Fic: Veil of Shadows, 10/13, PG-13
Title: Veil of Shadows
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Category: AU, angst, romance
Timeframe: OT; around time of ANH
Summary: A strange tale where the good guys are bad, the Empire has won, and a Sith adept pursues the girl of his nightmares.
Chapter 1 Chapter 6
Chapter 2 Chapter 7
Chapter 3 Chapter 8
Chapter 4 Chapter 9
Chapter 5
~~
10. Call of the Dragon
“Sorry about the ship, but you see, I can’t let you leave here.”
Luke climbed to his feet and stepped in front of Mara. “Who are you?” he demanded.
The figure lowered the hood, revealing a man’s heavily-tattooed face. “Who I am is of no importance.” He ran his hands over his graying hair, which was pulled back in a long braid. When he brought his hands back up, there was a lightsaber in each one. He ignited them both and crossed the emerald-colored blades in front of his chest. “Have you made your decision, Jade?”
Luke glanced back at Mara, who was standing with her saber in her hand. “What decision? What’s he talking about?”
Mara looked past him and activated her weapon. “What’s in it for me?” she shouted across the distance.
The man smirked. “I’d let you live, for starters. Then you would become my apprentice.” He extended his arms so that both sabers pointed diagonally toward the ground. “Join me, Mara Jade, and together we can make this a better galaxy.”
Mara snorted. “I already have a master, and he’s the one bringing peace to the galaxy. Not you.”
The man rolled his wrists, spinning the colored beams in twin arcs. “Foolish child. Blinded by your precious Emperor.”
Luke interposed himself between Mara and the saber-wielding stranger. “Enough. If you’ve come to fight, then you can fight me.”
“Starkiller, don’t,” Mara said from behind him. “It’s me he wants.”
“I’m going to have to kill him anyway,” Luke responded coldly. “Might as well take care of it now.” He took a step forward and drew his lightsaber, angling the blood-red beam at the other man’s heart.
“Brave of you, boy.” The man considered Luke for a moment, then smiled. “You must be another of Palpatine’s projects. Don’t worry; I will deal with you in turn.”
“You will deal with me now,” Luke growled, drawing on the darkness that radiated from the planet. He remembered that day, four years ago, when he had given in completely to his rage and nearly killed Leia. Intoxicating though it was, he had always been too afraid to ever call on that rage again.
Now he reached hungrily for the black energy that had permeated the tomb, wrapping himself in its shadow. It was more power than he was ready for, more power than he could safely control, but he had to do it, or Mara would die.
The planet seemed to groan with its efforts to feed Luke’s fury. He called on every painful memory, every injustice ever committed against him, every nightmare that had chased him through the years. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he blinked them away and began to circle the stranger.
The stranger’s eyes widened as he lifted his weapons up in front of him. There was uncertainty in his gaze. “What is your name, boy?”
“Luke Starkiller,” he spat. “Not that it will matter when you’re dead.”
The other man chuckled and shook his head. “Another desert rat, swept far away by an unfortunate twist of fate.” He smiled darkly. “The galaxy is much smaller than we think. How long have you been a slave to Palpatine?”
“I am no man’s slave,” Luke snarled.
“I see. You don’t remember.” The man stretched his arms out, sabers pointed toward the sky. “Perhaps you will remember this.” And when he opened his mouth next, a horrible, frightful howl echoed forth.
Luke’s arms wavered as he stood transfixed by the sound. He never would have guessed it was human.
The stranger grinned. “You do remember.”
“Remember what?”
“The dragons, Luke Starkiller. The ones whose screams pierced the night. The ones no man ever hunted alone.”
Those words unlocked a flash of memory, the brief sensation of running across soft ground, staring up at a clear night sky, a million stars winking back at him. A deafening roar, a blue light that split the darkness, and a man’s bearded face.
“Are you afraid?”
He closes his eyes and huddles against the bearded man, shaking his head.
“It’s all right to be afraid, young Luke. We all have something that scares us.”
“What are you scared of, sir?” He opens his eyes and looks up at his rescuer.
The bearded man stares up at the stars, but he doesn’t answer.
Luke wrenched himself from his memories and planted himself firmly in the present. “That’s a nice trick,” he said softly, a wicked smile creeping across his face. “But I’m not afraid of monsters.” He raised his lightsaber to his right shoulder and charged.
