Chapter 15

Tosche Station

Venner gawked at the muzzle of the blaster pointing at his nose before his Imperial training kicked in. Never argue with the man holding the gun. A particularly effective little machine too - a blastech-44, if he was correct. Not one of the newer models, but a classic nonetheless. Venner backed carefully away until he stood directly in front of the Admiral - protecting him.

But Pellaeon wasn't cowed by the situation. A seasoned campaigner, he'd been in the thick of many a military battle, some of which he'd never expected to return from. He stepped carefully from behind his junior officer. This was all bluff and bluster.

"Put away the blaster, Solo. We're here to talk."

"Figured you might be." Han drawled lightly neither his blaster nor his gaze wavering from the Admiral. "How did you know we would be here?"

" I just 'figured' you might be."

"Cute."

Pellaeon pulled off his Imperial issue gloves and casually moved to sit at a table. "If it's not too much trouble, perhaps the barman could provide us with a drink?"

Han grinned and cast a look at the bar. "Arnek. Do what the Admiral wants and then get the civilians out of here. And I mean all of them." He directed a look towards Camie and the disguised former Chief of State, completely enveloped in the voluminous anonymity of the desert coverall. "No arguments." He reckoned it was better to keep Leia as the ace in the sabacc hand. Not even the NR agents knew she was on Tatooine and with the ease that Camie ushered Leia from the room, it indicated that Leia agreed with him. If they needed to display all the cards - that could be done later. Arnek gave him the signal they'd agreed on for an open comlink. Leia would not be kept from what was going on.

Camie shot the Imperials a nervous look before grabbing her tray and her cloth and ushering Fixer, Arnek and Leia from the room.

"Wedge!"

"General Solo, Sir?"

"Perhaps you could introduce the new delegation. It would be nice to get some real answers this time."

Pellaeon covered a smile at the barely suppressed irritation he heard in the Corellian's voice. Han Solo was everything he'd heard and read about him.

Wedge Antilles moved forward still wrapped in tan desert robes, but underneath he wore his New Republic uniform. It was said that Antilles had been fighting for most of his life and felt uncomfortable out of uniform. He could well believe it. Pellaeon felt that way himself. The dark haired, dark eyed Corellian (What was it about Corellia that produced these men?) snapped to attention and gestured to the other remaining men in the room. The Alderaanian Captain Tycho Celchu and Lieutenant Corran Horn (another Corellian?).

Pellaeon assessed the men in front of him. These men had been the backbone of the rebellion and now heralded the New Republic. Pellaeon decided that he liked what he saw. These were people you trusted with your lives. These were intelligent clear-sighted men, not fanatical madmen. "I've heard a lot about you. All of you."

"I'm touched," muttered Han derisively under his breath.

The B'Omarr Monastery

The darkness pressed in upon him. The blackness was oppressive in its invulnerability yet he still tried to walk in the light. He was in pain - little nagging pricks of pain which slowly built up into a cascade of sensation. He almost welcomed the darkness, yet the pain told him he was still alive. He took a slow shuddering breath and tried to focus on the source of his pain. His head... hurt.

"Luke!" the voice whispered anxiously. "Luke - you've been out for quite a while."

"Mara?" He tried to move. His tongue felt heavy and stuck to the roof of his mouth as he tried to talk. He swallowed carefully and tasted the metallic tang of blood. He shifted tensing muscles he wasn't sure would obey him.

"No! Lie still, farmboy. You were given quite a going over." There was concern for him and something else too. Something he couldn't quite fathom but it felt like grief.

"Are you okay?" His voice came out raspy as if he'd been screaming. "You're hurt too? I'll..."

"You'll do no such thing, Skywalker," she hissed. "I've told you to keep still. That head wound will start bleeding again if you don't." Mara's voice became impersonal as if talking to a stranger.

"Callista," he murmured. "Why didn't I..." He felt Mara retreating behind her mental barriers.

"You must have been hit harder than I thought. You're delirious. Callista's not here." There was that feeling of hurt again and barriers closing against him one by one in her mind. Suddenly Luke realised what he'd said, but he'd been thinking aloud. He hadn't been calling for Callista. He'd finally given in to Mara's warmth. Callista would never make him complete like Mara did.

"No! That's not what I meant." He heard the faint air of panic in his voice and tried to move his throbbing head, groaning. He had to make Mara understand he needed her and he wasn't letting her go. 'But what if she walks away from you? What if she doesn't really love you? It's happened before.'

"You asked for her." He could hear the hostility creep into her voice. It was too dark to see her expression, but he knew the green eyes would be glaring laser bolts at him.

"But..."

She continued as if he hadn't interrupted her. "You called her name as you collapsed. It was the last thing you said."

This time Luke could feel her sense of betrayal, her hurt and her anger.

"Mara - No! I only meant that something clicked." He shook his head in frustration, then wished he hadn't as everything spun wildly. "Something that's eluded me since I've been here kind of made twisted sense."

"Like what?" Her tone was suspicious and mistrustful.

He had to make her see. Luke raised himself to a sitting position and felt the creeping darkness gang up on him as he felt his consciousness slip. It would be so much easier to just give in to the darkness. But he would never do that he thought hazily. He had to stay and walk the path of the light.

He vaguely heard Mara scramble across the cell and pull him into her arms. "Take it easy," her voice gentled unwillingly and he felt a cool hand smooth the hair from his face. Checking in the dark for the cut he now could feel more and more as a seeping wetness trickled over his forehead. He heard the ripping of her tunic and then the touch of soft cloth as it wiped away the blood.

"Mara I love you," he stressed weakly. "Not Callista - you."

She brushed her graceful hands over his face touching the features, learning them and soothing him. She caught the faint chink of light from beyond the cell door.

"Why should I believe you, Skywalker?"

"Have I ever lied to you?" He could feel her probing his senses searching for the truth within.

"No, you can't," she whispered huskily. "Not to me. I'd know for sure." She ran gentle hands over his forehead again, checking to see if he was feverish. He caught her hand staying the motion.

"Are you ready to listen?" He strained to see her abrupt nod in the darkness of the cell.

"I'm sorry, Luke. Yes, I'll listen. I'm too quick sometimes." She paused and he could tell she was embarrassed at what she was revealing. "It's just that the name I wanted to hear on your lips was mine."

He smiled with a bit of difficulty but she caught it through the force and, greatly encouraged, drew him into her embrace.

"Remember I said there was a hole in the force, here. There is a well of nothing somehow and I couldn't understand what it was."

"Like Ysalamiri?"

"You asked that before, remember? But no, Ysalamiri block the force by creating a bubble., This is different. There is no force - it's like..." He stopped as a wave of pain washed over him. Mara leaned into the force and tried to share what he was feeling.

"Thanks. This nothingness is like..."

"Ah - I think I get it."

Mara suddenly guessed what he was trying to say and a flood of shining relief swirled around her. "This is how you felt around Callista isn't it? By all accounts she should have been dead, but cheated death and the force by accepting Cray's body. The force refused to accept the switch."

"You felt someone watching us right?"

"Yes, but I couldn't sense an actual living person. I just had the feeling I was being watched."

Luke shivered. "I tripped over the body of Imperial Prefect Eugene Talmont. His brain had been completely removed. Around the body there was no force. Like the Ysalamiri effect, but resembling what true death must be like. It was evil and knowingly so. Callista never was, but could have been. She thought she was accepting life as a gift; instead, for her it became a curse. Whoever did this has no ethics and only wants to inflict pain. Callista still has a conscience and left me because if she had stayed the temptation to be whole again may have proved too much. Even though what she did was wrong, she did so hoping to be a jedi again and serve the light."

He took a shaky breath. "When I saw the imperial Prefect in the passageway earlier I could tell he was a sick man. He was dying and I think he'd come to have the monks help him."

"You mean... transplant...?" Mara's horror and disgust hit him and it was too much. Succumbing to the darkness he accepted it's black embrace as easily as he did Mara's arms.

"Luke. Try to stay with me."

He could hear her calling to him. "Luke, come on. Try to stay conscious. We have to get out of here."

"Mara," he whispered and the darkness claimed him once more.

"Emperor's bones," Mara exclaimed quietly. "I hope Page has the good sense to go for Karrde. If the prefect has been murde..." Her mouth dropped open as something else dawned on her. "Or has he?"

Luke had caught on to it, but hadn't stayed conscious quite long enough to explain all of it. "The B'Omarr and the prefect. Those little walkers with their brains in jars. Why would they want the prefect? If he had been as ill as Luke had thought it was obvious why he would seek the B'Omarr, but not the other way around.

The man in her arms groaned and shifted slightly.

"Come on, Luke. If you help me I can put you in that healing trance thing which is so useful."

"Mara!"

"Healing trance, farmboy." She gave a sarcastic little chuckle. "Leave someone else to worry about the universe for a few hours."

"I'm glad you're so concerned over my welfare."

"You're heavy. I want you off my lap. So healing trance - Now. Our troubles will wait for us. You know they always do and if they pass we get new ones."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Luke settled back and his consciousness vanished from her mind, but Mara sat holding him her expression worried. She still would prefer it if he' d seen a proper medic. She didn't like the look of the cut on his head. It had stopped bleeding temporarily, but he was in pain. The fact that he'd stiffened perceptibly as her arms surrounded him gave her the inkling he was keeping the true extent of his injuries from her.

'Oh Luke, you stupid, brave arrogant fool of a man. Lean on me, please. I'll keep you safe or I'll die trying and you would die to protect me too, wouldn't you?'

Lieutenant Cullen Page bolted along the passageway until he reached the service area. \lquote Damn!\rquote he swore to himself. \lquote I should have managed to get Jade out of there. They will notice she's missing if the Twilek doesn't know already. I'd better find Karrde.\rquote

He made his way through the largely deserted workshop area and wandered casually into the lower gathering chamber. This had once been where the Rancor had been housed, but now it serviced as a haunt for the less exalted members of the Twilek's entourage. The band was setting up the stage and sound equipment containers littered the floor. Page spied Karrde quietly talking to his second lieutenant, Aves. He wandered close to them, making sure he was noticed then took a corner table.

"I believe you're sitting at my table." Karrde stood hands on hips in front of the table Page had planted himself at.

"Your table! Don't make me laugh."

"This is my table. I always sit here."

"Hey, pal, is this guy giving you jip?" Aves joined Karrde and glared threateningly at Page.

"Look I didn't know you owned it. I don't want no trouble."

"Well..." Aves drawled in a passable imitation of Han Solo, "buy us a drink, then you can join us. We can let bygones be bygones."

Page smirked. These guys were good. They were wasted in the smuggling business. He could use them in intelligence. "Sounds good to me, gentlemen." He joined them with bottles of some foul tasting liquor.

"Mara and Luke ran into a problem down in the lower levels. I managed to get away, but there's no sign of them. I put a tracker pin into Mara's hair, but that's no guarantee we'll find them. This place has levels which descend far into the planet. I don't think it's known how deep it goes underground.

"If there ever were plans they've long since disappeared." Karrde mused thoughtfully, stroking his beard. It had grown shaggy and unkempt, a far cry from his usual pristine appearance.

"Would the monks know?" Aves asked. "I mean are there any around who might talk to us? But only if it means I keep my brain where it is?"

Page sat up a little straighter. "I spoke to one of them a few days ago." He shifted uncomfortably. "They were looking for the Jedi."

"What!"

"I told them there were no Jedi here, but I got the feeling they didn't believe me."

"You told Luke about this then."

"No, I only said I had met with a couple of the B'Omarr. One wasn't - how shall I put it - corporeal."

"Stang!" muttered Aves. "One of them things in a jar on legs."

Karrde looked grave. "We've got to get out of here and take Luke and Mara with us. We've got two days to do it."

"No, now we've only got one."

In the depths of the temple

"We've taken away his ability to understand. The one he brought was no use - the mind was as diseased as the body and he had not reached true enlightenment. The criminal won't care, but he will bring others here to look for him."

"The Jedi are here."

"Yes." Lights flashed in a pleased pattern.

"He didn't bring them."

"Ah, but he did - indirectly."

"Does he realise?"

"No, the male gave no resistance. We stopped him before they damaged him excessively."

"A true Jedi. Has he reached enlightenment?"

"In his own way, but the Jedi walk a different path from us. We will not accept his mind."

"What of his companion?"

"She too walks in the way of the jedi, but is still striving for the true knowledge she needs. She walks in his shadow in order to learn. She would be unwilling to give her mind to us and it would be wrong to accept it - even if others offered it to us."

"Will we set them free?"

"Eventually.

"The male was wounded."

"Yes."

"She guards him as he sleeps. This is good - it heals. They have much healing to do, both of them."

"I wait with interest to see their ingenuity. They may not need us to escape."

"Perhaps. I grow weary of this. I must prepare myself to think."

"Yes, enlightened one."

"In time they will understand - in time."

In the depths of the temple several hours earlier

The Twilek watched the gamorrean guards as they hauled the battered body of the speeder technician he'd found snooping, away to one of the lower level cells. He'd been about to kill him, even though the human had claimed he was looking for a private spot to 'meet' with his girlfriend. It was a pity they'd had to lock the female up too. A waste of a rather decorative item.

He should have killed the tech. It had been several days since he'd satisfied his lust for blood. The redder the better. He didn't care how his victims died. He didn't care about their pitiful cries; in fact, it was something he enjoyed. It was music to his ears.

So the tech had found the body of the prefect. It wasn't going to do him, or the prefect any good. The man had defied him for too long. Power was going to be his. He had a far grander vision than Jabba the Hutt had possessed. He was going to be a leader like Black Sun once had. Except more intelligent. He wouldn't underestimate the Jedi like Jabba. He'd be ready for them.

The tech had been his to kill, he thought petulantly. The monks had no business stopping him from what he wanted to do. They were lucky he didn't turn them from the monastery. They should be properly grateful. The monks probably wanted the lowly tech's brain too. They were welcome to it, but they could have let him watch. For some reason he forgot about the female - she wasn't important. He fingered his scarred lekku lightly. This body would serve him well. Tonight he would announce his real identity and take his rightful place at the head of his criminal empire. The New Republic would be kept busy in these long fruitless talks with the Imperials, which would give him time to clean up around here. He'd already distracted the Prefect for the past few years - but not half as distracted as he was now. He kicked the prefect's discarded brain out of the way. Someone would have to tidy this up. But not today.

Luke and Mara's Cell

Luke came to with an abrupt shudder. For a moment panic clouded his blue eyes.

"Ssh," The soothing voice calmed him down. "You're fine,"

"Mara?" He whispered rawly.

"Ssh, farmboy. You've been hurt - you've been in a healing trance for the past two hours. Don't you remember?"

He looked round blankly. A thin sliver of light peered through a previously unnoticed gap in the rock wall.

"Why are we here?"

Mara bit her lip worriedly. She knew the cut had been deep. "Luke - please focus, concentrate on the force. It'll clear your mind."

He closed his eyes and breathed as deeply as he could. She felt his alarm subside and could feel him returning to her once more.

"Mara..."

"Try and rest," she muttered. "You're not a good patient."

He chuckled weakly. "The nursing staff could be more sympathetic."

"Hah!" Mara spat disdainfully.

"Mara, the hole in the force. The black nothingness I felt..."

She breathed a silent prayer of relief. He'd only been a little stunned on awakening. Cradling his head in her lap she stroked the hair from his forehead. "Okay Luke, take your time." Mara felt his apprehension.

"Whoever is running things here has cheated death in some way."

Like Callista?"

"I guess, but Callista did it because she wanted to be with me and Cray didn't want to live without Nichos."

"But it was still wrong and the force refused to accept Cray's sacrifice for Callista to live again and now she has lost the force."

"I couldn't sense her when she was near. After a while I realised there was a gap of nothing and that was Callista. She, too, felt her own emptiness and although we both tried to fool ourselves Callista eventually recognised there was no future for us. It took me a lot longer."

Mara kissed his brow and he smiled sadly, but let her continue her tender ministrations. He whispered something tiredly and Mara bent her head down to catch the words.

"I know who the murderer of the Prada's crew is. It took me a while but everything adds up. It makes twisted sense. He's cunning but he's not the mind of Xizor or even Jabba. I think we've got a reincarnated Bib Fortuna on our hands."

Mara nodded. "I know," They were so closely connected in the force that knowledge was shared between them.

They sat in the half-light until sleep claimed Luke once more. Mara wriggled from his grasp and replaced her lap with the cloak she'd been wearing. Now that they knew whom they were dealing with, they could forge a plan to get out of here and do something. She paced the cell. It wasn't Imperial standard, but the walls looked formidable enough.

"If only I had my lightsaber," but it had been taken off her after the stun bolt took her down. Luke had placed their sabers inside the hollow centres of their water bottles. If discovered, that could mean someone knew who they were, but if Bib Fortuna had been aware of their identities he would not have left them together in a cell. So he was still unaware, but Mara was convinced that somebody or something knew where they were. She pulled Page's tracker pin from her hair. "Crude, but effective. If I could bolster the signal a little, then we might have back up."

Luke struggled to consciousness again and watched in the half-light of the early morning. They'd been in here all night. Force knows what was happening. He watched his student and lover as she paced. He would let her work something out - she was resourceful. He definitely felt bbetter. The sleep and Mara's help with the trance had done wonders for him, but he still would need to see a medic and soon.

"Use the force, Mara." he suggested in her mind.

Mara abruptly ceased her pacing and swung round to stare at Luke, but he lay there, breathing deeply with his eyes closed. Turning to the door she noticed that their water bottles had been returned to them. She picked one up and carefully took a swig. The water was warm, but it was still liquid. Picking up the other bottle she moved towards Luke then stopped as something returned to her mind.

Luke felt the satisfaction as if the lights had all been switched on. He tried to keep as still as he could. His ribs were still broken. He would need a week in a healing trance to fix everything and he was working on suppressing the pain. Another area of study he needed to improve for himself he thought with an internal grimace.

"I thought I told you to stay in a healing trance, farmboy?" Mara's voice sounded sternly above him.

'Make that pain suppression and split level concentration, Jedi.' He told himself ruefully. He'd definitely been getting careless and that could become a liability. 'You never stop learning Skywalker. Jedi Master is but a stage.'

"Skywalker?"

"Guilty," Luke muttered hoarsely. Then managed a feeble grin. "Well?"

Mara snorted and rolled her eyes. "I might have known. Were you just going to lie there and let me do all the work?"

Luke gave a tired nod and immediately Mara's waspishness was replaced with concern. She knelt by him and ran her hands over him checking for injuries.

"Oh Skywalker!"

'It was back to surname terms was it? He hurt in places he hadn't had time to think of let alone start to heal.'

"I make it a bad case of concussion along with that cut on your head which has stopped bleeding, but you've lost a lot of blood."

"I sorted that. It's fine," he rasped irritably.

"Maybe so, but that still leaves a couple of broken ribs and a broken ankle. What did they do to you?"

"It wasn't a spectator sport. They all joined in, until a couple of the B'Omarr stopped it. I tried to protect you."

"Luke," Mara drew his name out until it stretched over several syllables. "I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl, remember? Previous job - assassin?"

"There were too many of them, so I made them forget you were there. I have to tighten up one or two of my techniques. I couldn't do that and flatten them with the force as well."

"You were just going to take it. For Sith's sake, when are you going to start taking care of yourself?" Her voice rose in exasperation. He could drive anyone to the dark side.

"You need to get back into the main audience chamber. The Twilek won't remember you."

"How did you do that when he isn't recognised by the force?"

"The Bib Fortuna I remember was easily influenced by the force because he was so weak-minded. Since the force no longer dwells in him I couldn't affect his mind by using it this time. I needed a diversion - a target for him to focus on instead of you."

"So you used yourself - Skywalker!"

Luke closed his eyes and turned his head away from the green-eyed girl. "I\'85." he choked out. "I need to care for you. When I have something worth fighting for I\'85."

"Oh Luke."

"Help me up."

Mara assisted him as he struggled to an upright position, his face grey under his Tatooine tan. "Luke, I don't want you killing yourself for me. Can't you get that into your thick head? I'm not leaving you here on your own."

Luke sat, head bowed, breathing heavily. "You have to, Mara. I'll be fine. I'll do the healing trance and then I'll see if I can speak to the B'Omarr."

"Okay, but I don't like it."

"Page thinks the Empire will try to destroy this building and I have to warn the B'Omarr. You need to see what Bib Fortuna is planning and then, if you have to, help Karrde destroy him. If we cannot stop the attack there are a lot of people working for the Empire and the New Republic that we have to get out before that happens." He stopped to catch a breath - the effort had drained him. "You are gifted in long range communication. Can you contact Karrde?"

"Not with the force, but I could try."

"Do so."

Mara closed her eyes and he could feel her questing out through the fabric of the air. Abruptly her eyes widened and she stared at Luke in astonishment. "I can feel Corran's presence. It's weak but if you helped me I should get through to him." Then she shook her head. "No! There's more than Corran." He could feel her surprise and with her permission entered her mind to boost the signal to whoever was receiving them.

Tosche Station

Leia sat in the downstairs bedchamber with a silently nervous Camie. The chrono ticked the time away.

"What's going on?" the Tatooine woman asked. "I'm not used to all this." She gave a sweeping gesture with her hand.

