A Jedi's Return
Chapter 7
PG
By Maara
Luke stood for a moment outside Mara's door, a slight smile on his face. Then turning to head back to his cabin, he ran right smack into Leia.
"Leia" Luke started, "what are you doing up?"
Leia seemed to ignore the blush creeping up his face, "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd check on Arica."
Luke's lip twitched slightly, but Leia caught it. Panic rose up in her throat. "What? Is she ok?" Leia started to brush past Luke, but he stopped her.
"Leia wait. She's fine, but she's sleeping at the moment. " Luke dropped his hand, "Let's go talk. There is a lot you need to know."
Leia looked at Luke, wondering what was going on, then nodded and followed him to the lounge area aboard the Falcon. Luke traced the squares of the tabletop, trying to figure out what to tell her and what not to tell her.
"What is it, Luke?" Leia prompted.
"First let me say that Arica has a lot of secrets. The first of which is her name." Luke watched Leia's face to see her expression, "Her real name is Mara, Mara Jade." Luke watched Leia's mouth tighten. Not a good sign so far. Which meant she would not like the rest. "Mara… was placed in Jabba's Palace. She was undercover, on a mission to kill someone." Leia's expression continued to tighten, "When she failed, she tried to get where he was to make sure he died."
Leia's eyes widened as realization hit her. Arica… no Mara had begged Jabba to allow her on the sail barge to watch them die. No, Leia thought, to watch Luke die. Her mind was reeling. If what Luke was saying was true, and she had no reason to doubt him, then Mara was sent to kill him. Leia tried to focus her mind on what else Luke was telling her and hold off her questions until he was done.
"She ended up needing to be saved and just kept up the charade of Arica the dancer." Luke swallowed, "When her master found out her failure, he tried to kill her. That's what we saw last night."
Leia's eyebrows lifted at this last part. Her master? This was intriguing. She looked at Luke a moment. Why wasn't he upset about all this? Clearly he was the intended target, but acted as if Mara was the victim and he was trying to protect her. "You were the one she was supposed to kill?" Leia could no longer be silent.
Luke looked up and only nodded.
"And her master? Who is he?" Leia demanded.
Luke took Leia's hand in his and looked into her eyes, "The Emperor." Leia tried to pull her hands free but Luke held them fast. "She was known as the Emperor's Hand."
"The Emperor," Leia stood up and pulled harder to free her hands, "Luke let me go!"
"No! Not until you hear the rest." Luke pulled Leia back into her seat. "Will you listen to me?"
Leia composed herself. She rarely lost it, but this was too much. "What else could you possibly tell me to change all of this?" Then a thought struck her. "We can't meet up with the fleet. We can't risk the Emperor discovering where we are and that is exactly what we would be doing if we took her there."
"Leia, I've been shielding Mara's presence ever since her attack. So we should be safe enough for now." Luke had been learning a great deal about his powers and how to use them. It was as if the Force itself was instructing him. It was certainly guiding him. "I am taking her with me to see my master. He should be able to help her."
"Luke, you will be endangering your master and yourself if you take her." Leia implored him, "Please, let's just drop her off somewhere and go."
"We can't do that Leia." Luke stopped a moment to calm himself. "I'm drawn to her somehow. I know that taking her with me is the right thing to do." Luke sighed and stroked Leia's hand. "The Emperor raped her mind when she was a child and took control of her. I have to help her."
At Luke's last statement, Leia started. "What do you mean, raped her mind?"
"He took her from her family at age 5 and gained her trust. Then entered her mind, and tormented her, implanting suggestions and taking over her life." Luke squeezed Leia's hand, "She asked for my help, and I said I would."
"How can you be so sure she's still not going to try to kill you?" Leia didn't want to lose him. He was like a brother to her.
"I just know, Leia. The Force is guiding me and I believe that I'm right in what I'm doing." Luke understood how she felt about him and the feeling was completely mutual. Leia and Han were the only family he had left.
"Ok, Luke," Leia pushed aside her doubts and trusted in her friend. Something told her everything would be all right. "I'll trust you."
"Thank-you." Luke yawned, "I'm going to get some sleep. Why don't you do the same." He said with a soft smile and leaned over to kiss her cheek.
"Sure, I want to check on Han anyway." Leia stood and headed back to the cabins with Luke.
"How are his eyes?" Luke asked with concern.
"His sights almost fully restored. He should be fine by the time we rendezvous with the fleet." Leia turned to her door, still a bit uneasy about the situation. "Goodnight, Luke."
"Goodnight Leia." Luke kissed her cheek once more and headed off to bed.
Leia walked into her cabin when she was grabbed from behind. However her surprise dissipated at the sound of Han's raspy voice. "Where were you?" Han nuzzled her neck, making her smile.
"I was talking to Luke." Leia reached an arm up to run her fingers through Han's hair as he kissed her neck, sending shivers through her.
"What about?" mumbled Han.
Leia turned in Han's arms and looked into his handsome face, "About Arica." Han's mouth descended on hers and she was lost in his kiss.
When Han pulled away, he stared into Leia's eyes, "What about Arica?"
Leia just pulled the scoundrel closer, "Arica who?" she muttered before she claimed his mouth with hers and all coherent thought left them.
