The Birth Of Acceptance

 

   Chapter 10

By Sienn (2002)

 

Rating (for chapter):  PG-13

Protagonists: Luke/Mara

Category: Action/Angst/Drama

 

Series: Part III of "Soul's Trial" Trilogy

 

Time Frame: 26 A.Y. (immediately after "Soul's Trial II: Healing")

 

Spoilers:

See Chapter 1

 

Disclaimer:

See Chapter 1

 

On Route To The Growing Yuuzhan Vong Worldship, Edge Of The Coruscant System

A soft, questioning hoot pulled Luke out of his thoughts. Focusing back on his instruments and the space in front of his X-Wing's viewport, he forced a smile on his face, knowing that his droid would detect it.

"No, I'm fine, R2. Just a little tired."

Another hoot, this time doubtful and louder.

Luke's smile became genuine: "Well, you know, I've been working more, too. It's the same as if you're running low on energy. No need to be worried about it."

The little astromech continued to twitter, seemingly still not satisfied, but his master didn't respond anymore. Soothing his faithful companion's worries had never been easy. Especially if Luke himself wasn't so sure whether there was a reason to be worried or not.

True, he had been working a lot during the last few days. There was much to be coordinated and the destruction of this worldship above Belkadan had only complicated matters. The Yuuzhan Vong had reinforced their security around every worldship, making plans to evacuate all the more tricky to establish.

There were suddenly almost twice as many beings to account for and that was not easy to manage, especially if it came to food and water provisions. What was more, he was constantly pondering the question who could have been behind the attack on Direen.

What sense did anyone see in destroying a worldship? It could be simple protest; this worldship was scheduled for evacuation by the help of the New Republic. Perhaps someone had wanted to express his disgust for the "infidels".

It was what Lah, Corran, Leia and Han had believed in this morning's meeting, when they had recounted all what had happened and tried to find clues, of which sort ever. But while Luke had been on his way up into space, doubts had come to him all of a sudden.

He couldn't really place them, couldn't really explain them, he just felt that something was not as they thought it was. This was hardly the time to wonder about it, though. He had other things to take care of.

The invitation of the Warmaster's son, Khalee Lah, had come as a surprise for Luke. When they had met for the first time on the Criarto, when Luke had been interrogated at what had happened above Belkadan, he hadn't had the feeling that the Yuuzhan Vong Warrior liked him. Not that any Yuuzhan Vong Warrior seemed to LIKE him, but usually they glared not quite as hostile at him since the matter with Elan had been made public.

Luke smiled without joy at the thought that Elan's scheme had indeed resulted in something positive. If nothing else, the Yuuzhan Vong had a lot more respect for him. Some of them had even expressed their admiration - the Warmaster being only one of them - about the fact that he had withstood a shaping. He could draw no satisfaction from admiration thus earned. Luke couldn't even feel proud. He knew more than they all did. He knew that he had knelt at her feet --- mentally, if not bodily so. A word would have sufficed and his legs would have done what his thoughts had been willing to do since the very moment he had woken up on this table, shaken awake by the Priestess.

His memories were still fuzzy. The biggest part of his soul had been hidden away behind Force walls, inaccessible to the membrane... but also to this little part that was insolvably bound to his body. The part of him that had become Liin Kwaad and had succumbed to the torture of the Master Shaper.

When Mara had broken the Yuuzhan Vongs' grasp on him, Luke had never given a thought to the question how much of Liin had stayed within him. The membrane was out of his head and all he had felt towards Elan was shame. With time, this had changed, too. He had accepted what had happened, had known he was over it and had drawn strength from the fact that the Force had once again helped him to survive.

But that had been before the voice had come into his life. Luke knew it had been only a couple of days since he had first heard it. Yet it seemed like an eternity that it was with him. It was Mezhan Kwaad's voice, but he still hadn't figured out whether it was Mezhan Kwaad. Or whether she was in him or somewhere else. If she were alive... he wouldn't know what to do if she were alive.

