Amnesia

By Rhea Jediknight

Part One

You slowly regain consciousness and find that you are lying on a low
slung bunk. The cloth sways and you realize that you are on a moving
vehicle. You try to figure out where you are and you slowly sit up.
You have a terrible headache and are beginning to feel ill at ease.
You do not recognize your surroundings.

A fair haired man enters the small room, his face is in shadows. He
is garbed in dark clothing and he has a strange cylindrical device
hanging from a utility belt at his waist.

You put your hand to your head finding even the dim lighting too
painful for your eyes. The man bends down and grasps your chilled
hand and places it in his warm palm. A broad grin spreads across his
face and he says, "How're you feeling?"

You look at him and answer, "I'm not sure." Your voice is hesitant
and you add, "Where am I?"

He brushes a lock of hair out of your eyes, his smile loosing some of
its brilliance. "We're in the back of the Millennium Falcon. Han
had to do some pretty fancy flying to get us away from that planet."

Did he just say planet?

You feel a rising sense of panic and the man's smile disappears
entirely.

"Who are you? Where are you taking me."

You sense a ripple of shock from this man, and you are surprised at
the sensation. You have the distinct impression that he is trying to
read your mind and you shy away from the contact.

"It's me, Luke." He says carefully, moving closer so that you can
make out his features in the dim lighting. He is a handsome man with
the bluest eyes you have ever seen. He has dark blond hair that
falls across his forehead and a deep dimple marking the center of his
chin. An aura of power surrounds him.

"Have we met?"

His brows draw together and he places a hand on your head. You jerk
back, feeling a sharp pain at the contact. You tentatively raise a
hand and touch a large, painful bump swelling on your brow. You
begin to experience a subdued fear when you realize that not only do
you not know this man, you are not even sure of your own name. You
seem to recall dimly working at a retail outlet in a mall, coming
home to an apartment, having few friends, but for some reason it all
has the air of unreality to it. You have no idea how you got here
and who this man really is.

"You got quite a knock on the head, but I could sense no real
physical injury. Why don't you try to get some rest. As soon as we
are back on Coruscant, we'll go to the central medcenter."

You stand up while he's talking and shake your head. There is no way
you can sleep without learning more about your environment. The door
opens automatically at your approach. You navigate the narrow
corridors, unable to take in all the details. You are definitely on
some sort of ship.

A brown haired man in a vest stands up and greets you with a lopsided
smile, "Looks like sleeping beauty finally decided to grace us with
her presence."

Something silent seemed to pass between Luke and the woman seated in
the co-pilot's chair. You find this somewhat odd, as you sense
something about the man with the lopsided grin and the woman that
give you the feeling that they are a couple. The woman with the dark
brown eyes lays her hand on the man's arm and says, "How are you
feeling, Mara?"

Mara. Was that your name? You feel as if the sound of it should
suddenly illuminate all the dark places in your mind, but
unfortunately, you still feel off balance, at a loss.

You find it impossible to answer as your gaze is caught in the
streaming star lines outside the cockpit window. "We're in space,
aren't we?" you say, awe evident in your voice.

"Mara has amnesia, Leia." Luke explains.

You turn to regard the blond man and you are oddly glad that he has
not left your side. He gives you a reassuring smile and says to
you, "You've been through a lot. We'll figure this thing out."

"Amnesia?" Han says incredulously. He seems to realize that you
don't recognize him and asks "Do you know who I am?"

You reluctantly shake your head.

"I'm Han Solo, your brother-in-law."

"Brother-in-law?" You look to Leia and ask, "Are you my sister?"

Leia opens her mouth but Luke interrupts, "Why don't we save the
explanations for another time. I think Mara's had enough to deal
with at the moment."

Luke takes your arm and not feeling motivated to resist you follow
him back to the small room with the
bunk beds. All your senses seem to be focused on the point where
Luke touches your arm and you gaze wonderingly at his hand.

Perhaps rest would be the best thing, you decide. You certainly are
finding it difficult to think with the pain in your head. You feel
helpless, and you know that this is a sensation that is both
disturbing and alien to you. Luke gets a blanket out and in a
surprisingly tender gesture lays it over your prone body. He meets
your gaze and you feel as if you should apologize for something.
Your afraid that your inability to remember him has hurt him in some
profound way.

"Don't go." You whisper.

A slight smile plays on his lips and he nods.

You don't feel so lost when he's near. You give him a tremulous
smile. He bends down and kisses your forehead. He sits in a bunk
parallel to yours and watches as you settle down to sleep.

Amnesia Part Two
by Rhea Jediknight

The first thing you notice is that the pain in your head has subsided
to the background. You also know that the blond man is still there
without opening your eyes. You slowly lift your eyelids to see metal
tubes and conduit crisscrossing the ceiling. You turn your head to
inspect the sleeping form lying in the bunk just a few feet away.

Luke's face is relaxed in sleep. The lines of his face have lessened
and his lips are slightly parted. It is an image that is almost
impossible to resist. You slowly ease out of bed, somewhat surprised
with your ability to move so silently. You kneel beside the man's
sleeping form and slowly inspect him.

He is handsome, but not remarkably so. There is just something about
him that seems to call to you. He is in excellent physical shape,
his well defined muscles readily visible beneath the thin material of
his dark shirt. Your suppress an urge to reach forward and run your
fingers through his thick hair You are attracted to this man and for
the first time you wonder about the nature of your relationship.

You jerk back when you realize that Luke's eyes have opened and he is
watching you intently. A warmth suffuses your face and you know
without a doubt that you rarely blush. Yet you also are aware that
you have been caught admiring this man.

Luke pushes himself upright and says carefully, "Feeling any better?"

"My headache's just about gone."

"What about your memories?"

You close your eyes for a moment and concentrate. The memories of
your recent life flood back to you. You remember your name as Jade -
not Mara. You lived in a small one bedroom apartment and walked
every day to the mall where you worked at a linen store. Your try to
remember where this apartment was located and for some reason the
only answer that comes to you is Earth. That's odd. No city, state,
or country, just the planet's name. You open your eyes.

"My name is not Mara. It's Jade. I'm from Earth."

Luke's forehead becomes furrowed and he says "Do you mind if I try to
help you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Trust me." You gaze into his blue eyes and find that oddly enough
you do. Even though you know nothing about this man, you
instinctively trust him.

You nod.

He leans forward and places a hand on your temple and closes his
eyes. "Try to think back to your earliest memory."

You are momentarily mesmerized by Luke's proximity. You feel your
heart beating faster than normal and your mouth goes dry.

A slight smile curves the blond man's mouth and he
admonishes, "Concentrate, Jade."

