I stared blankly at the screen in front of me.

"…hear me? Mara, hello?"

I blinked a few times and tried to concentrate on what Leia was saying.

With a stoic expression, I returned to the conversation at hand, "Please explain."

Organa-Solo could sense my detachment and continued warily, "She showed up out of the blue maybe two weeks ago wanting to see Luke. He refused to see her, so she took off. When she went away, she left a message behind for him. I think it was instructions on how to find her, and if I'm not mistaken, she wanted to teach at the Academy. At least that's what she wanted Luke to believe."

"So you think she was lying?" I was still trying to make some – ANY – sense of this whole mess.

Leia shrugged, "I don't know. I think she just wanted Luke back and was doing what she thought he would want her to do."

I closed my eyes and sighed. After a short pause, I looked at the view screen again with a fresh determination, "You wouldn't have a copy of that message she left for Skywalker, would you?"

The former Princess raised her eyebrows at me, "Yes. You're going after him?"

I snorted.

Organa-Solo could only nod, "I'm sending the coordinates to the Jade's Fire now," I saw Leia key a few commands into the terminal on her side of the connection before she continued, "Do you need anything else?"

I replied with a steely determination, "No, I'll see you when I'm back."

She nodded again, "Right. May the Force be with you."

I ended the call with a simple keystroke and leaned back in my chair.

I took a deep breath and let go of my emotions. I pushed back the rising anxiety from the pit of my stomach and stopped the racing of my mind. I concentrated on Skywalker's dim presence and extended my awareness in all directions hoping to find the bright glimmer I knew to be his Force Signature.

Nothing.

I frowned and squeezed my eyes closed. What if he is too far away?

I took another deep breath and centered myself. With all the strength and energy I could muster, I screamed through the Force, "LUKE!"

Still nothing.

I opened my eyes and was surprised to find myself no longer on the chair, but hunched over, kneeling on the floor with my hands clenched in tight fists at my temples. A sudden burning in my lungs reminded me to breathe again and I massaged the little crescent shaped cuts on the palms of my hands where my fingernails had dug into the flesh.

Though I was shaken, I didn't have time to think about what all that meant. I needed to get going. Gingerly, I got to my feet and hurried to the 'fresher to splash some water on my face.

Less than five minutes later I was changed, packed, and out the door.

Less than twenty minutes after that, I was feeding coordinates to the Fire's navigational system and preparing to jump to lightspeed.

When the navicomputer gave me the signal, I engaged the hyperdrive and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding while the stars stretched into starlines.

Hyperspace.

I'd learned a lot about myself during my countless solo voyages through hyperspace. I used to use the time to communicate with the emperor both before and after missions. After his death, I would use most of the time fantasizing about the many ways I could kill Skywalker once I found him. Funny, how now I'll be utilizing this time to figure out how I'm going to save him.

I frowned and pulled my legs up next to me on the chair's cushion. How was I going to explain this to Skywalker when I found him? Certainly I'll know what to say when I see the two of them together.

My frown deepened.

What he really needs is someone who's not afraid to stand up to him, to challenge his beliefs and make him work for things every once in a while.

Callista can't do any of that for Skywalker. She's a weakling; no more than a puny little body snatcher whose sole interest is the title that follows Luke's name: Jedi Master. She can't take care of him. She wouldn't know the first thing about making him happy. There's no way she could look after him the way I do.

My feet dropped to the floor with an ominous thud that echoed through the cockpit.

Oh, Force.

He was right.

I am in love with him.

Suddenly, so many things fell into place and just made sense. For example: my desire to grab that skinny girl's head and give it a good quick twist.

I snorted as I heard the imaginary, yet satisfying "Snap," in my head.

I sighed and rested my head in my hands. How could I not have seen this coming? Obviously, everyone else did. Callista probably had, too, when she was still around before. She must have had her suspicions…it would explain her open hostility towards me, anyway.

So now what? No change in plans, that much was certain.

I checked the timer, just a few more minutes until realspace reversion.

Things were about to get a whole lot more interesting.