Should he go find her, destroy her? That was impossible. On the one hand, he had no clue where she was; on the other hand, attack was not in the Jedi Code. And he was not willing to ignore the Code, not even to free the universe from a being as bereft of emotion and compassion as the Master Shaper Mezhan Kwaad.

Revenge. This emotion had been a stranger to Luke Skywalker's soul for a long, long time. Even upon hearing of Chewbacca's death, sadness had presided over revenge. He wasn't the callow youth of past times anymore. Revenge didn't bring benefit to anyone. Not even to the one who exacted it.

He didn't doubt that anyone who knew about what had happened would understand him. But fact was that Luke Skywalker didn't want to get back on Kwaad. He felt no hate for her, not even anger. No, he felt something that was much more potent, much more worrying and a lot more difficult to deal with. Fear.

Luke was afraid of Kwaad. She was a brilliant woman, someone whose actions were impossible to foresee, whose schemes were conceived in a way that you only recognised what she wanted when she long had it. If you didn't KNOW what she wanted, you stood almost no chance against her.

And that was exactly the problem, Luke mused as he slowly led his X-Wing out of the uttermost space traffic lanes around Coruscant and steered it towards the edge of the solar system. He didn't know what she wanted. If he went from the fact that she was alive, there was still the question what by the Force she wanted.

She would not appreciate Lah's plans for the peace treaty. Humans - or any other non-Yuuzhan Vong species - were nothing but vermin to her. Objects to experiment on, to study. To learn how to exploit or eradicate them, then dismiss them. That was her job. That was what she had been trained to do.

But would she go to such length? And if so, what did he have to do with all of it? In the past couple of hours, while he had talked about statistics, plans, meeting schedules and what not, he had tried to remember more about his time on the Moota, the Master Shaper's personal ship.

As far as he could recall, he had always had the impression that Mezhan Kwaad despised him and would be more than happy as soon as the assignment was over - his shaping. So what did she want from him? Why did she haunt him, insisting he WAS Liin Kwaad?

Unconsciously, his hands clenched harder around the control stick of his vessel. He wasn't Liin Kwaad. He wasn't. He would never be, either. That was a fact. Luke had searched his feelings, his rawest instincts for signs of Liin Kwaad. In the first days after the membrane had been taken out of his head, he had felt urges and reflexes that had not been his own.

The need to hide himself from view, for example. This particular problem had even expanded into his time on Chandrila, with Mara. But it had been gone for long weeks now. Along with all other instincts of a familiar he had had in himself.

Liin Kwaad would not be back. But even if, what would Mezhan want with a familiar? Shapers didn't keep themselves familiars. They didn't need them. For minor services, they had their apprentices, as far as he knew. So what did she want from him?

"NOW you don't talk to me, don't you?" he mumbled under his breath, his expression darkening. Of course she wouldn't answer. She was not willing to talk to him. Taunting him, provoking him, torturing him. All that she loved. But a simple talk... probably she considered him too dumb, too minor for it. Or she was afraid he would find out what she planned. Either way, from her, he would never get answers.

Luke sighed. He could think further about this later. Now he would meet the Warmaster's son and see what Khalee wanted from him. Judging by his luck lately, the Warrior was likely going to challenge him to a fight.

In his viewport, the still growing worldship became bigger and bigger. The closer he came to it, the warier Luke felt. He didn't really want to get onto this ship. In fact, he had had to force himself to leave his apartment after he had changed into something more fit for an expedition like that.

After the meeting with Corran and the rest of his staff, he had felt like falling into his bed and not getting up for at least a week. Yet, at this very moment he pulled his X-Wing into a tight starboard arc to reach the large docking bay that served as landing pad for any incoming vessel. The rest of the bays hadn't been grown yet.

Well, he would get this over with and then he would head home and sleep - there were no meetings to attend the next day, so he would be able to sleep longer, doing his practice in the afternoon for a change.

*~~

"He thinks it's that easy. The fool."

"Excuse me, Master?" Nen Yim lifted her head from the little animal she had been tending to with a pair of intricate coral needles.

