Luke crept along the outer wall of Guru's fortress. He had hidden the speeder bike under some bushes and slung his bag of explosives over his shoulder. Getting into the fortress without being detected was going to be tricky without the Force. While flying at breakneck speed along the forest floor between the two mountains, he had felt the Force flow into him. But as soon as he approach Mt. Ch'ameki, a blanket dropped over his senses and nearly caused him to fly into a tree. Losing the Force was never easy, but with each hit, he seemed to adapt quicker.
Luke paused in the shadow of a tree and espied a security camera. He reached for a fist-sized rock at his feet. But as he wound his arm for the throw, one hairy paw grabbed his forearm while another grabbed him around the chest and dragged him into the trees. He muffled a surprised yelp and struggled uselessly against the brute strength of his captor.
"Shhh! It's okay," a small voice whispered to him.
Once they were away from possible detection, the hairy arms of steel dropped him, and he found himself staring up at Annaïse.
"Annaïse!" he exclaimed. "Is this our new recruit?"
"Yes, this is Rohneyharwhump," she replied. "Rohney for short."
The Wookiee let out a series of soft, gutter growls and barks.
"He says he is honored to fight along side the great Jedi Master who freed his people from the Empire, and who is a friend of the mighty Chewbacca."
Luke managed a polite nod and refrained from telling Annaïse that he understood most of the Wookiee language. "I'm going to need all the help I can get."
Annaïse's brow furrowed, and she glanced around the area in confusion. "Where's Mara?"
Even in the minimal light, Luke's face must have been a mask of pure hate, revenge and sorrow for the unshakable Annaïse took a step backward. "She's gone," he managed to say. "Dead."
"Dead?" She shook her head not comprehending. "You must be mistaken. She's not supposed to die."
"Well, you tell that to the bastards who killed her!" he snapped.
"Did you see her die?"
Luke look at her incredulously. "Of course I saw her die! I'll never forget the ground crumbling beneath her feet and her body plummeting hundreds of feet to be smashed against the rocks at the bottom of the mountain!"
"So you saw her body?" she persisted.
"No, but no one could survive a fall like that, especially not without the Force," he replied in dismay. He sank down onto a stump and held his forehead in his hands, trying to get a grip on his emotions.
Annaïse eyed him worriedly, but with an expression of hope. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't give up on Mara so quickly. She's a very resourceful woman."
"Resourceful, sure, but she can't fly."
"She can't be dead. I know she's not. You will see her again," she said confidently.
Luke seemed not to hear her. He stood up, his emotions checked. "We need to get into the fortress and finish this," he announced darkly. "Do you know a way into the laboratory without going through the house?"
Rohney barked an affirmative and added a few chirps and twitters.
"He says we'll find your lifemate if she lives and tear the arms out of the sockets whoever harmed her."
"Then let's go," he replied eagerly.
Annaïse led the trio around to the side of the mountain where another secret entrance gave direct access to the laboratory. Winding through the tunnels, they were hit immediately with the sour smell of sulfur. The access tunnel spat them out on the lower levels of the cavern. The soft orange glow of the molten magma boiling several meters down the pit cast eerie shadows on the intruders.
Only two men guarded the entrance to the slaves' work area. Rohney bashed one's head against the rock wall with enough force that they could hear the bones in the skull crack. Luke cut through the middle of the other guard leaving his head and chest on one side of the entrance and his legs on the other. Luke glanced up at the Wookiee and saw revenge mirrored back at him. For some reason, that comforted him.
He motioned Annaïse to join them. She tried to keep her face impassive, but Luke could see the uncertainty lying just beneath the surface. Uncertainty in his abilities or his intentions, he wasn't sure, nor did he really care.
"Annaïse, you and Rohney organize the slaves and get them out of this mountain. You can take them back through the access tunnel. If you run into any problems, use these." He pulled out two blasters and a short blaster rifle from the bag. Rohney immediately grabbed the rifle with a feral showing of teeth and began inspecting its capabilities. Annaïse hesitantly took one of the blasters.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
Luke nodded toward the upper levels. "I'm going to destroy this place. Once I blow the force field generator and set off a few explosions, this volcano is going to be one big bad fiery memory. And you're not going to want to be around when that happens. I'll set it on a timer, so make sure everyone is clear in say – two hours."
