The Birth Of Acceptance

 

Chapter 6

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

 

NR Flagship, Sernpidal Task Force, Hyperspace, Four Hours Later

Searing pain shot through his leg, but Luke Skywalker scarcely realised it. His eyes were fixed on a spot on the white ceiling of the medical bay of his flagship. The lights had been dimmed automatically, taking into account the head wound the patient had suffered. He had been grateful for that, even if it didn't matter too much to him at the moment.

In fact, he hardly cared for his leg wound and would have headed straight for his quarters, to meditate, if it hadn't been for Corran and Wes who had insisted on seeing him to a medic. They hadn't quite understood why Luke would have preferred to see to his wounds himself and why he needed to be alone. Why he desperately needed to bathe in the Force.

They didn't hear these words. They didn't hear them over and over again.

'I have made you. You're from my kin. You're Liin Kwaad'

As much as he tried, Luke couldn't make this voice go away. It had hammered itself into his head and didn't let him be. He felt the need to run and hide - a need that had taken so long to be battled down. She was back. Mezhan Kwaad was back. And with her all the nightmarish memories, the terror, the fear. Probably that had been the reason Corran and Wes had been so overly worried about him when he had exited his X-Wing.

He had had to withdraw much of his attention from his wounds and his pain, just to stop his body from trembling. All the way to the ship and out of his fighter, Luke had felt the cold hand of shock trying to grip his heart. He had felt the familiar need to bolt, to run away as far as he could. Away from this voice. Away from the being this voice belonged to.

But this would mean giving Mezhan Kwaad once again might over him. Something he had sworn never to tolerate again. He had let that happen one time and it had almost destroyed him. It had blocked him from everything that made life worth something. This wouldn't happen to him again. He would not run and cower in fear in some corner, hoping that she would not find him. Not again.

But what, Luke mused, would he do instead? This voice belonged to Kwaad. But what did that mean? Was she alive? For all he knew, that was impossible. Everyone had told him that she had perished with Elan, when the Priestess' flagship had exploded in the Coruscant system.

But how then could Luke hear her voice in his head? This troubled him deeply. He was the only one who could hear the voice. The Master Shaper had a special connection to him - that frightened and nauseated him. He felt the need to throw up, but he hardly could. Corran was standing in one corner of the room, leaning against the wall, watching every movement of the medical droid with narrowed eyes. Watching HIM with narrowed eyes.

Luke smiled faintly, closing his eyes, forcing himself to concentrate on the pain. Slowly, gradually, this helped his brain, his thoughts, to find their way back to reality. He could not afford to think about this again. Not here. Not where everyone could see him. And yet, time was running short for him. He had to come to terms with his feelings, had to quench this voice that whispered in his ears.

Mara mustn't learn about this. No one must learn about it. They would jump to conclusions - they would treat him in a way he didn't want to be treated. Most of all, they would be worried sick about him and he didn't want to do this to them again.

This was something he had to stand up to himself. Others would learn if the need arose. No sense in bothering them already.

He became suddenly aware that the slight noise that indicated the droid was moving had stopped. Astounded, he focused his gaze on the 2-1B, finding the unit staring at him with mechanical eyes, obviously awaiting a response.

"Uh, what?" he muttered, cursing himself inwardly. He was truly doing an exceptional job of making everyone see he was fine.

"I recommended to you to accept a full body bacta treatment, Jedi Master Skywalker." The emotionless voice repeated.

Luke frowned: "A full body treatment? How long would that take?"

"Approximately twelve hours. I would..."

The Jedi shook his head vehemently: "No way. That is too long. We're going to arrive in the Coruscant system in twenty hours. Four hours for analysis and debriefing are too short."

"Luke, perhaps you should listen to the droid." Corran's calm voice was obviously set to soothe, but the recipient of this effort was in no mood to acknowledge that or even be influenced by it.

"I would if I could afford it. But I can't. We are bound to have a conference the moment we arrive in-system. That means we have to make ourselves a clear picture of what happened. I can't do that if I'm floating in green goo."

His jaw set in a stubborn expression, Luke turned to the medical droid: "What's your alternative treatment?"

"Knocking you out and repairing the damage to your thigh surgically instead of letting it grow together with the help of bacta. I have to bring to your attention, though, that this will be a lot more exhausting than the ideal form of treatment in your case, Master Jedi."

