A Jedi's Return
1 Chapter 3
PG
By Maara
Mara lay down on her bunk, mindful of her wounded shoulder. She couldn't quite understand what was going on. The reports on Skywalker were very complete. The more time she spent with him, the more confused she became. Her gut was telling her there was more to Skywalker than what was on the data pad.
So far, Luke had proven to be something else entirely. Maybe they just left out the other stuff about him, she reasoned. They wanted her to know why she was supposed to dispose of him. But as she thought back to the files she had read, she realized there were personal aspects in them, which had nothing to do with why he was targeted for execution. Mara sat up, something else was going on. But what? Skywalker seemed almost shy to her. Not really how she pictured the malevolent murderer of innocent people.
Mara lay back on her bunk, thinking of their shopping trip. Luke insisted on accompanying her to the market place that lined the main thoroughfare of Mos Eisley. Mara figured he didn't want to just give her, a stranger, the credits, thinking she might just take the money and run. Mara had said as much but Luke insisted she needed an escort so she would be able to find what she needed without being taken advantage of or attacked.
Flashback
Leia turned to her, "Do you have anything that we need to pick up, Arica?"
"No," she turned her gaze on Luke; "everything I had was left at Jabba's Palace. Luke offered to take me into the market place. I can get what I need there."
Leia smiled, "Good. Luke was raised here. He'll make sure you find a reputable dealer. Normally I'd offer to go with you, but," looking over at Han her smile widened, "but I'm needed here right now."
"No problem, we can handle it I'm sure." Mara turned to Luke. "You ready?"
"Yeah," He replied slinging a small satchel over his back. "Let's go then, Arica, that way we can be back by the time the ship is prepped" She just nodded, as she headed for the ship's ramp and with Luke following close at her side, they walked off towards town.
As they made their way to the market place, Luke wondered about Arica. He knew she had been a dancer at Jabba's and that she could take care of herself, but something about her wasn't right. He kept sensing brief feelings of hostility, then confusion from her - then nothing. It was almost as if she had some sense or even power of the Force with her. How else could she close off her mind the way she seemed to be doing. He decided to not push the issue. Maybe, during this trip, he could find out more.
Mara's mind also wandered towards her companion. Leia had mentioned he was raised here. It made her wonder what he was like as a child. What had he done here? How did he live? Mara looked sideways at him, was he a merchant of some kind? No, he struck her as somewhat of a farmboy. He seemed to have a naivete to him.
So, why had the Emperor told her, no ordered her, to have no contact with Skywalker? He seemed harmless. Well, maybe not harmless, she thought, thinking of him fighting on Jabbas' sail barge. Still, why no contact. What was she missing about him?
Curiosity got the better of Mara. She knew she was violating her master's orders and would be in for some form of punishment, so she decided to make it worth it.
"Luke?" She looked over at him, "Leia said you grew up here."
"Yes, I did." Luke swept his arm wide, "Welcome to my home world."
Mara looked around her. "Not a lot to be proud of."
"It's not that bad," Luke explained, "I grew up on a moisture farm with my aunt and uncle. It was hard work, but there were a lot of other things to do once the chores were done."
Mara's face showed surprise, "Like what? It doesn't look like much goes on around here."
"Sure there is. I used to hang out at Tosche Station with my friends, race speeders through beggars canyon, and pick off womprats with my T-16, stuff like that." Luke stopped her a moment, "You want to watch yourself here, Arica. There's always a thief and if you don't know what you're doing the merchants will rob you blind."
"I know what I'm doing, Luke." Mara looked over at him, "you don't have to go with me, you know."
Luke looked at her, "I know that, Arica, but I want to." Luke paused a moment, "I just want to get to know you better, that's all. Beside, if you have anything that you need to carry, you'll need some help." A slight smile appeared on his face, "I did invite you along, after all. What would it look like if I left you on your own? I do have a reputation to protect."
