Star Wars Character Cafe - The Hidden Master Chapter 4

THE HIDDEN MASTER

CHAPTER 4

Lo smiled as she awoke from her nap and stared at the cabin’s ceiling. It seemed strange to be back in the Wild Nerf after everything. According to her chrono it had only been eight hours ago that she was marching to the interrogation chamber thinking about her eventual execution. As she gazed down at her chest and stomach she noted that the bacta that TC-23J had given her had been absorbed into her skin. It was already making her feel better than she had felt since her first visit to the torture chamber. Pretty soon she would feel whole enough to don the robe that was hanging in the doorway and leave the cabin. There was something that she needed to do.

“Look who the droid dragged in,” Maxx said cheerfully as Lo entered the cockpit and planted herself in the copilot’s chair. “How’re you feeling Price?”

Lo smiled as she returned Maxx’s gaze.

“Better than I have any right to expect,” she replied, “thanks to you.”

Maxx smiled sheepishly.

“I was the one who got you into this mess in the first place,” he replied. “I figured that I owed you this much.”

Lo shrugged as she stared ahead into the swirling blue of hyperspace.

“Where are we going?” She asked.

Maxx shrugged.

“The middle of nowhere,” he answered. “I’ve decided to lay low for the next few years and wait for someone named Luke Skywalker to confront Darth Vader. I’m abandoning my old name and identity and will be starting from scratch with this small band of outlaw techs that are holed up on an abandoned colony they’ve called Tai’paroth. I think I’ll be able to scratch out a decent living running parts and smuggling minor cargoes, and I’ll be able to fly you to wherever you want to go.”

Lo stretched and sighed contentedly.

“I’m already where I want to be,” she said happily.

Maxx’s eyes widened a bit.

“You sure?” He asked. “You’ve seen how rough things can get with me and it could get a lot worse.”

Lo nodded.

“Yea, I’m sure,” she answered lazily. “Besides, what could be worse than expecting to die in a torture chamber?”

Maxx’s eyes narrowed a bit as he listened.

“I came back for you,” he replied feeling hurt.

“I know,” Lo replied, “but you took so long that I thought you weren’t coming.”

Maxx sighed.

“I know, I waited way to long. I’m sorry.”

Lo reached out and put her hand on Maxx’s shoulder.

“Don’t be sorry,” she said. “You boarded one of the largest ships in the Imperial Navy to rescue me at a time when I was certain that rescue was impossible. I thought I was going to die, but I didn’t mind because I was going to die for you.”

Maxx’s stared blankly into Lo’s eyes. He hadn’t expected this.

“You were ready to die for me?” He asked, the surprise making his voice tremble.

“Damn strait!” Lo answered. “And if I could die for you then, I could die for you again.”

Maxx smiled nervously.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” he replied.

Lo smiled back.

“I’d rather live with you than die for you,” she said, “but I love you, Maxx, and if you still love me, you better not push me away.”

Maxx stared dumbly at Lo, was she really as brave as she seemed?

“Lo,” he said nervously, “I love you so much it hurts. I just don’t want to see you suffer again on account of me.”

Lo shook her head.

“Push me away and I’ll suffer even more.”

Maxx sighed.

“I guess it’s settled,” he said, “I’m sure that an engineer with your skills should be able to find work with the techs. Mind you, you’ll have to start over too.”

Lo nodded thoughtfully.

“If it’s ok with you,” she replied, “I don’t want to ever hear the name Lo Price again.”

Maxx laughed.

“By the way,” he asked, “where did you send Victor?”

Lo grinned.

“To a place where he can see what his Empire is really like.”

***

As Victor Tekel wiped the tears from his eyes he couldn’t decide which was more unthinkable – that the Death Star, which had been the subject of countless rumors, actually did exist or that it was used to destroy a peaceful world like Alderaan. As he stared out the shuttle’s canopy at the remains of this beautiful world, Victor thought of the sweet Alderaanian children that he used to play with, he remembered the kind shopkeepers of Crevasce City and of the pretty young women that he used to admire. Victor used to be so taken with Alderaan that he was seriously considering retiring there once his service to the Empire had ended. Now this beloved world was gone, destroyed by the very Empire he would have retired from.

Victor scowled as his gaze fell on the Shuttle’s holonet receiver. He had heard the reports that the Rebellion had destroyed Alderaan, but he knew better. That rag-tag bunch of losers couldn’t even design their own starfighters, there was no way they could have engineered anything powerful enough to destroy an entire planet. The Empire was the only entity that could have had the resources to do this and if his audience with the Emperor had convinced Victor of one thing, it was that the Empire wouldn’t balk at destroying a peaceful world if they thought it would suit their purposes.

