Coruscant
Imperial Palace
Skywalker's Private Meditation Chamber

There was a definite sense of apprehension in the room where Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca had gathered. But no one spoke of it. All the good-byes had been spoken, all the embraces shared. Now they simply waited in preparatory silence as the Jedi closed his eyes, deep in concentration. For a moment, it appeared that nothing was happening. Then slowly, a small, blue circular light was taking shape near where Luke stood. It hung there, suspended and something akin to humming, before suddenly exploding into a burst of crackling blue energy. In an instant, the small circle had changed into a blue, lighted sphere of about two-meter diameter. Luke paused long enough to look over to his friend. Han gave a final nod of support. Without hesitation, they both stepped into the light.

There was no sensation of passing through any substance, nor was there any indication of time passing, or distance being covered. There was only the slightest of indications in the Force that he had moved at all; the sensation that things had changed, but without the sensation of them actually changing. It was as if he had simply closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he was somewhere else. Luke was just beginning to take note of the new surroundings when he heard the sound -- a small click, as if something had been locked into place. It sounded decidedly unfriendly.

"Federal agent. I'm armed," an angry female voice leveled the words at Luke's back. "Put your hands in the air, and turn around, slowly."

Luke could see Han in his peripheral vision. He was wearing a definite ‘I told you I should have come with my blaster ready' expression, but was already beginning to turn around. Luke followed suit. The woman they now faced was short, no taller than Leia, with red hair. She had some sort of blaster aimed at them, and her expression left no doubt that she would not hesitate to use it. He reached out with the Force. Her sense was a mixture of surprise, anger, the slightest hint of fear, and something else -- confusion.

"I want to know who you are and what you've done with Mulder?" she demanded.

Luke took a step toward her.

Instantly, the woman turned her blaster, so that it was aimed perfectly at Luke's eye level. "Hold it right there, Mister. One more step, from either of you, and I blow your head off. Now tell me, what have you done with Mulder?"

"Why is it," Han began under his breath, "that every time we meet an attractive redhead, she wants to kill you?"

Luke ignored the remark and focused his attention toward making the woman as calm as possible. A quick survey told him her mind was much too strong for simple manipulation, but perhaps he could use the Force to put her fears to rest.

"I'm Luke Skywalker, and this is Han Solo. We don't mean you any harm."

Luke waited as she seemed to consider this for a moment, her sense altering just slightly. But her anger and confusion remained.

"What have you done with Mulder?" she repeated, keeping the blaster trained on him.

Luke was beginning to get a picture from her mind; she and a taller figure entering this room. The taller figure, a man, was looking for something on the table. Then the sudden appearance of light, and the man disappearing inside. "We haven't done anything to your friend, but I think I know where he is. And if I'm right, you can be assured that he is safe."

The woman kept her gun pointed at the intruders. Luke could feel the change in her, her awareness of an odd sensation that she could trust these men when all rational logic told her otherwise. Her own blue gaze focused on Luke's and sought a stronger source of assurance. "Tell me why I should believe you."

Luke allowed the Force to empower the honesty in his voice. "Because you know you can trust me."

She hesitated. Luke waited. Slowly, she lowered her gun.

"Thank you," Luke said, offering a slight smile.

The woman inspected the duo with a practiced glance. Keeping her weapon readily available, she motioned for them to sit down. "You still have a good deal of explaining to do, gentlemen. Particularly concerning the location of my partner and his assured safety." This last she addressed directly at Luke.

He cast a glance toward Han, who only shrugged in response. "Alright. I'll explain what I can, Miss--"

"Scully. Agent Scully."

"Of course, Agent Scully." He paused, considering what route to take. Here was a very level-headed young woman. Perhaps it was best to take the straightforward approach. "Before our arrival, you should have noticed a light, a blue-colored light." Luke detected the affirmation in the agent's sense, but she gave no outward sign. "That light is a means of travel, a sort of doorway. It's how we came to be here. I believe that when I activated the door, your friend Mulder accidentally came through, from this side."

A bit hesitantly, she asked, "and where precisely did he go?"

"I believe he would have arrived on the same side from which we entered," Luke answered.

"Which is where, exactly?"

Luke gave Han another glance.

"Unless you think she's working with Soren, I don't see any harm in telling her," Han replied in a voice low enough for only Luke to hear.

