Out of the Shadows 26

 

The Lore Seeker – somewhere in hyperspace

 

Tionne lay curled up on the bunk in her cabin reading up on her research notes when a gentle tap on the door made her look up in surprise. “Come in, Kam,” she called.

 

“I thought you might want something to eat?” the solemn-faced Jedi said quietly. “You’ve been working for several hours.”

 

Tionne checked her chrono and blinked with astonishment. “Goodness, I didn’t realise how late it was. I just get so caught up in what I’m reading and forget the time. I’m sorry.”

 

“You’ve nothing to apologise for,” Kam said, smiling, and she stared at him, arrested.

 

“You should do that more often,” she said bluntly.

 

“What?”

 

“Smile.”

 

His face sobered. “Lately I’ve not had much to smile about, Tionne, but perhaps I will have from now on.”

 

“Perhaps.” A delicate flush covered her cheeks at the way he was looking at her. Was he…flirting? Surely the Jedi eschewed such things. No – Kam had spoken of his parents. Mentioning both his mother and his father in a manner that suggested that they’d lived together. Tionne hesitated to enquire further. Kam would tell her if and when he wanted her to know.

 

“Come on, I’ve made us something to eat.”

 

“You didn’t have to.”

 

He shrugged. “How else am I to earn my passage?”

 

Tionne uncurled her legs from underneath her and stood up, brushing non-existent wrinkles from her dark blue tunic. “You could tell me more about your life as a Jedi…the good parts,” she hastily said.

 

“Life as a Jedi is a whole, Tionne – the good and the bad. I couldn’t take the bad before and buckled under the weight of the darkness.”

 

“But you’re better now…aren’t you?”

 

Kam’s mouth firmed. The question had been naïve…almost childlike. “I don’t know about that. I doubt that I will ever be free from the taint of the dark side.”

 

Tionne marched up to him and glared up into his face. “I don’t want to hear you say that.”

 

“Even if it’s true?” he asked wearily. “The dark side will dominate my destiny forever.”

 

“If you let it,” she retorted. “That is the past. You have to move beyond it if you are to rebuild your life. Use your past as a stepping stone to your future. If you do not then the dark side has won and you have wasted your second chance.”

 

“Yes, Ma’am.” He was surprised at her fervour. He had seen her passion for information, for finding out about the history of the Jedi and her desire to help in any way that she could. But now that she had turned her pale fire upon him…it was almost humbling. He hadn’t thought that she had that kind of strength. Her strength of conviction would keep anyone on the proper course…even him. Kam found that he wanted to stay with her so that her faith and almost naïve optimism would remain to aid him in his self-appointed task. “Food is ready,” he said, unsure what else to say.

 

“Kam…” She followed him through to the tiny galley, wanting to apologise yet certain that she was right.

 

“Later,” he said firmly and pressed a plate into her hands. “Sit. You must eat, Jedi Scholar.”

 

“If that title could only be true,” Tionne said wistfully, moving through to the small table and seating herself there. “I would love to spend the rest of my days studying the Jedi and their history.”

 

“I think that has to be your path…already is your path. So much has been lost and can never be recovered. You could be of much help to us.” Kam lowered himself onto the stool opposite, his heart heavy at the thought of all that had been destroyed and the lives cruelly shattered.

 

“What about your path?” Tionne asked. Something made her continue to push the man at her side. This self-pity was doing no one any good. “Have you made any decisions about what you want to do?”

 

“My path, which once seemed clear, became rocky, strewn with many boulders and thorns that ripped my all-too tender flesh apart, leaving me sore and bleeding. My healing process has been a difficult one.”

 

“But you are healing,” Tionne said firmly.

 

“I have to help the Jedi but I do not know how I can. That is why I’ve been making my way to places I visited as a child with my father. I suspect I’m looking for some sort of sign to point my way. The Force guides your actions after all and it is in the Force that I am placing my trust.”

 

“If you listen hard enough it will tell you what to do.”

 

“Yes and no. The Force will tell you but you must listen the proper way. Try too hard and you will hear things you think you want to hear, not what is there to be heard. You must have faith that the correct answer will come to you. I need to regain my faith in goodness, Tionne - my faith in the Force itself.”

 

“I think you already have but you are afraid of your own judgement. That is the legacy that the dark side has left you with. You are afraid to take that last, vital step - faith in your own self.”

 

Kam finished his meal and laid down his cutlery, wondering which one of them actually was the Jedi. “How did you become so wise, Tionne - so certain of your road ahead? My father would have liked you.”

 

“I don’t think that I’m wise,” she said automatically, touched at the compliment. Somehow she knew that Kam Solusar was still governed by the words of his long-dead Jedi father despite his slip to the dark side. He had a high standard to measure himself against. She hoped it wasn’t too high. “But I consider my actions very carefully. They could have a bearing upon something or someone else.”

 

“Now you sound like a member of the cosmic balance.” Kam tilted his head to one side. “An ascetic religion from the planet Bakura who were not in favour of the Jedi.”

 

“I’ve heard of them and their beliefs but I don’t believe that if someone is endowed with great power it robs another. It sounds like an excuse to me. Everyone has their own destiny to face.”

 

“Now you are sounding like a Jedi Knight,” Kam approved. “You believe that Skywalker will return?”

