Disclaimer – Lucasfilm owns the characters and situations and I am just playing with them for a short while.

Part 8

Grand Corridor – ImperialPalace

The Grand Corridor was quiet at this time of the morning; the high ceiling and cut glass windows gave it grandeur and dignity. 'Curious', Callista thought absently. 'To have such beauty come from such a man,' when the designer had been none other than Palpatine himself 'Of course the same could be said about Darth Vader and the man who was his only son. Luke had come from Vader - the lightness from the dark and he had firmly believed in his father's repentance and redemption at the end of his life.' Once I strove to serve the light and I still do, but I can only touch the dark…

Suddenly Callista sat up. Darth Vader's son was walking briskly through the corridor, his cloak flying behind him and his face white and set.

"Luke!" she called, a smile creasing her face, but he never acknowledged her call and continued towards the exit. "Luke!" she tried again, but the Jedi Master was in a world of his own and obviously didn't hear her.

She tucked her long braid behind her and slumped down into the chair. She hadn't seen Luke for very long yesterday and he'd been uncharacteristically impatient with her. She could have sworn he was eager to be out of her presence. 'I wonder where he was running to?' Callista poked at a mosaic pattern on the floor with her toe. Without the Force it was difficult to gauge how anyone was feeling, but he'd seemed upset. If she'd still had the Force he would have felt her presence and she would have known what was wrong with him.

Turning her attention once more to the architectural wonders of the Grand Corridor Callista couldn't help but feel that something was missing. "Trees," she whispered, a hazy memory from long ago flitting into her brain - long before this lifetime. "There used to be trees here – greenish purple trees, which changed colour. I wonder what happened to them." She made her way across to where a lone guard stood on duty.

"Excuse me, what happened to the trees?"

"Trees, Ma'am?"

"There used to be trees here, lining the grand corridor. What happened to them? They were very beautiful."

He scratched his chin for a moment before producing a data pad and a couple of disks. "Just let me check, there's historical information about the grand corridor on these." He looked a little surprised. "Well, you learn something every day. There haven't been any trees here, for at least ten years. They were removed because they were spies."

"Spies!" Callista almost laughed. "How could trees be spies?"

"The Emperor, Ma'am, knew that the trees reacted to sound. He had some sort of gadget fixed deep down in their root system. It let the Empire record any conversation taking place in the Grand Corridor. Ingenious, if I may say so."

Callista blinked. Truly the Emperor had been a brilliant man – twisted but brilliant. "Yes."

The guard looked down at Callista's waist and noticed the lightsaber hanging at her belt. "Are you a Jedi, Ma'am?"

Callista dropped her grey eyes for a moment before answering reluctantly. "I was." Again she felt the pain of her loss. It would always be with her, the knowledge of what she had lost and she could see no way to regain her powers for the light. Eight long, wasted years…

"You'll know the Jedi Master, then." He smiled.

"I used to."

"If he's on Coruscant we see him quite a lot. He's always running between the exercise halls, the senate buildings and his sister's office. He's often with the red headed Jedi. They're usually together if he's here. Do you know her?"

"I've met her once or twice." Callista was deliberately non-committal, "but I don't know her well."

She turned away from the guard with a final word of thanks only to stop as she saw Mara Jade run through the small groups of people dotted throughout the corridor. She had the same expression on her face that Luke had worn and she was heading in the same direction. Why that filled her with unease, Callista had her suspicions, but she didn't want to entertain them – not yet. 'They're usually together,' the guard's innocent comment echoed ominously over and over in her head.

Leia felt her brother's confusion and distress, even though he was battening down his shields. Whenever Luke had an emotional problem, that was the way he dealt with it, by keeping it to himself. In fact, he had been shielding his emotions ever since Callista had arrived on Coruscant and Leia wanted him to stop. She could have dealt with it herself, but since Han had proved himself so successful at dealing with her brother he would go. Leia knew her brother too well. Luke wanted to stop her worrying about him as he considered she had enough to deal with – her family and her work for the New Republic. 'Well, Luke, I worry about you whether you want me to or not. Let's hope Han can get you to open up a bit more. The other night wasn't too bad, but there's more there yet.'

An anaesthetised Luke made his way to the Solo private hangar bay which he knew was deserted at this hour. He needed to be by himself before he let the full impact of his actions hit home. The Millennium Falcon sat peacefully waiting for its next jaunt out into the unknown and next to it, his own transport. Luke keyed open the entrance hatch to the Jedi Academy's pedestrian shuttle he'd used for the trip to Coruscant and in a fit of frustration and unhappiness at the way his life could twist and turn, Luke viciously attacked the hyperdrive system. It had needed an overhaul anyway and now it definitely needed one. He yanked viciously at a group of innocent wires.