Leia sighed. "You never get used to the waiting. You get used to dealing with tense situations but there is always the feeling of not being in control. The..." She broke off abruptly, an arrested look on her face. Something was happening in the main bar. Corran had angrily terminated the link they'd been maintaining.

Then she became aware of a new presence in her mind. One she recognised even though it was not close. She felt the surprise and then the quick withdrawal.

"Mara?"

Corran Horn shifted in his seat as he tried to read the expressions on the faces of the men around the table. But they were all skilled negotiators - even Han - and hid anything they felt. There had been a lot of meaningless small talk until Han had leant forward, his patience gone, and demanded, "Tell me, Admiral - Why are we here?"

"We're here because I'm tired of holding the Empire together in a war zone, waiting for the next selfish being who thinks they have a right to the Imperial power, hell bent on conquest. I'm tired of picking up the pieces after one petty Moff or unknown admiral decides to lead us to glory. Our people are tired of fighting, but don't want to join the New Republic either. We want... peace."

Peace.

Corran savoured the word. It was too much to hope for. He glanced at Wedge and swore the expression in his friend's eyes was hope.

Wedge pressed his fingers together. "Okay, I can accept that," He lifted dark eyes and stared at the Admiral. "But why here and why now?"

Pellaeon nodded at Vash Ardiff. His deputy stood up and began to pace back and fore.

"We discovered that one of our sector Governors has been less than loyal to the Empire of late. In fact he's been lining his own pockets. The instability in this region has always been a problem to us. Since we took Tatooine from the Hutts we've barely been in control, but in view of its history..." he gave Han an ironic look at which the Corellian smiled, "\'85we felt it important psychologically that it be in our control."

Pellaeon straightened in his chair. "Darth Vader and the Emperor thought that way and, of course, you can understand why."

Ardiff continued. "As the war with the New Republic continued we were pushed back to the mid and outer rim territories. Tatooine stopped becoming a nuisance and began to gain in strategic importance. Eugene Talmont is a clever man, but began to act irrationally. We were contacted by Major Venner here who was concerned about his dealings with the local crime lord."

Venner nodded and with permission from his superiors continued the tale from his point of view. "I was instructed to watch the prefect and find evidence of his double dealing, but he also served the purpose of distracting the criminal from the Empire's increased presence in the area. What we could not ignore was the increased damage to shipping and the violence and the frequency of these attacks were increasing. Order in the area was and is breaking down. We can't hold on to it much longer - not without help."

"Our intelligence service set in motion discreet inquiries about collaboration." Ardiff said carefully. "But I think you are all aware of that fact."

Han nodded, a wry twist on his face. "Never thought I'd see the day, but yes, even I was informed about that."

Ardiff gave Pellaeon an oblique look at which the Admiral closed his eyes tiredly. "Tell them. They need to know."

Ardiff continued, "That was when we decided to try and speak to you personally. We need the return of the Jedi in the universe and Skywalker is a good man. We felt he would be a suitable person to lead the talks. In fact, I've been in contact with him on a number of occasions after he gave that speech calling for a halt to the continuing hostility between member states. But neither of us hoped even to reach this stage in talks. I guaranteed him safety and anonymity if he ever wanted to visit Imperial space and he said it might become a necessity. Seems he was right. But he refused to meet with me because he didn't want people to misunderstand his position. He was obviously unhappy at what he was being expected to do. We've tried to contact him recently but failed and we know he's here."

Han shrugged tiredly. "Luke has retreated into himself of late and when he did come to Coruscant he gave the speech which openly asked if the New Republic was really working for peace. Because he is who he is, a lot of people took his words seriously and the Senate had to answer a lot of very awkward questions for quite some time."

Corran dipped his head in agreement. "He said they were wanting him to live by Coruscant standards and become a tame Jedi, not someone who truly fought for peace and justice in the galaxy. He's been fighting for that all his adult life. People who wanted to control him offered him these phony advisory positions but he said he could see through them all. Some of the council started talking about his loyalty to the New Republic and hinted that his actions could be deemed traitorous" Corran slammed his hand down on the table. "How could they question Luke's loyalty? He never claimed to be perfect; he's made mistakes - we all have - but Luke would never do anything to jeopardise us. They scheme and insinuate, but at the heart of it they want control."

Ardiff nodded grimly. "We were informed that if ever the Jedi Master returned to this sector then we had permission to take him down, as it were."

"What!"

"By whom?"

All the New Republic men were on their feet instantly and Han had Ardiff by the throat. Kapass and Leggin had drawn their blaster pistols until Arnek slammed a glass down on the bar counter.

"This is no way to have a discussion. Let them finish what they started. Acting like a bunch of young hotheads will get you nowhere."

Venner glared at the old man. "What's he still doing here?"

Corran who had remained seated in shock answered quietly. "I asked him to. I had a feeling we might need a referee. So he came back in just after we started."

"Lieutenant Horn..." Wedge slumped down in disbelief. "Our own people want Luke dead?"

"It seems so," murmured Pellaeon quietly. "I cannot understand it myself. I thought you might have been able to shine a luma on it."

Wedge muttered quietly to no one in particular. "He was going to take some time off to explore more ways to understand and use the force. He feels that he still has so much to learn. He just wants some space." Wedge put his head in his hands.

Pellaeon cleared his throat quietly. "We received word he was in the area several months ago but we couldn't be sure because he immediately went to ground. Then came reports of an attack on this building and a Jedi was reported to have come to its aid. We put the facts together but this time he was not alone, nor was it one of the registered students from Yavin. Oh yes, we know who they all are and where they all come from."

"I'd have lost my faith in Imperial Intelligence if you hadn't," Tycho put in sardonically.

Han's face was white. 'They wanted to neutralise his best friend. People Luke had fought for and protected so that they could be in power now thought he was too much of a risk.'

"I immediately quashed all rumours of his existence here on Tatooine but he's very elusive and I concluded it was unlikely he would stay here. Then we heard he was travelling with Mara Jade. There has been talk about them of late. Are they friends or enemies?"

Tycho shrugged. "Who knows? He's Jedi, she's Jedi. He wants to train her."

Wedge gave the Admiral a sidelong glance. "I think we could safely say they are allies."

Tycho gave a short crack of laughter, which left the Imperials a little confused.

Pellaeon sighed. "Then she is in as much danger as he is." He proffered a data card. "This came from the prefect. The B'Omarr have been persuaded that the Jedi are a threat, but there are Imperial Intel operatives on the look out for anyone answering Skywalker's description. They've also been furnished with specifics about Mara Jade..."

"And?" asked Wedge.

"Details were provided by the New Republic."

Corran felt a faint whisper of a thought in his mind as if wisps of awareness were seeking him out. It was simple to him - it was the force at work. All these diverse elements had converged at Tatooine. It truly was a nexus of the force and of hyperspace routes; he stood carefully and walked to the bar. He felt a little strange.

Han sat stiffly, unmoving, until he turned glittering eyes on Pellaeon. "I might know someone with an explanation," he said flatly without emotion. The betrayed feeling had returned. If Leia was implicated in this he would never forgive her.

Corran reeled back from where he was standing and leant heavily on the bar itself. He closed his eyes as a rush of visual images assailed his brain.

"Han!" he gasped. "It's Mara."

All eyes turned towards the pilot.

Ardiff was the first to speak. "Is he jedi too?"

Leia felt a rush of feeling from Han and also suddenly from Corran as he fought to contain images being sent to him, but she was still struggling to process the news she'd received from Mara.

"I have to go."

"Go where?" squeaked Camie.

"Luke's in trouble. He needs me."

"What about Mara? Isn't she with him? What can you do? You'll only put yourself in danger too."

Leia turned defiantly towards Camie. "I have to help him. It's my fault he's here. I drove him away when he should have stayed where he was safe. If he stays with Mara Jade and they do become intimate, I don't know if I can protect him any longer."

Camie sighed. "Look Princess," she said softly. "I'm not clever or able to put to together long strings of words like politicians can, but your brother is a man and he's lonely. By the salt flats, they are lovers. He watched her all the time they spent here and she watched him. Let him go, Princess. You're being selfish denying him what you already have. He can protect himself and Mara if he has to, but she strikes me as knowing her own mind."

"You're very wise."

"No, not really. I'm sensible, that's all."

"A good trait to have, but I still need to get Luke out of trouble. Mara's in trouble too."

"They're in it together?"

"Yes."

"I'll get Fixer."

"Thank you and, Camie, I think something happened to the negotiations. Whatever's going on up there it's in chaos."

"I'll find out. Just stay calm."

Han burst into the room and took in the distraught state of his wife. Camie gave him a level stare, which cooled down his temper a little and then headed for the bar.

"What's happening?"

"Oh Han, its Luke."

"When isn't it?" he gestured roughly with a hand. "Corran's out cold on the bar floor and you don't look much better. Any talks are in complete disarray. Just tell me. I've never not trusted you before and it's not a feeling I want."

"Luke's been captured and beaten rather badly. Mara says he needs a medic - she thinks he's bleeding internally."

"He was supposed to be undercover."

"Mara thinks the cover's okay, but she's worried about his condition. He's not making sense."

"What about Mara?"

"She's in the cell with him, but Luke used the force so that she wasn't harmed. Page and Karrde hopefully will get them out. There's an attack planned."

Han's voice went quiet. "Attack?"

"Ask the Admiral."

"Oh don't worry," he bit out furiously. "I'm going to."

"I'm going to get him out."

"No sweetheart - you're not."

Leia stared at Han; stared at the ice-cold demeanour he presented to her. She saw the man he might have become if they hadn't married.

"I've been trying to protect him. I wouldn't harm Luke for the world...you know that." Nervous fingers plucked at her tunic but her brown eyes looked unflinchingly at her husband. There was no evasion in her voice. "The Inner council were concerned about the power Luke could wield if he wanted to. They want him where he can do no harm - where he's no threat to them. There have also been these rumours about him and Mara..."

"With good reason," Han muttered and Leia flushed.

"They think she could be a bad influence on Luke. I don't think that - not really."

Han said nothing, his face seemed carved from stone but his emotions swirled furiously.

"Leia, sweetheart." He shook his head.

"I was trying to make him see that I wanted him with us, as a family. When I failed to keep him on Coruscant that last time, I think he knew what they were planning. I mean, I think he knew what I was planning."

Han's eyes had softened a little. "He's the Jedi Master, Leia, not a wet nosed kid. Haven't I told you that time and time again?"

Leia waved aside the rhetorical question knowing that Han didn't really expect her to answer it. There were more important issues to worry about right now. "Mara's really worried about him. He keeps slipping in and out of consciousness. "She says there's an attack planned. So she knows about it too and if she knows, then Luke will know if he hasn't found out by some other means."

A dry cough at the door alerted them to the fact that Arnek and Fixer were standing at the door with Corran suspended between them.

"Sorry guys," he whispered as he was lowered into a chair. "Mara wants us to get Luke out of there - and Karrde. Something's going to happen. He won't use the force more than necessary."

Camie entered with a glass of water, which Corran gulped at thankfully. "There's something else," he told them. "The attack that's planned on B'Omarr we now know about, but I saw a different scene."

Leia looked concerned. "Can you describe what you saw?"

Corran rubbed at his aching head. "I don't get visions very often but I think so. Luke says I don't open myself enough to them."

"But you were vulnerable just now and could do nothing to block them. Tell us - anything will help."

"It wasn't fire and desert and I've seen holo footage of the Monastery and it wasn't that. It's a green world. I see lots of trees, explosions, red wood turning black and\'85."

"Pii 3!" exclaimed Leia and Han simultaneously.

Chapter 16

Coruscant

Winter hushed the children as she led them quickly through the maze of hidden corridors in the Imperial Palace. Jacen and Jaina's wide eyes told the story. These children were too used to this kind of an existence but then, Winter's own life had been little different. Still, she had managed some sort of a childhood. It was testament to the love in the family that the Solo children were as well adjusted as they were.

"Winter," whispered Anakin. "It will be okay - won't it? The force isn't telling me anything this time."

"Ssh! " she replied, anxious despite herself. Mara had told her these tunnels and passageways were shielded but it was a long time since they'd been in use. Suppose someone was monitoring the family and found out they were being moved just as a precaution. Winter sighed. She wondered if she were being over-apprehensive. It was better to err on the side of caution in the meantime.

The twins shot their little brother a quelling look, which he ignored. Winter knew they were having a fierce debate about something, but it was an argument between force strong twins.

Jaina brushed a delicate cobweb from her hair and held onto Jacen as they descended the narrow stairs. As they reached the bottom Winter relaxed and Anakin gave her a little smile.

"Is it okay to talk now?"

Winter nodded. "Yes, we're under the palace."

"Why do we have to go anyway?"

Winter hesitated a little but knew she had to be as truthful as possible. "I used to work in intelligence during the war - now I work for your mother."

"But you still have contacts, right?" asked Jacen thoughtfully.

"'Course she has," insisted Jaina roundly.

Anakin's blue eyes gleamed in the half-light. "They still don't know Mother is away, but they'll find out real soon."

"Yes, I think so."

Jaina gave her twin a silent message then spoke calmly. "When they find out they won't be pleased."

"So it's best for us not to get into trouble by staying here," stated Jacen roundly.

"Are you coming with us?" asked Anakin. "Is small Corran?"

Winter shook her head. "We can't all disappear. It would look a bit strange, don't you think?"

The children nodded.

"We'll have the Noghri and we have the force," murmured Jaina thoughtfully.

A silent shape detached itself from the wall. Winter started a little in surprise, but the children had already turned to the fearsome looking warrior and held out their hands to have the being catch their scent.

"I am Baskhirokh. These are the children of the Lady Vader and General Solo. We will serve them until death."

Winter groaned to herself. The Solo children didn't need that on top of everything else. Anakin tugged at her sleeve. "It will be fine, Winter. Yavin is a good place to go until Father comes for us."

"We like it there. It's the best place and you know that. Otherwise you wouldn't be sending us there." Jacen looked up at her reassuringly.

She hugged them, all three of them, and nodded to the Noghri as he ushered the children to the waiting unmarked ship.

Winter rushed back up the stairs and through the twisting passageways until she returned to the Solo quarters. Mirax had collected small Corran a couple of hours earlier and now she was on her own. She would just have to wait. From what she had heard through her sources there were certain beings getting rather edgy.

She didn't have to wait long. The com on her desk buzzed loudly. Seating herself at her desk she switched on the vid-screen and activated the link.

General Airen Cracken faced Winter across the vastness of the galaxy, but still she looked serene and unruffled, her long white hair coiled intricately on her head, grey eyes steady.

"What can I do for you, General?"

"I need to speak to Leia."

"That could prove to be difficult."

"Difficult?"

'Here goes,' she thought and lifted her head a little higher as she uttered the lie they had so carefully prepared. "Leia cannot speak with you at the moment as she is indisposed."

"Indisposed to what?" he barked testily.

"She has come down with a case of Darpan Fever."

"I don't care what she has come down with," he bit out, his green eyes narrowing. "I have to speak with her now. It's about Luke and Han. We've lost control. They've gone back in."

"Tycho?" Winter questioned, her heart in her mouth.

"Him too," he replied, the fire going out of him. Cracken smoothed his white hair in place. "He's a Rogue, he's gone with Antilles. I asked them to pull out and they refused. Did you hope for anything else?" He didn't expect her to answer that.

"Luke and Mara?"

He closed his eyes. "I don't know. That's one of the reasons I wanted to speak to Leia. Surely she would sense if her brother is still alive. I haven't heard from intelligence. We've had a communications black out. When he turned up with Jade in Mos Eisley I had to let him go in with the others. The Jedi master and Jade are very... close at the moment. He'd have been far too suspicious otherwise. Look, I'm not happy with what I've been ordered to do and why am I justifying myself to you, Winter? No offence intended."

"None taken. Have you contacted the council?"

"No, I wanted to speak to Leia first."

"Well you can't," she replied flatly.

"You cannot deny me access to the Councillor. The New Republic employs you - I am your superior." His tone had turned chillingly cold. This was unlike Winter Celchu, to obstruct him in such a fashion.

"May I speak freely, General?"

"You mean are we being monitored?"

"Something like that."

"It's safe to talk."

"I am employed by the Solo family, not the New Republic. Yes, I am a citizen of the Republic, but my loyalty is to the Solo family first."

"I can still order you."

"I didn't think you would do so. Governor Fey'lya and Admiral Ackbar both tried to set up meetings with her yesterday and they failed to get longer than a couple of minutes each." 'I didn't know how long I could keep a deception going.' "I also had to fend off several holo-reporters. You wouldn't believe the tactics they used to try and get in."

"Just let me speak to her, Winter."

The Alderaanian studied him hard - it was rather unnerving. Winter checked her chrono; the children should be well on their way. She squared her shoulders. "I can't let you speak to Leia, because she's not here."

"I thought you said she was sick; reports have her as being sick."

"If you knew that why did you ask to speak to her?"

"It's urgent." His sudden intake of breath made Winter aware that he'd realised what she'd just told him. Leia wasn't there.

"Where is she? Is she at home?"

"She's off planet."

"No, she can't be." His eyes closed and he bowed his head. "Then she could be in danger too. She was supposed to keep Luke occupied here on Coruscant."

Winter knew it was time to state her opinion on this. There was a chance Cracken might just do something which would make a difference. She didn't want him alerting Gavrisom and Fey'lya until it was too late.

"General, please listen to what I have to say and then think about it. You don't have long, but you owe it to us."

Airen Cracken rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. Somehow it wasn't the face of Winter Celchu he saw but the accusing stare of Mara Jade. Winter was correct - he had to give them the chance. He had too ignore his suggested orders from the Council and do all he could to get them out of there. He'd gone into the talks with the expressed interest of doing nothing. He had to change that decision. Had he subconsciously used Mara Jade so that Luke would follow her? Had he?

"Okay, do your best. I'll listen."

"Luke Skywalker is right, General Cracken. He's always been right on this. The speech he gave last year touched a chord with the people - they want the war to stop. You must respect his position as a jedi master. He will fight for truth and justice for the galaxy whether they are Imperial or Republican. You cannot control him - he wouldn't be the man he is if you did."

"You speak well in defence of your employer's brother, Winter."

"He's more than that and you know it. Where would you be without him and the likes of Mara Jade?"

"Did you really think that he would get himself into such a situation?" He asked quizzically.

"No, but the Imperials have been given information on him and Mara Jade."

"How do you know?"

"I also still have channels of information open to me and, no, I'm not divulging them. You'd better find some way to get him out of trouble. Because I know some people who will go public with what they know."

"Is that a threat, Winter?"

"What do you think? If it's the Bothans stirring up trouble again, suddenly we'll be in a situation of their making. Fey'lya and his cabal will intrigue and meddle until some sort of incident occurs which will give them the upper hand. To a Bothan, the war is often not on the battlefield. That last message you sent Leia had been tampered with and the message was worded in a speech pattern that is common to the Bothan language. I became very suspicious after that and did some digging. Remember that I never forget anything. But we will never be able to accuse them because they will bring up the sacrifice the Bothans made to get the plans for the second Death Star. How dare we accuse them of conspiring to murder one of the New Republics greatest men because he cannot be controlled by a bunch of Bothans - because he's above such politicking?"

"I'm not a politician, Winter, and I was trying to protect him."

"No, but Fey'lya is and he wants to be chief of state. I realise you've been trying to do what you think is best but I think you've been wrong on this one. Gavrisom hasn't got the mettle to counteract the way these Bothans work."

"But Leia does?"

"I don't think that remark deserves an answer. Anytime now there will be a Republican force coming along to protect the Councillor and her family. They will find no one to protect. Just me. We need to re-open those talks. The Bothans, the Mon Calamari, the Ishori and the Diamala can intrigue in a peaceful world. Or don't they want to?"

"Clever, Winter," he chuckled without humour.

"I've been around too long, General, not to spot the dianoga in the trash compactor. These talks have to get going again."

"All right, you win."

"I'll wait to hear from you," she said and cut the connection. The last view he had was of her unsmiling face.

Luke and Mara's cell, B'Omarr Monastery

Mara's astonished expression made Luke smile even though he was really starting to feel pain and most of his pain suppression tricks weren't working now. But he had to stop Mara from worrying.

"Worrying about what?"

"How we're getting out of here, Jade," he whispered.

"You're telling fibs, farmboy. I told you, you can't lie to me and get away with it. I will know."

"I can try."

"No lying in front of the children then."

"Yes, Ma'am." He moved a little and Mara knelt beside him.

"I worry about you."

"I don't want you to."

"I know, but I do." She gently kissed his brow. Tenderness from Mara Jade. He hadn't known she could be that way. Funny, sarcastic, strong, irritating and bright - he knew she was all of these but the caring shone through her sense - caring for him.

Luke grabbed her hand and held on firmly. "So Leia's here after all. That will make things interesting. We can expect some back up eventually, probably not soon enough, though. So you still need to get out of here."

"I'm not going without you. I told Corran about the state that you managed to get yourself into. I don't think he was too impressed."

"Hell! Leia will worry. But you must go."

"I told you already, you come with me."

"I can't move just yet. With any luck they'll have forgotten about us and it will give me a chance for a couple of hours rest. Then you can come back for me."

