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The Secrets of the Prophecy are Revealed . . .
Chapter Five
“You Only Hurt The Ones You Love”
Korixban was indeed deathly warm. The sands were red, as were the horizon and the sky and the clouds. They landed on the outskirts of a very forlorn looking city. Loki, Rio, and Aliea pulled cloaks over their heads to disguise themselves.
Under the cowls, it was horribly hot. Loki hoped Rio or Aliea didn’t pass out from the heat. That would give them away for sure. Aliea’s hand darted out and grabbed her arm. Loki looked up to see three Stormtroopers approaching them, blaster rifles at the ready. She frowned.
“All arrivals must present identification at the check points designated by the Empire,” Trooper one said. Trooper two held out his gloved hand.
“You don’t need to see any identification,” she said, giving a lazy wave of her hand.
“We don’t need to see any identification,” Trooper three said. The other two nodded.
“You’ll let us go, just this once,” Loki said, with another lazy wave.
“We’ll let you go,” Trooper two said, holding up one finger. “Just this once.”
“Carry on.”
“Carry on,” Trooper one said.
Loki, Rio, and Aliea walked through the city gates and into one of the famous market places of Korixban. Rio snorted beside her.
“Look at all the pretty white armor,” he said, sneering at all the Stormtroopers. Indeed, there were at least seventy, scattered everywhere. Aliea shushed him.
“Quiet!” She hissed. “We have to blend in if we want to get into Revan’s palace unnoticed.” Loki could just see Rio roll his eyes.
“You two,” she said, turning to them. “We’re going to split up for a second. Take a few things in. Look for vantage points and easiest roots for escape.” She turned, ready to leave, then she turned back. “Don’t touch anything.” She added. “We meet back at the local cantina in five. Understand?”
2
Five minutes later, Loki sat, trying to blend in, at the bar. The other creatures had not taken much notice to her. She was the first back of the three. Not many vantage points save the main road, and that was rarely packed after rush hour, whenever that was. And rush hour would be a good thing: more people to blend with.
Aliea and Rio came in, hoods down and sweaty. Loki rolled her eyes. So much for blending. Rio sat on one side of her, throwing himself down heavily, while Aliea winced into her seat. She looked around the room with mild distaste.
“Find anything?” Loki asked Rio. He shook his head.
“Very little,” he replied. “The best place would be the main road, but, it may be crowded and that could work for us or against us.” Loki and Aliea nodded. “Order anything?”
“No, I was going to wait for you two,” she said. Loki called the bartender over. “Three glasses of . . . something light and simple, please.”
He left with a grunt and set to work on the drinks, leaving Loki to guess the amount that was expected for the service rendered. Seventeen credits should do it. I hope, she added, silently.
Loki took the time to look around again. No troopers, that was good. But plenty of shady looking folk.
We just have to blend in long enough to rest from this frackin’ heat, she thought.
The bartender returned with the drinks and the money traded hands. Loki sipped it. It was cool and not very sweet, and amber colored, suggesting some kind of ale. The glass was dirty, but now was not the time to split hairs. She sighed.
Then the trouble started.
3
Luke drummed his fingers impatiently on the arm rest of the co-pilot’s seat of the Jade Shadow. No word from Loki in hours. Mara glanced at him from where she sat, her long legs up on the controls as the ship zoomed through hyper space. She could sense his nervousness.
“Listen, Luke,” Mara said, treading lightly. She even used his name. Usually when she addressed him she called him some cute term of endearment. Now that he was uptight, it was important to let him know she was as concerned as he was. “I’m sure Loki and the others are fine. They can take care of themselves. You know that.”
“I know,” Luke said. “It’s just that . . . I’m worried.” He rubbed his temples in his trademark way to say that he was stressed or worried or both. Mara couldn’t hide the smile that was slowly spreading across her features. Luke noticed right off the bat. “What?”
