Chapter Two: Revelations
Mara continued to follow the small jedi through the mire that was rapidly growing darker as evening approached. Blackness caressed the trees casting an ominous sensation of isolation around her. Mara increased her pace to a slow jog to keep up with the jedi master, not wishing to become lost in the darkness of the night.
They seemed to be following a crude path flanked with vegetation. Fallen limbs and brush lay randomly across the path creating barriers Mara had to slow and climb over. Ahead, Yoda seemed to veer left off of the path. When Mara reached that spot, she found herself standing in a small clearing that housed a meager hut. He stood in its doorway and beckoned to her, "Come in child. Good food I have."
After a slight hesitation, Mara followed the jedi into the hut, ducking down to avoid hitting her head on the unusually low door frame. The hut was one room and housed two cots toward the back. In the middle of the room, a small eating area centered around a fire pit. A fire burned low with a pot suspended above it. A foul smell from the pot caused Mara to shudder. Yoda beckoned her to sit on a log that lay aside the fire. He happily scooped a ladle full of the offensive concoction into a bowl and presented it to her graciously. Mara tried to remain impassive, but frowned in distaste. She politely took the bowl and was dismayed to find the jedi waiting for her to take a bite.
"What's in this?" She questioned, then realized she probably didn't want to know. "Never mind; it's probably a secret recipe," she stammered.
Yoda watched with amusement at her attempts to show politeness and was impressed knowing politeness was most likely a foreign concept to her.
Mara took a bite of the stew, and it took every ounce of her resolve not to spit it out. The taste was worse than some of the punishments the Emperor had inflicted upon her when she was a small child. She forced herself to swallow then offered to the jedi who seemed to be awaiting her reaction, "It's very...interesting."
Yoda seemed to smile, or maybe she saw a smile in his eyes. "Good! More you can have. Now, tell you of your parents I will."
As he told her told the story, Mara became mesmerized as she tried picture her parents in her head. Yoda told Mara her parents' names were Dane and Sarah Kaden. Sarah (Halcyon) Kaden came to the jedi temple as a small child after her parents died with an illness that had infected their village. Yoda instructed young Sarah, along with other padawans her age, in the very beginning teachings in the force. She had been a bright child, eager to please, and she possessed a gentleness about her. She had eyes the color of bright jade jewels that were full of mirth and mischief. She often played jokes on her peers, and occasionally her jedi masters. Although this behavior was not usually encouraged, many masters found themselves greatly amused by her antics. Sarah had shown some talent in telepathy which, when further developed, surpassed some of her masters' abilities.
Dane Kaden was tall and rugged with a thick stalk of red-gold hair. He was quite serious and possessed an aura of kindness and understanding that seemed to comfort all those around him. He was always first to volunteer help during a crisis and never seemed afraid of failure. Dane held his peers with a high regard and was often found coaching ones who struggled with their jedi lessons. Yoda felt, had it not been for the war, Dane would have made an exceptional jedi master.
Dane and Sarah married shortly before the war broke out. As the jedi began to be executed, Dane sent a pregnant Sarah into hiding until the birth of their child. He had felt a great struggle within him, feeling torn between protecting his wife and unborn child and protecting the lives of the many he had pledged to defend. In the end, he was killed on what was to be his last mission before joining Sarah in seclusion. He died aiding another jedi master smuggle a young woman out of Naboo who, ironically enough, was also pregnant.
Yoda paused in his story, seeming to collect himself. It appeared merely discussing these memories had greatly saddened him. He again began to speak in a whisper. He told Mara that three years after the death of her father, he had received a vision. Mara's mother, who was in great anguish that seemed to heighten her telepathy ability, was able to show Yoda flashes of incidents occurring just prior to her death. As the jedi master spoke, Mara could see the images in her mind...stormtroopers crashing through a doorway, heavily armed...a small child clinging to her mother, crying hysterically...a soldier ripping the child from the young mother's arms...a hooded figure standing in the doorway...the woman begging the figure to spare her child...the hooded figure of Palpatine laughing as he sent lightening through the young mother ending her life.
Tears ran down Mara's face as she hugged her arms around knees now drawn to her chest. Emotions bombard her; hate, anger, shame, regret, remorse, helplessness. How she could have served the monster responsible for the death of her parents. She looked to Yoda, as if to explain or offer some excuse, but the words seemed to fall unspoken on her lips. After a moment, the jedi took her hand and led her to the area where the two cots sat. One was smaller, obviously meant for Yoda, but the other would easily accommodate someone Mara's height.
