Hello again! Thank you for reading (I've now actually added a
space at the end where I'm thanking the reviewers, etc. at the end). I
really appreciate it. Sorry, by the way, for taking so long to put this
chapter up. I made it a little longer than the normal ones since it did
take a while and I still have SAT class until the 8th of July. In other
news, the plot might start to move faster from now on (hopefully).
Anyway, thank you all very much for reading and I hope you enjoy the
chapter!
They had been in detention for little more than thirty minutes, and Wes was still insisting that Luke and Corran were going to break them out. Hobbie was watching the clock, counting down the minutes until they would be allowed out of the classroom. Tycho had ascertained earlier that the windows had been locked, theoretically preventing their escape from that way. Wedge had started doing his homework after that while Wes declared the injustice of holding them there over the intercom. Dr. Jones, the only cool teacher in the entire school, had come into the classroom and taken away the intercom, but he had stayed to find out what had happened. Dr. Jones, of course, thought the plan was brilliant, but he finished up the conversation by saying he did have to go and took the intercom device for the room with him. Shortly after Dr. Jones left, Hobbie gave in to Wedge's theory. "Face it, Wes, Wedge is right. We'll actually have to stay in detention for the full three hours."
"Just because they're about fifteen minutes late doesn't mean that they aren't coming!" Wes retorted before going back to working on the plans for a contraption to either open the windows or unlock the door.
"Really?" Wedge asked sarcastically: he hadn't done anything to actually get in detention in the first place, and the whole mess was all Wes' fault. "Do you think that they would actually try to get us out of detention yet again now that half of the faculty is obsessed with catching them in the act of freeing us from this prison?"
"There's no need to be melodramatic!" Tycho exclaimed. "Look, there could have been traffic or something! I mean, it is a Friday at rush hour. Also, whatever scheme they have probably come up with this time probably takes time, so we should just wait patiently for them to break us the hell out of here."
"And if they don't show up?" Hobbie asked. "What happens then? We wait for another two and a half hours!" He gestured to the room. "I don't think I can stay here for that long! It's Friday night for the Force's sake!"
They suddenly heard a tapping on the window. There was no one there, but there was a note stuck to it. The four looked at each other. Wes was grinning. "I told you. Who was right?" Wedge glared at him as Tycho walked over to the window to see what the letter said. "Well?" Wedge asked, trying to ignore Wes for the moment. "What's it say?"
Tycho squinted, trying to read the handwriting. "I think it says, 'Sorry we're late, but Corran was an idiot and forgot his wallet for paying for dinner tonight (also picked up two more people than usual). Beware of falling ceiling tiles and air vent covers.' Great. We get to go through the air ducts." He spoke too soon since a second piece of flimsiplast attached itself to the window.
Wedge walked over. "What does this one say?"
Tycho read it to himself first and blanched. "Uh, it's from Corran and he only wrote, 'Beware of infuriated red heads in pretty pink dresses.' ...I think they blackmailed Dash."
Wes scoffed. "No, Dash would rather die than wear a dress. It's probably some girl from their school who was conned into it." As he said that, the door to the room opened. In the doorway was the red head which had been mentioned as well. She was wearing a dark pink, almost magenta dress which fit her pretty well. Then another stepped into the doorway: Mr. Smith, the Rogues sworn archenemy and principal of the school.
"Antilles, your sister's here to see you," Smith said, glaring at the Rogue in question. "She says it's a family emergency." His eyes roamed around the room. "You all know that if it was up to me, you'd all be in detention for the next millennia."
"Stop acting like a government agent, Smith. It doesn't suit you," Tycho shot back.
"We'll see who is laughing after the rest of your little gang is caught," Smith menaced, glaring at the Rogue which had spoken. "Restraining orders will be in order and maybe even the law will allow for the gang to be broken up." Smith turned to the girl. "You have ten minutes with these miscreants," he told her before leaving.
Once the door had shut, the girl turned to them. "The Corellian idiot sent me. Are you ready to go, or must I wait for you to get your acts together?" she asked them dryly.
Wes looked at his plans. "I'm ready to get the hell out of here," he announced, throwing the papers in the trash. Tycho and Hobbie nodded in agreement. Wedge hesitantly nodded as well.
"Good," the girl said. "Only one of you has a driver's license, correct?"
