Beyond - Legends Walking the Sky - sequel to I, Mara Jade - L/M AU - competed 9/12/12

Haven't gotten around to that EU book just yet. Is this still the same timeline though? Or were things bumped back a few years?

 

Oooooh! I am liking this plot. I haven't read CoO yet, but I have read far enough into Allegiance to know LaRone. I can't wait to see how this unfolds.  

 

I still wonder why I decided to undertake a pregnancy fic when I've never been pregnant.
Because it's a new world for Mara and therefor a chance to explore her personality -and because canon spoiled the possibility to have a 'lighter' adventure at that time.

I?d softened a lot since joining the Jedi Order, but my suspicious nature had been hard-wired into me since I was a young girl. Trust was not something I gave easily, especially in unusual situations like this. Especially while I was pregnant.
Exactly!


But that mother bantha instinct was there and I would kill anybody who dared threaten to harm my child.
Me thinks it's more like mother nexu...

He stepped forward to shake my hand?and then his eyes raked over my abdomen.
And she didn't get it was for her tummy!? You'd better get used to it Mara dear.


Not only did Jinzler avoid my question, but he expressed more dislike of the Jedi. Very interesting indeed.

I heard Luke?s voice in my mind. Friend of Fey?lya?s?



even though Luke had the tendency to trust everyone, I knew he didn?t believe it either.
heh heh...


I?m sorry to say I?m unfamiliar with your species.?
I'm happy to say I'm unfamiliar with it too


?LaRone!?
Yeeeeeeeahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Luke stepped forward to greet LaRone, but I pushed him aside and rushed past him. For fourteen years, I?d idly wondered what had happened to those loyal soldiers. Sitting on their ship, waiting for them to return, was the first time I?d ever experienced a true sense of loss. All those old feelings that I?d long sought to repress came rushing to the surface and I enveloped LaRone in an embrace.

In hindsight, I could only blame the pregnancy hormones for that move.

LaRone stiffened slightly, obviously not expecting such a reaction from the former Emperor?s Hand he?d once served. I pulled away quickly, embarrassed by my emotional reaction. ?So that?s what happened to you,? I said, trying to cover up my embarrassment.
PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



LaRone glanced between the two of us. ?I must say that I was surprised to learn of your courtship, given past circumstances.?
That's an understatement!


Luke was lying in bed, reading a datapad, when I emerged from the refresher. ?I?m going back to the Fire,? I told him. ?Do you need anything??

Luke looked up at me. ?What do you need? I?ll get it for you.?
Oh, Mara - and you get annoyed! You should be ashamed of yourself. Think of us others!


Well, if it isn?t my favorite Jedi.
I LOVE you Karrde/Mara banter!!!

 

YAY! LaRone

I'm very intrigued about Rida Hano.

 

Hano, huh? With a veil wrapped around her face. Interesting. Very interesting. It seems a lot of parties are very fascinated with the remains of Outbound Flight: or at least the people gathering around it now.

 

Nice to see everything tie in together. What an adventure it will be!

 

Great stuff setting up the major players. Mara's already sleuthing in her inimitable way

Larone - cool to see him here and Jinzzler - totally recall he was more than a bit conflicted about the Jedi

 

Ahh, yes, Mara's intuition paid off again. Very curious, indeed. A lovely update!

 

I really enjoyed this installment since I need some kind of picker-upper.

 

I love it.
I'm a fan of Survivor's Quest, I love every character which appears there, I love the plot, I love quotes (see my signature)...er... everything.
Now I feel like I'm reading it again but I don't know what will happen further and your slight changes are, as usual, very interesting and just feel right))

 

Yes very interesting indeed, especially considering the nightmares Mara has been having....

Also, awesome to see LaRone, too bad the rest of the team isn't with him.

 

You call that "no plot"? Geez...

I liked Mara's reaction when she saw LaRone; so out of character, but at the same time written very in character. Does that make sense to you...?

And I love the way you introduce guys from the Outboud Flight it was also one of my favorites in the profic; can't wait to see what you'll write next!

 

'Mitth?raw?nuruodo'??? Try and say THAT three times fast!

Having never read Outbound Flight or Survior's Quest all this stuff is pretty much lost on me, but I like how the plot is develloping. The descriptions are great and the dialogue continues to be perfect. If I didn't know any better I'd think I was reading Zhan's work!

