Thanks, everyone, for your continued reviews! Sorry that this comes later today than I planned. One thing you need in order to post is electricity! Now I ask your patience while I do a few individual replies:
GreatOne: Plot bunnies are starting to nibble at my ankles. Motivation to actually write something is still elusive. :D
Jedi-Princess: Thanks. No, I'm far enough inland that all we get is the residual rain from the hurricanes. (And downed power lines, apparently.)
Amy: except for Lando and Chewie, of course, whose only roles are raiding for snacks and barking, respectively). ― ― It's hard to have big parts for everyone. And poor Chewie, he's difficult to write. Why do you think they offed him in the books?
I think there's a phrase along the lines of "so-and-so's attempt at humor got the desired effect." I believe it was repeated more than once, and is a little distracting. ―― I do have a terrible habit of repeating phrases. For example, I realize now that Mara does entirely too much 'smirking.' I blame it partly on writing some of these sections so far apart that I forget that I used the same wording in a previous scene, and partly on my lack of imagination. You should have seen it before I caught some of these repetitions myself and deleted them. And even the pros get accused of this. People complain about Zahn's frequent 'she coolly arched an eyebrow' and 'she drew herself up to her full height.'
The Lorrdians' names are a mouthful… ―― That's a canon thing. I kept the same pattern for their names that appeared in Han Solo's Revenge.
And certain cliffhangers are good ("They were under attack"), but be careful with using too many, since it's starting to seem like a gimmick. ―― You do realize that this story has been finished for over a year, and is already posted at several sites. It even managed to win Best Series at tf.n last year, flaws notwithstanding. So unfortunately it's too late to do any major rewrites.
Zembuhl doesn't use credits, right? ― Ah, good catch. Now that I'll try to correct, at least on sites that I have some control over.
Speaking of Book II, I wonder if Zembuhl has anything to do with the plot of I. ―― Of One? No. Nor of Three.
And where does the "Prism" of the title come in? ―― That you'll find out toward the end. Just don't expect it to be anything too profound.
All right, get back to work! ―― Like I said, too late! Everyone should be glad this is already finished, because I'm a really slow writer.
Jonny#5: Welcome! Don't worry, you'll never see anything too serious or convoluted in my stories. And Lando will be shocked soon enough, though I can't vouch for any bodily functions.
A Journey of Discovery ― Book Three: Prism
Chapter Eleven
Luke quickly but carefully entered the foyer of the royal offices. Military rescue personnel, alongside liveried guards, had already been sweeping the area for anyone injured or trapped. Their powerful search lights had enabled Luke to switch off his lightsaber some time earlier, and he and Han had blended in with the chaos.
But now, as Luke's eyes adjusted to the shadowy darkness of the outer waiting room, he once more ignited his weapon.
"Sir?"
Luke turned to face a brightly garbed palace guard. He remembered passing this particular worker in the street just a few moments ago.
"We've already searched in here, sir," the guard said. "The private offices of the Regent are blocked by debris, but we were told no one was here at the time of the initial strike, and there was no answer to our hails."
Luke nodded in acknowledgement, but reached out with the Force nevertheless. He thought he felt a weak presence nearby, but with so many injured and dying in the immediate vicinity, it was hard to pinpoint an exact location.
"Thank you," Luke said. "But I think I'll take one more look around."
"Of course, Jedi Skywalker," the man returned, bowing slightly.
At the mention of his name, Luke took a closer look at the man's weary face, and recognized him as also being one of Regent Ke'lor's personal guards. "Ah, yes. Sentinel ..." Luke scoured his memory. "Vidin-and- ..."
"Sentinel Vidin-and-Cip Abera-Roget." The young man, barely older than Luke, snapped his heels together in a salute, but the light in his dark eyes reflected his pride at being remembered by the noble Jedi Knight. "I am at your service, sir."