 

“Yes. He has to.”

 

“If it is the Force’s will.”

 

“I think it is.”

 

Kam considered the elfin woman seated opposite him and reached out cautiously with the Force. He could feel her presence shining warmly. No, she wasn’t imbued particularly strongly with the Force but the ability was there ready to be nurtured. “I agree with you about Skywalker,” he murmured, disconcerted to find that he really did. “I also think that he is still alive and that he will soon return.” The layers in the Force had buckled, shifting their alignment. Kam had never been good at predicting the future but he could recognise the signals for change.

 

Tionne left the small table and returned carrying a piece of flimsy. “I came across this report yesterday,” she said, holding it out to him.

 

Kam took it and read it in silence and then lifted his head to look at Tionne in amazement. “Leia Organa is searching for any information on the Jedi?”

 

“Interesting, is it not? Leia Organa was very close to Luke Skywalker during the rebellion and up until his subsequent disappearance.”

 

“I had heard that,” Kam said slowly.

 

“It’s quite possible that she could have received word from the Jedi and is preparing for his return. She may even know where he has been for the past few years.”

 

“Leia Organa is high up in the New Republic Inner council – ideally placed for gathering information. If anyone knows what happened to him – she would.”

 

“They are based on Coruscant.” Tionne’s eyes sparkled.

 

“We were heading in that direction…were we not?” Kam arched an eyebrow, finding that her enthusiasm was catching.

 

“We were and still are but I will soon need to stop to refuel and pick up supplies. This is an old ship and cannot travel fast.”

 

Kam pulled up the Navicomp and checked their route. “We could be in Commenor in another day. It’s one of the closest worlds to the Corellian system and a good place to refuel. Then on to Coruscant.”

 

“That would be fortuitous,” Tionne said. “A quick refuelling stop on Commenor or even Corellia and then into the Core.”

 

Kam pursed his lips thoughtfully. “I’ve just had an idea, Tionne. Perhaps you should contact Princess Leia Organa.”

 

“Me!” Tionne squeaked, her pale eyes widening.

 

“Why not? You’ve already amassed quite a bit of information on Jedi history. Those discs you were reading today were originals.”

 

“I bought them from a smuggler. He had no use for them and I did. He would have destroyed them if I hadn’t taken them.” Tionne stood up abruptly, her manner defensive. “Kessel! How am I going to contact Princess Leia? I don’t exactly mix in those particular circles.”

 

“Neither do I but we’ll find a way. It could be beneficial to all of us.”

 

“Yes, it could,” she snapped, still rattled over the idea. “If they let us within a parsec of their location…which I doubt. They’ll probably throw us in a cell somewhere.”

 

“Tionne…” Kam stood up and placed a hand on her slender shoulder. “The Force has brought us together. Do you think that it would abandon us now?”

 

Tionne refused to look into his steady grey eyes. He could almost persuade her that anything was possible. “No, you are correct, the Force is with us. But neither of us are members of the Republican Senate.”

 

“The Force has taken us this far. If it is our destiny, it may take us the rest of the journey.” Kam was beginning to believe again for the first time in many years and the feeling was wonderful.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Commenor

 

Kelt pulled his faded grey-green coverall over his head and stood at the head of the cargo access ramp, wondering where he was going to go and what exactly he was going to do next. So far, nothing had sprung to mind. He missed his family desperately but missing them would not bring them back. The familiar pain swept over him but it seemed muted, far away, as if he was starting to forget how raw he’d felt. He didn’t want to forget but it was so easy to let normality sweep him along.

 

“Kelt!”

 

He turned wearily at the sound of the captain’s voice. “Captain Kar.”

 

The older man’s face showed his concern. He’d taken an almost paternal interest in the quiet hardworking young man. Kelt reminded him of his own son at roughly the same age – an adult, fully capable of making his own choices and decisions, yet not having the confidence or experience to do so. He was also aware of Kelt’s recent tragic circumstances. The local holopress had seized on the story and recorded every detail with macabre fascination. Such things did not happen in Osar.

 

The Empire had lost and yet such atrocities continued to happen to decent law-abiding people. The boy was still hurting deeply and would continue to do so for some time, drifting aimlessly in a numb fog. Kar reckoned that time was the only thing that could make a difference. There was nothing Kar could do or say to help Kelt that he hadn’t done already. “Do you know what you’re looking for…where you are going?”

 

Kelt managed a smile but it didn’t reach his eyes. “No, not really. But it’s out there somewhere. I have to go and try to find it. I have no family left on Osarian anymore. It’s just me now and I have to make a new life for myself.” He briefly thought of the girl he’d been seeing, another worker from the mine, but they hadn’t had a firm commitment to one another. She would soon forget him and find another man to give her comfort. He hadn’t said anything about his desire to find a Jedi to the captain. He’d be laughed off the ship. “I can’t…I just can’t go back there. I tried to stay but the memories were too…” He broke off and bowed his head, breathing deeply to control his trembling limbs.

 

Kar placed his hand comfortingly on Kelt’s shoulder. “You’re welcome to stay with us until you feel better.”

 

“I know and I’m thankful for your kind offer. It would be so safe and easy for me to stay a little longer and then a little longer still and I would come to the end of my days doing the same thing. But something is telling me that I’m here for a reason and I know that it’s time for me to move on. It’s the right thing for me to do. I have to act on my instincts.”

