Beyond - Legends Guided Hands - Mara and Ben, post-DNT

Title: Guided Hands
Author: path-seeker
Timeframe: post-DNT
Characters: Mara and Ben
Genre: Drama
Summary: How do you stay calm when things go awry?
Notes: This was originally inspired by the First Sentence Challenge, but somewhere along the line I dropped the first sentence. Many thanks to Myriad_daydreams for that suggestion, and for being a fabulous beta!

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There was a time when Coruscant?s skyscapers looked impossibly tall, seeming to defy the very laws of nature in their grandeur. Somewhere along the line, however, the wonder had ceased, and they became just another part of the bustling metropolis. Ben, sprawled on the boarding ramp of the [i]Jade Shadow[/i], paid them no attention as he lazily watched the speeders and starships congesting Coruscant?s skies.

?Ben Skywalker, if you?re sleeping on my boarding ramp while I do all the repairs??

Startled into action by the sharp voice of his mother, Ben rose swiftly to his feet and turned to see her standing in the hatchway. ?I?m not sleeping,? he said with a frown. ?What do you need??

She sighed. ?The hydrospanner. I?m not sure where we left it.?

?I?ll find it ? shouldn?t be too hard.? Ben headed toward one of the [i]Shadow[/i]?s long corridors as Mara returned to the cockpit.

Once again his mother had flown into another skirmish on a mission that was supposed to be safe. It was not an uncommon occurrence, but the flash of alarm he had felt through the Force was something entirely foreign in Mara?s confident piloting. For that brief moment, Ben had feared the worse. When she arrived safely on Coruscant, she downplayed the story to him, simply saying she had been taken by surprise. He overheard her describing the situation to Luke, however, and he knew it had been more serious than she?d admitted.

It bothered him.

He was still thinking about that awful sense of alarm as he helped Mara with the [i]Shadow[/i]?s repairs. They had succeeded in fixing a damaged repulsorlift, and the rear deflector shield worked perfectly again. Some fried circuitry still needed replaced, a straightforward but tedious task his mother was working on.

Ben quickly located the missing hydrospanner near the ship?s repulsors and hurried back to the cockpit. By the time he returned, Mara?s face was inches away from the wall panel as she carefully untangled wires from the damaged circuit.

?Mom??

?Hmm??

?Are you afraid when you fly??

Mara did not immediately answer, but concentrated on removing the last wire and clipping out of the way. She accepted the hydrospanner from Ben and loosened the bolts that held the circuit board to the wall panel.

?Is this about that dogfight last week?? She finally asked.

Ben nodded. ?You seemed scared. I could feel it,? he said, his voice sounding small.

Mara sighed. ?I?ve been flying for a long, long time, so no, I?m not afraid. It just becomes second nature after awhile, though losing the deflector shield last week really startled me. I?m sorry, Ben. I didn?t mean to worry you.?

?How do you stay calm in a situation like that?? Ben asked. He sat in the navigator?s seat and leaned his head against the backrest, waiting for her to respond.

?I don?t have time to panic, not when a split-second hesitation could be the difference between life and death,? Mara replied, removing the bolts and carefully prying the circuit board from the panel. She set it on the cockpit?s floor before sinking into the copilot?s chair across from him.

?How do you feel when you train with the remotes, Ben? Are you afraid of them??

Ben frowned at the change of subject, but thought for a moment before answering. ?Not really,? he decided. ?I used to get nervous because it hurts when they hit me, but I don?t think about it much anymore.?

?Anxiety and fear are distractions, and they prevent you from falling into the Force. If they overwhelm you, you?re more likely to get singed,? Mara said gently. ?B

 

I absolutely love this. There aren't nearly enough fics with just Mara and Ben, and even less that show Ben's legacy from her. Perfectly done--I have to read it again!

 

I briefly mentioned this when I beta'd it, but I'll say it again... this is one of the best Mara interpretations I've seen in a long time. Ben and Mara's bond goes a lot deeper than it shows in profic, methinks. This fic really shows how much of an influence his mother was in his life. After all, don't we all carry memories of our mothers that change the way we go through our lives?