Luke considered the woman sitting across from them for a brief moment. No, she was not working with the enemy. Of that he felt certain.

"The Imperial Palace, on Coruscant."

Scully's expression and sense became more guarded. "I'm not familiar with any place named Coruscant. Maybe you'd better be more specific."

Luke wrinkled his brow. She had never heard of Coruscant? That was odd. Even those from the most remote worlds in the Rim knew of Coruscant, even if they could not pinpoint it on a star chart. Han, wearing a perplexed expression of his own, decided it was time to enter the discussion.

"Perhaps you should tell us where we are."

Scully, picking up on the change in her visitors, tightened the grip on her gun and turned the conversation back on them. "You activated this doorway of yours, so you should know where you were headed."

Luke shook his head. "We didn't know. It was the first time I've opened it. Soren has been doing it before. We had to come through to see where Soren was going, to try and find out what he's doing here."

Scully trained her gun on them again. "If this is your idea of an explanation, it's not a very good one. I suggest you try again, Mr. Skywalker. With the truth this time."

It was Han who began to put the pieces together. "Luke, what if that doorway crosses over into a totally different galaxy?"

A terrible moment of silence passed as Han's words sunk in.

"It's possible." Luke considered. He turned his attention back to the woman. "Agent Scully, what planet is this?"

"What planet?" she asked incredulously. "That does it. I want answers and I want them now."

Luke could feel her fear rising again. "Please. It's very important that we know."

Scully shook her head, as if trying to clear a fog. Luke knew that at some level she must be aware that he was trying to persuade her confidence through the Force.

"This is Earth," Scully finally replied.

Han and Luke exchanged looks. Neither of them had ever heard of such a place.

"I think you're right, Han. We're no longer in our galaxy."

* * *

Scully was seriously beginning to hope this was all just a crazy dream. It would not have been the first time one of her and Mulder's cases had influenced odd dreams. And a dream was definitely more plausible than the idea that two men from another galaxy had just strolled into Mulder's hotel room, and thus more or less confirmed his theory about the mysterious doorway. They were carrying on a conversation now, talking just low enough that she could not make out what they were saying. Her eyes traced over them, carefully scrutinizing their appearance. Their dress was strange, and the gun which the taller man, Han, had strapped in some sort of holster at his thigh was unlike any she had ever seen before. The other, Luke, carried no gun, and she was uncertain if the silver cylinder at his waist was a weapon or not. If this indeed was a dream, Scully hoped she would wake up soon.

Suddenly, the door flew open, banging loudly as it slammed against the opposite wall. Scully's eyes darted to the entrance as her gun came up again. But what she saw caused her to relax just as quickly.

"Agent Scully? Is everything alright?" Fraser was through the door, Diefenbaker and Detective Vecchio on his heels. Scully noticed the detective had his own gun at the ready and Fraser's wolf had gone straight for the intruders, his lips rolled back in an unwelcome snarl.

"Diefenbaker," Fraser voiced in that low, quick, precise manner which halted the animal, but also instructed him to keep his guard.

"Yes, I'm fine," Scully replied. "Why the grand entrance?"

"I thought I saw a flash of light through the window from our view in the street," Fraser explained. "When you had not returned after a few moments, we began to suspect that something had happened and came to investigate."

"So who are these guys and where'd they come from?" asked Ray sharply. He had not yet lowered his weapon.

"That's exactly what we were trying to determine," Scully answered. She eyed the visitors once more. Both men were silent, and neither had taken their eyes off Diefenbaker. However there was something a little odd about the expression on Luke's face. If she did not know better, Scully might have thought he was actually carrying on a conversation with the animal. She gave herself a mental shake. This entire thing was getting just a bit too ludicrous.

"We were going over their story, which is a little far fetched at best." She paused, noticing Ray had still not lowered his guard. "Vecchio, put the gun down. They may be crazy, but I don't think they're dangerous."

"Perhaps these men should tell their story again, from the beginning. Now that Ray and I are here to listen to what--" Fraser stopped in mid sentence as Dief suddenly leaped onto the sofa where the visitors sat. The wolf had plopped down beside the sandy blonde man and was resting his head in the man's lap in a definite sign of genuine trust and affection. "Diefenbaker," Fraser scolded harshly.

"It's alright," Luke said, rustling the wolf's fur about his neck. "I believe we've come to an understanding. But I agree that we need to start at the beginning, and give you the whole story."

