The Birth Of Acceptance

 

Chapter 5

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

 

Yuuzhan Vong Ship Criarto, Coruscant System

"Mara! Mara, would you please tell me what is going on?"

A hand grasped her elbow firmly, causing Mara Jade Skywalker to spin around. Fiery green eyes focused in on the irritated face of Miiram Shimrra. Her first instinct was to push the daughter of the Supreme Overlord out of her way. No one stood between her and her husband anymore. Not even Yuuzhan Vong royalty.

Seeing the feral expression in the human female's eyes, the Yuuzhan Vong woman tightened her hold on the other's arm.

"Let go off me." Mara hissed, tugging at her arm, trying to keep herself from getting violent. She liked Miiram. She really liked her. But this didn't matter right now. Luke was in trouble. That was what mattered.

Miiram narrowed her eyes, showing her teeth in a gesture that looked much more Yuuzhan Vong than anything she had said or done in the time she and Mara had spent together in the last few days. "Not until you tell me what the problem is. Did I insult you?"

The honest anxiousness in the other's expression got to Mara. She forced some air into her lungs, finally wrestling her elbow out of the Yuuzhan Vong's grasp. "It's Luke. He is in trouble."

"Luke? Your mate?" Miiram had to run to keep up with her, her face still furrowed in irritation.

The question brought a small, ironic smile to Mara's lips and she gave her follower a sideway glance. "Yes, indeed, my mate."

"But I thought he is on Sernpidal."

That earned her another sideway glance. "Right again. Any more questions?"

With an exasperated huff, Miiram overtook Mara and planted herself right into her path. "Yes. What do you have in mind?"

"What does it look like?" Mara folded her arms in front of her chest, impatiently eyeing the hangar entrance behind the Yuuzhan Vong woman.

"It looks as if you're going to do something rushed."

"Like what?"

"Like getting into your vehicle and blasting off to Sernpidal."

Mara grinned without any trace of humour: "You're quite a smart one, aren't you?" She ignored the explosion of fury that showed on Miiram's face and set about to push her way past her accompany. "Now get out of my way."

"No!" Refusing to make room for her, the young Yuuzhan Vong seized the smaller human on both her arms, but instead of pushing her towards the wall to get her to slow down, Mara twisted around reflexively, shaking Miiram's grip off and pushing her away.

The Supreme Overlord's daughter stumbled quite a few paces before she caught herself, and stared at Mara in surprise.

"What was that?" the redhead queried, her voice suddenly much calmer. Somehow it didn't sound friendlier though.

Musing that humans sometimes had a startling similarity with Yuuzhan Vong, Miiram tried to keep her own fury from showing up. She didn't intend to begin a fight with the wife of one of the most important figures of the New Republic. Her father would NOT approve of that. She was supposed to think more like a politician than a Warrior, even if her expert training made this difficult in situations like this.

"I said no. You can't fly off."

"And who would keep me from it? You?"

The challenge was obvious and Miiram cringed inwardly. Of course she could take Mara up on this challenge. In fact, since the very first moment they had met, Miiram had been eager to test her abilities in combat against those of Mara, who was the ex-Emperor's Hand. The Yuuzhan Vong female hadn't yet found out what exactly this meant, having sensed that it was a sensitive subject with the human woman, but it was something that obviously meant expert skills in any way of combat and instilled great respect in many of Mara's kin.

Sighing softly, Miiram eased her tensed muscles and shook her head. "No. Of course not." It was nonsense to fly off to Sernpidal. She had no real arguments to make Mara see the foolishness of her actions, but she knew that this was not what was called for right now.

"What about simple reason?" Another, deeper voice chimed in. Feeling someone step up behind her, Miiram turned her head and stared surprised at her fiancé, Khalee Lah.
His gaze met hers for a moment, a question obvious in his eyes. She shook her head slightly, guessing that he wanted to know whether the human had hurt her. Of course she would have been perfectly capable of defending herself, but as her betrothed and a male, Khalee was expected to take care of her properly.

He continued in a calm voice, his dark eyes focused on the Jedi woman that looked almost fragile in comparison to him. "You would need one day to get to Sernpidal, Mara Jade Skywalker. Whatever danger your husband is in - mind you, you don't even know its nature - you would come too late anyway."

