The Dream Givers
Title: The Dream Givers
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary:Written in response for the SJRS October 2005 challenge. What do Luke and Mara fear the most? Note: I posted this as "Artanis" on the SJRS.
It's an older fic, but I feel the need to post something.
The Dream Givers
The planet Kanaan - also known as the ‘Shadowed Planet’ due to its perpetual nighttime state - is a quiet one despite its large population. Seen from space, lush green forests and deep blue rivers cover the land, and the three main cities (Madai, Mizraim, and Asshur) are entwined with nature as opposed to overwriting it. Here and there man has chiseled away at the trees to make room for buildings, harbours, etc., but such landscaping is never wanton and is always done with thought and care.
The population of Kanaan is divided into three clans: the Madai, the Mizraim, and the Asshur. According to history the people are all descended from three ancient families for whom the clans are named. Once united in all things, seeds of division were sown over time and each clan went on to build its own city instead of the single city of which they had once dreamed. Despite the strained relations there still remains much interaction between the three clans, especially at the yearly Day of the Dead.
Many tales have been told of these three ancient families - otherworlders with unnatural long lives who came to settle the planet - and it is difficult to say where history ends and legend begins. It is known for certain that the fracturing of the clans began with the Asshur, the mightiest of the three, though according to one oft-told story it was the man himself who was the root of the problem, taking many down his path.
It is said that Asshur was possessed of unusual abilities that enabled him to easily read the hearts of men; it is said that he could see both their deepest desires and their deepest fears.
As his life wore on, Asshur and those of his descendants who possessed the same powers grew arrogant and corrupt, and began to use their powers for ill. In response, Madai and Mizraim joined together and declared war on the House of Asshur. Only after a series of bloody conflicts was Asshur finally destroyed, along with those who had followed his evil ways. Asshur, it is told, met his death in the Valley at the hands of Madai and Mizraim.
With the death of Asshur and his fellow conspirators, it was thought that peace and prosperity would come again. For a time it seemed so. However, one year after Asshur’s destruction those who had fought against him were visited in their sleep by visions of their worst fears; some suffered no more than a sleepless night, but others awakened, maddened, and fled their homes. Some threw themselves into the Valley and some there were whose bodies were never found; it is thought they drowned themselves in the Great River.
Ever year since then, at the time of Asshur’s death - now known as the ‘Day of the Dead’ - it is said that the dreams return to haunt the Madai and the Mizraim (as well as any visitors to the planet). Thus offerings of peace are brought to the Asshur (also known as the ‘Dream Givers’) in exchange for freedom from these visions.
-- A History of Kanaan
Kanaan’s eternal night was at its height and the full moon outshone the stars, bathing the planet below in silver shadows and throwing the landscape into sharp relief: dark valleys stood out, looking like rifts in the very fabric of time, while the trees and rocks seemed to take on a life of their own.
At one end of the Valley, hidden amongst gnarled trees and jagged boulders, a path began. Most knew of its existence but few dared travel it - few, that is, except the Dream Givers, for it led to their sacred place. It led down to the Valley floor, down where moonlight did not fall, down to the place where Asshur had met his death.
It was down there, down to the cave, that they needed to go - so had said the frightened acolyte - and for the past hour and a half they had been picking their way carefully along the narrow path into the ever-deepening darkness, guided only by the light of a glow rod shielded by Luke’s hand.
Luke had gone first, despite Mara’s protestations, and his laboured breathing drifted back to her, increasing the uneasiness that twisted her gut: Jedi healing trances notwithstanding, his wound had not yet healed. No one - not even a Jedi Master - could recover so quickly from a wound that severe.
She hissed softly, frowning.
Skywalker.
I’m fine, her husband returned shortly.
You’re a rotten liar.
From ahead of her came a weary sigh and he stopped. She heard his feet scraping against the dirt as he turned around carefully, keeping his hand over the glow rod; the light made strange shadows play across his face, giving him an almost skull-like appearance.
‘We’ve been through this,’ he said quietly.
‘I know,’ she snapped, ‘and this is no place for another argument - but you need to rest and you know it.’
He shook his head fiercely; she didn’t like the sudden flash of fear in his eyes. ‘No - every minute we delay puts Han and Leia in more danger.’
‘You think I don’t know that?’ Mara growled. ‘But you’ll be no good to anyone if you collapse before we get there!’
‘The Force is my ally - I’ll be fine. Now come on.’ Without another word he turned his back on her and started off again.
