Souls and Stars

Chapter I

“So, from the edge hence into darkness.”

“What was that?” Han asked as they approached a rustic hospice sunk in the humid southern continent of Delquii Prime.

Luke shook his head absently, “Never mind,” he muttered. He threw his brother a tentative smile, “But hey, by the way, thanks for coming with me.”

“Aw, don’t worry about it, kid,” Han said with a cheerful grin that wasn’t nearly as bolstering as he would have liked. “Someone has to deflect the hazardous projectiles.”

“Thanks,” Luke said again though this time somewhat more sardonically. Then he sobered, “I just hope she’s able to throw stuff at me.”

“Mara will always be able to inflict damage on others,” Han remarked flippantly.

Luke sighed in response and started up the stairs leading into the hospice. He grabbed the railing but satisfyingly did not have to rely on it entirely to pull his unsteady legs along. Yet even that small victory couldn’t quell his churning stomach. Everyone was still reeling from the terrible tragedy at the cliff several months previous. All but two of the dozens of people who had gone down with the cliff face were killed; Kam had broken nearly every bone in his body and was still taking daily bacta dips and the Cragon officer they found was never expected to recover fully. Look as they might at the scene no one was able to find Mara’s remains. Luke knew in his heart that she was alive though even he couldn’t say exactly where she was. She probably just took off to think, that wouldn’t be totally out of character for her, he told himself, though, under the circumstances he knew that that was a fairly flimsy explanation.

“C’mon, kid, stop looking like your nurf just died,” Han told him, throwing his arm over Luke’s shoulders comfortingly. “She’s probably still roughed up a bit but I’m sure she’ll be fine. You had a fight—it happens. Admittedly fights with Mara are a wee bit more life threatening than most marital disputes, but you guys are too good for each other to let that keep you down. Besides,” Han added with a lopsided grin, “Mara’s never been one to run from a fight.”

Luke sighed, “I know, and that’s what I keep telling myself. It’s just that Karrde was so damned vague when he sent that message saying he’d found her. I got the strong impression he was holding something back and when Karrde does that so obviously, it makes me nervous.”

“I think you’re making a Star Destroyer out of an UGLIE,” Han commented. “I bet you the Falcon you’ll see her running right for you any second now.”

Luke couldn’t help but laugh at Han’s deterministic optimism, and was gladder than ever that he had his friend’s stalwart presence there with him. Taking a deep calming breath, Luke stepped forward into the waiting room—

—Just in time to see Mara burst from a door on the other side and bolt straight towards him. For a moment he didn’t respond, a little surprised that Mara would show such exuberant emotion when suddenly she shoved a nurse roughly out of her path. It was then that Luke realized she wasn’t running to him, she was going for the front door!

She ran full pelt into Luke and Han, both of whom were too dumb-founded to move. She pushed them out of her way without so much as a glance and enough force to send them crashing into the broad doorsill.

“Mara!” Luke called after her.

“Stop her!” cried Talon Karrde, emerging from the same room Mara had so recently exited. “Skywalker! You have to bring her back! She doesn’t remember!”

“Pretty hard to forget falling off a cliff,” Han remarked dryly as he and Luke struggled to their feet.

“She doesn’t remember anything!” Karrde snarled, pulling Luke up. “Not me, not you, not even her own name!”

“Emperor’s black bones!” Han exclaimed as Luke swiftly disappeared through the door before Karrde could finish. He knew he couldn’t run down the small set of stairs so he attempted to jump the distance to the ground. He made it but his legs buckled upon landing, sending him to his knees and scrambling for enough curses to adequately describe the situation. Lamenting his decision to leave Cyan to manage Bairn of Hope in his absence, Luke started to run awkwardly after Mara’s figure retreating into the surrounding jungle.

The trees lashed his face as he raced past, pushing his precarious balance to the limit. At times he was only saved from crashing head first into the ground by the vary branches and brambles that ripped his clothes and slashed his skin. He could see Mara running ahead of him, her lithe body slipping between the trees and brambles with inborn agility. Luke pushed his body harder, knowing his slowly recovering legs wouldn’t hold up for long and he would have to catch her soon if he was going to catch her at all.

He was concentrating so on pushing his tired legs onward that he didn’t see the sudden dip in the land ahead of him. With a cry he tumbled down in an ungainly heap, unable to catch himself as he slammed against rotted tree stumps and bushes clinging to the hillside. When he finally reached the bottom he lay still for a moment, assessing how hurt he was. He knew that he should get up as fast as he could but he also knew that if he was injured there was no way he would be able to catch his wife now. By the time his breathing slowed to a slightly more normal pace he decided that there was nothing wrong besides some new bruises and impressive scrapes. He opened his eyes and was greeted with Mara standing over him wringing her hands with a peculiar expression on her face.

“Are you ok?” she asked very tentatively.

“Yeah,” Luke groaned, propping his upper body up on his elbows and noting with mild consternation that she didn’t seem to be out of breath at all. “Could you help me up?”

She nodded and knelt, placing her hand gingerly behind his back and pushing him to a more upright position. Suddenly she grabbed his face in both hands. “I know you!”

“So you do,” Luke commented with a friendly smile made only partially ineffective by his grimace of pain. Then he remembered what Karrde had shouted at him on his way out. “I—”

“I know you!” Mara cried again, clasping him against her with complete disregard for any injuries incurred during his fall. “I know you! I know you!”

I n n o c e n c e L o s t

Chapter II

It wasn’t until that evening that Luke would be able to hear the full story from Karrde.

“I think we can safely assume it was the fall off the cliff that caused the memory loss—and let’s face it, we’re lucky that’s the worst of it,” Karrde explained. “All we know is she crawled around the back streets of Duawl’g for a while and eventually snuck onto a hover-freighter where she found some food. She got stuck on it when it left and they dumped her off a few miles from here on the cost. She got lost in the jungle and was found unconscious by some mercenaries that work here. They brought her to the hospice and she’s been recovering ever since.”

Han grunted and shook his head in wonderment, “Only Mara could manage to survive after something like that, even with amnesia.”

Luke didn’t respond. He sat with his legs curled against his chest and his gaze resting on Mara’s sleeping figure seen through the slightly ajar door to her room.

“Um, kid…?” Han asked.

“Hmmm?” Luke murmured, not looking at him.

“Did you hear—”

“Yeah,” Luke assured him, nodding absently, “I got the story.”

“What do we do now?” Karrde asked quietly. “The doctors aren’t sure whether this is permanent or not.”

Luke snorted, “Of course they’re not.” His lip twisted as he got to his feet, “I’m sure it will take something as mentally traumatic as what caused this in the first place to bring her memory back.”

“Where are you going?” Han asked after trading trouble glances with Karrde.

“Back to Bairn, I’m going to tell Cilghal to come down in the morning and take a look at her,” Luke explained. “She should be fine for the night, she knows she’s safe now.”

Han traded an even darker glance with Karrde and jogged to catch up to Luke. “Hey kid,” Han pointed out gently, “She remembered you.”

Luke shook his head, “She doesn’t remember me, she recognizes me. Nothing more.”

“But it’s something,” Han said emphatically.

“Yeah,” Luke muttered, “but what?”

* * *

She woke early the next day, gradually slipping from sleep into the golden glow that poured from the small window beside her bed. She sat up and looked around the little room, paying attention to her surroundings for the first time since she had come to this place. The room was plain with little ornamentation on the clay walls. There was an old dresser made of fine dark wood opposite to her and it had a large oval mirror adorning it. She slipped out of bed, dragging the sheet with her as she crossed the room to look at her reflection.

She leaned close to the mirror and gingerly ran her hand across her cheek as if by touching it she might make it disappear. She combed her fingers through her hair, wondering at the odd coloration of half red-gold fading into icy blue. She squinted at her jade-flecked eyes and pouted at her rosy red lips. She spoke, trying to remember her voice and trying to remember the word she uttered and failed on both accounts as she had failed with every other feature on her body.

“Mara.”

She decided she liked her voice, though it was almost to deep; it felt rich as if it had some experience behind it that eluded the rest of her. Glancing nervously at the door she opened the sheet and looked at the rest of her body. Her skin was honey coloured from wandering around in the humid, almost perpetually sun drenched jungle. It was marred here and there with scares of various sizes and ages and stretch marks across her belly—it too seemed to remember things the rest of her could not. Looking closer at her face she saw sun wrinkles crinkling the corners of her eyes and slightly harsher lines framing her mouth. She discovered that if she twisted her lip in just the right way she could manage the most sardonic, withering glare. She wondered if that was what she was really like.

She flumped down on a battered old stool letting the sheet fall to her lap as she dourly regarded her reflection. Suddenly the door to her room opened and she yelped, actually knocking herself off the stool in her hast to cover her nakedness.

