I am enjoying this story very much...please continue!

susieqla


> Part 8
>
>
> The rest of the day had been peaceful. Emma spent some time teaching Mara the
road signs and rules of the road. They fixed a dinner of some kind of fish that
Emma fried. Benjamin had not joined them. He stayed in his room the entire
evening and night. Emma brought him a plate of food which he accepted from
inside his room. After they ate, Emma introduced Mara to their computer,
including the Internet. Mara's mind immediately went to a similar term. HoloNet.
Once it was turned on, Mara found her way through and searched all kinds of
information on Alabama's street maps and the basic history of Earth. For the
most part, this planet's history was full of war, violence, dirty politics, and
the emphasis on entertainment and money. Different galaxy; same history.
> She found a map to Dr. Markham's office and the night club where Mary worked
downtown. It took her minutes to memorize the street names. She didn't know why
she needed this information so fast. Perhaps it was relative to something that
was drilled into a young Mara Jade's head. Know your territory. It was almost
like she were on a mission. What mission would this be? To seek her own
identity? That would be a tall order. Maybe Dr. Markham's method would help.
> She suddenly discovered the time and that she was now alone with the
blue-white screen of the computer giving the family room a soft glow. Emma must
have gone on to bed. Mara turned the machine off and did the same. There were no
dreams that night and she slept soundly.
> The next morning, she got up in plenty of time and used the refresher. Emma
had called it the `bathroom', but she didn't see how that could be when the
small room only had a shower stall and no bathtub. She passed by Ben's door but
stopped to sneak a peak inside. He was still sound asleep. She left him alone.
As much as she could not figure what was happening to her, she couldn't imagine
what the kid was going through. Which sparked a memory that she forgot. The
first day when she awoke she could feel the emotions of Dr. Harris and Luke. She
no longer seemed to possess that ability. Coupled with her inability to lift
objects since the plastic cup, she figured these skills were one-time
accomplishments.
> She found Emma at the kitchen table eating toast. She looked up after chewing
a piece and brightened to ask, "Mary Jane?"
> "Mara Jade," she said as she slowly shook her head.
> "Just checking. No offense?"
> "None taken. I'd be doing the same if I were in your boots."
> Mara took a half piece of toast and ate it. She then told Emma she was leaving
to go to Dr. Markham's.
> Emma muttered loud enough for Mara to hear, "Here's hoping whatever he does
works."
> Mara paused and turned her head back at Mary's mother with a look of pity.
"You miss her, don't you?"
> Emma only smiled and answered, "You're a mother. What do you think?"
> Without a word, Mara nodded and started to open the side door when Emma spoke
again.
> "Luke is coming later to pick up Ben. It happens to be his weekend ."
> "Can't he postpone it considering the circumstances? I'd like to try to talk
to Ben."
> Emma sniffed. "You know Luke–well, Mary did...does."
> Mara replied, "Yeah, I know a little about him myself."
> Emma asked, "Are you sure you're comfortable in driving?"
> Mara answered with a swagger to her voice, "I can drive anything."
> She finally opened the door with key in hand and sat in the drivers seat. She
turned the key more gently than she did on the previous day. The engine revved
without screeching. She slowly pulled the floor lever to D and stepped down on
the right pedal. A little too hard.
> The car lunged forward so quickly that her momentum couldn't keep up and she
was propelled backward. She lifted her foot off the right pedal to step on the
left. Again, too hard. Now she lunged forward.
> "Careful," cried Emma, whom she saw in the rear view mirror, standing at the
door to the carport. "The brake is a mite touchy."
> "No kidding?" She went to step down on the right pedal ever so slowly. The car
went forward more smoothly this time. She used the steering wheel to turn right
and she caught sight of Emma waving. She waved back for a second and then
concentrated on driving. She turned left and right on streets she knew by name
and soon she reached Airport Blvd. She had to turn left here and, luckily, there
was hardly any traffic at this end of Airport at that time. She made her turn
and as she did, she found that the harder she stepped on the right pedal, the
faster the vehicle went.
