Devaron, 6 ABY

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Mara allowed herself to sleep in whenever the Wild Karrde was in transit, a luxury she'd never grown accustomed to under the Empire. But the old lesson of "sleep when you can" had sunk into her veins, so she didn't feel too bad about not being the first person awake on her shift. That is, until her boss needed her for a job.

Mara was barely awake when Karrde summoned her to the bridge. It only took two minutes for her to dress and tie back her hair, and less than thirty seconds to push away the last dredges of fatigue. By the time she marched onto the bridge, she was as alert as after drinking five cups of caf. Karrde and Aves, who was pilot this shift, were the only people there. The hair on the back of Mara's neck stood on end-had she done something wrong? Was there something wrong with the ship?-but after stretching out with her feelings, she didn't sense any danger. Not that she trusted her abilities in the Force any longer.

She cleared her throat to announce her presence. "You wanted to see me, Captain?"

Karrde half-turned and motioned to her over his shoulder. "Yes, Mara, come in. Sorry to interrupt you so early, but I just received a communication from a rather irate client. Seems like he miscalculated delivery times and needs his cargo tomorrow instead of a week from now."

Mara raised her eyebrows. "I assume you told him that was his problem and we'll get him his cargo as originally scheduled?"

Karrde ran a hand through his long, graying hair. "I would have liked to. Unfortunately, this client is rather prominent, promises a lot of business-"

"And is extremely wealthy and can bury you among other smuggling businesses?" Mara put in helpfully.

Karrde grimaced. "See, this is why I hired you. You always have the uncanny ability to read my mind."

"More like I was trained to be highly observant and make logical conclusions about the people I'm working with," Mara said. It was the truth. She hadn't read minds in... well, never. She'd only heard what the Emperor told her.

Karrde paused, as if waiting for her to elaborate on her past. She'd have to work for him a lot longer before he got that information out of her, if ever. Karrde sighed. "You're correct; I don't want to piss off this client. However, I've gone over our schedule and there's no way we can alter course to make this delivery. Not unless I want to piss off another client, which I definitely do not."

"Maybe you should try accepting clients who aren't as inclined to anger."

"Very helpful."

Mara shrugged. "Let me guess: you need me to make this delivery for you and rendezvous with the Wild Karrde on Chandrila."

Karrde grinned. "See? Reading my mind again."

"Whatever. Just send me the information. I'll be glad to go." It wasn't a lie; Mara always enjoyed solitude, especially while on a mission. Not that she didn't get along with the crew of the Wild Karrde, just that she wasn't used to being part of a crew yet. She wasn't sure if she ever would.

"It should be a quick trip," Karrde said, transmitting the information to Mara's datapad. "The drop off is just a few jumps away, on Devaron. You should have a few days on your own before we meet you on Chandrila."

Mara stared at the datapad in her hands, barely comprehending Karrde's final sentence. The only thing blaring through her mind was a single word: Devaron.

"I can't go to Devaron," she blurted out.

"Why not? You don't have anything else pressing on your schedule. I should know, I made it."

"It's not funny, Karrde." She forced herself to meet his gaze, so he could see the true fear in her eyes. Vulnerability was the only way out of this. It made her feel like a fool. "I can't go."

Karrde looked taken aback, and for good reason. In the six months she'd worked for him, she'd never once turned down an assignment. She might not have jumped in headfirst to the camaraderie of the crew, but she was determined to prove herself as a valuable employee. The last thing she wanted was for Karrde to regret his decision to hire her and dump her at the next port. She'd saved enough credits where she wouldn't starve right away, but it was good having a purpose. She didn't want to think about what would happen if she was cast adrift again.

But Devaron... that was where Skywalker had said he was going. And she could bear the thought of seeing him again even less than the thought of being on her own.

Karrde, oblivious to her mental debate, shook his head. "Don't worry. It will be an easy trip. The client is high maintenance, but he won't give you any trouble. And if he does, it's nothing you can't handle."

Aves snorted. "Not with the holdout blaster she hides under her sleeve."

Mara rubbed her forearm. "Nice of you to finally chime in."

Aves grinned. "It's an easy mission, Jade. I'd go if I wasn't needed here. It's always nice to get away from the hustle for a bit."

Mara didn't respond. Karrde was looking at her with pursed lips, brows furrowed in concern. "Is there a problem, Mara?"

