Beyond - Legends Echoes of Always - L/M - Complete - Second Fan Art added 4/10

Um... with this chapter it's more likely Mara kicking someone with her boots.... (and for once, not Luke!)

But I will work on that smut that we talked about. The weekend has been nutso or it would be done already.

 

I am so close to being completely done with EoA. If I could just find a 3 or 4 hour block I think I could be done and start posting twice a week. Cross your fingers! As it is, with chapter 8 we will be at the half-way mark.

CHAPTER 7

Luke took a shower and changed into the fresh clothing that Mara had given him. They fit perfectly, but the tunic was a little different than what he was used to wearing, lighter in color and the collar not so high. He wiped the steam from the mirror and looked at himself, trying to imagine how different he looked from what he had thirteen years before, and what Mara must think of him now.

He walked into the common room to find Mara busy at her HoloNet station. She looked up as she noticed his presence and her eyes visibly widened as she let them trail over him, taking in her husband’s clothing on his body. She didn’t say anything or look overly concerned, but he knew her well enough to know her mind was probably racing, unwilling to be sentimental over simple fabric.

She easily shook herself from any reverie she might have fallen into and told him that there was not a listing for Naelli on the HoloNet.

“Of course it couldn’t be that easy,” Luke said with a grin. Mara gave him a sidelong look, the beginnings of a smirk on her lips, but she quickly squashed it. “It’s too bad Artoo isn’t with me—Artoo! Do you have him? My droid?”

Mara rolled her eyes. “For Force sakes, I know who Artoo is. And he’s with the kids, on Naboo. He follows Betrys around like he did Luke.”

Luke couldn’t help but grin at that. “Well, in that case, we need someone who can get us pure information. Did you ever work for someone named Talon Karrde? Is he around in this universe? I keep taking so many things for granted, I mean—who won the Smashball tournament last meet?”

“Bryx,” Mara answered without missing a beat.

“Really?” Luke asked, pulling a face. “This is a whole other place. Bryx couldn’t hold a ball in the air much less win a tournament where I’m from.”

“I’ll show you the highlights,” she promised dryly. “And yes, I did work for Karrde. You’re right; he’s probably our best bet. Let me see if I can raise him.”

She swiveled in her chair and placed the call, leaving the line open so that the call would pick up once it connected. “I worked for Karrde when I met Luke. From what you showed me in your memories, the beginning of our relationships are pretty much identical.”

“Pretty much?”

“Well, something was different, because we managed to get together quite a bit earlier than the two of you—hey, move out of the range of the screen, would you? I don’t want to give Karrde another heart attack.”

“Another?”

But Mara didn’t answer him as the line opened and Karrde himself showed up on the screen. He looked exactly as Luke remembered and he felt a pang thinking that he hadn’t seen Karrde in quite a while. He was such an important figure in Mara’s life and Luke knew that he missed her as well. Mara would want Ben to know Talon better. It was yet another mistake he had made in the time after Mara’s death. He vowed to himself to do better if—once—he returned home.

“Talon,” Mara said, looking at her old friend. “Thank you for getting with me so quickly.”

“Think nothing of it,” he said. “How are you? And Ben? Betrys?”

“They’re fine. On Naboo with Han, Leia and the family. Listen, I need a favor.”

Karrde’s eyebrow rose. “A favor for the illustrious Master Jedi?”

“Cute. Look, I need some information on a guy. Marse Naelli. That’s N-A-E-L-L-I. Everything you can get. Location, first and foremost.”

“Shall I add it to your ever-growing tab, my dear?”

“You know it. And Talon, thanks.”

“Anytime,” he said, smiling at her. “I’ll have the information to you soon. Karrde out.”

The screen went blank and Mara disconnected the call, turning to look at Luke. “I guess now we wait again.”

He gave her a sideways look. “Really?”

She rolled her eyes. “And I thought you knew me. Come on. Put up your Force disguise and let’s go investigate some of the shadier areas of town. From your memory it looked like your guy was a gambler. You never know what we might find in the lower levels.”

**



Luke watched Mara’s braid as she walked in front of him. He stared at the white strands that wove in with the gold and red and thought about how nice it was to see that braid swing in front of him again. He placed his hand to his pocket and felt the bump that was his Mara’s braid of hair, resting safely there. He wondered what this Mara would think of him having it, and imagined her rolling her eyes. Even in the situation he was in, he couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

They had already checked out three cantinas, going first to the one where Luke had arrested Naelli in his own universe. He wasn’t there and no one knew of him. This was beginning to seem like a fruitless search. Naelli had mentioned that he had jumped universes often to amass a fortune, but what if the Naelli that lived here—if he did indeed exist here at all—had nothing to do with this device? Knew nothing of how it worked?

Mara was getting frustrated at the lack of starting places and was now going into cantinas at random, talking with those who were willing to speak with a Jedi. The effort of keeping the Force disguise up was beginning to wear on Luke as well; it wasn’t something he was meant to be able to do indefinitely.

“That place was worse than the others,” Mara growled, stepping back into the light of the street from the darkened bar. “Anything?”

“Nothing here, either. My only fear is that someone does know him and is tipping him off that he’s being looked for. But I haven’t felt any deception from anyone so far.”

Mara growled again. “Me either.” Her comlink buzzed and she brightened, answering it.

“Mara, I have the information you were seeking.”

“Good. What can you tell me?” She detoured into an alley and Luke stood watch, listening to the muted conversation behind him.

“This Naelli character is interesting. He once worked for the Empire, out in the Maw Installation. But since then he’s changed his name and is now going by Markei Yalmuth. You’re in luck, because he lives right there on Coruscant.”

Luke let out the breath he had been holding as Mara thanked Karrde and took down the information on Naelli’s—now Yalmuth’s—location.

“So this guy worked in the Maw? On super-weapons?” Mara asked as she rejoined Luke and they walked back onto the walkway.

“I’m as surprised as you,” he said. “I looked up the basic information on Naelli before I went out to arrest him and this was not in his dossier. When the CSF briefed me they mentioned his device, but I didn’t know that he might have had a hand in building it. They led me to believe it was a means of teleportation, and I guess it is, from a certain point of view.”

Mara made a face at him. “Since when are you a watch-dog of the CSF, anyway?”

