Part 4

Corran Horn could feel the pressure in his mind gaining weight the closer he got to the Wilde Karrde. Strong echoes of something his senses couldn't define whirled around through the Force. He couldn't help but wonder how long Mara's barriers could hold in such power.

He didn't know what to expect when he entered Karrde's office. Corran certainly hadn't expected to find Mirax behind the desk, greeting him with an ironic wave, then finger to her lips. She was still tipsy, using her foot to swivel the seat back and forth. His mind briefly ventured to Booster, and how much the old smuggler would enjoy the image of his daughter in Karrde's big chair.

Karrde himself was mid-sentence, standing firmly but not imposingly in front of Mara on the couch. "—of course I could wait for the morning news, but I'd rather hear the real story from you, instead of Calibop gossip from all corners of the HoloNet!"

Mara stared up at her boss with weary looking eyes. "I'd rather you hear it from me, too," she said, her almost imploring voice strong and clear. "But I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Do you think you'll want to talk about it when the press's warped version of whatever happened at that party hits the feeds? You'll clam up more than ever!" Karrde was beside himself. He was an information smuggler; knowledge was his life-force. Ordinarily he kept his curiosity in line and out of his employee's personal lives, but the prospect of never knowing what troubled his friend left him entirely exasperated.

Almost anxiously he watched Mara shake her head, her fingers moving up to her scalp, further disrupting an already loose braid.

"I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

"I don't need help, I need to think…" Mara insisted, and Corran knew she was wrong. She may not want help, but she did need it, just like anybody else.

"Or perhaps you'd like to shout some more?" Karrde countered, probably referring to the 'all men can go to Kessel' insult ordinarily so unlike Mara.

She seemed about to retort, but with a pained look, Mara released the breath she'd been holding and let her arms fall limply against her legs. "I'm sorry, that was out of line," she muttered.

"It's also not important if there's a real problem here," Karrde reminded her. "But, whatever Skywalker did can't be that bad. As far as I've heard he hasn't turned Sith, or dented your ship. And surely he didn't kill the Emperor again?"

Corran winced at the spark of rage he felt through the Force as Mara sprang to her feet, green eyes blazing as she glared down the taller man. Over the years she'd developed a precarious sense of humor about her past, but was in no mood to hear a joke about it now, even if there wasn't any judgment in the words. He could feel Karrde's instant regret, and hoped the furious woman felt it too. The Master Trader usually always said the right thing, but a certain redhead had set a lot of people out of sorts tonight.

"Luke asked her out," Corran heard himself explain just as Mara opened her mouth to shout. She and Karrde whirled round to stare at him, although Corran highly doubted he'd gone unnoticed by both before that moment.

"What do you mean, 'out'?" Karrde's eyebrows furrowed. "Like on a date, that kind of out?"

Mara's immediate blush raced down her face and disappeared under her already red tunic. She dropped back onto the couch with a plop and he had his answer. At the end of the room, Mirax smothered a giggle in her hand.

Karrde looked from Mara to the woman in his chair and back around again to Corran—who could only shrug and try to reign in his smugness.

"That's what this is all about?" Karrde could barely believe it. The corners of his lips were twitching, and he seemed ready to laugh but smartly held back. "That's all? This fit is because Skywalker wants a date?"

Corran started to reply but was quickly cut off.

"That is not all and you know it, CorSec!" Mara spat. Her hands were clenched as if someone might come at her. "I'll be Kesseled if it's that simple."

Karrde sent the Jedi pilot a stern, expectant look. "I told you before that I wanted to hear the whole story," he reminded them both.

At the prospect of explaining her night, Mara's exhaustion visibly took over. She wilted, flopping backward, fingers on her forehead. "I can't do this now," she groaned desperately. "I need to think…I just need to think."

"You need to sleep, is what it looks like," Karrde observed, sobering slightly.

"I agree," Mirax chimed in. She pulled herself up from the chair and quickly crossed the room. "Let's just get home, the press isn't going to find you at our place." Mara gave the woman a guarded stare, but she continued unfazed. "You know someone would find you at a hotel. You use our guest room, I promise you'll have total privacy."

"You don't have to—"

"Mara, Luke's social life is tabloid gold," Corran joined in, appealing to the trader's sense of logic. "We'd all feel better knowing you were someplace the press can't reach."

