Chapter XIX – Be
careful what you wish for…
Imagine a place where
life and death co-exists. Where dreams and
nightmares can be as irrefutable as your reflection
in a mirror. A place where fear cannot be denied any
more than pleasure and pain. Where time never
ends…or begins…it just is.
“It’s dark…only the
fire provides any hint of light. Where am I?”
“Yo-you,” Sakoya
stammered.
The other woman looked
at Sakoya curiously. “Who are you?”
Sakoya bit her lower
lip, reluctant to answer.
The fiery haired
woman’s green eyes narrowed as she stared at the
face across from her. “Don’t make me ask again,” she
warned in a menacing tone of voice.
Sakoya knew she didn’t
have the physical or mental strength to spar with
her daughter – not without dire consequences. But
then that would be in the real world – would such
limitations be hers now? “Where are we?” she asked,
trying to change the subject.
Mara’s eyes never left
the other woman. ‘Why was she here? Who was she? And
why did they look so much alike?’ Her mind raced to
find answers.
“You ask many
questions, my apprentice.”
Even with darkness
surrounding her, Mara didn’t need to see who was
addressing her, the invisible voice was quite
distinct and one she knew well. “You have brought me
here, Master, but why her? Who is she?”
The voice disregarded
her questions and instead stated, “You have not
avenged me, my apprentice.”
Mara hung her head and
before she could stop herself she was cast down upon
one knee and not of her own volition. “No, Master, I
have not.” Mara felt her chest where the medallion
rested beneath her clothing – the last symbol that
remained of her Master. “However, I have come upon
resources that will enable me to accomplish my
mission.”
The voice didn’t
respond, as if it were considering her statement.
Finally it said, “I did
not bring you here, my apprentice. You came of your
own accord.”
Surprised, Mara asked,
“But I’ve never done that before. Isn’t this a
dream?”
“No…and yes…” There was
amusement in the invisible voice.
“And her?” Mara nodded
at Sakoya.
“You brought your
mother here with you.”
Mara turned her head
toward the other woman and defiantly stared at her.
There was an uncanny resemblance that even she
couldn’t deny. “I have no mother,” she protested,
her voice deep with resentment.
The invisible presence
departed leaving the two women alone. Darth Sidious
knew there was enough aggression in his apprentice
to handle the situation effectively.
Mara stood and whirled
to face the woman who was now aimlessly walking
around in the darkness. “Who are you? I demand to
know!” she venomously shouted, her animosity
illuminating her viridian eyes.
Sakoya glanced away. It
was too difficult to look upon her daughter in such
a state. ‘Even here, in this place, I can feel your
intense acrimony,’ she silently deliberated. ‘Have I
caused you to be like this – so hateful and full of
rage? I tried to find you and…and I couldn’t. After
Xar’ek failed to find you I accepted the fact that
you had died.’ The Jedi paused in her ruminations.
‘Oh Mara, you were never abandoned, but how can I
make you understand that?’
“You can’t!”
Sakoya suddenly looked
at her daughter who had seemed to pluck her private
thoughts out of the air. “Excuse me?”
Mara’s lips curled
upward into a devilish smile as she sauntered toward
the Jedi. “You may look like me but that’s all we
have in common! Whoever you claim to be,” she stared
directly into Sakoya’s eyes, “matters not.”
‘Can you hear my
thoughts?’ the astonished Jedi silently asked.
Mara rolled her eyes,
her displeasure at the conversation evident. “Yes.
Why, I don’t know nor do I care.”
Uncomfortable, Sakoya
tried to redirect her daughter’s anger. “This
darkness…” she motioned with her arms “is
impenetrable. The fire can’t warm the chill in my
body nor bring any further light. How I yearn for
sunshine.”
Neither of them blinked
and yet their dark dungeon suddenly sprang to light;
almost blinding light.
Sakoya shielded her
eyes from the sudden brilliance. She could see
nothing more than a vast white wasteland. “No trees,
no water, no life of any kind. What is this place?”
“What did you do?” Mara
snarled as she fought against the blinding glare.
“I-I don’t know.”
“Well, whatever it was
I wish I had some shade.”
In the next instant a
large tree stood beside Mara. Covered by a multitude
of leaves, the long branches stretched outward and
provided a shield against the bright light.
“What is this place?”
Sakoya wondered.
Mara’s lips curled
upward, a maniacal look on her face. “Haven’t you
guessed? It’s the dark side.”
