Double Double Desire and Trouble
Part Three
When Mara first stepped into the crevice it was dark as the void. She stood with her back to the opening until her eyes adjusted allowing her to see the dim outline of the rocky corridor. R2D2 rolled behind her shining a bright light that momentarily dazzled her. She stepped aside conceding the necessity for the droid to take the lead. The Artoo unit's low moans reverberated against the cave walls. The sound seemed to emphasize how alone they really were. Luke's form momentarily obscured the opening following them as they made their way deeper into the darkness.
The air was warmer in the caves and it was a relief to the thinner, colder air outside. Mara's danger senses flared and she halted abruptly. Luke stopped, narrowly avoiding a collision with her.
Luke warned, "Artoo don't move,"
The droid obeyed immediately.
The earth shook and a fine spray of dirt rained down on them. Mara dropped into a squat in an attempt to become a smaller target. Luke dropped down beside her, throwing a protective arm over her head. Large chunks of rock cascaded in their path and Luke reflected one away from their crouched forms with the force.
Slowly, the shaking diminished. They coughed as a steady stream of sand slipped down the walls from a newly created crevice overhead. Luke slowly lifted his arm and cautiously stood up. He reached down and gently pulled Mara upright.
She absentmindedly shrugged him off and Luke stepped back, "Are you alright?" He asked, the concern evident in his voice.
Mara shielded her eyes when Artoo swung his spotlight in their direction. Obviously satisfied, the astromech droid swung it away to once again illuminate the dusty pathway ahead.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Mara replied.
"You think we should keep going?" Luke asked.
"We've come this far, I'm not about to let a couple of rocks prevent us from continuing." Mara could just make out his grin in the dim lighting. "What do you think caused that?"
"I don't know." Luke replied distantly.
"Come on. Let's get this over with." Mara urged as she quickly followed Artoo's light, dwindling as he moved further away.
They walked as quickly as they could, pausing every now and then when the earth shifted. They were on edge, not trusting the safety of this cavern or the path they were traveling.
Artoo's light suddenly winked out, engulfing them in darkness. An electronic scream dwindled away accompanied by the sound of numerous pebbles shifting across the ground.
Luke pushed past Mara and lurched forward, throwing himself on the ground. Mara grabbed Luke's hand as he slipped ever so slightly realizing that he was on the edge of a precipice. A white glow slowly rose from a gaping chasm. The little droid hovered in to view, whistling nervously. Mara grabbed for the droid and guided him to the edge. Luke let out a sigh and slumped in relief.
"That was pretty fast reflexes," Mara said to Luke.
"Thanks." Luke panted, and Mara could feel a wave of embarrassed pleasure at her words.
R2D2 rocked back and forth on his legs and Mara admonished, "Stay still short stuff unless you want to cause a landslide."
The droid instantly grew still, but continued to twitter.
Still lying down, Luke felt along edge of the drop determining that it completely blocked their path.
"Well I guess that's it." Luke said resigned, rising into a crouched position. Mara relaxed, sitting next to him. The faint breeze of gasses caressed Mara's face as they vented from the opening to trail toward the ceiling.
"Do you feel that?" Mara asked. She stood up and felt along the wall, peering up into the darkness overhead.
"One of the first things I learned during my time as the Emperor's Hand was that most creatures never look up. If you have to hide yourself or something else, it's best to find a way to gain elevation. It's a simple concept but in most cases it works fairly effectively."
Luke watched Mara for a moment then turned to the droid and asked, "Artoo, can you point your light toward the ceiling?"
The droid complied with an amiable chatter. A dark square was instantly visible above their heads on the side of the wall. It was obviously artificial in origin, a perfect square cut into the uneven cave surface.
Luke got a distant look on his face.
"What is it Skywalker?"
"Nothing. I just thought I sensed something, but when I tried, I couldn't focus on it."
Mara did not like the sound of that. He gave her a slight smile that was an attempt to reassure her, but Mara's insides continued to churn. Despite her unease, she appreciated his attempt to comfort her and said softly, "Let's get going."
