Chapter 10:

CONVALESCENCE

...

There were times in my life that I thought that it was only through a personal – that being myself in the sense of generality – connection to a situation happening could one truly understand what needed to be done. And, yet, it was through that simple thought process that had put me in the hot seat many, many times. However, that also had rectified a hundred situations that would have become negative otherwise. Or, more than negative. Those situations would have become manic.

In front of me, sleeping, was the girl in question. Mere minutes ago – forty-two to be exact – I had wrestled with my own apprehension that the young girl that my son had rescued could have more to her than meets the eye. I had dismissed my own thought process as nothing more than overthinking. When Max finished telling me her origin story, the trust that I had started to build for the teenager who looked as if she had been starved several times withered in my head. Explanation was necessary.

It was deserved now.

"So, that's everything that happened." Max finished, taking his seat finally after standing up the whole time. He, like myself, had a tendency to move while he explained a story.

I folded my hands together and laid my chin on top of them, "Understood."

Max raised an eyebrow, "You okay, Dad?"

I gave a small nod, my eyes intently focused on the girl, "What do your feelings tell you, Max?"

"About Brie?" Max asked.

"No. Yes, but not to what I'm referring to at this moment." I said, raising my head, "I mean about this girl."

Max turned to look at the one called Vey, "I think she's been through a lot. Her emotions are genuine and I feel truth through the Force when she told me her story."

"Is that so?" I asked. "I'm not so sure."

"Why?" Max asked, turning back to me.

"Well, I've only met one other person from Earth in this universe." I said. "And, that was Darth Cultrous, formerly known on Earth as Michael."

"What about Master Tarrak?" Max asked. "He's from Earth. Isn't he?"

I raised a brow at him, "Yes. But, I didn't find him here. He came here with me from Earth. That's different. So, let me clarify: I have not met anyone other than Cultrous that was here in his universe from Earth that I did not have a hand in being here." Max nodded and I continued, "But, we will find out if she's lying when she wakes up."

Max's face hardened slightly, "To me, it sounds like you're already predispositioned to call her a liar."

"No." I said. "I'm just saying it's more than likely improbable that she's from Earth, Max."

"But, it's still possible." Max said.

I shrugged, "Absolutely. And, if her story about being imprisoned for so long is true, then maybe it happened during one of the stretches that the Nexus opens up to Earth. Not likely. But it's possible."

"I think she's telling the truth." Max said gently.

I smirked softly, "You think she's cute."

"That's…" Max flushed. "…besides the point."

"Or entirely so." I said, narrowing my eyes slightly and suggestively. "She is a cute girl, Max, but you can't let your boyish nature cloud your judgment."

"Coming from the guy who changed history for the person he cared about." Max said, lightly joking.

I held up my hands in mock-surrender, "Point taken."

Max shook his head slightly, then said, "I know it's far-fetched, but with my feelings – not the feeling that she's attractive – I can feel that everything she said was the truth. If she lied, then somehow she believed her own lie. Is that even possible?"

"From what I know, it's possible but very difficult to perform." I said, then I looked to my wrist crono. It was half past four. "She's been out for a while now."

Max nodded, "Is the sedative supposed to last this long?"

"It varies." I said, stretching an arm then getting to my feet. "If she wakes up, let me know. I'm going to go back to our wing of the temple to contact Kane. He needs to know about Lumiya."

Max raised a brow, "Who?"

I rolled my eyes though not in a serious way, "Shira Brie. Her name in the original timeline became Lumiya. Be vigilant, Max. We need to figure out if she is who she says she is." I smirked, "And, your sister could help."

Max's face fell.


Mara was sitting next to Luke's bed the second that the doctors at the Temple laid him down. They had given him a sedative and hooked him up to an IV in case he needed fluids, as well to give him something for the pain. She had gone over what had happened on the Gozanti a hundred times by this point. Shira Brie's face was melded into her brain.

"Mara."

Mara looked up to see the warm, strong eyes of Master Anakin Skywalker. He was holding a cup of caf out to her.

"Thank you, Master Skywalker." Mara said, taking the cup.

Anakin chuckled, "Anakin will do fine, Mara. I've told you that before."

Mara smiled a little, "Feels strange."

Anakin shrugged and sipped his calf, then cast an eye to Luke's unconscious form, "I'm still piecing things together, but someone named Shira Brie did this to him. And, from what it looks like, she was strong."

