Mara stood and stretched. She had been attempting to find Leia, but it seemed she was in a meeting and the assistant refused to disturb her. She then tried to contact Han, but she had even less luck there; she could not even find out where he was. Cilghal had moved out to the balcony while she was making the calls, claming the need to meditate. Mara knew she was still thinking about the scene with Kyia. She figured the Jedi wanted her to explain further, but it was not her place. As far as she knew Luke had not shared the information with anyone else, so if anybody were going to find out, he would have to tell them.
Mara walked to the couch where Luke still slept. She could feel him start to stir, and winced when she felt the amount of pain he was in. No matter what, she could not shake the thought that she was responsible. She had thought long and hard, finally coming to the conclusion that had she not let herself be captured, causing Luke to come after her, he would not be in this situation. It was then, while stranded on that planet waiting for the incompetent mechanic to fix her ship that they admitted how much they felt for each other. If they had never spent that time together, they may have never had the nerve to admit it. If they had never been on that planet, they would have never found out about the virus. She put her barriers up tight around those thoughts. Luke would not want to hear that right now.
There was a loud knock at the door and Mara ran to open it, cursing herself for not paying attention. Whoever that was on the other side of the door was bound to wake Luke if he kept it up. She opened the door and was greeted by the grinning face of Han Solo. Pull it together girl! She yelled at herself. You should have noticed him before he even got close to the door.
"Well, Mara Jade," he said, leaning on the doorframe. "What a surprise to see you here. Where's the kid?"
"He's asleep," she told him.
"Well, good for him," Han said, his trademark smirk appearing on his face.
Mara glanced over when she heard Cilghal come in from the balcony. The Jedi Healer greeted the new comer with a nod. Mara watched as the smile vanished from Solo's face as he looked back and forth between the two of them.
"What's wrong here?" He asked, directing the question towards Mara. "Luke never sleeps during the day when he has company." Mara's hands went directly to her hips.
"Oh, but it was all right that he was sleeping when you thought it was only me here?" She asked, her voice taking on a slightly offended tone.
"Hey, what goes on between you two is your own business." Mara did her best to ignore the sarcastic look on his face as he said that.
"You know for someone that tries to be so observant, you sure do miss a lot. Did you call your wife?"
"Was I supposed to?" Han asked.
Mara rubbed the back of her neck, trying to ease the tension there. "Didn't you read the whole message?" she asked him.
"You lost me, Mara," Han said, his brow creasing in confusion.
Mara could relate to his confusion. "If you did not get my message then why are you here?"
"Well, the last time Luke came visiting he left without a word," Han explained. "I came to make sure everything was all right. Everything is all right, isn't it?"
"No." It was simple and to the point. There was no reason to beat around the bush about it. Luke may not have wanted to tell his family, but Mara was beginning to worry and she thought it was time that they found out. If Solo was the only person she could get in touch with, then she would start with him.
"What's wrong with him?" Han asked, looking around the limited view he had of Luke's apartment. Mara took a deep breath and dove in.
"He was poisoned," she told him. She started debating how she would tell him the next part. She found herself worrying that Han might think she had done this on purpose.
"By whom?" He asked. His voice was laced with so much worry she understood why Luke waited to tell him.
"By Emperor Palpatine," Cilghal offered.
"That's a neat trick since he has been dead all these years," Han said, sarcastically.
"It's a very long story," Mara told him. She was trying her best to keep her cool, but there was something about Solo's manner that tended to frazzle her nerves at times. "Maybe you should call Leia. I'm going to move Luke to his room so we won't keep bothering him."
"Do you need any help?" Han asked.
"I'll let you know if I do," she told him. It was a short walk to where Luke still slumbered. She ran her fingers gently across his cheek until he opened his eyes. He offered a weak smile when he saw her.
"Hey," he said in greeting.
"I want to move you to your room. You'll be more comfortable there."
"You are probably right." It took some effort on his part but he got up without any assistance. Mara had to warn Cilghal off when she tried to help. She could feel that Luke wanted to do this on his own. He did not protest however when Mara wrapped her arm around his waist to help him into the room.
He did not notice his worried brother in law watching his slow progress across the apartment. It was yet more proof how much this illness had advanced. Not that she needed any more proof. It was getting worse and fast. She knew they had to do something soon, before it was too late.
