Horizons ( Luke Skywalker )

chapter XVIII

The hallway is spotless, pristine, and bright. Luke hears the humming of the ship, feels the vibrations in the soles of his feet. They capture his attention, and the man speaking to him grows frustrated with Luke's distracted mind. Whatever the sergeant is saying is of little value, Luke is sure of it. His thoughts remain elsewhere.

Can he do it?

The humming grows louder, the lights brighter. The sergeant's voice grows fainter. Luke listens to the whispers in his mind instead. They're new friends, encouraging him to test his powers, to prove himself to all that he's stronger than ever. He's better.

Surely, he's strong enough now. He has the power. Can he do it?

Silence, it's all he wants. Silence and darkness. But they won't let him be, not until his curiosity is sated.

It's easy to give someone the illusion of choking. But if he could take it one step further...

His morbid curiosity wins over, and he wields the power of the force. The sergeant falls silent when Luke raises his hand. Luke isn't actually sure it's working until, after a moment's pause, the sergeant begins to choke on air, eyes comically widening. Luke is elated, the rushing feeling of victory makes him beam. They cheer for him, simmering in their pride.

He's brought back down from his high when her voice rings out. Suddenly, everything is a bit more dull than it was before, as if he's fallen back into reality from some hazy other world. He releases the sergeant from his hold. His thoughts are more his own. 

She speaks his name, his new name, his only name. Lord Cato! She sounds shocked. She looks frightened. He doesn't need their force bond to realize that she is deeply distressed by the scene she stumbled upon. Interesting. She's done much worse.

"You're wanted on the bridge," she tells him, and he falls into place by her side without a single parting glance to the shaken officer.

"I see you have been learning new tricks, husband." Her voice sounds strained. Mara Jade is usually so good at concealing her emotions. Acting is an important part of her life, after all. Now, she's failing miserably.

Luke smiles, proud of himself, amused at Mara's reaction. "I sense you disapprove, wife."

"By your lovely people skills or is it the force telling you that?"

He realizes that if he wants Mara on his side, he'll have to act a little bit as well. He channels the parts of him that she loves, tries to remember what he might have once said.

He stops in the middle of the hall, gently pulling her to a stop with a hand on her elbow. She's tense under his touch, eager to pull away. "Why do you treat me like this?" he asks softly, voice full of hurt. "I wasn't going to murder him out here in the hall. I'm not evil." He tries a gentle smile. "And I'm not a fool."

She doesn't believe him. He senses it, sees how she forces herself to relax into his hold. She lowers her eyes, a weak sign of submission. Mara Jade is anything but submissive. It's just another act.

Liar!

"I just believe it would be wise to show a little restraint," she tells him, playing the part of the reprimanding wife.