Beyond - Legends Understanding and Becoming (Mara vignette, prior to HTTE, slight L/M)

Title: Understanding and Becoming

Summary: Prior to Heir to the Empire, Mara is haunted by a man she never really met.

I'm a little loose on the timeline, since I don't know all the facts of where Mara was before HTTE, so be lenient on that, please. I hope you enjoy this transformation vignette.

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What was happening now was inevitable. It was one of the great rules of nature, and all of her laws were merciless and primeval. What once ate must eventually be eaten. The hunter must become the hunted. Or, more specifically, and more applicable in Mara?s case, the hunter must eventually become what it hunts. Just as a killer eventually became the thing it killed.

And you?d know all about that, I suppose.

Shut up, Skywalker. Mara tightened the leather strap of her utility belt and checked the necessities. Commlink?which was rapidly becoming more of an inconvenience than a necessity, after all, who did she have to call??canteen, flare-light, a plain coil of rope, a grappling hook, and a few thousand credits. She liked being prepared. People who weren?t prepared tended to not survive, unless they were extremely lucky. And luck always ran out.

Your luck? Skywalker mused in her head. Unlikely. Your intuition is more than it seems and you know it. Just because the Emperor is gone?

?Stay out of my head,? she growled, and then stood still for a moment, unnerved. It was the first time she had ever spoken out loud to one of those thoughts that came in the guise of Luke Skywalker?s voice. It worried her. Hearing voices might or might not be normal, Mara had no basis of comparison on that. She had hardly spent her life surrounded by normal people. But she did know that responding to them bordered on the edge of madness.

It made her angry?not as angry as the voice?s mere existence made her, though. Mara never expected to find a mark becoming her conscience. It was troubling. And how could she remember his voice the way she did? She could summon it into her mind with one quick thought, how he had sounded in Jabba?s palace, his tone smooth, confident, and with a bright purity?she shook herself. That wasn?t the way things were. So what if Skywalker didn?t sound like he an enemy? He was, and that was all that mattered.

Awfully defeatist, he said quietly. You aren?t giving yourself any options. Or anyone else, for that matter.

I don?t need options, just orders.

I see. Quite the special agent. How does this make you different from all of his old indoctrinated soldiers, exactly?

Mara concentrated hard and she saw the leaves ahead of her blur with motion from a strong, sudden burst of wind, the dark green topiary forming into one long streak of color. She relaxed her mind and they stilled, trembling in the air.

That?s what makes me different.

She wondered why she bothered, really. How much point could there be to prove something to a nonexistent voice? A voice that was probably just part of her? But?it couldn?t be. It had to be Skywalker himself, just as the Emperor?s commands had come from him. Because if it wasn?t Skywalker?s voice, than her own doubts were being voiced. And having doubts was dangerous.

Are you so certain of that? Skywalker sounded almost curious. You could be right to doubt, you know.

A doubt in the wrong place could get me killed, she reminded him, feeling strangely impatient, as if she had told him this before. I?d rather have me doubtless and you dead.

His laugh was as strong and alive as his voice. For one second, Mara couldn?t remember if she was supposed to hate or love that laugh, and she hung on bright, painful emotions, hooked by the bold streak of feeling. She fell from that too, and started walking again, using purposeful strides to disguise her indecision, make it look as if she was sure of her direction.

Where are you going, really, Mara?

Whe

 

Awesome! So she has Luke's voice in her head taunting her huh? lol. She must have been going crazy. She missed? OMG! I didn't think that was possible, Mara Jade, miss a target.

 

The voice in her head was blessedly silent.

That sounds just like Zhan. Great viggie. I too think that Mara heard Luke's voice too, sort of taunting her.

 

That was wonderfully done!

Mmh, I know she was looking for a village, but she wasn't on Dagobah, or was she? ?

It was just a thought, because of the 'swampy ground' and the tree and the crash.

 

Ooooo! Fascinating concept, Moon! And very, very well done. Perfectly in character.

Awfully defeatist, he said quietly. You aren?t giving yourself any options. Or anyone else, for that matter.

I don?t need options, just orders.

I see. Quite the special agent. How does this make you different from all of his old indoctrinated soldiers, exactly?

That bit, for example. If that's not Luke and Mara, nothing is.

The next rock next to her foot went flying as she kicked it harshly, and then instantly regretted the motion. It was childish, impertinent. It made her look foolish.

I also loved that. It's such a simple, subtle bit - would have been easy to overlook or leave out, but it adds so much! It's also very Mara.

Wonderful job!

 

Excellent, L_M. I like how she questioned whether this was her conscience or really his voice. And then how she hated that she could remember his voice so well.

And this fits in fine with the timeline. She bounced around the galaxy, then hooked up with Karrde. Your scenario could've happened at any time, as she was probably bothered by thoughts of Luke during the whole five years since Palpatine died.

 

Fantastic, Lady_Moonbeam.

 

WHat they said^

 

Ooooh, i like that idea, Moon. Its almost more than just his voice, it's like it serves for a conscience, an anchor against Palpatine's commands.

I love her indecision, the thought that maybe, just maybe, this isnt what she wants, this isnt what needs to be.

::Windstar Out::

 

One word: Brilliant.

 

Jumping in late. Most of what I'd say has already been said. Great job.

 

The fanfic forum is a treasure box.

Another great L/M vig.

This could fit perfectly with pre-TTT Mara.

Great-job!

 

This is marvelous, Moone'! I love it!

 

Jaina_and_Jag--Thanks! The point about the missed shot was that Mara really didn't want to make it--symbolically, she really didn't want to kill Luke.

joy_noel--That's great--I thought it would be a nice link between them--to have her imagining his accompaniment to her every move.

The_Good_Twin--No, she wasn't on Dagobah. I didn't think about that coincidence until now! It was just supposed to be a random, unnamed planet.

Gabri--Wow, thanks. I love it when you, expert of all things Mara, tell me that I'm getting her character right! I really saw her as wanting to hold on to her dignity, and that a lapse in that would upset her, and the idea of the rock just struck me.

Jedi-2B--Thank you. I'm glad it fits into the timeline, since it was meant to be canon-compliant. I like the idea of Mara being haunted by the "one that got away," and it helps enhance her first apperance of hating him--his voice constantly in her head must have driven her to distraction.

Dancing_Jansons--Thanks!

Dev_Binks--

Bri_Windstar--Yes--Luke is Mara's Jiminy Cricket! I'm glad you picked up on that, seriously, all kidding aside. Mara's at a catalyst in this story--kind of like the moment before an epiphany.

leia_naberrie--Aw, thanks! I'm blushing like an idiot now.

RebelMom--Thank you. That really means a lot!

Benjor45--I couldn't agree with you more. I love the JC--it's so easy to find quality fic! Thank you so much!

EmilieDarklighter--Thanks! *huggies* Glad you liked it!