The hot midday sun beat down on master and apprentice as they sparred in the Yavin woods, lightsabers sparking as they made contact with one another. The apprentice's amethyst blade swung down, while the master's blue blade blocked it almost effortlessly. Her young apprentice stood strong and unyielding, even as sweat poured down her face and her dark curls stuck to the back of her neck.
Like her mother. So much like her mother. And that effortlessly royal glint in her caf-colored eyes, like the certain long-dead senator from Naboo whose portraits graced the halls of more than one Imperial palace.
Mara drew her saber back, shutting it off. The blue beam of light disappeared down into the hilt. The younger woman followed suit, clipping her lightsaber hilt onto her belt and grinning at Mara.
"Good work, Jaina," Mara said, putting her own lightsaber in its place.
The younger woman nodded. "One more round?"
To have that kind of boundless energy again. That kid would spar in the woods all night if I let her.
"We need to be getting back. It'll be lunchtime soon, and then you need to hit the books. You have an exam tomorrow."
Mara began walking in the direction of the Jedi Temple, Jaina trailing slightly behind her, her annoyance palpable through their Force bond.
"Ugh, Auntie," she said with a scoff. "Do I have to?"
"Yes, Jaina, you do."
"But it's so boring and pointless."
"Far from it," Mara said, turning to look at the teenager. "A Jedi needs to know her history, where she came from and her place in all of this, not just how to fight."
"But –"
"No buts. And if you fail this exam, you're not going off-planet for a month."
"That's so not fair," the younger woman protested. "Mom and Dad won't even kn-"
Before she could finish her thought, the soft ground had given way out from under her feet, sending her tumbling onto the sharp rocks of the river bank several meters below. Mara knew it was bad when the normally plucky teenager didn't get back up right away. Instead, the girl struggled to sit up, grimacing in pain every time she tried to do so. Finally, with a pained whimper, she laid back down on the rocks and didn't move again.
"Jaina!"
Before Mara could even register what had happened, or how she had made it down from such a height so quickly without getting hurt herself, she was kneeling beside the younger woman. Jaina was pale, shivering and unable to get more than a few words out at a time.
"Ow... Auntie Mara," Jaina whimpered, eyes shut tightly. "It hurts. It...hurts."
"Where?"
"My back. My belly."
Mara lifted the hem of Jaina's tunic, sucking in a breath as she saw blood oozing rhythmically out of the small but deep gash on the younger woman's abdomen. Blood began to collect under the girl, dripping onto the rocks below her. Mara ran the back of her hand along her niece's cheek. She was cold, clammy, and was going to need a hospital and a blood transfusion.
Oh, gods, Han and Leia are going to kill me. No. Focus, Jade. Focus.
In her years working for the Empire, and later as a smuggler, Mara had treated more than her fair share of her own – and others' – injuries. But that was her, on a ship full of medical supplies – not her niece in the middle of the forest with nothing more than a canteen of water and a couple of lightsabers. Walking was out of the question. The girl couldn't even move without crying.
At least her comlink had a good signal and a full battery. She pressed the button on the bracelet-like device, calling the one person she knew was still on-planet. The comlink beeped once, twice, three times.
"Damn it, Skywalker. Pick up."
Nothing. He was probably in class, or meditating, with his comlink tucked away in a locker somewhere. His mental blocks were also quite strong and, after several attempts at reaching him, Mara gave up.
The sun beat down on the women through the trees, making the hairs at the nape of Mara's neck stick to her skin. But Jaina was shivering, her lips quivering and teeth chattering.
"'M cold."
"I know, kiddo. We'll get help."
She tried the comlink again. Once again, no answer.
"Kriff it all to seven Corellian hells," Mara exclaimed a little louder and with more frustration than she intended.
"I'm sorry, Auntie Mara."
"What? Why? For getting hurt? It's all right."
She's going to die out here.
No, no she isn't. Not if I have anything to do with it.
