Mara's reputation as a pilot was well-deserved. Setting the shuttle down on the platform with only a soft thud to indicate that they had landed, she put the craft's systems into stand-by mode and unbuckled her seat harness.
After coiling her hair into a tight knot, she leaned forward and retrieved her blaster, checking to see that it was fully charged. "The landing deck is fairly old. Pre-Empire by the look of it. It seems stable at the moment but I can't vouch for it long term."
Shoving the weapon into the holster on her belt, she stood there, frowning out toward the distance, not even looking in his direction. He could feel her attempting to reach out to their son, trying to find out where he was and if he was all right. But it was futile at the moment. Although they knew he was nearby, they could not pinpoint his location. Wherever Ben was, he was well hidden in the Force.
Luke said, "We won't be here long term. Just enough time to get our son and leave."
Nodding abruptly, she thrust her chin toward the half-melted ruins at the far side of the pad. "The entrance to the complex is a perfect place for an ambush. Plus he's had time to set up... obstacles and learn all the escape routes. He has a distinct advantage."
Luke looked more closely at their destination. The landing platform was pock-marked with dents and there were rusty puddles of old metal scattered on the surface. One section of the pad had disappeared, fallen or melted away sometime in the past. The remainder seemed solid enough, or so he hoped.
The low building that Mara had pointed out was nestled in among crystalline mounds of ragged rock. Farther away, black slag mountains soared skyward and there were numerous lava flows glowing red and orange and core-hot. Ash and small stones littered the landscape.
And everywhere, the reddish light stained the air in colors of dried blood and pain.
"The Force will guide us," he said softly.
She gave him the look, the one that all wives have given their husbands at one time or another - exasperated, disbelieving and on the very knife-edge of patience. "Skywalker, the Force is not helping here. All I can feel is danger."
"Do you want to leave? Come back later?" He could feel the growing pressure to withdraw from this course of action; the Force was warning of impending disaster and he would be a fool to ignore it.
But Mara only shook her head, nerf-stubborn. "No. Later would only make things worse. As I said before, I'm not leaving without Ben." With her green eyes daring him to stop her, she hooked on her lightsaber and started for the door.
"Mara, I..." She was always one to plow on, diving into danger, rescuing him from himself at times - in a way, protecting him. He wanted to say something, do something that would make her realize that sometimes he needed to protect her, that she was more important to him than words could say.
But she was too focused on the mission ahead of them both.
Instead, he said, "A blaster? I thought you gave those up long ago." At her sudden scowl, in a deep and stern voice, he intoned, "A Jedi needs only his lightsaber and the Force."
It had the effect he was hoping for. She huffed mock indignation at him, shaking her head. "Han would tell you that there is nothing like a good blaster at your side." Then her eyes glittered as she raised one eyebrow and smiled smugly, "But you are assuming I'll be using it as a weapon. Never assume, Skywalker."
An exaggerated sigh as he reminded her, "Luke."
She turned toward him, grabbing onto his tunic and brushing her lips against his. And when he tried to deepen the kiss, she pulled back, nodding toward the exit.
"Luke. Now let's go get our son."
The heat was solid as duracreet, hitting them hard, making it difficult to breath. The smell of sulfur and burning rock didn't help but they pressed on, walking carefully toward the structure at the far end of the landing platform.
Mara's eyes were darting everywhere, looking for the beginnings of traps, and Luke was no less cautious. But, aside from the rumble of lavaflows and the occasional ping of cooling rock, there was no other noise. No inkling of humanoid life, certainly no welcoming sound of a son happy to see his parents again.
By the time they reached the building, they were both edgy.
Since that first trace of Ben's Force signature, he had disappeared from their senses. It could be that he was practicing some of the skills that Jacen had taught him or else he was deliberately hiding from them. Either way, it was not good.
Putting aside the frustration and growing regret that it had come to this, Luke took in a deep breath and stepped into the entryway. Mara was right behind him, muttering something about Jedi Grandmasters and how they should learn to let those with more undercover experience go first, but he ignored it.
Lightsaber in hand, he walked carefully in the narrow passage, focusing on the Force's guidance, waiting for the trap to spring. He didn't even glance at the scarred walls or the collection of splintered droid parts at his feet, although the narrowing of the corridor at midpoint gave him pause. Sometime in the past, there had been destruction on a massive scale but all that was left was a coarse wall of melted rock, too solid to booby-trap. He moved around it gingerly and kept going.
As the entrance widened into a large control room, he stopped, looking around, taking in the destroyed electronics, the consoles dusty and dark, the scatter of desiccated skin and bone fragments. There had been a battle here, some time ago, and no one had seen fit to come back and reuse the place as it was once meant to be used - a command center, perhaps for the whole planet but certainly for this region of Hell's Gate.
In a way, he was surprised. The planet was rich in minerals and energy, easily collected, and it was being ignored, wasted. He would have to discuss it with the bureaucrats of the Galactic Alliance once he returned with his son.
If he returned. The Force wasn't exactly clear on his future at the moment.