The Jedi nodded. He stood up and interlaced his fingers, offering her a step. Mara moved forward, placed a hand on his shoulder, and stepped into his cupped hands. Luke's chin brushed the top of her head and when she looked up at him, Mara was suddenly aware of their nearness. Even with a fine coating of red dust on his hair and a dark smudge below his eye, he looked good. This was becoming a habit lately, allowing Skywalker to distract her.
"Ready?" Luke asked softly.
Mara pulled her attention back to the task at hand and nodded.
Luke pushed up and Mara leapt, her natural agility and balance serving her well as she landed gracefully in the opening. Mara ignited her lightsaber, viewing the new corridor in the dark blue light. Luke force leapt beside her, landing heavily on one knee. A small shower of dust cascaded down on them, quickly dwindling away.
Luke rose to his feet, and gave Mara a sheepish smile. Mara snorted softly but she was secretly impressed at his ability to jump the expanse without assistance, regardless of his hard landing.
R2D2 moaned below them.
"You think we should leave him there?" Mara asked. "This isn't going to be a fun trip back."
"I'd rather we stick together. If we can get him up here, we can get him back down too." He turned toward Mara. His blue eyes were even more intense than normal in the light of Mara's saber. " You want to do the honors?"
"Always the teacher, aren't you Skywalker." But Mara handed Luke the saber and stepped back toward the ledge so she could see the little R2 unit. The droid was directing his lamp in all directions, studying the area while he sat patiently for them. Mara reached out with the force, a part of her was not sure that she could do this, but another part of her refused to fail in front of the Jedi. She felt the energy pulse around the droid, and gathered it to her, wondering if it would be enough to lift the relatively heavy droid.
"Weight matters not." Luke intoned.
Mara grunted, muttering something about all Jedi wisdom having to be stated in backwards phrases. She felt Luke's humor at her comment and she realized that his presence was with her as she gathered the force, gently guiding her. She closed her eyes and saw the droid drift effortlessly into the air. The startled whistles grew louder. When she opened her eyes, she was not surprised to see the astromech droid beside her.
Luke smiled and his approval warmed her. She returned his smile, proud despite herself.
The ground shifted and the little droid quickly scurried away from the edge. A rock crashed down, grazing Mara's right hand. A thin trickle of blood ran across the back of her hand to drip down her fingers.
When the earth settled again, Luke said, "You're hurt."
"It's nothing." Mara dismissed, reaching for her saber. Instead of handing her the weapon, he grabbed her hand to inspect the wound.
"We should clean this up." Mara pulled her hand out of his grasp and took the lightsaber, shutting the beam down and clipping it to her belt.
"Later." Mara muttered.
They could no longer see each other in the sudden darkness. Mara followed the beam of light emanating from R2D2's projector.
Mara stepped boldly ahead entering a wide cavern. The moment they crossed the threshold they felt the power of this place. The cavern was imbued with the dark side. Cracks in the rock overhead let in bits of light so that it was easy to believe that they were beneath a star riddled sky. Luke was the first to notice a pile of refuse in the corner of the cavern. He went to examine it more closely and the sound of his gasp echoed repeatedly in the wide cavern.
Mara rushed to join him and saw what had startled him. The silhouette of a human body in old blood was burned into the rocky ground. The body had been consumed, leaving nothing but abandoned clothing and discarded belongings. The cloth was covered in a thick coat of red dust, but a glint of something metallic caught Mara's attention. She bent down and pulled it free. Luke was intent upon the cylindrical device and Mara handed it to him. He pushed a button activating the weapon. The snap-hiss of the blade roared through the cavern. The lightsaber glowed with crimson light.
They both gazed at the dark red light for a moment. Both were reminded of the Emperor and Vader, but those memories differed in content.
"This must be why there is a dark stain in the force here." Luke turned the hilt in his hands inspecting the design and slightly repulsed at the sensation traveling up his arm while he held the evil weapon.
