Thank you for being with me this far; once you're done reading, let me know if you enjoyed this Chapter in the comments.
As always, a huge thank you to my Beta Reader WarmNyota_SweetAyesha at the Jedi Council Forums for her awesome help with proof-reading this story. We're almost there Ny!
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Chapter Twenty-Five
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The whole Enclave shuddered as Trader and Guardsman made their way towards the ship.
As they followed the way out running, Mara recalled what had just happened, feeling a tightness in her throat that robbed the words from her mouth.
"Krigger!" Luke had called the Guardsman out just moments ago, stressing urgency. Surely the Farmboy had known she wouldn't leave on her own accord, and had asked the Mandalorian for back up. As expected she'd blatantly refuted all the reasonings the Jedi had been giving her through their Force bond, which was now clear and strong as it hadn't been for a while.
Mara remembered some menacing rogue tendrils had been going around in the chamber, but these had been holding back and not coming after them, it was clear that the Jedi had been doing something about them.
When recognizing their chance, and responding to the Jedi's urgent cry, the Guardsman had sprung into action. He'd grabbed her by the arms and had pulled her back with him, "Come on! He'll be fine," Krigger had said, although she had not been too convinced.
Instinctively, Mara had freed herself from Tarec's hold… She had wanted to stay, to help Luke… but soon she'd had to come to terms with the fact that there was nothing she or the Guardsman could have done… Not against a creature like that. And then, she'd heard a whisper… It had been the alien energy, speaking to her in that strange language… The meaning clearer to her that time, not in the words, but in the feeling in them… 'She had to leave, she shouldn't stay there', the energy had told her with clear urgency. For brief seconds she had listened… Then, Krigger's voice had brought her back to their reality.
"Whatever the Jedi's got planned he doesn't want us in here." Tarec had reasoned. She'd felt perplexed, Krigger had told her to leave Luke behind! "Let's go Mara." He'd pressed firmly.
The Trader had then turned back to look at the Jedi who was already engaging the creature. She hadn't wanted to leave, but she had to… The effort Skywalker had been putting to keep the tendrils away from them would be better served if he could use his whole energy on the beast only... He needed his full focus in order to survive this… and she was in the way. The Farmboy was not only going to fight the beast, he was going to destroy it! She'd sensed his intention in the Force nudges he'd given her.
Reluctantly, she'd then made her decision, she'd given one step back, and then another… to finally turn around and follow the Guardsman up the stairs they had used to come down to the chamber. She'd felt Luke's relief when he'd realized that she had finally come to her senses and was leaving. 'I'll meet you at the ship!' she'd heard the Farmboy's voice in her mind. His optimism always appalled her… but she should trust him, he'd gotten himself out of very tight spots before.
Both, Trader and Guardsman, had ran up the metal staircase. The steps had shuddered underneath their feet. The energy that was unleashed in the battle below had been enormous.
Midway up, Mara had felt the staircase buck and tilt. "Hang on!" she'd heard Krigger yell. The staircase had gotten hit by the blasts of energy that were being unleashed. Both had braced themselves for the high fall… and then their fall had stopped. It had been the Jedi who'd prevented the staircase to come apart and crumble down. She'd noticed Luke's effort in his features as he held the structure together with a powerful Force grip… She'd noticed Tarec's shocked surprise at realizing what the Jedi was doing… They kept going up, taking advantage of the stop of their fall and hurriedly kept climbing.
Soon after they had reached the top, and just before crossing the door's threshold, Mara had turned around to take a last look down… In a mix of awe and horror she'd watched how the Jedi repelled a gush coming from the beast's mouth with his lightsaber while using the Force to shove the suffocating watery gas back at the beast itself. Numerous gassy tendrils had spiralled around beast and Jedi, looking for a point to enter the fight, but had kept themselves on the side.
What Skywalker had been doing… she'd never seen before.
It was indeed true that a Jedi's power was not only on being able to wield a lightsaber with proficiency, but in the ability to use the Force as an ally. Something had happened, something had changed in the Jedi's connection to the Force… Like if he'd finally overpassed the darkness that had been affecting and looming over him and was now connecting to the light source in a new and different way.
