously, knowing that behind the mirrored panel, they were discussing something important which she didn't know, and she hated not knowing.
When finally the doors to the medical wing opened, she turned, expecting the droids to be back, instead, there stood Luke Skywalker, the one friendly face she knew in the entire Republic - she could almost laugh at how only a week ago she would still have called him an enemy.
As the door closed behind him, he tentively approached as if unsure of what to say or do. She watched him curiously as he crossed past her and went to the monitor.
Something appeared on the screen which seemed to be a scan of her head, with a small blip pulsing just a few inches deep from her right temple. At first, she thought perhaps they had found some shrapnel or something, force knows she had been in her fair share of battles and explosions. But even if she was force sensitive, no one would be able to survive something like that to the head, even if they did, the medical droids back on Maul's War Ships would have detected it immediately, she visited them frequently enough.
"What is that?" She finally inquired, curiosity now overtaking her, as well as a sense of dread knowing that the Jedi had also been thrown into a predicament over it.
"It's an organic chip," he explained quietly at first before clearing his throat and continuing more confidently, "Probably implanted in you at a young age."
Looking back at him, still confused despite the fact she knew all those words, but not necessarily in this context.
"The Clones used to have something similar to this implanted in them from embryonic stages, it was to make them more compliant and able to follow orders so well," Luke didn't really know how to put this softly so he decided that it would be best to instead just get it over and done with, "You have one as well... We think it was given to you at a very young age, you wouldn't have even been aware of it... We think Maul had one implanted in you to keep you more susceptible to his commands, to follow his orders without question."
Silence now fell over them as Luke watched the redhead take in and process the painful news that her Master had essentially brainwashed her from when she was a baby. Confusion, denial, shame and finally rage all crossed her face, her mouth opening and closing but unable to form words.
Luke, knowing that she was usually quick to anger, decided to move his hands in a gesture for her to try and stay calm. He knew it was in vain but there wasn't much he could do. When the Council had reviewed the information about the chip, they had told Luke he should break the news to her because they had history, but that didn't make anything better.
Luke knew that it had been difficult enough for Jade to accept that she had been manipulated by her former Master, now she had to deal with the fact she had literally been processed and hardwired to stay ignorant like this. Fearing that perhaps this revelation might prompt an outburst from the ex-sith and that it could end up tarnishing the already fragile truce she had created with the Jedi beyond the mirror, Luke reached out with the force to try and console the ex-sith, only for him to hiss in pain when she batted back, anger surging through her.
"Get. It. Out!" She spat through her teeth, emphasising every word as her hands clenched into fists with her knuckles stark white.
***
Despite the ex-sith's growing anger the longer they delayed, the medical droids bustled about her again, with more scans and prepping the pod again for her operation. She would have to be unconscious for the procedure and even with the amount of times she had been placed in an operation for an injury, she still didn't take kindly to the idea of being completely vulnerable for any period of time.
She knew she had no choice in the matter but eitherways, she didn't have to like it.
The idea that during a serious operation, she would be asleep and unaware of her own surroundings scared her. Despite the fact she knew that she was in probably the safest medical facilities this side of the galaxy, Mara still shuddered at the thought of anesthetics.
Before, whenever she had to be put under for something, she was painfully aware that whilst she was asleep, her mental shields were completely unguarded. But then again, that would only be susceptible to force sensitives of which Maul was the only one around her at the time.
Despite the fact she knew that his teachings were now nothing but lies, Mara could not shake the lesson about vulnerability. She knew to keep her cards close to the chest and never let anyone in, which was why she had built up such a tolerance for her shields. She had only occasionally let them slip, Luke had seen that already and though she now considered him a 'friend' of sorts, she still did not warm to the idea that the entire Jedi Council would now be available to her thoughts throughout the operation.
As the droids instructed her to lay back down, a moment of panic crossed her as she saw Luke make to leave, probably to join the rest of the Jedi. Not wanting to be left alone, she quickly sat back up and reached out for his hand, not really sure why. He turned back to her curiously as he looked from her rather painful grip on him, then up to her face where she was clearly trying to hide her panic.
"Don't go, I'm... Scared..." She admitted quietly, looking away from the mirror wall despite knowing full well that it would make no difference in whether or not the other Jedi could see her, "I mean, what if this chip is all I am? What if I wake up and I'm a completely different person? What if-"
"You'll be fine," Luke assured her, giving her hand a comforting squeeze as he turned away from the door, no longer intending to leave even if he knew he should, "The chip doesn't define you, nor does Maul... When you wake up, you'll still be you, you'll be sat right here on this bed and I'll be by your side the whole time, I promise."
"Getting a little sappy there, Skywalker," she huffed, half in amusement and the other half in sentiment as she finally leaned back and saw the droids begining the anesthetic process, Luke's face being the last thing she saw as reality begun to fade.
"Not at all, Jade."
***
For the most part, Luke had been true to his word. She couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep, but she remembered waking up, a numbness throbbing near her right temple and a face coming into view. Blue eyes and dirt blonde hair, she surprised even herself how quickly she had associated those features with him, but then again, she shouldn't have been surprised, he had promised after all.