2 Mara laughed out loud, "And what reputation is that?"
They resume walking; Luke stuck his chest out, holding his head high like every bit the part of the Alliance Hero and then with a chuckle his whole manner deflated. A smile spread across his face as his eyes dropped to the ground, and with the shrug of his shoulder he kicked a small rock out of their way. "I don't know," he answered bashfully, "I just feel better knowing you're safe - humor me." As he looked back up at Mara she caught the sincerity in his eyes, and it rattled her.
The data she had must be inaccurate. Probably whoever put it together for the Emperor was trying to curry favor by pointing out threats that do not necessarily exist. When the Emperor heard about this, someone would be in trouble.
Changing the subject, Mara asked, "So what's the best place to get supplies around here?"
"There is one place where the merchant is honest. She has everything you'll need and won't hassle you about price."
"An honest merchant? Now this I gotta see." Mara shook her head as she thought of it.
Luke stopped her a moment, "She's very old, Arica." Luke's expression became thoughtful. "She's been around the market place since long before I was born. She has a mystical aura about her. She knows things she has no business knowing. No one knows for sure how old she is. Even the oldest people around say she was here when they were children."
Luke smiled at memories of long ago. "When I was younger, many people were afraid of her. I would sneak off from my friends and go visit her. She never seemed scary to me. She would tell me many stories of things that happened long ago," Chuckling, Luke turned to face her, "but when she said a storm's a comin', then you listened to her."
Mara pondered his words. She was beginning to wonder if going to her was such a good idea.
Luke interrupted her thoughts; "Her name is Jira. She's," Luke stopped as he caught sight of someone, "there she is." Luke pointed her out to her.
Mara saw a very old woman sitting on a stool in the doorway of a storefront. Luke was right, she did seem to have an aura around her. They continued walking towards her. As they got to her, the old woman turned to them, "Ah, Lukie, you've been away."
Luke smiled and took her hand, "Greetings, Jira. It has been a while." Luke turned to Mara, "This is Arica, she needs some supplies and I thought you would be able to help her."
Jira turned her attention to the beautiful red head, "You are a pretty one." Looking her up and down Jira shook her head, "The name does not fit you."
Jira turned back to Luke, "You picked a good one, Lukie. She should change her name though. Hers doesn't fit right."
Luke raised an eyebrow, "She's not mine, Jira."
"Pe-shah, of course she is," Jira got up from her stool, "Come, let's find you what you need." Gently she took Mara's wrist and pulled her into her shop.
"Now, dearie, you need clothes. I happen to have a box in the back that will do for you," she studied her frame, "Wait here." With that, she disappeared into the back room.
Mara looked at Luke and raised an eyebrow. Luke just laughed silently and shrugged his shoulders.
Jira came out of the back with two boxes packed to bursting with everything she needed. "Here you go dearie, these will do you just fine." Mara went through the boxes with her and was amazed that she seemed to have the things that suited her taste. "Thank you Jira. I've never had a smoother supply run than this." Mara shook her hand and smiled warmly at her. "It's almost as if you had these things waiting for me."
"But I did, dearie, I did." As she held Mara's hand, she gestured with her other to the boxes she brought out. "Had these put aside for you two standard months ago. I just wasn't sure when you would be by." Jira smiled a knowing smile.
She released her hand and turned to Luke. Taking his hand in her own she patted it warmly. "It was wonderful to see you, Lukie. I miss our chats. You should come see me when you have more time."
Luke smiled at her, "I will Jira, I will. As soon as I have more time, I promise."
Luke and Mara began their walk back to the ship, secure in the knowledge that the supplies would be delivered within the hour. "So, Arica, what did you think of Jira?"
Mara couldn't stop the smile from coming onto her face. "She was great. You were right, there is something about her. I just wish I knew how she could have supplies for me for two months, when I didn't even know she existed until today." Mara paused trying to come up with the right words, "She seems to know what's going on with everyone at first glance."
"Yes, she does." Luke slowed his walk a little, "When I was a kid, my friends were afraid of her because they thought she was witch, but I knew she wasn't. Now when I think about it, I wonder if the Force has anything to do with it."