It took only a second before Luke nodded: "Do it. Corran, be so kind and take care that my nephew is all right. Tell everyone involved to have some rest and order their thoughts. The moment I'm out of here..." he paused, glancing at the droid.

"Two hours."

Luke nodded again: "Two hours from now, I want to have reports from everyone. As detailed as possible. And thoughts about the following questions: Why now, why here and who could be responsible for it."

"Master, I don't think..." once again, the blond Jedi didn't allow Corran to finish his sentence.

"Just do it, Corran. And do it now."

With that, Luke let himself sink back onto the mattress of the clinical bed. He felt his friend's dismay, his incomprehension, and heard the door whoosh open and closed a second later. He didn't even feel sorry for his words.

He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Two hours of unconsciousness would be perfect. It was, when he was honest to himself, exactly what he craved right now. Shutting off his thoughts.

When he felt the syringe enter his arm, he closed his eyes, lowered his barriers and waited for the anaesthetic to kick in. A mere second later, he felt warm tiredness engulf his thoughts.

And finally, the whispering voice fell silent.

*~~

Corran Horn sighed softly to himself, sinking onto his sleeping bunk and leaning forward on his elbows.

It would have been too simple if this assignment had gone over without problems. In fact, the Corellian had expected problems. Just not to of such scope. The whole worldship had been destroyed. There had been at least a thousand victims. These were the latest estimates they had been given the moment before they had jumped into hyperspace.

A thousand Yuuzhan Vong dead. Killed by sabotage. And this while New Republic dignitaries had been in-system and even on the ship itself. He didn't need political expertise to guess what kind of thoughts would go running loose in the heads of some of the Yuuzhan Vong.

This could endanger the whole process of establishing peace and tolerance between the New Republic and the alien race.

And as if this wasn't enough already, now he also worried about his friend. Luke had been curiously changed when he had exited his starfighter in the flagship's main hangar bay. He had barely registered Corran's words and had headed straight for his quarters.

Whereas it didn't surprise the Corellian that the Jedi Master had wanted to avoid the medical treatment - this was just typically Luke - the sudden paleness had worried him.

Corran had seen much in his years as CorSec officer and then as pilot for the New Republic. Countless times had he seen people under the influence of a severe shock. Pale skinned and wide eyed, they seemed to be asleep on their feet and more than a little bit withdrawn from reality.

And that was exactly what he had seen in Luke. All the way to the medical bay and then during his treatment, he had seemed to be far away, pondering something that obviously distressed him.

But what this had been.... Corran shook his head. He had absolutely no idea what could have shaken Luke in this way. When he had boarded his X-Wing on Direen, he had seemed exhausted and in pain, but otherwise fine.

Something must have happened during the short voyage to the New Republic flagship. But what could that have been? There had been no communication from or to Luke's X-Wing except for the connection to Coruscant. And of this talk, the former CorSec officer had witnessed every single word. There had been nothing that could have justified Luke's behaviour.

He must have overlooked something. Some tiny bit must have eluded him. Closing his eyes, Corran tried to review every single moment of this day, but was interrupted by a light Force touch at his soul.

As soon as he had acknowledged the connection, the door whooshed open. The head of Anakin Solo peeked in, smiling a little half-heartedly.

"May I come in?"

"Of course." Corran nodded towards the chair that stood in the opposite corner of the room. His quarters were not exactly spacious; rather humble, in fact. Except of his sleeping bunk, there was just a table and a chair.

The sixteen-year-old boy plopped down, laying his hands into his lap, his fingers fidgeting nervously with his trousers.

"What can I do for you?"

Anakin bit his lower lip, then his blue eyes settled on the older man's face. Not for the first time, Corran was astounded by the similarity between Luke and his nephew. It was striking. Those eyes had the same colour and the same intensity.

"How is Uncle Luke?"

"You don't have to worry about him, Anakin. He is fine."

The boy's forehead furrowed: "Wedge told me he was in surgery. Why? Have his injuries been that severe?"

"No." the Jedi shook his head. "Luke could choose between spending the day in bacta or having the wound at his thigh healed surgically. He chose the latter for the sake of saving time. You know your uncle."

