THE HEART OF THE JEDI. Signs & Senses.
by Martina

Disclaimer: The people and situations used in this fic are the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. 
SIGNS AND SENSES - “Mara!?” Lando stared at the Jedi Master in a mix of surprise and great concern, his brown eyes wide open. - “It’s Mara who’s in trouble down there?”” Luke nodded. - “Why, by the dark moons of Onderon, didnn’t you just say so!?” Suddenly aroused by energy coming from out of nowhere, Calrissian immediately turned around and jumped into the pilot’s chair. There was not a second to lose! - “Hold on to your afterburners, Luke! Lett me show you what this baby can really do!” The Lady Luck made some elegant moves down towards the planet of Anargosa and entered the atmosphere. Passing through the clouds, both men quickly began to recognise the areas they were passing over from the images they just had seen from the computer. And very soon, like islands in that seemingly endless ocean of trees, gigantic ruins of an ancient and now dead civilization reached toward the sky. As they approached, Luke knew they were getting closer to Mara. - “There!” he suddenly stated and pointed at a big opening between the buildings that had probably once served as a large square and meeting ground for the people that had lived in these ancient buildings of stone a long time ago. Lando, too, could see what Luke had discovered. - “That’s Mara’s ship, the Jade’s Fire.” - “And another ship as well,” Luke commentted and gestured to the second ship that stood parked in the square. - “I don’t recognise it.” - “Me neither,” Lando said. - “And it has no known markings or configurations.” - “We should keep some distance,” Luke sugggested and pointed at a clearing that his mind, not his eyes, had spotted just outside the ruin city. - “Set the Luck down there.” - “You got it.” Lando could not see the clearing himself yet and he was certain that Luke couldn’t either; no human eyes could see that far ahead. But Calrissian never doubted that there was a clearing big enough for their ship there. The eyes of the Force were never wrong. And Luke had always been a man of great vision. - “I met Mara briefly a few days ago, justt before Life Day,” Luke explained, as he tried to figure out the disturbance the Force was warning him of. - “She told me she was going on a mission on Karrde’s behalf. Maybe she was going to meet a client here.” - “But you said she was in trouble,” Landoo reminded as he was beginning the descent into the clearing. - “What kind of trouble? What do you sense?” Luke closed his eyes for better insight, concentrating and focusing on their mutual red-haired lady friend. And what he sensed from Mara nurtured his worry for her. - “Desperation,” he said slowly. - “She’s not in pain. But she’s trapped. Cold. And she’s very angry.” - “The last I can imagine,” Lando stated aand, despite the situation, could not hold back the small grin that wished to appear on his face. - “That’s Mara, alright.” - “She’s afraid, too,” Luke continued and put a begging hand on Calrissian’s shoulder. - “Don’t let her know that I told you that, Lando.” - “No problem,” his friend promised. They felt the gentle and perfect impact on the ground. - “Touch down.” The engines were shut down and both men left the cockpit. Lando went up to his special locker where he kept all his blaster arms safely locked in. He quickly chose a blaster he felt he needed. - “You want a spare blaster?” Luke shook his head as the very light touch and weight of his lightsaber against his left thigh reminded him of his precious weapon’s presence. - “No, thanks.” - “Oh yeah, I forgot. You don’t carry blassters anymore.” - “Not entirely true,” Luke stated. - “Butt I prefer not to. Blasters are mostly in the way and a lot messier.” The landing ramp of the Lady Luck opened and they gazed out into the green surroundings. Moisture filled air hit them, even if it was not as hot and thick as Luke was used to from back at the Jedi Academy. They saw no one and Luke did not sense anyone near either. But that did not mean it was safe to simply stroll out. - “Now be careful, Lando. The pilot of thee other ship might still be around.” - “You sense him?” Lando wondered. - “No. He’s no Force wielder or I would haave located him easily.” - “You think he’s the one who has put Maraa in trouble?” - “That’s my theory. But until we know forr sure, let’s not take any chances.” Luke turned to his trusted astromech that had rolled up behind them. - “Stay with the ship, R2. If anything happpens, alert Coruscant immediately. And keep an eye out for anything suspicious.” The droid gave his Master a short