DEADLY LAWS
		       Sharon Beckerle

Star Wars Fan Fiction 1997. DEADLY LAWS.
Copyright 1997 Lucasfilm limited.

Sharon Beckerle.No copyright infringement is intended.
This is one of my first attempts at fan fiction, comments and criticism can
be reached to me at Gerbeck@Yorku.ca. Your criticism will not be read if
foul language is added.

Summary: After leaving Nom Charios and approaching his Forties, a deadly
Law for all Tatooine citizens comes into effect   One that will force Mara
Jade to make a decision once and for all...

Chapter2-Secret Trip

                  (the Next day)
     Luke waited in his prison cell . Knowing  all his hope was gone.
Whatever happened now, Leia wouldn't hear about him until it was too late.
it was best. And, Mara would get her dearest wish fulfilled. She would see
his death notice.
    He didn't know why Mara gave him such confusing messages. He didn't
mean to hurt her. Maybe things would be better after all this. He only knew
he'd suffered enough in this life with all his relationships
     Ben,Yoda, Uncle Owen AuntBeru all lost  Orphaning him over and over
again. Leia mocked him with her happy family life ,torturing him with
seeing her get all the happiness in life as he was forced to take the high
and hard roads to love. Mara's manipulation created an underlying tension
between them while Callista Used him for her own selfish purposes.
                   Well no more!
    A loud click shook Luke out of his reverie as the door opened to reveal
a  man in long robes. with hollow eyes
    "Private citizen Luke Skywalker. Are you aware of what  awaits you ,are
you willing to abide to it?"
   "Yes ."
   "Have you come here of your own free will and abandoned  your powers and
relations to follow this procedure ?"
   "Yes. I am mortal ."
   "Very well, then we may proceed." the priest reached under his robe to
remove a small bottle from the folds. Luke swallowed hard and looked
stonily at what the priest was holding.
 "The first of your termination Shots commander." the priest said. Luke
nodded and whispered with tears filling his eyes.
    "I know, get it over with . Give me the first shot."
   Slowly Luke took the flask from the priest then brought it to his lips
and drained it.
   "My first step in this ceremony. Four more shots to go. Let this poison
work quickly I want this to be fast."
    The priest took the flak back from Luke after he drank the last of it.
Handing him a Handkerchief to wipe his mouth he opened the door and left .
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     Mara Jade walked through the trees at Dagobah, hearing the mud squish
softly under her boots. She could feel the flow and ebb of the Force
thickly in the mists surrounding her and her ship when she landed.
    Smelling  the scent of herbs, moss, mud and vegetation she felt uneasy
Not with the connection of the Force, but in her struggle over her feelings
with Luke.
    "Confused are you?" Came a voice from behind her.
    Crying out, she spun around ,firing her blaster. The shot passed
through the small, glowing and transparent green skinned creature behind
her.
   Yoda. It had to be him.
   Stunned, Mara could only stare but Yoda, amused by her, laughed happily .
    "Away put your weapon child. Work it will not on me"
   Hesitantly and with a small grimace, she did so. Once her blaster was
holstered, she adressed the Deceased Jedi Master.
   "Why are you here?" she asked it.
   "Why ask You, if sent me here you did."
   "I sent for no one!" she cried out  turning away  only to find Yoda in
front of her again.
   "Sent for me you did Mara Jade" Yoda repeated more firmly than before
"And truth you seek. But admit it, you will not."
   Mara backed away her eyes  brimming with rage to Yoda's serene ones."Get
the hell out of here you stupid green skinned Elf!" she screamed,turning
and running through the dense foliage back to her ship.
   But when she reached the clearing where she landed...her ship was gone!
   Baffled, Mara looked around searching for her ship her face a mask of
panic. Finally she screamed out and began slashing at the trees and the
foliage for an hour. Then she collapsed to the ground exhausted.
   Several hours later , she opened her eyes again to find Yoda sitting on
a nearby tree. Wiping her tears away she drew herself up to her full
height.
   "Fight this battle you have for ten years Mara Jade." Yoda said quietly.
   "What battle? I don't know what you're talking about!"
   " Lie to Me you will NOT Mara jade! The truth I know!" Yoda said harshly
in a tone of great command.  Sitting up ,she stared wide eyed at him.
   "and if leave this planet is what you wish, than listen to me you will."
the wizened jedi Master sat on his log gazing patiently at her as she
winced and paced back and forth in front of him. Finally she stopped and
turned to him.
    "All right what is it?"
   " Fight a great battle you do Mara Jade with your heart and mind. Many
years you have helped Luke find his way. Care for him deeply you do"
   "It's a lie!" she cried. But Yoda held up his hand, silencing her.
   "The only enemy ,in this battle, is yourself, Mara Jade.And resolve it
you must. Great danger lies ahead for him as well as for you.Find him"
   "Why? Why must I resolve this battle  you claim to exist?"
  "Because if resolve it you do not, death comes for your soul."
  Mara stood back feeling a chill course through her body. Yoda wasn't
lying. She knew what he was trying to say to her. Carefully she selected
her next words.
   "What's going on here?"
   "Only this I can tell you.Five days you have to find him Mortal he is,
as when you first found him. In your hands is his fate and this galaxy Miss
jade.Use it wisely. Trust you he does...as well as love"
   Mara stood up and looked behind her to see the Jades fire   Damn him!
she thought to herself trying to open the door. It stayed shut. But Mara
could hear the jedi's voice in her mind.
   "Apologize" the voice said simply. "Take your ship away I can, if you