"Yeah." Mara nodded, taking a sip of her own calf and relishing it. "Stronger than I thought. Not unbeatable though."

Anakin nodded, "Yes. I heard that Max defeated her."

"He did." Mara said. "He really stepped up."

Anakin eyed her, "Something troubles you, Mara. Something…elusive."

Mara clutched her cup tight, "She wasn't trying to kill us, Master. She said she was trying to kill me…but I don't know. Something wasn't convincing enough. She wanted to make me suffer and Luke suffer. It was never really about killing us."

"Do your feelings tell you that?" Anakin asked. "Or does your heart?"

"Is there a difference?" Mara asked.

Anakin nodded, "One is guided by the Force and one is guided by your own emotional intuitions."

Mara considered this and, after a few seconds, said, "A bit of both, I suppose then."

"The most dangerous adversaries are ones that can play at your emotions, Mara." Anakin said gravely. "By luck or purposeful intent, she knew how to get inside your head."

"My father seems to believe that our encounter with Shira Brie was one of deliberate design." Mara said, putting her cup down, "That this foretells a power much darker."

"And," Anakin started, "it might. It might hint at someone coming back who we do not want back."

"You mean Palpatine?" Mara asked, a shiver of revulsion running through her.

"Yes." Anakin said, his voice hard. "Many years ago, he almost made me his apprentice. Played with emotions until I felt like he was the only option I had. If not for Blaze, history would have gone much differently. The last we need – hell, the galaxy needs – is that monster up and about again."

Mara looked over to Luke and wondered for a moment what was the Brie was trying to accomplish. If Palpatine was truly back, then sending Brie was only the first step in his plan of revenge. Or, if he wasn't, then Brie was operating on a hate that wasn't truly hers. Which also begged the question: how did she know so much?

"What do you think, Master?" Mara asked, unable to keep the twinge of fear from her voice, cursing herself at her weakness.

Anakin fixed her with a focused look, "I think…that there isn't enough conclusive evidence to point to that revelation yet. And, we shouldn't frighten ourselves yet if there's nothing to be scared of. Especially not rumors."

Mara nodded, fear somewhat abated.

Anakin reached his hand over to give an affectionate squeeze on his son's shoulder. Then, he turned back to the redhead beside him, "I know Luke will appreciate it if you're the first face he sees when he wakes up."

Taking the hint, Mara gave a polite nod, "Of course."

Anakin got to his feet, "I must convene with the Council to see what our next course of action is. Seems we might be split into several teams to try to unweave this web of confusion that entangles us."

"Teams?"

Anakin nodded, "There are multiple avenues ahead of us."

As Skywalker was at the door, he turned slightly to the side, half his face draped in shadow, "And, Mara, I do have a request."

"Yes, Master?" Mara asked.

Anakin was still, "My son's feelings for you – and your own – are strong. I would recommend acting sooner rather than later. Might not be my place, but that's my opinion."

There was something about the how he said that which made her brain pause. In a galaxy of troubles and the constant battle between the Light and Dark Sides, how much time was one truly guaranteed in this life? Anakin had been no more than nineteen when he professed his love for Padme Amidala. Perhaps, she and Luke had danced around this for far too long. Brie could have killed him dozens of times over, but she didn't. Why didn't she? Because it would have hurt Mara to the core but it was too quick. She wanted the pain to last. She wanted Mara to feel that pain when you love someone and they…

"Yes, Mara." Anakin said in that way you knew he was attuned to the Force, "Love. Not possession. Not needless, greedy attachment. Love."

Without speaking, she gave the Jedi Master – the Hero with No Fear, the Chosen One – a warm, accepting smile. That smile said he was right.

Then, Anakin chuckled as if he had remembered an old joke that he now recalled, "Maybe, Blaze really was right."

"About what?"

Anakin held a finger to his lips and disappeared without another word, leaving Mara to her thoughts. She was only alone for a few minutes before Ben Kenobi came in. He had changed out of his normal sandy colored Jedi robes and had adopted a more darker version, sleeves cut slightly around the wrists to allow more movement.

"How's our boy?" Ben asked, sitting where Anakin had just a few minutes prior.

"He's stable." Mara said. "He's been treated with bacta. He's in a healing trance right now. He hasn't suffered this type of damage before."

