The Emerald Price Chapter 20

By Ash Darklighter

Disclaimer:- The characters and situations used in this story are the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. I am only using them for some entertainment and will not even make one Republican credit from this endeavour. This is set around eight to ten years after Luke and Mara met each other for the first time. This one is for all the girls on the AA list and of course for Mona – what would I do without you?

Coruscant

Mara Jade's temper was unpredictable at the best of times and those around her had learned to identify the moments when her mood was at its most volatile. This was one of those times. Talon Karrde had been monitoring reports from his crew from off world - reports which were growing in frequency.

She'd been simmering with suppressed fury for three days until Karrde had finally had enough. She was going to burst if she didn't get whatever was bothering her off her chest. Her irritation had steadily grown as she'd begun to piece together the facts about her little misadventure. Either she would burst or cause someone a grievous injury. On reflection, the latter was more likely and Karrde had decided for Mara's sake, and that of his weary crew that it was a time to put business aside and address the problem. Karrde was no coward when it came to facing Mara Jade in a temper and knew she was going through a difficult time just as Luke had said she would. He watched from the bridge as they came to rest in the Coruscant Westport Space station.

Framed behind the open blast doors of the next hanger, Karrde watched Mara Jade, welding torch in hand, working determinedly on the Fire. Her unrestrained red hair caught and reflected the light of the torch, flickering in its unsteady beam as she hung upside down in order to reach the small fuse box on the underside of the ship's port wing.

"We couldn't free up a maintenance lift for another 10 minutes – she refused to wait," Aves said plainly as he stepped to Karrde's side. "Good thing you're back. If she spends another hour down here we're going to lose the machine crew to Booster Terrik's team…" Mara swung her body upward snapping orders at the machine droid who held a tray of spare parts. "Or to her own bare hands…" Slamming the old fitting down on the tray, she grabbed a new one and swung backwards relighting her torch as she went. 

"I can't even subject a droid to such danger." Karrde tried to make light of the situation, but he knew all too well how serious things had turned. "Has she said anything yet?"

"No." Aves stared across the hanger. "She's just been barking out orders and throwing data pads and tools about ever since she met with Calrissian a few days ago."

"She's seen Calrissian? That explains a lot. He does seem to incite fury in her, almost as well as Skywalker can." Although not a Force adept, Karrde could read people like few could and the slight shift in the older man's jaw at the word 'Skywalker' was not lost on the trader. "Anything else, Aves." It was not a question.

"She's been calling out to him in her sleep," Aves confessed reluctantly and turned to meet his employer's eye. To Karrde there was no need to clarify that 'him' was Skywalker. "I found her yesterday fast asleep in the gym. She's wearing herself out…"

"Since you returned to Coruscant?"

"No - before we even left Coruscant. When we returned to Aaris III to collect the Fire."

"I see."  Karrde spoke evenly. 

In the exchange neither man had noticed Mara approaching until she was a mere step away from them. 

Aves gave her a curt nod. "Mara." Then turning back to Karrde he muttered, "Welcome back, Boss." Quickly he retreated back towards the Wild Karrde.

"Karrde. You're back early. I didn't expect you for at least another two days." Her voice was civil but as she pulled the welding goggles from her head Talon caught a glimpse of the turmoil and ice his crew had been experiencing over the past few days. How much had she remembered?  What had Lando said?

"I finished early.  No need to dawdle." He studied her keenly but she gave away nothing.   She just stood there with an edge to her which reminded him of the Mara Jade he first knew.  This was a woman it was better not to confront alone. "Why don't we get some dinner and you can give me an update on what's been going on? I have a new job you may be interested in.  How about 'The Regent'? They have a new chef."

Mara shrugged. "Why not."

To minimise the possibility of a scene, Karrde wanted to draw Mara away from the rest of the crew to a popular restaurant in Coruscant Entertainment District that he knew she liked. 'The Regent' cultivated an air of quiet charm reminiscent of the Old Republic. He hoped it would help to minimise the explosion he prayed wasn't coming. Had she found out? Mara hated deceit even if they had done it with her best interest at heart.