* * *

Nearly an hour had passed in which Luke, with a few comments from Han now and again, had given the group his version of everything that had happened since they first learned about Soren and the doorway. As the story had progressed, Fraser, Ray, and Scully began to add their own accounts, based on their investigation. A barrage of questions bounced back and forth for a while, but before long they had all arrived at a similar conclusion.

"Soren has to be stopped," Fraser announced. "And you can count on us to assist you by whatever means necessary."

"I appreciate that, Constable, but Han and I are not here to request your help. In fact, it would be better if you didn't get involved at all."

"I'm afraid we're already involved. Detective Vecchio and I have been assisting Agents Mulder and Scully on this case. While Soren may be from your galaxy, he has committed crimes in ours, namely through the actions of his accomplice, who is now dead. It's my responsibility, as well as the responsibility of my companions here, to see that Soren is brought to justice."

"Don't even get him started on that ‘always get your man' kick," Ray warned.

"I can assure you he will be brought to justice," Luke went on. "But I don't wish to put you or any others from this galaxy in unnecessary danger. I believe it's for the best if you stay out of this."

Fraser was just about to launch into, what Ray surmised, would be a lengthy and boring speech about his responsibilities as a member of the RCMP and about maintaining law and order in general, so he quickly interceded. "Listen guys. Let's cut to the chase here, okay. Soren is the bad guy. You," here he pointed at Luke and Han, "are the good guys from your galaxy and we're the good guys from Earth. We all want to get the bad guy. This will undoubtedly involve working in both our galaxy and yours, so I say we work at this together."

Scully added her own concerns. "And besides, you and Han are my only link to finding Mulder. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Luke sighed and looked to his brother-in-law for advice. "What do you think?"

Han did not answer for a moment, weighing the factors in his mind and judging them from both the perspective of a seasoned war veteran and a devil-may-care smuggler. "They're right, kid. We already know this is going to involve both places, or else we wouldn't even be here right now. This is unfamiliar territory, and I think it would be good to have a few folks from here on our side." He did not need to add the remainder of his thoughts, knowing Luke would pick up on them. <And you know we can't take time to get any ‘official' help back home, so a few extra volunteers from here can't hurt.>

"Alright," Luke conceded. "We're in this together."

"But this should still be kept among ourselves," Scully cautioned. She turned her attention to Ray and Fraser. "I don't need to tell you the chaos it would cause if it got out that Luke and Han are--" Scully hesitated. She could hardly believe what she was about to say. "That they are aliens."

"Understood," Fraser responded.

"Sure thing," Ray added. "Top secret, for your eyes only, and all that jazz. Question now is, what's the plan?"

Luke and Han shared a meaningful glance before the Jedi spoke again. "Well, our primary reason for coming through the doorway was to try and find out where Soren was going and what he was doing. Based on what you've just told us, from the work you've been doing with your own investigation, we now know Soren has not actually left our galaxy. I think our next step should be to return to our galaxy and attempt to locate Soren there."

"This is your idea of a plan?" Ray asked, not lightening any of his usual sarcasm.

"Well, I don't think we're going to find Soren from here," Luke defended. "As I explained already, Soren also has someone who is helping him to open the doorway from his side. He isn't strong enough to open it alone, so I don't think he'll be trying to come through to this galaxy on his own any time soon. I realize that's not much to go on right now, but the only suspect you've been able to apprehend committed suicide before any information could be obtained from him. I would expect similar actions from whomever Soren sends next, if he sends anyone at all. If for no other reason, Han and I need to return and let our people know what we've learned here."

There was a silent moment as everyone seemed to consider the implications.

"So then we go through the door with you," Scully said. Her voice was definitely more strained than normal, although she doubted anyone else in the room would have noticed. Mulder, no doubt, would have picked right up on it. He also would have known the reason behind it. Scully, the rational one, the scientific one -- the skeptical one. Now, with one step, all that scientific rationale was about to be blown away. She could not deny the truth of what was happening any more than she could fully accept it. The entire event still seemed so mind-boggling, and she doubted it was likely to get any less so any time soon. But her devotion to Mulder as both a friend and partner gave Scully the strength she needed for whatever she might face.

Mulder.