Luke glanced at the damaged entrance to the interior of the building, considering. Perhaps having someone familiar with this wing wouldn't be such a bad idea. "Very well, come with me."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
For the next several moments, Leia Organa forgot that she was trapped in a hole with an aerial bombardment going on outside, forgot that her wrist was aching, forgot that she was hot, sweaty, and exhausted. She simply stared, dumbfounded, at the woman sitting a couple meters away.
"Hmm ... Well, I guess our rest break is over." Mara started looking around the room. "That crate over there—"
"Hold it just one second, sister," Leia barked. She paused as her inadvertent choice of words hit her. Sister ... Sister-in-law ... "I think an explanation is in order."
Mara gazed at Leia, their tightly controlled expressions mirroring each other's. "What's there to explain? We wanted to get married, so we did."
"That's ... that's like saying you wanted to go eat at a restaurant, so you did." Leia was utterly flabbergasted. Luke wouldn't do something this drastic without telling her. Would he? On the other hand, she didn't think Mara would lie about being married to him, either. "Luke wouldn't do that to me," Leia said quietly, though deep inside she somehow knew that it was the truth.
"Luke never meant to hurt you," Mara said, her tone also softening.
"I didn't think he would go behind my back, not for something as momentous as his wedding." Leia accorded Mara her best regal glare. "You couldn't wait until you got back to Coruscant? Or didn't Luke want me there?" Leia knew she should be saving these accusations for her brother. But her brother wasn't there ― his wife was.
Mara sighed resignedly. "Of course Luke wanted you to be present, and we were planning on waiting. But while we were in Zembuhl, a ... situation ... came up, and we decided we should go ahead—"
A situation? "You're expecting, aren't you?" Leia broke in. It was the only logical reason Leia could think of for the hasty marriage. Though in order for Luke and Mara to already know about a baby on the way, they must have been involved before leaving on the mission ...
"Expecting what?" Mara's expression quickly turned from confused to indignant. "Blazing stars, no! You think we got married because Luke got me pregnant?" For some reason Leia couldn't fathom, Mara started laughing.
"What's so funny? It's not an impossibility."
"For us it would have been," Mara said, smirking.
"Mara, no prevention med is one-hundred-percent foolproof."
"Abstinence is." Mara rose to her feet and limped over toward a stack of usable crates. "Not that it's any of your business, Princess."
Would this day of surprises ever end? All right, Leia could accept the idea of Luke wanting to be married first, and for some strange reason, she could even believe it of Mara. "But you couldn't wait a few more weeks? What was this 'situation' that was so dire that you had to get married right away?"
Mara pressed her lips into a straight line, and Leia could swear the woman looked embarrassed. "It's a long story."
"Everything with you two these days seems to be a long story."
"Don't you want to wait and hear that part from Luke? I'm sure he'd be eager to tell you." Mara smiled to herself with a sort of self-satisfied look of smugness.
"Yes, I believe I would enjoy squeezing some of these answers out of Luke." Leia began helping Mara push the next box closer to their makeshift stairs. She was still concerned about Mara's past ties to the Emperor, but she really didn't think Mara was a threat to the New Republic. As much as Leia hated to admit it, even to herself, she was almost beginning to like the former Imperial. Perhaps Mara had been a victim of circumstances. What had Luke said yesterday? 'It could just as easily have been you or me.'
Leia glanced sideways as Mara finished levitating the heavy crate to the top of the stack. "By the way, Mara, welcome to the family."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"You think there is still someone trapped inside?" Roget asked Luke as they cleared the wreckage from the receiving office's doorway.
"Yes, I do," Luke answered. In fact, the sensation was getting stronger by the minute. He could feel the coldness of death hovering at the edge of his perception.
Roget stepped back as Luke cut through the collapsed doorjamb, then, careful of the glowing blade, pushed the timber out of the way. "Should I go get a medkit, sir?"