“You’re being a mother-hen,” she said. “One with empty nest syndrom.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re used to either having to put up with the Sweet Sixteen or Loki by herself and you like it.” Mara said. “It’s how I know you’ll be a good father.”
Luke raised an eyebrow at her.
“Can we focus on the task at hand?” He asked, not sounding all that miffed about it. There was a moment of silence before Luke said, “You want to have children?”
“Yes!” Mara said, like it was obvious. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m not getting any younger. The clock is ticking, Farmboy!” Luke managed a smile.
The two lapsed into silence again. Space, as always, was cold and silent and very solemn. Like a crypt. Luke loved and hated being in space at the same time. He loved the simpleness of the starscape, pitch black velvet emptiness of space peppered with white, diamond-like stars. But he hated that emptiness. That feeling of being completely and utterly alone.
Luke only hoped that Loki was not alone somewhere, in some dungeon, Rio and Aliea dead or dying. Loki cold, alone, and scared. It was hard to imagine, actually. She may act scared, to buy herself more time. Buy time against Rokion, he added as an afterthought.
Luke shuddered. He could feel the three Dark Force presences. He figured that at least two of them were Revan and her new apprentice, Rokion. But who was the other, the last presence?
It all fit together, somehow, but how? What was the key he was overlooking? What was it? He asked himself, almost fiercely.
“Luke, I’m picking up on a trail, I think,” Mara said, disrupting his thoughts. She was typing rapidly into the navcomputer. Luke wondered to himself, Was I dozing or something? Mara pressed enter several times. “Yup, a definite ion trail. It’s wide, too. I’ll see if its similar to a YT-1300.” More rapid typing. Like Han’s Millennium Falcon, Rio’s Century Raptor was a large freighter that was customized with hidden weapons and hyper-drive boosts and other frivolous, yet necessary things. “I’ve got it!” Mara said, triumphantly.
“Is it our little lost Jedi’s ship?” Luke asked, although he was sure it was.
“As a matter of fact, it is,” Mara said.
“Then let’s get going,” Luke said.
4
“Excuse me,” Aliea said, calling the tender over to her. Loki’s heart could’ve stopped. Aliea, what are you doing?! “I’m sorry, but I can’t drink this.” Loki’s heart did stop when she saw the offended look on the tender’s face. He placed his fists on his hips.
“And why is that?” He boomed, drawing attention to himself.
Several heads turned.
Oh stars, Aliea, if you know what’s good for you, you will just say nothing and sorry or never mind, the drink’s great! or some other BS excuse, please!
“The glass is dirty! And the drink tastes disgusting.” Aliea replied primly.
The tender scowled and reached under the bar.
Loki was hit with a blinding wave of emotion and the acute sense of danger as the bartender revealed his treasure: a shining dagger. Before she had a chance to react, the bartender seized her best friend’s wrist. Aliea pulled against it but he slammed it down on the counter. Now they had the attention of the entire bar and Loki was finally beginning to regain herself, Rio was as well, having felt the same wave.
“You’ll pay for your insult with your hand, girl,” the tender growled. He raised the dagger high. Aliea’s mouth was agape and her eyes were wide with terror. The dagger came down. Aliea screamed.
In succession, there was the noise of a chair falling to the floor, the snap-hiss of a lightsaber and another scream, not Aliea’s.
Loki held her iced purple saber up, blocking the dagger’s decent. The tender’s eyes were huge as the dagger was cut in half like butter. Loki held her saber up, vertical with her face, casting an eerie purple glow on one side of her. Hers was a sleek, flowing movement, one that she had used countless times to disarm anything so foolish to attack her or her friends with something other than a saber.
With a small flourish, she returned her saber blade to the hilt and clipped it to her belt. The bar was as silent as a grave. She glanced around. Aliea was breathing heavily, Rio’s hand was shaking, and the bar flies were watching them with interest. She reached inside her robes and withdrew a shining gold coin. She flipped it to the tender. Still shocked, it bounced off his forehead and hit the floor with a clear ringing.
