ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Chapter 21 of Star Wars: Dark Force Rising (1992) (EU: 9 ABY) by Timothy Zahn.
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## The Story So Far ##
Mara Jade’s life as the Emperor’s Hand was destroyed when Luke and Vader defeated the Emperor. She is still haunted by dreams of a violent assassination. Despite her mortal grudge against Skywalker, Mara was forced to help him escape Imperial capture on Myrkr.
Thrawn tricked Mara into leading his flagship straight to Karrde’s hiding place. While aboard, Mara used hardwired access codes to get information that would aid her in freeing Karrde and find the one person she thinks can help her: Skywalker.
Luke has come to Jormark to submit to the teachings of a presumed Jedi Master, hoping to gain knowledge to help rebuild the Jedi Order. He both feels his own studies are incomplete, and is intimidated by the task of passing this knowledge on to a new generation of Jedi. Already, his efforts to teach Leia highlight the these difficulties. They both seem the target of multiple Imperial abductions and have been forced into the defensive.
Master C’baoth is not the exemplary Jedi that he would have hoped to find, and Luke finds it hard to accept his philosophy. Under almost constant fatigue and after another disappointing instruction, Luke is sent by C’baoth to his chambers, so that the older Jedi may surreptitiously repel an inbound Mara.
## Chapter 21 ##
With the repulsorlift damaged, Mara stabilises the Skipray in a controlled glide. Activating the sublight drive at the last minute, she puts her craft down in the crags of the mountain, though not as close to the summit as she would have liked. She shoulders her ysalamir and begins to ascend the mountainside. She doesn’t make it two metres before R2-D2 intercepts her in Luke's X-Wing. Sliding back down to the Skipray, she tells R2 that she has come to warn Luke of C’baoth’s allegiance to the Empire, and the droid agrees to take her the rest of the way up.
In a clearing at the edge of the mountaintop castle, the mad Jedi Master is waiting. C’baoth wants to keep Luke to himself, but Mara feels confident to take him under the protective bubble of her ysalamir and with C’baoth at blasterpoint. C’baoth boasts of his prophetic power, gloating that one day Mara will submit herself to him willingly.
Allerted by a disturbance in the Force, Luke arrives. Luke doesn’t seem to need convincing to help Mara in her quest to release Karrde. C’baoth dismisses Mara’s intentions, belabouring the grand importance of his mentorship. Seeing Luke’s tiredness, she moves closer — and as the bubble of the ysalamir’s influence covers Luke, he awakens from the influence of the Jedi Masters.
The mad Jedi lashes out to subdue his would-be mentees, but in the ensuing clash, Luke’s X-wing is forgotten and R2-D2 uses the laser cannons to knock the Jedi Master unconscious. While Mara wants to execute the treacherous old Jedi, Luke stays her hand. He instead delivers the old man back to his castle, believing that he could one day be healed of his madness.
Luke sends R2 back to Coruscant with his X-wing and journeys with Mara to infiltrate the Chimaera and free Talon Karrde.
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