Author's note: Sorry this post was so long in coming, but I was having trouble getting onto the website for some reason. Also, the Earth names in Chapter 29 belong to my best friend (Lanari is actually her creation), my sister, and my brother-in-law, the latter two of whom are in graduate school in Indiana. I know it kind of pulls you out of the GFFA, but just relax and go with the flow.
Chapter Twenty-eight: The Restaurant
The trial began with the prosecution presenting their arguments. In point of fact, however, they had little to present in the way of evidence. Luke had been so stealthy that none of the surveillance cameras had recorded his presence. As he had worn gloves, he had left no fingerprints. Actually, there was not a shred of physical evidence linking him to the crime. All the prosecution had was Luke's own well-publicized confession.
This dearth of evidence, however, did not prevent them from making a lengthy case. Their chief testimony came in the form of character witnesses, presenting their highly biased opinions about Luke's lack of moral character. The prosecution had managed to dig up every person in the galaxy who had ever held a grudge against Luke Skywalker, including several Old Order Knights who were perfectly content to avail themselves of the publicity.
Throughout the trial, the prosecution team demonstrated tremendous incompetence. Perhaps they thought the verdict was such a foregone conclusion that they felt no need to work hard in behalf of their case. They had reason to believe so. Due to the media coverage, everyone on the planet was able to follow each day of the trial, and opinion polls consistently showed that the public had already decided on Luke's guilt.
All of this negative testimony quickly wore down Luke's spirit. He grew tired of his confinement to the estate in Endirion. Although the grounds were lovely, he longed to move around, to get out and see the city, to do anything other than sit around with the same people discussing the trial. Finally one evening he declared his intention to go out to eat for dinner.
"You're crazy, kid," Han protested in astonishment. "There's hordes of people waiting out there. They'll lynch you."
Luke resolutely set his jaw. "Well, they deserve their shot."
"That's ridiculous," scolded Han, wagging a finger in Luke's face. "You're staying here, and that's that."
Luke sighed. "Han, this trial could go on forever. You can't tell me you'll really last staying cooped up in here all that time."
Hesitating, Han said, "Well..."
"Sooner or later we will have to go out, if only to keep us all from going stir crazy. And since I'm starting to go nuts already, now seems like as good a time as any."
Han couldn't really come up with an effective counter-argument, especially since he was growing restless himself. So he, Chewie and Anath decided to join Luke and Mara in what he was sure would be an unpleasant adventure. They were further accompanied by four bodyguards, two of them Jedi, and two from Republic Security Forces.
But finding a place to eat proved difficult after all. Over and over, they would attempt to enter a restaurant only to be met by indignant patrons who refused them admittance. A crowd soon gathered behind them, expressing their disapproval with dark looks and grumblings and taking a perverse glee in seeing Luke constantly humiliated. Anath was the only one who even tried to remain upbeat. Han complained loudly that he wanted to give up on the whole affair, and Mara stalked silently alongside, a tightly wound coil just waiting to snap at the slightest provocation. But Luke ignored them, apparently willing to endure the ire of the entire population of Endirion.
They were working their way down the streets near their house, stopping at each restaurant in succession. They no longer even bothered considering what kind of food they wanted. Their only criterion now was simply to be allowed admittance. They entered a small, homey establishment and waited in the entry way. The woman who showed guests to their seats took one look at Luke and stammered, "One moment please." She ducked quickly through a swinging door into the kitchen, but since the kitchen opened out onto the dining area, they could hear every word she said.
"It's that man!" she whispered furiously to another woman, middle-aged and stout, who evidently headed the kitchen. "He actually wants to eat here. The nerve!"
The cook wiped her hands on her apron and glanced over the counter to where Luke and the others were waiting. "Well, they've got to eat somewhere, don't they?"
"Maybe so, but not here!"
With another glance at them, the cook positioned herself with her back to them and lowered her voice, but Luke's Force-sensitive ears could still hear. "Look at all those people out on the street. They'll probably come in and watch. Could be good business."
"Good business!" the other whispered furiously. "Bad publicity, you mean. It'll ruin our reputation if we let him in here."
"Oh, I doubt that. People always like something famous, they don't care whether its notoriety or not."
The cook turned and pushed through the door, as the other woman urged, "Come back here." But the cook ignored her as she approached Luke.
He began, "Eight restaurants have refused us so far..."
She raised her eyebrows. "All nine of you want to sit together? We can push some tables together in the center of the room. Or I can give you a couple of booths in the back for a little privacy."
It took a moment before the words finely registered. "The booths would be fine," he stammered.
Grabbing a handful of menus, the cook said, "Follow me, please."
