Out
of the Shadows 12
Coruscant
Talon
Karrde stifled a yawn as he poured caf into two mugs before carrying them
through to his darkened office where Mara Jade perched uncomfortably on the edge
of a chair. The flickering lights of the Coruscant city traffic dappling the
room in random spots of neon pinks, blues and greens revealed an unusually
anxious expression. “What time of night do you call this, Mara?” he enquired
calmly as he placed a mug in front of his second-in-command. He switched on a
couple of lamps, illuminating her pale face more clearly.
“I
had to tell you what I’ve found out,” she mumbled with a guilty glance at
her wrist chrono suddenly realising what time of night it was. “I couldn’t
wait and risk this being discovered by anyone else. If we can find this out then
other people can do so too and…”
“Find
what out?” Karrde tightened the sash of his stylish blue silk dressing gown
around his waist.
“While
we have this and no one else does, it’s worth a lot of credits to us.”
“What
is?” Karrde asked, his voice measured.
Mara
pushed back an escaping strand of red-gold hair into her untidy plait.
“This…” She proffered a data chip.
Karrde
didn’t think he’d ever seen Mara Jade anything less than perfectly groomed,
her whole persona tightly controlled. The escaping curls and slightly harried
expression made her seem younger…more vulnerable. “Couldn’t it have waited
until the morning? It’s the middle of my sleep cycle.”
“You
weren’t sleeping, Karrde,” Mara retorted, knowing that Karrde only slept
about five hours per night.
“No,”
he admitted. “I was reading over a couple of reports in my bed. But another
half hour and I would have been. I’m not a droid. Even I need to power down on
a regular basis.”
Mara
sighed. “It’s important.”
“This
wouldn’t have anything to do with the task we’re undertaking on behalf of
General Solo, would it?”
“You
know it is,” Mara said quietly, her usual biting sarcasm completely gone.
“It stands to reason that if we know about this, someone somewhere else will
find out pretty quickly. The information has escaped to us but eventually…”
She closed her mouth.
“It
will reach other less honourable ears,” Karrde finished for her. “Are we
less honourable ears, Mara?”
She
gave him a surprised look, a hint of confusion flashing from between thick, dark
red lashes. “I couldn’t risk sending the information via the holonet or
talking over the com even on an encrypted channel. I need your advice.”
Karrde’s
sigh was resigned. “Okay, I think I understand your urgency. Tell me what
you’ve learned.” It had to be important. Mara never usually bothered him
with trivialities.
In
the wrong hands, Mara was certain that this information was highly dangerous,
that she was holding a Class A thermal detonator in her hands. Taking a deep
breath, Mara told him, wondering if Karrde was correct thinking that a smuggling
organisation could be termed the ‘wrong hands’. She wanted to kill Skywalker
– didn’t she?
“They
say that fact is stranger than fiction. That’s true. That last data card you
gave me suggesting that Skywalker and Organa could be related – they are.”
“They
are?”
Mara
nodded. “I had the doc-droid look at their blood test results which are on
file. Leia Organa’s were held at the Manarai clinic. I had to search elsewhere
to find Luke Skywalker’s, other than breaking into the records held by the
2-1B still serving on Admiral Ackbar’s flagship. I still have some of
my…alternative sources that I had as Emperor’s hand.” She couldn’t
believe that the files were still untouched in the computers three years after
the death of her master. It said something for Imperial encryption and it
wasn’t good news for
“So
you found other files.”
“Oh,
yes. Remember Skywalker’s right hand is a prosthetic.”
That
was news to Karrde. “Is it?”
“I
thought you would have known about that. He lost it in a fight against Vader on
Bespin. Imperial agents picked up the severed appendage and delivered it to the
Emperor.”
Karrde’s
mouth twisted a little. “Skywalker survived. Against Vader. That is
impressive.”
“I’ll
grant him that much, yes. However impressive that may be, it is not the concern
here. The information collected from the hand matched what we learned from
Organa’s records. They cannot hide from their genetic roots.”
Karrde
stood still for a moment and then picked up his mug of caf. “So it is true,”
he said softly. “There is a stronger connection – a blood tie.”
“It’s
more than true – they’re twins. You can’t get much closer than that.”
Karrde
paused and then took a deliberate swallow of his caf. “I see,” he murmured
as he placed the mug down, his expression difficult to interpret. “Twins?”