"Yes," Wedge replied. "Wes had his taken away for reckless driving, Tycho still hasn't gotten his permit, and Hobbie's was taken away for crashing into one too many things, mainly traffic signs and there was this one time in the parking garage---"
"Hey! Can we concentrate on escaping instead of my driving problems?" Hobbie pleaded. "I for one would rather be out of here!"
"He's right," the girl said. "Look, here's the deal: we're all just going to calmly walk out the front door like there is nothing wrong in the least. Got it?"
"Are you insane?" Tycho asked. "That's crazier than anything Corran could ever devise, or that friend of his that he talks about from time to time, Kyle."
She laughed and opened the door. "Kyle wanted to get you out by way of the air vents. Consider yourselves lucky that I was there to talk those idiots out of it."
Luke was waiting in the speeder for everyone to get back. Corran was supposed to be talking to the secretary in the school office while Kyle messed with the video feed. Mara still hadn't come back yet. It was almost ten minutes, and that meant that she might have failed. Luke doubted that. Everything was probably going completely to plan, and the rest of the Rogues would be walking down the main hallway, completely unnoticed. Even if they were noticed, Mara could always use a Jedi Mind Trick on them.
At that moment, Mara, Kyle, and the Rogues sprinted out of the building. Brilliant. They got caught, Luke thought. The group split up with Corran, Wedge, Tycho and Hobbie going towards Wedge's speeder (which was actually his sister's, but it was on loan) and Wes, Kyle, and Mara coming towards the speeder Luke was driving. Just my luck. Kyle and Wes to make fun of me. Kyle and Wes reached the speeder first and literally jumped into the back seat, landing rather haphazardly. Mara actually took the time to open the door, but she managed to get in the same amount of time that the other two took. Once everyone was completely inside (Wes' feet had been hanging out), Luke took off immediately. "And why was everyone running out of the building like bats out of hell?" he asked once they were a few blocks away.
"Smith. I swear to God! He's a freaking computer program!" Wes announced.
"Was that the name of that crazy guy with the sunglasses that was chasing you down the hall?" Kyle inquired.
"Of course." Wes paused. "Luke, why are you driving? Last time you drove, we almost got arrested! You drive like that one crazy Jedi drives!" Wes turned towards Mara. "Speaking of Jedi, who are you? ...and how did Lukie get you into that dress?"
"The name's Jade," Mara replied, glaring at him. "That's all you need to know."
"Don't call me Lukie," Luke grumbled.
"So, where are we going, exactly?" Kyle asked. "I was only brought along to mess up the cameras."
"We are going to the 'Seventh Paradise'. It's this awesome restaurant that we eat at every so often," Wes replied. "But it costs a fortune, so we only go there for special occasions. Like today."
Luke groaned. "No. You didn't..."
"Yes, my friend, we did decide to throw you a birthday party after all." Wes grinned.
"What!" Mara exclaimed as she turned around and glared at Kyle. "So this is why you insisted that I wear a dress." She then glared at Luke. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"How was I supposed to know what they were up to?" Luke protested. "I'm not a mind reader!" Silence. "Ok, so I am, but I don't read my friends' minds!"
"What kind of Jedi are you?" Kyle asked. "Geez, Old Kenobi's really making sure you stay on the straight and narrow path, ain't he? No partying, no running down the halls, do your homework, no participating in any of Lord Skywalker's pranks! the list goes on and on! And you actually listen to him! It's disgraceful that one of my roommates acts like that..."
"Lord Skywalker?" Mara asked dubiously. "Do I want to know?"
"I saw him in the halls today," Kyle replied, obviously remembering something. "Oh, hey, I was supposed to tell you, Luke, that he was looking for you. Then Adi convinced him to go on a coffee raid. Anyway, it's what the Noghri call him. Apparently the lithe, catlike aliens which would apparently make good assassins call him that because they believe he saved the planet from an ecological disaster. Hence 'Lord Skywalker'. Personally, I don't think that really has all that much of a ring to it."
"Would 'Lord Katarn' be better?" Mara suggested sarcastically.
"That doesn't quite have a ring to it either," Wes pointed out. "Of course, by Katarn, I'm guessing you mean Kyle."
They sped along in silence for a few minutes. Luke was concentrating on driving; Mara was staring out the window, trying to ignore the other occupants of the speeder. Kyle was staring at random things, mostly the scenery, and thinking about what Mara was going to do to him when they got back to the Temple. He thought she almost seemed angry enough to tell Yoda about it. Wes was grinning like an idiot. It was so obvious that Luke liked Jade. He just had to tell the other guys. Of course, Corran had probably already filled them all in.