Mara acquiesced unwillingly, but she knew he was right. "I thought I was supposed to be the practical one."

"It's something we can share. Now - how are you getting out?"

Mara levelled a green-eyed stare at the locking device and with a snap and a sizzle something ignited in the mechanism and the door swung slightly ajar. Mara gasped and turned to Luke. "What did you do?"

"Me? I didn't do anything. You managed that entirely on your own." She gave him a glare, but he turned blue eyes, dark with pain he couldn't hide and the hardness faded from her eyes. "You'll need your lightsaber."

Mara's glare turned to a swift grin. "Good job they returned our water bottles. That was a good move, Skywalker." She picked up the cylindrical containers and gave Luke a drink of the warm liquid, before pulling the centre of the tube downwards. She held her saber comfortably in her hand for an instant before attaching it to it's accustomed place on her belt. "Here you go." She did the same to the second water container and Luke's saber also rested in her hand. Mara fastened it to Luke's belt and then, bending, placed her lips on his. His were warm and dry and clung.

"Mara?"

"Yes." She had curved herself into his body and tried to offer him some more of her strength.

"When we get out of here.... could I interest you in something permanent?"

She stopped, her eyes widening in surprise. Luke lifted a shaky hand and placed it carefully on her stomach. "I love you and want what you want. A family, a home, someone of my own to love and protect."

"I think..." She ran her tongue carefully around her own dry lips. "I think that could be arranged. If only for the sake of the children." She placed her hand over Luke's.

"Then he pulled away a little and shuffled carefully into a seated position, his movements agonisingly slow. "Now go and find Karrde and Page."

Mara gave him a brief desperate kiss and ran from the cell, not looking back. Luke sighed. He hoped he'd got this right.

Tosche Station

"I have to go to him, Han. I'm not leaving my brother or Mara Jade there."

"I can't let you go, sweetheart. It's too dangerous."

"I've faced danger before, far worse than this."

"Excuse me," Corran coughed lightly to gain their attention. "Can I input a little perspective here?"

"No!"

"Yes," corrected Han firmly. "Go ahead, Corran."

The Corellian Jedi sat up a little. "You need to stay here to thrash out a peace treaty with the Admiral. Or get to a holonet access point and wake up Gavrisom, without involving the parts of the council that want rid of Luke and Mara."

"They don't want rid of Luke and Mara," Leia put in bitterly. "They just want them where they can see them."

"Of course," Han guessed. "Luke can make his way around unnoticed now. They could find where he went to before, but he's too good for them now." He slapped his hands on the wall in satisfaction. "It's the Bothans - has to be."

"No, Han. It's not just the Bothans. I was as much at fault. I was too blind and didn't try to see what all this could mean to us. And I, of all people, should. I've been fighting for peace since I was a child. You were right, Han. Luke is my brother, but I cannot control him."

"Princess Councillor... Is that what I call you?" Fixer looked embarrassed but pressed on. "Most folks only want to be fed and see their families are safe."

"Fixer's right," said Corran. "In the past, Luke has on occasion wielded too much power and could have been dangerous but, somehow, now I think he may be in danger of doing the opposite. Mara will look after him. She's got a level head to counteract his idealistic tendencies. They're better together, Leia."

"That's why you have me, sweetheart," grinned Han at his wife who ignored him.

"What do we need to do, your Highness?" asked Camie softly.

"I have to contact Gavrisom - he's the Chief of state - and General Cracken - he's head of Intel. Then I must introduce myself to Admiral Pellaeon. It's been many years since last we met."

"'Atta girl," crowed Han jubilantly. "And we..." he waved at the men "go get Luke."

Ardiff took a long draught of the bitter lum. "What's happening through there?"

Wedge shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"You didn't say Horn was a Jedi."

"You didn't ask." Wedge grinned and then sobered again. "He likes to keep it quiet, even in New Republic circles. He has a wife and family and he wants to keep flying without the fuss. But he's not that experienced yet and I think he suffered what we might term an information overload."

Ardiff smiled faintly. He'd never been around Jedi at all and even though he was a level headed officer, he owned to being apprehensive around them.

Han marched back into the bar. "Admiral Pellaeon?"

"Yes, General Solo."

"I have someone here who would like to be introduced to you."

"We met many years ago, Admiral. You were long held to be one of the Empire's finest soldiers."

For a moment he was dumbfounded. The small woman stood before him with a dirty face, dressed in a shapeless tunic, but he knew instantly who she was. Her fire and beauty had inspired millions and he wasn't disappointed. Leia Organa Solo had a presence he'd only noticed belonging to very few beings. Rusty court skills came to his aid and he kissed her small hand. "Princess."

"It's 'Councillor Organa Solo' these days, Admiral."

Backed against the wall, Venner, Kapass and Leggin could only watch in amazement. They were living through history.

Han gave Wedge a signal and he and Tycho moved to the door, Corran walked slowly through with Camie, Fixer and Arnek. Han grinned. He felt useful again. This was what he did best - living on his wits, not being tied to a desk and a fancy uniform.

Leia spoke quietly but her words had the power of a mighty shout. "I think we're all here because we want peace, Admiral. But there are others who would try and steal it away from us."

"Councillor, I see we're of like minds."

She inclined her head gracefully. "But we still have the problem of a Twilek crime Lord, I believe?"

Corran had very quickly filled her in on the bits she'd missed. She'd known about the being who had murdered Karrde's crew, but not that he was responsible for increasing raids against settlers on this planet and others in the system. She had known and had been increasingly concerned about the cargoes removed from several New Republic ships in the last month and there were reports of heavy armaments being shipped somewhere. It had sounded as if someone had very ambitious plans to stir up trouble.

Han clicked on his comlink. "Chewie, I believe we need you and the Falcon here smartish. Remember the former Chief of State's updated computer and holo-access system? Well, I think she needs to see if it works properly." He narrowed his eyes slightly at Chewie's reply.

"What do you mean you tuned it up a little? Now listen here, you big hairy...." Han turned and smirked. "He was joking - honest. Trust me. Wookiees - real sense of humour. In other words, Chewie will fly the Falcon here and park out back. I take it all the stormtroopers are on their way to B'Omarr? I put a lot of work into that ship...."

Leia rolled her eyes.

Wedge surveyed the people in the room. Corran still looked a little white, but was recovering quickly. "How far are we from B'Omarr?"

"A couple of hours in a top class speeder. Double that in the ones we have here," answered Fixer.

Vash Ardiff stepped forward. "Our vehicle is one of the newest Imperial models. We could use that. It can carry four."

"Good," said Han. He paused and looked at the Admiral. "With our track record it might not come back as it went."

Pellaeon smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter. Major Venner, you take Kapass with Commander Antilles and Captain Celchu"

Leggin's face fell. Pellaeon regarded him steadily.

"I'll need you and Captain Ardiff to aid me in the negotiations and also to act as security."

Leia smiled carefully and looked at Corran. "Would you mind staying and doing the same thing for me?"

Corran shook his head. "It would be an honour. Besides, I think I need time to recover. Mara can be overwhelming. I hadn't realised she was so strong. Her power is almost equal to Luke's I think."

Han looked at Fixer and Arnek. They were almost begging him with their eyes. He glanced at Leia and then towards Camie.

"Let them go with you, General. I trust you'll keep them safe. The children and I will look after our guests. I think Luke fixed one of our speeders as well as the R-5. It will probably go with a little extra something. He always souped up his means of transport when we were young."

Han nodded decisively. "Okay, you two are with me, but any nonsense I leave you outside and you do what I say."

Pii 3

The steady thrum of the engines could be heard in the peaceful sky above Pii 3. He listened to their comforting sound, but it failed to ease his tension. Cracken paced from one end of his office to another. 'Peace'. Was it such an alien concept? Winter was right. Luke Skywalker was a good man and he had a lot of time for Mara Jade. She'd agreed to find information on Firith Olan without too much persuasion. She'd gained them valuable insights into his operations and if she did manage to destroy him from the inside, they would have the necessary information to cripple his off world operations too.

There was a buzz on his com channel.

"Sir, Commander Toryn Farr to see you."

"Send her in." He pressed the button to open the door and it slid smoothly aside.

"Toryn, good to see you." He held out his hand and she shook it before retiring to a seat in front of the desk.

"What brings you here?"

The woman looked troubled, then dug in one of her pockets and produced a data card. "I was asked to give this to you."

"By whom?"

"By Commander Skywalker, Sir." Toryn had been with the New Republic since Yavin and had known Luke then. She still referred to him as 'Commander' and not as 'Master'. She quickly recounted the story of how he'd recognised her in Mos Eisley and handed her the data card.

"I've no excuse for the delay. I just forgot about it. I found it yesterday and came here as quickly as I could."

Cracken reassured her and spoke meaningless platitudes as she left. He put the card in the slot and waited. Luke's serious face appeared on his view-screen.

"General Cracken, strange as this may seem, this is a warning. I'm not sure what's going to happen or who is behind it, but there will be an attack on this planet in a very short time. I have my suspicions - the Twilek crime lord, Bib Fortuna, and an Imperial Governor left on their own for far too long out on the rim. I only ask that you be prepared for any eventuality and do not dismiss this totally out of hand. I've never been wrong before - the force is, after all, a very powerful tool. I am also aware of the sentiments regarding the Jedi by several members of the inner council - including my sister. Although Leia only thought to keep me safe, others had more sinister plans, most of which included the deaths of myself and my friend and colleague Mara Jade. If I do not return, Mara will have data which will keep these individuals under control. Palpatine's New Order left behind a legacy of suspicion and mistrust regarding the Jedi Order. There are individuals who do not have confidence in my actions and want to see me with my hands tied. I will do what I have to do, not what they expect." He seemed to hesitate for a second then leant forward, his blue eyes almost hypnotic. "We need this peace, General. Surely you can see that, more than anyone. I'm counting on you. May the force be with you."

Cracken switched off the now silent viewer. "Damn!" He rose stiffly on suddenly tired legs and listened to the sound of the engines. Then a thought struck him. "Bib Fortuna! Luke must have slipped up somewhere. Or had the Jedi found out information that no-one else knew." Whoever had conspired to send an attacking force was of no consequence. He had a choice to make and that choice had to be made now. He only hoped he was making the right one.

He switched on his communications console and contacted the Chief of State. The conversation was brief and to the point. Gavrisom accepted the inevitable.

His com buzzed. "There are reported sightings of a Star Destroyer about to enter the system, Sir."

"All right, prepare to defend."

He moved from his office and went to stand at the veranda of the building. There was the sound of activity as men, women and various alien species ran to their defensive positions. From centres of small groups of trees various ground mounted laser cannons were wheeled into place and portable shield generators carried into position. Luke Skywalker was right. They hadn't the resources or the will to fight anymore and no amount of conniving behind the scenes in the senate or the inner Council would change it.

Main Audience Chamber, B'Omarr Monastery

The Twilek stood in the deserted chamber. Tonight he would be in charge. Not only in the underworld, but also in this sector. Then he would build, bit by bit, world by world. Power would be his.

He stood with his arms aloft, imagining the scene of triumph and his purple eyes glowed.

The B'Omarr monk watched from the shadows. The foolish being had wasted their gifts to him. It was time to end it all, but first he must speak to the Jedi.

Lower Audience Chamber

Karrde, Aves and Page fiddled with the tracker. "It's not picking up anything."

"That's because I'm standing next to you." The voice was hostile but indisputably Mara's.

She stood hugging the shadows, a bruise on her beautiful face, but otherwise she seemed unharmed.

"Where's Luke?" asked Karrde quietly.

"He's in a cell on the lower level. He was hurt rather badly." Her voice trembled just a little and Karrde gave her a look of understanding.

"How badly hurt?" wondered Page.

"I think he has several cracked ribs and a broken ankle. But he sustained numerous blows to his head and I'm worried about internal bleeding. He kept losing consciousness and seemed confused. He can't be moved yet. He's gone into a healing trance, but we have to go back for him. I'm not leaving without him."

Karrde put a careful arm around her and she accepted the brief wordless comfort.

"We don't have very long," said Page in a low tone. "In approximately two hours the Twilek will make some sort of announcement. In three hours the combined Imperial and New Republic force will start an aerial bombardment of this structure. Firith Olan won't know what's hit him."

"About Firith Olan." Mara's eyes took on a strained expression. "That's not who he is. Somehow Bib Fortuna persuaded the monks to transfer him into another body. That is why the lekku are scarred, not because he survived an accident. Firith Olan is probably dead. Fortuna wants what Jabba had. He's creating an exact replica of the way this place used to be."

"So he's working with the B'Omarr?" Aves looked to Karrde for confirmation.

"I don't know," answered Mara.

"It would seem that way," remarked Karrde thoughtfully. "What do they have to gain?"

"That's just it. I don't know what they get out of it. The B'Omarr do not interest themselves in worldly things. They aim for enlightened thought. They can go for days without speaking at all. Eventually they become so enlightened that their brain is removed," mused Page.

"Would they be wanting a source of brains?" asked Aves in horror.

Mara shook her head. "That doesn't seem right."

Page agreed. "They've always appeared peaceful and I've never heard of them using force. They did want to speak to Luke."

Mara's eyes grew cold. "They know he's here?"

"I denied it, but I think they are very aware what is going on."

Mara swayed on her feet and Karrde and Aves were quick to steady her and gave her a seat. "You're not going to dance, are you?"

"I was, but I feel really strange." Her face whitened.

"Aves get her something to drink," Karrde said urgently. "Come on Mara, take a deep breath." He turned to Page in disgust. "Not that this air is the cleanest."

Aves returned with a tall tumbler. "Here Mara, drink this."

She grabbed the thick glass gratefully and drank thirstily of the water.

"Hey, slow down. You'll make yourself sick," Aves cautioned. "Take a little time."

"We don't have time, not any more." Her voice was low and bitter.

Karrde gestured to her cheek. "You cannot dance with that bruise on your face."

Mara closed her eyes and placed her hand over the discoloured area of flesh. Page watched mesmerised as she glowed briefly and when she removed her hand, the mark was gone."

"Now I must get ready."

"We will be close by, Mara. The honour of killing the man is mine." Karrde's eyes were cold, his voice hard. "Page, I suggest you start moving your people out."

"Will do," the intelligence man said becoming the grey anonymous figure of before and drifting into the faceless crowds.

They were all gathering, ready for the festivities...all the scum the Twilek had gathered around him. The emotions were swirling, a cacophony of sounds and faces and peoples. All there waiting for something to happen. Mara felt the force shift and change as it caught the ever-changing pattern of life and death.

"Be careful, my love."

"I will. I love you."

"I know."

Chapter 17

Luke's Cell, B'Omarr Monastery

Luke sensed the two minds approaching even as he tried to slip into a healing trance. He needed to heal. If he was going to help anyone he had to make a start on these injuries now. In fact, his best course of action would be to get himself out if here and get to the nearest and best-equipped medicentre. There was also the relatively unimportant matter that they were possibly life threatening if left untreated. He could sense the minds coming closer - they'd helped him and now they wanted to be repaid. He understood that much. He'd been with Han and the rebellion for a long time and knew that if someone did you a favour you returned it.

Luke trusted that Karrde and Page would get Mara out. He knew Karrde still counted Mara as one of his own and there was no way he would abandon one of his people. The only danger there lay in Mara's general obstinacy. Mara would not leave without Luke. Karrde could always stun her and drag her out by the hair - which could present a problem. Luke smiled wearily. Mara had already been taken down by one stun bolt. It would be difficult to catch her out twice, but Luke couldn't see any other way. He knew his girl too well. He only hoped she'd listen to reason but he didn't hold out much chance of that.

He assessed his situation and it wasn't hopeless - not by a long shot, as long as he got time to heal. He was in a small room on the far side of the fortress. The monastery was built on top of a bluff and could be seen for miles around. Behind the vast ancient edifice was a sheer cliff, dropping to the endless desert sea below. A narrow slit in the wall gave out a thin sliver of light, but he'd barely been able to access the view. All it would show would be immeasurable stretches of golden wasteland with no sight of humanity.

The monastery had been built down into the cliffs and it would be nigh well impossible either to climb up or down. Sheer rock face in his condition wasn't to be attempted - he hoped. A wasted dilemma, as he could barely move. Without Mara there with him in the cell Luke had let down his guard and the physical and mental strain the Jedi Master was labouring under was only too apparent. The tanned face was grey with pain and fatigue and his mouth tight. The famous blue eyes, if examined closely enough, were dark with haunted shadows. He so much wanted to live. For the first time in many years he had something to cling to. It was warm and had an inner core which burned for him. He had Mara.

"Will he die?"

"Eventually - he is human and therefore mortal. But it is not his time."

"He is in great pain."

"He tries to subdue it. It is the way of the Jedi."

"He is alone - the female is no longer with him. She must have escaped."

"She is also Jedi, if you recall. He could also have left if he so desired. Walls cannot keep such as they confined if they do not want to be kept. She will not be far from him."

"So he knows we want to speak with him."

"Yes - it is time to end all of this. We have grown weary."

The monk nodded deferentially while passing several enlightened beings as they contemplated life and the universe in their nutrient jars. His companion skittered behind him on dainty metallic feet, moving carefully over the sand strewn floor.

"It's where I should be also. I take time from important thought to deal with a problem we have let expand until it intrudes upon our reason for being."

"Let us go and speak to the Jedi and you can then fulfil your true vocation."

New Republic Base, Pii 3

General Airen Cracken stood tensely in the communications centre, his green eyes snapping fire as he waited for some sort of communiqu\'e9 from Admiral Pellaeon. He couldn't believe the Empire would attack when all his intelligence reports told of their perilous position. They didn't have the means to start another conflict. Tricked into it or not.

"Sir! We've identified the Star Destroyer. It's the Hammer Vex."

"Not the Chimaera?"

"No, Sir."

"What the hell's going on?" he muttered grimly to himself. He raised his voice and barked at a young officer wearing a lieutenant commander's uniform. "Any word from Pellaeon?"

"We cannot raise anything on that frequency, Sir."

"Sithspit!" He swore and stared without seeing through the transparent screen used for plotting ship manoeuvres. The operator entered data into a pad, techs ran back and fore, slicers slid into position - a well ordered machine rolled into operation and readied itself for battle.

Spotting a familiar humanoid, Cracken clicked a signal on his hand held com.

"General?"

"Everything in place?"

"Of course, yes," the orange eyes blinked.

"Good!" Cracken turned and spoke into a voice amplifier. "Jaett - Activate the shield generators."

A small Sullustan chattered quickly into his translator. "Deflector shield online."

Cracken smiled with a small sense of satisfaction. "Brodie - keep trying to contact the Chimaera and use the Admiral's personal channel." He added data into a terminal in front of him. "Cawdor..." he began to move towards the open door of his office. "I want you to try and contact Antilles, Solo or Karrde's man Ghent. The last one is a slicer, one of the best. He's on a ship in Mos Eisley. Keep trying until you raise one of them and then keep going until you get the others. Clear? Any questions - No? Good. Keep me informed."

Cawdor blinked leathery eyelids and hissed a quiet affirmative.

Cracken took a couple of swift strides, then turned. "And Cawdor... Get Pii 4's defences on line. I believe the rest of Rogue Squadron are there awaiting orders."

The General picked up another couple of pads and then returned to the centre of the ops room before plugging in a headset, keeping keen green eyes on the viewscreen in front of them. The ops room was cluttered with equipment and personnel, none of it silent. But Cracken felt isolated - completely alone amongst the bustle, the chatter of electronics and people.

Dune Sea

Wedge turned his head to avoid the choking sand as it swirled around the speeder. It still managed to infiltrate his clothing and ease into his mouth and eyes. His eyes were red and irritable and his throat felt scratchy. He took a swig of his water bottle and wasn't surprised when Venner did the same. He glanced across at the other speeder flying over the Dune Sea just behind the Major's. Han sat stiffly in the front beside Fixer willing the machine forward - willing it to be there on time.

Tosche Station

Leia stood outwardly calm at the side of Admiral Gilad Pellaeon as the two vehicles roared into the distance. Suddenly Leggin dived for his rifle as a familiar shape appeared on the horizon.

Corran pulled out his lightsaber ready to parry any shot Leggin might make as a reflex. "It's all right. It's the Falcon." He helped Leggin up.

Eventually it landed to the rear of the station and Leia moved towards it flanked by Corran. Leia turned to the Imperials. "It will be quite safe, I assure you."

A familiar roar greeted her. "Chewie!" she exclaimed thankfully.

The large furry humanoid waited beside the ramp into the Falcon all the while keeping a hand on his bowcaster.

"Let me introduce Chewbacca of Kashyyyk," Leia projected proudly and watched with approval as Pellaeon took a step forward and bowed.

"Ah, the famous Chewbacca."

The Wookiee roared something unintelligible and Ardiff hoped it was a greeting and not a threat.

Leia smiled again. "Chewbacca asks you to follow him into the ship. I'll reiterate my promise to you. We mean you no harm."

Corran nodded and tried to extend calming force tones into the atmosphere. "The Councillor is correct. The Falcon has a communications centre, newly installed, and we have President Gavrisom, our Chief of State, very anxious to talk with you."