TBC…
Chapter 7
PG
By Maara
Luke stood for a moment outside Mara's door, a slight smile on his face. Then turning to head back to his cabin, he ran right smack into Leia.
"Leia" Luke started, "what are you doing up?"
Leia seemed to ignore the blush creeping up his face, "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd check on Arica."
Luke's lip twitched slightly, but Leia caught it. Panic rose up in her throat. "What? Is she ok?" Leia started to brush past Luke, but he stopped her.
"Leia wait. She's fine, but she's sleeping at the moment. " Luke dropped his hand, "Let's go talk. There is a lot you need to know."
Leia looked at Luke, wondering what was going on, then nodded and followed him to the lounge area aboard the Falcon. Luke traced the squares of the tabletop, trying to figure out what to tell her and what not to tell her.
"What is it, Luke?" Leia prompted.
"First let me say that Arica has a lot of secrets. The first of which is her name." Luke watched Leia's face to see her expression, "Her real name is Mara, Mara Jade." Luke watched Leia's mouth tighten. Not a good sign so far. Which meant she would not like the rest. "Mara… was placed in Jabba's Palace. She was undercover, on a mission to kill someone." Leia's expression continued to tighten, "When she failed, she tried to get where he was to make sure he died."
Leia's eyes widened as realization hit her. Arica… no Mara had begged Jabba to allow her on the sail barge to watch them die. No, Leia thought, to watch Luke die. Her mind was reeling. If what Luke was saying was true, and she had no reason to doubt him, then Mara was sent to kill him. Leia tried to focus her mind on what else Luke was telling her and hold off her questions until he was done.
"She ended up needing to be saved and just kept up the charade of Arica the dancer." Luke swallowed, "When her master found out her failure, he tried to kill her. That's what we saw last night."
Leia's eyebrows lifted at this last part. Her master? This was intriguing. She looked at Luke a moment. Why wasn't he upset about all this? Clearly he was the intended target, but acted as if Mara was the victim and he was trying to protect her. "You were the one she was supposed to kill?" Leia could no longer be silent.
Luke looked up and only nodded.
"And her master? Who is he?" Leia demanded.
Luke took Leia's hand in his and looked into her eyes, "The Emperor." Leia tried to pull her hands free but Luke held them fast. "She was known as the Emperor's Hand."
"The Emperor," Leia stood up and pulled harder to free her hands, "Luke let me go!"
"No! Not until you hear the rest." Luke pulled Leia back into her seat. "Will you listen to me?"
Leia composed herself. She rarely lost it, but this was too much. "What else could you possibly tell me to change all of this?" Then a thought struck her. "We can't meet up with the fleet. We can't risk the Emperor discovering where we are and that is exactly what we would be doing if we took her there."
"Leia, I've been shielding Mara's presence ever since her attack. So we should be safe enough for now." Luke had been learning a great deal about his powers and how to use them. It was as if the Force itself was instructing him. It was certainly guiding him. "I am taking her with me to see my master. He should be able to help her."
"Luke, you will be endangering your master and yourself if you take her." Leia implored him, "Please, let's just drop her off somewhere and go."
"We can't do that Leia." Luke stopped a moment to calm himself. "I'm drawn to her somehow. I know that taking her with me is the right thing to do." Luke sighed and stroked Leia's hand. "The Emperor raped her mind when she was a child and took control of her. I have to help her."
At Luke's last statement, Leia started. "What do you mean, raped her mind?"
"He took her from her family at age 5 and gained her trust. Then entered her mind, and tormented her, implanting suggestions and taking over her life." Luke squeezed Leia's hand, "She asked for my help, and I said I would."
"How can you be so sure she's still not going to try to kill you?" Leia didn't want to lose him. He was like a brother to her.
"I just know, Leia. The Force is guiding me and I believe that I'm right in what I'm doing." Luke understood how she felt about him and the feeling was completely mutual. Leia and Han were the only family he had left.
"Ok, Luke," Leia pushed aside her doubts and trusted in her friend. Something told her everything would be all right. "I'll trust you."
"Thank-you." Luke yawned, "I'm going to get some sleep. Why don't you do the same." He said with a soft smile and leaned over to kiss her cheek.
"Sure, I want to check on Han anyway." Leia stood and headed back to the cabins with Luke.
"How are his eyes?" Luke asked with concern.
"His sights almost fully restored. He should be fine by the time we rendezvous with the fleet." Leia turned to her door, still a bit uneasy about the situation. "Goodnight, Luke."
"Goodnight Leia." Luke kissed her cheek once more and headed off to bed.
Leia walked into her cabin when she was grabbed from behind. However her surprise dissipated at the sound of Han's raspy voice. "Where were you?" Han nuzzled her neck, making her smile.
"I was talking to Luke." Leia reached an arm up to run her fingers through Han's hair as he kissed her neck, sending shivers through her.
"What about?" mumbled Han.
Leia turned in Han's arms and looked into his handsome face, "About Arica." Han's mouth descended on hers and she was lost in his kiss.
When Han pulled away, he stared into Leia's eyes, "What about Arica?"
Leia just pulled the scoundrel closer, "Arica who?" she muttered before she claimed his mouth with hers and all coherent thought left them.
TBC…