Chapter Eleven

One week later...

Anakin burst into Mace Windu's office in the Jedi Temple and yelled, "Master Windu! I just heard. Is it true?"

Mace looked up from the floor, and nodded sadly to Anakin.

Yoda whose feeble form was tucked neatly into one of his small round chairs added with a little cough, "One with the force the Jedi of Naboo are."

Anakin ran his fingers through his thick hair and sat down hard admitting, "This is my fault. I told them to stay there I assumed that they would be safe. They were young Jedi initiates, not any kind of threat."

Mace walked over and stood in front of Anakin and said, "This was an assassination Anakin. It was not your fault, Someone discovered their whereabouts and sought out to destroy them."

Anakin looked into Master Windu's sad wise face and asked, "Who could do this? They were scarcely trained!"

Obi Wan who had followed Anakin into the office asked, "Can we assume it was Palpatine?"

Mace sighed rubbing his chin and began to pace slowly, "We have no proof of that. We don't even have any proof that this murder was the product of that dark side of the force."

Anakin asked, "What about the Imperial Remnant? They've certainly stirred up their fair share of trouble."

Yoda mused quietly, "Hmm...possible that is."

Obi Wan asked rather exasperatedly, "Do we have any information at all?"

Mace answered, "No. None of the witnesses survived. This was a slaughter."

Yoda cleared his throat and offered, 'Vigilance the key is."

Obi Wan nodded, "I agree Master Yoda."

Mace Windu nodded distractedly.

Anakin for his part sat back and sighed, there was nothing he hated more than sitting back on his hands and doing nothing.

As he and Obi Wan left Master Windu's office, Obi Wan ordered sharply, "Stop that Anakin."

Anakin stopped and asked innocently, "What am I doing? I didn't say anything!"

Obi Wan added, "You didn't have to. Now I realize and have come to accept that your patience is that of a starving rancor on spice, but please try and restrain yourself in front of the other masters."

Anakin chuckled at the analogy - it felt good to laugh. "I am sorry Obi Wan. I loathe sitting by and waiting. It seems wrong while Jedi are being killed. We need to take the fight to them."

Obi Wan continued walking out into the light of day followed by his former padawan and said, "Which would be all good and well, but there isn't one among us who knows where 'the fight' is - so we really cannot take it anywhere Anakin. Now that the Jedi are all on their guard it's unlikely we will get taken by surprise again."

Anakin sighed, "Obi Wan seriously, we're not talking about battle hardened Jedi. They're either extremely old - no offense - or basically brand new trainees. Initiates..."

Obi Wan eyed Anakin challengingly, "Extremely old? I could still challenge you."

Anakin looked at his former master with skepticism, for his credit Obi Wan insisted, "Remember Mustafar?"

Anakin argued, "Now wait just a minute. That doesn't count, I had to let you win it was all part of the deception."

Obi Wan stopped and stared, "Which I still haven't forgiven you for...and I don't believe that you could have won that fight."

Anakin asked incredulously, "You seriously don't believe me?"

"Want to have a rematch?"

"What? Right here!"

"Why not?"

"Other than all the civilians? This is from the man trying to sell me 'patience and vigilance'?"

"I am merely trying to remind you who is the master here."

"I'm a master too now."

"I was one first"

"Just makes you older."

"Which is why you should hearken to my experience and listen to me." Obi Wan plead,

Anakin laughed, "Probably not gonna happen."

Obi Wan sighed, "I understand my friend. All joking aside. I don't like this any more than you do. Our numbers are severely depleted and someone seems kessel bent on making things more difficult for us. Your thirst for action is legendary, but we have no leads. We must wait for the force to guide us."

Anakin nodded hearing the wisdom in his friends words but added, "Sometimes that just isn't enough."

Mara took another deep breath and walked again into the expanse of the star map. She had been doing this all day and coming up with nothing.

"Come on damnit! Just give me something here!"

She closed her eyes and reached out with her might as she moved through the array of planets. She could sense the Jedi on Coruscant, but that was really it. Everytime she moved close to one planet she felt sick.

She finally sat down on her bed hard, she had come up empty handed again. She spoke aloud to her husband as she often did, "Come on Luke, I need your help here."

She sighed running her fingers through her hair in frustration, "Gods Luke...are you really gone? Am I losing my mind?"

She heard Yoda's voice coaxing her forward telling her not to lose sight of her feelings. Resolve hardened in her spine and she responded to her own fears "No. I will never doubt you again. I'm going to find you, I swear it."