Mara felt a chill creep down her spine as she stared at his retreating form: he sounded eerily like the oh-so-cavalier Jedi Master he’d been before the whole Caamas affair had burst open.
‘Are you coming?’
She bit back a sharp retort; now was not the time. ‘Right behind you,’ she muttered.
On they went, continuing at their slow pace, the glow rod lighting the area only a few steps ahead of them. Perhaps another half hour passed, and they finally found themselves at the bottom.
And standing before the mouth of a cave.
Pale blue lights lined the walls, and the floor was worn with use. Overhead strange symbols were carved into the rock ceiling.
She could feel the darkness, the evil in this place; it drifted out of the cave in delicate little tendrils that chilled her senses…but what chilled her even more was the sense that it was part of something much larger. Some larger heart of darkness beat within the center of the maze.
No, she didn’t like it at all.
‘We’re here,’ Luke said unnecessarily, extinguishing the glow rod.
‘Do tell,’ she said dryly, eyeing him closely; his face was white and strained, and from the way he held himself, he was obviously in pain.
He unhooked his lightsaber slowly and took a deep breath that shuddered all the way down. ‘Let’s go,’ he muttered, and stepped into the cave. With a final backwards glance Mara followed, her own lightsaber at the ready.
They proceeded in silence and the only sign that they made any progress was the length of tunnel at their backs; ahead of them the passageway stretched on seemingly endlessly, the smooth floor and walls never varying, the symbols on the ceiling repeating over and over and over…
They passed no other openings and no one came up from behind or ahead. In fact, nothing happened at all. Nothing, that is, except that the sense of evil grew thicker the deeper they went; like an oily cloud, it clung to her mind and body, staining whatever it touched.
She hoped the effect wasn’t permanent.
In an effort to clear her mind, she stretched out with the Force to see if she could sense Leia or Han; they felt dim, distorted by the darkness, but they were alive.
For the moment.
Pulling away, she focused on her husband - and found only the same muddy sense of his presence. Muttering an oath, she put a hand on his arm. ‘Luke -’
She stopped dead and they both stared. The tunnel had curved under their feet and now they face two passageways that burrowed into the rock.
Mara’s hand fell to her side. ‘Sithspawn.’
Luke only grimaced and rubbed his face with his hand. ‘Ideas?’
She shook her head. ‘I can’t tell - all I know is that they’re at the heart of this place.’
He sighed heavily, worry evident in his eyes. ‘That’s all I can tell either.’
Mara chewed on her lip, thinking; there was one very obvious course of action, but with Luke as tired and injured as he was it wasn’t an option she particularly liked. On the other hand, it was all she had. ‘We can split up. I -’
‘No!’
She had expected disagreement, but the fear and the anger that suddenly slammed into her took her by surprise. ‘Luke -’
‘No,’ he repeated, more quietly, his emotions suddenly subdued. ‘I just…I have a bad feeling about this.’
‘You think I don’t?’ Mara growled. ‘But I don’t see us as having any other choice.’
‘There’s always a choice.’
‘Fine. A choice between splitting up and going together and potentially missing something, since neither of us can get a clear sense of anything. You’re not being logical - what’s wrong with you?’
‘I’m fine,’ he snapped. ‘I can take care of myself.’
‘And I can’t?’
He had the grace to wince. ‘That isn’t what I meant.’
She sighed. ‘I know. Luke - it’s all I’ve got, so unless you can think of anything better…’
Luke shook his head reluctantly. ‘I can’t. I -’ He swallowed hard and she felt him smother a flicker of fear. ‘Be careful.’
Mara gave a tight smile. ‘Always - and watch your own back.’
He gave a brief salute and started down the left-hand passage. She watched him go, her chest tightening, and only when he disappeared around the bend did she start down the right-hand tunnel; her instincts were not happy with this decision and it was not a feeling she liked.
What disturbed her most about this whole rescue mission was Luke - specifically, his behaviour. Not only was he exhausted and in obvious pain - it would take a lot to heal that injury - but the state of his mind... When she touched his mind she felt the frayed edges, the strange vulnerability; his Jedi equanimity was breaking, if not already broken. Worry over Leia and Han - and herself - had turned very gradually to fear. He couldn’t hide it from her, though he’d tried.
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the Dark Side...
A cold shiver crawled down her spine; he had been there, once before.
Forever will it dominate your destiny...
No - he had overcome it.
She thought.
She shivered again and stretched out for her husband’s presence, being careful not to let him feel her touch; he was ahead of her, moving slowly but steadily, pain and exhaustion swimming near the surface.