She didn't like the expression on his face, nor the tone of his voice. She'd always been good at reading people, and Karrde, for as much mystery as he liked to convey to the galaxy, was easy to read. She knew his type from her time in the Empire: calm, seemingly aloof, but always used to getting his way. He didn't give her a job out of the kindness of his heart, he'd given her a job because she'd gotten him out of a jam and he was smart enough to realize those skills would translate to his organization. But if she couldn't do something as simple as a solo delivery...

Mara blew out a breath and brushed a strand of hair back into her braid. She was being ridiculous. Devaron was a large planet and Skywalker was one measly human. She'd encountered him less than a year ago, and there was no telling if he'd even made it to Devaron by now. And if he had, he could very easily have moved on, especially considering his pursuit of Jedi lore and artifacts. All she had to do was land on the planet, deliver the goods, and get the hell out. And if she was lucky, she'd never have to think about Luke Skywalker ever again.

Her contemplation lasted approximately five seconds. "No," she said, meeting Karrde's steely gaze. "Sorry. Just... bad memories of Devaron. I'll do the delivery."

Karrde frowned. "If it's really that big of a problem-"

"I said I'd do it," Mara snapped. Now this mission was personal. She didn't want or need Karrde's pity. Same with anyone else. "I'll leave as soon as the ship is prepped." She didn't want to waste anymore time. Better to get this over with.

Karrde cocked his head at her, but was smart enough not to ask anymore questions. "Very good. Have a good trip."

She left the bridge without another word.


The trip to Devaron was short but uneventful. The same couldn't be said about the landing. The shuttle shuddered as soon as it hit the atmosphere, and Mara had to struggle to keep it level until she set it down in the spaceport.

She didn't know whether to thank the Force for keeping her safe or the Emperor for ensuring she received the best flight training. In the end she decided to thank herself for keeping up her skills over the years.

To her relief, the spaceport mechanic was able to confirm her diagnostic: a busted coil. Replacement would be inexpensive but would take a few hours. That was fine with her; the mechanic didn't need to access the inside to make the repair, so she felt comfortable leaving the ship to make the delivery.

She found the client in the cantina, just as Karrde said, eager to get his hands on the cargo. He was just as unpleasant as Karrde described, but she faked a smile through their entire conversation and graciously accepted his credits.

Her job was done. She breathed a sigh of relief and checked her chrono, then promptly scowled. She'd only been on planet for half an hour.

What the hell was she supposed to do until her ship was repaired, sit around and twiddle her thumbs in the cockpit? No thanks. She rarely got to be planetside by herself anymore, and she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. It felt a hell of a lot nicer being on her own when she had someplace to return to. She tried not to dwell on that fact too much.

Instead, she bought herself a drink at the bar. Nobody tried to engage her in conversation, which pleased her. She checked her chrono again. Only fifteen minutes had passed since the client left. She'd have to drink a lot slower if she wanted to be sober enough to fly later, but that would make the bartender give her a side eye for taking up space at the bar.

Well, she could always explore the port. There were other businesses besides the cantina. And none of them had anything to do with Luke Skywalker.

Don't think about him. He's inconsequential.

Right. Like that was likely. Once he wormed his way into her brain it was impossible to think about anything else. With a huff, she made her way to a speeder rental. Nothing like flying through the forest with the wind in her hair to clear her mind.

She'd gotten about half an hour away from the port when she first felt it: an unmistakable tug pulling her to the right. She braked and consulted the map of the planet on her datapad, frowning at the results. Nothing there but more forest. She continued on, and the feeling grew stronger. One thing the Emperor had taught her-and she hated admitting he'd taught her anything useful-was not to ignore her instincts, because they were more than that. They were the work of the Force.

If only she believed she still had that power.

Despite her misgivings, she steered her speeder in that direction. She had nothing better to do until her ship was ready, and Devaron was a relatively safe planet. Not that she couldn't take care of herself. After five minutes, she was beginning to think she'd imagined that pull as a way to make herself think she remained strong in the Force. Then, over the treetops, a stone structure came into view. It reminded her of a pyramid, like the ones the Rebels used as their base on Yavin 4. Goosebumps rose on her flesh. Had the Rebels made this one of their bases? If so, why the hell had she been drawn here?

Eventually the forest cleared, and the entire structure came into view. It rose a hundred feet above the ground in a roughly pyramid shape, but had become run down over time. No vehicles were parked outside it. No sounds emanated from inside. When she closed her eyes, she couldn't sense anyone living nearby. Only animals. She stared at the building for a long time, the speeder idling beneath her. What the hell was she doing here?