“Sorry about the mess,” she said, softly. Loki glanced at her friends. “We’re leaving now.” She swept out without another word. A moment later, walking through the red sand, she could hear Rio and Aliea’s footsteps pounding to catch up with hers.
“Damn, Skippy!” Rio said. “I’ve never seen anyone move that fast unless their girlfriend’s dad was opening the door and their boxers were on the ceiling fan!” Loki said nothing in reply.
“That was barbaric of that bartender,” Aliea said, bitterly. “My hand because I didn’t like a drink. What a neanderthal!” Loki remained quiet, her shoulders becoming hunched. “I mean, really!” That was the last straw. Loki exploded.
“You are not one to talk!” She snapped. Aliea stopped and blinked. Rio stopped too.
“Whoa, Loki, breathe,” he said.
Loki rounded on him.
“You weren’t any better! You both acted like first year Jedi back there, and I had to save your asses and blow our cover.” Loki yelled. She turned on her heel and headed for the Raptor.
Now, Aliea wasn’t one to be spoken to like that and she said so.
“Who do you think you are, anyway?” Aliea snapped back at her. “Queen of the Jedi?” Loki ignored the comment. But Aliea pursued. “Just becuase you’re Skywalker’s apprentice and one of the more powerful Jedi, you think you can boss the rest of us around?”
“Aliea, stop while you’re ahead and still have one!” Loki said, not looking at her. By now, Rio was also a little steamy.
“She’s right, Loki,” he said. “It was a mistake. Everybody makes them.”
“This one could have cost her a hand and us the mission!” Loki yelled. At this, Rio lost his head a little.
“You know what, Meridean, you’re not the Queen of the Jedi,” he said, opening his mouth without thinking. “You’re the friggin’ Empress!” Loki spun on him and her fist connected with his nose in a sloppy punch. Rio hit the red sand with a muffled yell.
“NEVER CALL ME THAT!” Loki screamed. “I’m nothing like him, damn you!” Rio blinked up at her. His nose was bleeding and when the blood touched the sand, it was the same color. Loki, partly disgusted with herself, turned and went back to the Raptor, leaving Aliea to help Rio up.
5
Luke moved his piece forwards. In hyperspace, a nice game of Djarrk was always appreciated. The long thought processes and strategies involved made the even longer trips seem short. Like chess, only in a circle, Djarrk pitted creatures of the players’ choice against each other in holo-graphic duels. Mara had several multicolored dressed Jenovian Dancers while Luke had several multicolored Draconic Dragons. It was almost ironic, having those two settings on the Djarrk board all the time and not taking the time to notice. It certainly would have answered a few questions about Loki and Roki Jenovian ancestry. Not to mention Jaken, Fina, Riku, and Vyse’s.
Luke’s Dragon moved forward and slashed at a Sai wielding Dancer dressed in light green. It slashed but the Dancer threw light green Force Fire at it at the same moment it blasted fire at her. Both died. That was the seventh draw of the game.
“I’m beginning to think that this may be a trick of fate and the game,” Mara said.
“You mean that the Draconics and the Jenovians have equal strength and war between them would be pointless and deadly for both sides?” Luke asked, smiling at Mara’s reaction. “Jaken shared the story with me.”
Mara nodded. The navcomp beeped and she looked up. The groan died in her throat as the ship rocked with impact. Luke was thrown to the floor, Mara landed next to him.
“It’s Thrawn,” she said. Luke swore. He got to his feet, pulling Mara with him and ran for the gun-well. “He’s not going to make this easy for us,” Mara said through a headset comm.
“In the immortal words of Trilian Soriel, ‘No Duh,’” Luke replied.
Mara rolled her eyes and looked at the SSD before her. Thrawn and the Chiss. Just what they didn’t need on a search and retrieve mission. The Chiss were ruthless and mean, and above all, powerful. While not at all strong in the Force, the Chiss had weapons and a cloned dictator with a bad inferiority complex. An even bluer version of Thrawn appeared before Mara.