series of beeps and whistles, confirming his orders. Luke and Lando exited the ship and quickly hurried over to the ruin city just up ahead. Once reaching the city wall and finding an entrance, both stayed close to the wall for cover. Lando held his blaster at the ready. Luke, however, kept his saber hooked to his belt for now, having both hands free. If he could avoid using his Jedi weapon he would do that. Gracefully he moved forward, staying very near the stone wall at all times to avoid any possible detection from an unseen foe, yet moving along at a great speed. Lando could not deny the fact that the way his Jedi friend moved, like a shadow upon the wall itself, impressed him. He had to run almost as fast as he could in a very clumsy manner in comparison just to keep up with his companion. They soon reached the square and the two ships they had spotted earlier when they had flown over the city. Luke silently gestured to Lando that they should split up and go in opposite directions to reconnoitre the area. While Calrissian checked the square itself, Luke moved over to the two ships. Still not a trace of anything alive but the small and harmless animals that lived in these forests and that weren’t scared off by their appearance. He knew that Mara was no longer here by her ship but he wanted to check for clues that perhaps would lead him to her. His attention, however, was mostly aimed at the other, unfamiliar ship. It was a small civilian one-manned ship that could be found anywhere within the New Republic. None of the ships showed any damage. And they stood parked quite close to each other which could suggest that whoever had arrived last was already expected by the one who got here first. The one with a hostile intention should not arrive so directly close to his prey. Unless he had arrived under a false impression. Beyond that, the ships told him nothing. Luke decided to join up with Lando. The less they were split up the safer it was. He did not see anything more than what nature could provide that could mean danger to them. Yet the Force warned him of something unseen. But not from someone with Force abilities this time. Yet, someone with dark intentions was here. Somewhere. As Skywalker approached his friend, Lando waved him closer and pointed at some dark and strange marks in different, scattered places in the ruin walls on the other side of the square. - “Luke, you see that?” Luke nodded. - “Marks from blaster fire. There has beenn a gun fight here.” He quickly scanned the marks, determining from which angles and locations they had been fired from. Crossfire had taken place here. They had been blasting at each other. - “They lead away from the ruins,” he statted and started to run. With Lando right behind him, Luke ran through a great portal in the ruins and they quickly left the central parts of the city behind. More blaster marks up ahead seemed to guide them to their unknown destination. As they were running, Luke also spotted very fresh footprints from two different people on the ground. Someone had been under attack and had tried to flee the attacker. With each step, Luke’s vision of what had taken place here perhaps no more than ten minutes ago became clearer. And the way he was running, jumping over fallen logs and never slowing down, Lando was confident that Mara wasn’t very far away now. And the very thought of her made him run faster, too. They heard the sound of water and soon realized they were nearing a large stream that ran through the forest. The tracks continued to guide them along the side of the wild river. Then, suddenly, Luke came to an immediate stop. - “You see Mara anywhere?” Lando asked, allmost out of breath. - “Any sign?” Luke gazed into the surrounding forest, scanning every tree and every bush. He was so close to her now. And he still sensed her desperation. Mara’s mind was filled with stress, a very rare feeling for her. She was close, he could feel it. So why could they not see anything that could tell them of Mara’s exact location? ‘Patience, Luke,’ he told himself. ‘You will never find her if your mind is not calm.’ - “No, but we are getting very close to heer,” he said, forcing himself to relax. As soon as he did, the Force once more gave him new visions and information. - “She’s getting colder,” Luke continued, analyzing the images and feelings he was receiving, some even directly from Mara herself. - “More tired. As if…” His senses, and even his eyes, had suddenly spotted something very near the riverbank. A rather small object lying on the ground, barely visible in the ferns. An object that did not fit. It was not out of this world. But it was very much out of Luke’s world. - “By the Force!” He extended his hand and the cylinder shaped, chromed object reached him in two seconds. - “That’s Mara’s lightsaber!” Lando gaspedd. Yes, it was her lightsaber. And Luke’s, too. It had belonged to him until he had given it to Mara as a gift of friendship. And before coming into his possession, it had been created and carried by his father before he had turned to the Dark Side. And now this old lightsaber lay in the dirt among the ferns as if it had been thrown away like garbage. But Luke knew it wasn’t so. Mara was no Jedi and had showed little interest in completing her training. But she had always shown great respect for the Jedi ways. And for the symbolic weapon of the Jedi in particular. This was not the first saber she had ever carried. During her days as the Emperor’s Hand, she had carried a blade that she had made herself. But to this one, however, her affection was quite different. She treasured this lightsaber. She always carried it with her as long as her clothes for the occasion accepted the weapon by her side. Luke had often teased her that she was a Jedi in disguise or that she pretended that she was a Jedi since she rarely left the saber behind. The saber he had given her. Mara still kept many things to herself. But his gift to her, his father’s lightsaber, she kept and carried with great honour. In a way, this lightsaber was the symbol of their friendship. And Mara also held respect for the beautiful and lethal weapon, aware of its deadly grace and power. She would never leave her lightsaber behind. She had the same relationship with it as Luke had with his own saber; anyone who carried one could confirm the same strange love for the sword. So, finding it out here dumped to the side like this made Luke’s worry for his female friend increase even more. So much was not right here. He quickly moved over to the area in which the saber had been lying. Luke saw strange tracks in the dirt right next to the spot where he had discovered the saber. He saw slip marks, right next to the very edge of the riverbank. And more blaster marks, many of them and intense ones, on both the ground and the surrounding trees. The Force confirmed what his hunch had already realized. He starred into the wild stream of the river. - “She’s in the water!” Lando gaped. - “What, in that stream?” He did not doubt what Luke was saying. The truth began to sink in for Lando as well. But the truth was too scary for him to accept. In a wild river like this, which could hide dangerous rocks underneath the surface, it barely mattered if you could swim or not. Your chances were less than slim. Mara’s chances were less than slim. - “Someone fired at her and she fell into the water,” Luke explained, pointing out the tracks and marks he had discovered. - “The current must have swept her along.” They stared into the river for a moment. Then, at the same time and without uttering a sound or word, they both began running like crazy along the edge of the river. Mara was in the water. And Luke sensed how close she was now. The river did not pull her along anymore, they were catching up. Finally, Luke came to a halt. - “Now what?” Lando asked, ignoring his exxhaustion. They both stared up ahead. A whole mountain, right in the middle of this forest, lay in their path. And the river was running underneath it, had with time and erosion created an underwater tunnel for it to run through. There was no longer any doubt in Luke’s mind where Mara was. His mind could even see her. - “She’s inside here.” - “In that huge rock? That thing is enormoous!” Lando stated. - “She could be anywhere in there.” - “She has managed to find an air pocket iin a small cave,” Luke explained. - “I know exactly where she is.” The Jedi Master suddenly turned around. - “Stay here, Lando. I’ll be right back!” Luke needed to go and get something from the Lady Luck that he needed. - “Whatever you’re going to do, Luke, do iit fast!” Calrissian yelled after him as he ran back through the forest as fast as he could. ************************* Slowly and carefully, wicked and suspicious eyes peeped out from behind the large tree. Where had these two men come from? When he had been given his instructions, he had been assured by his superior that this planet would be uninhabited and completely secluded from the outside world, and that rarely any travellers ever landed here. And now these two newcomers had arrived just after he was about to complete his mission. And the arrivals were not just anyone either. He recognised them both. Especially the one carrying the lightsaber. They were Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian. What where they doing on Anargosa? His target was Force sensitive, of course. And a friend of these two men. They behaved as if they knew what had been going on and who they were following. Why else would they express such determination and eagerness to follow in his own and in his target’s tracks? And, naturally, they must have seen his ship when they first arrived. No, they were on to him! Blast! He had carefully made sure to keep himself hidden as he had seen them coming. But it had been in the very nick of time. And now, the Jedi Master took off, leaving his friend behind. Strange. But all Jedi were strange. And a threat. A threat to his superiors and to the glory of the Empire. The man held his blaster at the ready. If the Jedi had not taken off like that he could have taken them both out from behind easily. They would never have seen it coming. Just like the woman. But now he decided to wait. He had to finish them all or his mission would not remain secret. And you did not wish to leave any survivor of this kind behind. A vengeful Jedi Master and his war hero of a friend were not the kind of people you wished to have gunning for your life. No. The Jedi would most likely return. They would not leave the woman behind, even if it was obvious that she was already doomed, trapped within that rock. She was not coming out of there alive. And at the right opportunity he would strike. No loose ends. Thus were the direct orders from Admiral Daala herself. ************************* Luke had not been gone more than three minutes when he returned. And he carried a few things with him. - “A wire?” Luke had brought a very thin but also very strong steal wire, powerful enough to even resist the weight of a small fighter without breaking. It was as flexible and easy to work with as a rope but a lot more dorsal. Only something powerful like blaster fire, the blade of a lightsaber or an explosion could break this thing. Luke immediately began to hook up one end of the wire to a powerful tree standing near the riverbank next to the entrance of the cave that the river ran into. Calrissian just stared at him. - “Luke, you’re not doing what I think youu are doing, are you?” - “There’s no time. We must get her out quuickly,” Luke explained without stopping. - “If her body freezes any further or if she runs out of air, then she’s as good as dead.” Lando tried to gather his thoughts. His feelings were being torn apart. Were they doing this the right way? Yes, Mara was trapped in there but if Luke went in, too, he could end up just like her. - “This is too dangerous for you,” he cauttioned. - “Is there no other way in?” - “The rock is too thick,” Luke said as hee attached the opposite end of the wire to himself, wrapping and tying it around his waist. - “It would take forever to cut through with a lightsaber. And blasting inside or using explosive charges could disrupt the whole rock and make it cave in on her. No, the only way to her is via the same way she got in.” Luke gave his friend a pleading gaze. - “Will you stay here and keep an eye on tthe wire and things?” - “Sure,” Lando said. There was no way he could hold Luke back and frankly, he didn’t want to either, no matter the risk. He wanted to save Mara as much as Luke did. - “But Leia’s going to kill me if she learrns about this. This is the second time on this trip I let you wander off alone.” - “I can keep a secret if you can,” Luke ppromised him and made a final check with the wire and that he had all that he needed on him. Like the small aquata breather in his utility belt. - “As soon as I reach Mara, I’ll get in toouch on the comlink. And stay alert, Lando. Whoever attacked Mara, I’m sure he’s still around since his ship is still here.” - “I’ll keep an eye out.” Luke glared into the freezing and wild water that rushed by at high speed. Jumping into this would not be easy or pleasant. It was dangerous, especially for Mara who had already been in the water for a while. But he felt no hesitation whatsoever. Nor any fear. Fear did not even cross his mind. He focused for a second, concentrating on his breathing and the capacity of his lungs. He had to be strong for them both. Even tied up with the wire, if he wasn’t strong enough they would not make it. He felt the light touch of Calrissian’s hand on his shoulder. - “Be careful, Luke. And bring Mara back iin one piece.” - “I intend to.” Luke pulled a deep breath and then jumped into the river. The strong current captured him easily. He disappeared quickly under the surface and into the underwater cave. 

 

To be continued in: "Bound to each other"