Anakin grinned faintly: "Yes, I know my uncle."

He lapsed back into silence, his gaze trained on the floor.

Corran sensed the apprehension in the young apprentice. Something was troubling him and he was searching for a way to make it understandable for him. Knowing better than to press, the Corellian settled back on his bunk and decided to wait.

It didn't take long.

Anakin's voice was unusually raspy and timid and the Jedi thought to already know what was weighing down on his spirit.

"Do you think I should have gone back? To help Uncle Luke?"

Blue eyes focused on the more experienced fighter and Corran felt the urgency in this question. The boy was berating himself for having abandoned his uncle. Probably he even thought he could have prevented Luke from getting hurt. It took all the Corellian's self control to not sigh loudly. Searching the guilt for everything by themselves seemed to be running in the Skywalker blood. Luke had it, Leia had it and her kids were obviously no exception.

"Anakin, I already told you that you have been right to listen to Luke. You have done well today. Because of you, there haven't been more victims to this sabotage. The evacuation worked quickly and without problems. And this largely because you helped."

"I know!" the sixteen-year-old jumped to his feet and paced nervously through the small room. "But I feel like having abandoned Uncle Luke. Corran, those bugs were after him. All of them. And I just ran. I didn't stay and helped him, I just ran."

The helplessness in his voice cut deep into Corran's heart. He could very well understand the boy's problem with the whole situation. Anakin still had to learn to distinguish between things he could take responsibility for and things he couldn't. This was not an easy thing to learn and it would take time. Time and help.

"But you ran because you've been told to do so by someone who pretty well knows what he can handle and what not. Don't you trust your uncle's judgement, Anakin?"

The blue eyes widened, shocked: "But of course! Uncle Luke is the mightiest Jedi there is."

Corran smiled: "Right. And now you tell me that you think you, a mere Jedi apprentice, could have prevented him, Luke Skywalker, from getting hurt? Think about it. He has faced at least a hundred of these things. And all he suffered was a wound at his thigh and a slight concussion. Do you seriously think you could have done anything but get yourself killed in this corridor?"

There was a short pause, then: "Probably not."

The Corellian smiled satisfied, stood and clasped the boy's shoulder: "See? There is no reason for you to make yourself any reproaches. You did what was necessary today and saved a lot of lives. You behaved like a Jedi."

"But I could have lost Uncle Luke." Anakin's voice was soft, his eyes clear but serious.

Corran frowned. Not what he had expected. His speech had originally been intended to lift the boy's spirit and make him smile again. There was more to the whole thing. More than he had thought.

"Anakin, why are you really here? Luke has been in more dangerous situations already. You know that. You know that you could lose him. Anytime. You've always known."

For a slight moment, those words sounded cruel, incredibly cruel, to Corran's own ears, but he knew that they were true. Anakin and his siblings hadn't had a normal childhood. They had been aware - and involved - in their family's adventures in a way that was astounding. They had witnessed their uncle meeting dangers in face of which the thud bugs seemed like a nuisance. It was out of character for any of them - and Anakin especially - to be so concerned.

"Corran, these bugs... They have been after him. Only after him."

Green eyes narrowed and focused on the slightly pale face of his counterpart. "Are you aware of what you're saying right now?"

The boy nodded: "Yes. I wouldn't have faced any danger if I had stayed and fought at his side. I..."

"No. No, no, no. That's not what I meant."

Anakin fell silent, staring at Corran, flustered: "I don't understand..."

"You don't have to. Just answer me some questions, okay?"

"Well..."

"Fine. First: are you absolutely - and I mean ABSOLUTELY - sure that the bugs have been solely after Luke? Could it be that they have simply overseen you?"

"Hardly. I had my lightsaber activated and was standing a mere meter away from them. They knew I was there. They just didn't care for me."

Corran massaged his temple. This was one of the key points. Suddenly, without having called for it, the memory of the gaze Luke had shot towards the sealed corridor on Direen came back to the Jedi. This gaze had been curious.

Luke had also insisted that the bugs had been after him. There was a puzzle Corran had to put together to get the full picture - and his gut told him that the full picture would show him the reason of Luke's distress and why he had been so withdrawn since the very moment he had left his starfighter. Or had he been while he was flying even?

"What are you thinking about?"

