A Journey of Discovery -- Book One:  Pendulum
Chapter 11

By Michele
See Chapter 1 for disclaimer
Rated PG-13
 


Han Solo closed the ramp of the Millenium Falcon behind Leia and 
him.  After much debate, it was decided Lando and Chewie would 
stay on standby with the Falcon, alert to swoop in at Han's 
signal.

"Well?"  Han questioned several hours later, as he and Leia waited 
at the maglev train station, their features concealed by heavy 
hooded cloaks.  "Anything?"

"No," Leia conceded in a quiet voice.  "But I may be too far away, 
and I'm not really sure how to contact him."

"Leia..." Han growled in exasperation.

"Han, please."  She gripped his arm, asking for patience.  "I want 
to wait until we're closer to the palace, then I'll just ... just 
call his name in my mind.  I think that's how he did it on 
Bespin."

Han covered Leia's hand with his own, willing himself to stay 
calm.  "All right, sweetheart."  He nodded as a passenger car slid 
to a halt on its repulsor track.  "This one should take us within 
a few kilometers of the palace.  It'll be safer going the rest of 
the way on foot."

Leia nodded in agreement.  "I'll try calling him on the way."

Han smiled, feeling the reassuring weight of his blaster against 
his hip.  "We'll get him out, Leia, don't worry.  The Emperor 
himself isn't going to stop us."

Leia turned her warm brown eyes in Han's direction.  "Have I told 
you lately how much I love you?"

"Hmmm ... Let me think ..." Han reached under his hood to stroke 
his chin in contemplation as they settled themselves on a grimy 
plasteel bench in the hovering compartment.  "I can't seem to 
recall ..."

Leia gave him a short jab with her elbow.  "Nerf-herder," she 
muttered, just before snuggling in close to his side.  The whining 
hum of the train reached her ears as she contemplated yet again 
how to reach out to her newfound brother.

                       * * * * * * * *


Mara absentmindedly stroked Luke's hair as he once more dozed in 
her lap.  They were close to the surface now; this would probably 
be their last rest break.  As soon as Luke rose they would begin 
checking out the possible hangers she had in mind.

She paused as Luke stirred restlessly, mouthing undecipherable 
utterances.  After a few minutes, he began muttering louder, both 
vocally and through the Force.  "Leia...Leia...I'm here..."

Mara tightened the shield around them and roughly jostled him 
awake.

"Skywalker!"

He jerked and sat up, rubbing his eyes and instinctively 
reinstating his own Force shield.  "What?  Do you have to wake me 
up every time I'm asleep?"

"You were talking in your sleep," she replied, as if this 
explained everything.

"Huh?"  He shot her a wary look.  "What was I saying?"

"You were calling to your princess," she answered, not bothering 
to hide the disdain in her voice.  "I was afraid you might try to 
reach through our shield."

"I guess I was dreaming."  He purposely ignored her tone of voice.  
"I thought I could..."  He stopped suddenly, as if listening, an 
intense look crossing his face.  "Stang!  Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"She IS here!"

"Who?"

"Leia!  She's calling to me."

Mara looked at him like he had suddenly grown head-tails.

Luke reached over and grabbed her hand.  "Listen!  Listen through 
my mind."

Mara skeptically entered his mind, then started when a faint voice 
drifted in.  "Luke...we're coming for you...Luke..."

"Sithspit!  She's Force sensitive?!"

Luke gave a detached nod, a stricken look filling him.  "She's 
going to get herself captured.  I've got to warn her."

Mara jerked him around to face her, dropping his hand.  
"Skywalker, don't you dare answer her!"

"But she's probably heading for the palace, looking for me.  
She'll be captured, along with whomever she has with her."

"Better her than us."

Luke gave her a hard look.  "I can't let Leia be captured."

Mara glared right back at him.  "If you drop your shield to answer 
her, Palpatine will zero in on us in a second, and then WE'LL be 
captured.  How is that going to help your precious princess?"

Luke only reacted with a 'I know you're right but I don't like it' 
look.  Unlike his previous uses of the Force, he couldn't possibly 
extend his shield far enough to reach his sister.

"No doubt Palpatine and Vader can hear her too.  There's probably 
troops closing in on her already," Mara continued, frustrated at 
this new development.  "Doesn't the fool know better than to 
reveal herself like that?"

