NOTHING STAYS THE SAME

CHAPTER NINETEEN

PLANET: CARATOS

SYSTEM: O'PAHZ SYSTEM

SPECIES: HUMANS

LANGUAGE: BASIC

POLITICAL AFFILIATION: NONE

Leia Organa Solo read the information that her protocol droid, See-Threepio found on Caratos.  A planet full of smugglers and space pirates, reigned by anarchy.  A good place for weapons smugglers to hide out, because no one would notice them.  It would be as difficult as finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.  Briefly, she let her mind wonder who had come up with that phrase.  Maybe it had originated on Agamar?  A backwater farm planet like that wouldn't surprise her.

Luke was there.  If she concentrated hard, every now and then she could feel a flicker of her brother's presence.  Not enough that she could focus in on it, and communicate with him, just enough that she knew he was alive.  Now she wasn't feeling as guilty for helping Mara escape.  No matter how much Leia tried to deny it, all she did was help a prisoner escape.  And she dragged Iella with her.  But if Luke was safe, then Mara was under suspicion for a crime she in fact did not commit, so she was a wrongly accused prisoner, so really all Leia had done was set an innocent person free to help find her brother.  Right?

She realized how much she hated moral dilemmas.

Luke woke up to a sight he always loved to see.  The dull sunlight of Caratos was filtering through a hole in the damaged roof and illuminating his beautiful Mara.  The ring on the silver chain around her neck burst into vivid color as the sunlight hit it.  Now that was one of his favorite things to see, as well: his love wearing the ring he'd given her.  The only thing he had left from his farmboy days.  He only wished that he could wake up with her more often.  With as much as Mara was on assignment, and he at the Jedi Academy, there were few times that they could escape the reality of the galaxy and retreat somewhere where they were not recognized, or where they could hide.  Corellia had been one of their favorites, but obviously that planet was now useless to them, if someone had enough of a warning of their arrival to coordinate an attack on him, complete with ysalimiri.  Well, there were still at least four other hideouts, including one vacation planet that they didn't ask any questions, and kept the holo and sludge reporters away.  What could two lovers, trying to hide from the rest of the galaxy (including his sister) ask for?

His left leg was tingling.  He moved it a little, tightening the muscles in the leg, and although he couldn't feel any pain, he knew that it would be sore from the healing trance he had put himself in.  It had been too long since he'd been able to sleep with his Mara near him.

How long had it been?  He had no idea how long he had been on this gods-forsaken planet.

Mara stirred, but then hugged him closer, resting her head on his chest, and going back to sleep.  Luke played with some of her hair.  Yeah, that imposter's hair isn't as stunning as yours…

He heard someone clear their throat, and Luke immediately grabbed one of the blasters from around Mara and it was already tracking for the person when Corran spoke.

"Hey, calm down, Luke. It's only me."  The Corellian Jedi held up his hands.  "Damn, and I thought Mara had killer reflexes.  Is she still asleep?"  Then he noticed the second blaster.  "I guess not."

"What do you want, CorSec?" Mara asked, tiredly.  For once, she didn't feel like moving away.  This wasn't the first time Corran had seen her and Luke like this, and she just didn't care what anyone thought now.

"Just wanted to know what we're doing today."

"Luke and I are going to go figure out what the hell's going on," Mara said before Luke could answer.

"Actually, Mara—"  He stopped short when he heard her voice in his head.

Are you so dense that you think I'll let CorSec go with you—and leave me behind?  I'm not going to be kept out of this, Luke.  Her otherwise sharp retort was softened by her use of his first name.

Mara, I don't want you out there.  She—she's crazy.  What did you call her—Tawnie?  MJ, she's completely crazy.

And you think CorSec is better at eliminating threats like that than I am?  She shook her head.  After what she did to you, I am definitely going to take her out myself.  And don't you dare argue with me.  It won't do you any good.

Corran watched them both carefully.  "Finished yet?  Good.  And what about me?"           

"You stay here with Talon and Han."

"Oh, come on.  Chewie'll stay with them.  I can do you all a lot of good if I come along."

"If that Destroyer up there decides to send a team down to find survivors, then Chewie will need help getting both Karrde and Solo out.  You can help him," Mara said.  She stretched a little, but didn't bother moving away from Luke.  Besides, he was warm, and she could feel the cold around them.  After the storm the previous night, the temperature had dropped, and her clothes were clammy against her skin.  She remembered that neither she nor Luke had changed from their soaked clothes.  Certainly not good for their health.  She found it funny that she was worrying about the flu when she learned just the night before that her lover had been whipped.

