NOTHING STAYS THE SAME

CHAPTER FIVE

                The red-haired woman sauntered up to Luke Skywalker.  He was down on his knees, head hanging.  His bruised chest rose, his gasps for air loud in the mostly empty room.  His hands were cuffed behind him, much too tightly, and each gasp of air caused the tingling of energy to run through his arms and body, not enough to stun him, just hurt, like tiny needles being jabbed into his skin.  He was dressed only in gray pants, his naked chest glistening with sweat and blood under the single glow panel.  Luke glared up at the lithe woman through his bangs, his hair once again too long to befit a Jedi and former Rogue Squadron pilot.

                "What do you want?" he demanded, between gasps.

                "You will find out in time," the red-haired woman answered cryptically.  She reached and grabbed the man's chin, jerking it up so he faced her.

                "Luke!"

                Leia jolted upright in bed.  "Luke!" she whispered hoarsely.  Tears were pressing against her closed eyelids.  When would the nightmares stop?  All she saw when she went to sleep was Mara Jade torturing her brother.  Leia lay back on the bed, trying to blink away the tears.  She didn't want to believe that Luke was dead.  Her twin, his death caused a void in her heart.  She didn't feel like he was really dead but that hole in her heart showed her he was gone.

                Her anger rose.  Her brother had shown only understanding and compassion to Mara Jade.  He taught her what he knew even after her threats on his life.  Her brother had been too trusting.

                "She bought a blaster a couple of weeks ago.  A DL-79 series.  New type, nearly silent.  You can barely hear it, just the sizzling of flesh."  Cardinal smiled.  "This is perfect."

                "There's something that bothers me, though," Shalloh complained.

                The woman turned towards him impatiently.  "And what is that?" she demanded.

                "The eye."

                "The eye?"

                "Yeah.  Look, Jade is a professional, right?  Yeah," he answered himself.  "Taught by Palpy's best.  She injected the carth, carlth…the stuff—" he guessed he'd had a little too much to drink, "—then blasted his face off.  But why leave the eye?  She'd had to guess we'd be able to ID Skywalker from the retina."

                "It was an accident, obviously.  Our little Imp made a mistake, and we'll nail her ass for it."

                "Well, okay.  I guess I see it that way."

                Cardinal lifted her glass up in a silent toast.  A few seconds later Shalloh mimicked her gesture.  The trial would begin in four days.

                Mara couldn't believe the lights were already on.  Hadn't she just gone to sleep?  The morning's meal was shoved through a thin slit in the door.  Mara turned away from it.  She felt like shit as it was, and knew that eating would only be worse.  She turned towards the wall and tried to go back to sleep. 

                She heard the door slide open, but she didn't look to see who it was.  What would it matter?  All these people, they all actually thought she killed Luke.

                "Mara?" Talon asked.  He didn't know whether she was awake or asleep.  He didn't know how anyone could sleep with the bright lights that were on.

                She turned her head slightly and sat up.

                Talon felt guilty at seeing his second-in-command like this.  It just wasn't her.

                "They've scheduled your trial to start in three days.  You wanted me to tell you as soon as I found out."

                Mara didn't say anything.

                "Mara, you've got to believe me.  Rendel and I, we're working as hard as we can.  We won't let the New Rep win, okay?"

                "He's dead.  They think I killed him."

                "Mara—"

                "No, you don't understand!  They're going to have me murdered because they think I can't let go of old grudges!  That's it.  They want me dead!  Karrde, I did not kill him!"

                "Mara, I know, I believe you—"

                "But they're going to kill me anyway!"   Mara was already off the bed and she grabbed the closest thing to her—the small sheet off the bed—and threw it across the room.  It hit the wall and then piled onto the floor.  Anger she could deal with.  Fear she could deal with.  But knowing that her own death was near for something she actually didn't do?  That, she couldn't accept.

                "Why don't they just shoot me now, and get it over with?" she asked, bitterly.

                "Are you done with the tantrum?" Talon asked coldly.