LOL I agree with the 'mother nexu' statement. Mara is one woman I would NEVER want to see inprotective mode.

 

Hmm, Me thinks this is going to be an interesting trip.

Great work!

P.S....I adore how you write Luke and Mara. Both separately and together as a couple.

 

Oh, very well done.

I love this concept! AND YAY MARA PREGNANT! And haha proud Daddy!Luke.

Yes Soontir, why the hell haven't you contacted Wedge, hmm? He'd like to know that his sister is ALIVE AND WELL.

Yay, LaRone! I do love that stormtrooper team.

PM, please please please!

 

So for those of you not aware, I'm currently dividing my attention between writing this fic and editing another one on the Saga board. I'm now regretting starting WtS when I did, as my attention has shifted back to the other one, but I feel obligated to work on both at once. Anyway, the point being - updates to this fic might not be as frequent as I'd like, but I'm aiming for at least one per week. Hopefully more once I finish the other one.

---

[b]Jedi Lover:[/b] LaRone is one of those secondary characters who really jumped off the page at me. Not much is known about him, but I really liked him. When I read about what happened to them at the end of Choices of One, I knew that I wanted him to meet up with Luke and Mara in this eventual sequel.

I reread Survivor's Quest and the beginning of Outbound Flight prior to finishing my outline. They're both so good.



[b]ginchy:[/b] Sowwy. [face_tongue]

LaRone and Mara made a good team. In another life, they could have been good friends. Possibly more. (More on that next chapter. [face_mischief]

BTW, I blame YOU for making me start this story so soon.



[b]Curtis:[/b] In canon, Survivor's Quest takes place in 22 ABY. This one is in 14 ABY. So yes, everything has been shifted forward a tad. But my Outbound Flight, while a bit different than in canon (which you will read about later), happened in the same timeframe (27 BBY).



[b]Briannakin:[/b] I am glad to hear it. I tried to bring in lots of mystique and intrigue, and stay true to the original Survivor's Quest.



[b]kataja:[/b] [i]Because it's a new world for Mara and therefor a chance to explore her personality -and because canon spoiled the possibility to have a 'lighter' adventure at that time[/i]

That is very true! Personally, I find pregnant Mara to be fascinating - such a walking contradiction!

[i]Me thinks it's more like mother nexu... [/i]

That, too. ;)

[i]And she didn't get it was for her tummy!? You'd better get used to it Mara dear.[/i]

[face_laugh] Poor Mara, so discumbobulated by this pregnancy thing!

[i]I'm happy to say I'm unfamiliar with it too [/i]

[face_thinking] [face_whistling]

[i]Yeeeeeeeahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [/i]
...
PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awww. [face_blush]

[i]Oh, Mara - and you get annoyed! You should be ashamed of yourself. Think of us others! [/i]

Much to learn, she still has. ;) But she will!

[i]I LOVE you Karrde/Mara banter!!! [/i]

Thanks! I love writing him. I have a plan to bring him into my next fic, and I really cannot wait to write his interactions there.



[b]Hazel:[/b] Are you, now? Well, you will learn more about her as time goes on. :)



[b]darth treyvah:[/b] She's an interesting gal! I haven't had much experience with OCs, but I liked creating her backstory.

I can't wait until we GET to Outbound Flight and things get even more interesting.



[b]taramidala:[/b] Thank you! :)



[b]Jade eyes:[/b] More sleuthing will follow, after an event in the next chapter.

Yes, Jinzler was a conflicted guy. I liked him, though. We'll see what's up with him here.



[b]LVB:[/b] Thank you! :)



[b]Queenbee:[/b] I'm glad to help!



[b]Piper:[/b] Aww, I'm glad to hear! I love Survivor's Quest, too. It's such an exciting book, and has some of the best Luke and Mara characterization in all the EU. I love them at that time period. Zahn proved that the adventure doesn't have to end once they get married! [face_laugh] So I had to emulate that here.



[b]cggunnersmate:[/b] Ah yes, the nightmares. We'll be coming back to those. [face_thinking]

I was going to have the entire Hand of Judgment, but figured that after fourteen years, they would have moved on to other units, especially since they were brought in to train troopers.



[b]Mondra:[/b] It's just because nothing has really happened yet! Or I'm just overly critical. [face_

 

CHAPTER 5




To no surprise, Aristocra Formbi set up a formal dinner to honor the ragtag group embarking on this mission. Luke had been somewhat worried at first, concerned by our lack of appropriate formal wear, so I suggested that we wear our Jedi robes instead. Luke gawked at that, and I pointed out that would be the only time he hears me suggest wearing those things, so he better not get used to it. He had a hard time hiding his grin as we changed for the evening.

