7 ABY

Why is it no one in their kriffing family is attracted to ordinary human beings? Is it so hard for men to meet a waitress or farmer in a market, ask her out for drinks and get married 2-3 years later? If so she thanks the Force for being female. Her brother can deny it from Lothal to Corellia but he's painfully in love with this...this woman, this Mara Jade. Luke is many things: an exemplary pilot, a brilliant military commander, a good shot, a loving friend and brother but he's no swindler; all his lies are see-through. Luke doesn't love partially, he cares too much for his own good. That's why she has to keep an eye on him, she won't lose him to Padawan Jade like she lost their birth mother to Vader. He insists that her tutelage is strictly platonic. Luke hasn't said how they met but R2- D2 tells her everything. The old astromech droid recorded their training sessions, documents her every move. From the looks of it her brother's a chaste teacher, his most "sensual" touch so far consists of hugging his student. Even then it was to calm her down during a panic attack too real for acting ( especially since it was caused by C3P0)*. He's strict but not unneccesarily demanding. The New Jedi will thrive under his careful leadership. By the end of the month she's confused. Miss Imperial femme fatale is undoubtedly a trained seductress but she makes no effort to spellbind Luke. In fact Mara's the one captivated by Luke's dorky mannerisms. What is she waiting for?

Lately Artoo's documentation is lacking. The old boy's either malfunctioning or hiding something from her. That droid didn't breakdown after Dagobah, so he won't conk out from a little spying. She bypasses his programming to get the information. At first glance, the images are harmless. Luke leading his apprentice into a room, the apprentice by herself in the same room smiling more sofly than Leia thought possible. It's not until she hears " I've never held a baby before, not even a dead one. I hope they're all as nice as you Ben" that she connects the dots. What follows is an argument with every member of her family. Luke has grown distant from her since she refused to train in the Jedi arts (If she had foreseen Palpatine's pet project , then she would have accepted). It only got worse after she's started working in the Senate. Despite everything, Luke is still a dreamer. Fantasies are fine every blue moon but they wont wipe the tears away. She expected her brother to be fooled by her craft, she didn't expect her husband to follow.Han knew, he knew Luke brought a Sith minion near their son and didnt tell her! Instead of apologizing for the reckless endangerment of their son her husband scoffs. "Tell me your worshipfulness when was the last time you entered Ben's nursery cause I see Red (He's got a pet name for Jade now, seriously) there almost every day!'' She freezes at his words: Leia hasn't visited as much as she wanted. Her position in the New Republic is highly demanded at best & time-draining at worst. Was she really naïve enough to think the galaxy would fall into place after they won the war? That she and Han could just sail away on the Falcon & live happily ever after ?

They ended one phase of the war only to wage another. Its not like she's relaxing at the spa for crying out loud! Their task to protect and serve the galaxy hasn't ended. Her son will understand the cost of liberty when he's older, once he starts showing an interest in work she'll bring him along. Just like her father( her real father, not the sperm donor Luke talks to excitedly) did after he taught her to walk in his office. She doesn't mind the price for a strong Republic where the next generation can live in peace. Still it wouldn't hurt to interact with Luke's Padawan from time to time, she supposes, for her brother's sake. Leia invites her to tea, Mara arrives with Ben in her arms. A peace offering, her way of saying "Trust me". He's grown since she last saw him. Tentatively, he sends her his joy using a power she'd hoped to spare him from. Leia smiles at him, inwardly she's terrified & damning the Skywalker gene pool. Ben might not see her conflict but Mara does. She makes sure Ben is having too much fun to notice. After they've tucked him to bed Leia jokingly asks if there'll be a Ben Skywalker in the not so distant future cause her Ben will feel honored if that happens. Jade kisses Ben's forehead, feels his dark curls and politely requests to be excused. She recognizes the mournful gleam in her eyes. Han's friend Maz Kanata ( who may or may not be Chewie's girlfriend) believes you can see the same eyes in different people. She's seen Mara's gaze in the women forcefully sterilized by the Empire in prison. On the sobbing mothers cradling their burnt children's corpse. To her Ben isn't a tool for the dark side, he's the only child she will ever have. Palpatine was her Vader, only she had no Bail Organa to guard her cradle at night. As a consequence the Emperor used her to his shriveled heart's delight. If someone put her on death row Luke would be the only one to vouch for her innocence ( though Han is getting there). Artoo is relieved of spying duty, Leia finds a friend, Ben gets a babysitter. She asks the redhead an honest opinion regarding her brother. Her answer is not what she expected(she says: Luke is the only fairytale I've ever heard that turned better in the face of reality).They seem idyllic together, her son and future sister in-law (stop being so selfless Luke, just this once think of yourself and marry the girl). Mara's the one who introduces Ben to his best friend (Poe, Moe? The name escapes her)* who insists they're going to fight bad guys together. According to Han's recounting of their make-believe stage, the kids have it all figured out: Ben will be Anakin Skywalker, Ben's friend will be Captain Rex, he'll be Obiwan Kenobi and Mara will be Ahsoka Tano. (She prays they don't share the fate of said heroes). At year's end strangers compliment Mara on what a beautiful boy she has, Ben doesn't correct them. She thinks he didn't hear them, he's barely three years old. Her son loves her, she's his mom and he wouldn't have it any other way.