The next shudder on the catwalk had made her turn around and leave the chamber… running. The eerie roar of the beast reaching her, coming from the chamber now several meters back.
These memories rumbled in her mind as the cries from the battle were now left behind. Moving through the same corridors they'd used to enter, she ran behind Krigger, following his steps. Not knowing what was going on with Skywalker at that point unnerved her… but as long as the walls kept shuddering and screeching the way they were, it was a clear sign that the Jedi was still alive. What kind of energy was being unleashed to make a beskar plated building shake like this?! The tremors on the walls in the corridors gave evidence that what was going on back in the chamber was monumental.
Mara and Tarec continued making their way towards the ship. No tendrils were following them, surely the symbols Mara had paint sprayed on the corridor's floors were being effective and had kept the path clear for them. Soon, they reached the shut down door that would take them out of that sector in the complex. Once more, Krigger powered the panel and the door slowly went up and stopped just enough for them to slide underneath it, as they'd done when they'd come inside.
Once both had gone through, Krigger turned to Mara, "I have to let it slide down… we cannot risk it!" he stressed. His assessment of the situation told him that the door had to remain closed shut.
"No!" She commanded, "Leave it open for Skywalker!"
Krigger opened his eyes wide; was she out of her mind? "We can't!" clear worry in his voice, he then reasoned, "If one single of those things makes it through…"
"Nothing will make it through the symbols!" Mara sharply interrupted, "Just leave it open!"
Defiantly, Krigger let the door slide shut. "If he's as good of a Jedi as you say, he'll find his own way out." He coldly stated, then walked past Mara and kept going.
What?! There was no way she was going to leave Skywalker trapped in there! "Krigger…" she warned, her voice low and menacing.
The Guardsman turned around to find the end of a blaster pointing at him.
"Open this door… Now!" she commanded, a gleaming threat in her green eyes.
For brief moments, there was visible shock in the Guardsman's brown eyes in return… Then his expression changed, and he just snorted, "You're going to shoot me," he calmly stated, already recovered from his initial shock.
"If I must." Mara let out without any emotion in her words.
The former Emperor's Hand and Royal Guardsman eyed each other, both of their gazes hard, holding their breath, senses on edge.
Krigger knew Mara well, and knew she was not a woman to be trifled with, "All right then… I'm not going to fight you. You win." Tarec said admitting defeat. He then tried to be reasonable, "I might be able to rig the door's panel so it can detect the Jedi's bio parameters, and open just for him," he offered, "I'm guessing that you have that information stored in the memory core of your gadget…" he signalled at her backpack where he knew she kept her Imperial Coder, "… but you'll have to leave that thing here." Tarec knew Mara kept incredible amounts of highly classified intel in that Coder of hers. As the Emperor's Hand, she'd had access to almost everything the Emperor himself had had access to. And back in the day, Luke Skywalker was enemy number one to the Empire, so she ought to have every relevant information on the Rebel in the data banks of that sophisticated piece of technology. Krigger still felt baffled about Mara's now friendship with the Empire's archenemy. How that had come to happen? He simply could not understand it. That was one story he was certainly eager to listen to coming straight out of her mouth, once all this mess was over.
Of course Mara had the Jedi's bio parameters stored in her gadget… She'd had them stored in it since Palpatine had assigned her the mission to kill Skywalker at Jabba's Palace… In order to give Skywalker a chance, she had to relinquish it. She'd had that piece of tech for years now, it had helped her survive the tumultuous years after the fall of the Empire… and now she had to part with it… She'd be releasing the one last link to her Imperial past. Every information they needed for the mission was already stored in the Jade's Fire's main computer, and R2-D2 had the other half stored in his core.
But most importantly, leaving the Imperial Coder behind meant helping Luke… It was really a no brainer for her. "It won't be a problem," Mara firmly said, as she holstered her blaster and reached inside her backpack, retrieving her precious Coder, "Thank you."
Krigger knew he couldn't use the gadget himself or it would self-destruct, but he'd guide Mara through the process. "I'm glad we can be civil on this matter," he then told her. Although he'd tried to make his words sound inconsequential, there was a distinctive hint of sarcasm and hurt pride in his tone.