"Oh! How was that test you guys had today?" Wes asked.
"Doom," Kyle replied laconically.
"It wasn't quite that bad," Luke added. "I mean, that's not to say it wasn't the worst test ever, but it was not as bad as Kyle makes it out to be."
"Three essays on the Clone Wars in an hour?" Mara scoffed. "Luke, you are the craziest Goddamn Jedi I have ever met, V---Master Skywalker included." What the heck was I about to say? she wondered. Maybe it has to do with those old visions...
"Sounds awful," Wes commented. "We only had to listen to three boring lectures about the war."
"Did that have anything to do with landing you and the others in detention yet again?" Luke asked Wes.
"Oh, yeah. I was sleeping, not harming anyone, but Hobs just had to slam a book behind me to wake me up. Quite frankly, it was a freaky dream about fuzzy, short teddy bear type creatures celebrating some gigantic, galactic victory, so I was glad to wake up on one level. Anyway, I thought Wedge told Hobs to wake me up, so I did the normal thing---sent him a note."
"That's normal?" Mara asked, not believing him. "Sounds about as normal as Teneniel's hobbies."
"Don't interrupt! It's rude!" Wes scolded. "Where was I?"
"Note," Luke answered.
"Ah. Yes. So Lizard was being a suck up again, and I felt that it was my civic duty to play a prank on her. But what to do? I decided that she would look much better if her hair actually had a pattern; I asked Hobs for his whiteout. After consulting Wedge and Tycho, Hobs gave in and gave it to me, much to Wedge's dismay. I painted her hair in the fashion of a skernkcoon and gave the whiteout back. Hobs then blew the plan to pieces when he yelled at me for using all of his whiteout. The teacher caught us, and we were sentenced to detention to be served after school for three hours."
"Wow," Kyle remarked. "That's... so... how did you come up with that in only a few minutes? Or was it pre-planned?"
"A little of both," Wes admitted. "You see, Lizard has this weird hair which is black but has a white stripe in the front, so I've been entertaining the thought of giving her a stripe in the back for quite a while. Today was just the chance to do so. It wasn't a completely ingenious, spur of the moment plan."
"You have the most amazing ability to attract such strange friends, Luke," Mara observed. "I mean, there's Katarn, the Corellian, Wes, Master Skywalker. The list goes on, you know. It's pretty long."
Luke smiled. "Yes, Mara. You're on the list, too."
"Unfortunately," Mara sighed. "It's more of a curse than anything else..."
"Very funny."
"I know. Isn't my wit simply astounding?"
Anakin Skywalker was in a closet. He was hiding from the wrath of the Jedi who taught normal school subjects to the children. Why, some might ask? It was because he had spirited away a good deal of the instant coffee. The good instant coffee. This was why he was in a closet instead of at home with his wife and daughter.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was also in the closet. He was in there because he had replaced the coffee with instant hoi-broth and had had to run just as fast as Anakin away from the angered Jedi. It wasn't his fault that the Council didn't like hoi-broth. In fact, he was allergic to it! Besides, just because he was giving them the hoi-broth didn't necessarily mean that he was in league with Anakin. But he was, and that was the problem.
Adi Gallia was also stuck in the closet. Keep in mind that this wasn't a big closet, but one of those smallish, cramped, and completely stuffed broom closets. There wasn't much room. She had the misfortune of having been the lookout. A lot of good that had done. She hadn't meant to appropriate all of the Sprite out of the fridge. It didn't look like anyone liked it, anyway. Apparently, it was Callista and the Dark Woman's favorite drink.
"Think we're safe yet?" Anakin queried.
"Can you still sense them waiting outside the door?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Just go and stomp all over my hope, will you?" Adi murmured.
"Maybe if we just give them the coffee back, they'll---"
"Obi-Wan, do you want to drink the coffee that Yoda makes? Or, do you want us to have something edible?" Anakin asked him.
"I vote for the edible," Adi mentioned.
"Then how about offering them all of the Sprite?" Obi-Wan suggested.
"Sure. That will make Callista and the Dark Woman go away, but what about the others?" Adi asked. "I mean, I think Ranik's sort of P.O.'d at us for giving them all of the hoi-broth concentrate."