"Yeah." Ben said. "We will get here, Mara. She's injured and has minimal resources. It won't be long before our intelligence division tracks her down. Master Jake assured me of such."

"As did Master Skywalker." Mara said. "But, with Lyra dead, their main focus will be on finding her killer."

"They could be one in the same." Ben retorted.

"You think Brie could be behind it?" Mara raised a brow to which Ben shrugged.

"We don't have all the information we need yet." Ben gave a small sigh of exacerbation, "Can't assume anything. But, it could've been her."

"True." Mara mumbled, "How is everyone else?"

Ben looked thoughtful, "Everyone is fine. That girl – Vey – she's in another room unconscious. She's hooked up to fluids and pain meds so she'll okay. But, she was very malnourished and showed signs of slight internal damage."

"I noticed something strange about her when she was aboard the ship." Mara said, voice low.

"What?"

"Her presence in the Force felt strange. It felt very similar to how Master Jake, Tarrak, and my father felt." Mara mused.

Ben sat a little straighter, "That's because Max told me she claims to be from Earth."

Mara blinked, "But…how?"

"That we don't know yet." Ben said, hand on his beard. "She said she was taken a few years ago and there were originally more of them. Only she survived. Barely."

"What do you think?" Mara asked.

"I think right now she deserves the benefit of the doubt." Ben said. "She feels like she's from Earth and Max detected no deception. Right now, she's in good graces. She had my vote."

"The Force is strong with her." Mara's voice was soft, in tune with the energy of the universe.

"Very." Ben nodded.

Suddenly, Luke shot upright, hand clutching Mara's in a fierce grasp. His breath hitched for a moment before he remembered where he was. He was in the Temple. He eased himself down, then looked at Mara.

"Next time," he said weakly. "can we please come up with a plan beforehand?"

Unable to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes, Mara nodded, reaching forward to envelop him in a warm hug that he returned, "You got it, Skywalker."

Mere seconds later, Leia, Luke's twin sister, burst through the doors. Even though on a consistent basis, Leia radiated confidence and poise, she always acted in a fiercely protective way towards her sibling. After performing a thorough job of making sure that he was alright, she smacked him upside the head.

"Leia!" Luke exclaimed, rubbing his head.

"That's for not telling me you were leaving." Leia said, hands on hips now.

It was spur of the moment!" Luke groaned. He did not proceed to tell his sister that this all stemmed from Mara. "Duty called."

Before Leia could start another assault, Han Solo walked in. At thirty-one years old, Han Solo was Captain of the Millennium Falcon and also a very respected General in the Rebirth Army. And, even though a much more elegant wardrobe befitting one of his stature was available, he chose his brown leather jacket, black combat pants, Corellian blood Stripes, and a DL-44 on his hip.

Very Han Solo.

"Hey, kid." Han said, pulling Leia away slightly. "You look strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark."

"Thanks, Han." Luke grinned, shaking his best friend's hand. Then, a ball of brown fur appeared behind Han, growling out a phrase that Luke interpreted pretty well.

"I'm glad I'm okay too, Chewie." Luke chuckled. "Next time, I'll make sure you're there to keep me safe."

Chewie growled out a response, then pushed Han slightly forward as if to ask him a question.

"Alright, alright." Han said, rolling his eyes, "I know you just woke up kid, but I was wondering something."

Luke blinked, "What is it, Han?"

Han pulled out a datapad from behind his back and pressed a few keys, "Leia was telling me what happened because your father told her. It got me thinking. The lady that attacked you had three Gozanti-class star cruisers with her, right?"

Luke and Mara both looked at him now, and Luke responded, "Yes. That's right."

"Well," Han started, then a hologram popped up from the pad. It showed a Gozanti-class cruiser with orange painting and a faded front haul. It looked like it could have been modified several years prior and had a frontal gravity well attached to it. "Does this look like it?"

Luke nodded, staring, "That looks just like the lead command ship." He rubbed his chest at the memory of being slashed with the lightwhip, "Where did you get that?"

Han showed him the datapad, "I received this from a Republic Intelligence Drone in the Bespin System."

"What made you think to look out there, Han?" Leia asked, looking up at her other half.

Han gave a crooked grin, "I have a contact out that way and I asked if he had witnessed any untoward attention from any criminal or unsettle-like gangs. The sort that would have taken over after Jabba's death. He mentioned that there was a group he had…interacted with who used these model ships."

"Any identification tags to track?" Mara asked.