You feel a slight flare of anger and you close your eyes as well. It
is suddenly easy to see all of your memories. Endless days working.
Nights watching television and meeting with friends and it all seems
so wrong. You try to remember further back and a debilitating pain
starts at the base of your neck to radiate through your entire
skull. You pull back and clutch your head. Luke falls back and the
sound of your rasping breathing fills the room.

The man bends over you and gently places his fingers at the base of
your neck; the pain subsides at his touch. "There's something
inorganic right about here."

A rage fills you when you understand that he is referring to some
kind of implant. You rise to your feet and begin pacing the room and
almost run straight into a golden metal man.

"What the hell. . .. . ?"

"Oh dearest me. Do excuse me, Mistress Mara. I did not mean to
startle you."

"What is it, 3P0?" Luke asks.

The golden head swivels to address the man. "We will soon be landing
on Coruscant. I just thought you would like to be informed."

"Thank you, 3P0."

"You're quite welcome, sir. I'll just be in the other room." 3P0
turns and leaves.

"What was that?" you ask.

"Don't worry about him." Luke quirks you a smile. "You'll get use
to him soon enough." The his smile gets a little broader, "On second
thought . . ."

The trip to the Coruscant's main medical center was filled with
wonders too many to list. You asked endless questions. Everything
is unfamiliar, and yet you feel as if you belong. You lay face down
on a bed in a well lit medical facility with a 2-1B medical droid
attending you. A cylindrical FX-7 droid with a number of appendages
is assisting.

2-1B is telling you in its modulated voice that it has successfully
removed the device from the back of your head. "The human mind is a
delicate biological device and it is not wise to force yourself to
remember."

"What about the implant?" you ask rising from the bed.

Luke stands up to offer you assistance and you brush him away.

"It is primarily constructed of Oberiun. If my databases are
accurate, the only know origin of this rare metal is the binary
system of Pleanard."

"But that's on the edge of the unknown regions." Luke exclaims.

"When do we leave?" you ask him.

He sighs and answers, "Alright. I want to know what's going on just
as much as you do. Let's go home first to prepare."

"Home?" you ask, wondering whose place he was referring to.

Luke runs his fingers through his hair and sighs, "Yeah, home."

You look him directly in the eye, you are now certain that he has not
been entirely up front about something. "I think you better start
answering some of my questions."

"Not here."

You want to argue, but not knowing all the facts you nod. "Okay, but
soon."

"I promise."

Amnesia Part Three
by Rhea Jediknight

Luke leaves the implant with a New Republic official that has been
waiting patiently just outside the door. He requests to be notified
the moment they learn anything more about the piece of hardware that
had so recently been removed from your skull. You feel the urge to
scratch the place where it was extracted, but you stop the impulse,
not wanting to injure the bacta patch that lies hidden beneath the
heavy waves of red-gold curls.

The trip through the skyways of Coruscant is completed in silence.
You can literally feel the turmoil in the blond man. He seems to be
wrestling with his thoughts. You feel a kinship with this man, but
you still are not sure of the nature of your relationship. You watch
the criss-crossing air traffic with awe, realizing that the freeways
of home, no you correct yourself, the freeways of Earth were nothing
compared to Coruscant's traffic.

The air taxi settles gently on a small platform and you both
disembark. He leads you down open air passageways and into an
impressive building. Endless questions fill your head, but you have
no idea where to start, so you remain silent. You've learned to know
that sometimes it is better to wait and see what happens next before
you act. You're not sure why this skill might have been necessary,
but it gives you another clue to your true identity.

You feel an unaccustomed familiarity when you reach the door, and
Luke disengages the front lock. So, he knows the door code.
Interesting. He holds the door open for you and watches you
expectantly. You slowly enter the room. You've been here before.
The place barely looks lived in. Tasteful, pre-empire furniture
fills the room. A large scenic sand painting with twin suns blazing
down on delicately arches dunes catches your eye.

"Tatooine?" You ask. How did you know that?

A huge grin spreads across Luke's face. You feel as if you just
told him that he won the lottery. "You're starting to remember." He
comes forward and clasps your hand. It feels like the most natural
thing in the world, standing together looking at the iridescent
image. It glitters in the pale yellow lamp light and almost seems to
be a window rather than a picture.

"Is that where I come from?" You ask, looking down at your joined
hands.

Luke shakes his head.

"No." He opens his mouth to say something and then stops
himself, "It's my home world."

"We both live here, in this apartment." You say matter of
factly. "Are we . . .family?"

Luke takes a deep breath then pulls you to sit beside him on the
couch, "You're my wife."

His wife! A part of you feels angry that he failed to mention this
important piece of information earlier, but another part of you feels
as if a great weight has been lifted off your heart. You chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Luke smiles a bit uncertainly.

"I'm actually kind of relieved. Everyone seemed to treat us like
family. You were allowed in the treatment room with me. You seemed
to take responsibility for me and you seemed to care about my
welfare."

"I do care." Luke whispers. The sound of his voice strikes a chord
within your soul. "Why would you be relieved?"

"Because I was beginning to wonder if you were my brother."

Luke smiles questioningly and you know you have to continue, "Well,
it was kind of disturbing since I didn't seem to have sisterly
thoughts about you."

"Oh really?" Luke asks raising an eyebrow. His smile has turned
into a huge grin.

For some reason, this really irritates you and you say
heatedly, "Look, you don't need to let it go to your head,
Skywalker." You hardly notice that you called him by his last name.
You stand up and begin pacing across the room. "I really hate this,
not knowing who I am. What's my full name. Where did I come from?
Do I have any other family? Where did we meet? Was it love at first
sight?"

For some reason Luke began to laugh wholeheartedly.

"You sure that we're married? `Cause right now I have the incredible
urge to shoot you."

"I'm sorry, Mara." There is something about his tone that
immediately sooths you. The anger is gone, but the irritation
remains. "Sit down and I'll try to explain everything."

You reluctantly sit down, crossing your legs under you.

"Let me get us a drink." Luke moves across the room and opens a
cabinet door. He pulls out a pair of goblets and begins to pour.
When he's done he offers one to you and leans back against the wall
to face you. "Your name is Mara Jade Skywalker. We've known each
other for over ten years. We've been married for just under a year."

"What took us so long?"

"That's a really good question, and one that I don't think I can
answer easily. I've been worried about you because you have been
missing for over a month. I didn't know where you were, what had
happened to you. You were . . . just gone."

The anguish that you sense makes you rise to your feet and come to
him, you place your hand on his cheek and he takes your hand.

"What happened?" you ask softly.