"Way to go, Luke. You've probably ruined one of the best friendships you ever had," he muttered bitterly. He liked Mara - he really liked Mara - and she'd made him feel things he hadn't felt for a very long time, if ever. He closed his eyes at a stray memory of the sun on her hair and how she'd melted into his arms perfectly.

Then there was Callista. "I've told her the truth," he said to himself. "I don't love her any more and that feeling's not coming back."

Something sparked amongst the shuttle's hyperdrive components. It definitely wasn't going anywhere now.

Han approached the docking bay carefully. Luke had been seen heading in this direction, but hadn't requested clearance for lift off. So that meant that he was still on the ground. The sounds of a ship being torn to pieces did not escape the Corellian. Leia was right, as usual, where her brother was concerned. Something had upset the Jedi Master. He whistled a popular tune to advertise his approach, although it was a sure bet that Luke would sense him coming. Still, he knew it wasn't wise to creep up on an angry and possibly saber-happy man. But Han would give quite a lot to see his brother-in-law lose some of that damned Jedi calm. It just wasn't natural for someone to be so reserved all the time.

"Hey, kid," he called out cautiously. "You in there?"

The banging stopped suddenly and a tousled head peered out from inside the shuttle. "Hi, Han. I suppose Leia sent you?"

"You guessed it, kid."

"Well I'm fine."

"No you are not." Han regarded Luke with a critical eye. "She felt your distress and it was all I could do to stop her from haring over here herself. I told her to give you a little time to cool off."

Luke snorted and disappeared back inside the ship.

Wondering if was taking his life into his hands, Han climbed the entrance ramp and stared in shock at the mess his brother-in-law had managed to create single-handedly. "You're not…" he coughed," going anywhere in this anytime soon?"

Luke ignored him and continued to pull at wires and electrical components.

"What is it, kid?" The hazel eyes were wise as they looked at the younger man. "You can tell me or I can resort to the threats your sister was spouting earlier. I thought I would be the gentler option."

Luke almost smiled, but it never came to fruition.

"If I recall correctly, it either involved zenji needles under the fingernails or an evening spent in the company of Councillor Borsk Fey'lya."

"I'll take the zenji needles." Luke's voice was dry. "I have to face the latter option at a reception this evening. The needles are less painful."

The sense of humour was still there - very dark, but still there. Han looked at his long time friend. His face was white and streaked with oil and dust and he could have sworn there was grief shadowing the famous blue eyes. "Come on, Kid." Han patted him on the shoulder as he crouched down beside him. "Is it Callista?"

"Yes and no." Luke's answer was terse.

"Okay," Han nodded his head thoughtfully. "That tells me quite a bit. We sorted out the other day that you didn't love her and you told her so. You still think that way?"

Luke nodded.

"She'll accept it in time."

"She's without the Force because of me."

"No, Luke," Han chided sharply. "She did that herself. You didn't force her to exchange places with Cray. You thought she was dead and you'd accepted that was how it was going to be. You didn't take your weapon and coerce her at sabre point. She made the decision, not you."

"But she waited for me." Luke burst out.

"No, Luke, she did not. She went away and left you."

"It's not really Callie…"

"So it's Mara Jade then." Han sounded definite. It had to be – only the beautiful trader managed to get Luke to lose his equilibrium this regularly. In fact, Han considered that she'd perfected keeping Luke off balance into an art form.

Luke dropped his gaze to the metal floor of the shuttle and said nothing.

Han knew he'd hit the nail on the head with the vibrohammer. "So it's Mara." He kept the tone of his voice light. "What happened this time? You two have a fight?" Han knew there was nothing extraordinary about that occurrence.

"No."

"You've been putting her under too much pressure about her Jedi training?"

"No."

So what is it?" Han was getting exasperated now. "You didn't have a fight?"

"Yes."

"You did?"

"No."

"Help me out here, buddy? So what did you have?"

Luke went red then white and mumbled something.

Han bent closer. "What was that?" It had sounded like… "Mara… I had… Mara."

Luke lifted his head, blue eyes blazing as he repeated softly, "I had… Mara, that's what happened. I had Mara Jade in my bed last night."

Han could have cheered. Finally the kid was seeing sense. "About time…uh…" Then one incontrovertible fact stole into the Corellian's brain. Luke wasn't cheering. "Uh… Luke…"

"Mara's my friend and I feel I've betrayed her," he burst out. "Friends don't sleep with one another."

"You only sleep with your enemies?"

"I haven't a good record with relationships. I want to keep Mara in my life. I don't want to lose her as I did all the others."

"Well you do have Callista back… whether you want her or not." Han grimaced; that was possibly the wrong thing to say.

"I DON'T WANT Callista," he yelled. "I want Mara…"

There was a stunned silence.

