AND NEVER RETURN
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Who?" Konner bit out the query, a dangerous glint in his dark eyes.
"You heard me the first time, Donteril." Mara's jade gaze was unwavering.
A muscle in his cheek twitched. "And how is that you know he's here."
"I'll explain later—"
He cut her off impatiently. "You will explain now."
If she backed down to him, then she would have relinquished what control she might have had over the situation, but if she didn't, then they would most likely still be staring coldly at each other by day's end. He could be as stubborn as her. "He's Jedi."
"He's a wanna-be," Konner sneered with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That doesn't answer my question."
"He is a Jedi," she insisted. "We can communicate through the Force." Konner had already known about her Force-sensitivity—he had seen her utilize her talents during missions—but he evidently did not know about Luke's status. Of course not, Stupid, she chastised herself. He hasn't received any news for years. Last he knew, Luke was a boy fresh off the farm who managed to destroy the Death Star. His Force-sensitivity had only been rumors at that point.
So that left the question of whether or not she should completely inform her old friend of certain recent events. Luke Skywalker was the sole Jedi Master in the galaxy, but did Konner need to know that? Would that tidbit cause more trouble than she already knew would manifest itself between the Imperial and the Rebel? Maybe it would be better if Konner thought Luke was just one Jedi of many, making him less of a threat.
"What is he doing here?" Konner was asking as she came to her decision.
"Well, I don't think many people come here to vacation," she said, smiling tightly.
"Don't even try that, Mara. You apparently know him. What is he doing here? Did you call him?"
"No," she answered truthfully, but didn't offer any more information.
"A few days after you arrive, he shows up, and you try to tell me the incidents are unrelated?"
"I never said that. I only told you that I did not call him. He came on his own."
"Quit with the word games, Jade," he warned her quietly. "I'm not in the mood to toy around, not even with you."
The door slid open before Mara could retort and Daryn entered. "Sorry to interrupt you guys, but Triller just commed me. He thinks the Shrigan caught another human. If it's true, he'll be on his way to Kath'alon. Want me to go back?"
Konner looked at Mara, but spoke to Daryn. "Yes. Take the first transport to Kath'alon and I'll have Triller send you the appropriate information after they get Skywalker processed."
"Wait, you already know—Skywalker?" he asked belatedly. "Luke Skywalker?"
"Yeah, Luke Skywalker. Watch where you step on Kath'alon. The Shrigan will be on alert since we stole their last catch. When you get there, you should lay low for a day or two before grabbing Skywalker and getting back here."
"Don't tell me how to do my job, Konner."
"Be careful with Skywalker," Konner warned, unnecessarily.
Daryn tossed a mock-salute to his partner and left he room as quickly as he'd entered.
"You've got some explaining to do, Mara."
Mara's legendary temper flared. "I don't explain myself to anyone, especially not to some two-credit Intel agent."
"Oh, is that so, Jade?" He pushed away from the desk and stood half a pace from her. "You said things have changed. Besides current galactic order and sanity, what else is so different?"
"Many things," she snapped. "Now, I've had a long flight and I was promised a room, not an interrogation."
Konner nodded slowly, as if confirming something to himself and then walked to the door, not looking back but clearly expecting her to follow. Mara rolled her eyes. Things outside this solar system may have changed, but he still gives me that blasted Imperial arrogance.
She tried to ignore the fact that, ten years before, she'd have acted the same way as him.
"So what are we supposed to do now, Jedi-boy?"
"Well, I'm going to wager that they'll 'escort' me off the ship. You should probably hide. I have a feeling they'll either put the Luck in storage, or put her in a scrap heap."
"If they so much as tap my hull with a microfuser…" Cat let her robotic voice trail off with the threat. "Well, let's just say that I am not going to let that happen. Here, memorize this," she said, after a pause, and a comm code appeared on one of the cockpit's datascreens.
He looked it over, committing the eight-symbol code to memory. "Got it. What's it for?"
"Leave your personal comlink here, hidden, and when you've found your girl, call it up and send that code my way and I'll wake up. Until I hear that, I'll remain dormant, to escape whatever scanners they may have." She hesitated. "You better not try to leave me here, Jedi-boy, or there will be hell to pay when I get out. And I will get out."