"I want to finish the repairs to the Fire as soon as I possibly can and I have parts on the supply run arriving from the rim tonight."

Karrde could see her determination to finish the work on the Fire but was she redirecting her frustration to the ship or in a hurry to leave? Perhaps both. "Well then, you have at least an hour or two." 

"Fine. But I'm not going home to change."

Karrde stared at her. She was dressed in a conservative, dark green jumpsuit and tunic. There was a smear of hyperdrive fluid just above her knee but he didn't think anyone else would notice. The clothes Karrde provided for his crews shrugged off most oils and grease with ease. Besides, he wanted to talk to her and if he made her go and change he would have an even more difficult task on his hands. "You don't need to change. We're dining early. Ball gowns and durindfire gems suit the later sitting."

Mara almost managed to crack a smile.

During their meal they had conversed on neutral subjects. Mara had been strangely subdued but every so often he glimpsed something hard and angry in her sharp green eyes. Finally they sat staring at one another over a pot of caf. "What is it, Mara?" Karrde asked, suddenly eager to get the whole thing over and done with. "Something's bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me," Mara snapped, immediately on the defensive. "I should be asking that of you."

"Other than the crew of the Wild Karrde came to me in a deputation last night begging me to do something or they'd all resign – you call that nothing?" He held his ground and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "I don't need a new crew. I like the people I have."

"I've not been that bad…have I?" Mara looked startled. She'd thought that she'd hidden her anger.

"Well…" Karrde drew out the word. "You've been very…short with everyone. I think most of the maintenance crew was heading over to hanger 52 and the Errant Venture to apply." Then softening his gaze, he folded his hands, setting the employer role aside. "Look, seriously Mara, most of them know that you've been through a difficult time and they are trying to be understanding but enough is enough. You have to talk to someone."

"All I have been doing is talking – no one is talking back," Mara spat out. Her frustration levels were almost at saturation point. "Listen. You wanted me to talk to and play through this whole charade with Calrissian and look where it got me. The whole relationship was a mistake from the start. I talked to him and it's over."

"I thought we had already decided that it was over. It was all supposed to be a business deal, nothing more. I never meant for you to come to any harm, Mara. You've finished it once and for all?"

"Oh, it's finished," Mara declared with a dangerous gleam in her eye. "Even though he now thinks that he's in love with me."

Karrde was taken aback. That wasn't something he had expected. "He said that?"

"He did but I think I managed to change his mind." She glared at Karrde, her annoyance almost tangible. With difficulty she grabbed hold of her escalating temper and reined it in. Her boss would get it with both barrels of a metaphorical blaster when she was sure he was guilty and she was pretty sure. It was time to find out for certain. Titling her head to one side she stared hard at her boss. "Surprisingly, he was so overwhelmed with emotion he couldn't even bring himself to recount the heroics of my rescue."

Warning bells rang in Talon's head. What had Lando done?  "Oh. That's…"

"Unusual for Calrissian not to want to brag about his exploits?" Mara's eyes narrowed into green slits. "I've been perfectly pleasant to the crew."

"You think you have," he said quietly.

Mara's mouth tightened mutinously.

Karrde knew he was in trouble and tried a different vector. "Perhaps it was too soon for you to return to work. Take some time off…go and visit one of the vacation worlds or…" He hesitated. "Why notH go and see Skywalker?" He waited tensely, wondering how she would react. "He would be pleased to see you."

She shot him a look of suspicion. "That was Lando's suggestion, too. Everyone's rather keen that I talk to Skywalker for some reason."

"He's the Jedi Master…"

"He's one of the Jedi Masters," Mara corrected.

"Or you could go back to the Manarai and see one of the psych droids."

"Not even if Palpatine resurrects himself immediately in front of me out of that pot of caf am I going to do that. I would even rather date Calrissian," Mara ground out, the feeling of guilt rising up and forming a lump at the back of her throat. Had she been taking her frustrations out on the rest of the crew? "I have to keep working. I have to keep busy…"

"The memories?"

