THE HEART OF THE JEDI

 

 

BOUND TO EACH OTHER

by Martina

 Disclaimer: The people and situations used in this fic are the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. 

This chapter NC-13

 

If she had not been freezing so terribly, Mara would have been fully aware

of how angry she was.

Her situation was precarious. She hugged herself to bring some form of

warmth back to her trembling body. She stood leaning against the solid rock

wall behind her in a small air pocket that she had luckily managed to find.

The very tiny ledge she was standing on was slippery and the water was all

the way up to her waste, hitting her hard as it rushed along further into

the mountain.

She could not stay here, that was obvious. Either she would run out of air

or, more likely, freeze to death. She had tried to get back out the same way

she had come in but her fatigue and the powerful current had held her back.

How could she have let this happen!? How could she have ended up in the

river in the first place? The man she had been supposed to make contact with

on this planet for a business arrangement had suddenly drawn his blaster on

her and had followed her relentlessly into the forest. But only because Mara

had led him there. She had been about ready to turn things around and nail

him for good when she had suddenly slipped on the riverbank and under his

heavy fire she had fallen into the river.

And now here she was.

A small crack in the rock just over her head, way too small for her to get

out in any way, allowed the only light from the outside to slip in.

Otherwise it was pitch black all around her. The lack of light did not

exactly make her feel any more hopeful.

For a moment, Mara thought she had sensed something. The Force told her that

Luke Skywalker was near. His powerful presence felt stronger each minute.

But how could this be? Anargosa was not attracting any large number of

visitors – that had been the reason why this so-called meeting had been

planned to take place here in the first place. And, besides, only Karrde

knew where she was and he would not miss her for several more days. She

would not be alive by the time he would start to worry. And there was no way

for Skywalker or anyone else to know where she was.

So why could she feel his presence? And so close to her?

In that same moment, Mara thought she saw a shadow in the water, approaching

very fast from below. A second later, Luke emerged from underneath the

surface just in front of her, drawing in a very much needed breath.

- “Skywalker!?”

Mara gasped. By all the stars, it was him!

She didn’t understand how or why but she felt relief seeing her friend. She

immediately took hold of him and assisted him up on the little ledge. The

tiny space quickly became much tinier.

- “Thank the Force that I found you!” Luke said, so relieved that he had

found her and that she seemed okay. - “What are you doing here, Mara?”

- “Me? What are you doing here!?”

Luke wiped his face as best he could and pulled his soaked hair back a bit.

- “That’s a long story I think is best saved for later,” he stated. There

were much more urgent matters to attend to at the moment.

He quickly looked her up and down and put his hands on her shoulders.

- “Are you all right?”

Mara nodded, still feeling a bit embarrassed by how she had gotten into this

situation.

- “Yeah, except that I’m drenched, bloody cold and very pissed.”

- “I bet.”

Anything else would actually have surprised him. Luke moved closer to her,

even if that wasn’t much as they were already practically pressed together

in the small space.

- “Can I help you?”

Despite the lack of space, she moved away the very second he moved closer.

Her green eyes dropped, not wanting to face him.

- “It’s nothing I can’t handle,” she mumbled.

She was ashamed, embarrassed. Luke could tell. He sensed her troubled

emotions through the Force but he really didn’t need the Force to see it. He

had been around in Mara’s life long enough to notice these things in her as

they happened. She blamed herself for being in this mess and now it was

embarrassing to her that he had found her like this.

Luke always carried great respect for her feelings. But right now he did not

have the luxury to do so. Mara’s stubbornness was not to stand.

- “You’re freezing!” he stated. - “Come here.”

Without hesitation, Luke took her into his arms, pressing her wet, cold body

tightly against his own. Naturally, she resisted a little.

- “What are you..?”

- “Get mad at me later,” was all he said.

His hold on her was strong but also very gentle. It wasn’t just his embrace,

though, that made Mara stop resisting his sudden intimacy. Warmth touched

her body the moment his arms had pulled her near. It felt as if she was

being wrapped up in a comfortable blanket. He was using a Force ability to

warm her, which was quite amazing since he was being exposed to the same

freezing water.