~~
As soon as Starkiller and the mysterious Force-user clashed, Mara knew who would be the victor. Despite the Sith adept’s raw power, despite his bravado, he was still just a boy who had grown up in the relative safety of the Imperial Palace. Whoever this other man was, he was stronger, more experienced, and better armed.
She had only one option.
Mara lunged forward, thumbing her lightsaber to life as she vaulted through the air.
“No!”
Starkiller raised his left hand and sent a wave of energy at her, knocking her off her feet. The stranger grinned and took advantage of the distraction, shoving Starkiller backward with both his sabers. Starkiller launched himself into a high back flip, landing several meters away from his opponent.
Mara picked herself up and sucked in a deep breath. “Idiot,” she growled, reactivating her weapon.
“Mara, stay back!”
“You go to hell, Starkiller,” she snapped. “We’ll fight him together.” She stepped over to his side and raised her lightsaber.
The stranger spun his sabers in a slow circle and laughed. “Maybe I’ll just let you two kill each other.”
Mara’s eyes narrowed. “Listen, Starkiller,” she whispered. “You can’t fight him alone.”
“I’ve handled-”
“I don’t care. I’m not putting my life in your hands. We fight together.”
Starkiller kept his eyes locked on the tattooed stranger as he nodded his head. “Fine.” He activated his weapon and raised it with both hands. “Stubborn girl.”
Mara raised her lightsaber, noting how smoothly and naturally he shifted in order to accommodate a partner. Before she could respond, the stranger surged toward them, both blades held high.
Starkiller blocked an overhead slice while Mara ducked a sweeping blow. She balanced herself on one hand and kicked out at the stranger’s legs. He jumped into the air, giving Mara time to stand up as Starkiller parried and pressed his attack.
They were on either side of the tattooed man now, each of them blocking and parrying, trying to wear their enemy down. He moved with preternatural speed, able to fend them off even when they were both lunging forward, striking with all of their strength. The man held both blades horizontal and spun in a half circle, viciously batting away his attackers while he switched sides.
“You’re looking tired, Jade,” he said, swinging the left hand saber in a low scoop that caught her weapon and knocked it from her hands. He ended the motion with a quick stab, but Mara had already rolled away, reaching for her lightsaber. Temporarily freed from his second opponent, the stranger twirled to block Starkiller’s powerful lunge.
Mara flipped into the air and came down on their enemy from above, drawing his other lightsaber away from Starkiller. “Don’t count me out just yet,” she said darkly, batting his saber away as she landed.
Mara tried an upward cut that would have split the man groin to chin, but he blocked it easily while stopping a sideswipe from Starkiller. Then he met Mara’s eyes and smiled.
The stranger snapped his wrist up and forced Starkiller’s lightsaber into the air, kicking out with his right leg in the same motion. His foot connected with Starkiller’s chest, sending the Sith adept rolling over backwards in the dust. He spun toward Mara with the free saber, battering her weapon with it before leaning in and elbowing her hard across the side of her head.
Mara felt her lightsaber leave her hand, and then there was only darkness.
~~
“NO!”
Luke scrambled forward, raising his lightsaber before he had even gotten off of the ground. The tattooed man turned and smiled at him. “Finally,” he muttered.
Their sabers connected with a crackle of electricity. Luke slammed his weapon against the stranger’s, pushing him away from Mara’s still form. He growled as he drove the older man back into one of the canyon walls.
Using both his sabers to block, the man was seemingly pinned against the rocks. “Do you think your anger will save you, boy?” He leaned into the block, the sinews in his muscles bulging grotesquely as he tried to push Luke away. “I have braved this world for years. What makes you think you can defeat me?”
Luke glared at him through the crimson and emerald light. “If she dies, no place in the galaxy will be safe for you.”
The stranger roared and exploded forward, driving Luke away from the canyon wall. “I’ve been hunted for a long time, and still I survive.”
Luke took several quick steps away from his opponent and let out a frustrated breath. The two men circled one another, watching each other carefully while they rested.
The stranger smiled, his tattoos stretching across aged skin. “You think you’re different from all the rest, but you’ll see. Palpatine will betray you just like he betrayed me.” The man laughed, but his eyes were dark.
