"I love you. You know that I love you. But this is unsustainable."

Luke stifled a sigh as he closed the door of their quarters behind them and turned to his wife. "To be fair," he said, "Kai usually does just fine with the accounts on her own. You're just better, and that imbalance she couldn't find—"

Mara sat down and yanked a boot off, then let it drop with a thud. "I'm sick of being fair." Thud went the second boot. "I'm sick of being fair to Karrde, and I'm sick of being fair to the Jedi, and I'm sick of all of it, every last thing." She stood and stalked toward the bedroom. Luke followed, beginning a slow count to ten in his head. "I just got here, my first visit in three months, and she pulls me aside after dinner to do accounts. To hell with the accounts."

"Yes," Luke said sarcastically, dropping his count. "The academy doesn't need something as petty as correct accounting. You're right; we should definitely ignore that."

"Oh," Mara replied, mock sweetly. "I thought she usually did just fine. Was that a lie, Master Jedi?"

Luke closed his eyes and tried to remember what number he'd been on a moment ago. "Let's not argue right now. You're only here for—"

"And that's another thing," Mara interrupted him as she bent over her carryall, yanking it open. "I am sick of visiting my own husband." Each word got bitten out with sharper emphasis as she pulled her pajamas from the bag, which then got kicked in the general direction of the closet. She threw the pajamas at the bed and turned on Luke. "It's been two years. Two years, Luke. Why am I visiting what should be my home?"

Luke took a deep breath. "Look, we're both upset. Why don't we let the subject rest until tom—"

"Don't give me that serene Jedi shavit," Mara said coldly, crossing her arms.

"You're the one who insisted I needed to learn it," Luke snapped.

"I. Am. Sick. Of. This," Mara said. The upper crust Coruscanti accent that had largely faded over the years was back, clipping the words with formal precision. "I am sick of seeing my husband every two months, if I'm lucky. I'm sick of Karrde needing something new each week. I'm sick of every minute bit of academy business needing extra attention when I am here. And a hundred creds says that Leia or Cracken or Bel Iblis calls you tomorrow for something that just cannot wait. They'll be oh so sorry when you remind them that I'm here, and they'll promise that it'll only take a few minutes, and then after an hour you'll come tell me that you have to go run some critical diplomatic errand—"

"Mara," Luke said wearily. "Do you think I'm not sick of it?"

She sat on the edge of the bed, her expression bleak. "I can't keep doing this, Luke. I can't. This isn't a marriage."

"I know." He came to sit beside her.

"We lost ten years," Mara said, staring at the floor. "Now add two more to the total. And counting." She looked up at him. "We agreed that we'd be trying for a child by now. Instead, I'm still visiting."

Luke reached over to take her hand, intertwining their fingers, a familiar pain twisting through his own heart. "There's time—"

"There's not. Not the way things are going. Maybe you can keep planting seeds until you're ninety—"

"Mara," he said softly.

"—but I only have so many years, and nothing is settled yet. Nothing."

He lifted her hand to kiss it, their fingers still entwined. "Mara. We'll figure it out. I promise."

Her eyes drifted shut. "Even our bond is fading. I know you can sense that as well as I can."

"We'll figure something out," he said again.

She slowly leaned toward him until her head was on his shoulder, and he let go of her hand to put his arms around her. "We've been saying that for two years. And here we are. I want—" She actually sniffled. Luke held her a little closer. "I want my husband. I want my marriage. I want a home, and the family we planned."

Luke breathed the scent of her hair as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. "We're going to have that. All of it."

"When?" Mara murmured. "And how?"

Luke sighed. "I don't know."


Luke nudged the bedroom door further open with his foot and entered, carefully balancing a loaded tray which he set on the dresser before leaning over to kiss Mara's cheek. "Morning."

She stirred, opening one eye to look blearily at him. "No," she said, and burrowed a little deeper into the pillow.

"What was the time difference this time?" Luke asked, brushing a stray lock of hair off her face and behind her ear.

Mara made an indistinct noise that might or might not have been meant as an intelligible word, then: "Too much."

"Good thing I brought caf, then," Luke said, looking around for her robe. Ah, there it was, thrown over a chair. Usually Mara was much more fastidious than that. Another sign of her growing frustration.