Luke tugs your hand so that you are both sitting on the couch. "You
were doing a favor for Talon Karrde, your former boss and a man who
is like a father to you. You were to deliver a cargo of merchandise
to the third moon of Yarnella. You never showed. I knew something
was wrong. I was on a mission myself at the time, and I could not
investigate immediately. I tried to contact you through a variety of
methods. . . and failed. When we finally figured out what had
happened to you, it was almost too late. Someone had taken you and
your memories and left you in another galaxy, on that small planet,
Earth."

"Why?"

"I wish I knew. It might have something to do with the delivery you
were making, Talon Karrde has his men investigating your
disappearance at Yarnella III, but I don't think he's going to find
anything. I think the answer lies in another direction."

"The Pleanard system?"

"I know you want to leave as soon as possible, but I think we should
find out everything we can before we go. The ones who did this to
you might still be after you. I want to make sure that we don't both
end up on that planet with our memories wiped clean."

You shudder and suddenly you see yourself standing in a large
audience chamber. You are sitting on the floor at the foot of a
robed figure. The power crackles around the robed man in visible
blue lines. His laughter echoes in the relatively empty room. He is
pleased with you. He lowers a gnarled hand to caress your cheek and
you feel warmth settle in your gut.

"You have learned much, young one. I am pleased with your
progress." You realize that you are no more than seven years old. A
darkly garbed man in a black face mask sweeps into the room and
descends into a low bow. The rasping breath of this dark man fills
the silence.

"What is it, Lord Vader?" The Emperor drops a red curl he has been
casually fondling.

"The Jedi at the Fifth station have been eliminated."

"Very good."

"There's more."

The Emperor nods. You feel a sense of jealously that this dark lord
has interrupted the moment of affection between you and your beloved
Emperor. Your master seems to sense this and although a smile curves
his face he does not acknowledge you.

"Darth Render has disappeared."

The rasping breath gets so loud that you can hear nothing more. You
close your eyes and when you open them you meet a pair of bright blue
eyes. Luke caresses your hand and you feel waves of comfort and
warmth coming from this man. You welcome the sensation, and yet a
part of you rejects it as well. Somehow you feel as if you are
betraying someone close to you.

"You just remembered something, didn't you?"

You pull your hand away and place it on your temple, "I'm tired and
my head hurts."

"Oh course." Luke gestures to the other room and says, "The bedroom
is through there. I'll sleep out here."

You feel some guilt at this comment, but you have no urge to argue.
After all, you still really know nothing about this man.

"Try to get some rest. I'm going to be out for awhile to see if I
can learn anything more," Luke brushes his fingers over the top of
your head, moving a wayward curl out of your eyes. "Are you going to
be alright?"

His question makes you feel suddenly vulnerable and a part of you
bristle at this sensation. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I
think I can sleep in a bed without anyone supervising me."

Luke drops his hand, stung at the anger simmering just below your
words.

You feel so tired and you know that he senses this somehow.

He smiles reassuringly at you and says, "I have faith that you will
get your memory back and we'll find out what has happened. Together."

You nod. All the while you are wondering what is a Jedi? And who is
Darth Render?

Amnesia Part Four

The moment Luke leaves the apartment you spring to your feet. You
sway slightly at the momentary weakness in your legs, but it is gone
swiftly. You tug on some dark clothing and go out onto the balcony.
It's time that you discovered some information on your own.

Memories are returning more and more quickly. Although you are not a
Jedi, you remember your time on Coruscant and your tutelage in the
force by your master, the Emperor. You make your way to the old
Imperial library and you are shocked at what the years have done to
the old building. It no longer is the monument to the glories of the
Empire. The statues celebrating Imperial victories are gone, only
the empty pedestals remain. The marble walls are cracked and the
stairs unkempt, but it is open.

You slip your way past the clerk and make your way toward the back of
the glowing stacks. You settle into a secluded computer alcove and
begin your research. It does not take too long to recover
information about the Emperor. He died on an enormous battle station
called the Death Star along with Darth Vader. Sorrow fills you as
you absorb this fact. You can no longer sense his presence in your
mind so you suspected his demise, but to confirm his death is
saddening.

You seek information about Darth Render and an image of a pale man in
a dark hooded robe appears on the screen. He disappeared years ago,
never to resurface. The face looks familiar to you and you realize
with a shock where you have seen him before. It's Christopher
Walken, the actor on Earth. No wonder he always seemed so creepy in
those movies. He was a dark lord of the Sith! He must have suffered
a similar fate as your own, just years earlier. You wonder just how
many people have been sent to that god forsaken planet with their
memories wiped. You try to cross reference other disappearances.
After a long time you only come up with a bounty hunter that had once
been a favorite of Palpatine's. He looks remarkably like Steve
Buscemi, but your are not sure.

"Mara?" A voice interrupts your concentration. You mentally curse
yourself for failing to maintain your guard. A handsome man with
slightly graying hair and a goatee is leaning on a table next to your
workstation. Your hand moves to your holstered blaster and the man's
eyebrows raise at the gesture. "My sources informed me that you had
amnesia, but I didn't believe it until now."

"Do I know you?" You ask.

A slight smile curves his upper lip and a hint of sadness causes the
lines around his eyes to deepen. He does a little half bow, "Talon
Karrde, at your service."

Your hand eases away from your blaster. So this was the man who had
been your boss, and who was now like a father to you. You do not
feel as if you remember him, although you don't immediately
disbelieve him either.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" Karrde indicate the chair across from
your table.

You shake your head.

He settles down into the chair and inspects you closely. You can
feel his emotions more readily than you can sense Luke's. You wonder
if this is an indication that you are really closer to this man than
to your "husband".

"How do you feel?"

Your natural impulse is to reply, "fine." But instead you
say, "Physically, I'm beginning to feel relatively well."

"Your medical files state that you had an implant removed that had
suppressed your own memories while filling the holes with false ones."

There is a quiet rage in this man when he says this that causes you
to relax. You know for certain that he had nothing to do with your
current condition.

"How did you see my medical files? I would think that they would be
confidential"

A slightly apologetic expression crosses his face, "Our business is
information. It was not difficult for Ghent to get into the patient
database. I was worried about you. This whole thing happened while
you were doing me a favor, and I take care of my own."

"This wasn't your fault." You reply. "Whoever did this was just
waiting for a time when I would be. . . alone."

"What have you learned?"

You peer into his face trying to read his expression and wary of
sharing information with a stranger.

"Mara, I only want to ensure your safety and stop whoever did this to
you." Karrde leans forward with an earnest expression on his
face, "Trust me."

You take a deep breath and decide to test the waters. "There have
been others who have suffered the same fate over the years. All have
been closely connected to the Emperor."

