"Captain Ardiff."

"Yes, sir?"

Admiral Pellaeon paused a moment before continuing.

"It is obvious that standard search techniques have not been successful, and I have a feeling that we are running out of time. One thing Grand Admiral Thrawn taught me was that, if at first you don't succeed, change your tactics. If the modifications to the sensor array proposed by Ensign Redkin will work, then go ahead. We need to find those clones."

"Yes, sir."

As she made her way back to her cabin, Shada D'ukal, pondered the life she'd lived the past year. Since Karrde had removed the death mark imposed by the Eleven, she had slowly come to terms with her exile from Emberlene. To her surprise, it had not been a difficult task. Any illusions Shada had had regarding her days as a Mistryl Shadow Guard had been swept away by Jorj Car'das' revelations regarding the true cause of Emberlene's misfortunes. And the Elder's words of scorn — Tell me again how low a Mistryl can sink — had banished any loyalty Shada might have still retained.

What she could not understand was why her break from her former comrades had not been as hard to accept as she had anticipated. The crew had been solicitous of her and she was sure it had been Mara's influence. But that did not explain the continued welcome she got from the crew even after Mara had left. At first, Shada was certain she would be blamed for Mara's departure, but that had been a foolish thought. She quickly realized that Mara had been correct when she called Karrde's organization "not your usual bunch of smugglers." Hard nosed, abrasive and generally prickly, the crew of the Wilde Karrde made Mazzic's seem like a bunch of amateurs. Off duty, they would rather spend their time in the local tapcafs, but when Karrde called, they were the most professional crew she had ever seen.

Determined to prove herself worthy, Shada had found that the crew accorded her the respect she craved, and did so with no strings attached. They valued her for being Shada D'ukal, member of the crew, and not for who she had been or where she came from. It was a refreshing change from the attitude of Mazzic's crew, who saw her sometimes as little better than a glorified floozy, dependent on Mazzic's goodwill for her keep. It was only when the Eleven had chosen to sacrifice Mazzic did she realize how important honor had become to her.

And yet …

She knew there was more to it than that. It all came down to Karrde. The more she thought about him, the more confused she became. He frustrated her with his calm demeanor and unflappable attitude. He never seemed to worry. His sardonic wit got under her skin at times, but she quickly realized that humor was Karrde's way of dealing with strong emotions. His self-deprecating manner masked a steely determination to succeed.

And yet …

That still wasn't it. Back in her cabin, Shada allowed herself a quiet sigh. This was a night for truths. He may have fooled the rest of his crew, but Shada's training quickly saw through his subterfuge. Karrde was worried. And a worried Karrde was not something she had come to expect.

And yet …

That still wasn't it. In her heart of hearts, when no one was around, Shada would quickly admit that she was fascinated by Karrde. The cynic in her had told Shada that Karrde would seek some sort of payback for his actions on the Relentless, but true to his reputation, he did not. Inexplicably, Shada had been insulted by his respectful conduct. Even after she had willingly joined his crew, he maintained a professional, albeit caring relationship with her. But over the past few months, Shada had detected a subtle change. He cares for me, she thought to herself. And the distressing part was that Shada found herself caring for Karrde. Well, of course you'd care for him, she told herself. He's the captain. He cares about the entire crew, and it's only natural to care back when someone cares about you.

And yet …

Luke paused as Mara turned away from the viewscreen.

"Is that exactly what she said, Mara? 'Look to the center'? Try to remember. It might be important."

"Luke," Mara replied in exasperation, "I don't even know if it's a 'she'. I assume so based on Wedge's conversation, but I have no way of knowing."

"I understand, but I think there's a hidden meaning in the message. I know this may sound crazy, but when you spoke the phrase just now, I thought I heard an echo, like a crystal resonating slightly out of phase. I think it may be because those aren't the precise words."

Mara frowned as she considered Luke's request. What had the message said? Try as she could, the exact words eluded her.

"This is crazy, Luke. It's like a memory that fades as soon as you try to catch it, like an image seen by your mind's eye. I just can't seem to recall the exact words. And that's not like me. It's almost as if someone planted a compulsion that makes me forget as soon as I try to concentrate. To do that requires considerable skills in the Force."

Neither spoke as they pondered the import of Mara's words. It was Luke who broke the silence.

"No, Mara, I don't think so. I would have felt something like that through our bond. But maybe the Force can help us. Try and relax and let me see if I can pull the message from your mind. Besides, it will be nice for a change not to hear you yell 'stay out of my mind, Skywalker'. Mara ... why are you blushing?"

Luke's teasing tone succeeded in lightening the sombre mood affecting Mara.

"Listen, Farmboy, there are some parts of my mind that are off-limits to you, no matter how important it is to learn the truth. And don't let me catch you messing with them, understand?"

Luke grinned. The message may have been stern, but the mood behind it was playful, and suffused with love and gratitude.

"Don't worry Mara, this won't hurt a bit."

Luke's comments were met with a rather sharp retort.

Right. Why is it that somehow I'm not feeling reassured?

Luke said nothing, but he sent a wave of support through their Force-bond.

"C'mon Mara. Just relax and concentrate on where you were and what you were doing when the message was received."

"I'm trying to, Luke, but I just can't seem to clear my mind enough for us to be able to 'hear' the original message."

"Maybe if you meditated?"

"I dunno, Luke. Maybe we should wait till we get together with Corran and Wedge. After all, what's another hour or so?"