“The Chief of State asked me personally to arrest Naelli. It wasn’t something that I could exactly turn down.”

“The head of the Jedi Order couldn’t say no, or assign someone else the task?”

“Not in this case. Not when the Chief of State is Natasi Daala and she has a grudge against all Jedi.”

“Daala?” Mara’s eyebrows practically rose off her forehead. “What the kriff kind of galaxy do you come from, Skywalker?”

“Cute,” he said, stealing her phrase. “But honestly—sometimes I wonder that, too.”

“I’m sure. Interesting, though, that Daala would ask a Jedi for help.”

“I thought that myself.”

“Hm. All right, well, come on, let’s head to this address Karrde provided. See what this guy has to say, if he has anything to say at all.”

“Just show him your ‘bad Jedi’ routine and I’m sure he’ll come around.”

“Bad Jedi?” Mara asked, a smirk forming on her face. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” Luke said, but couldn’t help another smile. It felt so good to work with Mara again, as partners. In fact, the longer he was here with her, the more he realized that was one of the things he missed most about Mara. Even more than just his wife and lover, he missed the amazing Jedi Master she had become.

**

The address was down another several levels, in an area of Coruscant that received no light from the sun, even after the Vong re-shaping. The levels had been dark for some time before the government had been able to set up an artificial sun again, and though most people had left during the evacuation of Coruscant there were still a few individuals down on these levels, many of whom had come back to stay after the war had ended.

The poverty was abject here, trash littering the streets and spice houses on every block. Luke could feel eyes on them from the surrounding buildings and more than that could feel the anger and curiosity the sight of two Jedi brought the dwellers here. But he and Mara kept walking and no one offered them any resistance.

Naelli’s home was in a dilapidated storehouse in between two spice houses, but Mara marched right to the door and knocked, calling out Naelli’s assumed name. Luke walked around to the side down a narrow alley and noticed a slight movement in the shadows there. He sharpened his gaze and watched as someone, he could feel it was a sentient being, backed up on his hands and knees through the filth on the ground.

“Yalmuth!” he called, jumping over a puddle of sewage.

Naelli jumped up then, not bothering to hide where he was, running toward a hanging fire escape ladder. He jumped on it and started to climb.

“Look, I just want to talk to you,” Luke shouted, trying to stop him. “You’re not under arrest.”

This didn’t seem to calm Naelli any, as he kept climbing. Luke rolled his eyes and Force jumped, landing lightly on a landing just above Naelli’s head.

“Hey!” Mara yelled out, below them. “Come on down, Yalmuth!”

Naelli looked up at Luke and back down at Mara. “Kriffin’ Jedi,” he muttered.

Naelli jumped off the end of the ladder and landed at Mara’s feet, stumbling on his dismount. Luke jumped from where he was standing and landed, too, then turned to Naelli. “We just want to talk to you. We’re not here for any other purpose.”

“Unless there’s something we should know, starting with why you’re using an assumed name,” Mara added. She stood standing with a hand on her saber, though it was still attached to her belt.

“Ah, just a misunderstanding,” Naelli said, looking around nervously. “Can we talk somewhere else?”

“You’re the one who ran. We were trying to talk to you in your home,” Luke said. “But come on.”

They entered into the old warehouse after Naelli, standing around in the darkened room while he looked out the window at the house next door. “I thought you were one of my neighbors,” he said. “They’re always in here looking for something to steal and sell.”

“Do they knock on your door?” Mara asked pointedly.

“What do you want?” he snapped at her.

“We have some questions for you, about an object with which you might be familiar,” Luke cut in, pulling the machine from his pocket. “Is this familiar to you?”

Naelli’s eyes widened and Luke could see that it was indeed familiar to him. “Where in the blazing stars did you get that?” he asked, reaching out a hand as if to grab it.

Luke pulled it back. “That’s what I want to know from you. What do you know about this machine?”

“Quite a lot. What’s it to you?”

“Nothing to me personally, but I wouldn’t mind dragging the information out of you,” Mara said. Luke tried not to smirk at her ‘Bad Jedi’ routine.

“Bah. You’re a Jedi. What are you going to do? Use your saber to menace me?”

“If you’d like…” Mara’s saber snapped on before she had even finished speaking. She pointed it at Naelli’s nose, the bright light illuminating the darkened room. “Are you done posturing?”

Naelli looked over the saber to Luke, who stood there casually holding the machine. He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know all about that machine. It’s called IDD—Inter-Dimensional Device. It was something of a scrap project of a scientist named Niargen.”

“Niargen,” Mara repeated, withdrawing her saber. “That sounds familiar.”

“It should,” Naelli said. “He was one of the brightest minds of the Empire. I worked with him in the Maw Installation.”

“Where they worked on Death Star,” Luke said, nodding. “So why was this project scrapped?”

“It wasn’t a weapon. At the time all the Empire wanted was bigger and better weapons of mass destruction. That,” he said, pointing at the IDD, “was just something that Niargen did on his down time.”

“But I would think the Empire would love the idea of branching out into other realities,” Luke countered.

“Well, they did, but then when it was discovered that there was a time window associated with it, it was deemed too unstable. Also, it was stolen before it could be used to the Empire’s advantage.”

“Stolen?” Mara and Luke asked at the same time.

“Yeah, stolen. A guy named Marse Naelli stole it from me.”

“But you are Marse Naelli,” Luke said.

“And so was he. I was using it on a test run, and decided to look myself up. Get a kick of seeing how he lived, what he did. Right before my twenty-four hours were up the bastard grabbed me and rode my coattails back here and then promptly knocked me out and took it. I haven’t seen it since.”

“So it was never his device to start with,” Luke said, looking down at the IDD.

“Luke,” Mara said urgently. He looked up in surprise at her use of his name in front of Naelli.

“What?” he asked, wondering what could be so important that she would risk using his real name.

“Did you hear what he said? ‘Before his twenty four hours were up…’”

A horrible, gnawing feeling started in his stomach as he swung back to look at Naelli. “What do you mean about the twenty-four hour period? You said, ‘before’ it was up?”

Naelli looked confused, his brow furrowed. “Well, yeah. Didn’t he tell you how it works? Once you jump dimensions you only have twenty-four hours to leave. If you don’t leave in that time-frame, well, I’m afraid you’re stuck in that galaxy forever.”