Mara bent down to search the tattered cloak and pocketed everything she found for later inspection. She paused for a moment to inspect an oddly shaped disk, before slipping it into a separate pocket.
R2D started to chirp excitedly. Unable to understand the droid's rapid communication, Luke shut the saber down, clipped it to his belt, and walked over to the display to read the translation.
"He says that he found the source of the transmission. It appears we have found our destination."
"So this is the famous Jedi Trust?" Mara asked, an edge in her voice indicating that she was not impressed.
"Yoda said something about a key. Maybe that's all we'll find here."
"But where is the lock?" Mara continued, "And how do we know it's still here? Why in the world would a Jedi decide to hide something on this life forsaken planet anyway?"
"I don't know, but Yoda wouldn't have told us to come here if there was nothing to find." Luke answered. He began to move around the room, inspecting the walls, the various hidden crevices and glancing at the ceiling.
Mara moved to a raised area in the center of the room. There looked to be a small pedestal with an indentation on the surface. Mara wiped the dust away to make out the etched markings. The moment she made contact with the dust coated metallic surface, it began to glow. A drop of Mara's blood shone black in the dim lighting, glistened like a dark gem on the surface.
A red light flashed across the pedestal and a modulated droid voice said, "Please confirm authorization."
Luke and Mara looked quizzically at each other. He quickly joined Mara to look down at the pedestal.
"What do you require?" Mara asked the droid intelligence.
"Please confirm authorization." It repeated in exactly the same tone as before.
The Jedi's eyebrows drew together and then his face relaxed. Luke grabbed Mara's hand and said with a remote expression on his face, "It's your blood, you started some process."
She recognized that look as indicating when Luke was communing with the force. It took barely a moment for Mara to understand.
She withdrew a knife from a sheath located at the side of her leg and said, "You want me to do the honors?" Her voice was somewhat sarcastic, mimicking Luke's question from earlier.
Luke inspected her closely, before making a decisive nod.
She smiled wickedly and Luke flinched.
She grabbed his right hand and Luke said, "No the other." Mara took the offered hand and turned the knife so that it caught the light glinting in the dim lighting.
"Come on, Mara," Luke begged fidgeting slightly.
She laughed and moved so quickly he did not feel the cut on the tip of one finger.
"Now was that so bad?" Mara said with mocking solicitude.
Luke shot her a glare, but it held no real emotion as he pressed the bead of blood joining it with Mara's.
A second past and a wave of red light crossed through the pedestal.
"Authorization confirmed. Welcome Jedi."
Luke wondered how a blood sample could confirm that they were Jedi.
A new voice boomed in the cavern. "Now if you'll kindly step away from the pedestal, I'll be on my way." The voice echoed in a hauntingly familiar rasp.
Both Mara and Luke jumped and spun around caught unaware. They could not sense this intruder or his two companions. There was no sign of ysalamiri in the area and there was not the empty force bubble that was indicative of their presence. Instead, it was as if their very perceptions had been shunted away, pushed back with a skill that was staggering.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Mara asked.
Luke shifted into a combat stance his lightsaber unlit but at the ready. Mara readjusted her weight evenly throughout her body in preparation for an attack.
"I think the answer to both those questions is pretty obvious, my dear." The figure moved forward and as he did so they could see his darkly cowled face. Mara was almost afraid to see the face, but it was hidden in shadow. Two creatures flanked him, walking on all fours with sharp fangs and scaled hides. The two started moving to either side in a flanking maneuver. The cowled man continued, "I had always thought it was the amount of blood, I did not know it required the blood of two force users."
His laugher echoed dully in the empty cavern. Mara kept her attention trained on the creatures pacing toward them. Mara ignited her lightsaber and as if that was a cue he was waiting for, the man in shadows ignited his crimson blade. "Clever of the Jedi, I must admit, to know that a Sith would never think to spill his own blood. "
Artoo was doing something behind them..
