II.
Mari forced her legs to move onward after Qui-Gon. Although she was relieved that she was allowed to stay in the Jedi Temple, she found that she couldn't quite enjoy the fact. Her body ached after her attempt to warn the Council of Palpatine. The fact that her bedtime was nearing, as it had been late on Earth before her unexpected abduction, didn't help things at all. She stifled a yawn at the Jedi Knight's side.
"Master Qui-Gon," she said as they left the confines of the Council chambers. "I really want to thank you for your help. If I'd ended up on the streets I can guarantee you I'd be dead within a day." Mari winced at her own openness and regretted it.
"That was never an option, Mari, I can assure you." Qui-Gon said. "I appreciate your effort to inform the Council of what you know, but now you must rest."
"Do you believe me?" Her voice was much smaller than she anticipated.
They stopped in the middle of the hallway. It was then that Mari noticed Obi-Wan at his Master's side. He seemed to be curious of Qui-Gon's response. That makes two of us.
"I believe that you are not from this world, and that you have information you desperately wish to share. Whether or not it is truly of our future is yet to be seen. But I strongly believe that your presence here was the will of the Force."
Mari felt a pang of disappointment that he wasn't fully convinced about her. If Qui-Gon the maverick didn't believe her, what were the odds that anyone on the Council would? What happened then? She glanced at Obi-Wan. He appeared to agree with his Master's stance.
Qui-Gon set a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Quell your anxieties, Mari. We will show you to our quarters where you may get some much-needed rest."
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The three of them walked - in Mari's case, trudged - through the massive halls in relative silence. Every now and again the Jedi spoke in low tones, sometimes in what appeared to be heated discussion, but Mari wasn't paying them any attention. All she could think about was falling into bed and sleeping for the rest of the day. Though, she doubted the Jedi had extra beds to spare. Which meant she was probably going to sleep on a couch.
Time blurred as they made their way to the Jedi accommodation section of the Temple. Eventually they stood before a door with a small placard in Aurebesh. She hazarded a guess that the words were their names. Qui-Gon opened the door and Mari shuffled in after them.
They stood in a sparsely decorated common room. There was a kitchenette with a grey kettle to the left, a few vibrant house plants scattered about, and a gingerbread brown sofa and tiny coffee table. Mari counted a total of three doors, which she assumed led to their bedrooms and the bathroom.
"Please have a seat, Mari. Make yourself at home."
"Thank you." She took a tentative seat on the sofa. Her muscles relaxed as she sank into the cushion. Mari couldn't hold back the yawn that overcame her.
"Obi-Wan please keep our guest company while I prepare tea."
"Yes Master." Obi-Wan said in a clipped voice.
The moment Qui-Gon left them, Mari immediately tensed. She hadn't realized how much calm and comfort the Jedi brought her. Mari mentally chastised herself. Relying on Qui-Gon for emotional support was a terrible idea, especially considering what was going to happen soon. Just to upset her further, her brain supplied the scene of Qui-Gon's death.
"Maria, was it?" Obi-Wan said. She looked up, startled out of her thoughts. He stood rigid before her with scrutiny on his face. His attention made her redden in embarrassment.
"Yes?"
He was silent for a few beats. "Does the Force truly not exist in your world?"
"No, it doesn't."
Obi-Wan folded his arms across his chest and seemed to consider her words. Doubt was evident in his eyes. Mari felt herself tense up again. He didn't believe her. Be fair, Mari. You wouldn't believe it either.
"It is odd that a world without the Force would produce a Force-sensitive lifeform."
"You're telling me." Mari said. "I'm still finding it hard to believe. Part of me thinks this is all some surreal dream."
"Like you're in a fictional story?" His brows furrowed.
"I-well, yeah."
His body tensed, and then he lowered his voice.
"I can assure you this is neither fiction, nor a story. We are not characters created from someone's mind, but living beings. You may think you know us and our futures," he gave her a hard look, "but holovids are neither accurate nor demonstrative of a person's character as a whole."
Mari couldn't help but gape at him like an idiot. What on Earth had spurned that response? It was clear that he was upset. Had she offended him in some way? If so she hadn't meant to, at all. That was the last thing she wanted to do, especially to one of her favorite characters. The realization that Obi-Wan probably didn't like her stung.
Her sleep deprived brain couldn't figure out what to say in response. So instead she blurted out an apology.