“Forever?” Luke repeated, trying to keep the shock from his voice. He felt as if his stomach had dropped completely from his body. “Is it usable at all after the twenty four hours? I mean, could you use it to jump to another universe, but not the one you came from?”

“No, it’s essentially dead after the time has run-out. Niargen couldn’t seem to find a way to fix that flaw. That’s why the Empire deemed it too unreliable.”

“Where is this Niargen now?” Mara cut in. She was still all business, but Luke could see the tight grip she had on the handle of her lightsaber, the tension in her fingers belying her calm. “Is he still alive?”

“We don’t exactly have Maw Installation Project Team reunions,” Naelli answered rudely. “But I think I heard something about him being in a mental institution on Crseih Station.”

“Thanks for the tip. Now, one thing I’m confused about—the Empire deemed this unreliable, yet you still had it stolen from you? Were there more than one IDD?”

Hope sprang in Luke’s mind at Mara’s question. Maybe there was a way back, after all.

“There was a second, but it was destroyed. All that was left was that one,” he pointed to the IDD in Luke’s hand.

“What happened to the first? Could it be pieced back together or something?”

“No, I’m afraid it’s long gone. It was on the Death Star, you see.”

**


They left Naelli’s house and headed back to the Temple, both lost in their own thoughts. Luke’s stomach was in a constant knot, the reality of his situation setting in. He could never leave. Never go home to Ben. He would never see Leia, Han, Jaina or Allana again. And they would never know what happened to him. He left no note. There would be no evidence that anything had happened to him. He wondered if they had noticed yet. Ben was probably still on Adumar, but the Jedi would have noticed his absence by now. He no longer lived in his suite at the Temple but was there every day, teaching classes and interacting with other Masters.

But then again, he had withdrawn so much since Mara’s death, finding pain in being with others instead of comfort. He knew that he wasn’t the only one who had lost her, but the pain was still so fresh for him. Everyone else seemed to go on so easily, hugging their significant others to them and thanking the Force it hadn’t been their wife, or husband. It wasn’t fair of him to feel that way, he knew. He was not the only one to lose someone. Leia had lost both of her sons. Chewbacca had died at the beginning of the Vong war and it still seemed unreal that he was gone and not a constant presence at Han’s side. So many of his students and fellow Masters had gone into the Force as well, but Mara…the loss of her had made even the simple act of breathing a hard one to accomplish.

Mara ushered him back into her suite through a secret escape hall that had been built. He wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to hide him from the other Jedi, and dampening his sense in the Force was becoming harder as the emotional hits kept coming. Mara was a whole other consideration. He knew she was finding it hard to live and work with him, comparing him to her husband and most likely finding him lacking. He wanted to be the man she had known, but as always she was behind the walls she had built to protect herself. Since that single kiss, when he had thought he was going to leave, she had retreated behind them again, and the emotional rollercoaster they were on didn’t seem to be helping things in that regard.

“I’m going to see what Karrde can find on Niargen,” she said as they exited the passage and entered the hall of the suite. She walked away, and he watched her go, too tired to go after her, and knowing that she needed the time away from him to process things.

He entered the guest room and sat in the chair that was swiftly becoming his ‘go-to’ spot, looking out over the traffic as it zoomed by again. He swallowed hard as tears pricked at his eyes, thinking of what a mess he had made by his own selfish desires. But as quickly as the despair fell over him, he pushed it back, realizing it did him no good. It was what got him into this situation, and he wouldn’t succumb to it again. The Force had led him here for a reason, and there had to be a way home.

And no matter what, there was still Mara. Always Mara. She had been his home, his touchstone in the galaxy, and it seemed so strange to now be working so hard to leave her behind.

 

Poor Luke! He can't seem to get ahead whatever galaxy he's in. :-(

 

Even though it's the first Monday of Daylight Savings Time, I'm happy because MOAR EoA!!!! Congratulations on being almost finished! I can't wait to read the rest!

I can't imagine what Mara must feel like to see Luke in his clothes. I just realized what this story reminds me of - that episode of The Golden Girls with Blanche's dream of George!

Oh! Artoo! Will we get to see him? His reaction would be priceless!

I love Mara's conversation with Karrde and Luke's thoughts on that. He's right; Ben SHOULD be close with Karrde. I hate that profic has forgotten that.

?The Chief of State asked me personally to arrest Naelli. It wasn?t something that I could exactly turn down.?

?The head of the Jedi Order couldn?t say no, or assign someone else the task??

?Not in this case. Not when the Chief of State is Natasi Daala and she has a grudge against all Jedi.?

?Daala?? Mara?s eyebrows practically rose off her forehead. ?What the kriff kind of galaxy do you come from, Skywalker??

?Cute,? he said, stealing her phrase. ?But honestly?sometimes I wonder that, too.?

We ALL do, Skywalker! But Mara has a point - if Daala hates the Jedi, why did she want Luke to help with this case?

Then you hit us with a gut punch! Luke is stuck there! AAAHHHH!!! I don't care how much I 'ship L/M, I don't want him to be stuck there! He needs Ben and Ben needs him! There's a way to fix this, right??? The Force has to show them a way, right???

Also, Creish Station - I never thought I'd see THAT name again!

Wonderful update, as always! I can't wait for two posts per week!!!


EDIT: D'oh! I forgot to mention the other gutpunch, about the other IDD being on the Death Star!!!

 

Oh man, Luke is so screwed. I wonder if the bad guy gave him the wrong directions on purpose so he could get rid of the Jedi Master? Very interesting. I still haven't figured out how you are going to give me a happy ending to this story. I just see heartache for Luke. Either he is missing his son or his wife. And Mara really isn't his wife and knowing Mara she would be stubborn enough to not open her heart to Luke.

I am looking forward to reading more!

 

I'm wondering it Daala set him up with this task. She worked in the Maw, too. And Naelli KNEW about Mara's death and Luke in mourning when he was arrested...at Daala's command. Hmm...Daala wanting Luke out of the way, perhaps?


I don't want to be saying "poor Luke," because he's getting to be with Mara again, but...he needs to go home where he belongs.