They seated themselves round the Falcon's gaming table apart from Corran and Leggin who preferred to stand. Chewie excused himself to work on something in the cargo hold and as he left he barked something in Leia's direction.

"Really?" she said and grinned delightedly as Artoo rolled towards her beeping and whistling in a cascade of tones, all of which indicated his indignation at being left behind. Chewbacca had collected the little droid from Luke's home where he had been chaffing at his imprisonment by the restraining bolt.

Leia's eyes widened at the language. "Not now, Artoo. You can take all that up with Luke later."

The little droid moved to the communications console and attached himself securely to the information outlet with something which, in a human, could be termed a disdainful sniff.

Leia put her hands on the table. "As you can see I am unarmed. Now Gentlemen - let us talk peace."

Luke's Cell, B'Omarr Monastery

Luke opened clouded eyes and completely disoriented in the half-light couldn't work out exactly where he was for a minute. He knew who he was, just not precisely where. He also couldn't work out why he ached in so many places. Then real feeling returned to his lower limbs and a gasp of pain escaped him.

\lquote This has to stop,\rquote he told himself severely. 'Use the force, Luke...it's part of you...remember Yoda's teaching. You won't do anyone any good if you die. At least work on the internal stuff.\rquote

Focusing deep within himself, Luke visualised ruptured blood vessels and damaged organs. He became aware of life at its most basic level and beyond life to the planet, which nurtured life and drew strength from the brilliant double suns. Tatooine was parched from lack of moisture, but still, life beat at its centre. He felt his own heartbeat - slow and measured. He felt the passing of time and the change of each grain of sand and slowly he felt his body heal. Gradually Luke slipped into sleep.

The two B'Omarr stopped in front of the now open cell. The door gaped ajar and the corporeal monk bent to examine the damaged locking mechanism. It would never work again. They entered the cell and observed the quiescent body of the Jedi Master. His face was bruised and pale and his eyes closed in sleep. The shallow rasping breaths indicated the damage he'd taken to his ribcage.

They moved carefully into the cell, the B'Omarr picking the hem of his robe up as he moved and his companion covering the ground on tiny metal legs. The Jedi's eyes flew open with an abruptness that was as sudden as it was shocking. He gazed at them curiously. Eyes as blue as the skies above their heads held wisdom, pain and something they couldn't fathom.

"Gentlebeings," Luke said. "I'm sorry to greet you in this fashion." He struggled slowly to a sitting position. It was easier - he breathed a still careful sigh of relief, mindful of his ribs.

"Jedi?"

"Of course."

"We've heard of your coming - a return to the place where the Jedi came to be. We are the B'Omarr. I am still in my corporeal form. I have not reached the level of enlightenment like the being before you." The lights on the brain's nutrient jar flashed in a sequential pattern. Luke closed his eyes as they induced in him a feeling of intense dizziness. He had to concentrate.

"Were you once Jedi?" asked Luke.

The brain in the jar seemed to glow and the other monk smiled showing yellowing teeth. "No, we were completely different. We search for enlightenment through thought but have no powers like yours. At one time our order co-existed with your kind. We were compatible. But that was millennia ago. Now all we seek is our solitude."

Luke gazed curiously at the brain in the jar. "Do you communicate?"

"Oh yes. You can do that through your force. We are telepathically linked. You also could try this."

Luke cocked his head to one side and thought deeply. "Greetings enlightened one. What do you want from me?"

"Solitude," was the answer. "We want to be left in seclusion. Once we thought that would happen, then the outlanders came. They came, they departed then more arrived and were driven out in their turn."

"What my comrade is saying perhaps is unclear to you. These others came and took over our abode, but they left us in peace to exist as we sought fit. Then the Hutt came and they drove us deep underground. But their people didn't leave us alone. They came to seek us out."

"You drove them out and made it possible to reclaim our right. But we had taken one of their own because we thought he had reached enlightenment. We made a mistake. He was not ready. His mind is weak."

"Somehow he found a way to contact the outsiders again and they started to return. One by one, but they kept returning. He persuaded us to restore him to his frailty. Enlightenment had paid too heavy a price for him. Now he wants to get rid of us forever. He has plans to drive us out. We have been here longer than the deserts."

Luke nodded in understanding. "Bib Fortuna."

"Yes, you helped us once before by getting rid of the Hutt."

"He was given a choice," Luke said a little defensively. He hadn't exactly been too sad at having to finish off Jabba the Hutt and that knowledge rankled at his Jedi soul.

"We want you to get rid of his successor."

"What!"

"We know that killing in cold blood is not the Jedi way, but we want you to destroy this building from the inside so that it can never be used by these people again."

"You have the powers. We know you do."

"But I cannot use those powers for destruction. If I did that I would using my abilities for evil." Luke felt distraught. He wasn't healed enough for this - he had to stay strong. Mara needed him to be strong. "What about your order? I would be condemning you as well as the people in the upper levels. I cannot do that."

"You have the ability to protect us all?"

His voice rose weakly in shock. "I cannot... It is not our way. I try to achieve things by negotiation. Attack only as a last... resort... " Luke's voice trailed off limply as he passed out.

"I told you it was too soon."

"He is a good man, but not enlightened."

"Neither am I."

"In time you will be. You strive for it."

The monk moved to where Luke's water bottle sat, minus the hidden saber which was now attached to his belt and poured a little of the water on the Jedi's face. Luke opened his eyes.

"Here you must drink. Try and get your strength back. You will need it if you are to help us."

Luke's eyes blinked in confusion. "I thought I said I was unable to help you. I want to preserve life, not kill it."

"We want that too. You misunderstand us, Jedi."

"I'm not so sure that I do," replied Luke stubbornly. "My friends are up there."

"Ah yes, the female. She is special to you - your mate? She will not be harmed - by us."

"You don't understand what you're getting in to," Luke raised his voice in protest.

"We understand very well. We have been working both sides of the credit chip, as your saying goes." Luke sensed the satisfaction from the enlightened being.

"We would like you to help create a little illusion. We have been reading up on the Jedi."

"Wh-where?" asked Luke. If there was information he wanted to see it.

"Some holodisks were deposited in our library a few hundred years ago. Or was it thousands? No, I think it was hundreds."

"Library?" the Jedi echoed faintly. Luke ran his tongue over very dry lips. "I know this could be termed some sort of bribe and Jedi should not be able to be bought, but is there any chance I could see what you have?"

"If you help us, I don't see why not."

"But if he does help us, he may not get out again - alive."

"If he doesn't help us, the story is the same. We cannot treat his injuries, we do not know how and when the task force arrives to bombard this place into rubble, he may not be alive anyway. His best chance is to help us. In fact it is his only chance."

"Task force!" Luke probed - a sinking feeling of dread pooling in the pit of his stomach. "It's still coming?" He hoped Page was wrong - he really did.

Coruscant

Winter was escorted to the Chief of State's office. It was funny to think that she was by all intents and purposes under arrest. Still, she'd kept calm and cool and had raised no demur when asked to accompany the security detail to Gavrisom's office. As she walked sedately down the main corridor, she resisted temptation to make a face at an astonished Borsk Fey'lya. He would have been expecting Leia to be here. So the Bothan spynet did have flaws and Mara Jade knew how to circumvent them. An interesting piece of data to file away.

She smiled at the Chief of State as he closed the door behind her and with a soft whinny indicated to the viewscreen. Leia smiled worriedly at her from a planet on the other side of the galaxy. "Winter," she said tremulously. "It's going to happen - for everyone and for the memory of Alderaan. We're going to have peace."

Gavrisom's secretary buzzed. "Sir, Senator Fey'lya is demanding to see you. He says it is urgent."

Send him in," the Calibop folded his wings with a certain amount of satisfaction. "I'd be delighted to put his mind at rest on certain matters. You do still have that recording General Cracken sent?"

"I do," she returned composedly. "It really should be checked over by an independent party. Say...Talon Karrde's slicer, Ghent. He's the best one I've ever come across. But that can be done later."

"It's enough that we have it and will express doubts about its authenticity."

Winter tipped her head thoughtfully. "It's a pity Admiral Ackbar couldn't be here also. You know how he loves to see Fey'lya squirm."

"Now, Lady Winter, I think that is unkind. Then again, he has been interfering in our lives. Although it was my job he was after, he seems to have tried to discredit the Skywalker and Solo families. Now when he comes in, be a good girl and play dumb, so to speak. Let me show my main talent - the art of discourse. We will say nothing yet, of the peace negotiations. It will be interesting to find out how much the Senator for the Bothan homeworlds can discover on his own."

Winter smiled warmly. Ponc Gavrisom was not the fool the Bothans wanted him to be. He was no one's puppet.

"As you wish."

The Western Dune Sea - Tatooine

"How much longer to go?" asked Arnek.

"About another half hour or so. Slow down - we need to get in round the back. We can't be seen arriving just like this." Han gave Wedge a signal and the other speeder drew to a standstill. They were in a narrow rock channel just before the next section of open desert. "We should be able to see the building shortly."

Jarl Venner tipped his hood back and looked carefully at Han. "The attack force will arrive at sunset. I have to assume that the Prefect, sith take his rotten little soul, is no longer alive to control the troops that will undoubtedly arrive."

"Can't you stop them?" asked Tycho.

"I don't know. They may have been told only to accept orders from Talmont or Firith Olan. From what I read on the data disk the prefect was also conferring with the B'Omarr about a suitable donor..." He let his voice fade away as the men took stock of that piece of information. Arnek climbed stiffly out of the speeder and walked to try and exercise the arthritis from his legs.

Han swallowed. "Well, my brother-in-law would say that that smacked of the darkside."

Wedge shuddered. "I don't like it. I get a bad feeling about it. Your superior is going to get them to remove his brain and...." He grabbed his water container and took a swallow. "It doesn't bear thinking about."

"But it means he could still be alive." Han said slowly.

Arnek climbed back into the speeder. "So we don't know who's in charge."

Han grimaced. "We do. The Twilek is and he's obviously dangerous."

Fixer looked more and more terrified. This hero stuff seemed okay on a holovid, but in real life he wasn't so sure.

"Have you anyone to get out?" Han asked Venner quietly.

"I have to find what happened to the prefect. We have a few intelligence guys dotted around, but they don't answer to me. I'm only a very minor cog in this."

"Hey kid, don't sell yourself short. The Admiral obviously trusts you."

Venner felt a wave of something like pleasure sweep over him. He'd been complimented by one of the Empire's greatest enemies and it had felt good.

Han assessed the group. "We need to get into the building and just get our people out. If I could contact Lieutenant Page or... Talon Karrde. He drew out a remote caller and fiddled with something in the back. Come on - we need to get nearer I don't think the signal is strong enough. Or I could..." He moved to the speeder and began pulling wires from it's communications device. He turned to Kapass with a wicked grin. "You good with wires?"

Wedge grinned at Kapass and Venner's bewildered expressions. "Don't worry about it. You've never been in the Millennium Falcon. It's held together by tangled cable and luck. After Han has ruined your com unit, we'd better make a move. Dusk is fast approaching."

The message sent and hopefully received, Kapass started the speeder and Fixer followed suit with his.

Pii 4

Commander Cracken, is your squadron ready."

"Yes Sir," Pash Cracken spoke into his comlink. He checked the display in the cockpit of his A-wing. "Yes, we're ready to go."

"Rogue Squadron?"

Wes Janson wandered casually into the hangar and ran a careful hand over the fuselage of his X-Wing. He wished Wedge, Tycho and Corran were here. But they weren't. In fact, he had a sneaking suspicion they were somewhere in the middle of the building that was shortly going to turn into a pile of rubble. He spoke into the comlink clipped to his collar. "Rogue Squadron are suiting up and will be ready to go."

Pii 3

Cracken sat alone in his office watching the projections of the Star Destroyer, which had just entered orbit. He'd tried hailing it on Imperial frequencies and on the frequencies he was trying to contact Admiral Pellaeon. Nothing. Something about this Star Destroyer made him feel distinctly uneasy. If he'd been Luke Skywalker he would have put it down to promptings in the force.

He put through a call to Coruscant and the face of Borsk Fey'lya appeared in front of him looking a little subdued.

"What can I do for you, General."

"It's wrong, Senator, what you want to do - and I don't know why I ever considered it, even for a second."

"Considered what?" was the smooth reply.

"Controlling the Jedi."

"Now, you know I would never do that. The jedi are needed in our universe to be the observers and to add their wisdom and learning to solve our problems."

Cracken snarled angrily at the screen. If he'd been within an arm's reach of the manipulative Bothan Senator Fey'lya would not be showing the same equanimity. "The Jedi Master is quite aware of what you've been trying to do. The problem is you may yet succeed. If you do and Luke Skywalker doesn't return I will hold you responsible. There are a lot of people keeping score."

Fey'lya's expression didn't change. "Threats, General?"

"Of course not. I would never threaten one of the species that made it possible for us to win the war."

"I'm glad we understand each other."

"I don't know if we do."

It was a stand off and they both knew it.

An agitated Lieutenant Brodie entered, his face white. "Sir! They've attacked the logging company's headquarters. I think they've made a mistake."

"What!" Cracken was on his feet cutting the transmission to Coruscant without a word and left a very uneasy Borsk Fey'lya sitting in front of the monitor. The Bothan got to his feet. It was time for some damage limitation. Time for a word with the Chief of State. His fur rippled - Lady Winter Celchu had been marched under armed guard to Gavrisom's office. Where was the Senator? Why hadn't Leia Organa Solo appeared also? Unless the illness the Alderaanian had been suffering from had been a ruse. It was time he found out.

Lower Audience Chamber, B'Omarr Monastery

Talon Karrde had sent Faughan and Dankin back to the Wild Karrde the previous day and he'd made sure that Aves had not gone on any trips for the Twilek. They were going to have to leave in a hurry and Karrde wanted to make sure Aves and Mara were ready too. Page had drifted in and out of view as he began to mobilise any NR agents. Mara had returned to the dance troupe, but clearly wasn't well. She was worried about Luke and that was something she'd never experienced before. Not even her loyalty to the Emperor had instigated such feelings of helplessness. When you finally decided to love a person it made you weak, but yet so strong. "That's it!" she told Karrde irritably. "I've tried contacting him several times through the force and I'm not getting a reply. He's still alive, but he's weak. I'll have to try and get him out."

"Mara..." Karrde sighed and inwardly his nerves quailed. "Luke told me if you got separated I had to get you out of there. To stun you if necessary."

"He didn't," she told Karrde flatly. "He wouldn't." Then her tone grew menacingly icy. "He daren't. He'd better get his butt up here and out into that sithspawned sand dune he's so fond of or I'll kill him." She pushed back her stool and rose to her feet. Karrde felt the power flowing from her petite frame. 'Okay', he told himself. 'If she's not going to go - she could make herself useful.'

"Mara, you have to get near Firith Olan. He's got some sort of console up there. But I don't know if it\rquote s a communications array or an explosive device. You can get near to him. We cannot."

"What about Page?"

"I don't know. He's got more people here than we have. I didn't tell him that you and Aves are the only two I've got."

"What about Faughan?"

"I sent her out yesterday. When you got caught in that stun blast and went down without Page being able to help. I decided it was becoming foolish to subject our people to more than I had to. You, as you've told me often enough, know the risks."

"Dankin?"

"He left this morning, after delivering a supply of weapons and ammunition to me. It's well hidden, but I told him to dump the stuff with me and get back to the ship in Mos Eisley.

"I agree," she muttered surprisingly calmly. "But I still have to do something to help Luke. For all that he's been round the galaxy and back, he can and does get himself into these situations."

"Nothing to do with the fact that you're sleeping together is it?"

Mara sent him a venomous glare. "That has nothing to do with it."

"I think it has. But I'll apologise if it makes you feel better."

But Mara wasn't feeling better. She was worried about Luke. It had been over three hours and she'd not heard a peep from him. Suppose he was unconscious; suppose the Twilek's men had come back and finished the job of beating him to a pulp. Her stomach churned again. Here she was - worried sick about Skywalker. Actually she did feel sick, but in the condition she was currently in it was to be expected. Hold on! 'The current condition' and....pregnant!! Mara went green with shock.

"Karrde, I'm going to..."

The smuggler alarmed at her colour, pushed the water he was drinking in her direction. He watched as she returned to something approaching her normal colour. "I've had enough. You are going to find Page; he will have explosive devices around. He is going to blow the place. I am going to find Luke. Enough is enough."

Karrde watched as the febrile glitter in her eyes threatened to spark out of control. She was worried about Luke. Talon Karrde was worried about Mara. But she was right. This had gone on long enough. Tonight something was going to happen. Page was rigging the place up to blow from the inside as soon as the joint Imperial and NR task force arrived in the sky.

Suddenly Karrde experienced a tremor next to his skin. "Hold it, Mara," he whispered. "I'm getting a signal through on my tracking device." He surveyed the lower audience chamber, which was beginning to fill up with creatures of all descriptions. "Can we go to your quarters? They're fairly central."

Mara nodded, "Sure," while all the time her heart was calling out to Luke. She pushed her unexpected discovery to the farthest depths of her mind and concentrated on the task in hand. Now was definitely not the time.

Karrde pulled out the tiny device and fed it into the macro binoculars on his belt. As he looked through the viewfinder he gave a grunt of satisfaction.

"What is it?"

"It's from Ghent, via Han Solo."

"Don't tell me. The next shuttle is arriving and they will be there for the party with their specially engraved invitations."

"Something like that. I'm going to find Page. He'll need to know that we have unexpected backup. You go and extricate yourself from tonight's set but Mara, be flexible. They may not let you. Not tonight."

"They will let me or I'll take their insides out with my lightsaber."

Karrde took a step backwards. "Isn't that overdoing it?"

"I don't think I'm going to be able to perform for the Lord tonight, Master Hjarn. If I'm not at my best I cannot do it. He deserves nothing but my most supreme efforts." Mara tried to look penitent and below par, which was surprisingly easy to do. She felt as if she was in shock. "Luke, where are you?"

The Twileks entertainment procurer was surprisingly sympathetic for a low life crook. "Your sentiments are to be admired, Arica."

"I'll be better tomorrow. Is that too late? Have I ruined my chances of ever being employed by the Lord again?"

"Not for one who moves as you do. The Lord has great plans for this place, Arica. It is better that you are part of it. There are others who will not be as fortunate"

Mara bowed her head low in a gesture of subservience and backed away. Once out of sight, she ran to her room and got changed. All this gilding of the Tallien flower had to stop. Picking up her spare blaster, she fixed it to her usual wrist holster and hung her saber on her belt. Time to go. She would bet her life on it that the rascally Jedi Master was keeping something important from her. She'd bet her life he knew about the state he'd got her into too.

Chapter 18

In the Depths of the monastery

Luke closed his eyes against the wave of pain which engulfed him. He reached for his sense of control and focused - immediately it eased. He was being carried on some sort of makeshift stretcher by two of the B'Omarr monks. He hoped Mara was all right and she had managed to find Karrde.

"Stop," he croaked. "Another one."

The wizened monk Pareer, who had finally granted Luke the privilege of knowing a name to call him by, stopped and produced some sort of technical device. "Thank you, Jedi Skywalker. That is the tenth charge you have identified for us to disable."

"What will you do with them?" asked Luke quietly; knowing that they'd only disabled a fraction of the charges.

"We will place them on the level of the upper chamber where you were kept. Then you will help us detonate them. It will block off the upper levels and prevent the others from finding us. But first I will take you to our library where you can rest and find what you want."

"I have to get back above ground."

Pareer sent him a pitying look. "No, Jedi Skywalker... we cannot permit." And with those words a metal door slammed shut blocking off the rest of the passages leading to the upper levels.

Luke lurched from the stretcher and fell in a heap on the floor. He had to get out of there. But his ankle was too weak to support him and with an audible gasp of frustration and pain he sank down, his head in his hands. "Mara!" he called in his heart, but she didn't answer. He couldn't let her risk her life and her future. Who was he trying to kid? It was his future too - he was hoping she saw sense for once.

"How will you get out?" Luke asked.

"There are exits on the South Side. They are secret and were blocked until very recently. We have cleared them. Our aim is to make this place a home and place for the B'Omarr to study - not a meeting place for criminals. Too many times has this happened in our history."

"Ah! I see," Luke murmured. "But do you have to destroy everyone above."

"They were ready to destroy us." The words came out stark and uncompromising. They were not going to negotiate.

"Is there no way I can warn them?" Luke put in smoothly.

"No - enlightenment could be given to you..."

The Jedi Master recognised the implied threat and said no more, but his mind was wondering how he could get everyone out of this. Mara knew where he was. Hopefully Karrde would stop her from doing something stupid. And Han was coming. With any luck, he would bring backup.

***************

Mara ran towards the passage and then stopped abruptly. Something didn't feel right. She stretched out and let her feelings guide her down the dark tunnel. It came to a sudden end. She pressed her fingers flat against the wall. It was smooth and it was of some sort of metal. She ran her fingers over the entire surface but there was no way in. She reached out with her senses looking for any flaw. Hearing soft running footsteps padding behind her she turned, her lightsaber instantly in her hand. It was Page.

"I must be in the wrong tunnel. But I can't be."

Page reached out and touched the metal barrier.

