Beyond - Legends Jade Interlude (22 ABY), Skywalkers/Antilles/Horns, Ch 3 posted 1/18

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1 - Luke and Corran speak on Yavin 4
• Chapter 2 - The Errant Venture, Myrkr system
• Chapter 3 - Arrival at the Shoondore Resort, Phthalo

Introductory Remarks

This is a short novel-length work (probably 45-50,000 words when it's finished) that I originally started writing a few years back. The story features Luke and Mara along with Wedge, Iella, Corran, and Mirax on vacation. There is a lot of introspection and angst (almost definitely too much, sorry, but this is what I was feeling at the time), but also a fair bit of romance, action, and humor, and a bit of mystery. Edit: I'm looking at the last chapters, and I'm going to re-write part of that, so disregard. Still introspective, but less angst. The hand (of SJ) writes, and having written, apparently doesn't necessarily move on.

The setting is 22 ABY. Consider this to be immediately preceding Survivor's Quest. This follows the old EU and ties into my own canon, where this story introduces some of the issues which are referenced in SQ and cleaned up in my own Jade Attachment. This should end up 20-22 chapters including the epilogue, and I will try to post once a week or so. The first 10 chapters are complete, as are 12, 15, 17, 20, and the epilogue, so posting this will hopefully give me concrete deadlines to finish the remaining chapters. See edit above. Maybe 8 or so complete, but much of the rest can be salvaged.

Concrit is appreciated. I requested to be added to the list for that, which may or may not actually happen soon, but feel free to PM it or post it here. To the mods: I know that concrit is not supposed to be posted in the threads themselves, but I feel that seeing realistic critiques helps other authors too, so I hope any such posts will be allowed to stay. To reviewers: You will not hurt my feelings by telling me my writing/characterization/content/whatever is crap, as long as you tell me why. I'm used to critiques from peer reviewers and grant reviewers for my scientific writing. Those can occasionally be scathing, but the value of the feedback is that it allows you to grow as a writer, to convey ideas more clearly.

For me, here, it may be that I need to hear that I should stop rambling, cut it out with the angst, and get on to the action (of one variety or another). That's fine. Please, fire away.

 

Chapter 1

Luke Skywalker knew something was wrong as soon as the Academy’s shuttle dropped out of hyperspace in the Yavin system. Luke had been eagerly awaiting his return to Yavin 4. Nearly three years prior, he had married Mara Jade on Coruscant, and their respective duties had kept them apart for many months during the intervening time. Luke had received a message from Mara while he was on Coruscant, telling him that her most recent trip was over and that she would see him soon.

The problem was, she wasn’t there. Luke could feel her absence, or rather the lack of her presence, immediately upon entering the system. Long minutes of worry filled the time from their exit from hyperspace until the shuttle’s landing on Yavin’s fourth moon. Intellectually Luke knew that he would have felt something in the Force if Mara was in trouble, but even this knowledge did little to appease the terrible images filling his mind.

The sight of Corran Horn at the landing pad did not help. Mara’s most recent mission had been in the company of Corran’s wife Mirax, and Luke initially took Corran’s presence at the Academy as a bad omen. Stepping out of the shuttle, he saw Corran smile and was able to relax a little. Patience was a virtue the Jedi cultivated, and hopefully Corran could tell him why Mara had not returned to the Academy.

“Surprised to see me, Master Skywalker?” Corran grinned at Luke.

“As a matter of fact, Corran, I am rather surprised. No offense, but I was rather hoping to be greeted by somebody else.”

“I understand completely. I actually have an urgent matter I’d like to discuss with you, if possible. It’s rather personal; perhaps we could meet in your office in an hour or so? Of course you’ll need some time to get unpacked and settled in.”

Luke frowned. “Sure, Corran, an hour will be fine. I need to drop my bag off in my quarters and talk to Kam and Tionne for a moment, and then I’ll meet you in my office. Perhaps then you can tell me why my wife isn’t here.”

Nearly forty minutes later, Luke and Corran met in his private office in the Great Temple.

“Ok, Corran, spill it. Why are you here, and where’s Mara?”

Corran chuckled. “Don’t worry, Luke, Mara’s fine. She and Mirax finished up their work last week and met up with me aboard the Errant Venture.” Corran referred to a captured Imperial Star Destroyer belonging to his father-in-law, Booster Terrik. “She called ahead here, planning to come back immediately, but I gather that Tionne told her you were on Coruscant running some errand for your sister.”

“I’m with you so far, but that doesn’t explain why you’re here and she’s not.”

“True, but you’ll like this, I think. Mirax and Mara have had a busy few months, as you know, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Mirax, too. From what I gather, Mara was more than a bit annoyed that she wouldn’t be able to see you for a few more days, and decided that you had been working too hard. Mirax agreed, and decided on the spot that I’d been working too hard, too, despite the fact I’m technically retired. So, next thing I know, they ambushed me.”