"I can't lose her and yet…"

"It wasn't successful?" Han stammered to an embarrassed halt. By every hair on Chewie's body, why did he always end up having that talk with Luke? Leia wiggled out of it every time. There had to be something in this hokey religion. It must be a Jedi thing – avoid discussing your brother's sex life with him and let your husband do it instead. Well, when it became time for Jacen and Jaina… Leia or Threepio were going to explain the facts of life. He had overpaid his dues in that respect.

"Eh?"

"You and Mara, in… together…? It was a disaster and you couldn't… you know… Ah, hell! You couldn't get it… up?"

Luke kept his eyes firmly focused on the floor, self-conscious colour staining his cheekbones. "No, it wasn't a disaster – quite the opposite. In fact it was amazing – the best…" he stammered then continued softly. "…I've ever…, but it can't happen again. How could I train her knowing we were cursed? Look at what I've done to Callie, Han. I couldn't do that to Mara. So I tried to salvage our friendship. I apologised for my actions and…"

"You did what?" Han spoke slowly but the disbelief was evident in every single word. "You idiot!" He got to his feet and paced along the narrow corridor. "You never apologise to a woman after an… encounter. Not even if it was unsatisfactory."

Luke glanced up, a protest on his lips.

"Yeah, yeah… I know… it was sex like you've never had before."

Luke blushed. "It was more than that, Han." He fidgeted uncomfortably. "I'm not too good at talking about personal stuff."

"It must have been good. You are alive and you aren't missing anything as far as I can see. All your attributes intact?"

"Han!"

"Mara Jade does not do things she doesn't want to." He poked his finger into Luke's chest. "Remember that."

"But I've ruined everything between us."

"You just might have, especially since you said you were sorry that you'd just had asteroid-splitting sex. I knew you could be naïve at times, but this is ridiculous." Han leisurely crossed his arms over his chest and observed Luke thoughtfully. "OK, Kid, think about it. What does Mara do if she's been insulted, annoyed or upset?"

Luke frowned. "She leaves."

"I told you, Luke. Mara is a free woman. She came to see you and made love with you. This is not typical behaviour."

"I saw her in a vision and she was in pain. Do you think I've caused that pain?"

"I don't know, Luke. I don't have Force ability. I can't read emotions like you and Leia can. I just call things as I see them. You and Mara…" He shook his head. "There have always been strong feelings between you, even before Callista came on the scene. Neither of you are the type to simply jump into bed on a whim. So for both of you, it must have meant something. Was the vision past, present or future?"

"I don't know. Yoda always said, that 'the future was always in motion,' but that never helped me much. I saw Mara standing alone in the middle of the Grand Corridor and she was the only thing I could see clearly – the only thing that was real. Everything and everyone else was formless, blurred shapes."

"She's important to you, Luke. That's nothing new."

"It was all vague, but an air of sadness hung over her and I wanted to help her."

"I'm not a Jedi, Luke. You're on your own with this one. Everyone carries pain with them; it just depends how often and how much you let it show. Mara has a lot of emotional baggage, but she keeps it to herself. She's a very private person and doesn't give her trust or her friendship lightly. How could you cause her pain? I don't know." He stared down at the younger man. 'I don't know but I have my suspicions.'

"Han the psychologist," Luke murmured softly.

"Leia's better at this stuff than I am. She might be able to give you some perspective on what Mara is thinking and feeling, although I doubt any one is fully capable of that task."

Luke closed his eyes and gave a pained chuckle. "You could be right."

"Hell, this is Mara and you… I rest my case."

"We are one set of confused people. I don't have anything to offer a woman like Mara."

Han shook his head again. Luke was a great guy, but sometimes his sense of worth was poor and deep down he believed that no one could truly care for him in the way a woman would for her bonded mate. Then there was also his dangerous lifestyle – He knew Luke was wary of subjecting any woman to the stress of such a hazardous existence. He'd resigned himself to being alone for the rest of his life. Han knew Leia didn't want that to happen. Stang, he didn't want to see that happen to the kid either.

"You need to think on the reason why Mara made love with you and why it's so important that she stays in your life. Do you want her as a pal or do you want more? She's quite a girl if you're up to her."

"I want her in my life."

"Yeah, kid, but how?"

"I don't know. I just need to know she's there." Luke picked up a hydrospanner and fiddled in an absent-minded fashion. All of a sudden he looked up at Han, as if a bright light had unexpectedly illuminated his brain. "By apologising to Mara, despite everything that happened between us, I'm rejecting her?"

"Hallelujah!" Han muttered. "I think so. Women need words, Luke. Whether they are princesses, Jedi warriors, master traders or former Imperial assassins. They need to know what you feel. Then there is the line of thought that your apology might say to Mara that you used her as a Callista substitute."

"But if I'd wanted Callie I could have had her!" Luke's eyes went wide as he heard his mouth spout off something he wouldn't even have said in his cocky fighter pilot days. "Oh sithspawn!"