Mara was visibly panting. Whereas she would normally be as calm and composed as this Yuuzhan Vong in face of such an incident, this was no usual situation. Since the events around Elan and Kwaad, she had sworn to herself that no one and nothing would stand between her and Luke. No one and nothing would hurt him as long as she lived to protect him. The sheer imagination of sitting around, knowing Luke was in trouble, of whatever sort, came close to instilling a feeling of going insane in her.

She was not in the right mood to think rational; the cackle of the unknown voice in her head, so evil, still reverberated through her soul.

"I think you better get out of my way NOW, or I…" she was interrupted by the shrill chime of her commlink, looking at it in bafflement. From one second to the other, it was like her brain resumed its work, pushing her feelings back and beginning to analyse the situation. With slightly trembling fingers, she activated the small communication device, aware of two pairs of alien eyes resting expectantly on her.

"Jade Skywalker." She cursed her softly quivering voice. Anyone who knew her would catch her bewilderment and agitation.

"Mara? This is Leia."

Mara's heart sank inexplicably. Even before her sister-in-law had ended, she had noted the slight hint of anxiousness in the princess's voice. Leia knew about Luke.

"Leia, did you feel it? Did you feel Luke?" at the fringes of her perception, Mara saw the foreheads of two beings furrow - they had never understood the Force and probably never would. At the moment, though, Mara didn't pay attention to it.

She could almost see Leia's delicate lips pressing together tightly, see the unconscious nod, all before she heard the voice.

"Yes."

"I'm going to get the Jade Sabre ready in ten minutes and then I'm on my way. If you can get Han, you…"

"Mara, you're going to stay on the Criarto. I'm coming up. Han, too."

Finally forgetting her company, Mara allowed a desperate expression on her face. "Leia, I can't just stay here. Luke is in trouble."

"I KNOW that. But Sernpidal is too far away as that you could help him if he needs help NOW. He has a whole task force with him. Stay where you are and wait for me. We have some information you might find interesting. The situation is more complicate than you can imagine." The regal voice changed to a softer tone and Leia added: "Luke will be all right, Mara. I know it."

"Are you sure you don't mean you HOPE it?" Mara murmured, but Leia had already signed off. Sighing in defeat, finally acknowledging that she was wrong and the others were right, she turned to the onlookers.

Miiram's eyes met hers, showing the closest thing to compassion Yuuzhan Vong were able to feel, whereas the male's eyes were expressionless.

"I'm all right now." She assured the young royalty, then focused on the man. "Who are you anyway?"

He smiled thinly, obviously acknowledging the speed with which she could take hold of her emotions again. "Khalee Lah, son of Tsavong Lah."

Mara perched an eyebrow: "Indeed? So that'd make you Miiram's betrothed?"

The young Lah nodded.

"Perfect. It will be best to show me to your father. If the President is coming up here, she'll want to see the Warmaster. Looks like we've got some crisis at hand."

The Yuuzhan Vong nodded: "Follow me." After a sort of pleading look of Miiram, he added: "Both of you." He turned and went off purposefully.

 

Belkadan, Orbit

"Corran, what the hell is going on there?" Wes Janson's voice sounded to equal parts irritated and annoyed. For the past two hours, he and Corran had flown cover around Belkadan and the worldship Direen, keeping an eye on the proceedings. Everything had been completely peaceful when suddenly a commotion had begun on the worldship. The transports attached to its hull had readied themselves for take-off and soon the first of them had detached from their mother ship, setting course on the system they were going to inhabit in the future.

Technically, that would have been no reason to worry, if it had happened two hours from this very moment. This was not planned at this point and there had been no word either from Luke or from Anakin that plans would be sped up.

"I have absolutely no… Oh boy!"

"Corran? Corran, what's the matter?"

"Get over here and see for yourself." Corran managed to bring out, horrified and mesmerised by the scenario that he saw in front of his cockpit. He had rounded the eastern flank of the huge worldship, expecting nothing out of the ordinary to show up before him, when Whistler had started to hoot agitatedly behind him. Soon his eyes - sharp from years of piloting - had zeroed in on what had disturbed the little astromech droid.

Near to the point the brain of the ship was located - Corran had studied a lot of Yuuzhan Vong customs and technology in the past couple of months - a huge breech was ever broadening, venting breathable air, yorik coral debris and two bodies, of which he caught sight when they spun away towards the planet below.