 

“Remember, the offer is always open. You are a good worker and I appreciate that.”

 

“I know and thank you for everything that you have done for me.” Kelt hesitated to say the words but he was in New Republic territory now and he had the right to say it. It was part of his heritage. “May the Force be with you.”

 

“I haven’t heard that said for a long time,” Kar murmured, stroking his greying beard thoughtfully.

 

“For a long time it could not be said but now it can. My grandmother used to say it to me but only when we were alone. She had to be careful - my parents were frightened to hear it.” Kelt’s hazel eyes glowed with sudden fervour. “This is the New Republic , not the Empire.”

 

“You’re right, it is.” Kar nodded and again clapped the young man on the shoulder, omitting to say that for the past few years Osarian had also been part of the New Republic and that hadn’t saved Kelt’s family. There were still evil beings in the galaxy no matter who was in control. “Take care of yourself and keep in touch when you can.”

 

“I will.” Kelt hefted his bag over his shoulder, took a deep breath and started walking. He needed somewhere to stay, something to eat and then he had to begin his journey to find the Jedi. He would make his grandmother proud of him. If she hadn’t given him the lightsaber, he wouldn’t be alive today. He hadn’t used it in combat – he wasn’t sure he would know what to do with the weapon - but the plain fact that he’d left the house to examine his gift had saved his life. He admitted to himself that he was far more at ease with a blaster than with his grandmother’s legacy.

 

A spaceport collects all types of beings, some of the less desirable variety, and Kelt, still innocent-faced and wearing his Mid-rim factory worker’s clothing, was already being targeted for the meagre valuables he might be carrying about his person.

 

Kelt hesitated in front of the tapcaf but it looked to be clean, better than the cantina he’d passed a few moments ago which had appeared dark and full of some kind of hazy smoke. Stifling his apprehension, he wandered inside. Someone would know where to go and then he would know what to do…he hoped. In all the holo films he’d ever seen, the characters had got their information from a friendly barman. He searched for whoever might be serving behind the bar – a droid could tell him just as well as any living being.

 

The New Republic was supposed to be in favour of the return of the Jedi Order which meant that he wouldn’t be imprisoned for asking about them. He was under no illusions as to the impossibility of his task. The Jedi Order had been destroyed and his own family with it. He could be searching for a myth as he wasn’t too certain of the identity of the young Jedi his grandmother had suggested that he find.

 

He was a nobody – a nobody from an unimportant second-rate world. It didn’t give you many chances to ask questions – not to the people that mattered in the universe.

 

“Trust the Force, Kelt. It will show you the way.”

 

He could almost hear his grandmother’s voice inside his head. The only thing he could do was trust his feelings. He had no other guide to help him.

 

“Find the young Jedi. Promise me that you will.”

 

“I promise.”

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

Dagobah

 

Luke gave a last lingering look around the little camp that had been his home for over three years. It looked a little sad and pathetic. In a matter of weeks no one would know that he or, more significantly, Yoda had ever been there. The strange and exotic plant life would quickly reclaim their territory which was as it should be. He had an image of a butcher-bug spinning one of its lethal razor-sharp webs between the branches of the trees.

 

Yoda would not want a permanent memorial kept to his existence on this world. His place was within the Force itself and for that alone, he would be remembered.

 

Yoda’s hut appeared lifeless in the miserable weather, the warm, living heart having left it after the old Jedi Master had died. It wasn’t a home - it was just an empty shell. Shivering slightly in the dank air, Luke decided to leave all Yoda’s cooking utensils where they were. It didn’t seem right to take anything unless it pertained to the Jedi and it wasn’t as if he needed them. But he carefully packed the old master’s gimer stick. He would keep that as a reminder. Mara was transporting both him and Artoo, as well as all of his possessions, away from Dagobah and he could feel her impatience to be gone.

 

A trickle of rainwater ran over his face and disappeared beneath his collar making him squirm. It had been continually raining over the past three days without even the shortest of breaks. The incessant downpour made packing up and dismantling his temporary rebel-issue shelter unpleasant for Luke but he didn’t want to leave it as it had not been born out of Dagobah’s natural elements. It had lasted far longer than its makers had ever designed it to. He was trying to leave as little as he could of his existence on Dagobah. The balance of life had to be respected. He’d spent hours trailing box after box of holo-books and other equipment to Mara’s ship feeling wet and miserable. Dagobah’s torrential precipitation soaked through his clothes right down to his undershorts. At least the plentiful rain would replenish the Lucky Strike’s water tanks and, with luck, he would manage to get a proper hot shower once he was finished. He deserved one. If he was to be more accurate, he needed one. With a sigh he hefted another large box into his arms and headed for the ship.

 

“Skywalker?” Sensibly, Mara stood sheltering from the rain at the top of the Lucky Strike’s ramp waiting to take the large box from his hands. “Is that the last one?”

 

“Careful, it’s heavy,” he grunted. The temptation to just float everything to the ship had been great but he’d refrained. Yoda had lectured him long and often about the dangers of overusing his gift for trivial matters.

 

“I can manage,” Mara said, taking her share of the load.

