Out of the Shadows 17
Coruscant
“We’ll
use my air speeder,” Mara said, holding up a slim black beckon call as they
left the
Just
ahead Leia could hear the well-tuned whine of repulsor jet engines.
“That’s a good idea as I don’t have my own transport today.”
Mara
put the beckon call back into her pocket. “We’re heading due north?”
“Yes,
the site of the new habitation complexes is to the north of Imperial Centre. I
hadn’t realised that the location of the
Mara
didn’t know, so she said nothing.
“As
Han might say,” Leia continued, “Palpatine was rubbing it in – his
victory over the Jedi and the
“Perhaps
it was the only suitable site for such a large building.”
“Perhaps.
It was a tactic he used on Alderaan. If you’ve nowhere to go it’s more
difficult to organise resistance.”
“Yet
you managed to do it somehow,” Mara sniped dryly.
“Never
discount spirit, Mara.” Leia glanced briefly at the trader, her suspicions
of where Mara’s true loyalties had once lain confirmed and, deciding to
leave well enough alone for the moment, continued with a more mundane topic.
“Karl and Chevin have arranged to meet me there, along with Han.”
“Karl
and Chevin.” Mara screwed up her face with disdain. “Sounds like an
“I
wouldn’t say that to them. They take their job very seriously,” Leia said
with a sigh. “Much to Han’s annoyance.”
“Why
would Han be annoyed?” Mara couldn’t quite understand that one. The two
burly guards had to be amongst the best Airen Cracken had on his books if
they’d been assigned to watch over Princess Leia.
“Because
Han considers it to be his job,” Leia said with a sigh. “He and Chewie
should be looking after me.”
“Idiot
Corellian,” Mara muttered, as a sleek, black air speeder drew up beside
them. Slipping into the pilot’s seat, she ran her hands carefully over the
controls.
Leia
threw her a sceptical look, ready to counter the disparaging remark with one
of her own but relaxed when she realised that the tone of voice the red-head
had used had been a mild one. “I’m still alive,” she said mildly. “He
can be an idiot at times but that’s what I love…” Leia’s voice
stopped. She’d said too much. The trader didn’t seem to be the type that
would be interested in how much Leia loved her ‘idiot Corellian’.
“There’s never been any doubt about Han’s bravery. Plus we also have a
Wookiee with a life debt hanging around.”
“Ah…”
No wonder Organa had been near impossible to eliminate. A jealous Corellian
lover and a two metre tall Wookiee, both sworn to protect her at all costs,
would be somewhat difficult to get past. “It’s a pity we didn’t have
your minders with us - it would give more credence to you turning up at the
site. As it is, we’ll look like tourists on a fly past.”
“Meeting
them there will have to do,” said Leia, staring thoughtfully at a family in
an air taxi trying, with difficulty, to keep the children from leaning too far
over the side. “My face is not unknown.”
“No,
I suppose it’s not.” Mara ignored the family, her gaze fixed firmly on her
navicomputer. “Jump in.” she said as she caught Leia’s admiring glance
at the sleek lines of the vehicle. “Karrde always makes sure that we have
the latest model. He says that it’s a good investment and I agree with that
view.” She moved the ship out of the docking bay and out into the airborne
traffic. She had the feeling that her life was about to change again and
wasn’t sure if she was ready for that to happen again.
“I
wonder what they’ve found,” said Leia slowly. “And I wish Luke was here
to see it.”
“Have
you managed to collect many Jedi artefacts since you put the word out?” Mara
blurted, and cursed herself inwardly for sounding so gauche. But she preferred
the awkwardness of conversation with Leia Organa rather than an uncomfortable
silence. It left her with too much time to think.
“’Jedi
artefacts?’” Leia echoed. “A few – nothing of real importance. Much
was destroyed over the years with the breakdown of the Jedi culture. Luke has
some discs and some books he was given by Obi-Wan Kenobi but not much else I
think. After Luke returned from his first trip to Dagobah, I never saw him
without a book or a loaded data pad far from his hand.”
“A
studious Jedi farmboy – he reads?”
