The Author's Notes: Not much this time. I'm going to throw in some stuff from later in the Expanded Universe that you might remember from the books, but it will be different because of the context of this story. Lando should be making his appearance soon, since I love him so much and wouldn't dare leave him out of this story. It's going to look like there are a lot of loose sub-plots running around, but I promise to resolve them by the end. Enjoy and review!
Disclaimer: Star Wars is copywrite its respective owners and creators (in this case in particular, Timothy Zahn and George Lucas). I have no intent of making money off of this piece (it wouldn't sell in the first place), nor do I seek to deliberately infringe on copywrite laws. This is just some fun I cooked up in my somewhat twisted little mind.
[thank you to the reviewers:] Deja Know I've Been Lookin For Vu, kayladie, ariapaige, Urazz and CMarie, thanks for reading! Deja, I hope this was fast enough to keep you happy! Deja and Kayladie, I'm glad you liked Key'lya's part. I hate that guy ( . . . er, Bothan . . . ) too. Paige, I hope this answers your pilot question and thanks for the compliment. CMarie, thanks for your support! I'm glad I didn't screw up the characters. Urazz, I'm glad someone's watching out for my grammar mistakes. I'm definitely NOT the grammar queen.
Just a side note: While I can't promise to keep up with every-other-day/daily updates, I CAN promise it won't be a month before the next chapter comes out. In fact, it's almost done. Hope you're enjoying this!
Eye of the Beholder
Chapter 3
Mara slid into her seat in the conference room, taking in the scene. The smugglers looked a bit more relaxed now that they'd had some time to check on their businesses and review their organizations' activities. The New Republic representatives still looked vaguely uneasy with their questionable company, making Mara itch to point out that they'd been no more than rebellious scum once, too. That, however, would not win them over, so she allowed them to think that they were as high and mighty as they looked. Shaking her head to clear it of murderous thoughts, she pulled out a data pad and reviewed her notes, ready to bring up the next set of main points she wanted to discuss.
She had skimmed to a point about halfway through the list when Luke slid into the seat next to her, looking troubled. His eyes, ever expressive, had darkened to a stormy blue-grey, and his generous lips had been drawn into a straight line. Mara was going to let it pass without comment, but she caught an inkling of his mood through the Force and decided—albeit reluctantly—to make an inquiry.
"What's got you so wound up, Skywalker? Did they take lunch off the itinerary?" she asked, hoping to get a rise out of the Jedi. He glanced at her, not responding to her good-natured jab.
"I know why Fey'lya dropped his position on the Board," he said seriously, the storm in his eyes still swirling ominously.
Mara sighed. "Well, from the look of you, it can't be good."
"With Fey'lya," Luke muttered darkly, his Jedi calm straining, "it's never good."
"So are you going to tell me or are you going to continue being secretive about it?" she asked, lifting a perfectly shaped red-gold eyebrow. A wry half-smile appeared on his lips as he thought about that for a second. When she fingered her wrist blaster in warning, he decided to tell her. The smile disappeared as he braced himself to give up the information.
"Fey'lya wants to pull the funding for the Rogue Squadron," he said quietly. Mara's eyes narrowed.
"He can't do that. The squadron means too much to your little republic," she reminded him. Luke shook his head.
"He also wants to court martial Wedge. Apparently," he added bitterly, "he hasn't forgotten Wedge's part in the battle for the Katana fleet."
"Idiot," she growled, her eyes narrowing further.
"It doesn't stop there. He says that Han and I expedited the situation and should be punished as well. He can't go after Leia, so she's been exempt from his accusations, and no one can find your boss to accuse him, either."
"Doesn't he know how bogus that sounds? Besides, that battle was over months ago, and those accusations resolved during the fight."
Luke sighed and spread his hands. "That's what we all thought, anyway," he agreed. "I don't know why Fey'lya's waited this long to bring it up, either, but there are some serious accusations flying around. And Wedge is in the most danger of getting the brunt of it. Fey'lya far outranks him in political power."