"Just make sure you're clear in two hours too," she warned.
"Don't worry, that will give me plenty of time to settle some unfinished business," he said glancing back toward the house. "Now go."
He didn't wait for a response, but simply tossed Rohney the spare blaster and took off for the upper levels. Security seemed surprisingly minimal. Luke had only encountered one sleepy guard at each level and easily neutralized them. Each time, he dragged the bodies behind crates, boxes or some other temporary hiding place. He just hoped no one discovered them before he had a chance to set everything in place.
At his desired level, he jumped a wiry looking young man who couldn't have been more than twenty years old. The box he was carrying crashed to the floor, its contents spilled out onto the floor.
"Please don't hurt me!" the young man squealed, raising his arms to deflect an oncoming punch from Luke. "Take whatever you want!"
Luke raised his fist to pummel his captive but couldn't bring himself to do it. He was so young. But if he let him go, he could raise the alarm and his mission would fail. If his mission failed, the lives of thousands could be in danger.
"What do you do here?" Luke demanded.
"I load and unload boxes," he replied shakily. "I didn't take anything, I swear!"
Luke released the man. "What are you loading now?" he demanded picking up one of the white flowers that had tumbled out of the box.
"I don't know, I just carry the boxes. I don't know anything, I swear."
Luke nodded and glared at the loader. I'll let you live, but if I were you, I'd leave this mountain right now. And don't speak with anyone on your way out. Got it?"
The young man's eyes grew round with relief and surprise. He nodded repeated a stuttering "thank you" as he scurried away from the Jedi.
Luke scooped the flowers and dirt back into the box and hefted it on his shoulder. He crossed the catwalk to the hub suspended over the fiery pit. He tried to walk casually, as if he were delivering and installing parts to the generator. He prayed that no one would take particular notice of him.
Once at the generator, he pried off the maintenance control panel. He dug around in his bag for a small vibroblade. He cut the alarm and backup systems first, then cut several wires in the panel causing the force fields in some areas to disengage. By letting the gases from the volcano seep gradually into the cavern, he could cause a much greater explosion with smaller detonator charges. Then taking a charge from the bag, he attached it with adhesive to the underside of the catwalk and set the timer for two hours. Picking up his bag and his box, he continued to place four more charges around the perimeter of the cauldron.
Just as he had finished placing the fourth charge, a stern voice called to him. "You! What are you doing there?"
"Who me?" Luke replied innocently. "I'm delivering this." He held up the flower-filled box.
"This goes to section B-13," the guard stated suspiciously. "And I don't remember seeing you before. What's your name?"
"Oh, I'm new here. Just started today in fact. I must have gotten lost. You know all these catwalks look the same to me." Luke shrugged his shoulders.
The guard narrowed his eyes. "Let me see your security clearance," he ordered.
"Oh, sure. Here, hold this." He shoved the box into the guard's hands, and before he could protest, Luke punched him squarely in the face. Stunned, the guard dropped the box and stumbled backward. Luke didn't miss a beat. He leapt over the fallen box and grabbed the man around the throat from behind. He pulled the guard off balance and squeezed his neck until he passed out. Then he pulled the unconscious body and the box out of sight.
Luke peered over the railing of the catwalk and into the cavern below where the slaves worked. One by one, the slaves seemed to wander off and disappear. It looked like Rohney and Annaïse were succeeding in evacuating them. Then Luke searched for the secret passage he and Mara had used the night they had discovered this place. Once he found it, he disappeared into the darkness and crept through the tunnels to find Guru and Callista.
Callista swept into the grand chamber with Guru on her heels and came to an abrupt halt in front of a menacing looking man wearing light armor. He was surrounded by four guards and another smaller man in similar garb. "The product has passed the final tests and is ready for transport," she announced without preamble.
The man gave a cursory glance at Guru before answering. "Have the cargo loaded onto my ship within the hour."