"We can run for it," Anakin decided. "I'll try to explain to Ranik later that it was because of Obi-Wan's allergy."
"Sure, he'll so believe that," Adi replied and rolled her eyes.
"He might," Obi-Wan decided. "It's almost a reasonable explanation."
"So we run for it on three?" Anakin asked. "I mean, we also have to give the Sprite back." He handed Obi-Wan half of the coffee and, taking the Sprite from her, gave Adi the other half of the coffee. "I'll give the Sprite back. You two run for it. They still think I have all of the coffee."
"Anakin, this is one of the goofiest things you've ever done," Obi-Wan said. "This is including that time you fainted and the smuggler got it on tape."
"I thought we weren't supposed to talk about that?" Anakin said menacingly, glaring at Obi-Wan.
"One..." Adi started, reaching for the handle of the door to shut the other two up. "Two... Three!" She exclaimed and opened the door. Obi-Wan sprinted past Callista, and Adi ran past the Dark Woman in the opposite direction as Obi-Wan.
Anakin just walked out of the closet. Ranik Solusar, Callista, and the Dark Woman formed a little semicircle around him to keep him from escaping. "Hey... You know, we can still end this peacefully..."
"Where did Adi go? She stole the Sprite. Tell us," Callista commanded him.
Anakin laughed nervously and produced the twelve-pack. "Adi says she's sorry."
The Dark Woman took the Sprite. "Good. She should be. You, on the other hand, stole all of the coffee. Where is that?"
"Uhhh..." Anakin searched the recesses of his mind for an explanation. "I ate it?"
Ranik actually looked a little happy. "Oh. I hate coffee." He glared at Anakin. "Who gave us the broth?"
"Obi-Wan!" Anakin exclaimed. "It's all his fault! Not me! I don't have the coffee!"
"You are one hell of a crappy liar," Callista stated. "And the real reasoning behind the broth is?"
"Obi-Wan's allergic to it," Anakin stated, speaking at the speed of light. "Couldn't keep it in the break room. He had to stay in the Council Chambers while we were on our coffee breaks, thus subjecting him to even more time of Jorus C'baoth complaining about the malfunctioning air conditioning. I'm sorry; we'll never do it again!"
"...Hey, Anakin?" Ranik said. "Isn't it your kids' birthday today?"
Anakin slapped himself on the forehead. "Oh, Force. I can't believe I forgot... This isn't fair! Padmé's going to kill me!"
While he was distracted, Callista decided to do a Jedi Mind Trick on him. "You will tell us who has the coffee," she said with a wave of her hand.
"Adi and Obi-Wan have it," Anakin replied.
"You will forget we had this conversation," Callista continued with another wave of her hand.
Ranik suppressed a laugh, then added, "Except for the part about your wife killing you for forgetting what day it is," as they walked off.
Anakin snapped back into reality once they were gone. His memory had a strange blank from between when Adi and Obi-Wan ran out of the closet and the point he was at. Anakin realized one of the three who were standing outside the closet mind-wiped him. He remembered something about Padmé killing him, but that was it. What was the date again? he thought. Oh yeah... The twins' birthday... "Dammit!" he cursed as he tried to sense where they were. That's odd. Leia's at the Temple... and Luke's not. I have a bad feeling about this... "He probably took my new speeder, too!" Anakin muttered to himself as he walked vaguely in the direction of where Leia was, wondering why she was there.
"Well, Chewie, now what do we do?" Han Solo asked. He was still sitting in the pilot's seat of the Millennium Falcon. They had just landed seconds before. "I mean, we have almost an entire day until we have to meet with the client."
Chewie made a suggestion as the Falcon finished powering down.
"A respectable restaurant? What else shall we do? Go out to the theatre?"
Chewie rolled his eyes and replied that Han should stop being so sarcastic, and maybe they could get actual hotel rooms instead of sleeping on the Falcon.
"It's not like we have extra money lying around. I mean, I don't even know how much the planet's changed since the last time I was here. Some dive I used to frequent might now be some five star restaurant!"
Chewie commented that any place that Han had gone to on a student's salary or even on a low ranking officer's salary would probably only have been able to elevate itself from the worst conditions you had ever seen to a semi-decent restaurant.
"Ha-ha, very funny. Why don't we stay here. I can cook dinner," Han suggested. "It's the most cost-effective of the plans."
Chewie shook his head and told Han that they needed to get more supplies. It would probably be best if they did go out to some restaurant to eat since they needed to go out.