"I'm sure you're not. There must be other ways down."

They ran down the next one but found it blocked in the same way. Mara turned bewildered green eyes on Page.

"Come on." He took her arm and started to pull her away from the door. "You'd better get out of here. I'm setting the explosive devices to go off when the task force arrives."

"Mara!"

"Luke?" She twisted from Page's hold and closed her eyes.

"Come on, Mara, we have to go!" Page shouted.

"Luke," she echoed softly. "Where are you?"

But there was no reply.

"Come on, Mara. We haven't time for this," Page bit out worriedly.

"Luke," she cried in frustration. "I heard him call." She ran back to the door and hammered on it. "I could hear the Emperor call me across the galaxy. Why can't I hear Luke now?" She closed her eyes and summoned her force skills to her. Deeper still she reached and suddenly it was as if a blinding light had been turned on for her. She could hear the wind on the Dunes...and Luke. She could hear his heart crying for her. He truly loved her that much. She'd never before experienced this depth of focus in the force. Everything was magnified. Her senses, her awareness and the living force around her.

"Luke, I can hear you. I hear your heart beating. I feel it. I'm coming for you."

"Mara. Don't. Please. I can take care of myself. You must get out - I insist. You have to - now."

"No."

"Mara. This is an order."

"You can't order me around farmboy, Jedi Master or no."

"Just do it. The B'Omarr have blocked off the lower levels of the building. You can't get down here."

"What about my lightsaber? It could cut through the door and....?" She pulled the weapon and lit the blue blade. "This could get me through," she told Page excitedly.

"They've set detonators on the other side of the barrier. I wouldn't risk it. You have other things to consider. Please, my love. I'll be fine."

Mara froze. He was right.

"I'll see you if I get out of here. Wait for me."

"You know I will. There is a way?"

"There is. But I have to help them. I owe them, Mara. Be strong and trust in the force. Now get out of this passage."

"Okay, okay. I'm going." Mara sent him all of her love through the force, then turned and strode down the passage. She just hoped it would be enough.

"Come on, Page. The great Skywalker says we have things to do up here. Well?" She stopped and glowered at him. "Are you coming or not?"

Page was left standing as Mara Jade took off at a run.

"What are you going to do?" he asked bemusedly as he hurried to catch up.

"I'm going to dance after all. I need to get near Fortuna. Luke said once that his mind was weak."

"And...."

"We can't access his mind, but we should be able to affect the things around him."

And....?"

"You go and deal with your explosives."

Pii 3

The Hammer Vex seemed to float forever on the edge of their screens, but it made no move to attack the New Republic Base. Instead, it had levelled the structures belonging to the Greel Wood Corporation. Luckily no one had been hurt seriously and the building could be rebuilt, but Cracken couldn't see why the Empire making such a mistake unless they were using it as target practice for the next bombardment. They must have detected the defence grid by now. Rogue Squadron were up there with his own son Pash's flight group in their A-wings.

"General," Brodie stood behind him with data chips in his hand. "Priority message from Coruscant and there's another one from Tatooine."

Cracken grabbed the chips from the young Lieutenant's hands and ran back to his office. Sliding the first chip into the reader with a shaky hand, he collapsed into his chair at the benign expression on Ponc Gavrisoms face.

"We have a treaty and it is good." The soft voice of the Calibop whinnied carefully. "We have very little proof on the behaviour of certain members of the council. They have covered their activities well as usual. But there is no way I will be resigning as Chief of State just yet and Leia Organa Solo will return to the post after I have finished. There will be no debate. We might have made a big mistake - we still could be in trouble, but I think not. But as I said, we have no proof and I mention no names. I think the expression 'walls have ears' fits very nicely. Make sure the Jedi master returns to us in one piece."

He played the next message and a smiling Leia Organa Solo stood with Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. "I hope you have heard from President Gavrisom, General, but we need to talk."

He froze. Admiral Pellaeon was with Leia.

"Contact the co-ordinates the second message came from - Now!" he yelled. "We still have an Imperial Star Destroyer in orbit."

"Yes Sir."

Leia sat in the shabby main bar at Tosche Station waiting for any news about her loved ones. All she could do now was wait and she was good at it. She smiled at Admiral Pellaeon and had begun to talk about implementing the treaty with Captain Ardiff when Camie pointed to the makeshift holonet provider the New Republic people had set up in the back room.

"It's General Cracken. He wants to speak to you and the Admiral." Leia exchanged glances with Pellaeon and they moved swiftly to the viewscreen.

"Leia," Cracken spoke fast and dispensed with formal titles. "We have an Imperial Star Destroyer in orbit above Pii 3 and it has just flattened the headquarters of the Greel Wood Logging Corporation."

"What!"

Pellaeon stared in confusion. "A Star Destroyer? It can't be the Chimaera." He subsided heavily into the chair behind him.

"It's not. I've tried hailing them - they're not responding on any frequency. The ship's transponder registers it as the Vex Hammer."

"But it shouldn't be anywhere near here!" Pellaeon roared. "This could demolish the peace treaty before it's even signed."

Leia stared open mouthed. "Firith Olan."

"Possibly."

"He's cleverer than I thought."

"Or Prefect Eugene Talmont."

A stunned silence greeted Pellaeon's remark.

"Leggin, get to the office in Anchorhead. Open a channel when you get there."

The officer nodded and disappeared from sight. Almost immediately, they heard the sound of one of the remaining speeders as he took off across the desert.

Corran rubbed his hand over his face in a gesture Leia had seen Luke use on occasions when something unpleasant had occurred to him. "Corran..." she said warningly. "What is it?"

The young pilot pulled a face. "Your man Venner says the Prefect's probably dead or in a new body." He walked over to the bar and put down the glass of lum he'd been drinking. "So who's in charge?"

Pellaeon pushed his chair back and stood up. "I have to get back to the Chimaera. Captain Franek is in charge of the Vex Hammer. We need to get a signal to him - information blackout or no. He must not continue to fire on Pii 3."

"I agree," Leia echoed stiffly. "We'll get you there in the Millennium Falcon. Chewie!" She spoke into a comlink attached to her tunic. "Fire up the converters."

"Are you game, Admiral?"

"It would be a pleasure, High Councillor Organa."

"I'll come too," Corran added softly. "Then I think we should take the Falcon to the Monastery at B'Omarr. I'm not getting anything from Mara or Luke."

"Agreed." Leia swept from the room with her head high, the Admiral in tow. Corran threw a wink at Camie and grinned at Ardiff. They followed without protest.

"Okay," muttered Camie as the door slid shut with a startled hiss. "I can see it now. Aristocrats - Luke doesn't fit with these guys." Then a picture of everyone doing what Luke wanted them to without question flickered into her mind. The arrogance inherent in Luke was completely different from that of his sister. But it was there.

She turned and received the shock of her life when her eyes met the impatient green gaze of General Cracken. "They've gone, I take it?"

"Yes, General."

"I don't suppose they said where?"

"They were going to find the Admiral's ship."

"Good, but it would be nice to have been informed."

B'Omarr Monastery - the Rancor Pit

Mara wandered casually on to the dance area and stopped, her mouth dropping open in shock. The area which had seen the death of the Twilek dancer, Oola, and had nearly killed Luke had been transformed into a 'club' of the type normally found on the lower levels of the Coruscant Entertainment district. She spotted Aves leaning against a well stocked bar and headed for him.

"It's called the Rancor Pit."

"So I see." She rolled her eyes at the phosphorescent sign on the wall. "This is worse than the tackiest cantina on the cheapest holiday resort."

"Firith Olan never did have taste."

"Neither has Bib Fortuna. Where's Karrde?"

"Over there, with the trandoshan. He thinks he might get up to the upper level - they're short on guards apparently."

"Good."

"Where's Skywalker?"

Worry showed briefly on her face. "I'm not entirely sure. He's still in the building but blocked off from this level. The B'Omarr have him." Mara paused, her eyes narrowing. "I need to get nearer the Twilek."

"No, you don't. Karrde says you gotta get out of here."

"No."

"I told him that's what you'd say."

"Aren't you the clever one. I'll award you a degree from the University of Coruscant when it's more convenient. Can you wait that long?"

"Sarcasm from you, Jade? How unusual."

"Stick it in the garbage compactor." Mara gave him a thin look and stalked gracefully away. It was then that Aves noticed she was no longer in disguise.

The Twilek stood on the dais which housed his throne and cackled triumphantly to himself. His links to the outside world were complete. He would rule on Tatooine and build his power until it rivalled the very Empire itself. His purple eyes glowed with a light that shone madly in the gloom. He had laid charges in the lower house which would get rid of the B'Omarr - they had outlived their usefulness. Then he would 'negotiate' with the military high command of the Empire and the endlessly do-gooding New Republic. He would play one faction off against another and the only winner would be Bib Fortuna.

Fortuna glanced into the tactical view screen he'd set up for himself and activated a switch. He heard the cries of confusion and betrayal from below, as a squad of desert stormtroopers marched into the Rancor pit. With a deadly burst of weaponry they sprayed the room with blaster fire.

Mara had felt something was wrong and with a gasp had turned back, grabbed Aves and dived behind a table. They lay crushed on the floor as sentient beings ran about confused and hurt. Some of them would never swindle any being ever again.

"How did you know?" Aves breathed steadily to calm his shock.

"I don't know," Mara murmured. "It was just a feeling - something in the force." Her green eyes gleamed molten fury. "There was no reason for that and.... Stormtroopers."

Aves com vibrated. "Yes," he hissed. Karrde's disembodied voice could be heard faintly demanding to know if they'd been hurt.

Aves wriggled to try and reach his com. "Could you move a bit Mara? I think you're sitting on the com."

"And here I was just getting comfortable, Aves," she griped irritably. "There happens to be a table on my leg. She reached out with the force and the offending piece of furniture shifted enough for her to pull free. "Now you can talk to Karrde."

"We're fine - both of us. What is it, Karrde?"

"Get Mara out of there. Now."

Mara shook her head. Aves raised his eyebrows. "She won't go."

Karrde exhaled in exasperation. "I keep getting visions of Skywalker in my head and he's not happy about something."

"I'm not going," She scrambled to her feet convinced that the danger was past for the time being. If Fortuna was going to display such a quixotic regard for life, he would soon be replaced.

Mara reached out with the force, but Luke had his barriers firmly in place and wasn't receiving her. 'He'll be as mad as a starving rancor if he finds out I'm still here.' she thought sourly. 'It was all his fault after all, but he knew before I did that he had fruitfully multiplied his species.'

"That Sith born bast..." her mouth closed with a snap.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'll just kill him, that's all." And there was murder in her green eyes. Her mind flew to the last time they'd had sex and the way she'd turned to vapour when he touched her. She rubbed her abdomen gently and sent calming sensations to her stomach. If there really was a Skywalker in there he was making her feel very sick. The memories of his touch doused her anger - mostly. She suspected that she'd very cleverly been manipulated - by herself.

"Kill whom?" Aves asked bewildered. Mara was acting very strangely.

"No one important," she growled and led the way to the upper chamber.

The sight that met them was of the Twilek reclining on the throne he'd had designed for himself in imitation of Jabba the Hutt's. A phalanx of Stormtroopers stood guarding Fortuna and various creatures, all of whom were sitting with consoles and data screens. Karrde sat behind one with a cold smile on his face. Mara smiled. She knew that look - Karrde meant business and about time too. There had been too much creeping around. It was time for action.

Mara breathed a little sigh and reached for her focus. She hadn't time to transform herself into Arica - she only hoped that she could hold the force illusion for long enough. Yoda's favourite phrase came to mind. "Do or do not, there is no try." Mara slipped into the back of the line as if she'd never been away and tried to ignore the feeling of worry as she moved automatically through the intricate steps of the routine - perfect in her guise as Arica.

Lower Levels - B'Omarr Monastery

Luke winced as his stretcher was lowered to the floor. When he got a proper look at the room he was in he sat up quickly then dropped his head as a wave of pain hit him. As immediately as it arrived, he applied his force healing skills and the pain died.

The room was a library. The crystal data disks must have been centuries old, but he knew that if he could have access to these there would be information he could both learn from and use to teach.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked. "But I warn you, I will not be held as ransom for them."

Pareer stretched his lined face into what Luke hoped was a smile. "We want your protection, Jedi Skywalker."

"The being was enlightened for a short while, but then he betrayed us and will continue to do so. He and his kind want us gone. He does not realise we will fight him if we need to with weapons he will not understand. But our most successful weapon will be the Twilek himself."

Luke diverted half his attention to healing and relaxed a little. "It is nearly sunset. When the suns go down he will make a grand statement and then a grand gesture. One of them will be the detonation of the devices he has placed in the rooms we use."

"I got rid of them," Luke protested. "But there are more, aren't there?"

"Yes, far more than even we suspected. If left to chance we would be destroyed. We need you to protect us from the blast in the defence of our home and place of study. We thought you would understand because you also seek enlightenment. In a different way from ours of course, but you still aim for what you want to know." He indicated the brain in the walker.

"Our technology is not up to the task of protecting us. We need your help."

Luke considered for an instant. "If I didn't help I'd be dead too. Wouldn't I?"

"It is a fact, Jedi Skywalker. But we wanted to give you a choice."

"Not much of one," Luke muttered under his breath. "But yes, I'll do it. Why change the habit of a lifetime?"

"We do not understand."

"No, sometimes neither do I"

Out in the Western Dune Sea

"Stormtroopers!" Han muttered to Arnek. "I saw Stormtroopers. They make me itchy."

Jarl Venner's mouth tightened. "We need to get inside." But in his heart he wondered if they were too late.

Han considered their options. "Front way is out. Speeder park is round the far side but is well guarded. Or used to be in Jabba's time."

The company he was keeping had silently overawed Kapass up until now. "Can we get in round the back?" he piped up nervously, then gulped as Venner gave him a look that could have kept him quiet for another few hours.

"He's got a point, Major," Han quipped. "But in all the time I spent as one of Jabba's pilots, I can't ever recall a back way in."

"There was at one time, but that must have been centuries ago."

There was a stunned silence as the other men all turned to stare. Arnek kicked a loose rock, a faint flush covering the grizzled features.

"I wasn't always a bartender," he muttered defensively. "But it was a long time ago."

"Aye, I was told I was playing with a krayt dragon by employing this one. But he's related to the wife and the family persuaded me. Most of the time I don't mind his nonsense, but sometimes..." Fixer let a rare grin cross his face.

"It's sheer cliff. I've never seen any way in or out. Building right on top."

"Could we blast our way in?" asked Tycho.

"How? Supposing there's just solid rock."

Han and Arnek spoke as one. "There isn't." Arnek continued "There are tunnels and rooms below the surface. We don't know how far they descend into the cliff. No one does."

"When I last stayed at Jabba's as his honoured guest, I spent time in his dungeon cells. They were at least four floors below the Rancor's abode. The monks who were the rightful possessors of the building had been driven even farther underground. But I don't know how deep they went. Jabba wanted to execute me so I didn't hang around."

Venner gave Arnek a fleeting glance. "What is it boy?"

"What did you do before...?"

"Fought in the Clone Wars. When they ended, I came home. Things weren't good then and they didn't get better. I needed a job, any job - so I worked for the Hutts. Most folks did. I'm not saying I liked it, and I did things I'm not too proud of now. But I had a wife and a family. She didn't want me to do it, so eventually I quit. It wasn't Jabba - it was his cousin, I think. Jabba was a nastier piece of work."

Han agreed. "You did what you had to do to stay alive and feed your family."

"Not a problem for you," grunted Fixer.

"No - not recently. But I could have lived in very different circumstances. I've been where you have, Fixer - probably worse. Sure, Leia's a princess, but when we met she was scheduled for execution. We spent years running from world to world with prices on our heads - sometimes we were cold and hungry. Although Luke was the one they really wanted."

Fixer shook his head. "Luke?"

"Yeah, Luke. Don't let that calm outer appearance fool you. He's quite a guy. The Emperor and his second in command, the Dark Sith Lord, wanted Luke because of the power he can wield. Vader wanted him because he was his son. But Luke stood firm and saved the rebellion and me. I owe him. I'm not leaving here without him. If Leia says he's still in there, he's still in there." Han stopped, a rueful expression framing his handsome features. "I must apologise, I meant to spare you New Republic propaganda. We don't have time for this." Han looked into the sky just as the two suns were about to make their fiery descent from the heavens.

Venner started the speeder. "I vote we try the Vehicle Park. Where else would you put a speeder, but in plain sight of the enemy? No one would think we were that foolish."

Han barked a crack of laughter and looked at Wedge and Tycho. "Well boys? What do you think? Does that sound familiar or what?"

"Depressingly so," murmured Tycho sotto voce. Wedge gave him a warning glare. Fixer shivered in the warmth of the early evening. He really was beginning to wish that he hadn't come.

"You okay with this, Major - brazening it out?" Han asked and Venner turned his head, startled. Solo was consulting him.

After a quick glance at Kapass, Venner gave an affirmative. "What if we split up? Commander Antilles..."

"Wedge." The Corellian stated.

"Wedge, Captain Celchu..."

"Tycho."

Venner sighed and tried again. "Wedge, Tycho, Kapass and I, go in via the vehicle park and..." he hesitated. "I guess it's not General Solo?"

"You're learning, Kid."

Venner relaxed enough to almost smile. He'd been a little tense. "Han - you take Arnek and Fixer and investigate the cliff side. If there isn't any access round the back, you follow us into the side entrance. With any luck we will make it in without discovery."

Han chuckled. "Luck? A wise man once said there's no such thing as luck. I like to believe in it. I'd have been very depressed in life otherwise."

"May the force be with us."

The Imperials and the Tatooine natives looked startled at Wedge's pronouncement. But Han smiled grimly. "That's the other thing we need."

Upper Audience Chambers

"Friends, supporters and potential enemies. You're all one and the same. Betray as soon as eat."

"Nice sentiment," whispered Aves to Page. "Tell everyone you don't trust them."

"Where there's no loyalty involved, there is no honour and it is almost expected that faith will be broken. I couldn't work like that," the Intel man replied soberly.

"I know. Neither does Karrde and for that I am grateful."

"Come on, I need to get to the upper chamber. I think I could get on to one of the control panels he has set up there."

"How?"

"Let's say, I made a few allies, who were willing to help me improve myself in return for my 'loyalty' when they make their move on the Twilek."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Stay close to an exit, but be ready to get out. Time's running short. Most of my people have been given their orders. They're manning some detonators. They prime them and then get out."

"What about Skywalker?"

"We have to hope he can make his own way into the desert."

Mara stood and surveyed the scene from where she had been placed. Hjarn had been pleased she had made back into the squad. Everything had to be perfect. She couldn't believe the multitude of beings crammed into such a small space. It looked as if every small time crook in the galaxy had arrived here to pay homage to the new Crime Lord. The Bith band clutched and fingered their instruments in a nervous fashion. Dancers surreptitiously tried to stretch straining muscles. They were all waiting for something.

Bib Fortuna scrutinised his kingdom and his servants. He was all supreme as he inspected those who would obey his commands and carry out murder and mayhem in the worlds he wanted to dominate. His white armour-clad stormtroopers watched impassively as he held his arms outward in a benevolent gesture. Talmont had turned the command codes over to him just before he died. Now he, Bib Fortuna, would rule the sector. The scarred Twilek laughed a little hysterically. Yellow pointed teeth parted in a venal smile and the purple eyes gleamed almost red.

"I will bring a new prosperity to our kind."

There was a crescendo of tongues, which worked their way into a deafening cheer. The Twilek bared his teeth in his feral grin and stretched out long nailed talons to quiet the seething, restless mob. His lekku twitched imperceptibly, but Mara saw it and realised the time was fast approaching. She geared herself for some sort of action - the force moved and she felt as if everything was happening in slow motion.

The Twilek opened his mouth and spoke again. "It is our turn. For too long we have been an oppressed people. Our need for power, wealth, conquest and blood is real. It is our right and we demand these needs be met. I will see that you have what you want and that you can take it when you want it."

The crowd fermented, the emotions rising like bubbles in lomin ale. Mara tried to let herself not be too affected. She had to be calm and peaceful. The creed of the Jedi. Well she was sleeping with one and now it looked as if he'd impregnated her too. She shied away from dwelling on her condition. It was too new and they had a difficult time ahead of them before she was able to deal with the future implications.

"We have already destroyed an enemy base in this sector."

Holo-footage flashed onto giant screens. Karrde bit his lip in shock. They'd not destroyed the New Republic base at all. It was, or had been, the headquarters of the Greel Wood Logging Corporation.

Mara watched stunned as the Twilek proclaimed that this had been the secondary site and they were waiting for his signal to obliterate the primary base. The assembled throng cheered loudly. Most of them had no love for any type of organised government, be it Imperial or New Republican.

"The Imperial Prefect of Tatooine has sadly lost his brave fight with illness, but he was a forward looking man and knew I was the best thing for Tatooine." He sneered and faint sniggers could be heard. Aves clenched his fists and Page had to stop himself from wanting to take a shot at the criminal.

"I - I am what is needed to bring us the power. I am Bib Fortuna..."

There was a collective gasp and the place went deathly silent.