Mezhan Kwaad smiled at her, turning from the "viewport" of her little vessel's cockpit, where she had stood for the last thirty minutes, gazing into deep, dark space.

"Skywalker. He thinks it's that easy to get rid of me. He has no idea of what is going on. None whatsoever." The Master Shaper turned once again to the viewport, ignoring her apprentice.

Nen Yim scowled. "He's not the only one." She muttered under her breath, careful not to be heard by her Master.

To tell the truth, she herself had no idea what she was doing. Of course she did what Kwaad ordered her to do, but why? To what purpose? Mezhan had held a fiery speech, wanting to put the Shaper caste at its rightful place in Yuuzhan Vong society. But what was left of this attitude?

All this seemed like a childish quest for revenge on an infidel that had defied her protocols. A matter of injured pride, not more and not less. And she was caught up in it all, still hoping to learn more about the one art she truly loved. Shaping.

She would only LEARN more about it when Kwaad was done with her curious plan. Thus, the sooner they made progress, the better for Yim.

"Master?"

"Hmm?"

"Why don't we just grab him now, kill him and be done with it? I mean, he IS heading to the Hiis El, the worldship for His Excellency, isn't he?"

"Of course he is. My faked message was state-of-the-art."

"So why don't we?"

The glare she received from her Master was well known to Nen Yim. Since she had decided to go rogue on her caste and join the despised Kwaad, she had been granted this stare more than once.

"You still don't seem to grasp what's going on, my dear apprentice." the voice of Mezhan Kwaad was low, angry. She was unnerved by the ignorance of her servant.

And her servant was unnerved by the haughtiness of her Master.

"Then perhaps you could be so nice as to enlighten me about what you really want? It's not the destruction of the Warrior caste's superiority over the Shaper's, that much is sure."

Mezhan Kwaad's eyes had narrowed to thin, green slits. "You should better watch your tongue, Nen. My goals are clear. I want to put the Shapers on the place next to Shimrra. Where we belong and where the Warriors don't belong."

"So why..."

"And Skywalker is the way to success. If you haven't even begun to understand this, then you should really doubt your intelligence."

Without a further word, the tall figure of the Master Shaper left the cockpit and headed for her laboratory, leaving in her wake an angered, seething apprentice.

 

Jade Sabre, On Its Way To The Edge Of The Coruscant System, Cockpit

It was not difficult to manoeuvre the ship through the traffic lanes of Coruscant's orbit. Not difficult, not demanding, not even slightly distracting. Not for a pilot as seasoned, experienced and skilled as Mara Jade Skywalker.

But it was something for her hands to do. Something else than strangling the Jedi that sat next to her in the co-pilot's seat. And if her hands had been free, she would have done just that, no doubt about it.

"Mara, how often do you want me to apologize? I can't do more than say I'm sorry." Corran Horn murmured, his arms folded in front of his chest.

"The problem is not that you don't apologize."

"Fine, because I've been doing just this for the past thirty minutes. Apologizing."

"The problem, " Mara steered the Sabre hard to port, almost grazing a large Corellian freighter that had been pulling in behind a pleasure yacht headed to the southern pole of the city planet, "is that you don't mean what you say."

Finally pulling out of the traffic area, Mara powered up the engines, punched in the co-ordinates of the still growing worldship and spun around on her chair, now able to change her focus onto the only other human in the cockpit.

"You, Corran Horn, are not sorry that you didn't tell me."

For a long moment, green eyes met green ones, both stubborn, both not about to be intimidated by the other's rage or lack thereof. Corran knew Mara for a long time. He knew that, if she was seriously out for his blood, he'd be dead in seconds, whether Jedi or not. She was a trained Master, a trained assassin. So he had long learnt not to underestimate her temper. And not to overestimate it.

"You are worried about Luke, Mara. If you weren't so worried, you'd understand that I couldn't possibly have told you about it."

"And why is that so, wise Jedi?" she spat, her eyes blazing with fury.