Missing moments like these make what happened in Sacrifice a lot more bearable

I particularly liked this bit:

?I don?t have time to panic, not when a split-second hesitation could be the difference between life and death,? Mara replied, removing the bolts and carefully prying the circuit board from the panel. She set it on the cockpit?s floor before sinking into the copilot?s chair across from him.

Very Mara-like. Great job seeker!

 

Stunning. Sweet. path-seeker, you are fantastic with characters--and those pivotal shining moments--woven from "ordinary" details. Huggles!!!!

 

Super Sweeeet! You never really get to see alot of mother/son bonding before Sacrifice and you captured Ben and Mara really well. Good Job!!

 

WOW! That was great path-seeker!!

Very sweet and touching! I love that he was remembering what his mother taught him!

I agree with Myriad, it is fics like this that make Mara's death more bearable!

Wonderful job!!

 

oh yes, there definitely needs to be more good Mara/Ben fics that show what Ben got from his dear mother

 

Oohhhhhh! Honey, that was specacular. Seriously, like myriad said, that was an amazing piece--really capturing the love they would have for each other. I think that profic focuses too much (never thought I'd hear myself saying this!) on the L/M relationship, and kinda phases out Ben's relationship with his parents. I mean, if you look at how much they fought and gave up just to bring him into the universe, its pretty far-fetched they'd really be as distant as LFL wants us to think!

That was a beautiful, believable, and perfect viggie! the ending was sad...but in a good way. It was just all-around wonderful.

Great job! Eagerly looking forward to what you share with us next!!!

Huggles,
Irish

 

Author replies

Thanks for reading and commenting, everyone! I always appreciate your feedback!

ginchy: There aren't nearly enough fics with just Mara and Ben, and even less that show Ben's legacy from her. There was never a big focus on Mara and Ben, even in profic IMO. Some of my favorite moments in LOTF are with Mara and Ben, and the lack of them really inspired me to write this.

I'm glad you found it worth rereading! Thanks for commenting!


Myriad: Ben and Mara's bond goes a lot deeper than it shows in profic, methinks. I think so too, and I always had the impression that Ben would be closer to Mara than Luke.

This fic really shows how much of an influence his mother was in his life. After all, don't we all carry memories of our mothers that change the way we go through our lives? Definitely, and especially in the little, inconsequential things. During those first few years after Mara's death, I think Ben would really let those lessons shape his outlook on life.

Thanks for all your help with this! I'm glad you enjoyed it!


Jade_eyes: you are fantastic with characters--and those pivotal shining moments--woven from "ordinary" details. I'm a stickler for details, especially when it comes to characterizations (I'm picky about sentence structure too ). I'm glad it shows. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!


Jaina_Jade_Fel: You never really get to see alot of mother/son bonding before Sacrifice and you captured Ben and Mara really well. Hi! I love those scenes in Sacrifice, and I wish there could have been more in profic. Thanks for reading, and welcome to the boards!


mavjade: I love that he was remembering what his mother taught him! I think memories of Mara would never be far from Ben's mind, and that was the basis for this fic.

it is fics like this that make Mara's death more bearable I'm still undecided on that. I would have much rather ended the fic with Ben and Mara sitting in the cockpit while Ben's child flies for the first time, but I have trouble writing AUs like that. Thanks for commenting - I'm glad you enjoyed it!


SilSolo: oh yes, there definitely needs to be more good Mara/Ben fics that show what Ben got from his dear mother I agree! Thanks for reading!


Irish: I think that profic focuses too much (never thought I'd hear myself saying this!) on the L/M relationship, and kinda phases out Ben's relationship with his parents. I mean, if you look at how much they fought and gave up just to bring him into the universe, its pretty far-fetched they'd really be as distant as LFL wants us to think! I gotta agree with you on that, though I think that profic also tends to throw Luke and Mara at the galaxy's problems rather than develop their relationships with any of the othe characters, IMHO. I think Ben would have been close with both his parents, but especially with Mara.

I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the kind comments!

 

That was excellent. I love the relationship between Ben and his Mom and Dad. They are two very different parents and Ben likely takes the best from both.

Plus Ben's got an apprentice. Well done!