"Caf?" The word was still mostly muffled by the pillow, but she sounded at least marginally more alert now.

"And breakfast. But you have to sit up first."

Mara groaned in obvious protest, but pushed herself reluctantly upright. "Caf," she said, holding out a hand. Luke gave her the robe instead. "Not caf," was the disgruntled assessment, but she put it on, shifting her shoulders and pushing her hair back.

Luke turned to lift the tray from the dresser and waited for Mara to settle comfortably, then set the tray on her lap. "As an apology for last night."

She was already lifting the mug of caf to her lips, but at that she hesitated. "I should be the one apologizing, not you."

"You shouldn't," Luke said, walking around to his side of the bed and sitting beside her. "You were right." He smiled at her a little ruefully. "You always are."

Mara sipped her caf and managed a smile in return. "I hope you're not forgoing your own breakfast as some sort of self-castigation."

"Nope," Luke said, just as Artoo rolled into the room, carrying another tray in his manipulating arms and gurgling thoughtfully to himself.

Mara laughed out loud, and Luke sighed in relief at the sound. "He's an astromech droid. He routinely makes stupidly complex calculations and repairs highly sophisticated machinery under battle conditions. Carrying your breakfast is well below his pay grade."

Artoo swiveled his dome to regard Mara, and issued a series of beeps and whistles. "He's probably thanking you for the support," Luke said, taking his tray from Artoo, "but I have it on good authority that he made an excellent serving droid on Jabba's barge."

"Considering his usual language, he probably fit right in with that crowd," Mara observed. "Whoever programmed the batch he came from swore like a navy recruit."

Artoo favored her with a disparaging-sounding blat, then rolled out of the bedroom. "Close the door behind you," Luke called, then settled the tray on his lap and lifted his own cup of caf. "So."

"So," Mara agreed, then sighed. "Look, I shouldn't have snapped."

"And Kai really shouldn't have asked for your help, not your first night back," Luke said. "I should have told her so, instead of letting you go along with that."

Mara shrugged a little uncomfortably. "I am a Knight, and I did marry the Master of the Order. There are responsibilities that come along with that."

"Not your first night back after three months away," Luke insisted. "I'm sorry I let it happen."

"You were distracted," Mara murmured. "What did Kam want, anyway?"

"Approval of some suggested changes in the first year instruction," Luke said around a mouthful of toast. He swallowed, then added, "Another thing that should have waited until you'd been here at least a full day."

Mara smiled wanly as she stirred the little container of herbs into her scrambled avian eggs. "It's always something."

"I miss you so much, Mara," Luke said softly. "Every single day, I miss you."

Her eyes drifted shut, and her chest rose and fell with a silent sigh. "I know that I was—dramatic, last night, but I meant it. I can't keep doing this. We thought we could balance it all, but we can't. And it's our relationship that's being sacrificed." She opened her eyes again, and the hopelessness in them almost frightened Luke. Mara had always been the ferociously determined one. To see that determination fade was like watching her fade away. "We're both keeping up all our other responsibilities, but it's at the cost of our marriage. If we keep going this way, we'll drift apart, or possibly even come to resent each other."

"Then we have to reverse the priorities," Luke replied, his own determination rising.

Mara poked listlessly at her eggs. "How? You're integral to the Jedi Order. Karrde is integral to the peace process, and no one else knows the organization as well as I do."

He set his caf mug down and reached over to stroke another loose tendril of her hair back, catching her gaze and holding it when she glanced at him. "You are my highest priority. We went into this arrangement thinking that it would be temporary, and that our bond was permanent no matter what. Now it's looking more like the opposite is true. So we examine that truth and we find a way to prioritize each other, and our relationship."

Mara was quiet for a moment, searching his eyes. "I want to believe that's still possible, Luke. You have no idea how much I want to believe that."

Luke leaned over to kiss her, careful not to upset their trays. "Anything's possible when the two of us work together. That's been our problem all along, that we allowed ourselves to be separated. We'll spend this visit figuring out what we need to do to set things right, and then we'll implement whatever we decide."

The beginning of a smile tugged at Mara's lips. "Promise?"

