Chapter 5

The Falcon was special to the three of them in a way I never seemed to understand. I assumed it had to do with misadventures I'd only ever heard stories of. To me, it was mostly a health hazard and a running gag between me and Han. Every pitted and blackened piece of hull spoke of the life only a smuggler could have understood. But today…

Leia and I turned our heads toward the horizon.

Today, I wanted to kiss that dirty ship.

I'd never admit as much, but it was true. So I watched myself almost in the third person. I watched how I stood a little straighter, crossing my arms as casually as I could manage. I wasn't going to run to them when the landing ramp lowered and a part of me wondered why. It was an old question half built in my DNA and the rest welded to my bones by a lifetime of bitter experience.

In the back of my mind, old memories drifted to the surface of my still weary mind—the imperial shuttle and the unmistakably heavy footsteps that had come down the ramp. The dark cape and the breath meant to intimidate. But I wasn't intimidated. I'd stood as casually and irreverently as I was now. Because the Emperor was the only man I'd ever kneeled to. I didn't think Vader ever liked me much for that. It was ironic…seeing how much alike we really were…

With a hiss, the Falcon's landing ramp lowered, but instead of a Sith lord Han and Chewie were the ones standing there. With all the subtly of a burst from a detonator, my mind lunged back to the present. I watched as if in slow motion as Han jumped from the still-lowering ramp and ran to Leia. He picked her up in his arms and spun her around before she pulled him into a kiss. It was how you'd expect the scene to go. Chewie tilted his head back, giving a roar of happiness as he gathered around them. For one fraction of a second I envied the ease of emotion they shared.

It was a silly feeling that fled away as soon as I saw Luke step from the shadows into the light of the planet's sun. Unlike his father's, his footsteps were soft and the dark cloak around his shoulders did nothing to make him intimidating. To me, it held all the mystery of a bathrobe.

Because I knew Luke Skywalker…

Knew him well enough to see beyond the legend to the humble man underneath. Emotion welled up behind my eyes, but I still didn't run. No, I just waited where I was.

Han noticed me with a curious eyebrow. "Were you going to at least act happy to see us, Mara?" he teased, still half giddy with his own relief.

"Don't worry," Luke said simply as he stepped closer. "She's very happy to see us."

The joy brimming over his calm composure betrayed that he was too. But we both already knew that… From the moment our bond was back in focus we knew just about everything. But he didn't wait for me to drop my pride, no, he reached out to embrace me without hesitation. I shut my eyes, letting the closed distance between us say what words couldn't. Say all the things we most needed to hear. He had an answer to my every fear. Every doubt that had surfaced with my time away.

"Where's Ben?" I finally asked him.

"He's on Yavin. I left him to find you as soon as I was certain something was wrong."

"Which was when exactly?"

"I felt a disturbance in the Force, along with the officials of Becro 5 reporting your absence."

I pulled away from his arms slowly. "Well, I can't say you came none too soon. Anyway, I'm ready to get out of here, but first…" I gestured toward Bicore who had been standing at a respectful distance. Luke noticed and offered a kind smile as a greeting.

"This is Bicore," I explained. "His people saved Leia and I's life."

Bicore stepped forward, giving a noble bow as he did so. "Many greetings from my people and the Village of Elder Vam. It was our honor to help."

Luke bowed in return. "On behalf of the Jedi Order and the New Republic, you have our highest gratitude. Also…" His face softened. "You have my deepest personal gratitude. Thank you so much…"

Bicore nodded. "The gratitude is mine. May you have safe travels."

"Thanks again," I said putting a friendly hand on his shoulder. "If you ever decide to take a trip off of Migo, know you have friends out there."

He smiled one last time. "Remember it I will, Mara Skywalker."

With that Bicore turned to leave, heading back into the intense leaf cover of the forest. I wouldn't miss anything about Migo, but I would remember Bicore and his kindness. Leaving Han's side, Leia embraced Luke, the joy and relief almost tangible in the air between them. I led the charge toward the Falcon, more than ready to depart. Soon enough, our course was set for Becro 5; the stars burning lines behind us. Leia stayed with Han and Chewie in the cockpit while Luke and I sat around the Dejarik board.

In the now still quiet I assumed the real conversation would begin. I just…needed to find the words. Words to say what he already felt, but choosing to say them still felt important.

So important I forced my mouth open with no real idea what might come out… But somewhat unexpectedly, he spoke first.

"Are you really alright to continue the mission on Bercro 5? Under the circumstances, we could obviously reconsider it."

I hadn't expected that question, but it was easier to talk about than my feelings. Leaning back on the couch I nodded. "Someone's got to do it, Luke. At least I can pin half of the work on you now that you're here."

He smiled sweetly as if the sound of my usual snark was beautiful music to him suddenly.

Judging by his emotions, it was…

"I am here…" he whispered as if in wonder of it.

I glanced at him, at the overly sentimental look on his face. I felt the pressure of things he also wanted desperately to say.