Scully's thoughts immediately ran wild as she again worried about what had happened to him. The idea of Mulder, if he truly was in anther galaxy, without her there to help balance him -- she did not even want to think about it. Suddenly Scully was pulled from her wandering thoughts by a warm touch on her hand. She lifted her eyes to meet one of the most compassionate and understanding gazes she had ever experienced. In that brief instant Scully knew that those blue eyes had seen through to the very core of her being. Normally such a realization would have unnerved her. Instead, it seemed to offer a strange comfort.

"Don't worry, Dana," Luke said softly. "I'm sure he's alright."

Scully nodded numbly. Although oddly comforting, it was still a disturbing feeling knowing that Luke had seemed to sense exactly what she was thinking. Actually, she thought, he had been doing that ever since their arrival here. Luke then smiled slightly; an act which furthered Scully's unease. And yet, she felt totally incapable of pulling her eyes away from that intense stare. When Han picked up the conversation again, Scully felt a sense of relief as Luke finally turned away and released her hand.

"Luke, when will you be able to open the door again?"

Luke closed his eyes for a moment. It was so long before he answered that several of the room's occupants wondered if he had fallen asleep. "Maybe another four hours. Perhaps a little less if I went into a trance." He shrugged. "Then again, the energy gained compared to the energy required for the trance might just as well cancel each other out."

"I don't understand," Fraser said. "What's all this about time and energy?"

"Opening that doorway is very draining. It takes a great deal from me, and I need time to draw my strength again from the Force."

Both Han and Luke waited patiently to see who would be the first to ask. To their mild amusement, all three of the earthlings spoke at the same time.

"The Force?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Luke began, "but suffice to say the Force is an energy field, created by all living things. It's what gives a Jedi his power, and it's what enables me to open that doorway."

"Sounds fascinating," Fraser responded. "I'd love to hear more about it."

"That's not such a bad idea, actually," Scully commented. "If we're going to be working together, we should probably get to know each other a bit more."

"What exactly would you like to know?" Luke asked.

"Well," Fraser spoke up after no one else had, "why don't you decide what you think we most need to know?" The Mountie knew his suggestion was as much an exercise in trust as it was anything else, but that too would be an important factor if they were going to accomplish anything as a team.

"Alright," Luke replied. "For starters, I'll tell you a little something about myself."

So began the following conversation, with a basic description of the Force and Jedi in general, developing into Luke's telling various things about himself and Han, and about their history together. Other members of the group piped in from time to time with their own personal stories, and soon the small band was beginning to get to know one another a little better.

But it was not long before Han began to lose some interest in the conversation. Being in this new galaxy had his curiosity running full throttle, and once he had gotten to know his new companions a bit, Han was ready for something new. Likewise, Ray found himself in a similar predicament. Once he had gotten the basic premise -- that Han and Luke were heroes and the Empire was more or less defeated at some place called Endor -- Ray was ready to occupy his time elsewhere. Thus it was that Han soon found himself in Ray's company in front of the television. Luke and Scully seemed more interested in continuing the friendly conversation, while Fraser was content to divide his attention between simply observing the two pairs. Diefenbaker, as per usual, opted for a nap.

At the television, Ray was intent on teaching Han the finer points of some of Earth's culture; at least as much as could be gleaned from such examples as afternoon talk shows, a pay-per-view preview channel, and Baywatch reruns. At one point during the channel surfing, they ran across a black and white episode of an old television series. Han, noting the change from color pictures on the screen to colorless, paused and asked for an explanation. Then upon hearing one of the characters referred to as "Solo," Han had insisted upon watching the remainder of the program. Han enjoyed the show, and was also interested to discover that Ray proved a source of seemingly unlimited information regarding this particular television series.

"Okay, so I'm a closet U.N.C.L.E. fan," Ray finally admitted. "And to be honest, it was pretty weird to find out your name was actually Solo. But at least Luke didn't introduce himself as ‘Kuryakin.' That would have been too much. Two guys from a different galaxy I can handle, but that kind of coincidence only happens in crossover fan fiction, if you know what I mean."

Seated at the room's only table, Luke spoke of his past while Scully listened intently. He felt quite comfortable sharing with her, not only about historical facts, but about more personal things as well. He did not just tell her about the many battles in which he had been involved, but also about how those battles had affected him. He told her about Leia and Han, and how they had come to mean so much to him over the years. He mentioned Mara and how she was a constant, if sometimes distant, trusted friend. To his own surprise, Luke even found himself speaking briefly of Gariel and Callista. If Scully noticed his lack of detail regarding these two particular women, she did not say, although her eyes seemed to reveal a hint of understanding.

