Kessel Run Week Three Challenge: The official challenge is drabbles (stories that are exactly 100 words), and I hate writing drabbles, so I'm using the challenge's get out of jail free prompt this week instead, which is "write a story between 300 and 1,000 words in the format of a letter. It can be a thank you letter, a love letter, a letter-to-the-editor, a request for funding… any type of letter, for any reason, by any character. The entire story should be written as the letter, without any additional narrative framing."

Dear Mom (Mara Jade, mentioned Jade family OCs, 1-2 years post-Renewal)

Dear Mom,

Just letting you know that the trip Luke has been wanting to take is suddenly on. He found some indications of a promising former Jedi presence on Alsakan, and since neither of us had any standing obligations this month—none that couldn't be blown off, anyway, but don't let on to anyone that we took it quite that lightly if the subject comes up; we were diplomatic about getting out of the existing few—we've decided that now is a good time to go check it out. We only finalized the last details about an hour ago and we're leaving before dawn tomorrow, which is why I'm not calling you. No sense in waking you up just to say I'll be out of touch for a couple of weeks.

Which brings up another issue: we thought that as long as we were clearing the whole month's schedule, we'd come by to see you when we were done instead of heading straight back to Coruscant. I know we didn't plan this as efficiently as we could have, to check in about your own schedules and see if a visit would work for you, but we figured the worst case scenario was that we'd stay in the ship instead of the house if you were too busy, and see as much of you as we could. Even if that was the case, we'd still get to spend some time with you, and stay away from Coruscant a little longer. After all, if we're here, people assume we're available. And that we have nothing better to do than whatever petty little thing they think is appropriate to tag Jedi for.

I know, that last part sounds really arrogant. But we're trying to build this whole thing from the ground up, with only Leia (occasionally) for help. The old Jedi Order had thousands of masters and knights and apprentices; we only have the three of us. We kind of need to concentrate on it, and hardly anyone seems to appreciate that.

Anyway, we could use the time off, and Coruscant is getting old at the moment, and we miss you.

And I'm pretty sure you'll insist on us staying at the house no matter what you have going on. But really, Mom, we can stay on the ship if it's easier for you. Don't feel obligated to put your own life on hold for us.

Oh, and can you tell Nico that Leia absolutely adores the Alderaanian landscape sketch that he sent? It arrived just yesterday, and she cried over it so much that we started to be worried, but once she got past the crying she said it looked exactly like a mountain clearing her family used to visit for picnics when they could get the time off, and that she would have traded the Falcon for that reminder of home. (Han even let that remark slide, which tells you how much Leia was crying over the art.) She's going to frame it and hang it in their bedroom, and she wants to commission some more pieces from Nico if he's interested. She's going to offer a price Nico will feel obligated to refuse, I know she is, but tell him that his art is worth every credit, and it means the galaxy to Leia. She was so touched that he'd even thought to give her the sketch in the first place.

Luke just walked by and asked if I was writing you; he sends his love to the whole family. As sincerely thrilled as he always is for all of us that we found each other, sometimes I think he's almost as thrilled to have more adopted family for himself. He misses his aunt and uncle every day, and I doubt he'll ever stop mourning the loss of what might have been with his biological parents, and I'm pretty sure he sees you and Dad as surrogate parents now. I suppose you already know that. You pick up on the emotional stuff in relationships so well that if I didn't know better I would think you were Force-sensitive. As scary as that is sometimes, to have someone read me so well, it's kind of a comfort, too. I never had anyone who understood me like that before Luke, and you and Daddy.

I wonder every day how I could ever get so lucky as to have all of you in my life. I know I don't really deserve it. And I know that all of you would argue otherwise—I do know that, Mommy. You don't have to tell me again, really. But my life is so much better with you in it, and Daddy, and Nico and Corissa and Luke, and even if I'm not always good at saying it, I want you to know it.

I have to get going; we're having a late dinner at Leia's, then we need to finish packing. I'll comm you when we're on our way to Contruum. We're going to try to hurry the actual business along as much as possible so that we have more time with you all. Give my love to everyone, and we'll see you soon.

I love you, Mommy.

Mara