See-Threepio had been put in charge of the celebration of General Bel Iblis' return. At Master Luke's suggestion, he'd selected the Adarian Building—which had been utterly thrilled at the honor (and the influx of business), allowing him to obtain its services for a mild discount. Now he was being drawn to different clusters of diplomats of all different alien species, making introductions and providing translations, explaining which drinks were toxic for which of their guests, and making full use of his robust protocol and translation software.
Oh, it was heaven.
Members of the New Republic military, all donning their white, black, and red dress uniforms, were clustered by the north window, the light of one of Coruscant's moons providing enough illumination for them to speak and greet each other enthusiastically. Behind them, closest to the glass that arched up to make the pyramidal roof that framed the entire space, Master Tycho and Mistress Winter were dancing alone, lost in one another's embrace.
Nearby were the representatives of the Smugglers' Alliance, centered on Talon Karrde. The smugglers had just completed a little ceremony, where Karrde had presented some kind of award to an older, brown-haired smuggler that Threepio recognized as Gillespee. Gillespee was obviously touched at the gesture and he hugged Faughn, the two of them laughing and talking quietly about his new retirement plans on Ukio—and the intense, dangerous salvage operations of the fallen Star Destroyer Death's Head, which rested not too far from his restored property.
There was much to do to keep the party going smoothly. If he wasn't mistaken—and of course he wasn't—it was just about time for the toast…
Atril Tabanne fidgeted. Her brand-new, freshly-tailored dress uniform was just as uncomfortable as her older, lightly worn one had been. It figured, she thought. She'd lost all her uniforms when Hobbie destroyed Ession Strike—the pilot had been avoiding her, wisely, ever since the Battle of Linuri—and the very first thing she had to get replaced was her dress uniform, the single thing that all members of the New Republic armed forces agreed was a disaster.
But, more than the dress uniform, it was being back on Coruscant—back home—which made her most uncomfortable. Granted, she wasn't from the Palace District (she scoffed at the thought) but still. Although, if she had to come to the Palace District, she had to admit the Adarian Building was nice. The sun had set, leaving the large, pyramidal glass roof of the building dark but for the gleaming moons and stars above, the lines of airspeeders and starships humming through the sky outside. Thin rows of subtle lights cast just enough light over the interior space. The twining vines and other plants gave the room a dark green hue and a nice fresh scent.
Outside her class, but nice.
Her crew hadn't made it home with her. Traks'zim and Hiacun and the rest of her crew were still recovering from their imprisonment on Endurance. That left her all alone, in her dress uniform, at a party. She sighed softly. She hated parties. Especially parties on Coruscant.
"Captain Tabanne." She turned, found herself facing General Antilles and Iella Wessiri, their arms hooked together. Wedge offered her a wry smile. "Not a big fan of parties?"
"Not particularly," she admitted with a sigh. "I prefer the less formal affairs. You know, just the pilots and military…" She looked around cautiously. "All the politicos make me nervous."
"Recapturing Ukio is a big deal for the Republic, if only from an image perspective," Iella said.
Atril grimaced. "That doesn't help," she admitted skittishly. "I'd almost rather be fighting off Chimaera again."
Wedge placed his hand on her arm, drawing her over towards the planters by the window. Outside, the Senate dome loomed, with the Imperial Palace towers beyond. "Well, then let me set your mind at rest, and talk to you about business," he said with a small, somewhat amused smile as Iella did something with a small sweeping device disguised as jewelry before nodding. "I have your new assignment."
She stiffened to attention. "Sir?"
Wedge glanced around, eyes taking in each person near them, checking to see if any attention was being closely paid. When he turned back to Atril, Iella took up the watch, attentive. "I just had a long conversation with General Cracken," Wedge said softly. "Rendili is planning to declare independence from the Empire and has covertly approached the New Republic with a new ship design, looking for a long-term construction contract."
Atril inhaled sharply. That information was so far above her rank that for a moment she had no idea how to respond. Her brow furrowed with confusion. "Why are you telling methis, Wedge?" she asked, her confusion only growing with each second.
"The design they brought to us is a new multiple-mission vessel which they've tentatively classed as an escort carrier," Wedge murmured, sliding a datapad into her pocket. "Three hundred meters long, carries a squadron of fighters or so. Capable gunnery platform, cargo capacity of a medium-sized transport, tractor beams, high speed…" He offered her a grin. "In other words," he continued, "she's Ession Strike, only better in every conceivable way. Four or five of them and a Nebulon-B should eat an Impstar Deuce."
She leaned towards him, glancing at Iella then back at Wedge. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked again.