She heard a timid knock at the door and she summoned the star map off the pedestal as Padme entered the room.

She sat next to Mara smoothing her mussed hair and asked, "Did you make your appointment at the medical center today?"

Mara gave a little sigh, "Umm, yes actually I made it at the temple. I think I'd rather go see the Jedi healers, they're a lot less...sterile I guess."

Padme laughed, "You're right about that. It will certainly please them to no end to be tending to you. May I go with you?"

Mara nodded, "Please. I always have a hard time at these visits. I do not like being tended to by any sort of medical person. Brings back bad memories."

Padme nodded, "I understand. Perhaps afterwards we can go shopping for nursery furniture I'm afraid we cannot put it off any longer my dear. Perhaps Leia can meet us if she isn't swamped with senatorial work."

Mara nodded, "I know. That's where L'wren is right now. She thinks I don't know about it."

Padme smiled, " She wanted it to be a surprise."

Mara nodded absentmindely. She didn't like planning for a future without Luke, it felt so wrong.

Padme knew what Mara was thinking and offered, "You're very strong Mara. When I was pregnant with Luke and Leia I was a complete mess. Anakin was teetering on the edge of the dark side, we had to hide that we were married. To top it off, people kept looking at me like some fallen woman! I became a pariah. People see you as such a source of power and strength to persevere as you have."

Mara looked at her mother in law, "I have no choice Padme."

"Still, I think you're a much stronger person than I could have been."

Mara swallowed and admitted, "I don't think so. I'm so frightened. What if I fail my son like I failed his father? What if I cannot save him from the darkness? What if he holds me responsible for what happened to Luke! What if-"

Padme cut her off, "Mara do not do this to yourself. You have to know that what happened to Luke was an accident! I love my son, but I know what kind of man he was. A man of action just like Anakin. It's who they are."

Mara fought tears, "If only I had been stronger, he would not have left us."

Pamde threw her arms around her daughter in law and plead, "No Mara stop this. It was not your fault. I know that you hold onto hope that Luke is alive. Gods Mara it gives my heart so much peace to know how much my son is loved."

Mara questioned, "But what if I'm wrong? What if he really is gone?"

Padme looked into Mara's deep green watery eyes and asked, "Mara, with love comes a bond stronger than anything imaginable. If anyone can find Luke you can, what does your heart tell you?"

Mara took a deep breath and waited a moment before answering, "That Luke is alive. In trouble, but alive."

Padme hugged her again and was burdened now with her own questioning thoughts.

Maybe Mara had been right all along?

Anakin had said himself that Palpatine's resources knew no limits, that would certainly include his science and technology.

Is it possible that it was not Luke that perished in the X-wing and burned atop the pyre?

Could it be possible?

Luke was immersed in the dark side reading sith holocrons, when a tap on the shoulder made him jump. He scowled and looked back at the holocron offering a cold greeting, "Shira."

She fought her every instinct and smiled at him, "Morning Skywalker. Homework?"

He ignored her but offered, "Congratulations on your successful campaign."

She chirped, "Thank you. Maybe once you're fully recovered you can go with us."

"I am fully recovered." he insisted

She plunked down next to him and said, "I know you are. That's what I told our Master. But he doesn't want to push you too far too fast. We-we..." she stumbled on the lie, "I mean, we used to go together all the time."

Luke looked at her with no small amount of skepticism, "We did?"

She continued to stammer, "Oh-oh yeah...all the time."

He asked challengingly, "Then why do you hate me if we used to be a team?"

Brie fought biting back on that and tried to appear easy going, "I'm sorry about that. I've been thinking and I was wrong for blaming you for all this."

She gestured to the disfiguring scars.

He nodded, "What happened to you?"

She fought shutting down very hard, "I don't want to talk about it. Sorry Skywalker, it's still a pretty sore subject."

He was completely taken aback by her attitude, "Umm..that's ok. If you don't mind my saying so you're not your usual bristling self today."

She smiled, "I love a good campaign. Getting off planet for awhile. Taking down some Jedi scum, it feels good."

He nodded and rose to leave, she forced herself to rise and follow him and thought to herself, 'okay, open approach had some success. Let's try ugh...flattery...'

"I'm sure that the campaigns will be better once you start going...again I mean. When you were with us, we were unstoppable no one stood a kriffing chance! Never even a close call!"

Luke asked, "Against the Jedi?"

She stuttered, "The Jedi...oh yeah...anyone! But the Jedi, I mean...they feared you, they knew they didn't stand a chance."