                "Excuse me?" Mara asked.  Who the hell did he think he was?  He had no idea—

                "I see I have your attention.  Look, Mara.  We're doing the best we can, okay?  I have so many people on this case.  Rendel's the best in the business, and I'm not lying.   We're not giving up yet, and neither should you."

                Mara just stared at her employer, and finally glanced away.  "I just wish that they'd get it over with."

                Karrde watched her.  He'd been imprisoned before, on the Chimera.  He remembered the fear that he'd be tortured for the information on the location of the Katana fleet.  He remembered thinking no one would come for him, and when he had outlived his usefulness to the Empire, he'd be executed.  Then Skywalker and Mara had shown up.  They'd rescued him, and he had in turn given the Katana fleet to the New Republic.  That the New Rep was too slow to cash in was not his fault.

                But the New Republic Intelligence headquarters…that was impossible to get into.  Without a moment's hesitation he would put together a team to get Mara out.  But he knew that they wouldn't all get in and out.  And the business side effects.  The New Republic would most certainly put out a bounty on his head, as well as many others in his organization.  Could he risk their lives as well?

                Would Mara?

                Talon sighed to himself.  Mara was willing to risk her own life to rescue those of his crew.  She wouldn't approve of it.  She wouldn't allow him to do this.

                "Rendel should be here, soon," he said, slamming his hand against the door.

                Corran had time off from his duties as Rogue Nine in the Republic's best X-wing squadron.  He appreciated this, also knowing that Wedge Antilles, as one of Luke's close friends, was also having trouble dealing with this.  No one had really expected the Jedi Master to die like this.

                He hopped out of the airspeeder and walked through the doors of the New Republic Intelligence.  He could see the guards standing around, more around than usual, but none of them stopped him on his way to the front office.

                "Hi," he said to the young man sitting behind the desk.  "I was hoping I'd be able to talk to my friend, Iella.  She said that I could drop by whenever."  He was stretching the truth on the last part.  He knew Iella would be busy, but he didn't know who else he could go to for this information.  "Iella Wessiri Antilles.  I'm sure you know her."

                "Director Wessiri Antilles is in a meeting right now.  What is your name?"

                "Corran Horn."

                The younger man typed the name into the computer.  "Oh, right, sir.  The Director should be finished in a few minutes, if you'd like to wait out here."

                Corran hid a smile—one of the first real ones since he'd learned about Luke's demise.  He guessed he'd acquired a good reputation.  The boy had suddenly become polite once Corran mentioned his name.  Works every time.

                After about twenty minutes, longer than the secretary had mentioned, Corran saw Iella walk past one of the offices in the back.

                "Iella!" he called, and his long-time friend turned around.  She smiled briefly.  "What can I help you with, flyboy?"

                Corran walked over to her.  "I have a favor to ask."

                "You didn't dye your hair green again, did you?" she asked.

                He had to concentrate to keep from blushing.  That had not been his fault.  "Doesn't look like it, no.  I was wondering if you'd let me in to see Mara."

                Iella stopped.  "What?"

                "I want to talk to Mara."

                "No."

                "Iella, I have info that could be vital to this investigation."

                "It's a trial now.  Everyone was eager to help, and all the information needed is already put together.  If you have something, tell me."

                "I need to talk to her.  I'm not joking around, Iella."

                She looked at her former partner.  "I'm not saying you are, Corran.  But I can't just let anyone in there.  There are only three people let in—Lieutenant Calinoa, Talon Karrde, and Rendel Alino.  That's it.  She's dangerous, and she's unpredictable.  I don't want her trying anything with you in there."

                "Mara wouldn't do that."

                "Yeah, well, some say she wouldn't kill Luke Skywalker, but that turned out false, too."  Iella ran a slender hand through her shoulder-length hair. 

                "Iella—"

                "Corran, don't.  All right?  I won't let you in. I'm sorry, but I won't."

                As his old partner walked away, Corran cursed silently.  It was true; he couldn't blame her for doing her job.  He just wished that she would be a little more lenient.