She lay for a moment with her eyes squeezed tightly shut, until she felt someone touch her forehead and heard a familiar voice ask, “Are you all right?” She peeked one eye open and upon seeing who it was threw herself into his embrace. Luke returned it awkwardly, not entirely sure how to reconcile this new Mara with the old.

She turned her head away from his chest as if to respond and suddenly caught sight of the creature that still stood in the doorway, watching them intently. She shrieked and jumped out of Luke’s arms, ducking behind him. “What’s that?!”

“That’s Cyan,” Luke assured her, helping her to sit back on the bed. “He’s my friend. It’s ok, you can trust him just as you can trust me.”

Mara’s eyebrows raised a little distrusting so Cyan cautiously approached her and bumped her knee with his nose, “Hello, Mara, I’m very glad to see you again. I should have waited to come in, but I forgot you wouldn’t be used to me anymore.” He spoke in a soothing croon that always seemed to reassure whomever it was he was speaking too. Mara tentatively reached out and brushed his muzzle with the tips of her fingers and then a little more confidently she scratched behind his ebony horn, causing Cyan to purr approvingly. Mara smiled tentatively and then looked at the doorway to see who else had come in.

Cilghal stood in the threshold blinking her bulbous eyes curiously, “Is it alright if I come in, Mara?”

“Um, I guess,” Mara responded shyly, feeling a little overwhelmed. She looked at Luke and he smiled supportively.

Cilghal dragged the stool over so she could sit in front of Mara and took her hand in her webbed fingers, dropping her mouth open in a Mon Calamari imitation of a smile. “Thank you. Now, Mara, I need you to relax. I’m a healer and I’m going to see if we can’t get your memory back.”

“How?” Mara asked, her voice coming out a little breathy as Cilghal placed her free hand on Mara’s right temple.

“I just need to take a look inside,” Cilghal told her. Luke sat by Mara, gently kneading her shoulders as Cilghal slipped subtly into her thoughts. There was complete silence for a moment and Mara glanced around uneasily, noticing that the strangely sardonic man called Karrde was waiting outside the room, pacing anxiously. Gradually she began to feel pressure at the back of her skull; she scratched there absently and then suddenly blacked out. The next thing she knew she was lying on her back on the other side of the bed and there was considerable commotion going on beyond her line of site. Then Luke’s face was above her, somehow managing to look concerned, contrite and bemused all at the same time.

“Are you all right?” Luke asked sheepishly, giving her a hand climbing back onto the bed.

“I guess,” Mara told him hesitantly, rubbing the back of her head again. “What happened?”

“What did happen, Cilghal?” Luke asked as he settled down beside Mara.

Cilghal frowned, leaning stiffly against the dresser. “I believe it is the same as what you told me happened to Corran when Mirax disappeared. Except…” She trailed off and when Luke prompted her to continue she motioned for him to follow her out of the room.

“I’ll just be a minute, Cyan will wait with you,” Luke assured her gently.

“Sure,” Mara said, her brows crunching together.

“What is it, Cilghal?” Luke asked, as soon as they were out of earshot and Karrde had joined them.

Cilghal didn’t answer at first, pressing her webbed hands together and thinking carefully about what she was going to say. “It is hard to explain—there is a block there, and it was caused by some sort of trauma, yet when I was pushed it, it felt as if it had…it had been set up that way.”

“Set up that way?” Karrde asked, confused.

“Well,” Cilghal paused again and tried to find a clearer way to explain what she had felt just before she was thrown across the room. “She was hurt in the fall—obviously, it’s almost impossible that she wasn’t—but Leia said that she and Mara were having an argument right before the ship hit and that Mara wasn’t in the best of places emotionally…” Cilghal trailed off when she realized what she had just said but Luke waved her on, his expression blank. “Well, anyway, maybe something happened on the way down, I don’t know what, but when the block happened…maybe she didn’t want to get rid of it, so she set up a defence mechanism to keep people out.”

“It might not be that—Mara has very well developed reflexes for keeping people out of her head, it could have just been reflex,” Luke commented, his expression still unreadable.

“That’s true, and we won’t know which until she gets her memory back, and I don’t think I can do it,” Cilghal told them frankly. “Whatever the reason she has those defences there, I’m not skilled enough in that manner and I don’t have enough of a rapport with her to break it down.” She blinked her bulbous eyes and then lowered them a little. “Corran could have done it, I’m sure, but we have no one else with his skill and it is unlikely he will ever get use of the Force back ever again.”

Chapter III

“Alright, kids, where are you hiding?” Corran demanded, walking into the pleasant glade that sat a few minutes behind the secret base on Haven; at least he had been told it was pleasant by Mirax, who he was sure he could trust in such maters. Though Nelli was feeling too sick to come today, the rest of his young students were even more pleased about Corran’s decision to take class in the clearing then he thought they would. Unfortunately, as was typical with children their age, they also took great pleasure in pulling pranks and causing mischief whenever possible. Corran sighed irritably as he shuffled alone beside the ever-faithful Olive. Today was Corran’s Life-Day and he had hoped to get this class over quickly so he could spend time with Mirax, Valin, and the Skywalker kids who were staying in his quarters until Han returned.

Suddenly he heard giggling to his right and he followed Olive towards it, his hand resting on the “thumb” of the growing dragon’s wing. Olive stopped just before they reached the forest and let out a disapproving rumble before commenting in his deepening, ambiguous voice, “This is a very mean game to be playing with a man who cannot see.”

“They are just children, Ollie, they miss that sometimes,” Corran lightly admonished the emerald dragon. “Though this is getting a trifle bit annoying.”

The giggling sounded again, but this time it came from above them. “Ah ha!” Olive exclaimed excitedly. “They’re just in the tree. Just stand here a minute, Corran, I’ll get the little rascals out.”

“Certainly,” Corran said as he let go of Olive’s wing. He felt the air whoosh past him as Olive launched himself into the tree. He stood patiently—one couldn’t help but learn such a skill in his condition, though it didn’t make his life very exciting—and smiled in amusement at the sound of branches being rendered and Olive’s eager growl. Then there was silence when Olive stopped moving.

“Wha—? Where are they? Oh, that tree…” Olive muttered, and leapt to the next possibility.

Corran frowned for he was sure that the sound of giggling had definitely come from above them, so how had the children had been able to switch trees so quickly? For that matter, how did Foly even climb a tree in the first place? While she had arms, her four cloven hooves didn’t do so well with that sort of obstacle and she wasn’t strong enough to just pull herself up. He stood very still and listened as hard as he could, trying to shut out the sounds of Olive wreaking havoc on the local plant life. Then he smiled, feeling rather silly—these children were learning how to alter perception weren’t they? If anything he should be impressed were it not for the obvious ethical ramifications.

“Olive, they’re not—” before he could finish his sentence he heard more giggling but this time from directly around him and then he was hit with a blinding flash of light that was so bright he fell over backwards.

Blinding flash of light? How in the—

He wasn’t given long to dwell on that miraculous occurrence since a glorious vista was suddenly spread out before him. Rolling plains stretched all the way to the horizon, carpeted in yellow grass blowing gently in the brisk breeze. Fat trees peppered the landscape, their leaves billowing with the grass, some breaking off and fluttering into the air. A burst of seedpods exploded from one of the trees, soaring upwards on the breeze, sparkling in the sun. The sky arched above, shading subtly into a deep blue that would disappear as the sun rose in the sky. Some sort of delicate herd animals that reminded him of striped gazelle were grazing on the tough grass; without warning a canine bolted from behind a tree, setting the herd into motion, leaping and bounding impossibly high and impossibly far. The canine tried its best to keep up, flattening and stretching its body out to its full extent, sleek muscles rippling beneath its sweaty skin—still it was no match for its pray. The gazelles’ passage disturbed a flock of avians foraging nearby and they launched skyward, their dark wings blotting out the morning sun.

As abruptly as the vision came it was gone and Corran found himself lying on his back in the grass, gasping for air.

“CHILDREN!!” Olive roared, leaping from the tree and galloping to Corran’s side after breaking the vision they had projected for him. “Why in the Void did you do that?!”

“It’s his Life-Day present!” Foly exclaimed exuberantly, and Corran could hear the pitter-patter of her hooves against the ground as she kicked out.

“Yeah!” Swakan, the red-eyed Ral’ka agreed. “We can’t fix his eyes, but we can make it like we did. It’s what we’re best at!”

Chell spoke up as it was her habit to explain, “We made you think Nelli was sick so she could go out to the plain and we could let Corran see what she sees, and it would look the same ‘cause she’s human. He never got to see what Haven looks like, an’ he helped find it for us. We though he should…he’s been such a fun teacher.”

“And you, Tolly?” Olive demanded, though his voice seemed to have lost some of its harshness. “What have you got to add?”

“Corran’s our friend. We just wanted to give him something no one else could,” Tolly said quietly. “We didn’t mean to make him cry.”