Luke simply looked at Corran expectantly.

“Apparently, they decided we all needed a vacation. Since Wedge had flown out to the EV with me, they contacted Iella and talked her into the plan, too. We have a week’s reservation, starting from 3 days from now, at the Shoondore on Phthalo. You and Mara, me and Mirax, and Wedge and Iella.”

Luke was silent for a moment, and his gaze made Corran second-guess himself. Mara had assured him that Luke would come without question, but had given him instructions in the event he didn’t. Instructions he really didn’t want to have to follow.

Luke finally responded. “I’m certainly happy Mara and Mirax are ok. I do have a lot to do here at the Academy, but a vacation sounds good too.” Looking at Corran again for a moment, he sensed a change in emotional state. “I suppose Mara gave you instructions in case I refused?”

“She did. She told me if you wavered even a little, to pull out my blaster and force you to come with me.”

Luke finally cracked a smile. “That does indeed sound like Mara. If I had a credit for every time she threatened to vape me…” His voice trailed off, and Corran couldn’t help but respond. “Yes?”

Luke laughed. “Well, I would have been a rich man even before we got married, and I think my wealth would have more than doubled since then.”

Corran laughed too, and then Luke narrowed his eyes and looked at the former Rogue Squadron pilot again. “Corran, did she give you instructions in case I still said no in the face of your blaster?”

“Actually, she did.”

“And?”

Corran took a deep breath. “She told me, if he still says no, pull the trigger.”

Corran had little talent for telekinetic manipulation with the Force, but his sense of the emotions of others was very strong. He had not been sure what type of response the Jedi Master would have to this bit of information, but he was not quite prepared for the reaction he got.

He saw a small smile develop on Luke’s face, and felt a great wave of warmth and longing emanating from Luke. To Corran, Luke had always seemed prone to melancholy, but the emotions he felt from Luke now held no sadness, only great joy. He knew at that moment what Luke would say, even before he opened his mouth.

Luke had not for the slightest instant intended to decline, but his desire to hear his wife’s words, even second-hand, had prompted his questions. “Ok, Corran, you convinced me. When do we need to leave?”

“We’re supposed to meet everyone else aboard the Errant Venture in the Myrkr System in about twelve standard hours, so we’ll need to leave within the next three. I came in my X-wing, so you’ll need to take yours too.”

Luke nodded. “Ok, I will need a few hours to make arrangements with Kam and Tionne for the next two weeks. Can you track down Artoo and make sure my X-wing is ready to go?”

“Sure thing, Luke, I’ll see that it’s done.”

“Thanks.”

Corran turned to leave, then Luke stopped him. “Oh, one more question. How in the blazes did Mara and Mirax get a week’s reservation at the Shoondore? My understanding is that last minute reservations like that are impossible.”

Phthalo had been discovered less than two years earlier by a New Republic survey team, at the edges of the Unknown Regions. The planet was described in travel brochures as a pleasant mix of Hoth and Endor, a description that had clearly been written by individuals who had never been to either place. Covered by immense snow-capped mountain ranges and, at lower elevations, dense forests, a small number of luxury resorts had quickly been built to cater to wealthy turbo skiing enthusiasts.

The only sapient life discovered on the planet had been a small number of monks inhabiting a group of high-altitude villas in a valley surrounded by mountains. The New Republic had attempted to make contact with these individuals several times, but were rebuffed at each pass, and no one knew when the monks had settled the planet. Phthalo was rumored to be one of the most beautiful planets in the known galaxy. The Shoondore, at which Mara and Mirax had gotten reservations, was the grandest on the planet, and the waiting list for short stays there was said already to be years.

Corran nodded at Luke’s question. “Yes, my understanding is that last minute reservations at the Shoondore are basically impossible.”

“Then how did they manage it? Both of our wives can be very persuasive, but I don’t think either of them has the ability to do the impossible.”

Corran smiled. “As it turns out, it was possible after all. The way Mirax tells it, Mara called the owner of the resort and simply told him ‘We’d like to reserve three rooms for seven nights, starting one standard week from today. You can put the reservation under Luke Skywalker, party of 6.’ It turned out not to be too much of a problem.”

Chuckling quietly, the Corellian turned and left the office, and Luke was left alone with his thoughts.

Leave it to Mara and Mirax to come up with something like this. His wife and Corran’s were as alike as any two people he had ever met. Both women were tremendously independent, both were sarcastic and witty, and both were capable of great passion and love. Mara had not often had close friends, and it pleased Luke greatly to know that his wife had found a friend who complemented her so well. Although Mara and Mirax did not always work together, they had begun to do so more often in the past year or so. Mara frequently returned from these trips with stories of adventure, and Luke sometimes worried about the kind of trouble two such strong-willed women could get themselves into. Of course, Mara had always thought Luke too overprotective, so he had difficulty broaching that subject with his wife.

