ASAACAAT - Book II: Kenninfubatsu 3/?
ASAACAAT: Book II - Kenninfubatsu 3/?
xiasangli
Coruscant
Han Solo was amused to see his friend stomp around the maintenance bay like a wild beast. Happy memories of when they first met bubbled to the surface. This was vintage Luke and he liked it.
“I don’t have to put up with this. I’m not that desperate,” Luke muttered. “Malindza and countless other people need me. I shouldn’t waste time on her.”
“Doesn’t look like you got your kiss,” the Corellian pointed out unnecessarily. It was clear the Jedi had lost a battle in the war of the sexes. Han was a veteran of this particular lost cause.
“She makes me physically ill!” Luke’s blue eyes blazed with anger and frustration.
“I can see that, but you need to calm down. You’re giving the rest of us mini-brains a bad name.” Han found this intriguing. The Jedi wasn’t quick to deep-seeded anger and it wasn’t like him to broadcast it so blatantly. “You gotta act like a man and pretend she didn't hurt your feelings.”
“Mara's like the wind. She blows right on by with little regard for me or my feelings. She's mean and cruel,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Luke, be pat...”Han began.
His friend cut him off. “I've made sacrifices for her. My twin sister treats me politely. She thinks I’m under a spell or something. The Jedi teachers think I've gone off the deep end and they’ve managed to come up with different reasons why. She's...she's...I don't know why I bother!”
“Calm down, calm down.” The Corellian needed Lando’s assistance. He was the expert on the feminine species.
“Calm down? How can I calm down? No, Han! She's evil! I've...I've...made,” Luke sputtered, “decisions...that...that...have changed my life...because I...”
“You love her,” Han threw in and was taken aback to see his friend’s blue eyes widen in surprise as though the Corellian was the one who’d lost his mind. “If you ask me, every time Mara does something naughty, that's just her dysfunctional way of denying her deep, innermost feelings for you.”
“It’s a good thing, I wasn’t asking you.” The Jedi tried to leave, but Han placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.
Luke continued his tirade. “For your information, Mara Jades doesn’t have feelings, deep, innermost or otherwise. If you can’t be a part of the solution, Han, don’t be a part of the problem.”
The Corellian shrugged. “None of that changes the fact that you love her.”
“That is not a fact. I do not love Mara Jade!”
“I thought you Jedi types could use voice manipulation to make yourselves sound more convincing. No wonder my kids are such horrible liars.”
“I don’t love her. I’ve been in love before and this isn’t it.”
“Sure you do,” Han pushed. “There are all kinds of love. The one you have for Mara is indefinable by normal standards. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m sure insane love is still love. Learn to live with it.”
“All right, Han.” A condescending smile spread across Luke’s face. His tone of voice reeked of insincerity. “Let's just say you're right. If this is love, then what do you call it when you hate the woman you love? What do you call it when you can’t stand the thought of her?”
“A happy marriage,” Han said without skipping a beat, flashing a lop-sided grin. “That’s what I’d call it. You might as well bypass the preliminaries and make it official. You’re the most married man I’ve ever met.”
“You know what, Solo?” The Jedi man was still fired up. “You’re no different from the others. You dare tell me how I feel.”
“Luke, I'm on your side.” Han was enjoying himself at his brother-in-law’s expense. He should be ashamed, but he wasn’t.
“Then act like it. Leave me alone.” He tried to slip away again, but Han refused to let him go.
“When it comes to Mara, Luke, you have two choices.”
“Let me guess. Slim and none. That's real helpful, Han.”
“No,” he said, trying not to laugh. “You can either dump her right here and now...”
Luke rolled his eyes and turned away.
“Or you can give her what she wants. That’s the best option when you’re dealing with a woman like Jade. Don't pressure her.”
“Give her what she wants?” Luke whipped around; incredulity was written all over his face. “You want me to give into her? To allow her to treat me like beast who’s only good for mating? To let her use me like a gigolo? To allow her to chew on me like a piece of meat?”
“Yeah. Sorry, Kid.” This time Han was serious. There were things he wanted to explain to Luke, but he worried that his advice would fall on deaf ears.
“I need to get out of this mess,” Luke said in a soft voice. “It’s the only way.”