> Primitive, but effective.
> She already knew that her next turnoff wasn't for another few blocks. So, she
stepped harder down on the pedal. The rush of air through her black hair
accompanied with the engine's purr made her ecstatic. She felt alive and free
for the first time in...when? Years? Decades? She couldn't remember. But, it
wasn't because it was a memory deficiency. She really felt like Mara Jade could
not remember the last time when she had let loose. She was sure she could go
faster but she was now heading into more traffic where she had to slow with left
pedal. Gently.
> In quicker time than she thought, she reached a street named Hillcrest. She
went right on it. She went along it to the end of it to reach Old Shell. To her
right about a few hundred yards were a set of complexes, one of which looked
similar to a shockball field. She was sure they had another name for it here.
Maybe even a different game altogether. She figured the place to be part of the
University that Emma mentioned. She turned left on Old Shell, away from the
complex, and headed into a more commercial area.
> She found the address of Dr. Markham's office on the left hand side, which
meant she would have to wait for a space to turn between oncoming traffic. She
saw a gap between a car and a large freighter-like vehicle. She took the quick
turn between them but it was in the nick of time. It almost seemed like the
freighter vehicle sped up and it almost hit her from behind. The driver sounded
the vehicle's horn at her. In the passenger seat, an arm emerged out of the
window and the hand formed into a fist...except for the middle finger extended.
After she finished her turn into the parking lot, she raised her own arm out
through her window and repeated the same gesture. Maybe it was a form of
greeting? Somehow, she didn't think that was correct.
> She proceeded further in the parking lot and saw the small building with a
plaque on the side that read Dr. Markham's name. There were almost no cars there
and she had no problem parking. Until her momentum went forward again as if she
hit something. She kept her foot on the brake and cracked open the door to see
the front underside of the car had hit a low concrete slab at the front end of
the parking space. She uttered a small curse and shut the door. She eased the
lever to R with her foot still on the brake and the car went backward a bit,
clearing away from the slab. She pulled the lever to P and exited the car.
> She reached the door to the building and entered. Inside was deathly quiet.
There was a counter in front of her with a hallway perpendicular going to the
back of the building. To her left was a door to an office room with Dr. Stephen
Markham etched on the glass portion of the door. She was alone for a few minutes
before the door finally opened. From inside the office, Dr. Markham emerged
wearing casual jeans and a plain white golf shirt.
> "Ah, I thought I heard someone come in. You're a bit early."
> "I had to find time to figure out how to drive. By the way," she held up her
fist with her middle finger extended, "what does this mean?"
> The doctor tried to hold in a chuckle but failed. "That...is a most rude
gesture. Unfortunately, if you saw someone display it to you while driving, I'd
say you pissed them off pretty good."
> "I figured." She gestured to the empty office. "No assistant today?"
> "It's her day off. Though, I did want us to be alone today."
> Mara wasted no time in returning the remark, "Not ready to make this public
yet?"
> The doctor shook his head. "I really have to get used to that intuition of
yours. Now, shall we?" He extended his arm to lead her into his office. "Come in
here. I have everything set up."
> She followed his lead and went into his office. Inside the shades were pulled
down making the room dim but so much as to not see. Off to the left end of the
room sat a large desk and in the center was a set up of two large chairs that
almost could be considered upright beds. In between the two sat a small table
with what looked like an unlit candle held by an elaborate candlestick in the
center.
> "Would you like some tea? I find that some good old Earl Grey relaxes the body
before hypnotization."
> "Why not?"
> He went to a small heated pad behind his desk and poured a liquid from a pot
that was sitting on it. He went over to hand her the cup. She sipped the warm
drink. She nodded her approval in taste.
> He motioned to one of the chairs for her to sit in and she did, while he took
the opposite chair. "So, how was your family visit?"