Sakoya stopped
immediately as panic gripped her. “Excuse me?”
“You have a hearing
problem?”
Sakoya furrowed her
brow and briskly replied, “No.”
“Good,” Mara sneered,
“I’ve already repeated myself too much already.”
Sakoya took a deep
breath and then set her shields firmly in place to
protect her private musings. ‘The Force is with me –
I can feel its benign waves of comfort, not the
malignancy of the dark side. But how…how am I ever
going to get through to her?’, she asked herself.
‘There’s so much anger, resentment…hate. I feel hate
emanating from her, but why? Is it toward me – a
person she doesn’t even know? Is that all she’s
capable of? Did Sidious destroy every fiber of
humanity within her?’
Had she not protected
her mind from prying, Sakoya may have received
answers not at all to her liking.
“Your name is Mara
Jade, correct?” the Jedi asked.
Mara glowered at her,
refusing to answer.
“Well, Mara, if
we’re going to be here together wouldn’t it
be prudent to try and get along?”
Mara scoffed and tossed
her head. “Hardly!”
“Then you can leave at
any time?” Sakoya pressed.
“Yes!”
Sakoya looked doubtful
as she crossed her arms and looked at her daughter.
“How?”
“My will, of course.”
“And does that include
the fact that your physical body is comatose?”
“WHAT?” Mara nearly
shrieked.
“The toxin – you
spilled it on your hand and now your body is in a
coma.”
“You’re lying!”
Sakoya shook her head.
“No…I’m not,” she brazenly declared.
Mara gritted her teeth,
reluctant to believe what this woman was saying but
feeling as though it were the truth. “Why are you
here?” she snapped as her anger continued to churn.
Sakoya took a deep
breath and lowered her arms to her sides. “I tried
to heal you and you brought me here instead,” she
empathetically replied.
Mara didn’t want to
hear this – any of it – and promptly looked away,
her brash behavior unwilling to yield.
The Jedi sighed – this
was not going to be easy. “So,” she tried again,
“this is the dark side? What a dismal place. It’s
hard to believe that such a dreary existence can
reside within the Force.”
Mara slowly turned her
head and glanced at the red-haired woman, studying
her features, her body shape…and her mind. Her last
effort proved to be an obstacle for her adversary’s
shields were firmly in place. “So you have shielded
yourself. No matter – boring conversation anyway.”
She sneered contemptuously and added, “I asked who
you were and I have yet to have an answer. My Master
said you were my mother, is that true?” she asked,
full of derision.
“I thought it didn’t
matter who I was?” the Jedi innocently replied.
Mara simply gave her a
cold stare and waited.
Sakoya hesitated. The
unspoken venom in those eyes, even her body stance,
was potent. “Yes,” she ultimately admitted.
The anger in Mara
amplified and within her mind she called her
lightsaber to her.
In the next moment Mara
Jade took a defensive position, ignited her crimson
blade, and dared her opponent to defy her.
‘No,’ Sakoya screamed
in her mind, ‘I can’t fight my own child!’ “No,
Mara! No, it doesn’t have to be like this!”
“Do you think I care?”
she said, her voice dripping in acrimony. “Rest
assured, I’ll cut you down whether you defend
yourself or not!”
‘I haven’t the strength
to fight her – not yet. I must retreat where she
can’t find me and I can regain my strength. Force
help me!’
There was a flash of
light and then Sakoya Jade-Kenobi vanished.
“COWARD!” Mara
shrieked. “Abandonment is your virtue! I’ll find you
and then I’ll show you true darkness!”
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Rheu Skeutrn had listened to Garen Qeenet’s mewling
for too long already and it was grating on his
nerves to the point that he wanted nothing more than
to end his misery – and Garen’s – permanently. As
much as it would have pleased him to end such
blatant sniveling, he preferred a far more
advantageous recourse.
“No, no, don’t take me there!” Garen complained as
he fought against the Clawdite’s iron grip.
“We already went to your room and guess what?” Rheu
replied sarcastically. “That’s right, no toxin!
Nothing! You have nothing to bargain with you
sniveling worm. By the gods, you are pathetic.”
The man nearly dragged the wretched ‘assassin’ [a
term he applied loosely in this case] into the Kuryn
Security Headquarters building and dropped him in
the middle of the floor.
One of the desk officers looked at them from the
commotion they made and decided to walk over.
“Can I help you?”
Rheu smiled and said, “Yes, sir, you can. I
recognized this man as a fugitive of justice and I
would like to turn him over to you.”