For the first time since she had found herself trapped, Mara pulled a

comfortable breath and rested her head against his shoulder, letting him

hold her.

And her own arms were securely wrapped around him as well.

- “How long have you been here?” Luke finally asked as he sensed that some

warmth was beginning to return to her. She needed to regain strength to help

him get them both out of here.

- “About ten minutes,” Mara said, not moving away from him the least now. -

“I’ve tried several times to get out, but the current’s too strong. I don’t

know where I might end up and who knows if there are any more air pockets

like this one in this rock.”

- “Well, you can stop worrying about that,” Luke explained. - “I’m here to

get you out.”

- “How?”

He seemed as confident as ever. But it was an enthusiasm Mara was not so

very willing to share just now. She was not ungrateful that he had come for

her. But, not so very surprisingly, Luke had risked everything, including

his life, without a plan to back him up.

- “You’re just as stuck here as I am,” she stated.

- “Not quite.”

He grinned slightly, giving her a look that Mara was not used to see from

him, in a similar situation or otherwise. Luke reached behind himself and

pulled their mutual life-line closer for her to see.

- “I’m attached to this wire here, see? The other end is attached to a

tree,” he explained. - “And Lando is keeping a watchful eye on it.”

- “Lando? Is he here, too?”

Were there not enough surprises for her to experience today? Both Skywalker

and Calrissian had come to her aid?

- “That’s right,” Luke confirmed. - “So, do you mind if I give you a helping

hand out of here?”

Mara sighed. It seemed as if Skywalker had come up with a plan after all.

That was quite impressive, actually. Besides, she had no other choice. She

had much better chances with him than by herself.

- “Since all my tries have failed, why not?”

- “Let me just tie this wire around you as well.”

Luke unhooked himself from the wire and started to wrap it around them both.

But once again, Mara started to object to his sudden nearness.

- “Give it some more slack,” she ordered, pulling herself away.

- “Are you crazy!?”

Her almost childish behaviour was beginning to tear even on Luke’s patience.

He ignored her objection and wrapped the wire even harder around them,

pulling them closer together instead. They had no time to argue, every

passing second made their bodies colder. Which decreased their chances of

survival.

- “If we get separated…”

- “Just don’t pull it too tight!”

Her tone of voice gave the impression that she was irritated, that she was

objecting to the idea of having him so physically close to her. But the look

in her eyes gave Luke a completely different story. He saw no anger there,

only a plea. As if she was more worried than angry. Afraid even. But it was

not fear of the water and the strong current. Not fear of the risk of

drowning or freezing to death.

No.

She seemed scared of him.

A few rare times Luke had seen that same look in her eyes but never as

obvious and clear as now. And never had he felt as puzzled about it as he

did right now.

- “Is it intimidating having me so close to you?”

He had to ask. What else could it be that made her resist like this? Mara

was no fool; she knew they had to be attached tightly to be able to get out

of here. And he had not pulled the wire so tight as to make it painful.

He had to be the reason.

- “No,” Mara answered a bit reluctantly. - “I just don’t want you to get any

funny ideas, that’s all.”

She was lying.

It was a good answer and perhaps not entirely wrong, but Luke sensed with

ease that she was not telling the truth. They both knew that he would never

grasp the opportunity to take advantage of her or anyone under any

circumstances. He was not that kind of man. And he also sensed through the

Force that she was lying.

The strangest thing, though, was that Mara didn’t seem to care whether he

knew she was not telling the truth or not. She wasn’t going to be honest

with him about this anyway. And that was a bit painful for him to swallow.

- “Forgive me if I disappoint you, but funny ideas are not what I have in

mind right now,” he said as he continued to secure the wire around them. As

he had finished, he could not deny how closely their bodies were pressed

together. She was a friend of his, a good friend. Still, having her so

close, her green, soaking wet jumpsuit like a second skin upon her body,

revealing every curve for him to see, was a rare privilege.