 

But Luke shook his head and helped her deposit the box in the vessel’s hold. “I know you can but it’s easier with two of us doing it. I really do appreciate the fact that you are doing Artoo and me a favour. Almost done, Mara.” He grinned tiredly at her, his hair plastered wetly to his forehead, his cloak hanging limply from his shoulders. “A couple more bags and then that’s us.” He shivered, it was becoming more difficult to ignore the clammy feel of the clothes against his wet skin. “I hope there’s a pot of steaming caf on the go.”

 

Mara took in the bedraggled state of the man in front of her and rolled her eyes. She could almost feel the discomfort he was in. “I’m sure that can be arranged once we’re in the air but I would like to leave during Dagobah’s current daily rotation.”

 

“It is time to leave and we will today, I promise you. Thank you,” he said. “I won’t be long.”

 

“You’d better not be as I’m not planning to wait.”

 

Luke grinned. “Empty threat,” he said bravely, hoping she wouldn’t just take off and leave him there. He turned and made his way back to where the skeleton of his beloved ship sat, the corrosion suddenly accelerating out of control as if the ship and the planet knew that Luke was leaving it behind forever and desired it to become part of Dagobah. “I’m sorry, old girl,” he said sadly. “We’ve had some adventures together. But I can’t take you with me, much as I would like to do so.”

 

He’d stripped down as much of his X-wing as he could. Some of the parts could perhaps be used after all for running repairs on another ship. Ships broke down on a regular basis and often at the most inconvenient times. Luke knew that to be a certainty. He’d been a rebel, making do, for so long that he hated to waste things that might come in useful later on. Mara had scoffed at him for salvaging the functional parts of his beloved X-wing but had, in the end, helped him complete the task. Otherwise the whole endeavour would have taken much longer than it had. “If only to get it done quicker, Skywalker,” she’d grumbled irritably.

 

Luke gazed at her solemnly. “I appreciate the help and your patience, Mara. Thank you.”

 

Mara stood dumbfounded as her anger melted away. It wasn’t often that she was thanked so earnestly but Skywalker always said ‘thank you’. “Don’t mention it,” she’d mumbled, turning away and busying herself in the task she’d allotted herself, not really certain how to accept the gratitude given. No one had ever treated her like that.

 

He’d really done a number on his once trusty X-wing, he admitted wryly to himself. Scrapping it was the only option he had. It was amazing that it had lasted as long as it had done without proper maintenance. Maybe Leia could pull strings to get him a new ship once he was home. It was the only way that he could afford one. Flying was still the way to freedom in his heart.

 

‘Home.’

 

The dream of being with his family had seemed so unattainable for such a long time. He’d known that this was the way that it had to be when he decided to complete his training. He had steeled himself to accept the loss and isolation that he’d felt and had, in time, become accustomed to and even enjoyed his solitude. He’d revered and, yes, loved Yoda but the old Jedi wasn’t part of him the way that Leia was.

 

Yoda had loved Luke but had never lost sight of the fact that Luke was a means to an end. Luke wasn’t just another student; he was the hope for the future of the Jedi. Yoda didn’t love Luke for himself with all his faults and many failings. Yoda needed to save the Jedi and Luke understood – he really did for that was his destiny - but sometimes it just hadn’t been enough to compensate for the loss of the people he cared most about.

 

He would soon be leaving Dagobah… probably forever. There was no reason to come back. Finally, he would be going home to his sister and his friends and the time in hyperspace would drag interminably until he was with them again. He smiled as he imagined Yoda and Ben chiding him for his impatience. Some things would never change.

 

His long unused comlink chirruped, breaking his reverie.

 

“Skywalker!” Mara snapped briskly. “If you are still planning on coming with me and not merging into the mud with the water this sithspawned planet seems to throw down from the sky, I suggest you start moving. The caf I went to the trouble of making will be cold and only good for weatherproofing your next X-wing.”

 

“Yes, My Lady,” he replied smartly, inexplicably cheered by her voice. “Just give me a moment.”

 

“It had better be quick, Skywalker. I’m firing up the converters.” The com clicked off abruptly.

 

He gave the forlorn frame of the X-wing one last pat before moving towards Yoda’s hut. The muddy track had turned slippery in the rain and Luke had to watch his footing as he made his way to the tiny dwelling nestled beneath the giant gnarl tree. Ducking his head, he slipped inside. He’d left a few things there just so that he had the excuse to return one final time.

 

“Goodbye,” he said softly, staring around the cramped little house. He’d learned so much here – changed, strengthened and grown in the light of the Force. Here he had learned the way of the Jedi. Suddenly from a distance, he heard a familiar, mischievous chuckle.

 

“The Force will be with you, Luke. As will we all. Proud of you I am. Well you have done. A true Jedi knight like your father before you are you. Always with you we will be.”

 

Luke bowed his head, swallowed, and as he picked up his duffle bag, ready to leave Yoda’s home for the last time, his head connected with the low ceiling. “Ow!” he muttered, rubbing the spot ruefully. He should have learned by now how low the ceilings were. Or perhaps it was the spirit of Yoda playing one last joke on his hapless apprentice.