Corran touched his fingers to his cheek and sat up in wonderment when he felt damp skin. He swallowed noisily and grabbed hold of Olive as soon as he came near. “It’s ok, Olive. It—it’s a nice thought; it just caught me off guard. It was…beautiful…”

“Hurrah!” Foly shouted at the top of her lungs. “It worked, it worked!”

“Alright, kids, let’s head back, I don’t think we’re going to accomplish much today,” Corran instructed them, trying to keep his voice and his knees from shaking too visibly.

“Are you ok?” asked Olive.

“Happy as a Hutt taking a face plant in a vat of nurf-stew,” Corran muttered.

Olive sighed, “You know, I never understood that saying.”

Later that morning Mirax returned to their living quarters to find Ben, Sorcha, Shane and Valin playing in the living room, watched by Olive. Even though all the children were concentrating intently on some exercises Luke had taught them to improve their accuracy, Mirax was struck by the awkward air that hung heavily in the room—usually the children were more than eager to use the Force.

“Olive, where’s Corran?” Mirax asked, casually dropping her coat on a chair.

Olive made a little burbling rumble in the back of his throat that Mirax had come to associate with him trying to hide something from the children. “He’s in the shower, but…I think he wanted to talk to you,” he said pointedly, gesturing meaningfully to the refresher with his snout.

“His studentses gave ‘im a present today,” Shane said solemnly.

“He wa’ surprised,” Sorcha added.

“Don’t wait for him to get out,” Ben interjected, his face troubled, “He’s very upset.”

Olive snuffled in disgust, “Honestly, how am I supposed to shield you from life if you keep doing that?”

“I didn’t know,” Valin mumbled, clearly upset. “What’s wrong? He’s been in there for almost hour and the way he feels in the Force is…kinda weird.”

“Just—just wait, I’ll go check up on him. I’m sure he’s fine,” Mirax told them, hurrying to the shower. She slipped into the refresher and paused just inside the threshold. If the shower had indeed been on for an hour it should have been a lot warmer than it was, but if anything it was cooler than the rest of the apartment. “Corran?” she called gently, easing back the curtain.

There he was, propped precariously against the wall shivering under the spray of icy-cold water. “Mirax?” he asked through chattering teeth.

“What in the Void are you doing?” Mirax demanded, snapping off the water and throwing the curtain open. Snagging a towel she wrapped it snugly around his shoulders and helped him to step out of the stall. She helped him sit on the floor when it seemed he might not make it much further. “What happened? The Skywalker kids said your students gave you a present—that’s no reason to give yourself hypothermia!”

“They let me see, Mirax,” Corran cut in, his voice a hoarse whisper. “They showed me some part of Haven, I don’t know where. It was amazing, it was … beautiful …” Corran’s voice drifted off as he laid his head on his folded knees.

“Oh, sweetie,” Mirax murmured, “they were just—”

“I know, I know. My Life-Day present. I should be impressed, it was very convincing. It…it was just such a shock. They didn’t warn me and-and-I don’t know. I was still shaking when I got home so I took a shower to relax,” he finished lamely, snorting in disgust at his reaction and his inability to explain it.

Mirax didn’t respond at first, she just stroked his hair and kept her arm around his shoulders to try and warm him up. Eventually she said, “Most people take warm baths. I mean, maybe it’s just me but that’s what I heard was the popular method.”

Corran tried not to laugh but gave up fairly quickly, “Yes, true, but it was cold when I first got in and it felt good for some reason.”

“Why is it you suddenly like the cold,” Mirax asked.

Corran shrugged indifferently, “All part of a theme I guess, it’s usually cold in the dark.”

“What do you mean by that?” Mirax insisted.

“Nothing, never mind,” Corran muttered sullenly. “Can you help me to our room? I think I want to lie down for a bit.”

“Sure,” Mirax responded though she didn’t sound too sure about his flippant cast off of her concern. She helped him to bed and was mildly surprised when he almost immediately fell asleep. Then she snorted softly to herself—it was what he did nearly every night nowadays anyway. Not that it was his fault, according to Luke he was holding up remarkably well for someone who had lost the ability to use the Force probably for the rest of his life. Still, he behaved like he had lost everything about himself along with those abilities and she knew that was not true. She married him for so many other reasons than that, and she just wished he would remember them too.

Pausing at the doorway to their bedroom, she looked back at him over her shoulder. Maybe that was why Luke insisted that he teach those children and help with the administration of Haven, to remind him of all the other skills he had. Or maybe it was just to keep him busy so he would not dwell on his depression too much. Either way, it was a short-sighted delaying tactic, and she did not feel like watching her husband slip away into the dark. She wasn’t going to just wait for it to come.

* * *

“Good morning, Mirax,” Leia said cheerfully. “How’s Corran’s Life-Day going so far?”

Mirax smiled pleasantly at Leia as she strolled in to see the suspended leader of the New Republic. The suspension was almost up; Leia was set to return in two days so she had decided to spend the remainder of her time on Haven with her children before she headed back. “I need to talk to you about him, actually.”

“What about?” Leia asked, gesturing Mirax to a chair. Mirax shut the door behind her and took a seat, trying to find where to begin. “Is there something wrong with Corran?”

“Nothing more than what has been wrong with him for a while…except that now it’s getting worse and I need your help,” Mirax explained.

Leia’s eyebrows raised in mild confusion, “My help? Mirax, you and Corran are my friends but I don’t think we’re that close. If you want someone to council him—”

“That’s not what I need,” Mirax interrupted impatiently. “I need to get him back what he lost. Before we lose all of him.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Mirax stopped, and then quickly decided that if Leia was going to help her she needed to know why. “He keeps saying he’s in the dark, and I don’t think he’s referring to what his eyes can see. Today he said he likes the cold, and when I asked him why, he just said it was cold in the dark. I don’t understand for sure what he means, but I can guess. I need to know, Leia, what’s being done for him? Or if anything can be done, so I can do it.”

Leia compressed her lips and nodded, “I’m not going to mince words with you, Mirax, I’m just going to tell you what Luke’s told me: we don’t know what to do for him. All the old lore says that Jedi that had this done to them eventually die, or kill themselves. Does it seem like he might be thinking of suicide?”

Mirax looked up sharply and shook her head, “I don’t know. Right now I think he’s too apathetic to do anything about his situation. At least if he were trying to kill himself it would prove he was actually willing to do something with his life.”

“That’s not a very good best scenario,” Leia commented dryly.

“No, it’s not,” Mirax agreed emphatically, “Which is why I’m here. I want to go back to Courscant with you.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay and support Corran?” Leia asked.

Mirax barked out a derisive laugh, “Not really, all I’m doing here is fighting with Lando over acquiring what supplies where, and babysitting a husband who doesn’t seem to know I’m there half the time. I think I could be doing something much more constructive than either of those things.”

“What do you hope to accomplish on Coruscant?” asked Leia, leaning back in her chair.

“I already told you,” Mirax said impatiently, “I need to get Corran back what he lost, whatever the means.”

Chapter IV

“Thank you for coming out here to find her,” Luke told Karrde the next day, shaking his hand with sincere appreciation. “You had a long way to go to get here.”

“Well, if you hadn’t asked I would have come anyway, you know that,” Karrde said with one of his carefully controlled smiles.

Luke smiled back briefly as they walked to the bridge on Bairn of Hope. “That’s what I figured.”

“So,” Karrde asked after the conversation took a moment’s pause, “where are you off to now?”

“Who wants to know?” Luke asked, throwing the former information smuggler a knowing grin.

Karrde shrugged, his face, as per usual, unreadable, “A lot of people, though honestly I’m just asking out of personal curiosity.”

“Of course,” Luke agreed, and then shrugged. “I have an obstinate Jedi who ran off a while ago that I haven’t been able to track down for some time. I need to find him, and I want to try doing it while things have cooled down.”

“You wouldn’t be talking about one Wurth Skidder, would you?”

Luke stopped and glared at Karrde in mild exasperation, “You damn well know I am. Where have your obscenely far reaching operatives seen him last, if I might ask?”

“I received reports that a man who was almost certainly identified as a Jedi landed on Baf. He fits Wurth’s description and behavioural patterns,” Karrde informed him.

“What do you mean by behavioural patterns?” Luke asked, trying not to question why Karrde would bother investigating Jedi in the first place.

Karrde responded, “Let’s just say Mr. Skidder has an easily identifiable style.”

“Yeah, I figured that one a while ago,” Luke remarked wryly. “Do you think he’s still on Baf?”

“Quite sure, he was picked up by the local authorities a few months back,” Karrde assured him.

“What?” Luke exclaimed, grabbing Karrde’s arm. “Why didn’t you tell me one of my Jedi had been arrested?”

“Because I found out yesterday. I haven’t been able to talk to this informant for a while, and since I was close by I decided to get in touch. I would have told you earlier but you were with Mara and there wasn’t much you could have done at the time until she was off planet, unless you were willing to leave her there,” Karrde explained patiently.

