The ship was unfamiliar. It looked like one of the old Imperial shuttles, but it had either been
heavily modified or was an actual distant relative of the design. By the time he reached the
platform, the ramp was already down and the person inside had made her way to the smooth
stone ground. The breeze suddenly picked up, and for the first time that day Luke heard the
leaves rattle. The breeze also made the figure's malt- brown hair flutter behind her like the tail of
a comet, and the large grey eyes--still so somber, even moreso after all these years--met his
evenly.
     "Hello, Luke," she said, her voice soft.
     "Hello, Callista," he said, feeling guarded. So he hadn't been as sure of his feelings as he'd
told Leia, he thought. Seeing her again, remembering how beautiful she was and how much she
had meant to him, made his heart beat a little faster.
     And just as fast, it ended. He found himself reaching for Mara's familiar presence, and knew
he had nothing to fear. From Callista, or himself.
     "It's been a long time," he continued, his voice suddenly normal.
     "Yes." She nodded. He could see a glimmer of hurt in her grey eyes, but she didn't say
anything. "I guess you're wondering why now."
     "It occured to me. But I'm also considering that this is just a huge coincidence." He cocked
his head to one side, and realized that even though she was still not Force- sensitive, he could
pick up a slight disturbance from her. "You're not even here to see me, are you?"
     She smiled. She would always be beautiful, he thought. It felt good to appreciate her beauty
without all the guilt coming with it---guilt, he realized, he had ultimately expected to feel. "No,"
she said. "Although I wanted to. I've wanted to for a long time." He could feel her sudden
longing, and her just-as-sudden dismissal of it. "Actually, I've come here to see your.....your
wife." 
     Luke's eyes widened a bit. "You heard."
     She nodded. "I've always watched out for news of you. To tell you the truth," and she gave a
little, self-depreciating laugh, "I'm really not surprised. I guess I always knew she was special to
you. It explained a few things."
     Luke felt relief suddenly flood over him. "Then why...."
     "It's kind of....personal." She fidgeted and looked around them on the open platform. "Do you
think she would see me? I mean, even after you and I....well....." Callista let out a sigh. "I've
heard things about Mara Jade, to tell you the truth. I just don't want to get on her bad side if I'm
not there already."
     "You're not." Luke smiled at her and guestured for her to follow. "Come on. I'll clear a path
for you," he joked. "You're just in time for breakfast."

     Mara wasn't in the kitchen when Luke and Callista came back. She wasn't in the bedroom or
the lounge, either. Luke felt a ripple of worry run through him and told Callista to sit on the
couch. "I'll be right back," he said sharply. "And don't go anywhere."
     "Ok," Callista said, her voice sounding slightly small. Luke knocked on Leia's door as he
made his way down the hall. No sense in giving his sister a heartattack if she came out and saw
Callista sitting there. 
     "What is it, Luke?" Leia asked, seeing the look on Luke's face. 
     "Callista is in the living room. I've got to go outside for a minute. I'll explain it all later," he
added, taking in the saucer's Leia's brown eyes suddenly became. She nodded duitfully, and Luke
took off outside.
     He stood on the grounds at the edge of the resort and sent out a tendril through the force. The
last time he'd had to do this with Mara, she'd gone and destroyed her beloved ship, the Jade's
Fire. 
     He felt her answer, and realized she was on their ship, the Jaded Sky.
     *Don't blow it up until I get there,* he sent to her with a caustic humor. He swore he felt her
laugh.
     When he got there, he found her in their bedroom, holding her old lightsaber, Anakin
Skywalker's lightsaber. She was standing by the window and her eyes were red- rimmed.
     "Mara, why in the sith did you scare me like that?" he demanded.
     "Scare you?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
     He felt completely and utterly confused. "What are you doing there, anyway? Have you been
crying?" He felt his heart wrench as he fully took in her eyes, so bright from unshed tears. 
     "I'm fine, Luke," she reassured him, smiling. "I'm just...really relieved, I guess. Deep down,
I've been dreading this day. Now it's over."
     "What do you mean?"
