Thanks to all you who reviewed the last chapter. To those concerned about Han, he was just in a bad mood because of his failed proposal attempt, and Mara was a handy target to take his frustrations out on. Read on … He's softening up already.
This is the chapter that showcases my complete lack of talent in writing action sequences. Treat Luke's scene like pulling off a band-aid. Go fast, and it won't hurt so much.
Kudos to any trivia buff out there who can spot the Ward Cleaver (Leave It To Beaver) quote. Or the Qui-Gon Jinn quote.
A Journey of Discovery ― Book Three: Prism
Chapter Twelve
Han tried to hurry Leia along the alleyway, but Leia purposely slowed her pace so Mara could keep up. As it was, Mara was doing pretty well, her stony expression doing nothing to betray any pain from her swelling ankle.
As the trio ducked through an archway in the rock wall surrounding the palace compound, they immediately saw the familiar shape of the Millennium Falcon, just setting down with its repulsers. Leia could spot Chewie's shaggy arm pointing at them through the cockpit's viewport, and moments later, Lando was hurrying down the lowering ramp.
"Han, Leia!" Lando called. "It's a good thing the fighting's moved north of us. I don't know if anyone would have heeded our 'friendly' broadcast." His eyes widened as he caught sight of Leia's sling. "What in blazes happened to all of you?"
"A slight delay," Han said, a sarcastic tone coloring his voice. "They couldn't stay out of trouble," he added, glancing back at Mara, who was limping forward to join the others.
"Mara!" Lando practically tripped over his own feet in his rush to reach the redhead's side. "Let me help you."
"Oh, this should be good," Han whispered to Leia, and privately, Leia agreed. Mara had always shunned all of Lando's overtures, and now ...
"If you so much as lay a hand on me, Calrissian, I swear ..." Mara said with a growl, her emerald eyes blazing in warning as she stood favoring her injured ankle.
"But, my dear," Lando soothed, undaunted, "I merely want to help you into the ship. It would be ungentlemanly of me not to assist a lady in need."
For one horrifying moment, Leia thought Lando was actually going to attempt to pick up Mara.
"I am not in need of your assistance," Mara grated out, taking a deliberate step back.
"Let's all get into the ship," Leia interjected. Everyone except Mara started heading toward the ship's ramp.
"I should go help Luke," Mara said, hesitating. "He may need me."
"Mara, you need to have your ankle looked at first," Leia said. "You won't be much help to him hobbling along like you have been."
Mara bit her lower lip and let her eyes flutter shut briefly. Leia decided Mara must be contacting Luke, and she tamped down the pang of jealousy that she wasn't able to converse with her own twin that easily. Whatever Luke answered, he must have assuaged Mara's anxiety, and indirectly Leia's, as Mara relaxed and started for the ship without saying a word.
Leia was barely through the hatch when a metallic clanking echoed down the corridor.
"Mistress Leia! Mistress Leia!" See-Threepio waved his arms in agitation. "How good to see you fully func—" The mechanized voice stopped as the droid finally focused on Leia's injury. "Oh, my! You're not fully functional."
"Not quite, Threepio," Leia answered, grateful when Han took hold of her elbow and pushed them past the prissy droid. She paused, however, and glanced back when Threepio then turned his attention on the next person entering the ship.
"Mistress Mara!" Threepio hesitated, as if considering his words. "Or am I to now address you as Mistress Arica? I have not been informed which is your true name."
Mara's eyes narrowed dangerously. "So, you're the squealer," she said in a deadly voice. Her hand hovered just above the lightsaber hanging from her belt.
If it were possible, Leia thought Threepio's optical sensors widened marginally as he stepped back as quickly as his servomotors allowed.
"Oh, dear!" Threepio wailed. "Please don't dismantle me."
Leia hurried back to intercede before she found herself without a protocol droid. "Lando and I finally remembered you at Jabba's ourselves," she said, lightly touching Mara's arm. "Threepio merely confirmed it."
Mara dropped her arm away from Leia's contact. Giving one last hard look at the nervous droid, she stalked on into the ship.
"Threepio, why don't you stay in the cockpit with Chewie?" Leia suggested soothingly. "Help him monitor the battle." And don't do anything to antagonize Chewie next, she thought to herself.
"Of course, Mistress Leia," Threepio said in obvious relief. As he shuffled off, Leia wondered ― not for the first time ― how a mechanical voice box that logically should always be the same tone could convey such a variety of emotions.