"I promise," Luke said, and meant it more than he'd ever meant anything.


A week later, the prospect of keeping that promise seemed dimmer than ever, and Luke felt closer to despair with every passing hour. Not for the first time, he wished that he and Mara could have gotten past their respective issues to see what they meant to each other a decade ago. It used to be that he simply wished to have had that extra time together; now he worried that those separate lives they had built might be an insurmountable obstacle.

Sitting beside him on the floor, Mara set her datapad down and leaned back against the foot of their bed. "This isn't working."

Luke started to open his mouth, but was interrupted by the beeping of Mara's comm. She frowned as she reached for it, only to have the frown turn to a full-fledged scowl as she saw the incoming code. "Karrde. If that isn't just a symbol of this whole damn mess—"

An inexplicable tingle began at the edges of his mind, and Luke paused to examine it. It took only a moment to reach a conclusion. "Let's see what he wants."

Mara gave him an incredulous look. "Absolutely not. He knows better than to bother me when I'm visiting you."

Luke took her hand. "Exactly. Focus on the comm and reach out to the Force for a minute."

The incredulous look became a wary one, but her eyes drifted obediently shut as the comm continued to beep, then opened wide to meet his. She didn't break the gaze as she flipped the comm on automatically and lifted it to speak. "Jade Skywalker."

"Ah, Mara," came Karrde's familiar, cultured voice. Uncharacteristically, it seemed to be tinged with a faint embarrassment. "I'm sorry to bother you during your time off."

"No bother," Mara said, her eyes still on Luke. "What's the problem?"

"It's not a problem, exactly," Karrde replied. "More of…a puzzle."

For the first time, Mara's lips twitched into an involuntary smile. "And we all know how much you love those."

"Indeed," Karrde answered dryly. "But this puzzle is for you, and for Luke. I've received a transmission addressed to the two of you. The planet of origin is Nirauan. The sender is an Admiral Voss Parck."

The tingle at the edges of Luke's mind amplified into a buzz, and from the look in Mara's eyes, Luke knew that she felt it too. "Well, now," Mara said, very casually. "That's unexpected."

"I didn't open it, of course," Karrde said, his tone clearly conveying just how much restraint that action had cost him. "I assume that going through my organization was the only way he knew to reach you."

Except that it wasn't, of course. Certainly Parck knew perfectly well that he could have contacted Luke by reaching out to the New Republic government, or to Leia herself. Which meant that this communication was either very much an unofficial one, or that Mara was its primary intended recipient. Possibly both.

Mara's expression showed plainly that she realized that as well as he did. "I suppose so," she replied, still casual. "Have you forwarded the transmission?"

"H'sishi is doing so as we speak," Karrde said. "Mara, it's none of my business—"

"We'll update you if there's anything you need to know," Mara said, another smile briefly appearing. "We both know how insane it makes you to be left out of things."

"It's so comforting to be understood," Karrde replied, his voice again very dry. "Also, Mara: be careful, whatever it is. I was not under the impression that Nirauan had been exactly a pleasure trip for either of you, despite the engagement that arose from it."

"We will," Mara said softly. "Thanks, Talon."

"Of course. My best to Luke."

The comm clicked as he disconnected, then beeped again as a transmission came through. Luke reached out to take Mara's hand, and they just looked at the comm for a long moment. "There's not a whole lot of good possibilities with this," Mara murmured.

There are a hundred different threats out there that would freeze your blood if you knew about them.

Luke wondered which of those hundred different threats might have reared its head, that Parck had initiated contact. "Only one way to know for sure."

"Right." Mara took a deep breath, then opened the communication. Luke leaned over to read it along with her, and felt her jolt of shock at the same time as one ran through him.

"This can't be right." It was only as he heard the words that Luke realized he'd spoken them. "It can't."

Mara was already shaking her head. "They can't possibly have made a mistake of this magnitude. There's no way. It has to be accurate."

"But survivors of Outbound Flight? Mara, it was lost decades ago."

"It was always meant as a colony expedition," Mara said slowly, her eyes intense in that way that meant she was thinking hard. "If it crashed somewhere even remotely hospitable, where the hull integrity could be maintained, survival would be plausible. It's the 'Force-sensitive' aspect that gets me. A trap, you think?"