"Yeah, and it's about time…" I teased, if just to stall a little longer. But Luke had no inhibition when it came to being open with his feelings, at least not when compared to me. His blue eyes focused on me vividly.

"Jedi are trained to accept death when it comes unavoidably, either for themselves or others. And yet…" He reached to take my hand, squeezing it gently. "I wasn't ready to do that…" The admission rang both as a worry and a sense of pride in his voice. That same old conflict inside of him. Was he less a Jedi than he should be, or were they wrong about something else yet again?

I already knew the answer.

"I'll never accept death. Not even when I'm so old I'd be better off dead. Call it a personal vendetta against something that's chased me all my life." And it had chased both of us from one close call to another. In a way, I thought that was unavoidable, but accept it? Never.

"Defiance is closely linked to fear, anger," he whispered. "I suppose that's why acceptance was so applauded. Still, real life is not as black and white as the Jedi Order made it seem."

I scoffed. "Tell me about it…" The edge to my emotions wasn't lost on him. The sense of nervous fear that just as they said made me feel almost irritated. But rather than condemn me, he patiently opened the way for me to explain.

He squeezed my hand again. "Now, what did you want to tell me?"

I scoffed again, the frustration meeting my awkward sense of vulnerability. "I almost died, what do you think I want to say!" I leaned deeper into the cushion letting my feelings decompress. "What do think I need to say…?"

"Nothing you hadn't already said before…" he mumbled soothingly.

I looked at him in wonder. "Really…?"

"I understand your feelings and your intention, Mara," he whispered simply.

"Then why is it so hard to show sometimes…?" I muttered, getting to the heart of everything. "I wanted to be as open as Leia and Han if I'm honest. I almost died and I couldn't even meet you halfway to the landing ramp. Isn't that ridiculous? To be that numb and stubborn?"

Unexpectedly, he laughed. Chuckled until his eyes creased with joy.

"And what in Stars Sake is funny about that, Luke?"

His face softened. "Because you don't realize that I've never wanted you to be different. You don't see that the very things you dislike about yourself are the things I admire. Your strength isn't a weakness, Mara, it's something I love about you."

He reached out and pulled me into his arms, his words fading. All that was left was an intense sense of joy and relief. It was something I felt just as strongly, only it was trapped behind something I couldn't even understand.

"I wanted to say I love you…" I mumbled into his shoulder. "Or something like that…"

I felt his emotions sober as the truth of our fears intertwined. "I wanted to see Ben grow up," I went on. "I didn't want to die on a planet where no one even knew my name…"

It was obvious, but a part of my pride felt shocked to admit it. Growing up, I'd not been taught to accept death, but certainly not to fear it. I had to be strong, fearless. Completely fearless…

I felt his trembling emotion vow in as much to never leave my side again. It was an unrealistic wish I knew he could never fully keep. Duty would always take us away for one reason or another. But I still cherished his intention more than I could begin to say. I met his lips with a kiss that said as much.

Finally, pulling away I looked at him with a new sense of understanding. He looked back at me with those same blue eyes. The innocence and care behind them like a warm light.

"But," I playfully changed the subject as I slowly slipped out of his arms. "Don't get too sappy, because you'd be mad if you knew everything that happened down there."

He blinked in confusion.

I grinned teasingly. "No, it doesn't involve any handsome locals, but I almost lost your father's lightsaber."

His suddenly sleepy eyes looked relieved. "I wouldn't worry, it always has a way of finding its way back."

"Doesn't it though…?" I whispered as I leaned into his shoulder, remembering how tired I was too.

I didn't know what waited for us on Becro 5 or even what had happened to Leia and I's ship, to begin with. Was it an accident or did someone want us dead? I assumed all those answers would bring us a little closer to that old pursuer. It always did…

But for the moment, I didn't care. Forgetting anything but his sense of life and warmth I closed my eyes. The rest could wait, if just a little while longer…

Becro 5 was a mostly water planet, with silver spires glistening under the rays of the native sun. The Grand Governor was unelected, acting more as a king than anything. But politics aside the world had a peaceful history. I just hoped it would stay that way…

It was when we were making our approach that I found Luke sitting thoughtfully. Most of our time reunited had been spent concerned with more personal matters. Namely, being thankful I didn't end up as Naoforge chow. But with the mission staring us straight in the face, all the remaining questions needed to be both asked and answered. For now, we were doing good just to ask them.

Plumes of steam were rising from his cup of caf as he sat at the drink bar in the main hold. I plopped down on the couch across the room, nursing my own cup of caf. At last, it wasn't decaf…

"Shoot flyboy," I said simply, sensing his worries.

It was always hilarious to feel his emotions tense with playful annoyance when I called him that. It made it clear that by comparison, he must have been proud of his farmy heritage.

"I was thinking about the accident with the ship…"

"Assuming it was an accident," I added.

He nodded. "Yes, that's mostly what I mean. I was the one who was supposed to take on this mission originally. If someone sabotaged it, they could have had me as an obvious target."

"What, can't give me the credit for being famous enough to want to kill, Luke?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood a little.