Once everyone was inside the Falcon's lounge, Han dug out the appropriate medical supplies. Handing half to Lando, he immediately began waving a portable scanner over Leia's wrist. Leia breathed a sigh of relief when the diagnostic screen showed only a hairline fracture. The injury was minor enough that Han could easily splint it, thus avoiding the inevitable argument that she needed to rush to the nearest medical facility. Leia knew there were too many others who would be overwhelming the local medics. She didn't need to add to their workload.
Mara had started to reach for the medpac in Lando's grasp, but he pulled his arm back with a devilish grin.
"Tsk, tsk, m'dear." Lando swept his free hand out to indicate a cushioned seat just behind Mara. "It's been said I have a magic touch when it comes to rendering first aid."
With a noticeable grunt, Mara sank heavily onto the chair and extended her injured foot. Lando delicately removed Mara's boot, then made the mistake of running one hand up her calf as he examined her ankle. He glanced up to find a wicked-looking blaster pointing at his face, and beyond that were a pair of eyes narrowed to hard green slits.
"You think she even lets Luke touch her?" Han asked Leia quietly as they watched the scene unfolding from the acceleration couch across the room.
"They were certainly touching when we barged into her room this evening," Leia pointed out. Somehow, that incident seemed like it was days ago instead of mere hours.
"Yeah, but wasn't she threatening him about it, too?" Han replied, tenderly holding Leia's wrist. "I knew Luke couldn't keep that reckless streak suppressed forever."
Leia relaxed when Lando mumbled an apology and got down to the business of wrapping a compression splint around Mara's ankle.
"I can't believe those two are compatible enough to make a life-long commitment," Han continued in a whisper.
"They say opposites attract," Leia said with a knowing wink.
"Is that so?" Han favored Leia with the roguish grin that she loved so much. "Have any personal experience with that adage?"
Leia ran a finger down Han's arm. "I have proof positive." She leaned forward, brushing her lips against his. Han pulled her close, being careful of her now-splinted wrist. Their kiss deepened, and the galaxy spun lazily and unconcerned around them until the deep sound of a throat clearing sounded nearby.
"Mara left," Lando said, his dark features looking both miserable and confused. "I tried to talk her out of it—"
"She let you talk?" Han interrupted with feigned amazement.
Lando scowled at Han's jibe, then continued. "She kept insisting she had to be with Luke." He shook his head. "I don't get it. I thought there was nothing between Mara and Luke. I know Jedi have this insatiable need to help people ― I even offered to accompany her ― but it was almost as if she were having withdrawal pains, being separated from him."
"What can I say, ol' buddy?" Han glanced slyly at Leia, then turned back to Lando with a shrug. "Women – you can always count on them to be consistently unpredictable."
Leia gave Han a predictable poke in the ribs, then looked up when Chewbacca appeared in the doorway, waving his shaggy arms and woofing quizzically.
/Are we just going to sit here? There's a war going on all around us, if you haven't noticed./
"Yeah, fire her up, pal," Han said. "Let's see what we can shoot down."
"No, wait, Han," Leia spoke up. "I'm not sure we should get involved, at least in the battle."
Leia's words were met with disbelief from the three males in the room.
"Listen," she continued. "We're here in a diplomatic capacity. We shouldn't just jump in and start blasting ships. We don't even know all the details behind this conflict."
"I thought we were here to save Luke from Jade," Han countered.
"Well, it turned out that he didn't need saving, for once." Leia stood and one-handedly began stuffing bacta bandages into a pouch. "We will gather as many first-aid supplies as we can carry, and do some assisting of our own." She raised an eyebrow at her companions, clearing indicating that the matter was not open to debate. Han and Lando glanced at each other in defeat, and quickly moved to help.
"You, too," Leia said in reply to Chewie's soft wuffing. "We won't have Luke or Mara along to lift heavy objects with their minds."
"Sweetheart," Han said, "something tells me it won't be long before you'll be the one lifting really big rocks."
"Nah," Lando countered with a wink. "She'll just order the rocks to rise up, and they won't even think about disobeying."
Lando ducked.
Han cringed.
