Jedi Dawn – Chapter 6
By Sienn (2001)
Rating (for chapter): PG-13
Protagonists: Luke/Mara
Category: Drama/Action/Angst
Time Frame: 26 A.Y.
Spoilers:
See Chapter 1
Disclaimer:
See Chapter 1
Ithor, One And A Half Week After The Vongs' Offer For Peace Talks
Han Solo peered out of the tent that embodied the headquarter of rebuilding unit number ten on Ithor.
In the past weeks, he had seen a fair share of these tents, each exactly alike except for the number painted in black between the oversized emblems of the New Republic. Eager to help with the rescue and rebuilding actions, in order to soothe his conscious for not being there when the real fighting was going on, Han travelled every three days to another of the numerous rebuilding units, co-ordinating, helping, encouraging. Or rather, helping his brother-in-law doing this.
Luke had, from the beginning, practically taken the lead in the rebuilding efforts on Ithor and had worked out a remarkably well functioning system, based on exactly thirty-nine rebuilding groups, each one with the reinforcement of a Jedi Knight or Apprentice. The Jedi Master himself travelled in a three-day-cycle from unit to unit, co-ordinating, helping and doing everything he could to undo the damage the planet had suffered.
Additionally, he also took care of civilians searching for lost family members or the like, unflaggingly searching data banks or hopping in his X-Wing or, mostly, in the Falcon, from herdship to herdship to find them.
And with every day Luke buried himself in his work, Han worried more about him. The Corellian sighed and peered again out of the tent. Rebuilding unit number ten was under his son Jacen's command and was busy resettling plants and animals in the forests, to repair burned or scorched sections. Luke, for his part, had been sitting for the past three hours in front of a couple of newly planted Bafforr trees, eyes closed, legs crossed and obviously deep in a Jedi trance.
As Jacen had put it, Luke was actually TALKING to the trees, trying to help them to come to terms with a totally new environment. Almost tenderly, Luke had helped to partially substitute the plasma-burned soil with new, fertile one and had then further helped to insert the trees.
Of course Han didn't think that to be wrong, helping with the rebuilding operations and all, but when he took just one single look at Luke, the fear that his friend was close to another breakdown crept into his stomach - a breakdown that could prove disproportionately more damaging than the first one had been.
Luke was deathly pale and had lost a considerable amount of weight - it took all the patience Han could afford to really get the younger man to eat more than just the military ration bars that were ever-present these days in the camps.
And it was more than obvious that Luke had just one reason to bury himself in THAT much work - he didn't need to think about what had happened before that. He didn't have to think about Mara then.
Han allowed himself no illusions about Luke's condition. Although his body seemed to deal relatively well with his current strenuous actions, his mental condition worsened steadily. When they were alone, in the Falcon or in the quarters on Tafanda Bay, Luke was very quiet and withdrawn - but at the same time, he sought Han's closeness. There was no leaving him alone with nothing to do. As Han had already experienced, that left Luke deeply irritated - and who could blame him?
First left by Callista, then by Mara - the kid slowly but steadily built up a downright panic for being left again. That Leia was more than a week overdue returning from Coruscant didn't make matters better. Luke missed her terribly and although Han's presence helped him to hold together, the mind connection with his sister lacked obviously. Luke's thoughts were an almost complete secret to Han, except for the few his brother-in-law shared from time to time with him.
They had grown closer than ever before during the last few weeks, and while Han knew that his presence and his friendship were the only reason Luke was capable to play such an active role in all that was going on, he had not yet succeeded to drag him out from behind the walls of desperation and sadness he had erected around himself.
The regular nightmares didn't help Luke either to get his mental stability back and Han was almost to the point of forcing Luke to take a sedative before going to bed in the evening. It couldn't be healthy to work that much and not sleep properly. And Luke's health condition was, even if relatively stable at the moment, just too fragile to challenge it that way.
Now, though, Leia had finally called. The news wasn't particularly thrilling and as far as Han was concerned, there was nothing Luke could need less right now than what Leia had proposed, but it would help the kid to know that his sister hadn't forgotten about him. On the other hand, that she hadn't even had the time to talk to him in person would naturally hurt him, no doubt about that. Han sighed quietly, left the tent and approached his brother-in-law.
"Hey, kid, wake up. There is some news for you." He called over to the inert figure sitting in front of the trees. Luke twitched shortly, then opened his eyes, rose and came over to Han.
"Hi, Han. What is it?" Carefully eyeing Luke, noting the paleness, the dark circles under his eyes and the general, gloomy expression, Han cleared his throat. "Leia has called just minutes ago."
Luke's face lit up. The eagerness in his eyes was almost heart wrenching. Han knew perfectly well, although Luke had done it in secret, that the younger man had more than once tried to reach Leia over hypercom - always as late as he could, so that the chances would be high that Leia was at home.