"I wouldn't dream of leaving you behind, Cat. Don't worry." He flashed her a quick grin. "I'm finally beginning to win that damn game. You really think I'm going to forfeit all our future matches?"
Luke was grateful when the purple woman, Treneda, brought him a small suitcase along with the news he was to be released. The questioning had lasted the two days, non-stop, since he was taken off the Lotta Luck. The interrogation involved the New Republic and the Empire, specifically leadership of both governments. Luke purposely left his own participation out of the history lesson, as well as the Jedi, keeping everything as vague as possible.
It had taken all of his self-control to not say or do anything the Shrigan could construe menacing when the female humanoid explained the rules of the star system to him. It was a good exercise in Jedi serenity. What were these people thinking? Never leave? What about Leia, Han, the kids? His Academy? Wedge, Corran, and all his other friends?
What about all the other people who had been caught in this web of paranoia before him? Had no one escaped yet? That was hard to believe. Determined beings were extremely resourceful.
He had tried to contact his red-haired friend, but after initially checking to make sure he was unhurt, she brushed off his attempts. Last night he had tried to reach her again, this time interrupted by an unfamiliar presence—another Force-sensitive in the vicinity had picked up on him. After that, Luke kept up his mental shields. Mara's overly cautious ways were rubbing off on him. A year before, he would have tried to reach the other person immediately, but this time he decided to play it safe.
"Mr. Skywalker?" Treneda asked. "The vehicle should be here in about five minutes."
"Thanks." He hid his enthusiasm for leaving the strange round room he'd been locked in.
"Also, I have a few questions for you."
Although tempted to try and get a read on Treneda through the Force, he remembered the foreign presence he'd sensed the night prior. "Go ahead," he said, repacking his suitcase.
"We didn't find anything on your ship regarding your profession. We couldn't even access your maps."
"Oh. Yeah." Luke assumed that Cat had sealed the files. A smuggler's droid would have learned a few tricks to keep curious people out of her systems. As long as the Shrigan didn't have good computer slicers, the ship's files, and Cat, would remain hidden. "I, uh, had a power surge when I jumped to hyperspace. Wiped the memory core. You wouldn't be willing to tell me exactly where I am, would you?"
"Kath'alon, in the Qantul System." Her eyes narrowed. "How did you end up in our system, Mr. Skywalker?"
"I guess just a bad hyperspace jump. Everything was fine beforehand," he lied.
"Hm. What was your job in the old galaxy?"
"I was a teacher," he answered, hoping she didn't notice his slight hesitation.
"What did you teach?"
"Some history, some physical education, ethics."
Of course, the history he mentioned was history of the Jedi Knights, stuff he'd learned form Tionne's ballads and other tales directly from the Holocron. But that was merely lying by omission. He was better at that.
Treneda jotted the information down into her datapad and then left the room. Closing the fasteners on the suitcase, Luke followed her out.
He wasn't sure whether he wanted these beings to know about the Jedi Academy. If these people were allied or even sympathetic towards the Empire (which they swore they weren't), then getting rid of the Jedi Master would be a good way to impair the New Republic. Or what if these people just held a grudge against the Jedi? Or, he guessed, it was possible that they revered the Jedi…but something told him that was not the case here. He was glad he'd had the foresight to leave his lightsaber onboard the Luck for safekeeping.
It was awkward not to carry his old weapon, but he would just have to live with that for the time being. The thought of being weaponless was slightly disconcerting. The Shrigan had confiscated the blaster he had worn. A glimmer of a smile appeared on his face when he realized Mara would have been similarly disarmed. That would have been funny to see—what would the Shrigan have said upon recovering a lightsaber, holdout blaster, at least two vibroblades, and her miniature forearm blaster? And those were just standard wear to her. She could have been carrying more when they caught her.
The general's face turned a brilliant plum and his eyes looked to be in danger of popping out of his skull.
"What do you mean, you lost her?"
Lieutenant Malian Chan'irae hid a cringe at the general's tone. "Sir, we've been searching for days. She just simply disappeared off our scanners. We can't find her." The younger officer spread her hands complacently.
"How could you let a mere human get the better of you like that?"
"She had outside help, sir! We traced a call she made before she checked in to the Newcomer's Hotel. To Alyro Telikna."