Mara
stared at him. He’d been surprised but hadn’t acted in the way she’d
thought he would. “Is that it? That’s all you’re going to say about it.”
Karrde
looked at her. “What else is there to say?”
“It
makes a difference.”
“A
difference,” he echoed, as he sat down opposite her. “In what way?”
“Princess
Leia Organa cannot be the real child of the last Viceroy of Alderaan.”
“No,
probably not.”
Mara
pressed forward. “There is an issue with the succession. She’s not of the
royal line. Should we…?”
Karrde
shook his head. “No, there’s not an issue – not now. She’s still a hero
of the Rebellion - still the same woman that became the youngest ever member of
the Imperial Senate. It may cause a minor fuss amongst the holo-press for a few
weeks but it should settle down. It doesn’t change the fact that she’s been
trained for a life of politics. It won’t bring back Alderaan; there’s no
throne for her to inherit, just crushed rocks floating in space. Her membership
of the ruling council of the
“You
think that the Emperor was wrong, don’t you,” Mara accused. “About
Alderaan.”
“So
do you,” Karrde returned gravely and held up his hand as Mara opened her mouth
to argue. “Admit it, you do. The destruction of Alderaan hastened the
Empire’s end. Many more worlds turned against Palpatine’s New Order when he
destroyed a world of such beauty and culture.”
“I
did visit Alderaan,” Mara whispered. “It was…a haven for traitors but no,
he should not have destroyed it. Such beauty shouldn’t have to vanish
forever.”
“And
it eats into your soul that you question Palpatine’s decisions - even now.
He’s dead, Mara. You have to move on.”
“No,”
Mara said, her heart beating loudly in her ears, wondering if she was lying to
herself. “That’s not true. I have moved on.”
“Have
you?” Karrde could hear the pain in her voice that she tried so desperately to
hide. His second-in-command was a complex woman with issues she still had to
face. Was he doing the right thing by making her take on this search? Well, it
was done now and he would have to take the consequences. “I’m a smuggler and
a trader,” he said carefully. “It doesn’t pay for me to voice my opinions,
Mara. I work both sides. I’m looking out for myself and my people. I have to
walk that dangerous middle ground.”
Mara
could tell that she didn’t want to get into a lengthy conversation on this
subject with Karrde. She had the impression that his real feelings wouldn’t
agree with her own. Yes, he walked the middle path but one day he might have to
choose. Mara could even admit to herself that away from her controlled life as
the Emperor’s hand, her views were also changing. Once she would have died
rather than admit it but many beings were glad the Emperor had gone – glad
that Skywalker had killed him. They saw the Jedi as their saviour not a cruel
monster. They couldn’t all be wrong? Of course she had moved on. She
redirected the subject into safer channels. “The princess…I think she’s
Force sensitive. It runs stronger in some families.”
“But
untrained.”
“Yes,
of course she’s untrained but she could be powerful.” Mara’s expression
filled with regret. “I am untrained.”
“In
some ways,” Karrde said quietly.
“In
the ways that mattered. But I never realised that this was so. I wasn’t aware
of what I had until I lost it. Did my Master not trust me?”
Karrde
shrugged. “I cannot answer that, Mara, because I do not know.”
“Perhaps
my skills in the Force were not strong enough to train. Since his death, you
know that I now feel and sense very little.” But she remembered the feeling of
being watched in the gym by Leia Organa. It had almost felt like old times. The
sensation had whispered across her skin and she could still feel the other
woman’s curiosity.
“And
perhaps, if you had been trained, the Emperor might have seen you as a
threat?”
“I
would never… I’m not like Vader,” she spat, rising to her feet. “I
served my Master with all that I was. I could never have…”
“Sit
down, Mara.”
“I
was no threat,” she repeated, her fists clenched tightly.
Karrde
held up his hands reassuringly. “Who can say? You recognised that Leia Organa
has the power of the Force within her. There are few around now who can do
that.”
“I
know. Your hunch paid off,” Mara said quietly as she sat down.
“I
don’t know if it was even as strong as that. I just took note of some rumours
that had been flying around just after the battle of Endor and then were very
definitely silenced. I aim to cover all the bases. If it had been rubbish then
no one would have been any the wiser.”
“But
its not rubbish.”
“Do
you think Skywalker and Organa know of this?” Karrde wondered.
Mara
nodded. “I’m convinced that they must know. Solo also, is aware. They are
too close to one another for such secrets.”
