Resurrection Part 3 "We're there." Mara looked out at the lush, green and blue planet the Jade's Fire was pulling into orbit around, and felt once more a chill run down her spine. Just when she thought she could forget her past, it came up and socked her in the jaw. Why could she never seem to get away from the Emperor's influence? Luke, most likely guessing her thoughts (he was good at that; a little too good), put his hand on her back, trying to give her a little comfort. Mara appreciated the gesture, but she wasn't that weak. Taking a deep breath, she forced all dark thoughts out of her mind and focused on the task of finding a suitable spaceport and landing. Luke sensed the change in her emotions, and releasing what he probably thought was an inaudible sigh of relief, turned back to the copilot consol. "I think this one'll work, Aunt Mara," Anakin said from the nav station behind them, "It's near the capital city of Theed." "Sounds good to me. Feed the coordinates into the main computer and I'll put her down." They landed without incident, and Luke's New Republic ID got them a choice suite in a high class hotel, lending credit to their story that they were there on vacation. It was a reasonable story; Theed was a beautiful city full of art, culture, and amazing arcitecture. Just outside the city rolling green hills and lush valleys beckoned seductively. Mara had a hard time believing that someone as hard and callous as the Emperor could have come from such an amazing world. She made a mental note to be sure to return under more pleasant circumstances. The three of them had decided to split up; Anakin was to stay in the suite and try to learn all he and Artoo could from the city's central computer system, and Mara and Luke were to search seperate sections of the city to see what they could turn up about this mysterious shuttle thief. It was stongly implied by the lightsaber that they were looking for a Jedi. Something about that troubled Mara. Why would he/she have had a box full of lightsabers in storage? Were they meant to supply some far away Jedi colony, or were they for a darker purpose? The last flight date recorded was around the same time the Emperor had finally nearly rid himself of the pesky Jedi Order. That seemed to Mara to imply that the lightsabers were kept as a sort of a morbid trophy. But that would suggest the mysterious person was an apprentice of the Emperor's, and as far as Mara knew, the Emperor had had only one apprentice; Vader. Whatever the case was, she still didn't like it. Not one bit. Again pushing the dark thoughts from her mind, she finished dressing. The hotel came complete with several shops, and Mara had purchased a bit of local clothing. She had no desire to stick out like a sore thumb. The outfit complemented her slender frame, she decided as she looked in the floor length mirror. It was a long white, flowing dress with tight fitting sleeves (so much for her blaster), and a navy blue sleevless cape that was belted to the dress in silver at Mara's waist. She added two silver star clasps to her upswept hair that had been a wedding present from Leia. She emerged into the sitting room in search of her lightsaber, and Anakin, seated on the cream colored sofa, gave a low whistle of admiration. "I'm a little old for you, kid," she said laughingly, "Somehow I don't think your parents would approve. Now get to work on that consol." She pointed at the mahoghany desk in the corner upon which sat a shining computer terminal. "And don't get caught slicing. That'd be a little difficult to explain to the local authorites." "Yes, ma'am!" Anakin jumped to his feet and gave a high spirited mock salute befor settling in at the terminal with Artoo. The hotel officials had thought it a bit odd that they wanted the droid with them in the suite, but had pegged it down as Jedi eccentricities. Mara was glad she didn't have to think up another lie to excuse its presence. At that moment, Luke entered from the kitchen dressed in a non-descript brown tunic over a white shirt and black trousers with a light brown cloak over his shoulders, the hood thrown back. He looked Mara, turned to Anakin, then looked back at Mara and stared. Mara raised her eyebrows questioningly. He looked a little sheepish, then explained, "It's just that it's pracitcally the first time I've seen you in a dress since our wedding." Mara smiled. "Don't get used to it," she laughed, and then pulled up the hem of the skirt to show the navy blue leggings underneath. "I added these just in case I run into a situation where I don't want to be caught in just a skirt." Luke laughed and shook his head. "I should've known." He turned back to his nephew. "Take care, Anakin. We'll be back soon," he started out of the room with Mara, then turned back, "And don't order that much room service! I've only got a little currency left, and I'd rather not leave here with a credit account on my head." With that he shut the suite door, and they headed down the hallway. Mara couldn't decide whether to clip her lightsaber directly on her belt, or to hide it in the upper folds of the