Chapter 26: Spark

Bursts of spark and flame sporadically appeared in the sky above Brentaal as clean up operations from the battle to liberate the system continued. Mara gave a brief look at the sight of another piece of debris burning up as it streaked through the planets atmosphere as she made her way from her apartment to begin her shift. The battle had ended the day before with the New Republic taking control of the planet from the Empire.

When the battle had begun, Mara had found her thoughts constantly returning to Luke. She found herself constantly wondering if he was piloting one of the X-Wings that kept streaking through the sky. Each time one of the New Republic fighters streaked across the sky, Mara instinctively reached out with the Force to see if it was Luke. None of them were, however. Mara kept trying to tell herself that this was for the best. Things could only go badly if she saw him again. Unless she could learn to control the Emperor's last command, Mara would remain a threat to Luke.

Rather than take her mind down a dangerous path once more, Mara shook off her thoughts of Luke and entered the back door of the tapcafe. After a simple hello to the old man behind the bar, Mara grabbed a tray and set to work. After the days of battle, business was brisk as the residents of Brentaal finally made their way back out of their homes. Mara was happy for the crowd since it kept her busy and even happier about the good mood of the patrons since the tips were even more generous than usual. Liberation from the Empire had done wonders for the mood of Brentaal's citizens. An incompetent Imperial governor could grate on the populace after a while.

Mara was standing at the bar waiting for her latest order to be filled when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She didn't know why someone would bother her for a drink when they were already at the bar, but it wouldn't hurt to humor them. When Mara turned around, she quickly realized that a drink was not what the person wanted. Mara quickly realized that someone from the New Republic military must have recognized her during at some point when she found Leia Organa glaring up at her with her arms folded across her chest. Solo and his Wookiee companion flanked her and seemed equally irritated with Mara. Mara half expected Luke to come up from behind them and complete the group, but the Jedi never came. The two women quickly became the center of attention as they continued to stare each other down.

Leia was the one to finally break the silence as her finger snapped up to point accusingly at Mara. "Do you have any idea what you did to my brother when you left!"

It took every bit of willpower Mara had to keep down the pangs of guilt which rose anew at Leia's angry question. Mara had no doubt that Luke hadn't taken her departure well and, judging by Leia's reaction, Luke was in even worse shape than Mara had expected. It could explain why his friends and sister had come to confront her rather than Luke himself. But none of them understood. She was doing what was best for them. Mara was a danger to Luke. Before Mara could defend herself, however, the princess stepped forward with a mixture of anger, fear and sadness in her eyes that Mara couldn't understand. "I should have let those two come alone with fully charged blasters after the state you left him, but Luke wouldn't have wanted that."

Mara was tempted to inform Leia just what would have happened if the pair behind her did try to come at her with blasters, but bit her tongue. Leia didn't need to know anything about her past and Mara didn't owe this woman any explanations. Luke deserved to know the real reason why Mara left, but not his sister. Someday, once the blow would be softer for both, Mara would be sure to tell Luke the truth so he understood that she did it for him. "It was for the best."

Turning around to pick up the now full tray behind her, Mara felt a hand grab her arm. Mara spun around and was about to let the princess know just what she was capable of, but stopped short. The expression on Leia's face hadn't changed much, but the fear in her eyes was clearer now. It reminded Mara of the way her own had looked when she left. Leia was afraid for Luke and that worried Mara. "Mara, can we talk somewhere in private?"

Mara looked up at the silent sentries behind the princess and knew that it wasn't really a request. They would be talking in private on way or another. After a moment's hesitation, Mara gestured toward the door leading to the back room of the tapcafe. Mara watched the trio file into the room behind her, but the space remained silent. The princess was afraid of something and all three were being uncharacteristically hesitant. Most likely, they didn't trust her and Mara couldn't say she blamed them. She didn't even trust herself where Luke was concerned.

"After you left, Luke went on a mission to Coruscant." Mara raised an eyebrow at Leia's statement. That wasn't the type of mission she would expect Luke to go on, but it would explain his absence. The look on Leia's face told Mara there was more to this, however.

"He was part of an advance commando team going in to sabotage the planetary defense grid. Luke decided to deal with the palace defenses alone. He was set up and now he's been take prisoner."

Mara's eyes went wide and she clenched her fists as she tried to remain composed. The look on Leia's face told Mara what was left unspoken. Luke had agreed to this mission because he was still distraught over her leaving. "How could he be so stupid!"

The other occupants of the room jerked slightly at the sounds of Mara's fist impacting the durasteel wall, but Mara didn't even look at her hand. She knew Luke wouldn't take her leaving well, but joining a suicidal mission was not what she had expected. Mara didn't know what she expected out of Luke, but that surely wasn't it. As her thoughts began to slow down, Mara ran a hand through her hair and ignored the stares of the other occupants of the room.

This whole situation was her fault. Luke had blamed himself for her departure because she was too afraid to tell him why she was leaving. Mara didn't know how she knew it, but she was sure that Luke had felt worthless and had taken on the mission to feel alive again. It was her fault Luke had taken the unnecessary risk of going to Coruscant and then opting to deal with the palace defenses alone. Now, it was up to her to get him out. She wouldn't let Luke throw away his life because of her. Mara would simply have to pull him out of trouble and explain things to him. Things couldn't work between them with the Emperor's command invading her thoughts, but he deserved to know. Luke deserved to know that she did care and he had never done anything to push her away.

Now, Mara needed a plan to get him out of there. A small team would be the only way to get him in and out. Mara turned around to find the other three occupants of the room still staring at her. She had a team. Now, they needed a good ship. "Solo, is that ship of yours as good as you claim it is?"

Han raised a curious eyebrow at the woman's question, obviously unsure about where she was going with this. Mara couldn't possibly be thinking what he thought she was thinking. "It is. What does it matter to you?"

Mara ignored his question and ran a hand along her chin. A team. A fast and armed ship. She had the expertise to get in and they had the experience to stay alive. Unconsciously, Mara checked her blasters within their holsters. They had a chance and, for Luke, she was willing to take it and something told her the rest of them would too. Mara turned on her heel and marched for the door, but was caught by a hand on her arm. "And just where do you think you're going?"

Mara turned her head around to regard the princess who had stopped her. The angry look on Leia's face softened slightly to match the more determined look she found on Mara's. Without any words exchanged between them, Leia knew that they were both going to break Luke out. Leia nodded and let go of Mara's arm, turning to Han and Chewie. She ignored the confused look on their faces at what had just occurred and went straight to the point. "Get the Falcon ready. We're going to get Luke back."