Out
of the Shadows 32
“Hey,
Solo! Surely the Falcon’s not needing to be repaired…again?”
Han
lifted his head from the open panel, the slightly scorched wiring trailing
across the hull. “Wha…!” he muttered, his heart jumping into his throat
and his hand automatically going towards his customary thigh holster. The voice
sounded familiar but it wasn’t the one he’d been hoping to hear. He
swivelled rapidly and turned to face the direction of the call and, with a sigh
of relief, recognised the figure walking casually towards him. “Antilles?”
he queried without really needing to.
“Yes,
it’s me.” Wedge Antilles wandered across the hangar bay. “Good to see you,
Han. It’s been quite a few months.” His dark eyes tracked the direction
Han’s hand had taken towards his weapons. “I’m glad to see that you are as
cautious as ever but even more glad that you didn’t decide to shoot me.
“I
didn’t know that you were due back,” Han back-pedalled swiftly, trying to
hide his disappointment. Of course it wasn’t Wedge he’d been expecting. “I
thought that you were still out in the Corporate Sector.”
“We
weren’t due back for another couple of months. But the inner council in their
infinite wisdom decided that the convoys we were
babysitting…uh…protecting…could manage without us.”
“And
could they?”
“Absolutely.”
Wedge grimaced tiredly. “I’ve had some boring assignments in my time but
this one really took the ryshcate. I’m glad it’s finished. It was all to do
with politics and nothing to do with saving lives. Some of the jumped-up phoneys
out there just wanted to be able to say that they had the legendary Rogue
Squadron at their disposal to order about as they saw fit.”
Han’s
face darkened. “Ah, nothing worse. I’ve been there before and probably will
be again.”
Wedge
sighed. “It was much easier when I was a pilot for the Rebel Alliance.
Personally, I like leaving that politics business to the politicians. No
disrespect to Leia. She’s one of the few that I trust.”
“That
sentiment I understand and I agree with you.” Han grinned at the dark-haired,
orange-suited pilot. He’d been so caught up in his thoughts about Luke’s
impending arrival that he’d failed to notice the three X-wings parked neatly
on the other side of the private hangar. Wedge and two of the other Rogue
Squadron members – Tycho Celchu and Hobbie Klivian - had apartments in the
same building as Leia and Han.
Wedge
glanced back at his ship. “I can’t remember the last time we had a decent
period of leave. It’s been too long and our ships really need a massive
overhaul as well. We’ve decided to combine the two. I’ve flown too many
hours with little excitement recently.”
“The
leave with the overhaul,” Han said, nodding. “A good plan.”
“It
leaves you stale,” Wedge said with a sigh. “That kind of flying without any
downtime to relax. Besides, Hobbie’s X-wing almost blew up on him not that
long ago. We did a patch job on the repair until we could get to the proper
facilities. I don’t trust anyone but our own Verpine mechanics.”
“I
know the feeling,” commented Han. “Nobody touches the Falcon apart
from me and Chewie but I might allow a Verpine to assist.” He grinned.
Wedge
glanced at his wrist chrono. “I didn’t think it was so late. I knew it was
late but that late!” He closed his eyes briefly before opening them
again. “I need sleep,” he moaned. “But we had to be debriefed immediately.
We weren’t doing anything that warranted the filing of any data but I know as
the commander, it’s better to get these things over and done with as soon as
possible.” He looked carefully at Han, curiosity written on his face. “Why
are you here?” He paused, choosing his words with caution. “You haven’t
had a fight with Leia…have you?”
“I
never fight with Leia,” Han said with dignity before ruining the effect with a
rueful grin. “Well, I do, but not this time. I was waiting for…” He
stopped. Luke didn’t want anyone to know that he was coming home yet. Oh, Han
was certain that Luke would want Wedge to know but a streak of possessive
selfishness fuelled the desire to keep the news of Luke’s return to himself
for a little longer. Han and Leia were the Kid’s family and no one had the
right to intrude…yet. “I had things on my mind,” he admitted softly.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
Wedge
nodded in understanding. He’d had many a night like that too. Winning the war
hadn’t stopped the fighting; it had just changed its nature. Both men
considered the political arena to be far more deadly.
xxxxxxxxx
Leia
hadn’t been sleeping either but had at least made the attempt to try and get
some rest. Han had swung his legs from the bed and reached for his trousers.
“The Falcon needs to be checked. Some of the wiring was frying the last
time I went any distance.”
