Alarms sounded.
They rang out like angry Krayt dragons, loud and commanding, exciting the spirit and sending adrenaline shooting through the blood. At least, it was sending adrenaline through Luke's blood.
The young man threw a cocky grin at Parck that was reminiscent of one of Solo's. "Could this be the right time?"
Parck tilted his head slightly to attempt to sift through the blaring noise of the alarms, but he heard nothing else. "It's more than likely a dispute among the lower security prisoners. They are inclined to be more venomous in their insults and often start fist-fights in the mess hall."
The Jedi studied the other being's pale blue face, then he looked towards the door, speaking softly, "A guy can dream."
The cell door slid open unexpectedly, and in stepped a civilian whose presence nearly caused Luke's jaw to drop to the floor.
From his position in the back of the cell, Parck carefully studied his companion, as well as the new human, whose appearance could cause some problems, or, quite possibly, tilt the odds in his favor somewhat.
"Hello, Skywalker," the woman said softly in greeting. "Funny meeting you here. You would be the last person I would expect to be gathering dust in a place like this."
"Mara," Luke returned, not kindly, but not unkindly. It was a formality that sounded far too empty to the ex-Hand's sharp ears. Almost mechanically, Luke inquired, "How'd you get in here?"
Paying Luke no attention, she lifted her green-eyed gaze up and slightly past Luke's shoulder. Her eyes widened marginally at the sight of the farmboy's cellmate, and she brought her eyes back to Luke's face. Quietly, but with an edge to her voice, she inquired through gritted teeth, "Is that who I think it is?"
"No, Ms. Jade," the Chiss' voice carried easily across the short distance. "I am Thrawn's bodyguard, Voss Parck."
The red-head slitted her eyes, instantly spewing the present contents of her mind at him: "How do you know my name? And since when did Thrawn have a bodyguard of the same species as him? I thought he used the Noghri."
Parck answered her questions smoothly. "You were well-respected by Thrawn, and I knew many of those beings that Thrawn knew. Yes, the late Grand Admiral did use the Noghri, but he knew that he should not rest all of his faith entirely upon them. Therefore he brought me to the Chimaera...He knew that I was completely trustworthy."
Mara's emerald eyes bored briefly into the Chiss' demon-like red ones, and Parck returned her stare unflinchingly. She turned to Luke in annoyance with her chin jutting out. "I have a message for you."
"Oh?" Luke raised an eyebrow, curiously.
Mara cleared her throat, "It's from Leia."
"Yes?"
The redhead's gaze returned to the Chiss' face, and Luke attempted to quell her uneasiness, "Don't worry about him."
Had a smirk not been beneath him, Parck might have given one. As it was, he gave the trader a cool smile.
Still disconcerted by Voss Parck's presence, as well as the look he had just given her, Mara started, choosing to not dilly-dally. "You have no idea what's happening on the outside. The New Republic is being bombarded by attacks that have come from virtually nowhere. Efforts to pinpoint the hiding spots of the Imperial remnants have been futile. Your sister and the rest of the galaxy are in desperate need of your help, and she's working on busting you out of here. She sends you her love and wants you to know she hasn't forgotten about you."
For a long stretch of time, Luke was an unreadable blank. No frown marred his features, no smile graced his face. His lack of reaction had Mara worried. She had not expected him to be exactly happy about having to sit and rot in a jail cell as long as he had, but she also had not expected him to be so...cold?
The cold she could somehow sense without the Force or any visible signs finally showed itself clearly: Luke's eyes were a frigid blue and his jaw was firmly set. "Hasn't forgotten about me." Every word was clearly enunciated and spoken with a bitterness that Mara had never known could be expressed by the usually passive Jedi.
It was with that same emphasis on every syllable that Luke continued speaking. "I waited—I prayed—I hoped—I lived for the day that I would finally hear something from Leia,...from Han,...from you,...from...anybody to show that there was some semblance of worry about me within them...But hope is a fragile thing that will not last forever, and mine was shattered."
