Chapter Twenty Seven:

Luke, Mara, Shiva and Thea were admitted to see Leader Afkin a few days later, and when they entered the Elder's office, Luke was surprised to find it artistically adorned with artifacts that had clearly come from long ago.

Luke was particularly drawn to a wall-sculpture depicting what looked like Kestans walking with some sort of carts they could tote behind them. In fact, Luke could have sworn they were crossing the very grassland the Games teams had.

The door opened, but Luke continued to study the wall, peering at the expressions the individual Kestans wore. Some were at peace, while others were clearly struggling.

"Ah, I see you recognize the scene," Afkin's voice said as he appeared beside Luke.

Luke glanced to him, openly curious. "These are the plains we traversed in the trek, aren't they?"

Afkin nodded solemnly. "Indeed they are; very astute, Jedi Skywalker. Our ancestors did not cross the mountains, save when hunting. Only the hunting parties risked the dangerous heights there, because at times that was the only pace to find food."

Luke inclined his head, noting a set of pottery behind glass on a pedestal nearby. "Are those some of their things?"

Afkin looked as well and smiled. "Indeed; though this particular set is something from my own family."

"It's beautiful," Luke admitted, eyeing the hand-painted scene on the clay.

"Thank you." Afkin ruffled his wings. "However, I do not think you asked to meet with me to discuss artwork."

Luke smiled softly. "No, we didn't."

"Have a seat then, and we will talk."

Luke took his seat by Mara, who already sat in a semi-circle of four chairs on the visitor's side of Afkin's desk. Once everyone was seated, Afkin shifted a few things on his desk to clear it, and then rested his clasped hands upon it, eyeing each person in turn.

"I must say I did not expect the four of you to become such fast friends," Afkin said. "I am curious what changed?"

His gaze landed pointedly on Shiva, who looked down.

"I changed, Sir," she murmured. "Jedi Jade and Skywalker helped me to see that I was not doing any good by acting the way I was. And..." Shiva pulled something from her pocket to hand to Afkin. Luke was surprised to see it was her Games medal. "I do not deserve this, Leader Afkin."

She laid it on his desk, and Afkin blinked in shock, though he swiftly took charge of the meeting.

"Explain."

Shiva stood. "It was I who was behind the tampering with the sterns. I sent in a... friend to see if we could get the two Jedi the worst flock to deal with."

Luke and Mara shared wide glances, stunned by the confession.

Afkin's head came up. "You cheated."

Shiva nodded, feeling both Luke and Mara's eyes on her. She turned to them. "I am so sorry." Her voice was tiny, and she sat, burying her face in her hands in shame.

"Why would you do that?" It was Thea who spoke now, obviously having been out of the loop on Shiva's dealings.

"For the same reasons I explained in the grasslands." Shiva admitted, forcing herself to look at Thea. "I was so desperate to win the approval of my family, and I didn't want the Jedi to take away my chances to do that."

Afkin sighed heavily. "Shiva, you know full well the consequences that come from such a thing. The Games are not the place for cheating." His voice was hard as flint, and Shiva flinched.

"I know Sir," Shiva whispered. "And I am ready to take my punishment."

Afkin made to speak, but Mara lifted a hand. "May I speak, Leader Afkin?"

Afkin glanced to her, considering. "Alright." He allowed.

Mara nodded her thanks and rose to her feet, coming to stand next to Shiva. "I would like to ask that Shiva not be punished for her actions."

Afkin lifted a scaled brow. "You understand the gravity of what she did?"

Mara nodded once. "I do. But since the affront was directed at Luke and me, we should have a say in her... judgment."

Afkin narrowed his eyes in thought, and Luke waited to see what he would do. Mara spoke more, though, before Afkin could.

"Sir, consider why Shiva did what she did. You speak of family, and your obvious love and devotion to them." Mara gestured to the artifacts he kept. "And yet, you have something Shiva does not: the full support and love of your family to you in return."

Mara laid a hand on Shiva's shoulder. "That is something I fully understand. My father abandoned me when I was an infant for a crime I didn't commit. I grew up an orphan, and when I finally found my father, the way he treated me was criminal. I lived with the guilt he had claimed was mine to bear until someone," Mara glanced at Luke, "helped me see a better way."