The connection had never been established, due to all possible failures on the way, and the totally devastated look in Luke's eyes had left Han swallowing hard - every evening. But he had never gone up to him to soothe him. Luke obviously didn't want him to know exactly how much he missed Leia and Han would not intrude into his privacy more than he had accidentally already done.
"Good. I can tell her how much progress we have already made. And I'm almost done locating these two missing children. I'm sure the two holos I found yesterday night are the two girls."
"Luke, you won't be able to talk to her. She had to attend another meeting and I can only tell you what she said."
Luke winced and smiled unconvincingly, his eyes darting around - his left hand twitched, as well as his cheek. Han had occasionally seen this in the first days after Luke's breakdown, but now it seemed to have become a habit - a habit indicating that something had hurt Luke.
The self-composure Han had often admired, and sometimes almost hated, was wearing down and when alone or only with Han, Luke didn't bother maintaining it at all.
"Well, what did she want?" he asked, finally looking Han straight into the eyes, bravely trying to suppress whatever wanted to come out.
"Actually quite a thing. The Yuuzhan Vong have offered peace talks. They want to meet with her and a delegation in four days at the outer fringes of the Coruscant system."
Luke gaped at him, as surprised as Han had been when he had first heard Leia say these words. "That's surprising. Has she accepted?"
Han nodded: "She has. And she has agreed to meet with them on their ship."
"What?! She can't do that! Who knows what they really have in mind. She can't go to them on her own!" Luke exclaimed, his worry for any of his family members increased after the disappearance of his wife.
And he voiced exactly the thoughts Han had about this plan. "My words, Junior. But she has set her mind and you know how your sister is when she's decided to do something. Though you play a role in this, too."
Luke perched an eyebrow, eyeing Han curiously - but still, this sparkle in his eyes, the sign that he was mentally alive, was almost gone. Luke was there, but Han had the terrible feeling that only a minimal catastrophe was needed to push him away from them entirely.
"Me? I'm not part of the government, or the military. I've got nothing to do with this." Luke said.
"True. But you have destroyed their fleet."
Luke winced and shuddered almost visibly.
"They want to meet you - the great warrior who destroyed them single-handedly, as Leia put it. They said they wouldn't begin negotiations unless you were there, representing the New Republic military and the Jedi Knights."
Luke paled a little bit more: "I can't represent the military. I have no rank - I hold no political position either."
"You'll be given the position of official Ambassador. At least Leia said they would find a way to manage that. Nothing but a little bit of rank-pulling, I suppose." Han grinned half-heartedly. He was not overjoyed with this. The worst that could happen to Luke was a confrontation with some beings from a race of which he had killed thousands. And then all the work, and the mental pressure of having to succeed - really not at all ideal for a psychologically totally drained and hurt person to regain his mental stability.
Luke grinned back - again his hand twitched. Han frowned. He was worried about that - Luke lost control, slowly, but more and more. What the kid needed was a vacation - perhaps even just plain sleep.
"Well, then I'd say we should be on our way to Coruscant as soon as possible." Luke murmured, letting his gaze wander around the camp. Without doubt, he was imagining all the similar camps and the refugees and homeless people waiting there for him to appear. The word that Jedi Master Skywalker in person did everything to find dislocated or missing people had spread like a firebrand and everyone tried to get his attention. And Luke, eager to do anything in order to forget about Mara, did everyone a favour. Just everyone.
"Yeah. I already sent word to Tafanda Bay. They're fuelling the Falcon as we speak. And, kid, don't worry about the camps. Anakin, Jacen and Jaina will take care of them. If it comes down to total chaos, Corran and Kyp are there, too. They will do without you for some time."
Luke nodded, obviously not at all convinced - but what alternatives did he actually have?
Three hours later, Han sent the Falcon into hyperspace. Swivelling his chair around to ask his brother-in-law something, he smiled somewhat sadly. Luke had fallen deeply asleep in the seat behind Han.
Dathomir, Singing Mountain Clan, Same Time
"You know, if you adopted the concept of money, you could buy leather. You wouldn't have to drag out stupid worms to make your clothes." Mara growled, gazing with disgust at the brown soup gathered in a small pitch in the ground. The man sitting in front of the pitch stared back at her blankly, clearly not understanding her language.
Augwynne smiled: "We have no desire for money, Mara. Why should we begin to use it now? We have what we need. Besides, what should the men do if not such things? They'd get bored - and bored men are even more of a nuisance than they're when they're not bored."
Mara perched an eyebrow, but smiled back: "You know, Augwynne, sometimes, only sometimes, I like the way you're handling men."
The old witch grinned: "I understand that the relationship between you and Luke Skywalker is not a similar one."
Mara's face darkened and a slightly melancholic smile crept into her features: "No, not at all."
"You're thinking at him a lot, aren't you?" Augwynne asked, a compassionate tone softening her voice.