Ice blue eyes tore into his face and the Corellian felt a slight Force probe. Anakin was not yet trained enough to break through Corran's defences and he doubted the boy would ever do that, but then, knocking softly and asking for entrance could do no harm.

"Nothing special. There was just something that had me disturbed and I was trying to figure it out."

"It has to do with Uncle Luke." This was no question and the older man began to wonder how much exactly Anakin knew.

He nodded: "Yes, it had. But it's nothing you should bother about."

"Does it have something to do with that talk you two have had while we were flying to the Direen?"

Corran tensed: "Which talk?"

"Oh, come on. I may not be a Jedi yet, but I'm not dumb." Anakin sounded genuinely hurt and folded his arms before his chest. "I very well noticed that you two have communicated. You probably have a private frequency."

"You are not supposed to know that."

"But I do. What do you want to do about it?" The boy seemed amused and grinned lopsidedly. At this moment, there was not much resemblance to Luke. Han, on the contrary, shone through distinctly.

The Corellian sighed and shook his head. These kids were a curse and a blessing in one. "Nothing. I just want you to forget all that and not bother about my musings. It's a CorSec habit. Impossible to get rid of it. Now better get over to the medical bay. Luke will be glad to see you when he wakes up."

Anakin looked dubious, his eyes still searching Corran's features, but there was nothing to see for him there. He was already half out the door when he turned: "Uncle Luke behaved strangely, just before we learnt of the breech. I thought you could be interested in that."

The older Jedi tried his best not to show his surprise and his suspicion. "So? Care to explain?"

Quickly, the boy made sure no one was in the corridor, then whispered in a ridiculously low voice: "I had the feeling he was talking to someone."

"And this is strange for you?" Corran perched an eyebrow.

"Of course not!" Anakin snorted indignantly, then continued: "I mean, he talked to someone with his mind. In the Force. And it was not me."

"Probably he was broadcasting his thoughts too loudly."

Luke's nephew shook his head vehemently. "No. At one point, he hissed 'Be quiet'. I have heard it. And I didn't say a word - not in reality and not in the Force."

Corran watched the young apprentice thoroughly for a few minutes, his thoughts racing. This didn't sound good. Not at all. It just added to the whole mystery.

Luke investigating about someone named Liin. Then this talking to seemingly no one. Then the bugs being only after him.... It didn't fit together and yet everything was there and obviously connected.

"I knew this wasn't good news. I was wondering whether to tell you... but when Uncle Luke got injured... and there is no one else. I couldn't get Wedge and..."

"It's okay, Anakin. You didn't break Luke's trust. Really, you didn't." Corran assured him. The boy looked distinctly relieved.

"But don't tell him you told me. And tell no one else for now. I have to do some thinking."

Anakin nodded and headed off. Corran sunk down on his bunk, burying his face in his hands. Something was wrong. And it was between Luke and the Yuuzhan Vong. Or some Yuuzhan Vong. He would have to keep an eye on Luke. And eventually, he would have to talk to Mara about this. Not yet, though. Not as long as he didn't have more than a few clues and hunches.

*~~

When Anakin reached the medical bay, the medics told him Luke was still sleeping, but allowed him into the recovery room nonetheless.

His gaze nailed on the relaxed, pale face of his uncle, the young boy sat down in one of the chairs.

Had he been right to tell Corran about Luke's strange behaviour? He didn't know how close his uncle and the Corellian Jedi really were. Would Luke mind?

Anakin had the distinct feeling that something was wrong. He had a hunch that his uncle was in trouble. In severe trouble.

Perhaps it would really be better not to tell Luke that he had talked to Corran about what had happened before the bugs had attacked. Of course he had sort of promised Corran not to tell Luke, but then, Corran wasn't his uncle.

Probably it was the best if he didn't tell Luke at this point. He should wait and see how everything went from here. And then he could always talk to his parents. Or to Aunt Mara. That would surely be better.

Yes, that would be better.

Taking the limp, but warm hand of Luke in his, he made himself more comfortable in the chair and prepared for some minutes of wait.

 

Coruscant System, The Next Day

"Are you REALLY okay, Luke?" Mara Jade Skywalker surveyed her husband critically and noted his slight paleness, but didn't see anything else that should cause her immediate worry.

