Chapter XI – Turning of
the Tide – Part I
Mara
stood before the rectangular container with her eyes
closed, deep in thought as she tried to recall the
distinct chimes of the security code to open the
large duraplast box.
“Yes…” she whispered. A slow sideways tilt of her
head and a mere pause and Mara began to nod. “Yes,
I’m sure of it.” She knelt beside the locking
mechanism and began to touch the keypad. She knew
that she would only have a limited number of
unsuccessful tries before the lock would require the
input of a master code to override the failed
attempts.
Mara
grumbled loudly as her first attempt failed.
As
did her second.
Her
third and final attempt fared no better.
“Why
did I even bother?” she grumbled, as a bloodstained
hand snatched her lightsaber from her belt. She
ignited the weapon and the crimson blade sliced the
security lock into tiny pieces. She smiled wryly as
she heard the hiss that indicated the broken seal.
Disengaging her lightsaber and returning it to her
belt, she then slid the cover partly off the
container.
Glancing inside the box Mara picked up the first
sculpture she saw and grimaced. “Whoever created
these must have an obsession with Twi’lek’s.” She
carefully broke the piece of art, mindful of the
diminutive vial that she knew would be inside.
“No,
I can’t let that break,” she said thoughtfully as
she gently slid the vial out of the sculpture and it
rolled into her hand. “Not until I know what it is.”
She smirked and then noticed what else had fallen
into her bloodied hand. “And what have we here, I
wonder?” Mara picked up the microchip and examined
it. “So, you’re what that filth was hiding from me
last night. I guess I’ll just have to see
what you contain,” she said as a sinister grin crept
across her lips.
Pushing the cover back on, to act as more of a
moisture barrier than anything else since she had
destroyed the lock, Mara then made her way back out
of the cave. She wanted answers and she wanted them
now. The patience of the dark side was no wider than
a very thin line.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Sakoya stirred on the bed a moment and then opened
her eyes. She lay in her husband’s arms and felt as
if the world had been lifted from her shoulders,
rejuvenated in mind and body.
“Mon
aimé?”
“How
do you feel?” he asked.
She
hugged him tightly before replying,
“Peaceful…I…don’t quite know how to explain it.”
Obi-Wan grinned happily and held her close. “The
Force is a powerful ally indeed,” he whispered,
nuzzling her red hair. “Are you hungry? Do you want
anything to drink?”
Sakoya hadn’t realized how parched her throat was
until she tried to swallow. “Yes, I think that would
be a good idea…on both counts.”
“Say
no more.” Obi-Wan kissed the top of her head and
pulled himself away. “I’ll get you something.”
Sakoya smiled lovingly at her husband and said,
“What would I do without you?”
“Wither on the vine I should think,” he retorted
with a chuckle.
“Oh,
you!” Sakoya chided and threw a pillow at his
retreating form. Her frivolity suddenly became more
subdued as she quietly murmured, “Your strength
bolsters my weaknesses, my love.”
Obi-Wan returned a short time later and looked
around the bedroom somewhat confused, until he saw
the open doors that lead to the balcony. He turned
and carried the tray of food outside where he found
his wife sitting in the sun.
“You
look much better than you did earlier. Must be my
mere presence that uplifts you,” he said
lightheartedly.
Sakoya smiled. “Careful, love, I may dunk you in the
Jacuzzi,” she commented with a grin.
“Ohh,
is that so?” he answered with a smirk as he set the
tray down.
Before she knew it Sakoya was being carried to the
spa and unceremoniously dumped into the water.
“Oh
no you don’t!” she sputtered, reaching for her
husband. She grabbed hold of his clothing and
dragged him backward.
“I
don’t think you can pull me in that way,” he chided
with a chuckle.
The
challenge was irresistible and Sakoya could hardly
ignore it. Suddenly Obi-Wan found himself just as
drenched as she was.
“Never underestimate me, my darling husband.”
Obi-Wan gazed deeply into the eyes of his beloved
and said just above a whisper, “There’s my lady –
the one who never gives up. The woman who can find
light in infinite darkness.”
Sakoya swallowed hard, fighting back her emotions,
and hugged her husband fervently.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Mara
entered the ship and went directly to her quarters,
bypassing Cela along the way.
“Mistress Mara?” Cela asked somewhat confused.
Locking her door behind her, Mara strode over to her
computer console, entered the appropriate password
to access the system, and began to read the results
of the mysterious vial. Slowly, her eyes began to
widen.
“By
the Force,” she barely muttered as if the breath had
been taken from her body.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
The
dulling rays of the sun could no longer hold its
position as it reluctantly succumbed to the demands
of night. Where light once overcame darkness, now
darkness shrouded the light…
A
mild breeze ruffled his Jedi robes as Obi-Wan Kenobi
watched the last flashes of color fade from the sky.
The millions of stars crept out of hiding and made
their presence known to the Jedi Master, their
brilliance greeting him on this clear night.
“I
should go alone. She’s been through so much. More
would hinder her…” he mumbled to himself.
“No,”
a soft voice said from behind him. “The Force
brought us here for a reason. It’s time to face the
past…and its repercussions.” Sakoya wrapped her arms
around her husband’s waist.
“As
much as I adore your presence, my dear wife, your
emotional state is not quite balanced.”
