NOTE: A simple one-shot look into Mara's origins by extrapolating what little we know about her past. As far as I know, it's 100% canon compatible. Critiques are welcome, but please be aware that this is my first fanfic.

And do I really have to say it? *sigh* Fine. No, I don't own Star Wars. Truly.

Origins

This is pointless.

Warrant Officer Lisin Opril unsuccessfully tried to stifle another yawn as yet another being trudged through the long line. Slowly the queue wormed onward as every citizen went through a barrage of questions, scans, and paperwork. When he had joined the service, recording countless blood samples was not what Opril had envisioned for his career.

"Next," he called without enthusiasm.

A tall blonde human approached. He offered his arm to the phlebotomist, who quickly took a sampling of blood and processed it.

The officer mumbled aloud the results fed to his datapad. "Jade...male...1.9 meters tall...etc. We're clear. Next."

From behind the man a little girl emerged. She couldn't be any more than three years old, but that didn't exempt her from the tedious process of Imperial census recordings. Her green eyes looked nervously up at the needle, and she backed away.

"What's the matter?" The man—her father, judging by their similar piercing green eyes—knelt down beside the girl. "You don't like these nice bureaucratic men? Good girl."

Opril rolled his eyes. Another extremist, just what our Empire needs while trying to achieve some sense of stability.

"Please, Mr. Jade. We need to keep this line moving."

Jade narrowed his eyes at the officer, but nodded. "It's just a pinch, Mara. It will only hurt for a little bit."

The girl didn't look convinced. She furiously shook her head, sending her red-gold hair flailing.

Jade picked up his daughter in one arm and reached into his jacket with the other. He brought out small a glass sphere. "Look at this, sweetheart. Do you know what this is? It's a falling-star globe. Look at what happens when you shake it."

Jade shook the globe, sending tiny sparkling 'stars' swirling. Transfixed by the bauble, Mara barely noticed the prick of the needle.

Opril glanced at his datapad, and noticed something out of the ordinary in her blood sample.

Well, there goes my normal day.

"House arrest?" An auburn-haired woman crossed her arms with resolve. "They don't have any right!"

"They may not have the right, but they have the authority." Jade sat down heavily.

"Why us? We haven't done anything."

Jade hesitated, then looked into his wife's eyes. "It's Mara. I...I think she might be Force sensitive."

His wife blanched and sat down shakily. There were many reactions that parents had to learning that their children were strong in the Force. Some were worried, others proud. Mara's mother was horrified.

"She can't be. We were in the Republic records, and neither one of us qualified for the Order."

"I don't think Force sensitivity is necessarily genetic," Jade reasoned.

"You and I both know what happens when they find force-sensitive children."

They each looked at each other in silence.

CRASH! Both parents jumped at the sound of shattered glass. In the next room they found their daughter unharmed, but staring curiously at the broken shards of glass.

"Mara! What happened?"

The little girl's brow furrowed. "How does it work?"

"What?"

"I want to know how it works."

Her mother sighed, exasperated. "Mara, you can't just go around breaking everything in sight!"

Mara watched her mother pacing angrily, muttering to herself. "Why can't you just stay out of trouble? Why can't you just stop everything?" Her mother broke off, unable to hide her tears.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Mara knew she must have done something wrong. She shouldn't have opened the falling-star globe. She opened her mouth to apologize, but a forceful knock on the door interrupted her.

Jade looked to his wife, who's eyes widened in terror. They stood still.

A few seconds of no response was enough to send a full squadron of armor-clad stormtroopers into their home. Outside a ship had landed. It's engines were still running.

"Mara, go hide," her mother instructed.

At the door the foremost stormtrooper approached the young parents. "Jade?"

Mara's father stepped forward and squared his shoulders. "Yes."

"Surrender your daughter."

"No."

The stormtrooper brought up his blaster.

"You're not killing her!" Jade curled his hands into fists, but couldn't bring them up in time to stop the stormtrooper's rifle from ramming into his side. His wife rushed to his side as Jade crumpled to the floor.

"No one said the child would be harmed." That voice—cold and cracked—trickled into the house. Black robes and a hood obscured the form of this man, but his eyes still glowed prominently.

"No, she may be too useful to waste." The dark figure walked into the home, his eyes focused beyond the huddled couple. In the back of the room, partly obscured by the evening shadows, was Mara.

"You're coming away with me, child."

Mara stared back at the man, transfixed by his glowing eyes. She trembled, and had no doubt that this man spoke the truth, whether she liked it or not. She stepped out into the light.

"Do you fear me, child?"

She nodded her head slowly.

"That's good. I am your master now."

Within minutes Mara was secured aboard the Emperor's ship, and a squad of stormtroopers remained at the Jade household. They had their orders.

Mercifully the young girl never heard the screams of her parents nor the gunshots that silenced them.

"NO DATA FOUND."

Mara couldn't say she was surprised, but she was disappointed. With access to every Imperial record, a quick glance through the name "Jade" should surely turn up something.

Her name must be the product of Imperial minds. She was grateful to be a part of the Imperial service, but she couldn't shake off her irritation at not knowing anything concrete about her origins. She could only remember vague images. Her father, her mother, a falling-star globe...

The Emperor had warned her not to probe into her past. "Your past is irrelevant," he had said, "What matters are your duties of the present."

There was no past. There was no family. There was only the Emperor's Hand.