Cursing under her breath she quickened her pace. More than ever she was certain this was a bad idea - and there was no way she was going to let him get there first.
***
His breathing grew more and more labored the further he went, but he pushed on, ignoring the white-hot pain in his side; he couldn’t let Mara face it alone. He had to arrive before her.
He had tried to alert his sister and Han, but he had been too late. They had been taken and then he and Mara had received the…warning. He was thankful that Mara had escaped relatively unscathed, but it had left him broken in body and shaken in mind. It had been close. Far too close.
He stumbled suddenly, his feet tripping over one another, and he fell back against the tunnel wall. He groaned as his head connected with the rock.
For a moment he remained still, breathing heavily. Closing his eyes, he stretched out, trying to get a sense of Leia and Han; alive, but that was all he could tell. All was murky, clouded by evil. Mara? he tried, but she didn’t seem to hear him.
Fear squeezed his heart and he pushed away from the wall. He had to keep going. Stopping was not an option.
*
On he went, boots clicking loudly against the smooth floor, but nothing ever seemed to change: the blue lights neither dimmed nor grew brighter, and no crack or scratch appeared in the walls or floor.
The one thing he did notice was that the further he walked, the more deeply carved the symbols on the ceiling became. Almost as though the carver had been trying to emphasize the meaning.
And given the atmosphere of this place, he didn’t like to think about what that might be.
Pushing the thought aside, he reached out for his wife; she was ahead of him now and moving far more quickly than he. Through the haze he felt a sense of anticipation, and cursed softly, fear gnawing at his heart: she was almost there.
Gritting his teeth, he quickened his pace.
And then it hit him.
Screams of pain filled his head and then fell silent as a wall of death suddenly crashed down on him. He fell to his knees, his head in his hands, panic rising up his throat. Leia! Han! Leia!
He cried out to them though he knew it was useless - the gaping hole in his heart was enough to tell him who had died.
‘No…no...’
Tears blurred his vision and he covered his face with his hands, trying to control himself. ‘Leia...’
A snarl of anger - Mara’s anger - touched his mind, jolting him out of his misery. He reached for her and for one instant he saw her clearly: her lightsaber lit, she stood before a man in a red cloak. She lunged at him and then the image disappeared.
‘Mara!’
Drawing on the Force, he pushed up from the ground and started down the tunnel at a dead run. Mere minutes passed, though it felt like an eternity, and he found himself at the entrance to a huge cavern.
The cavern.
Red lights glowed along the walls and, through the hole in the ceiling, moonlight streamed in, making a round white circle in the middle of the floor.
Han and Leia lay motionless at the rim of the moonlit ring, faces frozen in surprise and pain. In the center…
In the center, Mara and the man in red fought, blue and red blades clashing. Sparks flew and the hum of the ligthsabers rose in pitch as they danced faster and faster.
Mara was good. She was very good.
But the man in red was better.
An unexpected move threw Mara off balance. Laughing, the man thrust his blade through her chest.
Mara’s face twisted briefly before her eyes flickered shut. The man extinguished his blade and she crumpled to the ground.
‘No!’ The word ripped from his throat as the second wave crashed over him. Ignoring the burning in his lungs, ignoring the man’s laughter, he ran forward and fell to his knees beside his wife’s body. Sobbing, he cradled her in his arms, whispering her name. This was not possible...it couldn’t be. It was not possible that everyone he had ever loved had been taken from him…
He felt hollow inside. Empty.
Dead.
‘I did warn you of the consequences,’ said the man in red, his voice very smooth. ‘But you chose not to listen.’
Luke went very still. Then, with infinite care, he laid his wife’s body on the ground once more. He trailed his fingers along her jaw then turned his head and rose slowly to his feet. ‘Neither did you,’ he said coldly, his eyes glowing strangely. ‘And now - you will die.’
The green blade hissed to life and he lunged at the man in red. The other brought up his lightsaber in defense, and red crashed against green.
Again and again Luke hammered at the man, and again and again found himself blocked. With every blow, he felt the anger, the hate, growing within him.
‘Leia!’
The man’s arm shivered.
‘Han!’
The man cried out as the green blade singed his face.
‘Mara!’
The blade passed through him, slicing him neatly in half.
Luke lowered his lightsaber, a snarl on his lips. The leader was dead. Now the others would pay.
Every.
Single.
One.
***
Never slackening her pace, Mara reached out for her husband again; she had passed him, but it wasn’t necessarily due to any superior skill on her part: she could feel him labouring to put each foot in front of the other.
