Chapter 7: The Lakeshore

Under the late afternoon sun, Luke walked silently along the lakeshore side by side with Mara. The day before, Luke had ventured into Theed to find out what he could about his mother. Regretfully, the Empire had destroyed most of the royal records when Palpatine had come to power, so Luke had been able to find little more than a distorted holo and a brief account of her term as queen. Someday, he would have to return with Leia and together they could make what little connection they could to the woman who had given them life. For now, Luke knew that, ultimately, his parents had been good people who had loved him and Leia and that knowledge was enough for him.

Luke's trip into Theed had also caused him to cross paths with an old Alliance contact. Apparently, his sister had put out feelers throughout the galaxy in hopes of tracking him down. Luke knew that Leia was probably getting desperate due to her inability to contact him and he could no longer justify his absence. He still had battles to fight before he could settle down and live the life of his choosing. Luke only hoped that Mara would understand his decision. He hoped to convince her to come with him, but feared that she would choose to strike out on her own instead.

Luke ducked under a low branch of one of the trees lining the lakeshore and looked over at Mara who was walking just ahead of him. It was time to talk to her about his decision. Luke had put it off the discussion all day due to his fear of rejection, but he knew that he had to get it over with now before he lost his nerve. He stopped in his tracks and Mara turned around when she didn't hear him following anymore. "Mara, I have to leave soon. The New Republic needs me."

Mara nodded somewhat sadly in response. She had known this day would come ever since Luke had told her of his role in the war. His place was with the fleet, not sitting around on Naboo taking part in a fruitless search for her past. Perhaps, it was better this way. At the beginning, she had wanted to go off on her own and now she would be free to go. What Mara didn't understand, however, was why she felt reluctant to leave Luke.

Luke's next statement caught Mara off guard. "I want you to come with me. We may have better luck finding out where you came from with the fleet's resources."

Mara turned away from Luke to look out over the lake. She hadn't expected him to want her to come along. She had figured Luke would cut ties with her and free himself from the woman who couldn't even remember her own past. Mara had underestimated just how good a man Luke Skywalker was. He wouldn't abandon Mara after promising to help her get her memory back. Luke was nobler than that.

Still, Mara couldn't put down the feeling of apprehension that came to her after Luke's suggestion. Would she fit in with the rest of the fleet? For some reason, Mara just couldn't see herself meshing with the rest of the former Rebels. She couldn't shake the feeling that she just didn't belong there. But where did she belong?

Perhaps, she was better off alone. Her dreams were getting worse every night. They were becoming so clear that Mara found herself accepting them as memories. She was dangerous. She was a killer, executing men without mercy for their crimes. The night before, Mara had even seen Luke in one of her dreams. She had him in the sights of a blaster, but unlike her other flashes, Mara hadn't pronounced sentence. Something had stopped her before she had pulled the trigger. But Mara couldn't help but question whether it was safe for Luke to be around her. What if her memories returned and it turned out he was meant to be her next victim? She would never be able to forgive herself if she hurt the one who had worked so hard to help her. Mara couldn't go on with him.

Mara turned around to face look and break the bad news to him, but stopped short before the words could reach her mouth. She snapped her head to the side, scanning further down the shore. Something was wrong. Luke walked up to Mara's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

Mara's gaze lingered on the shoreline for a moment before she turned to face Luke. She couldn't explain it, but she knew trouble was on its way. Hopefully, he would trust her enough to be ready for whatever was coming their way. "Something's wrong. I think someone's heading this way."

Luke stiffened slightly as he started to pick up a warning in the Force himself. Mara's instinctual danger sense must have been better tuned than his. Pulling his lightsaber from his belt, Luke grabbed Mara's arms with his other hand and started to follow the path back to his apartment. "I think you're right. Come on."

The pair was halfway back to the lake retreat when they surprised a group of four stormtroopers. Luke tried to turn them around, hoping not to be noticed, but one of the soldiers caught sight of them and fired. "There she is. Open fire!"

Luke was surprised to find that he was not the stormtroopers' intended target as he expected. He was used to being the target of every Imperial he ran across. Apparently, he had been right in his assumption that Mara had been on the run when he first came across her. The Empire was definitely after her, but Luke couldn't imagine why. Pushing his thoughts away for a more opportune time, Luke snapped on his lightsaber and started deflecting the shots of the troops which were now advancing on them from their position against the lake.

When the first of the stormtroopers reached them, Luke was surprised to see Mara's leg shoot out and knock the stormtrooper's blaster rifle out of his hand. He was even more shocked to see her grab the weapon out of midair and slam the butt of the rifle against the troop's helmet, knocking him out cold. With one fluid motion, Mara had her finger on the trigger of the blaster and trained the weapon in front of her. After a quick succession of three shots, the other advancing troops fell to the ground, victims of blaster blots to the center of their chests.

Out of immediate danger, Luke flipped off his lightsaber and looked at Mara in shock. She was a crack shot that could rival the best marksmen he had seen. If Luke had any doubts that Mara had received elite combat training in her past, they were wiped away by the display he had just witnessed. There was far more to Mara Jade than could be found on the surface.

Surprised by her own reflexive actions, Mara found herself gaping at the blaster in her hand before dropping the weapon. Once again, she had called on abilities she didn't remember learning and now she had proof of just how dangerous she could be. Mara turned to Luke, waiting for him to question her display, but his questions never came. Instead, he started to jog toward the apartment. "It's time to leave whether you want to or not. Come on."

Mara stood in place, watching Luke jog off. She knew now just how dangerous she could be, but now she also knew that she was in danger as well. For reasons she still could not remember, the Empire was after her. For now, it would be best to stick with the one person she knew she could trust. With one last look at the fallen stormtroopers, Mara turned and took off at a sprint to catch up with Luke.