He smiled faintly before more worry clouded his eyes. "You said it couldn't have been a cascade failure?"

"No, or as far as we could tell anyway. We were pretty banged up physically, or at least I was, and add to that the shape the ship was in and it was hard to tell much for certain. I know what you're thinking, though, because I'm thinking it too. It could have been some sort of detonator…"

"I should have sensed that…" he mumbled sadly to himself.

"Well, you did have a terrible feeling about something, we both did. It was just hard to trust our instinct this time around."

"My worry must have clouded my senses…"

"Assuming it was a bomb. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

He took a sip of caf. "I plan to ask the Grand Govorner if he could spare some scout ships to scan the area of the incident. There may be a residual trace still present that can tell us if a charge was used."

"You really think they'll want to help?"

"If an attempt was made on your and Leia's life, it could be related to our mission to Becro. We can't rule out that someone may have wanted to stop us from reaching the Grand Govornor's son. Anything is possible, and I hope the government will understand that."

I leaned back, taking in the soothing scent of the fresh brew. "Let's hope they make this easy. Frankly, I'm ready to go home…" And for once I wasn't ashamed to admit it.

"I know," he whispered softly, his eyes seeming far away. "Ben was restless with you gone."

I felt a frown fill my face. "You never mentioned that…"

"I didn't want to worry you. He's fine, just upset to see us both go. We've been with him almost constantly since he was born."

Now I really wanted to get out of here. "Then let's make quick work out of this."

"Well, it won't take long to discover if the boy is Force sensitive, but I'm not sure what local customs we might need to respect."

I sighed, losing patience. "Let's hope they aren't a people given to long-winded speeches…"

Luke smiled slightly, and it was honestly so good to see…

Within the next few hours, we found ourselves on world and being escorted to an audience with the Grand Governor. The planet was beautiful, with cities nestled atop transparent platforms that overlooked the crystal-clear blue oceans. Under different circumstances, I wouldn't have minded vacationing to this world. But as it was, I was most grateful they seemed to be fairly direct in their proceeding. Which might have been due in part to the fact that we were already days late as it was.

While Han and Chewie stayed with the ship, Luke, Leia, and I were led into the main office I assumed belonged to the head man himself. Judging by the ornate trimming the room had I knew I'd assumed right.

The hovering chair behind the large carved desk turned to reveal a mostly human-looking man. Save for his bright white hair and blue-striped eyes that were native to all Becro. His cheeks were thin and he emitted a calm stately manner. Still, something in my gut told me not to trust him. Doubly so when he gave us a large, but obviously strained smile.

"So good to have you finally arrive."

"The pleasure is ours, Grand Governor," Leia bowed slightly, in full diplomatic mode. I just nodded from my place beside Luke.

"Yes, thank you," the governor acknowledged before turning his attention to Luke. "And of course, you need no introduction, Master Skywalker."

Luke smiled humbly. "Thank you, this is-"

But the Governor cut him off with a curt smile. "Also Master Skywalker, yes?" He said glancing at me. "You'll find I am quite well versed on you both." I felt his emotions flare subtly and I assumed there were things he didn't like that he had read about me. That wasn't surprising, there were plenty of worlds that still hated even the mention of the Empire.

But he kept whatever it was to himself, instead, he gave us another phony smile. "It's an honor to entertain the company of such distinguished guests. But I must say, my dear son, deserves no less."

"We apologize for the delay," I added carefully, probing him.

"Yes…" he whispered. "It's a troubling matter that. Understandably I have some fear for my son on his return with you."

Not only was he already certain his son was Force-sensitive and would be going with us, but he didn't seem too worried about whether we were alive or dead. Nice guy, I really liked him…

"I can assure you new arrangements have been made to ensure his safety," Luke added diplomatically. I imagined if he'd seen the Falcon he wouldn't have been all that convinced… It was sort of hilarious to think about actually.

Luke didn't waste any time asking about his scout ship proposal and the governor reluctantly agreed. They would send ships and report back to us when the full analysis had been completed. From the sounds of things I figured we'd already be back on Yavin by them. Now the only question was whether we'd have the Grand Governor's son along for the ride. I could only imagine how things might break down if he wasn't really Force-sensitive. At this point, I was really hoping he would be. Anything to get me out of here and back to Ben.

As it was, we wouldn't have to wait long.

We were escorted to the boy's room next. He was in his late teens, his name was Mica. All those things I knew from the mission brief. But I hadn't been expecting what we found…

"Come in," he called before we could even signal our arrival. The doors opened to reveal him sitting crosslegged, a small collection of objects levitating across from him. Dropping them slowly he rose to his feet.

"Master Skywalker, it's a great honor." He bowed to Luke, ignoring me altogether. "I was told you were to take me for training."

Technically we were supposed to see if he was even Force-sensitive to begin with. But…that much was obvious at this point.

"Yes…" Luke said softly, his own voice surprised at the boy's ability.

Leia glanced at me, her thoughts written in her brown eyes.

The Force wasn't only with him, it was powerfully so…