cape. One one hand, she didn't want to attract much attention, and she would; with the hair and the lightsaber, no one could fail to identify her as the wife of the famous Jedi Master Skywalker. But that recognition could also be used to her advantage. To Hell with it, she decided, and clipped the lightsaber directly onto her belt. As the repulsorlift doors closed behind them, Luke reached out and keyed for the ground floor and leaned against the cushioned wall of the lift. Mara rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and said, "So what exactly are we looking for? I mean, how do we know he's even in Theed?" Luke sighed. "I guess we'll know when we find something out of the ordinary, or vice versa. I have a feeling, though, that something we need to find is in this city, or nearby." Mara nodded. It was what she'd been thinking as well. It was just a bit reassuring to hear Luke echoing her thoughts. The lift doors parted and they headed for the exit. Once out onto the street, they split directions; Mara appearing as if she were headed to the market street, and Luke appearing as if he were headed to a museum. Mara walked around the various merchants stands, halfheartedly flicking an eye over the wares while she kept her senses alert for anything unusual. The population was mainly Naboo, but there were a few tall, gangly amphibious beings milling about the crowds. Gungans, she believed they were called. They lived around the swampy areas, mixing occasionally in nearby Naboo cities. The two cultures had kept seperate but peaceful relations throughout the years, Mara remembered reading, not all that easy to do on a single planet. She stopped at a nearby booth selling cosmetics and jewelry, her eye caught by the merchant woman's brightly colored fingernails. The woman smiled and held them out for Mara's inspection. "Aren't they lovely, dearie?" "Yes," she said, "I don't recall having seen such a decoration before." "It's a Naboo custom. Well, maybe not a custom, but it's a fun pastime to paint your nails with enamel. I happen to have a set consisting of twelve colors, three pattern stencils, and a bottle of remover. It makes a great gift," the merchant added hopefully. Mara smiled. It was definitely interesting. She had already gotten a birthday gift for Jacen, but still needed one for Jaina. And as she recalled, Jaina got a kick out of anything unusual she could do to her appearance without giving her parents heart attacks. They settled on a price, and Mara gave the woman the address of the hotel, who then gave it to the delivery boy who appeared at her side. She turned away from the booth in time to see a Gungan step off the curb a few meters away directly into the path of an approaching repulsor vehicle. "Hey!" she shouted, already running towards the hapless Gungan. It turned, saw the vehicle, and froze. At that speed the driver wouldn't be able to stop in time. Mara cursed and threw herself at the Gungan, using the Force to push them both to safety. The vehicle whizzed by, and Mara picked herself up and dusted off her clothing. The gungan stood up, and on closer inspection revealed itself to be female. She shook her head, nearly pelting Mara with her long, flappy ears. "Messa thankful. Youssa saved messa life!" "It's all right. Just learn to be a little more careful, okay?" The gungan took Mara's hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Messa called Li Li Binks. The Gods say messa your humble servant." Mara blinked. Great. They had a life-debt policy. A wookie she could have used, but a Gungan? "No need, friend. I don't need a guardian or a servant. I absolve you of your obligation." Li Li shook her head again, and Mara wisely stepped out of the way. "Youssa canna do that. Only da Gods can." Oh, wonderful. She was stuck with her. She opened her mouth to say they would be going off world, when Li Li caught sight of her lightsaber and gasped. "Youssa is Jedi?" when Mara nodded she continued. "Da Gods have odd way of wokin' things out. Messa was sent from Huma Gunga to find Jedi." "Oh?" Mara asked. Maybe this wasn't a bad arrangement after all. "Who sent you?" "Messa canna say. Youssa please come to Huma Gunga with messa," Li Li looked at her expectantly. Mara knew she should turn the Gungan down and continue searching the city, but she had this nagging feeling at the back of her mind that she should go with Li Li. If it was one thing Mara had learned over the years, it was not to argue with the Force. "Okay. Which way do we go?" Luke continued scanning the streets and alleys of Theed, but it was the same as it had been for the last half hour. Absolutely nothing, nada, ziltch. He was beginning to wonder if his hunch was really Force-sent, or just a stupid idea. Leaning towards the stupid idea theory, he turned the corner to start heading back to the hotel. He was just past the Royal Palace when something caught his senses. Something dark, and purposeful. And it was coming from the Palace. Taking a deep breath, Luke reached out with the Force and tried to track the sensation. Just as he had it pegged as coming from the Royal