AND NEVER RETURN

By: TygerEye Antilles

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. It is that simple.
Author's Note: This piece of fanfiction takes place after *The Jedi
Academy Trilogy* and *I, Jedi*. For the purpose of this story, I
am ignoring the books that occur after these novels.
Summary: When Luke Skywalker embarks on a search for a missing
friend, he finds more trouble than he had anticipated, including a
planet that wants to remain hidden...

AND NEVER RETURN

CHAPTER ONE

Mara Jade cursed silently as she twisted the two wires together and
applied a small amount of fusing agent. She was glad she'd
remembered to restock her repair kit with this liquid during her
last delivery on Bothawui. Her day had begun normal, with the
promise of a long hyperspace trip to deliver soul gems to the windy
planet Ryloth, but had quickly gone downhill when an Interdictor
Cruiser yanked both the *Jade's Fire* and the *Odd Origin*, her
partner for this venture, out of lightspeed. Mara shook her head:
it was as if anyone could buy an Interdictor Cruiser nowadays. The
pirate group that had been waiting for any unfortunate prey was not
well coordinated, but they had the necessary equipment to manage to
injure the *Fire* before she could escape the cone-shaped area
projected by the Cruiser and escape to the relative safety of
hyperspace. Mara had waited for the *Odd Origin* to jump before she
did, since the *Fire* was better prepared to stand up to the pirates
than the other freighter.

However, once in hyperspace, Mara found a problem with the
navcomputer-some glitch probably caused by the ion blasts that she'd
thought glanced off the shields-and she'd been forced to pull her
ship out of lightspeed. She was not sure where she was; the
navcomputer also contained the maps of the galaxy, and until she
could fix it and have it working, she could not risk another jump.
True, she kept updated maps in the cockpit in case something like
this happened, like any veteran pilot, but she was an hour at
lightspeed away from somewhere along the hyperspace lane to Ryloth.
She hadn't had time to check her coordinates when she was yanked out
by the Interdictor Cruiser. She didn't have enough information to
even attempt to locate her current position. So she was now
spending her valuable time trying to repair the navcomputer, which
led to a problem in her engines; apparently more shots had gotten
past than she'd expected. She would be behind schedule by at least
half a day, but more likely an entire day. Hopefully the *Odd
Origin* was already near Ryloth, intact. It would be difficult
enough for the green pilot to navigate the stormy atmosphere of the
Twi'lek homeplanet without having to deal with a system failure of
any sort.

She eased out of the uncovered compartment, being careful to make
sure she didn't touch anything else. The *Fire* was finicky,
sometimes, although not nearly as fussy as the famous *Millennium
Falcon*. Mara knew she would be late for delivering the soul gems,
nothing could prevent that now, and that would delay her arrival at
a meeting on Alzoc III with several of the Talz chiefs regarding a
possible trade agreement. She would probably miss the entire
conference on Mon Calamari as well.

Her thoughts were interrupted and she burst into a run when she felt
the initial blasts. Mara had been attacked enough to immediately
recognize lasers hitting her ship. She reached the cockpit and
began checking the controls. Her sensors captured an image of four
snubfighters of unknown models. Lasers splashed against the
transparisteel viewport as the flight came around in unison for
another run. Now it was time for Mara to prove her piloting
skills. At the last second before the fighters reached her, she
pulled the *Jade's Fire* directly in front of them. They broke into
pairs, abandoning the diamond formation they'd obviously practiced
many times. Mara didn't wonder where she was exactly or where these
pilots practiced. She knew that the only time to think about that
was when she survived. Four snubfighters against her freighter?
She'd had much worse odds before.

She tracked one of the pairs and focused on the leader. She fired
her own lasers, hitting the wingmate and sending him reeling for a
moment before he brought the small fighter back behind his boss.

On the next pass, she managed to bring down two of the fighters-
they'd flown too closely together and when she hit one, the other
collided with wreckage inside the debris cloud that had formerly
been his wingmate. She guessed, from the burst of air released,
that the debris had punctured the cockpit. Her shield control
demanded her attention, and she realized that they were slowly
failing. One of the pilots must have been extremely lucky. Or, it
could have simply been her lack of luck with her earlier run-in with
the blasted pirates. No more shots had gotten through to cause any
real damage to her precious ship, but it was only a matter of time.
Sithspawn. Two ships left-surely she could destroy them both before
her own shields gave out. She had no choice, unless she risked an
uncalculated hyperspace jump. Since she didn't even know where
exactly she was, that would be her last option.

The leader brought his ship around in a tight arc, and Mara dove,
using a simple maneuver nearly every pilot had been taught. It
would have worked better in a starfighter, but Mara had to work with
what she had. She pulled the ship back in a crushing climb, yanking
the controls around so that she could fire at the remaining ships.
Targeting one, she waited a moment for the confirming tone from the
weapons control...

And another alarm blared, drowning out the lock tone as the sensors
found eight other starfighters, to complete a squadron, and a ninth
ship, much larger, close to the equivalent of a Corellian Corvette.

The barrage on the *Jade's Fire* finally managed to ruin the
shields, and severely damaged the engines. After the freighter was
left powerless, the attack stopped. Mara had been able to decrease
their numbers by two more starfighters before her ship couldn't
respond anymore. The *Fire* was crippled; her engines mostly slag,
her shields gone. Two of the holds, one of which contained soul
gems, were open to the vacuum of space. There had been a fire, but
one of the few systems that still operated were automatic fire
extinguishers, so that danger was quickly ended.

The Corellian Corvette analog caught the *Jade's Fire* in a tractor
beam, and began to pull the ship towards it.

The gas planet Yavin was a glowing red orb in the distance as the
cloaked Jedi Master made his way to the top of the Great Temple at
sunset. It had become a habit of his to watch the sunrise and
sunset from this high perch. He inhaled the humid air and sat cross-
legged on the cool stones. The sun cast its lasting radiance on the
treetops and turned the large leaves blood red and royal purple.
The Jedi Academy was in its summer season (though Yavin 4's winter
weather was summer on many worlds) and the temperatures would not
drop enough to make the Temple pleasant to the majority of the
people there, including the all-powerful Jedi Master himself. It
was not the hot temperatures that bothered the Tatooine farmboy-the
humidity was the killing factor.

Luke deeply inhaled the musky scent of leaves and wildlife. Just as
Yoda had retreated to Dagobah, a world teeming with life, so Luke
retreated to Yavin 4, choosing to remain away from the political
world of Coruscant. It was easy to slip into meditation when
surrounded with the Force and its carriers. This daily ritual
allowed him to release tension and negative feelings that may have
built up during the day, and clear his mind for the next day, where
he would teach the new generation of Jedi.

The lightshow ended in a myriad of vivid colors bleeding away, and
Luke felt his consciousness slip into another kind of colored
vortex. Instead of taking the negative feelings from him, the Force
began to construct an image. A vision.

He couldn't see her face, but he immediately recognized her aura.
Strong, intelligent. Dangerous. Although Mara Jade was usually
impatient, she was in fact the opposite when she was tinkering with
her ship. It was as if working on a machine served as a form of
therapy for the Master Trader.

The vision blurred, and suddenly the ship began to shudder under the
onslaught of laser cannons. Alarms all over the ship began to
scream. Mara bolted for the cockpit, turned the shields up to full
and flipped the weapons panel on. Another series of images
flickered past his consciousness, none that made sense, and then he
was suddenly aware of his location, on the top of the Jedi Academy.
He was staring over the edge, dangerously balanced as though he'd
been thrown from the vision to stare hundreds of meters below.

The sun had vanished beneath the horizon, and the early dusk that
surrounded him brought a sense of stillness. He could feel his
heart pounding, the adrenaline rushing through his veins. But a
cold knot growing in his stomach underlined all of this.

"Master Skywalker?"

Luke pushed himself away from the ledge. He closed his eyes
momentarily, to slow his breathing and regain his composure. "Yes,
Tionne?"

"Talon Karrde, a Trader, left a message for you on the-"

Luke jumped up and began to run for the staircase back down to the
main levels of the Academy.

"On the communication system downstairs. He requests that you
contact him as soon as possible," the silver-haired bard finished
lamely. She shook her head and followed the Jedi Master at a much
slower pace. He was still getting over the illness he'd caught
earlier in the month-he really shouldn't be running around yet.

A few minutes later, Luke stepped onto the projection field of the
comm unit. Talon Karrde appeared the moment the connection
finished. Apparently the Trader had been waiting for the Jedi to
contact him.

"Master Skywalker, I'm glad you could return my call so quickly."

"Where's Mara?" were the first words from his mouth.

Talon blinked, surprised. "Uh, I'm not sure. We're looking into it-"

"We?"

"I have a couple of people looking around. The *Fire* and another
ship were stopped by a group of pirates a system or two away from
Ryloth. Our information from the *Odd Origin* is rather sketchy.
The pilot is still a new one; this was his first solo flight. I
sent him with Mara so she could look after him when he tried to
navigate through Ryloth's atmosphere. Pirates attacked, armed with
what I guess from his story was an Interdictor Cruiser, and the new
kid managed to get away. He isn't sure whether Mara had already
jumped or not, but assumed she would be all right. I'm sending a
team out to search around for her. She must have sustained damage,
considering how long it will take to have the *Odd Origin* back up
to specs." Karrde studied the younger man's face. "It was one of
your Jedi things," he said with certainty. "The Force allows you to
feel her presence. Tell me, Luke, is she all right?"

Luke ran a hand through his short hair. "I don't know. I mean, I
know she's not dead, but there's too much of a distance between us.
She's just too damned far away."

"At least we know she's still out there." Talon took a deep
breath. "Ryloth is in the Outer Rim. That will explain the distance."

Luke nodded in agreement. "I'm going to need a ship."

"Shouldn't you stay with your Academy?" Talon asked, raising an
eyebrow. "Last I heard, you weren't exactly drowning under capable
instructors there."

"Kam Solusar and the others can handle my classes for a little
while. I only taught a few students, anyway, the most experienced.
They can help Kam and Tionne. And Kyp's still here, so he can take
on some students." He paused. "If I can get to Ryloth, I will be
able to find her."

"Are you certain?"

"Talon, nothing is certain. You know that. But I think I will be
able to find her. If I can get near to her location, maybe she can
tell me where she is, make it easier on all of us."

Karrde sighed to himself. He wasn't sure why he felt on the verge
of panic. Mara was a big girl; she could take care of herself.
She'd proven herself to be capable of the impossible numerous
times. So pirates had attacked her-it had happened before. And she
always managed to win, or at least escape so that she could finish
her journey. Why was this one different? Talon touched the screen
of a computer console next to the comm system. "I'm going to have a
Rodian pilot by the name of Asre stop at Yavin 4. Will there be any
problem with him staying there for a few days before I can send
another ship out to pick him up?"

"No problem at all," the Jedi Master responded quickly.

"Good. He should be there in two days, at most. Probably less.
He'll have supplies on board, so don't worry about rations and such."

"Isn't this Asre going to be mad that I'm taking his ship?"

"It isn't his ship, it's one of mine."

"Oh. Okay, I'll be waiting."

Talon nodded briefly. "Good. Karrde out."

AND NEVER RETURN

CHAPTER TWO

Luke rolled his shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension from
his muscles. He sat in the cockpit of the *Lotta Luck*, a freighter
a little larger than the *Jade's Fire*. The stars had elongated
into streaks, and now the farmboy-turned-Jedi Master was left with a
full week in hyperspace before he reached
Ryloth. He found himself wishing that he'd been selfish enough to
bring Artoo-Detoo with him, but shook his head. He was right to
leave the astromech droid behind; Artoo would do more good at the
Academy, taking care of things while his owner was gone. But that
didn't mean that Luke had to like his decision.

However, just because Artoo wasn't there didn't mean that Luke would
be alone on the trip. Talon Karrde had forgotten to mention the
artificial intelligence unit onboard. Luke had barely walked onto
the ship when a woman demanded what he was doing there. It took the
Jedi Master a moment to realize that the Rodian pilot of the *Lotta
Luck* had not told "Cat" that there would be a new pilot before he
gave Luke the access codes and he'd been forced to search for Asre
so that he could explain to Cat what was going on. Luke had gotten
used to speaking with droids, especially Artoo-Detoo, but Cat had a
personality like he'd never seen before in a computer, and he found
it immediately impossible to get along with her. After a few
minutes, he had come to an agreement with the computer: he would let
her do her job, including navigating and piloting, and she'd leave
him alone. She hadn't been happy with the second part of the deal,
but she seemed to regard piloting the ship herself to be more
important than leaving the new passenger to his self-imposed
isolation.

