A Journey of Discovery -- Book One:  Pendulum
Chapter 8

By Michele
See Chapter 1 for disclaimer
Rated PG-13



As Mara stalked down the passageway, Luke trailing silently 
behind, she realized that she couldn't remember ever fighting with 
someone like this.  Yes, she had a short temper, but everyone she 
associated with knew it.  Those lower than her in Palpatine's 
hierarchy gave her a wide berth.  With those higher, real or 
imagined, she couldn't risk her image as a mere courtesan.  Those 
outside the Imperial network -- well, they didn't live long enough 
to regret their mistake.

It was almost a refreshing change, she thought with a start, to be 
able to express herself freely.  It didn't matter to her what 
Skywalker thought of her.  Did it?  She shunted that contemplation 
away quickly.  At least now she knew he was capable of raising his 
voice.  Even during that episode with Herkin, when she could feel 
the anger inside him, he had kept his voice low and threatening.


Luke was having musings of his own, as he followed the volatile 
redhead along the uneven surface.  She was keeping the glow rod on 
low power, pointed down to illuminate her path.  Probably doesn't 
want to risk twisting an ankle and having me pick her up again, 
Luke thought.

Confounded woman!  He was trying to be sensible, and she 
practically throttled him.  He hadn't meant to yell back at her.  
And maybe screaming at each other hadn't been too smart, given 
their circumstances.  In fact, it was downright stupid.  How could 
he let her rile him like that?  It reminded him of one of the many 
spats he'd witnessed between Han and Leia.  Up until they finally 
admitted they were in love, that is.  Suddenly, the comparison 
made Luke feel strangely uncomfortable.

He watched the silhouette of Mara's slim figure stalking on ahead 
of him.  She was too proud to knock at the wall that had suddenly 
sprung up between them.  That left it up to him.

*Mara?*

No answer.

*Mara?* he repeated.

Her step didn't falter in the least, but a strained reply filtered 
back.

*What do you want?*

At least she was talking to him.

*I want to apologize.  I'm sorry for what I said, and how I said 
it.*

He doesn't have anything to apologize for, Mara thought.  It was 
she, who'd always been so meticulous in her planning, that had 
ridiculously forgotten about walking through the sewers.  But Mara 
Jade had never apologized to anyone in her life, save the Emperor.  
And she couldn't bring herself to do it now.

Mara slowed her step slightly so she was walking next to Luke.  
For once, she almost wished he would read her mind, so he'd know 
how she felt, and how hard this was for her.  With his next 
actions, Mara believed that he did.

Luke reached out tentatively and took her free hand.  In the dim 
light of the glow rod, he gave her a shy, understanding smile.

"How much farther in this tunnel?" he asked, letting their 
argument drop.

Mara silently thanked the stars for his sensitivity.

"About a quarter of a kilometer, then we come out in a large 
tunnel that links all these smaller ones together.  Beyond that 
it's a straight shot to the underground."

"How many smaller ones are there?"

"About a hundred, branching out all around the palace.  They are 
the only underground means of exiting this place.  And yes, 
they'll all be guarded by stormtroopers." 

"And your plan to get past them was ...?"

"To let you distract them, of course."

"I'll see what I can come up with," Luke quipped.

Silence fell once more, a variety of thoughts swirling through 
both of them.

"I met the gold one once," Mara said abruptly, jolting Luke from 
his musings.

"What?"

"Your gold droid.  The protocol one.  I talked to him at Jabba's.  
You're right, I suppose.  Droids can have feelings, of a sort.  
That one ... he ... was pretty nervous.  Worried about whether his 
Master Luke would come rescue him."

Luke laughed lightly.  "I knew there was a reason I didn't let him 
in on our plans.  Leave it to Threepio to strike up a conversation 
with my would-be assassin."

"I have a servant droid myself," Mara continued.  "Kaythree.  
Wonder if I'll ever see ... him ... again."

"I can't promise that you will."