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“I would have thought he’d be bragging about it for years to come.” The man’s voice was hard and bitter.
Luke tightened his grip on his lightsaber and stopped circling. “Who?” He knew it was a distraction, but there was something about the way this man spoke, as if he had seen things too horrible to imagine.
The man stopped moving as well. He lowered his lightsabers and stared at Luke. A fire seemed to blossom in those eyes.
“The so-called Emperor, boy. The man who destroyed my people, my way of life.” He shook his head and leered at Luke. “But we’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to fight.”
He vaulted into the air, coming at Luke with both sabers held like spears. Luke sidestepped and swung his blade through the air, catching the man in the shoulder. His opponent howled, but it lacked any real evidence of pain.
“You’ll have to do better than that, Luke Starkiller. I can do this all day.”
And then Luke saw it. Mara’s lightsaber lying about three meters from her body. If he could just keep this guy talking and facing away from Mara…
“I have trouble believing that you could be any kind of threat to the Emperor,” Luke sneered. He wrapped mental fingers around the hilt and lifted it a few centimeters into the air.
“Not now, boy. Not as I am. But soon, I will be ready.” He launched a brutal assault, pressing Luke backward.
Luke flipped away from his opponent and settled into a more solid defensive stance. “What do you mean?” The lightsaber was floating slowly along the ground toward them.
The man shook his head. “Enough talk!”
Luke forced himself not to look at Mara’s lightsaber. He raised his own blade up high. “If I’m going to die, why not tell me?”
The man came at him again, spinning forward to create a pinwheel of deadly energy. His sabers battered at Luke’s defenses. The Sith adept crouched down and scissor-kicked the man’s legs, causing him to fumble.
“I was a Jedi Knight,” the man roared, slicing sideways with one saber while he brought the other up to defend. “My name was A’Sharad Hett. Palpatine murdered my kind, hunting down all who escaped the initial purge.”
Luke nearly lost his hold on Mara’s lightsaber. “A Jedi Knight?” He had heard of the Jedi when he was younger, but up until now he had thought they were a myth.
Hett’s sabers clashed with Luke’s again, and he pressed them toward the younger man. “Yes, boy. I was a Jedi, and I had a name. I have shed both those skins. I was the hunted, but now I am the hunter.”
Luke shoved Hett’s sabers away and lunged forward with his. Lunge, duck, block, parry. They twirled around each other, kicking up dirt and dust. Mara’s lightsaber hovered near Hett’s knees.
Just as he was about to activate the saber, Hett slipped through his defense and, with a fierce snap of his wrists, sent Luke’s lightsaber flying away from him. Luke fell onto his back and tried to scramble away. Hett held his sabers on either side of Luke’s head and smiled.
“Before you kill me, answer me this,” Luke said quickly, holding up a stopping hand.
Hett looked at him like he was a foolish child. “What now, boy?”
Mara’s lightsaber activated right next to Hett’s left elbow, shearing off the lower part of his arm. As Hett screamed out in agony, Luke leapt to his feet and called both his and Mara’s lightsabers to his hands. He charged the injured man, deftly knocking away his other lightsaber.
Instead of making a run for it, Hett roared and raised his right arm. Luke felt a wall of energy slam into him, carrying him several meters across the canyon. By the time he got up, he saw Hett scrambling up the canyon wall.
Luke chased after him, but he stopped short as the ground began to shake. He looked up and saw Hett standing with his good arm stretched out toward one of the higher walls. He pulled his arm back as if tugging a rope, and part of the ridge began to shift and crumble. Boulders tumbled down into the canyon, blocking Luke from following after Hett.
“You have won today, Starkiller, but I will have my revenge!” He punctuated his vow with the call of the dragon.
Instead of climbing the rocks and hunting down the wounded man, Luke turned and ran toward the spot where Mara had fallen. He knelt down at her side, examining her for injuries.
He wasn’t a medic, and he had no way of knowing how badly she was hurt until she woke up. Luke stood and held out his hands toward Mara, using the Force to lift her gently into the air and to keep her spine from moving. He floated her a few meters over to a small niche in the canyon wall and laid her down.
He could feel her presence in the Force. It wasn’t as strong as usual, but for now it was steady and calm. Something told him she would be fine; he just needed to wait for her to wake.
Luke settled down on a rock and watched Mara as the sun started its slow path down toward the horizon.