The entire waitstaff and kitchen staff came out to watch as she led them to the back of the dining area. Dinner guests paused with their forks halfway to their lips in astonishment at the sight. The crowd outside tentatively followed them into the restaurant and several of them took seats so they could watch.
When they had settled into two of the booths, the cook passed out the menus. She glanced back at her partner and the waitstaff, gesturing for someone to come and take the orders, but her partner shook her head furiously, and the waitstaff stood frozen in place. The cook shrugged and looked back at Luke. "Looks like I'll be taking your order."
Still shocked to have been admitted, Luke belatedly stammered, "Thank you."
"Look, let's get one thing straight," the cook said. "I loved Dimi Akeeno. We all did." Her gaze flipped quickly to Mara. "But I'd do anything to protect my wife, too."
Luke let her words sink in. He glanced back at the woman who hadn't wanted to admit them. "Is that her?"
The cook smiled. "She's a little excitable, but she's a good person. She'll come around."
Luke rather doubted it, but he smiled, "I understand."
The cook took their orders, then returned to the crowd of staff watching from the kitchen. "Why don't some of you lazy slops take the orders from the rest of our newcomers?" she rebuked, jabbing her thumb toward all the onlookers who were rapidly filling the restaurant. The waitstaff jumped to do her bidding, as her wife's eyes narrowed in disapproval.
"I can't believe you let him in here, Lani!" she moaned.
"He has to eat somewhere, Nima. And look at how this place has filled up. We never get so much business."
"What were you talking to him about?"
Lani only smiled. "I was just recommending dishes to him."
Nima's attention focused on the dining room. "Well, he's causing problems again, just look."
Lani glanced over the counter and saw a handful of indignant people standing near Skywalker's table. She stormed out of the kitchen and approached them in consternation. "Hey, all our customers are allowed to dine here in peace!" she rebuked.
"But such customers," someone sneered.
She folded her arms across her plump chest. "It doesn't matter. Now, please return to your own table. If you've got something to say to him, you can wait until he's done eating."
Reluctantly the other customers obeyed and order was restored to the dining room. Lani glared disapprovingly around at the faces of everyone gathered in the restaurant, until it was clear they understood the rules. Then without a glance at Luke, she returned to the kitchen.
Luke and his party remained silent, painfully aware of the number of eyes upon them, but their audience kept their distance, and when the food arrived they began to relax and talk quietly among themselves.
Luke had spent the last few months either in prison or under virtual house arrest, so to be enjoying something as simple as a meal in a retaurant, even under such hostile conditions, came as a welcome relief him. After all, he was accustomed to being under scrutiny. But he did want to be seen. It was part of what he felt he owed the Pamylasians. When they had finished their meal and Lani brought them their check, Luke thanked her again for her hospitality.
"You're welcome," she replied, "and feel free to come again anytime."
Luke cocked his head. "Do you really mean that?"
"Yes, I do," she stated firmly.
"I suppose I have brought in a lot of business for you."
Lani laughed. "That you have, and I appreciate it. But as I said before, I know you were only trying to protect the one you love, and I don't see what's wrong with that. Not many restaurants may want your business, but you are welcome here. Even Nima is starting to come around."
Luke was still skeptical, but he did not contradict. "I appreciate your intervening when we were trying to eat, but I'm willing to talk to people now, with your permission."
Lani frowned. "If you really want to talk to them, that's your business. Just so long as you don't start a riot."
"If it gets ugly, I promise we'll take it outside."
She nodded, then stepped back into a corner to watch what happened.
"Luke," Han warned under his breath. "Have you forgotten you're in the middle of a trial?"
"Of course not. But there's nothing I haven't said already."
He turned back to face the room, and Mara kicked Han under the table. "Just give it up. It's his way." Han moaned, certain that only disaster could follow.
Luke sat facing the room, his expression blank and open, frankly returning the stares the restaurant's other patrons were casting at him. Most of them turned away when he met their gaze, but a few of them did not. Luke waited patiently, and at last one person came forward. She did not emanate hostility so much as grief. "Why did you do it?" she asked.
Luke paused, then answered gently, "I know you've all read the transcript of my Jedi examination. I already explained what happened."
She did not answer. All of them had indeed read the transcript. They seemed to want some answer beyond the truth, and that Luke could never give them. She spoke again. "Did you truly respect Dimi?"
A wave of deep regret threatened to overwhelm Luke. How could anyone truly offer comfort to people grieving so deeply? Least of all him? "Yes, I did," he avowed. "I am truly sorry for your loss."
"Are you really sorry?" another man grumbled. "Or just sorry you got caught?"
Luke met the angry gaze with composure. "I didn't get caught. I turned myself in."
The man's eyes widened in surprise, then he looked down.