As the Guardsman quickly worked adapting the door's panel to receive the Coder's input, the building continued shuddering. The lights flickered and for a moment it seemed like the power in the whole section would go down… but it held, and the lights came back on after brief moments. They were using precious minutes, and Krigger wasn't even sure his gimmick would work.
As he knelt in front of the now gutted door panel, Mara watched the Guardsman work… but her mind and attention were somewhere else… back in the chamber. Skywalker had to make it back of she'd never forgive herself! Options on how to help him ran through her mind, but none of them seemed feasible against a beast like the one they had left behind.
"Done!" Krigger announced and stepped up. "Connect your gadget in there and run the bio parameters… Leave it in a loop."
Mara quickly did as he instructed. She hooked the Coder to the panel's wiring and made the information run. "It's working," she then confirmed.
That was good news. Now Krigger knew he could take Mara out of there and get to safety. The building shuddered once more, this time more violently, "By all the moons of Mandalore!" he exclaimed under his breath. What was making the beskar plated structure vibrate like this? Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. "We have to get out of here!"
"Let's go!" she agreed.
With long strides, both made their way outside the Enclave and towards the awaiting ship. When they got to it, Threepio and Artoo were already on board, waiting.
"Oh, my! Where is Master Luke?" the golden droid let out in his prissy voice, "And who is this gentleman?" he then asked when his photoreceptors picked up on the presence of the stranger.
At not getting an answer, R2-D2 let out a panicked raspberry and decidedly rolled towards the ship's ramp.
"Hey you two! Stay put!" Mara ordered them, "Your Master will catch up with us." She told them to appease their worry, trying to sound more confident than what she really felt.
"We should have the ship's systems ready for immediate take off." Tarec pressed, the soldier in him pushing him to move on.
"You're right… and all the gun batteries too!" Mara declared. They should be ready for anything.
"I don't think the ship's guns would do anything against that creature…" the Guardsman pointed out, "…I saw it single headedly take down ships larger than this one... Many of them in fact, in just one round." He ominously said.
"I don't give a rot!" Mara let out exasperated. Could he just stop being pessimistic? They didn't need that in that moment, they needed to think on how to help Skywalker, "At the first sight of Luke, we'll do everything we can to ensure that he will have a clear path towards the ship."
Mara's demeanour was decisive, Tarec noted; there was no other way to go about this. It was so clear to him now just how much the Jedi meant to her. The Guardsman didn't say anything and just nodded in agreement. She brushed past him and headed towards the ship's cockpit. Krigger followed her closely. Once inside, they got busy getting all the systems warmed up and ready.
Through the cockpit's transparisteel viewport, Mara stared at the dark, massive building outlined in the distance, "Now we wait," the Trader stated, "And we won't leave until Skywalker is on board."
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oOo
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Loud animalistic bellows filled the atmosphere in the chamber.
The beast was all game for a confrontation. It circled the now exposed Jedi, just taking its time to jump on him, very sure that it had the advantage… Then, it made its move. The enormous creature glided towards its prey, like if it were moving in water, and attacked with vicious intent.
The Jedi pushed back with great strength in the Force, skilfully manipulating the life energy around him with his mind and creating an invisible shield that kept the creature at bay. Enraged, the beast slammed itself violently against the invisible shield the Jedi kept in place, time and time again, trying to make its way through. Each charge of the beast created such force that the floor of the chamber shuddered under the Jedi's boots. The beast ferociously cried out once more, evidently in frustration at not being able to get a hold of its prey.
The surge of life energy that now ran through the Jedi's body was something he'd never felt before, not with such intensity… He'd had glimpses of it while in deep meditation, beckoning at him, but had never experienced it physically in such a way. Now he was harnessing that energy, commanding it… and it was responding to the will of his mind. Every cell in his body, every nerve, every muscle… his whole being was infused by this powerful light energy. Were these levels of the Force that true Jedi Masters of the past had reached to? Or was this something different and new? He could not know. The only thing he knew for sure was that this new connection to the Force he was experiencing had come to him to stay for good.