Luke was remote, the darkness of this place seemed to have permeated his being and he was not even entirely sure that the adversary standing before them was not some twisted force vision, like the dark cave on Dagobah where he combated his father only to face himself. Mara also felt as if her force sense was deadened, but she had operated for years without a reliance on them. She could sense a distance in Skywalker and wondered if this lord of the Sith were reaching into the Jedi's mind, warping his perspective.
"Luke!" Mara called as one of the animals leapt toward him.
The Jedi turned and neatly sliced the creature in two. The beast continued to slide forward continuing the momentum of its pounce it twisted and a claw slashed across the Jedi's chest.
Luke screamed, his flesh burning.
The cowled figure ran passed them almost faster than the eye could see and grabbed something that had appeared on the pedestal- a small metal device.
Mara attempted to block the dark lord's retreat, but the second creature had changed its attack from her to Luke, preferring wounded prey.
Mara shut down her lightsaber and pulled her holdout blaster, shooting at the fleeing figure with the flowing dark robes and the animal attacking Skywalker. The blaster bolts bounced harmlessly away from the Sith lord, one actually reverberating in the cavern initiating another series of quakes. The other blaster bold hit true, felling the great beast. Luke rolled out of the way as the creature collapsed next to its companion.
"Stop him" Luke wheezed.
Mara dashed to the edge but saw nothing in the darkness. She stretched out with her senses and could feel nothing. He was gone.
The walls were moving. The entire place was about to collapse. She ran back all the while her mind was debating their options, finally resolving on one. She took her lightsaber, eyed the widest crack in the ceiling and threw it. The blue blade arched overhead slicing through the cavern roof.
Artoo screamed and rolled to the side as large chunks of the ceiling dropped. Mara pulled a rope from the pack and absently noticing that Luke kept the largest of the rocks from impacting them. She called her saber back to her hand, switching off the blade. She affixed the rope to the unlit hilt and threw it into the gaping hole. Pale sunlight streamed into the cavern, illuminating the red haze clouding the area. Luke pulled himself to his feet, swaying slightly. Mara could hear the saber hilt soaring overhead as it caught on a rocky mass. She turned to inspect the Jedi, he nodded at her and he gestured for her to go first.
"Don't get all noble on me, Jedi. Get up there before you fall down." Luke seemed about to protest, but instead maintained his silence.
"Be careful." He said and began an arduous trip to the top. The floor began to crack between Mara's feet. She swore, knowing that the rope would not hold both of them and she did not believe she could levitate herself. Her gaze fell onto the droid, whose lights were following Luke's painful ascent to the top.
"You'll do anything to see me practice my force skills," she muttered as she actively ignored her surroundings and found her center. Once her mind was calm and at peace she used the force to pushed the droid though the air and onto the unstable roof overhead. Luke called to her from the roof, his worried face gazing down at her. The crack between her feet had grown larger and the pedestal had broken off at the base. She sprinted for the dangling rope and grabbed the end. The ground gave out beneath her before she could begin to climb.
She gave an uncharacteristic yelp and Luke yelled, "Hang on."
If she had more breath she would have yelled back, "What do you think I'm doing?" Instead she began climbing the rope swaying with the effort and the unstable perch. When she neared the top, Luke reached for her hand and she grasped it grateful for something sturdy to hold on to. She was amazed they had made it to the top.
"We aren't out of this yet," Skywalker warned. They had exited the system of caves and were somewhere on the surface of the planet. The droid beeped something at them and rolled as fast as it could down the slope.
Mara and Luke got to their feet and stumbled after him. Mara's lightsaber was clutched in Luke's hands. The ground began to collapse and Luke said, "We're going to have to jump."
The cracks extended far ahead of them and with the intensity of the shuddering beneath them Mara knew he was right.
He pulled her to one side, grabbed her hand, and said, "Concentrate on pushing the ground away from you, cushioning your fall."
Mara nodded and they jumped in unison.
(Thanks again go to Jayde Star for being the beta on this!)
