CHAPTER 11

It took three days before Leia finally called in her favor. Luke had just finished a short briefing with the Rogues and was looking forward to some downtime, in which he would finally get in some much needed lightsaber practice, but he quickly ignored his plans as soon as he received Leia's comm. He realized he was acting ridiculous, being so excited to talk to this woman he barely knew, but he didn't care. He had tried many times over the past three days to start a conversation with Mara, but she was always either stuck in debriefings or surrounded by the other pilots and Winter. The few times they'd exchanged words, she had seemed closed off and distant. Luke wondered if that was because she was embarrassed about having to be rescued, as she seemed like a strong woman who would hate appearing to be so weak, or if she just wanted to avoid him. Whatever the reason, it made his stubborn streak flare and he grew even more determined to find out what was going on behind her enigmatic green eyes.

As he hurried to meet Leia, he wondered how Mara would react to their conversation. He'd been so certain that they had shared something special on the Dantooine plains...and now he had no idea what would happen between them. Luke's rescue of Leia had spawned an amazing friendship, but Mara was different than any other woman he'd ever met, and he didn't expect her to throw her arms around him in thanks any time soon. Not that he would mind if she did, of course...

Luke groaned as he quickened his pace. He really needed to put those thoughts out of his mind. As Wedge had said, Luke couldn't think such things about Mara. He wanted her for the expanded Rogue Squadron, so that was that.

Besides, even if he could ask her out, she'd probably turn him down.

He crossed through the doorway of the observation room and found Leia staring through a transparisteel window. Mara sat at a durasteel table on the other side of the window, her head propped on her hands and looking entirely bored. She glanced at the window as Luke came in the room and he stiffened, but Leia shook her head. "It's two-way. It's a mirror on her side. She can't see anything."

Luke tore his eyes from the redhead to give Leia a brief hug. He didn't say what he was thinking: She can sense that I'm here.

It would be an understatement to say he was disappointed that Leia would be watching their conversation. He definitely would not be able to speak to Mara about her abilities in the Force with someone listening in. Luke had argued that he be allowed to speak to Mara in private, saying that having an audience would make him uncomfortable, but Leia had insisted that someone needed to observe the conversation for security purposes. Luke begrudgingly accepted the stipulation as long as Leia would be the observer.

"You ready?" Leia asked.

Luke took a deep breath. He was more than ready to talk to Mara, but not under these circumstances. "Ready as I'll ever be." Leia squeezed his hand in support and he left to face the woman on the other side of the window.

As he walked through the doorway, Luke had to force himself not to stare at Mara. She was sporting plain coveralls and her hair was pulled back in a loose braid. She looked like every other female tech that Luke had ever met...but different. Even though she was unarmed, she projected the aura that she could hurt someone very badly with her bare hands. Somehow, that made her even more intriguing.

She nodded at him as he entered the room, raising one red gold eyebrow as she looked him up and down. He wore a plain gray shirt and pants, and now he wished that he had chosen to wear something nicer, maybe something more colorful. Not that he had many nice outfits, but what he was wearing suddenly seemed woefully inadequate now that he was standing in front of her.

Gods, she was beautiful.

Taking a deep breath and again pushing those thoughts out of his mind, he took the seat across from her. They regarded each other in silence for several moments.

.

Skywalker entered the room and sat across from her, his sense in the Force overwrought with nervousness and insecurity, but also determination. In a way, he reminded her of the overeager Academy graduates she'd run into at Palpatine's court, and yet he wasn't like them at all. He was eager to earn her approval...but not for his own gain. He just wanted to talk to her, and learn about her, and perhaps be her friend.

They stared at each other intently and, against all her better judgment, she found herself becoming lost in his eyes. They were a sparkling, clear blue, purer than anything she'd ever seen before in her life—and she'd seen a lot. It was magnetic, the way they pulled her in, the honesty that glowed there, the hope promised.