Luke could feel the mood in the room shifting, the complex interplay of intense motions pulling at each other like tidal waves. No one was ready to forgive him, but he was not at all what they had expected. They wanted him to be the villain, the heartless murderer they had all painted him to be. But this calm, saddened man before them forced them to re-examine their need for vengeance.
For several minutes, Luke waited, but no one spoke again. There was nothing really to be said on either side. For now it was enough merely to be in the same room together and recognize each other as living, grieving beings. When it was clear no one had anything more to say, Luke stood up, and his party silently joined him as he left the restaurant and went home.
Over the next few weeks, Luke returned many times to eat at the restaurant. Word spread quickly, and Nima and Lani were soon doing a booming business as people gathered nightly in the restaurant in the hope that Luke would put in an appearance. Each time he came he was allowed to eat in peace. After the meal he spent a few minutes talking to the crowd and then left. There were never too many questions. All the important questions had long been asked. But it was a contact, a way for people to connect with the man who had altered their lives so drastically.
The media of course soon got wind of the visits to the restaurant, but Lani dutifully kept the cameras from entering. Luke likewise refused to speak if any reporters were in the crowd, and with so many Jedi senses acting in surveillance, no reporter was ever able to sneak in. They could only wait in the street and interview the crowds, who were increasingly temperate in their views on Skywalker.
Since Luke did not come every night, some people grew tired of waiting. They began to write letters, expressing what they could not say out loud to his face. Lani encouraged this informal postal exchange, placing a box next to the cash register so people could leave their letters in safety. Luke faithfully collected them, but no one in his entourage would allow him to read them unedited, concerned as they were for his morale. His Jedi companions would take the letters home and review them, placing them in three piles: hostile, supportive, and other. The hostile pile was by far the largest, consisting mainly of people venting their spleen. After all, an outrageous injustice had been done, and Luke was still the only person on whom they could vent their anger.
The neutral pile was composed of people expressing their hopes and griefs, even addressing some letters to the departed Dimi herself. These were the letters that asked the hard questions about what the future held for Pamylasia, about what Luke owed to cleaning up the mess he had made -- many of them the very questions Luke had asked himself. When he made replies to any letters in his conversations in the restaurant, it was usually to letters that came from this pile.
Finally the smallest pile was of those expressing support for Luke. Small as it was, though, the numbers were significant, and they grew each day. Letters from people who knew another unidentified force was at work behind the murder, letters that knew Luke was as much a victim as Akeeno, letters that feared his trial was a diversion from what was really going on.
And through it all, Luke began to recover a sense of himself, for if this dialogue was not the work of the Jedi, then what was? Even the hostile letters strengthened him, for they helped him understand what had happened to the people and what was needed to right the wrong. And it is always better to face accusations head-on rather than to know people are muttering behind one's back and be unable to respond.
It would be a long time before the wounds caused by Akeeno's death would be healed, but at least they had made a start.
Chapter Twenty-nine: The Trap Is Sprung
It took the Jedi a few days to establish themselves on Courkrus. Lanari and Corran would be the contacts, and Idi Athar served as backup, never seen with them but always discreetly nearby to keep an eye on them.
Lanari found herself easily returning to the role of pirate. Despite the seriousness of their task she enjoyed the environment with its egos, excesses, and intrigue, the polar opposite of the Jedi life. If only Mara Jade could have been with her instead of Corran. The longer they stayed on Courkrus, the shorter his temper grew. The planet brought back memories of his old role, too.
Through careful and quiet inquiry, Lanari and Corran let it be known that they wanted to meet with the Eriadu Brigands. Each time they appeared in any of the local pubs, they knew they were being sized up by the Brigands, but they had not as yet met any of them. But Lanari remembered well how the game was played, and she thought it likely that tonight they would make contact. If so, then tonight they would also tip their hand.
According to their information, the Mynock's Nest was a favorite hangout of the Brigands. The place served decent food and copious amounts of alcoholic libations suited for any species of palate. Unlike many of the other pubs on Courkrus, they did not have regular gaming tables, although there were always a few informal games in play. The back of the room provided a dart game that had become popular since Lanari's days as the Dragon. In fact, the environment had greatly changed. When Lanari had left her former line of work, the Emperor had only recently been killed. The Underworld had been thriving due to twenty years of civil war. But peace had brought hard times for those who lived on the wrong side of the law. Furthermore, during the Empire many criminals really were independent spacers, people who would have run legitimate businesses and lived normal lives if the Empire had not driven them underground through persecution or other hardship. Peaceful times meant more jobs for people who wanted an honest living, which meant the criminals were of a rougher sort. Not that that troubled Lanari. She was actually looking forward to it.