“Very
studious and yes, he read constantly.” Leia’s expression was wistful as
she ignored Mara’s mockery. “He seemed to be trying to accumulate as much
knowledge as he could in the shortest possible time. My father told me that
during the
“I
know.”
“His
training cut short before it had even begun. He did what he could on his own
but he knew that it wasn’t enough. After Hoth, he disappeared for what he
said was training from a Jedi Master - one who’d survived the Clone Wars and
gone into hiding.”
“Master
Yoda.” It was all becoming very clear to Mara. Yoda had waited for Skywalker
to find him. He’d been expecting him. Still, considering the way the Jedi
had operated in the past, Skywalker had missed nearly twenty years of Jedi
instruction.
“Luke
told me once…it was a long time ago. Just after Hoth, I think, that Yoda had
almost refused to train him because he was too old but I think neither of them
had any choice in the end. Yoda had to train Luke. He was the only one –
their only hope.”
“Oh
but you…”
“I
didn’t know about…our relationship then,” Leia said slowly. “Luke felt
that he had his whole lifetime’s worth of knowledge to catch up on. He never
seemed to smile any more and I didn’t see that his sadness was so ingrained
until after he’d gone. He was carrying the weight of the Rebellion’s
expectation on his shoulders and he shouldn’t have had to do that. He’d
already saved all of us.”
Mara
rolled her eyes but said nothing. Organa wanted to talk about her brother and
so she would listen. She could perhaps learn something useful.
“The
only time he truly relaxed was in his X-wing. That was the only thing that
seemed to make him smile after a while. His flying came easier to him than his
breathing did. It was effortless.”
Mara
pushed away her feelings of disquiet. She didn’t want to think about Luke
Skywalker as a real human being with a family who loved him and wanted him to
come to home to them. It was far easier to keep him in mind as this inhuman
monster. The more time she spent with his family, the harder it became to hold
on to everything she’d been taught. “What about Praesitlyn?” she asked
suddenly. “What exactly happened there?”
“How
do you know about that?”
Mara
grinned. “Karrde has his sources. I heard that they found a box of
lightsabers.”
“They
did but the box disappeared. It was probably stolen. I knew that it contained
lightsabers because the head librarian at the university showed me several of
them while I spoke to her over the holonet. It was a genuine find. However,
when the Rogues arrived to collect the box on my behalf a few days later, it
wasn’t there any more. It had vanished.”
“Unfortunate.”
“Yes
and no, because a robbery attempt was thwarted while the Rogues were present
on Praesitlyn.”
“You
are joking!” Mara exclaimed. “Someone tried to steal a box of lightsabers?”
Leia
shook her head. “No. You cannot steal something that’s already gone. Wedge
was in the head librarian’s office discussing transportation of the Jedi
finds to Coruscant when there was an attempt to steal the box. But instead of
the actual box, they lifted a duplicate filled with rubbish and dropped it
while escaping. That’s why I think Luke had been there earlier - only he
could have known that the items were at risk.” The princess suddenly
wondered why she was telling this woman all of this. But it felt right to
trust Mara Jade. Somehow, Leia knew that she wouldn’t harm her brother
whatever Mara herself still thought. Was it a Force hunch? She hoped so
because she’d been wrong before.
“We’re
nearly there, it’s just up ahead,” Mara said, checking her navigational
controls.
“I
see it.” Leia stared across at two giant construction droids poised waiting,
partly visible between a set of dilapidated towering spires. A flurry of
activity around one of the partially demolished buildings pinpointed their
destination. A landing platform was teeming with droids and beings of all
species. It even appeared as if a repulsor-car accommodation block had been
set up. The whole scene looked as if insects were buzzing and crawling around
a rotten carcass.
“Platform
seven-nine-eight,” Mara said flying towards it. “Are these…?”
“Yes,
that’s Karl and Chevin,” Leia said. The two burly security men were pacing
worriedly, around the platform like barely contained beasts. Leia gave three
clicks on her comlink and it was amusing to see the relief pour from them as
they received the signal and then spotted Leia in Mara’s speeder.
“Someone’s
pleased to see you at any rate,” gibed Mara.