Luke reflected on the two days spent anxiously awaiting the ship
that would take him to the other side of the galaxy. Even Tionne,
the most mild-mannered woman he had ever met, finally told him to
either shield his emotions better or stay away from the students.
Luke hadn't even realized he'd been projecting, and with a farmboy
blush creeping up his neck, he reinforced the mental shields to
prevent that from happening again. His mind was a whirlwind of
emotions: worry because Mara was still missing and he couldn't sense
whether she was injured or not, and fear because he had felt and
seen the ships surrounding her. And a growing dread that he could
not place.

He had reviewed the vision in his mind's eye countless times. He
could no longer clearly see the beginning, where she realized she
was under attack for the second time that day, but the other visions
grew brighter and more detailed. Even with the clearer picture,
though, he could not understand what the visions were trying to tell
him. He usually saw visions of the future-why would the Force show
him an event that had been happening when he had no chance to stop
it? It didn't make sense to him.

Luke stared at the stars blazing by the cockpit and subconsciously
reached to the Force, stretching out for Mara's presence. He always
thought it near impossible to touch any individual presence when at
lightspeed, and he'd theorized that life could not follow at that
speed. Then he remembered with vivid clarity when Obi-Wan Kenobi
had still been alive, at 0.4 past lightspeed on the *Millennium
Falcon*. Old Ben had still felt Alderaan's death. Luke guessed
that with a large death, not even hyperspace was a haven for Force-
sensitives, much less trained Jedi Knights.

That brought up an interesting question. Would a Jedi sense if
someone close to them died, with at least one of them at
lightspeed? Was it just the size of the death, or also the
closeness to the Jedi?

What about Mara? Would Luke sense her death if in hyperspace? It
was an interesting question, but not one Luke wanted to dwell on,
much less test.

He stifled a cough and stood up to walk to the small kitchen. He
needed something hot to warm his body, and he hoped that the Rodian
had a taste for hot chocolate. *Of course not*, he thought to
himself as he searched through the cabinets. He'd just have to make
due with caf. He brought the mug with him as he entered the room
he'd claimed for himself.

He and Mara had a bond, a special tie within the Force. As soon as
he'd met her, as soon as he'd felt her unforgettable Force
signature, he knew that she was different from anyone else he'd met
or would ever know. As they grew to be friends, and as he became
her teacher in discovering the light side and refining her
considerable Force talents, he discovered that it was more
comforting and enjoyable to be near Mara than even his twin sister.
This was strange, yet still made a sort of sense to the Jedi
Master. Mara Jade was his opposite. While she was easily incensed,
he remained Jedi calm. She was quick to the offensive, but he and
his na? ideals remained defensive. They were like two sides of
the same decicred-but both accentuated and complemented the other's
personalities.

Luke shook his head, trying to banish his current tram of thoughts.
He already knew where it was going-he'd been there before. He
refused to make anything more of his and Mara's friendship. He put
the mug down on a crate and stretched out on the bunk. Finally
closing his eyes, he drifted to sleep, knowing full well that his
dreams would continue what he refused to consciously contemplate.

Mara woke in stages with a pounding headache. She opened her eyes,
blinking in the bright light that her eyes were unaccustomed to.
She wanted to move her head to look around the room, but her head
felt too heavy to even attempt such a feat. Closing her eyes
against the offending light, she concentrated enough to touch the
Force inside herself and used it to ease her headache. Pain
suppression was not her strongest talent, but she was adept enough
to reduce the pounding to a dull throbbing between her temples.
More cautiously, she opened her eyes a second time, but nothing had
changed.

Mara used what strength she had to push herself into a sitting
position. Her entire chest felt as if it had burst into flames, and
her breath hissed through her clenched teeth, but she refused to lie
back down. The room she was in was remarkably plain-light blue
walls flowing seamlessly into a ceiling of the same color, with
glowlamps embedded at intervals to provide the light she'd found so
obnoxious. She was lying on the single bed in the room. On a table
next to her was a complex-looking machine. After a moment, Mara saw
that the machinery routinely scanned her body to record her vitals
and check on the healing process. They would already know she was
awake. Whoever "they" were, she didn't know. All she could
remember were bits and pieces. Making the hyperspace jump to escape
the pirates. Having to defend her ship when unknown fighters began
attacking. Having to defend *herself* when a boarding party entered
her defeated ship. But these memories lacked continuity, and she
found *that* above all to be the most annoying. She knew she had
taken out three humanoids before the fourth had shot her, but she
couldn't remember what the attackers looked like, only that her mind
had automatically classified them as "humanoids". The pain that she
had felt upon waking was only a shadow of the original pain, and
Mara wondered what she had been shot with.

The door slid open and a tall woman walked in. She wore a long
white simple tunic and a pale grey skirt that brushed the ground.
Mara estimated the woman to be a little short of two meters, but was
unsure. It was always difficult for her to determine height when
she was sitting or lying down. The woman appeared to be perfectly
human, with a few exceptions: skin the shade of amethyst and a
cluster of dark purple dots decorating the right side of her face.
Her hair was white and cut short to where it barely brushed her
shoulders. Her irises were a vivid topaz.

"Well, I see that you are awake," the woman said, her voice deep but
rhythmic. "I wondered when or even if you would regain
consciousness, Miss Jade."

"Where am I?" Mara demanded. She silently congratulated herself for
keeping her voice emotionless. She knew that the same lack of
expression was worn on her face. She was obviously in hostile
territory and she had to be careful. She prided herself on
recognizing a good percentage of the sentient species in the galaxy,
but she'd never seen this type before, and that seriously annoyed
her.

"You are in a Medical Center onplanet," the humanoid answered. "I
am Treneda Iranil. I have been assigned to your case."

Mara, having found someone to keep her attention on so her vision
did not swim, glared at the humanoid. "What case?"

The tall woman looked at Mara. "I will be helping you adjust to
your new home, and will be checking on you at intervals to ensure
that you are adapting well."

"I'm not staying here," Mara said before she could stop herself.
She could feel a strange sense at the edge of her Force presence.
It wasn't her danger sense, she realized, but then something odd
occurred to her. She had a very strong danger sense, but it had not
warned her before the unknown ships began bombarding the *Jade's
Fire*. With the pirates, she'd been given enough time from the
warning before coming out of hyperspace to power up her shields and
weapons.

Treneda cocked her head to the side. "Yes, you are. We do not
allow any being to leave once they've reached our system. Oh,
believe me, Miss Jade-can I call you Mara?-you will love our
planet. From what we understand of your warring galaxy, you will
find ours a delightful change of pace. The entire system is united
under one peaceful constitution-"

"Peaceful? Your people fired on an already damaged freighter-
mine!" Mara's anger at the destruction of her beloved ship was
causing her to speak before thinking.

"We fired to disarm, not to kill, Mara." The humanoid's thin purple
lips curved into a frown. "We attempted to contact you via your
communications system, and when you refused to answer, they
continued according to orders."

"Why attack my ship in the first place?" *My comm system must have
been out as well*, Mara guessed.

"It was nothing personal. No ship is allowed to enter our system
and leave. It is our way of protecting ourselves."

"What system is this? Where am I?"

"The Qantul system. According to maps we have appropriated from
several ships, we believe we are in what your ruling government, the
Galactic Empire, refers to as `Wild Space'."

"The Empire is no longer the ruling government," Mara corrected.
She barely noticed that she no longer felt pain when she thought of
the Empire she'd served faithfully as little more than scattered
warlords with few resources.

"It isn't? The Rebellion beat them?" Treneda asked, surprise evident
in her voice.

"About seven years ago."

"So is the Rebel Alliance the major galactic presence?"

"Yes, but they call themselves the New Republic now."

Treneda was quiet for a minute. "That is odd. The Rebels were weak
and disorganized, even after destroying that Death Star vessel."
Her wide eyes were focused on Mara again. "We gather and construct
the history of the rest of the galaxy from our visitors. It has
been several years since someone passed into our territory. We are
quite lucky to have run across you. Your ship was stocked with maps
and useful records. Including your medkit. We have not yet been
able to copy your design for the bacta patch. As you can tell, we
have a form of bacta, but it is created in our laboratories, and is
not yet as potent as the organic form."

At Treneda's comment, Mara realized that her chest was hurting only
in part from the wound she carried, but there was also a general
ache she associated with mended bones. Her arms had grown tired of
propping her body up, and she pushed herself back so that the wall
held her body upright.

"No one in the Republic has been able to artificially produce
bacta," she said slowly. "That kind of technology would be desired
in the rest of the galaxy. Any number of people would pay
extraordinary amounts of money for that process." Maybe she could
convince these people to let her go, and make more money on the
side. It would take a great deal of money to make up for the soul
gems, and the *Fire*.

The humanoid waved the comment away. "Our people are comfortable
with our life now. We remain hidden from the wars, so our peoples'
lives are not uselessly expended in territory and dominance
quarrels."

"So in order to maintain this, this cowardly approach, you imprison
anyone who accidentally enters the system?" Mara asked hotly.

"Judging by the way you phrased your question, I believe you already
know the answer. However, I must correct you. Our people are not
cowards. We are cautious observers. We value life. Our people
have always honored life, and so, yes, we do capture intruders, no
matter their innocence. We also help them find their niche in our
beautiful system. We help them find homes and we help them pay for
those homes. We help them find work. We regret being forced to
take these people from their galaxy, but we have a duty to protect
the common people." Treneda's speech seemed to have taken a lot out
of her. "I apologize for having kept you awake, Miss Jade. I know
you must be in pain, and extremely exhausted. I will let you rest."

The purple-skinned woman placed a handful of computer chips on the
table and helped Mara to lie back down again.

"Those are information datacards-that is what you call them, no?-and
there is a reader for them inside the drawer. They have the history
of our system, and any kind of information you'll need. One of our
foreigners created it, so I believe it will answer any questions you
undoubtedly have." She walked to the door and turned back. "Oh,
and by the way, welcome to Kath'alon. I am quite certain you will
enjoy it here."

AND NEVER RETURN

CHAPTER THREE

After two days spent avoiding the artificial intelligence unit, Luke
finally submitted when Cat began setting off random alarms in his
room to startle him out of meditation. Although the Jedi Master was
often considered to have infinite patience, not even the Force could
fully deafen him to the blaring of a proximity alarm every few
minutes. When he left his room, the entire ship was eerily silent,
and Luke stifled the urge to demand that Cat stop annoying him. It
would probably be a useless waste of breath-he had a feeling that
she would ignore him.

In the small kitchen, she finally spoke. "Wanna play a game? I
have a dejarik board."

Luke found it aggravating not to be able to address an actual droid
body. "Will you leave me alone after that? No alarms, or anything
like that?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Luke wondered what had been done to create this sort of
personality. Artoo and Threepio had not had their memory cores
wiped clean in several years, but not even they had this degree of
human characteristics.

"I'll set it up in the common room," she said happily. Luke shook
his head as he poured himself a mug of hot chocolate. He'd had to
substitute one or two ingredients, but he thought (hoped) that it
would taste okay. He brought the steaming mug with him to where the
dejarik holographic board was waiting. The room was completely
silent, and Luke guessed Cat had gone somewhere else momentarily.
Walking towards one of the chairs, he lifted the drink to his mouth.

"I want to be red," Cat announced, startling Luke and nearly making
him spill the hot liquid.

"Blast it! Can't you make a sound or something before trying to
scare me to death? I never know when you're here or not," he
complained.

"I did make a sound. It's not my fault that you're jumpy," she
sniffed, then added, accusingly, "This hasn't been much fun. Joran
warned me that you'd be boring. I should have believed him." If
she'd have had a body, Luke imagined that she would be shaking her
head. "He told me I should probably just shut myself off for the
duration of your trip."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. After a pause, he said, "I know I've
been a boring guest. I'm edgy, I know. The reason I'm here is
because I'm trying to find a friend whose ship was attacked. I've
been meditating, trying to see if I could make sense of the visions
the Force sent me." He felt slightly foolish explaining all this to
a strange droid, but he oddly felt better telling someone. The only
other person who knew where he was going was Talon Karrde.

