Kavan, Hapes Cluster
Through the maze of tunnels Mark could heard the sound of a lightsaber followed by a loud explosion. He stopped and listened, anxiously trying to figure out which way the sound originated but found it near impossible; the tunnel system carried sound and it echoed up and down in all directions. He decided to double back and try to find Ben. He wasn't sure who was wielding the lightsaber, but it meant trouble. As he jogged back up the tunnel Ben took earlier the area became eerily quiet. He almost wished he heard the lightsabers again, at least that meant somebody was alive. Finally Ben's voice rang out in the distance.
"Uncle Mark! Where the kriff are you?"
The sound of fear and despair in the young man's voice terrified Mark. He pushed on, sprinting faster than he thought possible as dread built up inside him as he drew closer. Eventually he had to slow as the tunnel became darker and dusty. As he rounded a corner he could see the light of a glow stick up ahead…and the sound of Ben weeping, "No, no!" There was a quick spasm of sobs followed by a mournful cry of tortured sorrow.
The blood in Mark's veins turned to ice water and his breath arrested in his lungs. He raced towards the light as the sound of fresh screams and hysterical sobs resumed. His ysalamiri, clutching to his shoulder harness, yelped as she dug her claws deeper into the leather for a better handhold on the running Jedi. In the distance he could make out the figure of a man on his knees and cradling a person in his arms. As he moved closer he could make out their faces. It was Mara and Ben.
Ben looked up to Mark with sad pleading eyes. "She's dead," was all he said before he crushed her to his chest his body shuddering in a spasm of grief.
"Let me see," Mark yelled as he skidded to a halt in front of the distraught young man. Mark gently pulled Mara out of his arms and laid her down on the floor. He checked her pulse, but found none, but she was still very warm, she couldn't have been dead for more than a minute or two. There was still time. He quickly took off his shoulder harness with his ysalamiri and handed the animal to Ben. "Hold on to Nibbles for me, I'm going to try something with the Force."
Ben nodded, hot tears flowing down his face and neck. He grabbed onto the animal and harness and backed away from Mark, getting the ysalamiri as far away as he could while still maintaining a view of the situation.
Mark looked down at Mara's lifeless body his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He had known her all his life. She was like a sister to him. He couldn't let her die. He closed his eyes and reached back into his memory…or in actuality the memory of Emperor Palpatine. He had realized long ago that Palpatine had learned from his Master Darth Plagueis the ability to manipulate Midichlorians and in doing so he was able to cure the sick and injured and resurrect the dead.
Not that Darth Plagueis exerted his power over life and death for benevolent means. He used the knowledge to cure himself and on rare occasions to resurrect his enemies from the dead only so he could kill him again. It was a Sith skill, but one Mark was more than willing to use to save Mara.
He put his hands on her body and concentrated on drawing the Force to him and to her. He pictured in his mind her body's midchlorians doing his bidding—repairing injuries, restarting organs, and detoxifying blood. He could feel the Force flowing through him like a rushing river. The inflow was so intense that a bluish hue formed around his body. He knew how to do this—he could see the steps vividly in his mind, but despite his efforts, Mara still lay dead.
"Come on Mara, help me out here!" he whispered fiercely as he tried the procedure again and again. "What the kriff am I doing wrong?" He fought back a sour taste in his throat and gritted his teeth in frustration. He was angry—angry with himself for failing Mara—and he was furious at whoever did this to her.
He stepped up his efforts and tried again. He couldn't fail her. Mara didn't deserve to die. She had four children and a husband who loved her very much. She couldn't die!
Mark's heart was breaking. As the color from her cheeks faded to a pale grey he realized his error. Palpatine and Plagueis used the dark side to perform this skill. Obviously, if there was a way to do it with the light side of the Force, it was a different technique. For Mark to succeed he would have to open himself fully to the dark side.
He stopped what he was doing for a moment to consider the consequences. If he stepped over that line he may never come back. He could be putting everybody in danger. He glanced over to where Ben was watching him, wide-eyed and full of fear. The young man must have thought Mark had given up the fight and he burst out in renewed sobs.
