At point blank range
Part 6: A nice man?
By SJ (skyjade@globetrotter.net)
02-02-02/06-02
________________
Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belong to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. Also, everything related to the spoken parts of Heir to the Empire belongs to Timothy Zhan. I'm only borrowing it to make more sense with Mara's or Luke's missing thoughts (when we follow Luke's thoughts in the novel, this story will cover Mara's, and vice versa ;). Naturally, everything related to the events of Heir to the Empire also belong to T. Zhan. Please don't sue me, it's only for fun; I'm not making any money out of this.
See my homepage for more details.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/3702
Special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne, for her help with the final editing of my new stories. Thanks for giving me some of your precious time, my friend :)
__________________
After another disappointing check with the X-wing, Mara and Luke once again took turns to dry themselves with the help of Artoo, who didn't complain. He was too glad to be once again with his master and friend.
Once the humans were done, he positioned himself near the young Jedi, determinate to not let another vornsk get to him. Unlike the previous night, the young man didn't talk with his human companion. He reflected that it was a wise decision considering the strange temper of the strange woman.
Even without the Force, Luke could feel that Mara was extremely upset at him; his near miss with the vibroblade had convinced him to not test her patience tonight. Still, he reflected while he rolled on his side and turned his back to her, he 'knew' that she wasn't who she was pretending to be with him.
When she had held him against her chest, he had felt the intense dilemma that was undoubtedly still raging inside of her. Her clenching and unclenching muscles had more than sufficed to betray her indecision concerning him; her fast heartbeat had also confirmed her great unease with her 'mission'.
However, he knew that he couldn't do anything to influence her; the fight, which came from her true self struggling to show itself, had to be settled from inside as well. However, he wished he could help her... that he could take her pains away from her beautiful eyes.
Whoever had trained her, he reflected sadly, had been thorough with her emotions, but, he smiled slightly at the memory of her spontaneous rescue in the river, he hadn't killed her compassion completely. On the other hand, it was so well buried that he doubted that Mara was even aware of its presence, especially considering the comment she had made when he had tried to make her face her actions.
He went to sleep on the renewed hope that he could, somehow, help her free herself from her cool mask.
A few feet away from the slumbering Jedi, Mara Jade huddled under her survival blanket, keeping an eye on her prisoner.
Her annoying, confusing prisoner, she added in resent even as she swallowed a new stim pill. Why had she saved his life again?, she asked herself in dismay. She could have left him there, savor the last minutes which he had left to live, then pull his lifeless body from the water and enjoy her victory, at last, but instead... She had jumped after him in the water and had saved him.
He was, she realized, the first being, well, second one, she amended as memories of her farmboy returned to her; she dismissed them back to the very back of her mind. Anyway, she had saved her enemy. Ever since that misadventure on Tatooine, she had never used her skills and strength again to save a life, only to take one.
It was most unsettling for the ex-assassin, who shoved her bittersweet memories once again to the back of her mind because she could even conjure up an image of the boy.
Whatever Skywalker was doing to her, he didn't need any softening from her part to help him. In fact, it was obviously taking root, challenging everything she had ever believed in and lived by... and turning her into someone she didn't know at all. After Tatooine, again---- but before she had met the Jedi, she had never cared about anyone or anything, except the Emperor... and perhaps Karrde, she conceded reluctantly, tiredly, but it was only because he represented the possibility of a new, interesting life...
And then, there was Skywalker. Whether she accepted it or not, she 'had' cared about her prisoner a few hours ago. Had she not cared, he wouldn't be with her anymore and the droid would be in pieces.
Skywalker's kindness was rubbing off on her, she sneered in disgust, and the most enraging thing was that one: she didn't seem able to resist him, thanks to her most untimely memories of her farmboy, and two: she was believing in the Jedi's 'act.' She dimly wondered if it would be the same if they were not cut off from the Force. Would she be able to resist him then? Or would she still fall for the person she hadn't expected to find in her well-known prey? A nice man who reminded her somewhat of... She quickly interrupted her thoughts again before it was too late; she refocused on her current subject: Skywalker.
She knew that she hadn't mistaken the man for another one; Skywalker had never denied his identity, so he 'was' the famous, hated Jedi. However, the more she was spending time with him, and the less she could convince herself that he was the man of her old files...
Not a single data fit with what she could now see in the man. Even worse, the theory of his having a change of heart was growing more and more impossible given what she had sometimes heard from him when he had been talking with the droid.
She had discovered that the two of them had been together during the Rebellion. Throughout their current trek, they had sometimes exchanged comments about it compared to the past; during such moments, she had always found herself gaping at the retelling of events which fit more those... well of a naive kid than of a cold murderer, she reluctantly admitted at the yet again surfacing thought of her farmboy... As if... she began hesitantly, she had been misl----
Even as the thought of being misleaded, or being lied to, formed in her mind, she slammed the door on those thoughts in frustration. This was getting her nowhere, she fumed even as she refocused on her external surroundings and her prisoners... and the gentle, appealing sound of the nearby warm-watered river.
The effect of that sound on her was instantaneous. She was tired, sore from their long walk and her lack of sleep... Nothing like a bath to relax, she reflected even as she laid her eyes on her human prisoner.
He was already asleep. Could she trust him to remain asleep?, she wondered---then berated herself for even considering the question. She flicked her blaster setting from kill to stun--- and shot the Jedi.
His body slightly slumped on itself as the bolt's effects settled in, but otherwise, he didn't react; beside him, the droid was furious--- It fell silent when she aimed at it.
"Quiet," she told him warningly. "If you don't want your dear master to be hurt, don't move from your there."