In the back of his mind, Luke had been tracking Mara and Tarec's progress. He clearly felt the moment both had reached the Jade's Fire… His connection to the Force was running so deep, that he was even able to feel Mara's urgency and worry, and the Guardsman's annoyance at whatever she was doing. At the same time, he'd been keeping the menacing beast at bay. Now that he knew Mara was safe, he'd take things into more serious ground.
The Jedi called in the raw power of the light side of the Force once more and lay no barriers. The powerful energy responded to his call, and executed his will… and he was now in a position to use this energy as best as he could and stop this!
When calling in the light side of the Force, Luke could feel the powerful surge, electrifying every molecule in his body. He perceived how a gush of windy, blue energy surrounded him and how at his mental order it then made it forth towards the beast.
Soon the beast was enveloped in forceful bright light of pale blue. The first lash made the creature cry out in pain, but it also shattered the plating on the walls that surrounded the chamber, making the whole place shudder. All the gassy tendrils that had remained around the chamber were also completely destroyed, vanishing in a faint violet cloud of vapor.
As strong as the first blast of Force light had been, it had not been enough to destroy the creature. Mad of rage, the reptilian beast charged towards the Jedi, its jaws wide open. At the sight of the charging beast, the Jedi was at the ready in a combat stance, lightsaber ignited in both of his hands. As the creature approached and snapped at the Jedi, the latter Force jumped high above the large creature, and while following the trajectory of his arched jump, the Jedi threw his lightsaber at the beast, cutting the creatures head off in one clean swirl of the green blade.
By the time the Jedi had landed on a squat, the creature had already started the regeneration process of its recently cut off head. Without wasting a moment, using this new unabated connection to the Force, Luke then commanded the vital force that surrounded the creature to slow down… and it did. The result was the stopping of the beast's regeneration ability. To finish his enemy off, the Jedi then threw his lightsaber a few more rounds, with each throw slicing each of the bests' extremities, while at the same time he commanded the vital force of this slashed sections to slow down and to finally stop. Soon, the beast was nothing more than a pile of harmless, amorphous gas. Nevertheless, the mass of purple and orange gas did not disappear, and Luke knew that if he let go of the hold he had on it through the Force in order to slow its molecules down, the creature would regenerate wholly in no time.
So he had to take a step even further in order to end this.
As he prepared himself to give the next blow, suddenly the Jedi spotted the second monolith in the back of the room… It was active, ominously shining bright.
Behind the brightness of the gate, Luke sensed a lurking presence inside… There was another power in there… dark and ominous, full of malice. Soon whispers in a strange language echoed in the chamber. The feel of it made his skin crawl… He better not let it come out!
Hurriedly the Jedi approached the ominous monolith. Its now water-like, bright surface, swirling around… the malice coming from it was overwhelming!
This monolith must be destroyed.
The Jedi stood right in front of the monolith, his stance firm and decisive. He let out a breath and concentrated… First he tried to sense the make of that thing, so he could counter its energy of darkness with light.
As he drew more and more light, Luke was aware of how he was affecting the environment around him. As the power of the surge of light Force increased, the chamber shook violently and started to crumble down, pieces at a time… A gush of wind-like energy spiralled around him rapidly… Soon the windy energy engulfed the whole place and became brighter, and brighter, and brighter…
With the full force of the light shining bright in the enclosed space, the first thing that went was the pile of gas that had once been the large reptilian creature… it simply vanished in a swirl of white vapor. As the light intensified, the malign presence Luke had sensed remained behind the open gate… not daring to make itself present inside the chamber… The light preventing it from do so. Soon the unnerving whispers also stopped.
The Jedi was drawing enormous power from the Force now, but it was still not enough to take the monolith down… so he had to take it one step even further. Intensifying his hold of the light energy, he drew in even more of it.
The surge of light that came after this was overwhelmingly blinding… Luke couldn't see anything!... The sounds were muted and there was almost just silence, the hiss of wind the only sound… He felt his clothes flapping its lose parts against his body, the energy warm on his skin… He could just feel… The Jedi then felt the malign presence retreating… Just like he always had, he had now to trust his senses, and let himself be guided by the powerful surge of the Force.