Luke had always been attracted to strong women, and Mara’s strength ran deeper than anyone he had ever met. She had some insecurities, as did he, but together they had reinforced the other, and both were far stronger now than they had been before their union. Luke smiled as he thought of Mara. A redhead, green-eyed and blessed with a dancer’s body, Mara was eternally youthful and as beautiful a woman as he had ever met. Stretching out with the Force, he probed the cosmos for his wife’s presence, and after a moment felt a small warmth as he found a response. I love you Mara, and I’ll see you soon. He knew that the great distance between them meant that his words would not get through, but the light touch of her essence in the Force told him that the meaning did all the same.

Luke let the moment pass quietly, then looked at his chrono. His thoughts had used up nearly a quarter hour of the three that Corran had given him, and reluctantly he stood. Leaving his office, he went to find Kam, to make arrangements for training of the current Jedi candidates in his absence.

* * *​

Two hours later, Luke found himself standing in the main hangar bay of the Great Temple. The sight of his X-wing next to Corran’s, both being prepped for flight by the small team of Academy technicians, instantly transported him back in time. He had stood in this very hangar, preparing as best he could for the battle against the first Death Star, as the space station came barreling down on the moon. As a teenager he had dreamed of adventure in space, alone as he had always been on his home planet of Tatooine.

That dream had come true, in some fashion, but the price he had paid for the realization of that dream had been great. Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, their deaths at the hands of the Empire, had been only the first of a long line of friends and loved ones he had lost. Obi-Wan Kenobi, his first mentor, struck down on the Death Star as he helped Luke and Han escape with Luke’s sister Leia. Biggs Darklighter, his friend and neighbor on Tatooine, shot down in his X-wing as he protected Luke during his run down the Death Star’s trench. His father, Anakin Skywalker, taken after saving his son’s life, renouncing his Sith identity and the name of Darth Vader in the process. Gantoris and Dorsk 81, two of his earliest students at the Jedi Academy, each perishing on Yavin 4, both beyond Luke’s ability to save.

There were many others. Gaeriel Captison, a Bakuran, perhaps his first love. Fate had made their relationship impossible, and Gaeriel had married another, only to be widowed, then killed in action a few short years ago during a battle into which Luke had drawn her.

Callista, a Jedi woman whom Luke had rescued from the ship’s computer in the Eye of Palpatine. Callista had tragically lost her powers in the process, and Luke, because of his love for Callista, had tried to help her find them again. He had not succeeded, and he had lost her in the process. Although she had not died, she had left him, both knowing that their relationship was doomed to fail.

All these gone, and many others. Luke had lost his way time and time again, and only the love of others had saved him. His father’s love had prevented his death at the hands of Palpatine aboard the second Death Star. Years later, the love of his sister had pulled him back from the dark side, and the clutches of Palpatine’s clone. Along the way, the love of his friends had saved his life innumerable times. Han and Chewbacca, Biggs, Wedge, Lando, and many others had kept him from death in countless battles.

And Mara.

Even in the beginning, as she swore to kill him, she had protected him. She had prevented his death at the hands of his own clone, and its master, the insane Dark Jedi Joruus C’Baoth. In the process, she had broken her link to the late Emperor. Luke had been for her first a target, then, reluctantly, an ally. Later, if on Mara’s part perhaps even more reluctantly, she and Luke had become friends, and sometimes confidants. Slowly they had fallen in love, neither prepared to admit it even to themselves, nor to take any action, until the events on Nirauan had changed everything.

He and Mara had progressed from enemies, to allies, to friends, confidants, and finally, to lovers, husband and wife. The journey had taken the better part of a decade, but in the end, Mara had pulled him back from the brink. She had pulled him from the brink of loneliness, of despair, of indecision, and, just maybe, of darkness.

The old Jedi order had prohibited romantic attachments, and marriage. Luke had known this since his time with Yoda. For the moment, this tradition had been discarded. The old Jedi had believed that attachments weakened a Jedi, made him or her susceptible to the dark side. Luke believed differently. Such attachments would, in some cases, inevitably lead to just such an outcome. This was a risk Luke struggled mightily with, but was willing to take. From his love for Mara, and her love for him, Luke was incredibly strengthened. He was made complete, a greater Jedi, and a greater man, than he could ever have become without her. Other Jedi, Luke knew, drew strength from similar commitments. Corran was a good example.

Still, he was uncomfortable with his decision. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he had made the correct one. The fear of the dark side was one he would carry for the rest of his life. He knew that love had saved him from that fate before, and he knew that his love for Mara would never, and could never, die. He had never spoken of this to his wife, nor to anyone else. He was fairly certain that Mara knew nothing of his fears, buried as they were deep at the back of his mind, closed off even when they came together in the Force. As the leader of the New Jedi Order, it was necessary that he face the burden of this decision. But he wanted that burden for no other. Not for Leia, not for Corran, not for Kam and Tionne. And certainly, not for Mara.