Shiva's head came up, and it was clear she was surprised that Mara would take her side on things.

"Shiva has become my friend, and I don't hold any ill will towards her for actions done in the past," Mara said. "And if you look back, nobody was hurt, so you don't have to worry about that either."

Afkin looked to Luke. "You are a member of her team, Jedi Skywalker," he said. "Do you also wish to pass on pressing charges against Shiva?"

Luke nodded. "I am not upset Leader Afkin. Like Mara said, neither of us was hurt. Please, allow Shiva to keep her medal. She did earn it, after all, despite her mistake."

Shiva's eyes widened. "You two really don't hate me?"

Luke and Mara shook their heads, and Afkin hummed.

"Alright, but Shiva, you will perform some community service in place of losing your medal." He softened then. "And I am sure your family loves you."

Shiva did smile a little. "They were impressed that I completed the Games."

Afkin nodded, looking satisfied. "Was that what you came here for?"

"Actually, we came here to talk about something else," Thea said, straightening while Mara resumed her seat.

"Well, then, let's hear it," Afkin said, sitting back.

Thea looked to Luke, who cleared his throat. "Leader Afkin, we wanted to talk about the golems."

Afkin sat straighter. "What about them?"

Luke took a deep breath. "They are not the beasts everyone makes them out to be, Sir. They are actually quite gentle and friendly."

Afkin snorted. "Jedi Skywalker, I do believe that sandstorm and the heat of the desert messed with your brain."

Luke thinned his lips. "I am perfectly sane, Sir."

Afkin narrowed his eyes. "I tell you, the golems are mere brutes, freaks of nature that do no good."

"That's not true!" Thea blurted, her eyes fierce. "They are wonderful beings who are actually extensions of Mother Keostea!"

Afkin rose to his feet. "That is heresy!" He all but shouted. "And I will not stand for it in my office!"

Shiva was on her own feet in the next second. "Leader Afkin, hear us out, please!"

Afkin turned arrowed eyes on her. "Why should I?"

"Because we can offer evidence of what we say is true," Shiva answered boldly.

Afkin sat for a long, terse moment, in which no one drew breath. Finally he spoke in a dangerously calm voice. "By all means then."

Shiva nodded once. "Thea and I met two of them by the river that runs through the plains and down to the desert. They did not harm us, and in fact helped us to connect with them."

Afkin didn't deign to answer, so Thea tried. "Sir, she speaks the truth. We met one in the forest too, and though we attacked him, he did not retaliate out of rage. He was only protecting himself, as Jedi Skywalker pointed out at the time."

"You said you two met this one." Afkin growled. "Now your story changes: how suspicious."

Thea blew out a frustrated breath of air. "We all met the forest golem. We attacked it as normal, but did not see that it was only defending itself."

"Jedi Skywalker and Jedi Jade have encountered more than we have." Shiva added, though Luke could sense that the situation was swiftly spiraling out of hand.

And indeed, Afkin looked about ready to throw them all out, but Luke lifted a placating hand. "Leader Afkin, why don't we start at the beginning?"

Afkin eyed Luke, but eventually nodded. "Alright.

"Thank you Sir. Our two teams," Luke gestured between the two Kestan women, Mara and he, "ended up meeting in the forest a few days into the trek. While we happened to be together, a golem appeared. Shiva and Thea attacked it, but I held back, noting that he did not provoke the attack. He did nothing but appear to us."

Afkin made a noise, but otherwise did not interrupt.

"Mara helped to take him down by tripping him up," Luke continued, "but we did not kill Kamen."

"Kamen?" Afkin asked, baffled.

"That was his name," Luke said, watching as Afkin's lip curled with ridicule. But Luke remained unperturbed. "We incapacitated Kamen long enough to leave him behind. Our two teams parted ways after this event, and I do not know what happened to Shiva and Thea, but as for Mara and I we met Kamen again, and another golem named Haut."

Afkin made a disbelieving noise. "Please stop talking about them as if they are sentient beings with lives akin to our own."

"Please let him finish," Mara asked mildly. She took Luke's hand in an open show of support.

Afkin blew steam from his nostrils, but motioned with his hand.

