As Simple and As Complicated As All That: Book II - Kenninfubatsu 1/?
ASAACAAT: Book II - Kennifubatsu 1/?
xiasangli
Ａuthor’s note: Kenninfubatsu means indomitable perseverance/invincible fortitude
This story takes place shortly after Interlude.
Coruscant
The maintenance bay stank. It smelled of fresh oil, burned-out fuel, charred flesh and space knew what else. It was dirty, dingy and old. It also had terrible lighting. No one in their right mind would bring their ship to such a place to be repaired or upgraded. If that was truly the case, then it was clear the existing cliental was insane because they refused to have anything to do with the state-of-the-art facility located less than a kilometer away.
They preferred the bay of ill-repute because it didn’t have swanky spacecraft diagnostic equipment with blinking lights and talking computers that gave ridiculous advice. It was a place for those who liked to get their hands dirty; those who could tell at the slightest change in pitch that something was wrong with the ion engines or the hyperdrive.
Every single mechanic was a living being. Droids were only used to carry the heavy equipment and clear the corridors. Floor-to-ceiling shelves loaded down with parts, tools, oil, grease, removers, burn treatments and so forth were everywhere. Crates with bigger parts and portable equipment such as fusion torches were stacked randomly throughout the bay.
Luke Skywalker stood on one of the wheeled ladders and pulled at a coil. The more he pulled, the more came out. According to the manual, the coil was supposed to be a meter and a half long. So far he'd removed at least four meters from the Millennium Falcon.
The Tatooine native shook his head in wonder and then jumped off the ladder. A macrofuser, a miniature welding tool, a hydrospanner, a power tool similar to a wrench, a power prybar and a servo-driver used to tighten and loosen bolts, screws and fasteners, hung from his utility belt. Agreeing to help upgrade the ship probably wasn’t the smartest thing he’d done recently, but it felt good.
Although his brother-in-law hadn’t arrived, Luke had begun work at daybreak. He relished time spent alone and the other mechanics respected his right to privacy. Other than common greetings and musings about the remainder of the Falcon’s life, they didn’t disturb him.
The Jedi wondered if the great lady would ever fly again. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she’d let herself go on purpose because there were few things in life he and Han enjoyed more than working hands-on. It would be sheer heaven if he could pass his days tinkering with mechanical things. The stench didn’t bother him too much because it reminded him of the time when they were the rebels and they’d been forced to work under the similar conditions. It made sense that Han found the place comforting, too.
On the ground, he continued pulling at the coil that was now six meters long. For the life of him, Luke couldn't figure out what modification Han could have possibly made. He finally gave up and decided to concentrate on something else. There were many more repairs to be made.
The acceleration compensator that provided artificial gravity and neutralized the effects of high speed maneuvering was damaged. The horizontal booster, the hyperdrive subsystem that provided energy to the ionization chamber to cause ignition, was offline. The communications board had practically disintegrated.
If that wasn't bad enough, the power converter, the ship's ignition system, was sluggish. The pressor, a small repulsor projector used to control and induce pitch on a starship, no longer functioned. In his old X-wing and even in the newer E-wings, the pressor was activated by the control stick. On starships, it was activated by the helm control, which no longer existed on the Falcon.
Worst, the Terrain following system (TFS) had shorted out. The TFS allowed ships to fly parallel to the ground at a fixed height, as selected and activated by the pilot. On the Falcon the interface between the ship's propulsion and flight-control systems was completely burned out. Now it was impossible for the terrain-following sensors to automatically adjust the ship's course to avoid obstacles and compensate for changing terrain features. The Falcon wasn’t fit to fly and it was doubtful she would ever soar again.
Luke wiped his dirty hands on one of the many oil-stained towels that lay on the floor. It occurred to him that he’d best check the main hyperdrive engine readouts before tackling the next problem. He’d only just started up the boarding ramp when Han shouted from across the hanger.
“Hey! Hey! What have you done to my ship? What's that hanging there?" Han thrust his chin in the direction of the coil.
Luke playfully threw his hands into the air. “You tell me. It’s your ship. I can’t figure it out to save my life. Besides, whatever I’ve done has only made her better.”
Swaggering, the Corellian joined him on the ramp. “You still have a smart mouth, Kid. Sorry, I’m late I had to settle a few things with…”
“No doubt you set him straight, whoever he was.”