The dining room was typical for a ship of the Chaf Envoy’s size. Attending were Aristocra Formbi, his aide Feesa, and General Drask; Fel, LaRone, and the other four stormtroopers; Dean Jinzler; Rida Hano; and me and Luke. We sat at a round table that allowed for informal conversation with all the guests. I was disappointed when Luke and I were led to seats away from Formbi, wanting to pick his brain about Chiss culture, but brightened when LaRone took the seat next to us.

During the actual dinner, the conversation was vague and varied, and involved everyone at the table. Jinzler remained standoffish, and Hano remained reverent toward Luke and me, asking dozens of questions about the Jedi Order and how it had changed over the years. She also seemed very interested in my pregnancy, asking when I was due and the sex of the baby. Something about her questioning gave me pause, although I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Once dessert was served, however, everyone began to break off into their own little groups and converse amongst themselves. I noticed with interest that Hano and Jinzler, seated beside each other, were involved in a heated conversation. I wondered what they were discussing, and nudged Luke. He nodded slightly. I felt his concentration in the Force sharpen as he tried to gain a sense of what they were saying. Again he shook his head, indicating that he was unsuccessful. I tried myself, but with all the other noise in the room it was pointless. It was clear, however, that the two were up to something. I vowed to find out what it was before this mission was over. Hopefully even before then.

LaRone turned to me and gestured at my dessert. “Are you enjoying your meal?”

I nodded. It was certainly adequate, and the Chiss—at least, Aristocra Formbi—were gracious hosts. General Drask had barely said one word all evening. “I am. You?”

“It’s certainly better than rations.” He paused and glanced down at the table. “You’ll excuse me, but I’m not entirely sure how I should address you now.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t even thought of that. Had LaRone even known my first name back when we worked together? I couldn’t remember for sure, but was certain I’d instructed him and the other stormtroopers to refer to me as Jade. He’d most likely feel odd calling me “Jade” in front of my relatively new husband. “Why don’t you just call me Mara?”

LaRone smiled. “Okay, Mara.”

I glanced at Luke, wanting to bring him into the conversation, but he was busy talking to Fel. And he seemed a little bit agitated. I decided to leave him to his own devices, and turned back to LaRone. “Have you been on Nirauan since Poln Major?”

“Mostly. Our base of operations is there, of course, but I’ve spent a lot of time off planet, recruiting and training other stormtroopers.”

My gaze turned inquisitive. “You’ve been training troopers?”

“That’s why Thrawn brought us in. I guess he was impressed by our actions on Poln Major. That, or he knew there was no place else we could go and decided to increase his numbers,” LaRone said ruefully.

He had a point. He and his friends had deserted their posts, and they would have certainly been executed if they returned to the Empire. “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.

LaRone shrugged. “I’m not. I’ve had a lot of opportunities on Nirauan. I heard that you visited the planet a few years ago.”

“Yes,” I said, trying hard to hide the cringe that threatened to overtake my face. Luke and I had broke out of the Empire of the Hand’s fortress and fought off stormtroopers with deadly force. Had LaRone trained any of those men? Had they been friends? Again, I was at a loss for words. “Sorry about that.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. We’re grateful that you took care of Pestage.” His gaze hardened. “We were all very disturbed when we learned of his activities in the cloning chamber.”

“Yeah, me too,” I muttered. I noted with interest that LaRone avoided saying exactly what was going on under Nirauan’s surface. Even loyal Imperials didn’t want to think about the return of the Emperor. I began to wonder what life in the Empire of the Hand was really like. Was it possible that it was the fabled altruistic empire actually existed, or would the Empire of the Hand experience the same difficulties as Palpatine’s Empire if it ever spanned across the galaxy?

I’d asked myself similar questions three years ago, when Sate Pestage asked me to join the Empire of the Hand. Back then I realized that I no longer belonged in the Empire, and it had been a revelation to me. I couldn’t be doubting that, especially while pregnant—could I?

I decided to change the subject. “Do you have family?”

LaRone shook his head. “No, I never did meet anybody special. I’m glad, though, as it’s difficult to raise a family on Nirauan. Some of the other men are married and send their families to live elsewhere. It creates a lot of stress.”