The officer suspiciously glanced down at Garen whose
boyish good looks and blue eyes would be of no help
to him in this situation.
“What?” Garen shouted. “Stop! Don’t do this!”
Rheu conveniently ignored Garen’s pitiful pleas. “As
I was saying Officer –” Rheu stumbled not knowing
the officer’s name.
“Glaston, Sergeant Glaston.”
Rheu bowed his head and then said, “Thank you,
Officer Glaston. I know there is a bounty for this
man’s capture. As I don’t require such monetary
compensation please ensure those credits are applied
to a charity or wherever it may be needed.”
The officer smiled as he withdrew his electronic
restraints and they became Garen Qeenet’s new
bracelets.
“Thank you for your assistance, Sergeant Glaston. I
have no doubt that justice will be served.” Rheu
extended his hand toward the officer.
Sergeant Glaston shook the offered hand and said,
“Thank you, sir. If only we had more individuals as
diligent as you. I will ID him and that will bring
up his criminal record.”
“A
lengthy one I’m sure,” Rheu replied with a smile.
“Good day.”
Rheu nodded appreciatively to the officer and then
spun on his heel and walked away. He couldn’t help
but hear Garen’s mournful protests even as he
strolled out the door. His grin stretched from ear
to ear as he stated, “My good deed of the day.”
__________________________________*****__________________________________
By
the time Rheu had happily waltzed inside the suite
he shared with his partner, he espied Vaarn sitting
comfortably in a chair, watching the door.
“About time you got here!” Vaarn growled. “What’d
you do with our pest?”
“I
got here as soon as I could. The worm said he had
the toxin so I had to check that out, but that
turned up empty. So instead of outright killing him
I thought I’d turn him over to security and let him
rot in some prison for years. Let them listen to his
sniveling!” Rheu didn’t bother to tell his partner
about the woman who had accosted him – that had
already proven to be a bruise to his ego.
“I
hear you met Regan,” he flatly stated.
“Who?” Rheu looked at him questionably.
“Beautiful woman, dark hair, need I go on?”
Embarrassed, Rheu shook his head. “Who the hell is
she?”
Vaarn lightly chuckled. “She’s a cyborg and our
employer’s messenger. Apparently he doesn’t like the
amount of time it’s taken to retrieve his precious
shipment.”
“A
cyborg?” Rheu looked surprised. “No wonder that
wench was able to –” Rheu stopped short not wanting
to admit to his beating. “I’ll teach her a lesson!”
“And just what did she do to you?”
“Nothing. Forget it.” Rheu refused to meet his
partner’s gaze.
Vaarn leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms
on his knees. “I already know she took you down –
she told me.”
“That little bi –” Rheu began.
Vaarn waved his hand and sat back again. “Pah, don’t
worry about it. We have other concerns. For
instance, guess what I’ve acquired?”
The confident look on his partner’s face diverted
Rheu from saying anything more about Regan, although
internally he wished he could teach her a lesson
she’d never forget. “The toxin?”
Vaarn nodded in satisfaction. “And guess what we’re
gonna do with it?”
The confusion on Rheu’s face spoke volumes. “What
have you got in mind?” he asked.
“A
trade…of sorts. Freedom on both sides.”
__________________________________*****__________________________________
“So the wayward partner returns,” Regan purred from
her vantage point in the hotel lounge. She took a
leisurely sip of her drink as she watched her quarry
slip into a turbolift.
She gingerly slid off the barstool and was about to
follow when a man approached her from off to her
side.
“Can I buy you a drink, little lady?” he asked,
attempting to be debonair.
Regan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
“No, thank you,” she politely replied.
The man ventured closer and lightly touched her
leather clad shoulder. “Are you sure? I’m sure I
could –” He suddenly stopped short.
Regan smiled and turned her head toward him. “I’m
sure you would be sufficient but I have no present
inclination.”
The man’s face contorted as he slowly looked
downward and discovered that this woman’s hand had a
steely grip on a particular portion of his anatomy.
He couldn’t even squeak out a response after she
released him and went on her way.
“Have a nice day,” she called back as she headed for
a turbolift.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Regan confidently walked down the hallway convinced
that she would get some much needed answers for
Master Reynard and hopefully assuage his vexation.