 

He could feel Mara’s continuing impatience through the tentative link they’d forged. He hadn’t mentioned the connection between them to her but it was there – he couldn’t ignore its presence. It was inevitable, the call of one Jedi to another. Obi-Wan had suggested that the woman he dreamed about would seek him out and he’d been right. Would others do the same? It would make his search for new Jedi a lot simpler. Soon Mara would realise that their futures were undeniably linked in some way. She was one of the most intelligent women he had ever met and hopefully wouldn’t stay fooled for long by her dislike of who and what he was. His mouth twitched into a rueful smile. She probably wouldn’t be happy about it. She was still determined to dislike him and he was just as determined to change her mind. He suspected he was winning more than he was losing in that particular battle but getting her to admit it would be nigh on impossible.

 

It was time to go. He couldn’t delay leaving any longer. “Goodbye,” Luke said again quietly, somehow hearing the plaintive song of the Jubba bird inside his head as he left the small dwelling, making his way swiftly towards the Lucky Strike, her engines already purring. He’d helped Mara with the repairs and was certain that the ship’s engine had never been in such good condition. Mara was more sceptical as Karrde employed only the very best engine techs for his ships but she had admitted that it appeared to be okay.  He had smiled happily at her grudging praise.

 

“Artoo!”

 

The little droid wheeled itself to the access hatch and stood waiting for his master. Luke moved up the ramp, his small duffle bag slung over his shoulder. “Yes, that’s everything. I’m ready to leave and it looks as if Mara’s ready too.” The door had started to close as soon as he had placed his foot on the ramp.

 

The little droid hesitated at the top of the ramp and beeped a question.

 

“Move Artoo,” Luke ordered, quickening his stride. “I would go and strap yourself firmly into the droid station. If Mara needs you to help, she will ask you. I think that would be the best idea.” His voice was wry. Mara and Artoo had developed an uneasy truce. It resembled the relationship he and Mara had in many ways. He banished the memory of their ‘almost kiss’ to a hidden place in his mind. It was far too disturbing to think of such things at this point in time. The way he was beginning to feel about the beautiful trader would have to be faced another time. He was certain she did not feel the same way.

 

“Beginning to feel!” The voice laughed at him inside his head. “Too late for you it is. The Skywalkers love on sight and forever. Their destiny it is.”

 

“I don’t love her,” he muttered underneath his breath, “It’s too soon. I’m not that reckless. I’m wrong for her and she doesn’t like me. It’s not the best recipe for a fulfilling relationship.”

 

“In denial you are. In time, admit your feelings you will. Like you she does. Against her will maybe, but like you she does for certain. Patience, Luke, and turn to love it could.”

 

“Yeah.” Luke rubbed his hand across his forehead wondering if he was actually hearing Yoda inside his head or just talking to himself in Yoda’s unique style. It wasn’t surprising as he’d heard Obi-Wan inside his head just after watching the old man duel with Vader and lose. Luke froze, the memory still having the power to hurt.

 

Vader…no, not Vader. Anakin. There had been good in him even then for he could have killed Luke and he had not.

 

The ramp closed behind him with a solid thunk and he found he couldn’t move because Artoo was in his way, his head rotating from side to side as he beeped out a couple of questions.

 

“Artoo, I told you to move. I need to stow my gear. Yes, everything’s fine.” Leaving the little droid tootling anxiously behind him, he made his way to the cabin he’d been allotted. It was small but well-equipped with everything he needed, including a small ‘fresher with a real shower. Karrde certainly took care of his people. He closed the door and headed to the cockpit. “That’s everything on board.”

 

“Good,” Mara muttered, busy at the controls. “I was beginning to think that I’d have to take off without you…” She glanced at his attire, visible under his cloak, properly for the first time that day and her jaw dropped as she did a double take. “What in the stars are you wearing?”

 

Luke surveyed his clothing, a frown appearing on his forehead. “This is my Jedi uniform.”

 

“Your Jedi uniform!”  Mara blinked and took stock of what he was wearing. Underneath his cloak were a well-cut black tunic and matching pants which had been tucked into knee length black leather boots. A black leather belt, from which hung his lightsaber, completed the ensemble.

 

“Yes – my Jedi uniform.” He removed the cloak from around his shoulders and placed it in one of the overhead lockers.

 

Mara recalled all the images she had seen of him latterly, including the holo-message at Jabba’s Palace on Tatooine, and he’d been dressed in the same way. It was probably the same outfit. Black pants and a black tunic with a hint of the style of the Jedi fashion from the Clone War period. But the Old Republican era Jedi had usually worn brown and beige, not black. The Sith had worn black.

 

“I didn’t know the new Jedi Order had a uniform,” she said snidely. “I haven’t seen that many members.”

 

“Leave it Mara,” he said wearily, hoping that her sniping wasn’t set to continue for the entire length of the journey home. He didn’t understand why she had the constant desire to challenge and mock everything he said but he supposed that it was preparing him for something. He wasn’t going to walk into the Senate chamber on Coruscant and immediately get everything he wanted. There would be distrust and probably outright hostility. Palpatine had painted the Jedi as traitorous and evil and even years after his death many still believed it to be the truth.

 

“But why black?”

 

He sat down beside her in the co-pilot’s chair and strapped himself in, ready for takeoff. “It’s practical.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“You’re also wearing black,” he pointed out.