     She gave a little chuckle. "I don't know. Even though I knew you loved me and I trusted you
completely...it isn't easy for a new wife to deal with an old lover, no matter who she is and how
secure she feels. Don't hate me for saying this, but...deep down, I've always been a little bit
afraid that you had just settled for me just because you couldn't have Callista."
     "You mean you thought...you thought that I.....?" He was completely flabbergasted. "Then
why did you let me go to the landing platform by myself?" he asked softly.
     "Just in case I was wrong. Luke," she started, putting the saber down and sliding closer to
him, "you and I have communicated so much through the Force that we've forgotten how
reassuring words sound. I want you to know," she said, taking a deep breath, "that no matter
what responsibility you have to me, or think you have, I'm not going to make you do anything
you want to do. I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself."
     "I know that," he said with a teasing grin.
     "But I mean it," she said, her tone firm, but tears lay just beneath it. Tears of pure emotion. "If
you ever wanted to...leave me...I know you're over Callista, but if you hadn't been...if you find
out that you really aren't...well, I would let you go. I wouldn't keep you against your will."
     "And so you let me go to the platform alone." *Just in case I saw Callista and realized I loved
her, I wouldn't be distracted by a pregnant wife.* "Mara..." but there were no words to finish the
sentence. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer, wanting to pull her so close they
would become one being. He had always known Mara loved him, but until this moment the
scope of that love had never seemed so big. "I love you, and only you. I would never want to
leave you, I don't care who came back." 
     "Even if you found out Leia really wasn't your sister?" she asked, but he could hear the
teasing tone.
     "Even if," he said, dead serious. "And as for that other remark," he added, a touch of anger in
his voice, but just a touch, "if anything, I would have been settling for Callista because I couldn't
have you. And don't you ever refer to our marriage as me 'settling' for anything ever again."
     She smiled at him, remembering how she had once used the same tone with him,  long time
ago: "And by the way, just for future reference, don't you ever not care for someone just because
you're afraid they might get hurt in the process. Especially not me. You got that?"
     He knew her thoughts, and his face cracked into his typical farmboy grin. "Do we have a
deal?" 
     "Absolutely."

7--Emperor's Hand
     Mara was incredibly surprised when Luke told her as they walked back to the resort that
Callista had in fact come to see her. But after a few moments, it didn't seem so surprising. In
fact, Mara quickened the pace, anxious to learn the next clue in this mystery scheme of events.
     "Did she tell you why?" Mara asked in a low voice as they climbed the low stairs to their
suite. 
     "No, not a word. Although I think I know." His face grew a little pale as he shot Mara a
glance, but Mara seemed to be able to handle anything at the moment.
     They entered the suite, their hands entwined, and Callista stood up, relieved to see them. Leia
was nowhere to be seen, and it made Luke briefly wonder why. Perhaps for once Leia's
diplomatic skills had failed her, and she just wanted to stay as far away from the situation as
possible. Although Leia had a bit to be grateful for when it came to Callista. The woman had
helped save her life on Nam Chorios. But Callista looked anything but upset as she greeted Mara
and even offered her a sincere congradulations, obviously referring to her condition. 
     "How much longer?" Callista asked, a slightly wistful tone in her voice.
     "About another month or so. I have a feeling she's going to be early. If she gets any bigger, I'll
wind up popping." The weight seemed to get to her then, and she sat down, guesturing for
Callista to do the same. "Luke said you came here to see me. If it makes you feel better, I think I
know why. But please, don't hesitate to be blunt."
     Callista's solemn gray eyes widened a bit and she seemed to want to bite her tongue, but
instead let out a sigh and did as Mara asked. "I need your help. I'm trying to find my son."
     She looked at Luke, who took the news as if he'd already heard it once before. "I think,
though, that I should start from the beginning.
     "After I left, I wandered for a while. I didn't have much money, so I wound up on some
freighter heading out to Chad. I hoped that going home would help me stabilize myself for the
emotional journey ahead. On the way, I discovered that I was pregnant. I wanted to come back,
Luke, but the ship was captured by slavers. They took everyone on board. I never had a chance."
     "How did you escape?" Luke asked softly.
     "It's all a blur. They found out that I was pregnant and I instantly became some sort of prized
possession. They held me until I was full term, and when I went into labor, I heard them talking
about experimenting with some new technology."