"What would you have done if I had talked to you? Do you want me to tell you what you'd have done, Mara?" Corran didn't even wait for her to answer, but continued straight on.

"You would have talked to him, would have asked him not to work with Yuuzhan Vong anymore, would probably have tried to keep him home. Do you think he'd have liked that? Do you think he'd have appreciated feeling like he's spied on by friends? He would have thought I've been waiting for him to behave odd and then run to you to report. Are you aware at all, Mara, what is going on with him?"

The ex-Emperor's Hand laughed bitterly: "More so than you, CorSec."

Corran pressed his lips together, inhaling deeply before he said another word: "You know that's not what I meant. But when we're already talking about it - WHAT is it you're not telling me? You can't expect me to behave in a way that fits your thoughts if I don't know them."

Mara gave him a thoughtful stare. Surprised, the former Rogue Squadron pilot watched as the expression on the beautiful woman's face changed, from anger, to thoughtfulness, to quiet sadness.

"What do you know, Corran?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what do you know about what happened to Luke?"

Corran blinked, startled by the change of topic, but sensing that bearing with Mara was the best he could do. She was hurting. He didn't know why and he didn't know what it had to do with Luke, but she was hurting at this very moment. And if he could find out why by accepting her lead in this talk, he would do so.

"I know he was tortured." He said after a while.

Mara laughed softly, bitterly: "Tortured, yes." Her gaze suddenly met his, challenging him in a way that made him uncomfortable. "You have seen torture, CorSec, haven't you? You probably think you know everything about it that's worth knowing."

"Well," he began slowly, "I do know some things about it. Yes."

"Yet you have no idea what Luke's been through."

She lapsed into silence, averting her stare from his and gazing out the viewport. The bitterness and pain Corran saw in these green emeralds shocked him. Something else was on stake here, something he hadn't yet grasped. He had overlooked some clue. Until now, the former CorSec officer had thought this was simply an intrigue of a group that didn't agree with the direction of today's Yuuzhan Vong politics. But now he began to understand that this concerned Luke.

Not the Jedi Master, the Jedi Ambassador, who stood for the Order and the New Republic. It concerned Luke Skywalker, the man. And that far more than Corran could even start to guess. Flicking through the past days in his head as if in a diary, his instincts caught on a fact that had startled him just hours ago in Miiram Shimrra's quarters.

"Liin Kwaad." He finally said.

Mara stared at him, one eyebrow perched, waiting. He hated it if people tried to test him.

"You said Liin Kwaad was Luke's Yuuzhan Vong name. What did you mean by that?"

"Just what I said."

"Mara, you're not exactly helpful! How shall I help you - how shall I help LUKE - if I don't know what all this is about? Damn, can't you just TELL me!" the Jedi Knight had jumped to his feet and was now pacing the cockpit, shacking his head in frustration. This woman was the absolute limit. Sometimes, mostly during moments like this, Corran seriously wondered how Luke put up with her.

He suddenly became aware that he wasn't shielding himself when a curious sound out of Mara's direction permeated the air. Corran's head snapped around to find the beautiful woman huddled in her seat, her arms protectively clutched around her mid-section.

The Jedi was instantly at her side, comfortingly grasping her by the shoulders: "Is something with the baby? It's not good for the little one if you let yourself get too worked up about all this."

"I know. I know, Corran." Mara's voice sounded tired, defeated, and her eyes were wide with sadness when she finally looked him in the face again.

"I'm fine. It was just.. just what you thought right now...."

"What?"

"You wondered how Luke put up with me..."

Corran blushed, scratching his head. "Well," he murmured, embarrassed, "I didn't mean it that way. Mara, you're just so... so..." He paused a couple of seconds, then sat down in the co-pilot's seat again and attempted a little smile. "Complicate. And stubborn. And jumpy."

Again this quirked, elegant eyebrow: "Anything else? Hysteric? Panicky? Unnerving, perhaps?"

Now Corran grinned: "No. Well, maybe a little unnerving, but I've learned to put up with it over the years."