Luke shook his head.  "I doubt she realizes it.  In fact, I'm 
surprised she has the control to reach me.  We have to intercept 
her before they find her."  He could feel the objections forming 
in Mara's mind, and cut her off before she could speak.  "We HAVE 
to.  I'll go by myself if you don't want to."  

Mara had never seen Skywalker so adamant.  She nodded in 
resignation.  "We should stick together.  Neither of us will be 
able to sleep if we separate."

"I'm not sure we can take the time to sleep," he muttered as he 
rose, slinging their pack over his shoulder.

The pair backtracked toward the palace, Luke setting an almost 
desperate pace.  After traveling for hours, he allowed Mara a 
short nap, but refused to take one himself.  He considered defying 
her and lowering his shield just long enough to warn Leia away, 
but he knew Mara was right.  Getting himself recaptured was not 
going to help Leia.

"Can you still hear her voice?" Mara commented, as they resumed 
their harried trek.

"Off and on.  She's getting frustrated at not receiving an 
answer."  Luke gave Mara a pointed look, which she ignored.

"You realize they could be letting her continue, just to lure you 
in."

"I've thought of that.  Originality doesn't seem to be the 
Empire's strong suit."

"Learning from your mistakes doesn't seem to be yours," Mara 
retorted.

"Guess not," he bit out.  Ben and Yoda were probably disowning him 
by now, but he was not going to sacrifice Leia just so he could 
escape.  At least this time he would be prepared for a possible 
trap.  And he had an accomplice -- he hoped.

"She must really care for you, to risk her neck like this," Mara 
continued.

Luke nodded, not replying.

"Maybe she even loves you," she goaded, trying for some kind of 
response.

He paused and looked at her.  "I'm sure she does."

This was definitely not the response Mara was expecting.  Or 
wanting, a little voice was telling her.

"Do you love her?" Mara asked softly, as they picked their way 
over a pile of rubble.

"Yes," he answered quickly.  Too quickly to suit Mara.  'If you 
didn't want to hear the answer, you shouldn't have asked the 
question,' the voice was back, taunting her.  With a frown she 
glanced at her companion as he pressed forward, then hurried to 
catch up.


By day's end, Mara was hungry, exhausted, and frustrated, both at 
herself and at Luke.  

"I can't believe I'm willingly going back toward the palace just 
to rescue your lover."

Luke skidded to a halt.  "My WHAT?!"

"You heard me.  You're in love with her.  You told me so 
yourself."

"No, I didn't," he protested, then understanding dawned in his 
eyes.  "You're adding extra prepositions in there that don't 
belong."

"Huh?"

"I agreed with you when you asked if I loved her.  I didn't say 
anything about being IN love WITH her."

Mara gave him the most condescending look she could muster.  "You 
know, Skywalker, you are the most exasperating person I have ever 
met."

Luke grinned.  "If I didn't know better, Jade, I'd say you were 
jealous." 

Green eyes blazed in fury.  Luke hurriedly grabbed her upraised 
hand.  "Hold on, I was kidding."

Mara calmed slightly.  Still holding onto her hand, Luke tugged 
her over to sit next to him on a nearby block of ferrocrete.
 
"I thought we were in a hurry," Mara groused.

"I think we need to take a second to clear something up."  He 
turned to face her, giving her a little half-smile.  "Leia's my 
sister, Mara.  My twin sister."

Mara's eyes widened at the same moment her jaw dropped open.

"I love her very much.  And I'm not going to allow anything to 
happen to her.  Not while I still have a breath left in my body."  
Steely resolve echoed in his voice.

"Whoa," Mara choked out.  "This certainly puts a new twist on 
things."  In more ways than one, she thought to herself.  "Do 
Vader and Palpatine know this?"

"No.  I don't think so."

"You don't THINK so?"

Luke sighed.  "I did my best to keep it hidden from them.  
Palpatine would surely have brought it up if he knew.  As to 
Father..."  He shook his head.  "I don't think he knows either."

Even though she had begun to see Darth Vader in a new light during 
the past week, Mara still had a hard time accepting that the Sith 
lord was Luke's father.

"So, does this make you the Prince of Alderaan?" Mara asked, as 
they resumed their trek.

"Hardly," Luke chuckled.  "Leia was adopted by the Organas.  I'm 
just a farmboy from Tatooine."

"You didn't grow up together?"  This was getting more and more 
interesting.  Little of Luke's early life had been included in her 
briefings.