"Can't rule it out," Luke murmured. "But if it's not…"

Mara looked over at him. "You want to go."

He lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. "We both felt the proddings of the Force, didn't we? Doesn't it feel like we need to go?"

Mara set the comm down and buried her face in her hands, and Luke put an arm around her shoulders to pull her close and kissed her temple. "I know," he said. "I know."

"You promised," she said, her voice muffled. "Luke—"

"Mara," he whispered against her hair. "It'll take us more than a week to get to Nirauan, and more than a week back, not to mention whatever time it takes to figure out what's going on while we're there. And we can always stretch that time. If Talon truly couldn't get by without you for that long, he would have said so. If this hadn't come up, you'd have been headed back within a week. Now we'll have at least three times that to keep thinking. And maybe things will be clearer if we're away from everything for a while."

She raised her head, taking a deep breath as she did so. "That's true. And if it is a trap?"

Luke smiled. "We have a pretty good record of getting out of traps when we work together, as I recall."

Mara snorted. "Once a cocky fighter jock, always a cocky fighter jock."

"You knew that when you married me." He leaned in to kiss her. "So? Shall we go see about possible survivors from an expedition flight lost before either of us was born? And sort out our marriage and the state of the galaxy while we're at it?"

His wife's smile was more than enough to lift Luke's heart. "Sure," she said. "Why not. At least there's no one else around to interrupt us on the Sabre."

"You always make the best points," Luke told her, and pulled her even closer.


Luke briefed Kam while Mara began packing, then the two of them spent the rest of the day checking and provisioning the Sabre and carting their bags aboard, as well as loading Luke's X-wing into the Sabre's small docking bay. Having been assured that yes, of course he was coming along, Artoo supervised, beeping and gurgling thoughtfully to himself.

Early the next morning, they lifted off, Yavin disappearing behind them as the stars streaked, then dissolved into the blue whirl of hyperspace.


The Nirauan system was quiet as they made orbit around the planet.

For all of a minute, anyway.

"Fighter coming in, one-one-seven by fifteen," Mara snapped.

"I see it," Luke answered, keying the shields to full and readying the main guns. "Looks like one of those weird modified TIE things from last time—"

A beep from the comm interrupted him. "Unidentified ship, state your designation and purpose."

"It's definitely one of those ships," Mara muttered. "But the pilot feels human."

"And sounds young," Luke murmured back.

"Let's hope that doesn't mean he's all trigger-poppy like his friends downstairs were last time," Mara replied, and tapped the comm. "Unidentified fighter, this is Mara Jade Skywalker and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker aboard the Jade Sabre. We're here at the invitation of Admiral Voss Parck. Or does he not inform his sentries of incoming visitors?"

The young voice came back, this time laced with obvious amusement. "He does, Jade Sabre. It doesn't automatically follow that the first ship that shows up in orbit is in fact those visitors. Though it was a good bet, which is why we have a landing space ready for you. If you'll follow me in?"

Mara looked sideways at Luke, and though her eyes were full of suspicion, he sensed her willingness to let him make this call. He checked that the comm was muted, and reached over to squeeze her hand. "Proddings of the Force, remember? And if he tries anything, I'll bet the Sabre can outrun even one of those fighters."

"It's more the people on the ground I'm worried about," Mara said, but she squeezed his hand in return and unmuted the comm. "Unidentified fighter, we'll follow your lead. But be aware that we didn't have the best of experiences the last time we were on this planet, and we are proceeding with extreme caution. Anything in our path that looks hostile will be met with appropriate measures. Including after we disembark from the ship. If we disembark."

"Understood and expected, Jade Sabre," the voice responded. "Admiral Parck sends his regrets over the misunderstandings during your last visit, and his gratitude that you've answered his communication despite that. But he'll be telling you all that himself soon enough. This way, please."

"Misunderstandings?" Mara echoed disbelievingly as the strange fighter began to descend. "I spent five days in a healing trance and they're calling it a misunderstanding?"