As he forced his gaze to return to the remains of Alderaan, Victor apologized for supporting the Empire that had done this. He silently vowed that he would make up for this somehow. He honestly didn’t know if the Rebel Alliance was any better than the Empire, but General Cracken had joined the Rebels. That counted for something as far as he was concerned. Maybe he owed it to himself to give the Rebellion a chance.

***

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Tre’ la squealed as she raced down the boarding ramp and into Maxx’s arms. Maxx lifted his daughter into the air and gave her a big hug. It had been way too long since the two of them had last been together. He looked up the boarding ramp and watched Marshal and Trix walk down arm in arm. The difference in their facial expressions did not surprise him. Tai’paroth’s extreme heat reminded Maxx of Ryloth, the Twi’lek home world, it was way to hot for human comfort.

“I see you’ve brought Thirty Eight,” he said, referring to one of Marshal’s faster ships as he greeted his former boss. “Is she still treating you well?”

Marshal Thonas chuckled as he turned to his former apprentice.

“She may not be as fast as the ship you call home,” he whispered conspiratorially, “but she more than serves my needs. I’ll tell you Slighe, you’ve picked one hell of a world to settle down on. I swear this place is hotter than Tatooine.”

Trix chuckled and poked Marshal in the chest.

“Does that mean I won’t be able to sweet talk you into moving here when we retire?” She asked playfully.

Marshal turned to the yellow Twi’lek and favored her with an expression of mock horror.

“Hey! You’ve already talked me into frequent visits here we that we can keep tabs on Slighe. Isn’t that enough?”

Trix chuckled.

“It’ll do my love,” she replied warmly. “I just love the climate here; I mean Tapan is just so cold!”

The three of them chuckled as they walked past the Twi’leks and droids to the battered grav truck that Maxx had borrowed. The Nerf was sitting on the far side of the compound and Maxx doubted that Marshal was in the mood for a long walk in the heat of the day.

“So tell me,” Marshal asked once the environmental control unit had brought the truck’s interior down to a comfortable temperature, “how is Graye handling this?”

Maxx smiled, Lo was also fond of her comfort.

“Better than you’d think,” he replied. “Graye has never been an outdoor person, so as long as our ship, her work hangar, and her landspeeder have climate control, she’s reasonably content. Besides, she’s too busy working on that fighter of hers to complain about the climate.”

Marshal grimaced. He had heard Tre’ la describe the ship, an old Y-Wing cockpit module with engines from an ancient Z-95 Mark I stuffed in the back and a home brewed control system. He had enough experience with the problems that cobbled up starfighters had that he had as little to do with these “uglies” as he could.

“You’re not going to fly that thing are you?” He asked uneasily.

Maxx nodded.

“I can’t think of anyone better qualified to test it,” he replied earnestly. “Besides, I have a lot of faith in Graye and she’s been putting her heart and soul into this project. Don’t worry; we’ll be using standard CEC flight test protocols.”

Marshal just shook his head.

“And if something goes wrong?” He asked.

“That’s what the ejector seat is for,” Maxx answered calmly.

“Just be careful,” Trix added earnestly. “There are a lot of people out there that need you to be around.”

Maxx stopped the truck, turned around and looked squarely into Trix’s eyes.

“You have my word,” he said firmly. “I may do many dangerous things, but I’ll do them with care.”

With that, he returned his gaze to the road and pushed the throttle forward.

***

“Did you ever think this would happen?” Trouble whistled softly as he and Maxx stood together in the middle of the Wild Nerf’s main cargo bay. Maxx looked across the compartment at Trix, Tre’ la and Marshal sitting in the folding chairs and rubbed the old astromech’s head in a way that suggested that he was trying to shake the droid’s head. It was only three years ago that he wanted nothing so much as getting that sithing Corellian off of his ship. Back then it would have never occurred to Maxx that it would have come to this.

Everybody turned as Lo and TC-23J stepped into the cargo hold from the main corridor. Lo felt uncomfortable as she walked in one of Trix’s best gowns. She couldn’t remember the last time she had worn a skirt that had extended below her knees. She smiled nervously as she saw Maxx and Trouble standing at the middle of the hold. Maxx returned her smile. The two of them walked past the chairs and Lo took her place next to Maxx.

Suddenly Jedi the Hutt appeared at the forward end of the cargo bay. The appearance of the spectral Hutt caused Lo to lose her balance. She would have toppled if Maxx hadn’t quickly used the Force to gently push her back onto her feet. Trix nodded sympathetically. She remembered how shocking it was when Maxx’s teacher appeared in her apartment to inform her that Maxx had prevailed and that their dangers had passed. The Hutt turned to Lo and bowed deeply.

“Graye,” he said to her, “you have shown great courage in facing daily torture and being prepared to die for the sake of the man you love. You have shown even greater courage in choosing to remain by his side in spite of the dangers that you will certainly face. The wife of a Jedi Knight will never have an easy life. She must be willing to share in his mission and be ready to face many dangers, not the least of which is that he may fall in battle and she will be left alone. Do you accept this?”

Lo nodded solemnly.

“I do.”

“Slighe Foxx,” the Hutt said turning to face Maxx. “It is clear that your love for Graye runs very deep. Your willingness to march into the bowels of a Star Destroyer to rescue her is a testament to that love. As you take Graye to be your wife, you must make sure that your love never turns dark or possessive. Always be mindful of the burden that loving a Jedi places on those who cannot feel the force. You must be ready to understand and forgive any betrayal or rejection on her part. If she causes you any pain, remember that you chose to accept that pain as the price for loving her.

“Remember also that you may not be able to protect those you choose to love as well as you would wish. Graye is mortal and she may die of natural causes or fall to an accident. Your enemies may seek to harm her as a means of hurting you. You must never seek revenge or do anything that will lead to the dark side of the Force, even if it is because of something that happens to Graye. Do you accept this?”

Maxx nodded solemnly.

“I do.”

Jedi the Hutt bowed to the couple.

“Then by the power the two of you have vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss.”

With that, Maxx drew Lo into his arms and kissed her passionately. Lo felt her knees buckle and threw her arms around Maxx for support. When they released each other and gazed at their friends, Maxx and Lo saw a small translucent woman standing behind the chairs. She was wearing a Jedi robe and her round face was framed by short red hair. She bowed to the couple and vanished.

***

Maxx sighed contentedly as he woke up and noticed that Lo was still laying half on top of him. It surprised him that even after two years an intimate night could still feel so excitingly fresh. “Mind you,” he thought, “a wedding night is not the kind of thing that happens every day.” At first his mind was so full of last night’s rapture that he didn’t notice the voices. When he heard them, his first instinct was to reach for his lightsaber, and then he recognized one of the voices as belonging to TC-23J. It took him a few minutes to recognize the other voice, but when he did, he gave Lo’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Mmmm,” Lo said as she stirred. “Could we do that again?”

Maxx smiled.

“I’d love to,” he replied gently, “but we have company.”

Lo’s eyes flew open and she glanced at the chrono on the cabin’s wall.

“I thought we weren’t expecting them for another three hours!” She whispered in exasperation.

Maxx smiled in amusement.

“We aren’t,” he replied. “This is somebody else, someone you will really want to meet.”

Lo felt a little put off as she donned a robe and trudged into the corridor after Maxx. They had just gotten married yesterday. Shouldn’t Maxx be more interested in his new wife than in some visitor? Her disappointment melted as they entered the main cargo hold and saw the spectral form of Tamarin Kjell sitting in the lounge talking with TC-23J. She had traded her Jedi robe for a long blue tunic and a pair of grey leggings. Lo quickly followed Maxx to the lounge’s table as TC-23J stood up.

“Good morning mister and misses Foxx, “the apparition called out to them. “I hope that we didn’t disturb you.”

Maxx smiled.

“You did,” he replied, “but it was worth it.”

“I’ll say!” Lo replied heartily. “This is the first time I’ve had to meet a legendary Jedi Knight!”

Tamarin chuckled.

“If your husband’s first act as a Jedi is any indication, he may soon become more legendary than I ever was.”

Maxx smiled.

“Maybe I will,” he replied happily, “but somehow I don’t think that fame is the point of becoming a Jedi.”

Tamarin nodded sagely.

“It is our job to do what needs to be done,” she said, “the legends will fall where they will.”

Maxx chuckled.

“I’m glad you came here,” he said. “I have been longing to see you ever since I received your hologram two years ago.”

Tamarin nodded.

“I know,” she said. “I had wanted to visit with you for a long time. Unfortunately the time was never right.”

Maxx’s eyes narrowed as he tried to make sense of his mother’s words.

“How could the time never be right until now?” He asked. “There were so many times when I could have used your advice.”

Tamrin Kjell nodded sagely; it was an issue that she had been pondering for some time.