"You think she was a Jedi?" Mara could understand that thought.
"No, but I think she has an insight borne of the Force, nothing more." They came upon the spaceport and turned to head towards the ship.
Mara became quiet as she thought about this. She definitely seemed to have an insight no one else should have. How did she come up with my name not fitting me? Mara thought to herself. The only explanation was that she somehow had the Force with her, but it was very weak, making it an intense intuition. Not long after these thoughts ran through her head, they came upon the Millenium Falcon and went aboard to finish getting ready for take off.
2.1 End flashback
Mara sat up in her bunk, Luke hadn't said anything about what Jira said about her name. He wasn't stupid. He couldn't have missed it. Why didn't he ask her? She lay back on her bunk, trying to figure out the question that was Luke Skywalker.
2.2 Luke's Cabin
Luke sat on his own bunk and pondered what Jira had said. What did she mean when she said Arica's name didn't fit? Something was definitely up. That much he figured for himself. He still couldn't figure Arica out, but was convinced that she had at least, rudimentary Force powers. He just wasn't sure what that meant to the situation now.
Luke blew out a breath, he hoped whatever she was involved in was not too bad. She was a beautiful woman. He felt drawn to her somehow. Hopefully that meant good things.
Luke sat up, deciding to meditate, hoping the Force would guide him to the right conclusions. Crossing his legs on the bed, he stretched his arms out and rested his wrists on his knees. Closing his eyes Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi, gathered the Force to himself, dropping deeply into a meditative state.
Two hours later, Luke came out of his trance with no clear answers to the many questions racing through his head. Many visions flew threw his mind, but nothing made any sense. Arica was in a few of them. He hoped in time that all would become clear.
Yawning, Luke decided to think more about it later. Now he needed to sleep. Maybe he would ask her about it, if the opportunity presented itself. Luke lay down on his bunk and soon fell into a deep sleep still wondering about the beautiful woman he had crossed paths with.
TBC.
1 Chapter 3
PG
By Maara
Mara lay down on her bunk, mindful of her wounded shoulder. She couldn't quite understand what was going on. The reports on Skywalker were very complete. The more time she spent with him, the more confused she became. Her gut was telling her there was more to Skywalker than what was on the data pad.
So far, Luke had proven to be something else entirely. Maybe they just left out the other stuff about him, she reasoned. They wanted her to know why she was supposed to dispose of him. But as she thought back to the files she had read, she realized there were personal aspects in them, which had nothing to do with why he was targeted for execution. Mara sat up, something else was going on. But what? Skywalker seemed almost shy to her. Not really how she pictured the malevolent murderer of innocent people.
Mara lay back on her bunk, thinking of their shopping trip. Luke insisted on accompanying her to the market place that lined the main thoroughfare of Mos Eisley. Mara figured he didn't want to just give her, a stranger, the credits, thinking she might just take the money and run. Mara had said as much but Luke insisted she needed an escort so she would be able to find what she needed without being taken advantage of or attacked.
Flashback
Leia turned to her, "Do you have anything that we need to pick up, Arica?"
"No," she turned her gaze on Luke; "everything I had was left at Jabba's Palace. Luke offered to take me into the market place. I can get what I need there."
Leia smiled, "Good. Luke was raised here. He'll make sure you find a reputable dealer. Normally I'd offer to go with you, but," looking over at Han her smile widened, "but I'm needed here right now."
"No problem, we can handle it I'm sure." Mara turned to Luke. "You ready?"
"Yeah," He replied slinging a small satchel over his back. "Let's go then, Arica, that way we can be back by the time the ship is prepped" She just nodded, as she headed for the ship's ramp and with Luke following close at her side, they walked off towards town.
As they made their way to the market place, Luke wondered about Arica. He knew she had been a dancer at Jabba's and that she could take care of herself, but something about her wasn't right. He kept sensing brief feelings of hostility, then confusion from her - then nothing. It was almost as if she had some sense or even power of the Force with her. How else could she close off her mind the way she seemed to be doing. He decided to not push the issue. Maybe, during this trip, he could find out more.
