Saga Quagmire (AU, L/M others around ROTJ) Part 1 completed 29th. September

Author's note: I just have to point out what a huge and amazing work my wonderful beta frodogenic is doing with each and every chapter!



Quagmire ? Chapter 8


Hail to the Heroes


The welcome the Millenium Falcon received when she docked Home One could in itself have been a chapter in the history of the Rebel Alliance. Despite nothing official having been initiated, it seemed like everybody had gotten the news and the main hangar was packed with just about everybody on the ship, eager to welcome Han back and to congratulate his rescue team.

?Hey!? Han shouted, trying to hug five girls at once. ?I never knew I was this popular!?

Everybody grinned at that, even Leia. Nonetheless she took a sharp scan of the ladies in question; you never knew?

The Rogues, not surprisingly, had managed to press themselves into the frontline of the welcoming party with open arms and gleeful cheers. Shira slipped straight into Luke?s arms as he appeared from his X-wing, and hugged him tight for a few thrilling seconds. ?Well done,? she whispered into his ear. ?Good to see you again, Ace.?

?You too,? Luke faltered, then she was gone already; hugging Lando, then Han, then Leia ? in the moment all animosity seemed gone ? then finally Chewbacca, the latter causing Luke to grin as he remembered their banter about wet banthas and Wookiees. At least Chewie was dry now, but he never smelled of roses.

She?s so natural, he mused, touched and excited by the warm welcome. So likable?

***

Mara descended the landing ramp late enough to avoid attention but in time to observe the first bombardment of welcomers. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the redhead who was embracing first Skywalker, then his friends while sprinkling spry remarks. Quite the charmer, that one.

Standing slightly aside as she did, she also noted Skywalker?s astromech droid that dutifully had rolled after him and now stood deserted behind as its Master was pulled away, first by the spunky russette, then by a massive wave of other admirers. The droid let out a desolate beep and rocked a little as if to comfort itself, then it turned on its socket and rolled away, continuously turning its dome back towards Skywalker as if to ensure he really didn?t need it anymore. Mara?s mouth twisted. Though only a droid, that R2-D2 unit was a pretty expressive little fellow.



* * *


To house an impromptu bash the size of the Falcon?s welcoming party, the largest of the Mess halls had been commandeered. When Luke entered a sanisteem and cloth change later, he found the party already in full swing. He had to elbow himself through the hall and for a moment he almost wondered if he?d have to use the Force simply in order to find Han and Leia.

?Over here, kid!? Solo?s voice carried over the noise, closely followed by Chewie?s ear-splitting roaring.

Han was standing with his arm around Leia, surrounded by Chewie and most of Rogue Squadron and wearing a grin big enough it could have fit on Jabba?s rancor. Luke felt a similar smile nestle into his own face; he just couldn?t help it. These were his friends, his family. His new family after the one he?d lost. There was no place in the galaxy he would rather be!

?Hey, Luke!? Han beamed when Luke finally managed to jostle his way to them. ?Fresh from the sanisteam and ready to party??

?You got at least one out of two right,? Luke muttered, honestly more in the mood for a cozy chat with a beer than prepared to whoop it up with the rest of crew off duty. ?I think I?ll be more ready after a drink, though.?

Shira smiled amiably. ?I?ll get you one. Beer?? She looked vibrant as usual. Luke honestly had no idea how she did it; she was wearing the same dull fatigues as everyone else but still she somehow managed to dazzle. Instantly self-consious, he could feel his cheeks warm, discomfited by her appearance and attention alike.

?Hey, you don?t have to? I can?? he started but she was already on her way,

 

Thanks for the congratulations -- the wins blew me away!!!

And now for the good part: Leia on Shira - hehehe!!! Shira's a divisive, sneaky influence

Loved the H/L having fun and no dull parts to their evening

And Luke with Mara -- his caring for her flows so naturally -- he hasn't had a chance to realize she's "hot" yet LOL

Squee!

And Mara's fighting her gratitude -- but he'll wear her down

 

?Hey!? Han shouted, trying to hug five girls at once. ?I never knew I was this popular!?

Everybody grinned at that, even Leia. Nonetheless she took a sharp scan of the ladies in question; you never knew?

That's just perfectly them. Nice touch.


Her eyes narrowed as she studied the redhead who was embracing first Skywalker, then his friends while sprinkling spry remarks. Quite the charmer, that one.

Is that the slightest hint of jealousy I see? Or just normal suspicion?


Just look at the afterburners on that baby,? Wes murmured, eyes dreamy. ?Aah? if only it was me she was hurrying back to??

?You mean the beer or the babe?? Hobbie quipped.

?Both,? Wes admitted bluntly. ?But it?s boss here who?s in her good books. If I only knew what she sees in him.?

?It?s the orange,? Wedge deadpanned, referring to their flight suits. ?Girls can?t resist a man in orange.?

?Hey, I wear orange too.? Wes protested. ?And still she picks this guy out. I dunno if he smells particularly good or???