"Well," Luke said philosophically, "in their defense, they didn't know you spent all that time in a healing trance. And they weren't shooting at you specifically; they thought you were vermin. So technically, it was a misunderstanding."

"You're not helping," Mara growled, nudging the Sabre into a course matching the fighter's.

"Hey," Luke said soothingly. "If you want to turn back, even now, you know I'll support you."

Mara sighed. "After we came all this way? But if anyone points one of those charric things at me, they're in trouble."

"I'm pretty sure they know that," Luke said, patting her hand. "You're very scary when you want to be."

This time, Mara's sideways look was full of amused affection. "Flatterer."

Nirauan's landscape was just as brownish-gray and rocky as Luke remembered, but thankfully their descent was much less eventful than his first arrival on the planet, and it wasn't long before they were coming up on the fortress.

"I see they've repaired the docking bay," Luke remarked as they drew near.

"After more than two years?" Mara muttered. "I should hope so."

"We've cleared a space for you within the bay, Jade Sabre," came the other pilot's voice. "Of course we didn't know what sort of ship you'd arrive in—if you arrived—but it should be easily large enough to accommodate you."

"Optimistic, aren't they?" Mara flicked the comm control. "If it's all the same to you, I think we'll stay outside, thanks."

There was a pause, then, "As you wish, Jade Sabre. As you can see, there's plenty of space out front, too. I'll just set my own ship down and be back to escort you in." The Chiss craft ahead of them ducked beneath the hangar roof and out of sight as Mara brought the Sabre to a careful landing just in front of the bay.

"You were joking about that 'if we disembark' bit, right?" Luke asked, leaning forward to look out the viewport. There was no one else waiting for them, even though the pilot who'd brought them in had to have notified his superiors of their arrival. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not, but he was just as glad to not see anyone with charrics. Mara wasn't the only one wary of those weapons after their earlier run-in with them.

"Joking isn't exactly the word I'd use," Mara said, shutting down the Sabre. "But as long as we're here, I guess we might as well have a look around." She checked her sleeve gun, then stood and opened the compartment they'd stowed the rest of their weapons in, tossing him his lightsaber before hooking her own to her belt and strapping on her blaster.

An inquisitive beep came from the cockpit door as Luke stood. "Good timing," he told Artoo. "We need you to take care of the ship while we're gone."

Artoo wheeled slightly backward and blatted a protest. "No arguments," Mara said, giving Artoo a stern look. "We don't need you to hack into the computer system this time. We do need you to keep the ship locked and be ready to answer in a hurry if we call you."

"Which we probably won't," Luke soothed the droid. "But if we do need a quick exit, you're our backup."

Artoo seemed to consider, then blew him an electronic raspberry and rolled toward the control panels. Mara snorted. "Your stubbornness has rubbed off on him," she told Luke.

"My stubbornness? I'm not the one who went off into the Dune Sea alone at night," Luke replied. "He'd hardly known me an hour before he pulled that one." A movement outside the ship caught his vision, and he leaned forward to see a dark-haired young man emerge from beneath the docking bay roof. "I think our guide is back."

"Mmph." Mara leaned over to follow his gaze. "Looks like a kid playing soldier."

"Now, dear," Luke said, amused. Not that she was wrong, though. The pilot couldn't have been older than his midtwenties. It was hard to believe now that he and Mara had been doing far more dangerous things than this pilot when they were even younger.

Although, he supposed, if the Chiss and Admiral Parck had been correct about the hundred terrible somethings that threatened, maybe his and Mara's records of action weren't much more dangerous than what this young man faced, after all.

With a final pat on Artoo's dome from Luke and a stern reminder to not let anyone but themselves on the ship from Mara, they left the droid in charge of the cockpit and exited the ship.

The young pilot was waiting politely at the foot of the ramp, standing in a loose parade rest. He nodded acknowledgement as they descended. "Master Skywalker, Jedi Skywalker. Welcome. Or welcome back, I should say. I'm Commander Chak Fel."

Luke raised an eyebrow, caught Mara's own mild surprise. "Fel, you say?"

The young man smiled. "Yes, related to that Fel. He's my father. He sends his admiration and respect, and his regret over not being here to welcome you himself. He's—but Admiral Parck will fill you in on that. If you'll follow me, please?"