~~
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Category: AU, angst, romance
Timeframe: OT; around time of ANH
Summary: A strange tale where the good guys are bad, the Empire has won, and a Sith adept pursues the girl of his nightmares.
Chapter 1 Chapter 6
Chapter 2 Chapter 7
Chapter 3 Chapter 8
Chapter 4 Chapter 9
Chapter 5
~~
10. Call of the Dragon
“Sorry about the ship, but you see, I can’t let you leave here.”
Luke climbed to his feet and stepped in front of Mara. “Who are you?” he demanded.
The figure lowered the hood, revealing a man’s heavily-tattooed face. “Who I am is of no importance.” He ran his hands over his graying hair, which was pulled back in a long braid. When he brought his hands back up, there was a lightsaber in each one. He ignited them both and crossed the emerald-colored blades in front of his chest. “Have you made your decision, Jade?”
Luke glanced back at Mara, who was standing with her saber in her hand. “What decision? What’s he talking about?”
Mara looked past him and activated her weapon. “What’s in it for me?” she shouted across the distance.
The man smirked. “I’d let you live, for starters. Then you would become my apprentice.” He extended his arms so that both sabers pointed diagonally toward the ground. “Join me, Mara Jade, and together we can make this a better galaxy.”
Mara snorted. “I already have a master, and he’s the one bringing peace to the galaxy. Not you.”
The man rolled his wrists, spinning the colored beams in twin arcs. “Foolish child. Blinded by your precious Emperor.”
Luke interposed himself between Mara and the saber-wielding stranger. “Enough. If you’ve come to fight, then you can fight me.”
“Starkiller, don’t,” Mara said from behind him. “It’s me he wants.”
“I’m going to have to kill him anyway,” Luke responded coldly. “Might as well take care of it now.” He took a step forward and drew his lightsaber, angling the blood-red beam at the other man’s heart.
“Brave of you, boy.” The man considered Luke for a moment, then smiled. “You must be another of Palpatine’s projects. Don’t worry; I will deal with you in turn.”
“You will deal with me now,” Luke growled, drawing on the darkness that radiated from the planet. He remembered that day, four years ago, when he had given in completely to his rage and nearly killed Leia. Intoxicating though it was, he had always been too afraid to ever call on that rage again.
Now he reached hungrily for the black energy that had permeated the tomb, wrapping himself in its shadow. It was more power than he was ready for, more power than he could safely control, but he had to do it, or Mara would die.
The planet seemed to groan with its efforts to feed Luke’s fury. He called on every painful memory, every injustice ever committed against him, every nightmare that had chased him through the years. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he blinked them away and began to circle the stranger.
The stranger’s eyes widened as he lifted his weapons up in front of him. There was uncertainty in his gaze. “What is your name, boy?”
“Luke Starkiller,” he spat. “Not that it will matter when you’re dead.”
The other man chuckled and shook his head. “Another desert rat, swept far away by an unfortunate twist of fate.” He smiled darkly. “The galaxy is much smaller than we think. How long have you been a slave to Palpatine?”
“I am no man’s slave,” Luke snarled.
“I see. You don’t remember.” The man stretched his arms out, sabers pointed toward the sky. “Perhaps you will remember this.” And when he opened his mouth next, a horrible, frightful howl echoed forth.
Luke’s arms wavered as he stood transfixed by the sound. He never would have guessed it was human.
The stranger grinned. “You do remember.”
“Remember what?”
“The dragons, Luke Starkiller. The ones whose screams pierced the night. The ones no man ever hunted alone.”
Those words unlocked a flash of memory, the brief sensation of running across soft ground, staring up at a clear night sky, a million stars winking back at him. A deafening roar, a blue light that split the darkness, and a man’s bearded face.
“Are you afraid?”
He closes his eyes and huddles against the bearded man, shaking his head.
“It’s all right to be afraid, young Luke. We all have something that scares us.”
“What are you scared of, sir?” He opens his eyes and looks up at his rescuer.
The bearded man stares up at the stars, but he doesn’t answer.
Luke wrenched himself from his memories and planted himself firmly in the present. “That’s a nice trick,” he said softly, a wicked smile creeping across his face. “But I’m not afraid of monsters.” He raised his lightsaber to his right shoulder and charged.
