Oh yeah, forgot to do the disclaimer thing. Okay, here, then: none of these
characters, places or concepts belong to me (I just wish they did). The
belong to the gods who are George Lucas and Timothy Zahn. Any characters
(like the mysterious girl) that you don't recognize probably belong to me.
You may not use them, unless you get my express permission to do so. Thank
you. Carry on.
Luke parried the deadly strike with relative ease, though Mara could see that his muscles strained under the strength of the blow. She followed the girl tensely with her eyes as she carried out a series of attacks in rapid in succession. She was good, very good, Mara admitted to herself, but no where near as good as Luke. She knew the Jedi Master was in no danger, but her eyes never strayed from his attacker. She was ready to help at an instant's notice if he needed her.
Mara studied the girl critically. She reminded her of someone, though she couldn't quite think of who it was. Suddenly, as the child took another powerful swipe at Luke, she saw a glimpse of her eyes. They were cold and hard as chips of ice, with a deep-burning hatred burning in them. With a sudden chill, Mara saw the girl for an instant with gold-red hair, and blazing green eyes. She shuddered. This child was herself at fifteen. This child had been raised to kill.
Security had formed a loose ring around the dueling pair, blasters drawn, looking a trifle nervous and unsure of what to do. Mara glanced at them and hid a smile. New Republic security always seemed at a loss in matters of the Force.
Luke spun and parried, spun and parried without effort. The girl had been taught inexpertly, and only knew two or three easily predictable attacks, but what she lacked in skill, she almost made up in raw power. He knew he could end this at any time, but he had no wish to hurt the girl. Not only did he want.no, need.to know who she was and why she had come (who was this mother, that he had killed?), but he knew he could teach her better than she had been taught. He felt more to her than the simple, driving need to kill that seemed so dominant in her mind.
"Master Skywalker." the girl panted. "You.are much stronger.than we.expected."
"We?" Luke asked curiously, striking aside a wild swing. She was getting tired. Her attacks were getting less and less coordinated. "Who else is with you?"
The girl seemed to think that she had given too much away, and shut her lips in a thin line, renewing her attack. Luke flipped over an over-turned pew and came up behind her. Gasping for breath, she turned a bit sluggishly and took a wide blow at him. He struck it aside and sent her lightsaber spinning across the floor. She gave an angry hiss as he held the point of his lightsaber at her throat. "What is your name?" he asked quietly.
"Kill me," she whispered fiercely. "I have failed. Kill me."
"No," Luke answered. "I will do no such thing. You need training. I can give you that training."
The girl spat in his face.
"Why, you little-" Han growled, starting forward, but Mara held him back. "Let her go," she said in a low voice. "She can't hurt Luke."
The girl twisted her head around carefully towards Mara and smiled faintly. "Are you so sure of that?"
Mara looked at her levelly. "Yes." She focused her mind on a hapless security guards' sidearm that seemed to have suddenly developed a mind of its own without taking her eyes off of the girl. "So you can drop that blaster, I think," she suggested mildly. The child glared up at her with raw hatred. Mara smiled sweetly. As much as this girl reminded her of herself, she could tell already that she wasn't going to be very fond of her.
"Please," Luke implored gently. "Let go of you anger. We aren't going to harm you." As if to prove this, he lowered his lightsaber and extinguished it, though Mara noticed he didn't put it away.
"You killed my mother," the child hissed. "I will never let go of that."
"What is your name?" Mara asked softly, coming up behind Luke.
"Fayrelle," she said defiantly, as if someone was going to deny it.
"And who was your mother?" Luke asked reasonably.
For the first time, she looked uncertain. She cast down her eyes. "I.don't know."
"Not even her name?"
"No," the child whispered.
"Well, then how the hell do you know that Luke killed her, for Force's sake?" Han burst out in exasperation.
Fayrelle turned to glare at him. "My mentor told me. She found me when I was young, after he-" Here she jabbed forcefully at Luke with her finger. "- Murdered my mother."
"Who's your 'mentor' then?" Han asked skeptically. Luke gave him a look of disapproval, but he ignored it.
"Her name is Callista Chad," she snapped.
Mara looked up at look, startled at the sudden turmoil she felt in his mind. He staggered back a step. ::Luke?:: she asked, worried. ::What's wrong?::
Luke didn't appear to hear her. All of his attention was focused on Fayrelle. "What.." He licked his lips. "What did you say?"
"Callista Chad," she repeated. She looked confused and uncertain, and, for the first time, afraid.