"No," she snapped. "The lack of them. I still can't remember anything constructive."

"Is that any reason to take it out on the Wild Karrde's crew?" the smuggler chief gently remonstrated. "You've been through a lot and now I think you are trying too hard to make us believe that you are all right."

"I am alright," she maintained stoutly. "But I've had these flashes of memory and I can read the evidence.  People have been keeping things from me and I intend to find out what they are."

"Oh." Karrde smoothed his hand over his chin, his face non-committal. "Unwise of them."

"Yes it is." She leaned back in her chair; she was tiring of this game. "You were there – you can tell me the whole story." Her attempt at a reasonable smile failed – it was a mere baring of her perfect white teeth.

Karrde swallowed. She knew. "Mara…I still think perhaps the doc-droid…"

"No, Talon." Mara gave a sigh and some of the nervous, angry energy drained away, leaving her tired and anxious looking. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can't continue this way any longer. I'm asking all the questions and I'm tired of not getting any answers. I can feel things and I hear voices and nothing makes sense. All my life I have heard voices. It's my gift or my curse depending on your point of view." She lifted her green eyes and scrutinised Karrde's face carefully. "But now my mind is filled with a different voice telling me that I'll be safe. A voice from my memories, a familiar voice."

Karrde was taken aback. There was something almost calculating in her expression and he began to feel a little uneasy. How was she going to react? "Ah… Mara… You know most of what happened. You were attacked by a gang of thugs. You were beaten to unconsciousness and kept in a continuous drugged state. They nearly sold you… before… until we…we found you. You might have been dreaming or hallucinating about other voices."

"That's what I want to remember – the rescue. You and Calrissian are saying very little about that. It's rather unusual for Calrissian to say so little about anything. I have this vision of you and Lando charging to my salvation on your white banthas. But it's not your voice that I hear."

Karrde began to sweat. Stang! Where was Skywalker and his bright ideas when he needed them? Yes, she knew. He would have to come clean but if he did, he would have a Jedi Master after him too. Swiftly, he weighed up his options. Luke was a long way away and Mara was closer and far more volatile. "It's understandable," he croaked, grabbing his glass of water and swallowing a mouthful. "I'm surprised you can remember anything at all."

Mara's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You said you had a job for me?"

Surprised by the abrupt change of topic, Karrde wondered if this meal was ever going to end. She wouldn't be too happy about the job he had for her but the naked yearning on Skywalker's face made him want to do something for the man. Whether it would be his doom or his happiness Karrde wasn't sure. Luke had extracted a promise from him not to tell Mara. Karrde knew that was one of the stupidest ideas he'd ever agreed to. This way he would let Mara know what she craved and not break his promise to the Jedi. "I did say that and I do have a job for you. I visited the Belgaroth system and..."

"Belgaroth…" Mara echoed. "Belgaroth!" The suspicion in her green gaze sharpened into shrewdness. "Yes, you did say you were heading that way, didn't you. Ossus and Adega are in the Belgaroth system," she stated. "What in the Force were you doing out there?"

Karrde grimaced. She'd not left the earlier topic – she was trying to get at the information she wanted in a different way. He should remember never to underestimate her and usually he didn't. "I was acquiring a load of Ilum crystals for the Jedi Academy. Jedi Master Solusar ordered them some time ago. I said I would get them when I was close to the Belgaroth System."

"Ilum crystals – you mean Adegan crystals?"

"They're the same thing, aren't they?"

Mara stared at him hard and then gave a short crack of laughter but there was little amusement in the sound. "He's short of a crystal is he?"

Karrde was mystified. He hadn't a clue what she was on about. "I'm sorry?"

"Does the Jedi Master need something to make his lightsaber work?"

"I'm sorry, Mara. I don't quite understand. Jedi Master Solusar wants them for his students." Karrde knew that he was definitely missing something here but gamely tried to treat this as if it were a normal working lunch and conversation. "The order originally came some time ago from Jedi Master Solusar but if you'll deliver the crystals to Yavin IV perhaps you'll find out. Skywalker has…" His voice faded.