He wasn’t relying as heavily on the Force as she’d anticipated, and she felt a mild sense of relief. He might have been talking like a cocky, arrogant Jedi, but so far he hadn’t actually acted on it.
She was about to pull away when she felt him stumble. Concern washed over her and she hovered around the edge of his mind until she could be certain he was all right.
Once assured that simple weariness had made him fall, she broke contact and hurried on; she had better seize the opportunity to get further ahead of him.
Had she been in another state of mind she might have commented on the mind-numbing monotony of the journey. As it was, she was too worried to care much: she wanted to find Leia and Han alive.
The tunnel curved before her and she saw the open door at the end. With something like relief, she tightened her grip on the lightsaber and broke into a run.
The screams sounded both inside and outside her head. A black surge of emptiness forced her to her knees, knocking the air from her lungs.
Leia! Han! Leia!
Luke’s mental cry ripped through her skull, adding to the suffocating pressure on her mind and she closed her eyes tightly. Pushing against it, she reached out, searching for any trace of the presence she’d been chasing.
It wasn’t there.
Leia and Han were gone.
She swore, unable to think of anything else to do or say; later she would grieve, but now was not the time.
Luke!
Either he couldn’t hear her or he was ignoring her - more importantly, he was on the move again. And moving fast. Much faster than he should have been able.
Cursing again, she pushed up from the ground and started to run; she did not like the way his mind felt.
Luke - wait!
Still no answer.
The tunnel exit grew nearer and nearer. Almost there -
She crashed into a barrier and fell back to the ground, momentarily stunned. Shaking her head, she jumped to her feet, walked over to the door, and held out her hand. Despite the fact that she could see the chamber very clearly and feel the wind wafting out of it, she could not pass through.
Then she saw her husband.
And he was not alone.
A man in a blood-red cloak stood in the moonlight, laughing as Luke knelt on the ground, cradling a body in his arms. It wasn’t Leia - this woman had red hair…
Mara stared. Was that...her?
Luke thought it was her.
Luke!
Nothing. She could feel him, could feel the rage and the grief roiling within him, but he couldn’t seem to sense her at all.
As she watched he laid the body down as though it were something fragile, and then slowly rose to his feet. She could see his lips moving though she couldn’t hear the words - but the expression on his face was enough.
‘Luke!’
Her voice echoed loudly throughout the passage but failed to penetrate the barrier before her.
A lightsaber hummed and Luke darted towards the man in red; she felt the rage mounting inside him with every swing. She felt the darkness in his soul.
‘Luke! No!’
She swung her own lightsaber at the doorway, but it spluttered and died. It did the same when she swung at the rock wall.
No. Luke, hear me!
She pounded her fists against the invisible wall but nothing happened. She could only watch as the green blade came up to slice through the man in the red cloak.
‘No!’
Luke stretched out his hand and called the fallen lightsaber to his side. With a hiss it ignited and he strode from the room, a blade glowing in each hand.
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the Dark Side…
‘Luke!’
She knew it was useless the moment the cry left her mouth. Even if he could have heard her, that man was not Luke. Not with that darkness living in his soul.
She sank to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees as she stared at the bodies lying in the moonlight. Already more cries of pain and confusion echoed through her mind. Dimly she could feel Luke’s rage as he struck out at person after person, leaving a trail of death behind him.
Horrified tears streamed down her cheeks and she buried her face in her knees. ‘Luke...’
***
Mara’s eyes snapped open, gaze darting about the room in confusion: she was in bed, moonlight streamed in through the window, and the numbers on the clock on the nightstand stated that it was in the early hours of the morning.
If ‘morning’ it could really be called.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, and wiped at the tears on her face. Only a dream, it was only a dream…a nightmare… She reached out for her husband, felt his presence, and rolled over -
- and momentarily panicked.
She could feel him clearly - he was deeply troubled - but he wasn’t beside her. ‘Luke?’
Then she saw him. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed, his head buried in his knees. She could see his shoulders trembling.
Throwing back the covers, she crossed the bed and dropped down beside him. Almost immediately Luke’s arms were around her, clutching at her like a drowning man. ‘You’re alive,’ he whispered. ‘You’re alive, you’re alive...’
And you’re still Luke. Sighing in relief, she melted into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.
And there they remained, simply holding each other as the night lightened to the soft twilight of day and drove off the last shadows of the dreams. The Day of the Dead had passed.
© October 2005, Muse Publications, Inc.