"We were separated and hidden soon after we were born.  We didn't 
even know we were related until recently."  Luke's voice had an 
air of wistfulness to it.  As Mara didn't answer right away, he 
glanced her direction.  "What about you, Mara?  Do you have any 
family?"

Mara seemed so deep in thought, he was sorry he asked.

"I don't know," she finally whispered.  "I've been at the palace 
ever since I can remember.  Whatever family I might have had... 
has been hidden from me."

Luke reached over and squeezed her hand.  "I'm sorry."

Though she didn't pull her hand away immediately, she did look up 
at him sharply.  "I don't need your sympathy, or anyone else's, 
farmboy.  Keep your pity for someone who cares."

He gave her an acknowledging nod, and dropped her hand.  "We're 
getting close to the palace."  


    * * * * * * * * * * *
 

Han Solo and Leia Organa were within a half dozen blocks of the 
Imperial Palace when their luck ran out.

"Get down!" Han shouted, pushing Leia behind him as shots whizzed 
past.  He could make out blaster fire coming from at least seven 
or eight directions.  He and Leia were crouching behind some 
packing crates in what appeared to be the outskirts of a supply 
depot for the palace.

Han had more than a few reservations that they could safely find, 
much less extrapolate, Luke from the depths of the Imperial 
prison.  He had hoped, however, to at least make it up to the 
palace itself.  Leia had received no answer to her unceasing pleas 
for her brother's attention.  Though she couldn't bring herself to 
utter the words 'give up,' for that she would never do, Han could 
tell that Luke's silence was tearing her apart.  After losing her 
foster parents and all of Alderaan, he feared that even the 
strong-willed princess wouldn't be able to cope if their rescue 
mission ended in the discovery of Luke's death.


A glimpse of white stormtrooper armor could be seen as Han let 
loose another volley of return fire.  Beside him, Leia peered over 
the edge of a large crate and took careful aim at their 
adversaries.  They couldn't be sure how many of their shots were 
finding their target, but the attack on them didn't decrease in 
intensity whatsoever.

"We're surrounded," Han threw over his shoulder.

"How did they recognize us?" Leia sent back as she squeezed her 
trigger.

"What makes you think they do?  Maybe they just don't take kindly 
to strangers passing this way."

"I doubt ... Wait!"  Leia strained to see and hear as more shots 
sounded west of their position.  "I hear other shots."

"Yeah.  They sent in reinforcements," Han retorted dubiously.

"No."  Leia shook her head emphatically.  "No, listen."

Muffled thuds sounded, followed by silence.  Han and Leia didn't 
have time to contemplate the mystery as they continued to defend 
themselves on the remaining three fronts.  Within minutes, 
however, the barrage to the north and south had also stopped, 
simultaneously.

"What the ...?!"  Before Han could even finish the exclamation, 
the last vestige of trooper fire went the way of the others before 
it.

"We seem to have a savior," Leia murmured.  "Do you think Lando or 
Chewie followed us?"

"There has to be at least two of 'em."  Han was equally puzzled.  
"Lando and Chewie wouldn't both leave the ship."

"Then who?"

"I think we're about to find out," Han muttered, holding his 
blaster warily as two slender figures approached in the distance -
- a man and a woman, both shabbily dressed, both with dark brown 
hair, and both holding lowered blasters.

"Definitely not Chewie or Lando," Han wisecracked.  But as he 
turned to Leia, she was scrambling out of her sheltered position, 
eyes wide in joyful hope.  "Hey, Leia," he cautioned, making a 
futile grab for her arm.  "Hold on, we don't know..."

But Leia was already on her way toward one of the rescuers, her 
cape flying out behind her.  Han cautiously held his finger near 
his trigger, squinting at the male figure who had started jogging 
toward the princess.  The guy almost looked like ...

"Luke!" Leia cried, flinging herself into her brother's 
outstretched arms.  Luke responded by swinging her around 
enthusiastically just as Han reached the reunited siblings.

"Luke -- what in blazes are you doing out here?" Han exclaimed.  
"We expected to have to break you out of some Imp detention cell."

"We escaped four days ago," the Jedi explained, looking back and 
forth at the others.  "You shouldn't have come, it's too 
dangerous."

"We couldn't just leave you here," Leia protested, still clutching 
Luke's arm, but with her gaze traveling to Luke's companion.