"Skywalker!" Mara's voice rose, verging on the hysterical. "I'm just coming to him," she spat, her gaze suddenly murderous.

"Oh." Karrde took another gulp of water. "I told you, Mara. The Jedi Academy ordered a set of lightsaber crystals to be delivered whenever I managed to obtain some. I was able to collect an assortment of the correct quality before I returned to Coruscant after we left Aaris III. The hyperspace routes are favourable between Czerip and Ossus."

"True," Mara agreed grudgingly. "But why is Solusar the one ordering crystals?"

"Solusar is now head of the Academy."

"He is?"

"Yes, I thought you knew. Skywalker gave up leadership of the school last year but is still head of the order. He's going out into the field again."

"I wondered why he was racketing around the galaxy." Mara said irritably. "Doesn't appear to be any happier about it."

"I thought he would have told you about that."

"Maybe he did amongst all his Jedi pontificating and I wasn't listening. I was avoiding him because he was with 'what's-her-name' and when she left all he had on his mind was the Academy and my Jedi training. When I was ready to listen he started avoiding me up until I landed in the medicentre."

"Interesting." Karrde pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I wonder why?" He leaned back in his chair, his hands raised in front of him touching fingertips. He had a very good idea why Skywalker had avoided Mara. She'd been with Lando. And Mara had avoided the Jedi Master because he'd been involved with Callista. He leaned forward in the awkward silence, once again hopefully nudging the subject back to safer territory. "I don't think I will ever forget the sight of these jewels as the dealer showed them to me. I'm sure I can remember every jewel I ever traded but these were different."

"Different?"

"They were almost…" Karrde's pale blue eyes took on a far away gleam. "They were almost alive."

"You remember every jewel?" Mara's voice had a strange note to it as she took a small cloth-wrapped package from her pocket and placed it on the table between them. "What about this one?" She carefully pushed aside the cloth and revealed a green, multifaceted stone. As her fingers touched the surface the stone glowed with an inner light and Mara let out a little gasp. Every time she touched the jewel something touched her mind - a picture or a voice or an emotion. Karrde was right – the stone acted as if it contained life within.

"That's beautiful," Karrde murmured. "It's not unlike them although I would say that this one has more…heart. Where did you get it?"

"You should know," Mara murmured, her gaze fixed on the jewel.

"I should?" Karrde questioned, the awkward lump back in his throat. He didn't have the Force but his instinct had guided him well through the many years he'd been smuggling and trading for his livelihood. His instinct was telling him that he could be in a tight spot with Mara. They should have told her everything. It was stupid of them to keep things from her.

Mara's eyes snapped open wide and fixed on Karrde with intensity. "Yes – you should. You remember every jewel you traded with or so you said."

"I'm not sure I recall that one although I feel that I should."

"I think you should. After all, you paid for my freedom with it. You bought me. Bought me, Karrde! I was sold like a…a…thing! I'm your property! Can you imagine how that makes me feel?"

"Kessel!" Karrde swore. "I can't remember every gemstone," he hastily tried to retract his earlier statement. He hadn't, though he should have, thought about what Skywalker had done to secure Mara's freedom. But now he knew. Still, Mara couldn't know that this was from Skywalker's lightsaber. She didn't know he'd been anywhere near the Elrood Sector. "I would never buy a slave, Mara. Although, if it had been the only way that I could have secured your freedom, I would have resorted to it if necessary."

"No!" Her face was pained, her voice desolate. "I'm not a thing to be bought or sold. I'm free. I've earned the right to my freedom. I'm an individual. I don't hear the Emperor's voice in my head any more. I belong to myself." It was a quiet cry from the heart.

"Of course you're free, Mara!" He didn't know how much more of his friend's despair he could take.