"Sleep here you will. My student is away. His bed you may use. Sleep now and talker further tomorrow we will." The jedi master words, though soft spoken, left no room for refusal. Mara laid down on the cot, certain no sleep would find her tonight, but within minutes, she was lost in a dreamless slumber.
_______________________________________
The next morning, Mara awoke to an empty hut. She rose from the cot and ventured outside. She found the small jedi standing nearby; his back was to her. She approached him slowly, quietly, not wanting to disturb his thoughts.
"Time for you to leave it is," he spoke gently.
Mara felt a rush of fear as loneliness threatened to overwhelm her. "But I don't want to leave. Can't I stay here with you?" She pleaded, as the prospect of returning to Palpatine seemed more than she could bare at the moment.
Reading her mind Yoda firmly stated, "Face him you must, only then, free will you be." He stopped briefly as if to consider his next advisement. "Learn the ways of the force you must. A jedi master you will need. Find him you will, and my regards give to him."
He turned toward Mara, and for the first time Mara could sense the magnitude of his power. She shivered at the thought of how easily he could have killed her instead of offering her help. But, she could also see the light in his eyes was fading. Years of experience as an assassin watching her victims die told her that soon the little master would be gone from this world.
Yoda studied the young woman who was lost in thought before him. Much had changed in her in a short time, but much work still lay ahead. Yoda pressed on, "A message I have for Palpatine."
Mara carefully listened, the confusion was plain upon her face as she didn't quite comprehend the meaning. In the end she found herself nodding in acceptance of the message. "I will tell him, Master Yoda."
Yoda turned away without another word and Mara took that as cue she had been dismissed. She turned and began walking back toward the shuttle. She turned back to Yoda one last time, as if to say thank you, but he was gone.
Mara reached the shuttle without incident and was surprised to find she had remember the way back to the ship. As she sat in the pilot's seat powering up the computer for take off, she again looked at the picture of Luke Skywalker. She now had an understanding that if that tiny jedi had been his master, she had greatly underestimated Skywalker. She smiled at her chagrin. Now came the feat of finding herself a jedi master. Looking back at the picture an idea came to her. But, would he do it was the thought filling her mind as she lifted off the planet.
Mara continued to follow the small jedi through the mire that was rapidly growing darker as evening approached. Blackness caressed the trees casting an ominous sensation of isolation around her. Mara increased her pace to a slow jog to keep up with the jedi master, not wishing to become lost in the darkness of the night.
They seemed to be following a crude path flanked with vegetation. Fallen limbs and brush lay randomly across the path creating barriers Mara had to slow and climb over. Ahead, Yoda seemed to veer left off of the path. When Mara reached that spot, she found herself standing in a small clearing that housed a meager hut. He stood in its doorway and beckoned to her, "Come in child. Good food I have."
After a slight hesitation, Mara followed the jedi into the hut, ducking down to avoid hitting her head on the unusually low door frame. The hut was one room and housed two cots toward the back. In the middle of the room, a small eating area centered around a fire pit. A fire burned low with a pot suspended above it. A foul smell from the pot caused Mara to shudder. Yoda beckoned her to sit on a log that lay aside the fire. He happily scooped a ladle full of the offensive concoction into a bowl and presented it to her graciously. Mara tried to remain impassive, but frowned in distaste. She politely took the bowl and was dismayed to find the jedi waiting for her to take a bite.
"What's in this?" She questioned, then realized she probably didn't want to know. "Never mind; it's probably a secret recipe," she stammered.
Yoda watched with amusement at her attempts to show politeness and was impressed knowing politeness was most likely a foreign concept to her.
Mara took a bite of the stew, and it took every ounce of her resolve not to spit it out. The taste was worse than some of the punishments the Emperor had inflicted upon her when she was a small child. She forced herself to swallow then offered to the jedi who seemed to be awaiting her reaction, "It's very...interesting."
Yoda seemed to smile, or maybe she saw a smile in his eyes. "Good! More you can have. Now, tell you of your parents I will."
As he told her told the story, Mara became mesmerized as she tried picture her parents in her head. Yoda told Mara her parents' names were Dane and Sarah Kaden. Sarah (Halcyon) Kaden came to the jedi temple as a small child after her parents died with an illness that had infected their village. Yoda instructed young Sarah, along with other padawans her age, in the very beginning teachings in the force. She had been a bright child, eager to please, and she possessed a gentleness about her. She had eyes the color of bright jade jewels that were full of mirth and mischief. She often played jokes on her peers, and occasionally her jedi masters. Although this behavior was not usually encouraged, many masters found themselves greatly amused by her antics. Sarah had shown some talent in telepathy which, when further developed, surpassed some of her masters' abilities.