Talon Karrde exhales heavily, "So you have started to remember." He
pauses then continues, "Where's Luke? I'm surprised that he didn't
come with you."

"He doesn't know I'm here. I don't need Skywalker to do some
research."

You sense that Karrde is surprised but his expression does not reveal
this emotion. "I'm not sure how wise that is. Just how much do you
remember?"

You shut off the computer terminal and stand up. "I remember
enough." You begin to walk away.

"I'll contact you if I get a lead. Where are you going to be?"

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll figure it out." You exit the
building, leaving Karrde alone in the library.

You are almost back to the apartment when the throbbing in your head
returns. You suddenly see Luke and Darth Vader standing triumphantly
over the lifeless body of the Emperor.

"You must kill Luke Skywalker," the rasping voice echoes in your
head.

A terrible wave of pain cascades through your entire being. Most of
which, you are surprised to learn, comes from the Jedi's betrayal and
not your master's murder. So, Luke Skywalker is responsible for the
death of your beloved master. He must also be responsible for your
memory loss. His claim that he is your beloved husband must be all
an elaborate plan to gain your trust. He must really fear you to
feel it necessary to attempt to wear down your guard in such a
manner.

"Mara?" A familiar voice intrudes on your pain. Warm hands pull you
from the ground. You were not even aware that you had fallen.

"Mara?!" You open your eyes to meet a desperately concerned blue
gaze.

"Skywalker!" you bite out.

"What's wrong? What's happened?" You can feel the worry coming from
him, and it tempers your rage. Is he worried that you have found out
about his treachery? You see no evidence of deceit. Something still
did not make sense.

The anger is strong within you, but not powerful enough to act upon.
A part of you wants to exact revenge and kill this man on the spot,
but some deeper part of you warns you not to do this thing.

"I'm fine." You lie as you stand up. You are surprised at your
physical reaction to this man and realize that even though you know
that he is your enemy, you are still incredibly attracted to him.

He knows that you are withholding the truth from him, but he does not
press you any further. The apartment is just around the corner and
you both proceed silently back inside.

"What happened? Were you attacked?"

You try to regain your composure, knowing that this man can sense
your turmoil, your anger. "No. I just get so angry knowing that the
ones who did this to me are out there. I have to understand what's
going on. I have to remember who I am." You say, not entirely
truthful, hoping he will accept your answer at face value.

"I asked R2 to prepare the Jade's Sabre for the trip to the Pleanard
system. We can leave whenever you are ready." You look Luke
Skywalker in the eye. He is remote, unreachable. He is dressed in
all black, his lightsaber clipped to his belt. His hair is uncombed,
as if he had been in too much of a hurry to brush it. You have no
idea if he is aware of how much you remember, or that you know that
he is your enemy.

Amnesia

Part Five

Memories of your service to the Empire crowd your mind: recovery
missions, intelligence operations, and dispensations of Imperial
justice, all in the name of the Emperor. This sudden bombardment of
facts and emotions disorients you so that you hardly realize that you
have followed Skywalker to the Jade's Sabre. The name of the vehicle
implies personal ownership, but you do not recall owning such a ship.

The blond Jedi opens the door and peers at you strangely. "Are you
sure that you want to do this? You don't need to do this. I can go
there while you spend some time recovering in the medcenter."

You realize that you have been walking in a daze, unresponsive. You
shake your head vehemently. "No, I'm going."

Luke reaches for your hand to help you step onto the ships ramp. You
shy away from the contact. His expression becomes shuttered. A wave
of hurt washes over you before it is abruptly shielded by the Jedi.
You are convinced that he genuinely cares for you and this fact is
confusing. You pause for a moment and inspect the Jedi. He looks
tired. His hair is hanging uncombed across his forehead. Dark
shadows encircle his eyes and the lines bracketing his mouth seem to
have grown deeper since the time you woke up on the Millennium
Falcon. You meet his gaze and you feel the light touch of his mental
probe, but you maintain your barriers.

For the first time, you wonder if he truly loves you. How is this
possible? Your hand moves of its own accord and Luke reaches for it
and holds it. You look down at your hand grasped within his and you
feel as if something has snapped into place. But the memory of the
Emperor's death is too fresh in your mind and your loyalty must be to
him. You pull your hand free, trying to reclaim your anger, but it
has become hollow.

Your footsteps ring against the metallic ramp as you enter the ship
and you move with practiced ease into the co-pilot's seat. You feel
as if you should take the pilot's seat, but you know that there are
still too many holes in your memory and decide that it is best to
allow Skywalker to sit there. The Jedi joins you in the cockpit. He
shoots you a quick look before turning his attention to the control
panel in front of him. You listen to Skywalker as he requests
clearance for departure. His hands move with an effortless grace
over the controls as he guides the ship out of Coruscant space and
into the heavy traffic lanes departing the glittering planet.

With his concentration focused on plotting your course and conversing
with Coruscant space control, you attempt to understand this man.
This is the Jedi who joined with Darth Vader to overthrow the
Emperor, but this is also the same person who saved you from exile on
Earth. He is also the man who claims to be your husband. No one can
fake the emotional reactions you have sensed from him and there is
also the additional evidence of your own emotional and physical state
when you are around him. You seem to be attuned to this man, hyper-
aware of his every movement. You can sense some sort of force bond
between your two that you have been actively repressing. This
accounts for your inability to easily read him.

Luke touches the controls that sends the Jade's Sabre into hyperspace
and slumps back into his seat. He turns to regard you and you
realize that he was not as oblivious to your inspection as you had
originally believed. The tempo of your heart increases incrementally
and you hold your breath wondering what he is going to say.

"You will kill Luke Skywalker." The voice echoes in your head. You
close your eyes and feel the anger resurge once more. How can you
have betrayed all that you are, all that you believe by failing to
fulfill the Emperor's last command? Memories of your time in Jabba's
palace crystallize in your mind. You had attempted to fulfill this
imperative and failed. Was this just another way for you to
accomplish this goal? Perhaps you are the duplicitous one in this
union, and Skywalker the victim?

You shake your head and open you eyes. Your heart leaps when you
meet the blue gaze. He is sitting so close to you that it would be
little effort to close the distance between you. No, you are certain
that you chose to marry this man. No one in your limited memory has
ever had the same effect on you as this particular Jedi.

"Tell me what's wrong, Mara?" His voice seems to caress you, and you
feel a slight shiver run down your spine.

You stand up abruptly, "Nothing's wrong, Skywalker."

"I can sense your anger."

You glare down at him defiantly, "Now why should I be angry? Maybe
because you ruined my life?"

