Many thanks to Calli1, Mara look-a-like, and Amanda for reviewing chapter one. Sorry for the delay in updating; my main computer died, so I'm winging this.
A Journey of Discovery – Book Two: Pledge
Chapter 2
By mid morning the next day, Luke found himself approaching the offices of the Alliance leadership. He hadn't slept well, which came as no surprise, and had finally put himself into a Jedi trance. He and Leia talked at some length that morning, until Leia had to dash off to some committee meeting or another. Leia had done her best to allay his self-doubts concerning the dark side. But, as always, Luke got the feeling his sister was in deep denial that either of them could possibly have anything in common with their father.
It was shortly after Leia left that Luke received a message stating Mon Mothma wished to see him as soon as possible. Leia had assured him that the Chief of State had seemed unperturbed the evening before as far as he was concerned, so this unexpected summons was puzzling.
------
"There is no need to try to explain last night," the New Republic leader began, waving off Luke's attempts at an apology as he took a seat in her office. "I have read your report concerning the events of your imprisonment by the Empire, and your statement of how both the Emperor and Darth Vader perished. It isn't that I don't believe you." Mon Mothma rose and stared out her large window before continuing. "Commander, the galaxy has struggled under the tyranny of the Emperor since before you were born. You must understand that you have become a symbol of hope for all beings, a sign that the Jedi Knighthood is being resurrected. If it is revealed that you were powerless to defeat Palpatine, faith in the Jedi, and in our leadership, would be shaken."
Mon Mothma circled around closer to Luke. "Can you honestly be certain, if you hadn't been present that day in the throne room, that Darth Vader would have still slain his master? That it was not your influence that turned Lord Vader back to the light?"
Luke shook his head in resignation. "No, I ..., I can't be certain."
"So you see, Commander, from a certain point of view, you are responsible for the downfall of Emperor Palpatine."
Certain point of view. Certain point of view. Does my whole life revolve around a certain point of view? Luke kept his thoughts to himself as Mon Mothma continued.
"That Lord Vader sacrificed his own life to destroy Palpatine is regrettable, but do you actually believe that he would have ever been accepted into the Alliance's good graces? Luke ..." Mon Mothma laid a hand on his shoulder in a motherly fashion. "The populace would have demanded he be put on trial for the atrocities he committed, no matter how much he repented in the end. I don't believe he would have been allowed to live."
"But his memory—" Luke began.
"His memory, his legacy, will live on in you, Commander." Mon Mothma gave him a cryptic smile.
Luke's eyes widened in surprise. Does she know? Or is she merely referring to the legacy of the Jedi?
"Now, Commander, I did not call you in here to discuss last evening." Mon Mothma returned to her seat behind her desk. "We have been soliciting the planet Lorrd, in the Kanz Sector, to join the Alliance for some time now. They have mineral resources unique to their planet that would be valuable in our effort to rebuild. Lorrd's government, however, has been rather reluctant to commit to an accord with us. For some reason, they have trouble believing our sincerity." Mon Mothma gave Luke another enigmatic smile. "I'm sure at this point you're wondering what all this has to do with you."
"It had crossed my mind."
"The Lorrdians have always had a great deal of respect for the Jedi order. They have agreed to meet with a Jedi, and only a Jedi." The leader steepled her fingers together. "Hence, we are sending you to Lorrd to conduct negotiations for their inclusion into the New Republic."
A mixture of confusion and denial crossed Luke's face. "Madame President, begging your pardon, but I'm not a diplomat."
"In this case, Commander, you will be. Many of the Jedi of the Old Republic served as ambassadors for the Senate and for individual planets."
Mon Mothma's tone of voice didn't seem to leave any room for discussion. Luke pursed his lips in thought. "Who will be accompanying me on this mission? Leia?"
"No, Commander. You will be going alone. We will brief you this afternoon on everything you need to know."
Mon Mothma rose in an obvious dismissal of Luke, but he hesitated.