He nodded, a smile grazing his youthful features. His big, blue eyes twinkled: "Did you miss me?" he asked, drawing her into a tight embrace and spluttering light kisses on her lips and cheeks. Despite of herself, Mara grinned, laying her arms around his neck and leaning towards his mouth, capturing it in a tender kiss, revelling in the familiar taste.

"No, I didn't." she said softly when they came up for some air.

"What an unfaithful wife I have." Luke teased, letting his Force presence sweep over her, making her bath into his feelings and thoughts. Then he shifted his attention and searched for the tiny life in Mara's womb.

"Didn't I say daddy would be back soon?" He murmured, his voice directed towards his wife's belly.

For another moment, they stood, firmly embracing each other. They were in Luke's quarters aboard his flagship, enjoying a quiet moment of private reunion before they would have to go over to the Criarto for a crisis meeting.

Finally breaking the comfortable silence, Mara made herself free and watched her love out of dubious, green eyes. "You had me worried, Luke. It wouldn't have taken much and I'd have flown over to Sernpidal when I felt you."

The Jedi Master sighed and fell into the cushions of his bunk. His wife immediately noted how his eyes blinked tiredly for a moment before he could gather his composure.

"It was nothing. I had a run in with thud bugs. That's all."

"And it's already enough, too. Were you injured?" She came over to him, slid beside him and cupped his cheek, stroking it with her thumb.

"Not severely. A slight concussion and a thigh wound. Both are taken care of."

Mara perched an eyebrow: "By you or by someone who actually studied medicine or has a proper programming for it?"

He made a face at her, but grinned good-naturedly: "By a medical droid. Ask Corran, he can testify for me."

"Believe me, I will." She kissed him between his eyes, smiling when she saw how he relaxed.

"Force, Luke." Mara whispered, trailing his jaw with her index finger: "What happened there? You really got me scared."

"Mara Jade and scared?" He chuckled softly.

His wife poked him into the chest: "This is not funny, farmboy. Not knowing what you're up against and not being able to help you any is not what I take as a nice afternoon."

"It was not that bad, Mar. You're going to learn about everything pretty soon." He glanced at the chrono embedded in the wall of the room and rolled his eyes. "In fact, in less than twenty minutes. We have to go."

She nodded, rising and turning towards the door: "I'll have to drop by with Miiram before the conference. I'll see you there. Try not to get into trouble on the way from one ship to another."

Luke simply ignored her last comment and decided to bite back instead: "You seem to have grown fairly close with this Miiram."

Mara stopped in her tracks and frowned: "She is not like the other Yuuzhan Vong. You can talk to her. She is genuinely interested in some things that concern our culture. I like her. Need any other justification?"

He grinned: "I never needed one. Take care of yourself, Mara."

His wife smiled lovingly, even if a little sarcastically: "How comes you're saying it so often but never do it yourself."

Luke cocked an eyebrow: "If I hadn't, I wouldn't sit here."

"Then learn to do it better, Skywalker." With that, the door closed behind the redhead.

The moment she was out the door, Luke's smile vanished. He felt better, even if a little tired. The anaesthetic had knocked him out cold and it had been unexpectedly difficult to overcome its side effects.

Nonetheless, Corran, Wedge, Wes and himself – with a little help from Anakin - had gotten a decent report together and would have sufficient evidence to prove that the New Republic had nothing to do with what had happened above Belkadan. Adding to that the fact that Luke had witnessed by himself how the bugs had worked, there was no question that it had been Yuuzhan Vong who had sabotaged the worldship.

In order to figure out who and why, they would have to work together with Lah.

Luke sighed. He hoped this incident wouldn't delay the peace negotiations. Supreme Overlord Shimrra was due to arrive any day now, if he hadn't lost track of time totally, and Luke felt responsible for what had happened to the Direen.

One thousand and two victims. And he had been the one who had been in charge. This was not good. He should have foreseen that something like that would happen. He should have noticed that he was tracked.

- You're from my kin. You're Liin Kwaad. I've made you -

"Oh, shut up!" Luke whispered tiredly, closing his eyes firmly. He knew that this wasn't the voice that had talked to him on the Direen. This was just his memory of what it had said to him in his X-Wing. He had hoped it would have shut down completely while he was unconscious. But it hadn't. It didn't let him go. It persecuted him, followed him, no matter whether he was awake or asleep.

