Gone
Chapter 10
Mara Jade took a deep breath as she shut down her lightsabre, turning around to see Han Solo on his knees beside Luke. Relief swept through her. They had finally caught up with him!
Mara hurried over to Han. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah." Han replied, keeping a close eye on Luke's sprawled body. It shouldn't be too long before the kid started to throw off the effects of the stun. Han hated the after-effects of being stunned himself. It was a horrible sensation. He also knew from experience that Luke tended to throw the stun off quicker than most people. He reached out to Mara passing her Luke's lightsabre. Mara took it silently and clipped it back to her belt once more. "He's going to be grumpy as a Gundark when he comes round."
Mara knelt beside Luke reaching out with her senses as her hand brushed his cheek. He was thinner in the face and more gaunt looking than she remembered but she was just so glad to see him. Putting her other worries aside, she was just pleased to be with him. She had thought she had truly lost him this time but once again he had made it back to them. He was safe again. Reaching out for his presence in the Force, Mara's attention focused in on him.
Han watched Mara as she surveryed Luke closely. Han could see that the Jedi had new scars on him but now was not the time to dwell on that. Han looked at the commotion at the landing pad entrance. He could see Rieekan approaching with some of the security goons. Standing up to block their access to Luke and Mara. He had a funny feeling that things were not going to go how he hoped for. Han suddenly wished Leia was here. He just wanted to take the kid back home.
General Rieekan was relieved that no-one had been killed in the events and that Luke Skywalker had been effectively neutralised without any injury. Stepping over quickly to meet Han Solo, Rieekan motioned several of the men forward.
"Han, we are going to have to take him in to our custody." Carlist knew that Solo was not going to be happy about this.
Han's body language became stubborn. His frame tensed up as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Luke belongs with his friends and family."
"I would normally agree with you, Han." Rieekan nodded deliberately using Han's first name to try and soften and turn the resentment coming off the Corellian. "However, I cannot allow that this time. Leia will understand. I promise you that we will allow him home as soon as possible."
"I'm not happy about this. Neither will Leia or Mara be." Han took a quick glimpse back at Luke and Mara. The kid was still not showing signs of waking up.
"Han. You know we can't let him home until we are sure what had been done to him." Rieekan pointed out, waving his hand back towards the landing pad. "He is obviously still having problems with his memory otherwise do you think Luke would have done what he did, back there? We need to find out what had been done to him so we can help him. You know it is for the best, Han. End of discussion."
Rieekan hoped that Solo would trust him after their history in the Rebellion. The General waved a couple of men in. "Bind him and take him to the shuttle." He wanted Luke safely transferred before he started to recover from the effects of the stun. He didn't want to have to sedate the Jedi further but he would order it if it became necessary.
"I will accompany him with them, Han. You get Leia." Mara Jade looked up from her place by Luke's side directly at Han. She wasn't happy about this either but she realised that Rieekan was talking sense for now. Luke was going to need help. However, that didn't mean she was about to abandon him to NRI. Mara continued spearing Rieekan with her green gaze. Her hard look warning him almost daring him to refuse. "I'm coming along too. I'm warning you now that I'm not leaving his side."
"Good plan, Jade." Han stated. He knew Mara would not let them do anything to Luke without good reason while he was getting Leia.
Rieekan wondered if he had missed something. He knew that Skywalker and Jade were good friends and very protective of each other but Mara was reacting oddly. There was a definate, more emotional reaction from her than he had expected.
They all watched as one of the men put binders on Luke's wrists. Mara and Han were unconfortable about that but recognised the sense of it. Luke had led them a merry dance and neither of them fancied repeating the experience. If Luke went to ground on Coruscant, there would be no way of finding him.
"Okay, Jade. It would be good for us to have your help with him." Rieekan added while hoping that they were not going to have any further trouble getting Skywalker to NRI headquarters.
Mara allowed the men to pick up the unconscious Jedi. Closely following them, Mara tried to think. She had certainly felt Luke's Force presence several times recently but when she tried to contact him then and just now, his mind had felt oddly shuttered. It was peculiar and worrying. When she was less worried, then she would give him grief about all the trouble he had put her through. She didn't ever want to go through this emotional rollercoaster ever again. If he did anything like this again – she decided that she would definately kill him.
