Luke quickly walked from the kitchen to the couch and sat down. He closed his eyes in the attempt to block out the bright rays of the morning sun. Placing both hands on his temples he pressed as hard as he could. He cringed as another shot of pain lanced through his head. He barely registered the sound of the lock on his door disengaging and the faint footsteps of someone entering his apartment.
"Master Skywalker, I got here as soon as I could." He looked up into the concerned face of Cilghal, the trusted Jedi healer.
"Thank you. I told you over the com what is going on. The headaches are steadily getting worse."
"And the healing trance?" She asked, taking a seat across from him.
"It helps for a while," he explained in a wary voice. "But the pain always returns."
"Okay let me take a look." Luke laid his head back on the couch and relaxed as Cilghal knelt beside him. He could feel the gentle probe and inhaled sharply as the pain vanished. "That should help for the moment," she told him. "I need to do a few tests. I read the file you sent, that's everything you know about this illness?"
"Yes, I figure that what the Emperor had done to Mara is what is causing these headaches."
"It is a logical assumption," the healer agreed. "Surely you have been careful since you discovered this information."
"Of course," Luke said, sitting up. "But the pain still lingers."
"Okay," she said, deep in thought. "I need to read up on a few things, then I will see what I can do."
"Alright," he said, standing up. "While you are doing that I have something I need to take care of."
"What I have done is just a temporary relief for the pain, Master Skywalker," Cilghal insisted. "You will need to enter into another trance."
"I will," Luke said, grabbing his cloak as he headed for the door. "Just as soon as I get back."
"As you wish."
Luke walked purposefully towards a restaurant located a short distance from his apartment. Mara and him had found the listing for Kyia on a private ship that had entered Coruscant space three days ago. From there they had been able to track down where she was staying. He had called to try and talk to her but instead had to make an appointment for the next day. He was told that she would be here, at one of the more popular eating establishments, and she would be expecting him. After completing the call, he assured Mara that everything was fine and she should go home and get some rest. He had took the time to get some much needed rest himself and was awake once again early the next morning, awaiting his former students visit.
As he approached the entrance he stopped to calm himself. The guy that answered his com call did not seem surprised that he was calling, and he had no trouble setting him up with a time to meet her. Could this really be MaCayla? He asked himself. He had little doubt but there was a voice in the back of his mind that made him question everything. He had attempted not to get his hopes up, but knew that if this turned out to be false he would feel crushed.
Walking into the restaurant, he quickly looked around. There were not many people there; only a few of the tables were occupied. A man approached him not long after he stepped through the door.
"Master Skywalker, how good it is to see you, we have a table waiting for you. Right this way."
"I am meeting someone," Luke told him, looking around the room as he was lead to a table.
"Yes, you are a bit early, I am sure she will be here shortly. Can I get you anything while you wait?"
"No thank you."
The man tipped his head politely and walked away. Luke did not have to wait long before he saw Kyia walk into the room. She did not see him right away, but was lead to the table by the same man that greeted him. Luke stood as she approached, calming himself, he cleared all emotion from his face, even though what he wanted to do was scream.
"Please, have a seat," he said.
"Thank you." She sat in the chair opposite him, and watched him nervously. She did not look exactly like the pictures he saw of her, but he was not disappointed. She looked to be no more than fifteen, which was about right for MaCayla. She had the same long blonde hair like her mother, and her blue eyes sparkled in the pale lighting of the restaurant. He wanted to jump up and hug her, to insist she tell him how she was alive, to tell him anything about what happened to her. Luke forced his jumbled nerves to relax. He had to find out for sure if this was her. It was then that Luke realized he had no idea what to say. She saved him the trouble by speaking first.
"I have to admit I wasn't sure if you would track me down," she admitted to him.
"You did not make it easy," he told her.
"I wasn't hiding." She took a slow breath, before continuing. "I know you are wondering about that letter I gave you. I will save you from asking a bunch of questions and tell you what I know. About a month ago I was going through some of my mothers things and came across that letter. I had never seen it before, but I thought it was pretty self-explanatory. I mean the letter was addressed to you, and she was telling you that we were both all right. I …" She stopped and looked at him. "I have heard about you for as long as I remember. On the news and everything. No one ever mentioned that you were married."
"I never told anyone," he admitted. He never had a problem with that fact before, but saying it now he felt a twinge of guilt.
