“Something up Luke?”

“Why?” Luke glanced over from his place in the co pilot’s seat where he had been staring, brow furrowed, out the viewport.

“You’ve been extra quiet. Like something is bugging you.”

The younger man flinched ever so slightly, a reminder that he had not always been a mysterious Jedi Master, “I’m just wondering if you’ve told Mara about this new mission of yours?”

Lando shrugged, “haven’t seen her much lately. I think you’ve spent more time with her than I have.”

“That seems unlikely. I haven’t seen her since Almania.”

Lando refrained from pointing out that had only been a couple of months earlier.

“Why would I discuss it with her?” 

“You have a past.” Luke’s tone was mildly rebuking,  “she might appreciate the heads up before you show up married.”

“Nah that’s long over, whatever it was.”

“Whatever it was? What does that mean?”

“It means I was just along for the ride.”

“Ride?” Luke sounded offended.

“What? Does it bother you that Mara might have been looking for some casual fun?”

“No.” Luke caught his raised eyebrow,  “of course not. It just, just didn’t seem like her style.”

“Sounds to me like it bothers you. You should ask her about it.”

“It’s none of my business.”

“Kind of sounds like you’d like to make it your business.”

“If Mara wanted it to be my business, she’d have talked to me about it.”

“She didn’t?”

“No.”

“Not even when you asked?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“You didn’t?”

“No, it’s none of my business.”

“But you’re asking me now.”

“Well, now I know about your plan to get married. And I know Mara’s not big on surprises.”

Lando contemplated Luke for a moment, weighing his loyalties.

“She really didn’t tell you anything about us?”

“Not a word.” 

“And you really never thought to ask?”

“It’s not my business.” Luke was insistent enough that Lando fought hard to keep a straight face.

“Yes, you’ve said that, several times.” He took in his friend in silence a moment remembering the look on Mara’s face when Luke introduced her to Callista: a sort of frozen impassivity that revealed nothing of the frantic determination of the prior hour during which she’d altered hyperspace routes, and faced down armed Gamorreans to make sure the Jedi was safe.

Luke wore the same expression.

“So you think Mara would be upset that I’m hoping to marry someone else?”

“You were together a long time. I figured you’d wind up together.” If anything his face closed up further.

“Jade and me?” Lando laughed, "you think we made sense?

“You have connections in the same community. You know how to dance and which fork to use.”

“I do, but Jade’s not really all that into that.”

Luke blinked, “but you’ve spent years together.”

“Business. We had work together, a project that took a number of years. It was easier to let people think what they wanted.”

“She didn’t tell me that.”

“You already said you didn’t ask. She probably thought you didn’t care.”

Luke sucked in a breath and the impassivity seemed to drain out of his expression, leaving something unexpectedly agonized behind.

“Oh.”

“You really thought we were together?”

Luke nodded. 

Lando smirked, “she really let you think that.”

“She would,” Luke murmured. “If she didn’t want me to know, she wouldn’t share.”

As I settled into a close orbit over the moon, I accomplished another task as well. There, below me, was a sleek, beautiful craft that was easily recognized as The Lady Luck. Calrissian had whined to me about how he’d lost his ship here and how he’d expected the poor thing would be stripped down for parts by now as though by roverines.

That did not seem to be the case.

I did a once about the Luck to inspect it. It looked okay. I couldn’t see any obviously missing pieces, or anti-flight devices. It looked intact and sealed up tight. 

It was a nice ship. I understood why he had worried. The Lady Luck was a Sorosuub 3000. Sorusuub had been making luxury starcraft for over 5000 years, and they were impeccable about it. Legend said that their workmanship was so good there were Sorosuub ships flying around with pre Imperial hyperdrives that had never needed repair. I’d certainly never been called upon to repair one. Their 3000 model was the cutting edge in technological innovation and modifiable to the point that each ship was basically custom built. And, now that I was seeing one close up, I could see it was also gorgeous.

The only weakness I could find was that it took me less than 30 seconds to crack the code on the lock panel and gain access, but that spoke more to Calrissian’s lack of interest in security than to the manufacturer. Maybe this mission for Karrde wouldn’t be so bad if this was our method of transport.

Despite the craft being seemingly untouched, I ran a full inspection and systems check before starting the power up sequence. 

“Oh I want one.” I murmured to myself as the ship came online. It was a pointless thing to say out loud, even just to myself. There were many things I could want in the universe and most of them were unlikely enough that there was no point in even dreaming of them. I wasn’t sure why this desire coalesced enough in my mind for me to recognize it for what it was, but I clamped down on the thought with a snort of derision.

