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.
"All right, Karrde," Mara said, tossing back the white hood as she stepped into his new office, "where is the disc?"
"Hello, Mara, it's lovely to see you in the flesh again," Karrde said, a half-grin on his bearded face.
She smirked at him, and it turned into a grimace. "When are you going to just break down and shave that thing off?" she asked.
"When I feel like it. Shada doesn't mind it."
"Where is she, anyway?" Mara asked casually.
Karrde waved his hand dismissively, but Mara knew him well enough to know that the absence of his new wife bothered him. "Off doing something important, I'm sure. Is this wives-going- away-without-their-husbands thing a sickness that's going around? I hope she misses me half as much as you miss Skywalker."
Mara's eyebrows furrowed down sharply. "Excuse me?"
It was Karrde's turn to smirk. "Please. You didn't even say hello to me. To me, your former boss, your one-time savior, your friend. Come on, Mara. You only left him a few days ago."
"Three," she breathed. "I thought this was going to be a good idea, but about a day ago I started to get all...I don't know. Antzy."
"An antzy Jedi is something I rarely get to see." He grew thoughtful. "Any particular reason?"
"No. I just know I have to get back home as quick as I can." She let out an exasperated sigh. "You know, I'm getting really tired of this."
"Of what?"
She plopped down on a nearby sofa and shut her eyes. In spite of her itchiness to get home, she was actually glad to be in close company with someone who wasn't a Jedi. "All this back and forth nonsense. When Vaiya was born, I kept having this terrible feelings that I was mediating on and meditating on until I thought it would drive me nuts. About Palpatine and why he took me from my parents, and how Luke and I were destiny--" she gave a slightly mocking snort in order to take the corny edge of the phrase--"and all that. But the worst of it was, there was something about Vaiya and Luke and Callista's son that were so significant, but for the life of me I couldn't figure them out."
"They're the children of the Jedi," Karrde said with uncharacterisitic poetic license. "What else is there?"
"Something more." She remembered that day before Callista had returned. "There was something on Endor when Vaiya was born. When Callista died, it seemed to retreat a bit. I know Endor is where Palpatine died, but it wasn't him. It was bigger than him, like a manifestation of the dark side, a---"
"Demon?"
Mara looked at him sharply. "Yes."
Karrde nodded. "They're not unheard of. Perhaps Palpatine invested in darker forces than you realized."
"I never thought about it."
"I can see why." He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, tapping the tips of his fingers together. "It isn't something you would want to think about, that's for sure."
"I guess this demon had an interest in Vaiya."
"Could be...or Callista. You said she'd lost her Jedi powers and could only touch them through the dark side. Maybe it was closing in, since she was on the way to her death. It happens."
Mara cocked an eyebrow at him. "When did you get religious?"
Karrde laughed. "I'm not. But any good trader knows who believes in what. It can keep you from getting shot at, and can also make you better bargains." He returned to thoughtful mode. "It makes sense, Mara. Vaiya may well be destined for great things. You said she's very Force sensitive, she was lifting things while still in the womb. You and she obviously have a deep connection, beyond the regular mother-daughter thing. All of this is perfectly natural."
"I know. But I'm worrying myself to death and I can't take it. If it's not one thing, it's another. After I got the bug about Callista and Vaiya's birth out of my system, it's now become finding Luke and Callista's son. It's eating at me like a cancer."
"Perhaps you should trust more."
"Trust who? What?"
Karrde shrugged. "You're the Jedi. You tell me. The Force. A god. Pick something, Mara, there's plenty to pick from."
"I've never been that religious. Besides, the Force embraces all religions. If we picked a religion, we might cause more problems than we solve."
Karrde smiled at her, a touch of old-age in his rugged face. "If you've got a demon on your tail, I'd find a good place to hide, and soon." Then he added, "people are so quick to believe in the bad things. You would think they'd be even more inclined to accept the good as well."
"Well, my point," Mara said, not liking where the conversation was going, "was that I keep getting these urges to get up and go, then come right back again. I wanted to go to Endor, then I wanted to leave. I wanted to settle on Yavin IV, then I wanted to leave. I wanted to take a vacation away from Luke and Vaiya, and now I want to go running right back again. I can't seem to make up my mind and it's driving me nuts."
"Wait. You're still young." Karrde stood up and walked over to his desk. He opened up a drawer and pulled out a silver disc with an irridescent gleam on its underside. "Here's the disc," he said, holding it out to her. "Maybe it will help put some of that wanderlust to rest."
Mara stood up and took it, grabbing it with the Force purely by habit. "Thanks, Karrde," she said, turning the disc over and over in her hands. "At the very least, it will tie up a loose end."