The light shone bright, engulfing everything around it.
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oOo
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An enormous blast of bright energy coming out of the cracked open plating on the Enclave's outer walls caught Mara and Tarec's immediate attention. The blast of light was followed only seconds later by the sound of blasting thunder.
A good distance away from the event, sitting in the safety of the ship's cockpit, in disbelief, both watched bright, powerful streaks of light making its way out through the cracked walls of the building.
"I'll be cursed!" Tarec Krigger exclaimed under his breath, seated in the co-pilots seat, and witnessing the huge blast through the transparisteel viewport window, "That's Mandalorian iron… How can it be!" Some parts of the building were now crumbling… Surely all the electronics and support systems were now out of line, malfunctioning or dead. This was a beskar plated building for Mandalore's sake! One could tell, by the force of the blast that any other regular building would have been vaped out of existence!
"Skywalker!" Mara mumbled, a few thoughts finally falling in place. This was the change she'd perceived in Luke's connection to the Force… His connection had become more powerful, rawer…
"You mean the Jedi did this?" The Guardsman asked in incredulity.
"Yes," Mara answered, frantically reaching out with her still dampened Force sense to find any sign of Skywalker. What had happened? Had he survived something like this? The lines on her forehead relaxed when great relief washed over her, once she sensed his bright presence in the flow of the Force. "He's coming!" She then announced. "Take the ship near the Enclave for pick up." She told her Mandalorian friend while she left the pilot's seat and headed towards the ship's ramp. She'd meet Skywalker there.
The Jade's Fire covered the several hundred meters that separated them from the Enclave in just a few seconds. Sixteen years had passed by since Tarec Krigger had last lay hands on a ship's helm, but he surely still knew how to fly. At the sight of Skywalker, Krigger levelled the ship and landed it near his path.
Mara let the ramp go down, feeling utterly relieved at the sight of the Jedi. He looked like if nothing had happened to him.
"Let's go, we're done here." Luke declared as he gave one leap up on the ramp and walked towards the inside of the ship.
Mara eyed the destroyed building that lay some meters away from them. It didn't look good; the Enclave was done for. She then followed the Jedi, the ramp closing behind her… There was one more matter they had to deal with! "What about that second monolith?" There was clear confusion in her question.
"It's gone… I took care of it." He then revealed, stopping in the aisle to face his friend.
Mara stopped on her tracks, "How?" Her shock was very evident. How had Skywalker managed to do that without the symbols?
Luke hesitated, like if he wasn't even sure himself on how that had happened, "It got vaporized, just like the creature did."
'Vaporized?' What was he talking about?
The Jedi heard loud and clear her nonverbalized question, "I don't know how… But I do know that the light Force I was able to draw upon just obliterated all darkness."
Mara eyed Luke with a certain suspicion. Light versus dark, that old tale. What kind of power had the Farmboy connected to this time? Would that affect him? Would that turn him to the dark side? Mara inspected his appearance and did a quick scan of his energy with her now completely clear Force sense – It seemed like once all the darkness was gone she was now able to connect to the Force without restrictions. There was not a hint to be alarmed about there… The Farmboy's features had come back to normal and his energy was as clear as ever. He was not even limping anymore… Surely all that light Force energy had taken care of that too, heling his injured leg immediately.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Luke reassured. "I'll tell you all about it once we're in hyperspace."
"Mara?" Tarec's voice cracked in her commlink
"Everything is fine, you can take us out." She answered through her gizmo.
"Copied." Was the other's reply.
Then the ship lifted towards the skies.
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oOo
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Once in the safety of hyperspace they could all relax.
After leaving the ship in autopilot, Tarec came to find Mara. He found her in the infirmary.
"Good that you're here!" she greeted him, "We have to take a look at that!" she said, pointing at Krigger's injured arm.
Mara signalled Tarec to sit down in the nearest stool in the room. She started to remove the bacta patches she'd previously attached to his flesh. When she removed the patches, she noticed that the dark mark where the beast had spat on his shoulder had already spread down to his hand. It was deep black now and the flesh had started to rot… It didn't look good. Surely the analgesics had also worn out their effect and he was putting up with the pain dry cold. He should have passed out by now! Although he tried to hide it, he was surely in a lot of pain. But one thing Mara knew about Krigger, was that he was recognized for his untarnished stoicism and self-control.