A very awkward silence ensued. Mari looked everywhere except Obi-Wan. Every passing moment she grew more tense and wished desperately for Qui-Gon to hurry up with the tea. Why had the Jedi Master insisted that Obi-Wan keep her company rather than send him to his quarters where he so clearly wanted to be? If he hadn't, then Mari could've gone to sleep. Her eyelids were heavy and staying awake was becoming difficult.
When Qui-Gon finally reemerged with a tray of tea, Mari felt relieved. She accepted her cup with a smile and thanks. Although not a big tea drinker, she appreciated the warmth that the beverage provided. Mari had always been sensitive to low temperatures, but since arriving to the Star Wars Universe she felt perpetually cold.
"I hope that my Padawan was a good host." Qui-Gon said.
Mari hesitated before nodding, not trusting herself to speak without a negative tone. She blew at her tea. It was fragrant and an appealing shade of green. Mari took a sip.
"This is really good!" Mari said. She flushed a bit at her enthusiastic response.
Qui-Gon chuckled. "Thank you, Mari. It's nice to find someone who shares good taste." She didn't miss the look he sent at his Padawan and internally smirked. Get wrecked, she thought as she sipped at her drink.
It appeared that Qui-Gon was quite the fan of tea. He carried on a conversation on the benefits of sapir tea, and the others that he favored. Obi-Wan added his two cents in every now and again about his preferred flavors, never talking directly to her. But one could only speak about leaf water for so long.
"Mari, I hope you do not mind if I ask a few questions." Qui-Gon said.
She resisted the urge to sigh in resignation. Mari had been anticipating another round of twenty-one questions. To be fair, she would probably do the same if their situation had been reversed.
"What do you want to know?"
"Is there any possibility that you are not actually from your home planet?"
Her response was immediate. "No. No that's…" She trailed off. Mari had been about to say it was impossible. But was it?
"When the improbable becomes reality, it makes it rather difficult to determine what is possible and what isn't, doesn't it?" Qui-Gon said.
"Ok, maybe it's not impossible." Mari said. "But it's highly unlikely. On Earth we haven't even managed to send humans to a neighboring planet. We haven't even completely explored our own oceans, let alone our solar system."
"Maybe a more technologically advanced race has visited your planet?" The Jedi suggested.
"But what are the odds that they would be human, too?" Mari said.
"We are human, and we're not part of your galaxy." Qui-Gon said. "Perhaps you are not the first person to travel between galaxies. It may even be possible that this wasn't your first time travelling."
The ramifications of his statement shut Mari up. She stared without seeing at her empty tea cup. Her heart pounded behind her ribcage. Was it possible that she had been taken by the wormhole before? What if… could she originally be from this galaxy? Could that be the explanation for her Force-sensitivity?
No, that didn't make sense. Sure, she knew she was adopted. Mari had known that since she was a teenager. But surely her being from a galaxy far, far away would make her DNA different enough from Earth humans that blood tests would've come back with wonky results, right? Surely her alien-ness would be discovered.
Right?
Their conversation ended shortly afterwards. It was late on Coruscant, and the Master and Padawan duo had duties in the morning. Qui-Gon collected their tea cups.
"Padawan, please bring our guest an extra blanket."
"Yes, Master."
Mari stood after Obi-Wan left the room. "Master Qui-Gon, thank you once again for your hospitality and kindness. I appreciate it more than you can imagine."
"You are very welcome."
"I may not be able to repay you, but I can at least wash the dishes."
It took a while for her to convince him it was no trouble at all, and that she just wanted to help out in any way she could. Finally, he acquiesced and allowed her to take the cups from his hands. Mari felt much more triumphant than she probably should have been. She marched to the sink and made quick work of the dishes. The guilt of being unable to repay the Jedi disappeared like water down the drain.
After drying her hands, she reentered the common room to find the light off and a blanket neatly folded and set on the sofa. Neither Qui-Gon nor Obi-Wan were around. Mari supposed they were in their respective bedrooms.
With a small sigh she peeled off her shoes and socks and unfolded the blanket. It matched the sofa and felt softer than she expected. She noted that they had lent her a pillow as well. Mari wrapped herself with the blanket like a burrito and settled herself onto the cushions. Her aching muscles relaxed and she fell asleep within moments.
.