The droid abided by her order; she stashed her weapon in her belt, proceeded to keep it from leaving its location, then grabbed hold of the Jedi's wrists and pulled him closer to the river where a big-rooted tree stood near a sandy bank. From there, she estimated that she would be able to keep a good eye on him while enjoying herself for a while.
As she strained against the Jedi's dead weight, she conceded that he was truly more muscled than he looked; in fact, he was quite heavy for someone of his stature. Once beside the tree, she pulled vines from the nearby branches, then proceeded to tie the Jedi's wrists and feet to a root which was slightly turned away from the river; he would thus be blocked from seeing her while she would see him from her chosen spot in the river.
She tied his hands to the root and above his head---- when she found herself staring at his unconscious features from a very close point of view.
The first thing she noticed was that despite his age, he looked like a fresh kid... a handsome one, she added as she totally abandoned her activities to study Skywalker's features more intently. There was something about them, she frowned even as she brought her lamp closer to diminish the veil of the shadows on them. Somehow, she reflected, she had seen those features before and they hadn't been on a holo of her data file, nor was her feeling related to her brief glimpse of him at Jabba's palace. Then all of a sudden it clicked as her repressed memory leaped forward yet again.
Tatooine! she gaped at the unconscious man. No, it was impossible, she would recognize the other anywhere.
She was absolutely convinced that Skywalker, although coming from Tatooine, couldn't be the unknown boy. Even if they shared some features, she remembered very clearly that the boy hadn't been Force-sensitive while she was willing to bet her future ship that Skywalker's undeniable Force presence had been detectable even when he had been younger. However, she conceded even as she hesitantly took hold of his face in her hands and held it up for closer scrutiny, he sure shared the other's unforgettable blue eyes and boyishness... which still held her heart captive, but it was over now, she reminded herself. It had been over since she had left the planet, abandoning the boy to his life while she had returned to hers.
No, she decided even as she let go of the Jedi's chin, Skywalker wasn't the other. His hair was much darker anyway, and he didn't look like the other. He just vaguely reminded her of him because of his eyes and undeniable interesting features. Other than that, he was a perfect stranger... a nice man---
Suddenly irritated by the Jedi's influence on her thoughts, she drew away from him with a growl, and finished to tightly bound his ankles to the root.
Now she really needed to cool off, she reflected even as she stepped away from her prisoner and out of the light. she began to take off her clothes, but not her wrist holster nor underwear.
Behind her, the droid fluted a little comment, then locked its eye on its master.
Mara ignored it; she stepped in the warm water and swam further in until she was immerged up to her shoulders.
When Luke's senses returned to him, the first thing he became aware of was the stiffness in his back and arms. He was getting too old to sleep on the rough ground, he dimly groaned even as he forced himself awake.
He moved to stretch his arms to relieve his cramps--- and met with a sturdy resistance. His eyes instantly flew open and darted up toward his hands; they were securely tied to a big root, and so were his ankles. He was trapped.
When he failed to find Mara nearby, a sudden, unpleasant worry crept up his mind.
Had Mara abandoned him to his fate after all? It didn't make much sense considering her adamant dedication to the fact that she wanted to have the privilege of killing him, but... considering her unpredictable nature, he conceded that anything was possible.
A few meters away from him, Artoo noticed that he was awake and asked him if he were all right; Luke instantly surmised that the droid was somehow restrained away from him or else he would be beside him at the moment.
What was going on?, he wondered even as he craned his neck to see in his back.
Suddenly, a sound of moving water made him still in worry; slowly, he turned his head toward the source of the sound...
He gaped at the ethereal sight that was slightly out of his line of sight as the woman swam right in his line of vision and stood up.
Despite the shadows of the night, Mara's strong, lithe body was instantly, perfectly outlined by the white light of the full moon, giving him the impression that she was a Force spirit. He couldn't help but gaze in shock and rapture. Thanks to their frequently close contacts, he had known that she was athletic and well built, but he could now see that she was more than that.
She was also a slight, finely-boned young woman when she wasn't assuming the stance of a tough assassin.
She was beaut----
An incoming shot from a blaster forced him to duck down; the bolt hit the tree a few centimeters above his hands; he winced as the hot splinters fell on his head and face.
"Keep your head turned away, Jedi," she growled warningly, reminding him that he couldn't trust his eyes.
The woman was beautiful 'and' deadly. Neither were an act.
"Sorry," he answered while he kept his eyes on Artoo. "I wasn't sure if it were a new danger or not," he tried to explain while he heard her wade closer to the bank.
"Just the usual danger, Jedi, don't worry," she answered him sarcastically even as she settled in the shallows; there, she crouched to remain under the level of the water.
It was truly warm, soothing for her aching muscles and ankle; she was reluctant to get out just yet.
"Actually," the Jedi answered her last remark, "I am relieved that it is you."
Mara, who had been rubbing her sore ankle, stopped in mid-motion and stared at the Jedi's back. He was relieved to still be with her??? Even though she had tied him up during his sleep and that she had just voluntarily missed his head by a few centimeters only, he was not worried for his life???
What was wrong with the man?, she gaped in disbelief. Nice or not, no one ever felt relieved by the presence of a close-by assassin, and especially one of her caliber. Sure, she admitted, she was an efficient protector at the moment, but the end would still be the same: she would kill him...
If her finger cooperated this time.
Aware that she had answered him by a silence that could betray her confused state of mind, she spoke up in the only fashion she felt comfortable with: tartly.
"As if," she sneered at him. "Do me a favor, Skywalker," she then commented as she waded out of the knee-deep waters, "spare yourself the effort of befriending me."
To her satisfaction, the man remained silent and nodded once, as if uncovered--.