The Trader wasn't even sure if she had what was needed to treat him on the ship, and it was worrisome. As she searched inside drawers and shelves Mara cursed her luck. First Skywalker, now Krigger… This nurse duty was already driving her nuts! She was not the nurturing type for Sith's sake!
As she did the best she could to administer the treatment she had at hand, Mara then remembered the incident they had both had back in the Enclave. She and Tarec had always been brutally honest with each other, and the air needed to be cleared on that matter now. "I'm sorry I pointed a gun at you." Mara apologized. When in the whole blazes would she had imagined she'd do something like that to him?
"Don't worry," he dismissed, "I was being an ass." Krigger confessed with sincerity.
"Yes, you were." She conceded with the same sincerity.
They looked at each other for brief seconds and then both softly chuckled. In that instant, everything was then forgotten. And for one brief moment, everything felt like back in the day between them.
Then the Jedi stepped inside the Infirmary, and Tarec was not pleased; he found the other's presence irritating.
"Can I help?" the Jedi inquired.
"Yes, you can! Please finish wrapping this around his arm," Mara asked, "I need to go to the cargo hold and find more of those pain-damper pills."
Mara left, and Luke and Tarec were left alone in the room. Awkward silence soon followed.
The Guardsman was trying to be a good patient, begrudgingly he was letting the Jedi tend to him, but it did bother him enormously to have a former enemy near.
Luke had picked up on that the moment he'd stepped in the room, still he tried to not make a fuzz about it, the man needed assistance and he was willing to provide it, and if the other agreed to, he could even put him under a Healing Trance… That would help him heal in ways medicine could not in a case as strange and serious as this. But he decided he'd wait a little before offering anything.
The Guardsman observed the Jedi manipulate the bandages around his injured arm, his piercing brown eyes studying the other man carefully. Skywalker had lost that Sith look and now his appearance was that of a normal person – If normal could be said of this man. The prior paleness of his skin was gone now and was replaced by a sun-kissed shade, the colourless eyes were now a pair of bright blue orbs that openly looked back at him… That gaze hid nothing. The sharp line of his jawline gave the Jedi a noble look and despite of not being a very tall man, the way the younger man carried himself made him look strong and dignified, showing self-assurance and effortlessly demanding respect… An aura of calmness and deep strength enveloped him… He was before a warrior, just like he was.
Yes, the Guardsman wholly disliked the Jedi. Not just because he'd been the most notable enemy of the Empire he had once served, but also and more importantly because of who he really was: one of those Jedi that had tricked his grandfather, turning his name and family into ruin and shame. And for that, he would never forgive any of those hypocrite wizards, including Skywalker. And to make things even worse, Mara was in the middle of all this. She liked the Jedi, that was obvious. But it was not the Jedi's looks what Mara would feel attracted to, it would be his competence and ability… and the damn Jedi was utterly competent and able.
When feeling the other's scrutiny, Luke then offered, "You can ask if you want."
"I want nothing to do with you, Jedi." Krigger scoffed, turning away in indignation.
Luke looked back at him openly. It was obvious that, for some reason, Krigger hated his guts… The feeling was so intense that he was certain that it had more to do with simply him being an enemy of the now extinct Empire. No, this was something more… It felt… personal! But how could it be personal if they didn't even know each other? Unless… It had to be it! Krigger must be jealous! Jealous of his relationship with Mara… But, could he be that childish of a man? No, this was something else. He could be jealous, all right, but in the end Krigger was not stupid and he would certainly know that Mara had the last say on that. So his jealousy towards him could be part of it, but not all of it. And still, despite of his obvious abhorrence of him, Krigger had helped him back in the Enclave when the creature had cornered him, and had fought bravely against the ominous beast. There was so much to Tarec Krigger that he still had to learn about.
It was inevitable for Luke to feel compassion towards the begrudged Mandalorian. Living that long surrounded by all that darkness in the Enclave surely had affected Tarec somehow, in ways he himself had yet to discover and heal. Tarec was not Force sensitive, but all living things were always affected by the light or the dark in some form or another. So perhaps, Krigger only needed some time to decompress and purify his energy in a more benign environment.