> "Enlightening." She sipped more tea.
> "You met Ben, I assume?"
> "Already had to scold him within five minutes of meeting him."
> "Yes, you have indeed met Ben. I believe he identifies more with his father,
which Mary found disturbing. I do have a theory that Ben is just trying to win
over Mary's attention."
> "You think so? He did calm down after I told him he was to be called Benjamin
in my presence."
> "Not Spike?" the doctor chuckled. "Well, I think you know more about him than
you believe" He watched her finish her tea. "Done? Here let me take that." He
did so and placed in on the edge of his desk for the time being. He sat back
down in his chair. "Now, let's get started."
> He took a small device from his pants pocket. It was similar to the lighter
Tommy had used to light the fireworks. The doctor flicked it once and a small
flame ejected which he used to light the candle. He reached for another item
from his desk that she recognized as his recording device. "You don't mind if I
record this?"
> After she gave her approval in a nod, he announced, "And now, Mara, I want you
to sit back in that chair and just relax."
> She did so and she almost felt as if she were lying down. "If I stay in this
position, I may fall asleep."
> "Which is essentially our goal. The difference is I cannot allow you to reach
REM stage. Once you're there, your subconscious is closed to me. To avoid that,
I need for you to focus on the candle. It doesn't have to be the flame itself.
Just focus on the candle as a whole. That's it."
> His voice from this point became soothing and less harsh. As he spoke, he saw
that her eyes were getting heavy and they were almost shut. "Keep focus on the
candle. Nothing else exists but that candle. Only its light exists. Keep focus.
I want you to picture the candle with the light floating inside a huge room.
Since only that light is important, you must go to it. There is a door opened
that takes you into the room with the candlelight. You must enter this room.
Follow the light into that room. Nothing else but you and the light. Enter the
room. That's it. You are now inside the room floating with the light. The door
has closed itself. You are now alone with the candlelight. Nothing else exists.
Just you...the light...and memories."
> After a long pause to check to see that her eyes were not shifting from side
to side, Dr. Markham finally spoke to her in a regular voice. "Mary Jane Skyler?
Am I speaking with Mary Jane Skyler?"
> She answered back in monotone, "No. Mara Jade Skywalker."
> "Ok. That will have to do for now. Mara Jade, I would like for you to describe
yourself. Who are you? Where do you come from? Can you do that?"
> "Of course. I live on Coruscant, inside the Core. I am a Jedi Master now. I am
wife to Grand Master Luke Skywalker. Or, as I prefer to call him, Farmboy."
> "Why is that?"
> "He grew up on a moisture farm on Tatooine."
> "And where is that?"
> "A remote planet on the edge of the Outer Rim."
> "Outer rim? The outer rim of what?"
> "Our galaxy."
> "So that is to say that your galaxy...is not our galaxy."
> "Oh, no. You only have nine planets and their small moons. Our galaxy has
thousands of planets spread across a vast area."
> "How large an area?"
> She shrugged. "Scholars have guessed it to be about a several hundred thousand
light years across. Maybe a million. No one has gone out to measure it exactly."
> "Of course. Tell me more about yourself, Mara. You have a son?"
> "Ben," she uttered with the greatest amount of pride. "I am so proud of him.
He is only fourteen, but has matured so fast. I can easily see him become a
great Jedi Master. It's funny, we thought at one time he would never use the
Force. When he was a kid, he refused to use it. I saw it then as an abnormality,
but now I see it as a wise decision."
> "What force are you speaking of?"
> "The Force. A Jedi's most powerful weapon. Excuse me...tool. Farmboy wouldn't
like it referred to as a weapon. It's an energy field that binds our galaxy
together. Jedi can use it to their advantage. They can feel emotions. They can
sense future events, somewhat. They can move objects with their mind. They can
plant images inside other minds."
> "And you have these skills now?"
> "I used to. Or, actually, I did a few days ago."
> "Really?"
