PIECES OF THE PUZZLE

Mara could not recall the last time she had been so completely drained, both physically and mentally. Ever since the communication arrived, informing her that Luke had mysteriously vanished, she had been in constant motion. She had showered, retrieved her travel bags from the closet and had been packing for the better part of an hour.

She was slightly dismayed to realize that the majority of her good clothes were still on Coruscant, and what she did have with her - while fine for training sessions and teaching classes - were hardly suitable to meet a political delegation.

After a few minutes of staring blankly into her closet, Mara reached in an quickly grabbed a few pieces that she hoped would still fit over her enlarged abdomen, concluding that it was perfectly acceptable for a pregnant woman to dress for comfort instead of style.

Once all the items were packed and the bags were fastened, Mara sat down on the edge of the bed, a sudden wave of exhaustion coming over her. It was hours past midnight, and she had yet to sleep. She smiled at the irony - when she wanted to sleep she couldn't, and when she couldn't sleep she needed to.

She decided it was good practice for when the baby arrived.

As if reading her mind, her son proceeded to pummel her with a series of kicks and punches. One struck her ribs hard enough to take her breath, and she laid back flat on the bed, rubbing her belly soothingly.

"You had The Force behind that one, little one," she murmured with a smile.

The Force….

Mara closed her eyes and regulated her breathing, calming her mind. She allowed The Force to flow into her, sharpening her drowsy senses. It was not long at all before she felt awake and energized; her body effectively tricked into thinking it had slept for hours. She sat up once more and looked at the chronometer on the wall. It was nearly time to start her journey - her plan being to leave Yavin in the middle of the night so she could arrive at her destination by mid-morning. She stood and took a last look in the mirror, and rolled her eyes in annoyance when she realized she had not even remembered to brush her hair, as focused as she was on Luke and the alarming situation. She walked to the bed and rifled through her travel bags a moment, looking for her brush. Upon finding it - at the bottom of the second bag, of course - she sat cross-legged on the bed and began to brush her still-damp hair.

The baby was still turning somersaults and Mara could not help but smile at the sensation. She chattered idly to the baby as she brushed her hair, then stopped suddenly as she felt a strong presence in the room.

Luke's presence!

Her head shot up, and she looked all around, half expecting to see him in the bedroom with her. But there was no one there. Then the feeling was gone, as quickly as it had came.

Mara frowned. She knew Luke's Force signature as well as she knew her own! And, even now, there was some faint, lingering feel to the room that was not there before. She stood up, dropping the brush on the floor. She took a few steps forward, her sensing reaching out.

"Luke?" she called out, a part of her feeling slightly ridiculous in doing so.

She concentrated further, and realized that it was not only Luke's presence that was still hanging in the air, but another individual was there, as well. The second force signature was remarkably similar to Luke's - but different at the same time. Almost in the same way that her child's presence was unique, yet still similar to Mara and Luke.

"What in the worlds is happening here?" she asked herself aloud, her voice soft.

The entire time she had been preparing to leave, Mara's mind had been constantly replaying the odd call she had received concerning Luke. Try as she might, she could not shake the feeling that something very strange had happened - more so than just the obvious fact that Luke had failed to arrive with his ship. Her Jedi senses told her that something was seriously amiss. Even now, she realized that the presence she had felt in the room - her husband's, she was certain - was not quite right. There was a vague feeling of ..of what? She struggled to find the proper word, then placed the feeling as being simply unnatural. Disconcertingly so.

She had tried convincing herself that - somehow - a perfectly logical explanation for Luke not arriving with his X-wing existed. And it had seemed the delegates she had spoken to earlier were more angry than truly concerned about Luke not being there. She almost chuckled, thinking for a moment about that pilot, Grayson, and the ridiculous misconceptions he had about Luke's abilities. To think that a Jedi Master would actually have the power to simply vanish out of thin air was utterly…

Vanish?

A sudden realization struck Mara and her face went slack, the color draining away, her eyes widening. She reached out one arm, steadying herself against a nearby wall. She closed her eyes, and forced herself to remain calm as she considered the mind-numbing possibility that had just entered her consciousness.

Could Luke have died while in hyperspace?

Mara rebelled against that idea immediately, not willing to accept it. But her mind would not let her dismiss the possibility as easily as would her heart. She knew that some Jedi Masters had the ability to disappear upon their death. A growing sense of dread began to fill her, and Mara quickly began to analyze the facts as she knew them thus far: Luke had left with the delegation, but he did not arrive. His X-wing did arrive, empty, piloted by R2. Luke had not been forced to make a stop at any time on the journey - for he would surely have notified the Transport ship he was escorting if he had a mechanical problem. All of this pointed to….Mara could barely bring herself to even think the words…

Luke's death.