And that was it, she thought to herself with a sigh of deep relief; the Jedi was only trying to befriend her. He didn't really care about her; he was only motivated by his need to survive her.
At last, she smiled meanly to him. She had pierced his secret; she wasn't vulnerable to it anymore.
Or so she thought.
Luke winced at her request, but he could only grant it to her.
He didn't want to take the risk of stopping a blaster bolt tonight. However, he was surprised to feel genuine regret toward her attitude. The more he spent time with her, and the more he was growing interested in her, not just because of her mysterious past and her drive to kill him, but also because of what he could sometimes catch glimpses of.
Especially when she was surprised by his comments. He never knew exactly what he said to shock her mute, but he did do something and his companion always seemed to soften during those. Like what had happened a few moments ago. He hadn't seen her, yet he had felt her shock all the same. Her long silence had slightly worried him, then when it had lasted even longer, he had conceded that he didn't know what to expect from the strange woman.
Although he should have known that it wouldn't be kind.
He had wanted to tell her that he wasn't exerting efforts to befriend her, that it was who and how he was, but he had known that she wouldn't like the answer.
Instead, he had remained silent.
Shuffling noises attracted his attention as the woman came out of the water to dried herself. Luke was hard-pressed to not talk to her once again. He was aware that it was a dangerous activity, but he liked to talk with her even if what he got in answer were barbs.
"So I take it that you stunned me to drag me over here," he finally commented, unable to resist the silence anymore.
"I barely restrained myself from killing you when I did," she answered coldly after a short pause.
The pause, he reflected, which was betraying her inner debate, but about what?, he wondered.
"Well, I'm glad you didn't," he answered earnestly, then added: "I'm sorry for invading your private moment by the way. It was an accident."
For the second time in less than five minutes, Mara stood still, shocked by the Jedi's words. She had been the one to stun him and tie him up, she was the one responsible for the confusion, yet he was apologizing for his curiosity?
For a moment, she dimly wondered if this was real or if she were, in fact, caught in an horrible nightmare from which she couldn't wake up. She pinched herself; it was real, as was the now undoubtedly unique man who was her prisoner--- but not his attitude, she tried to reinforce her resistance to his influence.
It was just an attempt to sway her hand. He had killed the Emperor, had destroyed her life. He might have never been a cold murderer but he still deserved to die.
And he would, in due time.
With that, she made the decision to not talk to him anymore tonight; she put on her suit, then retrieved her blaster from the sand and aimed at the Jedi.
"Get some sleep, Jedi, and mind my words: shut up," she warned him coldly, then shot his bonds.
The man was instantly free; he yelped at the sudden heat that touched his hands. He briefly threw an annoyed glance at her, then rid himself of his bonds and stood up. He walked over to his droid's location and began to study what she had done to it.
She herself settled by the tree that he had just left and kept watch over him all night long.
Again.
Unlike the previous night though, she didn't wonder about what had saved the Jedi's life when he had faced the Emperor; she instead wondered how she would continue to keep his attacks of kindness away.
Now that she knew what they were, she resolved to not let them blind her anymore; she called up her anger and hatred at her predicament to fuel her hatred of the man... to whom she was slowly warming up despite her best efforts to not do so.
******
The next day continued just like the previous one had ended: dodging vornsks and trudging through a forest which now seemed to be closing in on them. They had run into more vine-traps than they had seen for the past two days.
While Mara studied yet another such dead-end, Luke wearily watched around them, wishing for the hundredth time since he had woken up on Myrkr that he had the Force to at least feel the nearby predators. Even though he knew that he was in 'good' hands with Mara, he was growing very tired of being a target, and the shorter sleep of the previous night wasn't helping him to control his worry, especially when they were trapped by---.
He shifted uneasily as he heard a cracking sound nearby.
"Just keep your shirt on," his companion commented from her position near the mass of vines. "This'll only take a minute."
"You don't have to go for finesse, you know?" he answered her, dimly wondering what was keeping her from just cutting their path clear. "It's not like the lightsaber's running low on power," he pointed out seriously.
Mara answered him with a technical detail he hadn't considered at all. Were he not very tired, he conceded that he might have also think about that, but then, he shrugged, perhaps not. He was nowhere near as competent as she was.
Luke silently watched her as she studied the vines once again, then she finally turned on the weapon and cut them down.
"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" she sneered at him as she returned his weapon to her belt.
Luke tiredly shook his head in answer and was beginning to walk forward---- when Artoo squealed in warning. Perfectly aware of what it meant, he sighed in resignation even as he let go of his droid friend and dropped to the ground, covering his head with his hands.
Yet another shot later, it was over once again. As he stood back to his feet, he reflected that he was really getting tired of this. He checked around himself, wary for another danger to literally spring out of the nearby foliage, then finally refocused on his companion.
"I wish you'd change your mind about giving me back my lightsaber," he said, then checked on Artoo before moving to pick him up again. "You must be getting tired of shooting vornsks off me."
He himself sure wouldn't complain when they would leave the forest.
"What, you afraid I'm going to miss?" the woman snarled haughtily.
Perfectly aware now that her coldness was just a mask, he didn't react to it; he just shook his head and commented that their predicament and her lack of sleep would eventually catch up with her too.
After all, he himself 'had' gotten some sleep, yet he was positively exhausted from their long trek, especially from their previous day... and night. He could only imagine how she herself felt since she hadn't slept a wink, or so Artoo had told him.
"You just worry about yourself," the temperamental woman answered him rudely, dismissing once again his attempts to make peace.
They resumed their trek along their chosen path.
