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Chapter 10
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Slight hints of crushed foliage outlined the narrow path she had taken, barely traceable, as befitted her former occupation. He trailed her until he reached a small clearing and found her there. She was standing still and looking up to the sky, bathed by the sun beams shining down thought the openings on the tree dome, her red-gold hair sparkling where the light touched it. 'There is something so much familiar to this particular place', he thought to himself. Luke approached the spot where she was standing and stood next to her.
'This is so familiar…'
The wind started to blow. Without warning a violent gust burst in and several startled creatures flew away from the trees, crying out a danger call. The light changed, the clouds ran wildly above their heads in a dance of lights and shadows all around.
'Stay with me Mara…'
She stepped back, moving away from him. A loud rumble shocked his senses as he felt the earth shaking under their feet. Luke looked down and noticed the opening cracks on the ground where he was standing; he caught a glimpse of the ground underneath Mara collapsing, trees and everything around sinking into a large hole -including Mara, leading her to a deep fall.
'Mara!' he heard himself yell.
Reacting immediately, he reached out for her as fast as he could, throwing himself forward and grabbing her by the arm. He lay there holding her with all his strength as he felt the ground underneath him starting to collapse and crumble down.
'This is repeating itself all over…' he though in desperation.
"Mara, I need your help here, give me your other hand!" He said to her, feeling the ground giving in under his weight.
He could hear his own words…
Mara looked up and stared at him right in the eye. He looked into her eyes…
"You have to let me go Luke. Where I'm going, you cannot follow." She simply said, and with a sudden jerk she got herself loose from his desperate grip and fell into the abyss.
"No, Mara!" he yelled in shock after her.
"Nooo!"
He sat up on his bed with a violent jerk and a gasp.
Luke's forehead and body were covered with a cold sweat… he shivered when he felt a cold breeze coming into the room through the open window. He sat there for a few minutes fighting the dizziness and confusion in his head. The dream had repeated itself all over… with a slight change. He stepped out of bed and approached the window… with a soft move he had it shut.
'Why am I having this recurrent dream?' Luke mused. 'What is it trying to tell me?' He wiped the sweat with one of his hands.
Looking at the chrono on the wall he realized it was only a couple of hours until sunrise. Back in her quarters, Mara should be still asleep. Today was the big day: Mara's last trial was scheduled early this morning. She had completed the previous trials successfully, but still, certain uneasiness lingered in his heart since nobody could know exactly what she would be facing today, not even him; and somehow, he found this rather disturbing.
As leader of the Academy he could not let his personal reasons interfere with the training process of any padawan, so he had to stick to the guidelines he had established himself. This meant that no matter how troubled he could feel about what Mara had to do today, he could not call it off in any way.
Lost in his thoughts, Luke realized that this was one of the very reasons why he hadn't wanted to get involved in a love relationship with her. He just knew how overprotective he could become and how hard it would be to learn to step aside and know when to do it. Well, he was just going to have to learn to deal with it. He needed and wanted Mara with him, and just because of that, he was going to do everything in his hands to make things work. This time there was no turning back, no regrets, and he would not lose hope. Luke couldn't remember when he had felt this happy. The past weeks since Mara and he had revealed their true feelings for each other had been priceless, and he would just not give that up.
Knowing he would not be able to go back to sleep, and since he needed to be at ease with his emotions -especially in a day like this, he prepared himself for some meditation. Maybe in his meditation he would find some answers.
Luke sat in the dark, letting the Force guide him inwards into the paths of his subconscious.
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oOo
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Mara was up and ready with the first sun rays of morning. Today might be the day, this was the last test. She had already successfully completed the rest of the trials and she wondered what was in store for her today. Luke had mentioned that this was the last stretch, and then she would be done.
Wearing a dark combat jumpsuit she looked at herself on the mirror. The outfit was the kind that Karrde liked to supply his people with; of great durability, excellent fit and made with the best fabric available. The same could be said of the rest of her apparel and equipment: boots, utility belt, gadgets and such. Today, it somehow seemed important to notice all these little details. She was supposed to go deep into Yavin IV's jungle and reach this specific mysterious place -a place to be located through her usage of the Force since it was concealed by one of those Force vanishing visions; a real test to her true connection with the ultimate power. It just made sense to her to double check and be ready for anything. It had been a long time since she last found herself paying attention to this kind of details with such scrutiny, just equal to when she used to prepare herself for the missions the late Emperor had her carry out.
Her past life… Why had she thought about it just now? She fingered the brand-new lightsaber attached to her belt.
She checked the power packs of her small blaster and secured it to her fore arm holder and did the same with the vibroblade she normally hid inside her boot. With her characteristic trademark determination, she headed to the meeting point.
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oOo
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Three Jedi Masters stood outside the entrance of a deep tunnel. Kyp Durron, the former slave boy, powerful in the Force, who had given Luke so much trouble at the beginning of his training, but now dedicated to the Order entirely; Streen the elderly man from Bespin, with his unique gift to control the wind, weather and creatures of the air; and Luke Skywalker, the first Jedi Master and leader of the New Order. As she approached them, Mara noticed the solemn and severe manner in which the three men greeted her. This was serious business.