Leia
rolled over and sat up. “Admit it, Flyboy. You can’t sleep because Luke’s
almost home and not because that crate of yours needs work. It always needs
work. While you’re at it, check that there’s enough space for Mara’s
ship.”
“He’s
in Mara’s ship?”
“I
think so. There was no mention of his X-wing.”
Han
recalled the few times that he’d seen the Lucky Strike. “Mara’s
ship isn’t big enough to carry the X-wing unless he’s slaving it to her
systems.”
“Possible.
The X-wing isn’t the best vehicle for long journeys despite the hyperspace
capability.”
Han
shrugged. “Hasn’t stopped him before but if he’s travelling with
Jade…” He grinned suddenly. “That’s going to be interesting and a
journey that I’m glad I’m not on. Their opinions on many things are polar
opposites which may make for some lively debates.”
Leia’s
mouth twisted. “There’s a lot of…emotion on Mara’s part where Luke’s
concerned and I don’t think it is particularly good. She was not disposed to
like him or even give him a chance before she left Coruscant.”
“Jade
strikes me as the type that tends to simmer quietly, I would suspect, which then
leads to a big explosion.”
“I
hope that didn’t happen,” Leia muttered. Mara was a strong-willed woman.
“I’m
sure the redhead managed to control herself despite the open hostility.”
Leia’s
brow furrowed worriedly. “Luke can be just as bad. We don’t see it very
often these days but there is a hot temper inside him. Once that’s
roused…” She shifted uncomfortably, the mattress creaking in protest. “I
would hope and suspect that the pair of them have ignored each other for the
entire journey.”
Han
pulled on his shirt. “You are probably right on that, Sweetheart. I can’t
see that being a match made in the best circles. Cancel the wedding invitations.
Should I have a bacta tank made ready?”
Leia
rolled her eyes, a habit she’d picked up from Han. “Mara’s not that bad.
She said she wouldn’t harm Luke and she won’t. I trust her on that. She
doesn’t have to fall in love with Luke; she just needs to bring him home to
us. Go on. You’re not going to get any sleep tonight until Luke walks down
that ramp, are you?”
“No,
I don’t think I am,” Han admitted. “Are you coming with me?”
“I
would love to but I have an early appointment tomorrow with Mon Mothma which I
can’t cancel and I want to be able to spend as much time as I can with my
brother when he arrives. I cleared my schedule as much as I could and said that
we were planning on taking a trip in the Falcon. I won’t sleep much but
I have to at least try.”
“You
demanded the time and quite rightly too.” Han had smiled at his prosaic fiancée.
“But I can’t imagine Mon Mothma being very pleased about that.”
“She
wasn’t but she knows how hard I’ve worked on the Gelos treaty plus all of
the others I’ve pulled together for the Inner Council.”
“You
mean saved,” Han had said firmly. “You saved most of those treaties
from going under. There are now many worlds that are a part of the
“You
are possibly correct,” Leia muttered. “But with all the other worlds
petitioning for
“No,
not yet,” Han remarked dryly.
“Nerf.”
Leia lay down and wriggled into the soft mattress, pummelling her pillow into
submission.
Han
chuckled and leaned over, dropping a warm kiss on her smooth forehead. “I love
you when you get all autocratic. You demanded the time off, didn’t you?”
“My
brother is coming home. Of course I did.” Leia closed her eyes determinedly.
“I’ll
call and wake you if the ship gets in earlier than we hope.”
“You’d
better,” Leia mumbled sleepily. “But I doubt that I’ll actually sleep.”
“Then
come with me,” he wheedled invitingly, his hazel eyes mischievous. “The Falcon
is the only ship in the hangar tonight.”
But
he’d been wrong about that. There were three X-wings and one of their pilots
was standing in front of him.
xxxxxxxx
“Han!”
Wedge coughed lightly.
“Sorry!”
Han returned to the present time. “I was just thinking for a moment.” He
could not tell Wedge about Luke just yet.
“There’s
been no word from Luke?”
Han
froze. “A word…Luke…Uh…” He couldn’t look at the Rogue Squadron
pilot. “We’re hoping that he’ll be home very soon,” he managed to say.
It wasn’t a lie. “Very soon.”
“I
thought I saw his X-wing once,” Wedge said, his face serious. “I understood
why he had to go away but not why he had to cut himself off from us so
completely.”
“Part
of the Jedi training I expect. No distractions,” Han offered gravely.
“Yeah,
I guess you’re right but it doesn’t make the loss of a friend any easier.”
“He’s
not lost,” Han returned. “He’s just been on a very exclusive
sabbatical.”