"Of course," Callista replied icily, picking up a note of distain in the other's voice. She nodded toward her partner. "Guru will take care of it." She turned her back, signaling the end of the conversation. As both men walked briskly out the door, one of the laboratory guards rushed in with a look of panic on his face. Callista wrinkled her brow in agitation. "What is it?"
"Ma'am," the guard began breathlessly, "we have a problem in the mines. Several of the workers are missing."
"Missing?!" she exclaimed. "Well, where did they go? How many are gone?"
The man lowered his eyes nervously. "We've lost over a third of the workers, and more continue to disappear every few minutes."
Callista glowered at him, and with barely contained anger replied, "Block all exits out of the mountain. Send out search teams to find the others. Follow the river, they will most likely use it to hide their escape route."
The man nodded and backed away slowly.
"GO!" Callista bellowed. The man jumped and bolted out of the room.
Callista slapped a nearby console in frustration. Luke. He had obviously infiltrated the lab and was freeing the workers. Pellaeon was not going to like this. If even one worker made it off planet, he could potentially bring down the entire New Republic on them with investigations into their business and working conditions. Their entire plan would be exposed.
As if on cue, the comm began beeping with an incoming message from the Star Destroyer hanging in space above the planet. Swallowing the lump that had slowly formed in her throat, she hit the receiving button. A hologram of Pellaeon's face manifested over the console.
"Report," he ordered.
"After inspection of the product, we will begin loading the ship within the hour," Callista began.
"Good. And Skywalker?"
"He will arrive shortly," she replied, neglecting to mention that he had already made his presence known. "Once we have him, we will dispose of Jade."
"I recommend that you dispose them both."
"That wasn't the deal," Callista argued. "I will deliver the anti-Force spice on schedule to Yavin IV. Skywalker will be out of the way and of little importance to the mission."
"I wonder if it was wise of me to allow you complete autonomy in handling the Skywalker situation," Pellaeon mused menacingly. "The security of this mission would undoubtedly benefit if Skywalker were taken out of the picture."
Callista brought herself up to her full height and stared defiantly into the hologram's eyes. "If any harm comes to Skywalker, you can forget using me as a courier. And without me, you won't be able to come within a hundred light years of the Jedi Academy."
"We can always find another way, my dear," he replied condescendingly. "But as you are the most convenient and efficient route the Jedi's demise, I will keep to our agreement. But I warn you, Callista, get Skywalker under control, or I will be forced to rescind my offer and you can go back to the hovel I found you in."
Callista glared at the hologram for a moment longer before switching off the comm. Her mind sped frantically through available options to get this mess under control. At first, the deal with Pellaeon seemed like an easy enough task: get the man she loved and deliver some spice. It would have been a whole lot simpler to handle Luke if that little red-headed bitch hadn't invited herself along for the ride. Things were complicated now. She allowed herself a small smile knowing that Mara was out of Luke's life. He thought she was dead. He would be in pain; and pain makes people — even Jedi — more pliant.
Guru's private comm beeped on his belt. "I have to take this," he said to Pellaeon's men. "My men will show you to the merchandise." With a curt nod, he disappeared down the corridor to his office. He flicked on the comm, and Pellaeon's head and shoulders appeared.
"I am concerned about Callista's loyalty," Pellaeon said without preamble.
"I certainly wouldn't trust her," Guru replied without trying to sound accusatory. "I believe her infatuation with Skywalker has jeopardized our facility. More than half of our working force has disappeared, and I believe Skywalker is responsible. You should have let me kill him when I had the chance."
"Now if you had gone and killed our test subject, we would not have been able to ascertain that the spice worked," Pellaeon chided him. "It is a shame to lose so many workers. They cannot be allowed to leave the planet. It appears Skywalker has become too much of a liability. He knows too much. It is now time for you to kill him and Jade."
"What about Callista?" Guru inquired. "Will she still carry out her task with her boy toy murdered?"
"Leave her to me. Skywalker is more of a danger than Callista is. Keep an eye on her movements. She will put up a fight when she discovers her lover is dead, but try to take her alive. We may still be able to convince her to work with us after the deed is done."