Dane Kaden was tall and rugged with a thick stalk of red-gold hair. He was quite serious and possessed an aura of kindness and understanding that seemed to comfort all those around him. He was always first to volunteer help during a crisis and never seemed afraid of failure. Dane held his peers with a high regard and was often found coaching ones who struggled with their jedi lessons. Yoda felt, had it not been for the war, Dane would have made an exceptional jedi master.
Dane and Sarah married shortly before the war broke out. As the jedi began to be executed, Dane sent a pregnant Sarah into hiding until the birth of their child. He had felt a great struggle within him, feeling torn between protecting his wife and unborn child and protecting the lives of the many he had pledged to defend. In the end, he was killed on what was to be his last mission before joining Sarah in seclusion. He died aiding another jedi master smuggle a young woman out of Naboo who, ironically enough, was also pregnant.
Yoda paused in his story, seeming to collect himself. It appeared merely discussing these memories had greatly saddened him. He again began to speak in a whisper. He told Mara that three years after the death of her father, he had received a vision. Mara's mother, who was in great anguish that seemed to heighten her telepathy ability, was able to show Yoda flashes of incidents occurring just prior to her death. As the jedi master spoke, Mara could see the images in her mind...stormtroopers crashing through a doorway, heavily armed...a small child clinging to her mother, crying hysterically...a soldier ripping the child from the young mother's arms...a hooded figure standing in the doorway...the woman begging the figure to spare her child...the hooded figure of Palpatine laughing as he sent lightening through the young mother ending her life.
Tears ran down Mara's face as she hugged her arms around knees now drawn to her chest. Emotions bombard her; hate, anger, shame, regret, remorse, helplessness. How she could have served the monster responsible for the death of her parents. She looked to Yoda, as if to explain or offer some excuse, but the words seemed to fall unspoken on her lips. After a moment, the jedi took her hand and led her to the area where the two cots sat. One was smaller, obviously meant for Yoda, but the other would easily accommodate someone Mara's height.
"Sleep here you will. My student is away. His bed you may use. Sleep now and talker further tomorrow we will." The jedi master words, though soft spoken, left no room for refusal. Mara laid down on the cot, certain no sleep would find her tonight, but within minutes, she was lost in a dreamless slumber.
_______________________________________
The next morning, Mara awoke to an empty hut. She rose from the cot and ventured outside. She found the small jedi standing nearby; his back was to her. She approached him slowly, quietly, not wanting to disturb his thoughts.
"Time for you to leave it is," he spoke gently.
Mara felt a rush of fear as loneliness threatened to overwhelm her. "But I don't want to leave. Can't I stay here with you?" She pleaded, as the prospect of returning to Palpatine seemed more than she could bare at the moment.
Reading her mind Yoda firmly stated, "Face him you must, only then, free will you be." He stopped briefly as if to consider his next advisement. "Learn the ways of the force you must. A jedi master you will need. Find him you will, and my regards give to him."
He turned toward Mara, and for the first time Mara could sense the magnitude of his power. She shivered at the thought of how easily he could have killed her instead of offering her help. But, she could also see the light in his eyes was fading. Years of experience as an assassin watching her victims die told her that soon the little master would be gone from this world.
Yoda studied the young woman who was lost in thought before him. Much had changed in her in a short time, but much work still lay ahead. Yoda pressed on, "A message I have for Palpatine."
Mara carefully listened, the confusion was plain upon her face as she didn't quite comprehend the meaning. In the end she found herself nodding in acceptance of the message. "I will tell him, Master Yoda."
Yoda turned away without another word and Mara took that as cue she had been dismissed. She turned and began walking back toward the shuttle. She turned back to Yoda one last time, as if to say thank you, but he was gone.
Mara reached the shuttle without incident and was surprised to find she had remember the way back to the ship. As she sat in the pilot's seat powering up the computer for take off, she again looked at the picture of Luke Skywalker. She now had an understanding that if that tiny jedi had been his master, she had greatly underestimated Skywalker. She smiled at her chagrin. Now came the feat of finding herself a jedi master. Looking back at the picture an idea came to her. But, would he do it was the thought filling her mind as she lifted off the planet.