They had made it to the bedroom with no trouble, and Mara was glad it was a short walk there. She had no problem supporting him, she was just conscious of the fact that he would not permit himself this show of weakness in front of anyone. She wanted to get him out of the room as fast as she could.
Once he was in the bed and comfortably under the covers she bent over and kissed his forehead. "Now sleep," she whispered.
"Thank you, Mara," he said, pulling the covers up near his neck. "Wake me when Leia gets here."
"Huh?" She had thought he was asleep when she made that call.
"I know you called her," he told her. "Let me know when she gets here."
"I will." What ever you want, right now, is yours. She paused at that thought, wondering if she really meant it. And she did, she wanted him to have whatever he wanted as long as he was happy. Checking one last time that he was covered she left him to rest.
She was just reentering the living area when the door opened. Leia walked in and looked around.
"That was fast," Mara said. Leia's here, she sent silently to Luke. He probably already knew it but he had asked her to tell him.
I know, he sent back.
Just rest a while, she told him, knowing he was probably thinking about getting up as soon as Leia got near. I need to talk to her.
I will be out in a few minutes. Mara felt him relax, so she asked everyone to sit down. Grabbing the data disk off of Luke's desk she joined them.
"What's going on here, Mara?" Leia asked. "Han calls and tells me to get down here. What's wrong with Luke?"
"As I was telling your husband, your brother has been exposed to a poison created by the late Emperor." The sneer on Mara's face betrayed her irritation at having to go over it again.
"Poison? Is he alright?" Leia asked. She looked from Mara to Cilghal. Mara could not read Leia very well unless she really tried, but she did not need the Force to be able to sense what Leia was feeling. Everyone in this room felt the same, immense worry for the young man in the next room.
"At this point your brother is not well," Cilghal explained. "We have tried everything, and nothing seems to be helping."
"Nothing?" Leia asked. It was odd to see Leia lose her cool, but she was very close to doing just that. If there was one thing that Leia was known to get overemotional about, it was her brother. "There is nothing you can do?"
"I have not given up hope," Cilghal assured her. "There are still some things I want to try."
"What?" Mara asked, looking at her. "You said you had no other ideas." It occurred to Mara that the Jedi Healer might have just said that to Mara to pacify her, and had waited for Leia to show up before she let anyone know her plan. But no, she would not do that. They may no like her, but when it came to Luke, no one lied to her.
"I just thought of one," she said. "Mara, I believe you can handle things from here. There is something I need to do before I can attempt this."
"Attempt what?" Mara asked.
"I will explain when I get back." Cilghal got out of her chair and moved to the door, not looking back as she exited the apartment.
"Mara, how did this happen?" Leia asked. Mara watched as Han took hold of his wife's hand. He too could see how worried she had become all of a sudden. "I can feel how much pain he is in. He was hiding it from me before, and I never noticed, until now."
Mara closed her eyes trying to gather her thoughts. It was a few moments before she spoke. "As I had explained to you before, the Emperor did many things to ensure he got what he wanted. In this case he used me, to get to your brother." She waited for one of them to say something, when neither spoke up she continued. "I did not even know about it until a few weeks ago. I happened across a data disk that explained it all."
"But if you were carrying this, why is it just now affecting him?" Han asked. "You two have known each other for a very long time."
"Well... It not transmitted through casual contact." She tried to control her temper when she saw the two exchange looks, and the sly smile that appeared on Han's face. "Don't you two get it?" Mara exclaimed, her voice rising. "He is lucky to be alive. If we had not found that disk when we did, we would not have had time to realize what had happened, until it was too late."
Leia softened her features as she regarded the woman in front of her. She had known that Mara and Luke had been getting closer, but she never realized just how much the redhead cared about her brother. She had never come right out and said it, but by her out burst, Leia knew she cared about Luke more than she let anyone know.
She had not meant to upset Mara. Leia was just as upset as Mara about her brother. What she just said had hit a bit close to home. Han and she were just talking the other night about how close they thought Luke and Mara were getting. What Mara had said finally registered completely.
"What do you mean he is lucky to be alive?" she asked, and enormous lump forming in her throat.