 

the tunic was a little different than what he was used to wearing, lighter in color and the collar not so high.

just a little happier, this universe

He wiped the steam from the mirror and looked at himself, trying to imagine how different he looked from what he had thirteen years before, and what Mara must think of him now.
She thinks still too hot to be a widower. She must be!


I keep taking so many things for granted, I mean?who won the Smashball tournament last meet??

?Bryx,? Mara answered without missing a beat.




Karrde himself showed up on the screen. He looked exactly as Luke remembered and he felt a pang thinking that he hadn?t seen Karrde in quite a while. He was such an important figure in Mara?s life and Luke knew that he missed her as well. Mara would want Ben to know Talon better.
And hint, hint, hint to canon. Yes, Luke in FOTJ, LOTF even, is doing better that this Luke - but not when it comes to Karrde.


the longer he was here with her, the more he realized that was one of the things he missed most about Mara. Even more than just his wife and lover, he missed the amazing Jedi Master she had become.
Awwww, yes! Yes he would! Another perfect sign of how unselfish his love for her actually is, even if he's selfish in his sorrow.


Interesting, though, that Daala would ask a Jedi for help.?

?I thought that myself.?
And so did I...



?No, I?m afraid it?s long gone. It was on the Death Star, you see.?
First reaction: then it's really gone!
Second thought: unless someone put it in his pocket and took off before it blew...
Or her pocket...? Someone from the Maw? Someone with business on the DS...????



He knew she was finding it hard to live and work with him, comparing him to her husband and most likely finding him lacking. He wanted to be the man she had known, but as always she was behind the walls she had built to protect herself. Since that single kiss, when he had thought he was going to leave, she had retreated behind them again, and the emotional rollercoaster they were on didn?t seem to be helping things in that regard.
Oh, Luke - of course you'd think yourself not enough - even competing with yourself!!!


He entered the guest room and sat in the chair that was swiftly becoming his ?go-to? spot, looking out over the traffic as it zoomed by again. He swallowed hard as tears pricked at his eyes, thinking of what a mess he had made by his own selfish desires. But as quickly as the despair fell over him, he pushed it back, realizing it did him no good. It was what got him into this situation, and he wouldn?t succumb to it again. The Force had led him here for a reason, and there had to be a way home.

And no matter what, there was still Mara. Always Mara. She had been his home, his touchstone in the galaxy, and it seemed so strange to now be working so hard to leave her behind.
That's the spirit!!!! Oh, ginchy-girl - I LOVE the universe you're weaving here; all of it!!! The feeling of it, the mystery, the romance... can't wait for next chapter!

 

Creish Station huh? The place where Waru manifested into the Star War galaxy. Is this really a coincidence, given that this is an interdimensional device?

Also, something needs to definitely get resolved soon. I think ... if I were Luke after a while, as painful as it would be, I would probably end up walking away from this Mara: device working or not and just disappear somewhere. I mean, I can understand why she is so upset obviously and she has every right to. I can't but wonder though: if she had been offered this device instead of Luke, what would she have done? Would she have simply ignored it and gone on with her life? If so, what does that say about her compared to Luke: that she is necessarily less selfish? Or less caring?

I mean, obviously she does care, and after all of those people impersonating her husband--though she logically knew he had passed on into the Force in front of her--she would be insanely guarded: especially if she spent all this time moving on with her life. But I guess it really just shows the difference between the two. I don't know. I always found Mara Jade to be very prickly and sometimes unpleasant: but here at least I can understand why.

 

Why do I get the feeling Daala had a hand in this?

Oh, dumb dumb Lukie. He'll find a way back, right? RIGHT?!

Great update. I can't wait for more!

 

I'm pretty sure Naelli set Luke up.

It's great to see Luke an Mara working together like that but oh so bittersweet.

 

She had been his home, his touchstone in the galaxy, and it seemed so strange to now be working so hard to leave her behind.



Oh, the angst!!! Good think I love angst!!!

Great line, ginchy lee! That just twisted my heart. It IS good to see them working together again. I love how you've developed Luke's inner conflict. He wants to get home to Ben, but he longs for Mara. He's torn, but the decision is out of his control...for now.

Bravo!

 

Oh, wow, this was bittersweet! You can feel the differences and similarities pulling at both Luke and mara, providing happiness and pain at the same time.

I think Luke has come to a realization that even though Mara is his touchstone and home/center/anchor, this Mara for all her familiarity - isn't his Mara

Looking forward to what they find out.

On a plotting note, you write time travel/alt universes very compellingly.

Not everyone can do that and make a great plot or keep from making my brain hurt LOL - I do love time/parallel universe fics; they're very cool, lets you see the divergences and constants.

 

As always, a great update! I admit, my stomach did a few flip-flops when Luke found out that he may not be able to go back home... But the most emotional moment was when he thought he was not worthy of Mara in this universe - I wonder how she feels about it.
I'd also love to see how people would react if they found out Luke is here - the Solos can't just sit on Naboo forever, right?
Update two times a week? Please?

 

Mondra posted: Update two times a week? Please?



I could live with that LOL - very easily.



~Jade

 

This is awesome! Sooo, the guy Luke caught was a thief - who may not have known all the details himself either... interesting. Yikes! So Luke may be stuck there permanently after all. This could get messy. Did Naelli lie? Or just ridiculously mistaken? Cause he acted like he'd been to several dimensions, which would mean he's used it several times. At least it's now said that people can piggyback on the device if nothing else.

 

Thanks for reading, everyone!!

---

[b] RedGold:[/b] ginchy?s so mean to him!! [face_cry] I guess there had to come a price for all that shine I wrote for him. ;) Thanks for reading, gal!

[b] JediMara77:[/b] I can?t wait to read the rest either. LOL And Daylight Savings sucks!! OMG, the George ep!! Oh, I felt so badly for Blanche with that one. But she got to hug him. [face_love] Yes, just what is Daala up to?? No good, I expect. And LOL about Creish Station? it was momentary inspiration in the midst of Nano, what can I say? Thank you, lady!!

[b] Jedi_Lover:[/b] Just why would Naelli give him the wrong directions? Very interesting? Yes, he is screwed. Have you seen the new show ?Awake?? It?s actually very similar to EoA (makes me glad I can prove I wrote this back in November! LOL). But I feel the same way for Jason Isaacs on the show. Thanks, gal!!