“No you don’t. When you learn your place in this relationship, everything will work out.”
“I know my place,” the young man snarled. “I'm not in it. Mara is everything. Mara is all things.”
“Then why are you so worked up?” Han was genuinely concerned. He feared that the young man's past relationships would interfere with the one he had with Mara. That crazy trader was not Gem, Callista or Gaeriel, but she was just as good as they were. Only she needed extra tender loving care.
A lot of it.
A lifetime’s worth.
~~~
Leia sat in her office, sipping a warm drink and staring at her personal monitor. The Macari representative was interesting. He actually expected her to meet him before their scheduled meeting. Obviously, he didn’t know that by age twelve she was already an old hand at political games. A week earlier, he’d barged onto the Senate floor and issued a scathing attack on the New Republic. At that time, she’d dismissed him and his cause. At the last minute, she changed her mind. There was more to the man and his planet that met the eye. She could feel it in her bones.
The sudden clang of the alarm alerted Leia that it was time to greet her visitor. As she neared the doors, they opened automatically and she stepped into the brightly lit corridor. Security guards, who were banned from her private office, perked up. Every aide in her line of vision stopped in his or her tracks to await her orders. The silver-blue receptionist droid rushed to her side.
“Madame Chief of State, was I negligent in my duty?”
“I didn't give an order, SD65,” Leia said. “Return to your station. I’ll take care of our visitor.” Smiling, she gave the man her full attention. “Please step into my office.”
The representative seemed momentarily confused and then he brushed passed her, murmuring an apology. Leia took note of the fact that he openly scrutinized her office. Perhaps he’d expected something more ostentatious. Most people did, but she preferred to kept things simple. While the office was as white as her robes, her desk was devoid of clutter. It only contained holographs of her family, a small music box with the Alderaanian royal crest on it and a stone Tatooine paperweight her brother had made for her.
There were two plush sofas that could accommodate four people and between them was a medium-sized table with a vase from Alderaan in the center. The paintings on the walls were also from Alderann. Two chairs that matched the sofas were near the windows. This was her private sanctuary and she was curious as to what the man would make of it.
~~~
Han prodded his brother-in-law to sit down in order for them to get to the root of the love problem. “What did you do to her?”
Luke shot him a nasty look. “I didn't do anything to her. She's a psycho. I kissed her and she went ballistic.”
“I feel for you, Pal. You’ve got a lot of clean up work to do.”
“Me?” He was indignant. “I have to clean up this mess? I'm the one being abused.”
“Yep. It's up to you.” Han couldn't keep the grin out of his voice. “You're in an intense relationship. Passion will rule all aspects of it.”
“I’m doing my part,” Luke shot back.
“Women like men in relationships. They like commitment,” Han preached. “They like living, loving, sharing, and growing. They all want to settle down. It's the most beautiful thing in the universe to them. We men, on the other hand, don't settle down. We surrender.”
“Not, Mara,” the Jedi insisted. “You're talking about sane women. Mara doesn't want any of that.”
“Of course she does, Luke.” Han tried to sound secure in his knowledge. “She wants it and she wants it with you. All you have to do is go with the flow. Surrender.”
“How can I surrender when I'm not in the fight? Han, I kissed her and she turned on me. As far she’s concerned, our friendship is dirty, ugly and disgusting. The normal rules that govern the progression of a relationship don’t apply to us. She even accused me of using her.”
“Are you?” Han asked candidly.
“You think I’m using her because I kissed her?” Luke’s face was scrunched up in a semi-permanent frown. “I care for her. Is that wrong?”
Han sighed and spread his hands, but not quite in defeat. Mara was a complicated woman, but she wasn't unreachable. He was sure of it. “Maybe from her point of view she has evidence to the contrary. If she says you're using her, then you are. You can't win this round. Surrender.”
“No way!” Luke jumped up and began pacing back and forth. “No! This is not the way it's going to be!”
“It's like this. In Mara's mind, it's very simple. The message she's sending is clear. She believes you're using her and all you have to do is admit it.”
“Huh? Why are you making me out to be the bad guy?” He stopped in his tracks; his voice rose in pitch.
