Chapter 29

She was tired. She heard the voices calling her, but she was too tired to call back. And there was still the light; the great, burning light, beckoning her to stay in its warmth and glow. But something pulled her and she felt a familiar presence. But it was a fleeting presence and it quickly faded. The pull however brought her away from the light, and she began to remember. The voices were louder now and there were other presences there now as well. The one from before, though, was still gone. The voices continued to grow, though she was not hearing any physical voices, rather their calls in the Force. They grew too loud for her to ignore, and she continued to move away from the light, thought even as she did it grew brighter. Leia woke up.

"Leia," Han said as he embraced her. "We didn't know what happened. You were still alive but you didn't wake up."

"Where am I?" Leia asked, sitting up, and only then realizes that she was lying on something.

"You're in the infirmary," Han said. "Mara's lightsaber went right through you, but somehow you survived."

"Mara," Leia said, still a little daze. "Where's Mara?"

"She's here too," Han said and indicated to the bed next to Leia. "It took a lot to get her down but she's been still for a while. She hasn't moved at all though, just like you."

"Where is everyone?" Leia asked.

"They all left to deal with other matters," Han said. "But Corran is right outside, just watching out to make sure no one else gets in."

"It was so strange Han," Leia said as she remembered what happened. "I reached out to Mara and I felt her, but she was covered in a darkness, but there was a light. I went into it, but then I didn't want to leave. I heard voices calling me, and something pulled me out, the light getting stronger as I left. But Mara is okay though?"

"Yes she is, but you seem very caring for someone who just attacked you." Han said.

"Something was wrong with her Han," Leia said. "I felt it; the darkness surrounding made her not herself. Something changed her; it was not an ordinary darkness. It was like some type of void had opened up within Mara and swallowed up who she was."

"What should we do now?" Han asked.

"Does Mara have her lightsaber with her?" Leia asked, to which Han shook his head. "Then we should wake her up."
"No need for that." Mara said suddenly, making Han and Leia flinch. Han brought his blaster up. "Put that down, Han. I'm fine."

"You could have fooled me." Han said.

"Han, put the blaster down." Leia said.

"You were right, Leia, something had changed me," Mara said, still lying down. "I knew I had to stop what I was doing but I couldn't. I felt things I hadn't felt in years. I was weakened from everything that had happened on Coruscant."

"What happened?" Leia asked, and Mara told them.

"So that's why Saba and Jacen were so beat up." Han said.

"Yes, Nexus somehow knew what was going to happen," Mara said, now sitting up. "And he played with my thoughts, my feelings, and corrupted me. I was weak at the moment, and being separated from Luke-" Mara suddenly remembered. "Luke's dead, isn't he?"

"Yes." Leia said, very sad.

Mara held back tears. "I felt him go, but I was under the control of the darkside. I didn't care. We promised each other we would be alright, but now…"

"Everything has changed." Han said. "But I still don't understand Mara, how did you overcome the darkside? You nearly killed Leia."

"It was Leia who helped me," Mara said. "I felt her in me through the Force. She penetrated the darkness surrounding me and brought the light back out. I'm sorry for all I did."

"It wasn't your fault," Leia said. "Nexus corrupted you. Besides, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be alive."

"What do you mean?" Han asked.

"I felt the lightsaber go through me, and I went into a healing trance," Leia said. "But it wasn't enough and I began to slip away. Then I felt Mara help me and bring me back, helping me heal. But I was tired and couldn't come back completely, though my wound was healed. I was lost in the Force. I was, in a way, dead. Then he came and brought me back."

"You mean?" Mara asked.

"Yes," Leia said. "it was Luke."

"Is that how you knew Mara wasn't a threat anymore?" Han asked Leia.

"Yes, I felt it in the Force."

"But what do we do now?" Han asked. "Mara's back, that's good, and Jacen and Saba will be healed soon, as well as our joined fleets. But we don't have a plan of attack."

"We must regroup with the others," Leia said.

"There is something else we may do, besides a main attack." Mara said.

"Not another covert mission." Han said.

"Not quite," Mara said. "Nexus trusted me but from what I've seen of him he's overconfident."

"Just like Palpitine." Han said.

"Knowing him, he felt Leia 'die'", Mara said. "And so believes I am coming back to him now."

"What are you getting at?" Han asked.

"I am going to return to him," Mara said. "And we're going to use that for our advantage."