The redhead snorted, but refused to comment on that.

Once again, they remained silent for a couple of minutes. But it wasn't Corran's nature to let questions go unanswered. Nor was it his nature to not apologize when he had indeed messed up.

"I'm sorry, Mara. Truly. I didn't want to hurt you or your baby. I'll be shielding myself better in the future."

The delicate woman shook her head, her red locks flying around her. "No, Corran, you misunderstood. You didn't hurt my baby. I'd never let simple thoughts hurt my baby. It's just... I wondered that myself sometimes."

"I'm afraid I don't understand you."

"I wondered sometimes how Luke put up with me and why. Corran, you don't know everything about what happened to him. And I'm not going to tell you much about it."

"Mara, you know you can trust me. I'd never..."

The female Jedi Master smiled, extending a hand and laying it onto the other Jedi's forearm. "I know that I can trust you, Corran. But it is not my place to tell you. Luke has to decide who knows and who not. It's been his pain, it's his place to tell. I can tell you only the most necessary fact."

The Corellian nodded, expectantly.

"Luke was not tortured as you may think. Do you realise what a shaping is?"

"A shaping?! They wanted to shape Luke? I didn't know..."

Mara waved his comment away: "Not many in the Republic know. The Vong know. All of them. But they don't talk a lot to infidels. They respect Luke since he has withstood this shaping."

Corran nodded absent-mindedly, obviously shocked.

"Do you understand why I'm so worried about him, Corran? Do you see why his behaviour in the last few weeks has been freaking me out? They did want to mould him into a YUUZHAN VONG! And they have almost succeeded. I don't think they've given up yet."

"And THEY are..?"

"Mezhan Kwaad and this Nen Yim. I don't know why. I guess I will as soon as Miiram tells us about this protocol. But first we have to get to Luke. Speaking of Miiram..."

Mara swivelled her chair around, suddenly all business again. While she checked on Miiram and Khalee, which both followed them in a coralskipper, not having been persuaded to enter an "abomination", she didn't notice how Corran settled deeper into his seat, his forehead furrowed in concentration.

He began to understand what was going on. Slowly - more so than he liked - but at least he began to. What he knew for sure was that they had to get to Luke before this Mezhan Kwaad did. And that Miiram Shimrra had to tell them what this protocol was about.

Corran hated not knowing everything about a situation. There were far too many blanks here as that he could be satisfied or feel up to do whatever was expected of him. Yet he understood Mara's point of view. Perhaps Luke would confide into him. Perhaps not. Either way, he would do everything he could to help him. For two years now, he had worked hard to not give the Vong what they wanted. He was quite willing to hold this attitude for a little longer. And after fighting a whole populace, two individuals should be no problem.

And even if they were the most powerful beings in the galaxy, he would still try to help. Since he had first met Luke, they had formed a friendship he treasured. It was by no means as intense as Luke's friendship with Han Solo or even Wedge. Yet it had potential to grow. And if he could, Corran would ensure that it did.

"Thank you." Mara said softly, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes, one corner of her mouth pulled upward in a little smirk.

"Could you stop eavesdropping on my thoughts, please!"

"Work on your shields and you won't have to worry about it." Mara steered the Jade Sabre into the hangar bay of the unfinished worldship, her eyes immediately finding Luke's X-Wing.

Concentrating on her husband, she reached out with the Force to find him. She knew that the yorik coral would probably dampen her call too much to be heard by him, but it was worth a try. After all, he couldn't be that far away.

Instantly, she practically bumped into his presence, strong and not dulled. How was this possible? They were on a Vong ship, for Force's sake! Of course, you could draw on the Force, but sensing others was almost impossible. Yet, it was as if he stood directly next to her, miles away from any Yuuzhan Vong ship.

'Luke?'

His presence didn't even react. He seemed enraptured. Caught up in something. Obviously he was feeling fine, yet also strange.

'Luke! Answer me!' she called, louder this time.