"Madame President, I request to be allowed to bring someone with me on this mission."
"Commander, I have stated that the Lorrdians will only meet with a Jedi. To bring anyone else with you could only be detrimental to the negotiations."
"Not if I bring another Jedi," Luke countered.
"Another Jedi?" Even Mon Mothma's cool demeanor was shaken. "I was unaware there were any other Jedi." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Of whom are you speaking?"
"Mara Jade," Luke answered simply.
"The dancer from the Emperor's court? The one who escaped with you? Commander, please." Her expression turned to one of disbelief. "You expect me to accept that Mara Jade is all of a sudden a Jedi?"
Luke stood his ground. "She is extremely strong in the Force, and she has become my apprentice. I believe this would be a beneficial learning experience for her."
"I see." Mon Mothma studied him a few moments. "Very well, Commander, she will be allowed to accompany you. Do you wish her to attend your mission briefing?"
"No, that won't be necessary. I can fill her in on the way. We will need a larger ship than my X-wing, though."
"Of course. I shall have my aide requisition a shuttle." Mon Mothma rose and walked toward the door, evidently dismissing Luke before he had a chance to make any more requests. "Commander," she added as he exited, "I expect you to return with a signed pact."
"I shall do my very best."
As the door shut behind him, Luke's shoulders slumped despondently. Was he crazy? Had he completely lost all common sense? Five minutes ago he felt as if something, or someone, was urging him to insist on Mara's inclusion in this mission. It was almost like a prodding from the Force. Now this feeling completely abandoned him. If Mara ever found out he was going around calling her his apprentice ... well, he'd better start making out a will.
That afternoon, Mara Jade received an official communiqué from the office of Mon Mothma. It stated that her presence was required on a diplomatic mission, departure scheduled for oh-six-hundred the next morning, Alliance hanger bay number sixteen. At first, Mara thought there must be some mistake. It was her name at the top of the orders, but she was not a member of their Alliance. How in blazes could they send her on a mission?
Well, she would just refuse. That's all there was to it.
Later that evening, Mara was once more staring at the datapad containing the mission orders as she sat alone at her small dining table, munching on a simple dinner of voncrab sticks. No, they couldn't just order her around, and yet ... she had wanted to get away from Coruscant. Away from ... him. She had obstinately avoided Luke all day at squadron headquarters, which turned out to be surprisingly easy. He had been tied up in classified meetings half the day, and out on patrol the other half. During the one instance that she had to obtain his signature on a requisition, he made a showy pretext of being preoccupied and gave her only a grunted acknowledgement.
So, perhaps this mission was an opportunity she should not pass up. She would get passage off the planet, at the Alliance's expense. She certainly had more than adequate training to complete any type of diplomatic assignment. If this so-called mission were not to her liking, she would simply disappear after reaching her destination.
Mara curled one leg underneath her and let her gaze wander around her small apartment. She sure wouldn't miss this place if she never returned. Maybe the new Supply Coordinator would move in here. He or she could struggle with the stubborn room-darkening controls of the common room's single window — the same window near which Luke had broken down in despair only the night before. He or she could grumble in annoyance at the numerous lumps in the tattered old couch — the same couch where Luke had declared her to be his best friend.
Mara bit her lip sharply, ignoring the twinge of pain. She refused to capitulate to sentimentality. She'd leave everything here behind — even the dejarik set that she and Luke had rescued from his former site of confinement in the palace. The new tenant would probably buy more furniture to occupy the open space behind the couch — the space she'd purposely left vacant to give her and Luke more room to practice lightsaber drills... No! She would not dwell on all the hours they'd spent in this forlorn little apartment, oblivious to how shabby it was because they focused only on each other. She would not think about the fact that Luke had been the only guest to ever enter her quarters — the only person to make her laugh, the only man she ever daydreamed about, the only ...
