trans_9 | Newbie Meet N' Greet

"Do they, now. And do they also give you special medicine to keep you calm?"

Probably not the most polite way to greet someone in a new place, but this was just a bit too far fetched to believe. General Kenobi had died during Vader's time, back when she was working for Palpatine. This person was not only alive, but no older that she was.

Ah, sarcasm, what a joy. This must not be someone from his own time, as Luke was. Inwardly, Ben grimaced, though outwardly he maintained his composure.

"If you don't believe me, then use the Force," He suggested calmly, "I wouldn't lie about this, and to another Jedi, couldn't possibly, not with any amount of success."

Under his cloak Obi-Wan folded his arms in his customary posture of nonchalance, "Try me, you might find yourself surprised."

"You've already made one mistake. I'm not a Jedi."

Mara knew he wasn't lying. That much was very clear. Her question was whether or not he was deluded, or maybe he was a clone. They were often confused about their true origins.

"I don't think you're lying. But I don't think you're General Kenobi, either."

"Making a mistake doesn't exclude me from being who I am," he reasoned evenly, though his gaze sharpened ever so slightly. Under his cloak, the belt on which his Lightsaber hung was a blessed weight. She didn't feel like the Dark Side, not really, but there were ways of hiding that.

"Would accept witness testimony, then?" He teased, only half joking. Though either Luke or Anakin would gladly confirm his identity, it felt less than helpful to start off with such an adversarial impression. Also, Anakin might start a lightsaber duel if provoked, "Is there anything I can do to convince you?"

It probably shouldn't have amused her, the way he tensed so slightly when she said she wasn't a Jedi. And she had no intention of correcting him or clarifying. Let him think whatever he wanted.

"Testimony? From who? I don't know anyone here." She made a vague gesture at the people milling around her. "However, you believe you're General Kenobi, so I think we can agree on that much."

"Well, there are a few Jedi on board," He let his gaze follow her gesture idly, not really paying attention to what he was seeing, so much as sensing. His probe found Luke, somewhere behind Obi-Wan's back and he pressed against that presence, a tap on the shoulder, to turn his attention this direction, "My former padawn, who arrived at the same time I did, and another Jedi Master by the name of Luke Skywalker, if you're familiar with the name. Either of them can confirm the truth of my claims."

"Skywalker?"

Oh yes, she knew that name. And somehow, in a way, she was not at all surprised to find out he was here. Whenever things were going to hell around her, it seemed that Skywalker was involved in some way. Her eyes scanned the crowd before she gave it up. The familiar presence that she had thought she had felt was probably him. "Why am I not surprised he got involved in this?"

To say Luke had been waiting anxiously for podpop would not be completely a lie; but a few hours ago he'd taken to practicing with his lightsaber, finding clarity in the repetitive, flowing movements and the hum of the green blade, and especially the way the Force moved through him. As a result, when he felt Obi-Wan's little mental 'tap' he was covered in sweat, graying sandy-blond hair plastered to his skull.

When he stretched out to confirm Obi-Wan's little push, he felt her, and his blue eyes widened a little. So his dream had been a true one! Mara was here!

Deactivating his saber and clipping it to his belt, Luke put on a burst of speed as he left the Sensorium where he'd been training. He didn't bother stopping off at the bathroom to let one of the things suck at his hair and face and absorb the sweat; the plantsuit had absorbed what had covered his body in a sheen, and he'd visit the bathroom later to wash away the rest. But this was more important!

There was the usual crowd, but Luke pushed his way through them, his eyes focused on a glance of brilliant red hair between heads, over a shoulder--

And then he was standing before them, but his eyes were on Mara only, almost ignoring Obi-Wan completely. Her name passed his lips in a breath, and suddenly he was with her and wrapping her up in his arms, happiness radiating off him in great big waves. "You're here!" he cried, muffled against her shoulder. "You're here, love..."

Obi-Wan was, in a word, flabbergasted. Of all the things he had not been expecting, this was by far the most remote of them. For a moment he simply looked from one to the other, then shook his head, "Well, I see that you know each other?"

Why was it that we seemed completely incapable of training a Padawan that could maintain a proper Jedi lack of attachment?

"Yes, I know him."

At least she had felt Luke coming, so there was no reflexive move to defend herself. Just wide eyed shock as the man she'd known for nine years suddenly grabbed onto her, pulling her in tightly while he practically glowed with delight. Mara's arms rested against his back out of reflex while she tried to figure out just what the hell was going on.

"Skywalker, I know you haven't seen me in a few months, but I don't think it quite warrants this." She wasn't even going to touch that 'love' comment just yet. One thing at a time. A hint of a smile tugged at her lips, his happiness was infectious.

"It's been over a year," Luke murmured, finally easing up and relaxing his hold on her--but not all the way, just enough to take half a step back and look her in the eye.

The downside to Mara having those distinct, beautiful emerald eyes was that when he looked into them, he had to fight down a flare of guilt. Things with Arha hadn't gotten far, but he'd come close to what he felt was betraying Mara, and with her standing here in his arms, it hit Luke in the gut like a brick. He did a fair job of keeping it off his face, but as to how much she'd picked up, he wasn't sure.

"I've missed you, Mara," he said quietly, leaning his head against hers. "So much."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, and gave a soft cough. This was getting nowhere, very quickly.