'Mara?! Where...?' he sounded surprised, startled. Irritated. Mara didn't bother to power down the engines. She didn't plan to stay. Making sure her lightsaber was on her hip, she stormed out of the ship, barely aware that Corran was trying to keep up with her and Miiram's coralskipper was pulling into the bay.

'Luke, I'm coming!'

She ran through the corridors, following his presence. He was closing in on her, too. She felt his mind grasping hers firmly, using her own Force presence as kind of a homing beacon. Finally, after she had rounded another corner, she was face to face with him.

Mara flung herself into his arms, not caring whether anyone looked on or not. She was just incredibly relieved to see her husband, alive and unharmed.

"Mara, what are you doing here?" Luke finally asked, holding her at a little distance. His wife stared straight into his face, mustering him critically. And although he seemed physically fine, she instantly caught the change in his eyes.

He seemed sleepy. Sleepy and dreamy.

"I was just checking on you. Khalee Lah..."

"Oh yes. It seems he kind of forgot me, huh?"

Mara sighed and grasped his hand. "No, Luke. This message you got wasn't from him."

"Indeed." The Jedi Master's gaze had wandered back into the direction he had come from, almost longingly staring into the darkened corridor. He didn't sound particularly surprised or really interested and that scared Mara. It was as if he didn't really register what she said.

"Luke, what did you do here? While you waited, I mean?" she grasped his hand stronger, feeling how he tensed. He wanted to go back there.

"I watched. And listened." Luke simply said, dragging her a couple of steps back into the corridor that led to wherever he had been before she had landed.

"What? Luke, I don't understand you."

Her husband stopped and turned, this time smiling: "Oh, it's simple. You can see how it grows. And you can hear it. It's fascinating. Miraculous."

Mara stared at him, shocked. She couldn't quite shed the feeling that he didn't see the situation as she did. "It?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Luke nodded, extending a hand and stroking the wall. "The worldship."

"You can HEAR the worldship growing?"

Big, blue eyes, innocent and captivated with fascination, met Mara's suspicious gaze and in them she could read that something had happened here.

"They're here, aren't they?" she growled, unclipping her lightsaber from her belt and pushing Luke behind her. He didn't protest, but followed her stare down the corridor he had come from.

"Of course. It's a practical possibility."

"A WHAT?!" Mara could barely restrain herself from shouting. She felt as irritated as Luke had sounded only a couple of moments ago and she didn't like it.

Her husband stared at her as if he saw her for the first time, then he shook his head, smiling and massaging his temple. "I'm sorry, Mara. I forgot you haven't been there." At her incredulous stare, he continued: "There are Yuuzhan Vong Warriors in the grand hall. As long as the ship is still growing, they're doing practice there."

"And you have watched them."

He nodded, then, suddenly, he grinned almost ferociously, his eyes darkening with contempt and mockery: "I could have shown them how to fight properly. But they didn't want me to. They laughed."

Mara swallowed hard.

"Luke, I think it's better we go now. Miiram wants to talk to us, you know, and..." it was then that Mara first looked at his feet, rather coincidentally, but it still made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Where are your boots?"

Her husband didn't answer her, once again extending a hand and laying it onto a bulge in the wall.

That was too much. It was closing in on him. She didn't know what, who and why - and HOW - but she knew she had to get him out of here. As soon as possible.

Taking his face into both her hands, she pulled him closer to her face, making eye contact, and repeated: "Where are your boots, Luke?"

He stared at her, getting no word out of his mouth, and without preamble, something in his eyes changed. The startledness stayed, but it changed.

"Mara? Mara, where...? I... they are... I shed them..." Luke closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and drawing onto the Force. It didn't help much. He didn't know where he was, how he had gotten there and he knew even less why Mara was with him. The last thing he could recall was getting out of his X-Wing and telling R2 not to draw too much attention. The rest was a blank. Until now, when he had found himself staring into his wife's beautiful eyes and felt her hands around his face - felt the cold yorik coral stinging his naked feet.

"Mara... please... bring me away from here."