The curious thing was that Corran couldn't see anything that could have caused that breech. There was no attacking ship, neither Yuuzhan Vong nor New Republic, which was targeting this area. An explosion couldn't be the reason either, for that would have been detected either by his or Janson's scanners. Even Yuuzhan Vong ships exploded in a way that did alert normal technology.

The facts left him with the obvious question of what was going on down there. He keyed the frequency of Luke's commlink into his own communication device, but the Jedi Master didn't answer.
Now definitely worried, he keyed in Anakin's frequency, after hesitating for a short time. But there was no other way to find out what was happening on the worldship.

He didn't know whether to feel relieved or more worried when Anakin finally answered. Why did only the apprentice copy and not the Master? This didn't feel good. Not for the first time in the last few years, the Rogue turned Jedi cursed the Force dampening effect of the Yuuzhan Vong ships.

"Corran?" the young boy's voice sounded slightly afraid and he was obviously panting from a run.

"Yes, it's me. Anakin, what is the matter down there? We can see an expanding breech at the eastern flank of the ship. Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm okay. We know about the breech. Commander Hiirk is on his way to check on it. We don't know what it is, though. But Uncle Luke…"

Corran felt a familiar cold hand press down on him. He knew that feeling. It always settled down on him when one of his friends was in danger. Too often in the past had it come to him. Far too often.

"What about Luke? Anakin, calm down and tell me from the beginning." He could feel the boy's sorrow like a buzzing next to his stomach. The fact that he could, that the Yuuzhan Vong ship couldn't blend it out, meant that Anakin was really troubled.

"He was behind me. We wanted to get to the hangar, to get out to you and see whether we could do anything, but… but Uncle Luke was cut off from me." For a moment the voice halted, and Corran had the impression of seeing the young boy's head turn.
The anxiousness increased ten folds and when Anakin began to speak again, he sounded truly afraid, his voice losing at least six years of maturity.

"There are thud bugs everywhere in the corridor between the captain's quarters and the hangar our X-Wings are in. They are blocking it. Uncle Luke can't get through. I can't even see him. It looks as if they're after him!"

"What?" Corran couldn't help the sharpness his voice suddenly held. This didn't sound good. Not at all.

"They haven't come after me, Corran. They all stay in the corridor and I hear a lightsaber. Uncle Luke is still in there." After a slight pause, the tormented voice of the young boy came back: "Corran, I wanted to stay but he told me to go. I didn't want to let him alone, but he told me and… and… I just did what he said and…"

"Don't worry about it, Anakin. It was the right thing to listen to Luke. Is the hangar used to get refugees to the transports?"

"Uh, yes, but shouldn't I go help Uncle…"

"No. Luke has sent you away for a reason. It would be too dangerous. You're going to help the Yuuzhan Vong get their folks out of there. This breech is expanding. It doesn't look as if they do anything against it and if they do, it doesn't help. So get them out of there."

"But Uncle…"

"I'm going to get down to you and see what I can do. Whatever you do, you DON'T go after Luke. Understood?"

Anakin sounded defeated: "Okay, Corran. But hurry."

"I will. Corran end." Signing off, he keyed in the private frequency to Wes, hoping that Anakin would indeed do what he had told him.

"Corran, would you finally tell me what's going on? Have you talked to Luke?" Wes sounded impatient - more than a little bit in fact.

"No, but to Anakin. Luke is in trouble. I've got to get down there, the kid can't help him all alone."

There was a slight pause, then Janson copied in a determined, if sorrow-tinged voice: "Acknowledged. I'm trying to cope alone with the trouble here."

"Trouble? What trouble?" Corran was positively flustered, looking around to get a glimpse on Janson's X-Wing while he veered off towards the hangar bay he knew Luke and Anakin had landed in.

"There are two Vong warships approaching fast, with weapons ready. I have no idea what they want here, but I have the feeling they won't take kindly to us."

"Wes, this is no treachery."

"Tell THEM that!"

Corran grinned despite of the seriousness of the situation, finally seeing where Wes was getting. "Oh come on, Wes Janson against two warships. They're going to beg for your mercy."

"You actually DO think you're funny, don't you, Horn?"

Now the Jedi laughed openly: "Horn end."

 

Sernpidal Orbit

Wedge Antilles was sitting in his chair, quietly enjoying a cup of hot caf after having had to deal with a serious malfunction of cleaning droids that had afflicted three decks of his lower military grades. The picky ones who came straight from home and had still to learn that not everywhere they went everything would be clean like their mother's kitchen.