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary:Written in response for the SJRS October 2005 challenge. What do Luke and Mara fear the most? Note: I posted this as "Artanis" on the SJRS.
It's an older fic, but I feel the need to post something.
The Dream Givers
The planet Kanaan - also known as the ‘Shadowed Planet’ due to its perpetual nighttime state - is a quiet one despite its large population. Seen from space, lush green forests and deep blue rivers cover the land, and the three main cities (Madai, Mizraim, and Asshur) are entwined with nature as opposed to overwriting it. Here and there man has chiseled away at the trees to make room for buildings, harbours, etc., but such landscaping is never wanton and is always done with thought and care.
The population of Kanaan is divided into three clans: the Madai, the Mizraim, and the Asshur. According to history the people are all descended from three ancient families for whom the clans are named. Once united in all things, seeds of division were sown over time and each clan went on to build its own city instead of the single city of which they had once dreamed. Despite the strained relations there still remains much interaction between the three clans, especially at the yearly Day of the Dead.
Many tales have been told of these three ancient families - otherworlders with unnatural long lives who came to settle the planet - and it is difficult to say where history ends and legend begins. It is known for certain that the fracturing of the clans began with the Asshur, the mightiest of the three, though according to one oft-told story it was the man himself who was the root of the problem, taking many down his path.
It is said that Asshur was possessed of unusual abilities that enabled him to easily read the hearts of men; it is said that he could see both their deepest desires and their deepest fears.
As his life wore on, Asshur and those of his descendants who possessed the same powers grew arrogant and corrupt, and began to use their powers for ill. In response, Madai and Mizraim joined together and declared war on the House of Asshur. Only after a series of bloody conflicts was Asshur finally destroyed, along with those who had followed his evil ways. Asshur, it is told, met his death in the Valley at the hands of Madai and Mizraim.
With the death of Asshur and his fellow conspirators, it was thought that peace and prosperity would come again. For a time it seemed so. However, one year after Asshur’s destruction those who had fought against him were visited in their sleep by visions of their worst fears; some suffered no more than a sleepless night, but others awakened, maddened, and fled their homes. Some threw themselves into the Valley and some there were whose bodies were never found; it is thought they drowned themselves in the Great River.
Ever year since then, at the time of Asshur’s death - now known as the ‘Day of the Dead’ - it is said that the dreams return to haunt the Madai and the Mizraim (as well as any visitors to the planet). Thus offerings of peace are brought to the Asshur (also known as the ‘Dream Givers’) in exchange for freedom from these visions.
-- A History of Kanaan
Kanaan’s eternal night was at its height and the full moon outshone the stars, bathing the planet below in silver shadows and throwing the landscape into sharp relief: dark valleys stood out, looking like rifts in the very fabric of time, while the trees and rocks seemed to take on a life of their own.
At one end of the Valley, hidden amongst gnarled trees and jagged boulders, a path began. Most knew of its existence but few dared travel it - few, that is, except the Dream Givers, for it led to their sacred place. It led down to the Valley floor, down where moonlight did not fall, down to the place where Asshur had met his death.
It was down there, down to the cave, that they needed to go - so had said the frightened acolyte - and for the past hour and a half they had been picking their way carefully along the narrow path into the ever-deepening darkness, guided only by the light of a glow rod shielded by Luke’s hand.
Luke had gone first, despite Mara’s protestations, and his laboured breathing drifted back to her, increasing the uneasiness that twisted her gut: Jedi healing trances notwithstanding, his wound had not yet healed. No one - not even a Jedi Master - could recover so quickly from a wound that severe.
She hissed softly, frowning.
Skywalker.
I’m fine, her husband returned shortly.
You’re a rotten liar.
From ahead of her came a weary sigh and he stopped. She heard his feet scraping against the dirt as he turned around carefully, keeping his hand over the glow rod; the light made strange shadows play across his face, giving him an almost skull-like appearance.
‘We’ve been through this,’ he said quietly.
‘I know,’ she snapped, ‘and this is no place for another argument - but you need to rest and you know it.’
He shook his head fiercely; she didn’t like the sudden flash of fear in his eyes. ‘No - every minute we delay puts Han and Leia in more danger.’
‘You think I don’t know that?’ Mara growled. ‘But you’ll be no good to anyone if you collapse before we get there!’
‘The Force is my ally - I’ll be fine. Now come on.’ Without another word he turned his back on her and started off again.