She couldn't not look at them. She dove into the orbs as she would a lake, headfirst, and it was powerful and she pushed up, trying to tread water.

She blinked and she could breathe again.

He was incredibly strong in the Force and he was so oblivious to that fact. He was young and naïve and a wonderful pilot. His talent in the Force was raw and unbridled.

It was no wonder why Vader desired to find him. Mara had met captive Jedi in the Palace, and had come across several on her missions across the galaxy. They had all been strong in the Force, but nowhere near as strong as Skywalker.

This boy felt as powerful as Vader—as Palpatine, even. She hadn't thought such a thing was possible.

And yet he fidgeted and questioned himself and tried so hard…and he had absolutely no idea of what he could be.

Mara shook her head and reminded herself to shield. Skywalker may be untrained, but she had been taught never to underestimate an opponent. And as long as she held on to her secret, that's what he was—an opponent, an enemy. Soon she'd leave the Rebellion and escape into the galaxy on her own, and then everyone would be her enemy.

But something about this man captivated her and reeled her in...and, for the first time, she wondered what would happen if she stayed.

.

Her eyes were absolutely captivating. They were a sparkling, clear green, more intense than anything he'd ever seen before in his life—not that he'd seen a lot before coming into the Alliance. Before arriving on Yavin IV he'd never even seen such a color in person. Plants did not grow in the desert and such color dyes were much too expensive for simple moisture farmers. Even the affluent Darklighters could not afford such flamboyantly colored clothing.

Uncomfortable under his gaze, she looked away from him and then he blinked, forcing himself to look away, too.

He couldn't ignore Mara's strength in the Force. It was similar to what he'd felt from Ben Kenobi, yet different. Luke still could not tell if she had been trained, but he had to find out. There was too much at stake. She could help him…and he could help her. He knew it.

That can wait, he admonished himself. He had a job to do, a job he'd promised Leia. Besides, Mara was so closed off that he would never be able to convince her to confide in him without putting a lot of effort into gaining her trust.

He would, though. He didn't mind. He wasn't a patient person, but for her…something told him it would be worth the wait.

Another Jedi. He wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

The thought made him smile.

Finally, after several long moments, he extended his hand. Putting on his most brilliant smile, he said, "Hi, I'm Luke Skywalker. I don't know if you remember me."

She narrowed her eyes at his hand before accepting it. "Yeah, I remember. It was my leg that got injured, not my head."

He frowned. "I didn't mean to offend."

"Forget it."

Luke ignored her prickly disposition; she was probably just sick of debriefings and repeating the same things over and over again. Luke couldn't really blame her. He'd probably feel the same way if he was in her position. He suddenly felt very guilty for agreeing to do this.

"So, they got you to interrogate me as well?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Um, yeah. I mean, no. There's no interrogation. I'm just here to talk."

"Uh-huh. And they picked your name out of a helmet just on coincidence, right?"

"What?"

She leaned forward. "I know why they wanted you to talk to me."

"You do?" Luke couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. He didn't expect her to talk about the Force while they were being monitored.

"I'm not stupid." She pointed across the table towards his waist. "You have a lightsaber. That means you're a Jedi."

Oh, right. Of course.

She glanced over at the mirror. "Princess Leia is suspicious of me, and she's friends with you, so she figured that you could work your magic and find out if I'm lying or not."

Luke nodded, seeing no point in hiding the truth. His honesty might make her more willing to confide in him, after all. "Well, I'm not officially a Jedi. Not yet, at least. But I guess you're right; Leia did ask me to speak with you."

"And? Am I lying?" Again she raised an eyebrow. It appeared to be her default facial expression.

He shrugged. "I'm just here to talk."

"Okay." She sat back in her chair, arms folded defensively across her chest. "Let's talk. What do you want to know?"