Luke restrained a frustrated growl, “Well, thank you for the information. Will you be coming with us?”

“No,” Karrde said, shaking his head just as Luke reached the last door before the bridge. “Since I’m in this part of space, I think I might look into a few other things personally before I go. I’ll leave some codes with you that you can use to contact me if you need to and all the information I have on Skidder’s disappearance.”

“Thanks. May the Force be with you,” Luke said as he accepted a data card from him.

“You too. And contact me if anything changes with Mara,” Karrde added as he left for his shuttle.

“I hope I can,” Luke murmured when Karrde was out of earshot and then he entered the bridge.

“Does he even know why Wurth would have been arrested? Or is Baf one of those pesky worlds where you can be charged for being an ass?” Han asked as he and Luke headed to their rooms later that day. “’Cause he’s defiantly chargeable with that.”

Luke shrugged, “Apparently he didn’t try all that hard to keep his Jedi identity a secrete. He had his lightsaber out only slightly less than a half hour after arriving; he just didn’t say directly to anyone that he was a Jedi. I think he just assumed that since it was a backwater that no one would recognize a Jedi when they saw one. Apparently, he was wrong. The planetary government got wind of him and who he was, they took him into custody and none of Karrde’s people have been able to track him down since.”

“So what are you going to do?” Han asked. “How are you going to find him when Karrde can’t? No offence but he’s been at this for a while longer than you.”

Luke grinned in a decidedly predatory manner, “Cyan’s going to look for him.”

“Ah,” Han nodded, and then shuddered slightly when he thought of the carnage of Cyan’s search approach. “You sure that’s the message you want to send?”

“That’s exactly the message I want to send,” Luke said firmly. “We have offered aid to any world who wishes to fight against the Cragon, even if they just want to stay neutral and the Cragon are trying to take over. But if they don’t want to have anything to do with us, we leave them alone, no matter what side they’re on. Wurth, though he wasn’t entirely peaceful, was arrested on a non-Cragon world simply because he was a Jedi. And I don’t think he is being kept in entirely comfortable circumstances, not if the research Karrde’s people have done on the planet is correct. That I won’t tolerate, and the quicker and louder that message gets out the better. An angry dragon makes quite the impression. If they don’t hand him over, they’ll find out why.”

Han snorted and shook his head, “Remind me never to kidnap any of your students.”

“Certainly,” Luke agreed, keying the door to his room. “Hey, how long are going to stay with Bairn?”

“I’m not sure, Leia’s already gone back to Coruscant, so I thought I might hang out here for a while,” Han told him as the door to Luke’s quarters slide open. “I’ll let you know when I know where I’m going. Hey, uh, speaking of wives, when are you going to tell Mara you two are hitched?”

Luke sighed and leaned against the doorjamb. “I’m not sure. I don’t know if that’s going to be distracting or put extra pressure on her or what.”

“Right, sure,” Han commented drolly. “Probably for the best. I’ll see ya tomorrow, kid.”

“G’night,” Luke called over his shoulder. Walking through the threshold, he blinked at the dime interior. “Mara?” he called, switching on the main light. He heard a relieved sounding twerp coming from the kitchenette and glanced around the counter. “Artoo? Where’s Mara?” R2-D2 responded with a series of exasperated twerps and toots, the translation of which appeared on a data card rigged to the little astromech droid’s side. “She’s hiding in her bed?” Artoo moaned an affirmative, and further stated that whenever he had gone in to offer her food she had pulled the pillow over her head until he had gone away. “Uh-huh. Well, thanks for watching her for me, anyway. Did you actually make her food? Good, you want to help me bring it in? I think all she needs is to be introduced. I tried to explain to her that I wouldn’t let anyone that would hurt her come near her, but skepticism seems to be a genetic trait.” Artoo blathered something that sounded mildly sardonic. Luke smiled, “Yes, I realize the new Mara seems to be the antithesis of the old Mara, but the new Mara’s only life experiences so far have been waking up at the bottom of a very large cliff and running for her life. What do you think you would be like under those circumstances?” Artoo totted flippantly and Luke glared at him. “No, I don’t think she’s an evil clone sent to infiltrate us, I probably would have noticed that by now.” Artoo made an electronic snort and then trundled forward when Luke placed a tray of food on his dome.

“Mara?” Luke called again as he walked into their bedroom. He started sleeping on the couch when she came on board, which he figured would be the best idea. They weren’t on speaking terms before the accident happened and he didn’t think she would take it too favourable if when she got her memory back she found out he had ignored that part and just behaved as if there was no issue between them. The other option would be to explain what had happened now, but he didn’t think that would do much more than confuse her—she couldn’t remember why she had done what she had done, and there was no telling how she would take it.

She heard him come in and sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest and regarding him with weary, sleepless eyes. “Luke?”

“It’s me,” Luke said to her, switching on the light. “What are you still doing in bed, sleepyhead? It’s almost supper time.”

“I didn’t know what to do,” Mara said as Luke sat next to her on the bed and lifted the tray from Artoo’s dome and set it on the bed beside her. “Is that your droid?”

“It is indeed. And if you get in trouble, there’s no one better to have at your side, I assure you,” Luke informed her, kicking off his boots.

Mara nodded, though as usual she didn’t look like she entirely believed him. “Is that for me?” she asked, looking hopefully at the tray.

“Of course! Have you eaten all day? You look half-starved,” Luke exclaimed, just as mystified as ever at the coyness in the new Mara, something he had rarely seen in the old.

Mara shifted uncomfortably as she reached for some of the food, “I didn’t know if I was allowed.”

“Yes, you’re allowed,” Luke told her, chuckling. “This is your room.”

Mara nodded and then asked around a mouthful of mynock steak, “Why don’t you sleep in your room?”

“Would you want me to?” Luke asked, trying not to make the comment teasing.

“No!” she said emphatically. Then, as if she had just realized she might have offended him, she stammered, “I mean, you can if you want, it’s just—”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to help you get better, remember? That’s a lot easier if I’m around,” Luke remarked. She giggled a little and then covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, she laughs! Well, that’s new.”

“Shhh! Don’t make fun!” Mara laughed, shoving him playfully in the arm. “It’s all just so much, I don’t know what to make of it all.”

Luke laughed and sat back, propping his upper body upon his elbows. “If it makes you feel any better, sometimes I can’t make sense of it all, and I remember where I am.”

“No, it doesn’t make me feel better but less alone, which I suppose will have to be enough,” Mara said thoughtfully, taking another big bite of mynock steak. They sat in silence as Mara hungrily devoured her supper. Luke watched her eat, smiling to himself as she ate with the same abandon as she always had—often had he heard her mutter insults of people who attempted to look good while they eat. She tucked a wayward strain of half red, half blue hair behind her ear and then absently scratched the back of her neck. No, Luke decided, the new Mara was not the antithesis of the old, probably just an earlier version. Perhaps what Mara might have been like if she hadn’t been raised by the Emperor. Well, maybe she wouldn’t have been quite this timid, but she wasn’t so alien as everyone found her.

Mid-chew she finally realized how hard he was looking at her. She paused and her right eyebrow quirked and Luke laughed. “Mara, you haven’t forgotten everything, it’s right on the tip of your tongue.”

“Uh-huh,” she grunted, then swallowed her last bite. “If you say so.”

“I don’t say so, I know so,” Luke stated and got to his feet, offering her his hand.

She grasped it and pulled herself to her feet and brushed the few crumbs that had fallen on her to the floor. “Are we going somewhere?

“Yep,” he confirmed, “get dressed, I want to try something.”

Once she had changed into something more suitable, he took her down to the training centre located in the middle of the ship. It was late by then so there were few others around. Mostly those who had come to meditate somewhere private yet out of their rooms or some of the nocturnal species living on the ship. More than a few were becoming a little tired of sitting in their quarters whenever there wasn’t a battle or training session to go to. Bairn was decidedly lacking in entertainment facilities.

“So, what is it you wanted to try?” Mara asked, strolling casually to the centre of a large rectangular chamber. The floor was covered with firm rubber mats except for one section that stretch out for about a metre from the back wall.

“I was wondering which room you would go to,” Luke commented, walking in behind her. “I figured you’d pick this one. Do you know what it’s used for?”

She shook her head, hugging her arms together, “No, not really. Do you exercise here?”

“That’s what this whole section is for basically,” Luke explained. “This is the sparring room.”

“Sparring? Did I do that?” she asked.

Luke nodded. “You were very good, I assure you. I was just wondering if you could still do any of it. I mean, you didn’t forget everything you knew; you can still talk, dress yourself, all that. Fighting is something you’ve done for probably just as long as those things, I thought we’d give it a try. It’s a place to start anyway.”

“You want to fight?” she demanded nervously.