"When our dear master Jabba died I was injured in the final explosion. The B'Omarr monks saved my consciousness and for a time I became one of their number. I live again through the selfless sacrifice of the brave Prefect Talmont and a fellow member of my race, Firith Olan, who suffered brain death in a tragic accident and lived only long enough to give me his body. He recognised I was the only hope for our people and with his dying breath gave me his outer shell. I hoped we might live in peace with the B'Omarr order but I have evidence that they are plotting against us. They mean to kill us all - they want your brains to feed their consciousness. We cannot let that happen." The silence was broken as uneasy whispers began to ebb and flow. Many of the beings there were totally convinced, but others had known the Twilek before and didn't trust him one bit.

Mara gripped the handle of her saber, her knuckles white. It was the one Luke had given her so many years ago and it was a promise - something which spoke of hope for a new future. And, by the force, she was owed a future. She stepped forward out of formation and gave Karrde a desperate glance.

"Our time has come," Bib Fortuna proclaimed and he cast a look heavenward to where the light was fading from the skies as the suns descended to be received by the grateful earth.

"Captain Franek - you may proceed," Fortuna spoke into the comlink he carried and a roar of approval went up.

Lights sprang to life as the last flicker of sunset disappeared and suddenly without warning the floor tilted and shifted. With a shrieking crash the floor caved in.

Chapter 19

B'Omarr Monastery - Tatooine

The oddly assorted group of men surveyed the almost sheer face of cliff in front of them. Arnek eased himself from the speeder and walked to the point where the cliff face met the desert. Pressing his gnarled hands against its flat, smooth surface, he felt the warmth after the day in the harsh heat of the two suns. Fixer and Han had driven the speeder along the wall to see if there was an entrance - there wasn't. Then Arnek saw it and his hands shook as he lifted them in a beckoning motion.

Fixer jerked the speeder to an abrupt halt as Han leapt from the vehicle. This didn't look good, this really didn't...

"General Solo - over here!" Arnek's voice quickened with excitement.

Han turned and sprinted over to where the old man was standing.

"Look!"

Han followed Arnek's pointing finger with his eyes... and then he saw it - a narrow, almost hidden aperture in the wall.

"Well, well, old man. I do believe your eyesight is better than I gave you credit for."

"You've never mentioned my eyesight, General."

"True." Pulling his blaster from his hip holster, he eased flat against the cliff wall and carefully sidled over small rocks and broken boulders. "Cover me," he hissed.

Arnek glanced at Fixer who was clinging to the back of the speeder as if afraid for his life. "Come on Boss, make yourself useful."

The quietly spoken comment reassured the younger man. Turning, Fixer pulled a large rifle he used for fending off the occasional tusken raider from the back of the transport. With a quick glance about him, he scurried across to join the other two men. Reaching the wall he pressed himself flat against it, clutching the rifle so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Can you see anything?" asked Fixer, his voice a thin sound.

"No, but it seems to widen out a little." Han cautiously waved a glow rod in the direction of the opening. "I can't remember this being here in Jabba's day. But then I was usually welcomed through the main entrances - walking and frozen stiff in carbonite. I vote we go in. We don't have much time."

"Yeah," muttered Arnek. "Suns are almost set."

Han squeezed through the narrow gap, his blaster in hand. Arnek slipped in next with a petrified Fixer following in the rear. Swiftly the three men traipsed a short way along the passage until they came to a larger chamber where several tunnels could just be seen in the faint glow of Han's waning light.

"Which way? I think we'd better stay together."

"You're right, but I don't know."

Arnek turned and pointed to the nearest one. "We might as well try that one. It looks as good as any other."

They failed to spot the little robed figure standing guard until he lifted a weapon and fired. Once at a device attached to the ceiling and the second at Arnek.

"Get down!" yelled Han but Arnek pushed him and Fixer aside, took the full impact of the shot and went down heavily, groaning.

Han snapped off a couple of quick shots but the figure had vanished into the darkness. "Looks like you picked the right one, old man," Han murmured admiringly, but his eyes sought Fixer's face. The bartender shook his head and Han closed his eyes.

"Looks like I owe you one."

Arnek lay halfway turned on his side, his breathing growing shallower. "Looks like you do, General."

"We'll get you to the doctor," Fixer spoke soothingly as he knelt beside him and cradled his head carefully. Han glanced at him, surprised. Arnek coughed, and a little blood trickled down the side of his mouth.

"Yeah," but there was knowledge in his eyes. "Now go... get the Jedi out. It's good that they have returned. Tell Luke he did well and his Uncle would have been proud of him. Mara will be good for him... she's quite a girl." He closed his eyes and seemed to gather himself for a last effort. "I loved you and Camie like my own. I don't have much, but it's yours..." His eyes closed.

"We're gonna get you to the doctor and then you can hold on to your own stuff... Arnek! Arnek!\rdblquote

But the old man had gone; he'd been hit square in the chest. Death, thank the force, had been mercifully swift.

Fixer rubbed a suspicious bit of moisture from the corner of his eye. "I'm gettin' the bast... who did this." He bit his tongue angrily.

Then the roof above them started to fall with a loud rumble. Debris and large chunks of rock rained down on their unprotected heads and the sound of a muffled explosion could be heard.

"Get out of here. Come on - run..."

"But Arnek..."

"There's nothing we could do for him. He's dead."

"I know, but...Luke...?"

"You don't want Anni and Marn to grow up without a father. I did and Luke did. It's not recommended. Arnek wouldn't want that either. If we stay in here we will die." Han grabbed Fixer roughly by the arm and hustled him out the way they had come and with despairing eyes they watched the passage collapse in an avalanche of rock. "Luke will be fine - I hope." Han winced, his heart heavy, as clouds of sand and dust swirled down completely obscuring their vision. When it settled the passage was completely blocked.

"Come on. Let's go for the main entrance. There's no point hanging round here. I only hope Luke got out of there before all this started happening."

Wedge sat up straight in his seat as they approached the entrance to the vehicle bay. "I have an idea." He turned his head and surveyed the opening and already he could see signs of activity. "Do you have men inside, Jarl?"

Venner nodded. "Not many, but yes."

"Can you contact them."

"Already done. Two of them are over there." He pointed to a rough looking human in a dirty tunic.

"You were second in command to prefect Talmont, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"You did manage to discover most of what he got up to?"

"Most of it - none of it was good."

"So if you came in as the imperial envoy say... to the court of the Twilek."

Tycho grinned the smile reaching his blue eyes. "I get it. We're going to be your escorts."

"Tycho trained at the Academy he knows the drill and I'll copy him. Should get us past the perimeter guards."

"We just need to get in," muttered Venner.

It worked - on the surface at any rate - but they were met by Venner's own men, which helped.

Wedge watched as Jarl Venner conferred quietly with a nondescript woman in shabby clothes. "There's a squad of stormtroopers guarding the Twilek."

"Do you have any sway with them?"

"I don't know. There was nothing in the Prefect's data files. If he's given the command codes to the Twilek, I very much doubt it, but I can try."

Once inside the main building, Venner transmitted a signal to his people which meant 'Get out now.' The second signal he transmitted scrambled the Stormtroopers comlink frequencies. No one would be able to contact them. In effect they were blind. Just as they reached the corridor which led to the main audience chambers a strange rumble could be heard below them.

"Someone's detonated explosives from within the building!" Tycho gasped. "Brace yourselves."

The Chimaera

Chewie landed the Falcon in the docking bay and Admiral Pellaeon, Corran and Captain Ardiff ran down the ramp.

"Bridge!" barked Ardiff as they entered the turbolift.

The bridge crew strove to look that little bit more efficient as Pellaeon strode to the com officer. "Contact the Commanding officer on the Vex Hammer."

Leia felt a little strange as she joined Corran and Ardiff on the bridge of the Imperial destroyer. Corran sent her a reassuring message through the force. It didn't help much and they all felt as if they were holding their breath as the minutes ticked by.

Pii 3

The TIE interceptors swooped over the small complex, but Cracken thanked the stars that Pii 3 had been a rebel outpost for as long as there had been a rebellion and there was a top-notch shield in place. If they wanted to destroy the base here it would have to be a planetary assault and with the wooded terrain and steep mountainous valleys that made it nearly impossible to traverse. His only worry was the Capital ship waiting in orbit as it deployed its fighters. He only hoped that it was too busy trying to damage Pii 3 to notice the squadrons setting off from Pii 4 for Tatooine.

"Rogue Squadron - ready?"

"Yes General," Hobbie Klivian's voice was heard clearly.

"Ace Flight?"

"Yes General," Pash replied, sounding expectedly tense.

"Clear skies." Cracken gave the familiar send off, his frame rigid. Now all he could do was wait and hope the Vex Hammer didn't blast them into oblivion on the ground.

B'Omarr Monastery

"I can't help you create death and suffering." Luke argued desperately.

"If left alive these people will create enough of that on their own." The little monk's logic was unassailable. Luke glanced towards the enlightened being. "I will help protect you, but I will not injure those above."

"Then that will have to do."

"But..."

"We will have to accept that much from him. However, I feel that the combined forces above will do it for us...without the Jedi's sanction."

Luke closed his eyes as the room continued to swim around him. He was beginning to think that he'd never get out alive. 'Oh Mara, please be careful,' he thought quietly, but didn't broadcast the message to her because she would need all her concentration if she was getting out. He hoped she was out. He'd told Karrde to get her out. Stun her if necessary, but keep her safe.

It was time. He closed his eyes and drew on the force, letting his feelings guide him he placed a shield around the area he was resting in. He didn't know how long he could keep it up in his severely weakened state, but he would 'do'. The force was his ally.

The explosion rocked the library - the walls cracked, but remained more or less intact. Pareer left quickly to check on casualties among the B'Omarr. Some had been killed and many were injured, but the vast majority had remained intact including those enlightened beings fortunate enough to be stationed in the library. Pareer returned and immediately informed Luke that his help had been partially successful, but he would have to leave him to attend to some of their number whose nutrient jars had shattered in the blast. "If we do not help them, they will die."

Luke couldn't understand how they could so ignore other lifeforms including all the innocents above. A vast amount were far from that, but Mara, Karrde and all the New Republic agents were risking their lives to bring peace to the galaxy. Part of that process was seeing that the guilty could be brought to trial. Death was almost an easy way out. Drained from the effort of holding the structure of the building together the Jedi closed his eyes and slipped gratefully into unconsciousness. The B'Omarr ignored his plight. He'd done what he'd been required to do and their interest in him ended there. "Will we send for the surgeons' cart?" asked one. "No, they are too busy, with our own kind. He would not give his brain willingly and then we would have the problem we had previously."

"Ah yes."

"But he does not look as if he will survive."

"That is not our problem."

"What do we do with him?"

"He must leave us."

"His presence calls to others. If they detect his presence they will come looking for him. We do not want the outsiders here. We have worked for our solitude."

"But what if he dies?"

"Then he dies."

Two of the B'Omarr approached Luke and placed beside him a container containing the precious crystal data disks.

"Thank you for your assistance, Jedi," Pareer murmured quietly to the unconscious man. "Take him away."

The two monks lifted Luke's stretcher and set off towards an exit, so narrow and so well hidden that Han and the others had failed to spot it. The charges set off by all parties involved in the conflict had done more structural damage below ground than the B'Omarr had realised and the journey carrying the comatose Jedi was fraught with difficulty. Eventually they managed to clear a tunnel wide enough to make access possible. Utilising a speeder they had commandeered from the Twilek they drove out into the Dune Sea. Since it was decided that the Jedi couldn't return to the monastery from there, they simply left him. Luke was left unconscious and vulnerable in the uncertainty of a Tatooine night. Native predators called to each other in the dark, but none came near the Jedi. Luke's spirit was so tied up with the living heart of this planet that life there at its deepest level couldn't harm one of its own.

Bib Fortuna felt a strange kind of satisfaction when the explosives went off in what he had deemed to be the B'Omarr territory. Then he realised that the explosives had been strangely muffled. Not all of them had gone off. A moment later when the second wave of detonators failed to ignite he realised something was wrong.

The throng of people below him had grown restless. They were waiting to see what he would do. He laughed suddenly and gave the order for the Vex Hammer to take down the New Republic base on Pii 3. Suddenly a shot was fired into the thick of the mob and the charges Page and his people had placed in the upper levels went off with spectacular timing. The stormtroopers on all sides of him reacted and began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Karrde ducked to avoid the shots and entered a couple of rogue commands into the database he was maintaining. Aves began to move towards Mara who had frozen in place behind an archway. Page left his monitor and moved to a position of relative safety where he stood with a remote detonator. Karrde gave him a discreet nod and he pressed the button. Another round of conduits went up in showers of sparks.

Mara covered her ears to try and escape from the roar of the explosion and felt the blow of it at her back. Something caught her in the side of the head and she reeled dizzily. The stormtroopers scattered like a whirl of dead leaves. The assembled throng had started to panic. People were shrieking, mouths forming screaming squares. It suddenly turned into a firefight. Every man for himself.

Bib Fortuna stood rooted to the spot in front of his sumptuous throne, screaming wildly into the melee. But he was ignored, his impotent howls of rage merging with the noise and the chaos.

Then the attack came from above.

Fortuna couldn't believe it. What had gone wrong? He shook his lekku and pushed a Klatooinian from a monitor. Grabbing a com he yelled maniacally into it, "Get to my fighters. You're going to have to go up there and destroy them. One by one if you have to. They need to know I have power and am armed. I will use that power."

A stray blaster bolt smacked into the wall just an inch from his head. It was time to move to safety, because this certainly wasn't it. He ducked from his seat ready to make a run for it and stumbled over the body of a man. The people around him ran screaming, sobbing and panting as the proton torpedoes began to make themselves felt on the upper structure of a building which had risen solidly from the sands for centuries.

Mara couldn't believe the complete unreality of it. She stood almost paralysed as she watched the Twilek run for cover. His cronies had ceased glorifying him and had started to rid themselves of enemies, which were basically each other. Couldn't they see that by remaining in the building they were inviting death to come to them? But all she saw were dark skinned, bloodstained men and aliens of all descriptions turn into ravening blood crazed beasts, howling threats and obscenities.

"Mara!" Karrde finally moved from behind the terminal where he'd sheltered and as he did so, Fortuna stopped, whirled and brought his blaster up to fire.

"No!" Mara screamed. With a speed that was Jedi trained, Mara's saber hissed into life and blocked the shot.

"Jedi," the Twilek hissed with hatred and surprise. "Jedi here after all this time. I knew there was a woman. Where is Skywalker? Our reports said he was here with a woman as beautiful as the evening suns."

Mara couldn't help it. She blushed, but said nothing - glaring at him, her green eyes cold.

"You will die, beautiful Jedi."

"Don't count on it. You killed our people."

"And I'll kill more before today is out."

"As I said before. Don't count on it." Her hand shook as Hinden's memories assaulted her senses. He'd experienced such pain.

"What can you do? Your friend is beaten."

He indicated Karrde who crouched on his knees on the ground. He'd fallen when Fortuna had aimed the first shot at him but, being Karrde, had contingency plans in mind. He moved his blaster hand out of sight of Fortuna.

"Look at him, cowering in the dust. He's no Jedi."

Karrde's pale eyes went paler still if it was possible. "Cover me, Mara." And he rose to his feet, a blaster appearing in his grasp. "The lady is correct. No one harms my people. Remember the Prada Predator?"

"No, should I?"

The ground shook again as a bomb landed very near to where they stood. Mara felt herself falling as the floor rocked. A dark sinewy hand pulled at her and she flinched in horror. Swiping with her lightsaber, she raked it down the body who had grabbed her. The sound of a choked gurgle made her uncomfortable and the metallic tang of fresh blood teased her nostrils.

Mara's danger sense flared and again she brought the vital blue blade up to block blaster fire. "Come on Karrde, get out of here. I'll hold him."

"No, Mara. He killed our people. We have our own way of meting out justice." And he brought his blaster carbine up one more time. Mara noticed the strut upon which Fortuna was perched leak some crumbling matter and aimed her lightsaber towards it in an arc. "Now!" she yelled as both Karrde and Fortuna fired at each other at point blank range. The Twileks' shot impacted off Mara's shoulder but Karrde's aim was truer and Fortuna toppled forward with an expression of surprise across his face. There was a shrieking crash behind him.

Talon got shakily to his feet. "Justice should be noted to have been done. There's no other body for you to escape to this time, Fortuna. Enlightenment came too late for you this time." Breathing heavily he holstered his blaster. "Mara?" No answer.

An unidentified explosive landed very close and a wall fell down narrowly missing him. "Mara," he shouted over the noise. Where the hell was she? It was then he spotted her slumped and half buried in a pile of collapsed rubble. "Emperor's bones!" Karrde dropped to his knees to try and dig her out to the sound of chaos around him.

Wedge, Tycho, Venner and Kapass ducked past falling masonry and charged into the building. "I guess no one will stop us now," grunted Kapass, his shoulders heaving with effort as he pushed a beam from in front of their path. Wedge sniffed the air. "Drop!" he yelled and they threw themselves flat as something erupted in a burst of flame near to where they were. Small pieces of stone rained down on them in tiny stinging pieces. Tycho sniggered as Wedge emerged from a pile of gravel. "You've gone prematurely grey, Commander. Is this a new look?"

"No time to be funny, Captain Celchu. Come on."

They jumped to their feet and took off still dodging small fires, crumbling stone and, as they got nearer the centre of the building, desperate people trying to get out. No one was staying to help a fellow creature. They would kill anyone who stood in their way.

The Chimaera

"This is Admiral Gilad Pellaeon of the Imperial ship the Chimaera to Captain Jorge Franek."

"Admiral?" the serious man in front of the holo screen asked. "What can I do for you?"

"Call off the attack."

"But..."

"Call off the attack." Pellaeon's voice had grown colder and more deadly. "You have been given false information. We are not in any danger of attack from Pii 3. There is a very important operation going on at this very instant and you are wasting valuable men and resources. We are working with the New Republic on this. Not fighting against them."

"I don't understand."

"Call off the attack and meet me here on the Chimaera."

An officer manning the communications channel spoke up. "Sir," he addressed Captain Ardiff. "We are receiving a communiqu\'e9 from Tatooine. It's Lieutenant Leggin, Sir."

"I'm attaching a series of coded transcriptions which were made by Prefect Talmont. It contains the codes to abort the Vex Hammer's attack."

Ardiff smiled with grim satisfaction. "Do you hear that Captain?"

"I do," but the man looked confused. He turned to a crewman and whispered quietly. The trooper flicked a few switches and his voice was heard sending out a message on wide frequency band. "Call off the attack. All TIE wings return to base."

Leia closed her eyes with relief and sent silent thanks out through the force. But when she tried to reach her brother, she could not.

"Incoming message for Senator Leia Organa Solo from General Airen Cracken."

Leia moved to the screen. "General?"

"It's stopped. Thank Admiral Pellaeon for me."

"I will. What of our forces on Tatooine?"

"Very little resistance apparently. "Some fighters have been mobilised, but they are salvaged hybrid fighters - 'uglies' - and lack the manoeuvrability of our X-Wings. They cannot hold on for much longer. According to Lieutenant Klivian, the rats are deserting quicker than we could hope to catch them. Look Leia, I'll have to go but I'll be in touch to arrange another meeting." He met her eyes squarely. "A proper meeting this time."

A pang of guilt wormed its way into her heart. She had a lot to answer for. She could almost be accused of being complicit in the murder of her brother if he didn't survive this. She'd also all but gift-wrapped him into the arms of Mara Jade. The knot of jealousy twisted into her gut.

"Corran... I have to get back to Tatooine. I cannot feel Luke. He's closed our link and I'm troubled for him."

Corran wrinkled his forehead worriedly. He could feel Mara. She was fighting and in pain and scared about Luke too. But the Jedi Master had gone from their senses. "He's still alive?"

"I'm positive he is, but he's not in the Monastery. I'm sure I would be able to feel him if he was there - it's so close. I don't know where he is. I can't feel him. I'd know if he was dead, but I can't..." She bit her lip to stop it trembling.

"Come on, let's get back to the planet. Luke can take care of himself." He spoke into his comlink. "Chewbacca - this is Corran Horn. Get the Falcon prepped for take off."

Han gunned the speeder and brought his comlink to his lips. "Wedge, we're coming after you. There's nothing we can do at this end. The place is going up everywhere. We can't get through - it would be suicide. We've already lost the old man."

"I copy, General Solo." Wedge turned to his companions. "Come on. Let's go and look for any of our people.

"We seem to be going the in the wrong direction," murmured Tycho to Kapass as several aliens ran past them firing blaster carbines at anyone who got in their way.

"Wedge!"

The Corellian turned and grinned, thankful to see Cullen Page standing before him. "Everything seems to be going according to plan. I've set the main charges now. If anyone's left in this part of the building they'll blow with it in ten minutes."

"We came to find Luke and Mara."

A muscle twitched in the Intel man's cheek. "I don't know where Luke is. The B'Omarr took him. Mara managed to get free, but says Luke was hurt. She's frantic about him, but he told her she needed to deal with Fortuna. That's all we know."

Wedge swallowed and wished he hadn't as the muck in the air choked him and he coughed. "We'll... need... to get moving." Tycho slapped him on the back.