Abruptly pushing her chair back from the table, the former Imperial assassin scraped her half-eaten dinner into the disposal unit. Why did he have to go and lose his temper last night? Why did she berate him so harshly? Why did she even suggest they go out at all, knowing how fragile his psyche had been? They could have stayed right here — sitting on that despicable couch, looking out that murky window, reveling in each other's warm presence and unadulterated friendship. Mara swiped at a speck of moisture in the corner of her eye. She would leave tomorrow, and she wouldn't look back. Looking back could only bring heartache, and the Emperor's Hand would not succumb to anything as trivial as heartache.
Mara Jade collapsed onto her shabby couch, and wept.
Shortly before her departure time the next morning, Mara entered the sprawling building that housed bays numbered fifteen through twenty. She recognized it as headquarters for Gray Squadron, a B-wing group. Luke had taken her on an extensive tour of all the fighter group hangers, but this was the first time she had ventured anywhere by herself, save for the Rogues' base of operations. Apparently the young corporal posted at the entrance had been informed of her expected arrival, as she was waved in immediately.
Mara found her way to Bay Sixteen, carrying one small satchel. She figured she would buy anything else she needed on arrival at her destination, charging it to the Alliance, of course. As she walked among the battle-scarred fighters, she stopped short. There was no mistaking the presence she felt. She found him halfway up a service ladder, doing pre-flight checks on a modified B-wing.
"Finally felt like chucking the old X-wing, Skywalker?" Mara kept her voice carefully neutral, resolutely pushing aside her turbulent feelings for her estranged friend — feelings that had kept her awake all night.
"Temporarily," he said solemnly, glancing down at her bag. She decided to save him the trouble of asking.
"I was supposed to go on some kind of mysterious mission for Mon Mothma." Mara looked around the bay. "But I don't see any shuttle. And I thought sure my contact would be here to meet me."
Luke descended to the hanger's duracrete floor, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "He's here."
Mara scanned the area once more. "Where?"
"Here," came the answer, even softer this time.
Mara's eyes widened in disbelieving shock. "You! You're my contact! Don't tell me you're going on this mission, too?"
There was no answer.
"Skywalker ..."
"You told me not to tell you."
Mara's eyes blazed at his insolence.
"I was ordered to go." Luke raised his voice a notch. "Wasn't my idea."
Mara fumed at this turn of events. Her resolve never to return to Coruscant had crumbled sometime during the middle of the night. But she had been anticipating a few weeks apart, giving them both time to reassess just where their relationship stood.
"Now I suppose you're going to tell me we have to fly in this cramped bucket of bolts." She waved at the B-wing in disgust.
"You shouldn't ask things if you don't want to hear the answer." Luke met Mara's glare with one of his own, then softened slightly. "We'll be departing in a few minutes. You can find a flightsuit in the locker room," he said, nodding toward a nearby hallway. He held out one hand to take her satchel. She shoved the bag into his hand, then stalked off in search of a flightsuit. Luke shook his head in resignation. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
Mara soon returned and studied the forlorn look on Luke's face. He didn't seem to be looking forward to this assignment any more than she did.
Luke started to reach his hand out, as if to touch her arm, then seemed to have second thoughts and pulled it back. Mara was both relieved and disappointed in the same instant.
"Mara," he began, "I'm sorry. For the other night. I ..."
Mara held up a hand to silence him. Luke's dramatic, earnest, apologies always grated on her nerves. Especially when she knew deep down that she ought to be the one making amends. "Skywalker, look, ..." She expelled a quick breath. "I said my piece on the subject, and I don't feel like rehashing it here. Can we just get going?"
Luke nodded silently, handing her a helmet as she climbed up the ladder and plopped heavily into the front gunner's seat. He clambered into the rear and requested clearance for departure. He'd find a way to bring up the subject again. It was a long way to Lorrd and back.
-------
"So, do I get to know where we're going? Or is it some state secret?" Mara didn't try to hide the sarcasm in her voice. This was the first either of them had spoken since they'd left Coruscant three hours earlier, and the tension in Mara had been building by the nanosecond.