The harsh tone in the other man's voice snapped Luke out of his contemplations.
"When we're done with this, I'll be glad to have you out of mine and Mara's life forever." Krigger turned and blatantly told Luke.
All right, this is how it was going to be, "Are you deciding for her now?" Luke calmly let out, without any hint of anything.
Krigger just set his jaw. He felt silly after having said his harsh remarks, thinking that he could decide for Mara was utterly stupid, he knew; but the Jedi was out of line if he thought he could tell him how he should work things between he and Mara. He knew nothing about them!
"There's no more Empire, no more Rebel Alliance…" the Jedi tried to reason, "The war is over, maybe not in a way you would like, but these are peace times now. We all live in a very different way from how things were run when Palpatine was in power… and there's an open opportunity for you to start anew."
The Guardsman stood up abruptly, facing the Jedi. Evenly and coldly he then told him, "I don't care who you are or what has happened… To me you are and will always just be Rebel scum!" and although he didn't say it, it was clear that – before Tarec's eyes, the fact of being Force-sensitive only added to that crime. And although he didn't hold any love for the Empire anymore, the thought of it having lost the war corroded his entrails in a way that was painful. "You better stay away from her and off our path!" he then threatened.
"I wasn't aware that Mara needed someone to clear the path for her." This time Luke challenged, not backing off one centimetre, squaring his stance and looking at the other man straight in the eye.
Both men stood only a couple of centimetres away from each other, glaring at one another.
Just in that moment, Mara entered the room. Hostility was tangible in the air, and she appreciated both men standing one in front of the other in a challenge stance, tension in their bodies. The Mandalorian towered a number of centimetres above the Jedi – he was even a bit taller than Solo was, but she knew that would not intimidate Skywalker. These two definitely needed to learn how to get along, "Boys! Play nice… or you'll have to deal with me!" she seriously warned.
When hearing her voice, both men snapped out of their hostile behaviour.
In no time, the Jedi went back to his usual calm, ignoring what had just happened, "We should look into that, or you'll lose your arm." He addressed the Guardsman who was back on his seat.
Then Mara intervened, speaking to Tarec, "You could use one of those healing trances Skywalker knows how to induce," she earnestly suggested to the Mandalorian, "He can do wonders when healing injuries… and I think this is beyond the help I can provide." She nodded towards his arm, clear worry in her face.
Krigger eyed her and understood. This was critical. He had to swallow his pride if he wanted to survive… And he was not going to die of some stupid beast-induced gangrene after surviving all those years in isolation in the Sith Enclave he'd just left behind for good. "All right."
The Mandalorian lay down on the small infirmary bed, his large, muscly body barely fitting on it, then nodded to the Jedi in acceptance of his intervention.
It was good that it had been Mara the one who had proposed that, Luke thought; otherwise he didn't know if Tarec would have accepted his help. Without any more preamble, the Jedi placed his fingertips on the other man's temples and administered the desired energy frequency… Soon Tarec relaxed, closed his eyes and fell into the sleep pattern of the trance. It seemed like the Mandalorian softened considerably when around Mara, it was evident that he'd loved her deeply and that still loved her, Luke could tell that.
The Mandalorian was a brave man, excellent at his craft and very clever… He was also honourable and passionate in his beliefs and probably in everything else in his life. He was also an attractive man; the type Mara would like as far as he knew.
Now Luke understood why Mara had been in a relationship with Tarec… Why she'd loved him. He could understand the pain of losing someone you loved… he'd been through that more times he wanted to recognize, but he'd always had had some kind of closure.
Mara and Tarec's relationship had been ended for them, they had not had a chance to do it themselves, to be clear about things… many things had been left raw in the open.
Luke was aware of Mara's gaze set on the man he'd just finished putting under the effects of a healing trance. She was visibly troubled, surely her heart was aching, her mind rumbling.
Definitely there were a number of unfinished issues between the former Royal Guardsman and the former Emperor's Hand.
.
.
To be continued…