She and Corran sat at a small table close to the center of the bustling room, munching on an order of fried weelies. Lanari glanced around the room but spotted no one who appeared particularly interested in them. "I wish you'd let me come up with our cover story," she muttered to Corran around a mouthful of weelies. "What kind of stupid names are Laura and Matt, anyway? Sounds like the kind of thing CorSec would come up with."
Corran hunched his shoulders and glared up at her. "Would you pipe down about that? What if someone overhears?"
"I told you, there's too much jamming and counterjamming for eavesdropping devices."
"But I thought you said there were lip readers."
Lanari shrugged. "Occasionally. That's why I always talk with my mouth full."
"That's your excuse?" Corran griped, unconvinced. "Anyway, the names aren't so bad. Would you have preferred Idi's name?"
"Ann?" she snorted in disgust. "No way."
Someone is approaching you. Idi's voice echoed in Lanari's mind. Athar's excellent telepathy skill was one of the reasons she had been selected as backup. Lanari did not even try to figure out who the visitor was. She glanced meaningful at Corran, who remained silent, digging into the weelies.
Someone stopped next to their table. Lanari looked up -- and up -- at an enormous man. Their guest stood over two meters tall, his muscular chest straining against his green and red spacer's uniform. His head was shaved clean, and he bore tattoo marks on his cheeks and massive forearms, now folded across his chest.
Lanari leaned back in her chair, gazing coolly at the giant, her eyes twin blue lasers. "What do you want?" she growled.
The man's voice rumbled deep in his chest, then rose to his throat. "I hear you're looking for the Eriadu Brigands," he said in a deep bass that almost hurt Lanari's ears to listen to.
With the slightest movement of her head, Lanari asked, "You fly with them?"
"Used to. Maybe I still do." He pulled out a chair and sat down, the plasticene audibly straining beneath his weight. "Name's Kaymorr."
"Laura," Lanari answered. Nodding to Corran she added, "This is my associate, Matt. We represent an organization from Indi'ana VII."
Kaymorr belched laughter with the force of an erupting volcano. "What are you, a bunch of professors? No one is interested in your schools here."
Lanari's eyes narrowed. "Wise people would be."
Not certain if she had just insulted him, Kaymorr frowned. "What interest could the Brigands possibly have in a planet full of students?"
"Where there's students, there's research, and research means coveted information. We are interested in establishing a smuggling ring dealing in cutting-edge technology and information."
Kaymorr's yellow eyes shifted from Lanari to Corran and back again, trying to size them up. "That's ridiculous," he asserted.
"Ever heard of Talon Karrde?" Corran asked.
"Of course. Who hasn't?"
Corran shrugged. "He deals exclusively in information now."
Kaymorr snorted and shook his head. "Karrde's a sell out. He went soft."
"He may have gone soft," Lanari mildly concurred, "but Karrde was never one to take a loss in profit. You can bet if he switched from smuggling to the information trade, it has as much to do with money as ideology."
"Times are changing," Corran added. "Freedom has led to planets making their own trade agreements, reducing the need for smugglers. And with the peace, Republic Security forces have the time to crack down on pirates."
"If groups like the Brigands don't start planning for the next thing, they may find themselves out of business," Lanari observed.
"Or in prison," Corran couldn't help but add.
Tilting his head to one side, Kaymorr considered. "And the next thing is information?"
Lanari nodded. "Ideas. The latest research. People are always interested in being on the cutting-edge. We have contacts in the university system, but we also need contacts who can help us identify and supply the market. We heard the Eriadu Brigands were the best."
At that, Kaymorr grinned widely, his white teeth in stark contrast to his dark skin. "I'll be sure to tell them that next time I see them. Who knows? Maybe they'd like to go to school after all." He shoved his chair back and stood. "Nice talking with you, professors."
Lanari and Corran nodded in reply, not even bothering to watch him depart. He was one of them, wasn't he? Lanari sent to Idi.
Definitely. There are several more in the crowd.
Lanari nodded discreetly to Corran. Let me know when they leave. Now that they knew the Eriadu Brigands were watching them, they could put phase two into action. None of the Brigands actually had to be there when they revealed themselves. Word would get to them quickly enough.
After several minutes, Idi sent, They're all gone now.Lanari glanced at Corran. "Spotted any possibilities yet?"
"There's two rival gangs in the back having an unfriendly game of darts. We might provoke something there. Or we could have one of the waitstaff spill something on the well-dressed cow over in the corner. She's bound to take offense."
"A little iffy. Let's go with the darts." She shifted in her seat, hooking one arm over the back of her chair. Her new position enabled her to get a good look at the game in the back. She studied them for several minutes over the rim of her ale mug. One team was losing badly, and they were not too pleased about it. One of their players stepped up to throw her shots, her competitor standing just behind her shoulder ready to mock her throws. Lanari narrowed her eyes and gave the pirate's elbow a Force nudge just as she released the dart. The shot went wide, planting itself in the wall half a meter from the board.