> "Yes. I could feel the doctor's laughter when I said something funny. I felt
Luke's fear when I backed him against the door. And...I remember that night...I
saw the past."
> "Your past?"
> "Naturally. It was one of my first lessons with a remote. It got me a few
times, but I nailed it eventually. Then, something came up to interrupt that
lesson, so I practiced my levitation. I was lifting sticks of wood. I saw them
perfectly in my mind. I could feel them. Then I woke up. I saw on the side of my
bed, a cup was raised off the table a few inches."
> "It...levitated. In reality?"
> "Yes. Not for long. A nurse came in and broke my concentration and it dropped
to the floor."
> "Have you tried this at any other time?"
> "I did try. I was using someone else's mind and I tried picking up a paper
card. It didn't move. The difference was that I couldn't feel it. The mind I was
using wasn't trained for it."
> "But, the cup did raise."
> She shrugged again. "Maybe I was using my own mind then."
> "A residual effect from the dream. Interesting. So, not just anyone can use
this Force?"
> "Oh, no. Even I couldn't master it at first. The Emperor first taught me about
it."
> "The Emperor?"
> "Emperor Palpatine. Leader of the Galactic Empire. He raised me from a small
child to be his secret assassin and investigator. I would perform missions that
others could not. I was known as the Emperor's Hand."
> "You killed in the name of this Emperor?"
> "Killed. Maimed. Destroyed. The missions consisted mostly of outcasts against
the Empire or Imperial officers and figureheads trying to cheat the Empire from
the inside."
> "You were Internal Affairs."
> "With an edge."
> "How long were you the Emperor's Hand?"
> "All through my teenage and adult years. My first mission was right after the
Rebels destroyed the first Death Star."
> "Death...star?"
> "Palpatine's pet project. It was a powerful space station the size of a small
moon. Took him years to finally get it finished. It had enough firepower to
obliterate whole planets. He wanted to use it against any system that challenged
the ways of his Empire. But, the Rebels found a small weakness in the plans and
destroyed it."
> "There was a war?"
> "There's always a war somewhere."
> "What happened in this one?"
> "The Emperor was defeated. His arrogance and overconfidence was his undoing.
And who should defeat him but the son of his number one apprentice, Darth
Vader."
> "Son of Darth...Vader? Hmm...'vader' means father in Dutch. Interesting. And
who was this son of Vader?"
> "None other than Luke Skywalker himself. My reign as the Hand ended when the
Emperor died. See, I could hear the Emperor through the Force from anywhere in
the galaxy. That was how he sent me missions. Except for one. A few weeks before
he died, Palpatine sent me on a mission on Tatooine. To kill Luke Skywalker. I
failed. I felt so responsible for his death. His last command to me as he died
was: Kill Luke Skywalker."
> There was a long pause as she kept in her subconscious state. The doctor
noted, "Instead of killing him, though, you married him."
> "Not immediately. I found out Palpatine's true evil nature. His last command
to me was only for revenge of his death. I couldn't see it then, but I learned
later that Jedi do not set out for revenge. Luke showed me that. And I will
forever be grateful for that lesson. He and I crossed paths over a decade, had a
few interactions here and there. At one time, ten years later, Luke came to
rescue me off a world that contained a threat to the galaxy. During our trials
and battles there, we discovered that we not only work well together, but we
formed a powerful Force bond between the two of us. I can't describe it. We knew
each others' secrets, desires, hopes, and dreams."
> "It was a bond in the truest sense of the word."
> "Yes," she breathed her answer as a whisper.
> "Ok," the doctor started, "we have a history background. Now, Mara, I'd like
for you to simply reminisce. And I want it to be random. Or if you like, in
chronological order. You are still floating inside the room with the
candlelight. Now inside the room are small bubbles. They are bubbles that
contain various scenes in your life. I want you to pick a bubble and tell me
about the scene inside of it. Remember any kind of detail about the memory and
recall it to me. Do you understand?"