make me."
   Snorting in contempt at conversing with a dead jedi Spirit and cursing
herself for coming here in the first place, she finally managed with real
sincerity to whisper "I'm sorry"
   Then the ramp lowered to her.Anguished now,Mara ran on board and began
punching in the take off sequence. Her mind was filled with a wild grief
and and confusion she never felt before.
  Why couldn't she have life easier?
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   The next day began the same for Luke. He waited  in his cool dark cell.
The  effects of the poisonwere starting He was prone to dizzy spells  as
well as powerful headaches ,lasting several minutes at a time. Every day he
felt weaker and weaker.
   Then in the darkness came an irredecscent light "No" Luke muttered,
shutting his eyes and his face away from it.
   "Luke..." It was the voice of Ben Kenobi. At  moment, Luke felt both
tremendous joy and betrayal.Nonetheless, when he spoke, he couldn't keep
the bitterness out of his voice.
    "What is it Ben? Haven't you done enough to me already?!"
    "Luke I'm sorry." Kenobi said, in a broken whisper. "I'm sorry for
everything 's happened. This wasn't supposed to ."
   "This is part of the Force's flow isn't it?" Luke asked his tone was
irascibly patient.
   "No it's not. Luke-"
   "Go away Ben. Couldn't you you have waited to apologize until I arrived."
   "No we couldn't." came a different voice. One he'd only heard once before.
   Anakin Skywalker.
   "I'm afraid we have put you in an akward situation My son."
   "Well, It won't matter, I'll be Joining you soon."
   "My son. That's why we are here. I have a message for you.It's not your
time.There is still much youneed to do."
   "Leia will carry on your legacy Father. I have done what you ,Yoda and
Obi-wan have asked of me "
   "Luke-" Ben began. Luke ignored him  continuing tenaciously.
   "I've brought back the Jedi knights and trained them. Others will follow
them. Others will follow me. I've done  my duties. I'm no longer needed
here."
   "Yes my son"Anakin said, trying to calm him."But that's not why Obi-wan
and I are here. We both have amends to make to you. And things to explain."
    Luke's brows drew together in an agonized expression at his fathers
words. Anakin stepped closer to him, Luke found himself unable to move
away.
   "My son, You have followed a long ,hard path here.And a part of you is
still bleeding inside.Wounds, Owen, Ben and I have given you. Wounds we are
sorry for and must help heal for you to carry on."
  "Father...'Luke's voice trembled " Ben I-I'm not sure I can believe in
you anymore. I don't know if I can trust you."
  "Luke I know this is hard for you. But your meeting with Callista was not
supposed to happen."
    "Father, if it were so, then why did it happen?"
   Anakin moved even closer to his son and for the first time looked deeply
into his  eyes.
   "It is in the nature of the force for humans to make mistakes. But
Callista committed a crime against the force  it cannot forgive."
   Luke felt his heart crumble. "And that was..? "he asked in a choked 
whisper.
   "She cheated death. She refused to die when it was her time."
   Luke felt the familiar hot grief searing through his heart again.A pain
beyond tears. "Then this is the way of the Force's punishing me!" he cried,
falling to his knees.
    "Luke. If the Force truly abandoned you,Obi-wan and I could not be
here. We have come to give YOU a second chance."
     "a second chance at what?"
    "Life my son."
   "Life!" Luke spat the word like an insult. "Life hasn't given me what I
wanted for years! I thought I would be able to marry and have a family of
my own.Instead ,it just drives people away from me, you, Ben Callista, Mara
,Han Leia. How can I go back if it will hurt so much!"
   Anakin stood near his son with a look of quiet pity. He waited a moment
or two before speaking to allow the scorching remarks to cool before
answering.
   "My son." Anakins said softly. The words, though deep, were crisp and
clear.:"You are a creature of great kindness and great love. Without the
strength of your love I would not have been set free."
   Luke's intention when he replied, was to insult again but somehow he was
able to whisper very softly and sincerely "I know  father."
   "Your path with Callista was not to have happened, but SHE made it so,
with the help of Cray. Listen to me, carefully my son, You had the power to
love but Callista and Cray had the love of power, and that ,in the eyes of
the Force,  is never right."
   "Then father, If  is so, How am I supposed to know when Love is right?
I've failed so many times before."
   "That''s the reason why we are here Luke" came another voice. Luke
turned around to see another figure standing nearby.
    Uncle Owen.
   "What- what are you doing here?" Luke whispered his face turning pale
"Is this your way of getting back at me for not obeying you as a child? Is
this your punishment for my desertion of you by having Callista desert me?"
  Owen gazed at his nephew with sincere compassion.Something Luke never
really saw before. It  fascinated and frightened him.
   "No Luke 's not why I'm here Don't be afraid. I have concealed the truth
from you too. Now both Beru and I will make amends for it."
   "Why? I don't understand."
   "You have known the truth about your heritage Luke. But only the bad,
now it is time for you to know the other half. the Good half.My brother and
I have put you through a terrible ordeal  And we are sorry, We should have
been honest with you from the beginning but it was necessary to lie to you
at the time. And lying for love is not right either."
   "What do you intend to do?" he asked them all. But they smiled softly
and disappeared as Luke awoke in his cell he could hear his Uncles voice in
his mind telling him
   "trust us just one more time Luke. Just one more time."
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  Chapter three- Plans and Talks.