“Luke, you ready to go?” Corran’s shout across the hangar interrupted Luke’s thoughts, but that was ok. Smiling, Luke nodded, then closed his eyes for a brief moment and touched the Force. I will see you soon, my love. From somewhere far, far away, he felt a response.

(Jump to Chapter 2)

 

Awww. I love that Luke wanted to hear Mara's "instructions" even secondhand. His musings on attachment for the Jedi, and his rocky paths to love, excellent! And he is right about he and Mara - all that they have been, and are, to one another. !!!

 

And you were going to abandon this treasure over Disney?

This was a great read, and I very much enjoyed being reminded in that paragraph, of Luke's past loves, and of the people he had lost.

Also great being reminded of how he and Mara came together, the journey from assassin and target, to husband and wife.

A very pleasant start to their vacation.

 

A lovely start to this fic - early married life of L/M is a favourite of mine to read, so looking forward to more!

 

Thanks everyone. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

Not exactly. I mostly abandoned it to write The Jade Chronicles, and because I was having trouble getting through outlining the last few chapters. I think I have a general idea of where I want to go now, though.

Thanks, mine too.

Yeah, that's a very L/M thing to me. I think he'd want to hear her voice even second-hand, and her instructions to Corran are more an expression of Mara's love for Luke than any romantic thing she could have said.

Next chapter will probably be up Monday. Thanks for reading, everyone.

(Also, per edits to the first post, I'm taking out much of the angsty bits in the later chapters. I hope this won't put me behind schedule, but we'll see).

 

Chapter 2

Luke Skywalker knew something was wrong as soon as his X-wing dropped out of hyperspace in the Myrkr System. Some last minute adjustments caused Luke and Corran to leave fifteen minutes later than planned, and now they emerged from hyperspace directly into a running battle. Twelve klicks away, the Errant Venture hung in space, the blood-red Star Destroyer’s turbolasers firing at two light frigates. Around the capital ships, nearly two dozen TIE fighters swarmed. As the two Jedi finally caught up with the action mentally, the last two starfighters from the EV’s complement exploded, taking with them two mercenary pilots under the employ of Corran’s father-in-law.

Corran’s voice was cool as he called out to Luke over the comm. “Red Nine to Red Five, any idea where we should start?”

Red Five had been Luke’s call sign during the battle of Yavin, a note of some historical significance, and using it was a sign of deep respect from the Correlian pilot to the Jedi Master. Corran had, until a few years prior, flown as Rogue Nine, and he had clearly lapsed back into the role.

“Red Nine, I read you. You have significantly more recent combat experience. Perhaps you should take the lead.”

“Roger that, Five. Let’s figure out exactly what’s going on here.”

Corran considered his options for a split second. They still had two minutes until they reached the battle’s outer periphery. This gave them a chance to come up with some tactics. His first move was to determine the status of the friendly forces in the system. “Errant Venture, this is Red Nine. What is your status?”

Booster’s voice came back almost immediately. “Blast it, Corran, where have you been?”

“Sorry, Booster, we were unavoidably delayed. What is your status?” There was a slight edge to Corran’s voice. He didn’t like repeating himself.

“Shields are holding ok, but we’ve lost our fighters, and we’ll be in big trouble soon if we don’t get out of here.”

“Roger that, Errant Venture. Stand by.” Corran punched up another frequency. “Red Nine to Red Leader, are you out there somewhere, Wedge?” Wedge Antilles, retired once-commander of Rogue Squadron, had been aboard ship when Corran left for Yavin 4, and the younger man feared for his former squadron commander.

“Nine, this is Lead. I’m still in the docking bay of the Errant Venture. The New Republic military code prohibits me from interfering unless New Republic interests are attacked, and we decided launching my fighter might be considered an act of aggression. I'm still part of the military reserves, so my hands are tied at the moment.”

“Lead, the military code should allow you to come to the aid of civilian operators when attacked by pirates.”

“Booster hasn’t paid his commercial registration the last few years, Nine. There are worries that the New Republic will not recognize interventions taken on behalf of the Errant Venture for that reason.”

Dammit, Booster. Corran rolled his eyes, though he wasn’t surprised in the least. “Roger that. Ok, Lead, Red Five and I are about to fly straight into this battle. I’m still a reservist too, so I assume you’ll be free and clear to help us as soon as one of these fighters takes a shot at me?”

“Correct, Nine. Let me know when that happens and I’ll join you.”

“Roger.” Corran switched back to the prior frequency. “Errant Venture, it looks like we have TIE fighters closing on our position, and we can join the battle as soon as they open fire. Do you have a target in mind?”

The sound of Mirax’s voice came over the comm. “Red Nine, Errant Venture copies. We could use some help with that frigate currently taking it out on our engines.”