“Otherwise,
the Corellian would not want to find his friend so badly. He wants to do it for
himself…”
“And
his lover.”
“As
you say.” Karrde drained the last drops of caf from his mug and stood up.
“My impression is that there is genuine love and affection amongst Solo and
his friends and that they would keep an important secret like this between them
until it was ready to be divulged.”
He
didn’t ask Mara if she recognised such emotions. She’d not given him the
impression that she’d been brought up amongst a loving environment. She had
revered and feared the Emperor but he couldn’t say if she had genuinely loved
him – he’d had her loyalty, so perhaps she might have understood
Skywalker’s friends keeping his business private. Mara mixed well with the
rest of Karrde’s group but lacked the easy camaraderie of Aves and Dankin.
They respected her – but they were not her friends. There was something about
her that did not invite familiarities. “I have an early meeting tomorrow and
must get some sleep if I want to keep my wits about me. The beds in the guest
wing are all made up. I suggest you stay here tonight. We can talk some more
over breakfast if you need to.”
Mara
nodded, her energy dissipating, leaving her tired and a little drained. This was
proving to be an emotional upheaval she hadn’t expected and she’d thought
she was stronger than this. But Skywalker and his people affected her strongly
and not just through the Force. ”I have work to do for my trip to the
Corellian system next week if you have the orders ready for me?”
“Yes,
I do. Goodnight, Mara. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He paused in the doorway.
“Skywalker was trained as a Jedi, wasn’t he?”
“I…think
so. According to the Emperor, Skywalker’s power had increased far too rapidly
for him to have learned it all of his own accord. How else could he have
defeated my Master and Lord Vader?”
“So
who trained him?”
Mara’s
mouth dropped open. It wasn’t something she’d ever considered before but
perhaps the Emperor had. Maybe he’d known who was out there training Jedi. By
all accounts Obi-Wan had died before he’d been able to do more than get the
young man off Tatooine – little time for training. Skywalker hadn’t been
considered a real danger until much later. Although anyone that could have
destroyed the Death Star in the way that Skywalker had, should have been known
to the Empire much earlier. But he’d stepped off that tenth-rate dustball and
straight into an x-wing. “I…I…”
“There’s
not exactly a plethora of Jedi wandering the galaxy at this point in time -
either good or bad. I thought Obi-Wan Kenobi was supposedly the last of the
Jedi?”
“He
was…apart from Vader.”
“And
he wasn’t likely to want to help Skywalker.”
“No,
he wanted to capture him. I suspect he thought he could influence Skywalker to
help him end the life of the Emperor. Vader wasn’t powerful enough to seize
the throne on his own. Whatever they did worked and my Master was killed.”
“So
we must conclude that there’s possibly another Jedi out there?” Karrde
raised an eyebrow.
“There
were beings with some Force powers that the Emperor knew about but he didn’t
consider them dangerous to him. He kept tabs on them all. None could have moved
against him without his knowledge. None of them, to my knowledge, had the
wherewithal to instruct a beginner. But there could be some still in hiding.”
“I
may regret saying this, Mara, as you’re the best second-in-command I’ve ever
had, but go and find out if there’s another Jedi on the loose, apart from
Skywalker, then see if they’ll train you in the ways of the Force too.”
“No…I…”
Mara closed her eyes momentarily. “It’s because of the Jedi that my master
is dead. I could never be like them…I’m not strong…” Her shoulders
drooped a little. “I’ll think about it, but it’s unlikely to happen.”
“Never
say never,” Karrde said wisely. “Goodnight, Mara.”
“Goodnight.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Almost
in a daze, Mara made her way to the nearest bedchamber and readied herself for
bed. Karrde always kept emergency supplies for unexpected guests so there were
no problems in that respect if you turned up at one of his bases unexpectedly.
She pulled on a sleeping shift and climbed into bed. Her tiredness seemed to be
bone deep, yet her mind couldn’t refrain from turning over what she had
learned – dissecting and sifting the new evidence until it became clearer.
Luke Skywalker was out there possibly with another Jedi – a Master? Who else
would have the power to shield themselves from Palpatine’s all-seeing eyes?
Mara had herself tracked the Dark Woman allowing Vader to destroy her. It
didn’t matter if there were a hundred Jedi Masters out there. She would find
Luke Skywalker and she would still kill him.