It was cold. Mari gasped as she suddenly gained consciousness. She stood in a field of tall grass. Her bare feet were planted firmly in the earth. Despite the sun's position in the sky, and the heat waves she could see distorting her surroundings, Mari felt like they were in the middle of winter. There was a roaring sound all around her. What was it? The wind blew her yellow sundress and the blades of grass around her.
"Mari Hernandez…" The voice echoed.
She turned her head sharply to the left.
Before her was an ethereal woman. She was both familiar and foreign. Mari wracked her brain to figure out where she had seen this being before. Her eyes were a startling green that matched her hair.
"I know you… I think." Mari frowned.
"Is that so?" the woman drifted toward her, her hair flowing unnaturally. "You have never met me."
Mari tilted her head in confusion "But you have met me?"
The temperature dropped. Mari shivered and rubbed her bare arms. Why did everything seem so familiar? It was like she had been there before, only not physically.
"Where are we?" The question of who the being was forgotten for the moment.
"I don't know. This is your dream." She surveyed the area as if only seeing it for the first time.
"So, you're not real." Mari met the woman's gaze.
"I am very real, Mari."
Frustration grew as the world became ever colder. Her breath was visible before her. Mari shivered. The roaring was starting to hurt her ears.
"Who are you?" Mari said again.
"That isn't important. What's important is that you are here." The being set a dainty hand on Mari's arm, and she nearly jumped back in shock. Her touch was scalding. Or was Mari freezing? Her teeth started to chatter. Around her the universe seemed to grow darker.
"But why is that important?"
The woman turned away and looked up at the sky. Mari followed her line of sight. A perfect circle of darkness inched onward, trying to achieve its goal of embracing the sun. The thought made her violently shiver. Was it embracing, or suffocating?
"If it succeeds, all will be lost." She said, facing Mari. "You must stop it."
Somehow it made sense despite Mari having no clue what the being was trying to say. How did she understand? "But how can I do it if I can't tell anyone?" A tear trickled down her cheek and she gasped as it froze. Mari picked it off her skin and stared at the solid tear. As she regarded it further she thought she could see a small star inside. She put it in the pocket of her sundress.
"I cannot tell you, for if I do, you will fail."
The wind howled and threatened to push her away. Mari felt her entire body trembling.
"What? But I can't do it. It's too big a responsibility. You want me to do something that's impossible!"
The woman studied her for a moment. Then she appeared to wilt.
"Then it has already won."
She shook her head and disappeared from existence. Mari felt her heart sink. Frost was beginning to coat her skin. Somewhere a voice was whispering her name. Only it sounded unfamiliar and foreign. Slowly she tore her gaze away from her icy arms and looked up at the heavens. Her mouth dropped open in horror.
"NO!"
Mari woke with a start. There was sweat dripping down her temples and her heart was racing. Her eyes darted about the room. She couldn't recall the dream, but was left with the impression that she had made some fatal mistake. Slowly the memory of last night's events came back to her. The fact did nothing to halt her anxieties.
She tried to relax into the cushions but found that her brain wasn't cooperating. All she could think about was the fact that she was all alone in a world where very bad things were going to happen. Mari closed her eyes and found herself missing home. Had it just been last night that Mari had been having dinner at her parents' house? It felt much longer than that.
Her eyes started to burn as sadness crept into her soul. What if she was stuck in this fictional universe? What if she never saw her parents again? The thought was a like a knife wound to the heart. Sure, they weren't tied together by blood, but they were her parents. Mari would do anything for them and to protect them. To think that she would never see them again…
Tears leaked from her eyes against her will. Mari forced herself not to break into sobs. That simply would not do. Hernandez's didn't cry. They were stronger than that.
The thought did nothing to stop the ache in her heart.
As she sat up in bed, she heard footsteps enter the common room. Her eyes widened and Mari quickly wiped away the evidence of her weakness. The lights turned on. Mari turned her head to see Obi-Wan standing and yawning.
"Good morning," Mari said.
He looked surprise to see her for a brief moment. Then he crossed his arms against his chest. Mari noted that his bedhead resembled an old paintbrush. She squashed back the amusement the mental image conjured.
"Good morning."
Neither of them uttered another word. The silence was deafening. She tried to think of something else to say, but her mind was going blank. He spared her from having to speak as he disappeared into the refresher. Mari sighed in relief.
It was going to be a long day.