Hangar, where the Queen's ships were kept, the sensation reacted to his touch and pulled back. Luke swore under his breath and began quickly walking towards the Hangar, trying not to attract that much attention. He definitely did not like this. The fact that it could even feel Luke's touch meant that it was Force-able. And that could mean trouble. He quickened his step and tried to reach out to Mara. He couldn't sense her anywhere nearby, but upon stretching even further (and nearly ramming into an innocent lamp post)he caught her sense leaving the city with another being. Her mind was set on something important, and in any case she'd never reach the Palace in time. Luke severed the contact, a back part of his mind running through an array of swear words in both Basic and Huttese, which allowed him a wider range to choose from. His childhood hadn't been as sheltered as his aunt and uncle would have liked. He shut that part of his mind off, and reached for his calm center. Looked like he was on his own. "Just how far is this Huma Gunga?" Mara asked, adjusting the land cruiser's speed as they zoomed past another hill. "It in there," Li Li said as she pointed towards that rapidly approaching forest. A little too rapidly. Mara adjusted the speed again, and threw a look at her new companion. Li Li might prove useful for now, but they were definitely going to have to come to another arrangement once this business on Naboo was over. "I thought you said it was a city." "It is. It is a hidden city." Mara hoped that didn't mean tree tops. She pulled the cruiser to a halt at the forest edge, and Li Li leaped out. She gestured towards the dense foliage. "Youssa please follow messa." Mara grabbed the survival pack out of the back seat of the cruiser, threw the strap over her shoulder, and followed the Gungan into the depths of the forest. Anakin Solo stretched his stiff arms, and rubbed the weariness out of his eyes. So far he and Artoo hadn't found a single thing of interest. The computer consol was now downloading a list of the Queens of Naboo. Anakin thought it rather odd that they called their elected political leader a Queen. The current one was called Queen Hamana. She was supposed to be a good leader, even though she rarely ventured from the palace. Anakin scanned the list, more out of boredom than any real interest. Then something caught his eye in one Queen's list of achievements. Queen Amidala, elected at the age of fourteen, brought about the downfall of the Trade Federation. That was some achievement. Anakin had read a bit about the Trade Federation in his history text. They'd had almost complete control over trade routes and intergalactic commerce in the pre-Clone wars era. And she was only fourteen? "More info," he said, and the consol whirred as it dragged up details. CLASSIFIED "What? By who?" SENATOR PALPATINE "Palpatine's been dead for years, and this is a New Republic world!" CLASSIFIED Anakin sighed and stared at the word on screen. "Artoo, see if you can get past that, please," he said. Obviously something important was there, otherwise why classify it? Abruptly the consol clicked, and Anakin immediatley saw why it had been classified. A picture came up with the names in text beneath it, taken at some sort of celebration. In the center was Queen Amidala, and the leader of the Gungans, Boss Nass or something, and beside him were- No, it couldn't be. Anakin squinted harder at the caption to make sure he hadn't misread it. But he had been right the first time. Beside him were Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the real kicker: Anakin Skywalker. "Enhance grid 7A," he said, feeling a bit dazed. His grandfather standing next to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Uncle Luke had said that he'd been Kenobi's apprentice, but this definintely proved it. The enhanced picture came up, and Anakin found himself staring at a blonde, blue-eyed boy about his own age. There wasn't any doubt that he was Anakin Skywalker, either; with those eyes he had to be Uncle Luke's father. And his mother's. Anakin found himself wondering just who his grandmother had been. She must've had dark hair like his mother's, since his grandfather had the same sandy blonde hair as Uncle Luke. Artoo whistled quietly beside him. "Yeah," he said, swallowing, "copy it on our data card. Uncle Luke is definitely gonna want to see this. More info," he told the computer after Artoo had finished copying the file. No sense in waiting until they were back. It could be hours, and Anakin was more than a little curious. Once again, a back part of Luke's mind swore. He really was spending too much time around his wife. He'd lost the contact, and upon sneaking into the hangar had found nothing, not even a residual trace of the original sensation. Either it had been a mistake, or this something was a little to good at undercover work than was comfortable for Luke's peace of mind. He was definitely leaning towards the latter. After sneaking back out, he approached the guard on duty and suggested that he might want to keep an eye on the transports. No sense