"You're right," Han admitted. "But, no matter what you say, I'm not going anywhere near the Jedi Temple. I know you have friends there, but I have a bad feeling about one of them and the nagging feeling that another owes me money."
Chewie laughed. He told Han that it was probably just memories of the future that could have been which was causing it, not the current time. Besides, if he got a feeling that they should go to Tatooine, would he?
"No, Chewie. I'm not going there unless I absolutely have to. Besides, we did tell Jabba that we'd be taking some time off, so I intend to make the most of the vacation that we have."
Except for the job, Chewie mentioned.
"Sh. I'm having delusions of grandeur. Leave me to my own devices."
Chewie laughed again and commented that leaving Han to his own devices would be dangerous to himself and others.
Leia had a foreboding feeling which caused her to shiver. Teneniel looked at her. "Have a bad feeling?" she asked.
Leia nodded. "Yeah. I don't know quite what it is, though. I mean, besides the whole diary issue. I also feel like I'm forgetting something."
Allya's eyes widened. "Isn't it your birthday?"
"Oh. It is," Leia realized without surprise. "Mom forgot, too, 'cause she said I could stay when I called. She probably wouldn't have wanted me to if she had remembered." Leia sighed. "Everything feels like there's something wrong, something missing."
"The Force is probably telling you something, Leia. Your dad is the strongest Jedi that has ever lived, so it would be a little strange if you weren't Force-sensitive," Teneniel declared. "Speaking of which, do you know why you weren't put in the Jedi Order?"
"Teneniel!" Tionne exclaimed. "We have no right to ask that! It's probably a personal matter to her!"
Leia smiled ad shook her head. "I actually don't know. As far as I can tell, my mom wanted me to become a Senator like her, and my dad didn't want me to become a Jedi."
Allya laughed. "That sounds nothing like the Anakin we know."
"If you really do have great potential in the Force, then the Council would have insisted that you be taken into the Order," Teneniel replied.
"Then what if that rumor is actually true?" Leia suggested. "If I did have a brother, then he would have gone into the Order while I went into politics."
"Or the Council would have just respected your father's wishes. Besides, if that outlandish rumor did indeed have some veracity, then why would your brother's identity be hidden from you? It just makes no sense," Tionne argued.
"Her opinion makes the most sense," noted Kendalina, the oldest one in the room. She was a Jedi Knight in her early twenties but had always been a friend of Tionne, and since she had been in town, she had decided to go to the party. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "I wonder if Ranik, Callista, and DW caught up with Obi, Ani, and Adi."
"Master Solusar was chasing them, too?" Allya asked, rather surprised. "How did that come about? I thought he was on vacation?"
"No, he just came back," Kendalina corrected. "I was actually there when Ranik blew a gasket about all of the hoi-broth concentrate which was piled in the containers that the coffee was supposed to be filled with. He then sprinted down the hall, looking for Callista and DW since all of the Sprite was gone."
"Why would the missing Sprite be important?" Leia asked, somewhat confused by the inciting incident of the entire escapade.
Kendalina smiled. "Let's just say DW and Callista love their lemon-lime soft drinks."
At the Seventh Paradise, the Rogues and Jedi apprentices had been seated in a booth and were currently waiting for the waiter to bring them their drinks. Mara, who was a little annoyed, couldn't believe that Corran and Kyle had actually made her dress up because of Luke. She had to admit, however, that she understood why (and maybe even agreed with their rationale a little bit), but they could have at least filled her in!
Mara glared at the idiot sitting to her right. Corran and the rest of the Rogues (sans Luke) had planned yet another stupid move: they arranged it so she was sitting next to Luke. Unfortunately, the only person close enough to her to strangle out of that group was Corran, but he was actually useful sometimes, so she restrained herself from doing so. Mara reflected that it was almost as if they were trying to get her and Luke together. What am I thinking? she thought, angry at herself. You're imagining things, Mara. Just because it seems to be that way doesn't mean that it is. Luke probably doesn't like me anyway. Hell, half the time, he calls me by my last name.
"Say," Wes said. "Jade, didn't you say something about a friend of yours that---"
"You don't want Teneniel to be your girlfriend," Corran cut him off. "She's from the planet Dathomir."
Wes stared at him. "And that means what?"
From next to Wes, Kyle replied. "How shall I put this?" He asked, mockingly, before answering his own question in a deadpan. "I know. It's a planet of crazy Force witches who ride rancors for fun."
