Chapter 9 "Luke," Han said as he eyed the young Jedi. "What is wrong with you today?"

"I'm not quite sure Mara trusts me, after last night. Mara looked at me as if I'd deliberately been out rancor baiting. It wasn't that bad, was it?"

Luke shifted his shoulders uneasily as Tycho began laughing. "Barely bruise a knuckle and Winter wants me to take a bacta dip."

"And I got the 'Do you want your daughters to know what you were doing last night?' look." Wedge grumble joining in.

"My grandfather dressed like this, not me." Han grumbled as he glared at the droid, ready to disassemble it. He glared at the clothes that he had been forced to wear.

"The women just don't know how to have fun." Wedge pointed out regarding Luke was worried expression had turned into a smug grin.

"Really," Kam said a hint of mocking in his voice. "Off being pampered. Just lying around doing nothing but sweating."

"Kam, women glow, not sweat." Wedge pointed out.

Luke shook his head. " I think it was good for Mara to go with them to do something relaxing. She's been very tense." Luke regretted saying it as soon as he heard Corran's voice from behind him.

"Oh, and you're not Luke?"

"Jedi know no fear." Kam said with a grin.

"Sure, some. It's a big change for my life; or lives." Luke told them with and earnest look on his face.

Han glared at the droid and then began questioning it. "Who told you I had to wear this?" He paused but before the droid answered "Leia said it, did she?" He said with a scowl on his face. As the droid started talking Han waved his hand dismissively at it. "Yeah, this will be fine, thanks."

"There is right and wrong. Get used to being wrong," Kam said as he slapped Luke on the back.

"Have to remember Luke, being in a marriage isn't as easy as saving the galaxy."

"Next," the droid asked as Han stood there stiffly in the clothes he had been given, the vest was purple and the boots were stiff.

"I can't remember the last time I was right." Han pointed out then he paused. "Oh, wait, it was before I met your sister."

Luke eyed Han as soon as he joined the crowd in his normal clothes. "I knew you then," Luke whispered, "Han, think further back."

"You have to be a partner, confidant, lover, healer, and worst of all, you can't always fix things." Corran pointed out and Luke nodded his head.

"Right. The toughest job is to let her find her solutions, even though it kills you waiting for her to do it." Wedge said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course," Han began a sly look in his eyes. "Mara's solutions are likely to kill something."

Most likely me. "I know. I just hope I never disappoint her."

"Good luck in that, Kid. Happens in every marriage."

"Han's right. Unless you're reading her mind, you won't know what you're supposed to do, so disappointments happen." Wedge pointed out.

Yeah, well, it's possible.

Don't consider it Luke; she'd kill you.

I have to agree with Corran on this matter. And we still need you to teach.

Neither of you are helping. I really need to work on my shields.

Yep, have to agree. Even though both of us are married.

Luke paused as he realized what they were referring to and his face burned red. Luke turned away as thoughts and images assaulted his senses.

I thought that was forbidden for Jedi. Kam pointed out.

Especially a Jedi Master.

Get out of my head, both of you.

"The key is to avoid stringing too many of them together. Keep talking to her, learn what she wants, and stick with it." Kam said then glanced at Luke.

Corran, remember when we agreed that Mirax and Mara should never meet?

Yeah, Corran paused; I think we've failed miserably. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out what Mara wants.

Yeah, kill me, beat me up, kill me, make me look like a fool, kill me, argue with me, kill me, and basically kill me.

She better not give Mirax any lessons.

They glanced at each other and just started laughing. "Jedi," Han muttered.

"You make it sound like trying to hit a moving target." Luke sighed.

"Tougher."

"Much tougher."

"Oh, yeah."

"No doubt."

Luke sighed and shook his head. He hadn't known what he was getting into. "Well, Master Yoda said there was no try, only do or do not."

"Yoda wasn't married," Han pointed out.

"Mara's worth the work, Luke." Corran said as he clasped a hand on Luke's shoulder, trying to encourage him.

"Do for Mara what the spa did today and you're set."
___________________ Chik dug his hands into his pockets as he stared down at the bustling city of Coruscant. The Rebellion had changed Imperial City so much; it had become a hideous thing of chaos.

"Finding a single dressmaker on a world like Coruscant is not going to be easy.

Anlys Takkar didn't look up from the computer in front of her. She had to find who it was. "When there is something I want, Chik, I get it, nothing stops me." She said determinedly.

Chik shook his head and turned towards her, stepping away from the window. "I do not doubt your resolve, but Coruscant is a rather large mole of Uranium in which to search for a single Quark."

"Not as difficult a process as you might think. We know she is of a certain caliber, and has certain needs." Anlys watched the screen as she searched through the data, looking for a match. They were coming close; she knew it. "Coruscant has a wealth of information, including gossip, to aid us."