Part Three
When Mara first stepped into the crevice it was dark as the void. She stood with her back to the opening until her eyes adjusted allowing her to see the dim outline of the rocky corridor. R2D2 rolled behind her shining a bright light that momentarily dazzled her. She stepped aside conceding the necessity for the droid to take the lead. The Artoo unit's low moans reverberated against the cave walls. The sound seemed to emphasize how alone they really were. Luke's form momentarily obscured the opening following them as they made their way deeper into the darkness.
The air was warmer in the caves and it was a relief to the thinner, colder air outside. Mara's danger senses flared and she halted abruptly. Luke stopped, narrowly avoiding a collision with her.
Luke warned, "Artoo don't move,"
The droid obeyed immediately.
The earth shook and a fine spray of dirt rained down on them. Mara dropped into a squat in an attempt to become a smaller target. Luke dropped down beside her, throwing a protective arm over her head. Large chunks of rock cascaded in their path and Luke reflected one away from their crouched forms with the force.
Slowly, the shaking diminished. They coughed as a steady stream of sand slipped down the walls from a newly created crevice overhead. Luke slowly lifted his arm and cautiously stood up. He reached down and gently pulled Mara upright.
She absentmindedly shrugged him off and Luke stepped back, "Are you alright?" He asked, the concern evident in his voice.
Mara shielded her eyes when Artoo swung his spotlight in their direction. Obviously satisfied, the astromech droid swung it away to once again illuminate the dusty pathway ahead.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Mara replied.
"You think we should keep going?" Luke asked.
"We've come this far, I'm not about to let a couple of rocks prevent us from continuing." Mara could just make out his grin in the dim lighting. "What do you think caused that?"
"I don't know." Luke replied distantly.
"Come on. Let's get this over with." Mara urged as she quickly followed Artoo's light, dwindling as he moved further away.
They walked as quickly as they could, pausing every now and then when the earth shifted. They were on edge, not trusting the safety of this cavern or the path they were traveling.
Artoo's light suddenly winked out, engulfing them in darkness. An electronic scream dwindled away accompanied by the sound of numerous pebbles shifting across the ground.
Luke pushed past Mara and lurched forward, throwing himself on the ground. Mara grabbed Luke's hand as he slipped ever so slightly realizing that he was on the edge of a precipice. A white glow slowly rose from a gaping chasm. The little droid hovered in to view, whistling nervously. Mara grabbed for the droid and guided him to the edge. Luke let out a sigh and slumped in relief.
"That was pretty fast reflexes," Mara said to Luke.
"Thanks." Luke panted, and Mara could feel a wave of embarrassed pleasure at her words.
R2D2 rocked back and forth on his legs and Mara admonished, "Stay still short stuff unless you want to cause a landslide."
The droid instantly grew still, but continued to twitter.
Still lying down, Luke felt along edge of the drop determining that it completely blocked their path.
"Well I guess that's it." Luke said resigned, rising into a crouched position. Mara relaxed, sitting next to him. The faint breeze of gasses caressed Mara's face as they vented from the opening to trail toward the ceiling.
"Do you feel that?" Mara asked. She stood up and felt along the wall, peering up into the darkness overhead.
"One of the first things I learned during my time as the Emperor's Hand was that most creatures never look up. If you have to hide yourself or something else, it's best to find a way to gain elevation. It's a simple concept but in most cases it works fairly effectively."
Luke watched Mara for a moment then turned to the droid and asked, "Artoo, can you point your light toward the ceiling?"
The droid complied with an amiable chatter. A dark square was instantly visible above their heads on the side of the wall. It was obviously artificial in origin, a perfect square cut into the uneven cave surface.
Luke got a distant look on his face.
"What is it Skywalker?"
"Nothing. I just thought I sensed something, but when I tried, I couldn't focus on it."
Mara did not like the sound of that. He gave her a slight smile that was an attempt to reassure her, but Mara's insides continued to churn. Despite her unease, she appreciated his attempt to comfort her and said softly, "Let's get going."