"Ah. Forget I asked."
"Teneniel's not that weird, Kyle," Luke said. "She's a pretty nice person when you get to know her."
"Do you have to hit on every woman you meet, Wes?" Tycho asked.
"Hey! You have no right to say anything! You have a girlfriend back on Alderaan," Wes said in his own defense.
"We shouldn't be arguing, guys," Wedge mentioned. Are Luke and I the only sane ones at this table? he thought. Well, Miss Jade seems all right, too.
"Could we talk about something else?" Hobbie asked.
"Good idea!" Tycho exclaimed, apparently already having an alternative topic in mind. "Did you know that the Princess just became the youngest person to be elected to the Senate?"
"Are we talking about the Princess of Alderaan?" Mara asked, a little confused.
"Yes," Luke replied hesitantly. "Tycho's from Alderaan."
Is he embarrassed about something? Mara wondered. Not that I care, she hastily added to herself.
"And he talks about her all of the time," Wedge added.
"I do not!" Tycho protested as the waiter came back with everyone's drinks. After taking everyone's orders, the waiter departed again.
"What were we talking about, again?" Wes asked.
"That one movie that came out recently," Mara suggested, knowing that wasn't the real topic.
"That one about the archaeologist and the box with the stone slabs in it?" Hobbie suggested. "Or was it the one with the temple of doom?" he amended.
"I think it was the box one. The temple one came before it," Tycho added.
"No! It was the one with the cup thing!" Wes exclaimed. "Those two came before it."
The Rogues continued talking about the movies with Kyle adding something every so often. Even though he atmosphere was so bright and happy, Mara felt left out. I shouldn't be here; I should have just stayed back at the Temple... "'Scuse me, guys, I'll be right back. I'm going outside for some fresh air," Mara said with a fake smile and walked out.
"That was different," Corran commented. "Do you think there's something wrong?"
"Yeah. Mara's never that polite," Kyle declared.
"I'm going to go talk to her," Luke said and was about to get up, but Wedge and Corran kept him in place. "You guys!"
"You're not going anywhere until a few questions are answered," Wes stated.
"Corran! Wedge! Let me go!"
"First of all, is there something going on between you two? Second, if there isn't, do you like her?"
Luke turned bright red. "No!" he exclaimed. "What makes you think that!"
"Besides the fact that you're so completely denying it?" Kyle asked. "You're also blushing. That's another sign."
"Leave me alone," Luke said impassively, staring at the Coke he was drinking. "There isn't anything going on. She doesn't even like me."
"Right. If that's true, then you're the son of a Dark Lord of the Sith," Kyle said, trying to emphasize just how wrong Luke was.
"That's probably true, with my luck," Luke replied bitterly.
"Luke, cheer up You're not supposed to be this depressed on your sixteenth birthday," Wedge said.
"There's something else wrong, isn't there?" Corran realized.
"Yeah. There is." For a moment, Luke laughed somewhat bitterly. "I'm such an idiot! Why should I care what An---" He stopped himself and was silent for a moment before sighing and apologizing. "I'm sorry, you guys. I... I shouldn't be like this. I'm sorry..."
Corran stared at Luke. Apparently Master not talking to him today really hurt Luke's feelings. Of course, it does make sense, seeing as---No. I'm not supposed to know that. I'm not allowed to know, Corran thought before putting on a smile and replying, "Don't worry. It's probably just pressure. We are going to have exams next week."
"You know that's not it," Luke murmured.
"Forget your cares for the time being!" Wes demanded, doing his best to lighten the situation. "Your best friends are throwing you a party, so you should be happy, dammit!"
"Wes is right," Hobbie said, smiling. "You really do need to lighten up, at least for the time being."
"After all, you don't want Wes to act like a crazed fighter pilot, do you?" Corran added. "I mean, that would just be disturbing."
"Yeah. Wes a fighter pilot," Wedge remarked. "The enemy would run away in fear."
Luke smiled. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate it." He paused. "Wes, if you swear not to say anything, I'll answer your question."
"What question?" Wes asked, feigning ignorance. "Ah hell, why not? I'll probably remember, so I swear I won't tell anyone except those sitting at the table."
"Then yes, I do like her."
"Ha! I knew it!" Wes exclaimed.
"You do know that he'll probably try to get you two together now?" Wedge commented.