> "Yes."
> "Fine. Begin when ready."
> Mara suddenly found herself in a small room sitting in a chair near a bed.
Inside the bed lay a human male. He was still in his flight suit. The
yellow-orange sun coming through the nearby window shone through the man's
sandy-blonde hair. He started to stir and look around.
> She remembered thinking then, He still doesn't have a clue as to what happened
to him. Some Jedi he is. "Finally awake, are you?" she said from her chair.
> Startled, he twisted his head toward the voice. He looked around, confused,
until he spotted her sitting nearby. His bright blues eyed her posture in her
chair and she saw him notice the small blaster in her lap. She smirked inwardly
and thought, Yes, I have you covered if you make the slightest move. She almost
wished then that he had made a move. Now, he really looked confused. Almost as
if he could not feel something.
> "That's right. Welcome back to the world of mere mortals," she said with a
smile that held no humor. Ah, he's feeling the sense of zero Force. "Don't like
it, do you?" she mocked. "It's not easy to suddenly lose everything that once
made you special, is it?"
> Slowly, carefully, Luke Skywalker eased his legs over the side of the bed and
sat up, giving his body plenty of time to get used to moving again. She watched
him closely, her right hand dropping to her lap to rest on the top of the
blaster.
> She called out, "If the purpose of all this activity is to impress me with
your remarkable powers of recuperation, you don't need to bother."
> "Nothing so devious," Luke advised, breathing hard and trying not to wheeze.
"The purpose of all this activity is to get me back on my feet." He looked her
hard in the eye. She knew he was waiting for her to flinch, even if she herself
had her own Force powers taken from her for the moment. It's not going to
happen, she almost said to him.
> He went on. "Don't tell me; let me guess. You're Mara Jade."
> "That doesn't impress me, either," she said coldly. "Karrde already told me
he'd mentioned my name to you."
> Luke nodded. "He also told me that you were the one who found my X-wing. Thank
you."
> Her green eyes flashed. "Save your gratitude," she bit out. "As far as I'm
concerned, the only question left is whether we turn you over to the Imperials
or kill you ourselves." Abruptly, she stood up, the blaster ready in her hand.
"On your feet. Karrde wants to see you."
> Carefully, Luke stood up. She caught him notice his lightsaber hooked to her
belt. That's it, hero, not so powerful without it, are you?
> He commented, "I can't say that either of those options sounds appealing."
> "There's another one." She took half a step forward, moving close enough that
he could have reached out and touched her. Lifting the blaster, she pointed it
directly at his face. "You try to escape...and I kill you right here and now."
> The image of them facing so close together with her threat still fresh in the
air began to lose focus and dissolve into another image.
> The new image melded into an area that was much colder. She was deep inside a
cave on a high metal grate. Beside her stood Luke Skywalker looking out over the
side. Below them was a pool of water rising towards them courtesy of a huge wall
on the opposite side. Both of them were soaked to the bone. The image formed
just in time for her to hear the middle of Luke's conversation.
> "–so close in the Force that it was like we'd become a single person. It
was...something very special."
> She lifted an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement worming its way through even the
deadly seriousness of the situation. "Really?" she said. "How special?"
> He grimaced. "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?" he growled.
> "Oh, come now," she said, mock accusingly. "When have I ever made anything
easy for you?"
> "Not very often," he conceded. Visibly bracing himself, he reached over and
took her hands. "Mara...will you marry me?"
> "You mean if we get out of here alive?"
> Luke shook his head. "I mean regardless."
> Under other circumstances, she knew, she would probably have considered
herself honor-bound to make him sweat, just a little. But with the water still
rising below them, such games seemed rather pointless. Besides, there was no
reason for old defense patterns to come into play. Not now. Not with him.
> "Yes," she said. "I will."
> The images of them standing together hand in hand enjoying the momentous
occasion for the small amount of time they had until they were required to
search for a way to survive slowly dissolved and began to form into another
image.