"Lorrd," came the soft voice from the rear of the double cockpit.
"What! That's a three-day trip! They expect me to spend three days cooped up with ..." Mara caught herself, changing gears midsentence. "... in this crate?"
"No, say it. Three days with me."
Mara blew out a breath, taking some measure of satisfaction in his sullen tone of voice. "So what is our mission, really? Rescue some Rebel prisoner?"
She heard a low chuckle. "And put him where? In the storage compartment? Or will he ride back on your lap?"
His sardonic reply was not putting her in a better mood. "Well, what then? Espionage? Blow up some warlord's secret hideout?"
A small datapad was tossed over her shoulder onto her lap.
"What's this?"
"Mission directives."
Mara began scanning the document. "Membership agreement ..., mineral rights ..., bargaining concessions ... This is all political mumbo-jumbo!"
"Yep."
Mara tried to turn around in the confines of her seat, but couldn't see past the high headrest. "They're sending us? You and me? On a diplomatic mission?"
"Yep."
"Is that all you can say?"
"Isn't much else to say. Told you it wasn't my idea."
Mara shook her head in frustration, already tired of the heavy flight helmet. "How about — why us? Why not your sister, or some other treaty hacker? And how come we don't have a decent shuttle? You're too much of a pushover, you know that?"
Luke let her vent all she wanted. He felt exactly the same way. "I don't know 'why us.' Something about the Lorrdians will only talk with ... Force-strong individuals." He wasn't about to say the word Jedi. That would be enough of an issue when they reached their destination. "And supposedly there weren't any shuttles available. I guess because I go on long trips in my X-wing, no one thought it would be a problem."
"No one but me."
"I'll teach you how to put yourself in a hibernation trance."
"Oh, goody. I can hardly wait." Mara lapsed back into seething silence, and Luke didn't feel inclined to interrupt her.
-------
Several hours later, Mara was trying to go to sleep, but all she could hear were the sounds of Luke shifting every which way in his stiff vinyl seat.
"You're doing a lot of squirming back there," she called over her shoulder.
"So write me up on report — squirming while on duty."
"Don't you have some Force technique for ignoring discomfort?"
"Apparently not an effective enough one."
Mara brooded awhile longer, gaining some gratification that this mission was bothering the usually stoic Jedi Knight as much as it was her. She turned her head, listening. He seemed to be reciting something.
"What are you mumbling about?"
"Jedi Code."
Code? They have a code? "Does it help?"
"Not so far."
"Say it louder. I want to hear this."
Luke sighed, then began again. "There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity—"
"No emotion? No passion?" Mara interrupted, her voice incredulous. "What kind of passion are we talking about here? Romantic passion?"
"I ... uh ..."
"Do you even know?" she taunted. "Jedi aren't expected to be celibate, are they?" She was glad Luke couldn't see the sudden frown that crossed her face.
Luke forced a laugh. "Of course not. I'm in trouble if that's what it means." He resisted the urge to feel under his helmet to see if his ears were growing pointed, like the mythical sprite in the children's story who was caught telling lies.
"Do you get to add lines?" Mara was saying.
"Huh?"
"There are no cramped muscles, there is relaxation. There are no sore behinds, there is a comfy pilot's couch ..."
Luke chuckled in spite of himself, then joined in. "There is no hunger, there are delicious space rations ..."
They amused themselves for the next hour, making up silly lines, each trying to outdo the other. Luke pushed the thought that what they were doing was blasphemous to the back of his mind. She was talking to him again. They were having fun. Maybe it hadn't been a bad idea to bring her along, after all.
By the middle of the second day of their journey, both Luke and Mara were tired, cramped, and cranky. Using the crude waste receptacles only while the other was sleeping proved awkward, and Luke's attempts at teaching Mara some Jedi relaxation techniques turned out to be anything but relaxing.