    Mara paced back and forth in her cargo hold on her ship. She tried  to
practice with the remote earlier  in the darkness she couldn't see anything
except Luke's face.
   Throwing the helmet down to the floor in disgust she  found herself
shaking with emotion. Dammit! what was happening ? why hadn't she been able
to concentrate on anything over the last few days except for Luke Luke
Luke.
     When she destroyed the clone of him on Jomark she thought she was set
free and she had been... for a while,why was she endlessly chasing after
him in the last ten years. She didn't even like him...didn't she?
   Luke was in Danger now, she knew it.. The talk Yoda gave her on Dagobah
spooked her too.But knowing what was lying ahead of her with Luke's life in
the balance, was terrifying.
   Yoda knew, the green skinned wizard knew all along didn't he? He knew
her vow to kill Luke was a bluff, if it were so then could he know...
   ...NO! that musn't be! she'd rather train on Hoth than admit to the
creature the feelings she developed for Luke.
     What was she to do now? Luke needed her, even though he might not know
or  care. She couldn't go back to Courascant now, Leia didin't know
anything about Tatooine culture or how to act there. She'd stick out like a
sore thumb! Not to offend her ,but her element was in a palace or a fancy
city, not among peasant folk who could barely afford to buy their daily
meals. so who could she go to?
    She needed someone to help her in this mission .She couldn't pull this
off alone. When she found Luke she would need a put to take him to recover
and keep him alive until the "termination" law could be dissolved. It  had
to be someone who understood the rules and regulations of Tatooine folk
like him? So who could help her?
  Mara stopped her pacing as a  new piece of information hit her. Someone
who knew and worked with Luke a few yeas ago, Someone Luke sent occasional
letters and holovids to. Angletris, anglis Anglethorn!  was her name!
Dariel that was it! Luke hadn't told Leia about her. Threepio and Artoo
knew Luke went to her home planet of Beheeboth several years ago but hadn't
pressed for Details. When Luke and Mara's relationship, began to soften
Luke told a little bit about her.And was astonished at how alike they
were...to a point.
   She knew with Dariel there was a real chance of rescuing him with both
of them working together since Anglethorn  had a really strong back
up.Racing to the volovid she traced the number to her,  there wasn't much
time left.
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