"Why not?" She asked, her voice raising a notch. "I mean why did you want to forget about us?"
"No, I wasn't trying to forget," he tried to explain. "No one I know now knew about it. About your mother and you. And at the time it hurt too much to talk about."
"I…but why weren't you ever around?" she asked, the confusion she was feeling showing clearly on her face.
"What?" He asked. Her question threw him off guard. He knew why he was not around, but he just assumed that she would also know. "My question is, how you are sitting here right now? I saw both you and your mother get shot when you were six months old. Up until yesterday I thought you were dead." He paused when he realized he was babbling. "What were you told?"
"Nothing, really," she said, picking up the glass water in front of her with shaky hands. "Mother never really talked about who my father was. I remember asking her about it when I was young, all she said was he was a great person and she missed him very much. She was very upset after that, I did not like asking her about it again."
"So, you can't tell me how you survived?" He asked, disappointed. He frowned when something she said occurred to him. "Your mother. She's still alive?"
"Oh … Well … No," she said, nervously. "She died a few months ago." Something felt wrong when she said that. She was hiding something. And as of yet, she had not said anything that would prove what she was claming. The only thing she had was the letter from Arielle.
"Like I said my mother never talked about it. I found a box once. It had a bunch of junk in it. Inside were a few pictures and a letter. The letter I gave to you."
"I was wondering where those went," Luke whispered. After Arielle died, Luke steered clear of anything that would remind him. When he did start going through their things he noticed a few of their pictures where missing. He had assumed at the time, that his aunt and uncle did something with them, but he never did find them.
"What?" she asked. Luke looked up and realized he had spoken out loud and jumped to cover it up.
"Nothing," was all he could think of to say. She accepted it and continued with her story.
"At the time I did not know who was in the pictures. My mom caught me the first time I found the box. I had never seen her cry so much. She wouldn't talk about it though. And I did not have the heart to ask her about it too often. But I never saw the box again until now."
"I need to ask you a few questions," Luke said, forming his thoughts into a sibilance of order. "Bare with me."
"Sure." Luke sat quiet while he determined what the best questions would be. There was one that jumped to the top of his list.
"What is your name? Your real name." It was not one of the most important questions, but it was one he had to verify.
"MaCayla." Luke just barely shook his head in recognition. This is all still information she could have looked up. There had to be a way to prove beyond a doubt who this girl was.
"I know you are looking for proof," she said. "I would give it to you if I could. If there is anything I can do, just ask."
"There is the medical way," Luke said, knowing then that there was one other way that he could get the proof he needed. "Some sort of blood test, but there is something I would like to try. If you don't mind."
"Um…Sure I guess."
"Just try to relax," he instructed. "Try to think of the oldest memory you have. The youngest you remember yourself."
Luke relaxed himself and opened himself up to the Force. His first try at touching her mind ended with what felt like a small electrical shock. He backed off then tried again, with a few barriers in place this time. He could feel her immediately, and it surprised him that she showed signs of a little training. He had barley entered her consciousness when she jumped.
"What was that?" she asked, her voice squeaking.
Luke became intrigued, so he backed out and studied her. "What was what?" He asked, wondering who had trained her, she was able to feel him as soon as he entered her mind.
"What did you just do?" She asked, her eyes wide.
"You felt something?"
"I'm not sure what it was. I felt a presence. Something overwhelming."
"Let's try it again and you tell me if you can figure it out." He waited until she looked ready and once again began to scan her. She again seemed to be triggered by his presence. This time she pinpointed his location and latched on, clumsily reaching out and making contact with him.
"What is that?" She whispered.
"That's me." He opened his eyes and saw her watching him.
"What does this mean?" she asked.
"It means," he said, smiling. "I think it would be worth getting more tests."
How could it be true? Mara thought. How could she be alive? What did it mean that she had never been told this during the visits from Arielle? Also, how could Luke remember their deaths, if they had not died? She kept repeating the same questions over and over. She was back in Luke's apartment after he had called her. He told her about the meeting, and she had to say she was curious. However, there had to be an explanation. She grabbed two bottles of water and left the kitchen.
"Luke, come here," Mara told him, going back into the living room. "We need to talk about this." She joined him on the couch, handing him one of the bottles of water and opening the other for herself. "What exactly happened? What do you remember about that day? The day she died."
"I remember everything," Luke told her, setting his bottle down on the table. "Why?"
