Chapter 8: Leaving Naboo
Luke sat in the cockpit of the ship he purchased to get them off of Naboo, flipping switches to bring the necessary systems online. He didn't like the idea of using any more of his ill gotten inheritance, but circumstances had forced him into this position. The local garrison was on high alert after finding the dead stormtroopers Mara had dispatched by the lake, so it would be nearly impossible to get out undetected in his X-Wing. Besides, the cockpit of a starfighter wasn't exactly conducive to more than one passenger and Luke wasn't about to leave Mara behind to fend for herself when he knew that the Imperials were looking for her. After dismissing the idea of a charter as too risky under the circumstances, Luke had purchased a used Nubian transport with enough space in the cargo hold to stow his X-Wing. For some reason, the sleek and polished though slightly dented craft felt fitting for their departure from the system.
Giving the flight systems time to properly warm up, Luke started to enter the coordinates of their destination into the navigational computer form preliminary calculations. It wouldn't hurt to be able to punch out of the system in a hurry if something went wrong. Luke turned in his seat to begin the preflight check when he heard the door to the cockpit open behind him. He turned and gave Mara a quick smile as she sat down in the co-pilot's seat. Luke turned back to the console in front of him to double check their fuel when he noticed Mara stiffen in the seat next to him.
"I'm doing it again." Luke turned to look at Mara, her hands frozen over the display in front of her. He looked more closely to discover that she had been running a test of the life support systems from her place. "I just do these things without having any idea where the knowledge came from. Not only can I take out Imperial troops with a single shot and slice into secure computer systems, but I'm apparently flight certified too. How do I know all these things?"
Luke turned in his seat to face Mara and placed a hand on her shoulder. Even if he could make an educated guess as to how she would have learned all the skills she could still call on, he didn't want to worry her with speculations. Luke's suspicions could wait to be heard until he had proof to back up his statements. Until then, he would do what he could to help Mara deal with her situation. "Try not to worry about it for now. Your memory will come back in time. Everything will be fine."
Suddenly uncomfortable, Mara brushed Luke's hand off of her shoulder. With the dreams she was having lately, Mara wasn't so sure that things would work out if she ever did get her memory back. "How can you be sure?"
Luke sat silently for a moment, waiting for Mara to meet his eyes. When it became apparent that she was going to continue to stare forward, Luke rose from his seat and leaned in to make eye contact in spite of her wishes. "I'm not. But I have a good feeling about you and that's enough to allow me to believe that everything will turn out for the best."
Luke gave Mara a lopsided smile, trying to do his best impression of Han. The smuggler always knew how to break the tension. It would do Luke well to take a lesson or two from his best friend. "Trust me."
Mara didn't smile as Luke hoped she would, but he could feel her tension lessen as she raised an eyebrow at his display. Luke smiled at her once more before sitting down to complete the preflight check. At least he had done some good since she was helping him prepare for launch without worrying about where she had gained those skills. Satisfied with the ship's readiness, Luke opened up a line to the planetary flight control. "Control, this is the Emerald Dawn requesting clearance for departure."
As Luke spoke with the controller, Mara sat in the co-pilot's seat watching him out of the corner of her eye. After seeing Luke in her most recent round of dreams, she couldn't help but wonder if accompanying him off-planet was a wise decision. If she was as dangerous as she thought she was, Mara didn't want to be anywhere near Luke if her memory returned. The truth of her past could easily be dangerous to them both. It would be best if they parted ways after they left Naboo.
Mara turned toward Luke to let him know of her decision, but the words would not come to her when he glanced up while responding to the controller. Looking into his blue eyes, Mara's determination to part ways with Luke faded. Needing to deal with her conflicting emotions, Mara abruptly left her seat and exited the cockpit, leaving Luke alone to deal with launching the ship on his own.
After a lengthy discussion with the controller to get through the heightened security, Luke was finally guiding the transport through the atmosphere of Naboo. As soon as he broke through into the blackness of space, Luke angled the ship on a direct path to their jump point. He pulled back on the hyperdrive lever and rose from his seat. In a few hours, they would be on Tatooine, giving Luke a chance to look into something that had been bothering him for the past few days before returning to the fleet.
Luke entered the transport's main cabin to find Mara sitting at a table in the corner of the room, staring blankly at the opposite wall. He made his way over to the table and sat down across from her, but he got little more than a flicker of recognition from the red haired woman. Luke could sense that she was facing some sort of dilemma, but had no idea what it was. All he could do was make sure that Mara knew he was there if she needed him.
The silence finally became unbearable and Mara decided that it was as good a time as any to confront Luke head on about some suspicions she was having. His behavior lately told her that he knew more than he was letting on about why she could do the things she did. She did not being left in the dark, especially when it was her past that was in question. "You know why I can do all those things, don't you?"
Luke folded his hands in front of his face, trying to formulate a response to her direct question. He had his suspicions, but still didn't trust them enough to tell Mara. She was so intent on finding out who she was that she was sure to latch on to any clue he gave her. Luke didn't want to tell her anything that may turn out to be false. He wouldn't let her have her identity ripped away by clinging to a truth that wasn't there. Luke knew all too well how that felt. His suspicions would remain silent for now. "I don't have anything better than wild speculation. I can only guess based on what I've seen, but there's nothing to say that my guess is better than any other. We'll find the truth. Just give it time."
Mara sat silently, not sure whether to press Luke further or let his statements go. Her decision was made for her, however, when an alarm from the cockpit drew Luke away to double check there course. Mara sat alone in the main cabin, looking in the direction of the cockpit door. Luke had told her they would find the truth and she believed him, but doubts still lingered within her. The things she had seen in her dreams were enough to frighten anyone and, yet, Mara believed she had lived through the nightmares. "What if I don't want to know the truth?"