?I find that hard to imagine,? Han put in, flashing his cheeky lopsided grin. ?Last time I saw the kid he still stunk like a dead tauntaun.?

?Thanks to who?? Luke shot back. ?I certainly didn?t pick that smell.?

Wes and Han. Both awesome in their own ways. They get such good lines.


?Honestly.? Hobbie looked worried. ?Luke?s the greatest guy I know, but he needs to? normalize, you know? She?d do him a galaxy of good. Shouldn?t we try to help him somehow??

Normalize. Yes, all Jedi need to normalize. And I'm going to stop myself before I go on a rant and say very good point.


?And I?m delighted that you can imagine yourself in my boots. It is just my boots, right??

Mara's teasing (flirting?) is always so great.


He was almost back with the others before he recognized the double entendre. He blushed but this time couldn?t help chuckling as well. It was almost becoming a habit between them, her dirty insinuations and his compulsive denials. Perhaps Jade wasn?t that bad after all? She was a bit like Han, really. Once Luke had thought that the mouthy Corellian meant all the cynicism he uttered, but had been proven wrong. And now he had this gut feeling about Mara, that she wasn?t as bad as she wanted to appear. There was a strong sense of? well, perhaps not honesty, but at least integrity about her. At the same time, he knew absolutely that she would be trouble too. Luke sighed. All these insinuations the Force gave him could really be quite confusing.

Yes, she certainly is and will most likely continue to be confusing for Luke.


He hurried out towards the corridor and the turbolift, cursing himself silently as he walked. Just as he ducked out of the mess hall he felt it again; that something, so uncannily, creepily familiar by now; like a cold breath on his neck. He spun around and stared back at the crowd behind him, but all he could see were people dancing and talking. No matter how he peered nothing suspicious presented itself.

Now what's going on here? I can come up with all sorts of theories. Guess I'll have to be patient.


For a time Leia had suspected that she didn?t like Shira simply because she?d been jealous over Luke; after all she had always considered Luke as? well, hers, in a way. In a different way than Han, of course, but still. Close. A friend. A treasured friend. And she?d felt Shira was creating a rift between them and therefore disliked the woman.

Leia frowned. Could it be the reason why Luke held back? Did he feel that too? Maybe it wasn?t just Leia?s own imagination?

Sounds like then Force is trying to tell them both something. Hopefully they learn to listen.


Interesting interactions all around. It seems that everyone is still trying to figure out the relationship dynamics of everyone else. Looking forward to more, though I'm wondering, will Luke be going to visit Yoda sometime soon or will something need to happen to push him to return to Dagobah? Or will he be going at all? Not that you need to answer.

 

Hey Kat

-----The droid let out a desolate beep and rocked a little as if to comfort itself, then it turned on its socket and rolled away, continuously turning its dome back towards Skywalker as if to ensure he really didn?t need it anymore.-----

Aw, poor Artoo. I never thought of it that way before!



-----Han was standing with his arm around Leia, surrounded by Chewie and most of Rogue Squadron and wearing a grin big enough it could have fit on Jabba?s rancor.-----

Absolutley loved that phrase


-----?? I?d give my right arm to have her as a girlfriend.?
-----?If you had her as your girlfriend you wouldn?t need your right arm,? Wedge retorted lightly.

Made me LOL!... Then of course, I wondered what you could possibly mean...



-----??To me that sure sounds like he?d need some help.?
-----Wedge grinned. ?Ah, so he does. But I know of things you don?t??
-----?What? You do? Tell me ? everything!?
-----?Forget it Klivian. My mouth is sealed?With??
-----?Two beers and a Corellian brandy??
-----?Make that four brandies, pal, and we?ll get to it??

Another LOL! Great dialogue in this entire scene. I love the way you write the pilots, all quips and entendre.


And Shira sucking up to Leia?Grrrr


-----?[Leia] had Han ? she should be happy if Luke could find someone to care about too. Shira was one of the very best fighter pilots in the entire Alliance, she was well-liked by everybody, she was resourceful, pretty, had been rewarded for her courage in battle? and Leia didn?t like the woman one bit.-----

You go Leia ? work it out! Curious as to why exactly Brie would be choosing to subtly alienate Leia though?


-----He hurried out towards the corridor and the turbolift, cursing himself silently as he walked. Just as he ducked out of the mess hall he felt it again; that something, so uncannily, creepily familiar by now; like a cold breath on his neck. He spun around and stared back at the crowd behind him, but all he could see were people dancing and talking. No matter how he peered nothing suspicious presented itself.----

I loved this little cold blast of portent too, right in the middle of all the frivolity. Really nice touch, and very well observed. Gave me that same shiver.


Nice to see everyone (almost!) enjoying themselves for a little while, even if Luke does continually beat himself up over pretty much everything

Now I?m curious as to where you?re gonna take it, with mentions of some secret mission for the Rogues, and Luke aware that he?s putting of returning to Dagobah.

Fab More soon!

 

Great update, as always!

Oh, Artoo is too cute! *squee* Any chance for some Mara-Artoo interaction later on?