 

Mara was dressed in a black leather jumpsuit that outlined every sensuous curve of her body. He’d never seen anything look quite so good.

 

“I’ll echo your reason. It’s practical,” she said. He’d been dressed in a similar fashion when they’d met on Druckenwell she recalled but this was the first time that she’d seen him wearing the all-black ensemble since then. Did his entire wardrobe consist of old rebel alliance fatigues and what she’d just dubbed in her mind his ‘Jedi blacks’? “But at least I’m dry. You’re soaked through.”

 

“Once we’ve cleared Dagobah’s atmosphere I will shower and change.”

 

“Then what was the point of changing into…that?”

 

“Whatever I wore today would have been soaked through. I have more than one.”

 

“I might have guessed,” she muttered. “But I still don’t see the point.”

 

“Why does it matter to you what I wear? It’s just my clothing.”

 

“No,” Mara said shrewdly, “It’s more than that.”

 

Luke, surprised at her insight, turned his head to look at her, but Mara kept her gaze fixed resolutely on the controls. “Yes, you’re right. It is to remind me what I could become. There is a darkness in me…in all of us. I cannot let the dark side take hold.”

 

“So you wear dark on the outside to prevent…what?” she asked contemptuously. “It’s not a shield, Skywalker. I thought that strength of character was what keeps the dark at bay.” She didn’t know why she felt the need to mock him, but she really would like to see him in something other than black and those shabby fatigues at least once. Her lips tightened. That was a strange notion. Why would she care what he wore? “You are still a man. No one can be perfect all the time.”

 

“No, but I try…” His lips tightened.

 

“I thought Jedi didn’t ‘try’,” she said mockingly.

 

“You’re learning,” Luke returned, his face impassive.

 

Mara threw him a brief glance of annoyance. He was as quick witted as she was. It wasn’t often that she met someone who matched her so well. It was a pity they could not become real friends. She was almost beginning to like him despite all of his annoying habits – none of which she could currently mention. “Are you really ready to leave?”

 

“Yes,” he answered quietly, staring out the cockpit at Dagobah for the last time. The white mist curled around the vessel and he could see one of the birds soar between the ancient white gnarl trees. An urge to see blue skies and golden desert sands crossed his mind but he suppressed it. Time for that later. “There’s nothing here for me now. I have to move forward with my life. I cannot rebuild the Jedi Order from Dagobah.”

 

“No, I suppose not.” Mara began flipping switches.

 

Luke stretched over and placed his hand upon hers. “Wait! We will need to access the Force to leave the planet safely.”

 

She stopped what she was doing and turned a startled gaze towards him. “We will?” Her hand tingled under his calloused fingers and she quickly removed it.

 

Luke shrugged, resting his hands on his well-toned thighs. “Why do you think Yoda was left undiscovered for so many years?”

 

“No one bothered to look for him,” Mara said dismissively.

 

“You know that’s not true. They would have scoured the galaxy for any trace of him. He was a threat to Palpatine.”

 

“He was able to shield?” Mara suggested lightly, unsettled at the mention of her master.

 

“Partly, but Dagobah’s atmosphere has a natural Force barrier. It protected Yoda from being discovered. A dark Jedi lived on the planet for a little while and that also helped mask any lingering traces of his presence.”

 

“And that is why all my instruments went haywire when I arrived? It’s because of this natural Force protection?”

 

“I believe so. I nearly crashed my X-wing the very first time I visited Dagobah. I landed in the swamp and Yoda had to help me raise my ship. Use your intuition, your feelings. The instrument panel will not help you until we clear the atmosphere.” His eyes darkened. “Use the Force, Mara.”

 

Mara pulled back the lever, her mind reaching out for the workings of her ship. Then she felt the reassuring weight of real power as Luke joined her, showing her what to do, and the whole procedure became effortless. Smoothly, the ship rose and began to accelerate. Minutes later when Luke opened his eyes, he saw the mist-enshrouded world retreating away from their craft. She was accessing her abilities so much easier now, he thought, still revelling in the feeling of their linked senses.

 

“A few more minutes and we can make the jump to hyperspace,” Mara said, checking the instruments and dials before her. “Everything appears to be functioning the way it should.”

 

“If you can take me to the nearest port, Mara,” Luke said thoughtfully, “I can pick up a transport to Coruscant. I’ll make sure you are recompensed for your trouble.”

 

“I’m going to Coruscant, nerf,” she snapped, irritated at being thought one step up from the operator of a Coruscant air taxi. “I was being paid to find you, remember? I’ll take you home.”

 

“Oh! Of course, I forgot,” he said lamely. He didn’t like the feeling that this was merely a job for her. During the past few days, they had achieved a strange sort of peace between them. He could feel things unsaid and undone simmering under the surface but it was still an improvement. “You should get a bonus,” he mumbled. Mara Jade was more complex than Luke could fathom but then he’d never understood the way women’s minds worked.

 

“I said I would take you home - if only to prove to your sister and that Corellian boyfriend of hers that I mean what I say.” Mara finished her calculations for the jump to hyperspace and sighed. “We’ll need to stop and refuel at some point but I think we can get quite far first -almost to the Core. Perhaps you’ll be close enough to contact your sister.”

 

“And when you drop me off on Coruscant, Mara Jade – what then?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Will I see you again?”