Mara's fingers traced the glittering gem once more. "This one is particularly fine, is it not? This is an Adegan emerald of a rare quality and this was the price you paid for my freedom. This is no ordinary jewel." She held it up to study its lustre and its light only seemed to emphasise the brilliance of her own green eyes. "Only a stone such as this could be the heart of a Jedi Master's weapon. Strange only that Skywalker would part with it."

There was a sudden deathly silence at the table.

"Mara…I didn't want…Skywalker didn't want…" Karrde spread out his hands helplessly. Skywalker had taken apart his own saber to save Mara! "I didn't know," he whispered. "I wasn't there when he did it. He bought you to save your life. That's what I think he did. He won't talk about it."

"What?"

"Skywalker and Solo went for you. I met them on Czerip after they had found you and transported you back to Coruscant in a stasis chamber. It was Skywalker and Solo who saved your life. Skywalker made me promise not to tell you."

"Why?"

Karrde sensed that Mara wasn't asking why Luke had saved her life but why he hadn't told her. He shrugged. "Why didn't Luke want you to know? I'm not exactly sure." Luke had never said how he felt about Mara and Karrde wasn't even certain that the Jedi Master had even guessed himself. "He's very deep and I don't think anyone knows his true motives for doing something. I think Luke was appalled at the treatment meted out to you. He didn't want you to suffer any more over this and he wondered if you would want him to see you so vulnerable…"

Mara swallowed, her face paling. Luke knew her so well. She hated people seeing her helpless but somehow he didn't count. Over the years he'd seen her at her best and at her worst. This time the voice she heard in her head matched the face she saw in her dreams. Luke had kept her safe.

"And Mara…" Karrde pulled some credits from his wallet as he got slowly to his feet. "He cares for you and said you would do the same for him." He carefully placed the credits on the table in payment of their meal.

"Oh," Mara whispered. "Of course I would."

"It's up to Luke to tell you exactly what happened. If you don't want to deliver the crystals to Yavin, I'll get someone else to do it but I think he'll be glad to see you. He's missing an integral part of the weapon of a Jedi - if that is his lightsaber crystal."

"It is." A small smile crossed her lips. Mara's hand moved to the lightsaber attached to her waist. Luke had given it to her. For the thousandth time she wondered why he had done that. She watched as Karrde walked slowly across the restaurant, then her gaze shifted to the crystal lying in front of her. Her hand hovered over it and, as her fingers lightly touched its polished surface, a streak of fire flashed in its depths.

Yavin IV

Luke tried to find a comfortable spot on his sleeping pallet. It was too hot. He pushed the thin, covering sheet from his naked body and stood up. He could feel the life essence of Yavin pulsing through the Force. But something…or someone else was disturbing him.

Mara Jade.

They were connected in a way few, even among the Jedi, could understand. References to emotional bonds were sketchy and few. When she was emotionally distraught or in times of great crisis he could vaguely sense her thoughts – even across the galaxy, far away from her current location. He assumed she was still on Coruscant. But the connection between them was growing stronger and he could no longer hide it from her. He was going to have to tell her something feasible and soon.

They would both have to work on their shielding. There was no denying that. But Luke wondered why he and Mara Jade had developed an emotional Force bond. They were good friends, they worked well together and he trusted her as he trusted no other. He loved her… Luke dropped his head into his hands. He loved her. That could explain the bond from his perspective but Mara's relationship was with Calrissian. Why had it happened from hers? He lifted his head, his eyes glittering in the darkness. In the old days the Jedi had not been encouraged to love and Luke considered that to be one of the reasons they had fallen. Love caused heartache and despair but Luke never regretted being able to love.

As he stared out into the Yavin jungle he could almost see her standing before him. He could feel the darkness building inside her soul. This was what had awakened him. He could hear her clear voice rise. "I was sold? Someone bought me?" A wave of her fury washed over him. "No, Mara, no!" he spoke urgently into the night. "Anger is of the dark side."

"Shut up," she snarled.