There's something very sincere going on here - Luke really does want to get to know Mara, and even when her attitude may sometimes throw him off, he still does his best to become acquainted with her, and I think it's this sincere desire to get to know her for who she is that differentiates the relationships between Luke and Mara, and Luke and Shira - the latter seems to be far more physically-based.

LOL! Mara has a great sense of humour, when she chooses to show it.

To be honest, I found Shira's words pretty harmless. But I guess that's the very point that Leia is making - that others don't see anything mean in Shira's words; that you need to be the recipient of her words in order to sense the hidden barb in them. Leia's definitely right to trust her feelings here!

Loved this bit! It's the little moments like these that will win Mara over, I tell you...

Wonderful descriptions of how everybody is observing the relationships between the people around them and trying to make sense of what they don't understand!

 

Thanks for PMing me!!

Excellent updates. I'm really into the story and can't wait for more. I am still struck by how well you write Luke--loved his farmboy blushing and the take on him that Mara overheard. She'll never meet anyone else like our Luke, will she? You also do a great job on Han's characterization.

Keep the PMs coming! Excellent updates!

 

Hey, you've got a great story going here, congrats! Please add me to the PM list, and keep the updates coming!

 

Just caught up...I'm really enjoying this story! You write Mara so well. Before I found this story I was thinking that it would be an interesting idea if Mara had joined up with Luke at Jabba's...great minds think alike! Let me know when there's more.

 

Jade_eyes ? [Hi! face_happy]
Leia on Shira - hehehe!!! Shira's a divisive, sneaky influence
Hey! Can you put a finger on her? Yet?

Loved the H/L having fun and no dull parts to their evening
Their first night out!

And Luke with Mara -- his caring for her flows so naturally -- he hasn't had a chance to realize she's "hot" yet LOL
Hmm, I think he might have realized it ? but you know Luke - he?s the master of repression.

And Mara's fighting her gratitude -- but he'll wear her down
Do I reveal too much of the plot if I say ?eventually.?


Hello Jedi_BMK

"Her eyes narrowed as she studied the redhead who was embracing first Skywalker, then his friends while sprinkling spry remarks. Quite the charmer, that one."

Is that the slightest hint of jealousy I see? Or just normal suspicion?
When it comes to Mara suspicion is always normal, isn?t it? And I wouldn?t exactly call it jealousy yet but maybe a very ligth shade of that same color specter.

Wes and Han. Both awesome in their own ways. They get such good lines.
Thanks! I love the Rogues ? but I certainly can?t write their lines everyday ? I need to get in the mood.

Normalize. Yes, all Jedi need to normalize. And I'm going to stop myself before I go on a rant and say very good point.
If (!) you can make yourself to hang on to this story to the bitter end you?ll get an idea of how I visioned the new Jedi order (after seeing Episode I, but before reading EU)

"He hurried out towards the corridor and the turbolift, cursing himself silently as he walked. Just as he ducked out of the mess hall he felt it again; that something, so uncannily, creepily familiar by now; like a cold breath on his neck. He spun around and stared back at the crowd behind him, but all he could see were people dancing and talking. No matter how he peered nothing suspicious presented itself."

Now what's going on here? I can come up with all sorts of theories. Guess I'll have to be patient.
I?ll give you a clue: something is going on.
And before I managed to edit it away by mistake, Luke had a similar sensation already in ch 1 ? and not for the first time.

"For a time Leia had suspected that she didn?t like Shira simply because she?d been jealous over Luke; after all she had always considered Luke as? well, hers, in a way. In a different way than Han, of course, but still. Close. A friend. A treasured friend. And she?d felt Shira was creating a rift between them and therefore disliked the woman.

Leia frowned. Could it be the reason why Luke held back? Did he feel that too? Maybe it wasn?t just Leia?s own imagination?"

Sounds like then Force is trying to tell them both something. Hopefully they learn to listen.
Heads: they do, tails?

Interesting interactions all around. It seems that everyone is still trying to figure out the relationship dynamics of everyone else. Looking forward to more, though I'm wondering, will Luke be going to visit Yoda sometime soon or will something need to happen to push him to return to Dagobah? Or will he be going at all? Not that you need to answer.
Everyone?s still busy trying to figure things out. Much will settle in the next couple of chapters but some of it will get completely new twists.
As for Yoda & Dagobah ? the way things are going Luke will find several excuses not to go, not just yet? I can reveal he will go ? eventually, but I won't say what follows.


blank! Hi there!

-----"The droid let out a desolate beep and rocked a little as if to comfort itself, then it turned on its socket and rolled away, continuously turning its dome back towards Skywalker as if to ensure he really didn?t need it anymore."-----

Aw, poor Artoo. I never thought of it that way before!
In a way, Artoo

 

Quagmire ? Chapter 9

Assimilation


?Very well, Miss Jade,? the Intel Officer announced, his snout pulling to the Rodian equivalent of a smile. ?Welcome to the Rebel Alliance. You?re hereby free to move anywhere you wish, except for restricted areas, of course.?