"Doesn't look like he needs your help," the mysterious woman 
snapped.

"And just who are you?" Han spoke up.

Luke disentangled himself from Leia's grasp and touched Mara's arm 
lightly before she could shoot back a reply.  "This is Mara Jade -
- she helped me escape."  He looked Mara in the eye, gesturing 
with a nod toward the others.  "This is ..."

"I know who they are," she bit out.  "Let's cut the small talk and 
get the hell out of here."


"Uh, Luke," Han began, breaking the awkward silence as they headed 
off in the direction he and Leia had just come from.  "You said 
you escaped four days ago?"  He was trying to think of a 
diplomatic way of asking why then were Luke and this woman only 
blocks away from the palace.  "Were they holding you somewhere 
else?"

"We had made it to the other side of the city," Mara interjected 
sourly before Luke opened his mouth, "about to steal a ship and 
make it offplanet."

"We hadn't even found a ship yet," Luke contradicted dryly.

"But how did you know we were here?" Leia asked.

Mara just rolled her eyes and stalked ahead.

"I could hear you," Luke admitted.  "We followed your calling 
through the Force."

"But I couldn't hear you back," Leia protested.  "What was I doing 
wrong?"

"Everything," Mara mumbled over her shoulder, eliciting a frown 
from Luke.

"Leia, I ..." Luke began to address his sister's concerns, but 
stopped mid-sentence, a worried look appearing on his face as he 
studied their surroundings.  "Something's not right here."

Han watched as Mara stopped also, glancing at Luke then looking 
around too.  She had apparently either picked up on Luke's 
apprehension or had sensed whatever was out-of-place on her own.

All four of the travelers tightened their grips on their blasters, 
eyes darting furtively into the shadows.  

"Mara?" Luke whispered quietly.

"I know," she responded in a low voice.

"What's going on?" Han growled, moving closer to Leia.

"We're surrounded," Luke muttered.

"By who?" Leia asked, straining to see what her brother was 
perceiving.

"By ..."

Before Luke could finish, a legion of stormtroopers appeared in 
unison, standing shoulder to shoulder and encircling their prey 
with raised blaster rifles.  Luke whipped his head to his right, 
closed his eyes briefly and let out a reluctant sigh just moments 
before the troopers in that direction parted to let through an 
ominous dark figure.

"Darth Vader," Han breathed, before turning to study Luke's now 
defiant expression.  He remembered the young Jedi's fears that 
Vader could sense him when they were approaching Endor.  Had the 
Sith Lord followed him here?

"Skywalker," the dark lord intoned, "and Jade.  Did you really 
believe you could escape the forces of the Empire?"

Luke remained silent, but Mara spat out, "We nearly did, and you 
know it." 

Vader gave Mara a momentary glance, then turned to the captain of 
his troops, who had already confiscated the prisoner's blasters.  
"Search them, then cuff Skywalker and Jade.  The Emperor wishes to 
personally see to their fate."

"And the other two, my Lord?" the officer questioned, as the 
troopers took possession of their comlinks, vibroblades, glow 
rods, and all the various explosives Han and Leia had brought with 
them.

"Dispose of them," Vader directed.

*Father, no!* Luke sent mentally.

As two pairs of stormtroopers approached Han and Leia, Luke shot 
out one hand and the troopers were shoved back by an invisible 
force, eliciting gaping wide-eyed stares from their intended 
targets.

"Luke?" Leia wondered aloud, but he ignored his sister, facing 
Vader instead.

"Let them go.  It's me you want, Lord Vader.  Let the others go 
and I'll come willingly."

"Luke, no!" Leia cried, struggling in the grip of another 
stormtrooper.

"They are leaders of the Rebellion."  Vader looked down at his 
son.  "Do you expect me to just release them?"

"Don't kill them."  Luke stared at Vader's impassive mask.  
*Please, Father.*

The Sith met his son's unwavering gaze.  "Bring all of them," he 
issued the new directive.  The entourage headed toward the waiting 
repulsor transport.

"I told you they were using her to lure you into a trap," Mara 
growled quietly to Luke, who was shuffling along beside her.

"And I told you I wouldn't abandon her."  Luke's blue eyes flashed 
in warning, causing Mara to fall into a sullen silence.


Upon arriving at the lower levels of the Imperial Palace, the four 
prisoners were marched into a bare, dimly lit holding cell, 
completely devoid of any furnishings.

