A Jedi's Return
Chapter 5
PG
By Maara
Mara stood, leaning against the wall, gaping at the retreating figure of Luke Skywalker. She had read reports that he took whomever he wanted, but never expected him to apologize for doing it. Perhaps if he had not of stopped, or perhaps if she had not stood their gazing into his earnest blue eyes as he apologized, Mara would have no further doubts as to the accuracy of her reports. But he had apologized, and further more she believed him. In one simple moment Mara suddenly found herself questioning her mission here. What really got her was her reaction to his kiss. She had been kissed before, but no one had ever left her senses reeling. Mara brought her fingers to her still tingling lips.
Suddenly angry with herself, Mara pushed off the wall and stalked back to her cabin. She burst through the door, and flung herself down on her bunk, wincing at the pain that shot through her shoulder. She was supposed to kill him, how could she let him affect her like that. ~ Why didn't I kill him when I had the chance? ~ Mara ran her fingers through hair fiery mane, ~ Because, if you had killed him then, you wouldn't have gotten out of the desert alive. You needed him to survive. ~
Frustrated, Mara pounded her fist into her bunk. Maybe the Emperor ordered no contact because he thought he was extremely manipulative. That Luke would have some sort of affect on her. She had to stay focused. She couldn't afford to get distracted. The next opportunity she had, Mara decided, she would carry out her orders and quickly slip away. She would see this mission through, and Luke Skywalker would die.
Luke stormed into his cabin, angry that he would do something like that. He had never forced himself on anyone before. His aunt had taught him better than that. He wasn't even sure why he had kissed her. Sure he was attracted to her, what man wouldn't be? She was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.
Luke threw himself down on his bunk, feeling extremely guilty. She had asked for his help, and he had taken advantage of that. Why was he so drawn to Arica? And why was she so upset about his leaving? Could she feel that out of place among the Alliance without him? This idea he found hard to grasp. Arica struck him as an intelligent woman, who could take care of herself.
Luke shook his head. Thinking about this so much was going to drive him mad. He wanted to hide in his cabin all day, but knew he couldn't. There were things that needed to be done.
Reluctantly getting up, Luke decided to throw himself into his work; in an attempt to keep the perplexing and beautiful woman he had just kissed from his mind. He could avoid Arica as much as possible before they arrived at the rendezvous, and then he could get her situated and go to Dagobah. Shaking the intoxicating memory of her taste from his head, Luke set off towards the back up generator to get started.
Mara stayed in her cabin most of the day, only venturing out to eat, hoping to avoid everyone on board. She knew she had to come up with a plan to kill him and get away. However, every time she thought about how she could get him alone, her mind drifted back to that kiss.
Why did it all have to be so confusing? Mara didn't want to kill him. She knew that she must, but she had no idea how she would do it, or if she could make herself do it. The Emperor was already displeased with her and when he found out she'd had contact with him, she would be in big trouble.
Frustration set in as Mara fought with her emotions, attempting to keep sight of her mission. Why did he have to go and kiss her?
All the thinking she had been doing was starting to get to her. Yawning, Mara checked the chrono on the wall, and decided to get some rest. Maybe things would look clearer after a good night's sleep. Changing into a sleep shift. Mara climbed under the covers and pulled them up around her neck. Her mind still on Luke Skywalker.
Down the hall, Luke tossed in his bunk, thinking once again about Arica. She was a mystery to him. All plans to immerse himself in his work and forget her met with failure. Time after time his mind wandered back to that moment in the hall.
Luke was definitely attracted to her. That much was certain. And it felt good. But somewhere, at the back of his mind, something felt wrong. He couldn't quite form the connection.
Then his thoughts strayed to Jira. Something she had said continued tugging at his mind. Her name. That had to be part of it. Jira had never been wrong before, and he refused to believe she was wrong now.
He decided to ask Arica about it. He couldn't let it go anymore. Luke started to sit up, when he noticed the chrono, it was way too late to go see her now. He would have to wait until tomorrow. Settling back into his bed, Luke soon fell into a troubled sleep.
Mara paced around her room, having given up on sleeping altogether, trying to figure out just what to do. She had never been this indecisive before. She always knew what to do.
Flopping down on her bunk, she thought ~ What am I going to do? If I don't kill him soon, I'll be lucky to survive his punishment. ~ Just then a familiar presence entered her mind.
//Mara Jade// is voice boomed through her mind making her wince. She could feel his anger with her. Jumping out of her bunk and dropping down to one knee, Mara quickly answered.
//Yes, my Master.// Mara trembled slightly.
//You have failed me; Hand.// The Emperor entered her mind more deeply.
//No, my Master. I am among them and will be,,,// Mara grunted as she felt the pressure in her mind increase sharply.
//Traitor! You have failed me for the last time!// The pressure increased steadily, Mara could hear his malevolent laugh echoing through her mind. She brought her hands up to grab the sides of her head, screaming as the pressure became unbearable.
//Now you will die.// The pain shot through her mind and instantly Mara fell writhing to the floor, screaming uncontrollably.