He hadn't expected much trouble during this mission. The worst he had prepared himself for was a few heated political discussions or an argument with Luke if it came to some tactical questions. He and his long time friend had only seldom disagreements of this sort, but when they did, it was hard to find a compromise. Luke was the most stubborn person Wedge had ever met and this had only increased with age.

Wedge had surely not thought that a military alarm would pull him out of a daydream about his wife, Iella Wessiri Antilles.

"General?" his assistant, a young woman from Corulag, touched his shoulder slightly. He opened his eyes, sighing inwardly, and gestured to one of the bridge officers to shut off the alarm.

"What kind of problem do we have?" he asked, rising slowly and wandering over to the railing from where he could overlook the rest of the bridge.

"I don't know, to be honest. Commander Janson wants to talk to you."

"And because of this you've sounded the alarm?" Wedge stared at her, astonished.

The young woman blushed: "No. Actually, I didn't sound the alarm."

"Then who…?"

"It was me. I wanted to show you it was urgent." Hobbie Klivian sat at the young woman's place, looking up at Wedge, his usually sad expression even sadder than normal.

"I should have guessed." Wedge grumbled, but couldn't fight the small smile that tugged at his lips: "So, what was so important that you disturbed the relaxation of your general?"

"Wedge, just get over here to Belkadan and that fast." Janson's voice sounded through the small loudspeaker on the console.

The general frowned: "Why?"

"I tell you when you're here. If you don't hurry, though, I might not be here to tell you anymore. I'm no diplomat, you know."

"Diplomat? Luke's the diplomat on this mission, he…"

"The boss is in trouble and Corran's on the worldship to help him. So that makes one single, little Wes all alone against two Yuuzhan Vong warships. Can you see where I'm coming from?"

"I can see indeed. I'm there in a quarter of an hour."

 

Yuuzhan Vong Worldship Direen

Luke backed away slowly. The thud bugs were hovering two meters away from him, their buzzing almost deafening. It had to be at least a hundred, all obviously interested in him. Too much for his liking. Holding his lightsaber activated before him, he looked around, searching for some way out of this corridor. He had absolutely no idea why they had ignored Anakin, though he was pretty grateful for it.

His nephew was good with his saber, but not against that many adversaries - too fast, too deadly. No risk he would have wanted Anakin to take anytime soon.

- Aren't they beautiful? -

Once again this voice. If at least it didn't sound so familiar. He was sure he had heard it some time before, somewhere, but where? It had this edge he thought to recognise, but he couldn't place it in his head. The voice's ability to speak right in his head, not to be heard by anyone else, was unsettling, though.

'I don't think so.' He sent back, deciding that it was best to startle the other, whoever it was. He wouldn't be played with. Not again. Never again.

- No. I know that you're not fond of bugs, my dear. You told me. -

'I'm not YOUR DEAR' he replied calmly, feeling the cold yorik coral in his back. The bugs still hovered in front of him, hundreds of dark, glittering eyes trained on him.

It seemed to Luke as if they were waiting for something. Trying not to think at how he would possibly survive an all-out attack of those beasts if they decided to take him for a meal, he frowned at the last sentence of the voice. He told it?

-         I can't remember to have told you anything. Stay out of my head or tell me what you want from me. –

 

He replied.

Instead of an answer - or was it the answer? - five of the thud bugs veered out of the swarm, attacking him quickly and deadly. Dodging skilfully, he managed to kill four of them, but the fifth one grazed his shoulder, making him hiss in pain before he fried it with the tip of his saber so that it couldn't turn and head back to its companions.

Holding the green blade of pure energy in front of himself, he spared his shoulder a glance. It was not a deep wound, but it was bleeding and his tunic was cut cleanly. Just before he wanted to focus on the bugs once again, a searing pain shot through his arm, making him cry out before he could restrain himself.

His eyes shot back to his shoulder and widened in amazement when he saw how the wound expanded gradually. Its borders were burning like liquid fire and it was obvious that there had been some sort of poison injected. Shoving the handle of his weapon into his other hand, he took an edge of his torn robe and rubbed it through the wound, ignoring the pain this action caused.

When he was done and tossed the piece of robe away, it landed on the floor, sizzling and dissolving. He stared at it, forgetting for a second the deadly menace of the surviving animals.

- Isn't it a nice invention? They're injecting acid into their prey. -

The voice giggled in his head. Luke felt himself gulp and hoped whoever it was couldn't see that. That was no good news.