 

“It’s possible but the galaxy’s a big place,” she said and pulled the lever, continuing to monitor the instruments until she was satisfied. “When I decide to kill you, I will let you know.”

 

“Kind of you,” Luke said dryly. “I know you don’t mean that. You won’t kill me. You cannot.”

 

She clenched her teeth. This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out. He was making her feel things she didn’t want to feel. She’d been Palpatine’s assassin and now this Jedi had damaged her ability to be what she once was. She reacted in the only way that she could - with words. “We’ll be in hyperspace for some time. I suggest you go now and change out of those wet things. The word Jedi must be synonymous with having no common sense. Then go and relax for a while…if Jedi are allowed to do such a thing?” she queried. “Go and talk to your droid or meditate. That’s what you Jedi do. isn’t it?” Mara’s voice was offhandedly dismissive.

 

“Excuse me,” he said stiffly while undoing his safety belts, the careless scorn in her voice stinging. “I must check on Artoo before I shower and change.” He was beginning to feel the chill of his wet clothes seeping into his skin and tried not to shiver. He had the feeling that Mara wouldn’t exactly be sympathetic. She still wanted to kill him after all. She’d not said anything about changing her mind. But she couldn’t kill him, he argued with himself. She had felt something for him. Her feelings had to have changed over the past few weeks and she had definitely been less antagonistic. She was friendlier in a chilly Hoth kind of manner but it was an improvement on her former hostility.

 

“What did I say?” Mara mused aloud as his black-clad form disappeared swiftly from the cockpit. “Jedi meditate…it was merely a comment, Skywalker.” Why was he so sensitive about his meditating? It couldn’t be because he thought they might never see one another again. She clenched her fists in a futile gesture until she remembered that he’d stowed his sopping wet cloak in the overhead locker “Skywalker! Your cloak!” There was no answer. “Damn Jedi!” she muttered. He’d probably hit the shower and she wasn’t chasing after him there.

 

With another grumbled epithet she got out of her seat to remove it. “It’ll start to smell if it’s left in there. Nothing worse than the aroma of mildewed Jedi cloak.” Shaking her head, she found a warm place to hang the garment. It would dry in no time.

 

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An hour later, Mara wandered through the crew quarters to find Luke, freshly showered and changed into another black outfit, sitting cross-legged on the deck plates, his eyes closed in meditation with Artoo standing guard and an untouched mug of cold caf beside him. With a sigh of exasperation she removed the mug to the galley and flipped the switch on the water boiler.

 

“Skywalker!” A shiver of apprehension ran through her and she turned swiftly to see him begin to tremble.

 

“No…this cannot happen,” Luke mumbled and then seemed to just crumple into a heap on the floor.

 

Artoo began jiggling from side-to-side calling out to Mara to help his master in a wailing crescendo of electronic notes. As Mara dropped swiftly to her knees beside the unconscious Jedi, images sped through her brain too quickly for her to decipher what she was seeing. “Skywalker…Luke!” She glanced at Artoo in consternation. “He’s out cold,” she said placing her hand on Luke’s forehead. “Skywalker!” She began to shake him slightly, tapping his cheeks gently. “Skywalker!” She gave up the gentle tapping and administered a hard slap to the side of his face. He groaned. “If that’s what happens to Jedi when they meditate, droid,” she muttered to Artoo, “I’m never taking up that activity.” Just to make sure he was still alive she walloped him again…hard…and was rewarded by another faint moan.

 

Artoo wheeled himself to the small galley kitchen, pulled a couple of water containers from one of the packs and brought them back to Mara.

 

The redhead took the water from Artoo, hesitated and then shrugged, muttering, “Why not?” and dumped half of it over Luke’s face. His eyelids flickered and then opened.

 

“Wha...what! Mara? What’s wrong?” He suddenly felt the effect of his second shower of the day as the water dripped beneath the stiff black tunic collar. “Hey, I’m wet!” he exclaimed. “Why am I wet?” He was also lying down, he thought hazily and the deck plates weren’t exactly comfortable.

 

“You keeled over. I thought the water might wake you up again. You feeling alright?”

 

“Yeah, I think so.” He lifted his head and went a little white. “Ahhh.”

 

“I’ve got you, Skywalker.” She held out the bottle of water and helped him to sit. “Do you know what happened?”

 

Luke took a sip of water and exhaled slowly, getting his rapidly beating heart under control. “I was meditating and…”

 

“You saw something. I know you did.” Mara straightened, her expression eager. “What did you see?”

 

“I’m not sure. It’s all a little fuzzy. Many…images all fused together…moving too quickly.” Luke closed his eyes for a moment and searched his mind for the answers. ”I saw a fortress,” he said. “A dark fortress,” he repeated. “I’ve seen it before but I’ve never been there. Then I saw a boy…like I once was…innocent and unknowing until his family were slaughtered in front of his eyes.”

 

“The boy was in the fortress?”

 

“No…I don’t know where he is but he’s not there – not in the fortress. Everything was all jumbled up. What was learned he can now never unlearn. He can never forget what he saw.” He looked up at Mara, his blue eyes distressed. “I think I sensed the pain he felt when it actually happened. I don’t know when it happened either. It could have been yesterday or it may have been last year. Hell, Mara, it could have been fifty years ago.”