“Everyone
needs that kind of reception once in a while.” Leia refused to rise to
Mara’s taunts. “I suppose you get that all the time – beings
pleased to see you?”
The
redhead scowled as her comments failed to reach their target. Instead, the
Alderaanian had got one back. “I neither want nor need that,” she snapped.
“Everyone
does at some point in his life,” Leia disagreed softly.
“I
am used to being alone and I like it that way,” Mara retorted. She pulled
back on the throttle reducing the vehicle’s speed. “Is it because of your
brother’s chosen calling that you asked for Jedi artefacts to be found and
brought to you on Coruscant?”
“Partly,”
Leia said feeling oddly sorry for the prickly red head. Leia knew all about
loneliness especially after the destruction of Alderaan but it had taken Han
and Luke to make her never want to be that way again. “It was originally Mon
Mothma’s idea. I think Luke must have said something to her before he left
the
“If
she knows about Skywalker being your brother?”
“No,
I don’t think she knew anything about that then…”
“You
told her.” Mara’s lips curved with amused derision. “Didn’t trust us
not to blab to some holo-journalist?”
“No,
not at all. It was the right time to tell her – we should have done it long
ago.” Leia wondered if Mara felt the half-truth of her words. “Luke will
be happy to know that it’s finally out in the open when he returns. I think
Mon Mothma knew that I had the ability to feel and touch the Force. I suspect
Luke said something along those lines and our relationship will give her the
answer why.”
“Oh.”
Mara said as she flew the speeder towards the quieter end of the busy platform
where the two security guards were waiting and docked neatly. “Go ahead,”
she urged Leia. “I’ll just hang on here a bit longer.”
“You
can come with me; it will be alright.”
“Perhaps,”
Mara mumbled, a frown creasing her smooth brow. “But I don’t want to show
my hand just yet.”
Leia
frowned. That was a strange thing to say, more like the comment of a sabacc
player than a trader but she could already see Karl and Chevin heading
purposefully towards her and Han and Chewbacca leaping from another speeder.
“Your
Highness…”
“Karl.”
Leia accepted the security guard’s hand, stepping lightly onto the tethered
skyhook being used as a docking platform.
Mara
grabbed a small pocket reflector from her bag and checked her appearance. She
looked like she always did, the pale oval of her creamy skin framed by her
red-gold hair and dominated by her clear green eyes. She tightened the braid
and placed a hat on her bright head. Now she didn’t stand out so much. Why
she needed to be careful, Mara wasn’t sure but she wasn’t about to change
the habit of a lifetime.
Moving
from the vessel, she headed in the general direction Leia had taken. The
archaeologists had set up camp very quickly – almost as if they’d had some
form of prior warning that the construction droids had been ready to move in
and destroy any evidence. She paused at a table where a group of what had to
be students, shielded under a white canopy, were sorting through various
finds. Talking to them yielded insufficient information - they knew little
more than she did.
Mara
stretched out gingerly with her newly strengthened powers to see if those
could help her. There was an instinctive need in her to understand. She could
feel that there once had been great strength here, great strength and great
sadness. Had Skywalker ever stood where Mara was standing now? She didn’t
think so. There had been rumours that he’d once been on Coruscant but he
could not have known about the former location of the
The
discovery of this site wasn’t a great feat of mental deduction or detective
work. The maps all measured up and the place still existed in people’s
living memories. This had once been the site of the Jedi temple. What
would her Master have thought? Would Palpatine be proud of her survival or
disappointed in her failure to prevent the Rebellion from winning? Had she the
strength to go on alone? Spirit was all very well but it left little room for
doubt.
A
hand grasped her firmly by the arm.
“Let
go of me,” Mara demanded softly, swinging around to square up to whoever had
the temerity to manhandle her without her consent.
“You’ve
no permission to be in this area,” a gravely voice ordered.
“She’s
with me, Chevin,” Leia’s voice interrupted firmly. “She’s a friend.”
Mara
opened her mouth to deny that such a thing could ever be possible but the
guard’s hand immediately fell from her arm as he backed away. “But
security checks…”
“It
will be fine,” Leia insisted in a voice that brooked no arguments. “I will
take responsibility for Mistress Jade’s presence.”