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt." Luke turned to his eager helper. "But please, call me Luke." And don't call me 'Sir Luke,' he added to himself, sighing inwardly.
"As you wish," Roget replied formally before stepping back toward the building's entrance. "I shall return as soon as possible."
Wasting no time, Luke continued moving debris aside as he searched further into the inner offices. The life signature he'd been sensing was growing weaker, and Luke had the sinking feeling that it wasn't because the person was moving farther away. With one final Force shove, Luke created a passageway just large enough to squeeze through. He found himself in the Regent's private office, and Luke silently hoped it wouldn't be the Regent that he would find inside.
What he found made him instantly ashamed of his thoughts.
Prime Aide Meend lay near a rear exit of the office, impaled through the abdomen by a ruptured ceiling beam. Meend's breath was shallow; his eyes hollow and filled with pain. The beam had sealed the wound, not allowing any blood to escape. But Luke knew that the moment the timber was removed, Meend would die instantly.
"Sir ... Sky ..." Meend rasped, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Shhh," Luke hushed, kneeling beside the dying man. "Don't speak. We'll get help for you."
Meend tried to shake his head, but even that much effort was too draining. "Please ... I must ..."
"Meend ..." Luke soothed, laying his hand on the older man's forehead and doing his best to send comforting waves of the Force into him.
"The ... Regent ..." Meend coughed up spittle mixed with blood. "With ... his ... family ... You ... must ... help ... "
"I will, Meend." Luke could feel the relief pass through the aide's tortured expression. "He's with his family, in their suite?"
Meend's mouthed the word 'Yes,' his strength nearly gone.
"I'll help them, I promise," Luke said solemnly. He searched his mind frantically for anything he could do to help the genial aide, but logically he knew there was nothing anyone could do. "Just hold on, Meend," he said, trying to put as much hope into his voice as he could. "Help is coming."
Meend turned unfocused eyes in the direction of Luke's voice and summoned one last ounce of willpower. "It was ... an honor ... to ... meet you, ... Sir ... Knight," he choked out, and then his life force flickered out completely.
"Just Luke," Luke whispered to himself, tears trailing down his dirt-streaked cheeks.
Luke was closing Meend's eyes when Roget burst into the room.
"I'm too late," Roget lamented, taking in the scene before him.
Luke looked up, noting four more rescue workers standing silently behind the royal sentinel.
"You said there was someone trapped in here," Roget explained softly. "The word of a Jedi Knight is not to be taken lightly."
Luke nodded. "Before ... before he died, Meend was concerned for the safety of the Regent and his family." He looked at Roget questioningly.
"The royal residence was hit hard," Roget informed him. "There is a large contingent of workers there, clearing the rubble as fast as they can. I haven't heard if they've found the Regent yet. I had been on my way there when I saw you enter here."
"Then that is where I need to head," Luke said firmly, standing aside as two of the rescuers began tending to Meend's body. He began moving toward the front of the building when Roget put out a hand to stop him.
"Begging your pardon, sir. I mean, Luke." Roget bowed apologetically, then gestured toward the door behind where Meend lay. "But that door leads to a private corridor to the royal residence. It would be quicker to go that way, if it is still structurally sound."
Luke nodded his acquiescence. Roget reverently stepped behind the prime aide's body and keyed in the door code, then gestured for two of the soldiers to precede them into the dark corridor. Luke took one last look at Meend before following Roget.
"Do you feel that the Regent is in danger, Jedi Skywalker?" Roget asked as the quartet made their way along the secluded passageway.
"I'm not sure," Luke replied honestly. He had sought to get a reading on the Regent through the Force, but the ruler's particular signature eluded him. Was it because Luke didn't have a familiar enough connection with the Regent? Or was it due to his continuing need for more training? But who could train him? And who was he to be training another?
Roget seemed to accept Luke's uncertainty without judging him. He raised a comlink to his lips. "This is First Sentinel Abera-Roget. Has any word been received yet on His Excellency?"