"You will wait here," Vader announced as guards removed the cuffs 
from the would-be fugitives.  "His Excellency is preoccupied with 
affairs of the Empire."  Darth Vader gave Luke one last look, then 
with a swirl of his cape he was gone, the durasteel door hissing 
shut with a loud whoosh.

"'Preoccupied' my foot," Mara snorted.  "He wants to give us time 
to 'reflect on our insignificance.'"  She watched as Han and Leia 
examined the perimeter of their abode of captivity.  Luke had 
leaned back against one cold wall, closing his eyes and reaching 
out with the Force to seek out the monitors he knew must exist.  
Mara shook her head, then chose a spot on the opposite wall and 
leaned back also, arms crossed over her chest.  "You're all 
wasting your time.  Of course there are hidden holocams in here.  
And you can forget about finding a way out.  This cell is escape-
proof."

Luke squinted one eye open questioningly.

*I designed it myself,* she sent in reply.  

Han swung around and faced her, hands on his hips.  "Just how do 
you know so much?  Who the hell are you, anyway?"

Mara narrowed her emerald eyes dangerously.  "I'm the Emperor's 
..."

"Dancer," Luke interjected quickly.  "She's a court dancer."

Luke and Mara glowered daggers at each other across the room while 
Han and Leia looked back and forth between the two of them.

"I can speak for myself, Skywalker," Mara bit out.

"A dancer, huh?"  Han gave her a skeptical look.

"Yeah, Solo.  What did you think I was going to say?  Concubine?"  
She ignored Luke as he suddenly straightened up, shooting her an 
apprehensive look.  *Don't worry, farmboy.  I won't tell them I 
was YOUR concubine.*

"And a dancer would know about detention cells?" Han continued.

Mara shrugged.  "I overhear things from the palace guards."

"Uh-huh."  Han was still far from convinced.  "And you hooked up 
with Luke how?"

Mara continued her relaxed pose, again casually shrugging her 
shoulders.  "I felt sorry for him.  They were going to execute 
him."

"Well, he's on the executioner's roll call list again.  What a 
coincidence."

"Only this time," Luke put in wearily, "I've pulled the rest of 
you on there with me."

"They pulled themselves in," Mara snorted.  "You can't blame 
yourself for that."

"Or maybe you were manipulated by someone into believing you were 
escaping, just to lure me and Leia in."  Though Han directed his 
comments to Luke, he fixed an accusatory stare at Mara.

Mara threw her hand up in unabashed disgust.  "Farmboy and I would 
have already been off-planet if Miss High-and-Mighty hadn't been 
stupid enough to call to him through the Force!"

"What?!"  Startled, Leia looked to her brother for his certain 
denial.

"Hey!"  Han shouted in protest.  "Look, sister, you watch your 
mouth."

Luke quickly interposed himself between Han and Mara.  "Calm 
down," he addressed them both.  "Arguing isn't going to accomplish 
anything."  He clutched Mara's hands with his own, holding her 
tightly.  "I'll handle this, Mara," he said quietly and sternly.

She glared at him, then relented as she met his unwavering gaze.  
"Fine," she bit out, dropping his hands and stalking off to one 
corner of the room.  "You just handle everything."


"Nice girl you found yourself there, Luke," Han mumbled under his 
breath.

Leia's gaze followed the other woman; she then turned worried eyes 
to her brother.  "Luke?  Is what she said true?  I need to know."

"Leia ..."  Luke took her hand and led her to sit against the 
wall.  "When you use the Force as you did, to call to me, other 
Force users can hear you, especially ones as powerful as 
Palpatine, or Vader."  Luke caught the glimmer of relief from Leia 
that he didn't refer to Vader as 'Father.'  "We think that they 
were able to zero in on your presence, and followed your 
movements."

"And they knew you'd come to me."  Leia slumped back, not able to 
meet Luke's gaze.  "We were bait, just like at Bespin," she 
whispered.

"Leia, you couldn't have known.  You came because you cared about 
me.  Don't you realize how good that makes me feel?"  He leaned 
back and gave her a crooked smile.  "Even if, in this case, I 
would've preferred you'd listened to Han, and stayed where it was 
safe."

Leia only shook her head in mock annoyance -- Luke knew them both 
too well.  Han, however, was rubbing his chin in deep thought.