"Antilles is a war hero. Certainly your government will remember that," Mara pointed out. Luke shook his head.
"I hope you're right and they're that reasonable, Mara," he murmured. "Wedge has done as much for this government as any of us. We wouldn't have made it without him. I wouldn't have made it without him." His thoughts trailed away to Yavin, to the first Death Star battle, when Luke finally realized what war was. Mara fell silent, allowing him to relive one of the best and worst moments of his life. She knew he was considering the friends he'd lost, innocents he'd killed, and systems he'd probably saved—his eyes said it all.
So expressive, she thought to herself. So open.
Dangerous. To be read so easily was to invite enemies to exploit weaknesses. Mara knew how to clamp her emotions down, to tuck them away, so that no one ever knew what was going on behind her mask.
No one but Luke, that was.
Somehow he always knew. A damn annoying trait, or so Mara saw it. Her eyes trailed away as she refocused on the data pad and tried to force him out of her mind. Luke Skywalker was none of her business, and neither was the Rogue Squadron. He had his problems, she had hers. And hers was starting in five minutes.
Luke sat silently for a few long moments, then shifted and cast the memories aside. The past was what shaped the future, but dwelling wouldn't get him anywhere at all. In the present once more, he stretched out with the Force to gage the emotional level in the room, not surprised to discover suspicion, annoyance, and wariness in abundant levels. Disheartening, but these were troubled times. The confusion left over from Thrawn's push for control of the galaxy left the New Republic reeling with shock, but no one was allowed to retreat and lick their wounds. The systems that were attacked, the planets who'd been preparing to join the New Republic, and the refugees left from numerous battles all had to be calmed and reassured in the New Republics stability and support. Not to mention the task of pushing the Empire back to its previous borders.
He sighed, feeling the weight of the coming months sink onto his shoulders. With Leia on maternity leave, Luke had to be the politician of the family—something that had never been one of his strong points. He glanced at Mara and realized that she was in the same situation.
"I'm sorry I got you into all this," he murmured to her quietly. Mara shot him a look, surprise flickering across her gaze before disappearing quickly. Then she shrugged and turned away again, unwilling to speak lest she find herself warming up to him.
He really hadn't been expecting an answer anyway, knowing her feelings about him were still confused and her wounds still too raw. He allowed the silence to stretch until the meeting started. Then he was drawn into hearty debates about wages and the downsides of the smugglers becoming a legitimate part of the New Republic. He could feel Mara's frustration growing as she struggled to be heard. He was wrestling with his own agitation, his temper further darkening as the fighting continued. It seemed that nothing would be agreed upon with everyone yelling at each other, and he'd long ago forgotten just what the yelling had started about.
By the time the meeting let out, Luke was in a foul state of mind. His muscles were tight and cramped from frustration and lack of movement. With a muttered goodbye to Mara and a slight nod to everyone else, he disappeared toward the workout rooms. He had a lot to work out for himself, and exercise seemed like just the way to do it.
Mara hesitated before following him. She didn't want to be anywhere near him, especially with her temper on such a tight leash, but the thought of pummeling something was tempting. Finally, her desire to hit something won out over her wariness of Skywalker, and she headed toward the workout rooms as well. She did, however, choose a room as far from his as she could.
It was there that Leia found her. The former princess had been practicing with her new Force skills and had pinpointed Mara's location with only minor difficulty. She watched the ex-assassin for a moment, appreciating the tight control Mara kept of her body, and the fluidity of her moves. The redhead had unmatched skills in hand-to-hand combat, and Leia found herself wincing in sympathy for the other's imagined foe. Then she idly wondered if Mara was imagining Luke as her opponent, and some of her misgivings about the woman returned. Slowly, she entered the training room.
"It's still rough going." It wasn't even a question. Mara, never breaking her tempo, nodded as she landed a punch to the bag's midsection. It had already received quite a beating from the ex-Hand, and swung wildly on its chain.