Cat was silent for a moment. "Waitaminute...you're Jedi?"

Luke nodded.

"Cool." If she were human, he imagined she'd have a quirky
grin. "I've never beaten a Jedi at dejarik before."

Luke guessed that she had accepted his apology. "We haven't even
started playing yet. How do you know I'm not a good player?"

"No one can beat me at dejarik."

"Pride is of the dark side," Luke commented.

"I'm a computer. Pride does not affect me," she said in a superior
tone. "It's the simple truth. I'm the best."

"Then why should I bother trying?" he asked, trying hard to hide his
growing grin. This bantering reminded him strongly of the
competitions between him and the same woman he was trying to find.

"Because it'll amuse me, and you owe me that, at least, because you
ignored me for 152 hours, and thirty-two minutes. Fifteen point
five seconds."

"Fine, fine. You want red?"

"That's what I said."

Luke tapped his side of the board to make his holographic creatures
appear. "Prepare to lose, Cat."

"In your dreams, Jedi-boy."

Consciousness came quicker the second time around. The headache
wasn't as intense as before and the Force completely eased it away.
The lights in the room were not as blinding as before, although Mara
wasn't sure whether that was due to an actual change in brightness
or whether her eyes had just been hypersensitive the first time she
woke up. Probably the latter.

She had a feeling of surrealism, as if she were still dreaming. She
could almost pretend that she had not spent time in a bacta tank, or
whatever these people used. She pushed herself upright again, and
it was easier. Her chest still ached, and her muscles were sore
from lack of usage, but she knew that would go away eventually.

She turned and touched her bare feet to the warm floor. The room
stayed in place this time, and for this small miracle Mara was
grateful. She guessed that these humanoids had helped her heal her
head-she now had a vague memory of having hit it when they attacked
the *Fire*. Her body didn't feel steady enough to stand up quite
yet, so she picked up one of the datacards and inserted it into the
reader. The format was set up like the old Imperial databanks, and
was written in Basic only. Definitely created by someone during the
Imperial regime. The Republic databanks were written in at least
three languages: Basic, Bothan and the local dialect. The Bothans
had constantly complained that they were not given enough credit for
all the work they did during the Rebellion, and to shut them up,
their language was posted underneath Basic.

Mara skimmed through the information. There were three inhabitable
planets in the system of eight worlds: Kath'alon, Javsret, and
Eqiirsa. From Treneda's parting comment, Mara knew she was on the
main planet, Kath'alon. There was a paragraph written about the
local plant life, and just to be on the safe side, she scanned
through it. The author of this section was a colorful writer, and
Mara found several of the phrases to be oddly worded. Something
stuck in her mind, a mention of the carnivorous Ithorian redleaf
bloom. Those plants were well known in horror tales as three-meter
high, seven-petal flowers that were capable of digesting a human-
sized meal. The botanist who had written this had made two
mistakes: the carnivorous flowers were named blueleaf despite their
color, and two, they never existed, although rumors of their
existence had been spread through the Empire.

Code. An old Imperial word play code that hadn't been used since
she had first begun training as an infiltrator.

She went back and read through the first and second paragraphs
again, memorizing the third word per sentence. Then she arranged
them in the predetermined order, and took the second-to-last letter
per word to spell out the name of the agent: konner donteril. Konner
Donteril.

Mara's mind read of the rules of approach: locate author, comm
author and ask for "Calyn Xerom". Agent would give the forwarding
address. From there, the contactor goes to the mentioned address
three days later, at the time he or she originally called.

Even as these rules were mechanically read off, one thought kept
running through her mind: Konner was alive.

"Now that wasn't fair," Luke complained. "You cheated."

"I did not," Cat responded indignantly. "Don't blame me if you play
like a *nechivno*."

Luke recognized the word to be one of Han's favored Old Corellian
insults.

"Besides," the computer added before Luke could say anything, "Are
you going to try and convince me that the other five games were
flukes?"

"I was just warming up," he said defensively.

"As if I actually believe that. I'm sure it must be strange for you;
you can't use your Jedi powers to influence my mind."

Luke started laughing. "I don't use my powers that way." Imagine
what his sister would say-Luke Skywalker using the Force to win a
measly dejarik game. No, forget his sister-what would Mara say?
He'd never live it down.

"I'm sure, Jedi-boy."

"I don't," Luke insisted. "I'm not supposed to trivialize the Force
like that."

"What if you were playing saabac?"

"No," he said. Cat wasn't the first one to ask these questions.
Numerous diplomats at countless dinners refused to believe that the
Jedi Master wouldn't abuse his powers.

"No, listen to me. You didn't let me finish. You're playing saabac
to win money for your little Jedi Academy, and you're playing
against murderers who stole the money they're playing with. Would
you use the Force to win that money so that you could expand your
Academy to fit more students to increase the future number of Jedi
in the galaxy?"

"That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair. What would you do?"

"You know, it's easy for a computer to come up with these
hypothetical questions, because you know you'll never have to answer
them for yourself."

"Excuses, excuses, Skywalker. What would be your choice?"

*Oh, why the hell not?* "Sure, it's for a good cause."

"So you would let the ends justify the means?"

"I can't believe that a computer is trying to get me involved in a
discussion on my morals."

"You don't want to talk about that? How about we change the topic?"

"Gladly."

"Okay. This woman you're looking for. Who is she?"

"Mara Jade." Luke pushed his chair back. He didn't even want to
look at the latest massacre on the game board.

"I didn't ask for her name. I want to know who she is."

"She's a Master Trader, one of Talon Karrde's."

"Look, Jedi-boy, I don't know whether you are consciously acting
stupid or not. Simple info like that I can access in a heartbeat.
I want to know why you're searching for her."

"She's a friend of mine." He cleared his throat.

"A close friend?"

"Yes," he acknowledged.

"How close?"

"We're friends," Luke answered, trying to find a way to evade more
interrogation. He thought having a computer question his morals was
bad enough. This was worse.

"Girlfriend?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I am not going to answer that."

"Oh, come on," Cat whined. "I rarely get to see the sludgenews, and
I want gossip."

"I can't believe you watch that crap, Cat."

"A girl needs to keep herself occupied somehow. Anyhow, you know
what you need? Besides a girlfriend?" Just as he opened his mouth
to say something, she answered her own question. "You need to lose
another game of dejarik, to get your mind off of this."

Luke f AND NEVER RETURN

CHAPTER FOUR

"These are your identification cards, based on the information we
got off of your ship," Treneda said as she handed Mara a wallet.
Mara glanced at the holographic cards inside, and seeing no
mistakes, closed it. The purple humanoid next gave Mara a suitcase,
and the human placed it on the bed to look through it. The lock was
already keyed to her fingerprints, and inside were four packages of
clothing and a miniature datapad.

"Also charged to your ID cards is some money. Here are some
datacards. They'll have any important information and keycodes you
may need. I have already reserved a room for you at the Newcomer's
Hotel. The staff will help you settle in, and you can stay there
until you find a permanent apartment. I understand from the records
you kept on your ship that you were a trader?"

Mara nodded mutely.

"Good. I am sure we can use you on interplanetary transactions. I
will notify the proper office to see about that. Last is our
comlink." Treneda held up a small black device. "It just clips
onto your ear. It provides better clarity than your larger
comlinks." She turned to leave. "I am sure that your vehicle will
be here momentarily. Go ahead and change into some fresh clothing,
and as soon as you are ready, you may leave."

Mara didn't say anything as Treneda let the door slide soundlessly
closed behind her. This was Mara's fourth day on this planet, if
what Treneda said could be trusted. Four days! Mara rarely
remained on the same planet for more than a week, but according to
this humanoid, this place would become her permanent home. Mara
quickly dressed into a long black skirt and a green tunic. She tied
a black belt around her slender waist. It would take a while to get
used to this new style, since her usual wardrobe consisted mainly of
flightsuits, and the occasional catsuit or dress. These people
hadn't even included a pair of pants with her new clothes. She also
had no weapons-according to Treneda, there were no weapons in the
system, except for those carried by the guards. Her blasters were
probably still in what was left of the *Fire*, and as for her
lightsaber...all she could hope was one of these humanoids turned it
one with the wrong side facing them. It would serve them right.

And what about Konner? Knowing what she did about the man, she was
certain that Konner would not sit around on this planet, not if he
could help it. To get off of Kath'alon, he would almost certainly
need weapons.

Konner. Her mind kept pushing his name to the front whenever she
tried to think about something else.

He was dead. Right? But if he were dead, then who would use his
name?

Surely there were more than just one Konner Donteril in the galaxy.
Right?

But more than one Konner Donteril who knew this specific Imperial
code? One that only the Emperor's secret agents used? It was a
simple code, yes, if you understood it, but it was a desperate code,
created out of necessity in case the agent could not get to anything
else.

Mara had met Konner at a banquet she attended on Coruscant, oh, at
least fifteen years ago. She was there to keep an eye on the
Senator from Kuat, a stuck-up nobleman whose name had been
implicated during a recent Rebel raid. Konner, one of the Imperial
Intelligence Agency's rising stars, had been assigned as her date,
to discourage other males, and to also give her a cover. Mara had
assumed that she would never see the black-haired man again, but
that was not to be so.

On no less than eleven other missions, when the Emperor's Hand was
required to have a partner (usually undercover work), Konner
Donteril was there. Mara had been forced to rethink her original
opinion of intelligence agents when he helped her out several
times. Although fighting was not Konner's strong point, he could
infiltrate any organization with an ease that Mara envied as well as
a large portion of the Intelligence community. He was the only man
she had ever actually *liked*. They had just admitted their
attraction towards each other less than a month before he
disappeared.

Records stated that his ship left Bothawui, with flight plans for
Coruscant. He never arrived at Imperial Center. The initial
searches died away, and it was assumed that he had taken a bad
hyperspace trip-it was always a fear among spacers, that they would
jump to lightspeed and their ship would become just one more missing
freighter.

But what if Konner Donteril wasn't dead? What if he had ended up
here, like her, ten years earlier?

Mara couldn't believe it. If he was alive...

She pushed this thought to the back of her mind and closed the
suitcase. She would search him out as soon as she could.

The next morning Cat activated herself early and was determined to
wake the Jedi Master as well. Although she kept to her promise and
did not use the alarms, the temperature in the room he had claimed
as his own underwent drastic weather changes in the span of five
minutes, dropping to near freezing before shooting up and then
plummeting again.

"I'm up, I'm up," Luke finally snapped. His voice was hoarse, his
throat bone dry. He sat on the edge of the bed with the blanket
wrapped around him. "Stupid computer," he muttered. He cleared his
throat.

"What did you say?" Cat asked sweetly.

"I said `good morning'," Luke answered. Who knew what the computer
would do if he insulted her? Yes, the almighty Jedi Master was
afraid of a computer. If he had felt like laughing, he would have.

"How far are we?"

"About four days to Ryloth. Enough time for more dejarik. Maybe
you'll even win a game. Not probable, but you can keep your hopes
up."

"No, no. You chose the game last night, I choose today."

"The only game onboard is dejarik."

"How do you know I didn't bring a game with me?"

"Because I've already gone through your luggage. Really, don't you
have anything else to wear besides black?"

"There were some other colors in there. White."

"Socks and underclothes don't count."

"Sure, they do."

"If other people don't see them, they don't count."

"How do you know other people don't see them? I walk around without
shoes sometimes." He took the blanket off and walked to the
refresher in only a pair of black pajama pants. He tried to ignore
the whistle that followed him.

"I didn't realize that Jedi actually worked out," Cat said. "Not a
bad view."

Luke could feel a blush rising on his neck, but was determined to
ignore the computer's comment.

He spent the remainder of the morning stretching out his muscles and
exercising. In addition to the difficulty caused by his still-
healing body, his concentration was diverted because Cat was
constantly making small comments.

"If all the Jedi look like that, then I have to wonder why you would
bother hiding under those robes. I mean, I'd certainly stop doing
something illegal if a hot guy walked up without a shirt," she was
saying as Luke took his lightsaber out of his bag. He hadn't been
wearing it for the hyperspace journey. "Whoa, what are you going to
do with that?"