"Because the folks over at procurement want an expert opinion about the quality of the design and to get input from members of the fleet who have the appropriate expertise." He winked at her. "They want you to join the design team. And when they're done, they're going to need someone to command the prototype."
She inhaled. "They're going to let me design a warship to my preferred specs," she said in awe, "then give me one of them?"
"That's the deal," Wedge agreed. "Assuming Rendili and the New Republic can agree to a contract, of course." He tapped on the datapad he'd slipped into the singular pocket her abysmal dress uniform possessed. "Take a look. Somewhere quiet."
She couldn't help herself. Glancing at the two of them, getting a brief nod from Iella, she pulled the datapad out and snuck a quick look.
The Mareschal-class Multi-Mission Escort Carrier—A Proposal, it said. She slid the datapad back into her pocket, holding it close, feeling almost paranoid.
Iella nudged Wedge's shoulder. "Hey, look," she murmured, hushed.
Atril looked up. Standing at the door was the woman who had been with Iella during Atril's rescue. Her dazzling red-gold hair gleamed in the dim light of the room and she was wearing a striking backless blue dress.
Iella looked supremely pleased with herself. "I told you," she murmured to Wedge.
Atril gave her an odd look. "What?"
"Good evening, gentlebeings," See-Threepio's voice carried, amplified by his own internal speakers. "Thank you all for coming. If you'd please raise a glass of a drink—or other substance if your biology is not amenable to imbibing liquids—I have been asked to prepare the room for a toast."
There was a pause and an awkward shuffle. Atril reached out and plucked a glass of something surely too-expensive from a passing server droid. The put-upon, impressed into service astromech droid beeped rudely at her in response, and she stepped back out of his way hastily. "Sorry," she muttered.
Wedge and Iella chuckled.
Threepio waited until the stir of movement had passed. General Bel Iblis stepped forward. "To the New Republic," he said firmly. "And to all it stands for."
A ripple of agreement went around the room, the clinking of glasses. Atril gently tapped her glass against Wedge's and Iella's, then sipped.
Hmm. Maybe whatever it was she was drinking was actually worth the price.
She stiffened as another figure approached the Rogues, smiling. "Hello Princess," Wedge greeted Councilor Leia Organa Solo warmly.
"Wedge," Leia said with a smile, giving him a brief hug, "if you use my title one more time, I'll start using yours. I'm glad you're back on Coruscant and that your deployment ended well."
"It was a near thing," Wedge admitted, nodding at Atril. She stiffened under Leia's sudden regard. "Captain Tabanne here is the real hero of the day, I think."
"I am not," she said without thinking, then blushed. "I mean—"
"It's all right," soothed Leia with a winsome, diplomatic smile. "Wedge likes to make sure that his subordinates receive all the accolades they are due. Your record speaks for itself." Leia's expression grew more serious. "You're fully recovered?" she asked cautiously.
Atril winced and nodded. "No permanent scars from interrogation," she said. Her expression grew bitter. "My crew will take more time recovering."
"If you do need anything, don't hesitate to ask," Leia said gently. She turned towards Iella. "Thank you for the ryshcate. And for bringing Han back in one piece." She offered a lopsided smile.
"You're welcome," Iella said. She nodded over Leia's shoulder and winked.
Leia turned, saw Mara standing alone in the crowd. "Ah," she said, offering Wedge and Iella a small, secret smile. "I don't suppose anyone has seen my brother yet, have they?"
"Not yet," said Wedge. "I did see Artoo not long ago, though."
"Where Artoo goes, Luke will soon follow," Leia observed wryly. She raised her hand, waved at Mara. The woman looked awkward as she met Leia's eyes and waved back, then was lost again in the crowd.
"Where's Han?" Wedge asked.
"Han is at home with our two children and Kyp," Leia said, looking amused. "Someone had to stay and look after them, and—" she paused, smiling fondly at Winter and Tycho still dancing, oblivious to the rest of them "—we agreed that Winter deserved the night off."
"I think we could all use some vacation time," said Iella. She hooked her arm around Wedge's back. "We're both taking some leave. General Cracken—" she grinned at Wedge "—owed Wedge a favor, so we're going away. Don't ask where… we're not telling."
Atril smiled at them. The stress that had hung around Wedge for the entirety of the Ukio campaign had faded, and she was glad to see it. Everyone in the fleet considered Wedge Antilles and his Rogues a lucky charm, whether he knew it or not, and seeing him grow steadily more frayed had taken a toll on more than just him.
With the Empire on the ropes, maybe they'd finally have a chance to retrench.