“My
apologies, Your Highness, Mistress Jade.”
“Hey,
Red!” Han called jovially.
Mara
threw him a look of dislike. “It’s Jade,” she said.
“Sure,
Jade.” Han winked at Leia who shook her head warningly at him. Mara’s
temper was easily sparked and now was not a good time to provoke it.
Mara
ignored him and looked at Leia. “Were you right?”
“Yes,”
Leia said. “Doctor Folla Rule became the head of the Department of
Antiquities at
“A
woman in charge,” Han marvelled. “On Coruscant.”
“Yes,
it’s actually possible,” Mara said dryly. “But she’s a human
female. You wouldn’t find an alien male head of anything here yet, despite
the new sitting tenants in the
“True,”
Han said thoughtfully, ignoring Mara’s reference to the
“It
is better than it used to be,” Leia protested.
“It
all takes time,” Mara said.
Leia
held Mara’s eyes. “It does. But things get better… remember that.”
‘There
must be a message somewhere in there for me,’ Mara thought sourly. ‘I’m
no friend of Organa’s and I still want to kill her brother.’ But for a
moment, being claimed as someone’s ‘friend’ had been nice. She was
definitely getting soft. Imperial assassins didn’t normally run to
‘nice’. “Sure,” she said, her mouth twisting cynically.
Leia
moved forward to a long table where several beings were cleaning and
cataloguing finds.
It
was easy for her to become an interested politician because she truly was
fascinated with what had been found. Mara marvelled at Leia’s skill in
drawing information willingly from these beings without a torture grid or an
interrogation droid. Of course, it helped to be the star heroine of the Rebel
Alliance. But Mara was startled to find that Leia Organa really did care –
it wasn’t all an act.
“Doctor
Rule - is she still head of the Department of Antiquities?” Leia quizzed
brightly, diligently examining some of the objects unearthed. She knew the
information already but such subjects were always good conversational gambits.
“That
she is, gentle Highness.”
“I
remember her as a spokesperson for the department when I was a Junior Senator.
She wasn’t in charge then.”
“Ah,
before the war. It’s good to have you back on this world, gentle Highness.
Doctor Rule is at present working on another project somewhere in the Outer
Rim territories.” A worker imparted the information to Leia in broken but
understandable basic. “Statue of Goddess Aleema found. Very rare, very
precious metal. The site has been kept secret but she is bringing the statue
to the university for study.”
“Of
course, I understand,” Leia soothed. “To prevent it being looted and
vandalised is reason enough to bring it here.” That had happened to so many
places during the Emperor’s reign, with many precious things being stolen or
damaged beyond repair. “In time it should be returned to where it came
from.”
“That
it should, gentle Highness.”
The
“We
expect her within the next day or so. She was contacted as soon as we
discovered the first find.” He held up the remains of a gracefully shaped
stone ewer. “Several hundred years old and typical of the style of domestic
ware still used by the Jedi at the time of their…demise. It proved that even
the Jedi had to eat and drink.”
“They
were beings of flesh and bone,” Leia said, walking away, mulling over what
she had learned.
Mara
whispered in her ear. “The Goddess Aleema…”
“Never
heard of her.” Leia twisted her head sharply to stare at Mara.
The
trader shrugged. “Of course not. The Goddess Aleema was one of the earliest
of the Sith – a Sith Princess. She existed thousands of years ago…”
“What!
A sith?”
“Yes,
just like Darth Vader. It’s doubtful the Viceroy of Alderaan would have
included that snippet in your royal education.”
Mara
noted how Leia froze when Vader’s name was mentioned. The Dark Lord had
certainly had the princess and her friends in his clutches on more than one
occasion but they’d always managed to escape. The Emperor had been furious
and his Dark Lord had been punished. But Vader was dead and couldn’t harm
Leia any more. Of course, it may just have been an automatic reaction left
over from her days in the Rebel Alliance. It was reported that Vader had
interrogated and tortured Leia in his bid to discover the whereabouts of the
Rebellion’s hidden bases. He had failed.