Mara smiled feebly, stroking his cheeks softly, took both his hands and dragged him towards the hangar. Before they could round the corner though, Corran, Miiram and Khalee stormed around it, slithering to a halt before them. The Corellian Jedi held a pair of black boots in his left hand, his lightsaber in his right.

"Mara! Luke! When I found the boots, I already thought..."

"It's okay, Corran." Mara nodded reassuringly, laying an arm around Luke's waist, directing him further towards the hangar. She had the feeling that he wouldn't find the way on his own.

"Wait!" Miiram demanded. She stepped to the two of them, took Luke's chin into her hands and lifted his head to look him into the eyes. With a soft, intense voice, she asked him something in Yuuzhan Vong.

Luke stared at her for a moment, then nodded and hung his head.

Mara's green eyes found the ones of her alien friend, but Miiram didn't respond to the shocked, pain-filled gaze, to the soundless question that was asked.

"Come." She simply said and turned, leading the way. The ex-Emperor's Hand turned her head, her heart beating wildly upon seeing the tired, defeated look on her husband's face. Tenderly, she brushed over his soul and was relieved to see a small smile form on his lips.

"Is Anakin on the Criarto?" Luke asked, his arm snuggling around her shoulders, rather searching for help than giving comfort.

When she nodded, he closed his eyes for a moment: "I don't want him to be there. Tell him to get back to Coruscant and inform Leia and Han that there will be some important things to discuss."

"Luke, I can't..."

"It will be done." Khalee Lah said.

*~~

Half an hour later, they were back in Miiram's private quarters. Mara didn't know how it had been accomplished, but Anakin had been gone when they had arrived. The Yuuzhan Vong woman had stroked the glow lichen that was living on the walls, methodically and strongly, causing it to give much more light than usually.

At Mara and Corran's wondering expressions, she had simply stated: "It will help him to stay awake."

They sat in a circle, occupying various yorik coral seats. Mara and Luke had been granted a larger coral growth that roughly resembled a couch. Luke was sitting next to her, his eyes duller than usual, his hand still clasped in hers.

"I would really like to know what's going on." Mara finally said, not loud and not demanding, simply stating the fact that she didn't intend to accept her own ignorance any longer.

Miiram turned to Luke: "Master Jeedai?"

Luke sighed softly, then let go of Mara's hand, bent forward and buried his face in his palms. "I can't tell you much, Miiram. I... I have been hearing voices. Or, rather, one voice."

"Mezhan Kwaad's voice?" The Yuuzhan Vong woman asked, folding her hands in her lap. Her betrothed was standing in a corner, not letting his eyes off Luke in a mix of suspicion and respect.

The Jedi Master nodded, not bothering to look up.

"You have been experiencing blanks in your memory. You know you were doing something during those times, you just don't know what. Like what you did on my father's growing worldship."

Once again, Luke nodded. He felt Mara's worry increase more and more, along with her irritation, and he felt bad about it. Once again he had made her worry. Once again he hadn't been strong enough to withstand.

"Why didn't you tell me, Luke? Why didn't you tell me about that? About the amphistaff?" his wife asked, taking his wrists and softly prying his hands away from his face.

Luke lifted his head, his eyes wide and filled with regret and pain: "I didn't want to worry you. And I was afraid you wouldn't believe me. Mezhan Kwaad is dead. I'm hearing the voice of a dead being. I'm..."

"Mezhan Kwaad is not dead." Miiram interrupted him, her voice unusually soft.

The blonde Jedi Master sat up straight: "What? What are you talking about?"

"She has proof, Luke. This Kwaad woman is alive." Corran explained, for the first time daring to speak up.

"Then... then..." he stopped and stared into nothingness for a moment. Then he leant back with a determined expression on his face. Accepting Mara's hand around his, he met Miiram's gaze.

"What did she do to me?"

"She didn't really do it. She attempted it. She began with it. But she didn't finish."

"Tell me." Luke insisted.

"Slayer's Mind."