She was still a little drowsy when things finally came into focus and by that time, things flooded over her quickly.
First of all, she remembered her name, then she remembered Luke, Maul, the dark side, her childhood, her 'lessons', the war, all those she had killed. She remembered it all. At least she not forgotten anything during the removal of the chip, so Luke was mostly right.
But there was something off about everything. It was as though the constant background noise in her life had finally been lifted with the chip now gone. It was only after the background noise had been taken away was she even aware it had been there in the first place, having it from a young age meant it felt like a fact of life, it was just sort of there. But for the first time in her life, there was silence, the ability to think clearly through the haze.
For the first time, she felt the concept of free will surge through her. Of course, defying Maul had been of her own choice but there was always that constant nagging feeling at the back of her mind fighting back. But now, she felt truly free of his influence.
However, like constant background noise, it didn't take long for its absence to enduce dread deep within her. It was too quiet, so still and stagnant, she had grown so accustomed to its noise that silence now felt wrong.
Panic crossed through her quickly, only for it to be silenced quickly by the voice of her Jedi saviour - though she knew that he would never let her forget that if she told him she had just called him that.
"Jade, stay calm, you're alright. The operation went smoothly..." Still in that dazed state with the last of the anesthetics wearing off, his voice seemed almost celestial in between the hum of the monitors and beeping of equipment in the medical bay.
"I'm alright..." She mumbled back, sitting up slightly, feeling Luke's hand still clasped in her own as he helped her up - she would have to mention that to him later.
Raising her other hand up to her mane of red hair, she tentively ran her fingers past her temple. Where usually there was her thick red hair, there was now a small patch where the chip had once resided. She knew she must look ridiculous with a chunk of her hair missing in place of a medical patch, but she just decided that it would likely blend in with all the other oddities and scars that littered her body.
***
The next few days had gone by uneventfully. Luke had somehow managed to convince her captors not to force her back into the Mandalorian force suppressing cage again which she was utterly grateful for. Even the thought of that claustrophobic box sent a chill down her and she genuinely thought that if they had wanted her to go back inside of it, she couldn't stomach it a second time.
Instead, Luke had conjectured that for the sake of her recovery, she could be transferred to another prison cell. Besides, with all the evidence presented to them from the Medical exam, they could conclude that she did not have any antagonistic intentions, so they collectively decided they could trust her enough not to force her back into the cage, especially since she needed to recover from her operation, just like Luke had said.
She knew that the Council and the Senate must be reviewing the incident of her medical examination already, so she wasn't surprised that a few days seemed to pass before the forcefield to her cell opened up and a familiar face walked in, flanked by three others.
Warmth and comfort rushed over her at the sight of Luke - though she kept her mental shields up so he wouldn't be privy to that affectionate thought.
His father, the infamous Anakin Skywalker followed suit behind his son. She had only really seen him a few times in battle and she had to admit that he deserved his reputation, as did Luke. Seeing the two side by side, she could really see the similarities between them. But whilst the elder Skywalker seemed more battle hardened and cold, Luke was still as light hearted as ever as he gave her subtle reassuring smile.
Next followed Master Windu and Master Yoda, the former showing barely any emotion and the latter limping along and clutching his walking stick.
"Am I assuming this is the interrogation part I've so been looking forward to?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm, but otherwise serious as she sat herself down on the bench of her cell.
"Yes." Master Windu answered directly.
"Much to say have you?" Yoda inquired in an amused tone, leaning on his staff and looking up at the redhead.
"Yes." She replied, taking enjoyment as she saw Windu's annoyance at her rebuttle of his own response to her.
"Why would you betray Maul's secrets after being his second in command?" Anakin asked, his arms crossed and his face a mixture of curiousity and skepticism.
"Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend," she mused nonchalantly.
"You do realise that the extent of your mercy shown in your trial will depend on the gravity of the information you tell us," Master Windu explained, annoyance laced in his voice but Mara figured that just might be his normal voice
"I do," she admitted before letting a smile grace her lips, "I have valuable information. For instance, I can tell you how to find and destroy Maul's main War Ship, the one equipped with Project Krystal."
A pause of silence washed over them before it was finally broken.
"And know this, how would you?" Yoda asked gravely.
"Well I don't know personally, but I do know how you can find its location. Maul's three War Ships all have classified information on it like flight paths and some of Maul's advanced plans. Maul uses many uninhabited or otherwise remote planets to use as bolt holes for his ships. I know every planet of course, I was his second in command as you put it yourself. But if we were to simply attack every planet on the long list, I have no doubt Maul would catch on this and come the next week, he would have changed every location to the point I can no longer help you. No, I say that if you want to know the specific place Maul's Project Krystal is now, you have to board one of his other War Ships, steal the information straight from the transmissions between the two ships. Then - if you act quick enough - you can catch Maul unawares and put an end to this kriffing war!"
"That sounds like suicide," Anakin retorted.
"Of course it does, but don't you want to end this conflict once and for all? I want Maul dead just as much as you do. Look, I know for a fact that one of Maul's ships is currently docked at the Pyke's homeworld of Oba Diah. If you can capture the ship and recover the flight plans for the main flagship, you can destroy Maul when he is vulnerable and unawares."
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