Rooftop Meetings or Encounters With My Almost-Double Who I Didn't Know Existed

A Star Wars Mara, Daughter of the Nile crossover (w/ possible random cameos from other stuff)

by Saber Girls Leia and Amidaala

Begun out of annoyance that there appears to be no MDotN fan following.

Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to George Lucas, Timothy Zahn, etc. Mara, Daughter of the Nile belongs to Eloise Jarvis McGraw (if you haven't read it, people, READ IT!!!). Individual characters belong to themselves-- Mara (the one from Egypt) already had an encounter with slavery and would rather not go back... for that matter, Mara (Jade) had a rather enslaved past too... but I digress. Last but not least, our crazy ideas belong to ourselves. Anything else mentioned belongs to whoever it belongs to. I will specify if I remember.

SG Amidaala mentions that Mara belongs to Sheftu and Mara belongs to Luke, respectively.

SG Leia: And Sheftu belongs to Mara and Luke belongs to Mara! Let's not be sexist! (or if we must, let's be sexist in favor of women... JK!)

Okay, I've used a few quotes and some paraphrasing from EJM.

AN: I don't own The Last Command, so please excuse any discrepancies with the rooftop thing. Except, of course, the ones that are on purpose ;).

Please read and review. Constructive criticism especially appreciated.

Part 1

by Leia

Mara and the Princess Inanni were strolling the palace roof looking for the lotus garden. Well, Mara was looking for the garden. The princess did not know their true reason for coming here. For Inanni, Mara supposed, this must be enjoyable enough. She could be a frightened foreigner, as she was. She was not a double agent and former slave living a hectic, triple life.

But Mara was wrong, as she was about to find out.

"Look, my princess!" she exclaimed. "Your new home." Inanni did not appear overjoyed, as Mara had expected her to be. Rather she looked uneasy. Mara was a bit contemptuous. How could anyone not love Egypt? Surely Syria could not compare. But some of her feelings turned to pity-- for her friend, it had been home. Mara had never known a true home, but she knew the longing for one.

She gazed about at the grand houses throughout the city. One day she would own one, and be herself the mistress of the house. It would be she who would send girls running to fetch and carry!

Idly, Mara wondered which house was Sheftu's. Surely he lived in a great house?

Her thoughts turned darker. It was quite likely that her master lived in one of them as well. No doubt he would be calling for her soon. The 'former' part of 'former slave' was still not quite as concrete as she would have liked it to be. But there were endless possibilities for a girl in the royal palace who could keep her wits about her...

Out of the corner of her eye, Mara could see Inanni surveying Thebes. "Is it not a glorious city you have come to after all your journeying?" she asked.

"I hate it," whispered Inanni.

Startled, Mara turned around. "It is too big, and too full of buildings! In my homeland there are plains and green pastures...

"My fiancé has no use for me, he has not even sent for me. I wish to go home. You are kind to me, but no one else is."

I? Kind to you? Mara thought. Yes, I've tried to be friendly, but I've really been using you most of the time. I've been using everyone, she amended the statement with the first bit of self-disgust Mara could ever remember encountering in herself.

Oh, well, she thought. If I wasn't using them for my own devices, they'd be using me for theirs. Take care of yourself, my girl! Nobody else will.

On a rather different-looking roof, of a rather different-looking palace, in a rather different-looking city...

"Take it. I want you to have it, Mara. It was my father's lightsaber." The fair-haired Jedi held out the metallic cylinder, which Mara reached for reluctantly.

"I don't deserve this, Skywalker."

"Yes you do. And- just please. I want you to take it. It feels right."

"Another Force vision?" Mara asked dryly.

"Mara, I really do think that you should put some more thought into letting me train you as a Jedi Knight. You don't have to do it full time or whatever... it's just that... well, there're so few of us, and Leia already has her hands full with the government. Her kids won't be ready to start learning for years yet, and I need help with everything-"

Luke's companion cut him off, "Skywalker, I told you I'd think about it. It's just that I think you need to understand that I'm not all overjoyed at the prospect of joining up with any group at the moment, okay? I've been used in the past and I'm not going to let that happen again. You hear, Skywalker? I control my own destiny now!"

He was a bit taken aback by her sudden rancor. "Of course you do. I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with. It's just a suggestion."

She, surprisingly enough, looked a bit ashamed. "Right. Just reflexive, I guess-- getting all riled and everything."

"I understand."

They stood in companionable silence for a few moments, looking out over the cityscape. Tentatively, Luke patted his companion's arm. "Mara? I'm going to go on in now." He turned and began walking towards the stairs.

"Wait," Mara yelled, "I'm coming with you."

But they didn't make it as far as the door.

Please read and review. Constructive criticism especially appreciated.