"Not yet," came the reply. "We have teams searching room by room, but we have yet to locate His Excellency or his family."
"Very well. Jedi Skywalker and I are en route there now."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Han hurried through the wreckage-strewn streets as quickly as he could. He was making much better time, he reflected with only a hint of compunction, without Luke tagging along, wanting to stop every few meters to check on any and all beings they passed. There were plenty of rescue workers milling about now; let them handle the first aid duties. Han wasn't even supposed to be on this planet. He had someone very special to concentrate his efforts on ― someone who wasn't supposed to be onplanet either.
Making his way down the alley that he and Leia had discovered was a shortcut to the Falcon, Han stopped at the long duracrete dormitory looming ahead of him. The building had been pounded heavily by the enemy assault, and Han's gut twisted in fear that Leia could have been caught in the fallout.
"Leia!" Han called loudly as he entered, cautiously stepping around the scattered rubble and broken glass. "Leia, are you in here?" His voice echoed eerily in the gloomy emptiness, but he dismissed the notion that Luke was wrong about where the women were. As unhinged as Luke could act at times, he was rarely wrong when it came to sensing things through the Force. And apparently he could communicate telepathically well enough with Jade to learn their exact location. Now, if the gals just had the decency to stay put inside, so Han could heroically rescue them, he'd be all set.
The gals ... His Leia ... and Mara Jade. Mara Jade Skywalker, he guessed it was now. He wasn't fool enough to assume that adding a new tag at the end of her name was going to change her cold-as-durasteel personality. What in the galaxy did Luke see in her, anyway? Sure, she was a looker, up until she blackened your eye for daring to look. Though Luke seemed to be all in one piece and relatively unblemished. Perhaps, Han thought, he should be wondering what Mara Jade saw in Luke. An ex-Imperial, ex-assassin had to go bonkers listening to all that Jedi drivel he constantly rambled on about.
Those two deserved each other.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Leia took two giant steps up the assemblage of boxes, crates, and cartons, then turned to offer Mara a hand up.
"I can manage on my own," Mara said, determinedly crawling up the first crate, dragging her swollen foot behind her.
Shaking her head at Mara's sheer obstinacy, Leia pulled herself up to the next level. The cartons they'd used on the upper levels were increasingly taller, making the climb more difficult. With one hand still immobilized, Leia was actually beginning to have a harder time than Mara.
"Wait." With a barely suppressed grunt, Mara drew up alongside Leia, no easy feat on the narrow step. "I think I should be the one to pull you up."
Leia started to protest, just on principle, then realized this wasn't a competition on who could be the more stubborn. "Perhaps you're right," she conceded, scooting over as close to the edge of the crate as she could and allowing Mara to continue upward.
Once she braced herself on the next higher box, Mara reached down and grasped Leia's hand securely. Leia suppressed a wince at Mara's strong grip. Despite her slim figure, Mara had as much strength as many men Leia had known. She certainly wasn't an epitome of femininity. And yet ...
"The dress!" Leia said, a glowlamp going off in her head. "The white dress ― it was your wedding dress, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Mara stated flatly, displaying little interest in the matter.
"I apologize for insisting that I try it on," Leia said. "It never occurred to me that, well ..."
"It's all right. You had no way of knowing." A wry smile tugged at the corner of Mara's mouth. "Though Luke may need a few sessions of psychotherapy."
"I did manage to rattle that Jedi calm of his, didn't I?" Leia frowned slightly. "But it still seemed to me that Luke's reaction was a bit excessive."
"You're forgetting that you were once his dream girl," Mara said dryly. "Some of those dreams no doubt involved you in just such a gown."
Leia blanched. She'd nearly forgotten the starry-eyed crush Luke had once had on her. "Did he say that?"
Mara shook her head. "No, and I spared him the embarrassment of bringing it up."