     Mara grimaced. "What did that mean?" she whispered.
     "You both are familiar with carbon freeze. Well, there's this new technology that's like carbon
freeze, but it isn't carbon and it doesn't cause hybernation sickness. It's like the entire body is put
on hold by a forcefield. It was so new it wasn't even legal yet. They call it a stasis block. It was
being used to ship animals from world to world because it wasn't damaging like carbon freeze.
And after I gave birth, they put my boy in a stasis block, wanting to sell him to the highest
bidder. Probably some rich couple who can't have children," Callista added, her voice as hard as
the steel her eyes had become, "and have to resort to buying them." She shook her head, clearly
restraining tears. "I didn't know what to do. I just went berserk when I found out. I was so angry I
wound up using the dark side of the force and destroying their ship. I searched for my baby in
the wreckage, but there was no sign of him. They must have sold him already. When I left, I was
determined to never touch the dark side of the force again, and so I went to Nam Chorios to see
what I could learn. That's why I couldn't bear for you to come near me, Luke. I would have told
you. I couldn't bear to tell you, didn't want you to feel the pain as well. So I kept going. I've spent
more years searching for my son than I have trying to regain the force. I've failed in both, and
then when I heard about the two of you...well...." she figited, embarrassed. "Mara, you're a hard
person to track down. The only way I knew you would be here was because of a transmission I
intercepted about a month back from your old employer Karrde and someone named Ghent. And
the fact that I heard in the news that Leia was on vacation...I just sort of put the pieces together
and hoped for the best."
     Mara leaned back on the couch. "So what do you want me to do?" she asked gently.
     "I know that you were the Emperor's Hand. You know how to get information. Maybe you've
even heard of the slave opperation that took my son. Do you think there's some way you could
help me find him?"
     "He would be about ten years old now, right?" Mara said, reaching for the small datapad
sitting on a nearby endtable. She hooked the datapad into the nearby holonet and started pressing
some buttons. 
     "Yes. The name of the slavers was something like 'The Fist of Jabba,' or something like that."
     "Jabba's Fist," Mara confirmed. "I've heard of them. After Leia killed that old slug a faction of
his company broke off and named themselves after him, kind of like an honor thing." Mara
grinned. "Bet Leia really appreicated that, after what Jabba did to her." She flashed her eyes at
Luke. "Athough I'm sure her outfit was stunning."
     Luke's eyes widened, but he was fighting off a smile.
     "What kind of ship was it, do you remember?"
     Callista shrugged. "I remember thinking it looked like an old class of star destroyer, back in
my day." She winced. "Seventy years old, at least. But still running. Not exactly a clean place."   
     "Yeah, the Emperor was real happy about them driving around in Imperial model ships. Made
them hard to spot, hiding in plain sight like that."
     She was quiet for a few minutes, watching the information run across the small screen in
front of her. "Well..." she murmured, "it looks like they weren't that big. There isn't too much of
a mention of them after about five years ago." She bit her thumb. "I don't have too much access
from here...Coruscant would have better files."
     "You mean, better databases for you to hack into," Luke corrected.
     Mara shrugged. "I'm not really the hacker. I know a few passwords here and there. I know
how to manuver a system. But Ghent, he's the slicer. If anyone could find it, he could." She stood
up. "I can send him a message right now, Callista. If you want, we can all head back to
Courscant in a few days. Just give us some time to pack up."
     Luke tried to hide his surprise, but Mara felt it ripple toward her. Her exterior remained cool,
but he could hear her thoughts--*Sithspit, Luke, what are we supposed to do? Make her sit
around here and watch us play expectant couple while she waits for me to follow a lead that very
may well be a dead end? I've given up my cruelty days.*
     "No, I don't want you to do that," Callista said, half-way through Mara's thought. "You must
both be pretty busy, and I'm sure you don't get much time off."
     Mara snorted. "Oh, yeah, we're just up to our necks, aren't we, Luke?" *Come on, back me
up.*
     "Callista, really, we can always come back. But the longer we wait to find your...our son, the
farther away he might get."