Mara smiled indulgently. The Rebel?s entry process had been about as difficult to navigate as an empty tarmac. She had prepared herself for a long series of difficulties during the interrogations, but her role as a refugee from various slums of the galaxy had gone in straighter than Skywalker?s proton torpedo into the Death Star. She couldn?t help wondering if the reason was an alarming amount of gullibility from the Alliance?s part or whether she herself simply played her role too well. Probably a bit of both.

She gathered the cups of herself and her interrogator from the table and looked around for a place to put them.

?You don?t have to do that, Miss,? the Rodian told her with an amused smile. ?We have droids for that.?

?Oh,? Mara mumbled, faking distraction. ?How silly of me??



* * *


Some hours later, Mara was off to her first shift on her new job as a maintenance mechanic for the B-wings. She?d used almost two hours and all her charm and persuasion to convince the staff manager ? a human male, fortunately - that she was the perfect for the job and had finally managed to convince him to overrule standard Alliance politics. A smile tugged Mara?s lips as she remembered his opening declaration: ?Newcomers never get assigned such major responsibilities as starfighters.? Of course it had helped her cause that able technicians willing to work for an outnumbered cause for no pay were in short supply, but Mara had an impressive resume to back her up. None of it was made up either ? she had actually undergone a nearly complete mechanics education some years ago as an undercover at the Verpine company Slayn & Korpil. Also, she had earlier worked both with their Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wings and V-19 Torrents on Nickel One. Since B-wings were a Slayn & Korpil product, she had easily been able to point out her qualifications for the job.

The best part ? and the reason she had insisted on the B-wing fighters ? was that Home One had over twenty work bays dispersed among two hangar apertures on portside, a large one to starboard, and the main hangar on the ship?s underbelly. The B-wings were kept in the main hangar, which so happened to be where the X-wings also docked. The Millennium Falcon was in the same hangar too. Mara would have regular access not only to her target but also to everything going on in the front line, and to sweeten the deal she could expect quick incorporation in the traditional information pipeline which it was the informally sworn duty of all shipboard mechanics to maintain.

As she crossed the main hangar, she spotted many curious and interested glances aimed her way from bypassers, pilots and techs alike, but she kept her face closed, pretending ignorance and heading straight to the Deck Officer.

?Private Jade reporting for duty, Lieutenant,? she announced, handling over her datacard.

The officer, a moustached man in his mid-forties, took in her appearance with ill-concealed surprise but was too professional to comment. As he read her datapad he pursed his lips and nodded slowly, then looked up and smiled. ?First day on the job, eh? You have a great confidence put on your shoulders from start. Usually newcomers never get assigned such major responsibilities as starfighters.?

Mara confined herself to a curt nod but the officer wasn?t completely convinced yet. ?Are you sure you can live up to that? We have easier tasks you could start with, perhaps some teamwork so you can learn to know a few people??

?I?m not here to socialize, Lieutenant.? Mara replied testily. ?I?m used to working hard, I?m not afraid of responsibilities and if I make a mistake I trust to be told that immediately without anybody sugar-coating it.?

The Officer tipped lightly on his feet, pursing his lip

 

Hello, kataja:

I'm going to start with the H/L stuff first -- wow!!!!!!! If words were explosives the whole complex would've been leveled

The Han/Luke interactions -- bravo on these!!! Intense and honest and full of banter by turns. You've really captured the "things have changed too fast!" component for both of them

Mara/Stubb -- LOL !!!! He's crushing isn't he?

Dantels sounds like a great source of info and a pal if Mara'll let her be one as opposed to Shira with her sneaky self

Deena -- if I didn't know your shipping tendencies, I'd have to wonder why you keep sending all these wannabe love interests Luke's way Rather muddying up the waters isn't it? And you know Mara and Luke -- this'll only just make them more oblivious than usual

 

?I?m not here to socialize, Lieutenant.? Mara replied testily. ?I?m used to working hard, I?m not afraid of responsibilities and if I make a mistake I trust to be told that immediately without anybody sugar-coating it.?

Hahaha, I love bitchy Mara.

Suddenly she felt a familiar tingling between her shoulder blades. Quickly she looked up, but the feeling was gone almost in the same instant. Someone was looking straight at her, though ? a russet haired, vivacious-looking woman clad in pilot?s orange. Mara remembered her. It was the same redhead who had greeted Skywalker at their arrival and who he?d been dancing closely with at the party. The eyes of the two women locked for an instant, then Orange smiled slightly and bent her head in a light greeting, like a senior employee gracefully greeting a new colleague. Mara nodded politely and returned to her work but could feel her stomach knotting for a long while after that.

She knew exactly the meaning of that icy feeling in her back. It had been her danger sense warning her of hostile intent.

Iiiiiiinteresting. Seems like Leia and Mara will have something to unite over!

Nobody else deserved to join him in his personal hell.

This is a really good characterization of Luke. Even if Leia hadn't turned out to be Luke's sister, I would not have wanted him to get the girl--he had way too much stuff going on to be thrust into a romance at that time.