But one thing, above all else, pointed toward Luke being alive somewhere, and Mara clung to that with all her strength. It was the Bond she shared with her husband. It was still strong, still pulsing with their combined energy and love. Mara and Luke had joined through The Force - they were like two halves of the same person. She would know if Luke had died. Wouldn't she?

Just then a knock on the door startled her out of her reverie. She hurried to open it, and found herself staring into the faces of two young students - a brother and sister - who had only recently arrived at the Praxeum. The younger of the two was shaking, while the older one's eyes bugged big enough to fall from her face.

"Kalen - what's wrong?" Mara asked, reaching out to place a hand on the little boy's forehead. "Why are you up at this hour? Are you sick?"

"No Master," he replied shakily. He looked to his sister for a moment, seeking reassurance. "It's just that…well, we thought we saw Master Skywalker a few minutes ago."

"You saw him?" Mara asked, surprised.

"Not exactly," the girl replied. "It's more like we…knew he was there, through The Force. Like what you teach us to do in class. We were on the way to the training rooms and it was like he was right there, watching us. But he…wasn't."

"It was really weird," the little boy agreed, shaking his head furiously.

Mara stared at the two, her mind working frantically to put the pieces of this puzzle together.

"We're really sorry, Master. We know we aren't supposed to go to the training rooms after hours. But we couldn't sleep. Time is so much different here than it was at home and we can't stay asleep until morning…."

"It's alright, kids." Mara said hurriedly, placing one hand on each of the children's shoulders. She leaned down slightly to look them in the eye. "I want both of you to go back to your room. Try to get some sleep if you can - if not, you can talk or study quietly. I have to go away for a little while, but Tionne will take over my classes." She paused, then smiled at the young faces. "You were right to tell me about this. And I'm very proud of you for being able to recognize Master Skywalker's presence. You're learning quickly."

The children's faces broke into large smiles at the compliment, then they nodded and began walking back down the hallway toward the student quarters.

"Master?" one of them called out, turning back to Mara.. "Is Master Skywalker okay?"

Mara took a deep breath, and her eyes closed for a moment. Was Luke Okay? It was an excellent question she wished she could answer with certainty. With effort, she smiled at the children and kept her voice light when she answered.

"I'm sure he's fine. You don't need to concern yourself. Try to get some rest."

"Good night, Master," they both replied, looking slightly less anxious.

Mara watched the children until they disappeared around a corner, then she sighed and leaned back heavily against the cool wall. Her eyes turned upward, scanning the area above her head.

Where in this galaxy are you, Skywalker?

Mara hated to admit it, but she was becoming more concerned by the minute. She pushed herself away from the wall, and went back into her quarters. She retrieved her brush from the floor where she had dropped it, and placed it back in the travel bag. She took one last look around, then slung one of the bags over her shoulder and grabbed the other one in her right hand. Absently, she reached out to touch the lightsaber that hung at her side; it's cool metal and heft comforting. She headed to the door, palmed off the glowpanels and exited the dark room, heading for her personal ship.

Mara had just entered the hanger when a sudden wave of power swept through her, sending chills up her spine. She stopped in her tracks, her senses flashing to full awareness. A flicker of light caught her attention, and she turned swiftly to see a shimmering form begin to materialize, a soft glow emanating from it, cutting through the blackness of the unlit hanger. Mara let her bags drop to the floor, and immediately had her lightsaber in hand, the blue blade extended in front of her in a defensive stance. She had never seen an apparition before, and though the ones Luke had encountered had been friendly, she was not about to take chances.

"Who are you?" she demanded as the form began to take on a reasonably human shape.

Luke Skywalker has not died, Mara Jade.

Mara gasped, and her weapon lowered. Those words had not been spoken! She heard them clearly, but there was no voice. The words had been spoken directly to her mind. She stared at the form before her, her green eyes straining. The form was still shimmering, still bathed in a bright light and she could not make out any details of the face or body.

"Who are you?" she repeated, her voice clear and firm despite her uneasiness,

Someone who knows

With that cryptic response, the light began to fade and the form began to dissipate, vanishing into the darkness as if it had never existed.

Mara stood very still for several long moments, her mind in a whirlwind.

Slowly, she picked up her travel bags and stared at her ship, then stared back at the Praxeum. What had she just witnessed? And why? Had this been some sort of warning? Someone trying to tell her she should not leave? She snorted. If that mysterious ghost had been trying to frighten her into abandoning her plans, it had certainly done a poor job of it!

Readjusting her should bag, Mara made an abrupt decision and walked to her ship, her strides purposeful. She boarded, dropped her bags in one of the bunks and headed for the cockpit. She slid behind the controls easily and flipped a few switches to power up the ship. She leaned back in the seat, waiting for the warm up process to complete.

She was still leaving, but her destination would be slightly different now.

She hoped Leia wouldn't mind the unannounced visit.

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Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated. I will try to continue updating this story while I work on Transcendence.