There was something molten in the woman's green eyes, but he wasn't insulted by it. While Mara never minded aid in a firefight, offers of emotional help still provoked confusion and gut reactions. But her judgment was sound, and the flames soon cooled.

Mara nodded. "Thank you," she mumbled reluctantly, and followed Mirax out of the office to the waiting speeder.

The men watched them leave. There was a moment of silence before Karrde finally allowed the chuckle he'd been holding in to escape. Grinning, he shook his head. "So Skywalker really asked her out?" he marveled aloud as he reclaimed his desk chair. "I wish I'd seen that. Must have been quite a show."

Corran couldn't help but match the grin. "You have no idea."

---

Lando's living room was as large as the Solo's, but the furnishings (while expensive) were of a more general taste. A few pieces of artwork adorned the walls, but since spaces like this were often reserved for foreign dignitaries on extended stays, there was a lot of room for personalization a former smuggler wouldn't bother with.

Han made himself comfortable on the arc-shaped settee, his feet finding the caff table automatically. "So, what did you tell those reporters?"

"Nothing…yet," Lando replied, opening the bottle of Corellian. He set glasses on the table and took a seat across from the settee. "You know how I hate bad press…and this press seems to think I know something. I figured I'd find out what it is I'm supposed to know before I make any statements."

"Good plan."

"I agree—so, pal," Lando leaned back in his chair, sabacc smile on his face. "Tell me: why are Coruscant's biggest gossips filling my machine with questions about Mara Jade?"

Han's arms spread outward in a wide shrug. "I haven't the slightest idea."

"Oh?" Lando took a swig of his drink, face contorting with approval. "Then I guess you don't know why there's even more messages asking for my account of 'the events' at Ye'Wavon's party?"

"Not a clue," Han continued smoothly. "We left early. Can't imagine what 'events' I could have missed."

"Now that's the thing," Lando was still smirking, but began talking in earnest now. "Because I have six messages from four Net channels and two periodicals, all of them asking about 'the events'. They all used those words, and nobody's been more specific."

"Don't you hate it when people aren't specific?"

"Very funny, now listen." The darker man leaned forward. "I was at that party, spent an hour making a very good deal with Ye'Wavon, and when we look up all the guests are in a buzz about something. I tried—believe me I did—but I couldn't get the same story out of any two people. The only thing everyone agreed on was that Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker had some kind of conversation, and it ended with them both swept off in opposite directions."

"So you're saying those reporters are calling you for information? You don't think anyone really knows what happened?"

"I think you know what happened," Lando replied, pinning his friend with his dark eyes. "So, let's get down to business, hmm?"

Han was silent for a long beat, his best gambling face holding tightly. He took a long drink, regarding his old friend thoughtfully before finally speaking. "Mara Jade," he said. "How serious about her are you?"

"That's a hot topic tonight," Lando replied, nodding toward his comm station.

"I'm sure, but answer the question."

The other man flashed a nostalgic smile Han recognized from a long time ago, when they'd shared a colorful past full of colorful women. "Mara Jade is the complete package," Lando stated. "Gorgeous, nose for business, and in no need of coddling."

"But?" Han prompted. He knew Lando's routine, and highly doubted it would work on the former assassin.

"But nothing, we get along. I'm laying the groundwork."

"You hate laying groundwork," Han reminded him. "I'm actually surprised you haven't given up already. So, being completely honest now—where are you two?"

Exhaling loudly, Lando leaned back in his seat. "We get along great, but only when we're talking trade," he admitted, looking only a little disgruntled. "Beyond that, she's a fortress. High walls…but what can I say, I like a challenge."

"I've got a challenge to suggest," replied Han, his eyes serious. "Actually, it's more like a favor: back off her."

Lando looked genuinely surprised. "As a favor to you?"

"To Luke."

---

Luke Skywalker, subject of so much conversation that night, sat still in his room. Tucked away in the Force, immersed within the life-giving mix of peace and activity, he was almost impossible to sense, yet everywhere at once.

Mara Jade, rushing through traffic in the Horn family speeder a district away, felt for his presence. Her half-trained mind moved stiffly as she worked the edges of his mental shields. Carefully, as if on tip-toe, her spirit brushed against his. She was quick and light, unsure of how close she could get without breaking his trance; she didn't want Luke to know she was checking up on him.

