High Heavens (Star Wars - Luke Skywalker)

X - Bad Feelings All Around

A few uneventful minutes went by as they traveled through hyperspace. Mara was at ease knowing the jump into lightspeed had easily left any followers behind, and she gave herself time to mull through the Falcon, taking in the sights she had missed for so long. Eventually, she settled down in the lounge, where all was quiet. She considered getting a game of sabacc going, just to pass the time, but then her hand went to the lightsaber on her belt.

"Hey, Luke?" she asked.

He looked up at her.

She lifted the saber up. "You wanna try these things out?"

Luke grinned at her, before nodding and taking out his own lightsaber. "You bet I do."

"That's not so much of a bad idea," Ben granted. "If the two of you want to learn the ways of the Force, and become Jedi, you must practice your skills."

Curious, Mara experimentally knocked her lightsaber against Luke's, humming in interest at the sizzle they made upon impact. They played around for a few more minutes, before Mara stepped back, suddenly remembering something.

"Actually, there might be something around here we could use," she murmured, reaching for a cabinet. As she rummaged through it, she said, "It's something I picked up a while ago... hopefully Han didn't throw it out... I doubt it... He's actually quite sentimental... here it is!" She pulled out a metal sphere, equipped with laser emitters and sensors.

"A remote," Ben identified. "Many Jedi use it for training. Well done, Mara. If you give it to me I'll program it for you."

A moment later, Ben threw it into the air, where it hovered, honing in on Luke and Mara. It spun towards Mara, shooting a laser. She sloppily blocked it with her lightsaber, but not before another laster hits her hip bone, causing her to hiss in pain. The remote began to alternate firing at her and Luke, while the rest of the travelers went to activities of their own. R2 and Chewie began playing a holographic game of Dejarik, C3PO overlooking (and occasionally criticizing) the strategies. Han was somewhere deeper in the ship, probably checking the scanners for any more Imperial spacecrafts.

She was concentrating on deflecting the remote's lasers when the room suddenly seemed to grow very cold. A shiver ran down her spine, and for some inexplicable reason, she thought of Princess Leia and her family on Alderaan.

When she noticed Ben looking like he was about to collapse, lowering himself into a seat, Mara shook the feeling off, and signaled for Luke to stop. They walked over to the old Jedi, concerned.

"Ben, what is it?" she asked.

"Are you alright?" Luke followed up. "What's wrong?"

Ben's face was brooding and pensive. "I felt a great disturbance in the Force... as if millions of voices cried out in terror... and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

Mara felt a sense of dread roll through her, but not only as a result of the dark statement. "I feel it, too," she realized, looking from Ben and Luke in confusion. "Not a million voices, but just a few." A few that Mara felt like she had some kind of unexplainable connection with, as if she had lost a loved one whom she can't quite name. And the image of Princess Leia was still so clear in her mind, and for some reason, Mara imagined her suffering. She wasn't hurt, was she? Or worse?

Ben rubbed his head, before quietly stating, "You'd better get on with your exercises."

Mara wasn't so certain of Ben's health, and judging by the caring hand placed on the man's shoulder, Luke felt the same. But they followed the instructions, igniting the sabers once again.

Just then, Han entered the room, a cocky grin on his face. He took a seat next to Ben, saying, "Well, you can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs. I told ya I'd outrun 'em." When no one responded to him after a moment, he bitterly added, "Don't everybody thank me at once."