He turned and led his way into the fortress, and with another shared glance, Luke and Mara followed.

They saw few others as they wound their way deeper into the structure; merely what appeared to be a handful of sentries who returned Fel's nods as they passed. It struck Luke as odd, but he still wasn't picking up any indications of a threat, or even duplicity.

"Low on staff today?" Mara asked casually.

"Not at all," Fel replied. "Admiral Parck simply thought that, given your earlier experience with us, you might be more comfortable without a bunch of armed guards standing around. Ah, here we are." He came to a stop beside a door that looked the same as all the others they'd passed. "Right in there, if you please."

Luke looked at Mara, saw his own wary acceptance of the situation reflected in her eyes. She shrugged slightly, and he reached for the door handle, trying to keep himself between her and both Fel on this side of the door and any potential threats on the other side.

An effort that seemed unnecessary as the door opened to reveal the familiar figure of Admiral Parck sitting behind a modest desk. He looked up from his datapad as they stepped inside. "Ah, Mara. Master Skywalker. I can't tell you how pleased I am that you've accepted our invitation. I'm honored to be with you again."

"Likewise," Mara said, with only a faint edge of sarcasm. "I believe we're here about survivors of Outbound Flight?"

"Right to business as always, I see," Park said, his lips curling into a half-smile. "Yes, indeed. Won't you have a seat?"

He gestured to the chairs before his desk, and with another look at each other, Luke and Mara sat. "Where are they?" Luke asked.

"On another of our colony worlds, not too far from here," Parck answered, tapping his datapad a few more times before setting it aside.

"Wait a minute," Mara protested. "I thought they were here, on Nirauan."

Parck rested his sharp gaze on her. "My message said that we had recovered survivors. It said nothing about their current whereabouts. Surely you know better than to make baseless assumptions, Mara."

Mara's eyes narrowed, and Luke hurried to step into the conversation. "How were they recovered? Where is Outbound Flight itself?"

"Ah, those are Chiss state secrets, Master Skywalker," Parck replied. "In point of fact, the survivors were not recovered by the Empire of the Hand, but by representatives of the official Chiss government."

"I thought you had no dealings with the Chiss government," Luke said.

"And what's this 'Empire of the Hand' business, anyway?" Mara asked, eyes still narrowed.

Parck held up a hand. "We have no official dealings with the Chiss government. And all in good time. An Aristocra of one of the Ruling Families was involved with their recovery, and that's all the details I can give at this point. Except that the survivors include several children who demonstrate an inclination toward Jedi abilities, which is part of why we called you specifically. And that all of the survivors are quite determined not to be repatriated to the New Republic."

"Wait, what?" Mara leaned forward slightly in her seat.

"And that," Parck said quietly, "is the other part of the reason we called you specifically. We're hoping that you'll agree to stay with them."

Luke felt his eyes widen with shock. "Stay? On a Chiss colony world?"

"I feel like we've had this conversation before," Mara said dryly. "And here I thought my answer had been fairly clear."

"Exceedingly," Parck replied, matching her tone. "And yet circumstances have changed, and not only in regards to Outbound Flight. There is one threat in particular that we've been monitoring for a long time, and which is now a near-imminent danger to the entire galaxy. We have reason to believe that in no more than a decade's time, they will be at our door. At that time, we must be united if we wish to avoid catastrophe. Not merely the New Republic and the Empire, but also the Empire of the Hand and the Chiss government as well, and every other sizable government the galaxy has to offer."

"That's a tall order," Luke murmured.

"Hence, our need for your help," Parck told him.

"So the survivors were just a lure?" Mara asked, an eyebrow lifted.

"Not at all," Parck assured her. "They exist, they do not wish to return to the New Republic, and there are children who we have reason to believe have Jedi potential. They also must be helped. Which is why you and Master Skywalker are a perfect solution for this moment. You can teach the children to reach their potential, reassure the other survivors that the Chiss and the humans allied with them are no threat—for they still have doubts on that head—you have connections to both Talon Karrde's information network and the highest levels of the New Republic government as well as extensive knowledge of the Empire, and you both have proven strategic skills. The two of you may well be the key to the success of everything we are trying to accomplish."