Furious, she turned on the man standing behind her. "You pushed me!" she growled.
"I did no such thing!" he protested.
"You've been cheating this whole game, and now you're shoving me around."
"I don't have to cheat against a team as lousy as yours!"
The pirate stepped forward, pointing the dart in his face. "How would you like me to stick this in your eye?"
"The way you throw, you'd miss."
A crowd began to gather around the gamers. Lanari and Corran quickly slipped to the front. Arguments and insults flew back forth between the two teams, and the crowd was looking forward to a real fight. Perfect.
Lanari stepped up to the two who had started it, resting a hand on each of their shoulders and saying, "Take it easy now. There's no need to fight over some silly game."
"Silly game?" the leader turned on her, enranged. "I'll have you know I hold the all-time number three spot in the Khuiumin System."
"You only got it by cheating," his opponent launched. "Too bad you don't cheat good enough to place first."
Lanari interposed herself between them, facing the loser. "There's no call for that," she began.
The woman opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again as she took a closer look at Lanari. "Hey, I know you," she announced in recognition. "I tried to work for your outfit once. You're the Dragon."
Instantly, a fearful and reverent hush fell over the crowd nearest the threesome. The Dragon may have been retired for some time, but Lanari felt a certain satisfaction in knowing she could still inspire awe. This is unexpected.
"The Dragon?" someone from the crowd asked warily. "Jedi!"
Instantly the crowd shrank back, hands reaching for weapons, as Lanari felt a wave of hostile alarm sweep over her through the Force.
Oops, she swallowed. Here we go. Slowly raising her hands, she announced, "Everyone just calm down. I am only interested in the Eriadu Brigands. I want no trouble with any of the rest of you."
"Yeah, sure," an ugly pirate with a missing eye spat. "First them, then the rest of us."
"I promise you, I only want the Brigands," Lanari reiterated.
"What good is the word of a traitor?"
The situation was rapidly getting out of hand. "All right, look, we'll just leave," she announced, putting the conviction of the Force behind her words. She wanted to avoid a fight if at all possible.
But she chose the wrong word. "'We'? You mean there's more of you?" They had apparently forgotten about Corran.
"There's just two of us," she reminded, "and we'll leave now."
"No, you'll die now, Jedi!" A blaster fired, and was instantly answered by scores of others.
But Lanari had already ignited her saber and caught the shots. It took all her skill to deflect the many shots heading her way. Some of the deflected bolts hit her attackers, but there were too many of them for Lanari to do much more than keep herself from getting hit. Fortunately her back was to the wall, limiting their range of attack.
Corran slid into place next to her, his silver blade flashing. "When you said, 'tip our hand,' I didn't know that meant pissing off everyone in the place."
"You weren't exactly offering any assistance, Horn," she muttered between clenched teeth.
"What now?" he shouted back over the sizzle of blaster bolts meeting saber blades. "We've got 300 angry pirates between us and the door."
"Cut a hole in the wall behind us!"
Corran grunted. "I can't get free!"
It was true. With so many guns firing at them at such close range they could do nothing but defend themselves, no retreat or attack. Lanari spared a glance around her to size up what she might be able to hurl at the pirates, but there were only tables and chairs, nothing really heavy or big enough to provide cover. Where the hell is Idi? Not that the other Jedi could do much for them in this crowd.
The battle sounds in the restaurant were ripped asunder by a series of ear-splitting explosions as several bombs went off. Run! the thought flashed in her brain.
"It's Idi! Smoke bombs!" Lanari called to Corran. The pirates' attack momentarily halted as panic broke out at this new, unseen foe. "Make a break for it!"
With superhuman speed, Lanari raced through the crowd, now doubling over from the thick, roiling smoke. Her saber flashed at the occasional pirates who stepped into her path to cut off her escape, and before long she was out the door, Corran close on her heels.
"Idi!" she called out, without slacking her pace as she tore off down the street.
I'm out, Idi sent in reply.
"Split up and meet at the rendezvous!" Lanari called.
Corran peeled away from her, ducking down a narrow alley. Several pirates were still on Lanari's tail, but their shots went wild. A speeder bike pulled up next to her and the driver took aim, but her saber easily blocked the shots. She twisted into an alley, leaving herself momentarily out of view of her pursuers. She leaped high up onto the roof of one of the buildings and quickly clattered across the tiles. She heard shouts in the street below indicating she had been seen, but it would take them a few minutes to climb up after her.