"I'm glad to hear it," Leia smiled, her expression betraying the same emotions Atril felt.
Mara had done this many times. Carefully layer concealer over all the scars she had accumulated during her years of service, pull on a dress meant to impress and walk into a crowded social event, determined to draw a specific pair of eyes whose attention she required for one reason or another.
A dress was just another tool, like a lightsaber or a blaster. It was important to have the right tool for any job.
But this was different. This time the old tube of concealer had been left with the rest of the things from her old life, tucked away in plastoid boxes for later perusal. The blaster creases and vibroknife grazes on her arms and back contrasted sharply with the electric blue fabric of her dress, as though daring anyone to address them.
In a crowd full of old rebels, scoundrels, and renegade senators, no one did. Besides, there was only one pair of eyes she was interested in tonight, and she knew he wouldn't care.
"Miss Jade," a familiar voice came from her left. She turned to face it, offered General Madine a respectful nod. "I heard you were back. I hope your expedition with Agent Wessiri and General Solo went well."
"Well enough," she replied. "There are still a few loose ends that need sorting." She didn't like the bargain that Karrde had struck with Vorru and was resolved to end it at the first opportune moment. Luke's new Jedi project, with the adopted strays of Kam and Kyp, made her nervous, but she would no more stand between him and the Jedi than she would allow him to stand between her and the Smugglers' Alliance, no matter what claims they had on one another.
The thought sent a flush of warmth through her, one she refused to allow to touch her cheeks.
"Good," Madine said. He evaluated her with a calm, leader's gaze, then offered her a small smile, one that didn't reach his eyes. "Enjoy the party, Miss Jade."
"General," she said, stopping him in his tracks. Something he'd said the last time they'd spoken had been bothering her, especially since her reunion with Luke at Linuri. She lowered her voice, stepping in close to make sure she would not be overheard. "We may spend the rest of our lives paying back our debts," she murmured softly. "But that doesn't mean it has to be all we do."
His gaze darkened and became more measured, then he took a deep breath. He looked like he was about to speak, but didn't find any words and just nodded.
She moved on, declining an offer of drinks. Karrde was on her right, with the crew of the Wild Karrde. She considered ignoring her boss—he had a sleek, smug expression she thought was somewhat undeserved—but decided it would be unaccountably rude. "Karrde," she said.
Karrde offered her one of his annoyingly calm, polished smiles. "Hello, Mara," he said with a nod. "You look stunning. A special occasion?"
Her eyes narrowed. "This dress was one of the items returned to me by General Cracken and I wanted to see if it still fit."
Dankin coughed; her gaze tracked towards him slowly. He wilted and hid behind Chin, who was wearing one of his small, silly smiles. "You look ravishing, Mara," the older man said.
A collection of footsteps, combined with Leia Organa Solo's distinctive Force-presence, presaged the arrival of additional company. She turned to face them and saw Leia, Antilles, and Iella approaching; Antilles and Iella were arm-in-arm. "Hello Mara," Leia greeted with a smooth charisma that compared favorably even to Karrde's. "I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to see you since your return to Coruscant."
"Councilor," she replied. At Leia's lifted eyebrow, she sighed. "Leia," she tried again.
"Better," Leia said with a smile. "While we're all on Coruscant, I'm planning on hosting another get-together," she continued. "I know Jaina wants to see you again. She's asked for 'Ra-ra' more than once."
Mara swallowed, unable to stop the blush from returning to her cheeks. "Oh," she managed, not sure what to say.
Leia just smiled and turned to Karrde. "Next week?" she asked. "We need to do it before Wedge and Iella go on their vacation."
"We're leaving in nine days, and plan to be gone for a month," Iella added.
"I'm not planning any trips off-world in that time," Karrde said. "There's a lot of work to be done, integrating our new office droids and figuring out how to deal with the… other recent complications."
Mara winced. Not using shipboard holocomms would make assigning runs to freighters a nightmare. But they'd find a way to handle it.
"But I'm sure I can find time to join you for dinner again," Karrde added. "Mara?"
"That would be fine," she said.
"That just leaves Luke to ask," added Antilles. "He said he'd be here, but I haven't seen him yet." His expression took on a slight mischievous tilt that made Mara nervous. "But if you see him, Jade, make sure he knows he's invited?"
Mara refused to blush. She did glare at Iella, who offered her a too-innocent grin. "I haven't seen Luke yet either," Iella said innocently. "But I'm sure he's here somewhere."
