The Apartment of Luke and Mara Jade Skywalker

[Mara Jade Skywalker]

After waking and getting ready for the day, Mara goes to the communication unit to place a call to Karrde.

Karrde's bearded face fills the viewscreen. "Well good morning, Mara. What can I do for you today?"

She smiles at him, feeling a little guilty. "I'm sorry it seems I only call when we need something, but this situation with the RGE is, well...a situation, for lack of a better word."

"I understand. Now, what can I do for you?"

"It's what Ghent can do for me, actually. There was a casualty during the riot on Carratos, I'm sure you heard about it. Luke was wondering if Ghent would be able to get autopsy records of the woman?"

Karrde thinks thoughtfully. "You know, I don't think there's anything that boy can't get his hands on. He is my best slicer, you know." Karrde says with a smile. "I'll pass on the request and have him report to you when he finds something."

"Thanks, Talon. I owe you one...or is it a dozen?"

Karrde laughs. "Consider it my gratitude for your years of service in my organization. Take care, Mara."

The transmission ended and Mara stood. Time to try to figure out that nightmare. She moved into the center of the room and sat on the floor. Relaxing into the Force, she cleared her mind and let the Force guide it, seeking answers to her nightmare.

Not long into the trance, a vision appeared in her mind's eye. There were stormtroopers everywhere; the 501st, she identified them easily. Vader's elite group of troopers. Then she saw Vader, towering over a small girl with red hair, no more than three years old, but wearing a determined look on her face. Vader motioned with his fist, and two stormtroopers picked the child up, carrying her into a nearby shuttle.

Mara heard a beeping and snapped out of the meditation, but the beeping continued. It was the comm unit. Mara stood and slapped the switch.

"This is Mara," she answered. It was Ghent. "That was fast, Ghent! I only just got off the comm with Karrde.

"You did? I've been working for the last two hours." he informed her. Two hours? The vision must have lasted longer than she thought.

"What did you find?"

Ghent's holo rubbed the back of his neck. "You're not gonna like it. Every official report I sliced into reported that there was no body. People saw the woman go down during the riot, but a body wasn't recovered."

Mara frowned, considering. "You're right, Ghent, I don't like it. Thanks for the information, I'll pass it on to Luke."

"Right. Later, Mara."

The transmission ends, and Mara forwards a copy of Ghent's report to Luke's office, and stores a copy on their communication unit.

[Luke Skywalker]

It is another late night for Luke. He slips into the darkened apartment and makes his way to Ben's room. He checks on the sleeping toddler, then makes his way to the master bedroom. He changes into his nightclothes and slips into bed. He has trouble falling asleep. He tumbles all of the recent events over in his mind. Eventually he falls asleep.

[Luke Skywalker]

Luke wakes up in the middle of the night. He gets up and showers. He dresses in his black jedi outfit. He heads to the dining room and leaves Mara a note.

Red,

Headed to Carratos to investigate some more. Will be careful. Be back soon.

Love,

Luke

Luke then packs a travel bag and heads out to the docking bay.

[Mara Jade Skywalker]

The past few nights have not been kind to Mara. Her meditation has only made the nightmares worse, more vivid and intense. As a result, she hasn't gotten much sleep, and that--combined with the fact that Nom Anor's blasted coomb spores wreaked havoc on her immune system--has made Mara more susceptible to mild colds. When she felt the cold coming on, she'd visited the Temple's medcenter and gotten an anti-contagious shot so she wouldn't pass the cold on to Ben.

So now Mara finds herself wrapped up in a blanket on the couch in the living room watching a shockball game with Ben. She has to explain pretty much everything to the boy, but he is eating it up, his eyes wide as he watches the game.

After a time, Mara's mind begins to wander back to her most recent nightmare. In this one, she watches helplessly as a woman fights Vader to her death. It was an uneven fight, but the woman fought with fierce determination. The nightmare had left Mara feeling guilty and more than a little confused. Was it just a nightmare or a vision of the past? She would have to ask Luke when he returned from Carratos.

[Nick Cousland]

A holomessage on the comm unit appears of Master Nick Cousland. The image bows and smiles apologetically. "Good evening Mara. I hate to disturb you so late, but Cait and I thought it was imperative that you and Luke be informed of this. Not long ago Cait and I felt many deaths through the Force to the point where it weakened the both of us. Not sure exactly where it occured but Cait's positive that a Sith Lord is behind this attack. I recommend that an investigation be started as soon as possible. Cait and I are over at the Military HQ at the Massassi Temple. Have a good night Mara." The image bows and fades out.

[Luke Skywalker]

Luke makes his way to the apartment. Coming in, he sees that there is a message waiting. He listens to the message with concern. Luke thinks, "I had a similar feeling of something happening in the Force when I was getting ready to leave Carratos. Someone will need to check into this as soon as possible." He quickly checks on Ben, then heads to bed, exhausted. He soon falls asleep.

[Luke Skywalker]

Luke wakes up, slips out of bed, and fixes breakfast for everyone. He fixes nerf bacon, gnort eggs, and biscuits. He sets the table. Pours everyone some dew melon juice and blue milk.

Ben comes into the dining room, "I'm hungry."

"Well, breakfast is ready," replies Luke. He sets Ben at the table and fills his plate and sippy cups. He then heads down the hall to wake Mara.

[Mara Jade Skywalker]

Mara is already awake and straightening the covers when Luke enters the room. "Something sure smells delicious. What's for breakfast?"

[Luke Skywalker]

"I've made nerf bacon and gnort eggs. It's ready, come and get it, " says Luke. "How are you feeling this morning?"

[Mara Jade Skywalker]

"Better," she tells him. "I finally got a decent night's sleep." She approaches him, hugs him tight and says, "I want to tell you about the nightmares, see what you think." Mara steps out of the hug then heads for the kitchen.

[Luke Skywalker]

Luke hugs her tightly back. "Alright," he says as he follows her to the kitchen. "Whenever you are ready. I don't have anything planned today." Then he remembers the disturbance in the Force yesterday. He asks her about it. "Nick left a message about a disturbance in the Force yesterday. I felt it too, but have no clue what it might be. Did you feel anything? Or maybe heard something on the holonet about it?"

[Mara Jade Skywalker]

Mara thinks a moment. "You know, now that you mention it, I did feel something strange last night. I was meditating at the time so I'd dismissed it, thinking it was just my imagination. Nothing on the holonet about it, either. Though, Ben and I were watching shockball." Suddenly she looks up at him. "You don't think the Sith have returned?"

[Sacrifice]

*Sac appears on the holoreader* Master Skywalker. My son has made his choice. He has chosen the dark side. Maybe it's a balance I don't know. but when I was dark I saw things through that perspective and my next statement is an educated statement through the eyes of both sides. Light always casts a shadow but light will always penetrate the shadows. I tried to argue with my son why he should reconsider but he got a strong will for the dark side. I don't blame him I was like that too. Would you like me to stay on carrotos now that this whole coup thing is over?

[Luke Skywalker]

Luke replies to Sacrifice, "No, you can return to Yavin IV now that it is over. I will see you soon."

[Luke Skywalker]

"I know for a fact that they have," replies Luke. "The real Lord Ire has returned, and Paymon has revealed his true colors as a Sith. But this was something different." Luke goes over and switches the holonet on. There is a report of a mass murder on Obrea-Skai in Parmedon City. An entire hospital was slaughtered, as well as a number of officers. The murders were committed by a lightsaber. Luke shuts the holovid off. "Mara, we have to do something about this."