“Dream on, Mara.” I scolded myself as the repulsors engaged and the yacht lifted off the planet’s surface as smoothly as an avian.

One being I did get a break from though was Lando. After a quick jump back to Malastare, I reunited him with his Lady Luck and we went our separate ways. I had the feeling he was just as grateful for the time apart as I was. It had been more than a year of the happy couple charade and I have no doubt it had worn on him too. 

Being publicly linked to Mara Jade regardless of how vague and open we’d made it seem, limited his options for other companionship as we’d discovered on our first trip to Malastare. No one was willing to risk my wrath. I had a well earned reputation for being ill tempered and my past as an assassin wasn’t much of a secret anymore. I offered him another public break up but we decided that might draw Sukarian’s attention and we didn’t need that.

“Besides,” as Lando reminded me, “you might still need me. We don’t know where this Exocron place is yet.”

“So, we find Exocron and then we break up?”

“That was my thinking. We could make a big show of it so there are no doubts, and then we can give each other some space and renew our friendship somewhere down the line so you can seem as forgiving as you actually are.”

“I’m not forgiving.”

“Oh? Who have you assassinated lately?”

“Are you asking to be next?”

“All I’m saying is it wouldn’t actually hurt for people to know you’re actually very caring and loyal.”

“I don’t give a drukload.”

“Well, if we were actually in a relationship, I might care about who you actually are.”

“Well we’re not.”

I kept up the act as we stepped into Sukarian’s office. I hung off Lando’s arm like I was intoxicated and responded to the Vicebaron’s inappropriate remarks with a disarming giggle.

We sat down in  the repulsor chairs across from his massive desk and, as I turned to set my eyes on Calrissian as though he were the only thing in the room, my gaze swept across a display shelf behind Sukarian’s desk.

Holding an obvious place of honour was a glowing crystalline polyhedron: it was unmistakably a holocron.

I fought to keep my gaze moving as though that particular object was no more interesting than anything else in the room. I plastered an admiring expression on my face as I took in the tapestry of H’drachi toiling in the fields. It made my skin crawl, but I could see by the way it draped to the floor that there was a storage safe behind it.

As Lando turned on the charm to try to work the name Jorj Cardas into the conversation about his spice dealings, I leaned back against him and started playing with the fringe on the cape he’d slung over his shoulder.

Sukarian seemed disinterested in discussing Corellia this afternoon. Maybe we should try to get him to talk about something else. 

“Aren’t you bored with this conversation, my dear?” He leaned towards me, belt straining across his belly as he moved in his chair. 

“Yes.” I agreed guilelessly, “but there are so many interesting things in your office.” I took the opportunity to run my eyes around the room again: one camera on the wall opposite the safe, outputs for motion sensors and security beams, and a control panel for all of it on the Vicebaron’s desk.

“I have many treasures.” His smile had a noticeably cruel edge, “is there anything in particular that interests you?”

“Yes.” I blurted out, “what’s that?” I pointed rudely at the Holocron.

Calrissian tugged my hand back into his and squeezed warningly. He’d also recognized the glowing object for what it really was.

“Ah, the young lady Zasia has noticed my holocron. It is one of my favourite possessions. I am a collector of Jedi antiquities. This device was used for communication purposes.

“Like a holocomm?”

He chuckled indulgently, “Of course not, my dear. The Jedi used their mysterious Force powers to make them work. I might have the last one in the galaxy. Isn’t that exciting?”

He spoke to me like I was about Jaina’s age so I gave a wide eyed nod, “it’s pretty.”

“I’m so glad you like it. Let me show you something else. He stood up and ushered me over to his display shelf. Calrissian reluctantly let go of my hand as I stepped forward and surveyed the other objects. They were all Jedi tools: a focusing crystal, wobble ball, training remote, even some components I recognized as being commonly used for lightsaber construction. 

I sensed a hesitation in her before she handed me the blaster. Really? Did she think I was going to shoot her in the back now? Then I watched as she tightened her fist around the fabric the blaster had been wrapped in. She sucked in a breath and pushed it into one of her pockets.

I took a closer look at the weapon I’d been handed. Definitely Solo’s. 

It was as I watched Leia slide the toy into her pocket, that I had a moment of clarity. All the distrust and bald hostility she was throwing my way, had nothing much to do with me. It didn’t much matter who I was, I wasn’t Solo. I wasn’t her children. She would have been the same with anyone who wasn’t the family she feared for and desperately wanted to hold at that moment.

Except, no, that wasn’t exactly true. Leia Organa Solo was a consummate diplomat. Had I been a functionary or a Coronet citizen, she would have maintained her professional persona. But, for some reason, I got to see that she was falling apart.