Mara started to retort that she didn't need any promises from him, 
but the rebuke died on her lips.  He was only trying to make her 
feel better.  "Doesn't matter," she muttered.  "He'd need a memory 
wipe and reprogramming anyway."

Luke just squeezed her hand in reply.


"We smell dreadful," Mara said, after another period of silence.

"Ahh," Luke replied.  "So that's why there's no stormtroopers 
around.  And I thought those helmets filtered out odors."

"Cute.  There're no troopers in here because all they have to do 
is wait for us to wander out on our own.  In fact, we should just 
about ..."

Mara was interrupted by a sewer rat scurrying across their path.  
Luke watched the rodent disappear into the shadows.  

*Hmmm, I wonder...*  He paused and stretched out with the Force.

*What are you doing?*

*Looking for our distraction.* 

Luke eased past Mara, quietly approaching the now-in-view end of 
their personal tunnel.  *We need to see what we're up against,* he 
sent behind him.

Mara's face contorted in indignation at her companion.  Did he 
already forget who was in charge?  She started to lash out, then 
bit her tongue, especially after the sewer debacle.  Let the Jedi 
take a turn at guiding their escape.  She just hoped he wouldn't 
get them both killed.


Pressed against the side of the passageway, Luke peered out from 
the shadows to see three stormtroopers standing at attention 
directly across from the tunnel's exit.  He felt Mara come up 
close behind him, but didn't turn around.  *How far up is the next 
opening?*

*Probably a couple hundred meters,* she sullenly replied.

*Can this entrance be seen from there?* he next inquired, 
purposely ignoring her tone.

Mara began to see where he was going with his questions.  *I don't 
know,* she replied honestly.  *All I could find out was that these 
dry tunnels are located every few hundred meters.  And of course 
that means there will be tunnel exits, with guards posted, in both 
directions," she reminded him.

Luke nodded but didn't answer.  Concentrating, he reached out once 
more through the Force, then allowed himself a small smile as he 
found what he'd been seeking.  Just a nudge ...

Mara peered over his shoulder impatiently.  She wanted to push in 
front of him, but unwillingly admitted his black clothes provided 
better cover in the shadows than her sparkling green frock would.

*So what ...?*  Mara stopped as she observed one of the guards 
raise his hand to his built-in headset.  The trooper then nodded 
to his closest colleague, and the two took off at a brisk pace 
northward.  A moment later, two more guards marched by from a 
southern post, heading in the same direction.

Luke grimaced.  He had optimistically hoped all three guards would 
be called from each post.  He could sense Mara's anxious proddings 
to fill her in.  *A nest of sewer rats, two tunnels northward, 
suspiciously sounds just like a pair of wanted fugitives.*

Not bad, she thought.  *Now what?*

Good question.  Luke gauged the remaining trooper's mindset.  It 
was unlikely a similar diversion to the south would lure this one 
from his post.  *I suppose we could just stun him,* Luke pondered, 
more to himself than to Mara.

*We could have stunned all three,* she retorted.  *The idea is to 
leave no clue that this is where we exited.*

*I know,* he returned, a little too sharply.  He blew out a quick 
breath, then turned back to look at Mara.  *Ideas?*

She looked up at his blue eyes, shining brightly despite the near 
darkness.  They needed ... SHE needed ... to put aside petty 
squabbling, and work together.

*There should only be one guard on the tunnels on either side of 
us, right?*

Luke probed outward briefly.  *Right.*

*I can make noises to draw their attention away.*

*Both at the same ...?*

Mara's eyes flashed indignantly.

*Nevermind.*  Luke glanced back out at the guard standing directly 
across from them.  *All right.  I should be able to cloud this 
one's mind long enough for us to slip past.*

*You SHOULD be able?*

*I can do it.*  A new level of determination colored his voice.  
He glanced back once more.  *The others could return any moment.  
Let's go.*

The pair slipped from their hiding place, coordinating their 
distractions flawlessly.  Luke effectively obscured them as they 
quickly, and soundlessly, made their way across the wide corridor 
and into a recess that led directly into Coruscant's underworld.