It was Mara's discovery that the piloting controls at her station had been disabled that served to fuel her growing indignation, however.
"It's just that only pilots who are rated for B-wings are allowed to fly them," Luke wearily tried to explain. "It's nothing personal against you."
"Oh, sure," Mara spat sarcastically. "I suppose if Her Highness, your sister, had been the one coming along, she'd be sitting here helpless like me?"
"You're not helpless," Luke muttered. That was the last adjective he'd ever use to describe Mara Jade. "Look, you've got access to the most powerful weapons on any Alliance fighter. If they didn't trust you, those would have been switched off, too."
"Can I swivel them around to shoot at the seat behind me?" Mara said with a smirk. Though he did have a point — the weapons array was intriguingly impressive. With any luck, she'd have a chance to use them. Hmmmm ... "If we happen upon some asteroids, can I take some target practice?" she asked hopefully.
"Well ..." Luke bit his bottom lip, contemplating her request. He wouldn't mind some target practice himself. It sure would break the monotony. "As a matter of fact, we'll be dropping out of hyperspace in a few minutes for a course change, because ..." he paused dramatically, "there's an asteroid field we have to navigate around."
Mara couldn't believe it — Mr. 'Never Break the Rules' was going to loosen up and let them have some fun. Her fingers were already itching to rip loose and shoot something.
Luke watched the countdown display for realspace conversion, and the star lines shrank into pinpricks of light. He grinned to himself as the predicted chunks of rock floated lazily in the distance.
"No proton torpedoes," he cautioned, imagining Ackbar skinning his hide if they came back with all the torpedoes missing.
"Spoilsport," Mara snipped, quickly deploying the S-foils into combat position. Her ion cannons were already blasting away as soon as Luke maneuvered within firing range. The pair spent nearly two hours trying out every kind of armament the B-wing carried — laser cannons, ion cannons, targeting lasers, auto blasters — everything except the valuable torpedoes. The complex gyro-stabilization system creaked with the effort of keeping pace with the sudden maneuvers its Force-strong wielders were putting it through.
Luke smiled as an exuberant "Yahoo!" sounded from the front of the cockpit. This was a great stress reliever, no doubt about it. It wasn't that Luke didn't have any misgivings concerning their impromptu assault exercises; he justified them by deciding it could be crucial in the future to know how the ship would respond with a Jedi at the controls. Somehow, targeting asteroids was much more satisfying to him now than the exhilaration he could still remember feeling when he blasted his first TIE fighter a lifetime ago, from the belly turret of the Millennium Falcon.
But, all good things must come to an end, and it wouldn't look good for him to be late arriving at Lorrd, either.
"Okay, hotshot." Luke smiled to himself at the opportunity to call someone else by the nickname he was so often labeled with. "We need to leave some for the next bored wayfarers coming this way."
Mara let out a relaxed sigh. She felt a hundred percent better now, and couldn't imagine anything happening in the next few hours to ruin her good mood.
Luke folded the airfoils back into cruising position, keyed in the pre-programmed jump coordinates, and pushed the hyperdrive lever forward. "All righty, next stop—" The rest of his statement, however, was cut off by a dull groan in the engine beneath them.
"What was that!" Mara snapped, her 'good mood' evaporating in an instant.
"I'm not sure," Luke replied honestly, though he had a familiar 'really bad feeling' about what could be wrong.
"We're not moving, Skywalker."
"How observant you are," Luke retorted dryly, checking all the diagnostic controls and wishing, not for the first time, that B-wings were configured to hold astromechs. He held his breath as he optimistically tried the hyperdrive lever again. Only silence filled the motionless ship.
"Blast it!" Luke bit out, fiddling with the controls once more.
"Surely you can come up with better cursing than that, Farmboy."
"Be my guest." He resisted the urge to just reach out and bang something, which was Han's usual first approach to ship repair.