"Between you and me, Artoo," he told the droid while he focused on pushing past his physical tiredness, "I think I'll never complain about Threepio's boring lectures ever again," he tried to joke with his friend. "They sure won't compare with this," he added tiredly. When Artoo commented that it was a dangerous bet, Luke retorted: "of course, you don't have to tell him that."
Artoo warbled in amusement at his discomfiture--- then squealed in worry as the right handle of the travois slipped yet again from his right hand.
"So who's getting tired now?" Mara instantly commented meanly.
"It's just my hand," he explained while he picked up the handle once again.
And, he added to himself, he now knew why his hand came with a dual battery. If one failed, the other could cover while it recharged itself off his body's energy fields.
"Sure," his companion retorted in a tone that belied her lack of sympathy. "There's our hole," she then commented.
Luke looked up; sure enough, the foliage was sparser and they could see the sky once again.
Luke complied with her following orders, aware that once he would be done, he would be able to rest for a while. He righted Artoo in the middle of the clearing, then, after opening his information jack for Mara, returned to the edge of the clearing and sat up against a large tree.
There, he laid his head against the bark, then closed his eyes--- and became aware that he had fallen asleep when he noticed that Mara had received a message from Karrde... or rather Threepio, he recognized. He opened his eyes and listened to the plan of his former captor.
So Han was here, he realized in welcome hope. He wasn't alone in enemy territory anymore. He dimly wondered how his friend had gotten here, but for the moment, he considered that detail unimportant.
His best friend was on the planet and aware of his predicament. He knew that he would be able to count on his help.
When the message finished, he tried to convince Mara that their changing roles would save both of their lives.
She didn't agree with him. Instead, she told him that they would find another way around.
Luke nodded sleepily, then, reflecting that they would camp here for the night, allowed himself to drift out once again---- and was torn out of his sleep by Artoo's frantic warble of alarm.
His eyes instantly riveted themselves to a fateful sight: a vornsk had already pinned Mara down, and she was unconscious.
At first, Mara was barely aware of a heavy weight on her back, of the lancing needles in her shoulders. She wondered what was going on--- then she heard an horrible, monstrous sound which pulled her out of her daze---- and she remembered the circumstances of her losing consciousness.
Even as she remembered the vorsnk, she gathered her strength, then swiftly rolled on her back and buried her claw-like hands in its neck, searching for its throat.
It was somewhere nearby, she reflected desperately even as she tightened her grip. She had managed it once, it had to work again! However, she hadn't been hurt the last time; she was quickly growing aware that her actual injuries were seriously cutting into her regular strength.
Atop of her, the beast growled and strained against her, intent to get a first bite of her. Even as she began to prepare herself for that untimely, unworthy death, wishing once again that she had killed Skywalker while she had the chance, she became aware that she wasn't alone anymore in her fight.
Someone nearby was shouting and keeping the beast busy, then a hand flashed at her hip, taking hold of something there.
Belatedly, she identified her helper as Skywalker himself, then she could only watch him in confusion as he drove the vornsk away from her. What was he--- She reflexively rolled away when the beast gathered its strength for another leap on her, but it underestimated the abilities of the Force-less Jedi.
Its dead corpse thudded beside her--- and on her.
While she wasn't a queasy person, this was more than even she could bear on herself. She quickly pushed herself out from under the corpse.
"About time," she panted to the nearby Jedi. "What in blazes was that stupid game you were playing?" she scolded him.
The Jedi took a step closer to her. "I didn't think you'd like your hands cut off if I missed," he explained even as he offered her his hand.
For a brief moment, she pondered whether to trust him this one time--- then caught her thought and forced herself to her cool, usual self. She ignored his hand, then slowly rolled on her knees and hands before pushing herself back to her feet, trying hard to not buckle down once again thanks to her waning strengths and her growing shock. The vornsk's attack had really shaken her bad.
However, she wasn't a beginner, she admonished herself. She had a job to do, and a prisoner to keep in line. Her hand went to her wrist-holster and pulled out her trustee pocket blaster; she turned back toward the Jedi.
The moment that he saw her with her weapon, his eyes took on another expression; he had expected her to crumple, she realized. Well, wish away, she thought in professional pride.
Even as he obeyed her instruction and dropped his weapon, he confronted her with what had just happened.
She forced herself to not wince at his hurt expression. She stooped to retrieve the fallen weapon. "I figure that's my reward for keeping you alive for the past two days," she told him coldly... although she didn't feel cold about this, she realized.
The Jedi had truly saved her life even though she wanted to kill him; it was even more confusing than her saving his life even though she wanted to kill him.
What was wrong with her these days? she wondered with irritation.
"Get over there and sit down," she ordered him even as she herself headed for the nearby survival kit... and the soothing balm that would take away the fire of her shoulder injuries.
Unlike all the other times that she had ordered the Jedi around, he didn't instantly obey her; she glanced at him, ready to shoot something caustic--- when she noticed that he was eyeing his droid.
"Do you mind if I look at Artoo first?" he asked her softly.
That droid yet again, she sighed in annoyance to herself. The man was crazy to have befriended a robot, but, well, the said robot had helped him to save her...
"Sure, go ahead," she finally nodded even as she turned her back to the Jedi and headed for her previous destination: the survival kit.
She grunted slightly as she finally sat against the tree, then took a moment to close her eyes and keep herself from falling under the effects of her remaining adrenaline. It had been very close this time, she admitted to herself, then forced herself to do something to not think about the death she had barely escaped... thanks to the Jedi.
TBC in part 7: Truth
Well, liked it? Had fun? Hope so ;)
2002, SJ (skyjade@globetrotter.net)
Any positive stuff is welcome, but any mean stuff will be thrown down the Sarlacc's throat without even being read.)