“So I did. It doesn’t pay to try to swindle a hustler, even one who’s more or less legit.” Han moved past the Jedi on the ramp and leaned against the entrance. “What’s going on in your life?”
“I took some time away from the Academy to visit with Malindza for awhile.”
The Corellian’s features turned sympathetic. “How’s that little one? She doin’ okay?”
“She had good days and bad ones. I’m not sure I was much help to her.”
“Sure you did. You're the one person we can all count on.”
Luke flushed at the compliment and could not come up with an immediate response. His brother-in-law had changed considerably since their dealings with the Triad on Corellia. He no longer held back and everyone was unsure of how to react when he became emotional.
Han shrugged as if sensing Luke’s discomfort. “Leia’s so attached to her, she wants to adopt the kid. It isn’t such a bad idea considering no one really has any claims on her.”
That much was true the Jedi agreed. The extended family and Madame Bobel did the best they could, but so far no one had adopted the poor little thing. There just didn't seem to be a place for her.
“My kids could’ve been orphaned the same day she was and I keep that close to my heart,” Han admitted. “Anakin said he was willing to relinquish being the baby of the family.”
While Luke was still surprised by his friend’s open honesty, he wasn’t at all shocked at his family’s devotion to the little girl. She had a special place in all their hearts. Part of it was because she was Gaeriel’s daughter, a part was because she was a Force adept, but a greater part came from somewhere deep inside all of them.
“You’re a great father, Han. Malindza would be fortunate to be your little girl,” Luke said with sincerity. ”I’d love to have another niece.”
“You’re wrong, Luke. You’d make a great father for that little girl. She adores you and this time I’d like to be the uncle.”
The Jedi Master folded his arms across his chest and came up along side his old friend “Thanks a lot, Han. Unfortunately, I’m not doing a good job of raising myself. Besides, I don’t have a home, a wife or…”
“Untrue,” Han said dismissively. “So how’s Master Trader Mara Jade?”
“I have no clue.”
“You should know. You’re involved.”
“It depends on how you define involved or relationships. She has me on her terms and nothing more,” the Jedi said truthfully.
“Good…good. That’s the stuff I want to talk about. You know, her having you.”
“Oh please,” Luke said, fearful his cheeks would redden.
“Come on, Kid. Tell me what you and she have been doing and don’t leave out the spicy parts.”
“Just stuff, Han.” Now he was irritated.
“Details, young man. I need details." There was more than a hint of laughter in Han's voice.
"How come I've known you almost twenty years and you and I've never had a conversation like this?" Luke demanded, more forcefully than intended.
"We have too," Han insisted. "Right after you blew up the first Death Star. Remember when you had all those hero groupies. Back when I didn’t know anything about love and Leia was an annoyance. Your fan club provided me with timely distractions. I was thinking of directing a series called Wet Tatooine Nights”.
“Glad to be of assistance,” Luke said, relieved that he wasn’t blushing at the reminder. There were days he couldn’t believe he was once that carefree young man.
“Besides, I’m married to you sister, so there’s lots of stuff we can’t share,” Han added, making his position clearer.
“Then let’s not have this conversation.”
Grinning, Han poked his friend in the shoulder. “You can’t back out of this. Mara’s not my sister.”
Luke sighed, feeling trapped and wanting to discuss her. “She can be nice sometimes.”
“Not interested,” the older man said, his eyes widening. “Get to the good part. Does she put all that anger and rage to good use?”
“You’re disgusting,” the Jedi said and took one step away.
“I am,” his friend said in a loud voice. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way. Share man.” He draped his arm over Luke’s shoulder. “Tell Uncle Han everything.”
Luke knew when to admit defeat. His friend wasn’t going to drop the subject. “She’s incredibly passionate and she drives me mad. I never know if I’m coming or going. Being with her makes me dizzy, but I can’t remember life without her in it. I don’t want life without her.”
“Well…”
“Making love to her is mindboggling.” He shrugged away, descended the ramp and grabbed the coil because he needed somewhere to put his hands. “When she wants me, she gives it her all.”
He left out the part about her seducing him to create a child who would eventually serve Rosario. Until he got to the bottom of that mystery, he didn’t want to mention it to his family. He was sick enough with worry about Mara’s possible pregnancy.