"Well?" Mara huffed. "You can fix it, can't you?"
"Sure, if we can land. I'm not familiar enough with B-wings to even attempt a hyperdrive repair EV," Luke admitted.
Mara made an exaggerated gesture of pointing out through the canopy. "Why look, I think I spot a shipyard just off the port bow."
"You're not helping matters," Luke muttered, frustration building inside him.
"You're the one that got us into this mess," Mara shot back.
"Me! I didn't ask for this over-rated spinning top. I'd much rather be in my X-wing, with only Artoo for company. In fact, I'd already be on Lorrd if I were in my own ship."
"And I'd rather be on a luxury yacht, bound for some resort planet, alone. I didn't ask to come along on this Sith-forsaken trip."
Luke voice softened. "I know you didn't." He began accessing the ship's navigational charts. This would be so much easier with Artoo.
"So?" Mara continued impatiently. "Where are we? What's closest?"
"We're at the edge of the Crestar Nebula. The charts show a couple of planets on the other side of the cluster, both amended with an 'unexplored' status warning." Luke checked another grid. "The closest one will take us three days at sub-light." He grimaced to himself. "In fact, the data on the whole nebula looks pretty sketchy."
"Can't you raise Coruscant on the comm? Let them come out here and rescue our behinds."
"I've tried; all I get is static. We must be getting interference from the nebula." Luke adjusted the comm control. "I'll try to get through to Lorrd."
The crackling static was only slightly less intrusive. " ... orrd Spaceport ... thority ..." came the broken reply.
Luke again reached down to modulate the frequency. "This is Commander Luke Skywalker of the New Republic. Please advise Regent Ke'lor that I will be detained due to a ship malfunction." Luke paused, trying to discern the answering crackle.
"I repeat, this is Commander Luke Skywalker of the New Republic. Please advise Regent Ke'lor I will be delayed ..." Luke hesitated, calculating in his head, "seven to ten days due to ship malfunction. I send my apologies. Do you copy?"
"... 'kywalker. ... orrd ... out."
"Skywalker, out." He switched off the noisy comm. "Well, sounds like they got the message. At least I think so."
"Why don't we just move away from the nebula, and call again?" Mara griped. Did she have to make all the decisions?
"Which will put us in the opposite direction of where we know there's a planet," Luke pointed out. Even at sub-light speed, he'd rather be going somewhere, than just sitting dead in space waiting. "Look, if we can land, I can fix the hyperdrive, and we'll be on our way." And no one would rib him about needing 'rescuing.'
"Fine, have it your way, Commander," she drawled, dragging out his title in the most derogatory manner she could manage. "Just point us in the right direction, and let me fume in peace."
"Gladly," Luke grumbled to himself. Though the idea of Mara Jade doing anything 'peacefully' seemed as remote as getting heat stroke on Hoth.
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Eighteen hours and several more inevitable arguments later, Luke slowed the engine to an abrupt halt.
"Now what?" Mara shot over her shoulder. "We haven't gone nearly far enough to reach your 'unexplored' planet."
"I know, but ..." Luke paused, brow furrowed in concentration. "I have a feeling ... I think there's something closer." He adjusted the long-range scanner.
"So now we're going to wander around based on some elusive 'Skywalker' feeling." Mara gave a loud derisive snort. "I hope you realize how lucky you are I can't reach back far enough to—"
"I found something," he interrupted. "Scanners show a small planetary mass at heading two-one-nine-point-seven."
"And it wasn't on the charts?" Mara scowled, wishing more navigational equipment had been installed on her own console.
"No," Luke replied, an offended tone coloring his voice. "When they said this nebula was unexplored, they weren't kidding."
Luke adjusted the ship's heading, and two sets of eyes strained into the inky blackness of space until a tiny green orb came into view. A solitary sun showed they were approaching the dayside of the planet.
As they flew in close to the largest land mass several hours later, Luke and Mara could make out dense forests and snow-capped mountains.