“Is
that what you call it?” muttered Wedge.
“He’ll
be back, Wedge.” Han gave the Falcon a reassuring
pat.
“I
still think the X-wing I saw above Praesitlyn belonged to the ‘Boss’ and no
amount of people telling me to lay off the ‘Old Corellian’ will change my
mind.”
“Praesitlyn?”
Han echoed. It probably had been Luke. “He’s still your boss?”
“He
always will be. There’s no one that flies like Luke – no one that led Rogue
Squadron like Luke. The rest of us can only watch and learn.”
Han
popped open a maintenance panel on the Falcon and groaned. “Aw…damn!
I thought this section would be the part I didn’t need to replace. Why does
the wiring have to look this bad…” He heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m the last
person to dissuade you from the ‘Old Corellian’. I have a really good bottle
that I’m planning to open when the kid comes home.” He pulled at a tangle of
charred wiring. “I’ll invite you.”
“Please
do.” Wedge yawned. “I can only hope that I have a glass of that very spirit
waiting for me in the mess and then I actually get to sleep an entire evening in
a proper bed. With that thought in mind, I’ll say goodnight.” He raised a
hand in farewell.
“Night,
Wedge.” Han lifted his head at the sound of a well-tuned engine coming closer.
“It
looks as if there’s a ship coming into the next hangar,” Wedge commented as
he began to move away from the Falcon. “Must be someone from the
Senate.”
“You
know what they say about Coruscant, Wedge. It’s the planet that never
sleeps.” Han willed the younger man to leave. This whole area was restricted
to general traffic. Suppose that was Mara Jade’s ship with Luke on board
finally returning home?
Wedge
raised his hand again and began to amble towards the exit tube.
Han
activated the com attached to his shirt collar. “Leia, honey, there’s a ship
incoming and it isn’t dissimilar to the Lucky Strike.” The ship grew
closer and the anxious expression on his face intensified. “That’s
Karrde’s ship. Luke’s home.”
“I’m
on my way,” she said and immediately cut the connection.
Han
headed towards the viewing area and watched the ship moving closer. His com
crackled to life. “General Solo?”
“Receiving,”
Han answered the tinny sounding voice sharply as he watched Wedge finally
disappear.
“You
have a vessel incoming. All security protocols matched.”
“Thank
you.” Han switched off his comlink and watched with baited breath as the ship
easily cleared the hangar bay doors and landed perfectly in the space next to
the Falcon, a slight hiss of satisfaction emerging from the jets.
“Han!”
Leia rushed from the turbolift and ran into his arms. He closed them around her
and they waited as the whine from the Lucky Strike’s engines died down
into nothingness.
“Luke’s
home, Sweetheart, where he belongs.”
“I
know,” she said, wonder in her voice. “I can feel his presence. But will he
stay?” Leia’s voice was calm but a muscle worked in her cheek. It told Han
that she feared his answer and he couldn’t honestly reassure her. Coruscant
wouldn’t suit Luke. He knew that as sure as his heart pumped the blood keeping
him alive.
“I
can’t answer that, sweetheart. Luke will do what he wants and needs to do - we
know that now. We can only support him in his endeavours but he’ll never
travel so far from us again. It’s been just as hard for him as it’s been for
us, of that I’m certain.”
“I
know.” Leia wrapped her arms around herself, stamping her foot impatiently.
“What is taking them so long?” she almost wailed at Han.
“I…”
There
was a grinding noise and then a burst of sound as the ramp began to lower. Leia
began moving forward. ‘Luke,’ she sent anxiously.
And
then he was there, standing at the top of the ramp, running down towards them.
“Leia…sister!”
“Luke…oh,
Luke!” Leia flew into his arms.
Han
could only watch, feelings of joy and thankfulness welling up inside him. He’d
no idea he would feel this way as he watched his fiancée embrace her brother.
No one existed in the universe but them for one heartfelt moment.
“Luke,”
Leia whispered.
The
young Jedi drew away from her without letting go and stared into her eyes
searching for something and then he smiled. His face lit up and he twirled his
sister about him, laughing at the sounds she made as her feet left the ground.
“So he’s asked you then?” he asked, in a voice that only she could hear.
“About time.”
“What!”
Leia exclaimed, blushing.
“I
can sense it. You and Han…” He shrugged. “You feel like one…whole...
It’s how you were meant to be and I’m so glad of it. You need each other.”
Han
didn’t know what made him glance back at the Lucky Strike’s entrance hatch.