His red eyes smiled and Mara saw hate in those eyes.
“Ah,” he said, as if someone remembering a name that he didn’t really care for, “Miss Jade. This is a pleasant surprise.” Mara smirked. She had killed Thrawn #2; Thrawn #3, #4 and #5 were brought down in ‘accidents’ so that made this one # 6. How quaint.
“It’s Jade-Skywalker, Thrawn,” she said. “Now, I know you’ll be telling me anytime now, so just say it: what is your evil plan this time?” Thrawn smiled for real this time.
“It’s simple, Jade,” he said. “Even the Jedi could understand it, I believe. You see, we’ve heard of a Sith Lord that has surfaced.” Mara didn’t let her displeasure show on her face, but her stomach dropped. “Seeing as the Sith seem to be very reasonable characters, we’d thought we’d set a little deal with them. Oh, but we won’t tell you the details just yet. In fact, we can tell you when we take you aboard.”
“It’ll be a cold day on Mustafar when you do that, Thrawn,” Mara snarled. Thrawn smiled wider this time.
“We’ll see,” he said. “And guess what? We’ve got about seventeen thousand Ysilimari on board.” Mara wanted to groan. Those six legged lemur bastards could create a Force defusing bubble, about three feet for one of ‘em. Seventeen thousand could easily encompass that entire SSD. If they were to get her and Luke inside . . . she didn’t want to think about it. “Those little buggers will help us with the . . . interrogations.”
Mara knew enough about the Empire to know that the word ‘interrogations’ meant torture. She glared at him.
“Go fall into another pit of radioactive sludge, Thrawn,” she hissed. “This doesn’t involve you.”
“Oh, but it does,” he said. “You and your Jedi lover are going to find this new Sith Lord and we want to know what system and who he or she is. And we will obtain this information by any means possible.” Mara smirked. She raised a finger over the END TRANSMISSION button.
“Then I’ll see you in Hell, Thrawn.”
6
Loki had settled down enough to look Rio in the eyes again. Though, Rio saw those eyes were still accusing and cold. Figures, he thought, bitterly, sitting beside her in the cockpit as they tried to sleep. Just get her to like me and I blow it. ********, Rio, you jerk.
“Try not to be so hard on yourself,” she muttered from beside him. Rio blinked, trying to calm his heartbeat.
“Uh, sorry,” he said. Loki shook her head as to say that it was alright.
Phew, nice save there, Rio, old bean.
“I shouldn’t of wigged out like that,” she said. Loki met his eyes. “It was a mistake. All of us made one. Aliea in the bar, you in the dunes and me in the,” she coughed, “fist department.” Rio cracked a smile. “And the whole bar thing, I shouldn’t’ve yelled at Aliea like that. The girl’s one of my best friends. She didn’t screw up that bad.”
“I think she just knew that you were on edge about the whole Roki situation. Aliea understands,” he said. Loki shook her head again.
“It was a beginner’s mistake,” she said finally, starring off into the dunes. “A beginner’s mistake.”
“Who coined that one?” Rio asked.
“My Master,” she said, almost immediately.
“Skywalker?”
“You could say that . . .”
“I’m lost.”
“Let’s just say my Master was related to Skywalker,” she said. Rio’s eyes widened.
“Vader?!” He said, shrilly. Loki smiled and nodded. “Your great master before Luke you were always talking about was DARTH VADER?!”
“Yes, and he was a great teacher.” She said. “He taught me a great deal about the Force. I wasn’t born with a lightsaber in my hand, you know.”
“So, Vader didn’t . . . ?” He nodded at her right arm, which was now wrapped in black fabric that allowed the fingers to move freely while still setting that arm apart.
“What?” Loki asked, looking at her arm, then back up at him. “Oh, hell no! Some one else did this. Long after I first became Vader’s apprentice.”