- Who are you? - He sent for a second time, feeling desperate to get some answers.

- I'm disappointed you haven't figured out yet. You will soon, though. If you survive, that is. Bye for now. Or forever? -

Before Luke could send another reply or question, he had to concentrate on something entirely else. Forcing the fear out of his mind, he watched as the swarm of thud bugs divided into five throngs, which positioned themselves on different points in the corridor. There was no way for him to get into the hangar. He had to find another way. Somehow.

Before he could end his assessment of his surroundings, one of the throngs attacked, sending him somersaulting and slashing through the small space he occupied at the end of the corridor. As much as he could aboard a Yuuzhan Vong ship, that dampened the Force almost as effectively as an Ysalamiri, he immersed himself in the energy field that had accompanied him since he was eighteen, abandoning any conscious thought, just trying to figure out where the bugs would try to hit him next.

Normally, such a challenge would have been to his liking - if the possibility of an unpleasant death hadn't loomed behind.

The Force was a mighty ally and he killed one bug after the other, dodging, rolling on the floor, letting his energy blade sizzle through the air. But even a Jedi Master had limits. And even a Jedi Master could be outnumbered. Just as he blocked an assault that would have severed his head neatly from his neck, one bug shot past his thigh, tearing a long gash into it. Crying out another time in pain, feeling the acid burn into his skin almost immediately, he fell onto his knees, clutching his leg while knocking a thud bug out of the air with the handle of his lightsaber.

However, the injury had disturbed his concentration enough to make him unaware of another thud bug that shot at him from the right, ramming into his temple, sending him rolling to the other side of the corridor. Colliding painfully with the wall, his weapon was knocked out of his hands.

Trying to roll himself into a ball, to give the thud bugs as less target area as possible, Luke was surprised by the animals once again. A cloud of them veered all around him, the noise of their little wings reverberating in his head in a painful way. His temple throbbed, but didn't burn. This thud bug had just knocked him down and hadn't wanted to kill him.

A part of him was astonished at their intelligence and wondered what they wanted to do now. Obviously, attack was not what they had in whatever mind they possessed. Luke tried to sit up, but immediately felt a sharp sting in his back.

Lying down again, he glanced around for his lightsaber, but all he could see were small, black bodies that flew from one wall to the other, around him, as if they guarded him. Slowly, he rolled around, to face the corridor instead of the wall. The bugs seemed to accept that and let him be.

It was then that he noticed that three of the five throngs had landed all around him on the corridor's floor and were busying themselves there. Small clicking noises led him to believe that they indeed bit into the yorik coral. Though he couldn't really imagine why.

- Breath as long as you can. -

Luke narrowed his eyes. He wouldn't be taunted by this voice this time. Not this time. He had other things to worry about and didn't have a spare minute to ponder what it wanted to make him see.

As it turned out, he didn't need the voice to tell him what was the problem. Only a couple of moments later, with a hissing sound, small pillars of smoke rose from the floor.
With no small horror, Luke realised that the bugs were injecting their acid into the yorik coral. The living tissue burned, along with the thud bugs that worked on it - fed on it, as it seemed - and the stench was suffocating. Soon, the corridor was filled with it and Luke, being so close to the floor, had trouble to get oxygen into his lungs.

Coughing, his instincts winning over his reason, he stood up, ignoring the shot of pain that attacked him from the wound on his thigh, only to be knocked down again flat on his face when a thud bug slammed into his neck.

Effectively dazed, his head spinning, his lungs aching and hurting from the lack of oxygen and the noxious fumes, he lay there for a moment. It took him a couple of seconds to gather his thoughts, as far as it was possible with his growing need to breath and cough, but when he had finally succeeded, he rolled on his back. The air around him was brownish and thick.

He had to get up. Soon. The fumes concentrated on the floor and if he stayed down here any longer he was going to pass out for sure. Already now the dizziness was barely bearable. Calling the Force to himself, pushing all his pain out of his thoughts, he concentrated on his lightsaber and felt the reassuring weight of his weapon in his hand only seconds later.

Up there, beyond the fumes, he suspected bugs were still watching over him. Someone or something controlled them. He was sure of it now.

It was obvious that those bugs were the reason for the breech near the ship's brain. Their acid dissolved yorik coral and that really quickly.