Mara felt a chill creep down her spine as she stared at his retreating form: he sounded eerily like the oh-so-cavalier Jedi Master he’d been before the whole Caamas affair had burst open.
‘Are you coming?’
She bit back a sharp retort; now was not the time. ‘Right behind you,’ she muttered.
On they went, continuing at their slow pace, the glow rod lighting the area only a few steps ahead of them. Perhaps another half hour passed, and they finally found themselves at the bottom.
And standing before the mouth of a cave.
Pale blue lights lined the walls, and the floor was worn with use. Overhead strange symbols were carved into the rock ceiling.
She could feel the darkness, the evil in this place; it drifted out of the cave in delicate little tendrils that chilled her senses…but what chilled her even more was the sense that it was part of something much larger. Some larger heart of darkness beat within the center of the maze.
No, she didn’t like it at all.
‘We’re here,’ Luke said unnecessarily, extinguishing the glow rod.
‘Do tell,’ she said dryly, eyeing him closely; his face was white and strained, and from the way he held himself, he was obviously in pain.
He unhooked his lightsaber slowly and took a deep breath that shuddered all the way down. ‘Let’s go,’ he muttered, and stepped into the cave. With a final backwards glance Mara followed, her own lightsaber at the ready.
They proceeded in silence and the only sign that they made any progress was the length of tunnel at their backs; ahead of them the passageway stretched on seemingly endlessly, the smooth floor and walls never varying, the symbols on the ceiling repeating over and over and over…
They passed no other openings and no one came up from behind or ahead. In fact, nothing happened at all. Nothing, that is, except that the sense of evil grew thicker the deeper they went; like an oily cloud, it clung to her mind and body, staining whatever it touched.
She hoped the effect wasn’t permanent.
In an effort to clear her mind, she stretched out with the Force to see if she could sense Leia or Han; they felt dim, distorted by the darkness, but they were alive.
For the moment.
Pulling away, she focused on her husband - and found only the same muddy sense of his presence. Muttering an oath, she put a hand on his arm. ‘Luke -’
She stopped dead and they both stared. The tunnel had curved under their feet and now they face two passageways that burrowed into the rock.
Mara’s hand fell to her side. ‘Sithspawn.’
Luke only grimaced and rubbed his face with his hand. ‘Ideas?’
She shook her head. ‘I can’t tell - all I know is that they’re at the heart of this place.’
He sighed heavily, worry evident in his eyes. ‘That’s all I can tell either.’
Mara chewed on her lip, thinking; there was one very obvious course of action, but with Luke as tired and injured as he was it wasn’t an option she particularly liked. On the other hand, it was all she had. ‘We can split up. I -’
‘No!’
She had expected disagreement, but the fear and the anger that suddenly slammed into her took her by surprise. ‘Luke -’
‘No,’ he repeated, more quietly, his emotions suddenly subdued. ‘I just…I have a bad feeling about this.’
‘You think I don’t?’ Mara growled. ‘But I don’t see us as having any other choice.’
‘There’s always a choice.’
‘Fine. A choice between splitting up and going together and potentially missing something, since neither of us can get a clear sense of anything. You’re not being logical - what’s wrong with you?’
‘I’m fine,’ he snapped. ‘I can take care of myself.’
‘And I can’t?’
He had the grace to wince. ‘That isn’t what I meant.’
She sighed. ‘I know. Luke - it’s all I’ve got, so unless you can think of anything better…’
Luke shook his head reluctantly. ‘I can’t. I -’ He swallowed hard and she felt him smother a flicker of fear. ‘Be careful.’
Mara gave a tight smile. ‘Always - and watch your own back.’
He gave a brief salute and started down the left-hand passage. She watched him go, her chest tightening, and only when he disappeared around the bend did she start down the right-hand tunnel; her instincts were not happy with this decision and it was not a feeling she liked.
What disturbed her most about this whole rescue mission was Luke - specifically, his behaviour. Not only was he exhausted and in obvious pain - it would take a lot to heal that injury - but the state of his mind... When she touched his mind she felt the frayed edges, the strange vulnerability; his Jedi equanimity was breaking, if not already broken. Worry over Leia and Han - and herself - had turned very gradually to fear. He couldn’t hide it from her, though he’d tried.
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the Dark Side...
A cold shiver crawled down her spine; he had been there, once before.
Forever will it dominate your destiny...
No - he had overcome it.
She thought.
She shivered again and stretched out for her husband’s presence, being careful not to let him feel her touch; he was ahead of her, moving slowly but steadily, pain and exhaustion swimming near the surface.