Mara nodded: "I left without a trace and… well, let's say I was rather unfair about what I said to him. I'm feeling guilty. He hasn't deserved that."
The older woman nodded: "That is true and you obviously have made a fault. But I'd say it is more productive to take care of each problem step by step. First your illness, then your marriage."
Mara sighed: "You know, it sounds good, but it's pretty hard to actually do it. Rell made this remark about him - I don't even know whether he has survived the battle."
"You said your bond is so strong that you would feel if anything happened to him."
"True. But if you have cut the bond, then you have to accept certain communication inconveniences". She huffed, nervously fumbling her lightsaber.
"Oh.." Augwynne made, clearly not being able to imagine how it felt to cut a Force connection.
"Well, yes, but done is done. And, to come back to my illness, I'm feeling much better since I'm here. The work I help you doing here seems to make me stronger. I don't really know how it works, but when I'm working in nature, I'm actually feeling quite a bit stronger than usual."
"Then perhaps you'd like to accompany a hunting party tomorrow? They're going out to catch a few wild Rancors. We need new blood in our tribe."
Mara bit her lower lip, then nodded slowly. "You know, I think I'd like that."
Augwynne smiled knowingly: "Somehow, I knew that you'd say that. And I think you will perhaps find more solace in this than you can imagine."
The quizzical look in Mara's eyes made Augwynne laugh quietly.
Coruscant, One Day Later
It was, Leia mused, always strange to see old friends again after years of silence. Teneniel Djo, now Queenmother of the Hapes Cluster, looked as young, beautiful and strong as she had so many years ago - only in her eyes could one see the maturity her position had given to her.
"President Organa Solo. Pleased to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine, Your Excellency. May I come straight to business?"
Teneniel smiled and nodded. She understood that private chitchat had to be pushed back. "What can I do for you, Princess?"
"I know you are aware the war against the Yuuzhan Vong and I know your fleet has been offering to join for some days now. What you don't know is that we have received a peace offer from the Vong. A nice, little offer that will be due in two days. I would very much like you to come to Coruscant and attend this meeting with me. The delegation will consist of seven members. Myself, my husband Han Solo, Admiral Traest Kre'fey, Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, hopefully you, Wedge Antilles and my brother, Luke Skywalker."
Leia frowned when she saw the brief glittering in Teneniel's eyes when she mentioned Luke's name. "Of course. I'll be right there. But I'm afraid my husband won't be able to accompany me. He's currently on a voyage throughout our cluster."
"He is not needed, Your Highness. I await you then."
"Wonderful." Teneniel paused, then cleared her throat. "Um, Leia, how is Luke? I felt something odd that I think came from him."
Leia blanched slightly. Even Teneniel had felt his breakdown. "He is fine." She made eye contact with the other woman, clearly indicating that these were matters to be discussed in private surroundings.
Teneniel nodded: "Good. We'll see each other soon then." She bowed slightly, smiled, then cut the connection.
Yuuzhan Vong Ship Hijua, Deep Space
"Peace Negotiations!" Denj Idao cursed. "Peace negotiations with the infidels! What, by Yun-Yammka, has gotten into Lah?"
"I really don't know, but I felt I had to contact you and inform you of this, Admiral. I considered it my duty."
"Well done, my child, well done. I appreciate it, believe me. Obviously you know me very well - at least well enough to know I won't accept this," Idao hissed.
"Even if the Warmaster orders it?" the daring voice asked curiously - obviously waiting eagerly for something.
Denj Idao paused, thinking a while, then, setting his jaw firm, he met the gaze on the villip with an equally fiery one. "If Warmaster Tsavong Lah decides to negotiate with the infidels, I consider HIM an infidel. And thus I'm not under his command anymore."
"What about your fleet?" It was not possible to ignore the intense satisfaction of the almost hypnotising voice coming through the villip.
"My fleet is loyal to me. Completely," Idao assured instantly.
"Perfect," the voice purred. "So I can be sure that you're on MY side, Admiral Idao?"
"Absolutely. Count on me. We won't accept the infidels as equals. Never. When will we meet in person?"
"I will inform you as soon as I've found a suitable place. And until then…. Feel free to take your revenge for Ithor on any infidel ship you encounter."
Idao smiled. "Although I normally don't take orders from someone as you, I have to say that these are too good to be ignored. I will impatiently await your next communication."
He patted his villip shortly and the face of his counterpart disappeared.
Yuuzhan Vong Ship Criarto, On Its Way To Coruscant
Priestess Elan gracefully stretched into her yorik-coral chair and smiled at her image in the polished mirror in front of her desk.
Her exquisitely raptor-like shaped teeth looked as menacing as she liked it. "Now, Tsavong Lah, you'll soon see what you have brought upon you by making ME your enemy."
Carefully, she lifted the villip from her desk, put it into its normal sleeping place and stroked it, still smiling to herself, until it fell into a slumber.