Mara
knew that Leia wasn’t the only person to have weak spots. She, herself, also
had one. It was hard not react when Skywalker’s name came up in casual
conversation.
“This
is an enormous site, if it is the actual location of the
Mara
heard Leia’s words and rolled her eyes. “It is,” she muttered. “You
would think it was thousands of years ago that the temple was located in this
very spot, not a mere two or three decades. There are those in the Senate that
won’t be very happy because there will be no demolition here now for many
years to come and certainly no construction unless they can build above it.
There won’t be many things left to find either. I would suspect that the
Emperor might have removed what he wanted to keep and torched the rest.” She
pulled out her data pad and handed it to Leia. “Check this out. This is what
it once looked like if you didn’t already know.” With an exasperated sigh,
Mara walked away leaving Leia staring at the structure so different from any
other building on the planet, its five spires reaching majestically to the
sky.
Mara
knew that the
But
as Mara stared around her at the crumbling masonry, she sighed deeply. She
didn’t feel any evil in this place - only a deep lingering sadness, loss and
a sense of something infinitely good. Ahead of her, the darkness of a long
forgotten corridor called to her and she walked forward out of the sunlight as
something scuttled away in the dark from her approaching footsteps.
“Whoa!” she exclaimed as she nearly lost her footing on a crumbling step,
grabbing the wall for support. Pulling out her pocket luma she held it up and
surveyed the scene. A series of steps led downward into a small chamber.
Something beckoned her downwards and, following her instincts, she carefully
crept down the stairs.
This
was the heart of the building. She couldn’t explain why she knew. Mara
reached out with her Force senses to see if she could learn some of the truth
about the Jedi. Buildings and places often held resonances of the lives and
feelings of beings that had inhabited the now disintegrating masonry. It was
doubtful she would be able to learn anything new. She wasn’t powerful enough
nor had enough knowledge of the Jedi and their lives.
The
Emperor had only allowed her to know what he wanted and she had originally
thought that was everything she needed to know. Since his death, Mara had
found out many other things and not everything matched what she had been told.
Who was lying here? Deep down she knew the truth but didn’t want to admit
it. This had been a place of learning and of culture. This location had housed
a school – she could almost see rows of small children studying ancient
texts.
She
held up the luma and assessed where she was. The chamber at one time must have
led into a larger room but she would get no farther than this today. Pieces of
smashed glass crunched under her feet. Mara knelt down and picked up what must
have been part of a crystal holodisc. The Jedi couldn’t all have been evil
murderers. Some of them had to have been good people. She chewed at her lip.
She would never have been able to discern such things before. “What did you
do to me, Skywalker?” she whispered, “and why?”
Luke
Skywalker did not fit the pattern that the Empire had printed on his behalf
and Mara had to find out the truth for her own sanity. Her whole life could
not have been a lie.
From
nothing, she had started again; she had her new life away from her persona as
the Emperor’s Hand, working with Karrde and his people, trading along the
space routes for a living. But something was drawing her in another direction
and she wondered why? “I have a new life,” she said aloud. “I’m a
trader…”
“This
is not who you were born to be.”
From
out of nowhere a figure shimmered into place before her and Mara’s automatic
reaction was to pull her blaster from its holster. “Who…what…? You’re
not real,” she muttered.
The
figure laughed. It was the shadowy image of a tall, bearded man, his long hair
tied back, away from his face, dressed in a fashion she’d only seen in
history books. He was dressed in the style of the Jedi. “I’m real
enough, but not in the way of other men.” His voice was low and
cultured, with a hint of gravel in its depths. Was this a long dead Jedi? Her
gut instinct told her that it had to be.
“I’m
seeing things,” Mara said a little desperately. Dreaming about Skywalker was
bad enough but this…. She’d never experienced anything like this when
she’d served the Emperor. “I’m having a conversation with a bad
hologram.
“No,
you’re not imagining my presence. I am no hologram but I have been one with
the Force these past fifty years. This building has had a long association
with the Jedi and the Force and because of it you should be able to feel my
presence.”
“You
are dead?”