She jumped agilely from roof to roof. She could see people running in the streets below still in pursuit of her, but they couldn't keep up. Behind her she heard several people on one of the roofs, but they could not follow her from building to building. They fired at her, but in the dark she was rapidly becoming all but invisible. Before too long she had vanished completely, melting into the shadowy night.
*****
In the earliest hours of the morning, as the night sky just began to fade, Lanari slipped into the hanger where their ship was stored. As she approached, the hatch opened, and she saw Idi waiting inside. "You all right?" Lanari asked.
Idi nodded. "I'm fine. Corran's not back yet."
"He'll be along soon." She smiled. "The smoke bombs were brilliant. I knew there was a reason I picked you for backup."
"Well, for a while there I thought we were all dead. I commed Karrde when I got away and told them to be on the lookout."
"Perfect." Lanari stifled a yawn. "I think I'd better try to get some rest before Corran gets here." Rather than head for the sleeping bunks, she went to the cockpit and settled into the co-pilot's chair, closing her eyes.
Sometime later she was roused from sleep by Idi's hand on her shoulder. "Corran's here," she announced.
Lanari stood and stretched just as Corran entered the cockpit. He raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm out there running for my life, and you're taking a nap?"
Lanari laughed and shook her head. "It just goes to show how much confidence I have in you." She clasped his forearm. "You were good out there."
"High praise indeed." He meant it, too. "Thanks."
"Now why don't we get out of here?" Idi suggested.
Lanari glanced at Corran. "You awake enough?"
"Frisky as ever," he pronounced, seating himself in the pilot's chair. He flipped on the comm. "Nightwing to port control, requesting permission for takeoff."
"One moment please, Nightwing," replied the Controller.
Idi and Lanari strapped in as they waited for clearance. The seconds slid by, and no reply was forthcoming.
"Uh-oh," Corran breathed. He reached for the switch again, but control called in. "Sorry about that, Nightwing. We've got a lot of air traffic right now. You may take off in 20 minutes."
"Copy that," Corran replied. He switched off the comm and glanced over his shoulder at Lanari.
"Not good," Lanari said.
Idi's eyes snapped open in alarm. "She's alerted security."
"Not good at all," Lanari repeated. "Corran, get as out of here."
"Aye, Sir," he saluted. His hands flew over the controls as the ship powered up.
The comm buzzed. "Nightwing, you are not cleared for takeoff."
"Tell it to my afterburners," Corran replied.
"Power down or you will be fired upon!"
He switched off the comm. "Everybody hang on!" he yelled as the ship began to lift.
Idi pointed out the window. "They're here!" she cried as a stream of armed security entered the hanger. They raised their weapons.
"Too late!" Corran called. The ship took a couple of hits, but with military strength shields, no hand-held weapons could penetrate their defenses. The ship tilted and pointed its nose to the lightening sky.
Reading one of the scanners, Idi announced, "Cannons on the guard tower taking aim."
"No problem." With skillful dexterity, Corran eluded the shots, and they were soon out of range. Kate had to admit he was a good pilot. She was about to compliment him when the ship abruptly dove to starboard.
"Incoming ships!" Idi called.
"How many?" Lanari asked.
"Twenty. No, thirty. More coming …."
The pirates were coming after them. "Sweet skywalkin' son of a Sith!" Lanari swore.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Corran was shocked by her choice of epithet. "Don't you think you should show our Master more respect?"
A light flashed across the canopy as their pursuers opened fire. "He knows I mean it in a nice way," she dismissed. "Idi, you're with me in the gun turrets. CorSec, show us why Wedge Antilles ever let you fly with Rogue Squadron!"
"Copy that," Corran acknowledged as the two women unstrapped themselves and raced for the guns.
The ship bucked and twisted to avoid fire, but Lanari's steps were sure. She threw herself into the swivel chair and immediately powered up the guns. She sighted on a small freighter and took it out, then flipped on the comm. "Corran, talk to me! How soon to we can make the jump?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" was the angry reply. "I'm too busy piloting to calculate a jump!"
She took out another ship then lined up another, but as fast as she got them, still more kept coming. "Well, you'd better find time, 'cause we're never gonna fight them all off!"
"Sweet skywalkin' --" he started to swear.
"What was that about respect, CorSec?" she chided.
The ship lurched hard to port, and power flickered momentarily.
"Quit snoozing back there!" Corran scolded. "Shields are down forty percent!"
Lanari's guns blazed away, as she knew Idi's were as well. Fortunately the pirates were disorganized, but there were simply too many of them. They were like a bantha plagued by a swarm of flies. They could bat them away, but they'd keep coming back.
"More incoming!" Corran warned.
"Emperor's black bones," Lanari swore.
"That's better!" Corran called.