- You're from my kin. -

But he was not Yuuzhan Vong. He would never be. Never. Then again, he had been. For a short time, he had been more Yuuzhan Vong than human. He didn't care to repeat the experience. But the voice made him wonder how much of him still was Yuuzhan Vong.

He hated not to tell Mara everything. But she would worry again. More than she did already. She would begin to seek the guilt by herself. She would think that she should have accompanied him to Sernpidal.

And would ignore the fact that it was good that she had stayed behind. She was befriending the Supreme Overlord's daughter. This was a tremendous step in the right direction. Luke looked forward - sort of - to meeting the Yuuzhan Vong woman that had made such an impression on his wife.

If the voice would just shut up.

Luke rubbed his eyes, allowing the tiredness to sweep over him for a moment, then directing the Force into his very core and pushing it away.

There were things he had to do. He would read through his report again and then go over to the Criarto. Perhaps work would distract him

*~~

Mara Jade Skywalker sat in the ferry that brought her over to the Criarto, deep in thought. Luke was keeping something from her. She was sure of it.

Perhaps he thought he had tricked her, but she was used to him shielding her from worry. All too used. He was more tired than he had wanted her to see. And there was something that troubled him.

Of course it COULD be the fact that this mission had gone disastrously wrong. A worldship had been completely destroyed and more than a thousand Vong had been killed. But she had the distinct feeling there was more to it.

He seemed distracted. Very distracted. Seemed to be contemplating something, fighting something. While she had skimmed over his report - just a little bit - she had seen how he had closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. As if he had a serious headache.

It worried her. It could be from the concussion, but then, a mild concussion was nothing he couldn't take care of within hours through the Force.

Clenching her hands into fists, Mara settled back in her seat. Something was troubling her husband. And sooner or later, she would find out. After the crisis meeting, she would have a talk with Corran. And if this weren't going to bring any progress, she would talk to Anakin.

 

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

Luke almost laughed out loud. He had hurried to come here in time just to be told that the meeting was delayed for a quarter of an hour because Leia's ferry from Coruscant had had some engine trouble.

This would have left him enough time for a short Force nap. Well, at least he could take a few minutes to order his thoughts and think through what he would say. Some things would sound curious. Some things he would not share with the beings he would soon encounter. But all in all, he guessed he would be able to prevent an intergalactic crisis.

Finally, the attendant at the hangar doors nodded to him, indicating he could continue forward to the tactical room of the Warmaster. Straightening slightly, he headed over to the attendant, only to be halted by a lower Yuuzhan Vong servant before he had crossed half the distance. He knew this male Yuuzhan Vong - he belonged to Tsavong Lah's regular entourage.

Luke had made it his habit to memorize such things, only for the sake of never falling into a trap of someone of the kind of Lonan, Elan's sister, again.

"Jeedai Skywalker, a present has been delivered for you."

"A present? Of whom?"

"A certain Nen Yim. It is in an adjoining room. If you'd follow me, please."

Luke furrowed his forehead, searching his memory for someone with this name, but couldn't come up with anything. This was suspicious, of course, but he trusted this servant. Tsavong Lah had only handpicked men and women in his immediate vicinity. There was no treachery to be expected of them.

"I'm afraid I don't know someone of that name. Can you help me with that one?"

The servant sucked a moment at his lower lip, a gesture Luke had come to identify with a Yuuzhan Vong that hadn't been trained as a Warrior. Soon after, the young male nodded. "I remember the identification villip it had before I brought it to the storage room. It identified her as a Shaper."

Luke halted, suddenly feeling tense. "A Shaper?"

"Yes, Master Jeedai. The villip said she was the Shaper assigned to the unfortunate worldship Direen. There is a thank you message included - for the help with the evacuation the New Republic has given."

Slowly, Luke resumed his steps, pondering this. It sounded plausible. "I had the impression something like this was not custom in your culture. Thank you messages, I mean."

The servant snarled: "Shapers are a strange caste. Some say they don't have an honour code. They will thank even if they have not been really saved."

Luke didn't understand what the young attendant meant with that, but it sounded as if it was not uncommon for Shapers to do something like that if they felt they had a reason to be grateful to someone. They entered an adjoining storage room and the guard led him to a huge yorik coral crate.