Mark turned away, not wanting to see Ben's pain. He looked back down to Mara and made a decision. "Kriff it!" He let his anger and frustration build as he drew onto the dark side of the Force. It flowed into his body like liquid fire. He could feel it creep down his spine and toward his fingertips. It was the Force, but dark and malignant and as it flowed through him he felt powerful, invincible, and full of unbridled rage. He concentrated on Mara once again willing the midichlorians to do his bidding. He held his hands up above his head and he saw sparks of Sith lightning flying from his fingertips. He brought his hands down on her chest and projected his will and his power through her. Her body arched in the same way a person receiving life saving defibrillation shock would. He pulled his hands away and she collapsed back to the ground and after a long moment he heard a gasp as Mara drew in a breath.
"Mara!" he wept as he checked her pulse. She was unconscious, but alive. He continued his machinations, manipulating her midichlorians, commanding them to heal her and make her whole. He leaned down, his face centimeters from hers. "Mara, who did this to you?"
Her eyes fluttered, but did not open. "Use the Force Mara, think about what happened."
He concentrated, trying to bring his mind to hers. Suddenly an image coalesced in his brain. It was Jacen Solo, eyes troubled, face bleak. He opened his mouth to speak. 'I'm sorry I had to do this…'
Mark drew in a sharp breath and straightened. He had thought, hoped, Lumiya was responsible, but it looked like he was wrong. He glanced over to Ben. "Come here!"
The young man put the ysalamiri down and ran up to his mother. "Mom?" he called out anxiously.
Mark scooped Mara up in his strong arms lifting her off the ground. "Take your mother to her ship and get her to a medical facility. I did all I could." He transferred Mara to her son's arms. Ben looked down to his mother and gave a quivering smile. He looked back to Mark and his smiled dropped off his face as he took a quick step back.
"Uncle Mark," Ben whispered. "Your eyes."
The large Jedi put his hand up to his face. "What about my eyes?"
"They're yellow." Ben croaked out.
Mark pressed his eyes shut. He knew this could happen, but Mara was worth the risk. "I'll be alright Ben. Get your mother to a medical facility. She's still very sick." He looked down to the ground and retrieved Mara's lightsaber and clipped it to her belt. "I'll find who did this to your mother. I'll take care of it."
Ben hesitated his eyes still transfixed on Mark's face. "Shavit! Go now!" Mark bellowed at his nephew, his voice sharp and full of anger.
Ben took a frightened step back but didn't move. "What are you going to do?"
Mark's face twisted into a murderous scowl. "I'm going to find who did this and kill him!"
Ben's eyes went wide. "Him? You mean her." He looked down at his mother in his arms. "Lumiya did this didn't she?"
When Mark didn't respond Ben went pale. "You think Jacen did this?"
Mark took a step forward. "Do you want your mother to die again?! Go."
Ben took a step backwards. "Jacen couldn't have done this." He took a second tentative step back. "Don't kill him, Uncle Mark. You may be wrong. Promise me you won't kill him."
Bitterness twisted in Mark's soul as a bloodlust fought to overtake him. Finally he calmed himself enough to reply to his nephew. "He'll live. Now go!"
Ben nodded sadly and then, cradling his mother in his arms, he turned and moved down the tunnels to the direction of the ship hanger.
Mark was shocked at how quickly he lost his temper with Ben. He never yelled at him like that before. He squeezed the bridge of his nose in frustration. He really hoped he hadn't started down a path of darkness. He hoped, but he was fairly certain some damage was done, because all he felt was the need for murderous revenge… and he knew that wasn't the Jedi way.
.
.
.
Jacen made it to the hanger and attempted contacting Lumiya with his comlink. When that didn't work he sprinted to his StealthX and tried using his ship's transceiver, with no luck. He left a message and hoped she checked her incoming transmissions before she left her ship.
Nothing was going right today. "Damn, damn damn!" he swore while pounding his hand on the fuselage of his fighter. If it became known that Lumiya killed Ta'a Chume he could never admit his connection to her. His only hope now was if his aunt didn't remember sensing him and Lumiya together.