“Not fight, spar,” Luke told her. “That’s different, we’re not trying to hurt each other, we’re just practicing. You and I could spar like we really were fighting someone and not hurt each other. I’m not suggesting we get that into it, I just want to test, see how much you remember. Don’t worry, if you don’t remember any of it, I’ll figure it out quickly enough.”

“This isn’t going to end with you accidentally punching me in the face, is it?” she asked wryly.

Luke laughed and shook his head. “I sincerely doubt it. Now just relax, I’m going to give a few test jabs, they won’t even come close to hitting your face, I promise. Just try and defend yourself as if they were.”

“Alright, I guess,” Mara said shaking out her hands and instinctively dropped into a combat stance. Luke grinned—she was going to do just fine.

He started out easy, and though she overreacted in blocking them most of the time, she never missed. Giving her lots of encouragement, he then stepped up his attack, gradually increasing the difficulty, giving her lots of time to adapt. As they went, he wondered if he needed to bother, he probably could have thrown something the old Mara would have had a bit of a hard time with and she would have been fine. She was starting to get the rhythm too, and he picked up the pace. They had been fighting for a fair bit of time and Luke was still impressed though not overly surprised—the old Mara was in there, she just didn’t feel like showing her face just yet.

He decided to call it quits and as a finish he threw a rather aggressive roundhouse, but didn’t withdraw quite as quickly as he should have. She easily leaned out of harms way and deflected the blow away from her face. Consequently, when she grabbed his arm and managed to flip him neatly over her shoulder and onto his back he didn’t even get the chance to defend himself. She was on him in a flash, one hand at his throat and the other drawn back, ready to strike while she straddled his legs. Luke lay stunned for a moment and then laughed.

“That was excellent!” he exclaimed, rubbing his throat absently when she let go and sat back expectantly.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she asked suddenly, as if just realizing she might have caused him harm.

Luke grinned and shook his head reassuringly. “No, I’ve had that done to me more times than I can count, many of those by you, I might add. You’ve always been good at that and I left myself wide open.”

“Serves you right, then,” Mara said imperiously, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Is that all we’re going to do?”

“For today,” Luke confirmed, trying to ignore where she was sitting and how good she always looked after a good workout. “I know you got the all clear from Cilghal, but there’s no use pushing it too far.”

She nodded then got to her feet. “Luke, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it, then shook her head. “Never mind.”

“C’mon,” Luke encouraged her, pushing himself to his feet. “You can ask me anything you want.”

She pushed the same errant strand of hair behind her ear and then ask hurriedly, “Why do I sometimes feel like I know exactly what someone’s feeling? Or sometimes I’m so sure someone’s about to walk into the room and then they do?”

Luke nodded, unsurprised. He was wondering when she would ask about that, though he was fairly sure that wasn’t what she was originally going to ask. “That’s the Force.”

“That isn’t all you’re going to tell me, is it?” she asked.

“No!” Luke exclaimed, laughing. “No, but I can’t just explain the Force to you in one sitting. Actually, I don’t think anyone has ever come up with an all encompassing definition that works. I want to ease you back into that knowledge gradually; the Force can be dangerous if used improperly. Just know that you can trust it, and it will only fail you if you lose faith in it. Just relax and it will come to you and give you guidance when you need it.”

She nodded slowly, “Thanks, it was starting to freak me out.”

“Yeah, I can see how it would,” Luke agreed. He tossed her a towel and then grabbed one of his own and wiped the sweat from his face before asked, “Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?”

“No,” she said, almost sounding defeated, “not now.”

Chapter V

Cyan turned to Luke and raised a brow, commenting, “Obi-Wan was wrong about one thing, I think we have found a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

“You may be right,” Luke said, nodding glumly as he, Cyan and Han exited Baf’s main space port.

“Yeeeah,” Han drawled. “Kid, this place makes Nar-Shadda look like Alderaan. Why in the cold black void would Wurth come here?”

“I think he was looking for something, I just wish I knew what,” Luke said, slipping past a large thong of people on the narrow, soiled sidewalk.

Cyan snorted, “If Wurth found what he thought he was looking for, we probably wouldn’t have needed Karrde to tell us where he was. It would have made the holonet, even out here.”

“True,” Luke agreed absently, his eyes drifting over the thongs of pedestrians. “Have you guys noticed that there are an awful lot of humans around here?”

“And not a Chiss in sight,” Han added, suddenly becoming aware of the phenomenon.

Cyan sniffed suspiciously, “Besides the somewhat unpleasant scenery, why would all Chiss avoid this place? We’ve found them on far less civilized worlds.”

“I don’t know, it’s just…” Luke paused, trying to identify the elusive, yet unsettling feeling niggling at the back of his skull since he first laid eyes on Baf “I feel almost as though I’ve been here before.”

“You haven’t,” Cyan assured his padmiri, a little perturbed that he hadn’t picked up on Luke’s feelings.

Luke shrugged, “I know I haven’t, maybe it just means I’m supposed to be here.”

“Oh, that means trouble,” Han declared.

Cyan growled in annoyance, “Why do you always say that whenever Luke senses something—”

“First of all, because something bad always happens whenever he says something like that. Secondly,” he added much more pronouncedly, pointing ahead to several uniform clad men heading towards them with drawn blasters, “I was actually just referring to them.”

“Oh,” Luke exclaimed mildly.

“What do we do?” Cyan demanded, his ridge flattening as he unfurled his wings. “Should we fight or run?”

“Neither,” Luke said calmly, “we let them take us.”

* * *

“I really appreciated you bringing me with you.”

“No problem,” Leia assured Mirax as they approached Coruscant in Mirax’s ship, the Pulsar Skate. “I’m feeling surprisingly like a ruthless politician and any help you want to give me in dealing with Blacksky is more than welcome.”

Mirax smiled grimly then shrugged, “Well, I’m a little out of my element when it comes to politics, so I think you may be doing most of the work.”

“You know what? I don’t think this is going to be won with straight politics. Oh, sure,” Leia went on after Mirax threw her a troubled glance, “in the end that’s what we’ll use. But Blacksky is an experienced politician and it won’t be easy to find an opening without doing some outside digging. We need evidence that can hold up in a criminal investigation, and we certainly won’t be finding that in any official spheres.”

“So…does that mean we’ll be working in my sphere of influence?” Mirax asked slyly.

Now it was Leia’s turn to grin, “You could say that.”

* * *

“Please?” Ben intoned, grabbing Corran’s sleeve and tugging incessantly.

Wisp grabbed the other sleeve and repeated, “Pleeee-aaaaase?”

Corran sighed in exasperation and gave up, “All right, but only if Olive and I go with you.”

“You don’t have too,” Wisp said and Corran snorted.

“No, he should,” Ben interrupted, sounding thoughtful. “It feels like he should.”

“And he can get away from the base. Just because you’re wife isn’t here doesn’t mean you get to be a hermit,” Olive commented, nudging Corran’s shoulder with his snout in mild reprimand.

Corran laughed at their insistence, “Fine! I said yes, didn’t I?”

“Hmm…” was all Olive responded as he handed Corran his coat. Ever since Mirax left with Leia, Olive took it upon himself to see that Corran kept active. “We’ll see how enthusiastic you are once we’re airborne.”

“Airborne? C’mon, Olive…”

“I need to stretch my wings or I won’t be able to use them when I really need to,” Olive replied, unperturbed by Corran’s dismay. “Besides, I wasn’t made to walk. I run, or I fly.”

“Cyan walks really well,” Ben pointed out as they exited the Haven Compound.

Olive sighed, “Yes, well, Cyan has a padmiri to work with him and make him get good at those sorts of things.”

“Do you wish you had a padmiri, Ollie?” Wisp asked.

“Of course, don’t you?” Olive asked Wisp, surprised she did not know.

Wisp giggled and clambered aboard Olive’s back once Ben had secured the straps on the large saddle made to accommodate multiple passengers. “I don’t need a padmiri, I got Ben to be my best friend.”

Olive sighed, “A padmiri is a little different than a friend. It’s like the difference between a best friend and someone you’re married to. Not even death can keep you apart.”

“So? I know Ben and I will be together forever, no matter what,” Wisp said confidently, grinning at him as he sat behind her and strapped himself in.

“I don’t think any of us know what it’s like to have a padmiri except Cyan. An’ you know what, Ollie? It’s good that you don’t have one ‘cause that means you get to stay with us,” Ben pointed out in his usual sombre manner. “It’s nice to know at least someone will stick around.”

Olive didn’t answer Ben’s comment right away. Crouching low, he pushed off as hard as he could to get enough airspace to produce the all important first down stroke. Once they had climbed high enough that Olive could fly level, he reply carefully, “I don’t go away because those who love you want a dragon near to protect you because they can’t be here themselves. If your mum and da didn’t have to fight, they would be here.”