“Yes, I can imagine,” Luke murmured. I looked at him, not having realized that he was paying attention to our conversation. But he was now, one eye trained on Fel and the other on LaRone, watching them with interest. I gave him a threatening look, knowing what he was thinking and reminding him that right now was not the appropriate time to bring up Fel’s family life.

Fel shifted uncomfortably, but ignored Luke’s comment.

“What’s your interest in Outbound Flight?” I asked LaRone, wanting to change the subject.

“Um…” LaRone trailed off, eyes darting between Fel, Luke, and me. Fel’s eyes hardened, and there was a moment of unspoken conversation between the two of them. “General Fel asked me to escort him,” he said finally. “My team was the group that came upon the wreckage.”

“Oh.” I looked at Fel out of the corner of my eye. “So you found the distress signal?”

LaRone’s lip twitched. “Yes. We reported back to Nirauan as soon as possible.”

“And then we contacted the Chiss Ascendancy and began to plan this mission,” Fel cut in.

It was exactly as Fel had explained on the comm…and I was beginning to think that he was full of it. But I trusted LaRone, so I decided not to press the subject.

We made small talk during the rest of dessert. I cleaned my plate, finding myself craving sweets when normally I avoided the stuff. Was it pregnancy hormones? Probably. I shrugged my shoulders and licked the remaining frosting off the spoon. I felt Luke’s foot brush against my leg. I turned to him, and he held out his plate and smiled. “Want the rest of mine?”

“Are you making fun of me?”

Luke looked affronted. “Oh, no, I’d be much too frightened to tease my pregnant wife.”

“Whatever.” I grabbed my spoon and helped myself to a large bite of his dessert.

Even after resuming my conversation with LaRone, I could still feel Luke’s smile reflecting off the back of my head.





I was more than ready for sleep on our first night on the Chaf Envoy. Dinner had exhausted me—again, I blamed the pregnancy hormones. It was daunting, though, meeting an old friend who I’d long given up on, not to mention questioning the motives of several beings on the mission. As Luke and I got ready for bed that evening, I wondered why I’d even agreed to come along.

I suddenly flashed back to the image of Luke nearly dead in a medical center during my time at the Jedi Academy. Right. I was there to watch his back, as usual. Even when he didn’t need it, I felt more comfortable being there. It always amused me how I’d gone from wanting to kill him to wanting to ensure his survival in such a relatively short amount of time.

“So you and LaRone seemed to be getting along well,” Luke said as he selected a pair of night clothes from a dresser.

“Yes. I’m really glad he’s here.” It was the one good thing to happen on this mission so far.

“Hmm.” Luke’s tone was casual—a little too casual for my tastes. Around me, he was always so bad at hiding his feelings.

I gave him a sidelong look as I sat on the bed to remove my boots. “What is it, Skywalker?”

“Nothing.” He said that way too quickly.

“Oh no, you’re not getting off this easy. Spill it.”

“Well, I was just wondering about your prior history with LaRone. That’s all.”

“Prior history?” I asked, pulling my outer tunic over my head. “What are you talking about? You know all about that. I worked with the Hand of Judgment on a few missions.”

“Right.” Luke’s eyes twinkled. “But there was never anything else there?”

My eyebrows nearly shot off the top of my head. “Are you mental?”

Luke laughed. “What? It’s not that crazy an idea—is it?”

“Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but I was the Emperor’s Hand. I didn’t really have much time for dating.”

“Oh, please. You’re telling me that a beautiful, intelligent, powerful woman such as yourself never dated anyone?”

I rolled my eyes. “Skip the flattery, Skywalker. Yes, it’s a crazy idea. Even if I had time to date someone, Palpatine would’ve had them killed as soon as he found out. He didn’t approve of me with boys—or men, for that matter. And he would have found out, trust me.”

“Oh.” Luke looked away, a forlorn expression on his face. “But you’d been with people, right?”

I nodded, remembering that very awkward conversation at the beginning of our relationship. “Yeah. That doesn’t mean I dated them.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Why do you care, anyway?”

Luke’s forehead creased. “Maybe because you’re my wife?”

“Exactly.” I crossed to him and took his hand. “I’m your wife, now. All that doesn’t matter.”

“I know, it just makes me sad to think of you back then. Without friends…or even boyfriends…”

Again I shrugged my shoulders, and turned my attention back to getting ready for bed. “What’s done is done. There’s no use dwelling on it. Right?”