~~
As soon as Starkiller and the mysterious Force-user clashed, Mara knew who would be the victor. Despite the Sith adept’s raw power, despite his bravado, he was still just a boy who had grown up in the relative safety of the Imperial Palace. Whoever this other man was, he was stronger, more experienced, and better armed.
She had only one option.
Mara lunged forward, thumbing her lightsaber to life as she vaulted through the air.
“No!”
Starkiller raised his left hand and sent a wave of energy at her, knocking her off her feet. The stranger grinned and took advantage of the distraction, shoving Starkiller backward with both his sabers. Starkiller launched himself into a high back flip, landing several meters away from his opponent.
Mara picked herself up and sucked in a deep breath. “Idiot,” she growled, reactivating her weapon.
“Mara, stay back!”
“You go to hell, Starkiller,” she snapped. “We’ll fight him together.” She stepped over to his side and raised her lightsaber.
The stranger spun his sabers in a slow circle and laughed. “Maybe I’ll just let you two kill each other.”
Mara’s eyes narrowed. “Listen, Starkiller,” she whispered. “You can’t fight him alone.”
“I’ve handled-”
“I don’t care. I’m not putting my life in your hands. We fight together.”
Starkiller kept his eyes locked on the tattooed stranger as he nodded his head. “Fine.” He activated his weapon and raised it with both hands. “Stubborn girl.”
Mara raised her lightsaber, noting how smoothly and naturally he shifted in order to accommodate a partner. Before she could respond, the stranger surged toward them, both blades held high.
Starkiller blocked an overhead slice while Mara ducked a sweeping blow. She balanced herself on one hand and kicked out at the stranger’s legs. He jumped into the air, giving Mara time to stand up as Starkiller parried and pressed his attack.
They were on either side of the tattooed man now, each of them blocking and parrying, trying to wear their enemy down. He moved with preternatural speed, able to fend them off even when they were both lunging forward, striking with all of their strength. The man held both blades horizontal and spun in a half circle, viciously batting away his attackers while he switched sides.
“You’re looking tired, Jade,” he said, swinging the left hand saber in a low scoop that caught her weapon and knocked it from her hands. He ended the motion with a quick stab, but Mara had already rolled away, reaching for her lightsaber. Temporarily freed from his second opponent, the stranger twirled to block Starkiller’s powerful lunge.
Mara flipped into the air and came down on their enemy from above, drawing his other lightsaber away from Starkiller. “Don’t count me out just yet,” she said darkly, batting his saber away as she landed.
Mara tried an upward cut that would have split the man groin to chin, but he blocked it easily while stopping a sideswipe from Starkiller. Then he met Mara’s eyes and smiled.
The stranger snapped his wrist up and forced Starkiller’s lightsaber into the air, kicking out with his right leg in the same motion. His foot connected with Starkiller’s chest, sending the Sith adept rolling over backwards in the dust. He spun toward Mara with the free saber, battering her weapon with it before leaning in and elbowing her hard across the side of her head.
Mara felt her lightsaber leave her hand, and then there was only darkness.
~~
“NO!”
Luke scrambled forward, raising his lightsaber before he had even gotten off of the ground. The tattooed man turned and smiled at him. “Finally,” he muttered.
Their sabers connected with a crackle of electricity. Luke slammed his weapon against the stranger’s, pushing him away from Mara’s still form. He growled as he drove the older man back into one of the canyon walls.
Using both his sabers to block, the man was seemingly pinned against the rocks. “Do you think your anger will save you, boy?” He leaned into the block, the sinews in his muscles bulging grotesquely as he tried to push Luke away. “I have braved this world for years. What makes you think you can defeat me?”
Luke glared at him through the crimson and emerald light. “If she dies, no place in the galaxy will be safe for you.”
The stranger roared and exploded forward, driving Luke away from the canyon wall. “I’ve been hunted for a long time, and still I survive.”
Luke took several quick steps away from his opponent and let out a frustrated breath. The two men circled one another, watching each other carefully while they rested.
The stranger smiled, his tattoos stretching across aged skin. “You think you’re different from all the rest, but you’ll see. Palpatine will betray you just like he betrayed me.” The man laughed, but his eyes were dark.
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“I would have thought he’d be bragging about it for years to come.” The man’s voice was hard and bitter.