"Crap. I forgot about that," Luke said, realizing the follow of admitting what he just had in front of not just Wes, but Corran and Kyle. Teneniel would learn by the time they got back to the Temple, and then she'd tell all of the girls at the party, and they'd tell the rest of the class.
Wes looked at Wedge like the latter was crazed. "Are you insane? She's practically homicidal! I wouldn't try to do that if you paid me!" he said, not meaning any of it: once Luke went out to bring Mara back inside, they'd plot.
"She's not that bad," Corran said, knowing what Wes was thinking (without using the Force). "She'd maim, not kill: death is too permanent."
Mara was standing outside and leaning on the railing of the balcony of the restaurant overlooking the city. The sun was setting, and the sky looked like someone dumped all of their yellow and red paint on it and mixed it in with the night sky. She knew that somehow the topic of conversation had turned from movies to her once she had come out here, but she didn't care. It was better she was here and not in there. They could be themselves. After a few minutes, she heard someone walk over to her. It's probably Sky---Luke. (Stupid sunset, making me think Skywalker's his last name) He's the type to worry about others more than himself. "Why'd you let me come along?" she asked him.
"How did you know it was me?" Luke asked once he was standing next to her.
"Because who else would it be? You still need to answer my question," Mara said, still looking at the sunset.
"I don't know... I couldn't really say no, could I?" he answered.
"You're too nice for your own good, Luke," Mara decided. "It'll get you in trouble some day if you're not careful."
"You're right. It probably will..." Luke smiled. "The sunset's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Don't get sappy on me, Skywalker. Let's go back in," Mara said, not realizing what she had called him, and started to walk back. "Well? Aren't you coming?"
Luke blinked. "Well, yeah---" He didn't have time finish because Mara walked back over and dragged him back inside. Did she just call me "Skywalker"?
After dark, Leia had decided to wander the halls of the Jedi Temple when Teneniel had decided that her father was probably roaming the halls again. Leia smiled. There was no doubt he probably thought that he was in deep trouble when he realized it was her birthday today. She looked up from where she was. "Oh, no! I'm lost. Again!" she groaned. After going down a few more hallways, she felt even more lost in the labyrinthine corridors. As she paused, someone tapped her on the shoulder, causing Leia to jump a good few inches. She turned around and saw a boy about her age. He was a little taller than her and looked familiar, sort of like her father.
"Sorry!" he apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you. It's just that you look a little lost."
Leia blinked. Am I imagining things? "Uh, yeah. I just went for a walk around here. I was looking for someone, but I don't know how to get back to where I'm staying..."
The young man smiled. "I could take you back. Where are you trying to go?"
"Um. I was just with Teneniel at Tionne's party," Leia replied.
"Oh. Teneniel. Why did it have to be her?" he grumbled. "Why couldn't it have been someone sane, like Kirana Ti?"
"You don't get along with Teneniel very well?" Leia asked
The teenager laughed warmly. "No, she just plays video games all night, every night. My room's right next door to hers. The noise keeps me up at night."
Maybe she shouldn't make him take her near Teneniel. Leia knew she'd get a mouthful about whoever the helpful Jedi was. "Actually, you wouldn't happen to know where Anakin Skywalker is, would you?" Leia asked.
The boy looked surprised. "I was actually just looking for him. We could look together if you wanted."
Leia smiled. "No, thank you. I'd rather talk to him alone. Thanks for your offer, though."
"It's nothing," he replied.
A thought struck Leia's mind. The guy seemed trustworthy enough. He was a Jedi, after all. "Hey, would you be interested in helping me with something? I sort of would like a Jedi to accompany me somewhere tomorrow."
"I'm no Jedi," he replied. "I'm just an apprentice, but my day off is tomorrow..."
"Even better. Please help me?" Leia asked.
He paused to think about it. Finally, he answered, "Yes. I'll help. What, may I ask, are we going to be doing?"
Leia grinned. "Meeting with a smuggler."
Once back at Tionne's room, Mara discovered that all those present were staring at her. Mara amended her thinking: they weren't staring at her; they were staring at her in a pink dress. Apparently Kirana and Kendalina had shown up in the meantime. Now Adi was going to know she actually wore a dress of her own free will (sort of: it had been the only way to save Kyle from his own stupidity).
"Guess what we're playing!" Leia exclaimed.