"Well, what would you rather me do," Mara asked. "You want me to tell you or let you read the disk?"
"The disk I think would suffice," Han said, accepting the data reader she handed them. Leia sat next to her husband reading, and a lump grew larger the further she read. She began to understand why Mara was so upset. It was incredibly hard to believe that even the Emperor could be that cruel.
"So he intended you as a weapon?" Han asked as they finished reading. "Why did he never go through with it?"
"It's not that easy, Han. And it's a very long story. The short version is that he knew we would get together at some point, so he made sure he would have something ready for it."
"But how would he know that?" Leia asked. Mara was being very vague, and it was hard to understand when she felt she was not getting all the information.
"It boils down to destiny." Leia looked up to see Luke coming out of the bedroom. "Just another aspect of mine I was never allowed to know about." He walked normally but she could see he was straining. He had bags under his eyes, and he was not breathing in a completely normal fashion. All very small details, but ones she picked up on in an instant.
"Luke!" She got up and went over to him, hugging him warmly. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to worry," he told her.
"I'm worried now." She wanted to strangle him at times, but she found herself wishing there was something she could do to help. There has to be a way around this. We're just not looking in the right places. There is always a way around everything, if you look hard enough, Leia thought furiously.
"Then I saved you a few days of it." He let her lead him back to the couch, and sat in the chair next to Mara, while she went back to the seat she shared with Han.
"Kid, you do like to spring the big ones on us, don't you?" Han said good-naturedly. "You really should not try and keep things from us. One way or another we always find out."
"I know that," Luke said, offering a weak smile. "It becomes a challenge to see how long I can keep you from finding out." There was still a little of his old humor there, even if it was muffled by the pain. He was trying hard to give the impression that everything was fine, but Han had told her what he saw when he first got to the apartment. There was nothing he could do now to convince her that he was fine.
There was a knock at the door, and Mara got up to answer it. The conversation was at a standstill and she was glad to get away for a few seconds. She was almost to the entrance before she noticed that Han had gotten up with her. She opened the door to see Cilghal standing there and stepped back to let her in.
"What is she doing here?" Mara demanded. Behind Cilghal stood both Kyia and another lady. She did not attempt to hide that fact that she was upset about the unexpected, and unwelcome visitors.
"Who's here?" Luke asked, getting up and coming towards the door. Mara quickly tried to think of any way she could keep this from upsetting Luke. But he was there faster than she would have given him credit for. Don't push yourself just because there are people here, Mara sent to him. She knew he was trying his best to ignore the pain, just as she knew he would. He would not show that much weakness, even to the people closest to him.
"It's that girl from Jaina's wall," Han said. He sounded shocked at seeing this mere child showing up at Luke's door. Mara barely registered his comment as she tried to figure out why Cilghal, and friend of Luke's, would do this after Mara had told her he did not want to see her.
"I believe she asked you a question," Luke said, regarding Cilghal and the person standing behind her. His voice was strong, betraying none of the pain she could still feel from him.
"Master Skywalker, you will understand when I explain. When she arrived earlier I felt something through the Force. I could not place what it was, so I decided to meditate. All I received for my efforts was a feeling that she needed to be here."
"You are not welcome here," Luke stated. By this time the commotion at the door had attracted Leia's attention. She had been reading through the data concerning Luke's illness again. Being the only person left sitting she joined everyone at the door.
"Please." It was not Kyia that spoke, but the older woman standing with her. She maneuvered her way into the room, and Mara could not stop the involuntary step back she took when she recognized the woman. It did not faze her when she backed right into Han. Her mind was still trying to comprehend what she was seeing.
How is she alive? She was not sure if that was her thought or Luke's. One look at his face confirmed that the identity of the woman was not lost on him.
"Arielle?" He voice was unsure, a feeling that appeared on his face as well.
"Luke," the woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. But I had no choice."
"But how?"
"Okay, hold on everyone," Leia demanded. "The hallway is not the place to be having this type of conversation. Let's move this into the living area."
No one said anything but they all began to make their way to the comfortable chairs in the other room. Mara headed strait to Leia, it was time to have a talk with her.