?And you were there to comfort her, no doubt?? Han jeered. ?Well, isn?t that conven ? ?

Then he silenced and stared dumbfounded at his friend. Luke had punched him, hard, on his chin.

Luckily it took more than that to knock the Corellian out. ?What was that for?? Solo sounded genuinely surprised.

HA! Han needed a good punching. Good for Luke!

After a long silence Solo opened his mouth. ?I guess you?re right, kid.? His voice was quiet and the words came reluctantly. ?I don?t know why I?m acting like a first class Huttslime here? It just seems so??

?Hard to catch up?? Luke suggested softly.

Han nodded. ?Yeah. I feel like I?ve been away for a lifetime. I mean, last thing I remember, Leia and me were almost enemies sometimes. And Lando, he turned me in; now he?s back to being my buddy again, and I?m even supposed to trust him, right? Hell, even the war ain?t the same. Last thing I knew your fleet was squirreled away all over the galaxy and now they?ve got it all together for some stupid heroic scheme. And you?re different too, Luke. When I left you were just a kid ? admittedly, a pretty spunky one, and a good pilot and stuff. And ok, you?d started to get a grip of things, turning Commander and so, but still, just a kid. Now you?re?? He shook his head. ?I don?t know what you are anymore.?

I always thought about this during ROTJ. Obviously Solo got some sort of briefing before the Sail Barge, or else he would have let Lando fall into the Sarlacc pit! But I can only imagine how weird it had to be to try to catch up with everyone.

Dantels grinned wickedly in sudden mutual understanding. ?Tell you what; you take nice care of my ship, and I?ll tell you who?s hot and who?s not. We girls might as well help each other, right??

?Right,? Mara agreed. ?I?ll keep that in mind.?

I really liked this part. It's good to see Mara actually making a female "friend"!


I wonder what else Luke will find out about the Jedi...and when he finally gets back to Dagobah!

I almost wish the post-ROTJ EU had been written after the prequels...then we could have gotten more of an insight into Luke learning about the Old Republic Jedi and all that when he was actually setting up the Jedi Academy. And before I prequels I always had the impression that the Clone Wars happened earlier, so a lot of the leaders of the Rebellion should have been able to tell Luke information about the Jedi. It's nice to see Mon Mothma acting in this role in this story. Imagine how much Luke could have learned from Bail!

 

I just found this and have zipped through it today. I am really enjoying this story and can't wait for more. Would you please add me to your PM list. Thank you.

 

This is such an excellent story!! I've been following it over on fanfiction.net so I haven't left any reviews over here yet , but I wanted to tell you here too that I'm enjoying your brilliant work. Eagerly looking forward to the next part!

 

Mara would have regular access not only to her target but also to everything going on in the front line, and to sweeten the deal she could expect quick incorporation in the traditional information pipeline which it was the informally sworn duty of all shipboard mechanics to maintain.

Oh, she's good. She's very good.


This also meant she shouldn?t be too generous with her smiles; and accordingly she was already establishing herself as the reserved type, confident by experience that her looks would keep the men on hook until she had use for them and turned on her charm.

That's just mean for her to toy with the men like that.


She knew exactly the meaning of that icy feeling in her back. It had been her danger sense warning her of hostile intent.

Bah! Don't tease me like that!


There it was - the reason he couldn?t, just couldn?t date Shira or anyone else right now. These questions were too heavy on his mind, too important, for him to be able to engage deeply in anything else. Luke closed his eyes. He was, no matter what the truth turned out to be, entangled in lies, whether Ben?s or Vader?s ? he didn?t need to risk more of them; didn?t want anyone else to get involved.

The self-sacrificing Luke Skywalker makes an appearance. He always makes things so difficult. Though under the circumstances, that may be a good thing.


Solo stubbornly kept his gleeful expression, throwing glances at Leia by his side. She rose her eyebrows in disapproval, but it only provoked Han to plunge in deeper. ?Well,? he drawled, bobbing his eyebrows and slinging his arm around Leia, ?sleep really didn?t have a whole lot to do with it, but well, that?s for sure...?

Leia straightened her spine. When she spoke her voice was low and laced with ice. ?I would appreciate if you could maintain even some morsels of discretion, Captain Solo. We happen to be in a public room.?

Han should no better. Too much talk like that will get him cut off.


Then he silenced and stared dumbfounded at his friend. Luke had punched him, hard, on his chin.

Didn't see that one coming.


Imperial Intelligence, she decided, must simply have gotten this one wrong. She could sense his state of mind clearer than she?d ever sensed anyone else. She?d expected a ruthless criminal, but everything she?d observed snorted at this suggestion. Luke Skywalker wasn?t a ruthless criminal ? he was an errant idealist.

Imperial Intelligence got it wrong or perhaps the Emperor lied... Of course, I don't think she's ready for that alternative quite yet.


Nice chat between Luke and Han. It looks like Han is getting back into the swing of things after his unthawing.

Good work as always. Looking forward to more.

 

Wonderful post, kataja! There are so many little lines here and there that I love, and the overall description of Mara's first day at work is such a joy to read!