“Mum doesn’t want to be here,” Ben said in the same tone as before. “She ran away and hid, and won’t even come up when da went looking for her.”

“That’s not true, Ben. Your mum got really hurt, but now she’s with your da and she’s going to get better. Just because she doesn’t remember you doesn’t mean the part of her that still knows you’re her son doesn’t love you anymore,” Corran stated, gripping the back of the saddle firmly in his hands to keep his balance.

Ben replied, “You don’t get it. She’s hiding and she won’t come out until she has to.”

“She’ll be ok, Ben,” Olive insisted, not really understanding what the boy meant—he could be so cryptic at times. “It’s just going to take some time.”

Ben did not answer so Olive continued to fly, pumping a little faster then he had too since the usual sense of freedom he felt when airborne was now lost.

“Why did you want to go down the canyon today anyways, you two?” Corran asked once the silence seemed to carry on for a little too long.

Wisp giggled, as usual not picking up on the awkward situation. “Ben said he felt like we should be here today.”

“Of course,” Corran said with a smile, “I should have guessed. Keep that up, Ben, and you’ll always be in the right place at the right time.”

“I hope,” Ben said softly.

Olive took them to where the canyon began to gradually rise and then spread out onto a broad plain. He circled, gradually getting closer and closer to the ground until his speed slacked enough for him to control his landing. “I hope we don’t scare off the stripped gazelle. They seem to have figured out that I like to eat them.”

“Gosh, Ollie, why would that make them nervous?” Corran asked, smiling as he waited for the kids to help him dismount.

“Come in with us!” Wisp called to Corran as she and Ben shirked out of their clothes and bolted for a small spring that several of the gazelle were drinking from.

“That’s ok,” Corran told her, laughing as he felt his way around the buckles to Olive’s saddle and slipped it off the dragon’s back. “I won’t know where the shore is, and virgin eyes such as yours don’t need to see a wet, naked, forty-five year old body. I may not be able to tell what I look like, but I’ve still got a little bit of modesty left.”

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Olive quipped before taking a giant leap into the spring.

Corran smiled and settled into coarse grass that bordered the spring, trusting Olive to spot any trouble before it arrived. He propped his back against Olive’s saddle and closed his eyes, dozing in the late afternoon sun.

The air had cooled slightly by the time Ben, Olive and Wisp decided to come out of the water. “We should have come sooner,” Wisp complained. “It’s almost too cool to dry now.”

“Nonsense,” Olive said derisively, fanning out his scales and shaking most of the water from his body. “Besides, we brought towels, you’ll be fine. In fact, if you don’t mind, I think all that swimming made me hungry.”

“The gazelle will be gone in a week,” Corran declared sleepily.

Wisp giggled and spread out her towel beside Corran. “Where’s Valin?”

“What time is it?”

“Just past 18:00.”

“He’s still in class then,” Corran said, letting his eyes drift shut again. “We don’t have to be back for another half and hour so if you kids want to nap in the sun, I’m certainly alright with it.”

They settled in and enjoyed the last rays of the evening sun. Olive watched them from the air for a moment, doing a lazy circle to make sure there was no danger nearby and to scope out the best method of attack on the herd of gazelle. He could drive them into the canyon, except that Corran and the children would probably be trampled to death in the process, so that possibility was eliminated fairly quickly. The only other option would be to come at the herd from the canyon, except that would drive them out onto the plain where they would have flat ground and plenty of running room. On the other hand, they also would be without cover, and he felt like a bit of a chase. Frankly, Olive was surprised nothing else had chased the gazelle off already; from what he could see they had been there for quite some time. Dismissing it as luck, Olive dipped towards the herd with a bellow—if he was going to hunt, it might as well be a good one.

Ben lay on his back, his eyes turned skyward as well. Olive had long since disappeared from his line of sight, but the small boy was uninterested in watching the dragon hunt—he had seen it enough. Corran seemed to have already drifted off again, and Wisp looked fit to join him. Oddly Ben did not feel sleepy in the least. Looking up at the sky he felt a little jolt of excitement run through him. It was the same sensation he got when a storm was coming, yet somehow this felt different. The sky was deeper somehow, more like he was looking into the depths of a great ocean and there was nothing to stop him from plunging in.

Disconcerted, Ben sat up and was met face to face with one of the canines that liked to hunt the stripped gazelle. It was scarcely a metre away, crouched close to the ground, ready to pounce. Ben sat frozen, not knowing what to do, wondering frantically how the canine had managed to sneak up on him and how he was going to deal with it. He knew the moment he made a noise the canine would pounce and he did not think he could push it to the side hard enough to keep it from reaching them. He tried to summon the Force to trick its mind—if he could make Cyan and Olive think he wasn’t there, and then maybe he could convince the canine of the same thing. Yet as much as he tried to call on the Force, he was too frightened and all he could focus on was the canine’s unblinking eyes. The canine lowered its crouch just slightly and Ben screamed, knowing he was no match for the predator. It leapt into the air, it’s lips pulled away from its yellow fangs and a vicious snarl rumbling from its throat—

—A snarl that changed to a whimper when Olive dove from the sky, ramming into the canine and driving it to the ground. It struggled briefly, then Olive bit down on its neck and with a quick twist of his head ended the canine’s life.

“Son of a Sith!” Corran exclaimed, woken by Ben’s scream. “What just happened?”

“One of the canines tried to attack you after I drove away the herd it was hunting,” Olive explained, glancing disgustedly at the corpse. “I thought it was weird that the herd had sat so long in one place, I figured it was just luck and went after them myself. Then I remembered that the canines usually waited until dusk and dawn to do their hunting and after I had driven the herd off I decided to make sure none were hanging around here. Once when I was hunting with Cyan, three of them attacked him after he had brought down a big buck.”

“Just fearless enough to attack a couple of sleeping humans and a Chiss,” Corran commented sardonically. “Wisp, Ben, are you two all right?”

“I’m ok, but Ben still looks scared,” Wisp said, moving beside her friend and giving him a hug.

Olive crooned sympathetically. “Don’t worry, Ben, I got him. And if I hadn’t come you could have stopped him with the Force no problem.”

“B-but I couldn’t,” Ben whispered.

“What do you mean?” Corran asked gently. “I was told that you’ve shifted things plenty bigger and moving much faster than that canine could have managed.”

“But I couldn’t!” Ben cried, holding on to Wisp. “I was scared and I couldn’t feel the Force.”

“Oh! Oh, Ben, that’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Corran reassured him, reaching over and squeezing the boy’s shoulder reassuringly. “We’ve all frozen up out of fear at some point in our lives. It could have happened to any—”

“No! I mean I couldn’t feel the Force at all! It’s like I couldn’t use it ever!”

Chapter VI

“Isn’t it radiant? For all the technology, pollution and decay we have poured onto her, Coruscant can still amaze with her natural beauty. It’s always the sunrise that gets me. I feel as though I share some sort of affinity with that star, who simply by being dictates the tempo of the civilized galaxy. Her power, her blazing glory—often ignored—is essential to the order of things. Any change in the sun, and the effects are felt everywhere. When she was born, she spawned the most influential world ever known. When she goes out, it will be a darkness that ends all light. She and I are the essential piece of forgotten power that the rules of this galaxy—no matter who they are—cannot do without. Don’t you agree, Saellah?”

“You are very poetic, Senator Blacksky,” was all Saellah replied. She was unusually pale for a Chiss, with delicate features and almond shaped eyes. It was a complexion that had helped to ingrate her with many of the Chiss and Chisgon elite. Now she was stuck on this putrid, rotting metropolis that was covered in the arrogant descendents of those who had nearly destroyed her people. The damn planet didn’t even have any of its own trees left.

Blacksky kept her eyes on the broad view port looking out from her office on the third highest floor in the Rellsi Hotel, one of the most prominent Hotels on Courscant. “You know, as much as you Cragon try and pretend you’re different than your Chiss brethren, you’re really just the same people with different ideas about the way fate should work. And that, my dear, is why the Cragon will rule. Those who have the drive to succeed always wind up on top. Well, with a little help, of course.”

“For which you have been more than amply compensated,” Saellah pointed out.

Blacksky smiled. “Yes. Saellah, my dear, it is one thing to see and empathise with the sun, it is quite another to know what it feels inside.”

“I’m sure it’s spectacular,” Saellah murmured.

Blacksky’s smile deepened. “So…what are you here to tell me today?”

“President Leia Organa Solo is returning to Coruscant. One of our infiltrators overheard her speaking to Mirax Terrick-Horn of her intention to confront you and take back what was stolen from Master Horn.”

“Corran Horn, Saellah, no longer Master. He is just the meat on his bones now, no more special than I was. And he shall remain that way, but I—” Blacksky touched her finger just behind her ear, “—have the ambition, and the power, to keep what is now mine. Let Organa Solo return, I’ve learned to use the Force to a much greater degree since she left. Even if she manages to get an order for me to be tested, it will not be difficult to…change the doctor’s mind.”

