Oi. You should know me by now. Yes, this is another wee hour offer. It is currently 3am. Sanity has been abandoned and I am angry because my download of Warcraft 2 didn't work because apparently, you must have the CD to play it. WELL LA DEE DAH. I've been wanting to write this part for awhile now, oooooh, so fun. So enjoy and all that stuff.
And it makes me gleeful when I receive reviews… hint hint…
Oh, and I don't know what's gotten into Luke. I made him all stupid and lazy. Ha ha ha. Ehhh… his Jedi powers come into effect only at certain times… yes, that's it. When I write them in. Muahaha. Anyway. On with the show…
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Mara had spent close to a Coruscant hour trying to find a door in the almost pitch-black bunker. Luke simply sat on the floor and drew random patterns in the dirt. Jedi Masters are so useful in times of crisis, now aren't they?
"So what are you doing again?" Luke asked while humming mindlessly.
"Looking for a way out of this room! Obviously." If she were within range, Mara would have slapped him.
"Like a door?" Luke pondered.
"Yes, of course like a door! What else?" Mara snarled.
"Ohhh, well why didn't you say so! There's one over there on the left," Luke pointed for further emphasis.
"How long have you known about that door?" Mara demanded as she walked over to examine it. It was indeed a door, carefully painted to precisely match the concrete walls.
"About three quarters of an hour. Why?" Luke blinked innocently.
"Because it could have saved me a lot of time! Ugh, useless Jedi. Well, at least get your ass over here and open it!" Mara threw her hands up in an 'I-Don't-Believe-This' expression.
"Mmmmmkay!" Luke said cheerfully and got up. He proceeded to stand across the room, in a direct line from the door.
"What are you doing?" Mara sighed, knowing the answer.
"I'm going to ram it!" Luke said excitedly, as if this was the most wondrous thing in the world.
"Skywalker, try the handle first…" Mara pointed to a handle midway down.
"No. This is more fun. Let's pretend the handle didn't work, okay?" Luke glowed with excitement.
"Ugh," Mara rolled her eyes at his male immaturity and answered with sarcasm, "FINE. Whatever you say, great Master Skywalker."
"Yay!" Luke jumped like a whale from the ocean again, and then noticeably calmed and focused. Reaching out with the Force, he charged at the door. "Chargie, chargie!" He let out a … ferocious battle cry.
Mara yawned as he darted past her, into the door and crashing through it. She heard him land in the next room with a loud thud, and then a smack as the door broke with his weight on it. She also heard shocked gasps of astonishment and fear from at least ten beings in the room. Seemingly human. She entered the room.
"Please! We did nothing! Why do you wish to fight us?" a middle-aged man who had the air of leadership asked them, stepping out from the rest of his people. He was dressed in a charcoal grey business suit of foreign design, which was quite complimentary to his obvious superiority.
"We don't wish to fight you at all. We were sent here by the New Republic to talk to you. We don't want to hurt you at all," Luke remembered the words Leia told him to say in a situation such as this.
"You could have knocked!" a young man in baggy, white pants with strange stripes down the sides blurted out sarcastically while adjusting his white t-shirt. Very casual… interesting…
"I am quite partial to ramming," Luke said in all seriousness, as if this was the proper way to enter a room.
"What my friend here means is that we weren't aware of your presence here," Mara shot Luke a 'You-Should-Have-Known,-Jedi' look, then added hesitantly, "and the handle wouldn't work."
"It should be fine. This room was used just a few hours ago." the middle-aged leader informed her.
"Well, it doesn't," Mara's tone told everyone to drop the subject.
"Anyway, why are you down here instead of on the surface?" Luke inquired casually.
"We are in hiding from the Cave Demon who has been plaguing us this year with many deaths. The Demon cannot get to us here. We think this strange stone stops his mental energy from being cast upon us," the leader explained.
"Really, now." Luke was very interested in all of this. "And where does this Cave Demon live?"
"In the caves," was the reply.
"Oh. Right." Luke blinked. There was a moment of silence.