She was too far away to offer him his customary
comforts but had no doubt that upon her return he
would take care of that little detail. In the
meantime, a smile crept up her lips as her thoughts
drifted to of one of her targets – the Clawdite,
Vaarn Nurgh. His piercing eyes sent a chill down her
back and his brusque exterior gave him an appeal she
admired. Too bad I’ll probably have to kill you,
she ruefully sighed as she reached into her dark
leather jacket and withdrew a small blaster.
She adjusted her footfalls as she neared the suite
assuming that Vaarn would discern her slight sound.
Rheu was not her concern – he was handsome with his
dark hair and blue eyes – but he wasn’t of the same
caliber as his partner. No, it was Vaarn that held
her fascination as she stopped and carefully leaned
against the wall while simultaneously picturing him
in her mind. No, I have a mission, she
scolded herself.
She crept the last few meters to the door and then
stopped to wait. Ever since she had left her
transmitter in the Clawdite’s suite the only
interaction between it and her neurotransmitter was
the shuffling of feet but no voices; definitely
nothing worth listening to.
She hoped now that Vaarn’s partner had returned that
she would be able to gather some useful information.
Keeping her finger poised on the trigger of her
blaster, Regan listened and waited.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Since leaving the Jedi Council chamber Anakin and
Luke had walked in virtual silence. Luke could sense
the concern emanating from his father and he himself
had his own reservations. It wasn’t as though he
doubted his father’s ability to vanquish the Emperor
but the risk involved in such a venture. The
Emperor’s power had been immense while he had lived
and Luke couldn’t dispel the feeling of dread that
was running rampant through his mind. How powerful
would Palpatine be in the spiritual realm?
Although reluctant to do so Luke finally gave voice
to his concerns.
“Father,” he began as they rode the turbolift up to
their living quarters to pack, “how strong will
Palpatine be?”
Anakin didn’t respond at first – he wasn’t sure of
the answer himself.
“I
won’t underestimate him, Luke.”
“And Obi-Wan will be there with you?”
“Yes,” Anakin replied with a nod.
Luke pondered a moment and finally asked,
“Father…what is it you really need from me on this
mission?”
Anakin took a deep breath and turned to look at his
son. Luke was a man now and a powerful Jedi – one
who would rise through the order and become a great
Master one day. With his son’s blonde hair and blue
eyes it was as if Anakin were looking at his own
reflection as he remembered his younger days.
“Luke…you know that nearly every mission the Jedi
undertake involves a team.”
Luke nodded in agreement.
“While Obi-Wan and I are a proficient team I need
you there…in case…”
“Something goes wrong.” Luke finished the sentence
for his father.
“Yes,” Anakin agreed. “But more than that I know how
powerful you’ve become. There is great risk in
venturing to the dark side –”
Luke recalled his time with the Emperor during the
war. How Palpatine had captured him and attempted to
turn him away from his father. How the raw power of
the dark side made him feel invincible and tried to
corrupt his soul. “I know…”
Luke’s remorse resonated through the Force and it
upset Anakin that his son felt so guilt-ridden.
“Luke, we conquered Palpatine then and we’ll do so
again.”
“What if…?”
Anakin took hold of his son’s shoulders and looked
at him, his blue eyes shining with intensity. “Luke,
you and I are the only Jedi to personally confront
the Emperor. We took his physical life before and
now his dark force soul must be snuffed out. I have
every confidence in you not only as a Jedi, but as
my son, that you won’t allow Palpatine to live
again.”
“I
won’t fail you, Father,” Luke proudly stated.
“I
know,” Anakin replied just as the lift doors opened.
__________________________________*****__________________________________
Padmé stood next to the desk in her private quarters
with a heavy heart. She had said her final goodbyes
to not only her husband but to her son as well.
Although it didn’t lessen the feelings of anxiety,
she knew that both of them were more than competent
to undertake this mission. As Chancellor she
realized the decision was balanced for there were no
other Jedi that could challenge the Emperor and
succeed. She knew that even the Jedi Council
recognized this as a fact. It was up to the ‘Chosen
One’ and his son.
Still, as a wife, and mother it petrified her to
know what they were walking into.
She looked down at the viewscreen and the awaiting
message she had composed to Obi-Wan Kenobi. All she
had left to do was transmit it and yet her hands
shook at the mere thought of such a mundane task.
Padmé took a deep breath, trying to gather her
agitated senses but couldn’t stop the tears pooling
in her eyes. “No,” she whispered, “I
mustn’t lose faith. They will triumph…” and then
transmitted the message.
The will of the Force…uttered
a faint voice.
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