"What did you do that for?" she demanded, grabbing Leia's arm, forcing her to stop walking. "Now I cannot throw them out as easily."
"Mara!" Leia exclaimed, a smile appearing on her face. "You can't be serious."
"I am deadly serious. I don't believe her one bit. That is not Arielle, and I no longer believe that girl is MaCayla."
"MaCayla?" Leia asked, her face one of pure disbelief. "What makes you think that's MaCayla? What has been going on? How long have you known about this?"
"Since the party the other night," Mara explained. She knew she had said more than she had originally intended, but she figured it might be necessary to have Leia to back her up when the time came to ask them to leave again. "It was why Luke came to talk to you that night. We were trying to track her down. Which was taken care of thanks to your daughter, as your husband pointed out. However, we have since learned that she is not who she says she is. I don't know how they are pulling this off, but I intend to find out and put a stop to it. He does not need this right now."
Leia simply nodded and they both joined the others. Luke was sitting in one of the bigger chairs and was just studying Arielle. He did not move when Mara sat down next to him.
"Are you who we all here think you are?" He asked.
"There is only one way for you to know that for sure," she said. Luke nodded his head in understanding. Closing his eyes, he submerged himself in the Force. In doing so he caused his head to hurt more. He had an incredible urge to attack the poison again. However that took too much out of him, and besides, that was not why he was there. He sent a tentacle of the Force towards the woman claming to be Arielle. His mind began screaming that it was really her. She could not be alive. He had seen her die. He had seen both of them die. He opened his eyes and looked around. Kyia was sitting there, her mind seeming a million miles away. There was no way he could deny what the Force was telling him. It was them; the two were not lying about it. However, what came as a bigger shock was the Force sense around Arielle. She was Force sensitive, they both were. What puzzled him was the fact that they were both at least partially trained in the ways of the Jedi, though the aura around MaCayla was much brighter then that of her mother. The Forced flowed around her like it was itching for activity.
Luke opened his eyes again, first looking at his sister then to Mara. He could feel them also understanding. There was no mistaking the trueness of the facts.
"How are you alive?" he asked. "I saw you die."
"No, you only think you saw," Arielle told him. Luke saw Mara shift position out of the corner of his eye. He knew that was one of the theories they had talked about previously.
"Then was it you?" Mara asked. "All those visions."
"Yes."
"Why did you let me believe you were dead?" Mara asked.
"To explain it I would have to start at the beginning. Am I assuming that not everyone here has heard of how this all started?"
"No, everyone has not," Luke said, knowing that Mara had told him the story, but he had not passed that information on to his sister and brother in law.
"I'll go over it then. From what I have found out, many years ago the Jedi of the Old Republic believed that a child had already been born that would one day save the galaxy from the horrors it was receiving in the hands of the Emperor. It was also believed that there would be another child born to share the burden of restoring the Jedi Order. They believed they would know this child when she arrived. By this time the first child, obviously Luke, had been moved to an unknown location. From then on every woman that became pregnant was watched carefully, as they waited for a sign that the child was on its way.
"The whole thing was a carefully guarded secret. But eventually the Emperor did find out. On the day the child was born there was a colossal attack on the Jedi Temple. Three Jedi were sent to collect the child while the rest of them tried to keep the Imperials at bay. There was a lot of blood shed that day. Out of the three Jedi that were sent after the baby only one made it to the nursery. Feeling the danger of the situation, the Jedi quickly grabbed the baby and fled the Temple."
"How did you find out this information?" Luke asked. It was more detailed then the tale Mara had told him, but she had not left out anything important.
"Ben Kenobi," Arielle told him. "He told me the day he asked me to leave Tatooine."
"So let me get this straight," Leia said. "You were the child taken from the temple that day?"
"Yes."
"Then why would he ask you to leave? You said that the child was meant to help Luke, how could you help if you were not there?"
"Well, to be honest, they took the wrong baby. There were too girls born that day. In all the confusion, the wrong baby was taken. The Emperor took the other baby."
"So if you were not the 'chosen' child. Who was?" Leia asked. She looked around the room until her eyes settled on Mara. She had been quiet during the tail, and something clicked.
"Mara?" Mara opened her mouth to speak, but changed her mind. When she did speak her voice was strong.