“And if the verdict is delivered by a droid? What then, Senator?” Saellah demanded, mildly amused by Blacksky’s superior tone.

“Then I believe it is your job to see to it that you do not lose your best asset on this side of the galaxy, Agent Saellah,” Blacksky responded, finally turning from the window to regard the Cragon.

“Of course,” Saellah consented with a small smile. Let Blacksky think whatever she wanted to, if it made her do her job better the Cragon would humour her…so long as it was beneficial to them. “Since I have delivered my information, I had best be going.”

Blacksky nodded, and then raised a dark skinned hand. “Wait. You say Organa Solo was speaking with Corran Horn’s wife?”

“Yes, Mirax Terrick-Horn

“Did her husband come with her?”

“No, we know he’s still at the Jedi base,” Saellah told her, smiling inwardly. If what you have isn’t his anymore, than why are you so afraid that he’ll take it back? “His current mental state is consistent with the historical records we still have concerning the effect one should expect to see in someone of his … unique condition.”

Blacksky nodded, “Those effects end in death, do they not?”

“Not always but the research we salvaged from the last war seems to suggest that death is the likely response.”

“I think you misunderstood,” Blacksky said, levelling her glare at Saellah and then explained with false sweetness, “Those historical tests are the result of many years of research on the part of your ancestors. A theory is only true when any group of people can reproduce it with the same results. So, unless you actually want the lore of your people to not come true—such as the lore that concerns a certain prophecy—then maybe you should make sure that current data coincides with the theories of your ancestors.”

Saellah returned Blacksky’s glare without flinching or betraying any other emotion Blacksky might have found useful. “Corran Horn will die. He will die just as all the Jedi will most assuredly die. The only question is how and my superiors believe that if he does it on his own, the effect on the others will be even greater.”

“Someone should still keep an eye on Mrs. Horn,” Blacksky insisted, turning back to the window.

“You let us worry about who to keep an eye on, Senator,” Saellah recommended, heading for the door, “that is our department after all.”

* * *

“Yes it is,” Mirax assented on the other side of Imperial City. “Which is why I came to you. Leia would come but we felt it would be wiser if she stayed away from any underhanded or not completely official methods in this investigation. I on the other hand have no such qualms.”

“Well, I’m sure that if I didn’t help you, I’d never hear the end of it from Booster,” Talon Karrde commented wryly.

Mirax smiled briefly before getting down to business, “So, will you help us?”

“I think I can be of some assistance,” Karrde confirmed. “I have been quietly monitoring more than a few senators for some time now, Blacksky was already on the list. We know that on occasion she disappears from any observable point and we’re still trying to figure out where it is she goes off too. I’ve asked Shadda to take a look at it personally and I’m sure she’ll be happy to have you working with her.”

“Thank you. Ah, have you found anything else about Blacksky that might help us?” Mirax asked.

Karrde nodded and answered, “Yes. We’ve determined that she did leave Coruscant for a period of six weeks just days after Corran was captured on Cragon’s Pride. Her records officially state that she went back to Duros, but we’ve yet to confirm that. None of her accounts have changed in any suspicious way but there have been some rather marked changes in her behaviour that may or may not be telling.”

Mirax frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Well, since her absence she’s become much more aggressive in the Senate, pulling people to her side in arguments where it seems somewhat irrational or premature for them to capitulate. She also seems to have started gambling more than she used to. Not only that, but her winning streak is defying the laws of statistics.”

“Hmm, why ad a suspicious sum of money to her account which can be traced, when you can just give her the ability to increase her position all on her own,” Mirax said, nodding grimly. “And I bet I know how she does it.”

Karrde raised an eyebrow and commented dryly, “Yes, it is fortunate that they try and instil all those unselfish morals into Jedi. They could make a fortune on the stock market.” Mirax shot Karrde a dirty look and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. “So, anyways, I was thinking the best route would be for you to try and figure out exactly where she went for those six weeks, while Shadda investigates where Blacksky’s been disappearing to here on Coruscant.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Mirax demanded.

“Go to Duros and have a chat with her alibi.”

“Who’s her alibi?” Mirax asked.

Karrde sighed, “Her dedicated and slightly fanatical husband.”

* * *

“Well, if the President had been prudent enough to stay up to date during her suspension, she would understand that the situation has changed,” Blacksky commented blandly during the first meeting of the Senate upon Leia’s return.

Leia pressed the tips of her fingers together under the table and ran through a Jedi calming meditation. The meeting started ten minutes ago and already Blacksky was aggravating her. With a final calming sigh Leia reminded herself that Blacksky could use the Force and was doing so to influence the responses of those around her. Raising a mental shield that Mara had taught her, Leia formulated her reply, “I have kept up to date during my absence, Senator, but that still does not explain why the Water Bill still hasn’t been put into effect on Tatooine. It has been passed for years, there is no reason for the delay.”

“The supplies that were slated to be sent to Tatooine have been diverted to an emergency stockpile,” Blacksky explained as if the answer should have been obvious.

“Emergency stockpile for what?” Leia demanded. “The only sign of a large enough threat to warrant that is a threat this council thus far has refused to acknowledge exists.”

“Another threat has developed since then,” Brosk Fey’lya told her, his fur rippling in irritation.

“Like what?”

Blacksky smiled serenely, “We believe that the little organization your brother is commanding has shown a strong possibility of attacking us.”

Leia blinked, stunned. “Are you actually serious?”

“Deadly,” Blacksky assured her. “You of all people should appreciate the dangers of a large group of Jedi running around unchecked.”

Leia snorted derisively, “The Jedi are just as ‘checked’ as they’ve been for years. If any of you were under the impression that this government was doing the checking then you are sadly mistaken. The Jedi have been given special privileges by both the Old and the New Republic precisely because a generalized governmental body made up mostly of non-Jedi cannot grasp the needs of a Force sensitive population. The Jedi pledge themselves to helping all those in need, and are charged with doing whatever is necessary to be effective in that goal.” Leia shrugged noticing that Blacksky was attempting to distract the other senators. Easily blocking the untrained effort, Leia quirked an eyebrow at her adversary, “It’s the single renegades that are in it for the power that should be worrying us. Certainly not those with proper training.”

“Really?” Blacksky mused, rapping her knuckles across the table. “So what you’re saying is that someone with proper training could never be a threat to us but it is impossible to master the Force on your own?”

Leia shook her head, outwardly calm. Inwardly she was growing more and more worried. If Blacksky was tapping into the Dark Side, and unless they did something about her, she would eventually become very powerful. “That’s not what I’m saying. What I meant is that the Jedi are under the same rules as they were when they were members of the New Republic, and with proper training in the Force you are much more likely to choose the right path. It’s the people who seek power in the Force for the sake of that power who eventually become people like Palpatine.”

Blacksky looked as though she was about to respond but the Chandrilla senator Paal Brouyaquia interrupted, “Could we please get back to the matter at hand? As interesting as the ethics of the Jedi are to the rest of us, I do not believe they are entirely relevant. There has been a great deal of support in the past, including yourself President, in favour of creating an emergency stockpile. Once we have garnered enough supplies shipment to Tatooine—and other systems that have had their imports shortened—will resume as before.”

“If that is the will of the majority, then so be it,” Leia consented. She could sense that many had conflicting views on this bill, but the reasoning for each varied. Blacksky did not have control yet. “I still believe we need to discuss just whom is considered a threat to the New Republic. Since our treaty with the Empire, perhaps it is time to focus our resources on other problems besides just smugglers.”

“I agree, which is why I would like to bring this council’s attention to some reports I’ve received…”

Leia listened to Fey’lya’s point with one half of her mind while the other kept careful watch on Blacksky for the rest of the meeting, thwarting the senator’s attempts to influence the others. Suddenly the two main aspects of Leia’s life were melding together as they never had before.

Chapter VII

“I’m…sure yea be knowin’ why yea’re ‘ere, Master Jedi,” the man drawled as he and several guards sat in room with Luke, Han and Cyan. The only source of light was a small window set high in the wall, silhouetting their interrogator.

Luke shrugged, “No, actually I was unaware that we had violated any laws since landing. We followed all of the procedures sent to us by the landing facili—”

“Shut up!” the interrogator snarled, standing up and blocking the light from the window. He was a slender man with defined cheekbones and short, mousy brown hair on his head and in his moustache. His eyes flickered to each of the three companions, lingering the longest on Cyan and narrowing in barely contained fury. “Before yea came back they were content te leave us alone. They were content te forget this world existed. Now they have te do somethang ‘bout us. We’ll not be lettin’ yea Force Following slime destroy our home!”

“That is not our intention in coming here. We’re simply seeking one of our own who came here for his own reasons,” Luke explained patiently, though what this man was saying was very intriguing. Why would the Cragon suddenly show interest in a world they seem to be avoiding like the plague?