Luke reaches for your hand and you jerk back. You do not want to
give him that power over you.

"Oh yes," you continue carefully watching his reaction to your
words, "It's all coming back to me now. I remember how you and Vader
killed the Emperor." You can not find it within yourself to refer to
the Emperor as your Master and you are confused. You back away from
the cockpit and into the small passageway.

Luke stands up and reaches for you, "Mara, wait!"

You swivel around to confront him. You reach for your lightsaber and
ignite it. The distinctive snap-hiss catches your attention and you
are mesmerized by the blue blade. Luke closes his eyes and you can
feel his connection to the force.

"Mara, you don't remember everything yet. That was the false image
the Emperor sent to you so that you would kill me. My father died
that day too That's his lightsaber that you hold. I gave it to you
as a sign of faith in you and in the Jedi I knew you could become,
that you have become.

The blue blade holds you in its thrall. The color reminds you so
much of Luke's eyes and everything the Jedi has said has an air of
truth to it. You wave the sword in the air between you and the Jedi,
its tone shifting in the narrow hall filling the silence with a
menacing hum. Luke slowly opens his eyes to regard you.

"Search your feelings, Mara. You might not remember, but with the
force, you can see that I speak the truth."

You suddenly feel breathless as if you had just run a great
distance. You shut off the lightsaber and turn on your heel. You
make your way to the small cabin and sit down on the floor next to
the bed. You can sense Luke's presence, but he does not follow you.

A thrill of alarm surges through you as you sense the approach of
danger. Alarm claxons fill the silence of the cabin and you spring
to your feet and run to join Luke in the cockpit.

"We've got company." Luke says.

Amnesia Part Six

"We've been thrown out of hyperspace and we're caught in some kind of
tractor beam," Luke informs you the moment you enter the cockpit.

A ship the size of a Super Star Destroyer looms overhead. The
Sabre's computers can not identify the vessel but the small portion
that is visible through the transparisteel window displays a roughly
oval ship with numerous metallic tendrils hanging down toward the
Jade's Sabre. It looks like a giant Camino jellyfish.

An electronic whistle momentarily distracts you to a nondescript R2
droid plugged into a wall socket.

"No R2, I wasn't expecting anyone. See what you can find out about
them," Luke says soothingly to the droid. You marvel at his ability
to find time to comfort his R2 unit in the middle of a crisis.

You sit in the vacant seat next to Luke. Although you do not exactly
recognize the ship, you know with an uncanny certainty that you have
seen its like before.

"It's them. They've come back for me." You say.

Fear claws at the corners of your mind and you try to control this
debilitating emotion.

Luke squeezes your hand and says, "We'll get through this."

His voice is distant. A wave of dizziness makes you close your
eyes. A scene crystallizes before you. You are breathless after a
strenuous hand to hand battle. Luke Skywalker's dead body lies inert
at your feet. Your lightsaber blazing in your hand.

"I've killed you." You whisper, but the sound of your voice manages
to dominate the various computer noises in the small area. You open
your eyes, once again aware of your surroundings.

Luke's hands cease in mid-motion, no longer rapidly manipulating the
ship's controls. He looks at you, startled. "What did you see?"

There is something about the sight of the enormous ship that is
bringing your past back to you at an accelerated rate. As more of
your memory returns, you understand that you had not experienced a
vision, but just another memory.

"No. It wasn't you, just a clone." You shake your head, "I'm all
mixed up."

Luke grabs your shoulders and his face is just a few inches from your
own. You can see his eyes dilate in response to your
closeness. "Stay with me, Mara." He says softly, "Here, in the
present. I can't get this ship free. The only way out of this is
through there." Luke nods his head toward the ship in the view
port. "We can do this, but I need you to stay focused."

Love for this man swells within you and you feel tears form in your
eyes. "They've obviously won before. I don't want to forget you
again, Luke." Through the force, a responding upsurge of passion,
love, and desperate hope engulfs you. His hands on your arms tighten
convulsively and he pulls you hard against his chest.

"This time we are together." Luke lowers his head for a quick,
searing kiss. You hardly even have time to respond before R2D2's
mechanical shrill intrudes on your awareness. The ground rocks
beneath you and you know that your ship has been pulled into the
alien vessel.

"Come on. I have a plan." He pulls your arm; you subdue the urge to
protest. He bends down and tugs on a latch. An opening appears in
the floor of the narrow hallway. It is a nondescript hold.

"R2 stay where you are. With luck, they won't even notice you."

A mournful mechanical moan echoes through the ship.

You immediately understand Luke's intent. He climbs in first and you
join him in the cramped space. You pull the door closed overhead,
plunging the two of you in darkness. Although you are blind in the
hold, you can sense at least eight alien life forms approaching the
ship.

"You've done this before, haven't you?" You ask leaning against him
for just a moment. He gives you a quick hug.

You can almost see his wry grin in the darkness. "A trick I learned
from Han. Do you remember anything from your abduction?"

"Not yet. My memory is returning at a more rapid pace, probably
prompted by the sight of that ship. I seem to know some things about
them like the fact that I know they don't want to kill us."

"That's something at least."

You both grow silent. Filled with the knowledge that you are no
longer alone on the ship. You shudder as the familiar presence grows
closer, a coldness seizes your soul. You grit your teeth and extend
your senses in the force, tightening your hold on the hilt of your
lightsaber. You can feel Luke's force presence intermingling with
your own. When an alien pauses overhead, with your combined strength
you manage to confuse the intruder's perception enough to prevent him
from inspecting the hold.

They are aware that you are somewhere nearby, and think that perhaps
you had exited the ship in secret. The intruders vacate the ship to
do a search of the immediate vicinity. By mutual consent, you both
ease out of the cramped space and go to the quiescent ship. The
Jade's Sabre has been powered down. Even basic life support is no
longer operating. At your approach, the little R2 unit rolls toward
Luke and bumps against his leg.

The Jedi absentmindedly pats the dome of the droid and says, "See, I
told you it would work out."

R2 makes a snorting noise.

"We aren't free yet, Skywalker."

"I think we're going to have to disable this vessel, in order to fly
free of here."

"We're going to have to do a pretty good job of it, if we don't want
them to try this again."

Luke nods and then says "Let's go."

You sense it too. The foreign presences aboard this ship seem to
have vacated the immediate vicinity. It is time to act.

Amnesia by Rhea
Part Seven

The hatchway is open. Although you hardly make any noise as you
descent the ramp, your footfalls seem as loud as blaster fire in the
deathly silence of the hanger bay. It is difficult to see in the
dark blue illumination. The Jade's Sabre is the only ship in the
bay. There is a small computer console next to a set of closed
diagonal doors.