"Just from what you describe," she stated, struggling to pull her thoughts in order. "From what you remember they could not be alive. But you are convinced that she is. How close have you examined those memories?"
"What do you mean? I have told you before that it is painful. I don't examine them at all if I can help it. I was young, and it left a great emotional scar. Besides, it's just a memory of what happened."
"Just humor me," Mara suggested. If she was going to get to the bottom of this she had to start at the beginning. "Do you think you could take a look for me?"
"I guess I could take a look," he said, though he sounded unsure.
"I think it will help."
Mara led Luke to the kitchen table. She watched as he prepared himself by taking deep breaths and closed his eyes. Smiling because of the fact that she knew he trusted her with all his heart she relaxed also. Reaching out she grasped his hands and his mind. She followed as he led her deep into his memories. She could feel the pain his headaches still caused, but pushed that thought away. That was not what she was there for. She let him lead her until she was standing on a desert street walking to a house.
It was hot like any other day on the water-starving planet. She was guessing that was one of Luke's thoughts seeing she could not make that assumption from her limited experience on the planet. Luke was getting out of the vehicle and offered to the other occupant, who Mara assumed was Arielle that he would go inside but noticed she was already out of the car. He seemed to accept it and they both happily approached the house.
"It's too hot to sit out here and wait," she said, as she took his offered hand. They walked together down the short steps and knocked on the door. Nydia Coramar answered, looking a bit impatient.
"Oh, you guys are back early!" she exclaimed, nervously.
"Yeah," young Luke agreed. "We ended up not needing as much from town as we thought. Is she awake?"
"Maybe you two should go out again get some time alone," Nydia offered.
"No, I really need to get back to work," Luke insisted, trying to look inside. Just a bit further into the house he could see the young child playing on the floor.
"We'll just get MaCayla and go, before my Uncle starts yelling again."
"No really, I think it would be best if she stayed here."
"Nydia," Arielle said, her voice understanding. "We really need to be going. Thank you for watching the baby for us, but she needs to go home now." Luke walked past and scooped up the young girl who cooed when she saw her father. He grabbed the bag from the nearby table and returned to the door. Arielle took the bag from him and he shifted the baby more comfortably in his arms.
Luke turned just in time to see Coramar pull out a small blaster.
"Are you crazy," he exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
"I have to…"
"No, you don't, put that away." Luke handed the baby to Arielle tried to hurry them out the door.
"I said no!" she screamed.
At that point everything started becoming a blur. Mara watched as a blast raced towards the young couple and she saw the girl fall to the ground. She tried to get a clear picture of what was happening, but the memory was colored by Luke's emotions.
Mara sighed as she opened her eyes and found herself back in Luke's apartment. She noticed Luke looking at her, and knew he was waiting to hear her reaction.
"There is something there," she said, trying to place what she was feeling. "I'm not sure what but something felt wrong."
"Wrong in what way?" he asked.
Mara was frustrated. "I don't know. Okay, I need a break."
"I think that's a good idea," Luke said, visibly relaxing. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Sure that sounds great," she said. "I just don't get it."
"Don't get what Mara?"
"There just seems like I am missing something there. I mean from what I saw, you were right. They were both dead when you left the house. But from your point of view …" She frowned, was she sure about what she was going to say? Did she want to even think about what it meant?
"What Mara?"
"Okay, this is going to sound a bit strange, it just seems … from your point of view it did not look like she was hit."
"What are you talking about?"
"Watching what you saw, and the way she fell, it just doesn't feel right."
Luke walked determinedly towards the auditorium. He knew what he needed to do. He would talk to Kyia again, and see if there was anything else he had missed. Before he reached the door he could hear voices. Looking around the corner he could see Kyia sitting in a chair not far from the door. The person she was talking to had her back to the door, so all Luke could make out was her blonde hair that she had tied back in a ponytail. He guessed by the style of clothes the other wore she was older than Kyia. Once she spoke again he was sure she was an adult. Her voice had a strange since of familiarity, but he could not place it.
"So, have you met him yet?" The woman asked.
"Yes, just this morning," Kyia said, she watched the other woman sadly. "He said exactly what you said he would."
"Any problems?"
"He asked me where my mother was." She said it in a way that suggested she was nervous about the reaction she would get. Luke, knowing she would feel if he probed her, kept his barriers in place.
"What did you say?" The woman asked.