"Jaina?"
"Yeah?"
"Stand up," Mara said, reaching down and grasping the younger woman's hand in hers. "Come on, take my hand."
"It hurts too much."
"I know. But we have to go."
"Where?"
"Home."
With one swift movement, Mara pulled the girl up onto her feet. Jaina grimaced, waves of stabbing pain surging through her body, and began to cry.
"I know, I know, it hurts. Get on my back."
She lifted Jaina onto her back, eliciting another agonized cry from the younger woman.
"It's over," she panted. "Good job. We'll be there before you know it, but you have to stay with me. Okay?"
"O – okay."
Mara trudged through the woods for what felt like hours, feeling Jaina drifting in and out of consciousness through their Force bond. As she felt hot blood dripping down the back of her tunic, she let out a concerned sigh.
Talk to the kid, Jade. Keep her awake.
"Did I ever tell you about the time your uncle carried Master Yoda on his back like this?"
"Mmm."
"It was when he met the old master on Dagobah and did his own Jedi training. He climbed trees and swung from vines and did flips. All with this little green creature in his backpack," Mara said with a small giggle. "We're almost there, okay?"
"Mmmhmm."
Shit. I'm losing her.
"You know, I wanted to kill your Uncle Luke when we first met. Still do sometimes."
Like when you don't answer your damn comlink in a kriffing emergency, Skywalker.
"Jaina, can you hear me? Jaina?"
Nothing.
A slight breeze blew through the forest, cooling the sweat on the back of Mara's neck and eliciting a strong shiver from Jaina. The Jedi Temple had come into view by this point, prompting Mara to quicken her pace.
"You're gonna make it, kid. Come on."
With a groan – Force, Mara hated getting older – she shifted the weight on her back and pushed herself to run the final few feet to the Temple steps and up to the doors. Using the Force, she opened the heavy wooden doors with a loud slam.
A few students stopped in their tracks to gawk at the dirty, sunburned Jedi master and her barely-conscious, profusely bleeding, niece on her back.
"GogetMasterSkywalkerrightnow," she spat out, glaring daggers at the kids. "Go!"
They scampered off toward the direction of the Council Chambers, calling the grand master's name.
Mara dropped to her knees, gently peeling her student off her back and lying her down on the cold stone floor, using the Force to make sure she didn't drop her. Then she turned around to look at the girl.
Oh, Gods, this is bad. This is bad. This is really bad.
Jaina's tunic was completely bloodied, and the blood from the gash on her stomach was still coming out steadily. Her face was gray, her eyes sunken and her lips almost white. Mara touched the girl's face. Cold. Clammy. She was breathing, but barely. She reached out to the girl through the Force. Nothing.
The familiar sound of heavy boot steps came down the hall at a furious pace, accented by the quick and hard to decipher voices of several students talking over each other all at once. Not far behind them were the Healers, chattering amongst themselves and trying to make their way through the group.
The steps stopped abruptly, followed by Luke's familiar voice giving a stern order for the students to go to their rooms and stay there. Thank the Force. The last thing Mara needed was an audience.
She felt Luke's presence in the Force grow nearer as he all but ran to her side.
"What the hell happened, Mara?"
"It was an accident, Luke," she replied in an uncharacteristically emotional tone. "She slipped. And fell. On some rocks."
She looked beyond her husband at the Healers and watched as they worked on Jaina. One worked to stem the bleeding while the other struggled to find a vein to start a blood transfusion. The girl grimaced as the Healer poked and prodded at her, finally finding success in a large vein in one of her wrists. As the Healers carted her off toward the medical ward, Mara felt something inside her break.
"I'm so sorry, Luke," she sobbed, heavy tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Luke's features softened, and he pulled his crying wife toward him in a strong embrace.
"Shh, Mara, it's okay," he said. "It's all right. She's in good hands. C'mon. Let's get cleaned up."