General Cracken had provided Luke with a datapad full of questions to ask, but instead of reaching for it he closed his eyes and stretched out with the Force. After a moment, he looked at her again. She hadn't moved, but something in her expression had changed. She looked…expectant, almost. Curious.

Had she sensed what he had just done?

Leia had asked Luke to speak to Mara because he could use the Force…and that's what he would do. Intelligence had already asked all the mundane questions. Luke realized that he had been telling the absolute truth before—he was just there to talk. With the Force, that was all that was necessary for him to find his answers.

And maybe even without the Force, too.

Finally, he settled on an approach. "How're you feeling?"

Her expression didn't change this time, but he could sense her surprise. She had obviously been expecting, and preparing for, more hard-hitting questions. "Um…fine, I guess. Really sick of all these debriefings."

"I can imagine."

"I doubt it. I bet you didn't have to go through all of these when you arrived."

"How would you know?"

"Everyone talks about you, don't you know? I got the full story my first night here: Luke Skywalker shows up out of nowhere, rescues the Princess, and kills the bad guys. I'm sure there will be a million holos about it one day."

Luke blanched; he had never thought of such a possibility. Did people really talk about him that much? Why would people in the galaxy ever be interested in his story? He was just a guy from a moisture farm who got a lucky shot.

Well, Wedge had always told him that he was much too modest about his accomplishments. Perhaps his best friend was right. Maybe that lack of confidence was what was holding back Luke's growth in the Force.

Maybe.

He shrugged sheepishly, deciding, for once, not to downplay his accomplishments. "I did do all that stuff. But I'm not so sure about the holos."

She chuckled. "Maybe I should have rescued Princess Leia, instead of being the one to get rescued. Then I wouldn't have had to go through this torture."

"So talking to me is torture, huh?"

Her lips curled into a teasing smirk. "I'm not sure yet."

Luke couldn't help but smile in return. Mara Jade was certainly different than any woman he'd ever met. "Intelligence did talk to me once, but that was about it. We've had a lot more espionage since then though, so General Cracken has gotten more wary."

"Really?" Her demeanor changed in an instant. "How many spies? Did you ever determine their identities?"

"There were a good number, and we think we got them all. But then again, if we knew for sure then they wouldn't be very good spies, now would they?"

"You have no idea."

Something in her statement gave him pause...but just for a moment. He tilted his head. "What do you think about the Alliance?"

"I don't really know what to think yet. It's very different from the Empire, that's for sure."

"I'd've thought that you would be glad to be here."

Her expression shifted again, just slightly. "I am," she whispered. Then stronger, "I am. It's just a shock, all the differences. Planning to leave the Empire for so long, then actually doing it. I keep waking up, expecting to be in my own bed."

"Now that I can definitely relate to."

"Yeah? What's your story?"

Now Luke was the one to raise an eyebrow. "Shouldn't I be asking you the questions?"

"Yes, but you always get more answers when you answer questions of your own."

"I didn't realize that the Empire cross-trained its TIE pilots in interrogation techniques."

"Well, I'm just as good at interrogation as I am at flying TIEs. You never know when you're going to have to question an enemy."

Luke chuckled. "Perhaps you should be in Intelligence."

"Perhaps I should. Why don't you talk to General Cracken about that?"

"I would, except I want you to be in my squadron."

Again her red gold eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Can you fly an X-wing?"

She grinned slyly. "I can fly anything."

"I'm sure you can."

"So." Mara leaned forward, her elbows on the table. "Your story?"

"You are good, not letting me deflect your question."

"I am good. So let's hear your answer. You're the one who wanted to talk."

"Okay," Luke agreed, taking a deep breath. And he did talk, telling Mara about his childhood on Tatooine, meeting Ben Kenobi and leaving for Alderaan, escaping the Death Star and destroying the battle station. She listened intently, as if she hadn't already heard the story. In normal circumstances, he would probably find her scrutiny unsettling...but now he only found it intriguing.