A silent figure was watching the ecstatic reunion. Han tipped her a small
salute.
“Han!”
Luke called opening his arms. And then it was just like back on Yavin IV when
the Kid had fired the shot that blew up the Death Star. The Corellian shoved all
his cynical dignity aside and joined in the embrace with two of the people who
made his world worth existing in.
“Good
to have you back, Kid,” he muttered and wasn’t ashamed of the tears in his
eyes.
xxxxxxxxxx
As
Mara Jade stood watching the embracing family, she tried to use her Force sense
to examine the swirl of emotions overlaying what she was seeing and feeling. She
had felt Luke’s anticipation rise as final landing approach took place. The
young Jedi was out his seat and moving quickly to the ramp the moment the
landing feet made contact with the bay floor.
“Luke…”
she’d said but he’d already gone to the couple waiting outside. The emotions
buffeting her psyche now were beyond her experience. And the strength of them!
They went well beyond any she had ever felt, even from Vader or the Emperor when
their anger was at its peak.
A
keen sense of loss, longing and desperate happiness swept through her. Was this
what love was? This wasn’t romantic love but familial love and there was in
the air a sense of something Mara had never experienced. She pushed away the
strange feeling of envy and responded when the Corellian, Solo, tipped her a
quick salute.
She
didn’t need such things to be content. The Emperor hadn’t encouraged her to
think in that way – it made people weak. But did it? Luke Skywalker appeared
to gain strength from his sister and his friends. Another miscalculation from
Palpatine? The sound of wheels along the deck panels made Mara turn her head.
Artoo Detoo joined her to stand at the top of the ramp.
The
little droid twisted his domed head from side to side and finally offered up
what Mara took to be a thoughtful series of beeps.
“You
think he looks happy, too, do you short stuff?” She sighed. “I’ll agree
with you there. Too often he doesn’t.”
Artoo
beeped again.
“He
missed them,” Mara translated from Artoo’s screen. “I guess he did miss
them by the way he’s acting and by the look of things they missed him back.”
Mara suddenly realised that she didn’t miss Palpatine’s presence the way
that Luke had obviously missed Leia and Han. And why was she worrying whether or
not Luke Skywalker was happy?
Suddenly
Luke turned his head and gazed straight into her eyes and even in the dim
lighting of the hangar Mara felt as if his blue eyes were brighter than ever
before, seeing straight into the depths of her soul.
“Come
and join us, Mara,” he called. “And bring Artoo.”
That
man and his droid. He definitely treated the little Astromech as if it was a
sentient being. Reluctantly, she moved down the ramp towards them with Artoo
trailing at her heels like a pet pitten. “I didn’t want to intrude,” she
murmured quietly, feeling like a voyeur.
Leia
clutched at Luke as if she was afraid he was going to disappear again. “No,
you’re not intruding. It’s alright, Mara. You brought him back to us and in
one piece. That’s more than he usually managed by himself. We want to thank
you.”
“Hey!
“ Luke protested. “I wasn’t that bad.”
“I
think you were, Kid,” Han said, ruffling the Jedi’s sandy hair
affectionately. “We actually have a bacta tank in the Coruscant medical centre
dedicated to you.” The Corellian’s usual sardonic smirk had gone and in its
place was a fully-fledged grin of sheer delight.
“You
can let me go, sister,” Luke said with a smile. “I won’t vanish and look -
I’m fit and well. No bacta tank needed.”
The
Alderaanian princess glanced at her brother and then at Mara standing awkwardly
in front of them. “Thank you,” Leia breathed, her dark eyes full of emotion
as she moved to hug Mara. The red head stood stiffly, unsure of what to do in
this situation. Why did people have an urge to throw their arms around her
lately? She’d never been touched until Skywalker had started it. She wasn’t
a touchy-feely kind of person. Skywalker, on the other hand, was. She’d
noticed he had the tendency to place a comforting hand on her shoulder or pat
Artoo’s head affectionately. She would miss that about him, she supposed. She
wasn’t so sure if she was ready for everyone else to start treating her the
same way. It wasn’t the kind of image she normally wanted to portray. She
supposed it was alright once and hoped that Leia didn’t plan on making a habit
out of it.
“Let’s
go home,” Leia said, linking her arm with her brother’s. “We can arrange a
meeting with you, Mara, to settle the final terms of the contract.”
“Of
course,” Mara murmured, inexplicably feeling a pang of regret course through
her. That’s all it was, after all. She’d had a job to do and she’d done
it. End of story.