“We have reason to believe he was taken into custody shortly after arriving. We would simply like to know why,” Cyan added more firmly.

Their interrogator snorted, “Nothin’ o’ th’ sort happened. A Jedi was spotted causing trouble near th’ market and then he disappeared. He hasnea been seen since an’ his ship took off two days after he was last sighted. The records say he went te th’ Xeo-Gl’a mining colony.”

“Really?” Han asked, unbelieving.

“Really,” the interrogator confirmed. “Now, since I cannea confirm or deny yer story we’ll be lettin’ yea go on th’ condition that yea leave our world for good an’ move yer ship out of orbit—or we’ll be movin’ it for yea.”

He does realize that this planet doesn’t have the firepower necessary to “be movin’ ” Bairn from orbit, doesn’t he? Cyan asked Luke quickly through the Force.

He’s aware, Luke assured, looking at the interrogator closely. He just doesn’t care. I think he and most of the population of this world would be willing to throw all they have at us if it would get us to go. “Are you certain we couldn’t just be allowed to take a look around the sections where our friend may have been—”

“No, there be nothing’ thar that could be helpin’ yea. Some o’ our officers will be escortin’ yea back te yer shuttle,” the interrogator added, rising from his chair and swiftly exited the clammy room. And that was the end of that. The remaining guards unholstered their blasters and gestured for Han, Luke and Cyan to get up. With two guards in front and two behind, the group made their way briskly back to the spaceport. As they went Han swept his eyes over the muddy sidewalks and dirtier denizens. Just ahead he spotted a young boy with his coat spread out on the street and holding a guitar in his hands. Yet instead of playing it he was gawping at Han, Luke and Cyan. While they had earned more than a few stares as they travelled back to the station, especially Cyan, the boy was looking at them with an intensity that was surprising. Almost as if he wanted to speak to them but was too frightened to do so. Reaching into his pocket, Han found what he was looking for and dropped in on the coat as they went past. The guards behind them hardly gave it a glance.

When they reached the ship the spaceport authority asked for the data card identifying them as the owners of the shuttle. Luke turned to Han, “You had it didn’t you?”

“Oh, yeah,” Han muttered, fishing around in his pocket. After checking them all he smiled sheepishly, “Ah, I think I dropped it somewhere.”

“Here ‘tis,” said the scruffy boy they had passed earlier.

Han grinned and patted the boy on the shoulder, “There you are. I thought we were going to have to leave you behind.”

“Yeah, yea wouldnea be wantin’ that,” the boy said unflinchingly.

“Alright, let’s get on board,” Han said brightly, steering the boy up the ramp.

Luke and Cyan traded a quick glance. “Yeah,” Cyan said.

Once they were up the ramp the dragon caught Han’s shirt sleeve while Luke deftly directed the boy further into the ship—they couldn’t stop now. As the ramp closed and the boy moved out of earshot Cyan asked, “Han, you know we’re all about helping the helpless just as much as you, but we usually don’t just randomly haul the poor onto our ships, especially just after we’ve been ordered out of the system.”

“What, are Jedi the only ones aloud to play hunches?” Han demanded, heading towards the main gathering area where Luke had taken the boy.

Luke’s expression was dark when they entered and he waved Han and Cyan over, “This is Poepoe, and he says he knows what happened to Wurth.”

Cyan glared at Han, “You defy all previously Jedi held notions of luck.”

“I know,” Han said smugly, heading toward the cockpit. “So why don’t you tell Luke and Cyan what happened to our friend Wurth while I left us off, alright kid?”

After Han left Poepoe crossed his arms and said, “Yea gotta promise mea somethin’ first. Mea sistar got put in jail on account o’ helpin’ yer friend out. Ifen I be tellin’ yea where an’ what happened te Wurth, yea gotta get mea sistar out o’ thar.”

“You realize, Poepoe, that we’ve been restricted from going back to the planet. We’ll have to risk our lives just to put you back down later, and we might not be able to get into this prison,” Luke explained.

“Dinnea be given mea that! Yer Jedi, yea can be gettin’ inte just ‘bout any place yea set yer minds te. An’ afte’ yea ‘ear what happened te Wurth, yea’ll wanna be headin’ right back down anyway,” Poepoe said, unfazed.

“You give us too much credit,” Cyan said blandly. “Why don’t we promise to try and free your sister—if we can get to her and your information helps us get our friend back.”

“Ifen yea promise te try, I’ll be tellin’ yea what I know,” Poepoe said. “But I cannea promise that yea’ll get yer friend back, just that yea’ll find him.”

* * *

“I say we go right back down,” Han said later as he, Luke, Cyan, Cilghal, and Kam discussed the information Poepoe had given to them. “For all we know, Wurth could be dead already.”

“I think we would have felt it if he were dead,” Cilghal commented.

Luke sighed, “True, but he had withdrawn from us. It would explain why we’ve had such a hard time tracking him down on our own, though.”

Kam cleared his throat uncomfortably, “I hate to bring this up, but should we try and free his sister? It is entirely possible that she and Wurth were causing trouble, knowing Wurth anyway, and she might be incarcerated for good reason.”

“We sensed no duplicity from Poepoe,” Cyan said, shaking his head. “I think we should help his sister if we can.”

“And we should do it as soon as possible. I agree with Han. With this kind of thing, the victim can live for a long time, a Jedi could for even longer if he sufficiently slows his heart rate and keeps from bleeding to death,” Cilghal said firmly.

Luke nodded, “Agreed. Kam, you stay with the ship and keep her out of sight of the planet. This world doesn’t seem to do patrols so you’re probably safe so long as you stay hidden behind the moon. It’s close enough that you could move in to assist if it comes to that. Cilghal, I want you to come with us, Wurth will probably need you. We should take the Falcon instead of one of the shuttles, they’re not likely to recognize her here.”

“And you didn’t want to haul her along,” Han remarked.

Luke ignored him and continued, “Han, you’ll be coming of course since we’re going to use the Falcon. Me, Cyan, Cilghal, and that’s it—we want this group small enough that we might go unnoticed. Everyone dress casual, the people here all seem to have a good idea what Jedi garb looks like, and keep your lightsabers concealed until absolutely necessary. Does that work for everyone? Good, let’s go.”

Luke and Cyan quickly made their way to their quarters as the others returned to theirs in order to change.

“Luke, how are we going to disguise me? There just aren’t that many dragons out there and all the people on the planet seem oddly familiar with my species,” Cyan pointed out.

“We’ll just have to let you out while we’re making our decent,” Luke told him, entering their room. “Stay airborne until we need you. Hello, Mara,” Luke added, spotting her in the kitchen area.

“Are you leaving again already?” she demanded.

“Yes, unfortunately,” Cyan told her as Luke darted into the bedroom to grab a change of clothes. “We found out what happened to Wurth and we have to get to him as quickly as possible.”

“But you just got here!” she exclaimed. “Aren’t they going to be a little suspicious if you come right back?”

“That’s why we’re going back in the Falcon. We’re going to get in and out as quickly as possible. Though…” Luke trailed off, still in the process of pulling on his shirt.

Mara frowned in annoyance. As she got more accustomed to her surroundings and the people around her, she’d gained a lot of confidence and became much more willing to question others actions. “‘Though’ what?”

“The officer we met, he said some interesting things. And you were right earlier, Cyan, the people do seem oddly familiar with your species, and there’s no reason they should be. K’ti’ma isn’t anywhere near the Baf system. Along with what the officer interrogating us said…” Luke shook his head.

“Yes, ‘Force Following slime’ does seem to be a bit of a suspicious comment, doesn’t it? And why would the Cragon want to pretend Baf doesn’t exist besides its lack of civilization?” Cyan added. “There’s more to this place than meets the eye, Luke.”

Luke nodded as he and Cyan headed for the door. “Indeed, but it is something we’ll have to worry about after we find Wurth. See you soon, Mara. Barring any complications we should be back within a few hours.”

“There’s always complications,” Cyan pointed out. Turning to Mara he grinned confidently, “Don’t wait up, we’ll limp back sometime tomorrow I’m sure.”

“Sure,” Mara said, but the door was already closed and besides the astromech droid, she was alone once again. “Damn it, Artoo, when is that man going to talk to me?” The droid made a pessimistic sounding toot and then bleeped out something too complicated for Mara to make sense of. She checked the readout on the small intercom screen. “You know what? You’re exactly right. We should do it. C’mon, they’ll be gone soon.”

On their way to the Falcon Luke and Cyan met up with Han. They walked in a silence tense with the anticipation of a coming fight. Just before they reached the hanger, Han put a hand on Luke’s shoulder to stop him. “Kid, I hope the significance of what’s happened to Wurth hasn’t been lost on you. I realize you might not have shared the vision you had on the hospital with the others—