“How did you become Vader’s apprentice anyway? I mean, I know you were — are — a Princess of Jenovia, the heir to the crown even. How did you make the jump?” Rio asked.
“My mother, the Queen, Kidanaila, sent me and Roki off planet when the war with Draconia got too intense. I knew we were losing. Worse, the Rebellion and the Empire were seeking out worlds. Now, the Empire was wrong, a hundred percent, but the Rebellion wasn’t exactly gentle. Seeing as I was the only Jenovian on Curoscant, I felt it necessary to seek out Vader and make a stake for my planet. No, not just Jenovia. The entire Draconic Nebula. It’s not very big, but it had a lot of beings living there. Besides Draconia held an interest of mine. I couldn’t let it be destroyed.
“Anyway, I sought out Vader, alone, leaving Roki with Joanna, our court Mage and Guardian, and a promise: I would be back for him. So I went before Vader, barely a girl of nine and I didn’t plead, I demanded. He liked that, apparently. He said I had promise and potential and so much more. He knew then what I didn’t. My blood was as Force-ful as his.”
“Okay, but where did the beginner’s mistake come in?” Rio asked.
“It was my first mission. I was ten, maybe, and I was told to basically stand beside him as he over saw the bridge of the Executor. It wasn’t that hard. I was told to probe every mind that came to speak to him. That day, I was able to find several near converters. Vader set them straight and some he set dead. The actual bridge over-looking platform was about seven feet from the deck. That was around fourteen steps to walk down in while following my Master to the comp stations. That day, I wore a tunic and a black skirt over black pants, just as every Imperial she-admiral. A long black cape, exactly as my Master’s only slightly shorter becuase I was slightly shorter. In fact, he was six foot four, where I was five foot nothing. That’s a good deal of height difference and I made the cloak myself. I wanted it to billow like his so it was slightly taller than I was as well.”
“Uh oh,” Rio said. “Why do I have a feeling I know where this is going?”
“Let me finish,” Loki said, gently. “Now, as my Master conversed with Admiral Peitt, the two walked down the stairs; I followed directly behind Vader and catty corner to four Stormtroopers following Peitt. ‘The Death Star is almost functional, My Lord,’ Peitt was saying. ‘Very good, Admiral,’ Vader said. ‘Soon the Rebellion will be pushed to its knees,’ that was Peitt again. Vader said that it would be fine for me to make a comment every now and again, as it was needed. ‘The Rebellion is on its knees, Admiral,’ I said. ‘The Death Star is merely the ultimate check — ’ and that was when it happened. I had meant to say check-mate, but somehow my robe got tangled on my legs and I fell forward, tripping over my own feet.”
Rio gave a little laugh before covering his mouth.
“Oh no,” he said, still laughing lightly. “You didn’t barrel into Darth Vader did you?” He asked, seeing a younger Loki sprawled on the floor, in a robe far to big for her, tangled together with Darth Vader.
“Thank the Force I didn’t,” Loki said. “Vader must’ve felt it coming and sidestepped me as I fell. He had pulled Peitt with him, but the Stormtroopers were not so lucky. I landed first, somehow, and had time to roll out of the way before I was smashed by four troopers.”
“Crap,” Rio laughed. “What did Vader say?” Loki smiled to herself.
“Well, he took it better than I had thought as I laid there, mortified.” Rio leaned forward, putting on the facade of one concerned about the outcome.
“What’d he do?” He asked, gravely. Loki looked at him for a while. Then she broke out laughing. He laughed too. It was a moment that Rio cherished. He hoped Loki cherished it too. The laughter turned hysterical as all the pent-up emotions they had all been feeling channeled themselves a little more constructively. “Okay, okay, okay,” Rio said. “Continue.”
“Well, I’m on the floor and everyone is staring at me,” Loki said. “I felt so horrible. I got to my elbows and that was when my Master bent over me only slightly. He did something then I never expected.”
