Chapter 4: Dueling Realities

Upon seeing the beloved Wookie for the first time in decades, her emotions got the better of her. Without thinking, she cried out his name and broke into a run towards him on the Millennium Falcon's ramp. Chewbacca was carrying a piece of equipment and when Mara ran up to him to wrap her arms around his waist, he dropped it.

"Chewbacca, you're here. I can't believe it!" After realizing that he wasn't acknowledging her, either physically or verbally, Mara paused. She felt in the Force the only feeling from him was confusion. Still hugging him, she sheepishly asked. "You don't know me, do you?"

Instead of answering her, he made a series of grunts and growls directed at Rey, who was just now catching up to them. "This is Mara Jade, Chewie. She's the one who was found on Seria." Chewie replied. "No, she's not. She's just a bit disoriented."

"He thinks I'm crazy, doesn't he?"

"You speak Shyriiwook?"

"I can get the gist."

A human male started down the ramp. He was handsome, late 30s, hair was dark, well cropped, and wearing a light brown vest. Mara sized him up as the second coming of Han Solo. "Chewie," he said. "Who's your new friend?" Chewie replied. "You don't know? Wait, aren't you the one who they found on Seria beach?"

"Guilty," Mara said. She unwrapped herself from Chewie.

"Hi. I'm General Poe Dameron." He extended his hand for Mara to shake.

She obliged. "Mara Jade Sky—" She stopped with her married name. Less confusion. "Mara Jade."

Poe noted Mara's head. "Didn't you have a head wound?"

It was the first time since she was with Rey that morning that she remembered the baacta bandage on her head. It was completely gone now. She placed her fingers around where the wound had been. No pain. "Not anymore," she said. "The wonders of a Jedi healing trance."

Rey spoke up, "Actually, I did that. I can project Jedi healing much quicker."

Mara noted. "Interesting."

Rey said, "You must have known Chewie through Han."

"You knew Han Solo?" Poe interjected.

"Yeah, he's my brother-in-law." She winced at her instinctive response. So much for less confusion.

"Your brother in—" Poe stopped and leaned to Rey. "Is she in her right mind now?"

Rey answered, "Well…yeah."

"You don't sound confident."

Mara said, "It's not that. I just haven't seen Chewie in a long while." Which was true.

Rey asked, "Was he in your time?"

Poe snapped, "Her time…What?"

Rey said to him, "It's complicated."

Mara finally answered. "Yes, he was. My Chewie died a few decades ago."

Chewie roared something and Poe said, "Yeah, you and me both, buddy."

Rey went on to explain to them about Mara's reality alteration when she woke up. Her reality where Luke was her husband, Leia and Han were alive and with grown twins. And one reality where Chewbacca had apparently died. They seem to take the news well enough. So much so that Chewie barked a question.

Rey reluctantly interpreted. "He asked how he died?"

Mara answered with hesitancy, "A moon crashed down on him."

There was an awkward pause before Poe said, "Well, that sounds ridiculous."

"It happened all right. I remember when I had to break the news to Luke."

Poe said, "Anyway," he shifted his look towards Rey. "We've got about five crates of foodstuffs and equipment. I finally got you a new generator."

"A Newton-Roush A12?"

"Yep. Only the best for Jedi."

"Good. I'll have some students help you." She turned toward Mara. "Did you want to continue with the tour?"

"Actually, I'd like to help."

"Well, I'm not sure you're up for heavy lifting."

"No, I meant with your lessons."

"Oh. Of course."

"Considering that I've been in bed for the past few months, I need to regain my agility. Where's your lightsaber ring?"

Rey said, "Pretty much anywhere, but we have a designated area over there."

"Point me there." Before Rey started to leave, Mara noticed Chewie was back at work with lifting crates out of the Falcon. She got his attention. "Look, I'm sorry for that display before. You must have been embarrassed having a stranger coming up to hug you." Chewie stopped lifting and began a long series of grunts and whines. He went back to working in the Falcon.

"I didn't get any of that gist," said Mara.

Poe nodded, smiling. "He said if you show that much emotion to the people you love, you can't be all bad. More or less what he said."

Mara muttered to herself. "You always were a good judge of character, Chewie."

The sparring area consisted of a flat grassy area lined with homemade figures and racks of makeshift training lightsabers. There was a group of students of various ages sitting around watching a practice match with a woman and a male sparring. Once Rey and Mara approached, they stopped fighting and each greeted Rey.

"Good morning, everyone. This is Mara Jade. She is a Jedi who was found on Seria a while back. Let's give her a good welcome. She would like to train with us. Who would like to start with her?"

"Actually, I was hoping to start with you." Mara addressed Rey. The cheers from the students grew loud.

Rey smiled. "All right. Shall we begin with training sabers?"

Mara made her way to the center of the arena. "My training was finished decades ago. When you've trained enough, you won't need practice sabers."

Rey eased to the opposite side of Mara and stated, "Very well." She raised her own lightsaber and ignited the yellow blade. Mara did the same with hers. Rey eyed her blue-white blade. "It's still strange seeing you with that."