Luke looked over at Mara, and knew her reply was the same as his. He spoke for them both.

"Tell us more."


Four hours later, they were back on the Sabre, deep in conversation in their cabin, while Artoo continued his watch over the cockpit and Commander Fel again waited patiently outside.

"We can't really do it," Mara said as she paced. "Can we? I mean, Parck makes some good arguments, I'm not denying that, but just walk away from the New Republic?"

"But what if that's how we could serve it best?" Luke pointed out. "If all that data is right—Mara, he's not wrong that a divided galaxy could be disastrous with that sort of invasion looming."

"It's still a big "if" to turn our lives upside down for." Mara stopped beside their dresser, picked up the model nexu that Jacen had made for her last year, set it down again. "We'd be leaving everything behind. And you heard Parck—even any contact with home would be a rare thing until whatever time they decide is best for an official government outreach."

"To protect the location of the colony world we'd be assigned to," Luke reminded her. "It's a reasonable precaution, all things considered. And he also said that if we decided to leave, we could. Which is a pretty sure sign that all of that data is correct, you know. He's betting heavily that once we get into the job, we'll agree with his assessment, and the necessity of this work."

"I know," Mara said. "I know." She turned to look at him, and all the emotions he was feeling himself were evident in her bright green eyes: concern, reluctance—but also a wary glimmer of hope.

He held a hand out to her; she stepped over to take it and he drew her down to sit beside him on the edge of the bed. "If the work is worth doing," he asked, "shouldn't we do it?"

"But the Jedi Order, and Karrde's organization…"

"They're both in good hands," Luke said. "Mara, I admit that this isn't what I expected, but nothing in the New Republic is actually going to fall apart without us. Kam and Tionne are more than capable of running the Order—they already do more of the day to day work than I do. And there are enough qualified teachers now. It's still small, yes, but it's well established. And can you really tell me that Shada can't take over your duties? She's incredibly bright and capable, and you've been grooming her to do just that for more than two years now."

"Shada can handle it," Mara agreed. "There's been more than enough to keep us both busy, but she's smart enough to know which people to pull to help make up for my absence. And you're probably right about the Order, too." She frowned. "Which raises the question: if they can all get by without us, why haven't they been? And why haven't we seen it before now?"

Luke tapped his fingers on his knee restlessly. "It's probably a bunch of things. We were both deeply involved in causes we believed in from a young age, so we have that 'if we can, we must' mindset. You're incredibly good at what you do, so of course you became integral to Karrde's organization, which also played into your own need for independence after realizing how Palpatine used you. I felt so obligated to rebuild the Jedi Order—and also, to be honest, I probably threw myself into it so wholeheartedly because it always felt beyond me. Overcompensating, I guess. Either way, we both got caught up in work that took our full attention, and it became such a way of life for us that we couldn't see a way out."

Mara's eyes drifted shut. "Are you telling me that we wasted ten years apart because of our own tunnel vision, only to waste the first two years of our marriage the same way?"

"Maybe we did," Luke said quietly. "But if so, the question becomes: are we going to face up to that and change it now that we have the opportunity?"

For a long moment, only the sound of their own breathing could be heard. He watched the swirl of Mara's thoughts and emotions, knowing that she was watching his in return.

"If we went back," Mara finally said, breaking the silence, "could we make those changes? Could we just—just stop answering when people call? Make our own life together apart from all of it?"

Luke sighed. "I think we could try. I think we would try. But succeed? I don't know. We didn't even see this possibility back home. Right up to the very moment Karrde called, we were looking for ways out and still hadn't even thought about just saying no to everything. What if we go back, thinking that we see the light now and we'll make all these changes and fix everything, but the minute we get back, Leia or Karrde or Kam or whoever calls us and asks for just this one favor, just this one time, just this one thing, and we fall right back into the same routine before we know it?"

"If we take Parck up on this offer," Mara pointed out, "it's not like we're going into some sort of quiet retirement. We'd still be working, and not on something trivial. We'd be preparing for war, while also running point on dealing with Outbound Flight survivors and teaching new students."

"But," Luke returned, "we'd be together."