Mara paused a moment, looking back at the stormtrooper still 
standing at attention.  Moments later, he was rejoined by the 
other two troopers and the trio resumed their post, determined 
that the escapees would never get by them.


As Luke and Mara ventured farther and farther away from the 
palace, the tunnels became increasingly darker and grimier.  There 
was evidence, here and there, of the former glory of the days of 
the Old Republic.  Brown, vile-smelling liquid oozed in rivulets 
down cracked marble columns.  Long abandoned machinery stood 
rusting in dank, squalid chambers that once sheltered the cream of 
Coruscant's society.

As Mara trudged along, she could both hear and feel her wet feet 
squishing in her slippers.  She avoided looking downward at the 
greenish slime covering her, toes to ankles.  She did notice Luke 
glancing into every chamber, every spacious room they passed.

They had been gradually moving into a deserted industrial area 
when Luke suddenly darted into a decrepit courtyard between two 
crumbling warehouses.  Unidentifiable vermin scattered in his 
wake.

"Hey!"  Mara trailed after him, muttering curses under her breath.  
"What's so important in here?"

Luke had stopped at the far end of the expanse, a happy grin 
lighting up his face.  He swept out one hand with a flourish.  
"Water!"

A stream of murky water, nearly a handspan deep, flowed along a 
dilapidated trough inset in the floor and disappeared into an open 
crevice.

"We can't drink that!"  Mara groused.  Surely he wasn't so 
ignorant of water that he couldn't tell polluted run-off from a 
fresh waterway.

Luke exaggeratedly rolled his eyes, then plopped down at the edge 
of the trench and stuck his dirty boots into the current.  "I 
thought," he began, looking pointedly at her feet, "you might want 
to rinse off.  This may not be purified spring water, but it 
should do the trick."

Mara sat down next to him with a grunt.  She hated it when he was 
one step ahead of her.  Removing her already-ruined shoes, she 
dipped her feet into the brackish flow.  At least it wasn't ice 
cold.  She watched as Luke's slick boots came clean fairly 
quickly.  Her feet were another matter.  She could probably scrub 
them halfway satisfactorily with her hands, but the thought of 
having that smell then clinging to her hands nearly turned her 
stomach.  She attempted to slosh her feet around, rubbing them 
together, but the effort was doomed.

Luke saw her eyeing her feet disdainfully.  "Need a hand?" he 
offered.

"Why, got one to spare?" she groused back.

"I don't think the odor would cling to my right hand, the way it 
would real flesh."

Mara turned to him and cocked one eyebrow at his earnest 
expression.  He was serious!  She leaned back on her elbows, 
feigning a relaxed pose.  "Whatever pleasures you, Jedi," she 
purred with a wink.  "Be my guest."

Mara closed her eyes as she felt his hand massaging first one 
foot, then the other.  Stars, that felt good!  She was about to 
impart a rare compliment when he unexpectantly began tickling the 
soles of her feet.  "Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"  Mara 
sat up abruptly and jerked her feet away.

"What do you mean?" he laughed.  "You tickled me, the other night 
in ... bed."

Mara looked over to see his face reddening noticeably.

"What are you so embarrassed about?  I did tickle you, and we were 
in bed together.  For the sake of the holocams, of course."

"Of course," Luke repeated stiffly.  He rose, then offered her a 
hand up.  Picking up her slippers, he swished them in the moving 
water, cleaning them as best he could.  Avoiding her gaze, he 
thrust them into her grasp.  "These should do till you find 
something better," he muttered.

His mood swings are sometimes worse than mine, Mara thought, 
shaking her head and following him on their flight to freedom. 


                      * * * * * * * * *


Luke and Mara had been traveling several hours, making their way 
deeper and deeper into the squalid byways under the city.  They 
soon realized they were attracting unwanted attention from the 
unfortunate residents of the tunnels.

"I think it's time we shed our clothes, Skywalker," Mara stated 
without preamble. 

"Huh?" Luke's confused expression mirrored his scrambled thoughts.