Grateful for Mara's help, Luke squeezed her hand subtly as he went on. "They spoke to us in the Force— this did not have anything to do with us winning the Games, so it was not cheating," Luke hastened to add. "We did nothing with the Force to directly influence our activities in the events."

Afkin nodded, accepting this.

"But we were able to communicate with the golems in the Force, because all things are connected through the Force," Luke explained further. "They asked Mara and I to help bring the golems and the Kestans back together. Your two species used to be friends."

This time Leader Afkin guffawed with laughter, going so far as to slap his knee. "Of all the absurd things! Friends?! Us with them?"

Thea leapt to her feet. "It's true! Our history on the matter has been lost! But I have been connected with the golems, and I feel a deep connection to my ancestors because of this!"

Afkin stood, all levity gone. "A connection in the Force I can understand, as I do have a limited grasp of how the Jedi's power works. But our people do not have the Force. How could we possibly connect with them, now or then?" He waved an agitated hand. "I'll tell you how: we can't because they didn't!"

"They did!" Thea argued, her face darkening with anger. "Please believe us!"

Afkin shook his head. "I refuse to believe any of this. And if all the golems did was show up and talk to you, why would I care? If you four want to believe nonsense, that is your choice, but I will not join your madness."

Luke blew out a steadying breath, but remained seated. "It wasn't just the golems that Mara and I met, Leader Afkin."

Afkin turned his head to Luke. "What?"

Luke looked to Mara, who nodded her approval. Luke tuned his head back to Afkin. "Mara... was injured and very ill on our trek's first portion. You see, her injury from the hagrabold became infected, and it made her sick. She became so sick that I thought she would die." Luke's throat closed with emotion, and he didn't hide it from his voice. Afkin's gaze turned to Mara, though he didn't interrupt Luke. "And so I connected with Mother Keostea in the Force and asked for her help. You see, the golems had promised that Mother Keostea could and would help us so that we in turn could help her and the golems restore what used to be friendly relations between Kestans and golems."

Afkin frowned. "If she was near-death, how is she alive and well now, and completely whole?"

"Mother Keostea sent another golem to me, and he led me into the bowels of the mountain where Mara and I were," Luke said seriously. "I carried Mara to an underground cavern, and laid Mara on the ground. Mother Keostea shrouded Mara in vines and drained the illness from Mara and replaced it with her own life-force."

Afkin sucked in an incensed breath. "How dare you claim such a thing?"

Shiva shook her head. "Sir, he speaks the truth. Not only that, but they rode out of the forest on the backs of honites."

Afkin's face darkened in outrage, and he was about to explode at them when Mara rose to her feet and exposed her shoulder for him to see. It took him a second to notice, but when he finally caught sight of her shoulder, he froze.

Long, tense seconds passed as the man merely stared, open-mouthed at Mara's leaf-mark. Finally he beckoned Mara to come closer. "Please come to me."

Mara did so, coming around the desk. Afkin bent close to see, though he tilted his head to look at her. "If this is a true mark, it will be engrained in your skin."

Mara inclined her head toward the shoulder. "You may touch it."

Afkin nodded once and did so, feeling the mark from all sides to be certain he wasn't being fooled. Then he dismissed Mara and fell into his chair, a hand going to his face as he computed everything.

He looked tired, Luke thought, when he finally turned back to the others. "Tell me everything again, and leave nothing out."

Luke did so, expounding to Afkin everything relating to the golems, and of how the Kestans had connected with the golems and Mother Keostea. It took a while, and no one interrupted, except when Afkin had questions to clarify a point.

Finally Luke finished, and Afkin sat in silence for a long time, thinking over everything that had been said.

At last he sighed. "I apologize for my... behavior earlier. I guess I have been so lost in tradition that I did not want to change."

Shiva smirked sadly. "I said almost the same thing, Sir."

Afkin lifted a brow, but then shook his head. "I will arrange for our people to hear this tale from Thea and Shiva. Since the pair of you has already connected, you should be able to help the rest of us. But we will do so after we have completed negotiations with the Republic. I would like to deal with one life-changing event at a time if you please."

Afkin looked to the two Jedi. "I thank you for being brave enough to confront me with this. It will take time for us, but our people must figure this particular thing out for ourselves. You are free to return home now, though you may visit whenever you wish."