She
awoke in the morning feeling tired but, as she had told Karrde mere hours
previously, she had things to do and she wanted to speak to the smuggler chief
before he left for his day’s business. But Karrde was in a hurry having
overslept. Mara squashed her feelings of guilt as he grabbed a bite to eat and
swallowed a mug of caf without tasting its contents.
“Yes,
Mara. If I learn anything new I’ll contact you immediately,” he muttered
irritably, as he prepared to leave the office. “I will need to speak to Solo
in a day or two – see if he can shed a little more light on the subject.”
“Yes,
that would be beneficial.”
He
picked up his briefcase. “I’ll send the final invoices to you tomorrow or
you can pick them up from me on the ship.”
“I’ll
pick them up from the Wild Karrde,” she said thoughtfully. “I think
it’s the Starry Ice that we’re taking on the Corellian run. I need to
supervise the loading but Faughan will help and that will save time. She’s
coming with me.”
Karrde
nodded, his brow furrowing, his mind already concentrating on his upcoming
meeting. “Good.”
Mara
returned to her office and began checking through the files again. The data on
possible Jedi sightings told strange tales of mystical beings with supernatural
powers. Mara wasn’t convinced. Many of the testimonies did not come from what
could be termed ‘reliable witnesses’. Some could be instantly discarded as
spice riddled but there were other testimonies which could be true – from a
certain point of view. She, herself, had seen her master and Lord Vader do many
miraculous things that couldn’t be explained. But so could a fair-ground
charlatan and their skills were based on sleight of hand and trickery.
So,
in-between her work for Karrde and her visits to the gym all carefully timed to
coincide with those of Princess Leia, Mara worked flat out to make some sense of
the mountain of information she’d managed to accumulate. She studied,
researched, checked and re-checked the data and came to one conclusion. Luke
Skywalker could be anywhere. She needed a breakthrough – something that could
give her any idea of where to start looking.
She
pulled up a holo star chart which Karrde had bought for the office at great
expense and began plotting locations important in Luke Skywalker’s life –
Tatooine, Yavin IV, Bespin, Hoth and Endor, against possible sightings – Sluis
Van, Obroa-Skai, Dellalt and others. She gave a disgruntled sigh. Most of them
weren’t even in the same area of space. The elusive Jedi had to have a vast
army of clones on the evidence so far. There was absolutely no recognisable
pattern to his supposed movements. Even trying to combine the two themes told
her nothing new. Luke Skywalker could be anywhere.
“Hold
on,” Mara murmured softly to herself. “What do we have here?” She paused
as one tale of unexplained deliverance jumped out at her. A remote scientific
cum trading post in the region just beyond Hutt Space had been attacked by a
group of pirates. The small, mainly human population had been warned by a
mysterious hooded man and had barely escaped with their lives. When they’d
returned to their homes it was to find that many of the pirates had been killed
and the stranger had vanished – they’d never seen him again. The report
detailed the strange marks on the corpses. They hadn’t been shot or stabbed.
There were rumours of a strange glowing sword. It wasn’t a weapon any of them
were familiar with. The indigenous people spoke of a vengeful spirit which would
protect them from such evil. It had later been rumoured that the pirates had
been employed by an ambitious Moff. When the attack had failed, the unknown Moff
had fallen from power. It had been another reason for a once secure sector to
slip from Imperial grasp and eventually fall to the Rebel Alliance.
Had
anyone considered lightsaber cuts? There were no Jedi around therefore such
evidence would be unusual. Experts would not know exactly what to look for and
the glowing sword was a bit of a dead giveaway to her. Had Skywalker gone to the
aid of this settlement? She brought it up on the holomap. Not too far from the
planet Rinn. Where was that again? She found it located on the edge of Hutt
Space and finally remembered it as another supporter of the Rebel cause.
“Outer Rim…” she muttered. “Typical.” But Rinn was too far to really
matter. Or at least that was what she had once thought.
The
Rebellion had been born in the depths of space and it had flourished out there
on the Rim gradually creeping closer until it had reached the heart of the
galaxy. That was why there were x-wings in monument plaza and holos of Rebels in
the galactic museum.
Her
com console gave a welcome interrupting beep. “Mara Jade,” she answered.
“It’s
Karrde.”
“You
have information?” He could have been contacting her to liaise over the
upcoming trading run but Mara felt otherwise.
“I’ve
just been speaking to Solo…”
“And?”