"Practice."

"Uh, no. Not on my ship, buddy."

"Oh, come on. I've been using a lightsaber since I was nineteen,
and I haven't sliced into anything without meaning to."

"That's nice. You are not using it on my ship."

"Look, I played eight games of dejarik with you last night. The
least you can do is leave me alone for an hour." He paused, and Cat
remained silent. He added, "I am a Jedi Master, Cat. You can trust
my word. I will not injure your ship."

There was a long pause before the computer spoke up again. "Fine,"
she said, as if that single work took worlds of effort. "Just don't
hit anything vital. Of mine."

"Thank you, Cat."

"I just know I'm going to regret this."

Luke moved fluidly through cuts and parries, as if sparring against
an invisible opponent. It was a good workout, although Luke
preferred a real match to this. Thankfully, Cat remained silent
until he shut his lightsaber off. She breathed an audible
mechanical sigh of relief.

"See, I didn't even touch the ship," Luke couldn't help but point
out.

"Yeah, well, I am not ever going to let you do that again. You
nearly gave me a heart attack several times."

"Computers can't have heart attacks, Cat."

"Shut up."

Luke grinned at the acidic reply as he sat down on the floor. He
could hear mumbling from the walls, and knew that she was doing the
equivalent of talking under her breath.

"What did you say, Cat?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing."

The Jedi Master let his smile fade as he concentrated on the Force.
He controlled his breathing and closed his eyes so he could slip
into a light trance, mainly to refresh his body after his workout.
As soon as he touched the Force, he stretched out and called out for
his missing friend, though the odds were against him finding her
presence while still in lightspeed.

*Mara? *

Mara had drifted off into her thoughts and was startled out of
memory when someone called her name.

The Shrigan in the driver's seat had his attention on the road
before him. Mara had read on one of the datacards that the native
species were called Shrigan.

When he didn't repeat her name, she glanced back down at the
datapad. The capital city of the triplanetary government was
located on Kath'alon, and was named Deshnal, after one of the
ancient great kings. Although monarchs no longer ruled the planets,
the name remained.

Had Konner compiled all of the information on the datacards, or had
he only written the botanical section, knowing that anyone trained
as an agent would go there to read so they would know which plants
to avoid?

She'd remind herself to ask Konner that when she found him.
found himself smiling. "Bring it on," he challenged.

AND NEVER RETURN
CHAPTER FIVE

*Mara? *

Mara's head snapped up. There it was again. "Yes?" she asked the
driver.

"I did not say anything," he answered, eyeing her oddly.

"Is there an info sheet or something so I can look up someone in
the system?" she asked, instead of pushing further.

"Yes, there should be a datacard that they gave you in your `welcome
package', labeled as a directory."

Mara looked through the pile of datacards on the seat next to her
and located the correct one. "Thank you." She inserted the disk
and typed in a search for "Alyro Telikna," the author of the botany
section. She found it relatively quickly, a human living on Javsret.

"Here we are, Miss, the Newcomer's Hotel. It was named back during
the rise of the Galactic Empire, when beings, especially non-human,
were fleeing the new government. That stopped about eight or nine
years ago. Haven't had a Newcomer in over eight years."

Mara looked through the window at a relatively short building, five
or six stories at most. It was made of a green stone and seemed to
be in good repair. The windows of her vehicle had been blacked out
the entire time the cab had been moving-a privacy device-which also
made it so Mara couldn't compare the building to the rest of the
city.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked, pulling a hooded cloak from the
suitcase. It was purple, not really her color, but it would
suffice. She pulled the hood up over her head. She could already
see dozens of beings in the street, and the majority wore the same
type cloak.

"Nothing, Miss. Have a nice day." The door automatically opened
and Mara stepped out. The temperature was warm and drizzly. She
grabbed her suitcase and datacard holder and walked into the front
door. As Mara walked into the bright lobby, she looked around.
Before she checked in, she wanted to try and contact Konner. An
Ithorian pointed out to her where there were five small booths with
communication systems in the corner.

It only took Mara a moment to figure out how to work the machine,
and it took much of her control not to look anxiously behind her
shoulder at all the other mix-matched people in the room. The
booths did not have any kind of shield that she had expected from
these privacy-loving beings.

An older human woman's face materialized onto the screen in front of
Mara. "Yes?" she asked politely.

"Hello," Mara began. "Is this the home of Alyro Telikna?"

The woman's face darkened. "Who is this?"

"A friend. I wonder, though, can I speak to him?"

"He's not here at the moment."

"Maybe you can help me. Is there a Calyn Xerom there?" *Act
natural, Jade. It hasn't been that long. *

The woman shook her head. "No one here by that name."

When the woman didn't add anything else, Mara prodded, "Well, ma'am,
did she maybe leave a forwarding address?"

"As I said, young Miss, no one here. I've lived in this house for
fourteen years. No one here by that name."

"Sorry to have bothered you," Mara apologized before cutting off the
link. Few of the people in the lobby had removed their hoods, so
she pulled the hood back up so that it shadowed her eyes and walked
to the front desk to check in. If asked about the call, Mara could
simply say that she had read some of Alyro Telikna's work and was
impressed and wanted to speak with him.

She spoke quietly with the hotel secretary and received her key
code. As she entered the turbolift, she couldn't help but feel
disappointed. That comm call was probably her best chance of
finding whether Konner was still alive and in this system, and it
had proved worthless. The turbolift doors opened and Mara walked
down the hall towards her room. Halfway down the hall, she was
aware of someone walking out of the turbolift. She did not turn
around.

"I heard you were looking for Calyn Xerom. She was a dear friend of
mine." The voice was deep but unrecognizable. The hope she had
felt when the stranger spoke the opening phrase died quickly.

"We used to live together on Selonia, but I lost contact with her as
the years went by," Mara responded obediently. She turned around,
and was face-to-face with a black haired man with navy blue
eyes.

"That's too bad. It happens very often, though."

"True, but we were like sisters. If you have any information on her
whereabouts, I would be grateful."

He lowered his voice. "Your apartment is bugged; I've already
checked. Mine is clean." He guided her to the side of the hall and
he tapped in his own key code and turned on the lights.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name," he said, walking to the small
kitchen and grabbing two glasses from the cabinet.

"I didn't give it," Mara answered simply.

"How about you give it now?"

"You mind if I remove my cloak'?" she asked.

"No problem." He had turned on the heating system when they entered
the apartment and the room was growing increasingly warm, to force
her to remove her cloak without him asking her to. *Asshole*, she
thought. She could play the game as well as him, but it was a
useless waste of energy. Had she still been the Emperor's Hand and
badass assassin, she would have felt obligated to show this Intel
agent how tough she was. She pulled the hood back, and then took
the cloak off to rest it on a chair. She looked up and her eyes met
two very wide blue ones.

"You still want my name?" she asked. The shock on his face clearly
meant that he recognized her, and the hint of fear-no, reserve-told
her that he knew her as the Emperor's Hand.

"Mara Jade," he breathed. "Dear gods..." He quickly tried to
control his emotions, but his shocked expression had taken away from
his indifferent face. There was something familiar in the jaw
line...

"I see my reputation precedes me. Since you evidently know me, I
would be appreciative if you would introduce yourself."

He ran his hand through his hair. "Oh, right. Just a sec." He
headed to the refresher while Mara waited impatiently for him to
return. A moment later he walked out, toweling off his hair. He
had evidently used the sink to rinse the color from his hair, and
had removed the masking materials he'd used to alter his nose and
cheekbones. The effect had been enough to delay Mara's recognition.

"Daryn?" she asked, trying her best to hide her surprise. "Where's
Konner? It was his name I found."

"You always liked him more than me," Daryn Amet complained. "No
matter what I do, no matter how much more handsome than that hawk-
bat that I am, it's never enough for you." He dramatically sighed,
placing his hand over his heart. "I could remove this beating organ
essential to my life-force to prove my love to you and you-"

"Drop the theatrics, Amet. Where is Konner and what in all the
hells of Kessel are you doing here?"

"When you speak so beautifully, how can I resist your orders?" the
brown-haired man joked. "Konner's in a little local trouble, so
he's gone underground for a while. He sent me to pick up the
newcomer. He sure as hell didn't guess it would be you. I can't
wait to see how far his jaw drops."

"I'm sure it won't be anywhere near as far as yours did," she
quipped. "So, what, does Konner send his little mutt after every
Newcomer?"

"Well, we haven't had a Newcomer in about eight years, and that was
a Wookiee. Who could ever understand those creatures, anyway?
We're lucky that he at least understands Basic." He smiled. "But
even if we did have them regularly, Konner took an immediate liking
to the human who killed six starfighter pilots, *and* three of the
boarders. Knowing now that you're, well, who you are, I would not
have expected less."

"Thank you, Amet," she said, her tone an echo of the disdain she
would have, as the Emperor's Hand, been forced to include. She did
not need the approval of anyone. But she'd grown past all that.
She was no longer the Emperor's Hand. She was a Master Trader.

"Is Konner on Kath'alon?" She picked up one of the glasses Daryn
had filled with a red liquid. It was sweet enough to have been some
type of fruit juice, and it left a sickly aftertaste.

"No, Eqiirsa. I've got tickets for us to head over there tomorrow
morning. Sorry you don't get to do much sightseeing, but you
wouldn't want to, anyway. Kath'alon sucks. Eqiirsa has the
industry, and Javsret has the ancient structures and beauty. The
Shrigan polluted Kath'alon before they really actually understood
what they were doing. Now the planet's covered with anti-pollution
shields and generators, cleaners, etcetera."

"What time should I be ready to leave?" She picked up her cloak and
handed the cup to Daryn.

"I suggest you finish drinking this. I know it tastes like liquid
sugar, but it will change the frequency on the transmitter they put
into your arm. You may notice a red welt from where they put it in,
but don't bother trying to get it out. They dug it into your
muscles, and it would hurt like a rancor to get it out. However,
with that stuff, you'll be a blur on their scanners in an hour, and
an hour or two after that, you'll have disappeared completely." He
gave her back the small green cup, and when she sensed no deception
from him, she finished drinking the liquid. As she walked to the
kitchen to set her cup on the counter, she could feel her stomach
cramp.

"Yeah, you'll feel sick for a while, but the stuff works, and we
won't risk giving away our people to the Shrigan." He stood up so
that he no longer leaned against the wall. "As long as you remain
in one place, they won't bother watching you closely, and they won't
notice anything odd until you're completely gone. I suggest you
don't go to your room. You can stay here, for a while. Once the
cramping stops, we'll know that it's safe to leave, and they won't
be able to track you." He smiled. "You can have that room," he
gestured to the right side of the apartment. "Just tell me when we
can leave. The sooner we're off Kath'alon, the better."
AND NEVER RETURN
CHAPTER SIX

Luke had enjoyed the silence, and barely managed to stifle a groan
when Cat came back.

"I fixed some food for you."

"Oh?" He made it a question.

"Yeah. Joran kept plenty of ration bars onboard, and I cooked some
together. I'm pretty sure it's edible." Luke knew that although
Cat was a computer, she also had control of all the droids on the
ship. She'd offered to cook before, but he'd managed to avoid
that. This time it looked like he was too late.

He counted off five more push-ups, then pushed off the floor and
went to his knees. "You *think* it's edible?"

"I'm fifty-four percent certain that you won't get food poisoning.
The odds are in your favor."

"Fifty-four percent?"

"Is there an echo in here?"

"No offense, Cat, but I think I'll skip."

"If I can't practice on anyone, then my culinary skills won't grow."

"Sorry. You can test yourself with Joran. Rodians have stronger
stomachs than humans." He paused. "Wait a second. How can you
cook? The ration bars are in here, and I know for a fact that you
didn't get them out without me noticing."

He could hear laughter, quiet at first, then growing. "Your
reaction wasn't what I had hoped for, but it will suffice." A
pause. "For now."

"Since you obviously weren't cooking, what have you been doing? You
were actually quiet for a while."

"I didn't know all that much about the almighty Jedi Master, so I
looked up your record. Two nephews and a niece, all of who are
Force sensitive, and heading towards your Jedi Academy in a couple
of years. Stay at your Academy most of the time...except for last
month. Some obscure report suggests that you were not there."