Han shook his head, "No. Completely scrubbed. They used a fake transponder. Identified as the Hand."

"The Hand?" Mara echoed softly.

"Yeah." Han said. "My contact says that they only come in to deal for tibanna gas."

"Is there a mining colony on Bespin?" Luke asked. "I was under the impression that the atmosphere was too rough for bigger colonies to exist. Repulsor engine failure is almost a guarantee at that point."

"According to my source, the mining colony there has been in production for quite a while. It's small so it stays off of most people's radar. And, due to the atmospheric conditions, there isn't enough scrutiny or production to cause a problem for any of the other bigger tibanna gas mining colonies of the Outer Rim." Han said, tapping a key on the data pad and pointing about mid-way down, "And, if you look right here, you'll see that your particular cruiser stops by there at least once every standard week but has the docking manifest wiped before they leave."

"If they wipe it, how do you have it?" Ben asked, arms crossed, "I do hope you haven't done anything illegal, Captain Solo."

Han's brows furrowed, "Oh don't worry, Kenobi, I didn't do anything. My contact wipes the main driver to appease them, but he keeps a backup in case anything was to happen. He uses it as an insurance policy in the event he has to back track people who rip him off."

Luke mused, "That's actually quite brilliant."

Mara nodded, "Yeah. A secondary, off-the-books manifest to protect his cargo."

Han nodded, then reached out and pressed the downward key, going to the next page. The readout showed the most recent stops by the cruiser, right down to the timestamp of arrival and departure.

Luke scrolled, "According to this, she last stopped there almost a standard week earlier."

"Which means," Leia thought aloud, "she should be stopping there soon again."

"Wait a minute." Ben said, unfolding his arms and stepping forward, "We don't even know if she is a part of those transactions. Additionally, Max severed her hand. My guess is that she will miss the next run due to her injury. Like I said before, Mara, she's injured and low on resources." He turned to Han, "And, Captain Solo, if you've obtained this information and it has turned out to be true, we should present it to the Master's Council this time."

Luke gave a small nod, "Yeah. Ben's right. Didn't work out so well for us last time."

"You didn't have me last time." Han smirked. "You know I could make a difference."

Luke cracked a grin, "Oh, trust me, I know you could. But this goes beyond a difference."

Han tossed a glare at Ben, "I forgot that you have a penchant for being safe, Kenobi."

Ben sent the glare right back, "You weren't there, Captain Solo. We fought against not only Shira Brie but her well trained band of soldiers. Luke almost died and we all were captured at one point. Mara was almost sliced to ribbons. You have no grounds to go against our wishes."

"Your wishes?" Han scoffed. "Say what you mean. You're scared."

"I am not scared." Ben frowned. "I am cautious. With good reason."

"You were unprepared." Han said. "You didn't have a plan of action."

"Our plan now is to stay put and deliver this information to the Council." Ben said firmly. "There will be no other course of action."

"You've got to admit, Ben, that this does present us with an opportunity to get one step ahead of her." Mara said, peering up to him. "We need to bring her in and she doesn't know that we have this information."

"That's why we bring it to the Council." Ben repeated, softer towards Mara than he ever was with Han, "They will know what to do with the information. They can assign the proper force to deal with her."

Leia stepped forward, "Forgive me, Ben, but isn't it our job as Jedi Knights to preserve the peace and protect the innocent?"

"We are, Leia." Ben said.

Han scoffed, "No. You're debating. Master Marko is pretty good about moving quickly, but from what I've heard, they will divert a lot of their resources to this Lyra business."

"Exactly." Mara said, turning to Luke, "Luke, I think we should go."

Luke opened his mouth, then closed it when Ben sent him a look. A look full of resolve but also one of worry. He was right. Luke had almost died. Just as Mara almost did. All because they rushed in without a plan and without telling anyone.

Luke Skywalker, like this father before him, was never one to shy away from action and adventure, but he had a degree more patience than his father. In this case, he did believe that Shira Brie needed to be brought before the Council and questioned. However, Ben was also right. There was a significant risk involved in going after her without the Council's guidance and a trained, coordinated team. As much as he hated doing nothing, he couldn't come up with a good enough argument to the contrary.

"I think Ben is correct." Luke said finally, seeing the disapproval in Han and mara's eyes. "This information should be shared with the Council first. Let them guide us. That is why they are Masters."