“He
was telling me a strange little story about some Jedi artefacts which turned up
in the back of a cupboard in some library somewhere in the Mid-Rim and then
mysteriously vanished.”
“Vanished?”
Mara repeated. “How?”
“No
idea. They were definitely there. Organa was shown lightsabers over the holonet.
When they sent Wedge Antilles to collect the stuff it had gone.”
“This
was a recent occurrence?”
“Yes,
I think so,” Karrde said.
“That
could narrow things down quite a bit.” Mara’s breath quickened. “Where was
this?”
“Praesitlyn.”
“Praesitlyn,”
Mara repeated and a long dormant memory stirred. “I’ve been there once, I
think, but it was a long time ago - when I was a child. It certainly used to be
an Imperially held world. It didn’t openly sympathise with the Rebellion and I
can’t imagine it would be the kind of place that might have sheltered a Jedi.
Did you ask about…?”
“No.
I didn’t think it was the right moment and definitely not over the com.”
“I
suppose not. Anyone could be listening even if it is encrypted – there are
ways and means as
“It’s
still a glorified trading post with a good communications centre. It was useful
for the Empire because of its proximity to the Sluis Van shipyards. The
“Tell
me any details you have about this mysterious theft,” Mara demanded. This was
more like it. Stories from Solo concerning Wedge Antilles were less likely to be
fables. Karrde dutifully filled in Mara with the rest of the story he had heard
from Solo.
“Okay,”
she said thoughtfully, adding Praesitlyn to her holomap of places Skywalker
might have visited and noted the cluster appearing around the Rimma trade route.
“Next time I’m out that way I’ll check it out. I’m not so sure about
someone apart from Skywalker being interested in Jedi stuff.”
“And
Mara…”
“Yes?”
“Solo
was telling me that it looks as if they’ve uncovered some Jedi stuff in a
building that was being cleared for demolition.”
“Where?”
“He
didn’t say but I gather it’s on Coruscant.”
“Imperial
Centre?”
“Possibly.”
Mara
pursed her lips thoughtfully. She had an idea of exactly where but would have to
check
“Yes,
once that happens there will be very little evidence left. But time is money, if
new living areas are required.”
“They
are but I have an idea about this particular location and if I’m right, that
will mean politicians like Organa may want to stall the demolition.”
Karrde’s
voice was knowing. “Her brother being a Jedi perhaps?”
“Exactly.
Could you contact Solo and see if you can get him to tell you exactly where this
is happening and if not, get
“He’s
the one with the credit pouch, Mara.”
“Yes,
but sometimes it's easier to find out information on our own terms and then tell
the client what he wants to know. It gives us extra bargaining power. I’ll
speak to him after I finish the next trading run.” She clicked off her com and
checked her wrist chrono. It was time she headed to the gym and checked in with
Leia Organa. This would be her last opportunity before she headed out on the
trading run. She might even manage to exchange greetings this time. It was
unlikely, but if the woman was alone without her minders there was a chance. She
just had to remember to be pleasant to her.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Starry
Ice – Somewhere
in hyperspace, Corellian Run
“What
do you mean we’re not stopping on Corellia? Karrde’s changed the orders?”
Mara questioned in surprise as she stared at the flight plan. This wasn’t the
one that she had originally plotted. “When did he decide that?”
Shirlee
Faughan, a round faced, pleasant individual with a head of mousy brown curls,
shrugged as she checked the navigational controls. “Just before we took
off.”
“So
we’re carrying the wrong cargo.” Mara clenched her fists in frustration. It
had not been a good day. She’d been unable to get near the princess because of
her security guards. They’d bristled in an obvious fashion every time she’d
tried to approach Organa’s exercise room. And now Karrde had just added to her
ire. “Men!”
Faughan
gave Mara a quick glance from the corner of her eyes before continuing with
prepping the ship for departure. “Karrde’s not the worst. You must have
worked for others who aren’t as reasonable. We’re still dropping off the
cargo but on the way home. We aren’t carrying very much after all. It only
takes up one of the cargo holds. He wants us first to do a pick up instead. This
one is by far the more urgent of the jobs we have to do.”
“How
many extra days in space?”
“Just
a couple I think. We’ve just to head a little further than we originally
intended.”
“Where?”
Mara held onto her irritation and felt justified in doing so.
“Froz
and Druckenwell.”
“Sithspawn!