Sakoya nodded her head. “This is true. But I can’t
forego my obligations to the Jedi Order and the New
Republic,” she argued.
“But
–”
“No,”
Sakoya shook her head. “I know you want to protect
me, and I thank you for it. But I am a Jedi and I
can’t stand by while an innocent is murdered. My
personal issues will have to wait.”
“They
said this woman was a smuggler. How innocent can she
be?”
“That
doesn’t justify murder in cold blood,” she
countered.
Obi-Wan inhaled deeply – he knew this discussion
would lead nowhere. Sakoya could be a very
determined woman – a fact he knew all too well.
However, he gave it one last try. “Are you sure
you’re up to this? We don’t know what we’re up
against.”
“It
will be a good distraction and it will keep
my mind alert.”
Obi-Wan rubbed his beard thoughtfully and said, “I
could order you to stay.”
Sakoya peered at him from around his shoulder. “You
could and I would protest, but as a Jedi Knight I
would obey your order.” She paused and then added,
“At least until I sensed you were in danger.”
Obi-Wan chuckled lightly and shook his head.
Sometimes his wife reminded him of a certain Padawan
so many years ago. “Then we should be on our way.
The meeting was to take place at night, but we don’t
have an exact time.”
“The
Force is with us,” Sakoya said softly. Turning her
husband around she whispered, “My place is with you.
I promise I won’t fail you.”
No
one saw the two Jedi as they left the resort using
alternate exits and disappeared into the cover of
night.
Skulking through the various streets, bypassing one
building after another followed by the trees and
bushes as they neared their destination, Obi-Wan and
Sakoya remained clear of the beach and found their
way to the same area they had before.
Obscured from view, the duo watched…and waited.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Mara
Jade now had a purpose. She didn’t need Talon Karrde
or his organization anymore. No, the information she
had discovered today changed all of that. She would
soon be rich beyond her means and then vengeance
would be hers. Her hand reached up and clasped the
medallion that rarely left her neck.
“Yes,
my Master, the end of Skywalker is within reach.”
With a maniacal laugh, Mara continued to dress and
attach her weapons.
A
short time later, the red-haired woman waltzed up to
her computer console and picked up a small datachip,
twirling it in between her nimble fingers. “Looks
like I don’t need the brothers anymore either.”
Suddenly she began to laugh – a laugh that quickly
grew louder and louder.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Two
pairs of eyes flitted from one area of beach to the
other and back again. Their Jedi senses fully alert,
watching and listening. Obi-Wan espied the trio just
before Sakoya did, and glanced at the chronometer on
his wrist.
“2050.”
“Perhaps the other party isn’t far behind. Maybe we
made it in time” Sakoya whispered.
“It
appears so. We’ll see if anyone else shows.”
Not
long after the trio disappeared another person began
striding up the beach, her long hair fluttering in
the breeze. A woman, judging by the profile –
must be the smuggler, Obi-Wan thought as his
gaze followed her. He found himself impressed by the
sheer confidence she emanated. Her gait was strong
and steady in spite of the mounds of sand, and her
torso upright, as if daring someone to knock her
from the pedestal she had placed herself on.
She’s definitely proud, he mused
silently.
A
glint of silver caught the Jedi Master’s eye as the
woman continued to walk past them. *Lightsaber?*
he accidentally said through the mental bond he
shared with his wife.
“What?” Sakoya asked in a hushed whisper.
The
woman suddenly halted in mid-stride and slowly
craned her neck around.
Shield yourself, Kenobi. I don’t need her thinking a
Force-user may have just walked by.
The Jedi censured himself, closing off his thoughts
and then noticed the person had stopped. Could
that be her? I wonder? he silently asked
himself. “Block your thoughts – just to be safe. We
don’t know who we’re dealing with,” Obi-Wan
whispered.
To
his relief, Sakoya heeded his warning and a moment
later the mystery woman began walking again.
The
last ‘guest’ entered the cave and the two Jedi were
about to maneuver into a more advantageous position
when Sakoya caught a glimpse of something out of the
corner of her eye. Instantly, she tugged on her
husband’s clothes and pulled him down.
“Someone else is coming.”
“Another? Who?”
Sakoya answered with a shrug.
Per
her mistress’s orders, Cela followed at a distance
and took her time entering the cave. Mara had been
specific on the amount of time between their
arrivals; she wanted the girl in position not a
moment earlier or later than she demanded.
Dexterously, Cela dodged through the sand, her eyes
ever watchful and her ears alert.
She
paused immediately in her steps and glanced around.
“I know I heard something,” she quietly said to
herself. She dashed over to the nearest boulder and
crouched down. Do I contact Mara and tell her
something is out here? She’ll want details and I
haven’t any to give her. She’ll punish me for sure
then. No, Cela shook her head, no, I’ll wait
a moment. It could have been an animal.
Obi-Wan and Sakoya waited, completely hidden from
view, for their newcomer to make a move. Time ticked
by and finally the person emerged from behind a
boulder and dashed toward the cave, disappearing
inside.
“Thank the Force,” Sakoya quietly sighed.
“Patience, my dear. Remember patience.”
Sakoya nodded, a smirk across her lips, and the two
Jedi made their way toward the cave entrance.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * *
