InsaneJournal

Who: Jaina and Mara
What: First meeting
When: Shortly after the Enterprise left Risa
Where: Arboretum
Warnings: Pretty low, though mentions of a magical bomb destroying a city and that whole thing with Alderaan and the Death Star



To say that Mara was relieved that they had left Risa was probably an understatement. The potential for sex aside, Mara wasn’t one for hard drinking, parties or even relaxation. The planet had put her on edge, so getting back onto the ship was a relief. As such, she strode around the ship with a renewed vigor. For being one clad in black and otherwise seeming like she could kill just about anyone, she was rather chipper.

Mara went into the arboretum to make an attempt to meditate, to try and call to the Force. However, as she neared a spot she wanted to sit in, she noticed a new face. Attempting to use some sort of manners, she decided to say hello.

“Hello,” she said in greeting.

To say that arriving on Risa had been a shock to Jaina would be an understatement. She’d teleported away from Dalaran, and now couldn’t find her way back home. She’d even tried, much to her distaste, Orgrimmar. Portalling into the Orcs wasn’t the best idea, but it was better than being stuck here. No dice. Even with all her incredible power, the best she could do was open portals to Risa and the Enterprise.

She was happy to leave as well. Part of that was a genuine curiosity about where she’d found herself, and part of it was a general relief to get away from all the attempts by the locals and tourists to offer her something called Jamaharon, which she’d eventually deduced to be a sex ritual. Jaina just happened to be picky when it came to lovers. (though she probably could have chosen better than the man who became the lich king for one of them)

She looked up from a book, eyeing the red head with a mixture of curiosity and distrust. “Hello.”

Mara noted the distrust she could see in the other woman’s body language. She took it in stride, given distrust was her own normal state of being. Came with the territory of having been raised as an assassin.

“Are you new here?” Mara didn’t recall seeing the woman before.

“Yes. I understand that happens frequently.” Jaina’s book snapped shut with a swirl of blue-colored energy, and she ran her fingers through her white hair. “This was not my intended destination.”

The blue-colored energy was interesting, though Mara wasn’t phased by it. She’d seen plenty of such things over the years. Palpatine had an affinity for Force Lightning, after all. “I doubt this is an intended destination for many of us from other places. What world are you from, if I may ask?” Alright so there was a little curiosity to Mara now.

“It’s called Azeroth.” Jaina waved her hand, whispering a word, and a globe appeared for a few moments between them like an illusion. “Constantly under attack from within or without. We were facing a grave threat called the Burning Legion. Demons that roam the universe purging life from every world they find. And we were facing their third invasion when our supposed allies the Horde turned tail and left our people to die. My king and friend.”

The way she said “horde” was filled with derision.

War was something Mara understood. She grown up during the whole Rebellion thing. She only knew war. She gazed at the globe, taking it in before she looked back to the woman. “I am sorry. I understand war. It is all I have ever known until I ended up here. Whenever you return home, I do hope that you are able to confront these supposed allies of yours and reset the scales of justice for leaving you like that.”

Mara knew what she would do to such people if they’d left her hanging like that. It wouldn’t end well for those people.

“They wanted to let them back into the Kirin Tor, my mage order. After they betrayed us once already even before this.” Jaina’s hand balled up into a fist. “It was obvious from the start, I just never saw it until it was too late. There’s too much hatred on both sides. We face one threat together and then turn on each other. It’s always been that way.”

“So a sort of the enemy of my enemy is my friend mentality until that common enemy is dealt with.” Mara noted the fist and she could tell this woman hated the Horde. If she had the Force, she’d probably be feeling a lot of that anger and hate right now.

“Exactly. And I used to think peace was possible.” The wave of anger and despair that washed over her just then was probably noticeable even without the Force, but it passed quickly. “This is pointless to talk about, I’m sorry. I’m probably bothering you.”

That wave of anger and despair was definitely something she noticed. A slightly confused look crossed her face for a moment. Mara couldn’t tell if she’d felt it flicker through the Force, or if it was just what she’d picked up on from how the woman was speaking and acting. Something to file away for Lomea later. “Do not worry about it. I am simply relieved to be off of that planet, and was not doing anything important.”

“Where are you from, what is your world like?” Putting Theramore behind her, Jaina calmed noticeably. If a mage could have a Dark Side moment, the aftermath of that bomb would have been it for Jaina. And it was still unclear where it had left her.

“More like worlds. I do not know what planet I was born on. I was taken from my parents when I was very young. Palpatine, Emperor of the Galactic Empire, had chosen me. He trained me and I eventually became the Emperor’s Hand. I was tasked with locating and eliminating traitors to the Empire and any Jedi that still survived.” Mara was trying to explain the Galaxy as simply as possible. It wasn’t easy. “Where I am from, there is something called the Force. It is energy that flows through every living being. Many people are sensitive to it and can manipulate it. It is somewhat similar to what you did with that blue energy. I had such abilities until the Emperor was killed. After he gave me his final order and I felt his death, my connection to the Force has been largely severed.”

She paused momentarily. “The time I grew up in, a Rebellion was rising to fight the Empire. We were at war. Once Palpatine died, the Empire began to crumble and the Rebels began to gain some traction. And when there is a vacuum of power and an empire splits, each splinter attempts to rise as the new leader.”

Jaina nodded. “We helped the Horde overthrow a terrible dictator. He used a powerful bomb that … destroyed the city I ruled. Virtually erased it from existence across multiple timelines.” She gestured at her hair. “I used to be fully blonde before that. But we made the mistake of not disbanding the Horde after defeating their renegade Warchief.”

It had been a mistake, one they were still paying for. Sometimes, she wished it could be different. A lot of times she did. “This Force of yours, it does seem like magic. But all Magic is is very advanced math.”

“A bomb that could change your hair color?” That was something new. “I am sorry about your city. Though at least you received justice by eliminating the one who used the bomb.” For the years she’d spent at Palpatine’s side, it was amazing that he hadn’t been able to burn out her sense of justice and morality.

“I wish I could demonstrate some things the Force can do, but I cannot. My master, Lomea, could show you, however.” Mara looked at her hand, feeling rather powerless about that fact.

“Magic backlash. I was flooded with power.” Jaina only wished she’d finished Garrosh off herself. But Thrall had taken care of that, even if she still blamed him for Garrosh rising to power to begin with.

“I’ve not met her yet, but from what I’ve read she seems… pleasant.”

“Ah. At least you survived.” Mara had seen so much death by weapons. The Death Star had destroyed an entire planet. Mara hadn’t personally witnessed that, but she knew about it. There were weapons that killed anything and everything in their path. Clearly this woman had simply been lucky on where she’d been standing when the bomb went off.

“She can be severe, yes, but I would have it no other way from my master. Under her instruction, I hope to reawaken my connection to the Force and once again be whole.”

It had been ground zero, and she’d only lived because another mage had teleported her away at the last moment. She didn’t understand it. Sometimes, she thought it would have been better if she’d died. Rhonin would have handled it all better. “Teachers can either be too loose, or not enough.”

“Perhaps, but I am not interested in a teacher who loosens up at times. I both need and want to be pushed otherwise I will never improve. And if I am not pushed, I may never reawaken the Force within me.” Mara didn’t care if Lomea pushed her beyond what she could handle. If it broke or killed her, then so be it. At least she would be able to say that she’d tried to push herself.

“Everyone needs a different kind of teacher,” Jaina said. And maybe Mara was right, maybe Mara did need a teacher that pushed her beyond her limits. Maybe Jaina had needed that at one point too.

Maybe Kinndy would still be alive if she’d pushed her own apprentice harder.

“True, everyone is different. It is a matter of finding the right kind of teacher that goes well with how you are.” Mara needed to be pushed, wanted to become the best that she could possibly be. She wouldn’t get there if she had someone who coddled her.

“Be careful what you ask for, though. Sometimes you end up regretting it.” Jaina frowned, then nodded with her head towards the exit. “Do you want to get a drink?”

“Life is too short for regrets.” Mara regretted nothing in her life. Except for possibly not killing Darth Vader when she’d had a chance, but that was different. At the question, she gave a nod. “Yes.” That’s when Mara realized she hadn’t actually introduced herself yet. “I’m Mara.”

“Jaina,” Jaina replied. She started for the exit, pausing to let Mara catch up to her. She had too many regrets, and she wished she didn’t have any of them.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jaina.” Mara caught up and walked with Jaina. An assassin had no room for regrets, and Mara had learned that lesson very young.