"Not even your ever-calm brother could get through to them. Hard-headed sith-spawn," she snapped. Leia sighed, feeling her hopes for the Smuggler's Alliance begin to ebb once more.
"That's too bad."
"I," the redhead said flatly, narrowing her eyes to slam home the point, "couldn't care less."
But Leia knew that wasn't true. It was obvious that she was regarding the negotiations as a failure, and if there was anything Mara Jade hated more than Luke Skywalker, it was failure.
"I see. So you're giving up?"
The redhead whirled on her, temper flaring at the implication that she was a quitter.
"No one could work with those people," she snapped. "No one. I didn't want the damn job in the first place, remember? Your Jedi-crazy brother talked me into it in a weak moment. They're not going to give in, any of them, so I'm getting out before I start shooting in a rage."
Leia regarded the woman with cool, unimpressed eyes. "I see," she said simply. "Well, I don't know why I was expecting anything different. Have you told Luke?"
"Skywalker has nothing to do with this," Mara bit out darkly.
"On the contrary. He worked quite hard to make sure you got this job as liaison, and has quite a bit of faith in you. He'll be more than disappointed when he finds out."
"Boo hoo," the redhead snapped coldly. "I feel so terrible."
"Why are you acting this way?" Leia asked suddenly, moving instinctively toward the other woman. "What could you possibly resent so much? Luke's gone out of his way to make you feel welcome, to show you his trust. He'd offer you anything if you'd just learn to trust him back."
Mara backed away from the smaller woman, eyes spitting laser fire. "Trust isn't the issue here."
"Isn't it?"
"No." It was said with finality. Leia crossed her arms as she stopped moving.
"Than what is?" she countered.
Mara remained stonily silent, refusing to admit that somehow, Skywalker got to her. It not only angered her, it scared her as well. And that fear flashed across her gaze before she could put a leash on it. Leia caught it, having been watching the other intently, and narrowed her own eyes.
"I don't know what you're so afraid of," she said slowly, "but Luke is not the enemy. The only person you're fighting against is you." With a swirl of regal robes, Leia had turned and was out the door. Mara stared after her, her mood even darker than before.
Finally, she turned back to the bag and began pounding into it once again, hoping that she'd gain a little respite from the memory of stormy blue eyes.
-*-
Leia stomped into the training room Luke was in, trying to dispel her anger. No wonder Mara and Luke sparred all the time. The woman was insufferable. Still fuming, she turned her gaze to her brother.
He wasn't yet aware of her presence—at least not visibly. He was too busy, moving in a sinuous dance with his lightsaber, parrying and thrusting, fighting something Leia couldn't see. He moved with such grace—so uncharacteristic of the blushing farm boy who'd rushed into her cell on the Death Star without so much as a thought about their way out.
"I'm Luke Skywalker," he'd said, all awkwardness and naïve innocence. "I'm here to rescue you."
Not just me, though, she thought, her anger disappearing in a rush of affection for her brother. He ended up saving countless lives, and even a few souls while he was at it.
Luke's eyes flashed to hers, catching that unshielded thought. A bit of a flush crept into his cheeks, though he chose to ignore his sister's unspoken praise.
"Hey, Leia," he said instead, not even breathless from the strenuous exercise.
"Hi," she answered, smiling at him. "Things aren't going so well in the negotiations, are they?"
He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, a distinctly Han-like gesture. "No," he admitted. "But then, did we really expect them to?"
"I guess not," she agreed. "But we sure did hope they would."
"And now there's Fey'lya to deal with." Luke sighed again. "Does it ever end?"
"No. Did you ever think it would?"
He smiled a little sheepishly, but it was hollow and didn't reach his eyes. "I guess not," he echoed, "but I sure did hope it would."
"I spoke with Mara," she added abruptly.
"Did you?" Luke's gaze turned wary, his uncertainty almost palpable. He never knew where he stood with the fiery-tempered Jade, and he didn't like the look in Leia's eyes.
"She seems determined to give up on the Alliance."