“What’d he do?” Rio asked, genuinely curious.
“He gave me his hand,” Loki said. “He held it out for me to get up with.”
“No way.”
“Yes. I was as surprised as you were. I swear I felt him smile behind that mask. His first smile in a long time. He gave me some phoney excuse to step out and I took it. Later I apologized for embarrassing him. ‘It was a beginner’s mistake.’ He said. ‘You will no doubt have a handful of these. Learning to use the Force always comes with mistakes.’ I really have made a lot of mistakes.” Rio sat in contemplation for awhile after that. “I do not think we were a mistake, though, Rio.” Then he leaned over the space dividing the seats and Loki leaned in too.
Both of them cherished this moment. Another real kiss between two bonded hearts.
7
The ship was jarred again as a laser bolt hit it on its left side. Mara grimaced. That one sounded like it disintegrated something.
“Their marksmanship has improved,” Luke’s voice said in her ear, the comm. piece proving its worth. “We can’t evade them forever. Get as close as possible to their fuel line.”
“Too risky,” Mara muttered. “Their defenses are air tight.”
“We can’t lead them to Revan,” he said. “Or Loki. Their hate for Vader would ensure her death in a second.” Mara thought about this. The Farmboy always thought about other people first. Didn’t he realize that because of his blood connection to Vader, he would be killed if brought aboard too? She didn’t have time to think long when the ship rocked again. “Mara Jade, listen to me and listen good.”
Mara blinked. Was he being forceful with her? b*****d, she thought. Cute b*****d, but a b*****d nonetheless.
“Fly under and then over the SSD,” he said. “I’ll take it from there.”
“Whatever you said, Jedi dork,” Mara said, shaking her head.
“Try not to get hit again.”
But Mara had already dived under and steadied the ship as they skimmed the bottom of the SSD. To be her vindictive self, she flew right for the gunners and swerved at the last second, just to give Skywalker heart problems.
The end of the road was coming up and Mara was read for the flip, the upside down trip they were going to take over the Star Destroyer. The Chiss wouldn’t be expecting this, no sir, they were not. Mara jammed the throttles and hoped Luke’s idea was a damn good one.
Luke had centered himself in the Force, eyes closed and hands ready, fingers hovering over the triggers to the proton torpedoes. The fifth gunner on the right is dozing off, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. The seventh is anticipating them, better go for the sixth. No, the first would be best, the very middle gunner on the SSD, nearest the bridge. Hit him dead on, the hyperdrive’s power supply is cut off. The Chiss would be stranded for days. His inner Han said.
Luke felt the gravity of the gun-well shift, as if he were going up. Stay loose, Skywalker, his inner Wedge told him. Don’t let anything in. That was Han again. Shoot the s**t out of this old excuse for an SSD!
Luke opened his eyes. He looked out the view shield. Sure enough he was looking up at the SSD that was below the ship. He watched as gunners turned to him and began firing bright green bolts of energy at the ship. Mara evaded them easily and Luke saw the first gunner coming up on his scopes.
He fired.
A light blue proton blast shot at the SSD.
Luke inhaled.
The first gunner blew up in an orange blast. Luke knew the hyperdrive’s power line was severed. He had to draw in a shaky, unsteady breath as he felt several Chiss die in the explosion.
“Get us out of here, Mara,” Luke said, rising as the ship turned right side up. He began down the ladder from the gun-well, thinking everything was A-ok.
Boy, was he wrong.
Mara saw the third gunner on the SSD turn on them. She felt a sense of danger, the kind she couldn’t avoid this time, couldn’t outrun. It fired and the green shot hit them just right. Then she felt the immobilizing pain from her future husband.
The ship shook, and Luke missed a rung in the ladder and fell the rest of the way. He landed heavily on his a** and blinked. I seriously hope my tailbone isn’t broken, he thought. Then he saw one of the million things Karrde often had Mara take from place to place: long metal poles, maybe an inch in diameter. One of them, an extra, slid from the fishnet sling Mara used to carry it in on the ceiling and fell directly for him.