Luke could sense her dishonesty, but pushed her to continue out of his own curiosity to find out why exactly she was lying. He asked, "And you and I? We got along well?"

She took a deep breath and lied, "Thicker than thieves. We had some really good times together."

Luke wanted to laugh, it was almost like she was transparisteel, he could see right through her empty lies. Her next move however, stunned him completely.

"You know." She pulled on his arm to stop him, and didn't release it. He fought the instinct to yank it from her grasp and walk away. She looked into his eyes and practically purred, "We were pretty close before the Empire fell."

Luke stifled his laughter at her attempt to be seductive, and let her continue to embarrass herself, "We could be again..."

She ran her hand from his forearm to his bicep, but that time he'd had enough.

"I'm not interested." he snapped curtly and yanked his arm from her grasp.

He turned to walk away from her but she pursued him.

Brie knew that she couldn't give up, her very life depended on it.

She argued, "You didn't always feel that way."

Luke retorted, "Great, well I do now."

She asked sullenly, 'Is it my injuries?"

"No"

"Then what?"

Luke took a deep breath, "I'm just not interested in you. Not at all. Just drop it."

Shira snapped as a result of the pain of rejection, "Is this because of your stupid wife?"

She closed her eyes, and could have slapped herself. What the kriff was she thinking! The Emperor would kill her for sure if Luke got any snippet of his memory back because of her unconscious outburst.

Luke asked rather excitedly, "Did you know her?"

Shira stumbled, "Umm, yeah a little." she turned trying to retreat but Luke wouldn't allow it

"Why would you think that would matter to me now?"

She lied, "Well, I don't know...it's just...you're just not giving me any reason here."

Luke knew she would tell him nothing, "I don't have to give you a reason. The answer is no. No conversation, no negotiation. Just no."

She could have sobbed with relief that he didn't press her for details about his 'stupid wife' even though she found Luke completely distasteful she couldn't help but feel the sting of his rejection. But she knew that she couldn't give up, she just had to lay the groundwork first. Every seasoned assassin knows that.

"Ok Skywalker, just know that the offer is on the table. Quite literally."

He turned and walked away from her. He wanted to run just to get away from her faster, sensing her intentions were one thing but having her state them bluntly was another.

Padme sat alone, when Anakin came upon her it was clear she was in deep thought. The second indication was that she was wringing her hands, a blatant sign of serious thinking.

He sat next to her, "What is it Padme?"

She didn't meet his eyes right away, she asked "What if she's right and we're wrong Anakin. You said it yourself that Palpatine had endless resources, and even you didn't know everything he was capable of. Is it possible? Even the smallest chance?"

Anakin sighed, "Padme, I know how vehemently Mara argues her point but we have no evidence at all that Luke is alive. We cannot continue to allow her to cling to this false hope that he will return."

Padme nodded, yes she knew all of this...and yet, "But Anakin she believes it so strongly, I was thinking about how powerful their bond is to one another. Can it be possible that she feels something from him that we cannot?"

Anakin rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know angel. I do know that Mara is not in full control of herself, I understand that but she's not being rational with her mind or the force. She believes that Luke is alive and in some peril. You didn't see the ship wreckage Padme and I am glad you did not. As much as I would love to believe that my son is alive, I cannot live in that dreamworld."

She argued, "I don't know Anakin, we live in a galaxy full of impossibilities. I admit it would be easier to believe that he is not gone. But I do have doubts."

He pulled her tightly into his arms, "I want to believe it to. But Padme we cannot go down this path. It's irresponsible. Think of what we could do to our family if we were wrong?"

Padme gave a little sigh, "And if we were right? And did nothing?"

Anakin moved away and said, "The repairs on Artoo are moving along, we will know for certain what happened when he is finished. But I am saying that the facts that Mara clings to are far too slight to give any kind of proof. We must help her to accept it."

Padme stood and argued, "Anakin, Luke was one of the most powerful Jedi. Was. Is. I don't know. But I will not deny that some of what Mara is saying is beginning to make sense to me. There was no trace of a force signature on what we found. No wreckage from another ship, and literally no cause of death!"

Anakin moved closer to her and grasped her arms tenderly, "I know. There is much about it that remains a mystery. Once the repairs on R2D2 are finished, then we will know."

Padme looked at her husband, and could see the fear and uncertainty in his own nautical blue eyes. Nothing was simple anymore. The truth was there like a beacon for them, but they could not see it, nor touch it. 'Soon' she prayed, 'let us know soon.'