     "It's been ten years, Luke. I'm running on sheer desperation now. I'm ready to give up. Trust
me, I can wait another week for that. How do you think I've managed until now?"
     "Well, at least let me get to the Jaded Sky and contact Ghent. We might not have to go
anywhere if luck is with us." She set down the datapad and looked at both Luke and Callista.
"You two can stay here if you want," she said carefully. "I won't be too long." And she exited the
room before either could insist on it being otherwise.
     Luke and Callista just stared at each other. Finally, Callista sat back down and cleared her
throat. "How long have you known?" she asked.
     "Only a few days ago did the subject ever come up. I think I knew you were coming." Luke
watched out the window at Mara's retreating back. She didn't glance back at him, not once. And
since he knew she wasn't angry, that must mean she trusted him.
     "You didn't have any feeling before that?" Callista asked hopefully. "I...had a feeling he was a
force sensitive."
     "Well, he would be, even if only one of his parents---" And then he stopped himself, realizing
that his tone was entirely too flippant. "I'm...sorry, Callista. I didn't mean--"
     She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I deserve that one. Actually, to be honest, I'm sort
of okay with it now. Sort of. Not entirely. It's kind of become secondary lately."
     "I understand." 
     "I hope you do." The words were entirely different in their meaning as her eyes watched him,
guarded, as if he might strike her. "I mean...you're taking this extremely well. So is she." Callista
paused. "She's changed a lot."
     "Yes," Luke agreed. "She has." He sighed. "I guess I'm taking it well because she is, or maybe
I'm just getting old. Or maybe I'm going to wake up tomorrow steaming mad." He frowned.
"Stars, Callista! Couldn't you have sent a message or something?"
     She recoiled as if that blow had finally come. "I'm sorry. I know I made a lot of mistakes, and
I just make more." She put her head in her hand, and Luke noticed that even ten years in that
body hadn't changed the curve of her neck, that stemlike neck. "But you had a right to know.
And you know you aren't really sorry I never came back. This is where you're happy. You never
would have had this with me." She swung her arm in the direction Mara had taken. "She can
hear us now, can't she, on some level? Always touching your emotions, always aware of you in
some way. I was right to leave. It's what was meant to be."
     "I know that," Luke said softly. "I meant, couldn't you have at least told me that you had had a
son? I know you had lost him, but if you had told me, I could have done something sooner to
find him. Now....it may be too late."
     Callista stood up slowly. "It's times like these when I miss my Force sensitivity the most," she
said with a self-depreciating laugh. "I take everything the wrong way. It's been a long trip and I'm
tired. I'm heading back to my ship. Tell Mara she can find me there if she gets any information
for me."
     Luke put his hand out. "Callista, you don't have to sleep on your ship. You can stay in a suite
here. Trust me, it's much more comfortable."
     "No, Luke," she said, her voice firm as she retreated from his outstretched hand. "I'm going to
stay in my ship. Trust me, it will be better like this. Besides, it's my home." She reached the door
and stepped out. "And this is yours."
     Luke sat in the quiet she left behind her, his mind churning over the last half hour. A gentle
foreboding washed over him, and he heard the words of his old Master.      *Adventure...heh!
Excitement...heh! A Jedi craves not these things.*
     Luke smiled. "Oh, Master Yoda," he whispered, "why didn't you tell me it was because one
can hardly crave what one gets in abundance?"

     Mara straightened her shoulderblades. When had Ghent gotten so talky? Of course, it had
been a little while. He had fun teasing her about being pregnant, that was probably it. Wondering
what kind of mother she would be. She herself had absolutely no idea. But no matter what else,
the kid would be able to shoot a blaster better than her father before she reached the age of
sixteen. That was a promise Karrde had had her make.
     She grinned. "Those were the days," she whispered. But as nostalgic as she was for them, she
knew they were far from over. Being a Jedi Knight's mother didn't seem like the easiest job, and
Mara knew that the child of Luke Skywalker was not going to be an easy secret to keep. 
     Something between a grimace and a grin crossed her face as she remembered saving Leia andHan's children, many years ago on Coruscant. They had handled it well, and Han wasn't even a
Jedi. 
     And Leia wasn't the ex-Emperor's Hand, also known as the Ultimate Predator.