It took a moment for Luke to realize what happened. He saw the pole come at him, saw it take the dive, but somehow, he missed it going in his right upper leg and out the other side, blood spurting in the process. It took him a moment to feel the pain of it. Only a moment. Then it hit him full bore.
Luke felt like screaming. It wouldn’t be that unreasonably to do so. He had a friggin’ metal pole impaling him! He reached out to Mara. He knew Mara felt the pain and was probably reeling herself. But he sent a simple message instead of Help me, for Force’s sake, I’ve got a pole sticking out of me!, he sent: Get the ship into hyperspace following the Raptor’s trail and then come back here. Hurry.
Luke put his hands around the pole, pressing in. He threw his head back, gritting his teeth and screwing up his eyes. He let out an agonized moan. Blood seeped through his fingers. Luke felt the ship rush forward into hyperspace and he tried to move his leg.
Pain shot up his body like lightning. Mara ran back to him.
“Oh s**t!” She said, shrilly. She kneeled beside him and balked at what to do, moving her hands in, stopping and pulling back again.
Luke could feel the blood drench the back of his pant leg and the blood stung the wound. He was aware tears were rolling down his face, steadily, though he was too far along in shock to actually sob. This was the worst pain he had ever endured. Perhaps not as bad as losing his hand, but that pain was over quickly, the stump cauterized in an instant.
“Mara . . .” He said, weakly. “It hurts . . .”
Mara shook herself. She cupped Luke’s cheek with her hand and looked into his eyes.
“Okay, baby, okay, I’ll take care of it,” she said, quickly, breathlessly. She took a firm hold of the pole with both hands. “Brace yourself.”
Luke closed his eyes and made a mental note not to bite his lip or tongue. He might end up biting it off. With a hefty tug, Mara pulled the pole clean out of Luke’s leg. Well, the pole was not clean, but it came out easy. The hole bled freely. Luke screamed in pain but Mara didn’t hold that against him.
“Okay, okay,” she said, throwing the pole aside and running her fingers through her hair. “Okay,” she said again. “Uh, bacta strips. Come on.” Mara helped Luke stand and helped him limp back to the small space she called a med-bay jokingly.
Luke, instead of making the attempt at laying on the table, laid on the floor, blinking and gasping in pain. He was still in shock and didn’t think to try a Jedi Pain Neutralizing exercise. Mara undid his belt and pulled his pants down to his ankles. When the fabric brushed the wound, he cried out. Mara paid no mind. He was hurting. She would help him stop hurting.
Mara placed the strips of bacta laced linen on the wound and wrapped it around the leg. Luke slipped into a healing trance. After seven agonizing minutes, Mara slumped back on her butt. Her heart thumped against her chest and, although she felt like it was in her throat.
8
The day had come. The trio ventured into the bazaar once more, hoods up and capes drawn. It was crowded today, it was probably crowded everyday. Loki, Rio, and Aliea had been on Korixban for two and a half days and they hadn’t seen anything of the palace Revan was supposed to have.
Loki felt as if she had been walking forever. Her throat was dry and it hurt to swallow. Rio handed her the canteen and she drank a few gulps. They were getting to a weird part of the bazaar now.
Rio looked at a stand where spiky red fruits were displayed. Aliea examined another with a large collection of hands, some human, some very fresh. Loki saw some sparkling red jewels at yet another and looked at them. They winked at her and showed her many smaller reflections of herself in its facets.
“Uh, guys?” Rio’s voice said.
“Hmm?” Loki asked, lifting a red round sapphire. She had already placed four gold pieces on the counter to pay for it.
“Lady Revan’s castle,” he said. “It’d be really dark right?”
“Yes,” Loki said, pocketing her gem. She had plans for it.
