NOTHING STAYS THE SAME
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Luke channeled the Force to stimulate his tiring muscles. The clone was tireless, and although she'd originally begun as little more than a novice, she was now as good as him, and growing better. He'd barely had a chance to begin to exploit her weaknesses when Tawnie covered them up and attacked. Plus, Tawnie constantly poked and prodded at him with the Force, pushing at him, stabbing his mental shields, and trying to slow his reactions. It was just too damned unfair! If he could have just a few seconds to catch his breath, he knew he'd be able to reinforce his shields to ensure that Tawnie couldn't get to him.
At least one thing was in his favor. He remembered him and Mara talking early that day—had it only been one day?—and she'd known he'd seen a Jedi vision. He'd wanted to tell her why he didn't want her to come with him. He had seen him and her, fighting as furiously as he and the clone was now, lightsaber striking and blocking. He jumped and flipped backwards over a table; Tawnie pushed him off-balance.
As tired as he was, he landed flat on his back. The clone smiled grimly and stabbed down with her blade. Luke dodged the shaft of light and somersaulted backwards, picking up a chair with the Force and throwing it at her. She sliced it neatly in half, but that second was all he needed to get back on his feet. He called his lightsaber back to his malfunctioning hand, and flipped it on just in time to ward off another strike.
"Tawnie's pissed at you now," Cara said. "She was mad before, but she doesn't like other people killing her clones." After the initial strike, Cara had backed away, out of range, and now slowly began to walk around Mara again. She had a cut somewhere along her scalp, and a trickle of blood disappeared beneath her low collar. Her purple blade lit her face eerily. Mara remembered using a purple lightsaber as the Emperor's Hand on occasion. She hadn't used it often, however. Lightsabers were too recognizable.
Mara gestured towards Luke's heated battle with Carima. "I take it that Tawnie didn't give you all enough time to learn lightsaber techniques. Tawnie is animating that clone."
Cara didn't even look at the other fight. It had been a feeble attempt on Mara's part to distract the other woman.
"They know the basics. However, you and Skywalker are beyond just the basics. Especially you. Tawnie had been trained with a lightsaber a long time ago. She's just relying on her old training. You know, since you've arrived, all my hard work has been destroyed."
"Sorry," Mara responded, unrepentant.
"You and your boyfriend have a choice. Do you really want to fight me? And then attack Tawnie and everything she has there? Leave now. I'm willing to let you go now. Take Skywalker with you and leave the planet. I'll deal with Tawnie."
"No. I came to deal with this, now. Not leave behind a crazed clone."
Cara glared daggers at her. "I offered you a chance to live, but you turn it down. It's time to find out who's better."
Mara knew instantly that Cara was as good as her; she knew every step, combination, attack, and block Mara used. Mara realized what had happened when the Asteroid Belt crashed onto Caratos—Tawnie had shoved her mind into this clone's. Cara now had as much experience as Mara did.
Corran was in a half-trance, trying to ease some of Han's minor injuries. He'd done what he could for the former smuggler. If nothing else went seriously wrong, then he was confident that Solo's famous good fortune would last until he was dunked in a bacta tank. Corellian luck never fails. One moment he was sitting on the chair, and the next found him on the floor, trying to catch his breath. He didn't see the room he was physically in; instead, he was now standing behind Luke. Luke fought Mara—
Corran couldn't believe it. There were three women, and they all looked like Mara. Exactly like her. He was able to recognize Jade almost immediately by her strong presence. Other than that, it would have taken him longer. Clones? Mara was fighting a clone. Cara, he knew from Luke.
What do you need me to do? Corran asked. Luke was splitting his attention—barely keeping ahead of the green blade—and it took him a moment to answer the Corellian Jedi.
Help Mara.
How?
Don't ask me—ask her! She'll be able to tell you what kind of help she needs.
Corran moved closer to Mara's duel.
What can I do? he asked her. He could feel her tiring. The clone had just the same skills, knew everything Mara did, and had a seemingly endless Force reserve. Corran touched the cord of energy connecting Cara to Tawnie. Unlike the clone Luke fought, Tawnie did not control Cara; she only gave her clone the energy needed to defeat Mara. He tried to cut the tie, but Tawnie immediately repelled him. His considerable Force powers seemed almost nonexistent to the blinding presence of Tawnie. Who the hell was she?