I hate Froz; the natives are depressing and Druckenwell’s not much better –
there’s nothing there apart from factories and mine works,” Mara moaned
aloud. But she had to admit that it made sense. Whining about it wouldn’t
change the fact that she had a job to do.
“Not
too fond of Druckenwell myself. It’s overcrowded worse than Coruscant. We
don’t have to stay there long. Do what we have to do and then we can drop off
the Corellian cargo on the way home.” Faughan held up a holocube.
“Karrde’s left details on this. Honestly, it was a last minute thing and
we’re the only ship out in this direction. Froz is only a couple of hours from
Corellia and Druckenwell, about four from Froz. That’s if we stay on the
Corellian Run.”
“I’m
not planning on leaving the space lanes and adding time to a journey I hadn’t
realised was to be extended. We’ll stay on the Corellian Run.”
“I’ll
take the first shift,” Faughan said, settling herself into the pilot’s seat.
Mara
retreated to her cabin on the Starry Ice leaving Faughan to handle the
ship. She’d never been one for idle girlish chatter and Faughan was more than
capable of piloting them where they had to go. She’d hoped to be away for a
couple of days at the most and now it looked as if her trip was going to last
twice the length it should. Corellia was only four hours from Coruscant.
Karrde’s
message was full of apologies and Mara couldn’t hang onto her ire any longer.
She read over her new orders with disinterest. There was nothing to worry about
– this was a routine job. She settled down to sleep. She’d learned to take
naps whenever she could while the ship was in hyperspace. Four hours later she
took over at the controls.
The
business on Froz took a mere couple of hours and soon they were accelerating
away from the planet heading towards the point where the navicomp told them it
was safe to make the jump to hyperspace.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Il
“But
you must stay and see the parade. It will be far less busy at the spaceport
tomorrow. There will not be leaving slots today.”
Mara
cursed under her breath. The man she was dealing with, Pavlo Suarete, was a
long-time business associate of Karrde’s. He was only trying to be hospitable
but when all Mara wanted was to get back to Coruscant, it was very trying on her
patience. “Parade?”
“Druckenwell
has had many hard times. Long ago, mistakes were made - errors to increase our
prosperity at the expense of our world. We mechanised at the expense of our
survival and our Imperial occupiers did nothing to stop our descent into
madness.”
‘Great,’
Mara thought sourly, ‘another friend of the Empire.’ “But you are
surviving, Citizen Suarete.”
“We
are and the parade is a celebration of our survival.” He ushered her from his
offices out into the open air. The crush of beings pressed against them as they
fought their way to what Suarete declared would be a great vantage point. Mara
concluded that most of the citizens in Il Avila City agreed with him.
“Of
course,” Mara said. She now knew why Faughan had been so eager that Mara
should enjoy Pavlo Suarete’s hospitality. She couldn’t even remember
Coruscant being this crowded. ‘Wait until I get back to the ship,’ she vowed
silently. ‘She’ll regret this little stunt.’ Faughan had obviously visited
Druckenwell and Pavlo Suarete before.
“We
have managed to preserve many of our dying species of flora and fauna.”
Mara
stifled a yawn as her host began babbling in her ear. If she’d still been the
Emperor’s hand she could have just slipped her wrist blaster into her hand and
discharged its contents with pleasure. But Suarete was a friend of Karrde’s
and her boss wouldn’t be too happy if she sent his comrade to be with his
maker. He did good business.
“And
of course we have many happy events during this season.”
“Huh,”
she muttered. “Happy events?”
“Our
people do not marry until they have proved that they are financially
independent.”
“Good
reason for marriage,” Mara managed to say. “If you are interested in
marriage.”
“You
are not married?”
Mara
rolled her eyes. “No,” she said shortly, not inviting any more personal
questions.
“Not
met the right being, I expect,” he said kindly. “Many get married during
this time and we celebrate with them. If you stick around perhaps you will meet
someone suitable.”
Mara
stared around her and could see various large repulsor craft decorated with
themes important to the people. One float even had a large ronto drawing it. A
very nervous looking animal, Mara thought uneasily. Rontos were known to be
skittish and easily spooked. She was even surprised that there were any on the
planet. There was certainly no space for it to roam free. She could see the
driver raise a large whip and bring it down sharply across the animal’s
leathery skin. The animal twisted his enormous head and snapped at small one
person vehicles that were darting around over the parade route checking that the
event was ready to begin.