“Depends
on your point of view. I am more powerful now in this state than I ever was
alive. I have been assigned to watch over you…”
“I
don’t need watching over,” Mara growled between clenched teeth.
“You
are strong in the Force, Mistress. Reach out…”
“So
you are dead,” Mara stated flatly. “Who are you and why appear now…to
me?”
The
figure chuckled, the sound warm in the darkness. “Why not? Your presence
called me – you called me.”
“I
did not,” she contradicted.
“No?
You needed me otherwise I would not have appeared to you.”
“I
have no love for the Jedi. I am not a Jedi.”
“Not
yet but you must be trained in the way of the Force.”
“Suppose
I don’t want to be trained? The Jedi hold no appeal for me.”
“I
think that they do. I suspect you are denying what your soul has craved its
entire life for.”
First
Karrde and then Leia Organa and now this dead…Jedi master. The Emperor had
never talked of her being trained in the Jedi arts – not properly. She’d
been given enough knowledge to be able to serve her Master and had been
content. An unpleasant thought suddenly struck her. Palpatine hadn’t wanted
her to progress any further, had he? Perhaps, she did not have the ability.
“You
should be trained – you could be powerful. Such power is a gift and must be
used in the way that serves the Force. Can you sense me at all?”
Mara
nodded. “Yes, I can.” The feeling was warm and tranquil, like standing in
a pool of sunlight. She’d felt like that when she’d touched Skywalker too.
Palpatine had felt powerful but cold. Surely her Master could not have been
mistaken about her ability.
“During
the days of the
“Who
are you?” Mara asked curiously.
“Qui-Gon
Jinn.” The Jedi
inclined his head politely
“I’ve
never heard of you,” Mara said a little unkindly.
“I
did not expect that you would have. Emperor Palpatine wanted to rid the galaxy
of the Jedi, not encourage their names to live on long after their deaths. I
was important enough in my time. And you are?”
“Mara
Jade,” she muttered brusquely. “How did you…?”
“How
did I die?” The
spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn sighed, his noble face full of regret. “I died at
the hands of a Sith – a being strong in the dark side of the Jedi arts. I
was protecting a young Queen and her people from evil when I was murdered. I
gave my life to serve others.”
“Good
for you,” Mara retorted. “I’m sure you succeeded. Now go away.”
Qui-Gon
ignored her. “We did not know this was the start of Senator Palpatine’s
bid for power. He clouded the truth from the most powerful of the Jedi. The
Sith had waited many thousands of years for their chance.”
“The
Jedi were proud and corrupt…”
The
spirit shook his head sadly. “No, not knowingly. They made mistakes and
perhaps pride was part of their fall but it was the
“This
has nothing to do with me. I’m just a trader,” Mara said shortly.
“You
don’t understand your importance. You have the power to help. Let go of your
hate, learn to live in the new galaxy that’s been created. You have been
chosen.”
“Oh,
no,” Mara said backing away. “I’m not falling for that one.”
“Whether
you fall for it or not, the facts will not change. You have been done a great
wrong in your life. You have been told many lies, betrayed by people you
should have been able to trust.
Skywalker’s son will give you new purpose.”
Mara
groaned, her voice low and mocking. “And I thought you were a dead Jedi, not
a therapist. I don’t believe you.”
“Why
should I lie?” Qui-Gon asked. “I have no reason and nothing to
gain.”
“The
resurgence of the Jedi?” Mara arched a red-gold eyebrow.
“I
am one with the Force. I still have nothing to gain,”
he stated, his voice warm in the dark coolness. “Nothing will bring me
back.”
“You
would still see the Jedi rise again. Dead or not. That’s a good enough
reason in my holobook.”
“Be
mindful of the living Force.”
Mara
turned away. She’d had enough of this fuzzy image spouting meaningless words
in her direction. Then a thought struck her. “What happened to the Sith that
killed you?”
“My
apprentice was nearing his knighthood; a powerful young man by the name of
Obi-Wan Kenobi…”
“Kenobi!”
Mara echoed. “I’ve heard of him.”
“Yes.
He killed the Sith...”
“He
was Skywalker’s first teacher.”
