Chapter Two
Mara sparred with one of the students on the landing pad between the temple and the jungles of Yavin 4. "That's better, but you're not going fast enough! You're leaving your ribs wide open!"
She reached out when the boy was in mid-turn and poked him in the ribs for emphasis. His natural reflex was to bring his arm down, slicing the top end off of Mara's lightsaber. The one Luke had given her when she finally stopped trying to kill him. The boy stared at her hand, silently waiting to see if she was alright, of if he had caught her fingers with the lightsaber.
"Are you okay?" She asked him.
"Yeah, are you? I didn't hurt your hand, did I?"
"No, I'm fine." she held the lightsaber a little ways away from her, making sure not to point it at anyone in case it exploded. She motioned one of the kids waiting for a turn practicing in to the decided 'ring' and took the damaged lightsaber inside. She was relatively sure that if it hadn't blown by now, it wasn't going to, but she just wanted to make sure. She hadn't built her own yet, but Luke had, after he'd lost this one.
She knocked lightly on the door to Luke's office before letting herself in. He was sitting and talking to Anakin. He looked up and imediately saw the damaged lightsaber in her hand. "Everyone alright?"
"Yeah, it just killed our little heirloom, though." she handed him what what left of it.
"Ouch." Luke shook out the contents of the metal casing to make sure it wasn't going to malfunction, dumping all off them out of his desk. As everyone was taught before even picking up a lightsaber, never look into a malfunctioning one, at the very least, you could lose an eye.
There were all your standard lightsaber parts, the focusing lens, the crystal, the power-unit, and the wires to the switch, but among them was a small silver message cube.
Luke picked it up. What was a message cube doing inside a lightsaber? inside his father's old lightsaber? He turned it over, and switched it on.
A grainy hologram of Obi-Wan, younger than Luke had ever seen him, appeared. "Luke, one of the greatest Jedi ever told me that someday you would find this. I don't know when that is, or how you came to find this message, but this is important! You must know of Vader's palace by now, it is imperitive that you go there. There is a hidden room, just next to Vader's personal suite. It's lock is coded genetically, but you have enough of.. your father's genes to open it. You'll know what to do, but please hurry! May the force be with you, and may it never fail!"
The image flickered away, and Luke was sure he heard Yoda's voice in the background. He looked up from the silver cube in his artificial hand. He had almost forgotten Mara and Anakin were in the room.
"This has something to do with what you two were talking about before I came in, doesn't it?" Mara asked, breaking the silence.
"Why do you say that?" Luke turned to her.
"It just... seems that way. What were you two talking about, anyway?" her eyes went back and forth between the two.
"Nothing important, really." Anakin said. Mara could tell it was bothering him, but didn' press any further.
"Right, well, I have to go watch those kids in case Mylo has another accident." Mara threw over her shoulder as she left.
"She didn't believe that, you know."
"I didn't expect her to."
Luke was silent for a moment. "Looks like I've got some travelling to do. Want to come along?"
Anakin thought back to his dream. 'Are you coming along, or not?'
He had told her yes. But what if she was luring him into a trap? But hadn't Obi-Wan's message just said...? What had Obi-Wan meant? 'Are you coming along, or not, Anakin?'
Anakin snapped back to reallity. "Sorry, what was that?"
"I asked, are you coming with, or staying here?"
"Oh... Going. Definately going."
Mara sparred with one of the students on the landing pad between the temple and the jungles of Yavin 4. "That's better, but you're not going fast enough! You're leaving your ribs wide open!"
She reached out when the boy was in mid-turn and poked him in the ribs for emphasis. His natural reflex was to bring his arm down, slicing the top end off of Mara's lightsaber. The one Luke had given her when she finally stopped trying to kill him. The boy stared at her hand, silently waiting to see if she was alright, of if he had caught her fingers with the lightsaber.
"Are you okay?" She asked him.
"Yeah, are you? I didn't hurt your hand, did I?"
"No, I'm fine." she held the lightsaber a little ways away from her, making sure not to point it at anyone in case it exploded. She motioned one of the kids waiting for a turn practicing in to the decided 'ring' and took the damaged lightsaber inside. She was relatively sure that if it hadn't blown by now, it wasn't going to, but she just wanted to make sure. She hadn't built her own yet, but Luke had, after he'd lost this one.
She knocked lightly on the door to Luke's office before letting herself in. He was sitting and talking to Anakin. He looked up and imediately saw the damaged lightsaber in her hand. "Everyone alright?"
"Yeah, it just killed our little heirloom, though." she handed him what what left of it.
"Ouch." Luke shook out the contents of the metal casing to make sure it wasn't going to malfunction, dumping all off them out of his desk. As everyone was taught before even picking up a lightsaber, never look into a malfunctioning one, at the very least, you could lose an eye.
There were all your standard lightsaber parts, the focusing lens, the crystal, the power-unit, and the wires to the switch, but among them was a small silver message cube.
Luke picked it up. What was a message cube doing inside a lightsaber? inside his father's old lightsaber? He turned it over, and switched it on.
A grainy hologram of Obi-Wan, younger than Luke had ever seen him, appeared. "Luke, one of the greatest Jedi ever told me that someday you would find this. I don't know when that is, or how you came to find this message, but this is important! You must know of Vader's palace by now, it is imperitive that you go there. There is a hidden room, just next to Vader's personal suite. It's lock is coded genetically, but you have enough of.. your father's genes to open it. You'll know what to do, but please hurry! May the force be with you, and may it never fail!"
The image flickered away, and Luke was sure he heard Yoda's voice in the background. He looked up from the silver cube in his artificial hand. He had almost forgotten Mara and Anakin were in the room.
"This has something to do with what you two were talking about before I came in, doesn't it?" Mara asked, breaking the silence.
"Why do you say that?" Luke turned to her.
"It just... seems that way. What were you two talking about, anyway?" her eyes went back and forth between the two.
"Nothing important, really." Anakin said. Mara could tell it was bothering him, but didn' press any further.
"Right, well, I have to go watch those kids in case Mylo has another accident." Mara threw over her shoulder as she left.
"She didn't believe that, you know."
"I didn't expect her to."
Luke was silent for a moment. "Looks like I've got some travelling to do. Want to come along?"
Anakin thought back to his dream. 'Are you coming along, or not?'
He had told her yes. But what if she was luring him into a trap? But hadn't Obi-Wan's message just said...? What had Obi-Wan meant? 'Are you coming along, or not, Anakin?'
Anakin snapped back to reallity. "Sorry, what was that?"
"I asked, are you coming with, or staying here?"
"Oh... Going. Definately going."