"Thanks," Leia said. This was yet another piece of the puzzle to fall into place to explain Luke and Mara's strange behavior. Could there possibly be more secrets for her to discover?
Mara was just pulling Leia onto the edge of the floor of the room above them when Leia heard her name being called.
"It's Han," Leia said, a feeling of warmth and security flooding into her. "Han!" she called out, directing her voice to the open hole overhead. "Han! Luke! We're down here!"
"Luke's not with him," Mara noted quietly. Looking back down at the storage cellar, she carefully levitated her still-lit lightsaber into her outstretched hand.
Leia extended a tendril of the Force, and as far as she could tell, Mara was right. Only Han's familiar presence was close enough to detect. Even though Mara's tone of voice was very matter-of-fact, Leia thought she caught a pang of disappointment and concern wafting from her. Leia was considering whether or not she should return a comment when Han's face appeared, peering down at them.
"Leia!" Han's eyes widened as he took in her immobilized arm. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'll be fine," Leia assured him, blinking in the harsh light of Han's glow rod.
"I'll go get a rope or ladder," he called, starting to back away.
"No, wait," Mara spoke up. She pointed toward one of the side walls. "It looks like there's a door over there. Let us check if it leads to a stairway."
Han met the women as they were halfway up a nearby stairwell, which Mara had pronounced as being stable enough to hold their weight.
"What happened?" he asked, putting one arm protectively around Leia's slim shoulders as they retreated to the dining hall. He glanced at the ragged hole in the center of the floor. "Tell me you didn't fall all the way to the bottom." He glared warily at Mara with a look that suggested whatever had occurred, she had to have been the cause.
"We weren't injured badly at all, thanks to Mara," Leia said, deliberately countering Han's distrust. "It just took us awhile to construct a way out."
"Humph." Han navigated Leia through a fallen archway. "What in blazes were you doing in here, anyway? I expected you to be at the Falcon by now."
"We were checking for injured residents," Leia said. She didn't allow any hint that her answer was in any way an apology.
"Yeah," Han drawled with a scowl. "Luke had us detouring all over the place lookin' for casualties, too."
Leia knew that Han would have done the same if he'd been alone. Blaming his heroics on Luke was just a convenient excuse. "Speaking of Luke ..." Leia raised an eyebrow questioningly. She fleetingly wondered why Mara had not inquired about her ... husband. Did Mara already know, through the Force, why he had not accompanied Han? Had she been 'talking' to him just now? Or did her pride prevent her from coming out and asking Han where Luke was?
"Aw, he went off to explore some building 'cause he felt he needed to," Han said gruffly, before glaring once more at Mara. "Hopefully he has enough sense not to fall through the floor."
Leia reached up and turned Han's face toward her. "That was my fault, not Mara's." She flicked a quick glance over her shoulder toward the other woman, then speared Han with an authoritative stare. "I think you owe Mara an apology."
"I didn't accuse her of anything," Han was quick to reply.
"You were thinking it," Leia returned. "You should be nicer to her. She's ... she's ..." Leia wondered if Luke had informed Han of his and Mara's new status. Han's next words removed any doubt.
"Yeah, I know." Though he was still directing his words at Leia, Han leveled a steady gaze at Mara. "She's part of the family now."
"More a part of the family than you are, Solo," Mara retorted evenly. She looked instantly contrite as she shot an apologetic glance toward Leia. Leia did her best to convey the sensation that she wasn't angry over Mara's less-than-polite slip.
"Ah, blast it. Let's just get out of here," Han said with a growl. As they began making their way to the outside doorway, he seemed to finally notice that Mara was noticeably limping. "What's wrong with your leg?"
"Don't worry, I can keep up," Mara returned, ignoring the actual question.
"Believe me, I wasn't worried," Han said, tightening his arm around Leia and guiding her forward.
"Han!" Leia scolded, pulling up short.
Han mumbled a few choice words which Leia was glad she couldn't understand, then pulled out his comlink. "Lando? You there?"