"I was the other child born that day," she admitted. She said it with such conviction that it left no room for doubt.
"When Kenobi realized the mistake, his mistake, Luke and I were already married and MaCayla was already born. He came to me one day… Wait I missed a point. Luke's uncle refused to let Luke know anything about his heritage, so who I was in the eyes of the Jedi was kept a secret from them also. However, my family did not feel the same way. I had been receiving training from the time I was eight. Not extensive, but I was taught the basics. Kenobi's rationalization was that since Luke would not be beginning his training right away, he could get me started so that when Luke did finally realize what he was meant for Ben could concentrate more on him. Well, he came to me one day, after he had found out about the mistake and explained everything to me. About the foretold birth and everything it meant. There was no denying the fact that she was the one, not me."
"He said it, just like that?" Han asked. "What a nice guy."
"No, he was more polite about it, but that's what he meant. It was then that he asked me to leave. He wanted to try and get her away from the Emperor. In other words, I would be in the way."
"But I saw you die," Luke repeated.
"It wasn't real. It was preplanned. Kenobi was there, and between himself and what he showed me how to do, we were able to fake MaCayla's death and mine. We talked to Nyela and she agreed to help. I was hit that day, but it was not deadly. By the time you picked MaCayla up I had already put her to sleep. We were rushed off and Kenobi took care of the doctor. With what you saw, all it took was the doctor saying we died. No one ever questioned it."
"But wouldn't they realize you were not at your own funeral?" Leia asked.
"Not really," Arielle told them. "It was a closed coffin. No one thought anything about it. Kenobi took care of the caretaker. He said it wouldn't be a problem."
"Not a problem," Luke repeated in a low voice. He still portrayed and air of indifference, but Leia could feel his mood darkening. She wanted to go to him, hug him, let him know that she was there for him. He looked at her, as if picking up on her thoughts. She knew then that he did not want her sympathy.
"So he was able to convince Nyela to take the blame for your death?"
"The truth is, she was not supposed to remember what happened. She agreed to serve the 3 years it would most likely take to prove that she was not completely sane when she shot us."
"What went wrong?" Luke asked.
"She started to remember. I think that's why she kept going after you. She was remembering what happened and blamed you for it."
"What made you show up?" Leia asked. So far everything she had said made since, but she had not gave a reason for being there after she said there was no other way. "Why now?"
"Because of MaCayla," Arielle told them. "That and I mean I was getting a bit tired of waiting for you two to get together. So I did a little to help out there. I started by trying to visit Luke, but it upset him too greatly, so I visited with Mara. It looked, there for a while, like things were working, but then I saw you on Tatooine, and I knew something was up. By that time MaCayla had started to figure things out."
"Figure out? How did she do that?" Cilghal asked.
"Well she is Luke's child, and very strong in the Force. She started having dreams and visions about Luke, and started asking questions. I could not lie to her, so I told her. She immediately said she wanted to meet you. There was no way I could refuse. She wanted to meet her father. What I did was ask her not to mention me and to try and see what was happening between the two of you. Maybe the plan was not thought out, in a way I was hoping you would not ask, but I could not ask my daughter to lie."
"I did that on my own," the child said. Arielle squeezed her hand then continued her tale.
"That conversation you walked in on Luke, that's what we were talking about."
"So the Emperor knew," Leia said, tapping the data pad. "That's where this came from?"
"That's where what came from?" Arielle asked. "What is that?"
Luke reached over and took the data pad and handed it to Arielle. "This is why Mara and I are not together." Arielle sat back and began reading. While she did Luke excused himself, claming the need for some air. He stood alone on the balcony finding peace in the ever-moving traffic that weaved it way through the landscape. He rolled his shoulders trying to relieve some of the tension there.
"I'm fine," he stated. Turning around he was greeted by the knowing smile of his brother in law.
"No, you're not. No one would be. That's your life they are talking about in there," Han said, indicating the group of people still gathered in his apartment.
"Han, what am I doing wrong?" Luke asked. He spoke before he thought, by that time it was too late. Han would not drop the subject now until he explained himself.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"With my life? I mean, just as soon as I think I have my life together it gets completely messed up." His head picked that moment to announce its need for attention. Luke grabbed the rail for support as he rode out the pain. "I know I'm missing something here," he said through gritted teeth, as the pain fell to bearable limits. "But what else could there be? I can't … do it."