Luke clenched his fists. Did she think he was the voice of her conscience or his actual voice speaking to her from a far away system? Was he really hearing her voice – sensing her emotions? He sank back onto his pallet and buried his head in his hands. He could certainly predict trouble in store. With a sigh, he stood up again and reached for his clothes. He needed to meditate. He wasn't going to get any more sleep this night.

Luke moved silently from his quarters and headed out of the temple and into the sultry darkness of the jungle night. Creatures called to one another in the shadows and moved, rustling amongst the undergrowth. The occupants of the temple were unaware of his restlessness and slept on, undisturbed by shadowy visions and angry voices.

She was still angry. He could feel the hate swelling once more. Was this a dream, a vision or an actual happening? Luke couldn't be sure. Mara stood alone, her saber raised ready to strike her opponent down. Even from this distance her hate stabbed at him. No, he thought desperately. This couldn't be happening. Could she not see how close to the edge she could fall? He shouldn't have run away to Yavin, he should have been with her.

"No, Mara! Not in cold blood. Release your anger," Luke begged.

"Luke?"

Her confused voice ricocheted around his head as he sensed the danger passing and her anger dying away.

"Luke?"

With a muffled oath, Luke strengthened his shields as she reached out to touch his mind. She had to come to Yavin soon. He wanted to see her and yet, he knew there was the possibility that he might give himself away. But Mara needed some more training if this situation was going to continue between them. They needed to learn to build better shields between them and she needed more skill in controlling her anger. They both needed to ensure that the other had privacy.

Meditation was difficult to achieve after that and once again, Luke saw the dawn rise, his eyes red and tired from lack of sleep.

"Master Skywalker," the students chorused respectfully as he passed them on his way back to his quarters. He smiled politely and bowed his head but kept walking until his feet trod the well-worn flagstones that led him to his destination. With a quick flick of his wrist the door slid open quickly and the peace of his own small space surrounded him.

He paused, his hands fumbling for the training saber he had attached to his belt before laying it on a chair. His eyes moved to where all the ingredients he needed to remake his lightsaber lay assembled on the workbench. It was a task he'd been postponing for reasons he couldn't fathom but he knew that he couldn't put it off any longer. He was a Jedi Master now. Constructing a lightsaber was not the near-impossible feat he'd had to struggle to achieve long ago in Obi-Wan's desert hut on Tatooine.

He had all the component parts. All he needed was to construct a new lightsaber crystal. He knew that Kam Solusar, the Master now in charge of the general running of the Jedi Academy, had ordered some Adegan crystals some time ago but as yet they hadn't arrived. Luke knew that he couldn't make do with a training saber any longer. It was only a matter of time before the New Republic called on his services once more. He could wait for the shipment to arrive but something in Luke wanted to do it the hard way. At present, he had the time and the skill. Luke gave a small tired chuckle. He still hadn't told anyone about the loss of his crystal. He wasn't sure that they would even understand. Perhaps they would think that the Jedi Master was reckless, rendering himself unable to fight.

Luke could almost hear Yoda's cackle. 'A Jedi is never defenceless when he has the Force as his ally.' If he wanted to use his crystal to buy a slave girl, he would. His mouth quirked into a small smile. And what a slave girl. She was magnificent. He gave the components a longing look but first he was going to have a shower and then try to get some sleep.

A few hours later Luke opened his eyes, swung his feet to the floor and reached out his hand for the loose robe lying on the chair next to his bed. Pulling it over his head, he stretched and then got wearily to his feet and walked to an old, intricately carved trunk made of boa-wood. This was one of the oldest and most beautiful things he had ever owned. Obi-Wan had left it for him to find in his house on Tatooine. Luke did not have many possessions and those he did have were treasures in his own mind. He didn't value them for what they were worth in a monetary sense. A life constantly on the move didn't leave much time or inclination for material acquisitions. Inside were many things a Jedi would find interesting but Luke knew exactly what he was looking for. He reached inside and picked up a book, his hands caressing the smoothness of the worn leather binding. His thumb fitted over the clasp that accepted his thumb print and no other.