Mara could feel Leia watching her. As ever, the other woman made her feel transparent. She felt Leia's hint of amusement—and even more surprising, her quite plain approval. The emotion sent a surprised swell through Mara, one she didn't quite know how to handle. With an awkward nod and a simple "Excuse me," she fled.
She dodged a handful of dignitaries, including the Senator from Exodeen, sneaking past the small crowds of people and hiding in the foliage that lined the exterior of the cafe. The trees were thicker near the corners of the large pyramidal structure, with fewer tables and more flowered hedges. She paused in the shadow of a Fijisi tree, leaning her back against it and inhaling its fresh scent deeply. Through the exterior window, Coruscant gleamed; one of the planet's four moons cast light over her and the stars shimmered through the transparisteel, the twining vines crawling up the interior of the structure in long pairs.
She leaned against the tree, breathing slowly, as Luke had taught her would be conducive to meditation.
"Mara."
Only one person said her name like that.
She opened her eyes and saw Luke, wearing a dashing dove-gray suit that seemed to glow in the light of the moon and stars above. His affection swelled in the bond between them, his hope and concern and protectiveness and joy all swirling around her, and this time she did drape it around herself like a shawl even as she stepped into his embrace. For a long, long time they just stood there, reveling in their contact.
The Emperor's Hand would have been intimidated by the emotional closeness, the demonstration of physical affection. It would have been an unacceptable weakness, a fatal vulnerability.
It felt like it had been years and parsecs since Mara had been that small.
Luke's hand brushed over her hair as he smiled at her. "You look beautiful." His hands dropped to her waist, swaying with her—a dance, of sorts, but one utterly unlike any of the ones she had practiced until her feet bled. "You always look beautiful," Luke murmured, banishing that fleeting thought as they swayed. His hand swept gently over her cheek, pushing a strand of loose red-gold hair back over her ear. "Even when you are pointing a blaster at me."
"I never cared before," Mara admitted softly, her hands sliding up his back. "Being attractive was just something I could use." She drew back, looking up at him. "Now, it's the same places, the palace, the rooftop plazas, but it's all so different." She drew him closer. "Why is everything different with you?"
"You actually like me," he said with a grin.
She stared at him, realizing that he was right. All those people she had lived with in the Imperial palace, all the tutors and courtiers, all the sycophants… she had hated all of them. There hadn't been a single person in the whole inner court who had possessed even a scrap of integrity.
None of them compared to her Tatooine Farmboy.
She wrapped her arms around him and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. He smiled against her, returning it gently, content to hold her and sway with the distant music.
"You're right," she said with a happy sigh. "I do."
Author's Notes
The soundtrack for this chapter is the Luke/Mara theme from Arturo Díez Boscovich's Heir to the Empire soundtrack, which can be found on Youtube. Go search!
Oh wow, okay, it's all done. I can hardly believe it. There is one chapter left. There's one character who, upon reflection on the story, had their tale left unresolved and who ended up being one of the most important characters in the whole novel, so we're returning to him for a brief epilogue. I'll post that sometime soon, and it'll be another opportunity to respond to any comments. After that I have Authors Notes that myself and my co-author wrote when we first finished writing and doing the first round of editing on the story, and there I'll also talk about what is to come, if our lives permit.
• DonR: thanks for reading! As it turned out, Mara didn't need to rescue Karrde, Karrde rescued himself. Kind of. Everything that happened with Vorru has ramifications for the future...
• Wes George: thanks for reading! Welcome to the happy ending. :)
• Guest(s): so, little secret, the potential sequel I have in mind... wouldn't involve Vorru or Tavira at all. I have a different villain in mind, and would eventually circle back to deal with Vorru later I think. As to Vorru and Mara, remember Vorru is kind of fixated on Palpatine and being Palpatine's equal - that was a subtle character element of his back in the X-wing novels - and therefore Karrde having the Emperor's Hand in his employ means something to him. Thank you for all the feedback, it means the world. I'm obviously not making any money off this and never will, so it's just about personal satisfaction and making myself and others happy.
• stars90: Great! Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
• Tarado: Luke and Mara are so good together... I hope you enjoyed the above as much as those two earlier scenes!
• Urazz: Well, their friends are pretty good at the subtle teasing... I have no doubt the Rogues gave Luke a much more thorough ribbing that Wedge and Iella gave Mara here. And yes, that's more or less where we are, though Mara's not ready to jump in with both feet just yet. Need to save some character development and drama for the future, after all! Kyp will be the first apprentice, not counting Mara or Leia; Kam is an equal as far as Luke's concerned (or he will be quickly), and so would Mara be, if he could talk her into joining.
That's it! Final chapter coming later this week.