Mara shook her head in exasperation.  "Let me rephrase.  We need 
to find different clothes to wear.  Especially me.  Something less 
conspicuous."

"Oh, sure, sure," he agreed quickly.  "So what do we do?  Find the 
nearest Grungy Clothes Emporium?"

"Did anyone ever tell you, you have a lousy sense of humor?"  Mara 
snorted.

"All the time."  He winked at her, feeling somewhat relaxed for 
the first time that day.  "So where should we look?"

Mara bit her lip in thought.  "We could go back toward the surface 
and scavenge through some garbage dumpsters, I suppose."

Luke shook his head.  "No, I don't think that's a good idea.  Too 
risky."

Mara had to admit he was right.  She gave him a sly look.  "We 
could keep going until we find a couple corpses, and borrow their 
clothes."

Luke just stared at her.  "I hope you're kidding."

Mara began to snicker, then snapped her fingers as an idea sprang 
to mind.  "The Poor Drop!" she exclaimed.

"The what?  Poor drop?"  Luke didn't think he would ever get used 
to the sudden changes in her train of thought.

"Yes."  Mara's eyes brightened in satisfaction, even as she 
nonchalantly brought her foot down on a scurrying spider-roach.  
"Every few days, the benevolent goody-goods of the upper crust 
drop food and old clothes down to the poor unfortunates of the 
lower levels.  If we're in luck, today will be one of the days."

Luke narrowed his eyes in disbelief.  "And the Emperor allows 
this?"

Mara shrugged.  "He endorses it, actually."

"You're joking."  This was more than even naïve Luke could 
believe.  "I never thought of Palpatine as a humanitarian."

"Ah, but he is."  Mara smiled.  "With the emphasis on 'human.'  As 
you may or may not have noticed," she raised an eyebrow, "many of 
the dwellers down here are alien.  Keep them supplied with the 
basic necessities, they stay down here where they belong, instead 
of venturing topside where the decent, human, citizens live."

Luke let out a disgusted sigh.  "All right, where do they have 
these drops?"

Mara studied their surroundings a moment to get her bearings.  "I 
think they're south of each of the main plazas, which would make 
the nearest one..." She turned to face a decrepit corridor to her 
right.  "...that way."

The pair headed out in hopefully the right direction.  The dank 
tunnels were soon becoming more crowded with beings of all species 
walking, crawling, and limping along the same course.

"I'd say we hit it right on the nose," Mara smiled smugly as they 
backed into a deserted niche, observing the huge crowd milling 
around two raised platforms in an open chamber.  "They should be 
making the drops any moment now.  When they do, I'll pull us out 
some clothes, and you gather up some food.  Those few ration bars 
we have aren't going to last long."  

The words were hardly out of her mouth when a loud grating noise 
sounded overhead, and huge panels retracted to reveal shafts 
extending upward.  With a quick "Meet me back here," Mara shoved 
Luke toward the foodstuffs that were beginning to fall from one of 
the chutes, as she joined the throng converging on the garments 
piling up on the platform nearest her.

Mara sifted through the heap of cast-off attire, snatching up 
outerwear that appeared appropriate for 'blending in.' She 
retreated back to their secluded nook, clutching her prizes 
possessively.  

She was examining a well-worn gray tunic, congratulating herself 
on snagging something that looked halfway close to her size, when 
she felt Luke finally approach.  Without looking up, she pulled 
out the dingy brown tunic and pants she'd chosen for him and held 
them out in his direction.

"Here," she said, from her kneeling position. "I figured you 
needed something different, too.  These should fit you."

She felt Luke take the garments from her grasp, but he didn't 
answer.  Mara looked up at him questioningly.  "Don't you approve?  
I had to fight off two Twi'leks and a Duros for those."  She 
grinned wryly at him, but Luke's apprehensive expression didn't 
change.  "And, look!" she added triumphantly, waving a pair of 
battered brown boots like a cherished treasure.  "I think they may 
even fit me!"

Not getting the expected response, Mara narrowed her eyes and 
began to look around their small space.  "Where is our food?" she 
blurted out.  "Did you stuff it in your pockets?"