 

“Do you really think that?”

 

“No, not really. It seemed more recent. He’s alone out there and people will be looking for him.” He did not add that the boy’s fate reminded him of his own.

 

“People?”

 

“People…” Luke exhaled slowly. “The wrong kind of people. They feel…dark. He needs my help.” His hand reached out and gripped Mara’s arm. “Mara, he needs our help.”

 

“Our help.” Mara hesitated. She couldn’t agree to help him save Jedi…could she? But she could feel the powerful appeal held in those blue eyes. “Did you recognise any of them?”

 

“No.” He realised that he was still holding onto her arm and let go. “But that doesn’t mean very much. I’ve been isolated on a swamp planet for over three years and before that I was a wanted fugitive on the run. I don’t know who might be looking for this boy. The figures were dark…shadowed. I couldn’t see their faces.”

 

“How old is this boy?” Mara had visions of a child possibly not unlike herself when she’d first been brought to Palpatine.

 

Luke thought again. “Mid to late twenties.”

 

“That’s no boy!” Mara exclaimed. “He’s about your own age. He’s an adult.”

 

“But if he’s never experienced the things we have? I flew in my first battle at eighteen. When did you take on your first real mission for the Emperor?”

 

Mara’s face held a stricken look. “I was about the same…perhaps a year younger. I can’t remember.”

 

Luke had learned enough about Mara to know when not to push her any further for information. “I didn’t stop running or fighting until I withdrew to Dagobah. This one has been sheltered all his life.”

 

“Like you once were?” Mara guessed shrewdly. She’d been highly trained for her job but the first assassination had still been a shock.

 

Luke didn’t want the same fate to befall this innocent. Real life should have intruded upon him in a far gentler fashion. “I have to help him, Mara. He’s Force-strong. I’ve already lost one boy that I could have trained.”

 

“This isn’t about him at all, is it?” Mara said. “Leia told me about the boy on Bakura – the one brainwashed by the Ssi-ruuk. This is all about your failure to save him.”

 

“No.” Luke ignored Mara’s steadying hand and climbed to his feet. “Dev Sibwarra died in the light of the Force. Yes, I’m affected by his loss but I cannot let it influence me totally.”

 

“Be careful.”

 

“I’m fine.” Luke brushed away Mara’s concern.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“To the cargo hold. There’s still some space there. I need to do my lightsaber drill.”

 

“Save it for tomorrow. You passed out, Jedi. Do you think lightsaber drill is wise right now? My chrono says it’s the sleep cycle. Maybe Obi-Wan will visit you in your sleep and tell you everything you want to know.”

 

Luke’s mouth twitched into an unwilling smile. “Obi-Wan never did that when he was alive. He’s certainly not going to start it now.”

 

“But Qui-Gon…”

 

“Qui-Gon what?”

 

She sighed. “He never answered my questions either, did he?”

 

“Mara, there was more…”

 

“Why do I get the feeling that I’m not going to like this?”

 

“Because I don’t like it,” he admitted. “The dark fortress holds secrets and one of them could undo everything that has happened so far.”

 

“You’re not telling me anything that makes sense, Skywalker.”

 

“Palpatine is dead, Mara. I saw him die. I saw it happen and you told me that you felt it happen so why do I get the feeling that part of him is still out there?”

 

“The holocron!” Mara recalled the strange words of the Falleen Jedi Master. “He said that the dark side has ways of returning. Could the Emperor not be truly dead?” Mara did not feel the sense of exultation that she thought that she would. Instead, there was a strange gnawing fear.

 

Luke’s mouth opened to deny her statement. To begin with, no sound emerged until his brain had caught up with what Mara was suggesting. He closed his eyes and ran through the vision once more. Palpatine was dead. He had seen him die in front of his eyes. “I can’t see…” He opened his eyes and shook his head. “I couldn’t see anything more. Sometimes working with my saber focuses my concentration. I have to find that dark fortress and I think you are the only one who can help me.”

 

“Me!”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why should I help you?” Her mood darkened. “You killed my master.”

 

“You know that’s not true,” he gritted through clenched teeth. “How many times do I have to tell you that I didn’t – I couldn’t. Palpatine lied to you, Mara. Used your abilities and denied you your freedom. In your head you have worked out the real truth. Your heart may be leading you in other directions but you have to believe me.” Luke could feel his emotions rising despite his attempts to remain calm.

 

“I have to…Oh, no, Skywalker. I don’t have to.”

 

“I’m telling the truth,” he entreated, blue eyes flashing. “I do not lie.” His voice rose. He clenched his fists, feeling the nails digging into the palms of his hands until he’d regained his control. "I do not lie,” he repeated quietly, the words more powerful than if he had shouted. “You were his hand, his personal servant. Surely you’ve been places that others never knew about.”

 

“Yes, but…”

 

“Think about it…really think about it. If you still feel that you cannot do it, I will have to do this on my own.”

 

“And the boy…the young man?”

 

“I hope someone up there is watching over him until I find him. If the others find him first…then I do not know what hope there is of his chances for survival.” 

 

Mara felt his disappointment and was surprised to see that his blue eyes had turned wintry. “But…”

 

“I understand,” Luke said heavily. “This is not your fight. But it should be.”

 

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