Prologue

Her hair was a cascade of spun copper thread, falling softly around the face he had known and loved through out the years. There was never a time he saw her that it didn't send a sweet ache jolting like electricity through his body. Only now there was a sad longing that accompanied it, she was gone. She was gone.

Yet she was here now and if only for that, he knew he was dreaming. Her smile seemed to light the entire scene, the dappled sunlight that reached through the trees playing across her hair like a halo. The pale green depths of her eyes seemed to take him in for a moment before she finally stepped forward and her voice sounded in the air, echoing as if from a great distance.

"I thought I told you we had to stop meeting like this, Farmboy."

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face and the jubilant happiness that threatened to overwhelm him at just the sound of her voice. He wanted to take her in his arms, to feel her skin and assure himself this was real, but found to his agonizing surprise he was held fixed in the dream- unable to move in any direction. He looked to her, her smile fading until it was only a wistful echo of what it had been only moments before.

"I need you to save me."

Luke blinked, confused and hit by a wall of emotions he'd long thought resolved.

"Save you? From what?"

Her smile returned, flashing so quick and affectionate his heart nearly skipped a beat.

"I'm asking you to save me o' wise grand master, can you do it or not?"

He looked down at the grass covered soil for a moment, drinking in the all too real feel of the breeze upon his face and the lingering distinct scent that had always been Mara. When his eyes rose to hers, he was the calm and composed grand master, his voice calm even if he would have liked so very much to shout at the injustice.

"How can I save you Mara? You're dead."

She laughed, a short breathless sound that had always set him grinning.

"There is no death, Grand Master. What are they teaching at that temple these days?" she teased as she stepped closer, cool finger tips grazing along his jaw as his eyes shuttered closed.

They too, felt astoundingly real. He longed to hold them, to kiss them, and do a dozen other things- but he could only stand still, enjoying every lingering moment until he awoke. After a long silence his eyes finally opened to see hers so close, in her face a mirror image of all the emotions he was experiencing with excruciating detail.

"I miss you." he said softly, his voice gentle and soft.

Her eyes watered instantly, the affection she had always kept pushed down so apparent in the way her eyes softened as she met his gaze. The way her mouth quirked slightly on one side and her impeccable posture eased. To Luke, she was the perfect embodiment of warmth. She might be predator to some, but to him she would always be the one person he could count on. The one person who matched his heart perfectly, no matter how different they were.

"I miss you too."

The wistful air was back in her voice and he wondered at it, it wasn't like her to be so transparent. He reminded himself yet again this was a dream, realizing he was perhaps a little too willing to accept this as reality. He had to be careful, to not dwell too closely on the loneliness and grief threatening on the edges of his mind to take control. It was important too, he thought, to note the vehemence of these emotions. He had assumed his grief had dulled to manageable levels...it appeared he was mistaken.

"Don't do that." she offered, her voice stern and soft at once.

"Don't blame yourself for being fallible, Farmboy. It happens to the best of us."

"I'm more than passingly aware of that, yes." he shot back with a grin, enjoying the banter he'd missed every day since he'd found that flimsi note.

"If you don't save me Luke, we both will fall too far to pick ourselves up."

His eyes widened a fraction, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of her cryptic warning. It made none so far as he could tell. She couldn't fall, she was dead. If he hadn't fallen with her death, he doubted he could. Never again, he promised himself. He let out a heavy breath, feeling rather more helpless than he felt comfortable with.

"I don't understand."

Her sad smile spread thin across her lips.

"You will. Don't fear it when it comes Skywalker. It won't be what you're expecting, but that doesn't mean it isn't right."

He woke with a start, sitting straight and instinctively reaching out for a partner beside him that no longer existed. It took a few moments to remember what had caused him so much upset and as he sat there in the relative darkness of his room, he agonized over every last detail of the dream. Her face, her scent, her hair and not least of which, her words. How did one save the dead? What should he be expecting? He supposed most importantly, he at least needed to know where to go next.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long to figure it out. The ship com blared to life almost instantly as he attempted to rub some of the sleep and tension from his face.

"Dad, I think you need to see this."

Pulling on a tunic he left the small cabin and headed for the cockpit. His son looked up with the sort of apologetic smile that made it obvious he knew exactly who his father had been dreaming of. For once, Luke did his best to pretend he didn't notice and that it didn't make him feel pathetic to still so desperately love his dead wife. Taking a seat he swung the chair around toward the display his son had pulled up a current newsfeed from the holonet.

-'It appears the facility dates back to the height of Palpatine's Empire. Nothing official has been stated from the authorities as to the purpose of this particular installation and it seems the Alliance is content to stay silent on speculation at this time.'-

Alarm flickered in Luke as he felt something familiar tugging at him from the news itself. This was it. He reached over, turning the volume up as he renewed his attention upon the footage itself.

-'Most of the facility itself was destroyed in the explosion, making identifying the few remains near impossible. But as it appears to have been a massing of chemicals from defunct equipment that caused the blast, authorities say it is unlikely the equipment was in use at the time of it's destruction...'-

Ben snorted, turning back toward his father.

"How much you willing to bet that it was very much in use and that was why the 'chemicals' massed in the first place?"

"Jedi don't wager."

"Maybe not with credits.." he countered, grinning in triumph of another won argument.

The oddity and severity of the possibilities were the only thing keeping Luke from grinning back. Wayland rose to the forefront of his mind. His mind wouldn't let him admit what he was hoping for. It was too easy and too frightening to think about.

"Dad?" Ben asked again, true concern in his voice.

Luke looked at his son, blinking and realizing Ben had continued talking. He hadn't heard a word of it.

"Hm?"

"I asked if we should investigate?"

Luke shook his head, forcing the tremor in the Force to quiet itself. Experience told him if a path needed following, usually it left a longer trail. Or perhaps he was hesitating because of how eager he was to do just that...

"Not yet, but keep tabs on this for me. If anything else turns up, we may need to go in and offer our services to clean up."

"Like a long dead villain making a grab for intergalactic domination?" Ben asked, his tone suspiciously hopeful.

"If you're bored I'm sure I can find something extra for you to study."

"No, of course not. I enjoy following leads on a world full of Sith we know exists but cannot seem to find...it's fun. Like a never ending game of deadly hide and seek. Who wouldn't want that?"

"Uh huh. Keep seeking, I'm going back to bed."

He was halfway out of the cockpit when Ben's voice sounded, soft and tentative.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, the 'it' remaining unspoken, and weighing heavily between them.

"No." Luke replied, offering a smile he hoped was reassuring before heading back to the bunk.

His rest for the remainder of the cycle was blissfully uneventful and though there was no realistic hope in his heart for ever forgetting the dream itself, the pain of it slowly faded into the background. Days would pass this way as they continued their search for the Sith homeworld, Kesh. The natural partnership between father and son continued, unhindered by the ongoing disappointment of little to no findings. Ben continued his research on the destroyed imperial facility but other than a word or two on the investigation itself, offered no comment. Luke was grateful for that, as something about it continued to make the whole event unsettling. How easily he had hoped for something entirely desperate and unhealthy not being the least of it.