#dances without purpose

[jedidryad]

How did I do this night after night?

Dances Without Purpose - Chapter 5 is up.

What better way to make sure everyone thinks Mara and Lando are together than putting in an appearance at one of the last places Mara wants to be - a glittery palace gala.

[jedidryad]

WIP Wednesday: Finding a dream

When Mara's life is shattered and then revealed to be a lie, she loses any dreams and ideals she once had. She maintains a moral code and a skilled competence most of us can only imagine, but she loses her ability to imagine building a life for herself and dreaming of what that life might be like. Rediscovering hopes and dreams are part of the healing process, and I've decided that she takes a step here, on Kessel near the beginning of Champions of the Force:

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.

“Mother of Kwath!” I blurted out as the controls responded to my touch with a measured power that made me a little giddy. Even when my missions had been outfitted by Palpatine himself, I’d never had the chance to fly a Sorosuub. My heart was racing and I knew my face was flushed. Something had come alive in me that I wasn’t sure what to do with.

[jedidryad]

WIP Wednesday: Darkness is sneaky

When they meet up on the Errant Venture in I, Jedi, Mara and Corran have a conversation about the dark side, and Corran expresses the belief that Kyp should not be a Jedi after his dark side experience. Mara does not seem to agree with him, and I interpret his comments as being quite hurtful to her considering her past. But friendships can survive rifts, and Mara and Corran deserve a chance to try the conversation again...after Corran has his own brush with darkness in the form of temptation...

“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?”

“Sex.” Mirax said as she came back into the room with a plate of cookies and a pot of elba, “Although I’d say it’s also one of his strengths.”

[jedidryad]

WIP Wednesday: conversations that probably shouldn't have happened.

In Darksaber, Luke invites Mara to stay at the academy for dinner and Mara winds up at a table with Callista making vaguely confrontational conversation as she scarfs down her meal and makes a fairly hasty exit. Darksaber tells this from Callista's perspective. Here is some insight from Mara's side of things.

I stood up and glanced at the chronometer, “I should get going. Skywalker said dinner is at 1800?”

“Typically.” Kam replied, “we’d join you but it’s our anniversary and -”

“- He’s been planning something for months,” Tionne finished, blushing.

“Say no more. Skywalker invited me to join him in the mess hall.”

Kam’s eyes widened, “Okay.” He grabbed Tionne by the hand,  “we’ll walk you down there.”

We walked together in a comfortable silence and as we crossed the field to the dining hall, I remembered that not all of my week at the academy had been bad. Kam and Tionne were happy to see me then as now. Horn had been friendly much of the time, and even Skywalker had his moments of pleasantness. Maybe now that he was in love, he’d be worth visiting more often. 

When we got to the hall, however, it became clear that I’d relaxed too soon. Kam spoke to the team on dinner duty and determined that Skywalker had not, in fact, made arrangements for me to eat on Yavin that evening, and that furthermore, he wasn’t going to be at dinner himself. Some new trainees had been dropped off with the afternoon supply delivery and the Jedi Master had been called away to welcome them and get them settled in.

Kam insisted  the dinner team put together a tray for me. With apologetic undertones, he and Tionne wished me a pleasant meal and a safe journey home and left me just inside the door of the dining hall, tray loaded with vaguely edible looking foodstuffs. Alone.

Loneliness wasn’t a feeling I was used to. The vague sense of betrayal that had come along with it was far more familiar however so I focused on that. 

“Not exactly what I had in mind.” I muttered under my breath as I scoped out the hall from the doorway. 

The only truly familiar face I saw was Durron’s, and while I was reasonably willing to accept him as a Jedi, I wasn’t ready to ask for his dinner time companionship. I thought about going to a corner and just being by myself when I saw her. 

Callista, Jedi Ming, whatever name she was going with. The woman I’d met on my ship over Belsavis, the reason Skywalker had been playful and sardonic with me earlier. The reason he had, apparently, been practically floating around the academy these past months.

She looked miserable.