After just a moment, Lando's deep voice came online. "The question, ol' buddy, is where are you?"
"Listen, I need you to bring the Falcon to ..."
Leia tuned out Han's voice as he gave Lando directions. Han and Mara were acting like spoiled children, she thought to herself.
She and Luke sure knew how to pick 'em.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The secluded passageway opened into the Regent's private study – a stately room now marred by overturned furniture and broken treasures. As Luke and the other men filed into the sanctuary, he noticed that the door sliding shut behind them blended invisibly into the elegant Fijsi wood paneling.
The two rescue workers hesitated by the study's main doorway, looking between Luke and Roget for direction.
"Are the family's living quarters nearby?" Luke asked. Even as he spoke, he let his eyes flutter half-shut, reaching out with the Force and straining for signs of life.
"Yes, Jedi Skywalker," Roget replied, watching Luke carefully. "This entire wing is used only by the royal family."
Luke walked slowly to the doorway, seeing the next room, and yet not seeing it. Fear was the first sensation to reach him, fear radiating from the Regent's daughters ― Jahnna and Coena. Luke congratulated himself on being able to recognize their youthful life signatures after meeting them but once. He just as quickly chastised himself ― pride was a trait to be eschewed by a Jedi.
"This way," Luke murmured, taking off at a hurried pace and not looking behind him to make sure the others were following. As he nimbly stepped over debris and ducked under swaying ornamentation, Luke easily detected the Regent and his wife. Both radiated determination and concern ― whether for their daughters or for their planet, Luke could not determine. Most likely for both.
"Jedi Sky—" Roget began.
Luke held up a hand for silence. He could discern that they were coming close to the family, but he could also make out the presence of a half dozen or so other beings, all projecting a nervous hostility. Luke took note that Roget carried a sidearm; the other two men, essentially recruited from the palace staff for the purpose of search and rescue, did not.
"Werl and Chice," Luke said, remembering their names, "I'd like you to stay here. Don't let anyone follow us, if more workers find their way in here." Luke turned to his other companion. "Roget, contact the palace guard corps and tell them that the Regent and his family are possibly being held against their will." He felt Roget stiffen at his words and unholster his blaster. "Have them surround the building as quietly as they can, and be sure they are alert for more intruders. Above all, instruct them not to start blasting at any movement they see. Have them use their stun settings, even for Argazdans."
If Roget was surprised at Luke's authoritative tone, he didn't show it. "Yes, sir," he answered smoothly, already clicking on his comlink.
As Roget quickly and quietly relayed instructions to his fellow guardsmen, Luke continued to assess their adversaries. Definitely six, he determined. He glanced at Roget's shining glow lamp and made a swift decision. "Do you know your way around these rooms well enough to navigate in the dark?"
"Yes, sir," Roget affirmed, killing his light without question. He signaled for one of the rescue workers to switch off his light, also. The other aimed his beam down and away from the direction that Roget and Luke would be taking.
Even though Luke had never been inside the family quarters before, he took point as he and Roget moved stealthily through the shadowy rooms. Search beams outside in the palace compound sent occasional flashes of illumination through the windows of many of the rooms they entered. Most of the time, though, Luke found his way by using the Force. He was impressed by Roget's ability to follow, only needing to whisper a warning whenever an unforeseen obstacle blocked their path.
Briefly Luke wished that it were Mara at his side, but shook off the thought. Wishful thinking served no purpose other than distraction, and Luke didn't need to be distracted right now. He had been checking on Mara frequently enough that he knew she was safe.
Gripping his lightsaber hilt tightly, Luke felt the impending confrontation filling his senses. Soon voices could be heard ― angry, harsh voices ― along with frightened whimpering. Luke paused, the silent sentinel stopping right behind him. Rushing in without a plan might do more harm than good. Leaning in close to Roget, Luke whispered an outline of his intention.