Very rare indeed.

- “Still, now that you mention it, it’s rather tempting.”

He nearly gasped at his own words. Where had they come from?

Luke did not feel temptation of any kind, the mere thought of it had never

reached him. He was a Jedi. Jedi were never allowed to be tempted by

anything or anyone. Temptation could lead to destruction.

But as the words had escaped him, the temptation was suddenly so clear to

him. A temptation he could not recall to ever have felt in the presence of

this woman before. But now it was as obvious and powerful as his very

connection to the Force itself.

In fact, the feeling of having Mara so close, the joy of having her there,

was becoming even stronger than whatever power the Force could give him.

Luke had never felt anything quite like it before.

And why did his heart beat so strongly?

He wasn’t the only one to react to his statement. Only that Mara interpreted

it as if he was trying to be funny.

- “Cute, Skywalker! Very cute!”

He said nothing, he didn’t dare. And since she said no more as well their

strange silence went on as he continued to warm her through the Force and

his embrace. And Mara eagerly accepted it as her trembling body began to

calm down.

- “So how did you find me?” she finally asked, breaking their silence that

was a lot colder than what the water could ever get.

- “Lando and I were passing this system when I felt your presence and that

you were in trouble.”

- “So you came immediately down here to rescue me?”

Mara could not hold back her grin. Some things truly never changed.

- “You’re as noble as ever, Master Jedi.”

- “And you are as feisty as usual, Trader Jade.”

She frowned.

- “I can’t even give the man a compliment.”

- “With you I can never be sure, can I?”

Luke scanned her again, both with his eyes and through the Force. He had to

determine her exact condition.

- “Feel better?”

She could not deny that she did. She was no longer overpowered by the

freezing water. She had never before experienced the ability he had used on

her but it had done the trick.

- “Someday you have to teach me how to do that,” she said.

- “If I manage to get us both out of here alive, will you then allow me to

teach you? And not just this ability but everything. Everything in the ways

of the Jedi.”

She stared into his blue eyes, feeling a bit exposed by the situation which

in turn fed her anger a little. The Jedi sure had some nerve! Still, she

could not help but admire his bold attempt to ask this of her.

- “That’s blackmail, Skywalker!” she spat. The determination and seriousness

in his eyes did not vanish. And it had a much greater impact on her than

Mara wanted to admit. Those blue eyes of his were about to make her do

something she had never thought she would. And she would not feel any

regret.

She took his right hand in his and shook it in agreement.

- “But you’ve gotten yourself a deal.”

Now it was Luke’s turn to gasp. He had begged, asked and pleaded for her to

finish her training in the ways of the Force and perhaps even become a Jedi

Knight herself so many times over the years. She had the potential and the

power. She had everything to make her a great Jedi. But she had always

declined.

And now she suddenly accepted his offer. She even shook his hand on it. And

Luke knew with confidence that this meant that Mara would hold her promise.

What he always had dreamed of was about to become true.

They just had to get out of here first.

- “I will be looking forward to it,” he said, barely able to hide his joy

and excitement. - “And I won’t let you down, Mara.”

He never would. He would be the teacher that she so rightfully deserved. He

would be so different from what Palpatine had once been like in her youth.

He would encourage her. He would develop her talents. He would respect her

wishes and goals. And he would honour her.

How could he not honour this woman?

By finally accepting him as a teacher and committing herself as a servant of

the Force in a much more active way than she ever had before, she was

already honouring him.

The excitement he felt had almost made him forget the current situation. His

lack of focus surprised him. But if Master Yoda had been present, he would

probably have reminded him that he still needed to learn to keep his mind on

where he was and not always let his thoughts escape elsewhere.

Even after all these years, Luke still seemed to struggle with the same

obstacles.

He checked the wire one last time. He had secured it well.

- “I just hope this holds,” he said and reached for his comlink. - “Lando,

are you there?”