"I don't know much about this Force business, but why couldn't 
Vader and Palpatine just find you through the Force?  How'd you 
manage to get away?"

Luke took a quick glance across the room, then spoke in an even 
voice.  "Mara taught me how to shield my presence, so I wouldn't 
be detected."

"And that's why I couldn't feel you either?"  Leia was beginning 
to sort out the puzzle.

Luke nodded.  "And why I didn't answer you.  I'm sorry about that, 
Leia, but if I'd lowered the shield to call to you, even for a 
moment ..."  He compressed his lips in a tight line.  "I should 
have risked it anyway.  I thought I could reach you before Vader 
did."

"You did what you thought best, Luke."  Leia looked over at her 
brother's companion, still pouting in an opposite corner.  "So she 
can use the Force, too?"

"Yes."

"And I take it she didn't completely agree with your coming back 
here?"

"Well ... no."

"So why didn't you part company with her?"

Luke shuffled a bit nervously in his spot.  "We needed to stay 
together.  We were taking turns shielding each other while the 
other slept."

Thankfully, neither Leia nor Han pressed for any more details, and 
the three of them drifted into a guarded conversation about the 
events at Endor.  Leia wanted to tell Luke about the upcoming 
Alliance raid on Imperial City, now just a mere twelve hours away, 
but she knew it was too risky.  No matter what happened to them, 
she couldn't jeopardize the secrecy of that mission -- the future 
of the galaxy depended on it.

Eventually, Leia's fatigue caught up with her, and she drifted off 
to sleep, snuggled up against Han's strong chest, and leaving Luke 
and Han alone with their thoughts.

"So, what's your plan for getting us out of here?" Han finally 
asked.

"Me?  I thought you two were in charge of this rescue."  Luke gave 
his friend a wry look.  "I did my part -- I got recaptured just so 
you'd have somebody TO liberate."

Han shook his head, then took another look at Luke's appearance. 
"What happened to your hair, by the way?"

"Part of our wonderful disguise," Luke muttered, fingering the hem 
of his dirty, worn tunic, then scratching absently at the back of 
his head.

"So she's not a brunette either?" Han continued, nodding toward 
the other occupant of the cell.

"No," Luke answered quietly, but didn't elaborate.


"Say, Luke," Han began after another extended silence, "Leia told 
me all about who you're related to."

Luke gave him a rather skeptical look.  "And you're okay with 
that?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

"I just ... I'm surprised Leia told you ... everything.  I don't 
think she's accepted all of it yet."

"Course she has," Han assured him.  "Family is important to her."

"But he tortured her," Luke protested, shifting his position to 
sit up straighter.  "And tortured you, and put you in carbonite."

"Uh, you lost me here."  It certainly wasn't the first time Han 
had trouble following Luke's train of thought, but he was starting 
to get that familiar 'bad feeling.'  "What are you talking about?"

Just then Luke felt Leia's wakening presence, and turned to see 
the tears streaming down her stricken face as she pulled back from 
Han's embrace.  

"I'm sorry, Luke," she whispered apologetically.  "I couldn't tell 
him.  I kept hoping you were wrong."

Han looked back and forth between the two of them.  The pieces of 
the puzzle were starting to fall into place, and Han wasn't liking 
what he saw -- Luke's strength in the Force; the Empire's bounty 
on him, alive and unharmed; Luke's conviction that there was good 
in Vader.  Heck, he had even started wearing black all the time, 
just like ...

So maybe it was possible.  For Luke, yes.  But Leia.  Not Leia.  
Not his Leia.

Han could see the fear in her eyes.  Fear that she would lose him 
all over again.  "It's all right, Leia," he tried to reassure her.  
"I mean, you can't help it if ... he ..."  Han couldn't even choke 
out the name.

"Anakin Skywalker," Luke spoke up, as the other two turned to him.  
"His true name is Anakin Skywalker.  He was once a Jedi Knight, 
and ..."  He trailed off as Leia curled back into Han's arms, 
quietly listening to Han's whispered words of comfort.



Luke had no trouble discerning that Han and Leia needed to be 
alone for awhile, and truth be told, there was someone he needed 
to talk to also.  As he started to rise, Han threw him the cloak 
he'd been wearing.  "She looks chilly," he winked, before turning 
back to Leia.

Mara didn't look up as Luke slid down beside her, but she didn't 
pull away, either, as he laid one hand lightly over hers.