So, this was the place… Mara remembered she had visited this same spot once already but had never noticed the entrance. This Force technique of concealment was good indeed, to have escaped her well trained eye and sense.
The tunnel belonged to a very old sewer system underneath the ruins of the former temple were Exar-Kun's spirit had dwelled. The massive structure had been demolished to the ground by Corran Horn with proton torpedoes to make sure that nothing remained. But although the ancient Sith Lord's spirit had been vanquished several years ago, still there was a slight brush of the dark side in that place. It somehow had something to do with the power of the dark side and with how hard it was to eradicate completely; in a way reminding Luke that there was always darkness lingering in everything, everywhere and in everybody.
The Masters in the Academy had decided to keep the tunnel concealed to avoid dangerous incidents if one of the padawans happened to make their way that deep into the jungle. The place was often used as the last test for the knighting trials, and as a safety measure only a few Jedi Masters in the Academy knew its exact location. In everyday basis, the place remained hidden under the White Current, a skill that Luke had acquired some years ago from the Fallanassi tribe -a technique he had once used to hide a whole regenerating planet. Only in days like this, he let the Force veil vanish.
Mara looked at the tunnel with a wary eye; it was obvious to her that she was meant to go inside.
"What's in there?" she asked.
"Only what you take in with you." Luke answered, with an enormous feeling of déjà-vu.
"What do I have to find? Do I have to bring back anything?" she asked again with an odd feeling crawling under her skin.
"You'll know when you get there." Luke explained. He knew he could not say anything to Mara, he didn't even know what she would face in there and neither did she. It was just a matter of wait and see. "Your weapons and instruments… you will not need them." He advised Mara, using the same words Yoda had once used on him.
"I rather be the judge on that." She acknowledged with a cynical smile.
For an instant, Luke thought back to when he had to enter that dark cave back in Dagobah, he thought about his own doubts and fear back then. That cave had had enough darkness in it to neutralize Yoda's strong presence in the Force from the Sith Lords -turning the swamp planet into a safe place for the old Master to retire to during the Jedi Purges. The dark tint in the tunnel of Yavin wasn't as dark as the one in the Dagobah cave, but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. Although the real danger resided in the Padawan's own fear.
Luke knew that the revelations of the Force could be frightening at times, since they always touched the very core of one's weaknesses and dreads, the kind of things that one kept hidden even from oneself; and every sentient being had its own share of both. He now was experiencing the effects of his own apprehensions, there was that dream… the one he had had again this very morning… and that strange uneasiness threatened to take hold of his heart once more. He pushed back the feeling, keeping his shields up so he wouldn't disturb Mara. Whatever she might face in there, it was not going to be anything she couldn't handle. Still, he just didn't want to let her go in there…
Fighting the urge to grab her and take her way from there, he turned and walked towards the entrance, followed by his Padawan. Mara could not read his feelings, but still noticed certain apprehensiveness in her Master.
'Skywalker, would you just stop worrying about me?' Mara scolded him with annoyance.
'I'm not worried. I know you'll do just fine, Mara.' Luke sent back, trying to sound confident, and really meaning the words more to himself than to his padawan.
'Yeah, right.' She sarcastically added. 'I know you too well just to know that you're not telling the truth. Besides you're shielding from me… and that's never a good sign.'
'I'm shielding because I'm your Master and I'm supposed not to influence your awareness in any way.' He explained; glad to know that his reasoning was completely true.
'Is that right?' Mara stared at him with a hard look.
'O.K. I am worried, but just normal-worried… but don't mind me, just go in there and do what you know how to do. I trust you.' He reassured her.
'I'll be back in no time, Farmboy.' She sent back and smiled in her usual confidence.
Kyp and Streen could tell that something was going on between Master and Padawan while they witnessed the staring contest. Streen looked at Kyp with an inquisitive look, Kyp sent out a negative and shrugged slightly; they both knew there was always certain animosity from the ex-assassin towards their Master, so they weren't really surprised of their usual frictions. Both men didn't have an idea of what was really going on.
Luke and Mara looked intensely at one another… their eyes said everything.
"May the Force be with you…" Luke let out, trying to ease the weight in his heart.
Mara simply nodded and walked inside. With awful dread, Luke watched her silhouette fade in the tunnel's darkness.
Not him, not one soul could ever know what would happen inside; it was always different with everyone. As a safety measure, it was set that the Padawan in trial should be monitored through the Force at all times by his or her Master, who would check on the progress being made. The other two Masters only remained as witnesses and counselors.
"What will she face in there?" Kyp asked.
"Her uttermost fears." Luke told both men.
"Can she get hurt?" Kyp asked again.
"Only if she wants to be hurt." Streen solemnly answered.
The three men set themselves to patiently await the Padawan's return. There was not much they could do, but to simply wait. Luke concentrated and fixed his sense on Mara's route.
"You can do it, Mara." He whispered, wishing he didn't feel this troubled.
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