Oh, Stubb's really lucky that all he got from Mara was a raise of her eyebrows. Three different people saying the same annoying thing in a single day - even I would be annoyed!

Hm, I wonder whether Leia and Mara will find out at some time that they both have the same bad vibes about Shira? It'll definitely help reassure Leia that she's isn't just imagining something out of nothing!

You're nowhere close to the truth, Luke. Though, if it'll keep him safe(r) for now, I don't mind him having the wrong reasons for not wanting to get involved in a romantic relationship for now.

Han is indeed a bit of a moron to doubt Leia. I'm not one for physical violence, but in this case, he really did deserve a good wake-up call!

Glad to see Mara making a female friend. Dantels sounds like a fairly interesting character - will we get to see more of her in later chapters?

Looking very much forward to seeing Mara assimilate further into the Alliance!

 

----- Mara would have regular access not only to her target but also to everything going on in the front line, and to sweeten the deal she could expect quick incorporation in the traditional information pipeline which it was the informally sworn duty of all shipboard mechanics to maintain.-----

LOL! I had ?Radio ?Tech? in one of my viggies too! Why do we all think that ?techs are gossips?



-----Too old. He?s too old. Yoda had claimed that too, and finally Luke was starting to understand his assertion. How did you change twenty-four years of bad habits? For some time Luke had tried to comfort himself that his many years of warfare had at least taught him to control his fears, but as time ticked by, even this consolation was melting away. While he was pretty able to control his fear in battle, this present dread was a whole new species; crippling his initiative, laming him and rendering him passive for the first time of his life. It was cold, sneaking, faceless?-----

Really liked this point, as I?d never considered it before It really puts Yoda?s comment into perspective, which is great.



-----Luke closed his eyes. He was, no matter what the truth turned out to be, entangled in lies, whether Ben?s or Vader?s ? he didn?t need to risk more of them; didn?t want anyone else to get involved.-----

Also great reasoning, very logical and very Luke?unwilling to pull others into something this serious.



-----?Hey, hey! I can walk, you know,? Han grumbled as he and Luke not only left the Mess but the main corridor as well.-----

Really made me LOL, that one! So perfectly Han, halfway between indignant and assertive



----- Imperial Intelligence, she decided, must simply have gotten this one wrong. She could sense his state of mind clearer than she?d ever sensed anyone else. She?d expected a ruthless criminal, but everything she?d observed snorted at this suggestion. Luke Skywalker wasn?t a ruthless criminal ? he was an errant idealist.-----

Ah! And so Mara?s view of Skywalker begins to change?



----- ?You know, kid, you got a hell of a left jab when you hit like you mean it.? He massaged his jaw.
-----Luke grinned. That was about as sentimental a comment as you could expect from Han.-----

LOL!



----- Turning her back to Stubbs? disappointed face, Mara went happily back to work on the converter. She?d always been better at killing people than socializing with them, anyway. As all of them were eventually going to find out.-----

Now that, is a great finishing line?

 

Hi Jade_eyes!
H/L stuff first -- wow!!!!!!! If words were explosives the whole complex would've been leveled Thanks! I loved their banter in ESB and still think that was their finest hour. So while they're a couple in this story I wanted to take advantage that they were still a new couple!

The Han/Luke interactions -- bravo on these!!! Intense and honest and full of banter by turns. You've really captured the "things have changed too fast!" component for both of them Thank you! I hope so, cause it's time to move on...

Mara/Stubb -- LOL !!!! He's crushing isn't he?
Oh yes.

Dantels sounds like a great source of info and a pal if Mara'll let her be one as opposed to Shira with her sneaky self
If Mara - and me - let her be one. But I like Dantels too.

Deena -- if I didn't know your shipping tendencies, I'd have to wonder why you keep sending all these wannabe love interests Luke's way Rather muddying up the waters isn't it?Muddying waters? Who? Me? Just you wait...



JediMara77 Hi
Hahaha, I love bitchy Mara.
Me to!

HA! Han needed a good punching. Good for Luke!
LOL I thought so too. And Han would get the hint.

always thought about this during ROTJ. Obviously Solo got some sort of briefing before the Sail Barge, or else he would have let Lando fall into the Sarlacc pit! But I can only imagine how weird it had to be to try to catch up with everyone.
I think Han got a briefing from Chewie in the dungeon. But I always felt he'd have more to 'catch up with' than was shown in the film. There's some more in the novelization but that only spurred me to dive deeper.

I almost wish the post-ROTJ EU had been written after the prequels...then we could have gotten more of an insight into Luke learning about the Old Republic Jedi and all that when he was actually setting up the Jedi Academy. And before I prequels I always had the impression that the Clone Wars happened earlier, so a lot of the leaders of the Rebellion should have been able to tell Luke information about the Jedi. It's nice to see Mon Mothma acting in this role in this story. Imagine how much Luke could have learned from Bail!
So much of SW would have been a smaller mess if it had been written in the "right" order! And most important of all - then George would surely be interested in my favourite heroes now instead of concentrating on their parent's generation


Jade_Pilot
Hi and welcome! I'm thrilled you like it!
And you're on the PM list now.


dancing_star
Aww thanks! I'm so glad you're enjoying it!