"I thought you weren't going to tell anyone else about your 
father," she commented in a blasé tone.

"Guess I need to work on finding out how much people already know 
before blurting out things," he replied dryly.

"Mara," he continued, "I'm sorry I got you into this."  She 
glanced at his earnest face, but didn't answer.  "I should have 
insisted that you go on by yourself.  You could be stowed away on 
some freighter by now."

"Skywalker, listen to yourself.  You think you could 'insist' that 
I do anything I didn't want to?"

"No."  Luke chucked quietly as he laid one side of his face on his 
drawn-up knees.  "But I wanted to save you from the Emperor's 
wrath."

"The only way you could have saved me, physically, is by turning 
to the darkside.  And that move would have doomed us all -- the 
whole galaxy."  She met his gaze evenly.  "By holding firm to your 
beliefs, you saved my soul, my spirit.  No matter what happens to 
us, I'll always be indebted to you."


"You're being awfully understanding about all this," Luke said 
quietly after a lull in the conversation, gesturing out at their 
current situation.

"For me, you mean?  You're not the only one who can be full of 
surprises, farmboy," she smirked before taking on a wistful look.  
"I had been sitting here, simmering, angry at the whole galaxy, 
when I finally started observing you with your sister and your 
friend.  I didn't see any of the expected animosity between you.  
There was no laying of blame for ending up in a fix like this.  
I've never had that kind of friendship with anyone, that degree of 
closeness."

"I was hoping you considered me a close friend."

"Even knowing who I am?  What I've done in the past?"

"That doesn't matter to me, you know that."  He looked her in the 
eye.  "Are you sorry you decided to come with me?"

"With you out of the palace, or with you back toward it?"

"Either.  Both."

She clasped his hand warmly.  "Luke Skywalker, I don't regret one 
moment of our time together."

"Neither do I."  He squeezed her hand back reassuringly.  "Well, 
except maybe that we never got a chance to ... you know."

"And ruin a beautiful friendship?" Mara snickered.  "We had a 
chance, farmboy.  We had lots of chances."  She let go his hand 
and wrapped her arms around herself, lost once more in her own 
thoughts.

"I'm not looking forward to seeing him again."

Without even asking, Luke knew she was referring to Palpatine.

Suddenly Mara looked Luke straight in the eye and grasped his hand 
once more.  "Skywalker, promise me something."

"Anything," he responded automatically.

"I'm afraid he'll try to draw me back into his clutches."  Her 
pleading eyes bore into Luke's.  "Promise me you won't let that 
happen; kill me if you have to.  I don't want to be brainwashed 
again."

"Mara, ... I ... I could never kill you."  Mara's desperation was 
tearing at his heart, but that was a vow he couldn't bring himself 
to make.

"Would you rather I became his puppet once more?  Perhaps even 
ordered to hunt down your friends?"

"You can resist him; you did it once, and you can again," Luke 
argued steadfastly.

"I'm not sure I can."  She squeezed his hand tighter.  "Not 
without you beside me."  Her voice became more urgent.  "You'll 
have to do it quickly, before they have a chance to kill you 
first."

Luke studied their entwined fingers.  "We will face him together, 
and resist him together.  And if ... you outlive me ... you will 
defy him yourself."  He glanced up at her haunted face.  "You are 
one of the most strong-willed people I have ever met.  I have 
faith in you."

Mara started to speak, then compressed her lips in a straight 
line.  Clenching her jaw, she gave him a confident nod.  She would 
try her best to defy Palpatine.  No, she wouldn't just try; she 
would 'do.'  Luke had faith in her, and that meant more to her 
than anything her former master could throw at her.

Mara stared at the cell's floor, glad that Luke was remaining 
silent.  She finally fixed her gaze on Han's cape, lying forgotten 
by Luke's feet.  "You saving that wrap for a special occasion?"

"Oh, sorry!"  Luke grabbed up the covering and draped it over 
Mara's shoulders, grateful that she was changing the subject.  
"Maybe we should get some sleep while we can," he suggested.

"It has been awhile since we could both sleep at the same time," 
Mara agreed, leaning onto his shoulder without waiting for an 
invitation.