His disappointment washed quietly over her through their bond in the Force, and for a moment Leia regretted telling him.
"I guess I can't blame her. I was ready to result to violence myself," he said softly, turning his downcast blue eyes elsewhere. "At least she gave it a decent shot."
"You mean, at least she didn't turn you down outright," Leia corrected. Luke gave a wry but impersonal smile.
"A few months ago, she would have pulled her blaster on me for even asking." He glanced at the lightsaber in his hand. "She's dangerous," he murmured as an afterthought. "Captivating, but deadly."
Leia realized he was likening her to his weapon, and wondered what meaning lay behind that. It was possible that he was even likening her to his decision to become a Jedi and all the highs and lows that came with that lifestyle. His lightsaber represented all that was good and bad about the Force, just as Mara must have represented all that was good and bad about his character. No one brought out the worst in Luke like Mara.
"She is that," Leia agreed, and decided to change the subject. "She can also make her own decisions. But, why don't we worry about all of this later? How about you have dinner with us tonight? I know the twins would love to see their Uncle Luke."
For the first time since she'd walked in, her brother truly smiled.
"I'd love to," he agreed, and grabbed his towel. "I'll get showered up and meet you at your apartments."
He dropped a quick kiss to her cheek and disappeared in the direction of the men's locker room. Glad that she'd managed to cheer Luke out of his somber mood, Leia headed back to her home to set another placemat on the table.
-*-
"Hey, kid!"
Luke grinned, feeling his spirits lift as Han thumped him soundly on the back.
"Hi, Han," he replied. "Is dinner ready?"
"Patience, kid, patience." Han grinned back and drew his brother-in-law further into the living room. "How ya been? Heard the negotiations have been rough."
"That's one way of putting it," Luke replied wryly, still smiling. "A brawl would be a more fitting term. But I didn't come here to talk about the negotiations."
"Right," the older man agreed. "You came to eat our food and enjoy our wine."
"As well as the company," Luke put in defensively, laughing with his old friend.
"Fess up, kid—you'd eat with anyone as long as the food was free and there was plenty of it."
The shorter man shrugged sheepishly, still smiling. "Maybe, but I like your place the best."
"Thanks, kid," Han replied with an eye roll. "Want to see the terrors?"
"Lead the way."
Luke followed the taller man into the nursery where Jacen and Jaina lay in their crib. Their eyes, the same deep brown as their mother's, blinked up at him. When he leaned closer, he saw the flecks of green in their irises, something inherited from their roguish father.
"Hi," he cooed to them softly, lifting them both with the Force. He felt his heart soar at their little laughs and drew them into his body. Their baby-scent filled his nostrils as he hugged them close. Everything else drifted away for a moment as he connected with them through the Force. He loved holding them, protecting them even from gravity. There was nothing he cherished more than his family and its new additions.
He stayed like that for a long time, cooing to them through the Force, sending them love and warmth. He marveled at his powerful emotion for the little babies, and their more rudimentary show of those same emotions for him.
He looked up only when Leia stepped into the room, watching him with her heart in her eyes. She ached for him, knowing that as much as he loved the babies, their arrival made him feel lonely--an outsider looking in on a family he didn't always feel a part of anymore. He smiled at her in reassurance.
"Don't worry about me, Leia," he said softly. "I know which family I'm a part of." He glanced at Han. "This old scoundrel wouldn't let me forget if I tried."
Han grunted, not needing the Force to understand the undercurrent of emotions between his wife and brother-in-law.
"You're damn right I wouldn't," he agreed vehemently, then glanced at his children. "And don't you two repeat that word."
The somber mood was broken at his wisecrack, and Leia rolled her eyes. "Come on, you old nerf. Dinner's ready."
Han followed her out, glancing over his shoulder at Luke. His brother-in-law set the children back into their crib and murmured a goodbye. He must have used the Force to ease them to sleep, and then he looked up and met Han's gaze. Smiling, he joined his older companion and they strolled into the dining room together.