Han's eyes gleamed with humour, but he was careful not to let Luke see that.

"It's not true," he muttered. "I would never use Mara like that." He was vehement in his own defence.

"Then why apologise? She may think that the sex between you was sub-standard."

"It wasn't… it wasn't."

"Then you have to talk to her."

"I've really screwed up."

The Corellian opened his mouth to agree, then thought better of it. "Uh…"

"Haven't I?"

"You've made brighter and better decisions in your life, kid. Go talk to Mara, explain how you feel – don't shut her out. If she's still on the planet you're going to have to apologise again."

"I can be so dense, Han."

The Corellian smiled sympathetically. "Do you remember the good old days?"

"Which ones were they?" Luke gave a small, tired grin.

"When Leia and I had hardly a civil word to say to each other."

"Oh… those days. Yeah." He shrugged. "I remember."

"Most folks could see how we felt about each other, including you."

"Once I got over the major crush – which was just as well, relatively speaking. Yeah, I knew."

"The point is… It's easy looking in from the outside. Where you are, in the thick of the fight… you can lose your view on things. You need to get the scopes lined up properly, kid."

Luke nodded. "I can't face her just yet. I think I should give her time to cool down."

"If she's on the planet."

Luke stared in the distance, a faint smile crossing his dirty face. "She's still here - I can feel her."

Han chuckled softly and began to relax. "Hey, kid. I've got to get a couple of tools from the Falcon and then I'll help you fix this mess, okay?"

"Thanks, Han."

"Don't mention it."

Leaving Luke to start on repairs, Han slipped into his own ship and called his wife. "Look sweetheart, I can't talk properly now. Suffice to say, your brother could do with lessons in etiquette and protocol and make sure Mara Jade is denied permission to leave Coruscant."

"What are you up to?"

"I want to bang a couple of Jedi heads together."

"Any ones in particular?" She asked archly.

"One blond one and one red one."

"Ah!"

"Thought you'd understand. I'm surprised you even had to ask, Your Highnessness. Reminds me of a certain other couple when they were courting."

"We were never that bad, Nerfherder," Leia retorted, but her voice sounded affectionate.

"Luke needs to talk to Mara, bigtime, and maybe to Callista too. The redhead is the more urgent just now."

"Well, she is the more volatile of the two. I'll make sure Mara can't leave. In fact, I'll send her an invitation for tonight's reception - if you can find her and convince her to be there."

"I'm on it. See you later, sweetheart." Han grinned; he wasn't meddling – not really. Mara and Luke were so much alike it was truly frightening. What was the first thing Luke had done after his morning debacle? He'd run to his ship and started tearing her to pieces. What was the bet that Mara Jade hadn't gone and done exactly the same thing? He picked up the trusty repair kit he'd used ever since he'd been flying. He just added to it now and again. A sneaky expression crossed his face and he chuckled quietly, removing a couple of items.

He wandered back into the boxy Academy shuttle and surveyed the repair work the Jedi Master was now doing. Han watched for a few moments, marvelling again at how he'd forgotten how skilled Luke was with his hands.

"You know something, kid?" He peered into the battered box. "I've got this tool at home which would be ideal for some of the close work you're doing here and would really sort some of this mess out."

"Why don't you have it on the Falcon?"

Han hung his head, but not before Luke could see his hazel eyes twinkling with suppressed mirth. "I'm a failure as a father," he announced dramatically.

Luke frowned. "Now, Han…"

"That niece and nephew of yours managed to slip off most of Threepio's chest plate and tweaked a few of his internal circuits. "For two days he went round saying, 'I am Cfourpio, fluent in six forms of communication.' I tried to have a go; in the end I had to take him to the techs working with the Rogues."

Luke laughed. "Bright and sneaky rascals. In trouble were they?"

"Oh yes, their mother had them quaking."

"I can just see it."

"Yup."

"And you couldn't hide from them the fact that you thought it was funny."

"I did think it was funny until Leia made me try and undo the mischief the twins had done."

Luke smiled. "She would."

Han shrugged. "Threepio gets on my nerves occasionally."

"Occasionally!" Luke hooted.

Han gave him a dirty look. "I won't be long. I'll just nip back to the apartment and get it." He wiped his hands on a grimy rag he found, streaking them with engine lubricant, before stuffing it in his pocket. "We can't stay here too long. You have the Bothan to be nice to and if you're late for that it won't matter what you say to Mara because Leia will kill us both first."

"Thanks," he muttered. "You really know how to kick a guy when he's down."

"I won't be long," Han repeated and left before Luke sensed that he was up to no good… Just as well the kid was totally preoccupied with the problems he'd caused to his ship and those between him and Mara or he might have sussed the Corellian out long ago. "Not true," he said to himself. "This could be very good if I can get it to work."