There
was a sudden silence and Luke’s forehead furrowed thoughtfully. “I’d
better help Mara secure the ship.” He didn’t feel right about waltzing off
with Han and Leia and leaving Mara to do all the work. They’d spent too much
time together and he didn’t feel like a paying passenger. There was something
almost…sad about it. Not for the first time since he’d met Mara Jade, Luke
sensed her very aloneness. Talon Karrde was somewhere in the Outer Rim and not
on Coruscant to meet her.
“Do
you have accommodation?” Luke asked, his voice concerned.
Mara
nodded. “I have an apartment in a building that Karrde owns and if that’s
not ready for me, there’s plenty of room on the ship. I have a perfectly
adequate cabin there. I’ll be fine, Skywalker. You don’t need to worry about
me.”
Luke
grinned and turned to his sister and Han. “I’m assuming that I’ll be
staying with you for a few days.”
“You
assume correctly, Kid,” Han said.
“It
will be more than a few days,” Leia interrupted. “You owe us that much.”
Luke
looked reflective and then nodded. “I do, don’t I.”
“Come
on, then.” Leia began to tug at Luke’s arm.
He
glanced towards the silent redhead but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I still
have stuff in Mara’s ship,” he said, unwilling to just leave her alone. He
knew that Mara had spent too much time on her own.
“It
will keep until tomorrow.” Mara tossed him his duffle bag. “I’ll meet you
here later on and we can discuss where you want to store your things.”
Luke
held Mara’s eyes for a minute and then nodded. “You are sure that you have
somewhere to go?”
She
scowled at him. Why was he making such a fuss? “Of course I’m sure,
Farmboy,” she muttered irritably. “You’re not my keeper.”
“Farmboy!”
Leia
mouthed towards Han, not sure if it was an insult or an endearment.
“I’m
going to have to head to Karrde’s Coruscant headquarters and check in before I
do anything,” Mara stated smartly. “He keeps it permanently staffed these
days as it’s good for business.” She jogged back up the ramp and appeared
again seconds later wearing a cloak and carrying a duffle bag not unlike
Luke’s. They watched as she closed and secured the hatch. “I’ll see you
tomorrow,” she said and with a brisk, purposeful stride headed towards the
same lift tube that Wedge Antilles had taken earlier.
Luke’s
eyes followed her figure until she vanished from sight. It just seemed wrong
somehow. He had his family and Mara had no one. It suddenly struck the young
Jedi that the relationship he had enjoyed with Mara whilst on and travelling
from Dagobah had the quality of two children playing house. He wondered if he
and Mara could ever do such a thing for real. Perhaps now that they were back in
their normal everyday existence things would change, the closeness they had
developed would vanish and her hostility would return. Luke hoped not. For he
was a Skywalker and, yes, he was almost certain that he might be in love with
her.
‘The
Skywalkers love on sight and forever.’
The
words continued to haunt him.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Several
hours later, Leia hummed happily to herself as she readied herself for bed once
more. She’d seen Luke settled in her guestroom where he belonged and after her
one appointment tomorrow she had several days to devote herself entirely to him.
It had been over three years since she’d been able to do that. In the next day
or two, she and Luke would be able to have a really good discussion of what his
role would be in the
Leia
smiled as she remembered Han actually asking Luke for his permission. “What
would you have done if he’d said no?” she asked curiously.
“Married
you anyway,” Han said, thumping heavily onto the bed and pulling off his
boots. “I might have kidnapped you or we could have eloped. I’m still in
favour of that option. I’m not sure why we let Mon Mothma sucker us into a
state wedding.”
“No,
nor am I.”
“I
can’t believe that the Kid suspected our plans.”
Leia
shook her head and smiled a little smugly. “He knew,” she said. “He took
one look at me and muttered that it was about time.”
Han
straightened up, his eyes widening. “And he let me stew for the next hour, the
sly...!” He bit off the words he was going to say at the look in his fiancée’s
eyes.
“I
cannot believe that you were so nervous,” Leia murmured.
“I
can. It’s easy when something matters so much.”
“It’s
Luke. He loves us both and knows we are happier together than apart.”
“What
are you thinking about?” Han asked. He knew she was planning something.
“What
Luke will do now that he’s home.”
“Don’t
you think that he’ll have some ideas about that?” Han pulled off his shirt,
dropping it on the end of the bed and turned to face Leia. “I think we should
wait and let him tell us what he wants to do. He’s changed, Leia. He’s
different, more assured…calmer and certainly more powerful than he was when he
left us. Even I can feel it and I don’t have the Force. He’s not going to
sit tamely by and let you and the
Leia
sighed deeply. “I know. I’m holding onto my happy dream for a few more days
that he’ll stay with us here on Coruscant and help me with what I’m doing.