"R2, see if you can find out anything." Luke whispers to the small
droid.

With a muted beep of agreement, R2D2 rolls quickly to the terminal.
After prying open a panel, the droid successfully interfaces with the
foreign technology.

R2 twitters something and Luke replies, "Can you pull up a schematic
of this ship?"

The little round droid projects a holographic image that momentarily
blinds you in the dim lighting. A red light flashes toward the
center of the oval map. You grasp the layout quickly and commit it
to memory.

"That's the control center. R2 says he's pretty certain he can
suppress the internal monitors and security system from this
terminal, but he doesn't have access to the ship's primary functions
from here."

"It doesn't seem too far away." You reply.

"We should be able to cut power to vital systems like the engines or
tractor beam from there." Luke points at the red spot on the map.

"Right." You agree.

"R2, stay here and keep an eye on the ship. And stay out of sight if
anyone approaches." Luke admonishes the droid.

R2 whistles a question.

"Don't worry. We'll be alright."

You extend your senses through the force and immediately feel that
the majority of the beings have converged in one area. You know that
Luke is also aware of this fact. The diagonal doors silently slide
open at your approach

The hallway seems over bright, compared to the dimness of the hanger
bay. The monochromatic, angular design strikes a feeling of
helplessness in you, even though it is not associated with anything
you can recall. You mentally shake yourself and meet Luke's eyes.

"Ready?" he asks.

"Let's go." You both dash off in the direction indicated on R2's map.

You make your way through the twisted corridors with out incident,
taking time to peer around each corner. The ship appears to be
deserted. You start to feel as if this might not be so difficult
after all.

Small life forms recede as you approach. A presence slides across
your mind that although you don't remember the actual incident, you
recognize the sensation of having experienced this contact before.
You find it difficult to think, as if your thoughts have become
stiff like a muscle after prolonged inactivity. You gather the force
and push the unwanted remnant from your mind. The brief contact
seems to have left an afterimage behind that makes your scalp tingle
unpleasantly.

You reinforce your mental shields and sense that Luke has followed
suit.

"Did you feel that?" You ask the Jedi.

"Yeah." Luke's lips are compressed in a tight line. His eyes are
darting around as if trying to make sense of something.

When you reach your destination, you get your first good look at one
of your adversaries. You can not identify the alien species, but
something inside of you recognizes him. He is relatively small, not
much larger than an ewok. His body is comprised of an overlarge head
balanced precariously on a pale gray, spindly body. Long triple
jointed fingers fold out of sight at your inspection. His body is
completely devoid of hair. Large, dark, almond-shaped dark eyes peer
intently at you. When you step closer, his tiny mouth opens in a
silent scream. He backs away.

"They aren't retreating, they're gathering together, regrouping,"
Luke says.

Something about this statement fills you with alarm and you say, "We
don't have much time." You sprint ahead using the force to move
quicker than the human eye. Luke is right beside you.

In the control room there are two silent aliens who make no move to
intercept you. Luke stands guard with his green lightsaber blazing.

You inspect the alien controls until you are sure that you understand
what is needed. You power down the main drive that also feeds the
tractor beam. You then slice the consol with your lightsaber.

"Mara!" Luke calls your name mentally, spurring you to action. The
walls slide away to reveal hundreds of dark, pupiless eyes. You step
closer to Luke. Both of you are startled when your lightsabers shut
down.

You try to ignite your lightsaber. Before your finger can activate
the switch a thousand tendrils invade your mind, paralyzing you.
Your mental barriers are easily breached. Your heart stops beating
and you are unable to draw breath. You remain like this for a minute
wondering if this is how you would die. Fear clouds your mind. The
hold loosens just enough so that you gulp air into your burning lungs
and your heart moves with labored beats to restart the flow of blood
to your body.

With a tremendous effort you shift your eyes and see that Luke is
similarly stricken. He meets your gaze and you are surprised at the
air of calm emanating from him even now.

"Mara." You hear his voice in your head, distantly. The fear
subsides from your mind and you reach for the connection between you,
strengthening it.

"Silence!" a mental voice screams. "You will say no more,
Worldbreaker."

The mental shout is both imbued with emotion and information. You
witness the total destruction of a planet by the Death Star,
commanded by the Emperor. You can feel the anguish of the native
populous that survived, forever bereft of their home world. Their
need to exact justice and their desire to assuage the spirits of
their dead is strong. As they share with you their sorrow and the
knowledge of their loss, you realize that there is an air of ceremony
to the proceedings.

They can not condone the elimination of life in any form and must
resort to neutralizing evil by other means. They intend to take your
memories again, only this time, they will leave no shred to reweave
together. Your mind will be wiped clean. They will then leave you
on Earth. This small, insignificant planet deep in the unknown
regions is destined to one day be destroyed by an asteroid created
from the aftermath of this destruction. Somehow it seems fitting to
them that a deadly piece of rock from the core of their ruined home
world should eliminate those responsible for their loss.

All the while the tragic fate of two worlds unfolds before you, you
have managed to move your hand ever so slightly. A silent prodding
from Luke alerts you to the fact that although these aliens are
incredibly strong telepaths they are also using a device that links
and augments their power.

"I had no knowledge of your plight nor did I participate in your
planet's destruction." You reply mentally.

After a stillness that seems to last for eternity, but in actuality
is very short, the small, serious beings reply, "We will deliberate."

Darkness descends on you. You feel as if you have been thrown into an
abyss, forever falling. You are forced into a deep sleep. Soon,
however, you resurface from the black to find that you are no longer
falling, but drifting.

You reach out and grasp for Luke's presence, anchoring yourself. He
is unconscious. You slowly open your eyes. You are lying on a flat
slab of natural stone just inches from Skywalker. His face is toward
you, his eyes closed.

Every movement that you make is labored, but you are grateful to have
regained the ability to be in command of your body once again. You
glance passed Luke's prone body and see that you are in some sort of
holding cell. The entrance is secured by an energy shield.

You sense none of the aliens nearby. Your hand drifts up to touch
Luke's cheek. His skin is icy cold. His breathing is incredibly
shallow and his force presence is remote.

"Luke?" You ask, worried about his condition. Your voice seems to
pull him from some distant place. His eyelids flutter. His skin
grows warmer under your hand. You press up against him, trying to
lend him some of the warmth of your body. Your fingers
absentmindedly comb through his hair.

Luke opens his eyes to peer at you. He seems lost in thought. You
feel as if your heart has expanded in your chest, and a need to act
on the love for this man swells within you. Even though you do not
remember a time when your relationship had moved to such levels, the
emotions within you demand to be expressed.