“Perhaps you could have,” she replied gently, “but you haven’t done too badly without it.”

Maxx shook his head.

“I could have done better with it,” he said sadly.

Tamarin gazed into Maxx’s eyes for a few seconds before speaking; she wasn’t sure how she could say what she needed to tell him.

“You may have done better in the short term,” she finally said, “but I’m not so certain about the long term.”

Maxx frowned as he listened.

“I don’t understand,” he said.

“I could have guided you through some of your difficulties,” Tamarin said earnestly, “but you would have grown to depend on me too much. The times you live in are very different from my own. There is no Jedi Order that you can turn to, no Jedi Masters to provide sage counsel, you must be strong and self reliant to a degree that few Jedi were in the days of the Old Republic. I have always felt that you needed to struggle through the challenges and temptations on your own so that you could build the self reliant character that you will need in the future. I may have been wrong about many things, but seeing you here, I can not doubt that I was right in this case.”

Maxx sighed.

“I guess you’re right,” he replied. “Its just that there were so many times that I’ve felt alone, that I wished I could talk with you so that I could understand the rhymes and reasons for so much that was in my life.”

Lo put her hand on Maxx’s and caressed it as she listened. Tamarin nodded thoughtfully.

“I know my son,” she replied. “Still, I’ll be here until your friends arrive for brunch. After that I must go and will probably never see you again.”

Maxx bit his lip, he had hoped that they would have more time together.

“Does it have to be like that?” He asked.

Tamarin nodded solemnly.

“It does,” she said. “It is time for me to move on to the next step of my life. I have already spent so much time lingering and watching over you, wondering if I would need to step in or do something. You have grown into a fully trained Jedi Knight who is strong and self reliant. You have a wife that loves and supports you. It is time for both of us to go forward to the next phase of our lives.”

Maxx sat quietly and thought of what his mother had just said, leaving Lo to ask the next question.

“Are you sure that you’re comfortable with my being married to your son? I mean, I know what you said about the dangers of love.”

Tamarin nodded sagely.

“What I said still stands,” she answered. “A Jedi’s sensitivity to the Force makes love a dangerous thing to experience. The anger over perceived betrayal, the fear of losing a lover and the frustration coming from having different ideals; these are things that can drive a Jedi to the dark side. Anakin Skywalker was a great hero in the Clone Wars, but fear of losing his wife in childbirth terrified him and left him open to the temptations of a Sith Lord.”

Lo leaned forward as she listened.

“What happened?” She asked.

“The Jedi fell and became Darth Vader. The wife died in childbirth. Seeing what her beloved husband had turned into caused her to lose the will to live.”

Lo nodded earnestly as she listened.

“Then he brought on the fate he had hoped to avoid,” she said distantly.

Tamarin nodded.

“That happens,” she replied. “My point is that the two of you must be fearless in love and willing to make the sacrifices needed if my son is to escape a similar fate. Remember the vows that you made yesterday and live by them. I’ve watched you grow from antagonists to loving partners and I have faith in you. Just be patient and expect the hard times and you will find much happiness.”

Tamarin sighed as she watched Maxx subconsciously caress Lo’s fingers. Seeing the two of them together made her wish that she had lived at a time when Jedi law didn’t forbid romantic love and the pleasures that came with it. Hopefully she would be more fortunate in the future.

The three of them talked for several hours. Tamarin Kjell told Maxx and Lo about her life as a traveling Jedi, her short affair with Maxx’s father and the time she spent hiding during the Jedi purge. She smiled mischievously as she talked about her attempts to conceive a second child after going into hiding. Vader managed to find her before she succeeded, but those brief moments of pleasure made being on the run easier to bear.

She also told Maxx about her final confrontation with Darth Vader. She had fought harder than she had ever fought before but she was no match for the dark lord. She fiercely urged Maxx to be diligent and continue to train in case Luke Skywalker failed and he had to face Vader some day.

Eventually Trouble noted that Trix, Marshal and Tre’ la were approaching. Tamarin said goodbye to Maxx, Lo and the droids and vanished. Maxx turned to Lo.

“Scared?” He asked.

“A little,” Lo replied, “but we’re still in this together.”

She then offered her hand and Maxx clasped it. When Trix, Marshal and Tre’ la walked into the ship’s lounge, they found Maxx and Lo holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes.

“Are you alright?” Trix asked.

Maxx favored her with a confident smile.

“Graye and I were just talking about what the future may bring,” he replied.

Trix pressed her lips together.

“And?” She asked.

“I think we’re ready to face it,” Maxx replied calmly.