“Soooo…she’s calling the shots?”
He dropped the coil and glared at his friend. “Haven't you noticed that she normally holds me in not-so-silent contempt?"
“She holds everyone in contempt, but she’s not letting everyone make love to her, either.”
Luke shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t make love to her. She describes it as purely maintenance-oriented sex. She doesn’t want the trappings of romance.”
“Women can be funny,” Han said, deadpan. “Never believe’em when they claim to not want romance. You’d better hang onto her tight because I can think of seventeen men right off the top of my head who’d gladly serve her when she needs maintenance.”
“That isn’t comforting, Han. You know seventeen guys as messed up as I am?”
“Yeah. Those guys over there.” Han pointed to a group of men behind Luke. “Mara Jade knows how to put her credits where her mouth is.”
“What are you talking about?”
Han’s eyebrows rose. “You’re slipping, Luke. Jade’s Fire landed when I arrived. That girl’s smart. She knows how to get the job done and done right.”
“What are you talking about? Mara’s halfway across the galaxy by now.”
“If I’d done half of what she’s done,” Han said, absently stroking his ship, “my lady would still be flying.”
“What?” The Jedi was exasperated now.
“What’s wrong, Kid? The Force on vacation? Look. Over. There.” Han pointed using both hands this time.
Luke was stunned. He hadn’t expected to see Mara again for weeks or months even. That she’d appeared without him sensing her presence unnerved him far more than he wanted to admit. It also hurt that it was clear that she hadn’t missed him nearly as much as he missed her.
The familiar red-gold hair was a heavy braid that hung down her back. Her slender frame was draped in a lubricant-soiled black jumper just like everyone else. Every move she made was mirrored by the seventeen mechanics who trailed behind her ready to do her bidding.
“See, I told you there were seventeen of’em,” Han said.
“Yeah.”
“How did it go for you on Yavin IV?” The Corellian’s voice turned serious
“They didn't make it easy on her or me. We survived it.” This wasn’t a subject he wanted to broach. Mercifully, Han let it drop.
“You'd better get over there and give her a big smooch,”
“Will you be the one collecting my charred remains?” If she’d gone so far as to mask her presence in the Force, she didn’t want to see him.
“Everyone wants a little affection. Get to it.” Han literally shoved Luke in the right direction.
He’d taken a few steps when he remembered his jumper was soiled. The least he could do was shower and change before he joined her. Besides, he needed time to reflect.
~~~
The memory was so fresh in Rosario's mind, it could have been yesterday. Through humiliation, shame and manipulation, Palpatine had almost destroyed them that day. The feelings of being tainted and dirty still lingered. It was almost impossible to believe that one single man could be so evil, so maniacal, and so sinister.
At this stage of their lives, they’d almost healed. Only Mara and her selfish desires threatened to destroy all they’d accomplished. It was only a matter of time before she would be able to face the nightmares that haunted her. When she did, she’d focus all her energy on discovering the source and her inner-most secrets. Once Rosario was in possession of those secrets, too, she’d have her revenge on Mara Jade once and for all.
The implications of Mara moving to the next level of her friendship with Skywalker were frightening. If they fell in love or something else equally stupid, then all would be lost. Fortunately, Skywalker was delusional. He genuinely Mara was capable of making an emotional commitment. In truth, the redhead had done things that would make his heroic head spin. Unforgivable things. The sooner he found out the better it was for everyone.
Mara's disability was the only thing keeping Rosario's well-planned mission on course. Mara's seduction of the young Jedi Knight was classic. He’d fallen fast and he’d fallen hard. It was to be expected. Jedi Master with mighty powers or not, he was still just a man. He was no match for Mara or any other woman.
It hadn’t been possible to plant audio devices in his suite on Coruscant or in the temple on Yavin IV, but she did plant them in places he frequented. His impatience with Mara’s prolonged absence was fascinating. Some days he was downright cantankerous and his reactions did not all center on his libido. It had only taken a few minutes to figure out that wasn’t the way he operated. He truly missed Mara. Skywalker was in love and he was too trusting for his own good.
In other words, everything was proceeding as she had planned.
Back to ASAACAAT Book II: Kenninfubatsu