"So you're a farm boy," she said. She gave a throaty laugh that sent shivers down Luke's spine. "That actually makes perfect sense."

"I was, I guess."

"I've always heard you can take the boy off the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the boy."

"If you say so."

She looked him up and down; again, a gesture that he would normally have found unsettling. "I do, Farmboy."

He could feel himself flush and then grew quiet, aware that their conversation had not proceeded at all the way he had planned. But yet, his sense of the Force was as clear as ever. He knew, somehow, that she had been completely genuine in their conversation. He sensed no treachery from her, no deception. He knew that he, and the Alliance, could trust her.

He asked one final question, even though he already knew the answer: "Are you a spy?"

She held his gaze for long seconds, not uttering a sound, but still he did not doubt. Finally, she shook her head slowly. "No. I'm not."

Luke nodded. "I believe you." And he did; he was more certain of her honesty than he'd ever been of anything before in his life.

She glanced down, studying her hands resting on the table. "Why?" she asked in a small voice.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Well." She leaned back, once again putting on that sarcastic aura of self-confidence. "I guess if you believe me, then I must be telling the truth, huh?"

"I guess so."

Mara turned to the window. "So can I go now?" she asked, as much to Leia as to him.

Luke gestured to the door. "You can leave whenever you want." Looking relieved, she pushed her chair away from the table—

"Unless you'd like to continue our conversation?" he continued.

For a moment, he thought she'd agree…but then she stood and pushed her braid back over her shoulder. "I should head back to my room before Agent Retrac gets antsy. Maybe later though," she added, and Luke wondered if he had looked disappointed at her refusal.

He didn't care if he had.

"I hope so," he said. "And don't forget—I want you to try out for Rogue Squadron."

She grinned. "I look forward to showing you what I've got."

Luke grinned in return and stayed seated as Mara to the door. "Hey," he said, turning around and glancing at her leg. He looked up and met her questioning gaze. "You're not limping."

Almost imperceptibly, her perfect composure wavered...but then it was back, as if nothing had happened. "Yeah, so?"

"Well, I know it was several days ago, but Leia said your blaster burn was pretty nasty looking. I didn't think you'd had a chance to get to the medcenter yet."

She shrugged, disinterested, and Luke could feel her Force sense close off abruptly. "Didn't need to. I heal quickly."

Luke held her gaze, knowing that she was hiding something. "Really?"

She stared back at him, just as intense. "Yes, really." Her disposition had changed in a millisecond. "Is there anything else you'd like to ask me, Commander Skywalker?"

Slowly, he shook his head. "No, nothing at all," he lied.

"Good." She turned to leave, and then glanced back over her shoulder. "Thank you for the conversation," she said, perfectly sincere.

Luke sighed as the door closed behind her. He was still certain that she wasn't a spy, but now he knew that Mara Jade held many secrets close to her heart.

His stubborn streak flaring once again, he vowed to find out what they were, no matter what.

.

Leia waited sixty seconds after Mara left before entering the briefing room. Luke was still seated at the table with an unreadable expression. She took the now-empty seat.

"That was interesting," she said without preamble.

"Was it?" Luke said absently.

"You really trust her?"

"I do."

Leia leaned back in the chair and sighed. "Well, if you think there's nothing odd going on, I guess I was just overreacting."

Luke looked at her sharply. "Really?"

"Of course." Leia nodded. "I asked you to speak with her for a reason. I trust your judgment. I'll go tell General Cracken that the four of them should be cleared for active duty."

Luke returned her nod and smiled. "That's great. That's really great."

"Yes, it is. But Luke—" She reached across the table to take his hand, and he met her eyes in question. "Just watch yourself, okay?"

He rolled his eyes. "Have you been talking to Wedge?"

"No, why?"

Luke shook his head and rose from the table. "Remind me to never let the two of you get alone. You'd be controlling my life within five minutes."

"He's your XO; isn't that his job?"

"You're right. What's your excuse?"