> They were inside an immense ballroom-sized venue with thousands of people and
cameras focused on her and Luke. She wore an elegant white dress that
complimented her red-gold hair. Luke was also dressed in his best as they faced
each other. A third figure standing in front of them was speaking.
> "Mara Jade, do you freely bind yourself to Luke Skywalker, to be his
companion, partner, aide, and comfort for all the days of your life?"
> "I do."
> "And you, Luke Skywalker, do you promise to forsake all others, to be Mara's
comfort and confidant, friend, lover, and companion for all your mortal days?"
> "I do."
> Mara stared speaking the rest of her vows. "For a relationship that started
with me trying to kill you, this has become more than I imagined. I have never
felt more complete than now, knowing we will be together for all eternity."
> Luke began, "Well, since Leia always wanted to kill Han, I knew where this
could lead." He took a breath before he finished. "You are more than I deserve,
all that I desire, and all I need to feel whole. I love you, Mara."
> The man conducting the ceremony told them to face the crowd. He then loudly
announced with the help of the PA system, "May I now introduce...Luke and Mara
Jade Skywalker. Husband and wife."
> The new couple did not hear the thunderous applause from the crowd. All that
could be heard between them were their beating hearts as one. Their Force bond
washed over them and immersed them within its own security.
> She thought then, nothing can separate us now.
> The image of them embracing and bringing their lips together for their first
official kiss and husband and wife started to dissolve and form another.
> She found herself inside a med facility laying in bed. She felt weak but very
proud. She was holding a bundle in her arms that contained a newly born human
boy. Luke was beside her holding her hand with his attention on his son.
> Another human male in his teenage years approached them. She knew him. Her
nephew.
> "Hello, Anakin," Mara said weakly. "I knew you'd be here."
> "I thought you were...Can I come closer?"
> "Sure."
> Anakin stared down at the newborn. "Are they all that ugly?" he blurted.
> "You'll want to rephrase that after what I just went through," Mara warned.
"Think in the general direction of antonyms."
> "I mean he's–"
> "His name is Ben," Luke said.
> "He's beautiful. In the Force, and...But, he's all sort of squinched and
wrinkly."
> "Just like you were," Mara said.
> "And you're really okay?"
> "I've never been better," Mara told him. "Everything is perfect." She looked
down at her child. "Perfect." As weary as it was, her smile had enough wattage
to light all of Coruscant.
> This image faded to begin a series of cut images going faster than she could
describe. They were scenes of battles won and lost. There were too many to
describe in detail. One, she thought, contained a species of beings that were
hideously scarred but greatly proud of it. She saw an image of Luke battling a
creature that had an insect-like appearance. She couldn't see herself yet in any
of these images. Were these incidents where Mara was a mere spectator? Things
she had not been active in but no less worried about. She then saw her son.
Grown. A fourteen year old. He was holding a sniper rifle. He closed in on his
target. He began his shooting.
> No!, she cried out to no avail. Not like me.
> Then, there was another image. It was a figure in the shadows. A dark, looming
figure coming into focus. At first, she thought, Vader. But, it was not him. The
image on the figure finally showed and a medium sized human male with dark hair
appeared. She knew him. Her other nephew. Jacen. He had been bloodied and beat
up.
> She was inside a rocky cavern facing him at an awkward position as she held a
vibroblade close to his neck and he was clutching a wad of her red hair. Her
only thought at this moment was to protect Ben. Then, she thought she saw not
Jacen...but her son. Ben. She was fighting Ben? She blinked.
> Then she felt it.
> The pain in her thigh was excruciating at first. Then it subsided. Too
quickly. She gasped.
> "Oh...it's done..."Jacen said. "I'm sorry, Mara. Had to be you. Thought it was
Ben. But, it's over now, it's over..."
> "What have you done? What the stang have you done to me?" But she was already
losing her balance as the poisoned paralyzed her, and she slumped to one side as
he got to his feet, staring up at him with more shock than rage or fear."