“Roger that.” Corran started to switch frequencies again, but Mirax’s voice over the comm interrupted him.

“Be careful, Corran.” The worry in her voice was unmistakable.

“As always, Mirax. I love you.” Switching back to the tactical frequency he shared with Wedge and Luke, the three pilots hammered out a plan of action.

Not thirty seconds later, the lead TIE fighters reached firing range, and a missed shot on a jinking X-wing piloted by Corran Horn allowed the New Republic military to respond to the threat to the Errant Venture.Seconds later, Wedge’s ship was clear of the Errant Venture’s hangar, and Corran scored his first kill of the battle, putting a quad-linked burst through an oncoming TIE fighter’s cockpit.

In no more than a minute, the former Rogue pilots had racked up four more kills. Luke, meanwhile, had weaved his way through opposing forces toward the frigate dead aft of the Star Destroyer. Firing two salvoes of proton torpedoes in pairs, Luke caused substantial damage first to the rear shields, then to the engine compartment of the capital ship.

The remaining TIE fighters wheeled about and raced for the frigates, with Wedge and Corran scoring another kill apiece amid the confusion. Not five minutes later, the battle was over. Both frigates had disengaged, recovered the majority of their remaining fighters, and escaped to hyperspace.

Wedge opened a channel to the Errant Venture. “Red Lead to Errant Venture. Permission to return to the docking bay?”

Booster’s reply was quick, with a discerning listener able to detect some begrudging gratitude. “Granted.”

***​

Minutes later, the three pilots walked onto the bridge of the Errant Venture.

First to greet them was Mirax, who pulled Corran close for a quick kiss before greeting the others. “Wedge, Luke, thanks for the assist out there. Booster will never admit it, but you saved our necks big time.”

Luke simply nodded, somewhat distracted, while Wedge smiled and replied, “No problem, Mirax.”

In a moment, Iella and Booster joined them, with Iella wrapping her arm around Wedge’s waist. She smiled at her husband, then turned to Luke and Corran and said, “Glad you two could make it. Things were starting to get a little tense.”

Booster grunted. Glaring at Corran, his voice took on an accusing tone. “Why were you late, CorSec?”

Corran smiled at his father-in-law. Their relationship had always been somewhat strained, but things had improved in recent years, and Booster had almost gotten over the fact that his son-in-law’s father had sent Booster to Kessel for five years on smuggling charges.

“Actually, Booster, we would have gotten here earlier, but the techs at the Academy forgot to load Luke’s fighter with proton torpedoes. We almost came without them, but we thought they might come in handy.”

This revelation caused Booster’s gaze to soften considerably, and after a moment he snorted quietly. “I suppose that the delay was worthwhile, maybe.” Corran knew this was likely to be the closest thing to an apology he would get out of Booster. He turned to address the group. “So, who were those guys, anyway? They might have flown TIE fighters, but they didn’t fight like Imperials.”

Iella responded. “As far as we can tell, they were a small pirate gang, maybe operating out of the Ploo System, and using some left over Imperial equipment. Attacking a putatively fully-functional Star Destroyer was a little brash on their part, and they paid the price for their ego, I guess.”

Mirax chimed in. “Right. Although, if Luke and Corran hadn’t shown up when they did, the pirates might have pulled the raid off anyway.”

The others nodded agreement, and Booster turned to look at Luke. “Master Skywalker, welcome, and thank you for your assistance here. The others are right, I suppose. You and Corran probably did save us a lot of pounding.”

Luke nodded, and responded quietly. “It is good to see you again, Captain Terrik. I am glad that we could be of service.” Luke said nothing more, and all were quiet for a moment. Then, Corran turned to Booster. “I’m sorry for the loss of your fighter support. Do you have any way to replace them?”

Booster grimaced. His fighter complement had consisted of half a dozen Uglies, starfighters cobbled together from whatever parts were serviceable. He had lost all six craft in the battle. “Three of the pilots managed to eject, and I think we can find some more rather quickly. Moreover, we did recover four TIE fighters from the battle, along with their pilots, although I suppose we’ll have to send those men to Coruscant to be tried for piracy.”

“I’m not sure it would have been a good idea to hire them anyway, father, considering the number of their comrades that were lost today.” Mirax had always been more practical than her father, and of course in this matter she was absolutely correct.

Slowly the conversation turned to other things. As it did so, the group made its way from the bridge to a sitting area adjacent to the captain’s quarters, one which Booster reserved for more intimate gatherings. Wedge and Iella regaled the group with family stories, including the trouble their two daughters often managed to get into. Mirax and Corran had similar stories, and the group laughed together at the antics of the children, related by their parents.

From this more stories flowed. Corran told of recent adventures as a Jedi. Booster, for his part, had stories of dealings aboard ship with smugglers and scoundrels from across the known galaxy. Through all of this, Luke sat quietly, giving short answers to questions directed his way and, all in all, adding very little to the conversation. He gave a short account to the group of some recent activities of the Jedi Academy, but beyond that spoke little.