Leia linked her arm with his. "It's my prerogative as the first woman you rescued."

"Ah Leia, you're like the sister I never had and never wanted."

She rolled her eyes and pushed him out the door.

.

.

.

After three days of intense debriefings, during which time Mara was forced to recall every detail of her life—all of which were fabricated, of course—the four defectors finally got wind that they would be cleared for active duty. Mara didn't know what to think. She was relieved, of course, that she had managed to fool the Alliance leadership. But she also knew that now she was one step closer to heading out into the galaxy on her own. It shouldn't have bothered her so much; she had spent the past several years of her life on missions where she was utterly alone, with only a protocol droid for companionship. And when she did stay at the Palace, she was never content; she was always restless, waiting for her next mission. Finally away from Palpatine's influence, Mara began to wonder if the reason she had once longed to be away from the Palace was because she preferred the freedom she had while on her own, as opposed to the oppressive nature of the Palace under Palpatine's rule.

In just a few short days, she had learned that the Rebel Alliance was nothing at all like the Empire she had grown up with. There was a sense of camaraderie in the air and, even though the Rebel soldiers seemed competent, they didn't mind letting their hair down and having a good time. They did their jobs, and then they had fun. She'd observed Rogue Flight joking around in the mess several times, and couldn't believe that such an elite fighter group could act like such children. But Tycho had said they were the best, and Mara believed him...they were just so unlike the Empire's counterpart, the 181st. Soontir Fel and Luke Skywalker were so different, yet Mara had caught glimpses of Skywalker in the sims and already could tell that he was just as good a pilot as Vader. Maybe even better. But he was, as Mara had proclaimed him, a farm boy, completely unassuming and good-natured and genuinely concerned about her well being. She could sense that during their brief conversations, and especially during his "interrogation" of her. In a previous life, Mara would have considered him beneath her standards and wouldn't have given him the time of day, but things were different now. Skywalker was different. And more than that, he could use the Force.

She knew that, eventually, he was going to corner her and ask her about her abilities. She had absolutely no idea how she would answer. She hoped that she'd be long gone before he ever got the opportunity.

Shortly after her conversation with Skywalker, the former Imperials were escorted by Winter to one of the larger briefing rooms. General Cracken, General Rieekan, and Princess Leia were already there, waiting patiently. They four TIE pilots sat across the table from the Rebel leaders and Mara had to work hard suppress her smile, knowing what was about to happen.

"Gentlemen, ma'am," General Cracken greeted them. "We thank you for your patience during these debriefings. We know that they can be trying, but unfortunately, in such times, they are necessary."

General Rieekan stood up; Mara and the others immediately followed suit. "By the authority of Mon Mothma, I hereby confer on you the rank of lieutenant in the Alliance to Restore the Republic. May the Force be with you." He reached forward to each of them in turn, pressing the appropriate rank pips onto the collars of their plain clothes. Mara ran her fingers over them, with absolutely no idea how to feel at the moment. She glanced over at Tycho, who had rare tears in his eyes.

When Rieekan was done they all snapped salutes, their Imperial training shining forth in their precision. With the formalities finished, they began shaking hands and offering congratulations. Princess Leia even approached Mara and gave her a warm hug, Skywalker's assurances having quelled all her suspicions.

As his name went through her mind, Mara felt that familiar presence enter the room. She turned to see Rogue Leader duck through the doorway, nodding at the generals and Leia in apology for being late. He walked through the crowd to offer his congratulations to the new Rebels.

The last person he came to was Mara. The two of them stood facing each other for long seconds, until he finally took her hand. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Jade," he said softly.

"Thank you, Commander Skywalker," she replied. And then, because he was now her superior officer, she snapped a salute.

He returned it, an odd expression on his face—a mixture of disappointment, regret, and, hidden deep within his bright blue eyes, so deep that only Mara, with her keen sense of the Force, could recognize it—

There was hope.