Luke and Mara finished dinner.
"How were classes?"
"It's still the first week, so they are all still in awe of their teachers so there is less to do."
"Are you concerned how the students will react with your niece and nephew in their classes? You have to be careful not to show favoritism."
"Jacen and Jaina are used to that kind of attention, they can handle themselves, I'm not too worried," He shrugged. "Did you know I had to stop the Hapan prince from sending bodyguards for his daughter?" Luke was purely amused.
Mara snorted. "This is the safest place for any child, besides if the Chancellor of the entire New Republic can trust her two children here, Hapes heir to sixty odd planets can't be protesting." Mara took her dishes toward their small kitchen.
"Ah but as you said," Luke came up behind her "It isn't as if he has relatives running the school."
"Doesn't matter." Mara said turning around. Luke would protect his students, or anyone else who needed it, as if they were his own-- Mara shook her head to banish that line of thought.
Luke smiled. "Parents can be very overprotective."
"Hmm." Mara looked distant for a moment, no doubt thinking of her own family or was it the family they planned to have?
"Are you going to tell me about our visitor now?" Luke said to change the subject. It was clear she wasn't up for a cheerful argument.
"I sense darkness in her, but I don't think she's an enemy, I just think she's seen a lot of war." Mara said seriously.
Luke looked distant for a second, preparing himself to be completely serious.
"What makes you say that?"
"Well besides being single minded- she moves like military when she walked straight anyways." Mara frowned. "And she reminded me of me, a lot."
Luke put his arm around her shoulders. "I don't see it, you're so much prettier."
"That's not what I meant Skywalker." Mara said frowning.
He knew it wasn't, but seeing her put him in an especially good mood, he couldn't help it. Or rather he didn't want to. His life seemed like a line of near disasters where someone he cared about was in danger, or the galaxy as a whole. As seriously as he took those situations, he'd learned to take the downtimes just as seriously. Most people probably thought of the Jedi master as serene and solemn, but even Yoda had taken the opportunity to joke.
"You think she's working for some remnant of the Empire? The unknown regions-" Luke tried to follow her line of thought.
"I don't know. I had a feeling like she's lost or she's just figured out she's been fighting on the wrong side." Mara became more pensive.
"You don't think she's going to try and kill me first do you?" Luke said grinning, hoping to alleviate her worries about her past by making light of them.
"You do seem to have that affect on women, but don't worry I'll protect you." Mara kissed him lightly. "Why are you in such a good mood?" Mara said suspiciously.
"I can't be happy to see you?" Luke's eyes twinkled. When she gave him that look he replied. "You'll never guess who just got back from a mission."
Zekaya was escorted to her room on the lower levels all the time memorizing her location in relation to the rest of the temple. Once inside she changed into the simplier Jedi garb Frida had provided and set to work destroying what remained of her personal affects. She had a few old credits that wouldn't be too suspect but what little she had carried with her had to go. She used the force to burn her Alliance Idencard card until not even Mara Jade could get any information out of it. What else would Mara check? Her lightsabers wouldn't be an issue for many years yet not if Frida was still working here.
Normally when she was put in a locked room she would find the quickest way out, but there really wasn't anywhere to go. If she'd had a ship it was vaporized, and stealing one wouldn't be wise if she was stuck here. The moment for a pointless suicide had passed, she couldn't live, but she couldn't kill herself. No one could save her. Zekaya was nobody to everyone.
They had been in hyperspace, forcing her to eat something.
"You are out of your mind! To confront him is suicidal, do you understand? Suicidal!" Avi had said.
"Which is why you're going to give me one of your—"
" What? No! Has she mentioned that they are absolutely unstable? They are the OUT when you have no other. The scientist who made it was a worst case scenario safety freak vanarrde-" Hirina had actually shook her.
"There is nothing wrong with vanaarde technology!" Avi argued defensively.
"Hirina would you rather I went in without it? Without an out?"
Hirina changed the subject "What do you possibly hope to accomplish?" followed right after by Avi "We didn't bring you back just so you could get yourself killed at the first available opportunity!"
"No matter where I go he's going to find me, and I don't want to be prey anymore." She countered strongly through her body's trembling.
"Please, don't make me lose you too." Hirina had said. Did some part of this new woman remember her friend's loss?
"I, I can't do it anymore. I know you look to me to be strong, but I've got too much of my father in me. I break." They had held her close then providing comfort and trying to keep her with them.
"At least come with us and see your family, they missed you terribly, or your other friends. Please?"
"Please trust that this is what the force wants me to do, that I can succeed." Hirina had nodded slowly. Avi couldn't do even that.
She'd taken her old ship and left soon after, with an out, of sorts but no way of returning. That had been a one way trip, like this was.
The next morning Frida had come to pick her up to take her back to the med center to check on her vitals.
The Skywalkers had come soon after. Mara never could let a puzzle rest until she had solved it, or blown it up.
"Feeling better?" Mara asked.
"Well considering that I spent the night in a jail cell, fine," Zekaya said flippantly, much like a teenager would.
"You're looking a lot better ?" Luke questioned.
"I'm a quick healer," Zekaya responded, refusing to take the bait. The less they knew the better.
"Now that you've had time to think." And hopefully come to your senses. Mara thought.
"How did you really acquire two lightsabers?" Luke asked probing. He wasn't the easiest person to lie to, when you were used to trusting him.