"Tell us finally what you are talking about!" Mara hissed, her patience drained. Luke was suffering, she felt it. He was tired and he was afraid.

Miiram nodded: "Slayer's Mind is a very, very ancient protocol."

Leaning back, she continued: "You have to know that we are not the first Yuuzhan Vong to enter your galaxy. A very, very long time ago, when our mother galaxy was dying, we sent spies into this galaxy, to scout for new territory. That's when we first discovered Jeedai.

My people captured a Jeedai - he was weak and couldn't fight us in any way. He was given to the Shapers and talked to them about the Jeedai's invincibility, their might and that they would come to rescue him and kill the Yuuzhan Vong. He levitated some stuff around, but more he did not accomplish. Yet, our Shapers' interest was peeked.

They experimented with him and developed a protocol - they called it Slayer's Mind. It is only known to very few Shapers. I didn't know about it until yesterday. Already back in these times, the Shapers were jealous of the Warriors, because the fighters always stood in good grace with the Supreme Overlord.

Slayer's Mind was written down and given from generation to generation, to the most trusted Shapers. They waited for a possibility to apply it and thus reach their goal - destroy the Warrior caste so far that they could rise in the hierarchy and rule directly under the Supreme Overlord.

I have done more research, with the help of Khalee's father. Mezhan Kwaad's father was one of those who had the right of birth to know about it. His daughter has inherited this right and he has shared the knowledge with her.

Mezhan Kwaad hates the Warrior caste - she has never tried to hide it - and she is the best Shaper there is. She is allowed to conduct Slayer's Mind and she knows how to do it. All she needs...."

Miiram stared around for a moment. Khalee's eyes had darkened and twinkled with rage. The eyes of the three humans were glued on her, all three shocked, unbelieving, afraid of what was to come.

"All she needs is a Force sensitive. When she learnt about the Jeedai Lord Luke Skywalker and his might, she must have chosen him - you." She nodded to Luke. "Elan's offer to work for her, test her shaping skills on an infidel, must have been a welcome opportunity for her to begin with her scheme without drawing any suspicion to her real goals."

"I was never intended to become a familiar." Luke whispered, clenching Mara's hand stronger in despair.

Miiram shook her head.

"Then what was he to become?" The Jedi Master's wife demanded to know, her eyes cold with fury and disgust for the Shaper they were talking about.

"The ultimate Warrior. Slayer's Mind is a lot. It's blood lust, cruelty, cunning, ruthlessness, and no compassion. Perfection of the arts of fight. It's being the impersonation of death. Your only thought is to kill what she tells you to kill. All your reserves, your ability, your intelligence - your Force skills - are devoted to one single task. Killing. In all ways possible. From battle tactics to hand to hand combat. You're not thinking about anything else.

She tells you whom or what to kill or destroy and you do it. That's all that your life is. They have found a way to tune your Force skills to the Yuuzhan Vong and their creatures. You could sense my people; you could manipulate them and their creatures with your Force.

You know no feelings and no pain. You are like one of your abominations, your droids. Only that you're intelligent. Flexible.

If she succeeds, the Warriors are dead. One by one, you'd hunt them all down."

The silence hung heavy. Corran was staring at the floor, trying to digest it all. Mara was, surprisingly, feeling all right. Relieved. She knew what was going on now and she could do something against it. She would protect Luke. No matter what it took. She would protect him.

She had already opened her mouth to ask Miiram what they could do when Luke jumped to his feet and headed to the coral door. Without a sound, he vanished into the corridor. Before the natural hatch had slid closed, they could see him turning towards the hangar.

Miiram sighed: "Khalee has his honour guard watching over him. Nothing will happen to him. I will tell you what to do. Then you should go to him."

Mara's eyes were still glued to the door. She wanted to follow Luke, yet knew that she had to hear what else Miiram had to say.

"Do not worry, Mara. It is not too late. No permanent harm has been done. Listen to me and you'll understand. Jeedai Horn, you should listen, too. Someone will have to explain to his domain."

 

 

| To Be Continued |

 

 

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