The Jedi nodded. He stood up and interlaced his fingers, offering her a step. Mara moved forward, placed a hand on his shoulder, and stepped into his cupped hands. Luke's chin brushed the top of her head and when she looked up at him, Mara was suddenly aware of their nearness. Even with a fine coating of red dust on his hair and a dark smudge below his eye, he looked good. This was becoming a habit lately, allowing Skywalker to distract her.
"Ready?" Luke asked softly.
Mara pulled her attention back to the task at hand and nodded.
Luke pushed up and Mara leapt, her natural agility and balance serving her well as she landed gracefully in the opening. Mara ignited her lightsaber, viewing the new corridor in the dark blue light. Luke force leapt beside her, landing heavily on one knee. A small shower of dust cascaded down on them, quickly dwindling away.
Luke rose to his feet, and gave Mara a sheepish smile. Mara snorted softly but she was secretly impressed at his ability to jump the expanse without assistance, regardless of his hard landing.
R2D2 moaned below them.
"You think we should leave him there?" Mara asked. "This isn't going to be a fun trip back."
"I'd rather we stick together. If we can get him up here, we can get him back down too." He turned toward Mara. His blue eyes were even more intense than normal in the light of Mara's saber. " You want to do the honors?"
"Always the teacher, aren't you Skywalker." But Mara handed Luke the saber and stepped back toward the ledge so she could see the little R2 unit. The droid was directing his lamp in all directions, studying the area while he sat patiently for them. Mara reached out with the force, a part of her was not sure that she could do this, but another part of her refused to fail in front of the Jedi. She felt the energy pulse around the droid, and gathered it to her, wondering if it would be enough to lift the relatively heavy droid.
"Weight matters not." Luke intoned.
Mara grunted, muttering something about all Jedi wisdom having to be stated in backwards phrases. She felt Luke's humor at her comment and she realized that his presence was with her as she gathered the force, gently guiding her. She closed her eyes and saw the droid drift effortlessly into the air. The startled whistles grew louder. When she opened her eyes, she was not surprised to see the astromech droid beside her.
Luke smiled and his approval warmed her. She returned his smile, proud despite herself.
The ground shifted and the little droid quickly scurried away from the edge. A rock crashed down, grazing Mara's right hand. A thin trickle of blood ran across the back of her hand to drip down her fingers.
When the earth settled again, Luke said, "You're hurt."
"It's nothing." Mara dismissed, reaching for her saber. Instead of handing her the weapon, he grabbed her hand to inspect the wound.
"We should clean this up." Mara pulled her hand out of his grasp and took the lightsaber, shutting the beam down and clipping it to her belt.
"Later." Mara muttered.
They could no longer see each other in the sudden darkness. Mara followed the beam of light emanating from R2D2's projector.
Mara stepped boldly ahead entering a wide cavern. The moment they crossed the threshold they felt the power of this place. The cavern was imbued with the dark side. Cracks in the rock overhead let in bits of light so that it was easy to believe that they were beneath a star riddled sky. Luke was the first to notice a pile of refuse in the corner of the cavern. He went to examine it more closely and the sound of his gasp echoed repeatedly in the wide cavern.
Mara rushed to join him and saw what had startled him. The silhouette of a human body in old blood was burned into the rocky ground. The body had been consumed, leaving nothing but abandoned clothing and discarded belongings. The cloth was covered in a thick coat of red dust, but a glint of something metallic caught Mara's attention. She bent down and pulled it free. Luke was intent upon the cylindrical device and Mara handed it to him. He pushed a button activating the weapon. The snap-hiss of the blade roared through the cavern. The lightsaber glowed with crimson light.
They both gazed at the dark red light for a moment. Both were reminded of the Emperor and Vader, but those memories differed in content.
"This must be why there is a dark stain in the force here." Luke turned the hilt in his hands inspecting the design and slightly repulsed at the sensation traveling up his arm while he held the evil weapon.