Part 6: A nice man?
By SJ (skyjade@globetrotter.net)
02-02-02/06-02
________________
Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belong to me; everything belongs to George Lucas. Also, everything related to the spoken parts of Heir to the Empire belongs to Timothy Zhan. I'm only borrowing it to make more sense with Mara's or Luke's missing thoughts (when we follow Luke's thoughts in the novel, this story will cover Mara's, and vice versa ;). Naturally, everything related to the events of Heir to the Empire also belong to T. Zhan. Please don't sue me, it's only for fun; I'm not making any money out of this.
See my homepage for more details.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/3702
Special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne, for her help with the final editing of my new stories. Thanks for giving me some of your precious time, my friend :)
__________________
After another disappointing check with the X-wing, Mara and Luke once again took turns to dry themselves with the help of Artoo, who didn't complain. He was too glad to be once again with his master and friend.
Once the humans were done, he positioned himself near the young Jedi, determinate to not let another vornsk get to him. Unlike the previous night, the young man didn't talk with his human companion. He reflected that it was a wise decision considering the strange temper of the strange woman.
Even without the Force, Luke could feel that Mara was extremely upset at him; his near miss with the vibroblade had convinced him to not test her patience tonight. Still, he reflected while he rolled on his side and turned his back to her, he 'knew' that she wasn't who she was pretending to be with him.
When she had held him against her chest, he had felt the intense dilemma that was undoubtedly still raging inside of her. Her clenching and unclenching muscles had more than sufficed to betray her indecision concerning him; her fast heartbeat had also confirmed her great unease with her 'mission'.
However, he knew that he couldn't do anything to influence her; the fight, which came from her true self struggling to show itself, had to be settled from inside as well. However, he wished he could help her... that he could take her pains away from her beautiful eyes.
Whoever had trained her, he reflected sadly, had been thorough with her emotions, but, he smiled slightly at the memory of her spontaneous rescue in the river, he hadn't killed her compassion completely. On the other hand, it was so well buried that he doubted that Mara was even aware of its presence, especially considering the comment she had made when he had tried to make her face her actions.
He went to sleep on the renewed hope that he could, somehow, help her free herself from her cool mask.
A few feet away from the slumbering Jedi, Mara Jade huddled under her survival blanket, keeping an eye on her prisoner.
Her annoying, confusing prisoner, she added in resent even as she swallowed a new stim pill. Why had she saved his life again?, she asked herself in dismay. She could have left him there, savor the last minutes which he had left to live, then pull his lifeless body from the water and enjoy her victory, at last, but instead... She had jumped after him in the water and had saved him.
He was, she realized, the first being, well, second one, she amended as memories of her farmboy returned to her; she dismissed them back to the very back of her mind. Anyway, she had saved her enemy. Ever since that misadventure on Tatooine, she had never used her skills and strength again to save a life, only to take one.
It was most unsettling for the ex-assassin, who shoved her bittersweet memories once again to the back of her mind because she could even conjure up an image of the boy.
Whatever Skywalker was doing to her, he didn't need any softening from her part to help him. In fact, it was obviously taking root, challenging everything she had ever believed in and lived by... and turning her into someone she didn't know at all. After Tatooine, again---- but before she had met the Jedi, she had never cared about anyone or anything, except the Emperor... and perhaps Karrde, she conceded reluctantly, tiredly, but it was only because he represented the possibility of a new, interesting life...
And then, there was Skywalker. Whether she accepted it or not, she 'had' cared about her prisoner a few hours ago. Had she not cared, he wouldn't be with her anymore and the droid would be in pieces.
Skywalker's kindness was rubbing off on her, she sneered in disgust, and the most enraging thing was that one: she didn't seem able to resist him, thanks to her most untimely memories of her farmboy, and two: she was believing in the Jedi's 'act.' She dimly wondered if it would be the same if they were not cut off from the Force. Would she be able to resist him then? Or would she still fall for the person she hadn't expected to find in her well-known prey? A nice man who reminded her somewhat of... She quickly interrupted her thoughts again before it was too late; she refocused on her current subject: Skywalker.
She knew that she hadn't mistaken the man for another one; Skywalker had never denied his identity, so he 'was' the famous, hated Jedi. However, the more she was spending time with him, and the less she could convince herself that he was the man of her old files...
Not a single data fit with what she could now see in the man. Even worse, the theory of his having a change of heart was growing more and more impossible given what she had sometimes heard from him when he had been talking with the droid.
She had discovered that the two of them had been together during the Rebellion. Throughout their current trek, they had sometimes exchanged comments about it compared to the past; during such moments, she had always found herself gaping at the retelling of events which fit more those... well of a naive kid than of a cold murderer, she reluctantly admitted at the yet again surfacing thought of her farmboy... As if... she began hesitantly, she had been misl----
Even as the thought of being misleaded, or being lied to, formed in her mind, she slammed the door on those thoughts in frustration. This was getting her nowhere, she fumed even as she refocused on her external surroundings and her prisoners... and the gentle, appealing sound of the nearby warm-watered river.
The effect of that sound on her was instantaneous. She was tired, sore from their long walk and her lack of sleep... Nothing like a bath to relax, she reflected even as she laid her eyes on her human prisoner.
He was already asleep. Could she trust him to remain asleep?, she wondered---then berated herself for even considering the question. She flicked her blaster setting from kill to stun--- and shot the Jedi.
His body slightly slumped on itself as the bolt's effects settled in, but otherwise, he didn't react; beside him, the droid was furious--- It fell silent when she aimed at it.
"Quiet," she told him warningly. "If you don't want your dear master to be hurt, don't move from your there."