“I
wanted to train the boy; I told the council I would do it even though they
were uncertain of his future. It was clouded. He felt much fear and there was
anger in him but he was the
Mara
frowned. Something didn’t add up. How could this Qui-Gon Jinn have managed
to train Skywalker? If he’d been dead for fifty years there was no
possibility of that happening.
“Behind
you, there is a holocube and a small box. They are embedded into the wall.
Take them.”
“Why?”
“They
cannot remain here for just anyone to find – in the wrong hands they could
be… You must deliver them to Skywalker’s son. He will know what to do with
them. Learn to use the Force, Mistress Jade. It is your right and your
destiny. One that Palpatine stole from you.”
“Yeah,
sure,” Mara drawled cynically. “Can I ask you…?”
“My
time here is over. May the Force be with you.”
“But…”
As
silently as he’d arrived, the presence vanished and Mara suddenly felt cold.
“Skywalker’s
son! But…” Mara exhaled loudly. Something else Organa hadn’t told her?
There was no point talking to herself. She pulled a small vibroshiv from one
of her black, knee length boots and began digging into the crumbling walls at
the exact point Qui-Gon Jinn had indicated. “
Her
fingers closed around the object and gave a sharp twist, dragging it free.
Again she reached in and found another small cube shaped item. Just in time,
she shoved them into her pockets as awareness of her surroundings flared into
life. Someone was coming. She could actually feel the presence of a…a human
being.
Footsteps
clattered down the stairs behind her. “What are you doing down here?”
“I
got a bit lost!”
“You
have no permission to be in this area.” A figure peered at her in the gloom.
Mara could see his fingers clamped around a powerful looking blaster. “This
area is off-limits. Only official personnel are allowed down here. It’s not
been made safe.”
“There
are no warning signs,” Mara said indignantly. “How was I supposed to know?
I was just looking around. I came with Princess Leia Organa,” Mara simpered
sweetly and tried not to gag as a result of her own sugary tone. “I love old
things. It must be so interesting. I just hadn’t expected it to be so dark
down here. Where is the way out and why are there no lights?” she babbled
inanely. “Didn’t they have lights during the
“This
way, lady.” The man’s voice was gruff and his grip on her arm tightened as
he hustled her up the steps. Mara resisted the urge to damage the man
permanently. This was the second time someone had grabbed her by the arm in
less than an hour. A couple of quick jabs in the right place and this
individual would have trouble walking and performing other bodily functions
for the next year.
“Could
you not hold my arm so tightly?” she pleaded, but the tall security guard
didn’t oblige until they emerged into the sunlight again. It wasn’t Karl
or Chevin either but a tall human dressed in the university’s own uniform.
Mara suspected that she might have bruises on her upper arm tomorrow. If they
ever met again, he would know the meaning of tight and would have a set of
bruises to make anyone proud.
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“I
hadn’t expected it to be so busy,” Han murmured into Leia’s ear.
“It’s
made the headline holonet news. There’s little happening galactically
speaking…”
“What
about the new world petitioning to join the
“Another
new world?” Leia said. “It’s not news anymore. It’s a common
occurrence. This is different and I think it gave the university the
opportunity to angle for a little more publicity. Call me cynical but such
manoeuvres never harm applications for funding. Coruscant does need housing
and add the discovery of the Jedi temple to the mix…”
“And
we have a ready made battle.”
“Yes.”
“Where’s
Jade got to?” Han asked, staring around the platform.
“She’s
around here somewhere,” Leia replied, glancing over her shoulder but there
was no sign of Mara.
“You
trust her?” Han asked laconically.
“Yes,
I do. I have a strong feeling that there’s someone else under all that ice
and hostility. We don’t know what has made her like this.”
“Yes,
we do,” Han said. “The Empire did.”
Leia’s
beautiful face was pensive. “I suppose you’re right. The Empire made us
all what we are.”
“Yes,
but some of us are choosing to move on with our lives and try to make a
difference.”
“Give
her time.”
“Her
life will be over if she takes any more time.”
Leia
winked at him. “You’ll be running for the Senate next if you keep making
statements like that one.”