The laser fire almost blinded Lanari. She closed her eyes and reached out with the Force, merging her consciousness with the guns. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, even as a welcome voice hailed them over the comm.
"It looks like you people could use some help," drawled Talon Karrde. "I should open a new line of business in rescuing Jedi."
"We'll gladly be your first customers," Corran returned.
Karrde's gunners were deadly accurate, and the Nightwing sped toward them, clearing enough room to make a jump. Just before they entered hyperspace, Lanari commed theWild Karrde. "Did we get what we came for?"
"We certainly did," came the reply. "One stop, and then we're on to Pamylasia!"
And with that, the stars streaked around them and they blasted away to safety.
Chapter Thirty: Dream
The baby was tiny, so small she could cradle it in her cupped palm. Fragile and helpless, the baby could easily fall through a crack in the floor, or be blown away by a breath of wind and disappear. It would be so easy to lose the baby forever, but she had to protect it and keep it safe. The baby talked to her, imparting wisdom and love. It would reveal all the hidden secrets of the universe, and she wanted so to learn. Her heart ached with tenderness and love for this most precious treasure.
"Where is my father?" the baby asked, looking up at her with total trust.
She turned to look behind her. He had just been there. Where had he gone?
"Don't worry," she told the baby. "I'll find him. Hold on tight to me." She placed the tiny being in her breast pocket and began to run through the ship, opening doors and searching halls. It was the Jade's Fire, her old ship, the one that had been destroyed. Someone had found it and repaired it, but the floor plan had been changed. She became confused.
"Where are you?" she called out. Her voice echoed back hollowly down the corridors. She could sense him, she knew he was near, but she didn't know where.
Rounding a corner, she found a squadron of Imperial stormtroopers. They saluted her as she approached and asked, "Do you know where my husband is?"
"He's in the throne room," one of them replied.
She ran through the hallways of the Imperial palace, dodging courtiers and black-clad officers. From her pocket, the baby said, "I'm frightened."
"It will be all right," she answered. "I know a secret way." She ducked into an alcove and pressed on a hidden panel. A concealed door slid open, leading to a passageway that she had often used when in the service of the Emperor.
The passageway was cold, and she could feel the baby shivering. If she did not hurry, it would freeze. "We're almost there," she said.
At last she reached the throne room. She stumbled through the door and ran up the steps to the throne which was turned away from her, looking out over the cityscape.
"We made it," she said, reaching for her pocket. But the baby was gone. The cold hand of fear squeezed her heart. "Where is the baby?" she cried.
"Don't worry, it is safe." The throne swiveled to face her. In it sat a figure shrouded in black. The figure held forth his hand, and she saw the baby curled up in his palm, but she could not tell if the baby were asleep or dead.
"Luke?" she asked, uncertainly.
"He is gone," the figure answered, and she realized the hand that held the baby was shriveled and old. Yellow eyes gleamed at her from the shadowed cowl. "I am your husband now," the Emperor told her, and he cackled with dry laughter, as he clutched the baby to his poisonous heart.
Mara jerked awake, terror coursing through her body. For several panicked moments the room looked entirely foreign and unfamiliar. Then slowly she began to remember. She was in the suite on Pamylasia. She took several steadying breaths, then looked at the rumpled covers next to her. Luke was not there.
Fighting down her panic, telling herself it was left over from the nightmare, she got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Snapping on the light, she leaned over the sink and turned on the cold water, splashing her face. She looked up at the mirror, taking in her hollow eyes and sallow features. I'm even starting to look like the Emperor, she thought, and her stomach gave a nauseating lurch.
She had felt queasy most mornings for some time now, but she told herself it was from the stress of the trial. She did not want to think about what else might be the cause, although the nausea had begun about the same time as her nightmare.
She left the bathroom and entered the living room. Silhouetted against the window, Luke stood with his back to her, watching the sunrise cast its saffron colors over the city of Endirion. Just like the dream, she thought, and shivered.
Luke turned, and for a moment Mara thought she had spoken out loud. He smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't wake you up, but it's still pretty early and I thought you could use the sleep."
And you couldn't? "That's all right." She padded across the room to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder as they both watched the sun slowly work its way over the horizon.
"I'm always expecting the other sun to follow," Luke mused, "but it never does."
Mara pressed her forehead into the back his neck, breathing in the scent of his skin, still musky from sleep. She gently kissed the nape of his neck, then said, "Maybe we should skip the test this week." He said nothing, waiting for her to continue. "It's just that it's been negative so far, and it's starting to feel obsessive."
"Sure," he agreed. "We don't have to if you don't want to."
His tone was agreeable and supportive, but Mara felt guilty anyway. "Or we can do test and you could look at the results."