The man's head snapped up. "The Resistance leader?" That wasn't entirely accurate—just a theory. There was no hard proof that the small-time human author had anything to do with the whispered Newcomer Resistance group. Just rumors.
They couldn't even question Telikna themselves. As far as they knew, the man could be dead, or never even have existed.
"That Alyro Telikna, sir," she nodded.
"Hmm…" The general began to walk around the small room crammed full of mechanical devices and computer parts. "How did Miss Jade know about Telikna? Did she have any contact with someone other than our personnel?"
"Not that we know of, sir."
"Then how did she know?" he demanded. "I want to speak to everyone who so much as got a glimpse of this human!"
"Yes, sir."
The general noted the young woman's hesitation. "You wanted to add something, Lieutenant?"
"The Newcomer, the male human, sir? What if Telikna tries to contact him, too?"
"Very good point, Lieutenant. I want security doubled at the Hotel. Have cameras installed in the lift, halls, and his room. I want someone watching him at all times. I don't want him to take a breath without us knowing and being able to measure the amount of air he inhales. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
Treneda left Luke standing in the front hallway of his temporary apartment. As soon as the door slid closed behind him, he dropped his suitcase by the door and wandered into the living room, giving himself a quick tour of the suite. There was a flatscreen that when activated offered a multitude of selections from the Kath'alon Public Library. The communications station looked much like the ones in the rest of the galaxy, if a bit outdated. He glanced into the various rooms; along with the common living area, there was a bedroom, miniature kitchen, and small refresher.
Each room was painted a washed-out hue of green and the ceilings were round, like they had been in the Medical Center. Had he not seen the outside of the hotel, he would have imagined it more resembled an insect's egg sac than a normal rectangular building, judging by the irregular shape of its rooms.
Luke eventually settled on the couch and closed his eyes. He reached out with the Force almost tentatively, but when he felt nothing respond to his gentle probe, he actively looked for Mara's presence. He could feel enough distance between the two of them to determine that the Trader had to be on one of the other planets. Mara immediately responded when she felt his presence.
It's about time you took down your barriers, Skywalker. I've been trying to reach you.
Nice to see you, too, Jade. And how are you this fine morning?
Mara ignored his playful comments. I know how to get out of the Qantul system.
How is that? He turned serious.
There's a man here. I used to work with him. He's leading a group of non-natives who are trying to escape.
Good. Where are you and how do I get there?
I'm on Eqiirsa. I wanted to go back to Kath'alon, but Konner wouldn't let me. There's going to be a man named Daryn who will try to talk to you when you reach the Newcomer's Hotel. Do what he says and he'll bring you here.
Daryn?
Yes.
Got it. See you soon, Mara.
When Mara cut their connection, Luke sank into the cushions on his couch. He hadn't been able to pick up much more than surface impressions, but what he could sense was encouraging. She was angry, probably from being captured and the damage done to her Fire, but Mara had always been able to concentrate on the job at hand before allowing herself to release distracting emotions. Of course, when she let herself fully vent…well, Luke would just have to make sure she was not armed.
Mara was wandering the halls of Konner's underground base when Luke finally reached out for her. She had tried to contact him several times prior to that, but he retracted his Force presence as much as possible. Mara, familiar with the "feel" of his mind, didn't have to waste a second before locating the Jedi Master.
She still wasn't exactly sure why she originally contacted him. There was no real purpose to it; she just wanted to know that he was unhurt. The only explanation she could think of was because he had come after and she would have felt slightly guilty had he been injured when trying to help her. Not that she would show any guilt, of course. She hid a smile and turned to walk to her room. Luke would know how she felt, no matter how she denied it. He always had been able to see past her façade.
She hadn't gone five paces when she halted. Something wasn't right. Not sensing anything that would cause the reaction, she brushed the feeling away and continued on her way.
Her unease grew, but Mara couldn't figure out where it came from.
With the suddenness of an unexpected blow, it hit her.
Luke was being watched.
What, did she and Konner believe the Shrigan were fools? She had underestimated the humanoids. Certainly they at least knew of Konner's group. They at least suspected that Mara had been recruited. That must be one of their ideas explaining her sudden disappearance.
Wouldn't they suspect that Konner might try to get Luke Skywalker as well?
"Call Daryn back!" she shouted as she reached Konner's office.
(TygerEye Antilles, Copyright 2005) Please do not use without permission of the writer.