“She wants you to confess and she wants you to apologize. If you want to keep her then you have to do it. I think you should.” Han made a mental note to prepare Jacen and Anakin better than this. Uncle Owen didn’t do such a good job with Luke.”
“I won't apologize for something I didn't do. I don't even know what I allegedly did,” Luke said stubbornly. “Besides, she said we could work it out later.”
This time Han came to his feet. “Work it out? Work it out?” Han almost shouted. A couple of technicians working nearby shook their heads in sympathy. “She said the words...we'll work it out later?”
“Yes, she did,” Luke said. “Han, why are you acting so strange? You know, stranger than usual?”
The Corellian literally shoved the Jedi towards Jade’s Fire. “You did something.”
“I did not,” Luke said forcefully.
“You did, too. Get over there and apologize.”
“I won’t.”
“You will or you’ll forfeit the entire war. It won’t pretty.”
“You’re talking crazy.” All evidence of anger and passion faded from his eyes as he considered his older friend’s words.
“Luke, she’s not going to work out anything with you. She’s gonna get you good if you don’t clear up this mess now. Forget kissing. Forget sex. That ain’t gonna happen again until she’s satisfied that you’re contrite. You did something wrong and it doesn’t matter that you don’t remember it.” Han jabbed his finger into Luke’s chest for emphasis. “Worse, you didn’t apologize.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”
“Women view time differently from men. You might have done something last week, last month or even last year. Who knows? Either way, you'd better go in there and make peace.” For good measure, he propelled the Jedi towards the fiery ship again.
In silence, the Jedi half-jogged towards his destiny. Han officially became worried. Luke was in far deeper than he’d imagined and his inexperience with women could doom the relationship before it achieved a firmer foundation. He’d innocently given Mara too much access to his heart and she knew she had the power to dance all over him. Apparently, she didn’t know that this was the fastest way to lose Luke, too.
Based on what little Han could gleam, Mara was crying out for help. She was in way over her head, too. With this realization, the Corellian made a decision; he prayed it was the right one. His family was on the line and he would anything to make everything right.
~~~
On some level, the Macarian believed what he was saying. The evidence though didn’t indicate a clear link between the New Republic patrol crafts and acid rain on Macari. Sighing inwardly, there were days when Leia wished she had not agreed to these private meetings with her constituents. Politically though, she had no choice.
In the past, those who opposed her policies often accused her of being out of touch with regular people. Hence, she’d agreed, with vigor at the time, to meet bi-monthly with a representative from a New Republic world. To her dismay, politicians and diplomats opted to forgo the opportunity. Like a cosmic joke, they sent scientists or environmentalists in their places.
Today’s guest was one of the worst and there was a lot at stake. If she couldn’t appease this one man, Macari might conceivably withdraw from the New Republic. If they did, Leia was certain others planets would follow. Without a viable threat from rogue Imperials or local enemies, most worlds did not wish to remain a part of the New Republic. They were equally unconcerned about the economic ramifications of dissolving the partnership, too. At the end of the day, they believed the danger was over and they would be better served acting as independent planets with their own government. They no longer wanted want to be ruled by a faraway government in the Core.
“Madame Chief of State, are you listening to me?” Kelps was the chief environmentalist on Macari.
“Of course I am, Mr. Kelps.” Leia silently chastised herself. She should not have allowed her attention to wane. “The major air pollutants on your world are Sulfur dioxide, which comes from the burning of fossil fuels…”
“Our world no longer has fossil fuels,” Kelps interjected. “Our fuel supply comes from the New Republic.”
“Nitrogen Oxides,” Leia continued without pause, “which incidentally comes from the use of non-standard, outdated hover craft exhaust.”
“That comes from your patrol craft,” Kelps insisted. “I admit we use an ancient form of transportation...” His voice trailed off.
“The patrols never enter your planet's atmosphere,” Leia said in a tight voice. “Carbon dioxide results from the illegal burning of the fuels that are sent to your world.”
~~~
“Our people don't trust those heating gadgets you sent.” Kelps knew it was hopeless, but he was prepared to recommend his planet’s withdrawal if Organa-Solo refused to help them.
Macari was a mountainous world and most cities lay within flat land that was surrounded by mountains. In essence, their cities were built inside of bowls. That aside, he firmly believed the New Republic should give them priority in cleaning up the environment.
“Carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and smoke need to be reduced,” the Chief of State continued, this time in a more diplomatic tone. “There are several ways to accomplish that goal.”
“We can't! You’re asking us to destroy our livelihood! We must smoke our traditional herbal leaves and we must burn the fuels in the traditional burners!” Kelps bordered on hysteria. “It’s clear that we are no concern of yours. If we were, you’d pay more attention to our public health problems!”
He stood ready to leave.
“Wait, Mr. Kelps,” Leia soothed. “I do understand what's happening on your world. I, we, the New Republic, want to help you.”
Kelps regarded the woman with suspicion. If he wanted diplomatic double talk he could have stayed home and argued with his own politicians. His planet was dying. The forests were dying and the people would soon follow.
“Mr. Kelps.” Leia smiled comfortingly. “I know that the acid rain damages your vegetation, contributes to land and water pollution, and corrodes building and metallic structures. I know that the acidity of your lakes means you can no longer support local economies and aqua-culture.”
“You could have read that anywhere,” Kelps said irritated. “Tell me something that isn't in your precious reports!” He barged over to the window.
~~~
Leia slumped in the chair, took a sip of water and released a long breath. She wanted to help these people, but it would take time. The air pollution on Macari had been firmly in place long before they joined the fight against the Empire. However, her predecessor had promised them a solution if they joined the cause.
Heaviness settled upon her. She wanted to go home. This wasn’t the worst meeting she’d ever had, but it made her want to walk away from the job. Realistically, she couldn’t. More than likely, her replacement wouldn’t give Macari a second thought.
“Mr. Kelps, please sit down and talk to me,” Leia said softly, growing wearier by the minute.
In a huff, he returned to his seat. Defeat was etched on his face. Nothing she could say could make him feel better.
“Mr. Kelps. I do care about Macari and your people. I also know that in the past twelve years there have been a disproportionate number of miscarriages, still births, asthma and other respiratory diseases.” Her voice projected compassion and understanding.
His mouth fell open in surprise. Those details were never in the official reports. His government feared frightening tourists and potential investors.
“The only way we can make progress in this meeting is for you to agree that there is little or no relationship between the conditions on Macari and the fighter patrols. Do you agree?”
“Yes,” he answered in a conciliatory tone.
The princess understood. It was easier to blame the distant government than it was to admit their own shortcomings. Their world was still so primitive. Although they had access to modern technology, they still chose to use fossil fuel burning power stations, smelting operations and combustion engines as a part as of their traditional life as well as tourist attractions.
“Thank you. Our environmentalists have presented me with a possible solution and the government will contribute 60% of the cost and the implementation of this plan.”
Kelps’ eyes narrowed with suspicion. “We’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I hope your project isn’t too expensive. We might not be able to afford the 40% share.”
“Several scientists from Outer Rim worlds believe that they can use the same sulfur dioxide, which helps to form the acid rain, as a repellent.”
“I don't follow you, but if you must know, I’m willing to do anything. One of my children has a congenital heart defeat…”
She nodded in understanding. As a people, the Macari did not believe in the replacement of natural organs. His child would not live to reach adulthood. If they continued as they were, the planet was doomed.
“The scientists assure me that the sulfur can act as a coolant because it is a greenhouse gas. The sulfur could form a mirror and reflect the sunlight back into space. Their research indicates that those same sulfates may be your planet's best defense in scattering ultraviolet radiation.”
“We'll try anything!” Kelps beamed happily. “Yes, yes, I see where they're going with this! I should have thought of this!”
“If that fails, we will try something else. Good Luck, Mr. Kelps.” Leia stood and shook his hand. “My aide, Tela, will assist you with the research materials. She has also contacted the scientists on your behalf.”
Satisfied, Kelps left and a relieved Leia slumped in her sleep. If this plan didn’t work, Macari would be doomed and her people would be refugees looking for a new home just like the children of Alderaan. Perhaps this was the reason she’d met with Kelps at all. The information she’d imparted could have been done easily via the Holonet. Yet, she’d felt an almost unnatural urge to speak with the man in person.
Leia closed her eyes and wondered what the rest of the day had in store for her. Instinctively, she knew it wouldn’t be good. There was malice in the air. She could feel it.
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