He took a quick breath, as if reluctant to even briefly stop turning his thoughts into words. "I finally began to reshape the pieces of my broken life, and then you come and expect me to mold it back into what it once was so that I can be disappointed once again."
Mara attempted to interrupt, but Luke was in a cold yet fiery rage, "I will not rebuild false hopes and dreams. I heard nothing from my family,...from you, until all of you found yourselves in a crisis. Until you all needed me. I am more than a tool that can be brought out and put up at will. I am a person, and my name is Luke Skywalker. Take care to remember that." The male human threw a quick gaze towards the Chiss. "He foretold precisely what happened, merely reinforcing my recent decision that a man can't trust his friends."
"Skywalker," Mara said sharply, letting out a sour laugh. "You're going to trust your cellmate from a high security prison?"
"I'm in here, aren't I?" Luke was strangely silent for a moment. "The New Republic isn't as fair as one would think and hope it is."
"You're letting him brainwash—"
"He has not brainwashed me," the Jedi spat out. "He has helped to clear the haze in my mind that glorified every aspect of my family and friends."
"A little glorification here and there never hurt anybody—"
"Do you really believe that?" Parck finally spoke up.
The redhead started to spit out a blasphemous reply, but Luke was the first to talk. "She believes only what is convenient for her."
"That is not true, Skywalker," Mara growled.
"Go tell it to someone who isn't used to being fed lies!"
The trader opened her mouth to do a thorough insulting of his ancestry, but a sudden overload of her senses caused her to pause.
The Force was back.
Which meant...what?
Mara frowned, then her eyes widened as she felt Luke's anger invade the room. His eyes were glinting with aggression, and for an idle moment she wondered if he would strike her.
The observant Parck had noticed the change in the two and concluded correctly that the ysalamiri had been disposed of...
Taking in a victorious but slightly angered breath, the female guard started to enter the cell before her, but she noticed other guards coming her way. The alarms had ceased, and the trio seemed satisfied. The three abruptly frowned, but after a tickle in their mind, their good mood returned.
"How's the situation?" she called to them.
"Taken care of," came the short reply.
"I'm checkin' in on Skywalker and Parck, makin' sure they aren't all riled up 'cause of the noise," the female told the group of males gruffly.
Some guards down the hallway who looked bored with their duty were curiously watching the quartet, and one's antenna twitched minutely.
Quickening her pace with slightly widened eyes, the black-haired female guard entered with her weapon cocked and the other three guards close behind her.
As soon as the door shut, four blasters were up and pointed directly at Mara Jade. A stun bolt was fired at her, but its path was stopped by Luke, who stepped in front of the trader and absorbed the energy. Luke lifted his hand, stopping more stun bolts and sending them angrily back to their sources.
With a flash of his eyes, Skywalker regarded the three suddenly floored guards with a affirming nod. He lifted his eyes to the two females who had blasters which were not set on stun and happened to be pointed at each other's throat. He distantly wondered how Mara had gotten hers through security, then he decided he probably didn't want to know.
It was in that instant that he realized the female guard was a Force user.
Parck began talking with a sly smile, "Your timing is impeccable."
"Yeah, well, I try," she mumbled. "I would've gotten here before Red, but she had a head-start."
"Indeed."
Luke frowned, "You know each other?"
"She's our vessel off-planet."
Mara studied the black-haired woman for a moment, vague recognition kicking in, "Aren't you—?"
"Organa's aide?" the woman smiled viciously.
The trader glanced down at the guards on the floor, eyes widening as she observed their lifeless forms. They weren't breathing. ...Were they?
Wouldn't Skywalker usually just stun them?
"As enlightening as this conversation is, I suggest we get going before any more guards decide to join us," Luke squatted down beside one of the guards, evaluating his build briefly before beginning his task.
"What are you doing!" Mara asked incredulously as she watched the fair-headed man strip one of the human guards of his clothes.
"Changing uniforms," he informed her shortly. "We can fool the guards, but not the cameras."