The conversation continued like this for almost two hours. Finally, the group seemed to tire. As everyone began to depart, when suddenly a sharp word from Luke Skywalker stopped them all.

“Wait.” Turning back, Corran was surprised to see the look on the face of his friend and mentor. Luke looked away for a moment, then looked at the group and sighed.

“Can someone please tell me where my wife is?”

 

Cool Rogue pilot action! Always fun and riveting. LOL on the Booster stuff. You got him very much in character BTW. OK, I was looking forward to a hot, jubilant L/M reunion, so that last line in particular has me Iella and Mirax are there so where is Mara anyway? Especially since Luke never had a sense even remotely that something was up before his arrival and no one is acting like "How do we tell him?"

Eager for more!

 

Love to see Corran and Mirax, Luke and Mara in the great EU. That Disney misses this

 

Thanks for reading, N.H. I think you'll be very happy with ... Chapter 4.

My favorite EU couples for sure.

 

Chapter 3

Mara Jade Skywalker waited patiently for her husband to arrive. Or, at least, as patiently as she could. In reality, she had been pacing her room at the Shoondore resort for hours, her anticipation of reuniting with her husband growing too quickly to contain. Her lack of patience sometimes annoyed her, but she reflected with a slight smile that her control over the emotion was better than it had been. This time, it took her 4 hours of nervous excitement before she finally broke down and returned to the Jade Sabre. Her ship, a wedding present from Luke, had long range scanners that allowed her to monitor the system for the arrival of her husband and their friends, Wedge and Iella Antilles, and Corran and Mirax Horn.

The trip to Phthalo had been Mirax’s and Mara’s idea. Traveling together, neither had seen their respective husbands for two months, and both were anxious to be reunited. Mara and Mirax had, off and on, worked closely together for some time now, and Mara knew that Mirax regretted being away from Corran and her kids as much as Mara regretted being away from Luke.

Since their marriage, Mara and Luke had spent more time apart than together. Luke’s duties at the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 were never-ending, and any time he had away from the Academy was often spent on diplomatic missions, usually at the request of his sister Leia. Mara’s life before Luke had been one of adventure and travel, and she had found that she was hesitant to give it up for a life of training Jedi candidates alongside her husband.

Mara’s courtship with Luke, if one could call it that, had been brief and frantic. Although she had long felt closer to Luke than to nearly any other man in her life, their relationship prior to Nirauan had been strained, at best. Luke’s constant need to save the galaxy had sent him far afield. At least once he had nearly been lost forever to the dark side, and his aimless life had prevented him from reaching a deeper connection with the Force.

It was this deeper connection that Mara had helped him find. On Nirauan, where Luke had left everything behind to come to her rescue, they had begun to realize just how deeply their feelings for each other ran. Over the course of weeks they had talked, argued, and, finally, each had helped the other to grow. For Luke, Mara had helped him realize his reliance on crude direction of the Force had obscured the ways in which the Force could direct him. For Mara, Luke had helped her overcome her reticence at giving her life to the Force, to renouncing at least in part her tendency to run away from her duty to the greater good. For both, several circumstances had broken down barriers between them, and slowly they had realized the love that each had for the other.

With Luke in a healing trance, Mara had left to destroy the Chiss stronghold, or at least enough of it to prevent it from falling to the Empire. The sacrifice she made there, one which Luke awoke barely in time to witness, was the destruction of her ship, the Jade’s Fire, for the good of the New Republic. Her sacrifice, which allowed her finally to assume her proper role as a Jedi Knight, had hurt her deeply, and had taken the only thing in the galaxy that was truly hers. Luke’s compassion and warmth had helped her through it, and she had realized in that moment just how strongly she felt for him.

It was not until shortly later that she realized just how much he cared for her. Luke had always been warm, trusting, and respectful towards her, even in the beginning as she swore to kill him. Mara reflected that, in her life, there had been only three men for whom she had truly cared. Emperor Palpatine had taken her from her parents as a young child, and molded her into a private weapon of terror. He had twisted her, until she barely knew herself, but in some ways she had loved him, in the way a daughter loves her father. Even after his death, her attachment to the Emperor had been strong, until Luke had finally helped her to break free from it.

Talon Karrde had, in a way, replaced Palpatine as her father figure. Her boss had brought her along quickly in his smuggling organization, and she had been poised to one day take over his operation until her marriage to Luke had turned her life upside down and changed her path forever. Although she deeply respected Karrde, they had never been truly close, and there had been a hole in her life of which she was barely aware, but which had pained her greatly nevertheless.

The hole in her life was love. For although she had cared for Palpatine and Karrde, she had not truly loved either, and certainly neither had truly loved her. She knew nothing of her parents, and because of this she had never in her lifetime known the love of another. She had never had many close friends, and most men she had known had simply lusted after her, more interested in her dancer’s body than in what lay inside.