[b] taramidala:[/b] Did she used to work in the Maw, too??? [face_mischief] Very interesting. And probably see-throughable. ginchy doesn?t claim to be good at plot!! ;) I agree. Luke needs to get his shizz together and get home to his son. Or else Mara will kick his butt, but good. Thank you, gal!! And great update of your fic today, btw!!

[b] kataja:[/b] Girl, you are so right. He definitely is too hot to be a widower. Rawr. Hang on, I gotta go look at that pic again. Luckily it?s on the cover. [image=http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/ginchy/ginchy-eoa.jpg]Rawr. Ahem. I so agree about Karrde. I don?t understand why Luke?s not calling him up, especially when he?s, you know, outcast. Makes no sense. [i] Oh, Luke - of course you'd think yourself not enough - even competing with yourself!!! [face_tongue][/i] I know, right?? But it?s why we love him. Well, partially. Thank you so much, gal!! I hope this new update is up to par! [face_hugs]

[b] darth_treyvah:[/b] Creish Station, yep. Let?s just say somewhere in the middle of November, I was frantically nanoing and needed a place for L/M to go and somehow? Waru popped into my mind. [face_crazy] Yeah. Not a proud moment. ;) Luke and Mara?s relationship here in the alt world is very complicated. It would be easier for him to walk away from her, and her from him. Yet he hasn?t gone and she hasn?t made him gone, which for Mara, I think, is very telling. She?s selfish, too. She?s missed her husband and here is a man that not only looks like him? IS him? from a certain point of view. Mara is prickly and unpleasant, but I think it comes from the way she was raised. Luke and her life as a Jedi and a mother bring out other aspects, imo. But I think she still has to overcome her first compulsion. Thanks for peeking in!!

[b] Briannakin:[/b] That Daala. She?s a mess. ;) I hope Luke can find a way back?. :D Thanks, lady!!

[b] Hazel:[/b] Isn?t it fun to see them working together again?? I personally loved the scene of him watching her walk in front of him. It made me tear up while writing it! Thank you, girl!!

[b] Jade_Pilot :[/b] Girl, it is a good thing!!! I wrote this story for you, after all! [face_love] After that crappy birthday fic? eeeek. LOL I?m glad you liked that line. I liked it, too. And I like how you put the decision is out of his control. I think it is, even more so than he knows. Thank you, sweetie!!!

[b] Jade_eyes:[/b] Bittersweet is the perfect word for EoA. And I think you?re right?. Luke is realizing that this isn?t his Mara, but it?s still hard to reconcile that with what you see in front of you, you know? I think the lack of the bond helps in that regard, however. That bond is special, meant only for their own Luke and Mara. I?m glad you liked the word touchstone, too. I think it?s perfect for them. Parallel universes make my brain hurt, too. In fact, I?m not sure I did enough to make this one alternate enough. Thanks for reading!!!

[b]Mondra:[/b] Oh, the reactions of people to Luke? I think you?ll get a few of those along the way? ;)

 

Since the boards are going down soon, I figured I would go ahead and post and extra chapter this week. I'll post chapter 9 on Monday. When the boards are down I will continue to update both on ff.net @ http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7789470/1/Echoes_of_Always and my LiveJournal @ http://ginchy.livejournal.com. I hope you enjoy this new update!