"Employment records, want ads, old-fashioned news articles, these give us our pool of candidates." She called up a group of holos that her searches had yielded. There were maybe nine or ten designers. She would just have to narrow it down further. "Leases, equipment, orders, and, yes, fabric orders, Leia's dress was of Ottegan Silk, Mara will use that." As she glanced through all the material she quickly eliminated one after another. "These factors will tell us who has the means and materials to do the job." Soon she had the number down to one, before her was a holo of a young looking Twi'lek and she smiled wickedly.

"The winner is Jari'Kyn, late of House of Vanar." She stood up and turned around towards Chik, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him closer.

He stood straight and raised his head slightly. "I see the address. This fitting will become on for a shroud."

"Hurry back," she exclaimed with a joyful laugh. "I love celebrating with a victor."
___________________

"Well, I found that very relaxing." Mara commented as she finished wiping off her face and set the towel down. They had won the match but that really didn't surprise anyone. It had just been a bunch of fighter jocks.

"You didn't have to guard that Rodian." Winter pointed out.

"I thought Ithorians were supposed to be peaceful." Leia said a bit miffed as she dried her hair.

"Since when do Twi'leks have six elbows?" Tionne asked as she finished drying her hair and dropped the towel down.

Mirax stood in the shower as she washed out her hair. Drenching the sweat from her body. "I'll never go into the goal again. Never, never, never."

"I never did have many friends." Mara sighed as she stared at the small holograph in her hands. She loved him so much. She didn't know how she had lived so long without him. "I'm glad that's not the case any more."

"Thank you Mara, " Iella said as she finished brushing out her now dry hair and gazed at the former assassin.

"Feed me goal assists like that in the future and you're a friend for life," Winter said jokingly as she finished drying her hair.

Mara packed up her things and headed out but Iella caught up with her. "Headed out so soon?"

"I have a dress fitting to get to." When Mara noticed Iella wasn't leaving she turned around and faced her. "You don't have to come with me."

"No, no, I'd be happy to go with you, if you don't want to go alone."

Mara shook her head. "I appreciate the offer but ..."

"I understand," Iella said interrupting her. "Well, bye!" Iella called after her as she left.
___________________ "Bacta? They must have some here." One of the voices sounded from the floor of the Smash ball court.

"I thought Alderaanians were supposed to be peaceful."

"I've sprained a Lekku," the Twi'lek muttered.

Hope they're up for another game later, 'cause if this fitting is stressful, I'm going to need to burn it off! The alien pushed himself up off the ground and waited for his squadron mates to get up as well.
___________________ "Mara!" Jari'Kyn yelled as she jumped to her feet at the sight of the woman.

"Sorry for being late, I was held up at the spa."

"I'm running a bit late, anyway. Ready for you now, though." Jari'Kyn picked up the dress and led Mara happily to the changing room.

Mara changed into the dress and as soon as she had it on she peered into the mirror. The dress was gorgeous. So, elegant, she was glad that she had this dress now, to please Luke. She remembered back to when she had fallen asleep at his apartment, how he had reacted. It had to be the press. He was afraid of what they would put out if they found out. The Jedi Master who had faced down the Emperor and countless other disastrous dangers was afraid that the gossip reporters would get a hold of it and he would loss face in front of the entire galaxy. It could be dismissed as humorous, really.

"Oh, my," Mara whispered as her excitement for the wedding grew. "It's beautiful Jari'Kyn. Even in my Imperial days I never had anything this elegant..."

"Yess!" Jari'Kyn yelled in uncontained excitement.

"I don't even recognize myself in it. It makes me look ..." Mara never finished her sentence as she stepped out in her new dress with a smile spread across her face.

"You look beautiful, Mara, because you are and because you're so happy."

"I am happy, but your dress is doing the beautiful part." Mara stepped back into the dressing room and started changing her clothes back. "With this gown, I feel like everything is perfect and will actually go off as expected."

"It will, the bridesmaids' dresses are done, and even the thing for the ring bearer." Mara finished strapping her belt on and stepped out.

"I'll be back for the gown in two days."

Jari'Kyn nodded her acknowledgement. "I'll have it ready."
___________________ Chik slunk closer to the window the red cloak of his royal guards uniform swirling around him. He had served his Emperor loyally and would bury this traitor by his oath
___________________ Mara turned around as she heard a noise outside the window and as she did so the window crashed inward on them. "No rush, you'll need to make alterations." A figure hissed as he swung into the areas, force pike out, dressed in the red armor of the Emperor's Royal Guards.

"What? Who are you?"

Jari'Kyn was breathing heavily as she turned. "I'll call security." Then she ran off.

The weapon came down and more jumped and snatched the lightsaber from her belt and it came crashing down. "You betrayed the Empire, Mara, now you must die."

Mara ignited her lightsaber and the blade shot out as she saw the easy kill and swiped at his unprotected chest. "If I had a credit for every time I've heard that line I could buy you a real guardsman's uniform and every other unreconstructed Imperial a life."

"They said they'd hurry," Jari'Kyn yelled as she raced in seeing the attacker on the floor in pain.

"No problem, Jari'Kyn, though if we could work a holster for my lightsaber into the design."

Jari'Kyn grinned widely, "only if you could recommend me to all your Jedi friends."