But if I continue to do that and expect him to jump to every whim the
“Because
they weren’t letting him be what he was trained to be?” Han slipped into bed
and drew the covers up to his chin.
Leia
glanced at him, the expression on her face a little guilty. “The Alliance
ruling Council, including me, was guilty of taking my brother for granted. We
would have sent him on difficult mission after mission, which, yes, is part of
what a Jedi does, but he was doing it alone and in his opinion, not fully
trained. He went from rescuing you on Tatooine directly to the final battle on
Endor and from there straight to Bakura. He finished healing himself from his
run in with Palpatine and Vader on the way to Bakura. There were already plans
drawn up for his next assignment. There are no other Jedi to take the burden
from him.”
“He
shouldn’t have to continue doing things alone. Luke wants to be able to train
Jedi.”
“Yes
- like it was in the old days.” Leia reached out her hand and after a couple
of moments the light went out. “I’m still not very good at that,” she
muttered, breathing heavily.
“Should
you be using the Force for such trivial means?” Han said with a grin.
“I
didn’t want to get out of bed again,” Leia said. “And I’m practising my
use of the Force. Luke should be pleased. But it will be a long time before I
have any mastery over my abilities.” She nestled against Han, her voice low in
the darkness. “I feel complete again for the first time in three years. Not
finding one another until we were eighteen made it difficult to be apart for so
long.”
“Things
will work out,” Han murmured through a yawn. “I still say we hotwire a
tracker into his skin just in case he vanishes again. That way we will always be
able to find him.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Leia’s
morning appointment turned out to be as brief as she had hoped. The quick visit
to Mon Mothma had been enough to deal with upcoming treaty business and also to
invite her to dinner later on in the week. Leia decided it would be the perfect
time to announce her engagement to Han now that Luke had been told. Mon Mothma
was glad that Luke had returned safely and was delighted to be able to accept
the invitation.
“Will
Luke be available for missions?” the Chandrilan politician asked.
“I
would ask him that,” Leia had replied guardedly. “But I suspect that at the
moment he will not be.”
“He
wants to find more Jedi,” Mon Mothma stated. “He told me so just before he
left.”
“I
think he’s even more certain of this now. He cannot continue to function
alone. It would be to the benefit of the
“I
will speak to him but I have the feeling he will decline for the time being.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Luke
was not in the apartment when she returned.
Han
was lounging on the sofa, reading the schematic of some upgrade that might
improve the Falcon's maximum thrust. “He went down to the ship. He did
say that he was meeting Jade. Something about helping her with the unloading.”
“Oh…”
Leia’s face fell.
“Come
on, sweetheart. You’re free now, aren’t you? Let’s go down and see if we
can help them. She needs to get rid of Luke’s stuff from the hold if she’s
going to be able to rejoin Karrde and his group in the Outer Rim. I know he’s
expecting her.”
Except
that when Han and Leia exited the lift tube, Mara Jade and Luke were not
unloading the ship at all. They were fighting one another, laughing, and their
lightsabers flashing as they thrust and parried. Luke noticed his sister first
and, with a quick nod and unspoken communication through the Force towards the
redhead, he closed down his weapon. Mara followed him, breathing more heavily
than the Jedi who hadn’t appeared to have broken sweat.
“What
are you doing?” Leia asked stiffly. Surely Mara had got over her urge to kill
Luke by now.
“What
does it look like?” Mara returned impudently, sending a grin at Luke.
“We
were doing a little saber work,” Luke said quietly. “I didn’t think you
would mind. I worked with Mara on her technique while she was on Dagobah.
She’s very skilled with a lightsaber. It’s good for both of us to keep in
practice.”
“As
long as no one gets hurt,” Han warned.
Luke
shrugged. “We’re both reasonably secure with what we are doing. Keeping our
skills up doesn’t do us any harm.”
Mara
smirked again, somehow knowing that it was aggravating Leia. “Remember, I do
want to kill him.”
Luke
just laughed. “Take your best shot, Jade. You’ll find it’s not so easy to
get rid of me. Oh, I meant to ask you earlier, Mara. Did you find me somewhere
to stay?”
“You
just got back and you’re staying with us,” Leia returned evenly before Mara
could answer. “The apartment is more than big enough. Why do you need
somewhere else to stay?”