> "The prophecy." It didn't matter now; the toxin–complex, relatively
painless–was circulating through her body. "Don't fight it. No healing trance.
Just let go..."
> Mara tried to get up but sank back to sit on her heels, with an expression as
if she'd forgotten something and trying to remember. She crumpled against the
wall. "What?" She tried to put her fingers to her lips, shaking, but her hand
fell back to her lap. She looked at them as if expecting to see blood.
> Jacen announced, "It's my destiny, Mara–to be a Sith Lord, and bring order and
justice. I had to kill you to do it. You're going to save so many people, Mara.
You've saved Ben. It's not a waste, believe me."
> "You're...as vile as he was."
> "Who?"
> "Palpatine."
> "It's not like that. It's not about ambition. It's about the galaxy, about
peace. It's about building a different world."
> She flashed him the last of her famous anger. She had heard this speech
before. She was sure Anakin Skywalker was spouting the same useless words to his
victims. She was breathing heavily now, one hand slack in her lap but the other
clenching and unclenching as if to give him one last punch. Her vivid green eyes
were still bright with relentless purpose. That's right, just try and forget
this image of your own aunt dying at your own hands.
> She spoke with her last amount of strength. "You think...you've won," she
said, slurred, but utterly lucid and unafraid. "But Luke will crush you...and I
refuse...to let you...destroy the future...for my Ben."
> With that, her strength, and everything else that was a part of her, left her
body.
> Ben was the last word that Mara Jade Skywalker ever spoke.
> And the very first word she had said using Mary Jane Skyler's body.
> Mary.
> Someone was calling her. Where was she? Mara Jade Skywalker had died. Who was
she?
> Mary.
> That voice was calling for her. Whose was it? The only thing she could see was
an image of a stable. A dark black horse was beside her.
> Mary!
> There is another presence here. Mara?
> Mary Jane Skyler!
> Someone was in the stable with her. Someone...familiar.
> NO!
> Dr Markham yelled for her again. "Mary!" Wake up! You hear the door opening.
The candlelight is out. Come back." As soon as he heard the descriptions of
scenes from Mara Jade's life, he was fascinated, but concerned he had not heard
one memory that was Mary Jane's. Until after he heard Mara describe her own
death. Suddenly, she spoke with a Southern accent. She began describing a
stable. A horse was nearby. But, that was all she said. He found her. He found
Mary Jane hidden under the story of Mara Jade. Now, the figure of Mary was
answering in silence. Her eyes were still closed.
> The doctor got up from his chair full of worry now. His intention was to
physically wake her up. Shake her out of her trance. He reached down to her arm
and touched it.
> Then, all Hell broke loose.
> "NO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Immediately, her arms came up fast in reaction to the
touch. He had been knocked back not by physical force, but from mere shock. She
ejected herself out of her seat, still screaming. "DON'T TOUCH ME! GET AWAY FROM
ME! GO AWAY! Please, stop!" Her yells were no longer in the precise, smooth
accent of Mara Jade. Her speech now was pure Southern drawl. Mary's voice. She
spun about wildly still repeating her shouted demands.
> The doctor was on the floor, drastically figuring what to do. He heard her
pleas. Were they toward someone in particular? Someone specific?
> "DON'T TOUCH ME! STOP!"
> And, finally, she did stop. Her energy was spent. Her cries went for naught.
She was overcome by extreme emotion. In a fraction of a second, Mary went from a
wild screaming frenzy to a suddenly quiet form passing out onto the floor.
> Comatose, once again.
>
> ---------------------------------
> Excerpts from the following sources:Heir to the Empire / Visions of the Future
by Timothy Zahn
> Rebirth by Greg Keyes
> Union by Michael Stackpoole
> Sacrifice by Karen Traviss
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Sick sense of humor? Visit Yahoo! TV's Comedy with an Edge to see what's on,
when.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>