Reflecting on what she knew and what she had seen, Mara wondered how things would go when he came round. She wasn't sure of the psychology of dealing with memory problems. She would follow Rieekan's lead initially as she suspected the NRI Director knew more what was going on than what he had divulged to Leia.
Rick Ells had heard the commotion and wondered what was going on. Curiosity eventually getting the better of him, he went to investigate. By the time he reached the access corridor, he caught sight of Mara disappearing but Han was talking to an older man.
"Rick!" Han called him over as he caught sight of him. "Let me introduce you to General Rieekan."
As Han made the quick introductions, he saw that Rieekan had immediately known who Rick Ells was when he heard the name.
The General shook hands with the freighter owner. "I would be pleased to sit down and have a chat with you at some point in the near future, Captain Ells. We may need your help. However, I need to be somewhere else just now so please excuse me." Rieekan nodded at Han and quickly followed the route that Mara had taken with Luke.
"Come on, Rick. I need you to give me a lift and then I'll introduce you to a real princess." Han slapped the other man on the shoulder.
Mara sat across from Luke in the small shuttle that was ferrying them to the NRI headquarters. Luke had been placed lying down on his back on the acceleration couch with a NR agent to either side of him.
Mara kept wondering what had happened. She hoped that she would get chance to speak to Rieekan alone so she could find out exactly what neural conditioning Luke had undergone before the mission. She also wondered who they had got to do it. She hoped that they hadn't messed with him too much. She couldn't understand why Luke had agreed to it but then again, a lot of things Luke had done in the past seemed crazy to her.
Watching his figure, Mara started to see signs that he was regaining consciousness. His eyelids started to flutter as a small moan passed his lips. He tried to move his arms but only to find them restrained in front of him. Nothing prepared her for the wave of sheer panic that she had felt emanating from him. She had never felt anything like that from Luke. Ever. Period. It was over before as quickly as it had begun. What had caused that? Reaching out to him, she realised that he was still only half aware, something in his subconscious had triggered the initial reaction.
"Luke?" Worried, Mara went over to him, ignoring the agents who had placed a restraining hand on him when he started to move.
Ruaridh's actions had stilled when he discovered his predicament. He just lay back assessing what had happened to him and where he was. He tried to remember what he had been doing... Nothing was coming to him except a nauseating feeling behind his eyes and a nagging dull headache. He should be so used to that by now. Feeling a little ill used, Ruaridh opened his eyes.
A woman swam in to focus as he tried to orientate himself. She looked familiar. Why did he feel as if he was wading through deep water? What had she called him?
"Luke?" The warm voice had asked him again. He just closed his eyes and tried to centre himself again. The light seemed so bright that it had initially hurt his eyes. He felt a light touch on his shoulder.
"Where am I?" Ruaridh asked, opening his eyes again more cautiously. Squinting up at her face, Ruaridh frowned as he tried to place her. She looked familiar... did he know her?
Mara watched the disorientation fade as he became more aware of his surroundings. This was not how she had envisaged their reunion to be. Her elation at finding him was still there but rapidly becoming more and more replaced by anxiety as she searched his blue eyes for recognition. There was something there but Mara realised that Rieekan was right. He certainly going to need help as she found no immediate sign that he knew her. His Force sense also seemed tightly bound down.
"Here, let me help you." Moving an arm behind his shoulders, Mara helped him sit up pushing one of security guards aside to help him. She watched various questions flit over his features. She waited for him to ask.
"Thank you." Kerr was trying to figure out what was going on. He noted the binders on his wrist and the presence of the two burly men either side of him. His head felt clogged up. Shaking his head, he tried to clear the mental fog. He finally remembered the landing pad and the seekers - he must have been hit somehow. Slowly, filling in the blanks, Ruaridh began to surmise what had happened to him.