"And?"

"So where were you? Off fighting evil?"

"I'm not a superhero," Luke laughed. "And there hasn't been a lot
of evil to fight lately. No, Leia wanted me to check on something,
so I did," he concluded vaguely.

"Where did you go?"

"Outer Rim planet. Look, I really can't talk about it..."

"Have anything to do with the outbreak of Tibersian Fever on
Renega?" she asked innocently.

"No," he answered, cursing her silently.

"I almost believe you."

"It's the truth."

"Too many coincidences, Jedi-boy. You disappear when this bio-
engineered virus pops up, you reappear and suddenly the New Republic
has a large enough sample to begin formulating the necessary serum.
Plus the fact that you're still sick with it."

"I am not. I'm almost completely healed..." His blue eyes
narrowed. "Oh, aren't you a clever computer."

"Now that you've confirmed it, maybe you could explain why you
haven't used the Force to heal yourself completely?"

"It's a virus. I can heal smaller wounds, like minor blaster burns,
cuts, and stuff like that. Broken bones are more difficult-I can
set them and speed the healing. I'm not experienced enough with
diseases and viruses to completely get rid of them. Some Jedi who
are healers can, but I lack in that area."

"So, really, you should be resting, and not exercising, correct?"

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're really concerned with
my well-being or do you just want me to put the lightsaber away for
the remainder of the trip?"

"You are so cynical. How does a Tatooine boy who grew up on a
moisture farm become so cynical?"

"With practice. And experience." He sat back on his heels. His
body was not aching as much as it had before, and he hoped that
meant the virus had run its course. Something strange tickled the
edge of his Force presence, and he reached out to try and figure out
what it was.

"Mara."

"Excuse me?" Cat asked. "What's wrong, your face went blank, like
you were off in your own little galaxy...hey, Jedi-boy, what's wrong?"

"Stop the ship!"

"We still have thirteen hours and twenty-five minutes left-"

"Now, Cat."

"Yes, sir." The ship slowed, and Luke fought to keep from sliding
forward, and a moment later stood up and headed for the cockpit.

Cat activated the holo starmaps, and pointed out their current
location with a brilliant blue. "I assume you had me pull us from
hyperspace for a purpose."

Luke closed his eyes. Wild Space. He gestured towards a cluster of
three systems. "There."

"There what?"

"Go there."

"Fine. Calculation finished in eight point three minutes." She
didn't sound happy. "There aren't many maps of Wild Space, so it
will take a while to go along the known routes to your destination."

"Just do it."

Eqiirsa was almost halfway covered with water. The green and orange
terrain was separated into five large continents, surrounded with a
myriad of small islands. The shuttle was guided over the northern
port of the blue-green ocean, and Mara tried her best to look away
from the viewport. The shuttle was decorated in black and at least
three shades of green, and viewports covered the walls of the
passenger cabin, giving the feeling of being in an open-air vehicle,
and diminished the natural feeling of claustrophobia. Instead, the
travelers leaned away from the windows so they wouldn't feel like
they'd fall out.

Daryn leaned towards her. "Quite a view, isn't it? Reminds me of...
oh, Sith, I can't remember the name." He shook his head. "Well, it
reminds me of another planet. I've been away from civilization for
too long."

"Yeah." Mara had a thousand questions to ask, but Daryn had been
insistent that Konner answer them for her. All that Daryn would
tell her was that Konner led a group of non-natives who were
determined to escape the Kath'alon system.

The intercom clicked on, and in a strange language, the captain of
the shuttle spoke.

"We are approaching the docking bay, and the pilots ask that all
passengers fasten their safety harnesses," Daryn translated. Daryn
had a knack for languages, Mara remembered.

Mara waited, trying to be patient as the pilot of the bulky shuttle
coaxed the ship into a docking bay. She grabbed her small suitcase
before Daryn could, and motioned for him to lead. For once, she
realized she had no anxiety eating at her, because no one would
recognize her. There were enough humans that one new one wouldn't
be noticed immediately, and the Shrigans had captured all of these
humans before she had really made a name for herself. The people
didn't know who she was. No rumors, no stories, no dark glances
from strangers who refused to believe she was no longer Imperial.
It was...liberating.

Daryn spoke soflty into his comlink and one of the speeders stopped
in front of them. Daryn opened the door and motioned Mara in. She
did, and he climbed in behind her. The door automatically slid
closed.

"*Riama, Kin'atka, nim! *"

The driver activated the privacy screens and pulled away from the
walkway.

(TygerEye Antilles, Copyright 2003) Please do not use without
permission of the author. AND NEVER RETURN
CHAPTER SEVEN

"Ha!" Luke cried out triumphantly. "I beat you."

"Cat: twenty-six. Luke Skywalker: one."

"You didn't see that one coming, did you?" He walked to the kitchen
to refill his mug.

"Yeah, well, I *let* you win. I felt sorry for you."

"Bullshit." Luke narrowed his eyes. "You just won't admit a mere
*human* beat you at your game! Admit it."

"I won't admit anything that isn't true."

"You know what, Cat? You're a sore loser."

"Oh yeah? You're a sore winner."

"Serves you right. Pay you back for all the taunts and condescending
remarks."

"We're coming up to your system, marked Zero-Five-Two-Seven-El-Em.
Three minutes to reversion."

Luke grinned at her sudden change of topic, but decided not to push
the subject. Not yet, anyhow. He walked to the cockpit and sat down
in the pilot's chair.

"Excuse me, Jedi-boy. Wrong seat."

"You want me to sit somewhere else?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the pilot, remember? Or have you forgotten in the rush
of foolish pride you experienced after mistakenly believing you won a
measly game of dejarik by yourself?"

"You don't even have a body. Why does it matter where I sit?" It
took much of his self-control not to laugh at her tirade.

"It-it just does. Move."

"Almost time to pull us out of lightspeed. I better buckle up.
Wouldn't want to get slammed into the viewport." He pulled the
safety webbing across his chest.

"Are you insinuating that I'll handle this ship badly?" Her anger
was easily heard, and Luke thought the room had gotten a few degrees
warmer.

"I didn't *say* that," Luke answered, making sure he emphasized
the "say". Baiting Cat was so much fun. Almost as much as baiting
Mara.

Luckily, time ran out on the countdown and instead of responding, Cat
eased the *Lotta Luck* out of hyperspace, a textbook reversion.

"Beautifully done, Cat."

"Of course it was," she snapped.

He didn't answer, and instead searched for Mara's presence. She was
closer, much closer. "That second system. Jump to the outer
planets."

Mara guessed that she had been in the speeder for over an hour when
it pulled to a stop. Like what she had seen on Kath'alon, the
building she was staring at they lacked corners. Each building
flowed into the next like some type of organic creature. The weather
had been an unanticipated shock-she had expected warm, humid air.
Daryn grabbed a small satchel that Mara hadn't noticed before, and
walked up to the door.

"By the way, in case I forgot to mention it in the speeder, Konner
and I found a place that the Shrigan Security Force tends to
overlook. Who can blame them? I mean, this isn't exactly the
perfect vacation spot. But the lack of surveillance gives us a
little more room to maneuver, so we just have to make do with the
weather. Besides, it's not like we can do much else. We don't have
the technology here to alter the weather or anything."

Mara nodded, and was glad she had not removed her cloak-the added
warmth prevented her from shivering. So far.

Daryn walked up to the door and pressed his hand against the keypad
for a moment, and then quickly punched in a seven-digit code. Mara
noticed that the keys were not labeled in Basic, but in flowing
characters that she guessed were Shrigan lettering. The door slid
open, and Daryn gestured for her to follow.

"Don't worry, your belongings will be taken to your new room," he
said, as he led her through what seemed an endless labyrinth of grey
hallways. Mara was aware that the halls led down, and by the time
Daryn stopped she was about two stories beneath the surface. He
winked at her. "Now's the fun part. Stay out here, I'll introduce
you."

He tapped in the code on the keypad and walked into the office before
Mara could say anything. Impatiently she waited. Rubbing her arms
through the cloak to stay warm. Sith, didn't these people have
heaters?

"She's already here."

Mara could barely make out the conversation.

"So I take it she's willing to help?"

"Very willing. She's standing outside. I thought you might want to
talk to her immediately."

"Thank you. Bring her in and I want you to stay in the room while
she's here. She's been with you for a couple of days and probably
would be more comfortable with you here."

"Are you sure?" Daryn asked, and Mara couldn't hear a verbal
response. She would bet credits that Konner had given his friend a
first-class glare-*don't question my decisions.*

"Well, Miss, he wants you to come in," Daryn said as he opened the
door wide enough for her to squeeze past him.

A black-haired man sat behind a grey desk. Although he had matured
in the past ten years, she could still recognize the man she one
knew. His expression was one of open welcome, but his eyes betrayed
him. They were deep brown and not unfriendly, but cautious. His
eyes told more than his attitude. This man was clearly a veteran.
He wore a heavy jacket made of some green hide, over dark grey pants
and a muted blue shirt. He stood when she walked in and came around
the desk to shake her hand firmly.

"Hi, I'm Konner Donteril. The heater should kick in soon, so you can
take off the cloak." He sat in his chair, and she took the seat in
front of the desk. Daryn leaned against the doorjamb. She pulled
back the hood.

"Stars above," Konner said quietly, his eyes wide with shock he
didn't bother to hide. "What-what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, with a brief, tight smile. "I'm
trying to get out of here."

"No, I mean, what happened? How did you end up here?"

"Navcomputer glitch." She paused, and there was an uncomfortable
silence. Neither one knew what exactly to do, and Daryn closed the
door as he left the room. "What about you?"

"Blind jump. Sith, it's been what, ten years?"

"About." Another long pause.

Konner moved as if to walk towards her, but halted awkwardly. Mara
knew how he felt. Were they supposed to act as though the past ten
years never happened? "So, uh, how have you been?"

"Besides getting myself captured by the purple people? Not too bad,"
she shrugged.

As soon as the lines outside the cockpit viewport shrank back into
their individual stars, Luke leaned forward.

"Calm down, Jedi-boy. We'll find your girlfriend soon enough."
Cat's voice was amused.

The stress caused from anxiously waiting in hyperspace for what
seemed ages seemed to vanish when he felt her presence, a bright beam
in the Force. He had been worried about her, although he'd done his
best to deny it. He had felt the *Jade's Fire* shudder under the
attack several days ago, and he'd felt Mara's determination when the
additional enemy ships arrived. And then he'd felt nothing.

He knew she hadn't died-he constantly reminded himself that someone
with as strong a Force presence as Mara's couldn't just disappear.
Her death would cause waves, and he would *know*. So then why was he
so relieved?

Because he didn't want to admit that maybe she'd just slipped away.

*Mara? Mara, can you hear me?*

Mara realized she'd missed what Konner last said. Someone else had
called her name again.

"What's wrong?" Konner asked, noticing her sudden inattention.

"Nothing. Sorry. You were saying?"

"We've got a multispecies group together, about forty beings. I
believe the Emperor would be pleased with this world; although they
are all aliens, they are advanced, in some areas. Scientists would
love to examine the technology the Shrigan have discovered,
especially bacta. Artificial bacta would certainly be useful if
those damned Rebels ever get to Thyferra."

"Uh, Konner?" Mara said quietly. "I guess it's been a while since
you have gotten any info on major events in the rest of the galaxy."

"Is the Rebellion already gone? I knew it couldn't have lasted this
long."

Mara steeled herself, and decided to be blunt. "The Emperor is dead,
Konner."

"It's only been a few years-what-" His brown eyes widened before he
gained control of his emotions. "What happened?"

"Darth Vader killed him onboard the Second Death Star." She wasn't
sure why, but she decided not to tell Konner of her friend Luke
Skywalker's part in the Empire's demise.

"Second Death Star," he whispered. He had only seen the first of the
superweapons. His eyes hardened. "And Vader-is he dead as well?"

"Yes. There's another thing."

He looked at her, waiting for her to go on.

"The Rebellion has been in power for several years already. They're
calling themselves the New Republic now."

"The New Republic? They made a *New* Republic? The Republic was
useless before-why create a new one? Those Sith-spawned lunatics! I
*knew* we should have crushed them when the first signs of dissent
began. Those blasted Rebels will destroy everything we worked to
create." Konner had been like her-he believed in the New Order, and
the rule of the Emperor. The former Intel agent put his palms on his
desktop, visibly calming himself, taking deep breaths. "You have no
idea what it feels like to hear this," he said.