Shaking himself free of introspection, he felt Mara's presence next to him. He glanced over to see her clutching her lightsaber, her eyes glittering hard in the subdued light. He said softly, "No traps in the entryway. Let's see what kind of reception we'll get further in." And he stepped into the room.
Lights glared on, bathing the whole area in white light. Flinching back, eyes blinking to clear his vision, he sent his senses outward but there was not a ripple in the Force. Of course, that didn't mean much. Jacen was very good at hiding.
But the lighting told Luke that there had been some work done to bring the station up to livable standards. There was also a faint reduction in temperature that became more evident as they moved guardedly toward the center of the room.
Mara tilted her head slightly, first toward the left and then to the right, indicating possible escape routes or hiding places. More than one exit and they would need to explore all of them in time.
With the exception of the bright lights, there was no other indication of life, only the sound of harsh breathing - Luke's own, he realized, and Mara's. But as he moved left, he could hear the faint slap, slap of footsteps coming fast.
One shared glance and they both flanked the opening, flattened against the walls, out of sight of whoever was hurrying toward them. Of course, their cover was useless against Force users. Even with practice, they had never reached Jacen's level of control, but any advantage would be welcome at the moment.
Lightsaber at the ready, Mara looked determined and dangerous. She patted the air, telling him to wait, and Luke nodded. His own lightsaber felt rough in his palm but there was no time for anything else, only one deep breath and...
Ben ran into the room.
As the boy pivoted, his hand was already grasping at the blaster at his side. A microsecond later, Ben was crouched down and ready, the weapon's muzzle pointing straight at Mara. Her saber came up, ready to deflect any shots but it wasn't necessary.
Their son froze, his blue eyes widening in astonishment as he looked at them both. A sharp, confused frown and then he rose slowly, his face reddening. "Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?"
Luke blinked in surprise. Ben hadn't felt them in the Force. What was going on?
As if he'd heard the thought and resented it, his son said too quickly, "I was focusing on my..." Then, biting his lip, obvious that he was uncomfortable talking about his training and knowing full well that they would not approve, he asked again, "What are you doing here?"
"Ben, it's been months since we've seen you last. You've grown." As she was talking, Mara hooked her lightsaber to her belt, and went over to him, her hand outstretched. Luke could tell that she wanted to pull Ben into a warm hug, to let him know how much they had both missed him.
But he backed up, out of reach. "Mom, I'm training. I have to be with my Master for that." Shoving the blaster into his belt, he straightened up and looked at them both, his face set stone-stubborn as only a Skywalker could be, "Whether you like it or not, I'm an apprentice now."
Mara opened her mouth to say something but Luke was faster. "You are not officially an apprentice of the Jedi Order, not with Jacen Solo as teacher."
Scowling, Ben shook his head. "He is my Master." He folded his arms tight against his chest, his body settling into a rigid, immovable stance, clearly refusing to hear anything unfavorable about Jacen Solo. "Dad, I'm sorry that you feel that way but I need to be with him right now. He's helped me a lot and I..."
Cutting across his explanation, Mara had heard enough. "Your Master has murdered hundreds of Corellians, ordered assassinations, tortured innocents. He tried to kill his own parents, no matter how he tries to get around it. And he's taking you with him into the Dark." She stalked toward their son, her green eyes flashing fire. "I heard about your latest foray on Coruscant, how you participated in the murders of those poor people. And I won't allow it to happen again. You are coming home with us. No talk, no protests, no telling us about how wonderful Jacen is. Home. Now."
Ben's scowl turned to duracrete, the deep lines settling into anger and rebellion. "You can't tell me what to do any more, Mom. I'm Jacen's apprentice and I'll go home only if he tells me to go."
There was something to be said for stubborn sons but Mara was so much more than stubborn. If she thought she was right, she would move the universe with the sheer strength of her character. And nothing would stand in her way, certainly not a fourteen-year old son whose ideas of right and wrong were being subverted into darkness. Luke knew that in a battle of wills, Mara would win. Every time.
As fast as thought, she pulled out her own blaster. Pointing it straight at Ben, she said flatly, "You are going home with us. You can come willingly or not, but you are leaving this place."
"Or what, Mom? Are you going to shoot me?" Ben seemed incredulous.
"Only if you give me no choice." Luke stared at her in astonishment. Unbelievably, Mara looked quite at ease with the thought of shooting their only son.
Thinking that she must be losing her mind to threaten Ben like that, he was about to say something when she gave him a sardonic smile and tilted the blaster slightly in his direction. She said tartly,
"Skywalker, it's set on stun."
Ben scowled when he realized that he'd been outmaneuvered and began to back up out of arm's reach, his eyes darting around, looking for escape routes. But Mara wasn't about to let him go without a fight. "We need to leave. Now Ben, start walking or I will shoot you."
Trying to defuse an increasingly explosive situation, Luke warned, "Mara, if we take him by force, he'll just run away again. He needs to come because he wants to, not because we overpowered him."
"It's too late for that. We can argue about it on the ship." Glancing back at Luke for a moment, she shook her head and, with the blaster's muzzle, gestured for Ben to move toward the exit. "Can't you feel it? The darkness is rising fast. We have to get away before..."
"Before what, Aunt Mara?"
And Jacen Solo walked into the room.