"Over there!" Mara shouted excitedly as they descended. "I see buildings! Head that way."
"What do you think I'm doing!" Luke growled back, already noting life form readings on his scanners. As he piloted the ship in search of a landing spot, a heavy windstorm began buffeting the tiny craft.
"Hold it steady!" Mara began shouting orders. "Get below the storm! Land this crate!"
Luke gripped the control stick tightly in a vain effort to combat the increasingly strong gusts, muttering to himself about 'front seat drivers.' He was glad she hadn't been along the first time he landed on Dagobah.
"What?" Mara shouted above the roar of the wind, which could be heard even in their sealed cockpit.
"I said, B-wings aren't designed for maneuverability in atmosphere."
"Just land, Farmboy!"
"Where? There's nothing but forest below us!" Luke's patience had run out long ago, along with his hopes of landing safely.
"Then go back up!" Mara couldn't believe this was happening. What in the galaxy possessed her to accept this mission? She should've turned around and ran as soon as she saw who the pilot was. "Get above the storm!"
"I thought you wanted near the village!" Could women never make up their minds? "I don't read any other concentration of life forms for hundreds of kilometers."
The words were hardly out of Luke's mouth when a loud snap sounded just below his seat. Almost immediately the primary wing began swinging erratically at the mercy of the relentless wind.
Luke didn't even try to make out the string of undecipherable curses coming from the gunner's seat. He no longer had a choice — one way or another, they were going down.
They both spotted the tiny clearing at the same time — an oasis of rocky, uneven ground near the base of a tree-covered mountainside. Luke frantically deliberated how he could set the craft down without snapping off any wings. While B-wings were configured to land on flat surfaces with a skilled pilot at the helm, even Threepio would be appalled at the odds of doing so with a damaged stabilizer.
Luckily the S-foil wings were still folded in, their normal position for non-combat space flight. But that would be little consolation if the whole primary airfoil slammed into the ground. The long flat wing had to be held horizontal to the ground, somehow ... Luke bit his lip, concentrating. He had lifted his X-wing more than once. This was just one wing. One large, heavy wing slightly longer than his own beloved ship. He closed his eyes, summoning the welcome power of the Force. He could do this. He had to.
"What are you doing back there, sleeping!" Mara's urgent screeching broke through his reverie as the hillside loomed closer. "Do something!"
"Join with me." Luke's calm voice was in stark contrast to hers.
"What!" The Jedi had lost it. No doubt about it, he'd gone off the deep end. "Join you in what, the afterlife?"
"The Force, Mara. Help me hold up the wing with the Force."
Mara stared out the cockpit window as the recalcitrant wing swung into view, then just as quickly vanished below.
"You're crazy, Skywalker. It's too big."
"Size matters not," he murmured, as the wing once more rose in a position perpendicular to the occupants of the cockpit. This time, however, it stayed in its upswing position. Mara could feel the powerful surging of the Force through Luke as he held the enormous wing in place, while at the same time lowering the ship closer to the ground.
Without further hesitation, Mara joined her Force sense with Luke's in his desperate task. Instantly she felt the flash of his gratitude as together they held up the heavy wing. The fighter lowered slowly on its repulsors, finally settling to the ground with a dull thud.
Mara sat motionless in her seat, releasing the pent-up breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. They'd done it! Admittedly, Luke's contribution had far surpassed hers, but could he have held the wing long enough by himself? Both his weariness and his relief were palpable through the Force.
Abruptly, Mara yanked off her helmet and unsnapped her harness. Then, turning around in the cramped cockpit, she knelt on her seat and peered around the high headrest. Luke was removing his own helmet. Letting it fall to his lap, he raised tired eyes and gave her a weak smile. Sweat-drenched hair clung to his forehead.
Pushing damp strands of hair out of her own eyes, Mara inhaled his Force presence and let it fill her. Craving his physical touch, she pulled off a glove and extended her right hand around the backrest.