Mara opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped. *Mara!* She froze
when she heard the call in her head.

*Mara, where are you?*

"Oh, no," she breathed. She recognized the voice now. How could she
have missed it? She really *had* been hearing someone call her-it
wasn't her imagination. Sithspawn, what was he *doing* out here?

*Skywalker, no!* she sent back to him. *You have to leave!*

*I'm in the system, Mara. Which planet are you on?*

*Skywalker, you have to leave!* she ordered, as strong as she could.
She hadn't imagined that Luke Skywalker would come looking for her.
To tell the truth, she hadn't really expected *anyone* to come
looking for her.

*Mara, are you all right? I saw the attack.*

*Skywalker, they will attack and board your ship, like they did
mine! You have to leave!*

*Skywalker!*

Luke jolted in his seat. Mara was finally responding to his calls.

*Mara, are you all right? I saw the attack.* His concern for her
health overrode the need to learn her location for a moment.

*Skywalker, they will attack and board your ship, like they did
mine! You have to leave!*

Luke jolted out of his conversation when Cat spoke. "Jedi-boy, we've
got a call over the open frequency."

"Put it on," he ordered.

"Unidentified ship, power down immediately or else we will be forced
to fire on you." The man then repeated the message in heavily
accented Basic.

Luke leaned towards the comm system. "Starfighter, this is the
*Lotta Luck*. What seems to be the trouble?" Luke saw that the rest
of the starfighter squadron showed up on the scanners.

"You have trespassed into our system. Please power down or we will
be forced to fire on you."

"At least they said `please,'" Cat muttered. "So, what are we going
to do?"

"Shut off the engines, Cat. You heard the man. Power us down."

"What, aren't you going to kill them all? Just whip out your fancy
lightsaber and hack them to pieces?" She sounded surprised. Luke
guessed that as a smuggler's ship and droid, she was not accustomed
to giving up, instead running away or fighting, to protect the
shipments.

"I am not here for violence, Cat," he said sternly. "Now do as
you're ordered."

"Yes, sir." Her response was like that of a petulant-and rather
sarcastic-child.

Luke turned back to the comm unit, pressing the button so that he
would be heard by the evidently hostile starfighter. "Powering down
as ordered. Repeat: powering down as ordered."

"Mara, what's wrong?"

She blinked a couple of times, trying to remember what Konner had
just said. "Huh?"

"What's wrong? You spaced out for a few minutes." He now sat on the
edge of the desk in front of her. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Um, would you be able to send me back to Kath'alon?"

"There would have to be a really good reason. The Shrigan will be
looking for you now."

"A Newcomer is about to arrive there."

"Who?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. She knew what his next
question would be. How did she know about this other Newcomer?

"Luke Skywalker." She tried not to grimace when he obviously
recognized the Rebel hero's name.

(TygerEye Antilles, Copyright 2003) Please do not use without
permission of the author. Wow, it's been a while since I've had time to look at this site. I
know it's been a couple of months since I last posted, but I've been
having some family trouble that really cut down on my writing time.
However, it looks like the worst is over, and I plan to get back to
writing and posting my fics again on a regular basis. I found this
on my computer earlier today, and I couldn't find it in previous
posts, so here is chapter 7 from And Never Return. Enjoy!
~TygerEye

AND NEVER RETURN
CHAPTER SEVEN

The holographic blue wampa stomped across the gameboard, grabbed the
red mynock, and squashed it between his massive fists before the
flying reptile could sneak to the opposite edge of the board. "Ha!"
Luke cried out triumphantly. "I beat you."

"Cat: twenty-six. Luke Skywalker: one." Luke could hear disbelief
and disappointment in her tone, despite her flippant words.

"You didn't see that one coming, did you?" He walked to the kitchen
to refill his mug.

"Yeah, well, I *let* you win. I felt sorry for you."

"Bantha shit." Luke narrowed his eyes. "You just won't admit a mere
*human* beat you at your game! Admit it."

"I won't admit anything that isn't true." Cat crossed her figurative
arms.

"You know what, Cat? You're a sore loser."

"Oh yeah? You're a sore winner," she countered.

"Serves you right. Pays you back for all the taunts and
condescending remarks."

Cat snorted, but abruptly switched the topic. "We're coming up to
your system, marked Zero-Five-Two-Seven-El-Em. It's listed
uninhabited. Three minutes to reversion."

Luke grinned, but decided not to push the subject. Not yet, anyhow.
He walked to the cockpit and took his accustomed place in the pilot's
chair. It didn't matter that he wouldn't be flying this bucket. It
was habit. Besides, it wasn't like the *Luck*'s pilot would need the
seat. Of course, had he done this in the *Fire*...He tried not to
cringe as he remembered the damage that had been done to Mara's
beloved ship.

"Excuse me, Jedi-boy. Wrong seat."

"You want me to sit somewhere else?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I'm the pilot, remember? Or have you forgotten in the rush
of foolish pride you experienced after mistakenly believing you won a
measly game of dejarik by yourself?" Her computerized voice rose a
few decibels.

"You don't even have a body. Why does it matter where I sit?" It
took much of the Jedi Master's vaunted self-control not to laugh at
her tirade.

"It...It just does. Move."

"Almost time to pull us out of lightspeed. I better buckle up.
Wouldn't want to get slammed into the viewport." He pulled the
safety webbing across his chest.

"Are you insinuating that I'll handle this ship badly?" Her anger
was easily detected, and Luke swore that the room warmed a few
degrees.

"I didn't *say* that," he answered, emphasizing, "say". Baiting Cat
was so much fun. Almost as much as baiting Mara. *Damn* how much he
missed the trader!

At least Cat couldn't physically strike at him. Luke had been
careful around an irritated Mara. Leia always saw through his
excuses for bruises and black eyes.

Luckily, time ran out on the countdown and instead of responding, Cat
eased the *Lotta Luck* out of hyperspace, a textbook reversion.

"Beautifully done, Cat."

"Of course it was," she snapped.

He didn't answer, and instead searched for Mara's presence. She was
closer, much closer. "That one," he said with certainty, and
ordered, "Jump to the outer planets."

Mara guessed that she had been in the speeder for over an hour when
it pulled to a stop. Daryn had not been talkative, the opposite of
his nature, but it gave Mara the opportunity to study the new
landscape. Like what she had seen on Kath'alon, the buildings she
stared at lacked corners, each structure flowing into the next like
some type of organic creature. The weather had been an unanticipated
shock-she had expected warm, humid air from orbit, where the planet
had not looked much different from old holos of Naboo, before it was
attacked during the last years of the Old Republic.

Daryn grabbed a small satchel that Mara hadn't noticed before, and
walked up to the door.

"Konner and I found this place a couple of years ago. The Shrigan
Security Force tends to overlook the northern and southern poles, and
we've been careful not to draw their attention. Few Shrigan stay
here, so we have to be careful. You'll be spending most of your time
indoors." He shrugged. "Sorry. But the lack of surveillance gives
us more needed room to maneuver, so we just have to make do with the
weather. Besides, it's not like we can do much else. We don't have
the technology here to alter the weather or anything. We're lucky
that we've managed to get a hold of enough heaters. Incidentally,
though, we don't keep them on all the time-take up too much energy,
and this organization is not made of money."

Mara nodded, and was glad she had not removed her cloak-the added
warmth prevented her from shivering. So far. A brisk wind breezed
through the narrow and mostly vacant street. She pulled the warm
layers of cloth around her closer.

Daryn walked up to the door and pressed his hand against the keypad
for a moment, and then quickly punched in a seven-digit code. Mara
noticed that the keys were not labeled in Basic, but in flowing
characters that she guessed were Shrigan lettering. The door slid
open after a moment's hesitation, and Daryn gestured for her to
follow him into the dim warehouse.

"Don't worry, your belongings will be taken to your new room," he
said conversationally as he led her through an endless labyrinth of
grey hallways and nondescript stairwells. By the time Daryn stopped
they were five stories beneath the surface of Eqiirsa.

The Imperial winked at her, his hand resting on the keypad. "Now's
the fun part. Stay out here, I'll introduce you."

He tapped in the code on the keypad and walked into the office before
Mara could say anything. The door closed behind him. Impatiently
she waited, rubbing her arms through the cloak to stay warm. Sith,
Daryn said these people had heaters-didn't they use them?

Mara could barely hear Daryn's voice through the door. "She's
already here."

"So I take it she's willing to help?"

"Very willing. She's standing outside. I thought you might want to
talk to her immediately."

"Thank you. Bring her in and, Daryn, I want you to stay in the room
while she's here. She's been with you for a couple of days and
probably would be more comfortable with you here."

"I was under the impression that you thought she was strong-I mean,
she took out a bunch of their Sec guys and half a squad."

Mara couldn't hear a verbal response, but she was willing to bet
fifty credits that Konner had given his friend a first-class glare-
*don't question my decisions.*

The door opened, and Daryn fought to keep the grin from being
revealed on his expression. "Well, Miss, he wants you to come in."

A black-haired man sat behind a large desk that took up much of space
in the office. Although he had matured in the past ten years, she
could still recognize the man she once knew. His facial expression
was one of open welcome, with a disarming smile, but his eyes
betrayed him. They were deep brown and not exactly unfriendly, but
cautious. His eyes told more than his behavior. This man was
clearly a veteran. He wore a heavy jacket made of some unknown hide,
over dark grey pants and a white shirt. He stood when she walked in
and came around the desk to shake her hand firmly.

"Hi, I'm Konner Donteril," he introduced himself. "The heater should
kick in soon, so you can take off the cloak." He took his seat
again, gesturing to the chair across from him, but she remained
standing. Daryn leaned against the doorjamb behind her. Mara
ignored her snickering audience and pulled back the hood.

Konner's eyes widened in shock, and he stumbled to rise out of his
chair. "Stars above," he breathed. "What-how-what are you doing
here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, with a small smile. "I want off this
planet. Isn't that why people seek you out?"

He shook his head. "No, I mean, what happened? How did you end up
here?"

"Navcomputer glitch." She paused, and there was an uncomfortable
silence. Neither one knew what exactly to do, and Daryn closed the
door as he left the room. "What about you?"

"Blind jump. Sith, it's been what, ten years?"

"About." Another long pause. It had been a long time since Mara had
felt so ill at ease with another person. What was she supposed to do?

Konner moved as if to walk towards her, but halted awkwardly. Mara
knew how he felt. Were they supposed to act as though the past ten
years never happened? "So, uh, how have you been?"

She forced a smile. "Besides getting myself captured by the purple
people? Could be better, I guess."

As soon as the lines outside the cockpit viewport shrank back into
their individual stars, Luke leaned forward eagerly, as though this
motion would speed the *Luck* up.

"Calm down, Jedi-boy. We'll find your girlfriend soon enough."

The stress caused from anxiously waiting in hyperspace for what
seemed ages seemed to vanish when he felt her presence, a bright beam
in the Force. She wasn't aware of his presence yet, so she was
probably occupied with something. He had always been able to sense
her, shields or no, which was good. Her shields were always up,
instinctively.

He had been worried about her, although he'd done his best to deny
it.

And he had reason to, he told himself. He had felt the *Jade's Fire*
shudder under his feet during the attack several days ago, and he'd
felt Mara's determination when the additional enemy ships arrived.
The beautiful redhead would not go without a fight, that was
certain. And then he'd felt nothing.

He knew she hadn't died-he constantly reminded himself that someone
with as strong a Force presence as Mara's couldn't just disappear.
Her death would cause waves, and he would *know*. So then why was he
so relieved?

Because he didn't want to admit that maybe she'd just slipped away
from him, from life. Like she was not important.

*Mara? Mara, can you hear me? *

Mara realized she'd missed what Konner last said. Someone had called
her name, or so she thought. *That was happening quite a bit
lately*, she thought wryly to herself. Must have been from
exhaustion-she hadn't slept well since the attack.

"What's wrong?" Konner asked, noticing her sudden inattention.

"Nothing, nothing," she said a little too quickly. "Sorry. You were
saying?"