He glanced briefly at the contents. This book held many useful facts but the most important was on lightsaber construction. He didn't need to consult the book. He could recite each stage by heart but there was something comforting about the rustle of the soft paper, the smell of the leather binding and the sensation of the pages beneath his fingertips.

He had done most of the work. He had the casing for his lightsaber – he was happy with the original. The only thing that was missing was the focusing crystal. The first time he had constructed a lightsaber it had taken him over a month to fire and cut the gem. He could do it in far less time these days but he didn't have to rush the delicate task. He still loved to work with his hands and this was an opportunity to do just that.

Tionne Solusar leaned her head against her husband's shoulder as they returned to their quarters. It had been a long day but a satisfying one, she thought. Many of the students had continued to progress in the ways of the Force. Her delicate nose twitched as they reached the passage leading to their suite of rooms. "I can smell burning," she declared as she straightened her silvery head.

Kam sniffed a couple of times. "I don't smell anything," he muttered. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Tionne was definite.

"Get the maintenance droid to check out the systems."

"I did," Tionne said clearly. "…yesterday."

"And did it find anything?"

"No," she admitted reluctantly.

"Well then," her husband concluded. "Get the med droid to examine your nasal cavities."

"That is not helpful. I have a keen sense of smell and I smell burning."

Kam knew he had said the wrong thing as soon as the words had left his mouth. So much for Jedi diplomacy. "No one else is housed in this part of the temple apart from us and Luke. Maybe he's cooking in his quarters. He does have a small galley kitchen in his rooms. He doesn't always eat with the students."

"No, not if he's working."

"Which he usually is."

"He has dedicated his life to the Jedi and the Force." Her tone was admiring.

Kam sighed. "Yes, but he should occasionally ease up a little. I thought when I became a Jedi Master and we took over the running of the Academy, Luke would have less of a burden to carry."

"But he's the head of the order," Tionne protested. "He assumes this burden willingly. As do we all."

"Yes, but if he makes himself ill through overwork…?"

"I suppose." Tionne didn't sound convinced.

"He's been looking better recently. I was worried about him when he first returned to Yavin but he appears to be more relaxed. It's only a matter of time before he heads off on some diplomatic mission again."

"I agree. We need to have more students ready to help him in this task."

Kam ran a gentle finger across his wife's cheek. "And we will, my love."

"I will just check…"

"No, just leave him tonight…Ah, too late."

Tionne's pale eyes glowed in the dim lighting of the corridor as she tapped on the Jedi Master's door.

The door slid open and a bare-chested Luke stood rubbing a towel over his damp hair. "Kam…Tionne." His face brightened.

"Tionne thinks that she can smell burning in this section of the living quarters," Kam explained.

"Burning?" Luke stepped into the hall and sniffed the air like a womprat hunting for prey. "Can't smell anything," he mumbled. "What kind of burning? Have you told the maintenance droid to check the systems?"

Kam grinned. "That's what I said."

"And I had," Tionne finished. "It didn't find anything."

Luke grinned. "Good," he murmured absent-mindedly and disappeared back into his quarters leaving the Solusars standing outside his door. 

As soon as the door slid closed, the deliberate vagueness Luke had assumed disappeared from his features. He moved to the small furnace he'd set up and checked the red operating diode. It was almost hot enough to melt denscris or collapse durasteel into a liquid ball. It was ready.

The best lightsabers used natural focusing jewels but Luke had been content with the emerald green gem he'd made all those years ago on Tatooine. Another one just like it would be fine. He wondered if the shipment of Adegan crystals Kam had ordered had arrived. He supposed he could ask but then how to explain the loss of his own crystal. Would he have to explain? He was head of the Jedi Order. No, Luke decided. It was better he began constructing his replacement now.

Coruscant – Westport

The docking bay was busy with supplies being loaded into the Jade's Fire. Mara stood tapping her foot as some of her comrades manoeuvred a series of large crates into the main hold.

"Mara!"

She turned at the sound of Karrde's voice and watched as he walked towards her. "Karrde," she acknowledged.