Mara's mind also wandered towards her companion. Leia had mentioned he was raised here. It made her wonder what he was like as a child. What had he done here? How did he live? Mara looked sideways at him, was he a merchant of some kind? No, he struck her as somewhat of a farmboy. He seemed to have a naivete to him.
So, why had the Emperor told her, no ordered her, to have no contact with Skywalker? He seemed harmless. Well, maybe not harmless, she thought, thinking of him fighting on Jabbas' sail barge. Still, why no contact. What was she missing about him?
Curiosity got the better of Mara. She knew she was violating her master's orders and would be in for some form of punishment, so she decided to make it worth it.
"Luke?" She looked over at him, "Leia said you grew up here."
"Yes, I did." Luke swept his arm wide, "Welcome to my home world."
Mara looked around her. "Not a lot to be proud of."
"It's not that bad," Luke explained, "I grew up on a moisture farm with my aunt and uncle. It was hard work, but there were a lot of other things to do once the chores were done."
Mara's face showed surprise, "Like what? It doesn't look like much goes on around here."
"Sure there is. I used to hang out at Tosche Station with my friends, race speeders through beggars canyon, and pick off womprats with my T-16, stuff like that." Luke stopped her a moment, "You want to watch yourself here, Arica. There's always a thief and if you don't know what you're doing the merchants will rob you blind."
"I know what I'm doing, Luke." Mara looked over at him, "you don't have to go with me, you know."
Luke looked at her, "I know that, Arica, but I want to." Luke paused a moment, "I just want to get to know you better, that's all. Beside, if you have anything that you need to carry, you'll need some help." A slight smile appeared on his face, "I did invite you along, after all. What would it look like if I left you on your own? I do have a reputation to protect."
2 Mara laughed out loud, "And what reputation is that?"
They resume walking; Luke stuck his chest out, holding his head high like every bit the part of the Alliance Hero and then with a chuckle his whole manner deflated. A smile spread across his face as his eyes dropped to the ground, and with the shrug of his shoulder he kicked a small rock out of their way. "I don't know," he answered bashfully, "I just feel better knowing you're safe - humor me." As he looked back up at Mara she caught the sincerity in his eyes, and it rattled her.
The data she had must be inaccurate. Probably whoever put it together for the Emperor was trying to curry favor by pointing out threats that do not necessarily exist. When the Emperor heard about this, someone would be in trouble.
Changing the subject, Mara asked, "So what's the best place to get supplies around here?"
"There is one place where the merchant is honest. She has everything you'll need and won't hassle you about price."
"An honest merchant? Now this I gotta see." Mara shook her head as she thought of it.
Luke stopped her a moment, "She's very old, Arica." Luke's expression became thoughtful. "She's been around the market place since long before I was born. She has a mystical aura about her. She knows things she has no business knowing. No one knows for sure how old she is. Even the oldest people around say she was here when they were children."
Luke smiled at memories of long ago. "When I was younger, many people were afraid of her. I would sneak off from my friends and go visit her. She never seemed scary to me. She would tell me many stories of things that happened long ago," Chuckling, Luke turned to face her, "but when she said a storm's a comin', then you listened to her."
Mara pondered his words. She was beginning to wonder if going to her was such a good idea.
Luke interrupted her thoughts; "Her name is Jira. She's," Luke stopped as he caught sight of someone, "there she is." Luke pointed her out to her.
Mara saw a very old woman sitting on a stool in the doorway of a storefront. Luke was right, she did seem to have an aura around her. They continued walking towards her. As they got to her, the old woman turned to them, "Ah, Lukie, you've been away."
Luke smiled and took her hand, "Greetings, Jira. It has been a while." Luke turned to Mara, "This is Arica, she needs some supplies and I thought you would be able to help her."