The knowledge that Luke will not reject you and that he also returns
your feelings prods you to speak, "I love you." Your voice is dry,
and at first you are uncertain if he could hear you.

A smile spreads across his face that fills you with warmth. He moves
his hand to cup your cheek. He meets your lips, his eyelids
fluttering closed. The movement of his mouth upon yours is heaven.
Your free arm wraps around him, holding him close to you. Luke
quietly groans and the slight sound makes all other thoughts vanish
in an instant. Desire rushes through your veins.

Luke mouth moves to caress your neck and the exposed skin above your
collar bone. You take a shuddering breath. Most of your
consciousness is at the point where he touches you, but another part
of you attempts to probe the murky past. You are desperate to
remember the time when you first kissed. You see it from a distance
and realize that it is not you Luke is kissing, but another woman.
The sight of the slender, brown haired woman fills you with pain.
You wish that you could banish the image, but unfortunately it seems
to haunt you. The fact that he married you and not the malt-haired
woman does not assuage the hurt.

Luke pulls back to look at you and his clouded eyes have started to
clear. "What is it? What's wrong?" You can feel his concern.

"Who's Callista?"

Amnesia
by Rhea

Part Eight

By the tone of your voice, Luke immediately knows that you remember
more about Callista than your question implied.

"I'm sorry, Mara. I had no intention of hurting you by thinking of
her."

"You were thinking of her?" Your voice is both incredulous and
angry, "When we were kissing?"

"Yes, I mean no." Luke sits upright and drags his fingers through
his hair. He looks at you with his brilliant blue eyes and smiles
tentatively, "It's not what you think. I wasn't imaging that you
were her. Force! But my mind keeps going back to her."

"By all the Dark lords, Luke! Of course, I completely understand."
You say sarcastically, "You just can't keep your mind off of her."
You stand up and glare at him. "I remember you telling me how much
you love her. I remember it vividly. I can't, however, remember you
ever telling me the same. And now you tell me that you can't stop
thinking about her."

Luke reaches for you and you bat his hands away.

The blond man leaps to his feet and grabs your arms. His eyes are
dark and his face flushed. "Mara. Listen to me. I. Love. You."
He says each and every word distinctly.

You shake your head unable to banish your anger so easily. A deep
and secret place inside your heart leaps for joy at his words, but
your pride is wounded and the memories of him entangled in that other
woman's embrace has bruised your heart.

Back then you had attempted to maintain your distance, but there were
times that you could not avoid seeing them together. Witnessing the
little looks that passed between them and the subtle gestures was
painful. It was then that you had perfected your mental barriers,
unwilling to display your hurt that Luke was in love with someone
else.

You find it impossible to meet Luke's eyes. You keep your head
turned away. You say softly, "Even then, I knew that I loved you."

He lifts your chin with one hand. You close your eyes. "Look at me,
Mara." The Jedi commands.

You want more than anything to refuse him, but you were never one to
back down from a challenge. You slowly lift your eyes to peer up at
him.

"I cared for Callista, yes."

You try to suppress your reaction, but he senses your mental wince.

"But I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. The feelings I had
for her are nothing compared to what I feel for you." You find it
impossible to deny the earnest expression on his face. "Even though
I didn't recognize it then, I know that I always loved you. I could
not believe that you would ever return my feelings. I thought it was
hopeless."

He drops his mental barriers. Luke enfolds you in a sea of love and
reflexively your love mingles with his. The sensation is so
familiar, you know without a doubt that this kind of force exchange
is common between you two. You unresistingly allow Luke to pull you
up against his chest, deepening the embrace.

After a long moment of basking in the shared warmth, you pull back
and look at him inquisitively.

Luke senses your question and replies, "The reason that I was
thinking of Call. . ."

At your warning look he amends, ". . . her, was the fact that she
didn't register in the force. I was thinking if we could somehow
emulate that state we might be able to resist their next mental
attack."

"Do you think that they are using the force?"

"Not strictly, but they are a part of the force, as is every living
thing."

You begin to see what he means. "Okay. So how do we do this thing?"

Luke takes a deep breath and says, "I think if we share one mental
barrier, combining our strength, we might be able to withstand a
telepathic assault. It won't be easy, but I think because we already
have a bond it is possible."

You understand what this means. There will be nothing separating
your thoughts from his. It would be the complete loss of
privacy. "I'm not sure that I can do what you ask."

"The focus of this joining would be our survival. I'll try not to go
in the places of your mind that are private. I know this is hard,
but I love you and anything that I see is just going to be a part of
you. I'm not entirely sure that I want to lay myself completely open
for your inspection either. I'm not proud of everything I've done,
everything I've thought in the past."

You find yourself lost in his gaze.

"Can you trust me?" he asks.

You see the sense in his words, but you still balk at his
suggestion. "I've never done something like this before. Not even
the Emperor had access to every part of my mind."

Luke opens his mouth to reply and then turns to regard the entrance
to the cell. You feel a tingling in the force. The faint sound of
the humming force field disappears. You turn your head to see a
small entourage of your captors. They stand quietly, as if waiting
for you to acknowledge them.

Luke's hand tightens on yours as he regards them silently.

"We have come to a decision," the voice says in your head.

You try to learn their intent, but you are unable to read them.

"We find your argument compelling and have decided to grant you
leniency."

You breath a sigh of relief, but your sense of danger has not
lessened.

"We will delay the impact of the asteroid until the end of your
nature lives. Also, we will let you remain together in your exile on
Earth. You will not remember who you were, but you will retain your
emotional connection."

Luke tilts his head to the side and says to them, "May we be
permitted to say goodbye, before our memories are taken from us?"

There is a slight pause and although you do not see anything you
sense their consent.

The Jedi turns to face you and cups your face in his hands. He meets
your eyes with his, and you can see the pleading there. He pulls you
into a kiss. You respond instantly, throwing your arms around him.
You feel his seeking mind and after the slightest hesitation, you
drop your barriers to let him in. You try not to think about what
you are doing. Your consciousness seems to expand and you realize
that you are experiencing his sensations as he holds you in addition
to your own. You recognize your own fear of letting go paralleled in
Luke's mind and this lends you the courage to complete the link.

You are unsure of where your thoughts begin and his end. You try not
to probe too deeply, but his memories of your marriage and his
feelings for you are at the surface. You know that he is sharing
these with you, because your own memories of the event are gone.
Experiencing them through him has released your own feelings from
somewhere deep inside of you. Another light has returned to the
darkness. You are grateful for the exchange. You witness Luke's
devastation at your disappearance, and his fierce determination to
find you. You see how Han, Leia, Karrde, and the others all
contributed in your rescue. You deepen the kiss in an attempt to
banish this painful memory. Luke gently assures you that he is fine
now that you are reunited.

