Chapter 24: Worry

As she made her way through the tapcafe to deliver a round of drinks, Mara stopped suddenly. Something was wrong. The Force was warning her of danger, but it was weak. Mara made a brief scan of the room as she finished making her way across the room to deliver the drinks. Soon, she realized that the sensation she was feeling in the Force was not directed at her. It was more diffuse, as if it was being sent to her unknowingly by someone else. But who could possibly be able to send her such thoughts? The Emperor was dead and that bond had shattered months ago.

As Mara reached the bar to retrieve another order, she froze. Luke. Luke was the only one who could have sent something to her. But why? And how? He didn't even know where she was and he had never established a link with her like the Emperor had. There was no way and no reason Luke's thoughts or feelings would be reaching her. If he was in danger, surely he would reach out to his sister or someone with the resources to get him out of trouble. As the weak sensation of danger faded away, Mara shook her head. Her mind was playing tricks on her during the day again.

"Is everything okay?" Mara's head shot up at the sound of her boss's voice just in front of her. She realized that she had been standing at the bar with a pale expression on her face for far too long. Mara quickly loaded up her tray with the drinks in front of her.

"I'm fine. My mind was just wandering for a moment there." Mara chastised herself for allowing her mind to wander for so long. Distractions like that could get her killed if she let them continue. She was supposed to be trying to forget Luke, not convincing herself she was in danger. If she had felt Luke, it was probably because he was engaged in one of the nearby skirmishes. The Republic fleet was poised to take Brentaal in its drive toward the galactic capital.

Of course, this meant that Mara now had to worry that Luke would find her here. Mara tightened her mental shields reflexively, trying to dampen her presence in the Force. She didn't know what would happen if Luke ever found her and she didn't know if she wanted to. Just thinking about him was enough to renew the conflict in her mind. Mara feared the violent reaction that was bound to follow seeing him in person once more. She didn't know if she could control herself and it was best for both of them if she never had to test herself like that.

Mara managed to keep her worried mind at bay as she continued through her long shift. She kept up an even mood in spite of the gnawing doubts that plagued her subconscious. The last thing Mara needed was for her boss and landlord to think she was crazy. However, with the New Republic fleet closing in, perhaps it was time for Mara to move on. The presence of the military personnel on the surface would only increase her chances of being spotted.

Mara put thoughts of finding new work and leaving Brentaal out of her mind as she walked up the stairs to her apartment. There was no use worrying about things that hadn't happened. And most of the New Republic military didn't even know of her. All she would have to do was keep away from Luke's friends. And considering how highly placed they were, the odds of them even reaching the surface were slim to none. In fact, she was likely to have more trouble leaving the system than it was worth with the heightened security measures. Mara would just keep out of sight. She was trained to deal with worse.

After a small meal and a shower, Mara sat down in hopes of relaxing for the rest of the night until sleep finally came. Mara flipped on the holoreceiver, but the only decent programming on at this time of night was the news. Leaving on one of the news programs, Mara leaned back in her chair. She continued listening to the journalist who was reporting, but kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"And in other news, rumors have been spreading around Imperial Center that Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard is holding a high ranking member of the New Republic military for questioning after a failed attempt at sabotage. Sources at the Imperial Palace will neither confirm nor deny these reports, but the heightened security around the seat of galactic power would seem to lend credence to these rumors. It is widely believed that the suspected prisoner is being interrogated by Isard herself in order to determine the Rebellion's plan to invade Imperial Center."

Mara tuned out the rest of the report as she rolled her eyes. The filtered Imperial news feeds could be ridiculous. However, if the rumors were true, Mara could only hope the prisoner made Isard look like the overconfident fool she was. In fact, Mara wouldn't mind giving the woman a piece of her mind and a blaster bolt to the gut for all the trouble she had caused her after the Emperor's death. At least Mara could take comfort in the fact Isard would soon be deposed in the upcoming attack by the New Republic forces. The Empire was overmatched tactically with the loss of the Emperor and would never last. The taking of Coruscant would seal the Empire's demise.

Mara was surprised to not find herself saddened at the inevitable end of the Empire she had served so loyally for so many years. But she hadn't really served the Empire. Mara had been loyal to the Emperor himself. Without its head, the Empire was nothing. It didn't matter who was in charge of the galaxy at this point, but Mara found a small part of her pulling for the New Republic for Luke's sake. He had given so much to the war effort and he deserved to be happy. If a victory on their part would give him that then she wanted it too.

This line of thinking once more sparked a war in Mara's mind. Both sides wanted her to seek out Luke, but each for its own purpose and this was exactly why Mara had to stay away from him. Giving in to one side would inevitably kill the other and take a part of herself with it. Mara let out a long sigh and turned off the holoreceiver, no longer interested in the words of the holojournalists. She had her own worries to deal with now.

Mara lay down in her bed, but knew that sleep would not come anytime soon. Instead, she took a deep breath to relax her body and mind. Mara soon found herself drifting into the Force even though she hadn't even been attempting to meditate. The energy she was feeling was comforting, however, so Mara allowed herself to go with the flow. The streams of the Force soon became more turbulent though and Mara soon found herself in a vision. She saw Luke, alone in a small, dark room that she recognized as a prison cell in the Imperial palace. He just stared forward without an emotion on his face, his blue eyes lacking their usual spark. Luke appeared as if he had lost the will to go on. Mara's eyes snapped open as the vision cut off, but the image of his hollow blue eyes refused to leave her.

Mara sat up in the bed and ran a hand through her hair, trying to make sense out of what she had seen. She immediately thought of the news report she had heard earlier, but Mara wrote that off as a possibility. Luke was a pilot, not a commando. He would be with the fleet, not on Coruscant where he could be captured by the Empire.

Mara cursed her overactive imagination as she lay back down in her bed. She was reading into things to much. Mara had no way of knowing whether or not this was a Force vision. She was already running on little sleep and her overworked nerves weren't helping either. What Mara really needed was sleep. Mara closed her eyes and tried to will herself into a slumber, but the sight of Luke's dull eyes kept returning. Mara finally opened her eyes and remained lying in her bed in the darkened apartment. Once again, a peaceful sleep would elude her.