Luke nodded slowly, but I could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced. Probably thinking of that strong-willed girl he saw fighting on Poln Major, and trying to reconcile that with what he knew of me now. “Right.”

We finished changing in silence, and I got into bed, ready for sleep. Luke called out to me from the doorway to the ‘fresher. “Do you need anything?”

I opened my mouth to tell him that I was fine, then closed it. I was somewhat thirsty, and considered getting up to get myself a glass of water before Luke used the refresher. But something stopped me. Luke had tried hard to help during my pregnancy, feeling guilty about what I had to go through, yet I consistently rejected him. Eventually, even if I didn’t like it, I was going to have to ask people for help. I might as well learn to accept it.

I was suddenly reminded of all the times I’d yelled at Luke for thinking he could do everything by himself. Oh, I really hated getting a dose of my own medicine.

Nodding slowly, I said, “Yes. You can get me a glass of water.”

Luke’s grin was so wide, I might have just asked him for a star. “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

He disappeared into the ‘fresher, and this time I was the one to have my smile reflected back at me.





“Our first stop will be Brask-Oto Command Station,” Aristocra Formbi said. “From there we will make the journey into the Redoubt. From there, it should take four days to get to Outbound Flight.”

Four days? I caught Luke’s gaze and grimaced. I sensed that he was also uneasy with being away from the New Republic for so long, but if we wanted to see Outbound Flight, we didn’t have any other choice but to stay so long. I tried to look on the bright side—the extra time would give Luke and me a chance to find some answers about the Chiss and our fellow “diplomats.”

Early that morning, right upon rising, Luke had tracked down Formbi and persuaded him to give us a private tour of the Chaf Envoy. He was pleasant, if somewhat formal. That seemed to be typical of Chiss society. While the rest of the vessel’s staff was not overly friendly, the only person who displayed outright hostility was General Drask. It was becoming more and more clear that he did not care for humans or their involvement in this mission.

Thankfully, Drask had other matters to attend to and Luke and I could chew off Formbi’s ear on our own.

“And what exactly is the Redoubt?” Luke asked. We were traveling along the main port side corridor of the ship, heading back toward the bay where the Jade’s Fire had docked. I wanted to examine Hano’s ship, and find out how Jinzler had gotten onboard the vessel. I’d only noticed the Fire, Fel’s shuttle, and Hano’s ship. Had someone dropped him off, or was he picked up by the Chiss? I couldn’t see that happening, the way Drask felt about humans. Still, I filed it away as a question to ask later.

“The Redoubt is the last safe haven of the Chiss people,” Formbi explained. “It is a very crowded star cluster and still not entirely mapped. It makes travel very difficult. We’ll have to drop out of hyperspace often to check our positioning.”

“Right.” Again I caught Luke’s eye and sent a positive feeling. The more time we were in realspace, the more opportunities we’d have to check for data from Karrde. I was already anticipating our arrival at Brask-Oto so I could see if he’d found anything. “I can see how such a place would be an ideal hiding place,” I added.

“If you’d like, Aristocra, there are Jedi techniques that can help in navigation,” Luke said. “I’d be glad to assist you in the matter.”

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.” Formbi paused for a moment. “I do not think General Drask would appreciate such assistance.”

“I thought you were in charge of this mission?” I asked.

“I am the representative from the Fifth Ruling Family, and this is one of our vessels. However, General Drask is the military commander and I choose to default to his opinion.”

“Right.” Something about that still didn’t seem right, but I decided to ignore it for the time being, having more important matters to discuss. “What exactly do you know about the destruction of Outbound Flight, Aristocra?”

“Not much, unfortunately,” he replied. “I arrived after the vessel had been destroyed. Syndic Mitth’raw’nuruodo did not provide much information on the events that occurred. But one thing was clear—he had attacked the vessel without provocation.”

“And that goes against Chiss philosophy,” Luke said. “I remember hearing that Thrawn was somewhat of an outcast in your society.”

“No, he was not somewhat of an outcast. What he did went against every value that we teach our young. He was exiled, and from then he entered your part of the galaxy and joined the Empire.”

“I see,” I murmured. It was fascinating to hear Thrawn spoken of in such a manner. LaRone and Fel seemed to idolize their former leader, yet his own people had disowned him. I wondered why Thrawn had attacked Outbound Flight in the first place. It seemed almost out of character from what I knew of him. The mission would have posed no threat.