Luke and Mara shared a relieved look, and stood, bowing to Afkin. "Thank you Leader Afkin."

They turned to Shiva and Thea, who were clearly eager to get going with teaching their people of the golems. Nonetheless, having been dismissed, the two stood and followed the Jedi from the room.

"It will be sad to see you two go," Thea said softly once they were outside of the government building.

Shiva nodded her agreement. "Indeed."

Mara clasped Shiva's arm. "You are welcome to visit us too, you know. Anytime."

Shiva smiled. "I think I might, but not yet. I would like to be here for our planet's entry into the Republic."

Thea actually embraced Luke, then Mara. "I'll miss you both. And thank you so much for all you did for us."

Shiva turned solemn. "Yes, thank you."

Mara patted Shiva on the back. "I meant it when I said I don't hold a grudge."

Shiva smiled. "I believe you."

Thea and Shiva looked up when a large, sleek shuttle appeared in the sky, and Luke followed their gazes.

When he recognized the ship, Luke beamed happily, and he broke into a jog to meet it. He didn't see the confused looks of Shiva and Thea, or hear Mara explain about Padmé. When Luke arrived at the landing pad, Anakin was already there.

He smiled warmly at his son, and the two of them stood together waiting for the Nabooian skiff to lower her ramp. When it did, a lovely woman in senatorial attire descended the ramp.

Luke grinned happily to see Padmé, and he stepped up to embrace her. "Mother!"

Padmé embraced him eagerly. "Luke! I'm so proud of you!"

Luke kissed her cheek. "Thank you. How have you been?"

"I've been well," Padmé said, stepping into Anakin's arms next and receiving his kiss.

"Mara and I have been cleared to go home." Luke informed his parents. "Do you need us to stay for any reason?"

Padmé shook her head. "No. Oh by the way, Chewbacca commed to tell you he found a ride to Coruscant."

"Oh, good," Luke said. He'd actually forgotten about the Wookiee, and was glad Chewie had found a way back.

Anakin motioned to Luke when Mara arrived as well. "You two go home, but don't forget to stop by the medical wing for a full evaluation."

The pair of them nodded, and Luke saw that Afkin and a few other Kestan delegates had arrived to greet Padmé. Luke also saw four other Senators appear from Padmé's ship.

Soon Luke and Mara were forgotten as the formalities began between the Republic delegates and the Kestans. Luke saw that Thea and Shiva hung back with the new group, and so he waved to them, turning to Mara.

"Ready to go?"

Mara nodded, taking his hand and leading him to their ship. "I am. Though I think I'll miss Keostea a little."

Luke smiled softly, walking with her into the vessel and helping her get it warmed up and ready to fly. "Me too. But I'm ready to go home."

Mara hesitated, but she did lift the ship into the sky, the surface of the planet falling away swiftly. "Yeah."

Luke frowned at her. "What's wrong?"

Mara didn't answer right away, and once they got to the jump point, her hand was poised over the hyperspace lever, the coordinates already set. But she didn't activate the hyperdrive, leaving the ship hovering in realspace.

Luke gently took her hand, pulling it back and looking Mara in the eye when she turned toward him. "Mara?"

Mara sighed, looking down, and her gaze was so lonely it hurt Luke to see it. "I don't have a home, Luke. I have a room in the Temple, but I don't think of it as home. I never have."

Luke felt understanding come to him, and he looked down, contemplating once more a thought he'd toyed with off and on the last few days. "Mara, you are always welcome to visit me whenever you need to."

Mara smiled slightly at him. "Thank you. But it's still lonely. Especially at night."

Luke lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles. "It doesn't have to be." Mara looked to him, and he smiled. "I'll be here whenever and wherever you need me, Mara."

She seemed a little sad, but Luke held firm, coming to a decision. He wanted to be with Mara, to make her his wife... but he wanted to do it the right way. He wanted to plan his proposal; take her somewhere special.

So though is hurt him to see the disappointment in her gaze, he knew in his heart it would be temporary.

Well, if she says yes, it will be temporary, Luke thought.

He squeezed her hand. "Have courage, Love. Everything will be alright."

Mara smiled again and nodded, releasing his hand to press the lever. Their ship leapt into hyperspace, and hurtled along the route back to Coruscant.