Until Luke.

Until they had nearly died, fighting Thrawn’s assassin droids, lying in wait to protect the late Grand Admiral’s clone. During the battle, her mind had linked with Luke’s, and in an instant she knew everything about him. She knew his past, his dreams, his hopes, aspirations, and his nightmares. His loneliness. His compassion, and strength.

And her.

She had discovered how deeply Luke loved her, even as he was discovering those same feelings in her. In that instant, they knew each other fully, more fully than they had ever thought possible. Each realized that both had something missing in their lives, and that together they could be made whole. In that instant, they knew they would be together forever, in this life and in the next. Two beings strong in the Force, they had become one in that moment, and she knew nothing could ever separate them again.

She had hoped to reunite with her husband aboard the Errant Venture, and had returned with Mirax to her father’s ship with that intention. She had meant to travel with Luke to Phthalo aboard the Jade Sabre, had hoped to have some time alone together before all three couples arrived at the resort. A message from Talon Karrde, though, had sent her on a short, easily-accomplished, and, she thought with a large degree of bitterness, nearly useless mission. It had also made it impossible to return to the Errant Venture prior to the group’s scheduled departure, so she had come to the resort, alone, only a few hours earlier. There she had waited, as patiently as she could, for her husband.

Upon first arrival to the resort, she had nearly laughed out loud. Name-dropping Luke had opened doors for her several times in the past few years, but she was still unprepared for what it had accomplished here. I should have married him years ago. Not just for that whole love thing. She had been promised three rooms, despite the fact that such late reservations were usually impossible. She found when she had arrived that her party had been assigned the three most beautiful villas the resort had to offer. Some small part of her felt sorry for whatever inordinately wealthy patrons had arrived to find themselves reassigned to small rooms in the main building, but her conscience didn’t trouble her much. Her villa was built partway up the side of a mountain, featuring a large, poshly-carpeted main room and a small, intimate bedroom, plus a luxurious refresher and a small kitchenette. A huge transparisteel window in the main room overlooked a forested valley, with gorgeous mountain ranges visible in the distance. All that had been forgotten quickly, though, as she found herself lonely, waiting for her husband.

Mara paused for a moment, then considered herself with mock annoyance. Blast it, Skywalker. Of course it was Luke’s fault that she was sitting here, having to explore her feelings in this way. For most of her life, Mara had considered such thoughts to be the purview of lovestruck children, inappropriate for a fully-grown, independent adult woman. She had always seen it as a weakness, and she had survived many years of her life by suppressing her emotions, fearing that others would perceive that weakness in her. She knew in her heart now that her relationship with Luke, and her feelings for him, were not a weakness but instead had substantially strengthened her. Nevertheless, old habits died hard, and this particular habit remained a hard one to kill. Since their marriage, prolonged absences from Luke often made her wistful, and she hoped her husband would show up soon so she could snap out of it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a beep from her sensor panel. A ship was entering the system. Her anticipation spiked as she punched the command to bring the image up on the screen, but she was quickly disappointed to see a small corvette, rather than the Mirax’s Baudo-class yacht, the Pulsar Skate. Her disappointment was short-lived, as another beep followed quickly behind, and this time she was elated to see the Skate on her screen. A familiar sensation suddenly ran through her, as she felt the presence in system of her husband. “At least Corran was able to convince Luke to leave the Academy behind for a few days,” she told the empty cockpit as her anticipation bumped another level. A second look at the screen made her frown slightly. Escorting the Skate was a trio of X-wing fighters. Why in the blazes did they bring those along? The Pulsar Skate broke off from the group and headed for the landing field, as she had expected, while the X-wings continued off to the west. Curious, she punched up the comm unit, and opened a channel. But not to the X-wings.

“Mirax, where is my husband going?”

The response came not from Mirax, but from Wedge’s wife, Iella.

“Hi, Mara, it’s Iella. Booster made the boys take their X-wings with them when we left the EV. He had some important client that needed docking space, and he wanted to charge us ten thousand credits per day per fighter to store them on his ship. Corran called ahead to the resort and asked about secure hangar space for the fighters, and the proprietor told him no problem, as long as they were willing to do him a little favor.”

Uh oh. Favors involving X-wings were rarely peaceful.

“What kind of favor?”

“He arranged to sell tickets to a dogfighting demonstration in some airspace over an outdoor amphitheater he owns. I think he realized having three of the New Republic’s biggest heroes put on a show for his guests will be a boon for business, although why he would need that I’m not sure, since this place is essentially sold out from now to eternity. Anyway, it starts in about an hour, and they figure it’ll take less than an hour, then they’ll land, secure the fighters, and meet us at the resort.”

“You told them to be careful?”

Iella laughed. “As always. Mirax says we’ll touch down in about 2 minutes. Where should we meet you?”

