NOTHING STAYS THE SAME
CHAPTER TWELVE
Mara Jade was sleeping when the door to her cell slid open.
She was in a whirlwind of black. The invisible wind tore at her hair, whipping it around her face. Something was out there, with her, but she could not see it. She only knew it was out there.
Her eyes stung from the constant wind, and Mara reached out as far as she could. A faint voice carried in the air.
"Mara…"
"Hello?" she asked, but she could not even hear her own voice.
"Mara…" The voice was stronger, and recognizable. A voice from the grave.
"Luke!"
Mara opened her eyes only to be temporarily blinded by the bright lights in the ceiling. She forced herself to lay quietly and take several deep breaths. She knew someone else was in the room with her. She sat up in the bed, placing her back to the wall. There were still black spots dancing before her eyes.
"Who is it?" she asked, hoping her voice sounded as strong as she tried to make it. What the hell had just happened?
Leia couldn't say anything. As soon as she felt the Guard remove the ysalimiri, as she had ordered, Mara's body convulsed, and Leia could feel something else in the room, a very familiar presence. Mara had cried out the same name Leia whispered.
Mara stood up in one liquid movement. Leia noticed that even after everything, Mara never lost her catlike grace.
The Force. She could feel the Force again. That thought burst into her mind with a rush of the clean feeling Mara associated with the Light Side. After being almost blind for so long, she could feel everything. She turned to fully face the woman whose presence was nowhere near as strong as her brother's.
"Organa Solo. What are you doing here?"
"What was that, Mara?" Leia asked, breathlessly.
"Do you honestly believe I know? Why are you here?" Mara did not remember seeing the Princess during her first day on trial. She grimaced at the fresh memory. Borsk Fey'lya had been the judge. If there was anyone he hated more than Skywalker, it was Mara. He'd denied every request Rendel had brought before the court. Testimonies had not even begun and the trail was already against her.
"Was that Luke?"
Jade though about her possible answers. "Yes" would admit that she had a close tie to Skywalker, especially if Organa Solo guessed that she'd sensed her brother only because Mara's mental shields were not fully in place. "No" was altogether safer—deny it all.
Mara's hesitation answered Leia's question. It had been him. But Mara was unsure of how to answer her.
Leia clicked on her comlink. "Winter? Is Han already at the docking bay?" She nodded to herself. "Good. Mara will be there in just a few minutes."
"What's going on?" Mara asked.
"We're getting you out of here. You'll be able to stop the weapon smugglers and find Luke." She picked up a box and placed it on Mara's bed. "Here's your stuff. Get dressed. The prison garb is a little too identifiable."
Mara opened the box and on top of everything else was the ring Luke had given her. Emotion flooded through her senses when she picked up the ring. She closed her eyes and tried to hide it. She felt Leia take the necklace from her fingers.
"Here, let me." Mara felt the cool chain clasp around her neck. She turned around. Leia spoke before the red-haired woman could.
"I know already. That's why I'm doing this. Find him, Mara."