"The purple one is mine, the other-" Zekaya's voice broke. "was a… a close friend's. Who I didn't kill." That she directed at Mara before becoming less vehement. "It reminds me of those I have lost."
She's telling the truth. Mara sent.
Luke tested one of the lightsabers in his hand. Both were well crafted but different enough to make him think that they weren't made by the same person. The lightsaber he ignited was deep purple. "Who taught you how to make this?"
Here came the beginning of no doubt a million tricky questions.
"Well that puts me in a bind, you see." Zekaya's lip twitched. "I could tell you the truth and you wouldn't believe me, and if I told you a lie she'd know." Zekaya tilted her head towards Mara.
"It's true," Mara said amused.
"Well, I can't give this back to you until I know you can use it responsibly," Luke said in authoritative teacher mode.
"And how do you propose I prove that?" Zekaya asked from his side.
Mara grinned. "Oh, we have someone in mind."
That could be very very bad. For one thing- Mara was grinning, she rarely grinned. Zekaya was led outside the temple. She had to wonder if they were escorting her off-planet, she couldn't be considered THAT much of a threat. Maybe another lie would let her stay?
"Luke?" A man around her age said. No way. She looked him up and down in surprise.
"Kyp, I'd like to introduce you to Zekaya, she may be staying here for a while."
Yeah, we've already met, jerk.
"Hello," Kyp said smoothly eying her with green eyes that reminded her of the dead.
Zekaya raised an eyebrow.
"So, all I have to do is beat him then?"
Mara smiled. "Smart girl."
Zekaya took her lightsaber and stepped forward with anticipation.
"What? I'm not going to fight a vapin girl!" Kyp said taken back by her enthusiasm to fight him.
"So you've killed Jedi before eh? Well have I introduced you to Kyp yet?" Luke said keeping a straight face.
Kyp looked between the girl and Luke.
"What? I thought you'd forgiven me-" Kyp's voice because a little squeakier as he imitated Calrissian. Kyp began to back up.
Luke thought the younger man's sheer horror was humorous. Mara grinned.
Luke shrugged.
The couple moved to a safe distance to watch.
Zekaya ignited her purple lightsaber and brought it to attention.
"You brought a dark Jedi to the Academy?" Kyp yelled to Luke as he blocked her first attack. "What kind of teacher are you?"
"Nothing here seemed to challenge you so-" Luke called.
At first her attacks seemed completely random and he might have thought so if she wasn't wielding the saber as if it was a part of her.
She didn't even glance at the blade. It was when she started to imitate some of his favorite moves that he realized that she was mocking him. His eyes widened fractionally and her lips twitched in what might have been a satisfied grin.
Ten seconds after that it was all over. He found himself on the ground, both lightsabers pointed at his jugular. It had been so artfully done, she'd disarmed him without well dis-arming him.
"You're pretty good," Kyp said generously.
"You too," Zekaya smiled slightly. "I'm just better."
Kyp scowled. "Are you going to let me up? Because besides what he said, Luke won't let you kill me."
Zekaya smirked but stepped away. "As you wish, Master," she mocked him by bowing slightly before turning her back on him.
It wasn't so much that she was so much better with lightsabers than him but that she knew him, she knew his weaknesses.
And he did not, yet. She looked up at the Jedi Masters in question.
"Well, that proves that she's been trained," Mara said brushing off her pants.
"With the added bonus of humbling Kyp." Luke grinned. "I think we have an audience."
Mara heard a few claps behind them and glanced back.
"You know, now all your students will want lightsabers."
"Good." Luke said wiping off his pants completely unnecessarily, the match hadn't been long enough for dust to settle on his black pants.
Several of the students had heard that someone was going to duel Kyp and the lighsaber-hungry youngsters had perched themselves on the temple itself.
"I thought Kyp was good?" Raynar said confused. Many of the students waved or cheered outright.
"Do you think I could be her apprentice?" Tenel Ka wondered.
"I think you have to be older to get a master." Jaina said, also disappointed. To be able to take out your opponent like that.
"It's weird, but she looks kinda like Mom, if mom dyed her hair, had become a Jedi and wasn't nice." Jacen goaded his sister.
"No way. She doesn't look anything like Mom, you're just homesick," Jaina argued, falling for it. Jaina tilted her head and frowned looking at Zekaya, something was weird about her.
"Am not, Jaya."
Lowbacca roared something to the effect that they shouldn't aruge over something so petty. Tenel Ka nodded in agreement.
"She is a Jedi though, this is a fact," Tenel Ka said.
"I wish I had my lightsaber already," Jacen said impatiently. "What color do you think you'll get?"
"Color doesn't matter friend Jacen," Tenel Ka said.
"As long as mine isn't girly purple like hers or his I'll be fine," Jaina said pointing at the two Jedi with distain.
Lowbacca roared his opinion.
"Well I hope mine will be green like Uncle Lukes." Jacen wished fervently.
"A green lightsaber is not going to make you skilled with it, Jace," Jaina stuck out her tongue.
"Hey, I think she's looking our way," Jacen said and shivered. There was something about her that made him shiver. He couldn't decide whether it was hate, fear or something else entirely but when she looked at him, or maybe it was all the students, it felt like she could see all the pranks you'd pulled and was going to tell everyone your most embarrassing moments.
"Is that sufficient?" The woman said curtly to Uncle Luke tearing her eyes away from the watching students.
"Now will you tell us who trained you?" Luke inquired hopefully.
"Of course," Zekaya said in good spirits. "I was trained by the best."
No one else got the joke.