The droid abided by her order; she stashed her weapon in her belt, proceeded to keep it from leaving its location, then grabbed hold of the Jedi's wrists and pulled him closer to the river where a big-rooted tree stood near a sandy bank. From there, she estimated that she would be able to keep a good eye on him while enjoying herself for a while.
As she strained against the Jedi's dead weight, she conceded that he was truly more muscled than he looked; in fact, he was quite heavy for someone of his stature. Once beside the tree, she pulled vines from the nearby branches, then proceeded to tie the Jedi's wrists and feet to a root which was slightly turned away from the river; he would thus be blocked from seeing her while she would see him from her chosen spot in the river.
She tied his hands to the root and above his head---- when she found herself staring at his unconscious features from a very close point of view.
The first thing she noticed was that despite his age, he looked like a fresh kid... a handsome one, she added as she totally abandoned her activities to study Skywalker's features more intently. There was something about them, she frowned even as she brought her lamp closer to diminish the veil of the shadows on them. Somehow, she reflected, she had seen those features before and they hadn't been on a holo of her data file, nor was her feeling related to her brief glimpse of him at Jabba's palace. Then all of a sudden it clicked as her repressed memory leaped forward yet again.
Tatooine! she gaped at the unconscious man. No, it was impossible, she would recognize the other anywhere.
She was absolutely convinced that Skywalker, although coming from Tatooine, couldn't be the unknown boy. Even if they shared some features, she remembered very clearly that the boy hadn't been Force-sensitive while she was willing to bet her future ship that Skywalker's undeniable Force presence had been detectable even when he had been younger. However, she conceded even as she hesitantly took hold of his face in her hands and held it up for closer scrutiny, he sure shared the other's unforgettable blue eyes and boyishness... which still held her heart captive, but it was over now, she reminded herself. It had been over since she had left the planet, abandoning the boy to his life while she had returned to hers.
No, she decided even as she let go of the Jedi's chin, Skywalker wasn't the other. His hair was much darker anyway, and he didn't look like the other. He just vaguely reminded her of him because of his eyes and undeniable interesting features. Other than that, he was a perfect stranger... a nice man---
Suddenly irritated by the Jedi's influence on her thoughts, she drew away from him with a growl, and finished to tightly bound his ankles to the root.
Now she really needed to cool off, she reflected even as she stepped away from her prisoner and out of the light. she began to take off her clothes, but not her wrist holster nor underwear.
Behind her, the droid fluted a little comment, then locked its eye on its master.
Mara ignored it; she stepped in the warm water and swam further in until she was immerged up to her shoulders.
When Luke's senses returned to him, the first thing he became aware of was the stiffness in his back and arms. He was getting too old to sleep on the rough ground, he dimly groaned even as he forced himself awake.
He moved to stretch his arms to relieve his cramps--- and met with a sturdy resistance. His eyes instantly flew open and darted up toward his hands; they were securely tied to a big root, and so were his ankles. He was trapped.
When he failed to find Mara nearby, a sudden, unpleasant worry crept up his mind.
Had Mara abandoned him to his fate after all? It didn't make much sense considering her adamant dedication to the fact that she wanted to have the privilege of killing him, but... considering her unpredictable nature, he conceded that anything was possible.
A few meters away from him, Artoo noticed that he was awake and asked him if he were all right; Luke instantly surmised that the droid was somehow restrained away from him or else he would be beside him at the moment.
What was going on?, he wondered even as he craned his neck to see in his back.
Suddenly, a sound of moving water made him still in worry; slowly, he turned his head toward the source of the sound...
He gaped at the ethereal sight that was slightly out of his line of sight as the woman swam right in his line of vision and stood up.
Despite the shadows of the night, Mara's strong, lithe body was instantly, perfectly outlined by the white light of the full moon, giving him the impression that she was a Force spirit. He couldn't help but gaze in shock and rapture. Thanks to their frequently close contacts, he had known that she was athletic and well built, but he could now see that she was more than that.
She was also a slight, finely-boned young woman when she wasn't assuming the stance of a tough assassin.
She was beaut----
An incoming shot from a blaster forced him to duck down; the bolt hit the tree a few centimeters above his hands; he winced as the hot splinters fell on his head and face.
"Keep your head turned away, Jedi," she growled warningly, reminding him that he couldn't trust his eyes.
The woman was beautiful 'and' deadly. Neither were an act.
"Sorry," he answered while he kept his eyes on Artoo. "I wasn't sure if it were a new danger or not," he tried to explain while he heard her wade closer to the bank.
"Just the usual danger, Jedi, don't worry," she answered him sarcastically even as she settled in the shallows; there, she crouched to remain under the level of the water.
It was truly warm, soothing for her aching muscles and ankle; she was reluctant to get out just yet.
"Actually," the Jedi answered her last remark, "I am relieved that it is you."
Mara, who had been rubbing her sore ankle, stopped in mid-motion and stared at the Jedi's back. He was relieved to still be with her??? Even though she had tied him up during his sleep and that she had just voluntarily missed his head by a few centimeters only, he was not worried for his life???
What was wrong with the man?, she gaped in disbelief. Nice or not, no one ever felt relieved by the presence of a close-by assassin, and especially one of her caliber. Sure, she admitted, she was an efficient protector at the moment, but the end would still be the same: she would kill him...
If her finger cooperated this time.
Aware that she had answered him by a silence that could betray her confused state of mind, she spoke up in the only fashion she felt comfortable with: tartly.
"As if," she sneered at him. "Do me a favor, Skywalker," she then commented as she waded out of the knee-deep waters, "spare yourself the effort of befriending me."
To her satisfaction, the man remained silent and nodded once, as if uncovered--.
