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Joke of Fate: Chapter One

One Year After Visions of the Future

The Millennium Falcon exited Hyperspace followed by the Jade's Sabre. Both ships decelerated and arrived 31 parsecs away from the Kessel System.

Mara Jade began to curse violently as she realized they were a day away from Kessel. She was transporting 4000 vials of Tibana Gas to Lando Calrissian's new mining facility on Kessel. Each vial was worth over 10,000 credits, so she had gone herself to oversee such an important and profitable transport. Han Solo had heard of Calrissian's new business venture as well, and decided to cash in on it too. The catch to Tibana Gas transportation was that the gas was absolutely worthless, if they were kept too long in a environment with little gravity.

Han's voice came over the comm "Sorry about that Mara. Must have made a minor miscalculation back on Coruscant"

"Minor? We're over 100 light-years away you idiot! Didn't you make it past high school math?" Mara replied.

"Calm down Love." placated Luke. He had decided to tag along with Mara as it had been a long time since his last visit with the Calrissian family. It had also been over a month since he had gotten to spent any quality time with Mara, so they had decided they could have a little fun on this trip. "Han isn't really that bright. Besides I didn't get past high school either."

"Yeah, I noticed" muttered Mara as she began to contemplate a way to shorten the duration of their flight.

"Alright Solo, follow me, I'm gonna make another Hyperjump on Five. One, Two, Three.." Mara instructed.

"Hold on Mar" Luke interrupted. "You realize it'll take us two hours to get Kessel if we take the route you picked, which is about an hour too much ".

"Well have you got a better idea Skywalker?" Mara glowered. "I didn't think so" she replied as Luke stayed silent.

"Well Mara, we could shave a hour an' forty off that time if get close to the Maw" suggested Han as he sent her the information on the route.

"Are you on spice? If we get that close to the Maw we'd be ripped apart." replied Mara to the outrageous idea.

"Actually, I've run that route once and came out fine. Surely you've heard of my 12-parsec Kessel Run?" Solo bragged.

"Well, yeah, I just figured you were lying" answered Mara. "If you could do that, there's no way you would have quit smuggling. You'd have enough credits to buy a small planet."

"Come on Mar, Han's an honest man. We'll be fine" said Luke as he tried to keep the peace between his wife and brother-in-law. /It would be nice to have just one trip without a full-scale war between these two / Luke thought.

"Look, even if we did get through unharmed, being that close to the Maw could do fatal damage to our hull." reasoned Mara.

"It could but it might not. Besides, even if it's damaged we can easily do repairs with the credits we get from Lando" answered Luke.

"Fine. Ready to go whenever you are" replied Mara resignedly. /I have a bad feeling about this./

********************************

The Ships entered Hyperspace and were traveling less than a 100 kilometers away from the Maw.

"I told you everything would be fine Love" said Luke as he leaned back in the Navigators Chair.

"Perhaps. Still, I have this feeling of....danger I think" replied Mara.

"You think? Mar your danger sense should be a lot more accurate than that."

"I know that, Luke. But...it feels more like...I don't know what it feels like."

"Hhmm. Some meditation might help make it clearer for you, Mar. Let's go to the lounge."

"Are you kidding? Luke we're flying over a vortex. I think it would be best if someone monitors the instruments and the computers and the.."

"Don't worry" placated Luke. "Artoo will take care of it, won't you'" The droid answered with an affirmative beep and plugged into the ship's computers. "There, taken care of. Now let's go Love." Luke said as pulled Mara out of the cockpit.

They sat cross-legged on the floor of the Sabre opposite one another. "Calm your mind." Luke instructed. "Let the Force.."

"Flow through you." Mara finished. "Luke, I am a Master now."

"Sorry Love" Luke said apologetically. "Do you want us to do try this..?"

"Try not, Do. Sure Luke, it might be easier for us together." /Heh Heh. A little taste of your own medicine never hurt./

They closed their eyes and deepened their connection in the Force. United, they began to immerse themselves in the Force and went deeper as they were urged on by it. They started to get into unfamiliar area of the Force, as neither of them had ever gone this far.

"What is it Mar? It feels so strange."

"I'm not sure. But the Force is calling us deeper still."

They continued on their path and soon became totally oblivious to the outside world. So much so that, they could not hear Artoo's frantic pleas for help nor could they feel the immense danger. They could not feel the Falcon and the Sabre being pulled closer and closer to the Maw. They could not feel it as the Falcon was ripped apart along with Han and Chewie. They could not feel their own hull weaken and disintegrate. Soon Artoo was ripped apart and then their very own bodies were torn to an infinite amount of particles. They could not feel any of this as their spirits, united as one, had left the affable reality and were instead being sucked into the vortex of the Force. Soon they lost control and began plunging into the heart of the Vortex with increasing speed. Around and around they went until they finally reached the Eye of the Vortex and were sucked in. They traveled through the very heart of the Force at faster than conceivable speeds. Their spirits began to pull apart as they were shot out into the galaxy again. Luke's soul spiraled up out of the abysses of the Force quicker than Mara and seemed to disappear. Mara's soul went a fraction farther than her husband's and soon disappeared as well.