“We’ll
go this way,” Suarete instructed. “The tourists come to Il Avila to watch
the spectacle, a good time for business. Also citizens from the other continents
come to watch and always they buy. It’s fairly busy here today.”
“You
don’t say,” she muttered dryly.
“Follow
me and stay close.”
Mara
squeezed between two rather fat humans only to find her way being blocked by a
couple of enormous Wookiees. She eased past them and concentrated on following
her guide. The sooner she was back in the ship the better. In the background she
could hear the ronto baying its distress into the air.
Suddenly
her danger sense erupted and her eyes darted around seeking the source of the
disturbance. Around her, beings began running and shrieking in fear. It was the
ronto. The crazed animal had panicked and broken free from its restraints. The
walkway shook as the ronto lurched into a pounding run as fast as it could,
sending tiny speeders and other larger craft flying in all the wrong directions.
Something crashed against a shop front with a sickening crunch.
“Sith!”
Mara swore and took a step, avoiding a piece of metal that just missed her head
by inches. Just ahead of her, a small male child had become separated from his
adult companion and stood wailing piteously right in the path of the frightened
ronto.
Mara
opened her mouth and nothing came out. She swallowed and tried again. Her voice
bellowed, “Move!”
But
the child only screamed louder reacting to the anguished cries of the beings
unable to get to him. With another muffled curse, not stopping to consider the
recklessness of her actions, Mara threw herself in front of the stampeding
animal, only to find that both she and the child had been swept up into the arms
of a stranger. The child was miraculously thrown free, landing safely in
someone’s arms and Mara found herself rolling over and over and over across
the dusty stone flagged street pressed close against the man’s hard body as
stampeding feet and careering vehicles trampled the place where she and the
child would have been.
Whoever
he was, he had saved her life and that of the child. She lay, pressed against
him, breathing heavily. But something alive buzzed inside her. As soon as he had
touched her it was as if the lights of Coruscant itself had been lit inside her.
She could feel the Force around her once more but not as she had when she’d
been with Palpatine. This was different – clearer and brighter than anything
she’d ever experienced. What had just happened to her?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Luke
stared around the busy walkway a little nervously. This was much further into
the Mid-Rim than he’d wanted to come but needs must. Something connected to
his search would be found here. Both he and his master had foreseen it. It
wasn’t the world pictured in the recording rods and chips left by Mace Windu.
Druckenwell was an over-industrialised planet but something here could help him
find it. He didn’t know what or where it was but he trusted in the Force.
But
did it have to be in the middle of the celebration season? He discovered that
every cycle they held a grand parade in the centre of Il Avila City. He supposed
that it was good that he’d arrived when he had. The presence of so many beings
in a celebratory mood gave him the anonymity he required. Up ahead, a ronto
tossed its head nervously. Luke eyed the massive creature warily. There were far
too many people milling about waiting for the parade to start and his
experiences on Tatooine told him that rontos didn’t like crowds or sudden loud
noises…or fireworks.
It
was then that something whispered to him through the Force and as he turned, he
saw her. He could hardly believe it. She was real, she existed and she was as
beautiful as he’d imagined. This was impossible - it had to be a vision or
perhaps he was back on Dagobah dreaming.
‘Mara.’
Her
name echoed over and over in his mind. He’d never met her before, had only
seen her in his visions and kept her in his imagination. “Mara,” he
whispered, knowing that the Force had granted him knowledge of her name.
And
then chaos erupted as the ronto, spooked by the sound of exploding rockets,
broke into a run dragging the enormous repulsorlift platform he’d been
supposed to pull. People ran screaming in all directions. Small one-man speeders
crashed into walls and other vehicles as they tried to get away from the
massive, out-of-control animal pulling the huge repulsor float. There were too
many people. Luke pushed against the mass of people as he fought to see where
the red-haired woman was. She’d been just there, he thought. It was then that
the feeling of immediate danger hit him. He caught sight of her again and what
she was doing made his blood run cold. She had darted out in front of the
lumbering ronto after a small, petrified child. Luke could see that she and the
child weren’t going to make it unless he did something. “So much for leading
a quiet secluded existence away from the public eye so that you can train,
Skywalker,” he mumbled to himself.