Han rolled his eyes and turned around, Chewbacca following after growling out an apology. Leia called after him, then stepped out to talk to him once she caught up.

Mara was more composed, "I understand. You're right. Both of you."

Ben nodded and said, "Good. We will convene with the Council tomorrow morning. I will look over the information Captain Solo has provided us with to authenticate it."

Luke and Mara nodded and Ben left them moments later.


"So," Anakin Skywalker put a hand to his chin, his face set in stone, "what do you propose we do about all this new information, Blaze?"

I nodded to Ahsoka and she spoke, "We believe that we should still send teams out to Rhen Var and to Raxus respectively, but we should also reach out to Republic Intelligence and coordinate with them to see if we can find out any more information about Shira Brie and her band of soldiers."

Anakin shifted slightly, "I can have Padme reach out to Chancellor Mothma's office and see if we can gain access to their intelligence drones that span across the Outer Rim."

"Perfect." I said, resting my arms on the arms of the chair I sat in, "The faster we find her, the easier it will be to get answers."

Obi Wan raised a brow, "Come now, my old apprentice, there is something else in the midst of this that you are holding back."

I sighed, then said, "As I explained before, Shira Brie knows stuff of the Dark Future that she shouldn't. It troubles me."

Anakin finished, "Because, you fear that Palpatine's return is implied."

I nodded solemnly, "He's the only person besides Kane who would know the information save for the people in this very room. Everyone else that would have known that info are dead."

"And, pardon me for saying so," Kiara Kotan ventured, "you are sure that it is not Kane who is secretly behind all of this?"

"Yes." I said.

But, deep down, I wasn't truly sure I could rule him out yet. Kane was a byproduct of Sith Sorcery, cloning, and a desire for revenge. Even though he had held up his end of the truce he made at the end of the Shadow War and had done his best to make sure that Ahsoka stayed alive and healthy, his nature was deception and chaos. However, it was hard for me to think that Kane would do all of this. There was no true motive.

"I've already reached out to Kane to let him know of the situation." I said. "He was surprised as well. He told me that he had searched out for Shira Brie to raise her as an apprentice but all information that had to do with her was lost…as if someone was trying to deliberately hide her."

Ziv frowned, "Really?"

"Yeah." I said. "And, if not Palpatine, then who?"

"There's no shortage for enemies of the Jedi." Ken chimed in, "If our information is anything to go by then we could be potentially looking at a new enemy. An enemy that we have not learned of beforehand, Master."

Anakin nodded, "Perhaps there is something new rising up."

"It doesn't feel like that." Ahsoka responded, "It feels like a tangled web someone is weaving that already knows who will be caught in it."

"Exactly." Jake said. "This is a deliberate pattern. Let's review the details. First: Lyra mysteriously starts spouting about the future and that causes you to investigate. Second: at the same time, Mara hears a voice threatening someone she cares about and then all of your children go to find out without telling any of us. Third: Lyra is killed, you see the Ones again, and Shira Brie is revealed in what seems to be a random coincidence. Fourth: the kids prevail and come home, telling us about Shira Brie and making us all think about losing our collective shit because it might spring us into action against the possibility that Palpatine survived. It's all too neat."

Going along with the thought, Ziv continued, "That puts us in a very peculiar position. It makes us split our numbers and send our ranks in different places. Several of us go to different worlds, not leaving our home defenseless but definitely putting us in a bind. On one hand, we are investigating a grave threat and on the other hand we are dividing our power."

"But, what else can we do?" Kanan asked. "Even if it is some type of plan to split us up, if the threat is real and we don't do anything then whoever is behind this is gathering power. They might already have the Reaper in hand."

"And, if that Force Harvester is in the hands of the enemy there is no telling what they will do." Jet Raal said from his seat. He wasn't a Council Member yet, but I had wanted him to sit during this meeting and give his own thoughts and opinions as if he was one.

"I can imagine." Jake frowned, "They will bleed planets dry. Ours might be on the list."

"No one knows where we are located." Ken said. "This planet is cloaked, and we have thousands of hyperspace beacons set up in neighboring systems that scramble flight data unless you know what to look for. Virtually making it impossible to find Crysia."

"Not even Kane knows where we truly are." I said. "Yoda does but that's about it other than our own Order. And, Ken's right, we made it incredibly difficult to find this place."

