Back to Square One
(Takes place between Vision of the Future and Union)
A/N:I do not own Star Wars, or any of it's characters. All Star Wars characters/names/etc... belong to Lucasfilm/George Lucas
Chapter One:
A cool draft of air brushed across her, gently lifting loose strands of hair from her face. When those strands came back down and tickled her nose, she ignored it.
Mara sat on a patch of grass in the garden area of the Jedi Temple. Lush blades of grass swayed with the artificial breeze. All around her was silent, and through the sections of transparisteel sun roofs, Coruscant's night shown. Most of the Jedi were asleep, and those that weren't were nowhere near the gardens.
And for that, Mara was deeply grateful.
Lately she'd had a lot on her mind with planning her wedding. She thought of Luke, who had been sound asleep when she left their room. He seemed to be taking all of the preparations without much fuss. She wondered how he could be so… calm. But she knew that he in fact did have some nerves. He'd voiced one such concern after their escape from Nirauan:
I guess I just have some lingering doubts about why you'd want to marry me.
She sighed audibly, her concentration breaking slightly. Sleep had evaded her for a few days now, and she was beginning to feel the toll on her body. She couldn't quite pinpoint what was keeping her restless, but something was definitely bothering her. Mara shook her head and pushed her worries away, letting them dissipate into the Force. And with them gone, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
She lingered in meditation, relishing in the peace and comfort the Force allowed her to feel. She wasn't searching for answers at the moment; she simply wanted to be at peace. And more than anything, she needed to be alone.
Leia Solo had been a great help in the planning so far, and Mara was grateful to her sister-in-law. But it had all just become too overwhelming for her, and Mara knew that if she didn't find a way to dispel her frustration, she would explode at someone.
So alone Mara sat, enveloped in the calm radiance that was the Force. And only when she felt completely at ease did she start to search for answers. Mara tentatively sent out a tendril of Force energy, searching the fabric of the Force for a specific answer.
She felt something tug at her, as if it were calling her. Mara followed the summons, curiosity claiming her. What she would find, she hadn't a clue, but as she neared the source, something dark crossed her path.
Mara froze, losing contact with the summons. She reached out, trying to re-establish the connection. But every time she came close, that dark… shadow, it looks like a shadow, crossed her path again.
Something deep, deep inside Mara instinctively reached back, causing her to reel. But when her subconscious reacted to the shadow, it stopped moving. Mara was beginning to have a sinking feeling, and as the shadow became more distinct, dread filled her entire being.
…
Luke Skywalker stirred in his sleep as something cold and sinister slithered across his mind. The frigid touch came once more, and this time, Luke woke up. He stared into the dark room for a long moment, trying to make sense of the touch. But as he reached out to find the source of the disturbance, he had the sense of trying to grab oil from water with his bare hands. It slipped away from him, and Luke couldn't help but feel that whatever it was, it was taunting him.
Luke sat up, instinctively glancing to his right. That was when he noticed he was alone.
"Mara?" Luke called, thinking she might be in the refresher.
When no reply came, Luke stretched out with the Force, and found that he was indeed the only one in their chambers. But as he reached out to his fiancé through their bond, he found her… and visibly recoiled.
Mara's presence was teeming with fear, anger, and despair.
Luke was instantly on his feet, feeling for her location. He threw on a pair of pants and a tunic, and was out the door in moments.
…
"You have failed me Mara!" He hissed, his evil yellow eyes glaring venom at her.
"No!" Mara cried.
She tried to look away, but those eyes had always held a power over her that she could never quite shake.
"Yes, my Dear. You were sent to kill him, not marry him." He grinned, suddenly serene.
Mara had seen this a thousand times before: his sudden, thoughtful pauses… and she knew all too well what they meant. Her blood frosted over.
"So now, my dear," He continued. "You will pay the price for your betrayal."
"You don't own me anymore!" Mara ground out, knowing he could sense her utter terror.
When this man asked for a price to be paid, it was paid in full, and through the worst means possible.
"Oh, but I do, Mara. I raised you. I created you, made you who you are." He sneered, suddenly huge and terrifying. "And I will have you as my Hand once more."
"NO!" Mara bellowed through his evil cackles.
She was shaking now, her emotions kaleidoscoping all around her. It wasn't until she heard her name being called multiple times that she realized she wasn't shaking, she was being shaken.
"Mara!"
Her eyes snapped open, and she fell back, gasping in shock. Luke was beside her, his cerulean eyes fraught with concern. He was kneeling, his right hand grasping her left as he waited for her to get her breathing under control.
She held stock still, waiting for her head to clear, and trying to tell herself that it hadn't actually happened. But the more she came to, the more she realized that she was drenched with sweat and those hellish eyes were burned into her mind. And… his cruel laugh was still reverberating around her head; ringing horribly in her ears.
"Mara?" Luke asked again. Clearly afraid for her, he probed at her cautiously through their Force bond.
Without thinking, Mara threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. She felt Luke's utter surprise, mixed with confusion, but he held her tight.
"What happened?" He questioned when she had quieted.
She couldn't quite bring herself to say his name. But nor could she ignore his warning.
No, it was not a warning. It was a promise. Mara thought bitterly.
Finally she pulled away and looked her fiancé square in the eyes.
"I saw Palpatine."