“Out
of my way,” he shouted, making his decision instantly, and with Force enhanced
swiftness threw himself straight into the path of the approaching wave of
carnage. Something exploded to the left of him but he ignored it and grabbed the
woman and the wailing child. The child he sent with the Force into the safe arms
of a passer-by. He pulled the woman close, feeling the ground shaking and began
to roll across the street, avoiding them both being crushed to death.
For
a moment they lay still, pressed together on the ground. The woman’s legs
seemed to be tangled up with the long brown cloak that Luke was wearing, her
chest rising and falling against his as they both breathed hard, trying to
regain the oxygen that had been knocked out of them.
“Are
you alright?” he asked gently, staring at her, his blue eyes intense, trying
to memorise every lovely feature in front of him. She was actually real and the
most beautiful thing he’d ever held in his arms. He hadn’t dreamt her after
all. She’d been in his future and something told him that their paths were
forever interlinked. His powers were much stronger now that his training with
Yoda was nearly complete, yet he still felt the wonder of a new discovery as the
Force showed it to him.
He
touched lightly against her mind without entering and felt real Force power but
it had been trapped behind a barrier - a dark shadow across her mind. He
didn’t understand why this was so but it had been placed there deliberately.
This was not natural to this woman.
The
emerald green eyes widened as Mara realised she was still lying on the ground
wrapped in the arms of a perfect stranger. “Let go of me,” she bit out,
squirming beneath him, her manner hostile. “What did you do that for?”
“Just
trying to save your life,” Luke said calmly, not letting go of his secure grip
in the slightest.
Mara
frowned and managed to glare at him. “I was in no danger.”
“I
disagree. You would not have been able to get yourself and the child away in
time. One of you would have been badly hurt or worse.” Her attitude reminded
him of Han Solo at his most truculent. He just had to be patient and she would
either calm down or blow up. There would be no half measures.
“I
would have managed,” she maintained.
She
knew this man from somewhere. He was young – about her age, bearded with
fairish hair and blue eyes. The body still pressed against her, was firm and
muscular and he held her with the tenderness of a lover. She could feel his
regard. Her breath caught in her throat. She could feel his regard? Mara
swallowed, bewilderment rushing through her. She could feel – with the
Force? “Let go of me,” she ground out, slightly panicked. What was
happening to her? For months…years…she had been almost Force-blind and now
it was like having the Coruscant laser show inside her head.
“Do
I have to?” he asked, a whimsical smile touching the edge of his lips.
“Yes.
Get off me.”
“But
I was just getting comfortable.”
Mara
gave a snort and another glare for good measure. “I will not spend my time
lying in the middle of a street in Il Avila with a strange man just because he
feels ‘comfortable.’ I’m not a form chair.”
“No,
you’re definitely not that,” Luke said. He could feel her rounded female
contours as they pressed against him.
“The
parade will start now that they’ve got rid of that animal,” she said with
feeling. “We could still be flattened.”
“No
injuries?” He pulled away from her and stood up holding out his hand to help
her up.
“I
can manage,” she muttered churlishly, ignoring his hand, because she missed
the strangely comforting feel of his arms about her. How could she feel this way
about a man she’d just met? How could she feel that she knew him?
“Thanks.” She quickly checked her clothing. “Everything’s fine. I’ve
got to go…” Mara turned away, brushing the dust from her tunic and made for
where she thought Suarete would be waiting. For the first time in years, her
mind buzzed with the sensations of other beings around her.
“Mara…”
She
froze. “What did you say?” How could he know her name? She’d not told him
her name. “How do you…?” And then she swivelled around and looked at him
properly – saw behind the simple disguise. It couldn’t be! But it was.
“You!” she hissed, her eyes darkening with anger, her hands clenching into
fists. How could he know her name?
“Ah!”
he murmured softly. Luke was taken aback at the resentment he could hear in her
voice and the darkness of antagonism colouring her sense. She knew him. That was
always possible even if it had been three years since he’d lived a normal
life. But what had he done to her to make her dislike him so? “Yes, it’s
me,” he said gravely. “But it’s not time for us yet. I’m sorry.” And
as a party of drunken revellers chose that moment to come between them, Luke
used the opportunity to slip away. Mara was left in the teeming street on her
own.
“Us?”
she murmured. “But I’m going to…”
“You
will kill Luke Skywalker.”
From
another time she heard her master’s voice giving her his last command but it
lacked the strength and vitriolic bite that she remembered.
“You
will kill Luke Skywalker.”