“Actually, I’m in my ship at the moment, and it looks like you’re headed for the hangar right next to mine. I’ll see you in a few minutes. Safe landing.”

“Thanks. See you soon”.

Mara shut down her control panel and quickly tidied up the cockpit. A brief visual examination told her that she looked presentable, as she should when seeing her husband for the first time in months. Actually, she told herself with a small smile, she looked stunning, as usual. Mara knew she was beautiful, and, more importantly, knew Luke thought so too. Despite her annoyance at the delay for this blasted dogfighting demonstration, she had a slight spring in her step as she locked up the Sabre and went to meet Mirax and Iella.

The Pulsar Skate was touching down as Mara walked into the adjacent hangar. A pair of ancient LEP servant droids ambled up beside her and waited as the spacecraft’s hatch opened. Mara wondered idly where the owner of this place had found the droids. The model had been old even during her time serving the Emperor.

Mirax and Iella appeared at the top of the gangway and started down the boarding ramp. After they had conferred with the servant droids and arranged for their bags to be deposited in their rooms, Mara joined them, giving each of the women a hug in turn. Both women had been bridesmaids at her wedding, and both were among Mara’s closest friends.

“So,” Mara asked, “how was the flight?”

“Quite long,” came the answer from Mirax. “We took it in two hops, so Wedge and Corran could take turns riding in the Skate and get out of their cockpits for a few hours.”

“What about Luke?”

“You know how he is. He insisted on flying the entire way so that Wedge and Corran could minimize their time in their fighters. I understand he planned to do that Jedi trance thing of his.”

Indeed that did sound like Luke. Mara frowned for a minute.

“I wish you could have convinced Booster to keep the X-wings, Mirax.”

Mirax chuckled slightly. “I think he was paying us back.”

“For what?”

“Iella and I had arranged to bring a babysitter for the kids with us from Corellia, but it fell through at the last minute.”

Iella chimed in. “We ended up leaving them in Booster’s care.”

“All four of them?” Mara laughed. “I’m shocked he let you leave at all. Still… I had hoped to travel back to Yavin with Luke aboard the Sabre, but I have my Headhunter with me, so I don’t have room for his X-wing.”

Mirax patted her arm. “I know, Mara, we talked about that aboard the EV. We managed to convince Booster to come and pick us up at the end of the week. He’ll take Luke’s X-wing back to Yavin, and you and Luke can meet him there.”

Mara’s knees nearly buckled. “How in the blazes did you manage that?”

Mirax laughed. “We reminded him that he would have two more full days of responsibility for the kids if he didn’t do it. I know how much you’ve been dying to see Luke, Mara.”
Mara hugged Mirax again, then Iella. “I don’t know how to thank you two.”

“Don’t worry about it. You have both been apart enough recently, and you’re still newlyweds.”

“I still appreciate it. Anyway, since it’ll be a few hours until we can see our husbands, what do you two want to do?”

“Actually, Mirax got tickets to the dogfight, if you’re interested, Mara,” Iella responded.

“Front row,” Mirax chimed in. “I understand there’s heavy betting on the outcome of the dogfights. Corran faces Luke first, then Wedge faces Corran, then finally, Wedge versus Luke.”

“I assume we can’t place bets for real,” Mara said, “but how about a friendly wager.”

Both women laughed. “I know who I’m betting on,” said Mirax.

“Me too,” added Iella.

 

Lovely, lovely introspections from Mara. Some might think it OOC of her, but I find it quite, quite endearing! Iella and Mirax are clever planners

 

Thanks Nyota's Heart. I never thought of Mara as one dimensional snarky badass. She has to have some depth, and we know she has deep feelings for Luke. The first (I think) profic scene with her has Zahn describing her as trying not to break down and cry on the Wild Karrde. I've always thought of her as someone with a great deal of emotional depth buried under an icy surface.

Regardless, this is about it for the introspection for awhile. The next chapter brings in the action (of several types).

 

Stone Jade, I love this!!!! I agree with you that Mara has to have depth and not be just snark and anger. I mean, haha, she married Luke and loves him...that has to impact her in some ways! I think the important thing to show is how that affects her character vs. changing her character. I like how you showed her love through impatience (which I think is totally in character for her!). So I'll have to respectfully disagree with Nyota's Heart...I think that you portrayed her in character very well. I like the way too that all three ladies knew who they were betting on I am SUPER in love with this story, and I'm excited to see where you take it! AND don't be afraid to release your angst-monster! As long as I don't finish every chapter wanting to kill myself, you're good!!! Will you please tag me for updates? Thank you!!

Irish

 

Ooh, let me clear that up for Stone Jade and/or Irish_Jedi_Jade - I don't think it's OOC for Mara to be introspective. I think some fanfic authors might shy away from writing her that way thinking it would be, and that profic authors definitely totally balked at it! So yeah. I love her being reflective and vulnerable.