to Revan: erm...you'll see where Mara's subplot goes. Thanks for the review and following.
VIII
Luke dreamt of ghosts, half-bone phantasmal things screaming of the frightening disjointedness of the body without living consciousness, and then of Hoth or some such warplace, white caves where monsters chased him and sapped the Force, sapped Obi-Wan, when he appeared as help, into a truly dead and pale thing...
Lando and Mara Jade heard Luke screaming a few times out of the dreams, where they sat below the sleeping lofts in the evening, attempting to sanely discuss the New Republic's friendly but disorganized (and unfunded!) view of 'steal from the rich give to the poor' business the likes of which Mara, Lando, Talon Karrde and Han Solo had sometimes dealt in.
Lando looked up from a blue map of shipping lanes, but Mara kept her gaze down and the thoughts behind the green calculating; the two had been judging current senator's views of an allied smugglers' organization. Screaming tended to shatter concentration, so she gritted her teeth and tried to concentrate harder.
Lando's repeated glances at Luke's unseen form piqued her. "He has to deal with his power, Calrissian. The shift in the new Jedi's leadership must cause some deep ripples in the Force."
She could tell that Lando was not that irritated by returning his eyes to her. Not wanting, just liking, and unafraid. Mara thought, ugh...
He said, casually, "Do you feel any of it."
"No. Look, I don't know that I want to be a Jedi."
"You have that power."
"It's not that simple. I never had Jedi power." She grimaced, remembering, the dark side.
"I understand." Said Lando, and lay one of his smooth-skinned hands over hers across the galaxy map. "We're still dealing with that...gray side, I shall say, now, in this plan--"
"Quit trying, gambler!" Mara's expression flared as she pulled her hand quickly away.
Lando stood up in exasperation. "I'm not just that, you stuck-up vampress!" He exited, gold-lined cape swirling dramatically against the simple stone walls.
Mara stayed watching the doorway a while longer. Not many had the guts to speak rashly to her, because not many would she hesitate in harming...