"Yes, sir," Guru said, and he flicked off the comm unit. A slow grin spread across his features. Time to see how Ms. Jade is enjoying her quarters.
Mara sat in the darkness, her mind madly trying to think up a great escape plan. Actually, any escape plan, great or not, would have been nice. Unfortunately, no opportunities had presented themselves. No one had come to see her since Guru and Callista had left. No food. No bathroom breaks. She yanked again on her chains. They were securely fastened. Mara had never felt so helpless. It was not a feeling she was accustomed to.
Her ears perked up catching footsteps in the outside corridor. She struggled to stand up, the chains making balance awkward. Keys jangled in the lock and light poured into the cell, briefly blinding her. When her eyes adjusted, she saw Guru standing in front of her. He gave her his custom leer, she gave him her custom glare.
"So where is your master?" Mara inquired sweetly, noticing he slid the keys into the pouch on his belt.
"This is a private meeting, Jade," he replied running a finger down one cheek.
Mara had to fight to keep her shudder of revulsion from showing. "You know the service in this place sucks."
Guru gave her a wan smile. "Cute."
"Seriously, what's a girl gotta do to get to a bathroom around here?"
"I don't think so, Jade. I'm not that stupid." He circled around her, eyeing her hungrily. He pressed up against her from behind and buried his face in her hair. "You know I think I liked you better with your spots."
"Well, how about something to eat?" she asked clenching her teeth.
"I'm sure we can arrange something," he replied nonchalantly. His hands slid up her sides and over her stomach, then moved up to cup both of her breasts. Her muscles flexed, wanting so badly to launch him against a wall and take her lightsabre to the bulge that was now pressing against the small of her back. Her stomach turned sour. Guru completed his circle and stood in front of her
"You know as soon as she gets what she wants, she'll turn on you," Mara stated. "She'll leave you to clean up whatever mess she leaves."
Guru chuckled indulgently. "Callista is not the one holding the reins here, in case you couldn't tell. She wants me to kill you, you know. Can you give me a good reason why I shouldn't just slit your throat right now?"
"I can think of a few," she replied with a sly smile. "But I'm not really in the right position to negotiate."
"On the contrary, I think you're in the perfect position."
Guru grabbed her roughly and smeared his mouth across hers. Mara held herself in check and tried not to gag on his tongue as it pushed its way between her teeth and down her throat. His hands cupped her ass, and he pulled her against him. After several minutes, he broke away from the harsh kiss in order to catch his breath. Mara gave him her best seductive smile and began nibbling on his earlobe and neck. The slack in the chains allowed her to bring her legs up around his waist. This excited him, and he began tearing off her tunic off. Then Mara found her chance. She opened her mouth wide and chomped down on his throat. Surprised, Guru tried to throw her off of him, but she bit down mercilessly and squeezed him harder with her legs around his rib cage. She suffered as Guru repeated punched her in the head, trying frantically to force her to release his windpipe from her teeth. He pulled away from the chains, but Mara had securely latched on to him. She tasted blood as she broke through the skin.
Guru fell to his knees, and Mara went with him, never easing her grip. Even when he had gone completely limp in her grasp, she continued choke the air from him like a feline with her prey. Finally, she spit him out like a bad piece of fruit, and he sagged to the floor. She wiped the blood from her chin with her sleeve.
Her hands were still suspended above her head, so she used her foot to yank off one of her boots. With her toes she dug into Guru's belt and easily found the key. Grabbing it between her toes, she took it out of the pouch. Now the hard part was going to be getting the key from her toes to her fingers. The chains prevented her from reaching her feet with her hands. Eyebrows knitted in concentration, she maneuvered the key onto the top of her foot and lightly tossed it toward her hands. It fell to the floor. Mara let out a frustrated breath, and tried it again. Again, she missed and the key fell to the floor. Patience, I must learn patience, she repeated to herself.
Finally on the eighth attempt, she caught the key with the tip of her fingers. Moving quickly, she unlocked her manacles, gave Guru a swift kick in the head and dashed out of the cell, locking him inside. Once outside, she inhaled the smell of sulfur and followed the strongest odors down the corridor toward its source.