There was only one way to find out.

Checking her holdout blaster, wishing she had more weapons to defend herself, she dismounted the speeder and crept inside the building. She paused to let her eyes adjust to the dim light, then continued moving forward. The ceiling was not completely closed in, allowing filtered sunlight to stream inside. She could still hear birds calling from the forest. Her earlier trepidation vanished, replaced by a sense of peace she hadn't felt in years. Not since she'd first been named the Emperor's Hand, and her place in the Empire-and the universe-had been solidified. Serving the Empire had given her a purpose, something to live for, and that had been taken away from her. She'd tried to find a new purpose since then, but that empty ache would never go away. Not until now, when the sunlight and air inside this mysterious place finally filled the void.

She almost sank to her knees in relief... but then she felt something else. The danger sense she'd honed over the years blared into existence, accompanied by a familiar yet unwelcome presence.

The holdout blaster sprang into her hand at the same time she whipped around, the muzzle leveled directly at Luke Skywalker's forehead.

Skywalker froze just inside the entrance, hands raised, but did not seem alarmed. Instead the bastard smiled. "Mara Jade. We have to stop meeting like this."

His affability made her even angrier. "What the hell are you doing here?" What a dumb question; it was obvious this had to be the Jedi temple he'd mentioned on Wayland. Why hadn't she realized it before?

Another dumb question. Because she hadn't wanted to. Otherwise she'd have to confront the reason why she'd been drawn here, and why she'd felt that intoxicating sense of serenity.

Had to be Skywalker playing tricks on her.

Skywalker simply blinked. "I come here whenever I'm on the planet." He moved inside the temple so he was almost a meter away from her, his arms still held by his head. "Does this mean you've changed your mind?"

His question, asked so nonchalantly, made her blaster shake in her hand. "What? No." Realizing how pointless it was to still be pointing a weapon at him, she stuck the holdout blaster back under her sleeve. "I'm here on business."

Skywalker slowly lowered his hands. "You came to the Jedi temple on business?"

"I didn't know it was the Jedi temple when I found it," she hissed. "Look, my boss asked me to make a delivery. My ship blew a coil on landing and I'm waiting for it to be replaced. I rented a speeder so I didn't go stir crazy in port, and then I stumbled upon this building. That's it."

Skywalker nodded. "Talon Karrde, right?"

"Huh?"

"Your boss is Talon Karrde, the smuggler, correct?"

Her shoulders squared. "Actually he prefers to be called an information broker. What do you care? How do you even know who he is?"

Skywalker shrugged. "I spend a lot of time outside the Galactic center these days. Karrde's name has been getting around. Seems like a decent replacement for Jabba."

The mention of Jabba's name raised Mara's hackles. "Karrde isn't a gangster."

"That's why I said he's a decent replacement for Jabba. Those types of organizations will never go away, so they might as well be led by someone with morals. I can see why you agreed to work for him."

Mara decided it was better not to know how or why Skywalker was keeping tabs on her. "I needed money. We can't all go flying across the galaxy in search of greater meaning and purpose." She didn't mean for that to sound as snide as it did.

Skywalker, big surprise, took no offense. "I'm lucky, I admit. Although sometimes it doesn't feel like it." He glanced at his feet. "Sorry. I was really hoping you'd changed your mind."

"Why? Both times we've met, I've pointed a weapon at you."

"You haven't taken a shot at me yet."

"Are you trying to convince me?"

Skywalker laughed. "Not particularly. I prefer being alive for now."

Mara snorted to herself. Right; when Skywalker decided he was done with the land of the living, he could probably just will himself into the Force or some other such nonsense. What did life or death matter to a Jedi, especially now that the war had been won?

"Why?" she said, unable to stop herself.

"Why what?"

She waved her hand around her head. "Why do you prefer being alive?"

Skywalker shrugged. "I haven't passed on what I've learned."

Her hackles raised again, ready to fight, to say there was no way in hell he was ever going to teach her to be a Jedi. Then she realized what he meant. "Right. Your nephew." Ben Solo's birth had been announced across the New Republic as the next great hope of the galaxy. "I assume he's Force sensitive, like you?"

"Like my sister and me," Skywalker clarified. "But yes, he is. It will come down to me to teach him one day. I want to make sure I know what I'm doing." For once, his perfect aura of confidence seemed to disappear.