“I
can’t impose on you indefinitely,” Luke countered. “It wouldn’t be fair
under the circumstances.” He pointed to a stack of crates and boxes lying at
the end of the Lucky Strike’s ramp. “All of these won’t fit into
the storage space in your apartment. I have several more crates just as big as
these. I need my own place.”
“He
does have more,” Mara added helpfully, still smirking. “Lots more. I think
he’s been collecting boxes. Mainly full of Jedi rubbish but he’s managed to
amass quite a bit.”
“We
can surely rent you somewhere to store them for now,” Han said, scratching his
chin.
Luke
frowned at Mara and shook his head. “It’s not ‘rubbish’, as you put it.
I need what those boxes contain – my books and data cards. I can’t just
store them somewhere and forget all about them. I have to find as many Jedi
artefacts and as much reading material as I can. Many of the clues are in the
manuscripts and data files I’ve already obtained but its still not enough. So
much of the Jedi history has been lost or deliberately destroyed. Without
locating what is left I cannot properly teach others. So much has been lost,
Leia,” he repeated sadly. “So many things we can never replace.”
“I’ll
see what I can do,” Leia said with resignation. Luke and Mara were both
correct. She and Han had a most spacious home considering how cramped Coruscant
could be for all but the wealthiest but not if her brother was going to fill it
with boxes of Jedi items. She’d not considered the fact that Luke might return
with more stuff than he’d left with. But then, he’d left with almost
nothing.
They
all knew that he wasn’t going to be staying on Coruscant long even if Han and
Leia didn’t want to admit it out loud to his face.
Luke
didn’t know where he’d be going or when but as soon as Mara’s ship had
entered Coruscant’s atmosphere, Luke had found the planet…wanting and he
didn’t quite understand why. Besides, he didn’t want to crowd Han and Leia
– he’d been away from civilisation for three years and had learned to like
his own company. They were to be married and surely would not want him
cluttering up their home together like some obsolete droid.
“Karrde
has empty apartments in several of his properties. I’m quite sure that he’d
be happy to rent you one of those,” Mara offered slowly. “I can contact him
today and ask him, if you would like me to?”
“Could
you?” Luke smiled broadly. “Come back and join us for dinner…if that’s
okay with you, Leia.” He glanced at his sister, willing her to agree to his
plans. He wanted to keep Mara with him for a bit longer. He turned to the
redhead. “Would you have managed to contact Karrde by then?”
“Yes,”
Mara replied thoughtfully. “I think so.”
“You
haven’t any plans, have you, Leia?” he asked.
“No,
not for tonight.” Leia hid her disappointment at not having Luke to herself.
It was strange but he and Mara seemed to be getting on much better than she had
expected that they would. In a strange way, Leia had considered Mara Jade to be
her friend, not Luke’s. “Please, Mara. Join us?”
“If
you’re sure?” Mara queried. She could sense that Leia didn’t want her but
was too polite to say so. Still, if Karrde had quarters that Skywalker could
rent, it would solve Luke’s accommodation problems. She knew that he needed
his own space and, as much as he loved his sister and Solo, he’d become too
accustomed to his own company to be truly comfortable with them for very long.
“Please
ask Karrde,” Luke entreated. He’d felt incredibly guilty when she’d left
alone the previous evening because she shouldn’t have to be alone and he was
thinking of her as family. Luke paused. Mara Jade wasn’t technically family
but he had strong feelings for her. Just as strong as the ones he had for Han
and Leia. Did she have an apartment nearby or had she returned to the ship?
She’d certainly been in the hangar early this morning – far earlier than he
had. “You’re not shipping out already, are you?”
Mara
shook her head, the movement making the heavy red-gold plait down her straight
back sway. “No, Karrde has some business for me to take care of on Coruscant
before I leave. But I cannot delay my departure more than a couple of days.
I’ve been away from the rest of the group for far too long.”
Luke
could sense her withdrawing from him, moving away from the time they’d had
together on Dagobah, and it hurt even though he knew it was going to happen.
They’d admitted to their friendship and Luke wanted that state of being to
continue. He didn’t want it to deteriorate into an occasional acquaintance.
Vast distances and busy lives often meant that such connections became like
that. Force, she’d cried in his arms and he was sure that Mara Jade never
cried. “Mara…”
“You
know I have to go.”
“I
know,” he whispered.