"Not as strange as when you told me what you did with it. Now I assume you know all Forms of lightsaber combat."

Rey nodded. "I read the Jedi texts."

Mara snorted. "You're telling me you read a book about them? There's more to it than that. Let's see if you recognize first positions." Mara took her arm back close to her right ear with the blade pointing directly at Rey.

Rey answered, "Oh, Form III."

Mara nodded. "Soresu. Easy. And this?" She lowered the blade to come parallel to her body length with the blade angled down.

Rey answered. "Looks like Form 1."

"Shii Cho. Correct. How about this one?" Mara brought her blade high over her head and angled the blade opposite her body.

Rey looked dumbfounded. "I don't know that one."

"I'm not surprised you don't. It wouldn't have been included in a Jedi text. It is Form VII. Vaapad."

"I thought that was banished."

"Not entirely. There were very few Jedi who knew it. Masters only. It comes close to the Sith way of combat." Mara reverted back to the Soresu defensive stance and said to Rey, "Let's see you earn the name Skywalker."

They each closed the gap between them. Mara began to angle a few strikes from different positions, and Rey met them well. She began to move her feet while arcing a few strikes from above and below. Rey was forced to meet each one. Mara quickened her pace and started simple thrusts. Rey blocked them efficiently. At one point, Rey pulled her arm back and made a direct forward thrust that was more similar to a lunge. It surprised Mara for a moment, but she compensated by spinning counter to the thrust to block it. With her spin, she ended up on Rey's opposite side. The goal of the maneuver was supposed to have Mara behind Rey with an attack of her own. It didn't work. Her spin wasn't as complete, and Mara lost her balance. She landed on the grassy ground.

"Mara, are you all right?"

"Yes," she sighed. "Age has withered that move." Rey took Mara's hand to help her up. Mara immediately asked Rey, "You are impressive, but where did you learn that last technique?"

Rey shrugged. "I don't know. I just use it."

"Funny you should say that. That is a Vaapad move."

"What?"

"An aggressive thrust like that is textbook Form VII. Not to worry you any further, but that was Palpatine's signature move. You may very well be his granddaughter."

It was obvious that Rey didn't know what to think of that, and even more obvious that she didn't want to. She noted to Mara, "Your moves are powerful, too."

Mara started to speak just loud enough so that her students could hear as well. "The Force is not about power, Rey. It's about guidance. It's supposed to lead you through your destiny, not become dominant in a lightsaber duel. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack. Surely you read that in the Jedi texts."

"Yes," Rey admitted slowly."

"Don't feel bad. Luke thought the same way for the longest time. Except Luke's problem was that he was afraid of power. In himself and others."

"I understand that now."

"I knew from the start. Tried to make him see. He was a bit stubborn."

"Oh, I really understood that."

"He overcompensated with his lessons on the Dark Side. Hell, he even joined the Dark Side once to defeat a clone of the Emperor."

"Really?"

"Longer story. It took me decades to shake him out…of that…mentality."

Her words started to slur, and her head was fuzzy. She felt herself suddenly weightless. She couldn't feel the thud of her body hitting the ground. She opened up her eyes. The bright yellow sun disappeared. Gray skies replaced it. There were new sounds in the air. Water. Waves. Was she nearby an ocean? She tilted her head to one side. Sand. Wet sand. No grass. She started to hear voices. Men's voices.

"Mara! Mara, can you hear me?"

She angled her head up and saw a familiar face. "W…Wedge?"

"Hey, she knows me. Good sign."

"Or a bad one," she heard another man say.

"Ha ha. Mara, what happened? We found you on the shore here unconscious."

"What…system?"

"Seria."

"We need to get her to a Med facility."

"I know." Wedge told Mara, "Your husband is on his way."

"Luke," she answered.

"That's right. Another good sign."

"I was just with Rey. And Poe. And Chewie!"

"Chewbacca? You were with Chewbacca?" He looked up at someone she couldn't see.

"She is really out of it."

Just then, another familiar voice filled her ears A voice that was so sweet to her.

"Mara? Aunt Mara!"

"Jaina?" Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy. They closed. The ocean sounds disappeared, replaced by the sounds of a jungle. She could once again feel the grass underneath her.

"Jaina?" asked another male voice. "Who's Jaina?"

"Not now, Poe. That's her niece. Mara, can you hear me?"

Mara sighed. "Seems like I'm getting asked that a lot lately."

"Mara, what happened? You got dizzy and fainted."

"I was on the beach on Seria. Wedge was there. Wedge Antilles. Is he in this reality?"

Poe answered, "Wedge? Sure. He's in Rogue Squadron. Good pilot. Wait, what do you mean, this reality?"

"Jaina. I heard Jaina. I heard my niece. She was there. I was there. And now I'm here. Again."

Poe suggested, "Maybe she needs another Jedi trance."

Rey said disappointingly, "I don't think that will help."

Mara sat up and looked around at the new Jedi Academy that Rey Skywalker had established. She could hardly believe that she was on Seria not one minute earlier. She put her head in her hands.

What is happening to me?

tbc