Although he eyed her dubiously, he repeated his earlier
information. "We've got a multispecies group together, all together
about forty beings. I believe the Emperor would be pleased with this
world; although they are all aliens, they are advanced in some
areas. Scientists would love to examine the technology the Shrigan
have discovered, especially bacta. Artificial bacta would certainly
be useful if those damned Rebels ever get to Thyferra."

Emperor? Rebels? Mara froze. "Uh, Konner? I guess it's been a
while since you have gotten any info from the rest of the galaxy."

Konner took the seat behind his desk. "Is the Rebellion already
gone?" he began cautiously. "I knew it couldn't have lasted this
long."

Mara decided to go with her nature: be blunt. "Emperor Palpatine is
dead, and so is the Empire."

His brown eyes widened before he gained control of his
emotions. "The Emperor...? What happened?"

"Darth Vader killed him onboard the second Death Star."

"Second Death Star," he whispered. His eyes hardened. "And Vader-is
he dead as well?"

"Yes."

He looked at her, waiting for her to go on.

"The Rebellion is now in power, as the New Republic."

"The New Republic? They made a *New* Republic? The Republic was
useless before-why create a new one? Those Sith-spawned lunatics! I
*knew* we should have crushed them when the first signs of dissent
began," he said in a near-shout, before his voice quieted, although
it remained heated. "Those blasted Rebels will destroy everything we
worked to create." The former Intel agent put his palms on his
desktop, visibly calming himself, taking deep breaths. "You have no
idea what it feels like to hear this," he said.

Mara was about to reply when she heard the call in her head.

*Mara! *

*Mara, where are you? *

"Oh, no," she breathed, recognizing the voice now. How could she
have missed it? Missed *him?*

*Skywalker, no!* she sent back to him. *You have to leave!*

*I'm in the system, Mara. Which planet are you on?*

*Skywalker, you have to leave the system!* she ordered, as strong as
she could. She hadn't imagined that Luke Skywalker would come
looking for her. To tell the truth, she hadn't expected *anyone* to
come looking for her.

*Mara, are you all right? I saw the attack.*

*Skywalker, they will attack and board your ship, like they did
mine! You have to leave! Now!*

*Skywalker!*

Luke jolted in his seat. Mara was finally responding to his calls.
He finally succeeded in getting through her walls.

*Mara, are you all right? I saw the attack.* He had promised
himself that he would not show his concern to her-she would only be
annoyed-but as soon as he heard her voice, he failed.

*Skywalker, they will attack and board your ship, like they did
mine! You have to leave! Now!*

Luke jolted out of his telepathic conversation when Cat spoke. "Jedi-
boy, we've got a call over the open frequency."

"Put it on," he ordered.

"Unidentified ship, power down immediately or else we will be forced
to fire on you." The man repeated the message in heavily accented
Basic.

Luke leaned towards the comm system and touched the transmit
button. "Starfighter, this is the *Lotta Luck.* What seems to be
the trouble?"

"You have trespassed into our system. Please power down or we will
be forced to fire on you."

So *that* was what Mara was talking about. Oops. He turned off the
comm. "Shut off the engines, Cat. You heard the man. Power us
down."

"What, aren't you going to kill them all? Just whip out your fancy
lightsaber and hack them to pieces?" She sounded surprised. Luke
guessed that as a smuggler's ship and droid, she was not accustomed
to giving up, instead running away or fighting, to protect contraband.

"I am not here for violence, Cat," he said sternly. "Now do as
you're ordered."

"Yes, sir." Her response was like that of a petulant-and sarcastic-
child.

Luke turned back to the comm unit, pressing the button so that he
would be heard by the evidently hostile starfighter. "Powering down
as ordered. Repeat: powering down as ordered."

"Mara, what's wrong?" Konner asked again, exasperated.

She blinked a couple of times, trying to remember what Konner had
just said. "Huh?"

"What's wrong? You spaced out for a few minutes. Again." He now
sat on the edge of the desk in front of her, hands clasped
loosely. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Um, Konner, would you be able to send me back to
Kath'alon?"

"There would have to be a really good reason. The Shrigan will be
looking for you now."

"A Newcomer is about to arrive there."

"Who?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Luke Skywalker." She tried not to grimace as he obviously
recognized the Rebel hero's name.

(TygerEye Antilles, Copyright 2004) Please do not use without
permission of the author. AND NEVER RETURN
CHAPTER EIGHT

"Who?" Konner bit out the query, a dangerous glint in his dark eyes.

"You heard me the first time, Donteril." Mara's jade gaze was
unwavering.

A muscle in his cheek twitched. "And how is it that you know he's
here?"

"I'll explain later-"

He cut her off impatiently. "You will explain *now*."

If she backed down to him, then she would have relinquished what
control she might have had over the situation, but if she didn't,
then they would most likely still be staring coldly at each other by
day's end. He could be as stubborn as her. "He's Jedi."

"He's a wanna-be," Konner sneered with a dismissive wave of his
hand. "That doesn't answer my question."

"He is a Jedi," she insisted. "We can communicate through the
Force." Konner had already known about her Force-sensitivity-he had
seen her utilize her talents during missions-but he evidently did not
know about Luke's new status. *Of course not, Stupid, * she
chastised herself. *He hasn't received any news for years. Last he
knew, Luke was a boy fresh off the farm who managed to destroy the
Death Star. His Force-sensitivity had only been rumors at that
point. *

So that left the question of whether or not she should completely
inform him of certain recent events. Luke Skywalker was the sole
Jedi Master in the galaxy, but did Konner need to know that? Would
that tidbit cause more trouble than she already knew would manifest
itself between the Imperial and the Rebel? Maybe it would be better
if Konner thought Luke was just one Jedi of many, making him less of
a threat in Imperial eyes.

"What is he doing here?" Konner was asking as she came to her
decision.

"Well, I don't think many people come here to vacation," she said,
smiling tightly.

"Don't even try that, Mara. You apparently know him. What is he
doing here? Did you call him?"

"No," she answered truthfully, but didn't offer any more information.

"A few days after you arrive, he shows up, and you try to tell me the
incidents are unrelated?"

"I never said that. I only told you that I did not call him. He
came on his own."

"Quit with the word games, Jade," he warned her quietly. "I'm not in
the mood to toy around, not even with you."

The door slid open before Mara could retort, and Daryn
entered. "Sorry to interrupt you guys, but Triller just commed me.
He thinks the Shrigan caught another Newcomer, but no info other than
that. If it's true, then he'll be on his way to Kath'alon. Want me
to pick the guy up?"

Konner glanced at Mara, then responded. "Yes. Take the first
transport to Kath'alon, and I'll have Triller send you the necessary
information after they get Skywalker processed."

"Wait, you already know-Skywalker?" he asked belatedly. "Luke
Skywalker?"

"Yeah, Luke Skywalker. Watch where you step on Kath'alon-the Shrigan
will be on alert since we stole their last catch. When you get
there, you should probably lay low for a day or two on Kath'alon
before grabbing Skywalker and getting back here."

"Don't tell me how to do my job, Konner. I'm better at this than you
ever were."

"Are you still here?" Konner asked, pointedly dismissing his
partner. Daryn grinned briefly, and left the room as quickly as he
had entered. Konner turned his attention back to Mara even before
the door closed behind the other man. "You've got some explaining to
do, Mara."

Mara's temper flared. "I don't explain myself to anyone, and
certainly not to some two-credit Intel agent."

"Oh, is that so, Jade?" He pushed away from the desk and stood half
a pace from her. "You said things have changed. Besides current
galactic order and sanity, what else is so different?"

"Many things," she snapped. "Now, I've had a long flight, and I was
promised a room, not an interrogation."

Konner nodded, as if to confirm something to himself, and then walked
to the door, not looking back but clearly expecting her to follow.
Mara rolled her eyes. *Things outside this solar system may have
changed, but he still gives me that blasted Imperial arrogance. *

She tried to ignore the fact that ten years before, she'd have acted
the same way as him.

"So what are we supposed to do now, Jedi-boy?"

"Well, I'm going to wager that they'll `escort' me off the ship. You
should probably hide. I have a feeling they'll either put the *Luck*
in storage, or put her in a scrap heap."

"If they so much as tap my hull with a microfuser..." Cat let her
robotic voice trail off with the threat. "Well, let's just say that
I am not going to let that happen. Here, memorize this," she said,
after a pause, and a comm code appeared on one of the cockpit's
datascreens.

He looked it over, committing the eight-symbol code to memory. "Got
it. What's it for?"

"Leave your personal comlink here, hidden, and when you're ready,
just call it up and send that code my way, and I'll wake up. Until I
hear that, I'll remain dormant, to escape whatever scanners they may
have." She hesitated. "You better not try to leave me here, Jedi-
boy, or there will be hell to pay when I get out. And I *will* get
out."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Cat. Don't worry." He flashed a quick
grin. "I'm finally beginning to win that damn game. You really
think I'm going to forfeit all our future matches?"

Luke was grateful when the purple woman, Treneda, brought him a small
suitcase along with the news he was to be released. The questioning
had lasted the two days, non-stop, since he was taken off the *Lotta
Luck*. The interrogation involved the New Republic and the Empire,
specifically leadership of both governments and known agendas. Luke
purposely left his own participation out of the history lesson, as
well as the Jedi, keeping everything as vague as possible.

It had taken all of his self-control to not say or do anything the
Shrigan could construe menacing when the female humanoid explained
the rules of the star system to him. It was a good exercise in Jedi
serenity. Never leave? What about Leia, Han, the kids? The
Academy? Wedge, Corran, and all his other friends?

What about all the other people who had been caught in this web of
paranoia before him? Had no one escaped yet? That was hard to
believe. Determined beings were extremely resourceful.

He had to get to Mara. Together they would escape.

He had tried to contact his red-haired friend, but after initially
checking to make sure he was unhurt, she brushed off his attempts.
Last night he had tried to reach her again, this time interrupted by
an unfamiliar presence-another Force-sensitive in the vicinity had
picked up on him. After that, Luke kept up his mental shields.
Mara's overly cautious ways were rubbing off on him. A year before,
he would have tried to reach the other person immediately, but this
time he decided to play it safe.

"Mr. Skywalker?" Treneda asked. "The vehicle should be here in
approximately five minutes to take you to the hotel. Would you be
ready by then?"

"Yes." He hid his enthusiasm for leaving the strange round room he'd
been locked in.

"Also, I have one additional question for you."

Although tempted to try and get a read on Treneda through the Force,
he remembered the foreign presence he'd sensed the night prior. "Go
ahead," Luke said, repacking the suitcase Treneda had provided for
him: a few sets of clothing, datacards, a reader, his identichips.

"We did not find anything onboard the ship regarding your
profession. We could not even access your maps."

"Oh. Yeah." Luke knew that Cat had sealed the files. A smuggler's
droid would have learned a few tricks to keep curious people out of
her systems. As long as the Shrigan didn't have good computer
slicers, the ship's files, and Cat, would remain hidden. "I, uh, had
a power surge when I jumped to hyperspace. Wiped the memory core.
You wouldn't be willing to tell me exactly where I am, would you?"

"You are on Kath'alon, in the system named Qantul, in Wild Space."
She glanced at her datapad. "What was your job in the old galaxy?"

"I was a teacher," he answered, hoping she didn't notice his slight
hesitation.

"An educator? What did you teach?"

Luke wasn't sure whether he wanted these beings to know about the
Jedi Academy. If these people were allied or even sympathetic
towards the Empire (which they swore they weren't), then getting rid
of the Jedi Master would be a good way to impair the New Republic.
Or what if these people just held a grudge against the Jedi? Or, he
guessed, it was possible that they revered the Jedi...but something
told him that was not the case here. He was glad he'd had to
foresight to leave his lightsaber onboard the *Luck* for
safekeeping. It was awkward to not carry his well-known weapon, but
he would just have to live with that for the time being. The thought
of being weaponless was slightly disconcerting. The Shrigan had
confiscated the blaster he had worn. A glimmer of a smile appeared
on his face when he realized Mara would have been similarly
disarmed. That would have been funny to see-what would the Shrigan
have said upon recovering a holdout blaster, lightsaber, at least two
vibroblades, and her miniature forearm blaster that Luke knew she
carried. "Well, various subjects," he said in response to her
question. "Some history, some physical education, ethics."