Banning these musings from his consciousness, he clutched his lightsaber in a firm grip, closed his eyes for a moment, then jumped to his feet in one fluid movement, blocking two thud bugs that had immediately zeroed in on his mid section. Barely registering that the fumes were gathering around his knees, he whirled around, green blade held high, and three more bugs were fried before they could bury themselves in his eyes. But the air was still filled with more buzzing and that worried him.

The effects of the fumes were serious and he felt wobbly. The acid eating away on the skin of his thigh was tormenting him even more as the noxious air, if that was possible. All in all, Luke mused, he had better get away as soon as possible.

Looking around, he oriented himself and began to run towards the hangar. As he had half-expected, the bugs that still lived persecuted him, starting attacks from behind that were difficult to block while running. Yet, he couldn't turn to face them, because one of the special things about Yuuzhan Vong ships was that their floors were not plain. There were little dents and higher sections, according to how the yorik coral had grown, that made running backwards tricky. Too tricky for him at the moment.

When he had crossed about three quarters of the way, the bugs obviously decided that they had to go for it now or they were going to lose him. Or someone decided it for them. Either way, all the remaining ones - Luke estimated about three dozen at the very least - attacked him at once. As if this wasn't a difficult enough situation, he felt his right leg, the one with the wound, give way beneath him and he thudded hard onto his knees.

Swinging his lightsaber, killing more assailants, he was aware of the three that headed for his throat before he actually saw them. Unfortunately, he was fully engaged in blocking others that went for his side and chest.

Pressing his lips together tightly, he forced himself to calm down. He couldn't get through this alive. In a second or two, this trio would shred his throat, killing him at once.
He was not afraid - not really. He was sorry. Sorry that he wouldn't see his child when it was born. Sorry to leave all those he loved. But he was a Jedi. He would accept death when it came.

Trampling on some bugs he had knocked out of the air expertly and frying more with the tip of his lightsaber before they could dug into his neck, he heard the buzz of the three going for his throat as if they were broadcasting their approach explicitly for him.

Then three things happened at the same time. An arm caught Luke around the waist and he was pushed out of the way, while another lightsaber whooshed through the air, taking care of all immediate attackers.  And a loud, evil laughter that had filled Luke's head only a fraction of a second before suddenly was cut off and he had the feeling that someone was enraged. Thoroughly enraged.

Getting his bearings back, he met Corran's eyes and his worried expression: "Can you run on your own, Luke?" the Corellian had expertly assessed his injuries, noticing the blood stained right leg of his trousers.

In face of the two blades, the remaining bugs had slowed down, hovering in what seemed like irritation some distance away of them.

The sight of his friend and the short break had given Luke some time to gather himself and the Force and he was able to suppress both his pain and his dizziness. "No problem. What are you doing here, anyway?"

Covering each other, the two Jedi backed off towards the hangar slowly, not letting their guard down despite the fact that the thud bugs didn't follow.

"Helping you out of trouble?" The former CorSec offered, activating the small coral door that sealed the hangar off from the corridor if needed. When it had closed, both men exhaled visibly.

"Thank you, Corran. But this was not your job." Luke deactivated his lightsaber, clipping it back on his belt.

"I know, Master, and you're very welcome." The Corellian was obviously amused, mimicking Luke and attaching his weapon back to his robe.

"Uncle Luke!"

Inhaling the relatively clean air deeply, coughing slightly because of that, Luke straightened and turned around. The eyes of his nephew widened in sorrow and obvious horror and the Jedi Master glanced at Corran.

"Do I look that bad?"

"You've looked worse."

"Often?"

Corran grinned softly: "No."

Luke grimaced: "Well, thank you."

"Uncle Luke, are you okay?" Anakin grabbed his arm carefully, mustering his temple. Blood was trickling slowly down his cheek. Now, that the adrenaline had worn off, Luke could feel the slight throbbing in his head again. His leg burned as if he had held it in fire.

Luke nodded nonetheless. Worrying his nephew wouldn't do. "I'm fine, Anakin." He looked around, noting that only a small group of Yuuzhan Vong was boarding one of the smaller transports. Obviously, the evacuation was complete.

"Your doing?" he queried, mustering his nephew approvingly. Anakin blushed a little: "Yes. Corran thought I should help them. They were quite flustered that everything had to go so quick."

"Good job, Anakin." Luke smiled, then gestured to his nephew's X-Wing: "Would you fly cover for the last transport until they make the jump to light speed?"