"Hmmm."  Luke relaxed as they huddled together under the heavy 
cape.  He picked up the pack containing their clothes, the only 
thing the guards hadn't confiscated from them, and pillowed it 
behind his head.  "Remind me to thank Palpatine for this 
opportunity," he murmured, catching Han's thumbs-up gesture just 
before closing his eyes.



With the sound of Han's rhythmic breathing of slumber beneath her, 
Leia Organa watched with slitted eyes as Luke and his new 
companion clung to each other, also in peaceful slumber.  Mara 
Jade was an enigma, no doubt about it.  When they were first 
introduced, if you could call it that, the woman was haughty, 
brazen and apparently no stranger to bickering with Luke or anyone 
else that crossed her path.  Her sullen behavior had continued 
into their confinement in this cell -- right up until several 
hours ago, when Luke had deigned to go sit next to her.  Then, at 
least from her and Han's vantage point, she seemed to have melted 
into a different person.

Leia remembered watching as Mara and Luke had talked quietly, 
smiled shyly, always touching, always focusing solely on each 
other.

"I think they're lovers," Han had whispered into Leia's ear.

"Oh, Han," Leia had objected, though the possibility had crossed 
her mind too.  "Luke?  Our Luke?  Who turns six shades of red when 
a pretty woman comes anywhere near him?"

"He's not turning red now," Han had commented casually, just 
before shooting Luke some kind of macho signal, then smugly 
settling into a seemingly relaxed posture himself. 

No, he hadn't, Leia had to admit to herself now in the stillness 
of the cell, wondering once more what secrets this mysterious 
woman was harboring.  Her and Luke's claim that she was merely a 
dancer seemed shaky at best.  She was too skilled, too 
knowledgeable.  And how would Luke have ever met an Imperial court 
dancer from the confines of a detention cell?  No, they were 
hiding something.  Something Leia vowed to discover, if they 
somehow managed to survive this latest predicament.  

Leia paused from her musings as she caught a sense of her brother 
stirring in his sleep.  Her brother.  There was another mystery to 
ponder.  From the moment they'd met, nearly four years ago, she'd 
felt like she'd known him all her life.  Leia looked over as Luke 
wound one arm around his sleeping partner, pulling her closer.  Or 
perhaps, she didn't know him at all.

Leia's eyes widened as the objects of her reflections began to 
awaken.  One of Luke's hands slowly caressed Mara's cheek, and he 
bent his head down until their foreheads met.  They seemed to be 
conversing, though no sound escaped their lips.

Any further action was cut short by the swishing open of the cell 
door.  Four heads swiveled to the towering black shadow that 
filled the doorway, including Han's, who had jolted awake purely 
by instinct.

Darth Vader motioned toward Luke and Mara as guards moved to jerk 
the pair to a standing position and encompass them in shackles, 
ignoring Han and Leia.  "The Emperor is ready to see you now."

"You mean we have to leave these deluxe accommodations?" Jade 
quipped sarcastically as Luke silently stared at his father.  She 
stubbornly resisted as the troopers pushed them toward the 
doorway, just as a matter of principle.

"So all of us don't get to meet His Exaltedness?" Han piped up, 
shielding Leia behind him.  They had decided their best chance of 
escape would be for the four of them to overpower their guards 
simultaneously when led from the cell.  Split up like this would 
not work to their advantage, especially with Vader himself 
overseeing the transfer.  Han didn't like it when the sabacc cards 
changed in the middle of a hand.

"You will be dealt with soon enough, Solo," Vader rasped, not 
interfering when Luke paused near the princess and the smuggler on 
the way out.

"Take care of her, Han," Luke requested quietly, before looking at 
his sister.  "Goodbye, Leia," he added, sending her feelings of 
love and comfort.

"Luke, no!"  Leia struggled to get past Han, who held her back in 
the face of the muzzles of a half dozen blaster rifles.


"They're going to execute him," Leia lamented sorrowfully as the 
door slid shut once more.  "And it's all my fault."

"Now, Leia."  Han wrapped his arms around her.  "Luke can get 
himself out of all kinds of scrapes."

"He didn't get himself out of that ice field on Hoth," Leia 
muttered, fighting to hold back the tears.  "Or off that 
weathervane on Bespin."

"Sweetheart," Han soothed.  "Luke's matured ten years since those 
events."  He cupped Leia's chin in his strong hand, surprising 
even himself with his next declaration.  "He's a Jedi Knight now."  
He gave her a sly wink.  "With a knock-out of an accomplice."

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