And that was it, she thought to herself with a sigh of deep relief; the Jedi was only trying to befriend her. He didn't really care about her; he was only motivated by his need to survive her.
At last, she smiled meanly to him. She had pierced his secret; she wasn't vulnerable to it anymore.
Or so she thought.
Luke winced at her request, but he could only grant it to her.
He didn't want to take the risk of stopping a blaster bolt tonight. However, he was surprised to feel genuine regret toward her attitude. The more he spent time with her, and the more he was growing interested in her, not just because of her mysterious past and her drive to kill him, but also because of what he could sometimes catch glimpses of.
Especially when she was surprised by his comments. He never knew exactly what he said to shock her mute, but he did do something and his companion always seemed to soften during those. Like what had happened a few moments ago. He hadn't seen her, yet he had felt her shock all the same. Her long silence had slightly worried him, then when it had lasted even longer, he had conceded that he didn't know what to expect from the strange woman.
Although he should have known that it wouldn't be kind.
He had wanted to tell her that he wasn't exerting efforts to befriend her, that it was who and how he was, but he had known that she wouldn't like the answer.
Instead, he had remained silent.
Shuffling noises attracted his attention as the woman came out of the water to dried herself. Luke was hard-pressed to not talk to her once again. He was aware that it was a dangerous activity, but he liked to talk with her even if what he got in answer were barbs.
"So I take it that you stunned me to drag me over here," he finally commented, unable to resist the silence anymore.
"I barely restrained myself from killing you when I did," she answered coldly after a short pause.
The pause, he reflected, which was betraying her inner debate, but about what?, he wondered.
"Well, I'm glad you didn't," he answered earnestly, then added: "I'm sorry for invading your private moment by the way. It was an accident."
For the second time in less than five minutes, Mara stood still, shocked by the Jedi's words. She had been the one to stun him and tie him up, she was the one responsible for the confusion, yet he was apologizing for his curiosity?
For a moment, she dimly wondered if this was real or if she were, in fact, caught in an horrible nightmare from which she couldn't wake up. She pinched herself; it was real, as was the now undoubtedly unique man who was her prisoner--- but not his attitude, she tried to reinforce her resistance to his influence.
It was just an attempt to sway her hand. He had killed the Emperor, had destroyed her life. He might have never been a cold murderer but he still deserved to die.
And he would, in due time.
With that, she made the decision to not talk to him anymore tonight; she put on her suit, then retrieved her blaster from the sand and aimed at the Jedi.
"Get some sleep, Jedi, and mind my words: shut up," she warned him coldly, then shot his bonds.
The man was instantly free; he yelped at the sudden heat that touched his hands. He briefly threw an annoyed glance at her, then rid himself of his bonds and stood up. He walked over to his droid's location and began to study what she had done to it.
She herself settled by the tree that he had just left and kept watch over him all night long.
Again.
Unlike the previous night though, she didn't wonder about what had saved the Jedi's life when he had faced the Emperor; she instead wondered how she would continue to keep his attacks of kindness away.
Now that she knew what they were, she resolved to not let them blind her anymore; she called up her anger and hatred at her predicament to fuel her hatred of the man... to whom she was slowly warming up despite her best efforts to not do so.
******
The next day continued just like the previous one had ended: dodging vornsks and trudging through a forest which now seemed to be closing in on them. They had run into more vine-traps than they had seen for the past two days.
While Mara studied yet another such dead-end, Luke wearily watched around them, wishing for the hundredth time since he had woken up on Myrkr that he had the Force to at least feel the nearby predators. Even though he knew that he was in 'good' hands with Mara, he was growing very tired of being a target, and the shorter sleep of the previous night wasn't helping him to control his worry, especially when they were trapped by---.
He shifted uneasily as he heard a cracking sound nearby.
"Just keep your shirt on," his companion commented from her position near the mass of vines. "This'll only take a minute."
"You don't have to go for finesse, you know?" he answered her, dimly wondering what was keeping her from just cutting their path clear. "It's not like the lightsaber's running low on power," he pointed out seriously.
Mara answered him with a technical detail he hadn't considered at all. Were he not very tired, he conceded that he might have also think about that, but then, he shrugged, perhaps not. He was nowhere near as competent as she was.
Luke silently watched her as she studied the vines once again, then she finally turned on the weapon and cut them down.
"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" she sneered at him as she returned his weapon to her belt.
Luke tiredly shook his head in answer and was beginning to walk forward---- when Artoo squealed in warning. Perfectly aware of what it meant, he sighed in resignation even as he let go of his droid friend and dropped to the ground, covering his head with his hands.
Yet another shot later, it was over once again. As he stood back to his feet, he reflected that he was really getting tired of this. He checked around himself, wary for another danger to literally spring out of the nearby foliage, then finally refocused on his companion.
"I wish you'd change your mind about giving me back my lightsaber," he said, then checked on Artoo before moving to pick him up again. "You must be getting tired of shooting vornsks off me."
He himself sure wouldn't complain when they would leave the forest.
"What, you afraid I'm going to miss?" the woman snarled haughtily.
Perfectly aware now that her coldness was just a mask, he didn't react to it; he just shook his head and commented that their predicament and her lack of sleep would eventually catch up with her too.
After all, he himself 'had' gotten some sleep, yet he was positively exhausted from their long trek, especially from their previous day... and night. He could only imagine how she herself felt since she hadn't slept a wink, or so Artoo had told him.
"You just worry about yourself," the temperamental woman answered him rudely, dismissing once again his attempts to make peace.
They resumed their trek along their chosen path.