The graze on his mind was ineffective; she still didn't know what kinds of thoughts were going through his thick, Farmboy head. Mara hadn't really expected results anyway. She knew that her cautious scan would have no effect on a Jedi Master, for she had to work around her own shields in addition to his. A bolder approach was impossible for the moment; Corran would sense what she was doing immediately.

Mara wasn't quite sure what to make of Luke's intense meditation. On the one hand, it was nice to see Skywalker reacting to life in a way that wouldn't get him killed. On the other hand… 'He's hiding from me.'

NO—Mara chastised herself for the thought. Luke was no coward. She'd wished for him to think before he acted, perhaps he was doing just that: thinking.

Thinking!

Force, she'd told Karrde she needed to think, but all Mara really wanted was to break free of the Horn family speeder and find a private place to turn off her brain until everything blew over. Nothing could really change, could it? Skywalker would meditate until Alderaan grew back if he had to, just to find some excuse to ignore his feelings—he always found reasons to overlook himself in his quest to save the Galaxy, and as for Mara…

Mara knew that, emotionally speaking, she'd come a long way since her days as the Emperor's Hand. She'd opened up enough to allow friends, and even went so far as to hold them at arm's length instead of blasterpoint. Significant progress, enough to keep her satisfied. She didn't know how to go any further. If Luke was seriously willing to let her into his walled up heart, Mara just didn't know how to return the favor.

And Luke's friendship was too important to loose. A relationship was impossible, her emotional ignorance would doom it from the start, and failure was…was it immanent? How could they remain friends after this?

'I'm the one hiding from him,' she realized, leaning her throbbing head against the speeder window. 'I failed without even making a move'.

Something flamed inside her chest as she mulled this over. A bitterness she had not tasted in a while, but still remembered well, fell over her tongue as she burned with self reproach. 'I sound like I'm giving up without a fight! Sithspawned Skywalker! I'm not even me anymore, I'll show you…'

What? Show him what? Mara fumbled for an answer, but came up blank.

The speeder stopped. She was faintly aware of Corran's droid, Whistler, greeting the group as they piled out. Her weary body seemed to sense that a bed was close, and overpowered her befuddled brain with signals of exhaustion. Mara was grateful for this; her mind began to clear on its own, leaving just enough room to think about the welcoming prospect of sleep. One thought, however, did manage to escape the purge, and would not be ignored:

'He's in love with me…'

---

"He's in love with her?" Lando repeated Han's words. He waited for the feeling of surprise, but what little there had been faded fast. His dropped jaw recovered and easily found a knowing smirk. "I guess that means Luke's finally decided to return to the land of the living—but for Mara?"

Han shrugged, a hint of smirk on his lips. His business face. "It's really not that shocking. I mean, she's done it before."

"Done what?"

"Get him back to normal—well, normal's kind of a stretch for Luke, but you know how he gets," Han's brows furrowed, he waved a palm to the air at his side in a sweeping gesture. "In those moods of his. He was in one of them when Leia was pregnant. Said old Kenobi told him he was the 'first of the new Jedi' or something like that and he got his robes in a twist worrying about being a teacher.

"Then Mara shows up, points a blaster in his face, and suddenly you can't get him off the teaching idea. I guess turning the Emperor's Hand around boosted his confidence or something, I don't know. Point is, she seems to inspire him."

"Well she is inspiring, I'll give him that," Lando smiled, memory taking him back to Jabba's palace. He'd seen many dancing girls over the years, but few struck such a chord that he could pick them out five years later.

"Yeah, but you know Luke. It's not all about the sex."

"Ah Luke," Lando chuckled, reclining back in his chair. "Can't say I understand him half the time, but he's a good guy, so I don't question those Jedi morals...or farmkid morals, wherever it comes from."

He rubbed his mustache thoughtfully, replaying Han's story in his mind. "But I really should congratulate him. I've gotten Jade all sorts of irritated, but I never managed speechless," he snickered, trying to picture it. As much as Lando admired Mara, she'd rejected him many times, and he'd seen her reject many other men as well, never at a loss for sarcasm. It was pretty damn amusing to picture her fumbling for words. Fumbling over shrimp. "Of course, I never made her choke on her food, either."