Cursing under her breath she quickened her pace. More than ever she was certain this was a bad idea - and there was no way she was going to let him get there first.
***
His breathing grew more and more labored the further he went, but he pushed on, ignoring the white-hot pain in his side; he couldn’t let Mara face it alone. He had to arrive before her.
He had tried to alert his sister and Han, but he had been too late. They had been taken and then he and Mara had received the…warning. He was thankful that Mara had escaped relatively unscathed, but it had left him broken in body and shaken in mind. It had been close. Far too close.
He stumbled suddenly, his feet tripping over one another, and he fell back against the tunnel wall. He groaned as his head connected with the rock.
For a moment he remained still, breathing heavily. Closing his eyes, he stretched out, trying to get a sense of Leia and Han; alive, but that was all he could tell. All was murky, clouded by evil. Mara? he tried, but she didn’t seem to hear him.
Fear squeezed his heart and he pushed away from the wall. He had to keep going. Stopping was not an option.
*
On he went, boots clicking loudly against the smooth floor, but nothing ever seemed to change: the blue lights neither dimmed nor grew brighter, and no crack or scratch appeared in the walls or floor.
The one thing he did notice was that the further he walked, the more deeply carved the symbols on the ceiling became. Almost as though the carver had been trying to emphasize the meaning.
And given the atmosphere of this place, he didn’t like to think about what that might be.
Pushing the thought aside, he reached out for his wife; she was ahead of him now and moving far more quickly than he. Through the haze he felt a sense of anticipation, and cursed softly, fear gnawing at his heart: she was almost there.
Gritting his teeth, he quickened his pace.
And then it hit him.
Screams of pain filled his head and then fell silent as a wall of death suddenly crashed down on him. He fell to his knees, his head in his hands, panic rising up his throat. Leia! Han! Leia!
He cried out to them though he knew it was useless - the gaping hole in his heart was enough to tell him who had died.
‘No…no...’
Tears blurred his vision and he covered his face with his hands, trying to control himself. ‘Leia...’
A snarl of anger - Mara’s anger - touched his mind, jolting him out of his misery. He reached for her and for one instant he saw her clearly: her lightsaber lit, she stood before a man in a red cloak. She lunged at him and then the image disappeared.
‘Mara!’
Drawing on the Force, he pushed up from the ground and started down the tunnel at a dead run. Mere minutes passed, though it felt like an eternity, and he found himself at the entrance to a huge cavern.
The cavern.
Red lights glowed along the walls and, through the hole in the ceiling, moonlight streamed in, making a round white circle in the middle of the floor.
Han and Leia lay motionless at the rim of the moonlit ring, faces frozen in surprise and pain. In the center…
In the center, Mara and the man in red fought, blue and red blades clashing. Sparks flew and the hum of the ligthsabers rose in pitch as they danced faster and faster.
Mara was good. She was very good.
But the man in red was better.
An unexpected move threw Mara off balance. Laughing, the man thrust his blade through her chest.
Mara’s face twisted briefly before her eyes flickered shut. The man extinguished his blade and she crumpled to the ground.
‘No!’ The word ripped from his throat as the second wave crashed over him. Ignoring the burning in his lungs, ignoring the man’s laughter, he ran forward and fell to his knees beside his wife’s body. Sobbing, he cradled her in his arms, whispering her name. This was not possible...it couldn’t be. It was not possible that everyone he had ever loved had been taken from him…
He felt hollow inside. Empty.
Dead.
‘I did warn you of the consequences,’ said the man in red, his voice very smooth. ‘But you chose not to listen.’
Luke went very still. Then, with infinite care, he laid his wife’s body on the ground once more. He trailed his fingers along her jaw then turned his head and rose slowly to his feet. ‘Neither did you,’ he said coldly, his eyes glowing strangely. ‘And now - you will die.’
The green blade hissed to life and he lunged at the man in red. The other brought up his lightsaber in defense, and red crashed against green.
Again and again Luke hammered at the man, and again and again found himself blocked. With every blow, he felt the anger, the hate, growing within him.
‘Leia!’
The man’s arm shivered.
‘Han!’
The man cried out as the green blade singed his face.
‘Mara!’
The blade passed through him, slicing him neatly in half.
Luke lowered his lightsaber, a snarl on his lips. The leader was dead. Now the others would pay.
Every.
Single.
One.
***
Never slackening her pace, Mara reached out for her husband again; she had passed him, but it wasn’t necessarily due to any superior skill on her part: she could feel him labouring to put each foot in front of the other.