His nephew nodded hesitantly, smiling back, then headed off. Only when Anakin's starfighter was out of the hangar did Luke allow himself to stop his slow advance towards his own ship and close his eyes.

Immediately, he felt Corran's hand on his shoulder: "You're not ok." This was a statement and Luke knew it would be fruitless to deny the obvious to the Corellian.

"This was narrow. They'd have had me back there if not for you."

"Anakin said they were explicitly after you. Probably he misinterpreted."

"No." Luke interrupted him. "No, Corran, Anakin was right. They went just for me. They knocked me down and kept me on the ground. Then they set to dissolve the floor around me. They wanted to kill me. No one else."

Corran stared at him with wide eyes, shaking his head slightly: "Why should they? After all, they're just bugs."

Luke's eyes strolled back to the door now hiding the corridor. The voice was the reason. The voice had controlled the bugs and had told them to kill him. But could he tell Corran about the voice?

They were all so over-protective and worried about him. Perhaps they wouldn't believe him. Would think he was overworked or still influenced by what he had undergone on Kwaad's ship. No. It would be better to keep that voice to himself for the time being. Until he found out whom it belonged to.

"Yeah. Just bugs." He murmured. Corran looked at him strangely, until the Jedi Master shrugged: "Perhaps it was just bad luck to be the only one in the corridor. Has Hiirk gotten away?" he resumed his walk to his fighter.

Corran nodded: "Yes. There were casualties, though we don't know how many yet. But you've got to get out there and tell them that this was no treason from our part. Wes is trying to tell that to two Vong ships and they won't believe him because he's not you."

Luke sighed: "Well, that won't be a problem, I think. And after that I'll have a talk with you. I know what happened to the ship."

Corran nodded: "I thought so. But first you're going to see a medic. The Force won't keep whatever burns through your skin right now at bay forever and you know it."

The Jedi Master nodded and plodded down in his seat. Immediately, he heard R2 hoot and twitter softly. The droid was obviously worried. "I'm okay, R2."

- No, you're not. You're Liin Kwaad. I have made you. You're from my kin. And if you're not with me, you'll die. -

The words slammed into Luke's brain as if someone had hammered them in. 'I have made you.' It echoed in his mind. Freezing him. Making his heart hammer in his chest.

Like a droid, he assured the Yuuzhan Vong commanders everything was okay, asked about Hiirk and calmed down Wedge and Leia - he barely registered the explanation that everything down there had barely lasted half an hour, that Wedge had immediately contacted Leia and that his sister was on her way to Tsavong Lah and Mara on the Criarto to talk about everything.

His replies were mechanical, emotionless. His hands guided his X-Wing automatically towards the flagship that had jumped into Belkadan orbit.

His thoughts were on something entirely else. Mezhan Kwaad. This voice belonged to Mezhan Kwaad. She had controlled the bugs. She had bred them to trap him, to kill him slowly and painfully.

Was she alive? Or worse… was she within him? Attached to him after she had perished with Elan? How did she know he was on Sernpidal, on Direen?

When he steered his vehicle onto its landing pad, he noticed with dismay that his natural hand was trembling.

Luke had thought it was over. He had hoped it was over. But it wasn't. It obviously wasn't.

 

Yuuzhan Vong Ship Criarto, Coruscant System, Half An Hour Later

It was very calm in Tsavong Lah's private quarters. Everything they had witnessed in the past hour would have to be analysed thoroughly as soon as Luke was back. Spirits were low. This looked like sabotage. And sabotage was what could endanger peace treaties above all else.

But Mara Jade Skywalker was not interested in this at the moment. Not really. Of course she would help analyse this. She was trained in Intelligence. She was trained in terrorism and sabotage.

Right now, though, her mind was on her husband. She had felt awesomely relieved when she had heard his voice. But at the same time, it had chilled her. He had sounded absent. On automatic mode. She was familiar with this, all too familiar. She knew when he used this mode - whenever he focused on something in himself, some big problem he had to figure out.
To her, this tone of his voice now, after all what had happened, having him a whole day away from her… it made her all but happy.

She felt eyes on her and lifted her head to see Miiram gaze at her intently. "Your mate and his fleet will head back immediately now. He will be here by tomorrow afternoon."

Mara nodded and gave a soft: "I know." She could barely wait.

 

| To Be Continued |

 

 

Back to author's Page

Back to Fan Fiction