Traveling all day, added to the turbolift disaster, had left Mara to fight two fresh clones when she was already tired. It was an unfair match up, but Mara was an exceptional swordswoman. Luke would have helped her had he not been caught up with the living puppet from hell.
Mara blocked a particularly vicious blow from Cara, but then the clone closed her hand into a tightened fist and Force-yanked the silver chain off Mara's neck. Mara ignored the burning on the back of her neck caused by the Force pull.
Cara looked at the ring for a moment. After what seemed an eternity, she began laughing.
"From your Jedi Master? Your farmboy? Do you really think he loves you?" She tossed the ring away, as if it was insignificant. Mara wanted to try and catch it, but she needed to concentrate solely on her opponent. "He's a farmboy from Tatooine. All he sees is your beauty. That's it. But you—you actually believe he loves you."
If looks could kill, then Cara would have been little more than a grease stain on the wall. She had found Mara's private fear. Mara knew that most men were shallow. She'd had those men chase after her for her attractive body. But Luke wasn't like that.
Right?
"You think he actually loves you? Mara, you're naïve. I thought you were supposed to be intelligent. I guess love has blinded you." Her last statement was offhand, mocking. She seemed to lean forward, conspiratorially, although Mara knew she never moved. "I don't think he'd noticed if I took your place."
Mara angrily brought her lightsaber down into Cara's circle. The clone moved backwards.
Corran closed his eyes briefly and, like he'd done with Solo, created a cord of Force energy between him and Mara. She immediately began to draw on it, refreshing her tired muscles, speeding her attack. She parried the magenta blade, pushing it back. Cara went with the saber, then Force pushed Mara just enough to unbalance her, and swung her legs under Mara's. Mara jumped above and flipped backwards. As soon as she touched the ground again, her blue saber was up and ready.
Corran could feel her mind. Her shields were up, but he had access to the bond between her and Luke. She calculated the clone's movements, like how he always did when sparring. The only difference between sparring and the fight Mara and the damned clone were engaged in was that the loser would die. Cara anticipated every step Jade would make. Mara was fighting her equal. If this was to remain a test of endurance, then Corran feared that Mara would lose. So Mara's own expertise wouldn't get her out of this? Then his would have to.
Evidently Mara hadn't heard his decision. Even though she was fighting Cara, she normally would have laughed at him. She'd beaten him less than five days ago. The only way he'd come close to winning that fight was through his mental attack. And he already knew that such an attack wouldn't work with Tawnie.
So it was the sword they had to beat Cara with. Mara drew more on Corran for strength. He was dimly aware of Luke's continuing battle with the other clone. Then he remembered a technique his grandfather had mentioned in the notes. Risky; it could only be used once for a particular opponent, but for that once, it was effective. Corran himself had never used it, but he guided Mara through the motion. She resisted at first, sensing what he wanted to do, but then relented. She allowed Cara to bat aside her blade, limiting what Mara was able to do.
At first didn't seem Cara believed it, and then the clone smiled triumphantly and swung her own blade around, a strong blow to disarm and decapitate Mara.
Mara! Both Mara and Corran heard Luke's cry.
At the last possible second, just before Cara could use her powerful strike to end the fight, Mara flipped off her saber and fell backwards. The clone tried to compensate for it, but it was a split second too late. Her strong swing continued and Mara snapped her blue blade back into existence and neatly burned a hole into the clone's chest, ripping the blade upward, boiling blood and melting skin and organs. The clone dropped to the ground.
Three things happened simultaneously. Tawnie had frozen up when Cara was killed and her inattention to her other clone let Luke behead her in one swift blow.
Corran found himself shoved back into his physical body. He suddenly knew with a sense of foreboding that he had to sever the tie to Mara and Luke. It was too late. Tawnie screamed along that tie, and managed to memorize his location. He knew that he and Chewie had to get Solo and Talon out of that house.
Third, Mara knew where she and Luke had to go. Before Cara's mind had disappeared forever, she'd told Mara what Mara needed to know. Tawnie was in her "throne room," a room poorly hidden behind the curtains on the far side of the room. She had retreated so that she could protect her most valued possessions—a large red stone, and another Spaarti cloning cylinder. The damned woman guarded another Palpatine.