"You're getting ready to haul jets," he stated evenly.

"In two hours," Mara confirmed with a thin-lipped smile.

"You're mad at me for…"

"Of course I'm angry." Her voice began to rise, her hands clenched tight. "In fact, I'm furious. I'm grateful for your part in my rescue but why couldn't you have told me? I can handle the truth. They didn't…you know…and I'm here and alive."

"We thought it was for the best. I am sorry, Mara."

"We thought it was for the best." She began to pace, her strides quick. "Skywalker thought it was for the best. Skywalker could have told me – why didn't he?"

"He could have but he chose not to. He knew you were in trouble and set out to find you. Solo went with him."

"Ah! His sister doesn't trust him out alone," she said snidely.

"Leia was worried about him. He'd just landed days earlier from a very taxing mission. He wasn't in any fit shape to go trekking across the galaxy for you but he said that he had to go, that no one else could find you in time and he was right."

Mara thought about Luke's constantly tired face and shadowed blue eyes. "He has been rushing around the galaxy lately," she said, her angry voice softening to one of concern. "What is he trying to avoid?"

Karrde shrugged. Not what, who. He didn't want voice the opinion that the Jedi Master's main source of inner turmoil was the red-headed woman opposite.

'I can remember calling for him,' Mara thought, turning away from Karrde's penetrating gaze. 'But surely he…' "You asked him to help," Mara concluded.

"I did but he already knew. He was about to come to me," Karrde admitted.

Another thought pushed its way to the forefront of her mind. Palpatine had used her ability to communicate over vast distances. Since his demise she had thought that this skill had died with him. Suppose it hadn't and the sith-spawned bastard currently sleeping on Yavin IV knew it.

Wait a minute….she knew that he was sleeping? She reached out across the galaxy, her eyes grew cloudy and she could hear the even breathing of the resting Jedi.

"Mara?" Karrde's curious voice interrupted her reverie.

"I'm going to kill him when I get my hands on him." The words emerged with all the ferocity of a proton torpedo. "I don't need…" She stopped. She'd been going to add 'another Palpatine' but that wasn't what Luke was about. He didn't want to control her with power. Why was she so angry? Did he know that they were linked together through the Force like this?

Karrde didn't even ask. Skywalker was the only one who could rouse Mara to such strong emotions. But the smuggler was at a loss to know what else the Jedi had done apart from rescuing her and saving her life. Surely she couldn't be angry about that.

"Hand over that jewel shipment," Mara barked. "Forget the trip to the Corporate Sector. I'm going to Yavin. Now. In the next free departure slot."

Karrde nodded. "Sure."

"Oh, and I'm taking leave of absence, effective immediately."

Karrde raised an eyebrow. "Of course, Mara," he said mildly. "The crystal shipment is already on board the Fire. Those supplies being loaded are the regular supplies for Yavin IV, not the Corporate Sector. I thought you might want to take that job instead. Aves and the Starry Ice can go to the Corporate Sector."

"What?"

Karrde placed a hand on Mara's shoulder. "I saw him before he left," he said quietly. "He was tired and very worried about you. But nothing and no-one was going to stop him from setting out after you."

"Not even you?"

"Of course not. I had business in the area, so I followed him. I would have searched for you if Skywalker hadn't volunteered. He guessed you were in trouble long before I called him for his aid. Yes, Mara, I did call him but he was already forewarned. This Force of yours is a powerful tool. I could never have found you in time. Sure, I could have found where you'd last been seen but that wouldn't have been enough. Skywalker and Solo left in the Falcon and as soon as they had found you I headed for Czerip. Without them you would not be standing here today."

"I know," she groused. "But I'm still going to kill him."

"Don't be too hard on him, Jade. Take all the time you need and, for what its worth, I am sorry."

Mara glowered. "Don't you dare tell Skywalker I'm on my way."

"I wouldn't dream of doing that. But won't he sense your approach?"

"Not if I can help it. I've been working on my shielding."