Jira turned her attention to the beautiful red head, "You are a pretty one." Looking her up and down Jira shook her head, "The name does not fit you."
Jira turned back to Luke, "You picked a good one, Lukie. She should change her name though. Hers doesn't fit right."
Luke raised an eyebrow, "She's not mine, Jira."
"Pe-shah, of course she is," Jira got up from her stool, "Come, let's find you what you need." Gently she took Mara's wrist and pulled her into her shop.
"Now, dearie, you need clothes. I happen to have a box in the back that will do for you," she studied her frame, "Wait here." With that, she disappeared into the back room.
Mara looked at Luke and raised an eyebrow. Luke just laughed silently and shrugged his shoulders.
Jira came out of the back with two boxes packed to bursting with everything she needed. "Here you go dearie, these will do you just fine." Mara went through the boxes with her and was amazed that she seemed to have the things that suited her taste. "Thank you Jira. I've never had a smoother supply run than this." Mara shook her hand and smiled warmly at her. "It's almost as if you had these things waiting for me."
"But I did, dearie, I did." As she held Mara's hand, she gestured with her other to the boxes she brought out. "Had these put aside for you two standard months ago. I just wasn't sure when you would be by." Jira smiled a knowing smile.
She released her hand and turned to Luke. Taking his hand in her own she patted it warmly. "It was wonderful to see you, Lukie. I miss our chats. You should come see me when you have more time."
Luke smiled at her, "I will Jira, I will. As soon as I have more time, I promise."
Luke and Mara began their walk back to the ship, secure in the knowledge that the supplies would be delivered within the hour. "So, Arica, what did you think of Jira?"
Mara couldn't stop the smile from coming onto her face. "She was great. You were right, there is something about her. I just wish I knew how she could have supplies for me for two months, when I didn't even know she existed until today." Mara paused trying to come up with the right words, "She seems to know what's going on with everyone at first glance."
"Yes, she does." Luke slowed his walk a little, "When I was a kid, my friends were afraid of her because they thought she was witch, but I knew she wasn't. Now when I think about it, I wonder if the Force has anything to do with it."
"You think she was a Jedi?" Mara could understand that thought.
"No, but I think she has an insight borne of the Force, nothing more." They came upon the spaceport and turned to head towards the ship.
Mara became quiet as she thought about this. She definitely seemed to have an insight no one else should have. How did she come up with my name not fitting me? Mara thought to herself. The only explanation was that she somehow had the Force with her, but it was very weak, making it an intense intuition. Not long after these thoughts ran through her head, they came upon the Millenium Falcon and went aboard to finish getting ready for take off.
2.1 End flashback
Mara sat up in her bunk, Luke hadn't said anything about what Jira said about her name. He wasn't stupid. He couldn't have missed it. Why didn't he ask her? She lay back on her bunk, trying to figure out the question that was Luke Skywalker.
2.2 Luke's Cabin
Luke sat on his own bunk and pondered what Jira had said. What did she mean when she said Arica's name didn't fit? Something was definitely up. That much he figured for himself. He still couldn't figure Arica out, but was convinced that she had at least, rudimentary Force powers. He just wasn't sure what that meant to the situation now.
Luke blew out a breath, he hoped whatever she was involved in was not too bad. She was a beautiful woman. He felt drawn to her somehow. Hopefully that meant good things.
Luke sat up, deciding to meditate, hoping the Force would guide him to the right conclusions. Crossing his legs on the bed, he stretched his arms out and rested his wrists on his knees. Closing his eyes Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi, gathered the Force to himself, dropping deeply into a meditative state.
Two hours later, Luke came out of his trance with no clear answers to the many questions racing through his head. Many visions flew threw his mind, but nothing made any sense. Arica was in a few of them. He hoped in time that all would become clear.
Yawning, Luke decided to think more about it later. Now he needed to sleep. Maybe he would ask her about it, if the opportunity presented itself. Luke lay down on his bunk and soon fell into a deep sleep still wondering about the beautiful woman he had crossed paths with.
TBC.