They followed Page to the central audience chamber, but it was almost impossible to see anything, the air was so thick with smoke and dust.

"Over there!" Venner pointed to the figure of a man digging among the ruins. Karrde looked up, his face cut. Dried blood had trailed over his forehead and torn cloth had been wound around fingers red, raw and bleeding. Karrde was attempting to dig his second in command out of the wreckage. "I need help," he called, his face anxious. "She's unconscious."

Venner noticed the body of Bib Fortuna lying only metres away from where Karrde and Mara were. He was very dead, the cooling body stiffening.

Wedge pulled his blaster from his pocket and, changing the setting, aimed it at some of the boulders imprisoning Mara. For a second they glowed red-hot and then broke down into smaller pieces. Tycho was able to get his hands underneath Mara's armpits and slowly, aware that time was against them, began to inch her out very gradually. They didn't want to bring anything else down on their heads.

"Got her!" grinned Tycho as he handed her over to Venner.

"She is okay?" questioned Karrde.

Mara lay still, her face whiter than the Hoth snows. Venner put her over his shoulder, while Kapass and Tycho supported the smuggler chief.

"Have you seen Aves?" he croaked.

Page nodded. "I sent him to place one or two charges for me. He's waiting outside. I said I'd come back to get you. He's fine."

"And Luke?"

Silence greeted him.

"You don't know where Luke is?"

"No, we don't."

"Mara could find him."

"She could, but she needs medical attention herself by the looks of her. Luke would want her to be safe."

"Come on, we'd better hurry."

As they made their way out of the crumbling building Han brought his speeder to a halt and dived across to where he could see Wedge and Tycho. Jarl Venner emerged from the building carrying what looked like a woman's body. Fixer climbed out and went to help.

"Is she...?" he asked still in shock at the speed of Arnek's death. The matter of fact way the New Republic men and women dealt with loss surprised him. Corran had been right. Playing the hero was fine if you made it.

"She's just stunned I think - concussion. Wall came down on her."

"The Falcon's on its way."

"So is the Valorous," said Wedge. "It's got a good medical facility. I think you need a couple of hours in a bacta tank yourself, Karrde.

The smuggler chief smiled tiredly, then his pale eyes hardened. "What do we tell her, when she wakes up? We haven't found Luke and there's no way down to the lower levels, is there?"

"Is he there?" asked Han.

"He was," replied Karrde quietly.

The Swaquaresh Basin, Western Dune Sea, Tatooine

Luke couldn't remember feeling this bad in a long time. He blinked and immediately winced as a gritty spec of sand firmly entrenched itself in his left eye. Sometime during the night he'd regained consciousness and made himself move. The Jundland wastes were not to be travelled lightly. He remembered Ben saying that once. It would be good to see him... But he couldn't see him because Ben was long dead. So why was Luke in the middle of the desert in the middle of the night? Uncle Owen would thrash him good and proper for disobeying orders... Luke shook his head to clear the fuzziness from his brain. Uncle Owen was dead too and Aunt Beru. So was Biggs. So many people dead and all for what? He kept his cloak wrapped round his shoulders and sank to the soft sand and tried to sort out where and who he was supposed to be. Recollection came storming into his brain at last. Things were not good - everything was definitely hazy. Probably another bang on the head. He wasn't exactly sure where he was and he didn't think he was close to any settlement, but he wouldn't give up hope. There was always hope. Han would say that you kept fighting until you had no breath left. When that happened you fought until they disposed of your body.

He assessed his situation. He had one water bottle which had some fluid left, but not enough to last him any length of time. One of the many wounds he had bled intermittently

. If he didn't get to a settlement soon he would die of thirst or bleed to death. It was as simple as that. He had his lightsaber attached to his belt and a bag over his shoulder which, when he looked, contained a set of crystal data disks. His ankle was broken, his head throbbed and several ribs looked to be in bad condition. He sent out a questing force tendril and spotted ahead a large bone which must have belonged to a great sea beast when waters had rolled over this area of Tatooine. Nah, it must be a lot later than that. Perhaps some scavenging animal had dropped it. His mind reeled with the effort of thinking. No matter where it had come from it would make a great crutch. He took a careful swig of his precious water supply and set off towards where he hoped he was sensing some form of life. He had to think of something that would keep him going and that was easy. Her beautiful eyes called out for him and they were red from weeping. Mara Jade did not cry, so something must have made her unhappy. The image disturbed his mind and he stumbled, falling to the desert sand. He tried to call to her and his sister, but he felt nothing and no one answered him. Luke crawled to his feet. It was time to move and, limping, he slowly began to cross the endless expanse of gold. The sand was part of him, he remembered that much.

He was burning inside and out, it was so hot. The furnace heat of Tatooine's twin suns burned his face making it blister. He kept seeing people that he'd known long ago, but it was all an illusion - the souls of the dead. "I'm doing what I can," he yelled defiantly at the sky. "I never left them willingly. I'd give anything to know they're alive and well. Aunt Beru don't look at me like that. I was going to save you. I tried - please\'85" But the fear that he would die alone and lost amongst the scorching sands began to haunt him. He walked for two days and two nights getting weaker and weaker. He had no water left - he hadn't eaten in three days and knew that even force-enhanced strength couldn't last forever. He was also getting strange surreal visions. The souls were beckoning him onward. Mara sat with his child in her arms, her face cold and set. He'd left her alone. "Mara! I didn't... I couldn't.... Mara!" His voice was a cracked whisper. Still he struggled on, but he was scarcely covering any distance now and still the suns beat unmercifully down upon his pounding head. "I'm sorry," he whispered through cracked, blistered lips. "Mara, I loved you and I will protect you always..." Luke sank to his knees and crawled for a few more metres and then finally his body gave out and blissful darkness blotted out all conscious thought. The suns reached their zenith and as they began to descend a party of Jawa traders came over the dune rise on their way to their secret base camp at the Swaquaresh Basin. Luke had collapsed within sight of their encampment, but he'd been too delusional to see it.

The Jawas chattered amongst themselves and carefully turned him over to see his face. But when they noticed the lightsaber attached to his waist the conversation increased in volubility. They'd found a Jedi and he was still alive - just.

Coruscant

Mara sat on the balcony of her apartment in Coruscant and watched the constant stream of traffic as it moved steadily in lanes across her field of vision. She felt wrong - something wasn't right. Why was she here when all that she cared about was on a sand-strewn world whose strange beauty was illuminated by the light of two fierce suns?

Mara had tried to get clearance to leave three days ago, but had been denied because she'd only just been released from the Coruscant medical centre. When she'd attempted to acquire a leaving slot yesterday, the same thing had happened. She checked her wrist chrono mutinously. Only half an hour ago the answer had been the same. Owing to some development work on orbital platforms above the spaceport, leaving slots were restricted to essential transports only. Mara didn't believe that for a second. She was being kept here against her will. Attempts to contact Karrde had also been fruitless. "Let's face it Mara, you need to do something and soon or someone will be escorting you to a place where they lock you up for your own safety." She stroked her stomach gently. "Where's your father, eh little one?" Mara closed her eyes as worry threatened to overcome her. "Trust in the force." She heard his voice as he'd lectured her, laughed at her, made love to her. "We'll have to go and find him, little one, he's got himself in trouble as usual."

After the Monastery had blown she'd been unconscious for several hours. By the time she'd come to - she'd been in the medibay of a New Republic capital ship. Chewie, Corran and Leia had returned to Tatooine picked up most of the badly injured and transported them to the Valorous. The 2-1B had been firm and unyielding to all her protestations. Karrde stood at the end of her bed with crossed arms and a 'nothing you say will make me change my mind' expression on his face.

"I have to go back for Luke!" Mara cried frantically, her fingers clutching at the blanket. "He's still in there!"

"Han will find him...you need to rest." Leia Organa Solo nodded at the medical droid and he administered a sedative. Mara slumped back on her pillows.

"How is she, apart from overwrought?" asked Karrde quietly.

"She will be fine, but..." The droid hesitated.

"What is it?" Leia enquired.

"This is a matter I can only discuss with the patient. It is best you leave her to sleep, the sedative will eventually wear off. She has been without sleep for many days. Do not worry, Captain Karrde, her injuries will shortly heal. I have applied bacta bandages. There is nothing seriously wrong with Trader Jade. Mainly cuts and bruises and she will make a full recovery."

"Good," Karrde sighed visibly in relief and some of the tension left him. "What about you, Leia - are you bearing up? Any word on Luke?"

She shook her head. "None so far. Han is looking but hasn't had much success. The charges went off more or less where we suspect he was being held. There cannot be anyone alive, but yet I cannot feel his death so he must be alive somewhere. I would know. He could be unconscious or they may have moved him. None of the B'Omarr were found after the explosion. No bodies - nothing. If they found a way to survive the attack perhaps Luke has too."

Karrde pursed his lips carefully. "Ah, the bond between force strong twins."

"Yes, the strongest there is."

'I wonder?' thought Karrde.

After that everything had been rather hazy. She'd spent the rest of her enforced trip back to Coruscant in the medibay, refusing to see Organa Solo. She used some of the time to practise the art of the Jedi hibernation trance. The 2-1B hadn't been keen to let Mara out of his sight until she'd been checked over by someone on planet. Eventually she'd been released from medical care with strict instructions by the droid and had retreated to her Coruscant apartment. If she hadn't been so sick she would have left to find Luke immediately - medical ruling or not. But hyperspace just made her want to vomit. She rubbed her stomach fondly. "I suppose that's all your fault, young Skywalker," she whispered. "I have to go back. I know he's not dead...he's waiting for me."

Leia's office - Imperial Palace - Coruscant

Leia clutched at the edge of her desk with relief. "You think you've located him. Where?"

Han grinned at her from Tatooine, his face slightly hazy because the vid-screen on the Falcon was reacting unfavourably with some of her other modifications, his tired face suddenly older. "I got a message from Fixer Windrider at Tosche Station. He'd put out feelers for information and a Jawa who was passing with some droid parts happened to mention how his clan had found a man in the middle of the Dune Sea. Then I checked with all the medical centres in the Temperate Zone. Mos Elras\rquote medical centre received an injured human man about three days ago suffering from broken ribs, a broken ankle and severe dehydration. He had no identification on him apart from a silver cylinder and a box of crystal data disks, which no one has been able to decipher."

"His lightsaber," his sister breathed thankfully, her eyes shining with joy. "And maybe some more Jedi records."

"He matched Luke's physical description, apart from the beard and darker hair colour, which he'd dyed for the purposes of the mission, as we know. The medic in charge of the facility, which is pretty basic by the way, was concerned about his general restlessness. They are monitoring his condition and are hoping to let him come out of his unconsciousness very soon - once they think he has been completely rehydrated. I'm hoping to be allowed in to see him, just to verify that it is Luke."

"It has to be. I knew he was still alive."

"You could let Mara and the others know."

Leia's face took on a strained expression.

"Sweetheart," Han drawled warningly. "You whisked her off planet pretty quickly. I get the feeling that if you could have her arrested on some charge or other, you would have, to stop her getting to your brother. She is his friend and must be worried about him. They were working together. Remember? Hell, they were closer than colleagues and you know it."

Leia's lips tightened, but still she said nothing.

"Do you really think that it will change anything if she's kept from him? She won't be, not forever and if he finds out\'85." Han let his voice trail away gradually. "I'll get in touch with you as soon as I verify it's Luke."

Leia put her head in her hands. It had to be Luke. It just had to be. Artoo Detoo, watching from the corner of Leia's office, beeped quietly in distress. The computer had been sharing interesting snippets of information and he was about to do something about it. His master was going to become a father and Artoo reckoned he would want to see Mara Jade more than anyone. He'd been there when they'd finally stopped circling around each other. Now he knew thanks to General Solo where his Master was being kept.

Mara pushed her hand through her tumbled red-gold hair. Once she'd been back in New Republic territory, not only had they cleaned up her cuts and bruises, they'd also restored her hair to its natural living glorious shade. The 2-1B had done a thorough check on her other matter and she hugged the information to her with a kind of secret glee. This was unlike her. Luke's baby - the wonder and miracle of it all. She wasn't going to tell anyone until she'd officially told the father himself. So what if he knew. That wasn't the point. He's so much in tune with the force that he must have been aware early on. She reckoned that it wasn't their first time together when she'd conceived but the time when she had for the first time admitted to herself how much she needed him and that they could probably produce spectacular children. The fact that she knew nothing about children, wasn't married to the father and didn't know if she could keep the child safe had already occurred to her. Somehow it didn't seem important. She could already feel it through the force, so there was also going to be the problem of raising a force strong child. Mara trembled as a hint of panic crept through her. She wasn't ready to be a mother - was she? Suppose they didn't find Luke, suppose... 'Enough of this, Mara', she told herself sternly. 'Trust in the force and it's time to get out of here. Deal with the hyperspace sickness.'

She jumped to her feet and ran through to the bedroom where her open carryall lay on the bed. Quickly she threw a pile of undergarments and her favourite tunic jump suits haphazardly into the case. Mara surveyed her self in the mirror, but there was no alteration in her slim shape. She twisted and the dull green filmy dress she wore flew gracefully round her figure. 'I need to get off Coruscant before I start to show. This is for Luke and I to deal with on our own.' Leia would be as mad as a Hutt. The former Chief of State had been decidedly frosty to the former Emperor's hand. 'Does she think that I'll take Luke away from her, convince him to turn to the darkside or something? He's a good man and a wise one - most of the time - when he doesn't let the Skywalker idealistic saving the galaxy tendencies get too out of hand.' She picked up her lightsaber and lit the pale blue blade. It felt good in her hand. She felt layers of time and space calling her and as if in a dream she walked out to the balcony where the lights of the planet city twinkled in front of her. A breeze caressed her fiery curls and blew across her suddenly heated cheeks. It seemed to have the breath of the desert wind. Mara reached deep within herself for the extra focus she'd discovered when they'd been on Tatooine together...the feeling that every light had been turned on and there was nothing you couldn't see. Everything was bright and shining. All was revealed in the glory of the light side of the force.

Mara gripped her lightsaber in her hand and extended the blade. "Luke - hear me. I'm coming to you." She focused her shining green gaze on the myriad of coloured lights on the horizon. "I don't quite know how, but I'll try. No...." she smiled faintly. "Do or do not, there is no try."

She felt her words launch into hyperspace and go rocketing across the galaxy. She saw everything - all the planets - but so fast that it seemed to be surrounding her in a blaze of stars.

"Mara?" The voice in her head sounded weak and sluggish. "Mara - are you... okay?"

Thank the force. He was alive and typically his first thought was of her.

"I'm fine, farmboy. Go home and I'll see you there."

"Yes," the voice replied. "I'll go home, but when I'm with you, wherever I am, I'm home."

"That goes for me, too. But I think you know where I mean." She let a memory stray of a night when two bodies had melded closely and the spirits even closer.

"He's coming round," the medical droid announced with something approaching fright. This was not supposed to happen. "How can this be? Something just now triggered some reaction in his brain."

Han stood behind the transparisteel barrier as the medics buzzed round the man he now knew was definitely his brother in law. "What do you mean?"

"The diagnostic instruments just went haywire. No one was anywhere near any of the machines."

The medic ran through to Luke's room and stared incredulously at the flashing lights and jagged patterns on the monitor.

The blue eyes flickered open and a hint of panic flashed over his face. Then he took a deep breath and sat up.

"Sir," the small human medic uttered in panic. "You must lie down. You've been injured and unconscious... Sir! I insist - You're very weak and you need fluids. You'll only make yourself ill again... Sir!"

Han pounded on the barrier. "Let me through, I'll speak to him."

Luke had managed to get to his feet and was pulling off wires and tubes which had been attached to his chest. For a man who had been found abandoned near a Jawa encampment, had been unconscious, injured and dehydrated, he didn't look too bad even with the stubborn expression which appeared on his face. His legs wavered and his eyes rolled a little in his head. The medics leapt to support him and get him back on the bed.

"No!" The force push the Jedi employed was weak but effective enough to make the medics back off a little and they finally let Han through. Luke gave his brother-in-law his most implacable stare and Han saw again the man who had led Rogue Squadron and vanquished a Death Star.

"Get me out of here, Han - now. If they don't release me willingly, I'll fight my way out. I swear it."

Two hours later, a solemn Luke stood waiting to leave the medical centre. Grim-faced, he watched as Han dealt with credit transfers and documentation to get him out of the building.

"Thanks, Han. Now go home." He turned and strode towards the speeder Han had been using. "I'll take you to where you can get a lift to Mos Eisley, then go home."

"That all the thanks I get for coming after you, Kid?"

Luke's face softened slightly. "Thanks, old buddy. I do appreciate it, but I'm not coming with you. Not just now."

"But Leia's worried sick."

"So she should be. She tried to kill me. Not directly, but the upshot would have been the same. She's my sister and I love her, but at the moment I need a little space before I can fully trust her again. I'm not going to turn to the darkside, but neither am I going to become a puppet for the New Republic. I don't want to sit and listen to Senators squabble among themselves. That's Leia's job, not mine. I don't want that occupation. Go home and be with your family, Han. Chewie's waiting for you in Mos Eisley. Let me be here with mine."

"What about Mara Jade?"

"What about Mara?"

Han looked a little shamefaced. "She's on Coruscant.

"What!" 'But I heard her call me, as clear as if she was here.'

"She got a couple of scrapes when the Monastery blew and Karrde wanted her taken to a medical facility. Leia arranged for her to go to the New Republic 'Valorous'. To cut a long story short, she got a little hysterical and I believe you were mentioned. That's when the Medical droid knocked her out."

Luke's face went white. "She's fine... isn't she?"

Han looked startled. "I think so. Karrde went with her. I like her, kid. She's fond of you, too." Han went a little red and Luke furrowed his brow in enquiry. "What?"

"Chewie thinks... Oh this is awkward. I don't know if I'm up to telling a Jedi Master about his own lovelife." He rubbed his hand across the scar on his chin."

"Do go on, " drawled Luke, a hint of sardonic amusement entering his voice. "I'm all ears, as they say."

"Who says?" Han shot back defensively.

Luke just waved his hand indicating that Han continue his thread.

"Are you two... well are you... involved?"

"You could say that."

"Is it serious?"

"I'm not free to say."

"Oho!" Han grinned. "You think so. Well, good luck, Kid. You're gonna need it." He cocked his head to one side. "Why are you so surprised she's on Coruscant?"

"She contacted me, two hours ago."

"Oh - when you regained consciousness." Han's eyebrows shot up in amazement. "It was a message from Mara that made you regain consciousness?"

Han frowned. No message had been sent from Coruscant. Not by normal means and even Leia couldn't sense her brother from that far away. Not to send him a message anyway.

"Han, could you do something for me?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Keep Leia away from Mara for a little while and assign a couple of Noghri just to keep an eye on her. Just don't tell her. She'll be madder than a caged rancor, but I'd rather she was safe until she got off Coruscant. I can tell you this much - she's probably on her way."

"Where you gonna go, Kid?"

"Home, to Ben's house...for a while anyway. When I need to return to the land of the living I will contact you. But you and Leia have work to do on your marriage."

Han blinked in shock. "Now look here, Kid," he spluttered, his voice raised angrily.

Luke stood impervious to his friend's anger. "No, I think there is. Leia has taken an awful lot for granted - especially you." The calmness of Luke's words touched something inside of Han and his shoulders slumped wearily. Luke couldn't help but notice that there was a lot more grey in Han's hair and lines around his eyes told of the strain he'd been under. He looked up at Luke and the twinkle in his hazel eyes was gone as he admitted the truth. "I know. She's forgotten what it was like to really care about something. The politics have taken up too much of her time. With the peace treaty..."

"Peace treaty. What treaty?"

Han's jaw dropped. "Oh sithspit. I'm sorry Luke. We managed to sign a peace treaty with the Empire over this." He dug in his tunic. "Here."

"What is it?"

"A copy. Leia doesn't know I have it, but I always make sure."

"Thanks. Pellaeon's a good man."

"Yeah, but he's a soldier not a politician."

"Do me a favour.... If you're out and your blaster goes off in front of Fey'lya\'85."

"Not a very Jedi Master like sentiment. Isn't that touching a little too near the darkside?"

"I never said I was perfect," Luke growled. "And as for my sister....kidnapping and Dathomir are always options."

A wry smile touched Han's face. "What a sneaky little mind you have, Luke. I would never do a thing like that."

"Clear skies, Han. I'll be in touch."

"Yeah, I know. Take care of yourself, Kid. You sure you're up to getting out of here?"

Luke relaxed a little and smiled. "I'll heal myself at home. There's a suite of rooms kept for you on Yavin. Use them."

There was a buzz at the door. Mara stretched out with the force to see who it was but couldn't sense any identity. Strange. But the door buzzed again. 'Could it be Leia?' Mara asked herself, but decided that Leia's shielding techniques weren't good enough. Only Luke could hide himself so effectively and she knew it wasn't him. Pulling her blaster from it's hidden holster on her wrist she carefully slid the door open and aimed directly at... R2D2.

With a panicked stream of gibberish the little droid rocked on its wheels and frantically rotated its little domed head. Mara returned the blaster to its wrist holster and could only watch as Artoo shot through her open door letting out a stream of data.