And Leia ― even one-handed ― demonstrated that she didn't need the Force to make objects fly.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Luke edged closer to the family lounge, located in the very heart of the royal manor house. He could make out snatches of conversation now, confirming his suspicion that the Regent and his family were being held hostage by Argazdan commandos. Luke had left Roget stationed in a hallway on the other side of the Regent's location. After receiving a summary of the layout of the rooms from the sentinel, Luke had circled around into position.
It wasn't easy to communicate through the Force with a non-Force-sensitive being, but it could be done. After all, Luke only needed to send a single sensation to alert Roget when it was time to move.
And the time was ...
Now! Luke pushed the thought into Roget's mind, and was gratified to feel the guard's knee-jerk reaction. Luke sensed Roget swiftly move forward, calm and deliberate. And just as quickly, Luke ignited his lightsaber and bolted into the lounge, ready for anything.
Three intruders that were standing in the shadowy back of the room swung around, blasters blazing. Luke easily deflected their fire toward the ceiling while warily watching the other three antagonists, who were keeping their weapons trained on the royal family. As everyone's attention was riveted on Luke's actions, Roget stepped through the opposite doorway and swept his blaster across Luke's opponents, stunning all three. He quickly ducked back behind the door as the other assailants sent a spray of blaster fire his way.
One of the Argazdans began shouting orders to his two remaining companions. His words were being drowned out, however, by the squeals of joy from the Regent's daughters.
"Quiet!" the leader yelled at the girls, his dark angry expression mocked by the shining light of the room's two glow rods. He frantically tried to regain control of the deteriorating situation. His two subordinates were clearly torn between keeping watch over their prisoners and facing the fair-skinned young man who stood silently holding a blazing sword of light.
"Put down your weapons," Luke said evenly. "No one need be hurt." Especially with those young girls in the room.
The leader, a tall broad-shouldered man dressed in battle fatigues, flicked a glance at the three commandos lying unconscious at the rear of the room. "You're still outnumbered three to one," he said with a growl, waving his blast rifle threateningly.
"Three to two." Roget stepped back into the room, his brown eyes flashing defiantly. "Of course, a Jedi Knight more than evens the odds."
Luke stood his ground. "What purpose does it serve you to hold this family hostage?" he asked quietly, though he already suspected the answer.
"He wants me to surrender Lorrd," the Regent said, "and is using my family as leverage." The ruler glared at his family's oppressor. "Whatever the outcome in this room, know that Lorrd shall be victorious, for we have a Jedi to lead us."
Luke cringed inwardly, knowing he was going to have to deal with the Lorrdians' underhanded plans for him.
Regent Ke'lor moved forward, gently shrugging off his wife's clinging hold. "I demand you surrender immediately," he ordered.
"Or what?" The Argazdan leader sneered at the Regent, then narrowed his eyes in Luke's direction. "You think this boy's gonna save you?" he spat. "He might be fast with that light sword, but he can't move faster than I can squeeze this trigger." The leader reached out and yanked Jahnna by her ebony hair, holding the barrel of his blaster rifle to her head.
"No!" Madam Ke'lor screamed, horror marring her elegant features. "Please don't hurt her!" She reached out with both hands, clawing at air, pleading for mercy from a man who knew none.
"You coward," the Regent said. "Let my wife and daughters go. It's me you want."
The leader only laughed ― a deep, mocking, guttural laugh.
Luke looked into the frightened eyes of Jahnna and sent a tide of calm her way. She blinked, then seemed to steel herself with resolve. Feeling momentarily relieved that the girl wouldn't jerk away and cause her assailant to fire, Luke subtly took in every aspect of the situation. He carefully watched the leader's trigger finger for the slightest hint of movement and monitored his emotions for any foresight of his intent. The two subordinates continued to point their weapons at Luke and Roget. It was a stand-off, with Jahnna's life caught in the middle. Think, Luke! He had to trust in the Force to guide him. If he could somehow draw the fire of the two Argazdans closest to him, then maybe—
Suddenly a loud noise echoed through the room, and voices could be heard from somewhere inside the building. It wasn't the distraction Luke had been planning, but it would do. He waved his lightsaber though the air, and immediately both his adversaries began firing at him. In the blink of an eye, Luke deflected one of the bolts into the arm of the leader, causing him to loose his hold on Jahnna and drop his weapon.