He was about to go back and check on Mara when he saw something outside. He stepped towards the exterior bay opening and was shocked to see not only Mara's ship, the Jade Shadow, in the field outside, but his uncle Mark's Headhunter.
Jacen groaned. This was bad. If Mark was wandering around in some other tunnel he might have sensed Jacen with Lumiya also. He needed an excuse for being here with the Sith.
He thought frantically and then it came to him. He could claim he was following Lumiya, but she escaped. Hopefully Mark would assumed that the Dark Lady of the Sith was the person who attacked his aunt. If Mara's memory was compromised, then she wouldn't be able to confirm or deny his take on things.
Unfortunately, if Mara did remember, then he would have to explain why he tranquilized her. He rubbed the back of his neck that was quickly becoming stiff with stress.
"I am completely borked," he mumbled to himself then took a couple of deep cleansing breaths. "Okay, I'll go to the hangar Lumiya took off from. Then I'll double back and claim I chased after her once I realized who she was." When he said the words out loud they rang false even to his ears, but he was running out of options. He would try that story and if that didn't work, and Ta'a Chume was assassinated, he might have to get a good high priced lawyer.
He turned and rushed back into the tunnels making sure he concealed himself within the Force. He would go the hanger Lumiya left from and then double back and locate his uncle.
.
.
.
Mark waited until Ben carried his mother away before he went over and picked up his ysalamiri and buckled up his shoulder harness. He knew Jacen didn't leave the way he entered so he had to exit in the other direction. He reached down and grabbed the glowstick Ben had left in the corridor and held it high over his head. There were footprints and debris all over the area. He found two pair of prints leaving in the opposite direction he just came. One pair was a person with small feet, possibly Lumiya. The other set of prints were larger and appeared to have a limp. It looked like Mara injured Jacen.
He tightened up his harness and then started following the prints at a slow jog. After a few minutes he saw a figure down the passageway coming towards him. He slowed to a walk. "Whose there?"
"Uncle Mark?" came a familiar voice. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Mark stopped and waited for Jacen to approach him. Clearly he was going to play dumb when it came to what happened to Mara. As his nephew drew closer, Mark noticed he wasn't limping…until he came into the ysalamiri Force bubble, then he faltered and start favoring one leg slightly. It wasn't overly noticeable unless you were looking for it…and Mark was looking for it.
Mark put on a sad, distressed face. "Jacen, your Aunt Mara has been attacked." He watched Solo for any sign of surprise or emotion, but none came.
"Is she okay?"
Mark's head dropped as anger boiled up within him. "No, she's down there." He turned sideways as to allow Jacen to pass as he pointed down the passageway. "She's dead."
"Dead?" Jacen gasped sounding shocked. Mark waited until Jacen was almost next to him before he performed a forceful right hook connecting his fist to the side of the young man's head. With the Ysalamiri masking his intentions, he caught Jacen completely off guard. There was a sickening crunch as his fist smashed into his nephew's jaw. Mark cringed as Jacen flew sideways and the other side of his head hit the wall with a terrible smack.
Despite his seething rage, the brutality of the assault momentarily shocked Mark and a cold realization hit him—in the second before his fist connected with Jacen's head, Mark wanted above all else to kill the man. He wanted to beat him senseless and then strangle the life out of his nephew.
These horrific, morbid thoughts were foreign to him. It was like something evil resided in his brain. Nauseous and terrified by his actions the strength ebbed out of his legs and he slowly sank to the ground. "Stang!" He moaned. "What's happening to me?" He had never experienced such raw, malevolent thoughts. He needed to get back in control before he killed someone.
He gathered himself together and crawled over to Jacen to check his vitals. He was unconscious and breathing. There was a huge bump forming on the side of his head, but there was no open wound.
Mark gathered up his nephew and put him over his free shoulder and started the trek back to his shuttle. Jacen needed medical help for his head and Mark realized he, himself, might need a Jedi healer to help him fight off the darkness that threatened to devour his soul.