"Artoo?"

The agitated droid went round in circles a couple of times before Mara could make head or tail of what he was going on about.

"Artoo - slow down. I'm sorry I don't understand you, but if you plug yourself in over there I can get a translation."

Artoo uttered a thankful dweep and attached himself to the terminal. Curious Mara wandered over beside him and ran her hand gently over his domed head. "They took you with them, huh. But how did you get to my apartment?"

Artoo twittered happily.

"You... broke... out of Leia's office. I see - no restraining bolt. Oh boy, I'm going to get it now." A stream of data began appearing on her monitor. "I've been kept here, on the recommendations of the New Republic Inner Council." She turned away for a second, fury sparking in her eyes. "Okay Artoo, tell me more. Luke has been found. I knew that," she exclaimed irritably. "I can feel him..." She tapped the side of her head. "In here and in here." Mara tapped the area where her heart was located.

"You can get me off planet." Mara chuckled wickedly. "I forgot Artoo, you have done things on your own. You want to go see Luke? Well, so do I." She bent down and kissed the top of Artoo's head. "Can you get the Jade's Fire cleared for take off?"

The droid blatted a pithy retort.

"I'm surprised Luke lets you off with language like that. Do you need to tell Threepio? I guess you're right. He would tell someone. Threepio is not gifted in deception." Mara moved through to her bedroom and finished packing her bags. "One more thing, Artoo. Can you contact Karrde? I'll give you his secure com frequency. Only I have that. No one in New Republic intelligence should know I'm contacting him. You coming? Thought you might want to make sure I do what I'm told. But one thing - just in case I'm being watched - let's go the back way."

Millennium Falcon - somewhere in space

Han wiped all the expression from his face as he sat in front of the vid-screen. Chewbacca barked behind him.

"I know you're not happy about this, pal, but this is between my wife and me. It should have happened a long time ago. Punch in the co-ordinates. I do have some good news for her."

"I'll leave you." Chewie said and left to do some work in the cargo bay.

Han took a deep breath and waited until the fuzzy picture resolved itself into the still attractive features of his wife. "Leia, sweetheart."

"Oh, Han!" Leia still looked distraught. Not hearing from her brother was tearing at her spirit. They'd been apart before but never like this - without knowledge.

"He's okay, Leia. I found him."

"The man picked up in the Dune Sea?"

"That was Luke. He was in a pretty bad way but the medical centre in Mos Espa did what they could for him. He's pretty stubborn. We're coming home. How about we meet you on Yavin? I would like to see the kids. Treaty all signed and sealed? They're not needing you for anymore meetings? Well, how about it? We need to talk and according to Winter, you do have a few days owing to you. After all, you never finished the training course Luke set up for you."

A few minutes later, Han switched off the link and contemplated how he would spend time on Yavin. Winter was a great one for getting on your side, especially as she wanted time to spend with Tycho.

Luke's Home on the edge of the Dune Sea

Luke entered the house and collapsed wearily into one of his form fitting chairs. He shouldn't have left the medical centre, but he wanted so much to be in his own home. The drive from Mos Espa to Mos Eisley had been purgatory. Barely healed and with Han having his own demons to face it had been an uncomfortable trip for both men. He'd watched as the Falcon blasted out of the Mos Eisley spaceport and then had spent a couple of days in a healing trance in one of the underground motels. Closing his eyes, he let his sense of peace in the force surround him. Outside the sunlight, hot and bright, blazed down upon the golden sands, rocky mesas and sheer cliffs. Some thought that Tatooine shrivelled all life, but he knew better. He would never stay away for so long again. It would retain a special place in his heart...the heart that had returned to life because of a beautiful green-eyed woman. Luke knew he had a link with this dry inhospitable place that few would understand. But to him it was beautiful.

Inside, the house was cool and quiet. Chewie had finished the interiors and now several walls divided the kitchen from the solar lounge and the two bedrooms. It was still small, but it was home. The only thing that was missing was Mara.

Luke moved stiffly to the 'fresher' shedding his clothes as he went, then gazed at his face in the reflector. Pulling out his shaver he removed the beard before heading to the shower and washing the dye from his hair and the tension from his bones. Why did he always end up with aching bones at the end of a mission? He gave a small mirthless smile and moved, limping, to the bedroom. Crawling naked into the bed he let the cool sheets cover his throbbing body and slipped dreamlessly into desperately needed sleep.

The suns drifted downwards, streaking the sky with varying vivid shades of reds, pinks and golds. Mara flicked a switch to increase the speed of the vehicle she'd hired to get her to the isolated location that first Ben Kenobi and now Luke had adopted as a haven.

"I'm glad you came with me, Artoo. I know I had the co-ordinates but it's much easier with company. I'm just glad he's still alive. I don't know what kind of shape he's in - probably not too good, but at least he's alive. How could I ever have guessed I would need him so much?"

Artoo warbled something sympathetic as Mara piloted the speeder through the canyon until she came to the perimeter force field. Artoo directed a stream of electronic data towards it and the field dropped just long enough for them to drive through.

"Clever," Mara admired. "Chewbacca's been playing about with it? Thought so."

Once more she grabbed a glow rod from the back of the speeder and climbed the stairs, carefully levitating Artoo with her as she did so. This showed a new confidence in her ability in the force. Luke had been correct - Mara Jade had always craved true completeness in the force. Deep down she'd known that the Emperor was denying her her true birthright. 'Maybe I'll never know where I came from and who my parents were, but at least I will know the path I'll be following and with whom.'

Mara held up her glow rod as she reached the lower level of the house. The water storage tanks hummed and she spotted a new power generator ready to be installed at some point. But her intention was to find Luke so, telling Artoo to be quiet, she climbed the last few stairs and emerged into the dark upper floor.

The main living area was empty, but she knew he was here because she could feel his presence clearly. She'd felt it all across the galaxy calling to her. He'd seemed so down and Mara knew he'd been worried sick about her. \lquote I've just been sick,\rquote she noted ruefully. Mara put down her case and pulled the hood from her hair. Free and restored to its natural colour of a Tatooine sunset, it rippled over her shoulders, curling down to her waist like a sea of living fire. At her waist her lightsaber hung proudly. She was a Jedi.

Looking down she spotted the trail of clothes and followed, gathering them up until she reached the bedroom. There the Jedi Master lay, vulnerable in sleep, muttering to himself.

"Oh, Luke," she whispered as she extinguished the light. Mara pulled off her own clothes and silently slipped in beside him. Immediately he quietened as skin met skin and he drew her towards him. His arms enfolded her into his embrace and unconsciously he kissed her forehead. Feeling as if she'd at last found her place in the universe, curving herself into her lover's side, Mara closed her eyes and joined him in sleep.

Luke awoke to the feeling that he was not alone and the welcome presence of a slim arm around his waist. 'Mara'. For a moment he lay confused, his naked body reacting to the very female body, equally unclothed, next to his own. He picked up a lock of hair, which lay across his shoulder and buried his nose in its scent. Her skin was so soft and he trailed a careful finger over her midriff.

He felt her waken, instantly moving from sleep to full awareness. He moved onto his side and kissed her soft lips gently. It wasn't enough - not when he'd missed her so. Luke moved over her and covered her body with his own, his instantly reacting to her closeness. "Welcome home, I've missed you." He closed his eyes and laid his head next to hers. "You can't know how much."

"Of course I know. I know everything about you, farmboy. I know it in here," she tapped her head. "And in here. Plus..." Mara let her voice fade a little as a wicked twinkle sparked in her eyes. "I can feel it... elsewhere." Her fingers easily found his erection. She took Luke's hand and put it over her heart. His fingers found her nipple and brought it to a peak and Mara arched her back. He kissed her again; hot open-mouthed kisses. His tongue stroked hers familiarly and convincingly so she allowed him entrance. He moved to the side of her neck, his breath hot in her ear, his hands caressing her breast and trailing slowly across her sensitive skin.

"Soft... So soft," he moaned. Mara tipped her head back and closed her eyes as he consumed her. His hand wandered lower and cupped her mound, gently rubbing. Mara had had enough. She wanted him inside her and she wanted him now. Luke eased onto her welcoming body and started to move, his smile a silken promise.

Mara bit her lip to stifle her cry of pleasure.

"The desert's a big place. You can 'express' yourself if you want. There's only me to hear."

Mara opened her eyes in shock and stared at Luke. This was not typical Jedi Master behaviour.

"In your arms, I'm not the Master, but you could be the mistress."

"Luke!" She tried to act horrified, but he'd bent his blond head and had moved his mouth over her right nipple, teasing and tormenting her." A faint flush covered his features. He couldn't believe he'd been so bold with her, but he was everything to her and she to him.

Liquid heat pooled between her legs as his hips thrust into hers, defined and taut. Her hands moved over the sculpted muscles of his chest and round to his smooth back. The tip of his sex touched the centre of her heat.

"Please..." she begged rawly and with a cry, he completed their joining.

Setting a powerful, familiar rhythm the lovers gasped and panted their way to an incandescent finale. Hands touched, fevered senses swirled, bodies danced. They were tender, aggressive and gentle, desperate and sensual. Their awareness was only of each other and the primeval need to just 'feel' again. Emotionally, they'd been cut off for so long. Luke's pulsating erection finally climaxed as a blaze of white-hot stars exploded behind his eyelids.

He rolled on to his back bringing Mara with him, her head pillowed on his shoulder. "I can't believe that just happened," he murmured huskily. "I'm not even sure you're real, Jade"

"I'm real, farmboy," she returned caustically, but the words came out breathy. Mara twisted to face him and kissed a flat male nipple. Let me show you how real I am." Then she bent forward and bit his ear, hard. "That's for nearly getting yourself killed - again."

Before Luke could retaliate, she found his manhood and had coaxed it quickly into life before easing herself upon him and moving with a sweet torture that had Luke gripping the mattress, his eyes screwed tightly shut. "Mara!" She rode him, her hands resting on his powerful thighs. The tension rose in them both and Mara threw her head back as his hands caressed her body, coaxing her nipples to proud throbbing life.

She collapsed spent upon him with an exultant shout and he gathered her to him, caressing a pink nipple until it hardened again. Both were breathing hard and fast.

"I just have to touch you and it happens again," Luke whispered with amazement. "Why after all these years do we have this connection that I've never experienced? Why us and why now?"

"It was time," Mara put in huskily. "Perhaps we've always had something. But I'm very stubborn and you had a mission to rebuild the Jedi. Nothing could stand in the way of that. I wish we could have seen it sooner, but we have to move forward. Luke, can we talk?" Mara asked a little hesitantly.

"Isn't that what we're doing?" he asked whimsically. "The talking thing as opposed to the kissing thing?" He scooted under the blanket and kissed his way up a pouting breast.

"We have time later to make love." Mara grabbed him by the hair.

"Ouch!\rdblquote The blue eyes looked a little hurt and Mara kissed him by way of an apology. But because they had been apart their mouths clung until Mara's practicality reared its head.

"I need to know you are all right. When I couldn't feel you any more, I..." she broke off, her eyes dark and troubled.

"You are with me, Mara. How could things not be right in my universe?"

She closed her eyes and a tear trickled its way down a petal smooth cheek. "They wanted rid of us, Luke. For trying to do the right thing."

"Yes, but in the end the right thing happened anyway. There is a peace treaty now between the New Republic and the Empire that can only be good. There's been too much fighting. There will still be trouble out there, but we can surely have a little time to ourselves...?"

"What about Leia, Luke? She's not happy at me and will be even less so when she realises I sneaked out of Coruscant without permission. She didn't really want you killed."

"No, of course she didn't. But she hadn't thought about the people she was dealing with and walked into the trap with her eyes open. She will have to accept us. I'm not letting you go, especially now."

Mara leant over Luke and kissed him lingeringly. "Why not now?"

"Since I've got you into a certain condition..." his blue eyes twinkled with pride and Mara sighed with exasperation. "I wondered when that was going to come up. I didn't realise you'd actually manage to get me into that state."

"Hey!" He looked aggrieved as if she'd just insulted his manhood.

"I wasn't casting doubts on your virility, Skywalker. That's obviously not in question. It's just..." She sighed.

"You are pleased?" he questioned worriedly.

"I suppose I am. I just couldn't believe that you knew before I did and didn't tell me. Now that is simply not fair. It's my body, why..."

Luke kissed her to stop the tirade before it even started. "I knew you were different. Your sense in the force to me changed. I felt the shifting in the layers and suddenly I knew. I didn't tell you because you were worrying about me and I needed you to remain focused on getting out. I did drop some hints, but I don't think you registered that I might be talking about something that had actually happened, not something I wished might happen. I'm proud of you and thrilled about the baby, as long as you are too?"

"I wasn't sure at first. I pushed it to the far point of my mind. I think I wanted to see you. Only then would I really know. But after Tycho and Wedge pulled me out from under a collapsed wall, I was frantic that I could have lost your baby - our baby."

You were under a wall?" Luke's sense in the force darkened ominously. "You shouldn't have been in there."

"Now Luke, I'm not going to change my life..."

"But!" He protested trying to sit up, but Mara kissed him very sweetly and used some calming techniques to ease his mind.

"You're a devious woman, Jade."

"What can I say? I was taught by the best."

Luke pushed back the cover and jumped out of bed. Naked, he moved across to the refresher and disappeared inside. Mara couldn't believe the bruises and marks still on his skin. "Luke, when did you get out of hospital?" It was Mara's turn to darken her tone. She arose from the bed and stood watching as he cleansed his body. "or perhaps I should ask if they let you out or did you walk out?"

"Coming to join me?"

"I don't think so. I'm mad at you. Well?"

Luke stood under the running water, and tried to cover the marks of his ordeal.

"I'm waiting?"

"You sound like a nagging wi..."

Mara finally moved into the shower stall with him. "Please Luke. Tell me. I'd only worry more, then I might have to kill you for making me worry." He switched off the water and climbed out. Mara wrapped a towel around him and drew him back into the sleeping chamber. "Come on, farmboy, tell me now."

So, in halting tones, he told her how near to death he'd been and she held him close, her own face white. They'd been very lucky. Then Mara made him lie down, covered him with the blanket and watched as he slept.

Tosche Station

Camie put the finishing touches to the meal she had prepared and watched as her husband sat down in his usual place by the bar. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's that boy?"

"I think he's in the workshop. Luke was showing him how to modify an R4 droid.

"I meant Luke, not Marn. He should be getting ready. I'll go see."

"Now Fixer, don't be hard on him. He is getting married today."

"I won't. But my son can create enough trouble in my workshop without Skywalker encouraging him."

Camie smoothed her hair into the hairstyle she'd spent longer than usual perfecting. Anni and even Marn had been impressed. "You look like a Princess, Mama," he'd said and Fixer had given her a look that had her blushing. He'd not stared at her in that way for years.

"You ready, Mara?" she called as she tapped at the bedroom door.

"I don't know." It was almost a wail, which made Camie smile slightly to herself. Mara Jade must be getting bridal jitters if she was at the wailing stage. The sight that greeted Camie's eyes was that of a beautiful composed young woman in a dull green filmy dress that floated round her still slim form. Mara had confessed quietly about the baby and Camie had been passing along little pieces of advice, which had reassured the Jedi.

Camie placed a sheer piece of fabric attached to a glittering crystal headband on the red gold curls.

"I was going to put my hair up, but Luke prefers it this way," she blushed and Camie smiled. This softer, more human Mara Jade was not nearly so intimidating.

"Flowers are not an option here. The hydroponics bays are too taken up with food production."

"Yes, I know. Luke explained that to me. But then he produced this crystal headband." Mara shook her head at the foolishness of the man she was marrying.

"There's a lot of sand on this planet. It's used to make quality products." Camie gave Mara a level stare. "Do Han and Leia know that you and Luke are marrying today?"

Mara looked a little troubled. "We wanted to have them here, but we felt Luke and Leia need space for the trust to return. There some issues that they need to clear. We will have a Jedi bonding ceremony on Coruscant or Yavin and they can come to that. Han will understand even if Leia will not. This is the civil or legal part of the ceremony. We are both so grateful that you have allowed us to have it here. It means a lot to Luke. Luke will send a message once the deed is done. Artoo is primed to record parts of the ceremony, which thankfully is very short. Luke's got this thing about his child being born legally and all that. He's got this noble streak several parsecs wide that you wouldn't believe." She smoothed the delicate fabric of the dress. "He likes this dress, says it's a colour only I can wear." She laughed at Luke's strange ideas then turned to the older woman, her expression serious. "I'm sorry about Arnek. He was a good man."

Camie nodded, too upset over the death of their friend to speak, but she understood it had been his choice to go.

"He knew the risks. He'll be watching you from somewhere." Mara touched Camie's hand briefly. She still wasn't comfortable with intimacy, apart from with Luke and she tried not to dwell on the intimacies he'd taken with her body last night.

"Acting Prefect Venner will be taking the ceremony." Camie stopped and waited for Mara's reaction.

"You have got to be serious?"

"No, he's due to leave soon for a job nearer the core worlds, but Luke asked him and he agreed. He has the authority. I'm sure your Jedi ceremony will be much more meaningful for the both of you. But Luke, would you believe it, is still a registered citizen of this world and can easily fill in a bit of paper to fulfil the part of the ceremony that the law requires.

"I think he can write." Mara muttered darkly.

"He wants to be married and quickly."

Mara laughed. "Didn't you tell Leia how young, impetuous and reckless he used to be?"

"Yes..."

"He's not changed much."

Coruscant

Han wondered what in space was going on when the priority message arrived at the Solo apartment.

"It's from Luke," whispered Leia.

All contact between the twins had ground to a halt since Han had returned from Coruscant without the Jedi master. "But you said 'we were coming home'," she'd cried furiously at him.

"I meant Chewie and I," her husband had replied. "Luke didn't want to come."

Then Mara Jade had disappeared from Coruscant as if by magic. Holocam footage had shown Luke's droid Artoo to be the accomplice in her escape. Leia hadn't been furious, just resigned. Han and Chewie had told her the two were lovers. She'd known it to be true but didn't want to accept it.

"Artoo broke out of my office and arranged for Mara Jade to get off of Coruscant. Even Karrde didn't know until she'd gone. There was nothing we could do."

"What does he say?"

Han flicked the switch and Luke's serious blue eyes had faced them.

"I know this will be hard for you to hear this way, but I hope you will understand and forgive me. Mara and I completed the legal part of our marriage ceremony on Tatooine today."

Leia's eyes filled with horrified tears, but Han gave a grin. The picture changed and showed Luke and Mara signing the official register and patiently submitting to retinal scans. Luke kissed his new bride and Mara clung to him, while Han made out the figures of Fixer, Camie and their children applauding in the background.

Luke's face again appeared. "We want to have a Jedi ceremony when we return either to Yavin or Coruscant, but Mara and I are expecting our first child and I would like the child to be born legally." A grin threatened to escape and Han could see the proud prospective father expression. "She's feeling a bit sick, quite a lot sick actually at the moment. It doesn't help her temperament, shall we say."

Han looked at his wife as he paused the recording. "Mara Jade and mood swings? Oh boy."

Leia almost smiled. Her brother - a father?

"Hey, I'll be an Uncle."

"I'm pleased for them," Leia said quietly as Han restarted the message.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way, but things will calm down in time. Mara is at this very moment recording a similar message to Karrde, but he has been more accepting of our relationship. I love you both and the kids and will see you soon. Please forgive us and I love you. Luke and Mara Skywalker out."

Leia turned to Han and he pulled her into his arms. "It's for the best, Leia. Luke wasn't ready to see you, and you still have issues with Mara."

"I thought I was fine until there were rumours of a relationship. Certain people suggested it was bad for Luke and the New Republic and it had to be stopped. But I was wrong, wasn't I?"

"I think so, but you're not wrong often, sweetheart. I've never seen him so content."

Han and Leia had spent a long time talking after he'd returned to Coruscant and things had improved greatly between them. The love had never been in question - only the trust.

"Come on Highnessness. I suggest tomorrow we tell the kids and record a message to send to Luke and Mara. They'll be thrilled at the news of a baby cousin."

From somewhere Leia found the strength to smile and curved her arm around her husband. "Good idea, flyboy."

Luke and Mara's home, Tatooine

Luke wrapped his arms around his wife and carried her to bed. "I think pregnancy is finally starting to affect your vital statistics, Mrs. Skywalker."

"Oh, you think so, do you?"

Luke inspected her chest, his blue eyes glinting and Mara felt her breasts swell and respond to his heated gaze.

"They certainly feel different, but..."

"There's a certain part of me that is having the same problem," he told her, his blue eyes momentarily serious.

Mara placed her hand round the affected appendage and stroked gently. "I think I know a way to deal with that," she murmured consideringly.

"Go ahead," he gasped. "I'm in your hands, so to speak."

Luke placed his wife on the bed and covered her naked body quickly with his own. "Have I told you recently, Mrs. Skywalker, how much I love you?"

"No, Mr. Skywalker, I can't say that you have. But all will be forgiven if you show me."

"I love you, Mara," he whispered.

"I know." She replied as they joined together once more, secure in their love for one another and through the force. All was secure in the little house and the sands shifted and whispered as the lovers joined. Life was good.

THE END