Luke then sliced off the barrel of the rifle being held by the Argazdan closet to him. At the same instant, Roget stunned the other man. Taking a deep breath, Luke looked over to see the Regent scoop up the leader's rifle while Madame Ke'lor pulled her daughter into her arms. Luke extinguished his humming blade and let a sigh of relief escape. It was over.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Mara hurried across the palace compound as fast as her still-tender ankle would allow. Han had told her that Luke was heading into the royal office complex when the two men parted. But as Mara neared the office annex, she could feel that he was no longer inside. Ignoring the rescue efforts going on all around her, Mara stood perfectly still and reached out with the Force. Luke was near enough that she had no trouble picking out his warm and gentle presence, yet far enough away that, as was the case every day since she'd met him, she felt incomplete without him by her side.
She was getting soft ― all because she fell in love with a brave, naïve, idealistic farmboy-turned-Jedi. And it was worth it. The Emperor had been her whole world until a few short months ago, and then she was thrown into a tiny cell on what she considered a routine assignment, and that world turned upside down. Mara didn't regret for one moment her decision to defy everything she'd been taught, everything that had been implanted in her mind as the truth. For now she knew the real truth about the Empire. There was no longer any conflict in her beliefs.
But the vanquishers of the Empire had yet to discover the truth about her. Only Luke and his little band of friends knew of her past deeds. Mara knew that Luke would defend her to the death, but he also was a stickler for revealing the truth. She had been mildly surprised when he supported her cover-up of being a mere court dancer. Perhaps love did make people do strange things, Mara thought as she zeroed in on Luke's presence in the imposing building ahead.
"Mistress Mara!"
Mara turned at the sound of her name, groaning as Second Aide Vazan-Jayce waved his hand to catch her attention. Breathless, he ran up beside her.
"Mistress Mara, I am so glad you are safe." Jayce raked his gaze up and down her, and Mara shuddered in exasperation. "But you are injured!" he cried, seeing the splint wrapped around her ankle.
"It's nothing," Mara said brusquely, resuming her trek toward Luke. Stang, of all the people to run into. First it was Calrissian fawning over her, and now this fop.
Jayce surveyed the surrounding area as he quickened his steps to keep up with her. "Is Jedi Skywalker already with the air patrol?" he asked.
"Why would he be?" Mara asked, eyes narrowed. She and Luke had figured out the Lorrdians' scheme, but she wanted to hear Jayce's explanation.
"Uh ... well ..." Jayce stammered. "I just assumed he would be called upon to lead the battle."
"I see." Mara stopped in front of a large ornate building. Palace guards and rescue personnel swarmed around the heavily bombarded structure. Mara could feel Luke inside. His normally calm presence felt tense, almost as if he were unsure of himself. He needed her! She knew it even without communicating with him. Kicking aside a chunk of duracrete, Mara started to mount the wide steps when a line of uniformed guards barred her way. "What the—"
"I'm sorry, ma'am," one of the guards intoned. "No one is allowed inside."
Jayce tugged on Mara's arm. "Perhaps I can escort you to your ship," he ventured in a hesitating voice.
Mara ignored the aide's attempt to steer her toward participating in the battle. "What is this building?" she asked, glaring back at him from halfway up the steps.
"This is the home of His Excellency," Jayce replied, taking a step back as Mara loomed over him.
"I must get inside," Mara said emphatically. "Do you know another way in?"
Jayce's eyes widened with anxiety. "I ... I don't think ..."
The rest of Jayce's stuttered reply faded as Mara felt a rush of adrenaline coming from Luke. Something was happening ... A confrontation ... Mara's attention was suddenly caught by a flurry of movement among the ever-vigilant guards. One of them was listening to a comlink, then half the contingent rushed through the wide front doors. Mara followed without hesitation, even though Luke's relief was palpable through the Force link. Two of the rear guards started to protest, then quickly gave her a wide berth as she ignited her lightsaber. No one was going to stop her from reclaiming her spot at her husband's side.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
It hadn't taken long for the back-up which Roget had called to sweep into the room, herding ― and dragging ― the would-be kidnappers to their place of confinement. Madame Ke'lor and her daughters, after assuring the Regent that they would be fine, delivered themselves into the care of several royal servants. Regent Ke'lor stared at Luke a moment, then gave a nod of dismissal to Roget and the remaining sentinels.
"Jedi Skywalker, I am in your debt," the ruler said sincerely once they were alone.