Mara bent down to search the tattered cloak and pocketed everything she found for later inspection. She paused for a moment to inspect an oddly shaped disk, before slipping it into a separate pocket.
R2D started to chirp excitedly. Unable to understand the droid's rapid communication, Luke shut the saber down, clipped it to his belt, and walked over to the display to read the translation.
"He says that he found the source of the transmission. It appears we have found our destination."
"So this is the famous Jedi Trust?" Mara asked, an edge in her voice indicating that she was not impressed.
"Yoda said something about a key. Maybe that's all we'll find here."
"But where is the lock?" Mara continued, "And how do we know it's still here? Why in the world would a Jedi decide to hide something on this life forsaken planet anyway?"
"I don't know, but Yoda wouldn't have told us to come here if there was nothing to find." Luke answered. He began to move around the room, inspecting the walls, the various hidden crevices and glancing at the ceiling.
Mara moved to a raised area in the center of the room. There looked to be a small pedestal with an indentation on the surface. Mara wiped the dust away to make out the etched markings. The moment she made contact with the dust coated metallic surface, it began to glow. A drop of Mara's blood shone black in the dim lighting, glistened like a dark gem on the surface.
A red light flashed across the pedestal and a modulated droid voice said, "Please confirm authorization."
Luke and Mara looked quizzically at each other. He quickly joined Mara to look down at the pedestal.
"What do you require?" Mara asked the droid intelligence.
"Please confirm authorization." It repeated in exactly the same tone as before.
The Jedi's eyebrows drew together and then his face relaxed. Luke grabbed Mara's hand and said with a remote expression on his face, "It's your blood, you started some process."
She recognized that look as indicating when Luke was communing with the force. It took barely a moment for Mara to understand.
She withdrew a knife from a sheath located at the side of her leg and said, "You want me to do the honors?" Her voice was somewhat sarcastic, mimicking Luke's question from earlier.
Luke inspected her closely, before making a decisive nod.
She smiled wickedly and Luke flinched.
She grabbed his right hand and Luke said, "No the other." Mara took the offered hand and turned the knife so that it caught the light glinting in the dim lighting.
"Come on, Mara," Luke begged fidgeting slightly.
She laughed and moved so quickly he did not feel the cut on the tip of one finger.
"Now was that so bad?" Mara said with mocking solicitude.
Luke shot her a glare, but it held no real emotion as he pressed the bead of blood joining it with Mara's.
A second past and a wave of red light crossed through the pedestal.
"Authorization confirmed. Welcome Jedi."
Luke wondered how a blood sample could confirm that they were Jedi.
A new voice boomed in the cavern. "Now if you'll kindly step away from the pedestal, I'll be on my way." The voice echoed in a hauntingly familiar rasp.
Both Mara and Luke jumped and spun around caught unaware. They could not sense this intruder or his two companions. There was no sign of ysalamiri in the area and there was not the empty force bubble that was indicative of their presence. Instead, it was as if their very perceptions had been shunted away, pushed back with a skill that was staggering.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Mara asked.
Luke shifted into a combat stance his lightsaber unlit but at the ready. Mara readjusted her weight evenly throughout her body in preparation for an attack.
"I think the answer to both those questions is pretty obvious, my dear." The figure moved forward and as he did so they could see his darkly cowled face. Mara was almost afraid to see the face, but it was hidden in shadow. Two creatures flanked him, walking on all fours with sharp fangs and scaled hides. The two started moving to either side in a flanking maneuver. The cowled man continued, "I had always thought it was the amount of blood, I did not know it required the blood of two force users."
His laugher echoed dully in the empty cavern. Mara kept her attention trained on the creatures pacing toward them. Mara ignited her lightsaber and as if that was a cue he was waiting for, the man in shadows ignited his crimson blade. "Clever of the Jedi, I must admit, to know that a Sith would never think to spill his own blood. "
Artoo was doing something behind them..
