DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc, 20th Century Fox, Timothy Zahn, Barbara Hambly, YKW and the other writers of the expanded Star Wars Universe. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
At first, as Mara scanned the disc in the Jaded Sky that evening, she was inclined to think she'd just gone on a wild goose chase. But at the very end, the disc started to go on about a planet named Duran, which was on the very edge of the galaxy, one of the few rim worlds that had a flourishing civilization. The problem was, it was rather primitive, considering it had nearly blown itself up a couple of hundred years ago. Mara had heard stories about Duran during her first few years as the Emperor's Hand, but the Emperor had never seemed to care enough to bother with it. As long as it didn't interfere with his plans, he was content to leave it alone. Besides, it was a desolate place in those days, still trying to recover from its own crises. Duran was considered by many historians to be a working model of the past, and how many planets had survived the age of spacecraft technology and all the wonderful advancements science had made in the quest for sentient-life dominence of the galaxy.
According to the disc, Duran had recovered, but closed itself off to outsiders for the last hundred years. He had been smuggling stuff to certain parties, but always at heavy costs for damage done to his craft. They did just dislike visitors--they were absolutely hostile toward them.
But he had made one last shipment to them before Jabba's Fist when the way of its namesake, and it was dated about ten years ago--right around the time Callista would have had her child.
Mara looked toward the casement that held Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. Beside it, they had placed Callista's lightsaber, determined to give it to the boy when they found him. Luke had suggested--oh so tactfully--that because they seemed unable to find the boy, and even if they did they might not be able to actually contact him, they should give the lightsaber to Vaiya when she was old enough, to use it at least to learn with until she made her own.
She sighed. If this trail came up empty, she was going to do just that. After all, they had named Vaiya after Callista. The old Jedi Knight had told them her father had called her Vaiya when she was a child, a Chad word for "stonelifter." It had fit. And Callista had died to save Vaiya's life. In a way, she was her guardian. It would not be an insult to honor the woman's spirit by giving her lightsaber to the child she had saved.
Until the boy showed himself. Which Mara knew he would. Someday, somehow, in some way, that boy would come into their lives. Mara was sure of it. And the sooner, the better. She didn't know why she felt that way. She just did.
The planet Duran was a good distance from where Karrde had set up his new HQ, and Mara had to contact Luke and tell him
she was going to be a good while longer than she had anticipated. When she explained why, he posed no objection, but he was not happy about it. Mara could feel it, even across the light years.
"How long?" was all Luke said.
"About a week there, then a week and a few days back." She grimaced. "I don't like it either, farmboy, but--"
"But it ain't like dustin' crops, I know," he replied, trying to lighten the mood. "Just hurry, Mara. Vaiya misses you pretty bad. And so do I."
Mara wished she could kiss the holovid image. He looked so sweet he made her homesick. "Kiss her for me," Mara whispered. "I'm setting the coordinates for Duran now." Inwardly, she groaned. It was going to be a long, quiet trip. She was starting to hate them.
"I'll be waiting." And he was gone. Mara waited a few minutes for the ship to prep itself, and then pulled back the lever. The world turned to starlines, and she began steeling herself. A week alone with only her own thoughts to keep her company was not her idea of a vacation anymore.
She passed it--like a piece of an asteroid in her guts, but she passed it. She worked a lot on the memoirs she had begun before Vaiya was born, and even toyed with some old data on holocrons. Not that she would dare attempt it, but the technology was like a puzzle she liked to play with in her spare moments. She hadn't had too many of them. Maybe this trip had been a blessing in disguise.
There was also lightsaber practice. She hadn't done any of that in so long, when she began with the remotes she was stunned several times and wound up destroying a few of them in her anger. However, she attoned for it by keeping at it diligently, and by the time she came out of hyperspace, she had managed to surpass even Luke's top scores.
Duran was a beautiful planet, she realized when the world solidified before her once again. It was all blues and greens and browns, like the old holovids of Alderaan. Leia would have liked it. Of course, Leia would have liked spending seven days in hyperspace, alone, to get to it, too. It would have seemed like a paradise to the overworked Chief-of-State.
Of course, there was one thing that Alderaan had had that Duran didn't--a peaceful people. The second Mara passed into immediate Duran territory, a laser-cannon shot across her nose. She looked around to find the culprit, amazed that their technology was that advanced, and realized that it was no ship that had attacked her but a guard-probe in orbit around the planet. She looked at her readings and discovered seven more of them. Someone had put them out here to ward off visitors without the inhabitants of the planet even knowing.
Then a light on the sensor board started to flash. There was another ship, but not a Duran ship.
This was not good.
She debated whether she should investigate the ship or head toward the planet. The planet obviously didn't want her around, but if the ship was hostile that wouldn't be good either. And before she could make a clear decision the ship came into view, obviously having picked up her trail as well. It was a heavily modified Dreadnaught-like ship, which immediately made Mara think of a smuggler. They liked doing that to their ships. Look at Han's Millenium Falcon. That ship was a literal bucket of bolts because of all the things her pilot had done to her.
Mara hung back, playing possum. The ship didn't seem to be hostile, just curious, but if it didn't hail her soon, it would--
"Jaded Sky, this is the Cal Iber. Do you copy?"
The voice was male, and young. He sort of reminded her of what Luke may have sounded like. Trying to be tough but really shaking at the knees. "I copy, Cal Iber," she replied. "That's a cute name. I knew a guy named Cal once."
There was static for a few minutes, and then another voice came on. This was was so familiar it made the skin on her cheeks tingle. "Mara?"
She could hardly swallow. "Cal?"
"I should have recognized the Jade," he said, his voice lapsing into that drawl that had once made her all gooey.
"And I the Cal. You always were a showoff." She smirked, but wasn't sure if she should be relieved or extremely worried.