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[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][U][B][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Chapter 8[/FONT][/COLOR][/B][/U][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Karrde didn’t get back with them on Niargen for two days. The time crept by. Mara returned to teach her classes, but turned down a diplomatic mission. She used the excuse that her children would be home soon, but Luke knew that she hated having to rearrange her life and her schedule. It was something that they couldn’t do indefinitely, but for now their lives were in constant motion while trying to find a solution to Luke’s situation.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]They ate their meals together and talked little. Luke was still overwhelmed with the idea that he had brought this on himself, that he had stranded himself a galaxy away from his son and the rest of his family. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]There was a tension between him and Mara now, a feeling that if one word too many was spoken that something between them would break. Luke wished for their bond now and realized that he hadn’t known how often he had relied on it to see what Mara was feeling or thinking. She was so adept at hiding her emotions and she was using that ability now.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Credit for your thoughts?” Luke asked as they entered the second day of waiting for Karrde to get back with them on Niargen’s whereabouts. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara’s mouth quirked. “I’ll have to see the creds first. To make sure they’re legal standard here.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He grinned, dropping his head to the side and running a hand down the back of his head. “Really?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Skywalker.” Mara rolled her eyes. “I was just thinking about the vision you showed me. About your life with…Mara. Thinking about how differently things could have turned out.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“You said earlier that our relationships had a similar beginning. Should I assume that you were operating under a certain Last Command when you met your Luke?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Hardly an auspicious beginning, but yes. I assume that your Mara killed your clone, unless you spell your name L–u-u-k-e?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Nah, would take even longer to sign an autograph,” he joked.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara’s lips quirked again but she looked somewhat uncomfortable with the conversation.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“It is interesting to think of the paths our relationships took, though. You and your Luke, married with a baby in 12 ABY and I was…floundering then.” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Floundering.” Mara said. “I was wondering what could have happened to you and Mara to keep Betrys from being born—what happened to change things so drastically?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“You see, I’ve been wondering the same. What happened with you and Luke to change things so drastically here? The idea that I—we—could have had a child together so early… It amazes me, Mara.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“She [I]is[/I] amazing,” Mara said, her eyes shining with pride as she thought of her daughter. “He was so besotted by her. The first time he held her, his grin…” She trailed off and closed her eyes as if remembering that moment. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Luke tried to imagine. A daughter at that time in his life would have given him purpose, the same resolve Ben had given him when he came along later in his life. He had never felt such peace as he had when he had held Ben and imagined his bright future. Perhaps that could have happened for him much earlier in the form of a daughter with Mara, and her very presence could have inspired in him changes to the Jedi Order that could have helped it withstand the dark times to come.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]But at that time he had felt his purpose was to pave a way for his niece and nephews through the Force, but had found the task monumental. There was never a moment’s peace, but he had thought he was doing the work of a Jedi by jumping headlong into so many missions and battles. Plus the Solo kids were kidnapped so often by those seeking to distort their powers in the Force, and he had made so many mistakes with them. So many mistakes that at the time had seemed the only viable options for the kids’ safety. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“How did it happen? How did the two of you manage to work through so many issues so fast? Mara and I—even before my failures we were just friendly, at best.” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“At best?” Mara asked. “I think that was just… me, the way I was at the time. I was so closed off and angry, but you showed me a new way. A new path. I wasn’t ready to be a Jedi, but the Smuggler’s Alliance gave me a sense of purpose and peace like I had never had.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Yes, Mara once told me that she enjoyed her work with the Alliance. She left it when we married to devote her time to becoming a Jedi.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“I did eventually, too, when I realized that the Force was calling me. That I couldn’t have the Master without the Force,” she said, with a small, pained smile. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Luke imagined that had been a private joke between her and Luke and felt a surprising stab of jealousy. “But Betrys…I’m sorry. Her very existence is overwhelming to me.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“It’s even harder for me to believe that she doesn’t exist where you come from. She is, like her father before her and her brother after her, my reminder of the good things in the galaxy. When I realized I was pregnant, Luke and I hadn’t been together for very long. We kept running into each other on Coruscant and, well, you had that sex-ed class back on Tatooine. You know the rest.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Luke choked out a laugh, thinking of a long ago class he had taken as a teenager in Anchorhead. Aunt Beru had seemed relieved that the school would be teaching that topic, and he was thrilled, not wanting to hear any stories about his aunt or uncle. He embarrassed easily then, and the idea had been horrific. But the class had been worse. Camie and Windy had been in there with him, and though they could be friendly when Fixer wasn’t around, Camie had seemed angry with him for some imagined slight. She then tried to embarrass him by teaching him how to put a prophylactic on a phallic-looking fruit the teacher had brought in for demonstration. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Um, yes,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I do remember that. I’m somewhat embarrassed that you do, too.” He couldn’t help but notice that Mara had changed the subject somewhat, trying to steer away from heavier topics to humor. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara looked entirely too pleased with herself. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]But Luke still had questions. “Did Luke give you our father’s—Anakin’s—lightsaber?” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]She nodded. “Yes,” she said, looking as if she were warring with herself on whether to say more. She sighed, almost as if speaking about all of this was painful for her. “That was the turning point for our relationship, at least for me. I realized what a gift the saber was, and that it had absolutely no strings attached to it. That was almost more amazing to me than the gift itself. It was after that that we started to see one another. A year later, Betrys was conceived.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“So Ben must have been a big surprise.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“I told him when I was pregnant with Bets that I would vape him where he stood should he do it to me again. I guess I grew soft in my old age.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Luke grinned but his mind was racing, trying to take it all in. He tried to imagine himself on Coruscant in those days after the Thrawn campaign. He had been close to realizing his dream of a Jedi Academy but then it had all been waylaid and almost ruined by the reborn Emperor on Byss. He snuck a look at Mara, amazed anew to be sitting so close to her, to be able to see the freckles that spread across the skin of her nose and cheeks. He knew he should tell her about Byss and his struggles there and afterward, but he was selfish and didn’t want to see the rejection in her eyes when she knew that he had touched the Dark Side.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Ben is the greatest joy in my life, after Mara,” he said instead.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Ben was such a gift, like his sister. We were so tired and worn down but then there he was, a reminder of the Light, or that’s what Luke always said,” Mara said, looking somewhat embarrassed to show so much emotion.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“I’d imagine my grin when I first held him matched another one in this galaxy,” he said, thinking back to the day of Ben’s birth and his joy at having not just a son, but his wife restored to health. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara looked into his face, her eyes somewhat glassy. “Yes,” she said. “I can imagine that, too.” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana].[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana].[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]After the drawn-out days Karrde finally commed the suite, telling Mara that Regelie Niargen had been located. But he was not anywhere Luke expected to find such a highly regarded scientist.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“He’s in an asylum on Crseih Station,” Mara said to Luke after she hung up with Karrde. “Does that ring any bells to you?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Luke grimaced. “Yeah, it was an asteroid prison in the Outer Rim. Leia’s kids were once kidnapped and held there. That was about…” Luke thought for a moment. “14 ABY.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“That was right after we got married,” Mara said. “The kids weren’t kidnapped then—I’ve never even heard of this place before.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“What about a creature called Waru?” Luke asked warily.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“From the expression on your face I think it’s probably best that I haven’t.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Yeah, you could say that.” Luke had thought that perhaps Waru was from an anti-galaxy of sorts, but now he wondered whether perhaps this had been Waru’s home. He hoped not. He didn’t want to deal with Waru or his cult of followers again. “I’ll tell you about Waru later, if you really want to know. When do we leave?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara shook her head. “I just turned down a diplomatic mission and now…my kids are going to be back in five days. How far out in the Rim is this place?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Pakunni System.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“That far,” Mara said, then swore. “Well, the [I]Sabre[/I] will make it in a day and a half if I push it.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]The [I]Sabre[/I]. She had said it so casually. He thought of the ship he had commissioned for his wife after the loss of her beloved [I]Fire[/I]. He had pored over every detail, wanting to make the ship a place of security and peace for her, a gift grand enough to show his ever expanding love. Mara had delighted in it and had been crushed when it was lost. He had been crushed, too. He had taken pride in being able to give her that gift and to have it lost so quickly and to the Vong War had troubled and saddened him.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“We’ll leave within the hour,” she said. “I’m going to go ahead and request our clearance.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]She swept over to the comm and he went back into the guest room to pack the clothing he had been wearing. Three days on the [I]Sabre[/I] with Mara. One and a half there and back. It would be quite the interesting trip, not to mention what they would find when they arrived.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Luke took a deep breath and sought to center himself in the Force. He found that he looked forward to those days, away from Coruscant and the Temple. He had been so focused on what he had done wrong and on the fact that Mara wasn’t really his Mara that he wasn’t appreciating what he had. He hoped they would find answers on Creish Station, but if not, at least he had that time with Mara. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He closed his eyes and smiled.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana].[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana].[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]The [I]Jade Sabre [/I]was as beautiful as he remembered, its gleaming hull a pointed blade that was a beacon in the darkened dock. He crept forward under a Force disguise and used the beacon call to lower the ramp, quickly running up it and entering the cockpit. He slid down into his familiar co-pilot’s seat and waited, watching out the windows to make sure no one saw him in there. The room stayed quiet, though, no one around to see a dead man enter his wife’s ship.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara entered a few minutes later, efficiently starting the pre-flight checks on her ship, her hands moving effortlessly over the controls. He started to ask if she needed his help, but realized with a pang that she was used to doing it on her own now and didn’t need, and probably didn’t want, his help. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]They left Coruscant with little problem, jumping to lightspeed as Mara explained that she’d told the other Masters that she was off to Naboo to visit in the last days of the family’s vacation. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“What if the kids make it back before we do?” Luke asked.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“They won’t. But if they do…well, we’ll deal with that later,” she dismissed, but Luke could see the tell-tale creases around her eyes that signaled she was worried about something. “Now, this Niargen, just what are we going to talk to him about?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Luke let out a puff of air and watched the starlines as they raced past the window. “Would you smack me if I said ‘I don’t know’?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Try it and see.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He gave her a sideways glance. “I don’t—” He grinned as her hand came up. “I’m not sure,” he amended. “It just seems to me that if he could create this device once, why not again? And if the codes are fixed to each universe, why couldn’t I just jump right back?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Why indeed?” Mara murmured. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“And maybe there were more than two created. At least, that’s my hope. We’ll see how that hope gets stomped once we’re there. This also might be a good time to mention that the last time I saw the Creish Station of my galaxy it was nothing more than space dust.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Now you tell me. Cute, Skywalker.” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He grinned at her and leaned back into a comfortable and familiar position in his chair, throwing his arm over the back of it and hugging it to him as he turned to look at her. He watched her eyes widen as she took in his new position and he frowned as she pressed her lips together. “Mara, what?” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“It’s nothing,” she said, standing and checking the auto-pilot. She turned to leave the cockpit, but looked at him once more. “It’s just…sometimes you remind me so much of [I]him[/I].”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Luke watched her go.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana].[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana].[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]The [I]Sabre[/I] had three cabins, and Luke had left his things in the smallest spare one, the one furthest from the stateroom. He smiled to himself as he let his hand trail down the wall of the ship, the ship he had worked so hard to build. He found himself wondering when the Luke of this galaxy had commissioned the ship for his wife. Under what circumstances he had done so and if it, too, had been a wedding gift. He saw all of the same attributes in this ship that had been in the original, but he noticed other things, as well. How the second cabin connected to the stateroom almost as if that room had once been for a child. How there was a game table in the main hold and extra seats at the counter in the galley. He thought of Mara and the children on this ship and had a pang at the thought that his Ben had never seen the [I]Sabre[/I], knowing only the [I]Shadow [/I]as his mother’s ship.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He trailed around looking, feeling even more surreal in the ship than he had in the Temple. He still had the Temple to go to on his Coruscant, and the [I]Shadow[/I]. But the [I]Sabre[/I] was another ghost from his past, like Mara. He remembered how astonished she had been when he’d gifted her with the ship, how she had remained so still in the aftermath of his pronouncement and had not looked at him or at the ship, but at the ground. He had thought that maybe she was disappointed or overwhelmed but when she had looked up at him with glassy eyes, he had taken her in his arms and held her until she started to laugh through her tears. She was still so unused to gifts given out of love then and had been overwhelmed, but only in the best way, she had been quick to assure him. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]They had christened the captain’s chair that first night. He found himself smiling at the memory, the familiar pain that came with remembering her not as raw in his chest. Instead it felt good to remember her. Right. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He found Mara in the galley, sitting on a stool at the low bar that served as the table. “Hey,” he said, sticking his head around the corner. “Can I come in?” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara didn’t look up but he could see a half smile on her face. “Hungry?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Usually,” he answered and watched her smile grow larger. “What’s to eat?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“You have two hands,” she pointed out.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“That doesn’t sound very appetizing,” he muttered, looking at his hands as if he had never seen them before. “Maybe with some hot sauce—”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara laughed. “You’re crazy, Skywalker.” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He shook his head. “Sometimes. But seriously, are you hungry? Can I make you something?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]She gave him an appraising look. “Sure, do your worst.” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“What? Didn’t your Luke ever cook for you?” He turned and opened a cabinet behind him, rummaging through to see what supplies Mara kept on hand.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Ah…well, somewhat,” Mara answered. Her voice wasn’t as guarded as it had been before when she talked about her husband. “He could make one or two dishes really well, and I had three or four I could do…We got by.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Was one of those dishes teltiar noodles with cream sauce?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Actually, no,” Mara said with a confused half-grin. “Where did you pick that up?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he said mildly, putting the noodles on to cook. Mara didn’t say anything, just watched him as he poured a pasta sauce base in a bowl and started adding seasonings. He looked up to see Mara watching him speculatively. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Did I—she teach you?” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He grinned. “Nope. But she loved the meal. Would eat seconds.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Really? Must be good. Anything I can help with?” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“No, I’m good. Just adding the last bit of spice here. It’ll cook for about ten and then we’ll be ready to eat.” He put the bowl in the cooker and hopped up on the counter to wait for it to finish. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara sat quietly in her spot, but after a moment broke the silence. “So seriously, where did you learn to make this dish?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He smiled. “Would you believe me if I said an ex-girlfriend?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara made a face. “Maybe I don’t want to know.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He laughed. “Mara said the same thing,” he said, his memory tracking back to a similar conversation that was held not on the [I]Sabre[/I] but in their quarters on Yavin IV. “But after she tasted the dish she didn’t care where I had learned it.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]The timer went off and Luke prepared them each a dish, setting Mara’s in front of her with a flourish. She rolled her eyes, but took a bite and her whole face changed. She chewed with gusto and swallowed, only to quickly take another bite. “Stang! This is good, Skywalker.” She dug into her plate.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“I’m glad you like it.” He watched as she ate, his own hunger forgotten as she devoured her meal. Mara had always liked this simple dish. It wasn’t hard to throw together and he had made it for her often. It was nice to see Mara enjoying something again. He took a bite and smiled to himself. He hadn’t made this since before Mara had died and it was good to eat something familiar again, something that reminded him of home.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]After she had died he had catalogued so many things that he missed about her. The obvious things like her scent, the color of her hair, her smile and the warmth of her Force sense had been the most missed. But as time moved on, he realized that he missed traits of hers that were even smaller, such as the sound of her foot tapping impatiently as she tried to figure out a problem, the whisper of her breath over his skin, and the sight of her enjoying something she found pleasurable. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]It was just nice to be with her again. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]After the edge of hunger was gone they lingered over the meal, having nowhere else to go and little else to do. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“So,” Mara asked, tapping her fork against her lips. “Just who was this ex-girlfriend with great taste in pasta sauce?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“And men,” Luke couldn’t help but point out.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Debatable.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]He good-naturedly rolled his eyes and grinned. “I thought you wouldn’t care who it was, like Mara didn’t.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“That was [I]her[/I]. This is me,” Mara said, and something crackled between them with that response. She caught his gaze and stared and he swallowed hard—emotion, not pasta, in his throat.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Her name was Reliy,” Luke answered quietly. “And I guess I wouldn’t really call her an ex, not in the strictest sense of the word. But she did teach me the sauce.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“When did you know this Reliy? Luke never made this sauce so I’m assuming he either didn’t know her, or didn’t want to bring up an ‘ex’ with me.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Maybe he didn’t know her or didn’t know her as well as I did. It was during the war…the Rebellion. She was a fellow pilot and we shared a…fondness…for a time.” [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Mara rolled her eyes. “A fondness. And when did you have time to date during the Rebellion? Luke always joked that all the time on Dagobah with Yoda really cut into his personal life.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“But I wasn’t on Dagobah very long really.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Not long?” Mara said, her eyes widening. “Luke was there for close to two years.” She paused, noticing his shocked look, and said, “It’s just so strange, how similar our galaxies are, but dissimilar, too. Do you think that one galaxy has sprung from the other’s changes? The decisions made or not made?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]Luke thought about that for a moment. “I’m not sure. If Naelli is to be believed then there are infinite galaxies, but then again, there are also infinite decisions.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“It’s a lot to take in.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“It is. This place we’re going to, the station—when I was there last there was the creature I mentioned to you, Waru. He was believed to be an inter-dimensional traveler.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“What happened to him?”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“We’re not sure. My hope is that he was able to go back to his galaxy. I’ve speculated that a rip in the time/space continuum opened to take him home, but…that’s all it is, speculation.”[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Is this place susceptible to rips in the continuum of time?” Mara asked wryly, standing and rinsing her plate to place it in the recycler. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“If it is I suppose that would only be a good thing for me.” Luke handed Mara his empty plate when she motioned for it.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px] [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=trebuchet ms][COLOR=#333333][SIZE=13px][COLOR=black][FONT=verdana]“Yes,” Mara agreed. But her agreement strained the conversation and they were left quiet once again after their meal.[/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]