"I told him you died a few months ago." Luke pulled back into the hall. It was a lie, he thought. I should have known. But what did that mean? Was Mara right and this was just another scheme? Someone had found out about Arielle and MaCayla and staged the whole thing? Mentally bracing himself he listened to more of the conversation.
"Did he have a problem with that?" It was the older woman's turn to sound nervous.
"I thought he was going to say something, but he didn't. From what I can tell everything is going well, everything is back on track." Kyia looked at the older woman. "He has no problem believing."
I didn't, until now, Luke thought. He quickly and quietly made his way out of the building. It was all a lie. I should have known, he thought again. He had been warned, and had tried to not get his hopes up, but there was so much that pointed in that direction. What it boiled down to was that he wanted his daughter to be alive.
He made it back to his apartment just has the pain in his head returned. At that point he did not care. He dropped himself on the couch. All he wanted to do was not think. But that was the one thing he could not manage. He began to mull over everything that had occurred lately, and he came to the conclusion that he was being punished. Punished just for being him. Lying back on the couch he decided that he was tired of it all. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the pain in his head that was slowly getting worse, only this time he did nothing to stop it.
"Nooo!" Luke Skywalker shouted as he stormed across the room. Cilghal stood with her hands resting at her sides as she watched the mighty Jedi Master as he once again paced the length of his apartment. She had entered the apartment to find him asleep on the couch. Her first thought was that he was trying the trance once again, but she realized her error when he opened his eyes during her approach. He was in more pain than she had ever seen him. However he refused any help she offered, saying he did not want another temporary fix. So he had been pacing the room, not saying much but clearly thinking. She had worked with Master Skywalker long enough to know when he did not want to be interrupted. He alone had to come to terms with what was happening to him. It wasn't until he gripped the edge of a chair for support that she dared to approach.
"Shall we try another healing trance, Master Skywalker?"
He waved his hand tiredly. He was considerably weaker than he had been this morning. It worried her, but if he would not let her examine him, there was nothing she could do.
"No, we have already determined that they are no longer effective," he said, shacking his head as if to clear it. "You have done everything you could."
"Do you realize what you are saying?" She asked, shocked that it sounded like he was giving up. "I will not give up."
"You have more ideas?" he asked, looking up at her, a small spark of hope appearing and vanishing just as fast. ""Something we haven't tried?"
"I have not." It pained her to tell him that she was out of ideas, but it would do him no good to lie to him. "I have never encountered an illness such as this. I haven't even been able to determined where it came from."
"I've told you where it came from," Luke told her. He did not look like he could stand much longer, so she helped him to the couch. He did not protest as he draped his arm across her shoulder and walked slowly across the living area. It did not take her long to get him situated.
"All you have told me was how you came in contact with it," she corrected. "Neither of you have been able to satisfy my curiosity as to where this came from."
"You've spoken to Mara?" Luke asked, a small spark of hope entering his dull eyes once again.
"Yes, this morning. She confirmed everything you told me about the disk, and allowed me to check her out. We were unable to shed any new light on this problem."
Luke slumped down further on the couch. "Then there is nothing more?" he asked. "This is it?"
Cilghal placed one webbed hand on his shoulder. "You rest. I still have enough hope for the two of us." Luke rolled his head slightly, resting his cheek on her arm.
"Thank you."
"Have you talked to your sister yet?" Cilghal asked.
"She has enough to worry about with those kids," he said, his voice already sounding sleepy.
"Anakin is fine, you know that right?"
"Yes, I know," he said, shacking his head. It puzzled her, why he would agree with her while his body language suggested that he did not. "I am really tired, I think I will rest now."
"Is there anyone you would like me to call then?" She asked. It did not feel right that she was the only one here with him. He needed the love of his family around him while he tried to fight this. He shook his head no.
"She already knows. She should be here shortly." Cilghal wondered if they were still talking about his sister or the woman that had become the light of his life, and unknowingly the cause of his death. She would not stop trying to rid her master of the poison that raced through his vanes, but she was wise enough to know that unless the Force decided to lend a hand, there was nothing more she could do.
She had made herself comfortable at his desk and began searching once again for a case that was even remotely similar to what Master Skywalker was experiencing. It did not come as a surprise when his door opened a short time later and Mara Jade walked in.
"He's on the couch," she told the young lady.
"Another trance?" Mara asked, kneeling down to check on him.