in hanging around doing nothing, he thought. Time to see what his nephew had turned up. If anything. Mara and her newfound Gungan guide stopped at the edge of a rather large lake/swamp. "So, what," Mara said, dropping the pack and stretching her shoulders, "do we swim across now?" Li Li shook her head. Mara decided that particular gesture could get annoying. "No. Wessa swim down." "Down?" Li Li nodded. "Messa told youssa it wass a hidden city." Oh, great. Well so much for the nice, new, rather over-priced clothes. She took a pocket knife from the pack, and while Li Li watched she cut the hem to two inches above her knee, and packed the cape into the water-tight survival pack. "All right," she said, picking the pack up again and placing a breather between her teeth, "Lead on." Luke sat back with a sigh, and vainly tried to process the information his nephew had just given him. Anakin stayed silent, giving his uncle time to think. Luke shook his head. "It's all a bit much. My father, a war hero at age nine? Doesn't quite fit in with the impression I got from Obi-Wan. But then, nothing I've ever thought of my father has ever quite fit the truth." Anakin shrugged. "I guess we can't really know what he was like before he was Vader. Nothing is ever what it seems." Luke eyed his sister's youngest. "How'd you get to be so smart?" He laughed. "Believe it or not, my dad!" Luke laughed with him, picked up the data card, and gave Anakin a quick hug. "Oh, I can believe it. Han himself has never been what he seemed to be," he got up and stretched, "Now let's see if we can't find Mara. I got the impression that she was on to something important." Anakin hopped off the chair and went to find his cloak. "Finally, I get to do something outside." Luke smiled again, then took a deep breath and stretched out with the Force. He followed where he had last sensed Mara, and then felt the familiar touch of her mind. She was concentrating on something - swimming, it felt like - but spared a second to give him an impression of where she was. That was enough. Luke severed the contact, leaving Mara to do whatever it was she was doing. With the quick impression, and Luke's familiarity with her sense, it should be no trouble finding her. "Come on," he called to Anakin, "Let's get going." Mara felt Luke break the breif contact, then looked ahead of her to make sure she could still see the Gungan. They were heading farther away from the surface, and she was beginning to feel a bit uneasy. But then just ahead of her, a bright light silhouetted Li Li's form. She swam over a rocky ridge, and into full view of the most beautiful city she'd ever seen. It consisted of several watertight, luminous bubbles all connected together. It was a marvel of engineering, rivaling any underwater construction Mara had ever seen. And to think the Gungans had been living like this for decades, possibly even centuries... Abruptly she remembered that she was supposed to be following Li Li. She spotted her Gungan guide moving towards the edge of one of the smaller bubbles. Mara followed, and in moments was floating near the edge. There didn't seem to be any entrance, but Li Li waved her on. The Gungan put one foot directly into the side of the bubble, then pulled the rest of her body through. Mara blinked (as well as she could underwater) and followed her example. As soon as she was through the bubble's exterior, she removed the breather from her mouth and took a deep breath. The air tasted surprisingly fresh, and Mara realized - also a bit of a surprise - that the bubble's barrier had taken most of the wetness off her. She still felt a bit damp, but it wasn't a big discomfort. She looked around her curiously. The interior architecture was all flowing lines and curves, with underfoot lighting, and a few glow-bubbles strewn about. Li Li was in conversation with what looked like a guard of some sort. The guard looked at Mara, then back at Li Li. "Shessa is Jedi?" he asked, and when Li Li nodded he motioned for them to pass. They started moving in a downwards spiral, following what passed for a sidewalk. "Gungans no like outsiders in cities," Li Li explained, "But dey make exception for Jedi." "You still haven't answered me," Mara said, beginning to feel a bit uneasy again, "Who sent you to find a Jedi?" They came to a round, green door at the bottom level of the bubble. Li Li opened the door and pointed inside. "Shessa did." Mara followed the direction of her finger, and froze. Inside, seated on a green chair, with one foot propped on a nearby table, was a Jedi Knight. Not one of Luke's students; she knew most of them, and this woman would surely have stood out in her memory. Besides, this woman had to be in her sixties. Her hair was grey, showing a trace of the auburn color it once had been. She was dressed in a white tunic and brown cloak; the kind worn by the old Jedi Order. And as she stood up, Mara could see the lightsaber hanging from her belt. "Well?" the woman asked, "Are you going to stand there gawking all day, or are you going to come in and let me explain why I wanted to see you, Mara Jade?"