 

Great new details about a past love interest whom I'm glad isn't Callista & a fellow pilot during the Rebellion

Enjoyed the speculations about similar/dissimilar timestreams and how they originate. Really enjoyed the Sabre. I hope the alt version of L/M got to enjoy it together longer Seems like they did

Loved also reading about the small things he missed. Those are even more priceless than the biggies. LOL

 

I'm very glad it wasn't Callista, and I have to admit that Luke remembering his Mara and the Sabre made me cry (again).

The other Luke was on Dagobah for 2 years? Interesting, I'd like to know more about the diferences in the universes.

 

Luke let out a puff of air and watched the starlines as they raced past the window. ?Would you smack me if I said ?I don?t know???

?Try it and see.?

He gave her a sideways glance. ?I don?t?? He grinned as her hand came up. ?I?m not sure,? he amended. ?It just seems to me that if he could create this device once, why not again? And if the codes are fixed to each universe, why couldn?t I just jump right back??

Awwww! This exchange is so them.

I really enjoyed this chapter - the quiet awkwardness between them as they compare their galaxies.

I really hope they can get some answers out of Neirgen (or however you spell it). Even if Waru has something do do with Luke getting back I'll be okay with it's return (lets face it, Waru was an it).

I JUST WANT A HAPPY ENDING

 

Those two need to be careful... or maybe not...

Is it cheating if you sleep with an alternate version of your wife/husband?

Just asking...

 

The whole time I am reading about the sauce I am thinking...don't let it be Callista. I just know ginchy is going to throw in Callista to taunt me! No, no...not Callista. Then, yea! Its not Callista! I hope this is a Callista free zone.

This story is just killing me! I have no clue how a happy ending is possible! I want a happy ending!!! A happy ending with bootknocking!

Awesome fic!

 

YAY! An extra chapter! It's a MOVING miracle!!!

I love this chapter. It feels like the calm before the storm. Because you just KNOW something bad is gonna happen between these two - or maybe something REALLY good?

Mara is so reluctant to talk about "her" Luke. It's so sad. I wonder how much she has told her children. Betrys would remember her father, but not Ben. I feel sad for him, never knowing his dad.

And the idea of Luke with a daughter...be still my beating heart.

Luke thinking of the Sabre is so bittersweet...it reminds me of a scene in Omen, with Luke and Ben on the Shadow.

I want some teltiar noodles now! And I still think it should've been Callista...but I see I'm alone in that.

I love the dynamic you've created between them. There's these little moments where you see bit of "our" L/M, and you could see how these two would be drawn to each other. But then again, they're not each other's spouses and never will be, and there's such a distance between them. It's so heart-wrenching.

Luke spent two years on Dagobah??? Wow! To think of how much he learned...

I can't WAIT for the next update!!! Are we con Creish Station? I HOPE SO!!!

 

Yes, very alone!

 

The most interesting thing? The differences between the two timelines BEFORE their meeting. For some reason I thought they only diverged after Thrawn. I'd love to see what ELSE was different about Mara's world, especially if Luke was on Dagobah for two years(!). Does that mean he went right after Yavin? Did Hoth happen? Cloud City? Han's rescue? Endor? I MUST KNOW!!

I would have been okay with Callista (I guess, she grumbles), but you know I don't mind Luke with another lady at some point in his life.



I just...I just want a happy ending!