He turned in her arms to face her. "Hey. We decided from the beginning we were doing this together. So we either both look, or we don't do it."
Ducking her head to avoid his gaze Mara replied, "All right, all right. That was the plan, let's stick to it."
"We don't have to," he offered again.
She looked up at him. "No, it's all right."
He searched her face for several seconds, and when he was sure she meant it, he nodded. "I'll start breakfast then." He kissed her forehead then released her and headed toward the small kitchen, while Mara returned to the bedroom to set up the pregnancy test. She reemerged several minutes later, testing device in hand, still incubating in its protective sheath. She set it on the table and fell hungrily to her breakfast. Luke watched her silently, stirring his cereal, then ventured, "Do you think --"
"No," she quickly interrupted, then realized she hadn't even waited to hear his question. But she knew what he had been about to ask. She amended, "I don't know. I just think all this stress is getting to me. That's all."
Luke merely nodded, perfectly willing to drop the subject. They would know soon enough anyway. They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence.
When they had finished the meal, Luke asked, "Are you ready to check it?"
Frowning, Mara closed her eyes and massaged her temples, struggling to summon her courage. Every time they taken the pregnancy test before she had been eager to see the results. Even as the test had proven negative each time, she had not been discouraged. Somehow this weekly ritual had become a private ceremony for them, a moment when they could forget their troubled situation and dream about a new future. But her nightmares now threatened to destroy that dream. Silly, though, to let any nightmare trouble her so deeply.
With a sigh, she looked up. "I'm ready."
Wordlessly, Luke came around the table. She made room for him on her chair, and he picked up the pregnancy indicator and pulled off its cover.
Positive.
Side by side, shoulder to shoulder, they sat in shocked silence. Mara's heart shrank and crumbled even as she felt Luke's spirits soar. Contrary to what she had told Luke, and even what she told herself, she had thought -- she had known -- the result would be positive. Even so, the confirmation of it somehow took her by surprise. She realized she had been hoping this time it would be negative. Her desire to have a baby was inextricably bound to her fear that she would lose Luke, and by now the two issues seemed inseparable. As long as she was not pregnant, she believed Luke would not leave her, but now….
Beside her Luke had not moved, staring at the indicator in his hand. He slowly released the breath he had been holding in. "Wow," he said simply. He shifted to look at Mara, suddenly aware of the conflicting emotions emanating from her. The thought occurred to him that perhaps Mara wasn't as eager for motherhood as she had let on. "Are you --," he almost said "happy," then realized how bad it would sound if she weren't. "-- okay?" he finished lamely.
Tenderness filled her aching heart, the same tenderness she felt for the baby in her dream. "Yes," she hesitated. "It's just --." Along with the tenderness came the uncertainty, the fear. She threw her arms around Luke's neck, clinging to him as tightly as to the baby in her dream. It was Luke who was the fragile one, the one she was afraid to lose, the one who taught her all the mysteries of love. She cried, "I want this baby to have a father!"
Stunned, Luke held on to her, finally understanding all Mara's hopes and fears. "I do, too," he whispered. He let her cry, and she let him hold her. No more running away, no more hiding, and no more denial. Eventually, Mara's crying subsided. With a final shudder, she wiped her nose and pulled back.
Cradling her face in his hands, Luke said, "I fully intend to be there for the baby and for you. But if that's not to be, then… we'll deal with that when the time comes." He smiled, "Meanwhile, we've got a baby to plan for."
"We've got to come up with names."
Luke brightened. "If it's a boy, I think we should name him --."
"No," Mara contradicted, pressing her finger to Luke's slips. "Not Ben. Or Biggs or Owen or even Luke, Jr. This baby has a future. We owe it to him to leave him free to live that future unburdened by our past."
Luke considered. He had long dreamed of naming his son after his first teacher, the man who had started him on the journey that had brought to this place. But Mara had a point. He, of all people, knew what it was like to be burdened by past hopes. "All right," he agreed. "But why do you say 'him'? It might be a girl."
"No Berus, either. Although I would consider Mara, Jr."
"I think the galaxy can handle only one at a time."
Mara grew serious again. "Luke, let's not tell anyone yet. Let's keep it our secret for now."
He nodded. "Okay."
"Thanks." She grinned and added, "Daddy."
The name brought tears of joy to Luke's eyes. He had waited a lifetime to hear it. He reached out and pulled her to him, but before he could say anything, a furious pounding exploded on the chamber door. Before either of them could respond, the door was thrown open and Anath rushed in, so excited he didn't notice their intimate embrace.
"Luke, Mara!" he called, breathless. "Sorry to wake you so early, but Lanari just called. They're about to land with Karrde -- and they have the pirates who kidnapped you!"