Mara decided that Leia looked like she had just returned from somewhere else as well. Then she realized what they were playing. Mara's eyes widened. "No! I shouldn't have come back! I still need to go tell Master Skywalker---"
"I found him," Leia said. "Daddy apologized profusely and begged me not to tell Mom. I told him I'd think about it."
As Mara desperately searched her mind for an excuse to leave, Teneniel said, "You promised, Mara. You have to stay, and it's my turn." Allya got up and shut the door behind Mara, who glared at the Dathomirans. Teneniel smiled like a cat. "Mara, Truth or Dare?"
"Truth," Mara replied. If she said dare, then Mara would be at the mercy of Teneniel's overactive imagination.
"Why are you in that dress?"
Mara blanched. "I'm using my pass," she replied before thinking, Now you've done it, Jade! If they ask you about Luke you have to answer! And if you answer falsely, they'll know! she said to herself.
"Psst, Mara, it's your turn," Kirana said.
Mara looked around the room. Who was to be her victim? Leia? No. Too much Anakin Skywalker involved. Allya? Don't want to know what's in her head. Tionne? Too nice. Kirana? Nothing against her. Kendalina? Jedi Princess, enough said. Teneniel? Perfect. "Teneniel... Truth or Dare?"
Teneniel grinned. "Mara, you can't ask me, it's against the rules. I asked you."
Mara glared and looked around the room again. Allya worked. "Allya, Truth or Dare?"
Allya grinned like an idiot and replied. "Dare!"
"Go declare your undying love for Kyle to him."
Allya gasped and narrowed her eyes at Mara. "This, as you know, means war," she spat as she walked out of the room. Ten minutes later, Allya came back with an amused look on her face. "I have no clue why I like that man. He's either deaf or as oblivious as one of his roommates. Kyle just sort of stared at me. He didn't move. He just stared."
"See? It wasn't that bad!" Mara said.
Allya stared at her. "Hypocrite." Allya looked around the room for her victim. "Leia... Truth or dare?"
Leia was unsure of what to do. "Uh... Truth?"
Allya smiled. She wasn't going to be mean. "What's your ideal guy like?"
Leia blinked. "Um... He has to have a sense of humor. It would be nice if he could fight. I'd also like him to be a pilot with his own space ship. Not too cocky, not too uptight, either. He'd also have to love me for who I was, not who I was related to or my position."
"Not too picky, aren't we?" Kendalina said jokingly.
Leia smiled. "The last one is the most important..."
"It's interesting how you don't care what he looks like," Teneniel said. "Or do you have a picture in your head of what he should look like?"
Shrugging, Leia replied, "I've never really thought about it... Is it my turn now?" Allya nodded. Leia decided who to pick. "Mara. Truth or Dare?"
Mara was relieved that Leia was the one that had picked her. "Truth."
"Do you like Obi-Wan Kenobi's apprentice?" Leia asked. The question had been irritating her all night. She had to know.
Mara stared at her. "What?"
"You heard her," Teneniel replied.
Mara glared at Teneniel, then stared at Leia again. "Um. Can't I pass?"
"No," the rest of the people in the room replied.
"Unless you tell us about the dress, that is," Kendalina replied.
"Fine." Mara sighed. "Yes. I do like him."
"I knew it!" Teneniel exclaimed.
"And I got it on tape!" Allya said, brandishing a voice recorder. Mara made a grab for it, but Allya tossed it to Teneniel before Mara could snatch it away.
"We're not going to tell anyone, Mara," Teneniel said. "Just Corran. He'll be sure to contact everyone who would benefit from this information, such as one of his roommates."
Mara glared at Teneniel. "If you let that out... you are so dead."
After he and the others had returned from the party, Luke had decided to wander the halls looking for Master Skywalker. He had probably went home already, but Luke still wanted to find him. Near the library, Luke had run into this girl who was lost. They had talked for a few minutes, but she eventually went off wandering again, most likely getting herself even more lost. While Luke was thinking about that, he ran into someone. "Ow..." both said. Luke looked up. It was Master Skywalker.
"Luke! I was just looking for you!" Anakin exclaimed.
"Really?" Luke asked. "What for?"
Anakin grinned. "I didn't have a chance to tell you earlier: Happy birthday, Kid."
Luke smiled. "Thank you."
Reviews: Thank you HotaruFireFly55, JadeAlmasy, cyndur, sean, and Niraha Skywalker for reviewing chapter 2.
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