Hi Jedi_BMK
Mara would have regular access not only to her target but also to everything going on in the front line, and to sweeten the deal she could expect quick incorporation in the traditional information pipeline which it was the informally sworn duty of all shipboard mechanics to maintain.

Oh, she's good. She's very good.
LOL, thanks. To be honest I'm always deadly nervous to sort of write "professional" stuff 'cos it's so corny of you get it wrong. Glad it worked!

This also meant she shouldn?t be too generous with her smiles; and accordingly she was already establishing herself as the reserved type, confident by experience that her looks would keep the men on hook until she had use for them and turned on her charm.

That's just mean for her to toy with the men like that.
Hey - she's professional!

The self-sacrificing Luke Skywalker makes an appearance. He always makes things so difficult. Though under the circumstances, that may be a good thing.
He does - he really does. And I think it is. Only - it can be misused...

Imperial Intelligence, she decided, must simply have gotten this one wrong. She

 

Quagmire ? Chapter 10


Deena[/b]


Thanks to their adjacent hangars, Mara found herself running into Skywalker about every day. Every time he stopped to say hello, often tailed by that chirping astromech droid of his. Their chats were rather short and pretty impersonal, but that suited her fine, both on an emotional and professional level, and she did her best to stay neutral, holding her tongue pretty much in check now. As long as they spoke regularly, she was making progress she knew; nothing was as dulling as routine. The more Skywalker got used to seeing her around, the more naturally he would take it when she needed to come closer. At some point she should take him up on his offer of help, but she wasn?t in a hurry ? that big-brother attitude of his didn?t need encouraging. If she didn?t give it time to settle he?d probably take to piggy-backing her around the ship once a day.

About a week into her new job she was standing with her head buried in the interior of her fifth fighter that day when the Jedi wandered past.

?Hello, Mara.? Well-behaved as always. Today, however, there was a certain glee to him that was new, a feeling of expectation.

?Skywalker,? she nodded. It once again struck her how easily she could sense his mind. Why was that?

He peered into her engine hatch. ?That?s the JZ-5, isn?t it? Neera let me take a look at her B-Wing once, but that one had a Quadex Kyromaster.?

?Yes. I prefer these,? Mara replied. ?But then, that?s probably because I?m more familiar with Slayn & Korpil products.?

He nodded, eyes on the engines and Mara deducted by his lack of response that he already knew about her background. Probably he?d read her Intel file ? that?s what she would have done, had she?d been in his shoes and brought a stranger to a secret base. Deciding this was a perfect moment to try to expand on their acquaintance a little, she reached out for her thermocup and was just about to ask Skywalker about his mechanical experiences when he pulled his attention away, turning it towards an Action VI transport a bit further down the hangar.

Mara bit back the question and followed his gaze. She had noted the ship when it landed some moments ago, but having her hands more than full with her work she hadn?t paid it any attention. In retrospect, when she?d been busy congratulating herself for landing this job with her spectacular skills of persuasion, she hadn?t realized just how enormous the lack of able mechanics was in the Alliance. In fact, everything lacked enormously in the Alliance. Stubb had told her that there was a shortage of everything in turns; mechs, ships and pilots. Not because there were too few, really, but because everything came in bursts; usually there was a lack of ships and pilots, but since there recently had been a huge boost on that front, there now was a shortage of mechanics.

Which told her that the Rebel Alliance was likely assembling its fleet and preparing something grand, probably a large-scale assault, Her Master doubtless knew about it already, but she would report to him nontheless.

Skywalker glanced back at Mara. ?Well, I heard the DO singing your praises yesterday, so don?t worry about any lack of experience ? you?re doing well.? He nodded towards the bulk freighter. ?You?ll excuse me??

?Of course.?

The Jedi continued towards the transport ship and Mara took a sip from her cup, following him closely from the corner of her eye. She had more or less given up her efforts to make this unassuming young man correspond with the callous terrorist she?d originally expected. But to her confusion, he didn?t even fit with the confident warrior who had stood alone against superior numbers in Jabba?s palace. Far from self-assertive, he seemed almost reticent. His leadership must be based on skills and ability to inspire confidence, not authoritativeness. On Home One Skywalker didn?t even dress like a Jedi but had changed his black outfit permanently to standard beige fatigues.

Mara actually had to admit that she

 

Mara's defenses are crumbling despite herself around Luke She is touched by his loyalty and shrinks from him calling her honest ...

I love that about Luke that he doesn't want to flit from lady to lady like some crazed insect seeking nectar. There should be something besides ignore them or marry them LOL like a romance like Han has and Wedge will get tired of the batching life when he meets the right lady I have no doubt.

Deena is rather ... talkative, which can be annoying or fun depending on the mood.

 

If she didn?t give it time to settle he?d probably take to piggy-backing her around the ship once a day.

Now that's a funny mental image!