The somewhat serious face Han had managed immediately fell at the memory of the party, and he joined his friend in a long laugh. They raised their glasses and made a toast to fumbling Jedi.

"And speaking of Jedi," Lando prompted, "I've gotta know—Leia. How's she handling this?"

Han barely managed to keep his whisky in his mouth as a new wave of laughter came over him. "How's she handling her brother blurting psychic 'I love you's to a former Imperial?" He held off a snicker long enough to take another swallow of his drink. "Not too bad, actually."

"Really? I wasn't sure she liked Mara," Lando responded, absently rubbing his chin as he spoke. The other man was still snickering.

It took another half minute before Han could straighten his face enough to elaborate. "Mara doesn't really bother her. I mean, they aren't gal-pals or anything, but what really got her going was Luke."

"What did Luke do wrong?"

"He didn't tell her he liked Mara that way," Han explained, shrugging his shoulders. "Apparently it's insulting not to tell your sister who you're in love with. It denies her the chance to meddle—I mean, 'give advice'."

Lando chuckled again and shook his head. "So what'd she do to him?"

"As soon as we got Luke back to our place she sat him down in a chair and tried to get him to talk," Han answered. "And…well the poor kid managed to really surprise himself. Seemed to take a while for everything to sink in and when it did he…well I'll say it, the guy panicked. Leia's hurt feelings weren't helping him any so I managed to get her to leave the room. Told her charming women was the Corellian department and I promised we'd fix it."

"Bet she loved that."

"Of course not, but Leia knows she's not gonna get much out of Luke until this Mara thing comes to some kind of resolution. So, she's waiting her turn to talk, trying to help him get this all settled…" Han leaned over and refilled his glass, eyeing the darker man carefully before continuing. "Which is where you come in."

Lando immediately grew wary again. "Me? Leia's going to come after me now? What for?"

"Luke wants Mara Jade, and you want her too."

"So? You of all people should know I don't mind a healthy competition," Lando pointed out. He and Han had fought over plenty of conquests, with no harm to their friendship in the end. Of course, that kind of competition might not sit as well with Luke… "What, Luke's not worried he hurt my feelings or anything, is he?"

"He is, actually, but I told him you were fine. It's really Leia you should worry about."

"But why Leia?"

Ah, and there it was. The trademark Han Solo grin. The 'I know something you don't know, so I'm going to dangle it over you ceaselessly' grin that came out on dangerous occasions, particularly when the Falcon was involved.

"Allow me to explain my wife's thought process," Han began, looking just a hair too smug. "Luke isn't just a war hero, he's her hero. But he hasn't been a very happy hero, and she does not like this one bit. Making Luke happy has kind of been her cause since the Rebellion ended, but with the kids and the Senate and Luke turning into a hermit…well, she was low on ideas. Now Luke's picked something that can make him happy, and Leia is in full blown Sister-Mode. That means whatever Luke wants, Luke gets, if she has any say in it."

"And I'll be in big trouble if I get in the way?" Lando's brow arched as he took the hint.

Han gave a wide shrug and leaned back into the settee. "Hey pal, if Jade means that much to you, I won't tell ya to stop chasing. I just thought you deserved a warning, that's all."

"That's very sporting of you."

Han pretended to take melodramatic offense, hand to his chest. "Why does everybody doubt my manners?"

Lando settled into his chair, the last of the whiskey in his glass, more thoughtful now than ever. He began mulling over his plans for the future, financially and romantically—two categories that often intermixed. He wondered: how did Mara Jade fit in.

---

A few floors away in his own apartment, Luke's meditation struggled under similar questions. How did he and Mara Jade fit together? Could they fit? Could he ask her to try? Finally, after what felt like an eternity of wading his mind through the Force of people and lights, Luke felt something in the current respond.

A feather-light touch, a breeze upon his senses. It tasted familiar and new, sounded almost like a voice. It appeared as a Tatooinne sunset, red and gold.

When he reached out, whatever it had been seemed to slip away, but as it did he felt a door open. Finally, his trance gained ground. Visions passed before his eyes and with them came peace, came action, came answers.

---

to be continued in part 5