"No. The trances have stopped working. He is sleeping." Mara kept her steps light as she approached. She did not want to wake him, but she felt the need to be close to him.
"They have stopped working?" Mara asked. She tried to stop the fear from rising, but was only partially successful. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that I don't know what to try next. Nothing I have tried has done anything."
"He looks so pale," she said, more to herself than to anyone else.
"He's given up," the healer said, matter-of-factly.
"He said that?" Mara asked.
"Not in so many words, but I understood. I can do nothing if he is not willing to let me."
"What will happen is he doesn't seek help?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that question. On the other hand she knew that she had to know.
"He has a poison within him. The traces he has been submitting to have only slowed it down, it does nothing to stop it."
"But we never…" She stopped herself. She did not wish to share her personal life with anyone if she could help it. But she did not see any other way around it. "We've never… we never slept together. All we did was kiss, the disk never mentioned anything like that."
"As I told you this morning, we know so little about this. I am sure it was never intended to be introduced in such a slow manner." Mara looked over to the figure asleep a few feet from here.
"He needs you right now," Cilghal told her.
"He needs his family right now," Mara corrected.
"He needs everyone that cares about him. I believe you are at the top of that list."
"We thought we caught it in time," Mara whispered. "We … we stayed apart to save his life, but it didn't. I did this to him."
"I told you not to say that, Mara." She looked down and smiled. Luke still lay on his back, but his eyes were open.
"Hey, you," she said, unfazed by the smile that spread across his face. She dropped to her knees next to him, he turned his head and returned her smile. "You said you would call me after you got back. Did you talk to MaCayla?"
"No," he said, taking time to take a deep breath. "You were right Mara. She's not MaCayla."
"How do you know?" Mara asked. Her heart broke at the admission. She knew how much he wanted it to be true.
"I heard her talking," he explained. "She and her mother were talking about what they were doing. I should have known."
"I'm sorry, Luke." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Luke, how are you feeling?"
"I don't want to talk about that now, Mara. I'm just tired and I need to rest."
"You can't give up," she ordered him. She wanted to shake him until he understood. He could not give up, there had to be a way around it.
"I haven't given up," he said, his voice growing sleepy. "I am just tired of trying things that don't work. I need to sleep."
"Then you should rest," she told him. "I'll be here when you wake up." She stood and moved towards the kitchen. Cilghal was already there.
"It is bad," Mara said. "I have never felt him in so much pain." Looking around, she noticed something wrong. "Where is everyone? I thought Leia would have been the first one down here."
"He did not want me to call her," Cilghal explained. "He does not want her to worry about him."
"And you listened to him?" She asked, shocked.
"Of course." Mara rolled her eyes while she flipped on the apartments com unit and started calling in the family. The door buzzer announced someone at the door, and Mara moved to answer it, fully expecting to see Leia standing there. She did not expect Kyia to be the visitor. Mara's tempter suddenly flared, and she could see the Jedi Healer backing up away from her.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"I…"
"You are not welcome here," Mara told her, her voice rising in anger.
"What are you talking about?" Kyia asked. Her eyes became wide and Mara would bet that she was about to cry.
"Look, you may have been able to pull this charade off for a while, but he has wised up. He is in no mood to put up with any more of your lies."
"What lies? What are you talking about?" Kyia asked. She reached out and Mara grabbed her arm. She let go just as quickly, her natural reflex to the sharp pain that appeared in her hand. Why does she always shock me? She tried to ignore it when Cilghal stepped closer, probably trying to see what was going on. Pushing the thought away she concentrated on the conversation at hand.
"He heard you talking to your mother. Big mistake since you told him she was dead."
"What else did he hear?" the child asked.
"Enough. I think you should leave." The girl left without another word. Mara closed the door with a huff. The nerve of some people!
"She is strong in the Force," Cilghal said, her voice barely a whisper. Mara knew most people from the Academy were leery of her. She might even go as far as to say they were afraid of her when she lost her temper. Mara had no problem with that.
"She is also a big pain in my side," Mara said. The emotional ride this girl had sent Luke on sent her stomach into cartwheels. She hoped she never saw her again. If she did she could not guarantee she would be as nice.
"You sent her away. Why?"
"Because she is not what she seemed to be," Mara explained. "Luke did not want to see her." She went back to the com and called Leia, ignoring the look she got from the Jedi behind her.