     These Jabba's Fist scum were going to regret the day that Jabba died.
     She sighed. Callista had said something about running on sheer desperation. That she would
have to be, to come to them--to come to *her*--after all this time and after all the things that had
happened. But a lost child was a crisis everyone could sympathize with, even those who had
never experienced it directly. Callista knew full well that she wouldn't be turned away.
     It just made Mara a little suspicious. Even though Mara was always a little suspicious, even
when there was no reason. Callista had known about her and Luke, hadn't even seemed too
surprised when she saw Mara eight months pregnant. And she wasn't surprised when Luke knew
about the child. 
     That part wasn't surprising. The  surprising part was, the more she thought about it, was that
Luke hadn't *always* known. That it had only come up over the last few days. Weren't Force
sensitives supposed to be aware of each other on some level at all times? Especially relatives.
Luke was always aware, on some basic level, of Leia. And she had always known he was her
brother, even when she didn't actually know. Vader had sensed the presence of his son,
according to Palpatine. And Palpatine had always been aware of her every move. That was why
he trusted her so completely. 
     What had Callista said about that new technology? Statis blocks? Would that keep the child
from being active in the Force? Maybe not completely, but enough to keep his presence a secret?
     Then again, Vader hadn't known about Luke until Luke became a public figure, and the name
SKYWALKER was as good as a flashing neon sign. She could be wrong, entirely wrong. Luke
might only be able to sense his son in a fleeting way because that was the way of the Force.
Vader, Luke, and whoever this boy was.
     Callista had never told them a name.
     She stood up and headed out of the Jaded Sky, stopping at the bottom of the ramp and taking
in the air around her. It might rain soon...she hoped so. She loved the feel of the Force after a
good rain. It vibrated with all kinds of new life and made the entire world smell fresh. She put
her hands over her head and stretched, letting the light pour over her, relishing the tale-telling
breezes over her bare arms. 
     The baby kicked. She laughed. *Want to join me, little one? Soon now.*
     But the baby kicked again. HARD. And again. And again. She had had little tantrums like this
before, but this was different. 
     Mara had always been connected to the child through the Force. Sometimes, when she
thought about it really hard, she could remember the first moment she had realized that her little
girl had been conceived. The child's soul was so real, and Luke himself had touched her presence
and predicted she would be very skilled in the ways of the Force. 
     That was all smalltalk compared to what Mara felt now. While she had talked to the baby
many, many times, it was not words that the unborn child understood, but rather emotions.
Emotions had become Mara's second language over the last three years, and she was speaking it
rather fluently. There were no words for this.
     Then the baby all but leapt out of her. Mara grabbed her abdomen and let out a little groan.
What was it? What had upset the child like that? The creature wasn't even born yet and she could
detect something Mara couldn't? 
     Taking a deep breath, Mara ran through a calming technique. She let it seep through her and
into the baby, sending all her love and peace into her unborn child. In a few moments, it was
over, and the baby was still. 
     Luke's arms were around her before Mara could even open her eyes. 
     "What happened?" he asked, slightly out of breath. "I thought you were going to go into
premature labor."
     "So did I," Mara said, her voice a monotone. "Calm yourself," she added, looking at him
tenderly over her shoulder. 
     "You know, you're much prettier than Yoda ever was," he whispered, and kissed her cheek. 
     She smiled. "Help me. Something created a disturbance. Our daughter just went...well, nuts.
And I can't sense what it was."
     Luke opened his mind to her, and together they scanned the area. Nothing but the trees, and
the Ewoks, and the life, and the coming rain....Luke shook his head and pulled away, but Mara
flashed across something...something black and horrible and smelling of death. She would have
turned back, but something seemed to slap her away, and she gasped as she stumbled back just a
bit. Luke's grip around her tightened.
     "What did you see?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
     "I...I don't know." And she turned around, putting their unborn child between them. Suddenly,
Mara was very much afraid. 
     "Palpatine?" Luke whispered.
     "No. Something worse." She shuddered. "Let's get inside, Luke," she said, her arms going
around his shoulders. "I...I don't want to be out here anymore."
     He nodded and they started up the ramp back into the Jaded Sky.