“Lots of black metal and spires and towers and dark stuff like that?”
“How did you know?” Aliea asked, turning to him with Loki.
“Becuase I just found it,” Rio said, pointing ahead of them
On a cliff face, was the darkest castle Loki had ever seen. She realized, quickly, that the cliff face was in fact a volcano. The palace was made of a completely black substance, it loomed before them, like an angry god. Lightning flashed from a red swirl of clouds above the palace. Aliea raised an eyebrow.
“Melodramatic much,” she said. Loki nodded.
“Gates and guards,” she muttered to herself. “That won’t be a huge problem. Both of you, be ready.”
They walked towards the ornate, very Goth, gates and the two stormtroopers, holding blaster rifles in the hollows of their shoulders. Loki was whispering her plan to her friends as quickly as possible as they approached.
Above in the sky, the red storm raged, creating a crown around the volcano’s mouth.
9
Lillabeth was standing there, on the ice covered lake. Luke took a shaky step forward, towards her. He thought he would slip somehow, but didn’t. The ice wasn’t slick or bitingly cold on his bare feet for some reason. Hey, he wasn’t complaining.
His leg hurt though. Luke frowned. He looked down to see he was wearing only a long white button up shirt that looked like it was one of Han’s. It came almost to his knees.
What the hell is this?! He thought to himself. Some nightmare? He’d had these types of nightmares before. A few times on Tatooine, a few more during the Rebellion. Always the same thing. He was either wearing nothing at all or in his skivvies.
Lillabeth shook her head, smiling, almost as if she had heard his thoughts.
“Come closer, Jedi,” she said, her voice calm, like a song. Luke felt a need to follow that voice. That was fine, though. Lillabeth wouldn’t hurt him, he reasoned. “This is not a night- terror, I assure you.”
Luke realized Lillabeth’s voice was similar to Loki’s, if older and more mature. A woman and not a girl. Luke walked up to her, still carefully placing his steps. She smiled more at this. In time, he was right in front of her. Luke found himself unable to look directing into her eyes.
“You know me, Jedi Skywalker,” she said, softly. “You’ve known me for a while now.”
Luke stared at his feet.
“I know of you,” he said. “You’re Lillabeth, the first Rose Queen. You’re Loki’s great-great-great-great, um, great-grandmother and her incarnate.” Lillabeth gave a little laugh.
“Very close, Master Jedi,” she said, her laugh like a babbling brook. “Guess again.”
Luke looked up this time, to her eyes.
It wasn’t Lillabeth at all. It was Loki, older and if possible, more beautiful.
“I’m in danger, Luke,” she said. “And you know it. I can’t stop the Thorn Prince on my own. Only the Vine and the Fire Child can help me now.”
“But that’s Roki,” Luke said. “I can’t help you right now, Loki. But I want to! I don’t want you to die. Please, just come home.” Loki shook her head, sadly. “You’re precious to me.”
“I can’t do that,” she said. “But you can help, Luke. You are an entity that the Prophecy doesn’t mention. You are the Master, the Guardian Angel. You’re father gave you that gift, along with many others. He was my first Master. He’s not here to help me now, Luke, you are.” Loki enveloped him in a hug and whispered in his ear, “Be safe, my Angel.” She planted a gentle, soft kiss on his cheek.
10
Luke awoke with a start and blinked. Mara had made him a little, cozy bed on the floor, dressing him in an over large shirt. He breathed and laid back on the soft pillows. Was it a dream, or a vision? Something brought on by pain and trauma or the Force? Whichever it was, Luke remembered what Loki had said. I can help her, becuase I’m the Master, the Guardian Angel. Luke shivered. It all came down to what he chose to do now. Could he unlock whatever powers his father gave him because of this prophecy? Could he save Loki from certain death?
He didn’t know.
Force, he didn’t know.
Eek!
 Blakaize · Fri Feb 01, 2008 @ 06:44pm · 0 Comments |
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