Then again, Palpatine had destroyed thousands of beings for merely existing, and Palpatine had recruited Thrawn. In the end, I wasn’t sure what to think.

We arrived at the greeting room that led to the hangar, and Formbi led us inside. “Would it be possible to see some of the different room configurations?” I asked, still fascinated with the idea of a room that could change with the flick of a switch. Leia would love to have one of those in her apartment.

“Of course.” Formbi gestured toward the center of the room. Luke and I stood there while Formbi went to a wall panel and pressed a lone button. Within a minute the room had changed entirely. He pressed another button, and again the room was completely different. It certainly was amazing technology.

And then, just as Formbi was changing the room again, my danger sense flared. My eyes began to dart around the room, looking for the source of danger, and I grabbed my lightsaber. Luke felt it too; I could tell by the way his body had tensed. I saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye and moved to avoid it—

Only to be slammed to the ground as Luke threw his body on top of mine. At that moment, there was only one thought at the front of my mind—protectmybabyprotectmybabyprotectmybaby!

As we tumbled to the ground, I curled up my body around my stomach, to protect the burgeoning life growing inside of me. Luke and I landed on our sides with him on top of me and I heard Aristocra Formbi’s astonished gasp from across the room.

“Luke, Mara, are you okay?” He was frantic, rushing over from the wall panel as fast as he could. I heard him speak softly into his comlink in what I could only assume was the Chiss language.

Luke didn’t answer; his hand came around my side to rest on my stomach. I could tell that he was absolutely petrified. I inhaled deeply and stretched out with the Force to touch the life inside of me. It was still very vague, but it was still there, shining brightly if a little shaken. “I’m fine,” I told Luke softly. “We’re fine.” He squeezed my hand and I sensed his regret for throwing me down so hard. But as he rolled off me, I saw that he had no other choice.

A large banner that had been strung across the entire the ceiling was dangling from one end, the other brushing against the floor precariously. From its position, it was clear that it one end had detached from the ceiling, causing the banner to swing in a wide arc, ready to topple everyone that stood in its path. Judging by the size of th banner, it would have toppled everyone standing in the middle of the room.

Luke held out a hand to help me up. I accepted it gratefully, and realized that I hadn’t even felt annoyed that he tried so hard to protect me. Perhaps because I felt the same way he did.

My hand again fell upon my stomach and I turned to Aristocra Formbi, suddenly very, very angry. “We’re fine, Formbi. But perhaps you should tell us what the kriff just happened.”

His arms were raised in a surrender position. “I do not know. Those banners are firmly secured to the ceiling. It is impossible for them to detach!”

Luke eyed the end of the banner, still swinging slightly in the air. The edges had clearly been cut. “Impossible?” His voice was calm, hiding the anger I knew he felt. Luke was always much more threatening this way, and I shivered slightly. He mistook my intention and placed an arm around me. “My wife is pregnant, Aristocra. I do not take kindly to ‘accidents’ that threaten her life.”

Formbi also noticed Luke’s emphasis on the word accident. “I assure you, Master Skywalker, that this was not the work of a Chiss.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, thinking of General Drask and his obvious dislike of us.

“Yes.” Formbi surely seemed adamant, but hadn’t he just told us the story of how Thrawn went against Chiss philosophy and brought dishonor to his people? If General Drask really hated humans so much, I wouldn’t put such an action past him.

Then again, perhaps Formbi was right, and this wasn’t the action of a Chiss. I knew nothing about Rida Hano, but she seemed too interested in me and Luke and the Jedi to try to kill us—at least before getting all the information she wanted. Dean Jinzler, on the other hand, had been a tech. And a tech would be able to get into this room and sabotage Chiss systems.

“I assure you, this was an accident,” Formbi said, his expression pleading.

Luke and I stared at him intently. “I hope so, Aristocra,” Luke said finally. “Because if you cannot guarantee my wife's safety, we will have to depart the mission at Brask-Oto.”

Formbi shook his head. “That will not be necessary.”

“We'll see about that,” I said, my hand still resting on my belly.

Formbi swallowed hard and nodded, then led us from the room, while a Chiss team entered to examine the damage. As we returned to the stateroom, one thing was certain—I'd be checking my messages the moment the Chaf Envoy reverted from hyperspace. And if we stayed, the next several days would be full of investigations.

