High Heavens (Star Wars - Luke Skywalker)

XVII - Nightmares

"Daddy!" Mara called out, running into the arms of her father as he stepped through the door of their home.

Kai-Rin Nevaeh just laughed at his young daughter, pulling her off the ground and placing her on his hip. "Hello, my little padawan." He smiled at her, ruffling the hair of his four-year-old girl. "How's my favorite girl doing?"

A bright light flashed, thunder booming, the whole scene changing in just the blink of an eye.

Mara was older. Fourteen. She sat on her bed, chin on her knee. Her room was dark, aside from the occasional flash of lightning. The Alderaan storm outside raged on, battering the house with rain. Mara shivered, and turned her head when she heard voices outside her room. 

Something felt wrong. 

Still asleep in her cot on the Falcon, Mara swung her head back and forth, incoherent mumbles falling from her lips. Her very bones felt cold and frigid, and she trembled under the blanket.

"Father?" Mara asked, stepping into the living room. "Is everything alright?"

Her father rushed over to her, pulling her towards the door. "Come on."

"Father? What's wrong? I-" Mara shook her head. "I feel something strange-"

Kai-Rin shushed her. "I know, darling. Put on your boots. We're leaving."

"But, why-?"

"Do as I say, Mara, please."

In the cockpit, Han and Luke sat together, watching the controls with barely-constrained boredom. Leia had stormed into another room, complaining about Han's mercenary-like disposition.

"I don't know," Han was saying, although Luke was not paying much attention. "What do you think? You think a princess and a guy like me-?" He paused. "Hey, are you there, kid?"

Luke blinked, looking up suddenly. "What?" It then resonated with him. "Oh, sorry," he said. "And, well, I don't know, Han..."

The rain was so cold it stung, seeming to freeze another inch of her skin with every drop that hit her. She gripped her father's hand tightly as he pulled her across the muddy courtyard, heading towards the garage. Their speeder was only a few hundred feet away. They were so close. Only a few more feet...

A shiver flew up Mara's spine when she heard a strange snapping sound, followed by an electrical hissing. The ground was suddenly illuminated with a blood-red glow, emanating from something behind them.

Mara's hairline was drenched with sweat, her face twitching with strained emotion. Her fingers dug into the blanket.

"Do you feel that?" Luke suddenly asked. He looked around, eyes wide with worry.

Han looked at him, exasperatedly asking, "Feel what?"