- “You bet, Luke!” Calrissian answered, sounding very relieved to hear

Skywalker’s voice. - “You’ve found her?”

- “Yes.”

- “Is she all right?”

Luke gazed at the red-haired woman right next to him. She still seemed a bit

frustrated over the whole situation.

- “She’s fine,” Luke answered. - “We will try to get back out now. Make sure

that wire stays attached to that tree.”

- “Count on me. Good luck.”

Luke put his comlink back into his utility belt and instead brought out the

small aquata breather he had brought with him.

- “Before we go, you’ll need this,” he said and handed over the little

breathing device to her.

- “It only has oxygen for five minutes tops but we’ll be out of the water

long before then.”

- “What about you?” Mara wondered.

- “I could only find one on the ship - didn’t have too much time to look

around,” he explained. Big, green and worried eyes stared at him. She did

not like this idea of his.

- “I’ll be alright,” he assured. - “I managed to get in here, didn’t I?”

- “Yeah, but with you, getting out of trouble is never as easy as getting

in,” Mara reminded him. - “Some of those times I have already been forced to

witness myself.”

- “Does this mean you are not ready to get out of here?”

She was not in the mood for his sarcasm.

- “I was born ready!”

- “I don’t doubt it,” he stated with a grin.

- “Let’s go!”

Mara put the breather in her mouth. It was working perfectly. She gave Luke

a nod. He in turn pulled a deep breath. Then they both went under water.

*************************

The wait to hear from Luke over the comlink had been devastating. But now,

knowing that Luke and Mara were trying to get back out, Lando’s anxiety grew

even more.

He continuously checked the wire to make sure that it was holding. It was

not giving any sign of breaking. But it was stretched to its limit now. Luke

and Mara had to be pulling themselves back along the wire against the

current under water. The seconds passed but they felt like hours. Lando

swallowed. His two friends had to appear from underneath the surface soon or

this would kill him as well!

The vague sound of a branch breaking behind him caught his attention and

Lando turned around. The red, deadly plasma just missed him by inches as he

turned.

Instinct and years of experience in gun battles made Lando jump for cover

behind the tree as more blasts were being fired at him. He quickly drew his

own blaster and then turned around once more, firing several rounds against

his attacker.

Two of Calrissian’s blasts hit their mark perfectly, penetrating the other

man’s chest. The man gasped in stunned pain and then fell face down to the

ground.

With his blaster still at the ready, Lando carefully approached the unknown

attacker. He rolled him over with his foot. There was no movement. The man

was dead.

Still a bit shaken, Lando sighed in relief. This must have been the same man

that had attacked Mara. Luke had warned him that he could still be around

but Lando had never expected him to be this close.

No matter. This nerf would never hurt anyone ever again. Luke and Mara could

safely drag themselves out of the river now. Lando turned around to see if

he could see his friends. If all had gone well, they should have been able

to come up from underneath the mountain by now.

But he saw nothing. Only the water that rushed by relentlessly. Lando

stepped closer; perhaps he had just missed them. But he still saw nothing.

He turned to check the wire again. In the same moment it felt as if his

heart would stop.

The wire had ripped!

- “Holy stars!”

It must have been hit by the other man during the attack as Lando had dodged

behind the tree for cover. Lando held up the remains of the wire that still

was attached to the tree, but now in vain. This was the height of bad luck

and it could mean absolute disaster. He felt the panic growing with every

breath.

- “Oh no, this is not happening!”

Lando ran up to the very edge of the riverbank, staring desperately into the

water.

- “Luke! Mara!”

There was no sign of them.

*************************

Mara’s amazement of Luke’s strength as he pulled them both along the wire

against the stream was very justified. And he was fast, too, pulling them

back up towards the light with a seemingly never ending conviction. She held

on to him and helped him kick back against the current. They could see the

entrance of the cave just up ahead.

They were soon going to be free!

Suddenly, something did not feel right. The strength and security of the

wire that held them in place against the stream just disappeared. And then

the jerk of the full force of the water hit them, dragging them along

without mercy.