Suddenly it all clicked-why Skywalker was gallivanting across the galaxy trying to find Jedi lore and artifacts instead of finding new students to train. He wanted to know why everything had gone so terribly wrong before he attempted to make things right. Having his nephew as a test subject had to be an awful burden.

For the first time, Mara felt sorry for him.

It only lasted for a second. "Then why did you ask me if I changed my mind?"

Now it was his turn to be thrown. "Huh?"

"You asked if I'd changed my mind about joining you, but you're obviously not ready to teach anyone yet. So why hound me about it?"

Skywalker ran a hand over his mouth, attempting to smother a grin. "Asking you twice hardly amounts to hounding. And I believe you're the person who found my temple."

"Details."

"Important details. And I never said anything about teaching. I just said you could join me. We could learn about the Force together."

"I don't want to learn about the Force, and I sure as hell don't want to learn about it with you."

Skywalker stepped back and raised his hands again. "Okay. I get the point."

Mara clenched her fists and glared at her feet. She shouldn't feel bad about hurting Skywalker's feelings. She barely knew the man. What she did know told her she should stay far away from him. Once a Rebel, always a Rebel.

Once an Imperial, always an Imperial.

"Fine," she said, looking up at him. "I'll consider it. If you tell me what really happened on the Death Star."

"I told you," Skywalker said. "Vader killed Palpatine."

Mara shook her head. "I don't buy it. That's not the story you told the galaxy."

"I didn't tell the galaxy anything. All I said was Palpatine and Vader were dead. I can't control what rumors people spread."

"You can certainly put a stop to them."

Skywalker shrugged. "I've tried. People will believe what they want. It doesn't matter, anyway. I know the truth."

Mara put her hands on her hips. Stars, the man was infuriating. "Tell me, then. I deserve to know what happened. He was... " She trailed off, a lump forming in her throat, which made her even more furious. He was her master, and now he was dead, and he'd taken the entire Empire with him. He'd treated her like a child yet he hadn't cared what happened to her after he was gone. Why did she care how he died?

Skywalker moved to her and reached out his hand, but stopped shy of touching her shoulder. Smart man. "Hey. It's okay. I understand."

"How the hell could you possibly understand? You're the golden boy, the son of a hero who became a hero himself. What could you possibly know about my life?"

He glanced at his feet. "You'd be surprised." He paused, opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it, like he'd thought better of himself.

She reached out with the Force, knowing she wasn't powerful enough to break through any of his barriers but unable to stop herself. He was hiding something, something important-something that was none of her business but she still yearned to know. Like it would make the missing piece of the puzzle fall into place.

She got nothing from him.

Her comlink beeped.

She nearly jumped, then turned away from Skywalker to check the message. It was the mechanic alerting her the ship was ready. She should be relieved to have an excuse to leave, so why did her heart sink?

"Repairs are finished?" Skywalker asked in a flat voice, all traces of good humor gone.

"Yeah," Mara said, swallowing the lump in her throat. That was faster than promised. "I better go. Karrde's waiting for me at the rendezvous." A lie, but Skywalker didn't know that.

"Good flying, then." Skywalker moved out of her way and walked further inside the temple.

Mara watched him before heading for the exit. She'd almost reached the doorway before he called out to her. Despite her better judgment, she stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Palpatine goaded me into attacking him," Skywalker began. "Vader jumped in and fought me instead. I overpowered him, but refused to join the dark side and kill him in anger. Palpatine attacked me with Force lightning. I was defenseless-I'd thrown away my lightsaber, refusing to fight anymore-and the only thing I could do was call out to Vader to save me. And he did. Threw Palpatine down the reactor shaft and fatally injured himself in the process."

It was the truth. Mara could feel that in her bones. She tried to envision the scene in her mind, comparing it to the vision she'd seen through her master. At least she thought she'd seen it. Was it only wishful thinking? It was so much easier to believe Skywalker killed them both. Made her bitterness easier to swallow.

One thing didn't make sense, though. "Why would Vader save you?"

Skywalker looked away. "He just did."

That was a lie. But it was pointless to press the issue. If Skywalker wanted to tell her the whole truth, he would. Everything else about him was an open book. This particular knowledge was a secret he'd take to the grave, whether he wanted to or not.

That was fine. He didn't owe her anything, and she had her own secrets.

She nodded. "Thank you for telling me."

She left without saying good-bye.

She was certain she'd see him again soon.