Luke's eyes snapped open. There was a disturbance in the Force. The feeling grew stronger and stronger. Climbing out of bed and Luke padded to the door. As he opened it a scream penetrated the quiet of the ship. Immediately, Luke shot out of his cabin heading down the corridor to Arica's room. She began to scream louder and as he burst into her quarters, finding her on the floor – her hands gripping her head.
Dropping to his knees beside her, Luke grabbed her by the shoulders. "Arica!" he shouted over her screaming. Her eyes rose meeting his, tears streaming down her face, as she grabbed his arms, digging her nails into them. "Make it stop," she pleaded at him, "please make it stop."
Luke could hear the others running down the hall, to see what was wrong. Looking at Arica's tortured face, he desperately searched his mind for some way to help. Then suddenly, he grabbed Arica around the waist and placed his hand on her forehead. He could feel the Force flow through him, along with a lesson from Master Yoda. The hibernation trance. He taught Luke about it during his first training trip to Dagobah. He felt certain it would help her now. Suddenly, the screaming stopped and Arica went limp in his arms.
Luke looked up to see Han, Leia and Chewie slide to a stop in the doorway, watching him hold her limp form in his arms. "What the Hell is going on?" Han wasn't sure how to interpret the scene before him.
Leia was the first to move, rushing into the cabin and dropping down beside the couple. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure. Something woke me, a disturbance in the Force. When I opened my door to go investigate, I heard Arica start to scream."
Luke looked down at Arica, "When I came in, she was holding her head. She begged me to make whatever was happening to her stop." He couldn't shake the bad feeling running through him. "It felt as though someone was attacking her mind."
"What do you mean, attacking her mind?" Han demanded. Chewie growled a question from behind Han.
"Yes. Chewie, I think through the Force." Luke turned to Han. "I think the Emperor tried to kill her." Reading his friends faces, Luke headed off Han and Leia's next question, "I don't know what's going on. I just have glimmerings from the Force."
"What did you do to her?" Leia looked at her now peaceful face.
"I put her in a hibernation trance." Luke picked her up and gently placed her back into her bunk, while Leia grabbed the blanket and covered her with it.
"A hibernation trance?" Leia raised an eyebrow at Luke.
"Master Yoda taught me about it, but I've never had to use it before." Luke held his face in his hands, "The Force guided me, telling me what to do." Luke looked up at Leia. "It also reminded me that I have a lot to learn."
In that moment Luke made a decision. "When we meet up with the fleet, I have to go." He took a deep breath and rushed on. "I am going to finish my training, and I am taking Arica with me."
Leia watched Luke's face for a moment. "Do you think your master can help her?"
"I don't really know, but I don't know anyone else who has the knowledge of the Force that Yoda does." Luke looked down at Arica, "When I looked into her eyes, there was such pain there. I know taking her with me is the right thing to do."
"How long will you be?" Leia asked.
"I'm not sure. I'll contact you in a week and let you know." As Luke turned to pull the blanket up to Arica's chin, Chewie growled, "Thanks, Chewie. I'll be careful."
Han came up behind them, "Is she gonna be ok?" He asked, putting an arm around Leia's shoulder.
"For now. If I keep her in the trance we will make it to the rendezvous point, but I'm not sure what will happen when I wake her up." Luke shrugged. "I'm not really sure what to do."
"Why don't we let her rest for a bit, then we can wake her up and see what's going on. Then we can decide what to do." Leia cast a worried look at Arica. "I hope she'll be ok."
"C'mon everyone, it's late." Han steered Leia towards the door. "Let's get some sleep."
"You guys go on. I want to sit with her for a bit." Luke stopped at the door.
"Ok, Luke," Leia put a hand on his arm, "just get some sleep."
"Let us know if you need anything, OK, Kid?" Han put his hand on Luke's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before leading Leia down the corridor.
"I will." Luke smiled as he watched his best friends walk down the corridor.
Luke closed the door and turned to walk back to Arica's bedside and looked down at her. So beautiful, yet in so much torment. His brief contact with her mind confirmed she was adept in the Force. What was going on? Who was she really? She wasn't just a dancer. Of that he was sure. So what was she really doing here?
Luke pulled a chair over to her bedside and sat down, taking her hand in his. He put his head down on his arm to rest his eyes, just for a moment…
Han, Leia and Chewie headed off to their cabins, all wondering what was going on, but no one saying anything. Chewie roared a goodnight before disappearing into his cabin. Han and Leia continued walking arm in arm. "So what do you think is going on with Arica?" Han finally asked the question that was running through his mind.
Leia shook her head. "I wish I knew. She's been acting weird, staying in her cabin, only coming out only to eat."
"Luke was in a mood too." Han sighed, " Do you think they had a fight or something?"
"I don't think so, but who knows?" Leia shrugged, more confused than ever. Then another thought occurred to her. Looking sidelong at Han, "Do you think Luke likes her?"
A grin blossomed on Han's face. "Yeah, I think he might." Han put his arm around Leia's shoulders, squeezing gently. "C'mon, let's get some sleep."
Leia smiled up at Han, and followed him into their cabin.
TBC…