(She's proven wrong years later when the Solo family finds out Mara Jade Skywalker died because Ben runs towards his father in the middle of the night screaming "Mommy's dead!" and keeps screaming that awful sentence long after Han wakes her up to prove she's fine.)

27 ABY

The Knights of Ren storm Ilum for kiber crystals. Kylo Ren stands at the front of his men. When resistance troops arrive to analyze the damage they find the face of every Jedi mutilated with the exception of Anakin Skywalker and Mara Jade. Seeing her face intact gives her hope that Ben is not completely gone.Vader comes to her (why can't he just leave her alone) to comfort his only daughter. She doesn't need his damned support, she doesn't want it. He has taken everything from her: Her birth mother and innocence through his actions, her homeworld through his arsenal, her son through his cursed legacy. Her husband and brother have fled from her life. Han was sick of politics, sick of hypocrisy, sick of preaching to the air. The chances of him returning are the same as Mara coming back from the dead. Luke Skywalker is her only hope (and so history repeats itself), she has to get him back, needs him to believe again. The galaxy depends on it. Not training in the force has come back to bite her in the ass. The Senate proclaims her a warmongering hag. She has fought all her life to bring others freedom, in turn she has received deaf ears to the call for equity. The New Republic has rejected the chance to aid their own salvation. Her child is lost in the shroud of the dark side. Briefly she imagines her sister in law telling Ben "cut the sith garbage and come home before I beat the crap out of you". The saddest part of it is that she didn't lose Ben when he turned away from the light. She lost him the day she chose duty over love, the bleeding crowds over her wounds, long before he was even born. When a little girl sitting on her father's lap was asked "whom will you love most my darling?" & answered "Alderaan, the jewel of the galaxy and the Republic for which we engage in our honorable fight". Alderaan is dust, the Republic is a time bomb. The fight is all she truly has left. Leia does what Bail Organa raised her to do: she soldiers on.

Oh Mara, what would you do in my stead?

Notes:

* Poor Mara confused our beloved Goldenrod with (000) Triple-Zero, a droid specialized in etiquette, customs, translation and torture (mostly torture). That droid made General Grievous look emotionally stable with its penchant for torturing and exterminating people indiscriminately.
*Yes, The Force Awakens Poe Dameron, tragic isn't it.
* A lot of people doing "How Ben Solo turned to the Dark Side" stories paint Han Solo as a distant, uncaring parent who never had time for his son. I disagree, if OT canon is anything to go by Leia would be the one to set her kid aside for "the greater good".
a) In Darth Vader Down #1 Princess Leia knowingly put Luke in danger for a chance to terminate Darth Vader. Luke was able to land Vader by ramming his X-Wing into Vader's TIE fighter. As a result Leia sent a squadron to hunt down Vader but requested no rescue party for Luke. When Han confronted her about this she answered "Luke would understand, this is a priority". Solo quipped back "Nice to know where your priorities lie. If you'll excuse me Your Majesty-ness, some of us have friends to save". Captain Solo took the Falcon and flew up with Chewie to save Luke.
b) Leia sent Han to save her son instead of going herself. That sounds pretty sketchy in my opinion.
Hands out tin cup:
Comments please?