"But," Jake said, catching my eye and I saw as his blue-green eyes sharpened in the light, "you and I both know, brother, that it's not impossible."

"Nothing is impossible." I responded. I cast a glance at my chrono. It was getting on into the evening now.

Obi Wan raked a hand through his beard in deep thought, then he said, "May I put in something?"

I nodded, "Of course, Obi Wan."

Obi Wan gave a slight bow of his head, "Thank you. In my opinion, we should still send our forces to the planets to find and locate the pieces of the Reaper. However, we should recall the Expansionary Legions and call in a force from the Republic to protect our planet in the absence of so many leaders."

"They can't know where we reside, Obi Wan." Anakin said to his old master. "It's too dangerous. It would create an opening for the enemy to find us that much sooner."

Obi Wan gave a nod as if telling Anakin to listen to the entirety of his sentence before he judged, "Anakin. We would of course send a delegate to the Republic and their vessels would be slave-circuited through hyperspace to the planet, effectively leaving their sensors blind. They won't know where they are or how to get back until we deem it necessary."

Anakin, mollified, agreed, "That's a good plan. I can have Padme reach out to Chief of State Mon Mothma to request a garrison. I don't know how many ships she would be willing to let us borrow."

I steeled my resolve, "She will."

"I'm sure she will." Ahsoka agreed. "So, Anakin, will Padme send the transmission tonight?"

"Yes." Anakin said. "More than likely, she'll send it just before Mon Mothma leaves for the night."

"Good idea." I said, turning to Ziv, "You, my brother, and Jet should still go to Raxus. But, Ahsoka, Ken, and I will not depart for Rhen Var until the garrison returns from Coruscant. That way we are sure that Crysia will be protected."

"It would be hard pressed for me to believe that anyone could make it through the planetary Kyber shield." Kanan said.

"Like they said before, still not impossible." Siri said from her chair, one leg crossed over the other.

"Right."


THE NEXT MORNING


I loved caf.

If there was one thing in this world that made more sense than anything, it was my love for caf. It was basically the same thing as coffee, but it had a smoother taste than even a lighter latte. I was on my second cup that morning at 0500. The day before me was wrought with challenges, those of which I already knew was custom for a Jedi. In the years that had passed since my first encounter with the galaxy far, far away, I had learned that it was never a matter of if but of when.

After downing the rest of my morning delight, I slipped into my gray and white combat robes, clicking the belt around my waist and connecting my lightsabers on the belt clips. Next I reached into the safe I kept concealed behind a false holo-wall and found my phrik-nano suit. I slid the housing gauntlet on my wrist and tapped the mechanism twice. Immediately, a thin wave of phrik-nano particles seeped out over my body, going underneath my clothes and attaching themselves to my body, save for the critical joints that were crucial to fluid movement. This would ensure I could still move with one hundred percent efficiency while also being particularly safe from blaster bolts, projectile weapons, and even energy-based melee weapons. There were other things out there than lightsabers. The nano suit added a few extra pounds but nothing too bulky.

For a mission such as the one that was about to occur, I needed to make sure my arsenal was stocked. In addition to my lightsabers, I also had a variety of other weapons on my person. In a holster attached to my waist on my back was a DC-15s blaster pistol, mostly associated with that of the Republic Commando. There were three pouches attached to my left-hand side of my belt which contained adrenaline and pain-suppressant stims in the first pouch, rations in the second, and small magnetic explosive devices in the third. On the one pouch on my right-hand side of my belt were a few Kaminoan Saberdarts, which could kill almost any species with but a few seconds of poison from a puncture wound.

Ahsoka, on the other side of the room was dressed in a similar attire, phrik-nano particles covering her body underneath a navy blue combat suit with black lining which reached all the way down from her neck to her ankles. Her right arm had the nano housing while the other side had a similar slim gauntlet attached. Her sabers connected to her belt and hung there as she pulled a light gray Jedi robe to her and slung it around her shoulders, hood down.

"Rhen Var will be cold." She said, throwing me an identical robe.

I caught it and put it on, "Oh trust me, I know. If it's anything like Illum, I'm in for a bad time."

"I forgot you hate the cold." Ahsoka cracked a smile.

"Passionately." I frowned in jest, "I would rather sweat to death on Tatooine than expose myself to the cold on purpose."

"Hopefully," Ahsoka said, tapping a few keys on her wrist communicator and pulling up a hologram of Rhen Var, "we won't be here too long."