//Skywalker! Use your head! You're making us look stupid.// Mara sent to him, telepathically.
"So, I'm Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master," a pause for effect, "and this is Mara Jade." Luke wasn't quite sure what to list her profession as, so he left it out. Assassin wouldn't sound too good.
"We are glad to meet you, seeing as how you have no intention of hurting us. I am David Baker, leader of this colony. This is my legislative body, and my son over there who tagged along," David pointed to the white-pants man in the corner, "Would you like me to take you to our colony central?"
"Uhh, yes, that would be very kind of you, thank you," Luke nodded and smiled to show diplomacy.
Mara followed David down a dimly lit, stale-smelling passageway, Luke behind her and the legislative body behind him. It was quite a long, uncomfortable trip but soon enough they arrived at a small but busy medieval-looking town. In the centre of a group of stone houses, a wrought-iron statue stood, almost as tall as a person. It was a compass, with a bird in the centre. It was a very skilled piece of metalwork for a primitive human colony. Impressive.
Upon their arrival, villagers stopped what they were doing and stared at the otherworldly guests. Not stares of fear, only awe and curiosity. A short distance away, Mara could hear livestock making normal livestock sounds and the rustle of hay being trampled as villagers walked towards them over the ground. They hay was randomly spread across the ground, as if it had fallen out of people's arms as they carried it.
All the peasants were dressed in brown-hued robes that were slightly dirty from constant wear. Their hair was disheveled and most had faces full of dirt from a long day's work in the field. Everyone grew silent as the leader stepped into the centre of town, motioning for Luke and Mara to accompany him.
"People of Hondac, hear me! These two have traveled to us from the heavens above and bring peace and curiosity with them. They are friendly and are to be treated the same by all in this village. You will answer any questions they have politely and completely. They are to be trusted and respected. Is this clear?" David asked of the crowd. A murmur of acknowledgement was audibly heard from everyone present.
"Good. Please carry about what you were doing before. Have a nice day," David concluded his speech and everyone went back to what they were doing, without a second glance at Luke or Mara, just quietly chattering amongst themselves.
"Um… okay. That was a bit weird." Mara observed.
"Yes, I agree. These people are definitely medieval. It seems safe enough here though; I don't sense any deceit from David or anyone else. I'm rather interested in this Cave Demon incident though," Luke said.
"So am I. And why are you just now sobering up from your giddy and idiotical state ever since we landed here and actually thinking?" Mara asked him.
"Maybe a head injury healed? No, I'm joking. I was just joking around before because I was bored. Now since there's something to concentrate on, I'm at my full Jedi alertness," Luke told her.
"Good to know," Mara said while taking in their surroundings in more detail.
"You know, as curious as I am about this Cave Demon business, I think it'd be best to get some sleep. It's late, and I'm beat." Luke really was tired. He knew he wasn't up to exploring a cave filled with an ominous opponent he knew nothing about.
"Yeah, I suppose," Mara said, not mentioning that she was completely exhausted as well, "Let's find somewhere to spend the night." She yawned.
"Good idea." Luke agreed.
They walked around the village searching for such a suitable place. Nobody bothered them, but Luke could see several of them glance at them when they didn't think he was looking. He could sense their natural curiosity as well. A friendly bunch, they were.
After about 15 minutes of walking, Mara spotted a small, abandoned barn up ahead. Assuming there would be nice, comfy hay inside, she suggested it as their resting place for the night. Luke hastily agreed; he was falling asleep on his feet.
Once inside, Mara discovered her hunch to be correct. There was indeed lots of hay inside. The smell wasn't all that pleasant, something she didn't quite recognize, but it was alright. She noticed a small loft up on one side and began climbing up the ladder to the seemingly comfy spot. She was surprised when Luke began climbing up after her.
"Hey, this is my spot, go find your own," Mara pushed him off the ladder, into a pile of hay.
"UGH. Fine, then." Luke found the hay he landed in quite comfy anyway. He claimed it as his bed then promptly fell asleep.