 

Speaking as an avid sponge/reader, LOL I'm stoked WTS started when it did

If editing would be helped by betaing 2 chapters at once, oh well no complaints from this department



**

Great action and wootness on protective Luke and mommy!Mara.

Yup, definitely more investigating needs doing



Chiss remind me more of Klingons - they're more up front - not sneaky like the Romulans LOL

So I agree with Formbi - if a Chiss was your adversary, they would declare their animosity openly

 

Very nice chapter. I like how Luke is a little concerned about LaRone and his past relationship with Mara. Excellent update.

 

It wasn't me!!! It was that crazy Luke and Mara. They wanted to be together again.


Great update!! No need for the brave hat here, either!! The conversation at dinner was very interesting, but not as interesting as the conversation in Luke and Mara's stateroom (or what happened AFTER that conversation.... ahem.... )

I loved Mara so protective of her baby. And Luke being Papa Bear is wonderful. There is so much at stake here with the little one that 'accidents' are not something to take lightly.

And can I just say I love how you think updating once a week is slow?? Girl, for most of us that is super-duper fast!!!

 

Jealous Luke is so cute. Might be even cuter than protective Luke, although I also adore him.

Great chapter!

 

I suggested that we wear our Jedi robes instead. Luke gawked at that, and I pointed out that would be the only time he hears me suggest wearing those things, so he better not get used to it. He had a hard time hiding his grin as we changed for the evening.
Tee hee!!!


?Why don?t you just call me Mara??

LaRone smiled. ?Okay, Mara.?
Aww, it's so good to see them together!


I began to wonder what life in the Empire of the Hand was really like. Was it possible that it was the fabled altruistic empire actually existed, or would the Empire of the Hand experience the same difficulties as Palpatine?s Empire if it ever spanned across the galaxy?
Yeah... I feel kinda strange about that too...


I felt Luke?s foot brush against my leg. I turned to him, and he held out his plate and smiled. ?Want the rest of mine??

?Are you making fun of me??

Luke looked affronted. ?Oh, no, I?d be much too frightened to tease my pregnant wife.?

?Whatever.? I grabbed my spoon and helped myself to a large bite of his dessert.

Even after resuming my conversation with LaRone, I could still feel Luke?s smile reflecting off the back of my head.
Love love love love this...


?So you and LaRone seemed to be getting along well,? Luke said as he selected a pair of night clothes from a dresser.

?But there was never anything else there??

My eyebrows nearly shot off the top of my head. ?Are you mental??
Yessnesss! He was jealous!!!! Why, of course - he was a lttle farmboy back when LaRone was already a man, so I can see why...



Luke called out to me from the doorway to the ?fresher. ?Do you need anything??

I opened my mouth to tell him that I was fine, then closed it. I was somewhat thirsty, and considered getting up to get myself a glass of water before Luke used the refresher. But something stopped me. Luke had tried hard to help during my pregnancy, feeling guilty about what I had to go through, yet I consistently rejected him. Eventually, even if I didn?t like it, I was going to have to ask people for help. I might as well learn to accept it.

I was suddenly reminded of all the times I?d yelled at Luke for thinking he could do everything by himself. Oh, I really hated getting a dose of my own medicine.

Nodding slowly, I said, ?Yes. You can get me a glass of water.?

Luke?s grin was so wide, I might have just asked him for a star. ?Of course. I?ll be right back.?

He disappeared into the ?fresher, and this time I was the one to have my smile reflected back at me.
I'm SO proud of her!!! Awesome sweet little scene!!!



At that moment, there was only one thought at the front of my mind?protectmybabyprotectmybabyprotectmybaby!


I hadn?t even felt annoyed that he tried so hard to protect me. Perhaps because I felt the same way he did.
She's starting to get a perspective on things! Bravo, Mara!

Ok, in typical fashion I've commented on all the fangirl stuff - but this was also a very good chapter plotwise! Good, steady start and then a sudden accident. Couldn't be better!

 

Brilliant!

 

Love this story.
How closely are you going to follow Survivor's Quest?
Cause it looks like it will be VERY closely, so far.
So I'm guessing certain things about the strange woman and Jinzler that I better not say.......
I will say I'm very interested at what OTHER accidents will be happening aboard that ship.

Survivor's Quest and Outbound Flight are great? That is to be expected considering who wrote them.

 

Great chapter, but the chiss had better watch out, Luke is in protective!Daddy mode already!