He wasn’t relying as heavily on the Force as she’d anticipated, and she felt a mild sense of relief. He might have been talking like a cocky, arrogant Jedi, but so far he hadn’t actually acted on it.
She was about to pull away when she felt him stumble. Concern washed over her and she hovered around the edge of his mind until she could be certain he was all right.
Once assured that simple weariness had made him fall, she broke contact and hurried on; she had better seize the opportunity to get further ahead of him.
Had she been in another state of mind she might have commented on the mind-numbing monotony of the journey. As it was, she was too worried to care much: she wanted to find Leia and Han alive.
The tunnel curved before her and she saw the open door at the end. With something like relief, she tightened her grip on the lightsaber and broke into a run.
The screams sounded both inside and outside her head. A black surge of emptiness forced her to her knees, knocking the air from her lungs.
Leia! Han! Leia!
Luke’s mental cry ripped through her skull, adding to the suffocating pressure on her mind and she closed her eyes tightly. Pushing against it, she reached out, searching for any trace of the presence she’d been chasing.
It wasn’t there.
Leia and Han were gone.
She swore, unable to think of anything else to do or say; later she would grieve, but now was not the time.
Luke!
Either he couldn’t hear her or he was ignoring her - more importantly, he was on the move again. And moving fast. Much faster than he should have been able.
Cursing again, she pushed up from the ground and started to run; she did not like the way his mind felt.
Luke - wait!
Still no answer.
The tunnel exit grew nearer and nearer. Almost there -
She crashed into a barrier and fell back to the ground, momentarily stunned. Shaking her head, she jumped to her feet, walked over to the door, and held out her hand. Despite the fact that she could see the chamber very clearly and feel the wind wafting out of it, she could not pass through.
Then she saw her husband.
And he was not alone.
A man in a blood-red cloak stood in the moonlight, laughing as Luke knelt on the ground, cradling a body in his arms. It wasn’t Leia - this woman had red hair…
Mara stared. Was that...her?
Luke thought it was her.
Luke!
Nothing. She could feel him, could feel the rage and the grief roiling within him, but he couldn’t seem to sense her at all.
As she watched he laid the body down as though it were something fragile, and then slowly rose to his feet. She could see his lips moving though she couldn’t hear the words - but the expression on his face was enough.
‘Luke!’
Her voice echoed loudly throughout the passage but failed to penetrate the barrier before her.
A lightsaber hummed and Luke darted towards the man in red; she felt the rage mounting inside him with every swing. She felt the darkness in his soul.
‘Luke! No!’
She swung her own lightsaber at the doorway, but it spluttered and died. It did the same when she swung at the rock wall.
No. Luke, hear me!
She pounded her fists against the invisible wall but nothing happened. She could only watch as the green blade came up to slice through the man in the red cloak.
‘No!’
Luke stretched out his hand and called the fallen lightsaber to his side. With a hiss it ignited and he strode from the room, a blade glowing in each hand.
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the Dark Side…
‘Luke!’
She knew it was useless the moment the cry left her mouth. Even if he could have heard her, that man was not Luke. Not with that darkness living in his soul.
She sank to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees as she stared at the bodies lying in the moonlight. Already more cries of pain and confusion echoed through her mind. Dimly she could feel Luke’s rage as he struck out at person after person, leaving a trail of death behind him.
Horrified tears streamed down her cheeks and she buried her face in her knees. ‘Luke...’
***
Mara’s eyes snapped open, gaze darting about the room in confusion: she was in bed, moonlight streamed in through the window, and the numbers on the clock on the nightstand stated that it was in the early hours of the morning.
If ‘morning’ it could really be called.
She took a deep, shuddering breath, and wiped at the tears on her face. Only a dream, it was only a dream…a nightmare… She reached out for her husband, felt his presence, and rolled over -
- and momentarily panicked.
She could feel him clearly - he was deeply troubled - but he wasn’t beside her. ‘Luke?’
Then she saw him. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed, his head buried in his knees. She could see his shoulders trembling.
Throwing back the covers, she crossed the bed and dropped down beside him. Almost immediately Luke’s arms were around her, clutching at her like a drowning man. ‘You’re alive,’ he whispered. ‘You’re alive, you’re alive...’
And you’re still Luke. Sighing in relief, she melted into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.
And there they remained, simply holding each other as the night lightened to the soft twilight of day and drove off the last shadows of the dreams. The Day of the Dead had passed.
© October 2005, Muse Publications, Inc.