Mara climbed up to her lovely loft and stretched out. It was surprisingly comfortable for a wooden floor with only an inch of hay on it. Really, really comfortable in fact. Maybe a little more than it should be… But now wasn't the time to worry about such silly things, she told herself. Now, she would get some rest and tomorrow they would debunk this Cave Demon situation.
Yes, sleep. Sleep was good. And fast-approaching. Just as Mara slipped into a nice, deep sleep, a still-functioning part of her brain thought it heard a cackle nearby. The rest of her sleepy brain assured the renegade alert part it was just a figment of her imagination.
And she was out like the Force in a yslarmi bubble.
--) A Few Hours Later (--
She was alone in the dark Imperial Star Destroyer command room. The Emperor's personalized control centre, where he ruled his galaxy and exacted punishment on those inferiors. Her Master had ordered her to meet him here shortly, and she knew he always expected her to arrive before he did. It was alright for her to wait, but the Emperor could never be kept waiting. Never. Or horrible things could happen to the dairy industry, and that was a sacrifice Mara Jade was not ready to make.
"Greetings, my Hand!" Emperor Palpatine called to her from the shadows where he had just arrived, "I trust all is well with you tonight?"
"Yes, Master, everything is splendid." Mara replied.
"Good! Now, I have called you here to teach you something. This skill you will learn will prove to be useful to you in the future, I guarantee it. You must master this skill and use it whenever necessary. I have brought along Darth Vader to help instruct you. This is a massive skill to learn, but I know you can do it, my Hand." Palpatine grinned evilly and a gleeful laugh escaped his fangs.
"I will learn whatever you wish, Master," she bowed respectfully.
"Oh, you are so good! Now, stand over here in the middle of the room. DARTH! Move it! We don't have all night!" Palpatine called to his second-in-command, "Uh. That man is certainly skilled but he has the speed of an unconscious bantha."
A breathing sound signaled Vader's arrival. Mara had moved to where her Master indicated, in the only light spot in the entire room. Palpatine and Vader were still hidden by shadows, only faces distinguishable from the standby lights on the control panel across the room.
"Now. What you are going to learn is called…" Palpatine paused, then turned to Vader, who was standing beside the control panel, "HIT IT!"
Vader flipped a switch on the control panel and stepped to Palpatine's left side. Just as he stopped walking, soft music filled the command centre.
"… BALLET!" Palpatine finished his earlier sentence.
Palpatine and Vader then stepped into the light and Mara could see they were both wearing poofy, pink dress-like things around their waists. The both had white stockings and white, silky shoes that looked more like slippers on. Mara was horrified. At least she thought she was…
And then they started dancing. Palpatine did a graceful twirl and stood up on his toes, then fell to the side like a blade of grass. Vader caught him and they skipped around the room, twirling and pointing their toes at random intervals. This was true horror. Mara ran from the command centre as fast as she could, screaming her lungs off all the way back to her quarters.
Mara awoke with a start. //WAS THAT REAL?// she thought for a panic-stricken second. But then, no, it wasn't. She recognized the barn and hay… this was not her quarters aboard the 'Die Now', Palpatine's flagship. What a weird dream. It seemed so real… Mara was just glad it wasn't real. Palpatine is dead, Vader is too. They did not do ballet. Mara shook the last of the strange and horrifying dream from her head and drifted back to sleep.
--) Meanwhile… (---
Luke had heard Master Yoda mentally calling him through the Force. Yoda had told Luke to meet him in his cave on Dagobah. His mental tone sounded serious and had the sound of a being who had just made a huge decision, one with consequences. Luke was worried. Worried about what this impromptu meeting was all about, what Yoda was so serious about, but most of all Luke was worried about what would become of his breakfast pastry now that he was forced to abandon it. Would someone pick it up? Devour it like hungriness had never left them? Or would they just toss it out as garbage?! The thoughts were endless and horrifying.
//I've got a job to do, I have to stop thinking about food!// he told himself sternly. There was a proper time to think about food, and a time to think about what was to be done. Somehow, the line between the two was blurred in Luke's mind.