Luke was remote, the darkness of this place seemed to have permeated his being and he was not even entirely sure that the adversary standing before them was not some twisted force vision, like the dark cave on Dagobah where he combated his father only to face himself. Mara also felt as if her force sense was deadened, but she had operated for years without a reliance on them. She could sense a distance in Skywalker and wondered if this lord of the Sith were reaching into the Jedi's mind, warping his perspective.
"Luke!" Mara called as one of the animals leapt toward him.
The Jedi turned and neatly sliced the creature in two. The beast continued to slide forward continuing the momentum of its pounce it twisted and a claw slashed across the Jedi's chest.
Luke screamed, his flesh burning.
The cowled figure ran passed them almost faster than the eye could see and grabbed something that had appeared on the pedestal- a small metal device.
Mara attempted to block the dark lord's retreat, but the second creature had changed its attack from her to Luke, preferring wounded prey.
Mara shut down her lightsaber and pulled her holdout blaster, shooting at the fleeing figure with the flowing dark robes and the animal attacking Skywalker. The blaster bolts bounced harmlessly away from the Sith lord, one actually reverberating in the cavern initiating another series of quakes. The other blaster bold hit true, felling the great beast. Luke rolled out of the way as the creature collapsed next to its companion.
"Stop him" Luke wheezed.
Mara dashed to the edge but saw nothing in the darkness. She stretched out with her senses and could feel nothing. He was gone.
The walls were moving. The entire place was about to collapse. She ran back all the while her mind was debating their options, finally resolving on one. She took her lightsaber, eyed the widest crack in the ceiling and threw it. The blue blade arched overhead slicing through the cavern roof.
Artoo screamed and rolled to the side as large chunks of the ceiling dropped. Mara pulled a rope from the pack and absently noticing that Luke kept the largest of the rocks from impacting them. She called her saber back to her hand, switching off the blade. She affixed the rope to the unlit hilt and threw it into the gaping hole. Pale sunlight streamed into the cavern, illuminating the red haze clouding the area. Luke pulled himself to his feet, swaying slightly. Mara could hear the saber hilt soaring overhead as it caught on a rocky mass. She turned to inspect the Jedi, he nodded at her and he gestured for her to go first.
"Don't get all noble on me, Jedi. Get up there before you fall down." Luke seemed about to protest, but instead maintained his silence.
"Be careful." He said and began an arduous trip to the top. The floor began to crack between Mara's feet. She swore, knowing that the rope would not hold both of them and she did not believe she could levitate herself. Her gaze fell onto the droid, whose lights were following Luke's painful ascent to the top.
"You'll do anything to see me practice my force skills," she muttered as she actively ignored her surroundings and found her center. Once her mind was calm and at peace she used the force to pushed the droid though the air and onto the unstable roof overhead. Luke called to her from the roof, his worried face gazing down at her. The crack between her feet had grown larger and the pedestal had broken off at the base. She sprinted for the dangling rope and grabbed the end. The ground gave out beneath her before she could begin to climb.
She gave an uncharacteristic yelp and Luke yelled, "Hang on."
If she had more breath she would have yelled back, "What do you think I'm doing?" Instead she began climbing the rope swaying with the effort and the unstable perch. When she neared the top, Luke reached for her hand and she grasped it grateful for something sturdy to hold on to. She was amazed they had made it to the top.
"We aren't out of this yet," Skywalker warned. They had exited the system of caves and were somewhere on the surface of the planet. The droid beeped something at them and rolled as fast as it could down the slope.
Mara and Luke got to their feet and stumbled after him. Mara's lightsaber was clutched in Luke's hands. The ground began to collapse and Luke said, "We're going to have to jump."
The cracks extended far ahead of them and with the intensity of the shuddering beneath them Mara knew he was right.
He pulled her to one side, grabbed her hand, and said, "Concentrate on pushing the ground away from you, cushioning your fall."
Mara nodded and they jumped in unison.
(Thanks again go to Jayde Star for being the beta on this!)