"Well, I'll just leave this to you," he commented with mild sarcasm and a gentle hand on Luke's shoulder, "You seem to have things...ah...under control."

Mara barely noticed the other Jedi. She was too busy staring at Luke, trying to figure out what he was talking about. The last time she had seen him had been at his Academy just a few months ago. He'd barely had time to talk to her, and now he was practically hanging off of her. Confusion was thick around her, with some anxiety leaking in. She was not used to being manhandled like this.

"Skywalker, what are you talking about?" She silent added 'and why are you guilty?'.

He furrowed his brow at her. Didn't she remember? But Obi-Wan had reminded him of something, and Luke tore his eyes away from Mara's face to look at his mentor.

"I see you've met Ben Kenobi," he said.

Thank you, finally, he thought, uncharitably, but with more annoyance at himself than anything else. Obi-Wan nodded at Luke and turned a sardonic smile on Mara, "Is that acceptable proof for you, or should I fetch Anakin?"

"Anakin?"

She knew two Anakins, but only one of them was padawan to General Kenobi. And that Anakin was dead. Mara had just about hit her limit of insanity she was simply going to accept. Luke still had his arms around her, and she pulled back more so she could give him a serious look.

"I need some explanations, Skywalker. Now. Why am I talking to General Kenobi, hearing about Anakin, and why are you acting like you haven't seen me in an aeon?"

"I think we'd better all go sit somewhere," Luke said slowly, looking between his wife and his mentor. There was a lot of explaining to do, and he figured she'd end up sitting anyway; better to start out sitting down than get hurt falling over.

"I'm not going to like this," Obi-Wan warned, and it wasn't a question, but he nodded nonetheless and gestured for Luke to take the lead. This was going to be a long night. This was going to be a chat about the future, he knew, and so he bothered to ask, "Do I want to hear this story, Luke?"

"You know my father as he is now better than I do," Luke said, and felt a twinge of sadness at that. He hadn't talked to Anakin as much as he'd meant to since Obi-Wan's healing. "I'll let you know when you should go so you don't hear things you don't want to know, if that's all right with you." His hands loosened, only resting lightly on Mara's waist. Unless Mara herself removed them and shooed him away, Luke would stay close to her.

Mara had gotten distracted from talk of Luke's father by an observation she should have picked up awhile ago. One hand caught Luke by the chin, turning his face to look at her. She knew this man well enough to catch basic differences, and something was off.

"Farm boy, I don't know what you've been doing, but you look like you've aged a couple decades in the last couple of months. What kind of missions does the New Republic have you on?"

Luke stared at Mara, not comprehending her question at first. Older? What was she talking about? Okay, Caedus' war had more than likely added more gray hairs and a few wrinkles, but--

Then he started noticing things.

Mara would always be beautiful to him, of course, and in the over twenty years they'd been married she hadn't changed much to his eyes, but there were subtle things about her now, details he'd missed in the initial rush of joy at seeing her alive and holding her in his arms again. No strands of gray in her vibrant red hair, none of the fine lines on her face--that had all come after the Yuuzhan Vong, after Ben's birth.

Something was different here, very different, and Luke's brow furrowed as he realized it was because Mara was younger than she had been when--

Part of Luke's brain rebelled against this egregious error in judgment that was about to be committed, but the part of him that was completely dumbfounded by this thought beat that part into submission.

"Mara," he said slowly, "Forgive me for asking, but how old are you?"

Both eyebrows tried to disappear under that infamous hair. When was the last time someone was stupid enough to just ask her a question like that? In the most technical sense, she didn't actually know the answer to that. She didn't know when she was born, or where, but the medics had a good guess as to her age.

"The same age as you, Skywalker. Thirty-five."

The warning bells were already going off as soon as she said it. They were the same age, but he looked older than her, and there was a young man calling himself General Kenobi . . .

"I'm sixty," he said slowly, almost as though he himself didn't believe it. The implications of this temporal rift slapped Luke upside the head. Thirty-five, he thought, that would put them at the Caamas Document crisis, when he had gone off after a vision of Mara appearing lifeless in a pool of water--right around the time he'd proposed and they'd been married. But something told him...

"What was going on before your pod popped?" he asked quickly, suddenly very intense, looking her right in the eyes.

Mara was staring right back at him, feeling that intensity like a slap against her senses. She had the urge to back up, get away from this. From the look in his eyes, she wasn't going to enjoy any of this conversation.

"There was a rumor about the Bothans starting up, it has your sister scrambling all over the galaxy. I don't know any of the details, I've been busy with my own company. Karrde hasn't found a way to profit from this. Yet. I'm sure he will soon enough. Last thing I was remember was being on board the Jade's Fire, heading to meet with a customer."

"Not to interrupt," Obi-Wan broke in, clearly meaning to interrupt the cycle of cold shock and that hard rush of fear at being all out of time and space— he knew it well, having dealt so far with Luke who was at least an entire generation displaced, "But perhaps this can wait until we're seated, and have something to drink. There's no need to give each other heart attacks. Besides, you're both projecting. Anyone on the ship with any sensitivity to the Force will be able to hear exactly what you're feeling."

And by anyone, of course, he meant Anakin, Arha, and Sheeana. If they didn't want an audience, a quick retreat to the sensoriums, or the city, would be in order.

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