Once seated, the small family strayed away from the heavier topics that truly concerned them. They avoided mentioning Wedge's court martial and the Smuggler's Alliance. Luke studiously refused to speak about Mara at all, though Leia tried to get him to open up about her not long into the meal. Han kept the banter going to keep everyone smiling. They did far too little of that, especially since the New Republic had moved to Coruscant. He was just opening his mouth to tell them about a recent talk he'd had with Chewie, who was helping to transplant the Noghri onto a new homeworld, when someone knocked impatiently on the door. Luke's eyes darkened with an unnamable emotion as he glanced toward the door, and from that look Leia guessed who was on the other side.
"It's Mara," she told Han as she stood.
"There must be a good reason for her to come here," Luke murmured, his voice distant. Leia could her a trace of concern in those muted tones. He frowned as he probed the visitor's sense with the Force. "She wants me for something—something urgent."
"Guess we'd better answer the door, then," Han commented, trying to sound nonchalant and not quite pulling it off. He walked to the door, almost too casually, and Leia knew he was worried for Luke.
"Mara," he said as the door slid away, "what a pleasant surprise."
Her eyes narrowed at the dripping sarcasm in his voice, but she ignored him and gazed over his shoulder—straight at Luke.
"I need your help, Skywalker," she said matter-of-factly.
"What is it?" he asked, already taking inventory of what he had and what he'd need to get from his apartment for their next little venture.
"It's Karrde," she told him. "He's disappeared."
He glanced at her sharply. "No one's been able to find him for days, and now you're worried?"
She shook her head. "I've been giving him updates on the Smuggler's Alliance negotiations, and he's always responded, but it's been three days since he last contacted me . . . "
"Do you know where he was headed?" He was strapping on his boots as he spoke. Mara shook her head again.
"No. He was on the Etherway. Aves told me he was en route to the Rim . . . But of course Karrde never mentioned a specific destination. He just told the others he'd be in touch."
"Sounds like he knew there'd be some trouble," Han commented. Mara nodded shortly.
"That's what I'm thinking. And now he's found it."
"Do you have a ship with room for my X-wing?"
Mara gave another short nod. Luke turned to his family. "Looks like I'm out of here. I'll be in touch," he promised, dropping a kiss to Leia's forehead. She looked decidedly uncomfortable with the way he was leaving, but didn't argue. Han nudge his brother-in-law before hugging him quickly.
"Take care of yourself, kid. We'll tell the Rogues where you headed in case you need back up, and I'll keep the Falcon prepped. Unless you want me to come along?" he offered.
"No. Just Skywalker and I. The more people, the more chance of being spotted and attacked," the redhead stated firmly.
"Mara's right. We'll be fine. Don't worry," he added with a roguish grin, "it's me."
"That's exactly," Han replied dryly, "what I'm worried about."
It was obviously an old joke, and obviously the end of the conversation. Mara stepped forward and tugged on Luke's sleeve.
"Let's go," she said. He nodded down at her.
"Take care of my niece and nephew—and yourselves. You'll be the first people I want to see when I get back," he told them. Leia tucked herself into the comfort of her husband's side and nodded.
"Good luck," she said, eyes torn with worry and an intense desire to go with them.
"Hey kid," Han called as Luke and Mara stepped out of the door, "may the Force be with you."
Luke grinned and saluted them with his unlit lightsaber before disappearing down the hall after Mara at a brisk jog. Then Leia let out a long sigh.
"I better let the med center know—put them on standby."
Han chuckled, though he knew the humor was just a reflex to take the edge off of the worry already settling onto their shoulders. "He'll be fine. I mean, it's Luke . . . What kind of trouble could he possibly get into?"
Leia looked up at him incredulously. "You're right, it is Luke. And he's with Mara Jade. What kind of trouble do you think he'll get into?"
"Right. I'll prep the Falcon now, then."
"And I'll call the med center."
Han squeezed her shoulders and let her back to the table. "Come on, we'll need the strength," he told her, and they settled back down to finish their now-quiet meal.