“Aw,
Leia!”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After
shaking off the security guard, Mara moved to where a small hut had been
erected selling refreshments to workers and visitors alike. Buying herself a
stim tea, she stood quietly watching the proceedings. She found that she often
learned just as much by watching events carefully. She was just about to
return to Leia and Han, to tell them she was leaving the site, when a covered
speeder arrived causing much commotion.
“Doctor
Rule,” a voice cried and visitors, workers and holo-journalists ran to await
the arrival of the foremost xenoarchaeologist on Coruscant.
“She
is early, this is marvellous news,” said a small man excitedly. “Now the
site will be protected. Doctor Rule will make it so.”
The
hatch lifted and out stepped a tall, slender woman, wearing a practical dark
tunic and pants, her dark hair coiled tightly behind her head. ‘So this was
Folla Rule,’ Mara thought and shivered, layers buckling in the Force.
“Thanks, Skywalker,” she muttered, suddenly grateful for the young Jedi
opening her once more to the power of the Force. It was definitely time to get
out of here. Quickly she turned and headed for her speeder unaware that her
sudden move had been spotted, dark eyes following her flight with cold
interest.
“Who
was that?” Folla Rule asked her aide thoughtfully as she watched the air
speeder leave the docking platform and disappear into Coruscant’s traffic.
It would have to be looked into.
“Don’t
know. We have had so many beings arriving. Journalists, tourists,
politicians…” The aide shrugged. Several air speeders had left in the past
few minutes and Doctor Rule wanted to know who was in them? She would be
lucky. “It could be anyone and we have no real way of checking.”
“Find
a way,” the doctor directed, her manner glacial. “It is a threat to our
security. “I don’t need items to go missing on this world also.”
“Yes,
Doctor Rule.”
Folla
Rule watched the bustling scene with satisfied eyes. Once they’d had the
chance to strip the site bare, the construction droids could move in but they
didn’t have a lot of time. Still, she could see that there was plenty of
publicity, enough for even her starved soul. “I will do my interview and
then we restrict access to press and public alike - leave them wanting
more.” She walked forward, a smile on her face, ready to talk to the galaxy
and found that her place was usurped. “Politicians?” She swung around and
stared at her aide. “This woman is more than a politician.”
The
aide nodded. “They arrived a couple of hours ago. It’s…”
“Yes,
I do know who they are. I see that Princess Leia Organa and General Han Solo
have graced us with their presence.”
“They
seem to be very well informed,” he murmured nervously.
“They
do, do they? Interesting,” Folla snapped, her irritation rising. This was
her moment. She frowned and the aide nervously shifted from side to side.
“It could help us get more time to work on this site,” she then drawled
thoughtfully. “These construction droids are not going to vanish. Yes, this
is good for us.” But inside she was angry, her good mood darkening. Yes,
this kind of patronage made the whole galaxy take notice but when the
politician in question was as important as Leia Organa, then she overshadowed
everyone else. How could she turn this to her advantage? That was the
question. She flashed her most winning smile towards the waiting
holo-journalists and glided forward, her hand outstretched towards the
princess. It was time to use their celebrity to further promote her own.
Leia
stared at the approaching archaeologist. She was just as Leia remembered her -
a little older perhaps, but still elegant. ‘An intelligent woman and not one
to underestimate,’ she thought. There was just something about the other
woman that made her momentarily uneasy and then the strange feeling was gone.
“Sweetheart!”
Han muttered. “Jade’s just flown out of here as if the Imperial Guard was
after her.”
“She
didn’t say goodbye,” Leia murmured.
“That
would have indicated a modicum of interest and friendliness towards another
being, plus manners,” Han observed. “But then Jade’s manners have been
patchy at best since we met her.”
“I
thought I was getting through to her. I like her, Han – most of the time.”
“When
she’d not spouting off about killing the Kid? Yeah, I agree. So what spooked
her this time?”
“Your
guess is as good as mine.” She dug Han in the ribs. “Smile and be
charming. Doctor Rule is heading our way.”
“I
was born charming,” Han retorted.
“I
know and that’s what worries me.” She winked at him.
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