Luke realized quickly what had happened. The wire had somehow been cut. They

quickly passed the air pocket they had found refuge in before and continued

to be pushed farther beneath the mountain.

Stress filled Luke’s mind. Without the wire there was no way for them to

fight the current and get back out. He quickly wrapped his arms tighter

around Mara’s body. They were still tightly bound to each other but he could

not risk to be separated from her. He had no idea where the stream was

taking them but their only chance now was to stay connected at all times.

Their only hope was that they would still be alive once they reached the

other side.

If there even was another side.

It was pitch black. They could not see anything. And the cold of the water

hit them like unmerciful knives, stabbing all over their bodies. Luke felt

Mara clinging to him for dear life. At least she still had the aquata

breather but it would not provide her with oxygen for very much longer. And

in her panic she was drawing even more air from it. As for himself, his own

lack of air was becoming critical. Luke reached out to the Force, relaxing

his mind, resisting his fear and finding more strength from the small amount

of air he still kept in his lungs.

Even more strength returned to him as he suddenly saw light far up ahead in

the darkness. There was another way out!

The current grabbed them even harder, swirling them around in circles,

making them both even more disorientated. And suddenly they hit the wall of

the underwater cave at full strength.

Mara took most of the impact as the wall hit her back. The pain was

unbelievable. And the shock from it made her gasp, draining her lungs from

almost all the air she had and the aquata breather fell out of her mouth.

Almost entirely out of oxygen and completely unable to regain some more,

Mara began to panic and struggle. If the wire had not been so tightly tied

around them, they would have been separated by the impact of the wall and

the current that still dragged them along.

‘I can’t breathe!’

Mara’s mind was screaming. Fear was taking over. She could no longer think

rationally.

‘Use the Force, Mara!’ Luke told her telepathically, begging her to fight

just a little longer. ‘Don’t panic! I see light up ahead’.

She continued to struggle; trying to get away from practically everything,

as her last moments in life were beginning to arrive. The end of the cave

was coming closer. If they could just reach the surface and draw new breaths

of air they had a chance!

‘Luke! I’m so scared! I don’t want to die!’

He could sense her fight against death itself. He reached out to her, trying

to calm her long enough for them to get out. It was merely a matter of

seconds now. But would seconds be quick enough?

Sharing her growing panic, Luke swam in the same direction as the current

was pulling them, kicking as hard as he could and with one arm tightly

around Mara’s body. He no longer had any oxygen left himself. But he didn’t

care. He still had a few more seconds left. He had to get Mara out of here!

‘Don’t leave me!’

Their mental link felt so vague now. Her telepathic voice was nothing more

than a whisper. He was losing her.

Mara was dying.

‘I’m right here. I won’t leave you,’ he told her. ‘Don’t let go, Mara!

Mara!?’

She did not answer him.

Light came into view. And so did the surface over their heads. They had

exited the cave!

Luke kicked up hard. Breaching through the surface of the water, even in

this wild river that still tore at them, was one of the greatest sensations

of release he had ever felt as oxygen once more filled his lungs. The air

actually hurt inside his chest. Just a few more seconds and he would have

lost consciousness.

With new strength and a mind that cleared more with every new breath of air,

Luke struggled to keep them both afloat. The river continued to carry them

along for a while longer until it began to slow down just a little bit. The

water level was not as high here. And Luke took his chance to get them out

of the water.

The current was fading and as he managed to get closer to the riverbank,

Luke turned around and started to do backstrokes, holding Mara over the

surface against his chest. As he swam he managed to get his first real

glimpse of her after they had gotten out of the cave. He removed her long,

wet hair from her face.

- “Mara!?”

Her eyes were half closed. They did not move or flicker. She made no sound

and made no movements at all. And he could no longer feel any contact with

her through the Force.

She was not breathing.

Mara was gone.

Luke screamed.

- “By the Force, no! No!!!”

 

To be continued in: Big Boys Don't Cry

 

 

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