For the first time since leaving Parck's office, Mara smiled—a small, tentative smile. "The holos of the colony planet are pretty. It looks much nicer than here."

"Thank the Force for that," Luke said with an involuntary grin. "This planet is almost monochromatic. Can't say I'd want to stay for long if there were other choices."

Mara nudged his shoulder with hers. "I saw Tatooine, you know. It's not far from monochromatic."

"Better sunsets."

"True." Mara slid her hand into his, intertwining their fingers. "There are children there, Luke. Families. And not just Chiss or the established families off Outbound Flight. The Fels apparently have a whole passel of kids. That means there are medical resources for humans, and infrastructure to support families."

Luke smiled at her. "What do you say? Want to go give the Fels a run for their money and help save the galaxy while we're at it?"

Those incomparable eyes were shining with a joy that had become far too rare over the past year. "Yes. But Luke, tell me honestly. Could you be happy so far away from home and your family?"

He squeezed her hand. "You're my family, and home is wherever we're together. If I'm with you, I'm happy."

"Well, then," Mara said, a full, warm smile lighting her face. "Shall we go sign the recruitment papers?"


Bright sunshine cascaded through the windows of their new home as Luke cleared away the remnants of breakfast, thinking about the exercises he would try with his new students later. Though they'd only arrived a week ago, a few children had obvious potential—one girl in particular seemed promising—and between them, Luke and Mara had begun to win over their skeptical parents. There was a long way to go, but he felt confident that they were on the right path. Today he would start the children with some of the basics alone; since that front had begun to settle, Mara was beginning her own work in the strategic analysis division this morning. Luke himself had been talking with Soontir Fel about the Empire of the Hand's pilot training program. As they found their feet in this new endeavor, they would likely each be taking on multiple roles: teaching the Force-sensitive children of Outbound Flight, helping the other survivors settle in, analyzing incoming intel reports, planning future strategic government outreach attempts, training new soldiers in piloting and other forms of combat, and planning how to best defend against the impending invasion.

Not to mention the new, much more personal endeavor they hoped to soon undertake. Mara had been right: there was plenty of support here for families. This wasn't like the Rebellion or Empire they had known, where families were separated for years at a time. Here you could do your important work with a baby strapped to your chest or your toddler just down the hall in the designated and well-appointed childminder area, where you could visit throughout the day. Soontir and Syal had already shared many stories of accomplishing vital tasks with their children at their sides.

Luke was very much looking forward to the journey.

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar footfall as Mara came down the hall and reentered the kitchen.

"Hey," she greeted him. "How do I look?" Mara held out her arms and spun slowly, showcasing her new uniform, a neat military-style gray outfit with narrow rings of red and black trim at the collar and cuffs.

Luke smiled. "Intimidating."

Mara stepped closer to take his face in her hands and place a gentle kiss on his lips. "You always know the right thing to say." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for another kiss, but she was frowning slightly when they parted. "You are sure about all of this? Really sure?"

"I have never, ever been so sure," Luke told her. "We've done everything we can for the New Republic. It and the Jedi Order are in safe hands. It's time we focus on us. And if we can do that while still helping the galaxy, well. Best case scenario, isn't it?"

Mara slid her hands from his shoulders up the sides of his throat into his hair and kissed him again. "Who'd have guessed we'd wind up in a place like this?"

"I would go anywhere to be with you, Mara," he said, leaning his forehead against hers. "This might have been an unexpected destination, but it's better than a lot of places. Less humid than Yavin, anyway."

Mara's laugh was the sweetest music Luke had ever heard. "There is that. My hair was absolutely unmanageable on Yavin."

"Your hair always looked gorgeous."

"You," Mara said, stepping back with visible reluctance, "didn't have to comb it. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Have fun whipping them all into shape," Luke said, blowing her a kiss.

"You know it." Mara blew a kiss back at him—they were behaving like teenagers, and Luke could only smile at the thought—and left their new apartment.

Luke smiled to himself for a moment longer, then went to the apartment's small office that the two of them would be sharing and sat down at his new desk, opening a communique as he did so. There was only one thing left now. He thought for a few minutes, then began to type.

"Dear Leia..."