Luke shook his head apologetically.  "I didn't get anything," he 
murmured, not meeting her eyes.

Mara put her hands on her hips.  "You mean to tell me you weren't 
quick enough to grab us even some rohna bread?"

Luke dropped to his knees beside her.  "I couldn't, Mara.  I could 
feel their hunger, their desperation.  These beings here are 
starving.  I couldn't take food away from them."

Mara gazed briefly at the pained look on his face, then glanced 
down.  Every day she spent with Luke, some new facet of his 
personality was illuminated for her.  She had spent her life 
surrounded by greed and self-indulgence.  And now she found 
herself paired with the most selfless person imaginable.  She felt 
dirty, unworthy of his friendship.

"I hoped you would understand," Luke said softly, as she continued 
staring at the grimy stone floor.  "Mara?"

"I've never met anyone like you before," she murmured quietly.

Luke worked his jaw in thought.  "I'm not that unique," he finally 
said.

"You are, in my world."

"You're not part of that world anymore, Mara.  That's in your 
past."

*And are you in my future?* she mused wistfully to herself, 
carefully hiding her thoughts.

"The Alliance is filled with good and benevolent beings," Luke was 
continuing.  "We are fighting for the equality of all worlds."  He 
looked around them.  "No one should have to live like this."

Mara didn't reply, but instead began gathering up the clothes she 
had collected.  

"What are you doing?" Luke asked, puzzled.

She swallowed the lump in her throat before answering.  "I'm 
putting these back, what does it look like?"

He touched her arm lightly.  "No, you don't have to.  There's 
still plenty of clothes left on the platform.  See?"  He gestured 
with his head towards the raised ferrocrete base.  "And you're 
right, we do need to blend in."

"Don't patronize me, Skywalker."  She pulled away from him.  "I'm 
not one of your noble Jedi Knights, and I never will be."

Luke sighed heavily.  Would he ever figure out the right thing to 
say to her?

"Quit your sighing, and change clothes," she ordered impatiently.  
"We can't sit here all day."

No, Luke decided, these erratic shifts in temperament were far 
beyond the capability of either a moisture farmer or a Jedi to 
understand.


Mara began stripping off her outer clothes, oblivious to the wide-
eyed Jedi watching her.  Luke didn't think he could ever be as 
complacent about changing clothes in front of each other as she 
appeared, but he sure wouldn't mind the opportunity of becoming 
accustomed to it.

Luke hastily turned around, pulled off what he considered his Jedi 
uniform, and donned the well-worn outfit Mara had given him.  When 
he turned back, she was already changed and tugging her new boots 
on over mismatched socks.  Luke began folding his black clothes 
into a small bundle when he noticed her discarded shimmersilk 
dress wadded into a corner. 

"Aren't you going to save your dress?" he asked cautiously, not 
wanted to invoke her ire yet again, but not willing to ignore the 
matter either.

"Why?  I'm never going to wear that thing again," she snapped.

"We shouldn't just leave it here.  I mean ... somebody might find 
it, and trace it to us, and besides ..."  He fumbled for the right 
words.  "Well, I just think you should keep it."

"Getting attached to my wardrobe, are you, Farmboy?" she smirked.

"It's just ..."  He kept his eyes downcast, refusing to meet her 
gaze.  "You may want to wear it again someday.  It looks good on 
you."

Mara colored slightly at this unexpected compliment, refusing to 
acknowledge how much his words meant to her.  She stared in wonder 
at the man kneeling across from her.  Luke could go from stubborn 
and strong-willed, to altruistically generous, to downright 
bashful, all in the space of a heartbeat.  Sometimes he made her 
dizzy just trying to keep up with him.

"I can roll it up with my things, and I'll even carry the pack."  
The words rushed out of his mouth before she could raise any more 
objections.

Mara reached over and tossed the sparkling frock to him.  "If it 
means so much to you ..."

He nodded gratefully, flashing her a shy smile.


                  * * * * * * * * * * * * *