Of course, the history he mentioned was history of the Jedi Knights,
stuff he'd learned from Tionne's ballads and other tales directly
from the Holocron. But that was merely lying by omission.

Treneda jotted the information down into her datapad, and then left
the room. Closing the fasteners on his suitcase, Luke followed her
out.

The general's face turned a brilliant plum, and his eyes looked to be
in danger of popping out of his skull.

"What do you mean, you *lost* her?"

Lieutenant Malian Chan'irae hid a cringe at the general's
tone. "Sir, we've been searching for days. She just simply
disappeared off our scanners. We can't find her." The younger
officer spread her hands complacently.

"How could you let a mere *human* get the better of you like that?"

"She had outside help, sir! We traced a call made by her before she
checked into the Newcomer's Hotel, to Alyro Telikna."

The man's head snapped up. "The Resistance leader?" That wasn't
entirely accurate-just a theory. There was no hard proof that the
small-time human author had anything to do with the whispered
Newcomer Resistance group. Just theory.

She nodded an affirmative. "Yes, sir."

"Hmm..." The general began to walk around the small room crammed full
of mechanical devices and computer parts. "How did Miss Jade know
about Telikna? Did she have any contact with someone other than our
personnel?"

"Not that we know of."

"Then *how did she know*?" he demanded. "I want to speak with
everyone who so much as got a glimpse of this human!"

"Yes, sir."

The general noted the young woman's hesitation. "You wanted to add
something, Lieutenant?"

"The Newcomer, the male human, sir? What if Telikna tries to contact
him, too?"

"Very good point, Lieutenant. I want security doubled at the Hotel.
Have flatcams installed in the lift and the halls, and this man's
room, as well. I want someone watching him at all times. I don't
want him to take a breath without us knowing and being able to
measure the amount of air he inhales."

"Yes, sir."

Treneda left Luke standing in the front hallway of his temporary
apartment. As soon as the door slid closed behind her, he dropped
his suitcase by the door and walked into the living room, giving
himself a quick tour of the suite. There was a flatscreen that when
activated offered a multitude of selections from the Kath'alon
Library. The communications station looked much like the ones in the
rest of the galaxy, if a bit outdated. He glanced into the various
rooms; along with the common living area, there was a bedroom,
miniature kitchen, and small refresher. It took only a brief moment
to learn that the apartments on both sides were occupied, careful not
to draw attention to himself in case that other Force-user was around.

Each room was painted a washed-out hue of green, and the ceilings
were round, like they had been in the Medical Center. Had he not
seen the outside of the hotel, he would have imagined it more
resembled an insect's egg sac than a normal rectangular building,
judging by the irregular shape of its rooms.

Luke eventually settled on the couch and closed his eyes. He reached
out with the Force almost tentatively, but when he felt nothing
respond to his gentle probe, he looked for Mara's presence. He could
feel enough distance between the two of them to determine that the
trader had to be on one of the other planets. Mara immediately
responded when she felt his presence.

*It's about time you took down your barriers, Skywalker. I've been
trying to reach you. *

*Nice to see you, too, Jade. And how are you doing this fine
morning? *

Mara ignored his playful comments. *I know how to get out of the
Qantul system. *

*How is that? * He turned serious.

*There's a man here. I used to work with him. He's leading a group
of non-natives who are trying to escape. *

*Good. Where are you, and how do I get there? *

*I'm on Eqiirsa. I wanted to go back to Kath'alon, but Konner
wouldn't let me. Look, there will be a man named Daryn who will try
to talk to you when you reach the Newcomer's Hotel. Do what he says,
and he'll bring you here. *

*Daryn? *

*Yes. *

*Okay*, Skywalker answered agreeably. *See you soon Mara. *

When Mara cut their connection, Luke sank into the cushions on his
couch. He hadn't been able to pick up much more than surface
impressions, but what he could sense was encouraging. She was angry,
probably from being captured, and the damage done to the *Fire*, but
Mara had always been able to concentrate on the job at hand before
allowing herself to release distracting emotions. Of course, when
she let herself fully vent herself...well, Luke would just have to make
sure she was not armed.

Mara had been wandering the halls of Konner's underground base when
Luke finally reached out for her. She had tried to contact him
several times prior to that, but he had retracted his Force presence
as much as possible. Mara, familiar with the "feel" of his mind,
didn't have to waste a second before locating the Jedi Master.

She still wasn't exactly sure why she had originally contacted him
when he first arrived. She had simply wanted to know if he was
unhurt. The only explanation she could think of was because he had
come after her, and she would have felt slightly guilty had he been
injured when trying to help her. Not that she would show any guilt,
of course. She hid a smile and turned to walk to her room. Luke
would know how she felt, no matter how she denied it. He always had
been able to see past her facade.

She hadn't gone five paces when she halted. Something wasn't right.
Not sensing anything that would cause that reaction, she brushed the
feeling away and continued on her way.

The feeling of unease continued to grow throughout the next minutes,
but Mara couldn't put her finger on it.

With the suddenness of an unexpected blow, it hit her.

Luke was being watched.

What, did she and Konner believe the Shrigan were fools? She had
underestimated the humanoids. Certainly they at least *knew* of
Konner's group. They at least *suspected* that Mara had been
recruited. That must be one of their ideas explaining her sudden
disappearance.

Wouldn't they suspect that Konner might try and get Luke Skywalker as
well?

"Call Daryn back!" she shouted as she reached Konner's office.

(TygerEye Antilles, Copyright 2004) Please do not use without
permission of the author. AND NEVER RETURN
CHAPTER NINE

Malian Chan'irae sat back in her chair and put her feet up on the
table. The general had assigned her here, to watch Luke Skywalker.
It was a dull assignment, but experience had taught her to always be
prepared. Therefore, along with all the flatscreens and scanners
were plenty of stimcaf packets, snacks, and crossword puzzles.

A five-letter word for a pack animal...

"Ma'am, there is an unidentified human male at Skywalker's apartment."

Malian put down her puzzle. "Keep an eye on him. This might be Amet-
Telikna. This might be Telikna." She glanced sideways at the
younger man, but he didn't seem to notice her slip, his attention on
the screen in front of him. Berating herself, she put away her
puzzle. She would have to be more careful.

Luke was woken from his light nap by a knock on his door. Rubbing
his eyes, he walked over to the door and tripped over his suitcase.
He kicked the cheap case out of the way, and answered the door. A
man about his age stood on the other side, with short brown hair and
navy blue eyes. Luke assumed this was the man Mara mentioned.

"Mister Skywalker?"

"Yes?"

The man extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Daryn, one of your neighbors."

"Check on that," Malian told her underling, though his fingers were
already flying over the computer terminal. "See if there's a `Daryn'
renting a room somewhere in this building, and get a background check
on him."

*Luke!*

Luke jolted in surprise at Mara's clear voice in his head. He'd
retracted his presence again, but she had found him and broken
through the barriers he had kept up.

*Tell Daryn to leave!*

*Why? Mara, what's wrong?*

*Just do it, Skywalker,* she ordered.

Luke snapped his attention from Mara's voice in his head to Daryn.
The other man offered him some refreshments in his apartment.

"I'm sorry, I'll have to decline," Luke found himself saying. "Maybe
some other time?" Luke sent a tendril of the Force to search for
whatever may have caused Mara's change of instructions.

Daryn nodded slowly, then told him, "I'm in the apartment next door,
if you need a guide to the city. I'm here for another couple of
days."

"Thank you," Luke responded, and closed the door as Daryn walked
away. Luke saw that his original idea had been incorrect-Daryn's
hair was pulled back sharply in a short ponytail. As he headed back
to his couch, he touched Mara's presence, which had not gone far, as
if she'd been monitoring the conversation.

*You going to explain this to me now?* he asked.

*You're being watched, idiot. *

*What? Why?* The answer came to his mind. *To find the Resistance
group. Damn, I hadn't thought of that. Stupid on my part. Are you
going to tell Daryn to get out of here?*

*We can't. Konner doesn't want to risk him getting caught, so we
can't contact him at all. Look, you need to meet with Daryn, but
somewhere away from your apartment. They've probably got holocams
installed in your room.*

*Got it.* He cut the connection with his old friend, and took a few
minutes to wander through his apartment, looking in various cabinets,
putting on a show of general boredom for the possible holocams.
After about ten minutes, he pulled on a new dark cloak and left his
apartment to walk over to Daryn's. The other man answered his door
quickly, and didn't seem surprised to see Luke there.

"I was wondering if maybe you would like to show me some of the local
places?" Luke suggested.

"Of course. Here, let me get my cloak, and we'll be off."

Malian paced the length of the room. "Get someone out there to
follow them. I don't want to chance losing this one."

Daryn played the role of the tour guide adequately well, although
Luke wasn't paying much attention to the stores and good restaurants
of Deshnal. He immediately sensed the Shrigan following him. Gently
probing the humanoid's mind, he could feel the fierce determination
she had to prove herself to her superior officer. She was a rookie,
and not very well thought of in the Kath'alon Security organization.
If she could catch the Resistance leader trying to recruit the new
male human, then she would at least be promoted and definitely have
something to brag about during the stim-tea breaks at work. It was
the same resolve found throughout the entire galaxy.

Luke was thinking of a way to escape the shadow when Daryn steered
him towards a crowd waiting to enter one of the public transportation
vehicles.

"Meet me at the cantina next street down," Daryn muttered. Luke
barely understood what he said, but if he had trouble hearing and he
was standing right next to him, then the odds that they would be
overheard were slim. "Called the Kath'alon Midnight. I'll be there
in ten minutes. If I'm not there within twenty, call it off and go
back to your apartment. You haven't done anything illegal...yet."
Evidently Daryn had noticed the shadow as well. Luke wondered
momentarily what this man had done in the old galaxy. Was he a
mercenary of some sort?

When they reached the crowd, Daryn said, "Now go," and then he
disappeared among the numerous people. Luke waded through the crowd
until he was near the middle, and then reached out for the Shrigan
woman again. She had gotten slightly confused as to her "mark" when
he entered the crowd, since most of the large group wore cloaks to
protect themselves from the light rain. However, she thought she
recognized the shade of blue that the blond human wore, and her
attention was still accurately on him. Luke pressed her mind a
little with the Force, simply adding to her indecision until she
doubted her original choice. She found another being to watch, one
towards the outside of the group, and began to shadow him. Luke felt
bad about messing up the rookie's chances for a promotion this time,
but his task at hand was catching up with Mara again, and...well, this
novice would have other chances to get the recognition she craved.

Luke stayed with the crowd a while longer, searching carefully with
the Force for anyone else studying the group like his shadow had.
When the group of beings began to board the large vehicle, Luke
joined a group who had exited the transport and walked down the
street Daryn had indicated.

He found the Kath'alon Midnight, with little trouble, a dimly lit bar
that could be a twin to almost any other cantina in the galaxy. It
was mostly empty, with only three other patrons all glued to the
holoprojector set. Unnoticed, he chose a table inside, in the back
corner. Han had taught him to do this: to select seats where no one
could sneak up on you and you could see the entire room. Daryn
showed up a few minutes later and slipped into the seat next to Luke.

"They lost you?" he asked immediately. Luke answered with a single
nod. "Good." He waved over a waitress and ordered two glasses of
some local beverage he called "graet."

"Mara told me she would talk to you before I showed up," Daryn
began. Luke nodded again, and the brown-haired man continued. "So,
you're planning to go through with this, right?" he asked
nonchalantly. He didn't keep his attention solely on Luke, glancing
over the list of alcoholic beverages displayed prominently on the
wall.

"Yes."

"Great." He placed a single packet on the tabletop. "Add this to
your drink, and then down the liquor. It'll taste bad, but just do
it."

"What does it do?" Luke asked. He could barely keep suspicion from
his voice although he tried to imitate Daryn's uncaring attitude.

"Takes you off their scanners. You have to drink it before I take
you offplanet. Understand?" He smiled flirtatiously at the waitress
when she returned with their glasses. "Thanks."

"Can I get anything else for you, gentlemen?" At Daryn's negative
response, she walked away. Luke opened his packet and dumped its
contents into the glass.

(TygerEye Antilles, Copyright 2004) Please do not use without
permission of the author. tygereyeca@hotmail.com