"Between you and me, Artoo," he told the droid while he focused on pushing past his physical tiredness, "I think I'll never complain about Threepio's boring lectures ever again," he tried to joke with his friend. "They sure won't compare with this," he added tiredly. When Artoo commented that it was a dangerous bet, Luke retorted: "of course, you don't have to tell him that."
Artoo warbled in amusement at his discomfiture--- then squealed in worry as the right handle of the travois slipped yet again from his right hand.
"So who's getting tired now?" Mara instantly commented meanly.
"It's just my hand," he explained while he picked up the handle once again.
And, he added to himself, he now knew why his hand came with a dual battery. If one failed, the other could cover while it recharged itself off his body's energy fields.
"Sure," his companion retorted in a tone that belied her lack of sympathy. "There's our hole," she then commented.
Luke looked up; sure enough, the foliage was sparser and they could see the sky once again.
Luke complied with her following orders, aware that once he would be done, he would be able to rest for a while. He righted Artoo in the middle of the clearing, then, after opening his information jack for Mara, returned to the edge of the clearing and sat up against a large tree.
There, he laid his head against the bark, then closed his eyes--- and became aware that he had fallen asleep when he noticed that Mara had received a message from Karrde... or rather Threepio, he recognized. He opened his eyes and listened to the plan of his former captor.
So Han was here, he realized in welcome hope. He wasn't alone in enemy territory anymore. He dimly wondered how his friend had gotten here, but for the moment, he considered that detail unimportant.
His best friend was on the planet and aware of his predicament. He knew that he would be able to count on his help.
When the message finished, he tried to convince Mara that their changing roles would save both of their lives.
She didn't agree with him. Instead, she told him that they would find another way around.
Luke nodded sleepily, then, reflecting that they would camp here for the night, allowed himself to drift out once again---- and was torn out of his sleep by Artoo's frantic warble of alarm.
His eyes instantly riveted themselves to a fateful sight: a vornsk had already pinned Mara down, and she was unconscious.
At first, Mara was barely aware of a heavy weight on her back, of the lancing needles in her shoulders. She wondered what was going on--- then she heard an horrible, monstrous sound which pulled her out of her daze---- and she remembered the circumstances of her losing consciousness.
Even as she remembered the vorsnk, she gathered her strength, then swiftly rolled on her back and buried her claw-like hands in its neck, searching for its throat.
It was somewhere nearby, she reflected desperately even as she tightened her grip. She had managed it once, it had to work again! However, she hadn't been hurt the last time; she was quickly growing aware that her actual injuries were seriously cutting into her regular strength.
Atop of her, the beast growled and strained against her, intent to get a first bite of her. Even as she began to prepare herself for that untimely, unworthy death, wishing once again that she had killed Skywalker while she had the chance, she became aware that she wasn't alone anymore in her fight.
Someone nearby was shouting and keeping the beast busy, then a hand flashed at her hip, taking hold of something there.
Belatedly, she identified her helper as Skywalker himself, then she could only watch him in confusion as he drove the vornsk away from her. What was he--- She reflexively rolled away when the beast gathered its strength for another leap on her, but it underestimated the abilities of the Force-less Jedi.
Its dead corpse thudded beside her--- and on her.
While she wasn't a queasy person, this was more than even she could bear on herself. She quickly pushed herself out from under the corpse.
"About time," she panted to the nearby Jedi. "What in blazes was that stupid game you were playing?" she scolded him.
The Jedi took a step closer to her. "I didn't think you'd like your hands cut off if I missed," he explained even as he offered her his hand.
For a brief moment, she pondered whether to trust him this one time--- then caught her thought and forced herself to her cool, usual self. She ignored his hand, then slowly rolled on her knees and hands before pushing herself back to her feet, trying hard to not buckle down once again thanks to her waning strengths and her growing shock. The vornsk's attack had really shaken her bad.
However, she wasn't a beginner, she admonished herself. She had a job to do, and a prisoner to keep in line. Her hand went to her wrist-holster and pulled out her trustee pocket blaster; she turned back toward the Jedi.
The moment that he saw her with her weapon, his eyes took on another expression; he had expected her to crumple, she realized. Well, wish away, she thought in professional pride.
Even as he obeyed her instruction and dropped his weapon, he confronted her with what had just happened.
She forced herself to not wince at his hurt expression. She stooped to retrieve the fallen weapon. "I figure that's my reward for keeping you alive for the past two days," she told him coldly... although she didn't feel cold about this, she realized.
The Jedi had truly saved her life even though she wanted to kill him; it was even more confusing than her saving his life even though she wanted to kill him.
What was wrong with her these days? she wondered with irritation.
"Get over there and sit down," she ordered him even as she herself headed for the nearby survival kit... and the soothing balm that would take away the fire of her shoulder injuries.
Unlike all the other times that she had ordered the Jedi around, he didn't instantly obey her; she glanced at him, ready to shoot something caustic--- when she noticed that he was eyeing his droid.
"Do you mind if I look at Artoo first?" he asked her softly.
That droid yet again, she sighed in annoyance to herself. The man was crazy to have befriended a robot, but, well, the said robot had helped him to save her...
"Sure, go ahead," she finally nodded even as she turned her back to the Jedi and headed for her previous destination: the survival kit.
She grunted slightly as she finally sat against the tree, then took a moment to close her eyes and keep herself from falling under the effects of her remaining adrenaline. It had been very close this time, she admitted to herself, then forced herself to do something to not think about the death she had barely escaped... thanks to the Jedi.
TBC in part 7: Truth
Well, liked it? Had fun? Hope so ;)
2002, SJ (skyjade@globetrotter.net)
Any positive stuff is welcome, but any mean stuff will be thrown down the Sarlacc's throat without even being read.)