"Oh, come on.  They haven't sent anyone else yet, so why would they wait until now?"

"They could."

"Come on, guys.  Do I need to pull rank on you?"  That was one of the most common phrases among friends in the military.

"Wouldn't do you much good," Mara commented.  "I'm not in the military, and Luke was a Commander before he left the military.  Now he's a Jedi Master, but he still outranks you, a mere Knight.  Maybe you should drop that argument, huh, CorSec?"

"Shut up, Jade, okay?  Look, you wanted me to come along, and you can't get rid of me that easily."

"You really should stay here, Corran," Luke said.  "Right now, Han and Talon are the ones who need the most protection.  I healed my leg last night, and Mara and I are ready to go."  His remarks were reasonable, as anyone would expect from the sole living Jedi Master in the galaxy.  This tone no longer bothered Mara as much, as she knew that it was only an act.  He only was the Jedi Master because everyone else expected him to be.  He really was a good actor.  Not as good as her, of course, but not that bad, either.

Konor Yrevied, Commander of Imperial Forces of Caratos, stood in front of the viewport, legs slightly apart.  It was the vision that his troops would want to see; the powerful, intelligent—handsome—Imperial commander, surveying the capital of the Empire.  Temporary capital.  As soon as the weak Empire—the one that only encompassed a few hundred systems—realized that Tawnie Calanast was the real deal, Yrevied was certain that she would be given Bastion.  Even though she was only a woman, she was smarter than that so-called Admiral Daala, and a rather adept Imperial.  According to rumors, he'd heard that she'd been the lone pupil of Emperor Palpatine, though he hadn't seen any evidence to support that.

He had not always been this strong figure.  The old woman had found him in a planet side cantina on largely lower class planet, where the Imperial hold was loose and barely seen in strength.  After the Galactic Empire lost Imperial Center, they progressively lost more and more worlds, and now, now they were so weak that it would seem that they had no chance to turn the tide of the war.  How could a damned Rebel Alliance topple an Empire?

But he needn't worry about that anymore.  This Tawnie Calanast, she would destroy the Rebellion once and for all, because no matter what name they chose for themselves—The New Republic, he scoffed—they would never be any more than an poor coalition of smugglers and idealists, and above all, traitors.

Mara strapped the forearm blaster around her arm, and checked the power pack on her small weapon.  She hadn't used it this trip yet, but it was a habit of hers.  One rule that had been drilled into her mind since her days as the Emperor's Hand was always check your weapons.

She then fastened a holdout blaster onto her belt and buckled it around her upper thigh.  She saw Luke doing the same thing.  He tossed her another power pack and she placed it on her belt.  Ever since she'd first used a utility belt during one of her assassinations, she always made sure she had one.  They were extremely useful.  Luke put two more power packs into the bag.  There was no such thing as too much firepower.

There were still two blasters and several more power packs on the floor, as well as Corran's lightsaber and a bag of detonators.  She and Luke were back upstairs, getting ready to head out.  Luke said he'd be able to find his way back to Tawnie's place, but although he tried to mask it, Mara could plainly see how much he disliked the idea.  But he knew that it had to be done, and so he would lead her back to his prison.

It's not so much me, he said, picking up on her thoughts.  I still don't want you to come, Mara, he told her truthfully.  The whole reason I went after them without telling you was so you wouldn't come with me.

She studied his face carefully.  You're afraid for me.  Why?

I'm always worried for you, MJ.  You know that.

No, this is something more.  She felt her stomach tighten.  You've seen something, she said with certainty.  One of your Jedi visions.

He didn't bother denying it.  "I don't want you hurt," he said quietly, like the farmboy he'd been and would always be to his Mara.

"Luke," she whispered, closing the distance between them with two steps, and gently caressing his face.  He looked up at her, and she stared straight into his sky-blue eyes.  "You've never been able to keep one of your visions from happening before.  I have to come along.  I don't know exactly why, but I have to."  She could feel fear rising, and then realized it wasn't her own fear, but his.

He kissed her softly, gently, pulling away only when he heard the stairs beginning to creak.  He turned and saw Corran's light brown hair before the Corellian Jedi finished climbing the stairs.

"Come on, Mara.  Let's get going, then."