He decided he could not leave the poor pastry alone in the Imperial Palace cafeteria, it was too dangerous for the succulent treat. It was sure to fall in enemy hands. Luke picked it up, looked around conspicuously, and slipped it in his left flightsuit pocket. His conscious felt better already, knowing he had saved the pastry from an ominous doom – the trash bin.
Luke found Artoo, tore him away from playing a video game, and shoved him into the X-Wing socket. He did the preflight procedure and took off, all within ten minutes. Impressive. Almost as impressive as his rescue of the pastry not ten minutes before… //NO. This is not a food time!// Luke shook his head, trying to clear thoughts of food from it. After a few minutes, he was successful.
Upon arriving on Dagobah, Luke could sense a difference in the atmosphere. It was… darker than it had been before, if that was possible. The cave seemed to glow of darkness. Luke ventured in, knowing Yoda knew of his arrival and would fend off unnecessary challenges with the Force for maximum efficiency.
Luke cleared the maze of twisting tunnels and entered Yoda's chamber. He was sitting in front of a small fire, eyes closed, as if meditating. Luke stepped forward a few more feet. Nothing. Luke eventually lost patience and poked Yoda on the shoulder.
"Wakey, wakey!" Luke called.
Yoda's eyes snapped open and he fell on his back from surprise. //Getting rusty at this, I am!// he thought. He scratched his head and welcomed Luke.
"Come so far, you have. Tell you information, I must. Know the future, you will!" Yoda jabbered excitedly.
"Erm… okay…" Luke hesitantly agreed to "know the future".
"Eyes, close your. Download information to you, I will!" Yoda was holding an electronic plug in his hand.
"But I'm not a droid. That won't-" Luke started to say.
"Quiet, you will be! Trust in me, you will have." Yoda nodded and told Luke to close his eyes again. Luke complied.
Yoda touched the electronic plug to Luke's head, and instantly he was aware of a strange sensation in his head as information copied itself into unused storage space in his mind. //This is certainly effective!// Luke thought.
"Effective, it very much is!" Yoda agreed. "Done now, I am. Leave now, you will."
Instantly, Luke was outside, standing beside his X-Wing with Artoo already in the droid socket. He stood there bewildered for a moment. He tried to access his new knowledge, only to be asked for a password. The command showed up behind his eyes. //What the Hoth?! It's like a droid interface!// Luke was panicking. Yoda had turned him into a droid! A manbot! This was horrible. How could he reverse this? //Aaaahhhhh!// Luke's electronic scream filtered through his mind, shaking every part of his brain like a metal circuitboard.
Luke awoke, breathing hard. He touched his head and tried thinking of something in his mind. No password command. No electronic-sounding voice. He was in the barn, in his bed of hay. It was all just a bad dream. He sighed audibly, then stretched out a bit for a more comfortable position. His arm hit something hard. //Hmm, that's funny, I don't remember a wall being there before. No, wait, it's squishy… like…// Luke paused his mental train of thought and glanced half-behind him. Mara was lying beside him, sleeping peacefully. //What the Hoth?// Luke exclaimed mentally.
He looked around. No, he was not in his hay-bed; he was in Mara's! Somehow, he had climbed up into the loft. //How strange!// Luke was puzzled. Oh, well, now wasn't the time for such deep thinking, he was tired. He shrugged and moved closer to Mara. She was like a teddy bear. //I could get used to this…// Luke drifted off to sleep with a dopey grin plastered on his face.
Not far away, the Cave Demon opened his oblique eyes. Yes, everything was going according to plan. These two were more than subconsciously willing to partake in his agenda, whether they realized it or not. Yes, this one would be easy.
The Cave Demon put up another tally mark under the "Success" column and drifted off to sleep. It had been a long day, and tomorrow would require much mental energy. He was looking forward to it. With that last thought, the Cave Demon began snoring, his subconscience eager for the dawn of a new day.
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Um, yes, so like it? Review pleeeease, oh, how I love reviews! Hopefully, I'll get to write more tomorrow. I think maybe three more chapters maximum. Hmm. We'll see. For now, I'm going to bed. =)