Clipping his lightsaber to his belt, Luke bowed briefly in acknowledgement and appreciation. "I am glad to be of service, Excellency." His head turned toward the open doorway as Mara noiselessly slipped into the room. Luke had felt her approach, of course, and sent her a comforting reassurance that everything was under control. Mara returned a mischievous sensation of feigned incredulity that he was able to handle anything on his own, but she graciously played the part of subservient apprentice and glided into a watchful stance by the wall.
"I was afraid Meend would stumble into this mess," Regent Ke'lor continued. "He was supposed to follow me here."
"I'm sorry, Excellency," Luke said quietly. "Meend didn't survive."
"I ... see," Ke'lor replied slowly, grief showing in his downcast expression.
There was a momentary silence as the room's occupants regarded each other, broken when Luke steeled himself and dared to speak his mind to the sovereign. "You lured me to Lorrd to lead your battle against the Argazdans."
The Regent smoothed his neatly-trimmed beard with one hand. "I suspected you were bright enough to figure that out on your own," he said with a seemingly forced smile. "Your insight is to be commended. It is true, we need your skills in this war. Just as your New Republic needs our norumite crystals."
The underlying meaning of the Regent's last statement was not lost on Luke. "You would blackmail a Jedi?"
"I would do what I must for the good of my people," Regent Ke'lor replied. "You are a Jedi Knight ― it is your duty to protect the oppressed."
"I am sworn to defend the oppressed," Luke said evenly, "but I cannot fight your war for you. The Jedi are not mercenaries."
"Lorrd was liberated from the Argazdans in the past only through the intervention of the Jedi. Would you stand by and let the Lorrdian people be enslaved once more?" the Regent pressed on. "Would your conscience allow it, Jedi Skywalker?"
"There are alternatives to fighting," Luke said, remembering those very words spoken by his first mentor.
"Yet your New Republic only recently ended a decades-old war against the Empire," the Regent pointed out. "A war in which you were an active participant."
"Under the tyranny of the Emperor, all attempts for a peaceful resolution were crushed." Luke squared his shoulders and unwaveringly met the Regent's gaze. "That doesn't have to be the case here. Call for a truce, Excellency. Propose to the Argazdans that you reconcile your differences over the negotiating table instead of the battlefield."
"And if these negotiations fail? Would your New Republic then rush a fleet here to defend us from our enemies? Will they pour funds into our coffers to cover our military expenditures?"
"You know I can't promise that," Luke said, careful to keep his expression shuttered, even though it was taking more willpower than it should to maintain a semblance of patience. He had learned from Lando that the Lorrdians had inflicted a similar strafing run on a large Argazdan settlement a month earlier. Intermittent skirmishes had been going on for centuries ― aftershocks of a feud that had started thousands of years ago, when the Argazdans had subjugated the Lorrdians into slavery. Both sides had contributed equally to the latest round of engagements, finally culminating in the current all-out war. "Do you really want to continue all this bloodshed?" Luke continued. "Do you believe Argazda wants to? If there is any chance for peace, isn't it worth the effort to pursue that chance?"
The Regent pursed his lips and let his eyelids fall shut briefly in thought. "Who would mediate these negotiations?" he finally said. "You?"
"I would be willing to assist in any way possible. But ..." Luke hesitated, considering, then plunged ahead. "There is a representative of the New Republic on-planet at this very moment who is much more skilled and experienced in the art of arbitration."
The Regent's gaze flickered briefly to Mara, his expression clearly one of confusion.
Luke shot Mara a silent apology at the Regent's obvious disbelief. Mara no doubt would be more skilled in the negotiating arena than he would. Heck, Han and Lando would probably be better at it.
"I am speaking of Leia Organa," Luke said.
"Princess Leia is here on Lorrd?" Regent Ke'lor questioned. "I am certain the trade arrangement stipulated that no one but you and your padawan were to come."
"Leia is here due to a personal matter," Luke returned. "I was not aware of her arrival myself until yesterday."
"I see. And you believe she would agree to oversee peace negotiations between my planet and Argazda?"
"I cannot speak for her in certainty, of course," Luke said. "But I think she would be willing." He raised an eyebrow in challenge. "For a promise of certain mineral options."
Regent Ke'lor smiled slowly, stepping forward and holding out his hand for Luke to shake. "Very good, Sir Knight. Are you sure the Princess is the only capable negotiator onplanet?" he quipped.
See, no cliffhanger this time!