"If you press your hand at this point," the servant gestured to a place slightly darker than the rest of the crate, "it will open. I will wait outside to give you some privacy. Please try to hurry. Warmaster Tsavong Lah doesn't like to wait."

Luke smiled curtly: "Of course."

When the servant had left the room, Luke surveyed the crate, listening to the Force, trying to find a clue whether it would be dangerous for him to open it. He couldn't catch on anything. There was nothing that indicated a danger.

Shrugging to himself, being confident he could handle anything that was in there if he was just prepared that there COULD be something in there that was dangerous, he pressed his palm on the spot the Yuuzhan Vong male had indicated to him.

Slowly, the yorik coral that had seemed so firm became pliable and formed a hole in the middle of the crate.

In the aftermath of the experience, Luke couldn't explain what had happened. Why he had done it. It had merely lasted a few seconds, but it had been exceptional seconds.

The retreating yorik coral revealed a long, black, glistening object, delicate, and yet obviously strong. An amphistaff. Luke had never seen the weapon from so close before. And it was his now. This Shaper, whoever she was, had sent it to him as a present.

Before he had consciously registered what he did, he had reached into the crate and carefully grabbed the amphistaff, studying it with unabashed fascination. 'But you don't know how to handle such a weapon. Only Yuuzhan Vong can handle such a weapon.' His inner voice whispered in his ear.

Luke ignored it. Instead, he smiled delightedly when the snake-like animal wrought itself around his arm; in the manner he had seen countless times with Yuuzhan Vong Warriors. As if it recognised him. As if it really belonged to him.

'How can I be able to handle that?' Luke mused, feeling a little light-headed. This was an amazing feeling. It felt as if the animal belonged to him. It belonged to this place - wrought around his arm, ready to be a terrible weapon if he so desired. And it would listen to him because he knew all the right commands

Yes, he knew all the right commands. He didn't know how and why he knew them, when he had learned them, but he knew them. And it felt right to have this amphistaff. Why shouldn't he have it, anyway?

*~~

Luke, totally caught up in an experience that had come unexpected and had overwhelmed him, didn't notice the figure that stood in the door of the small room.

Miiram Shimrra had come to the hangar, curious about her new human friend's mate. The attendant had pointed her to the storage room. She had found him standing in front of a huge crate, his eyes glinting in a most inhuman way as he tested his amphistaff, letting it wind and unwind around his arm. He had rolled his sleeves back to simplify matters.

The Yuuzhan Vong princess's eyes narrowed. This was interesting and deeply troubling. A human being - Jeedai or not - should not be able to handle an amphistaff. They were supposed to react only to Yuuzhan Vong.

Without a sound, Miiram turned and headed back into the deeper confines of the ship, towards her quarters. She would have to do some research. And then she would have to talk to Mara.

*~~

'It is so fascinating.' Luke thought. Something in him urged him to let the amphistaff go, but he couldn't. He quite frankly didn't want to.

The weapon was in many ways much handier, felt much more natural to him than his lightsaber ever had. The small part of him that was trying to persuade him to let the Yuuzhan Vong device fall rebelled at this last thought. How could it feel natural to him if he held it for the very first time in his life? And he did hold it for the very first time in his life, didn't he? Of course.

But why, he mused, did it obey him?

- Because it belongs to you. It is bred for you. You're from our kin, Liin Kwaad, and it rightfully belongs to you. -

As if he had burnt his hand, Luke jerked away from the crate. The amphistaff clattered to the floor and hissed in complaint.

Feeling dizzy and as if he had awoken from deep sleep, Luke stared at the weapon that was writhing discontentedly on the floor. Frantically, he stashed it back into the box and headed out of the room, towards the meeting chamber.

Muttering to the attendant to let the amphistaff be brought to his quarters on Coruscant, Luke hurried past him.

This could not be. What had just happened disturbed him greatly. He had no explanation for it.

- But it's simple. You're from my kin. You're Liin Kwaad. -

"Shut up." He hissed through his teeth, his hands clenching into fists. Inhaling deeply, he straightened his tunic. It was only now that he noticed his rolled-up sleeves. He quickly righted them and headed into the room.

 

| To Be Continued |

 

 

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