You turn your focus outward, afraid to withdraw from his embrace as
it might be interpreted as a sign that you have completed your
farewell. Together you interweave the force, creating a barrier
between your mind and the aliens' collective consciousness. They
seem unaware of what you are doing. Luke leads you to the amplifying
device and you realize just how difficult it was for him to discover
its existence. Together you make your way there, and jointly delve
into the device. It does not take long to understand its function.
For a moment, you consider using it as a method to strike back at the
aliens, but Luke disagrees. Instead, he uses the force to create a
feedback loop, effectively disabling the device.

You sense the aliens' shock as they drop to the ground. Pulling back
from his kiss you say aloud, "I thought you didn't want to kill them."

You see that they are only stunned. You hear Luke's thought that you
do not have much time and you take his hand and run from the holding
cell. You dash through the corridors. You easily avoid the
incapacitated beings, and just about run over R2D2.

He screeches and quickly follows you into the hanger bay.

"What were you doing, Artoo?" Luke asks.

The droid twitters and whistles. You glance around and sense that
the aliens have begun to recover.

You close the hatch behind the rolling droid. Luke takes the Jade's
Sabre out of standby mode. R2 has obviously been busy in your
absence.

You settle beside Luke in the cockpit, scanning the readouts.

"The doors are still closed." You say indicating the sealed hanger
bay.

As if on cue, the bay lights go out and the doors slid ponderously
open. R2D2 gives a triumphant squeal as he rotates an appendage in
the computer port.

"Nice going, chrome dome." You say.

Luke flashes you a smile and you can feel the Jedi's excitement,
knowing escape is in your grasp. You return his smile, reveling in
the moment. The Jade's Sabre rises slowly into the air and then
dashes quickly through the open hanger doors.

Before you can take the ship into hyper drive, you see the large,
alien ship wink out. It has disappeared from the view screen. You
turn to check the sensor readings which confirm both what you have
witnessed and sensed. The ship is gone.

"What the . . . ?" Luke trails off.

The small droid begins a long involved series of beeps and trills.
Your connection to Luke has lessened considerably, but it is still
more intense than your normal force bond. You hardly notice what the
droid is trying to communicate as your realize you can no longer
sense a hole in your memory. Your amnesia is gone.

Relief and joy fill you and the strong upsurge of emotion catches
Luke's attention.

He glances at you with a startled smile, " What is it?"

"My memory. It's returned." You could not stop smiling if your life
depended on it. You feel a responding surge of happiness from Luke.
He laughs and pulls you from the seat and swings you into an
exuberant hug. You duck your head, just barely missing a low panel,
but you are too happy to care.

"What about the aliens? Shouldn't we get out of here."

"We're not in any hurry, are we Artoo?" Luke asks.

"What do you mean? Where did they go?"

"It seems Artoo, did a little exploring in our absence. He managed
to splice into the main control hub. He set their ship on a
hyperspace course to an extremely remote region of space and then
erased all existing star maps from their databanks. After the little
number you did to their controls with your lightsaber, I don't think
they can do anything about it. I doubt we'll be seeing them again."

You look at Luke and then at the droid with a stunned expression on
your face Finally you say, "I have to hand it to you, Skywalker.
You definitely knew what you were doing in refusing all those offers
to wipe the memory of your astromech droid."

Luke agrees, "You never realize how important those memories are
until they're gone."

An emotion too complex to name wells up inside you. You fight the
gathering moisture in your eyes, and slide out of Luke's embrace. "I
think I'd like to leave this place far behind, if it's all the same
to you."

"Sure." Luke nods. He sets a course and throws the lever, gliding
the ship into hyperspace.

"What's are vector?" you ask, admiring the way the ship's interior
lights makes his hair gleam and the air of contented calm that
surrounds the Jedi.

"Coruscant. We have to find that asteroid before it's too late."

Amnesia
by Rhea
Part Nine

Your force sense tingles and you gasp when an entire squadron of X-
wing fighters slide out of hyperspace in perfect attack formation.

Luke smiles and opens a communication channel, "Hey guys, you're a
little late for the party."

"And I just put on my best party dress." Corran Horn says
sardonically.

Jaina's voice joins in, "Uncle Luke? Aunt Mara? Are you alright?"

You can feel her concern through the short distance of space.

"We're fine," you answer soothingly.

Luke reaches over and squeezes your hand. You smile reassuringly to
him.

"We were just about to lay in a course for Coruscant." Luke informs
them.

"You don't mind if we tag along?" Corran asks.

"Not at all, but it's not necessary." Luke sends the X-wing squadron
your trajectory.

"We're headed that way anyhow." The other Jedi replies.

Luke's eyes are twinkling and you can feel his humor at the situation.

"Allow me." You say as you glide the Jade's Sabre into hyperspace.
The star lines become elongated and then disappear.

With the dubious help of C3PO combined with the data the Millennium
Falcon's navigation computers had gathered on the rescue mission to
Earth, R2D2 locates the asteroid. Han Solo offers to fly you to the
rendezvous point, but you decline his offer. You want to eliminate
this threat yourself.

The implanted memories of your sojourn on Earth have faded
considerably. The time spent there is like a rapidly fading dream.
You do remember the native population, with a particular fondness for
their movie industry. It would be a shame to see the destruction of
a people capable of creating such elaborate fiction, some of which is
remarkably realistic considering the limited scope of their space
program.

Your journey to intercept the asteroid brings you just outside the
Earth's solar system. R2D2 confirms the Jade Sabre's sensors. The
slowly rotating pitted rock centered on the view screen is the
asteroid you were seeking.

Luke watches you silently as you switch off the targeting system and
reach out with the force. You close your eyes and fire. The rock is
pulverized into a fine spray of dust that spreads harmlessly into
space. With this act, you feel as if you are whole again. You think
about flying over the third planet of this system just to take one
last glimpse when the droid starts jabbering about something.

"What is it, Artoo?" Luke asks.

You hear the strains of music that effects you strangely. You do not
recall ever hearing it before, and yet it seems somehow oddly
familiar.

"Is that coming from the planet?" you ask, but you already know the
answer.

R2D2 squeals an affirmative. Luke leans over to read the text on the
small monitor attached to the droid.

"He says it's called the Imperial March." He moves to shut it off
and you stop him.

"Leave it." You say.

Luke gives you a quizzical look.

"I don't know, it just somehow reminds me of when I was young." You
flash him a feral smile and lay in a hyperspace course out of here.
It is time to go home.

The End