Was it a calculated attempt to incite me to feel guilty for the destruction she believed I caused?  What would that accomplish?

“You wear a lightsaber. Are you a Jedi?

“No.” The bad feeling I'd been pushing away crept back in. I did not want to talk about my failures.

“Fear not. We hold Jedi in great esteem. I would be honoured to work with a Jedi.”

“I am not a Jedi.” 

“And yet you wear a lightsaber.”

“It was a gift.”

“Ah, a family heirloom.” There was a sense of quiet glee in his voice,  “passed down in secret from a Jedi ancestor.”

“Something like that.”

Lando snorted and Fiorzen raised an eyebrow.

“Not my family heirloom.” I acknowledged, “it was a gift from Luke Skywalker.”

“So you are Force strong.”

“Not all that strong really.” I cringed thinking of the number of times the Force had reminded me of that.

“Then why would he give you such a gift?”

Why indeed? As though I hadn’t pondered that very question a thousand times over the years. When he’d first placed the saber in my hand, it had been imbued with the warmth of friendship. It seemed simple and natural. Now I knew it was anything but.

“I don’t know. I doubt even he knows anymore.” I sighed, “at the time he said I was on my way to becoming a Jedi.”

“But if a Jedi Master believed you could become a Jedi, you must be very strong in the Force. I know Luke Skywalker has opened a training facility. Why are you not training there?”

I struggled not to flinch as all my worst experiences at the academy flew back to me. I fought harder than I should have to shrug casually.

“It just isn’t my path. Besides, the Jedi Master has no doubt changed his mind about me by now.”

“But you still carry the lightsaber?”

“It’s a useful tool. Cuts really well.”

“You use the sacred weapon of the Jedi to open packages?”

“Do you think [Kyp] is worthy to be a Jedi?” Horn asked.

I wasn’t certain if becoming a Jedi was a matter of worthiness and I said as much.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re not the only one who doesn’t think Durron should be a Jedi.” I thought of the utter weariness in Skywalker’s voice as we watched Kyp’s body float in bacta,  “I just don’t get the sense he has that much of a choice in the matter.”

“Once a Jedi always a Jedi?”

I shrugged, “I don’t know, but I know I can’t think that he should be executed for his crimes while I’m walking around with mine.”

I thought of what I’d been doing at Durron’s age, and under whose influence. 

“It’s not the same thing. You’ve more than proven yourself.”

“I was given a chance to.” and it didn’t escape me that Skywalker was a major reason I had been given that chance. Mirax had referred to me as ‘Luke Skywalker approved’ after all.

“You’re saying I should give Kyp another chance?”

“I’m saying I have to.”

He sighed.

“Do I have to like him?”

“Probably not.” I chuckled.

“I can be an ally without being a friend.” Corran nodded, clearly considering the idea.

“I think that’s all that’s being asked.”

“By Luke.” Corran met my gaze steadily, “Do you trust Kyp?” “No, but I don’t exactly trust myself around this stuff either. I mean I used the dark side for years and didn’t even know it.”

“Darkness is sneaky,” Corran agreed, “it gets in through your weaknesses.”

“Which weakness?”

“Looks like our Sukarian is a lecherous carouser.”

“So are a lot of powerful beings in the galaxy.” I shrugged, “Even my present company has a certain reputation for the high life.”

“Not like this, Mara.” Calrissian scowled, “I use charm and forthrightness. Sukarian is slime. He throws his power around to get what he wants. And what he wants seems to involve money, drugs, and dehumanizing women. He’s charming only so long as he thinks it will get him those things. 

On Corellia, it looks like he managed to drug a number of young companions to the point of death and he got others killed in terrible speeder accidents. It seems he also managed  to impregnate a number of admirals’ daughters. Consent was questionable. 

And he bankrupted his own business twice…possibly over the course of one week.”

I shuddered, “You’re right. I’m sorry to imply any similarities.”

“Thank you. My offers to you stand, but only if you want them.”

I nodded, “and we’re going to need to ingratiate ourselves to this guy?”

“Looks like it.”

“I can’t do that as myself.” Calrissian raised an eyebrow, “You can get away with it. You’re a ladies man, you can work with that; but if you show up with me, he’ll know we’re up to something.”

I got up and opened the compartment I’d taken over for my important documents.

“Do we break up then?” Calrissian asked.

“We’re off and on,” I reminded him, “keep the galaxy guessing, right?”

I tossed a package containing an ident card and some general travel docs in his lap.

“That’s who I’ll be.”

He opened the packet, “Zasia Creel?”

“It’s Corellian. It’ll remind him of home.”

“She’s 24.”