"Do what?"
"Deal with all this," he told him. He wanted to talk about it, but when he did the feelings were so intense it scared him. "They are supposed to be dead. And I should not be sick. I don't understand why all this had to happen to me. It's not like I had a say in it. From the sounds of it I never did."
"Luke, don't think of it that way. You had choices in your life, you decided the way you would go."
"Not really," he argued. "Most of my choices were made because that's what needed to be done, not because I wanted it. And when it is because I want it, it turns out badly."
"Oh, that's not true," the other man argued. "Name me something you have done lately that has turned out that way."
"Mara…and it could have killed me."
That sobered the other man up. It was a couple of seconds before he found his voice again. "Luke, we'll find something."
"Yeah, I know," Luke said, though he did not sound so sure.
"This is horrible. He would actually do something like this?" Arielle asked. They were still sitting in Luke's living room, patiently waiting for Luke to return. Leia had been quiet since her brother and husband left the room. Probably trying to keep an eye on what's going on out there, Mara thought.
"That's nothing compared to some of the things he did," she told her. I guess I would know better than anyone else in this room, she thought. She got barley a nod in reply from the blonde woman.
Mara got out of her chair and walked over to the window. She wrapped her arms securely across her chest as she looked out the oversized window. She had tried to keep her emotions under control, but this was her life they were talking about. She had not told Luke the whole truth to try and save him from what she was feeling now, but he found out anyway. He had it happen to him so much, having things planed out for him, and he had no control over them. She always thought she had control of her own life, and that after she broke free of the Emperor, she alone was in control. But that was not entirely the case. From what Arielle had just told her, she too had her life planned out for her even before she was born. It was impossible to imagine herself had she not grown up how she had. She could not see herself with Luke as her childhood friend and soon after her husband and father of her children. She could definitely not see herself fighting along side him against the Emperor. It was just so completely the opposite of her life. That was the whole idea, she thought. The Emperor wanted it to be that way. One last cruel joke he could spring despite what he knew was going to happen to him.
There was nothing she could do to change her past, and wondering about it was not going to do anything but put her in a bad mood. She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to push the thoughts away. Settling herself, she could feel the Force. It felt like it was dancing around her, trying to get her attention. She let it fill her, enjoying the peace that it brought with it.
"Luke, we'll find something." It was Han's voice, and Mara realized she was hearing the conversation going on outside.
"Yes, I know," Luke replied. He did not sound convinced. There had to be a way, she knew it. It was finding the answer that was eluding her.
"I'm fine, Han. I just need to be alone for a few minutes." She opened her eyes just as Han was walking through the door. He went straight to his wife and started talking quietly. Focusing her attention on the figure standing alone on the balcony, she got strange feelings flowing from him. She headed straight out to him.
"Luke! What are you doing?" she yelled and ran for the rail along the edge. "Are you crazy? Get back down here." Luke was standing atop the rail with his back to her. He turned when he heard her voice.
"Go back inside, Mara," Luke said. He voice was as dull as his eyes. "I want to be alone."
"I can see that, Luke. What do you think you are doing?" He ran his hands through his hair and shifted his feet, never losing his balance.
"Mara, please go inside. This is something I need to do. I can't deal with all of this. I am tired of it."
"I'm not leaving, Luke. You are going to get down right this second." His feelings were flowing freely and she was surprised that none of the other Force sensitives inside the apartment seemed to be picking up on them.
"If I get down, will you please leave me alone for a bit? Mara, I am just trying to think that's all." He carefully got down off the rail and was standing in front of her.
"But…"
"No buts, Mara. Please, just wait inside." She wanted to stay out there to talk to him, but he was slowly closing himself off to her, and she knew that she would do nothing by staying out there but upset him more. She agreed with a nod, intending to wait by the door so she could keep an eye on him. She was barely inside the apartment when he leaped back up onto the rail. She rolled her eyes and had started back over to him, when he went over the edge. She ran as fast as she could to the end of the balcony, and watched as he fell, his face serene, towards the dark depths of Coruscant without ever making a sound.