Luke exhaled slowly, watching as Mara's palm began reaching out toward him. Ever since they first met, deep in an Imperial detention cell, they'd shared a bond that neither of them could explain. A bond that intensified with physical contact. Leaning forward, Luke removed his own flight gloves and raised his left hand to meet hers. As their fingers intertwined, a familiar warmth and comfort flowed between them, soothing their spirits in ways mere words never could. They remained that way for what seemed an eternity, but in reality was only a few minutes.
Almost as if by mutual consent, they pulled apart at the same time. Luke turned aside to check a monitor.
"Atmosphere's breathable."
Mara nodded, then popped open the plasteel canopy. Soon they were both on the ground, assessing what repairs were needed. And, as always, they were soon engaged in a rapidly escalating argument.
"What do you know about fixing stabilizers, or hyperdrives, for that matter?" Mara groused. "Artoo fixes everything you manage to break."
"I know plenty. I've worked on lots of ships. I used to spend hours overhauling my skyhopper back home, and I've helped repair the Falcon enough times."
Luke was weary, frustrated, and nearly out of patience with Mara's harping at him. It seemed she was going out of her way to antagonize him, almost like she was afraid to get too close to him emotionally.
"Tinkering with those flying scrap piles doesn't count," she retaliated. "And it sure doesn't mean you can fix a B-wing."
"And just how much do you know about B-wings, huh? You know how to recalibrate a power flux connector on a Slayn and Korpil hyperdrive motivator?"
Mara returned his taunts with a glare that would have caused a rancor to cower. "I've been trained to repair a dozen different hyperdrives. I could figure this one out," she growled.
"When? Before we turn thirty?" His tolerance had completely dissipated by now. "Look, I can fix anything, and I'm going to fix this!" Luke gestured wildly toward the grounded craft, ignoring her strangled choke of contempt at his egotistical boasting. "You hike to that village we spotted and try to get a replacement part for this broken stabilizer rod." He shoved the snapped rod into her hand. "I'll stay here and repair the hyperdrive. And I'll work on rigging a substitution for the rod, just in case you can't manage your assignment."
Mara was livid. "My assignment! Who put you in charge!"
"The Alliance, that's who. This is my mission and my ship, and I'm the commander here."
"It is not your ship!" Mara seethed.
"It's signed out to me, which makes me responsible for it."
"And a fine job you're doing of that, aren't you?" Mara retorted, poking him in the chest.
Luke shook his head and whirled back to the open repair hatch. "Just get going, will ya? The longer we stand here arguing, the longer it's gonna take to get off this rock."
"Fine. I'm leaving. At least I'll have peace and quiet for a few days," Mara shot back, as she reached into a storage compartment for a survival pack.
"Me, too," Luke answered, but the fire had gone out of his voice.
He watched as Mara slipped the pack onto her back and checked her blaster. She glanced up at him. "Guess I'm ready." Luke nodded, but didn't answer. "So I'll be out of your hair for awhile," she added, trying to get some kind of response out of him. What she got wasn't quite what she was expecting.
Luke took a step toward her, wiping his hands on a rag. "Take care, Mara. We don't know a thing about this planet, and I wouldn't want anything ... Well, just be careful."
"I will," she replied cautiously. His mood had certainly changed gears in a hurry. "I should be back in about a week."
"I'll be here," he murmured.
"I'll check in from the village, to let you know whether or not I can find the right part." For some reason, Mara found her feet rooted to the ground, strangely reluctant to leave him. "You have my comlink frequency?"
"I've got it," Luke acknowledged. He glanced back at his repairs. "I should get back to work, I suppose."
"Yeah. See ya," Mara said quietly as she turned to leave, pulling her eyes away from his profile, his upper body hidden within the repair shaft. "You take care, too," she practically whispered.
Without turning around, Luke raised one hand in farewell, the only indication that he had heard her.
Let me know what you thought!