The Jedi continued towards the transport ship and Mara took a sip from her cup, following him closely from the corner of her eye. She had more or less given up her efforts to make this unassuming young man correspond with the callous terrorist she?d originally expected. But to her confusion, he didn?t even fit with the confident warrior who had stood alone against superior numbers in Jabba?s palace. Far from self-assertive, he seemed almost reticent. His leadership must be based on skills and ability to inspire confidence, not authoritativeness. On Home One Skywalker didn?t even dress like a Jedi but had changed his black outfit permanently to standard beige fatigues.

Staying away from dressed in black all the time, cocky Jedi, are we? Good. Very, very good. That version of Luke can test my sanity.


And it wasn?t exactly a threat either - more a chilling, uncanny feeling of being watched, like a waiting, calculating mind closing in on him.

I see bad things happening in the future. Bad things are going to happen, aren't they?


?Wes claimed that Mara was twice as red haired, twice as green eyed, and twice as stuck-up as Shira.?

Mara's only twice what Shira is? Wes is going to get killed if Mara ever hears that.


?Your own mission?? He lifted a quirky eyebrow. ?Since when did you get suicidal??

Since he got pulled onto the first Death Star by a tractor beam?


Deena looked surprised. ?I forgot to tell you? I?m a supply officer. So I?m sure we?ll see each other around quite a lot.?

?I guess so,? Mara mumbled reluctantly.

Well. It could be worse.

Whenever I see that line, I prepare for it to get worse.


Nice interactions all around. Good to see Mara getting in some way closer to some others. It could make all the difference later.

Also looking forward to all of these missions that are getting planned in the background. Keep up the good work!

 

Love Luke's danger sense and reaction to Shira. I can't wait to see what happens there!


Also love the interactions between Luke and Wedge. They are BFFs forever!

 

The overfriendly persons like Deena can be VERY annoying, especially if you're not in the best mood. How can someone you know about 5 minutes tell you the whole story of his/her life?

Mara's reflections and Luke/Wedge interactions are wonderful. Looking forward to more.))

 

Yaay, new chapter!


----- In fact, everything lacked enormously in the Alliance. Stubb had told her that there was a shortage of everything in turns; mechs, ships and pilots. Not because there were too few, really, but because everything came in bursts; usually there was a lack of ships and pilots, but since there recently had been a huge boost on that front, there now was a shortage of mechanics.-----

You know I just love this kind of detail Background stuff like this make stories come alive, for me. I don't think it's ever superficial, it's the fleshing out of the story.



-----?Hi!? Deena Shan reached out an eager hand. She was a tad chubby, with merry, slightly keyed-up blue eyes, a plump mouth formed into a determined smile, and blonde hair in a state of furious opposition with the semi-long cut it had been forced into.-----

I love this description ? especially ?blonde hair in a state of furious opposition with the semi-long cut it had been forced into.?



----- Shrugging away her wave of discomfort, Mara glanced over her shoulder and saw the small party just about to leave the hangar. Suddenly Skywalker started, stiffening. He turned about, glancing warily around him, his stance close to battle alert. For a moment he looked straight at Mara and she could sense a frown shadow his face. Then his expression changed completely again and he broke into a sheepish grin and winked, his gesture changing to something between the self-conscious and the flirtatious. Mara scowled for a few seconds, at complete loss for a proper response. Then she realized that he wasn?t looking at her at all, but behind her. Turning, she saw Shira Brie a few meters away-----

Aha! So it?s Shira and not Mara who?s firing Skywalker?s danger sense? As Mara says, interesting? And great to lead us all on until the very last moment, there


------ However, the abnormalities in Luke had been growing lately, a slow but steady change from ?almost normal? to ?strikingly strange.?-----

liked that a lot


Like Piper, I?m really enjoying Luke and Wedge?s little talks, which are so very casual and easy. They come over as great friends, which is just perfect.

And of course, I?m enjoying this slow build-up to missions?did I read something about an Imperial shuttle?


Looking forward to more, Kataja

 

Hurray, another chapter!

You know, I'm glad that Mara is being forced to analyse Luke from scratch, forgetting about what she's been told by Imperial Intelligence or her first impression of Luke at Jabba's palace. While first impressions often last long, they can also be misleading, especially if one goes in with an inaccurate image of the person they're going to meet. Being forced to reanalyse Luke will definitely help the two in getting along later on.

You know, at this point, I was thinking, Criminal record? What criminal record? Clearly, I have a different view of things from Imperial Intelligence.

Oh, Mara temporarily put on the spot by this compliment-of-sorts from Luke! I wonder if this will have a conscious effect on Mara's interaction with the Alliance.

Hm, why do I sense neither girl will be happy to hear this?

I really loved this paragraph. Indeed, I've met such people whose views on life are influenced far more by their personal experience than what they've been taught or read about from other sources, and although I may disagree with some of their views, I nevertheless always feel that I gain a lot from listening to their life stories; that there is some sort of mettle about them that I wish I had.

Great update, and looking forward to seeing what will pass between Mara and Deena in future chapters!