Han
could see the reluctance in Mara’s face and posture but wasn’t certain what
she was reluctant about. The Kid and the redhead appeared to be communicating on
another level – one which he wasn’t a part of. The Corellian was aware that
Jade had no love for the Jedi when she had left to retrieve him and had very
much viewed Luke with murder and hatred in her heart. She’d been very
antagonistic towards both himself and Leia in the beginning, too, although the
two women had eventually formed some sort of a friendship. He just hadn’t
thought that Jade would soften as much as she had – not enough to be pleasant
to Luke. It was just like the Kid to be able to break through to most people but
Han wouldn’t have imagined that Jade was one of them. Still, Luke was alive
and home with his family and showing himself to be at ease with the icy redhead.
What
exactly had happened on Dagobah? How long had they spent there alone together?
Han would have liked to know the details of Luke and Mara’s time on the
isolated world but didn’t want to ask.
Leia
slipped her arm around Han’s waist. “They watch one another when the other
isn’t looking,” she whispered.
“Is
that a good or a bad thing?” Han whispered back. “She could still be wanting
to terminate his existence. She said that she does. I don’t know when she’s
joking. Can you tell?”
“I
don’t know. I can’t read Luke the way that I used to be able to and…Mara
Jade…?” Leia shook her head. “I could never gauge what she’s feeling.”
“I
don’t think that I’d want to,” Han muttered. “Mind you, she usually told
us how she was feeling. She’s nothing if not direct and to the point. But
they’re not acting the way that I would have expected.”
“And
what did you expect?”
“I
really don’t know – just not this.”
“We’d
better repeat the dinner offer.”
“And
make sure that everything is blaster proof.” He winked.
“Han.
She’s not as bad as all that.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Muunilist
The
cloned soldiers hadn’t been quite as Folla had expected them to be but then
she’d had little experience with ordinary soldiers. Yes, she’d been trained
by the best to be able to fight for her Master’s interests but she had
primarily concentrated on her academic studies and had worked outside normal
imperial channels. Her very independence from the system had been her greatest
asset. There was more to winning a war than by just using brute strength. She
was able to utilise her intellect.
However,
she had now acquired the very brutes that she needed. Her glance around the
small community revealed that it had been run with the efficiency of a miniature
garrison. They had not, as she’d expected, gone native, blending into the
general population of the planet but had retained a relative sense of isolation.
Integrating too far into the local community had happened to several sleeper
cells in the past and they’d been destroyed because of it. But the survival of
the species was still evident amongst the clones. Some had paired off and there
were several children already being trained in the Imperial manner with ruthless
efficiency.
She’d
worried that Isard might have known about this cell but they’d been left
entirely alone so maybe she was unaware of their existence. Either that or she
hadn’t chosen to act yet.
They
had to accept her as their leader because she had the correct command codes but
Folla wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to do. She was an archaeologist,
not a guerrilla warfare leader. It was her skill in finding and locating
antiquities and artefacts hidden or misplaced by fleeing Jedi that had made her
useful to serve Palpatine. Some sort of Force-granted inner sense had guided her
to things the Emperor had prized but since his death she’d felt increasingly
isolated and adrift from those around her.
She’d
had no visions in weeks and was beginning to despair of ever being able to
achieve the task the Emperor had set for her. She wasn’t even certain what it
was she was supposed to do. All she knew was that if she was successful then he
would return to lead the galaxy once more.
She
needed some sort of plan. It didn’t help that the enemy hadn’t yet made an
appearance…if he ever did.
She
stared from an upper view port down into the small training ground in the centre
of the compound as the clones drilled. There were three or four basic templates
both male and female depending on the tasks they were designed to fulfil. They
had been programmed to serve and she needed some decent bodyguards.
“Zero-six-five!”
she said sharply to the impassive clone standing beside her. “You will be
referred to as Commander Zaltbrast. I leave you in general command of this
facility. No one else has the authority to give you orders apart from me.”
“As
you wish, my Lady.”
“You’d
better refer to me in public as ‘Doctor Rule’. It will cause far less
suspicion.”
“Of
course, Doctor Rule.”
“Select
two members of each clone template, give them proper identities and see that
they have all the data that they need. They will be travelling with me to the
Core.”
“Yes,
Doctor Rule.”
“And
open up the cloning chambers…yes, I know there aren’t very many. But we need
to go into production as soon as possible. You have scientists?”
The
newly christened commander gave a stiff nod. “Yes, Doctor Rule. We have a
small team of the top cloning specialists.”
“Clones
themselves, I take it?” She laughed. “Rather amusing.”
It
was better to begin immediately. Perhaps she’d found herself a plan after all.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx