Out of the Shadows - part 5
This story is mainly for my beloved Mona because I
could not do without her and also for all my friends on the SSB list. The
characters all belong to Lucasfilm and I am only playing with them for my own
pleasure. If you are looking for the established timeline (?) and character
continuity…forget it. This is a very alternative universe albeit still a Star
Wars one. My thanks must also go to Michele and Rhea just for being there and
Licia for her continued support. This one is for you, Ladies.
Ash Darklighter
Coruscant
Mara paused on the threshold of the Wild
Karrde’s exit hatch and tried to calm her suddenly shaking nerves. It was
merely the ordinariness of the spaceport she was looking at with something
approaching awe, not the spectacular gardens attached to the Imperial palace
where once she’d had free reign. Like any busy spaceport it was grey and
dirty, a symphony of noisy engines, raucous voices raised in angry conversations
and miles of cheerless duracrete. It was disappointing to see this drabness on
the jewel planet of the Core worlds but when you knew what lay just outside the
gates, it was a different story.
Ships belched smoke and fumes turning the surrounding
area dingy and dismal. Overhead she could see the lanes of constant traffic
threading its way between the spires and tall buildings. But sometimes, when the
sun shone at just the right angle, Mara remembered seeing glints of sparkling
crystals hidden in the stone.
She’d read that the Imperial gardens were now open
to the general public and planned to visit them in a bid to place her former
life in the past where it belonged. In an austere world the beautiful grounds
had been full of colour - an oasis of peace and beauty where she’d tried to
forget the faces of the people she’d had to destroy. She also wanted to find
the wing of the palace where she had spent her years growing up – if it was
still there. She wouldn’t be allowed near what had once been her suite but
even just to gaze up at what had been her private balcony, then she would know
that she was finally home. What that was going to do for her life she had no
idea. She would not be able to return and take up her place in society again.
She hesitated. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
Retracing her steps in this sort of masochistic way wasn’t her style.
“You planning on standing there all day, Jade?”
Aves remarked mockingly as he passed her.
“I’m just wondering where I’m going first.”
“You’ve never been on Coruscant before?” He
stopped, astonished.
“A good many beings never make to the Core, let
alone Coruscant itself, Aves, Talon Karrde said, his voice mildly rebuking.
“The galaxy is a big place.”
Mara could see the curiosity in his pale blue eyes
and wanted to keep her privacy but part of her despised the thought of being
considered as coming from the colonies or even worse, a rimworlder.
“I…ah…”
“You look nice, Mara,” Karrde commented,
surprised. He’d only ever seen her in her serviceable jumpsuits and tunics,
her hair tightly braided. Her hair was still tightly braided but she was wearing
a smart, but understated business tunic and pants in a dark green colour. She
looked as if she would fit in with the Coruscant natives instantly.
“Thank you,” she replied dismissively. Her looks
were useful but she had found that others were more interested in the way she
looked than she was. No one had ever accused Mara of being vain about her
appearance. Palpatine had made it more than clear that she was there only to
serve him and her looks were advantageous because beauty in itself was a weapon
to be wielded with skill and cunning.
“Do you want ideas on where to go?” Aves enquired
casually. “I think we’ve even got holo cards with information on the
entertainment district and the government centre area somewhere.”
“No, I don’t require directions.” Mara shook
her head. “I did grow up here after all.”
“You did?” Aves mouth opened in surprise. He
hadn’t expected that.
“I’m off to look up some of my old haunts. Get
rid of some ghosts.”
“People and places, Mara?” Karrde asked quietly.
“They have all gone – the people…and I don’t
suppose I would be too welcome in the places either,” she replied steadily,
managing to keep the pain from her voice but she must have let something show as
Karrde’s eyes narrowed. “There’s just me left.”
“You have the organisation, Mara. You are a part of
that.”
“Yes…well. I suppose I am.” She flicked a wary
glance at Aves and then back at Karrde. “I’m not getting anything done by
standing here gossiping,” Mara almost babbled.
“Tomorrow morning at the
“I know where it’s at,” she said with
difficulty and I know what time.” She indicated her expensive chrono.
“I’ll see you there.” And without looking at either Karrde or Aves again,
Mara sped down the ramp and disappeared into the main thoroughfare.
“Boss?” Aves asked.
Karrde shook his head. “I don’t understand either
but that’s the most information Mara has given any of us about where she came
from or what she did before she joined us.”
“You trust her?”
“Oh, yes.” He qualified his statement. “As much
as I trust anyone. But I must admit I would like to know more about her. I am as
curious as the next man.”
“She’s very…angry inside. That’s the only way
I can describe her. Very beautiful but angry.”
Karrde considered Aves’ view and then nodded.
“You’re right. I wonder what made her like that?”
“You have a place to start finding out if this is
her home planet.”
Karrde’s expression was thoughtful. “So I
do…but we all have secrets we want to keep. She does admirably what I pay her
to do and as long as she keeps doing exactly that…”
“It’s her business. I get it, Boss, and I guess
you’re right on this one.”
“I am,” Karrde stated simply.
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Mara allowed herself to be engulfed and carried out
of the spaceport by a tide of noisy tourists as they exited from a rather flashy
pleasure cruiser. Her first impressions of Coruscant under the government of the
But as she let herself be drawn towards the centre of
the entertainment district, Mara could see that there were obvious differences.
The statues of Palpatine had all disappeared and the proportion of alien beings
had increased greatly. Here and there she glimpsed vast construction droids
tearing down buildings damaged in the political changeover but the people
continued to hurry on with their lives with the selfishness of the galactic
elite. No, Mara decided, the changes were superficial at best.
She caught an air taxi and asked to be taken to the
old Imperial museum. The driver, a grizzled human had seen many changes in his
life was especially glad to take her when she doubled his fee. Mara had learned
early that plenty credits got you precisely where you wanted to go.
“Is this your first time on Coruscant?” the
driver asked, making casual conversation.
“No,” Mara replied reluctantly. “I used to live
here.” She briefly thought about that time when she’d called the city planet
her home. It seemed so long ago – another lifetime really. She wasn’t the
same person now as she had been then. She had been…happy. Sort of. ”It was
several years ago before the change in…government.”
“Very little has altered since the change although
trade is better under the
“Yes,” Mara admitted. It was something she had
discovered for herself even before the Emperor had died. It was something she
had thought, with a tinge of guilty disloyalty, that he had been wrong about.
“The
“It’s to be expected,” Mara said. “I’m
looking forward to it.”
“You should enjoy it. There are all sorts of
interesting exhibits and interactive events for the young ones.”
“That’s good,” she said. “Children should be
properly educated. I was.” She closed her mouth abruptly.
Content that he had done his bit making the tourist
feel welcome, the driver also lapsed into silence as he skilfully swooped
between lanes of fast flowing traffic.
“Here you are, M’Lady,” he said as he drew up
to the landing stage.
Mara thanked him graciously and exited the vehicle,
her mind busy with the things she needed to do. It was only a short walk past
expensive shops until she reached the large plaza in front of the museum and
stopped in shock, almost outraged at the sight in front of her. An exhibition of
Mara tightened her lips and began walking again only
to step across a hidden sensor and find herself accosted by a holo image of
someone she recognised as the former Imperial, General Crix Madine asking her to
visit the museum’s main gallery. There she could see models of the larger
cruisers and stand in the actual control room the Rebels had used on Yavin IV
during the destruction of the original Death Star.
Mara snorted. ‘Not bloody likely,’ she thought,
and then had to avoid similar holos of Mon Mothma, Princess Leia Organa and
Admiral Ackbar. She didn’t need to be told who they were. She had read
extensive Imperial Intel files on these traitors. The only one she’d seen up
close was the Rebel princess, Leia Organa. She’d seen her several times before
Yavin when Leia had been the youngest ever Senator in the Imperial Senate and
then on Tatooine at the palace of Jabba the Hutt. It wouldn’t be the last
time. Mara was certain that they would meet again.
Moving into the museum she patiently submitted to the
customary security checks before making her way into what was one of the
research and reading rooms. Finding a vacant console in a quiet corner, Mara
settled down to find out some information. With any luck some of her old codes
might still work.
An hour later, Talon Karrde stood watching his
second-in-command tap instructions into one of the machines. ‘Just what was
she up to?’ he wondered. Perhaps it was time to find out. It was pure
chance that had brought him to the museum to have an appointment with one of his
more exclusive clients about an item he wanted to purchase for them. Just as his
meeting was about to begin, he had suddenly caught sight of Mara entering the
reading room. When he’d finished his discussion to his and his client’s
satisfaction, his curiosity had made him see if she was still there.
Mara could feel eyes upon her, drilling into the back
of her shoulder blades but when she turned around, she couldn’t see anyone.
Yet the sensation of being watched continued. She was alone in the chamber. The
sound of a door sliding shut sealing her alone in the room caught her ears.
“Research, Mara?” Karrde’s voice was cool, his
eyes guarded.
Mara stiffened in surprise. Her detection skills were
atrophying now that the Emperor was no longer there to guide her. Once she might
have been able to discover his surveillance and lose him. He must have followed
her from the spaceport. “Karrde!” Her eyes turned as hard and as cold as
ice-crystals as anger began to consume her. “Spying on me?” she hissed, her
voice quiet but deadly. “How dare you? I never thought you would spy on me.”
“No,” he murmured calmly. “I trust you. To say
that I was spying on you insinuates a lack of trust on your part for me. The
museum is a good place to meet clients as you will find out.”
Mara paused and considered what he had said. She was
prepared to admit that she could have been wrong. “I’m sorry,” she
muttered and then swivelled abruptly back to her console and switched off the
viewer. But not before Karrde had glimpsed a clear view of the image she’d
been staring at. A young, fair haired man squinted into the holo-imager, a wary
expression on his handsome face - a familiar face.
So she was still interested in Luke Skywalker…why?
Mara was not the type of female to indulge in silly adolescent crushes. No, her
interest had to have some other reason.
“If you’d only asked,” Karrde murmured
smoothly, “I have a complete dossier on Skywalker and his comrades…or as
complete as it’s going to be.”
“Going to be?” Mara echoed, too surprised to
object to his interference in her private business. “And you would give me the
information?”
“If you had asked for it, yes, I would. But why
would you want it? Skywalker disappeared three years ago and hasn’t been seen
since.”
“I know that,” she snapped. “He left the Rebel
fleet on a solo mission after he, the Corellian Smuggler and the Princess of
Alderaan returned from the Bakuran conflict. That was just over three years ago
and there’s been no sign of him – he just disappeared.”
“Three years is a long time with no sign of the
Rebels’ hero,” Karrde said consideringly.
“Don’t you think it’s strange that the
“I’d heard that they had. I heard that Solo was
looking for him and his fighter squadron have also been asking questions – the
Rogues.”
“Solo is persistent,” Mara mocked lightly.
“I’ve seen some holos of Rogue Squadron in action…impressive.”
”Organa has said very little on the subject,”
Karrde commented.
“That always struck me as odd. I thought she was in
love with him or he with her…”
“No, she’s very much involved with Solo.”
Karrde thought back to the meeting he’d witnessed at the spaceport between Han
Solo and his princess. “I haven’t heard anything about an affair with the
Jedi. It appeared to me that they had a very close friendship. These people went
through a lot together.”
“A princess and a smuggler – how quaint. I’m
surprised the
“Han’s not a smuggler these days. He went legit
years ago.”
“Skywalker came from nowhere. I suppose he
wouldn’t be a suitable companion for a Princess,” Mara said coolly. There
was a tinge of admiration in Karrde’s voice.
“And you think he returned to that ‘nowhere’
suffering from a broken heart. You could be right but he had a lot to stay for
and governments are never keen on useful types disappearing into thin air when
they still need them. He probably went on a mission and got himself killed.”
“So why was there no public funeral – no memorial
services?” she asked astutely. “You don’t believe that he crashed his
little x-wing while out hunting Imps? People are actually wondering if he was a
grand publicity stunt, a decoy – or if he even existed at all.”
“Yes, he existed.”
Mara was silent for a moment staring at the blank
holo-monitor. “I know,” she finally whispered. “I saw him once. I was so
close but not close enough.” She stared down at the desk for a few moments.
“Close enough for what?”
“To kill him.”
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Mara’s apartment
Mara arranged to rent a modest furnished apartment
not too far from the Imperial palace or from Karrde’s suite of offices, at his
recommendation. She would eventually buy on Coruscant but it had to be the right
place. After living most of her formative years in the
Sitting down at her desk with a full mug of steaming
caf, Mara began to review the information for her meetings with Karrde and his
clients. After a couple of hours of business, she decided to take a breather and
located the holocube and the pile of recording rods and data chips that Karrde
had given her. She had no idea he had so much information on Skywalker and his
accomplices but it paid Karrde well to be informed. Selecting a data chip at
random, she placed it in the machine. Immediately, lists of files streamed
across the screen. Mara formed her lips into an ‘oh’ shape and whistled
silently. Karrde had told the truth, he had more information on the missing Jedi
than she would have been able to discover on her own in a year. She should have
guessed.
Karrde hadn’t been as surprised over her
declaration that she’d wanted to kill Skywalker as she would have thought. He
knew something but then, he was a clever man, never taking things at face value.
Mara didn’t fit any mould and Karrde was bound to speculate why. She thought
back to yesterday’s conversation in the
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“That’s a strange thing to say, Mara. Why should
you want to kill someone you’ve never even met?”
Mara’s eyes turned colder and harder if it was
possible. “He destroyed my life.”
“In what way?” Karrde probed gently.
“He killed my master.”
“Your Master?” Karrde had a horrible suspicion
that he had guessed the next part but he was hoping to be wrong. “Your Master
was…?”
“The Emperor. I was his hand, his faithful servant
and Skywalker killed him.”
“You have proof?”
“I saw it through the Force.”
“You have the gift…like the Jedi?”
“Not now,” Mara replied dully. “I lost the
ability when the Emperor died. Sometimes I feel things or sense if there’s
danger close by but I cannot manipulate things the way that I once could.”
“Why are you here with me and not working for some
Moff in the remaining imperially controlled territories?”
“Because none of them knew who I was and what I
did. My work was of the shadows.” Her voice took on a sneering quality. “The
empty-headed, hangers-on of the Emperor’s court saw me as one of the many
concubines and palace dancers. I was far more than they could ever have been.”
“Mara…I’m sorry,” Karrde tried to halt the
bitterness that spilled from her lips.
“The day that he died, I felt his death. I saw what
happened – saw Skywalker and Vader turn on my master and kill him. I knew that
he had gone. I was preparing myself to go after his murderers when Ysanne Isaard,
suspicious of what I was to Palpatine and making her own bid for control, had me
incarcerated in the palace dungeons in a cell I’d designed myself.” Mara
lifted her head and speared Karrde in place with her expression. “They were
hawkbats at the rotting corpse of power. I escaped and fled Coruscant. I, who
once had wealth, power and prestige now had to leave all that behind and run
like a common criminal.”
“Come,” Karrde ordered quietly and led her from
the museum. He caught an air taxi and they rode in silence to where Karrde had
his apartment and suite of offices. “I have something I would like to give
you,” he said as they entered the building and took the turbolift to the top
floor.
“There’s no need,” Mara managed to say, her
words emerging from a too dry throat. She couldn’t believe that he would hand
over such sensitive information even after she had declared her hand.
“I think there is.” Karrde palmed the security
panel and the door slid smoothly aside.
Mara had an impression of light and luxurious comfort
as Karrde led her through a spacious lounge with large windows and a spectacular
view of the city to his office.
“Please come in. You will be working here on
occasions. I will give you the access codes before you leave.”
“It’s very…pleasant.” Mara could have groaned
at how awkward she sounded but Karrde didn’t appear to notice.
Moving across plush carpeting, Karrde opened a
concealed panel, activated a security code and removed several items from a
safe. “Here.” He held them out towards her. “This is all the data I have
on Luke Skywalker up until three years ago.” He then handed her a small chip.
“This is information that I have on efforts to locate Luke Skywalker since
then.”
“When a Jedi wants to disappear he sure can manage
to do it,” she muttered.
“But he’s only a half-trained Jedi. Or so I
heard.”
“He’s still one half too many in my opinion.”
Mara took the things from him, her mind numb. It was
years since she had talked of her past to anyone and somehow it felt cathartic.
She felt as if she’d awakened from a deep sleep or had plunged naked into a
cold pool and had become alive again.
“Mara?”
“I work for you now, Karrde,” she said as if
she’d guessed what he’d wanted to ask her. “I have no place amongst the
Imperial faction. I want to live my own life. You can still trust me.”
“That’s good to know,” he said, his face
relaxing into a smile. “You’re the best second-in-command I’ve ever had
and I would have been sorry to lose you.”
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Senate Chamber, Coruscant – 2 days later
Han Solo had mastered the difficult art of appearing
interested in whatever was going on while in reality his mind was anywhere but
on what was happening at the speaker’s podium directly in front of him. Still,
he couldn’t be seen to be wool-gathering in public. Much of this conference
had been beamed across the galaxy to worlds eager to join the
He had managed to wangle a place onto the VIP
platform as part of Leia’s security team and now he wondered if it had been
worth the effort. Intergalactic trade routes and how to stimulate them was no
longer as vital to him as it once had been. The first hour had admittedly been
interesting, the second hour slightly less so. The fourth, fifth and sixth hours
had begun to merge into one another. The final speaker, Han was sure, was an
expert in his field but had no conception of the vagaries of time. ‘Wish we
could all live for three hundred years,’ he thought gloomily.
A smattering of half-hearted applause roused his fast
waning attention and as he looked up into the gallery he caught the eye of a man
sitting towards the rear. Han frowned, he knew that face. He sifted through his
memory until he found a match. Then he recalled the big ugly freighter at the
spaceport and it struck him exactly who the man was. That was interesting…very
interesting.
He rubbed his hand over his mouth. “Well I’ll
be…”
“What is it?” whispered Leia, her fledgling Jedi
senses alert as she felt the change in her companion’s mood.
“An old…I don’t know what exactly to call him.
Friend is too cordial – we were never friends. Associate…I never worked with
him…my luck wasn’t on the up when you met me.”
“I remember.” Her lips curved in a warm smile.
“He’s the successful type then?”
“Hey!” Han managed to look injured and then gave
his lover a sly grin. “He is very successful… a trader by the name of
Talon Karrde.”
“I’ve heard that name before.” Leia arched a
perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Trader? Try smuggler?”
“Independent operator.”
“How did I know you were going to say that?”
“Good clean living?” Han countered, smiling
wickedly. “I know…acquaintance. He’s one of those.” He stretched out his
hand and caught hers, giving it a squeeze.
Leia gave a miniscule warning shake of her head as
she disengaged her hand and then watched as the speaker filed off the platform
to a wave of applause from a relieved audience.
“Where did you get him?” breathed Han
incredulously. “…apart from Ragna III.”
“Doctor Yarrikin is an expert in his field and
it’s quite unusual for a member of his species to be so interested in this
area of study.”
“If you say so but why he had to inflict every
little bit of that study on us is beyond my comprehension. The last Yuzzum I saw
was at Jabba’s.”
“Joh Yowza,” Leia remembered.
“Yes. He could really sing.”
“Yes…loudly. I thought I might have to dance to
his music when I first arrived there.”
“Lucky for me that you didn’t,” Han said with a
grin. “I would be fighting the whole palace to get to you. That outfit…”
“Really, Han!” Leia exclaimed, but she couldn’t
help giving him a small smile. “I don’t think I would have lasted long as a
dancer. I would probably have finished up as rancor food.”
“Thankfully that never happened. The Kid’s plan
worked.” The feeling of sadness welling up within him at the mention of
Luke’s nickname was a surprise. Three years. Three sith-forsaken years and not
a word. He had tried to discover where the Kid had gone but all the trails had
gone cold. Luke had vanished. Leia had finally told him to pull himself together
and stop trailing about the galaxy looking for someone who didn’t want to be
found. He pushed away his worry and concentrated on the woman by his side.
“Sweetheart…I love you.” Han’s mouth quirked into the cheeky grin Leia
loved.
“I know,” she murmured. “Go talk to him. I’ll
wait here. I need to thank Doctor Yarrikin for his most interesting
lecture…”
“Most interesting!” Han gave a hoot of laughter.
“Most interesting lecture,” she said firmly.
“…and the Ithorian Senator who I can just see over there has been trying to
contact me for days. This is a piece of good fortune. He is expecting a visit
from their ambassador soon.”
“Lucky him,” Han muttered. “I’ll go and talk
to Karrde,” he decided suddenly as Leia’s grin became a glare.
“You do that.”
“Karrde’s a good man,” Han offered. “Very
astute and highly intelligent but he’s not a man to cross. He could be very
helpful towards the
“An honest smuggler.”
“They do exist.”
“I know,” Leia said, the corner of her mouth
threatening to turn into a smile again.
“We can trust him, I can tell you that. Much of
Karrde’s work is dealing in information…” Han paused, a faraway expression
on his face. “If you want to find out anything, he has sources all over the
galaxy. But I’m surprised to see him here.”
“Surprised…why?” Leia stared up at the dark
haired man in the gallery to find that his gaze was fixed disconcertingly upon
her.
“He wants to stay neutral.”
Leia frowned. “Neutral,” she repeated.
“He trades equally between the
“A difficult tightrope to walk,” Leia said
quietly. “Good luck to him.”
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