I stepped forward, using my finger as a pen and circling the area of promise, "This is where the tomb is."

"And, what exactly is there?" Ahsoka raised a brow.

I crossed my arms, pulling back my memories from deep within, "In the tomb, there is an altar. That altar is actually not that dissimilar from a holocron gatekeeper. Some part of Qel-Droma's spirit is attached to it. If we go and prove ourselves worthy, he will tell us how to defeat the Reaper. In the event that our enemies have already discovered the superweapon and plan on unleashing it soon, we will need to know how to beat it."

Ahsoka nodded, zooming in on the hologram to give a real-time image of the tomb's entrance, "This is from our scout drone that we sent ahead of time. Doesn't seem like anyone has visited or is there right now."

"Not that we can see." I said. "The sooner we get the information, the better."

Ahsoka made her way over to me, kissed my cheek, then we made our way out into the living room, heading for the front door. While we walked, she said, "And, what if your brother and Ziv find the Force Harvester and no one has taken it?"

"Then, we protect it." I said. "Or, we use it."

Ahsoka's presence shifted, "A weapon like that, Blaze, should never be used."

I nodded after a minute, "To be honest, you're right. But, if our enemies have the Force, then it would be a valuable tool to strip them of the Force."

Ahsoka shook her head, slightly disapproving, "I do not know much about the Force Harvester technology, but I can only imagine that it doesn't just strip the Force from an adversary."

I shrugged, "The machine could be calibrated to stop before the target died, but I see your point."

Ahsoka gave a click of her teeth, a noise of finality as I accepted the facts.

When we opened the door, we were shocked to see someone running directly at us. For a moment, it was just a blur of black robes and blonde hair, but then the image of the young man focused and became clear. I held out my hands in gesture and the young man stopped a mere three feet from us.

It was Luke.

"Luke!" Ahsoka exclaimed.

Luke was panting and it was clear that he used the Force to augment his physical strength in the absence of actual strength. His wounds were still healing and I knew he had to be in good deal of pain. Lightwhip burns weren't something you got over that quickly, not even with the amazing healing properties of bacta.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sensing his emotions all over the place.

Luke looked up, his eyes shining with intense worry, "She's gone!"

"Who?" Ahsoka asked.

"Mara!" Luke exclaimed. "I can't find her anywhere. And her presence in the Force is gone!"

Ice gripped my heart, "What?"

Luke nodded, "She stayed over at the medical wing to check on me but when I woke up she was gone. No one has seen or heard from her. Ben is currently still looking."

Ahsoka's jaw clenched, "Did she give any indication that she was planning on leaving?"

"Moreover, why would she?" I asked, staring hard at the young Jedi Knight. "Where would she go, Luke?"

"I don't know…" He trailed off, realization dawning on his features. "No. No no no!"

"Where did she go?" I nearly yelled.

Luke looked back up, "She's gone to Bespin."

"Bespin?" Ahsoka questioned, "why would she go there?"

I did a quick go through of reasons why Bespin would be a target of interest, but none of those thoughts had any substance to them. There was no reason in the current timeline that Mara would need to go to Bespin. With the Empire nonexistent, there wasn't enough traffic either economically or industrially to draw focus to that corner of the galaxy.

"I don't know." I said, pondering further.

"I do."

That caused bother Ahsoka and I to look to Luke. His face was awash with guilt and anger. Anger at himself.

"Why is she going there?" I asked.

"Yesterday, Han found evidence that pointed to Shira Brie retreating to Bespin after our encounter. Ben suggested that we bring the information to the Council this morning. Mara had agreed…but I should have known better." Luke said. "She must have gone to Han and he gave her the surveillance."

"Damn it." I muttered.

Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of flimsy, "She left this."

I took the flimsy and read it.

"Gone hunting for a few days. Don't be mad at me, Farmboy."

My blood turned to ice. My stomach lurched inside and my heart stopped for what seemed like a medium sized eternity. Air stopped circulating as if I was in a vacuum.

Luke continued, "I thought this meant she had gone into the forests to hunt wild game like she does from time to time, but now it means she's left the system and she's on the hunt."

"For Shira Brie." Ahsoka finished.

I crumpled the flimsy, "We need to leave now."

Luke flinched, "Why? What does it mean?"

Those words in the flimsy…

"It means that if we don't catch up to her right now… Mara will die."