Luke tightened his grip on his lightsaber and stopped circling. “Who?” He knew it was a distraction, but there was something about the way this man spoke, as if he had seen things too horrible to imagine.
The man stopped moving as well. He lowered his lightsabers and stared at Luke. A fire seemed to blossom in those eyes.
“The so-called Emperor, boy. The man who destroyed my people, my way of life.” He shook his head and leered at Luke. “But we’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to fight.”
He vaulted into the air, coming at Luke with both sabers held like spears. Luke sidestepped and swung his blade through the air, catching the man in the shoulder. His opponent howled, but it lacked any real evidence of pain.
“You’ll have to do better than that, Luke Starkiller. I can do this all day.”
And then Luke saw it. Mara’s lightsaber lying about three meters from her body. If he could just keep this guy talking and facing away from Mara…
“I have trouble believing that you could be any kind of threat to the Emperor,” Luke sneered. He wrapped mental fingers around the hilt and lifted it a few centimeters into the air.
“Not now, boy. Not as I am. But soon, I will be ready.” He launched a brutal assault, pressing Luke backward.
Luke flipped away from his opponent and settled into a more solid defensive stance. “What do you mean?” The lightsaber was floating slowly along the ground toward them.
The man shook his head. “Enough talk!”
Luke forced himself not to look at Mara’s lightsaber. He raised his own blade up high. “If I’m going to die, why not tell me?”
The man came at him again, spinning forward to create a pinwheel of deadly energy. His sabers battered at Luke’s defenses. The Sith adept crouched down and scissor-kicked the man’s legs, causing him to fumble.
“I was a Jedi Knight,” the man roared, slicing sideways with one saber while he brought the other up to defend. “My name was A’Sharad Hett. Palpatine murdered my kind, hunting down all who escaped the initial purge.”
Luke nearly lost his hold on Mara’s lightsaber. “A Jedi Knight?” He had heard of the Jedi when he was younger, but up until now he had thought they were a myth.
Hett’s sabers clashed with Luke’s again, and he pressed them toward the younger man. “Yes, boy. I was a Jedi, and I had a name. I have shed both those skins. I was the hunted, but now I am the hunter.”
Luke shoved Hett’s sabers away and lunged forward with his. Lunge, duck, block, parry. They twirled around each other, kicking up dirt and dust. Mara’s lightsaber hovered near Hett’s knees.
Just as he was about to activate the saber, Hett slipped through his defense and, with a fierce snap of his wrists, sent Luke’s lightsaber flying away from him. Luke fell onto his back and tried to scramble away. Hett held his sabers on either side of Luke’s head and smiled.
“Before you kill me, answer me this,” Luke said quickly, holding up a stopping hand.
Hett looked at him like he was a foolish child. “What now, boy?”
Mara’s lightsaber activated right next to Hett’s left elbow, shearing off the lower part of his arm. As Hett screamed out in agony, Luke leapt to his feet and called both his and Mara’s lightsabers to his hands. He charged the injured man, deftly knocking away his other lightsaber.
Instead of making a run for it, Hett roared and raised his right arm. Luke felt a wall of energy slam into him, carrying him several meters across the canyon. By the time he got up, he saw Hett scrambling up the canyon wall.
Luke chased after him, but he stopped short as the ground began to shake. He looked up and saw Hett standing with his good arm stretched out toward one of the higher walls. He pulled his arm back as if tugging a rope, and part of the ridge began to shift and crumble. Boulders tumbled down into the canyon, blocking Luke from following after Hett.
“You have won today, Starkiller, but I will have my revenge!” He punctuated his vow with the call of the dragon.
Instead of climbing the rocks and hunting down the wounded man, Luke turned and ran toward the spot where Mara had fallen. He knelt down at her side, examining her for injuries.
He wasn’t a medic, and he had no way of knowing how badly she was hurt until she woke up. Luke stood and held out his hands toward Mara, using the Force to lift her gently into the air and to keep her spine from moving. He floated her a few meters over to a small niche in the canyon wall and laid her down.
He could feel her presence in the Force. It wasn’t as strong as usual, but for now it was steady and calm. Something told him she would be fine; he just needed to wait for her to wake.
Luke settled down on a rock and watched Mara as the sun started its slow path down toward the horizon.
~~