"Callista." Luke echoed in a mindless whisper. "Callista."
He turned on his heel, and walked quickly from the Chapel. He didn't look back.
Luke parried the deadly strike with relative ease, though Mara could see that his muscles strained under the strength of the blow. She followed the girl tensely with her eyes as she carried out a series of attacks in rapid in succession. She was good, very good, Mara admitted to herself, but no where near as good as Luke. She knew the Jedi Master was in no danger, but her eyes never strayed from his attacker. She was ready to help at an instant's notice if he needed her.
Mara studied the girl critically. She reminded her of someone, though she couldn't quite think of who it was. Suddenly, as the child took another powerful swipe at Luke, she saw a glimpse of her eyes. They were cold and hard as chips of ice, with a deep-burning hatred burning in them. With a sudden chill, Mara saw the girl for an instant with gold-red hair, and blazing green eyes. She shuddered. This child was herself at fifteen. This child had been raised to kill.
Security had formed a loose ring around the dueling pair, blasters drawn, looking a trifle nervous and unsure of what to do. Mara glanced at them and hid a smile. New Republic security always seemed at a loss in matters of the Force.
Luke spun and parried, spun and parried without effort. The girl had been taught inexpertly, and only knew two or three easily predictable attacks, but what she lacked in skill, she almost made up in raw power. He knew he could end this at any time, but he had no wish to hurt the girl. Not only did he want.no, need.to know who she was and why she had come (who was this mother, that he had killed?), but he knew he could teach her better than she had been taught. He felt more to her than the simple, driving need to kill that seemed so dominant in her mind.
"Master Skywalker." the girl panted. "You.are much stronger.than we.expected."
"We?" Luke asked curiously, striking aside a wild swing. She was getting tired. Her attacks were getting less and less coordinated. "Who else is with you?"
The girl seemed to think that she had given too much away, and shut her lips in a thin line, renewing her attack. Luke flipped over an over-turned pew and came up behind her. Gasping for breath, she turned a bit sluggishly and took a wide blow at him. He struck it aside and sent her lightsaber spinning across the floor. She gave an angry hiss as he held the point of his lightsaber at her throat. "What is your name?" he asked quietly.
"Kill me," she whispered fiercely. "I have failed. Kill me."
"No," Luke answered. "I will do no such thing. You need training. I can give you that training."
The girl spat in his face.
"Why, you little-" Han growled, starting forward, but Mara held him back. "Let her go," she said in a low voice. "She can't hurt Luke."
The girl twisted her head around carefully towards Mara and smiled faintly. "Are you so sure of that?"
Mara looked at her levelly. "Yes." She focused her mind on a hapless security guards' sidearm that seemed to have suddenly developed a mind of its own without taking her eyes off of the girl. "So you can drop that blaster, I think," she suggested mildly. The child glared up at her with raw hatred. Mara smiled sweetly. As much as this girl reminded her of herself, she could tell already that she wasn't going to be very fond of her.
"Please," Luke implored gently. "Let go of you anger. We aren't going to harm you." As if to prove this, he lowered his lightsaber and extinguished it, though Mara noticed he didn't put it away.
"You killed my mother," the child hissed. "I will never let go of that."
"What is your name?" Mara asked softly, coming up behind Luke.
"Fayrelle," she said defiantly, as if someone was going to deny it.
"And who was your mother?" Luke asked reasonably.
For the first time, she looked uncertain. She cast down her eyes. "I.don't know."
"Not even her name?"
"No," the child whispered.
"Well, then how the hell do you know that Luke killed her, for Force's sake?" Han burst out in exasperation.
Fayrelle turned to glare at him. "My mentor told me. She found me when I was young, after he-" Here she jabbed forcefully at Luke with her finger. "- Murdered my mother."
"Who's your 'mentor' then?" Han asked skeptically. Luke gave him a look of disapproval, but he ignored it.
"Her name is Callista Chad," she snapped.
Mara looked up at look, startled at the sudden turmoil she felt in his mind. He staggered back a step. ::Luke?:: she asked, worried. ::What's wrong?::
Luke didn't appear to hear her. All of his attention was focused on Fayrelle. "What.." He licked his lips. "What did you say?"
"Callista Chad," she repeated. She looked confused and uncertain, and, for the first time, afraid.
"Callista." Luke echoed in a mindless whisper. "Callista."
He turned on his heel, and walked quickly from the Chapel. He didn't look back.