Mara Jade watched Luke carefully. She realised from his blank expression that he was obviously still suffering some form of amnesia or induced memory loss. She would just let things develop rather than overwhelm him with too much information. It was so hard, when all she really wanted to do was hold her farmboy close and ravish him. She needed to sure he wasn't a mirage. A figment of her de-ranged mind in some bizarre dream.
Ruaridh watched the expression on the red head's face. She seemed concerned about him but the two figures either side of him, told him that he was obviously in some form of detention. Just to test that theory, he tried to stand up and both men twitched violently at his movement and each put a restraining hand back on his arms stopping him. With a half smile, Ruaridh knew that they had been given orders not to let him away. Yet, it was obvious that the woman in front of him was different. She was not a security officer but who and what was she to him? He could see the concern for him in her eyes.
Mara saw the small knowing smile flit across her lover's full lips. She found her lips echoing the movement. She had to appreciate his tactics. He may not know who he really was but he was still clever at analysing situations.
Mara reached out to him with the Force, curious to see how he would react. Her awareness brushed against his. She saw that his shoulders had tensed and he sat up straighter as he became aware of her touch.
"Hey, farmboy!" She sent her nickname to him, wondering if he would remember anything.
Ruaridh had been aware of this woman's aura as soon as he had woken up but he couldn't explain what she had just done to him. There was a familiarity tickling all his senses. He slowly released his breath when the pain he had come to associate with this feeling never came. It was felt right, more than right. He found himself watching her face closely trying to read the emotion hidden in her eyes.
Ruaridh realised that he did know her. She was the woman from his dream. He appraised her lithe figure. His eyes taking in her curves as well as noting the weaponry on her person. Was she here to help him or hinder him?
Mara was aware of Luke's gaze as well as a fleeting mental contact. She held her breath hoping that he may suddenly remember her. There seemed to be some sort of recognition but not the sort she had been hoping for.
The NRI security agents were still holding on to him rather tightly. Mara frowned at them.
"Let him go." She ordered the men, just as Rieekan came over. Luke's attention was drawn to this new person.
The men ignored her but their hands eased after Rieekan nodded at them to release him.
Rieekan watched Luke closely. He seemed alert but he was obviously uncertain of his situation. There was a tenseness about him which Luke usually didn't have.
Kerr recognised the new arrival as the man in charge. Once more, this stranger was watching him closely. Ruaridh was beginning to wonder what was wrong with him that sparked this amount of intense scrutiny. Feeling a bit self-conscious, Ruaridh's chin came up defiantly. He certainly didn't know what was going on here but whatever they wanted with him, they were not going to find him a walk-over to get it.
Mara noted the tilt of his head. She knew the mannerisms of Luke so well. It was just so strange to see his defiant act starting to kick in subconsciously. She wondered if Rieekan knew Luke well enough to recognise the trouble that small signal sent. It certainly alerted her and at the same time reassured her. This stubborn bantha character trait was so Luke.
They would get him back. It was just going to take some time.
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Vivane settled in to her rented apartment. It was small and clean but that was all you could say about it. It was on one of the lower residential apartment blocks. Everything on Coruscant had a hierarchy. The higher you were, the more prestigous the address and the more expensive the rent. Although she probably could have afforded slightly better accommodations, this one suited her. She still had an impressive view from her small window. She could just make out the distinctive mushroom shaped dome of the Senate building in the distance behind the open space of the plaza.
She had collected a few groceries for her stay. Putting them away in the small kitchette, the old woman started to humm as she carried out her domestic chores, listening to HoloNet news in the background.
She hoped that she would be able to her re-acquaint herself with some of the tourist attractions tomorrow and maybe visit one of the public gardens or the plaza. It had been a long time since she had last been on Coruscant at the height of the Emperor's power. She wasn't sure if the Senate Building would be open to tourists until after the re-opening ceremony for the Grand Convocation Chamber but that was still weeks away, so she hoped that she maybe get a look round.
End post Ch 10
Sorry for the delay in posting but I've had very little free time to do anything online. DRL still got a hold but have managed to upload the next few chapters today to will post them online for you if you guys are still reading and want the next parts, let me know!