"Air
Control, I don't have a landing permit-"
"Unidentified
ship, you cannot land without a permit."
"Control,"
Mara scowled "I can get permission but it would mean waking the
Chief of State up."
"President Gaviscom is away on a
diplomatic-"
"Not Gaviscom." Mara resisted the
urge to throttle the comm "He's your acting COS,
President Leia Organa Solo is much less tolerant of small officials
who wake her up at unearthly hours." Mara whipped the shuttle
into the row of traffic circling the palace.
"Unidentified
ship," Mara scowled in distaste at the name, ever since she'd
lost the Fire she'd been flying random ships that came
into her possession, usually with Luke by her side. "You do not
have clearance- "
For a minute she was tempted to reach
out and the give the official a little nudge through the Force. Mara
grinned to herself as she thought about the disapproving look Luke's
face if she did just that. Before she could wipe the grin of her face
and concentrate, there was a crackling on the comm and suddenly a
strange voice followed by a sorely missed one filled her pickup.
Lieutenant, let the shuttle land.
That was the
strange voice, probably a senior officer stood behind her landing
official. He questioned the other man's authority on letting an
unknown shuttle land without a permit or transponder, but was cut
short by the slightly anxious voice of his superior. As she was
wondering what was happening, Luke's voice filled the pickup and
a soppy grin spread across her face, making her glad the transmission
wasn't on holo.
"Lieutenant, I authorise that
shuttle to land." Mara's sloppy grin got wider as she
imagined the officer's face as he recognised Luke Skywalker.
"The authorisation code is-"
The lieutenant
cut him off, which she had to admit, must have been a gutsy thing to
do.
"Sir, that isn't necessary." He said, even
as a green light flashed on Mara's readout, giving her clearance
to land.
"I'm glad." Luke offered, and Mara
couldn't keep quite any longer
"Go easy on him,
Luke. I'm sure he would have let me land eventually." There
was just a touch of menace in her voice when she said it and the
lieutenant heard it.
"Uh yes, ma'am."
Mara stifled a laugh. "Docking bay 117, Luke," she
said.
"Meet you there."
From the background
the stranger spoke up again, "Sir, shall I register that ship to
Mara Jade Skywalker?"
"No, leave it as it is,"
Luke's voice retreated from the comm and she pictured him
retreating to the control room door. It occurred to her to ask him
how he had known where she was but he was already out of the
pickup.
The lieutenant started a spool of apologies but Mara
gently told him it was all right and headed down to her docking
space, noticing how the nice officer had given her one near the
lifts.
---
Luke was waiting for her when she
reached the lift and she melted into his embrace. She held tight to
him as he kept his hand around her waist and they moved towards his
apartment on the capital world. She reached a hand up to her red-gold
hair, undoing the braid and letting it fall around her shoulders. As
they walked down the corridors, people smiled at the newly married
couple, nodding in greeting to them. She didn't know any of them
and barely recognised but a few, but everyone no longer saw her as
the smuggler Mara Jade but as the Jedi Mara Jade Skywalker, also the
wife of Luke Skywalker.
They entered the apartment and Mara
flopped down into the sofa (she had insisted Luke get some
comfortable furniture and get rid of the minimalist style he'd
had previously) and Luke wandered slowly over to the kitchen
area.
"Drink?"
She savoured the sound of his
voice, watching him walk as the lights through golden highlights
across his hair.
"Mmmm.I think..."
"Hot
chocolate?" He grinned at her as she nodded. She never did get
tired of that smile. He finished making the hot drinks as she got up
and changed out of her flight suit. When she came out of the bedroom
combing her hair she found him staring blankly out of the window. She
came up and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hey, you
awake?"
"Yeah, I was just thinking"
"You
know that's bad for you." She quipped but didn't see
as smile flicker at the corners of his mouth. "What's
wrong?" she asked, edging herself between the window and him and
staring up into his thoughtful eyes.
He stared blankly at her
for a moment and then shook his head, moving back to the sofa. He sat
down heavily and she perched herself next to him.
"I was
justthinking." He said again, trying to make it an
explanation. Mara shook he head not understanding.
Suddenly he
gazed up at her and smiled "How did we miss it?" He
asked.
"Luke, your plotting a course I'm not
following."
"After Slastare. At that mining colony.
How did we miss it?"
"Miss what?"
"Us?"
She
looked at him then and leaned back into the sofa. " Ever heard
the expression cant see the wood for the trees'??"
He
laughed lightly but she knew that wasn't the answer.
"But
that's not it is it? Why bring up the ssi-ruuk again?" He
winced when she mentioned the invasion, some three years ago. Almost
to the day, she realised.
"Is that it? The
ssi-ruuk?"
He shuffled uncomfortably. "I got a call
today."
When he didn't say any more she prompted him
"Who from?"
He sighed deeply, placing the mug onto
one of the small tables, "One of the inhabitants of
Slastare."
She bristled slightly "Luke, listen to
me, what happened-"
He shook his head "Mara, you
don't understand." He looked up at her and she could see
the confusion in his eyes "She thanked me."
Mara
sat for a moment, thinking. "Why wouldn't she? You helped
get rid of the ssi-ruuk from their planet."
"I
brought them there you mean."
"Luke-"
"No,
it's alright. I didn't really I mean that, it just. Well, I
suppose it brought up old feelings," he said.
She moved
closer and tucked a strand of hair back from his eyes. "Good,
because it's not bad to think about these things. So long as you
don't give the past too much control on the present, and the
future. Because there is a future you know. There's us, and
there's the Jedi and maybe more?"
He looked up
at her and a sly grin crossed her face "Maybe?"
"We
wouldn't be talking about children here would we?"
"I
just dropped Jaina off on Malistare and" she shifted in
her seat.
Luke grinned at her "Mara Jade? Broody?!?"
She punched him playfully in the ribs. "Well, yeah. Were
not as young as-" she cut off mid sentence, gasping as a sudden
rushing sound filled her ears. Before she could speak, the world
began to black out around her. Luke was quick, catching her before
she had a chance to fall. She could feel the soft fabric of his top
against her cheek, but could hear or see nothing.
Luke shook
her gently, driving down panic. He knew she was still conscious, and
gently reached out with the Force. She came awake with a gasp, but
didn't move in his arms.
"Mara?" He asked
tensely.
"Luke? What happened?"
"I was
hoping you were going to tell me." She levered herself up from
his arms and leaned back into the sofa.
"I felt like
I don't know. So weak." Her voice was faint but strong.
He stood up and offered her a hand to lever herself up with.
She gave him a confused look, and stood without his help. He placed a
hand around her waist and guided her towards the door.
"Where
are we going?" She asked suspiciously.
"Medical
centre." He said, his voice firm. He knew her well enough to
know her aversion to being sheltered. She seemed about to protest but
instead just followed him.
"You might be right."
She said.
Luke stopped and turned to stare at her, surprised
by her agreement. "Mara?" He asked, maybe more worried than
he had been when she'd fainted.
"I don't
know."
Abhoration and the Alternative
By: Mina1
Warning! VERY old story, not well written. Leaving it here for posterity! A diplomatic mission for Luke, Han and Leia is plunged into grief as an old threat returns to finish what it began. Think of this as the sequel to Truce at Bakura.
Rated: Fiction K - English - Chapters: 9 - Words: 142,020 - Reviews: 85 - Favs: 40 - Follows: 2 - Updated: May 10, 2001 - Published: Aug 1, 2000 - Status: Complete - id: 51244
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