In kind, Luke listened as Scully wove the narrative of her own life, including her going to medical school and joining the Bureau, much to her father's dismay. She also told about the deaths of her father and sister, Melissa. Primarily, though, Scully spoke of her partner.

"This Mulder sounds like a very interesting fellow. I look forward to meeting him," Luke said.

"I just hope he's where you think he is," Scully replied softly.

Luke leaned forward slightly, hands folded casually on the table. "He's very special to you." It was not a question.

The corner of Scully's mouth began to work its way into a comfortable half smile. "I'm afraid so." Then jokingly, "although sometimes I think Mulder is more trouble than he's worth."

Luke cocked an eyebrow. "Isn't that the way it usually goes with the ones we love most?"

Scully's eyes widened. "I hope I didn't give the wrong impression. There's nothing like that between us."

"If you mean as lovers, then yes, I know. But admit it Dana, you do love him."

Scully could only stare back in response, transfixed by the piercing blue eyes that seemed to reach out across the table to her.

"Yes, I suppose I do," she finally admitted, forcing herself to blink in an effort to break away. "Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without Mulder's friendship. He's become a very important part of my life." She laughed, a light, warm sound. "You know, sometimes, it's almost as if we were married, without the actual being married part."

Although Scully spoke in a jovial manner, Luke detected the fine line of worry that lay underneath. "So I guess that's why you can't ease up on the concerned wife role? Listen, I'm sure Mulder is fine," he reassured her once again. "Besides, if I know Leia, she's keeping a sharp eye on him."

Scully tried to imagine the petite, yet intrepid woman Luke had described to her and how she might indeed be keeping Mulder under her watchful guard. The image brought an amused smile to her face.

"You know, Dana, you have a lovely smile."

Scully hoped her cheeks were not suddenly as red as they felt. Barely managing a word of thanks, she quickly let her gaze drop away.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable--" Luke began.

"Oh, no," Scully quickly affirmed, her perfected composure once again locked into place. "It's just that--" The redhead held Luke's curious gaze, wondering if she should finish her statement. And wondering if Luke would bother to press her for it if she did not. With a shrug, Scully surrendered. "This may sound a bit odd, but I keep getting the distinct impression you know exactly what I'm thinking."

Now it was Luke's turn to look away. That somewhat guilty indication caused a slight sensation of panic to rise in Scully's awareness.

"Not exactly," Luke admitted, sensing the change in her. "It is true that through the Force I can sense people's feelings, but it's more or less in a general way. Those feelings don't become truly focused in my perception unless I'm concentrating on them. Or unless they happen to be very strong or sudden. I can't help but pick up on them, unless I purposely try to block out all perception. It's simply the way of the Force. While I won't deny using this ability, particularly during times of war or combat, I do honestly try not to use it to an unfair advantage, especially against the innocent. And I certainly don't go around simply reading people's minds, if that's what you were wondering. The closest I can even come to something like that is with another person who has Force ability, like with Leia or Mara. We can communicate, through the Force; hear each other in our minds. But, there is also the ability to block someone out that way as well. And someone doesn't necessarily have to be Force sensitive to be able to hide their emotions or thoughts." Luke paused and found himself smiling at the thought which had just popped into his own mind. "Sometimes Han can keep things hidden from me better than anyone."

Scully considered what Luke had just said. She trusted him, and believed he was telling the truth. It did not completely ease the odd sensation she kept experiencing, but at least she could be certain her actual thoughts were remaining private. It appeared this unique ability Luke had was simply something to which she was going to have to get accustomed. Any further musings on the matter were cut short when she noticed Luke was pushing away from the table.

"It's time to open the doorway," Luke announced. "Let's get everyone ready."

* * *

The small group gathered around the Jedi, watching expectantly as Luke moved to the middle of the room and closed his eyes in peaceful concentration. Within moments, a slight hum began to sound throughout the room, followed by a small, hovering blue light. There was a brief flash, and then they were all in the light.

Scully could not decide if she had actually moved or not. It certainly did not feel as if she had. Yet her eyes definitely registered a scene much different from the hotel room where they had all been standing a few seconds ago. The room seemed fairly large, but perhaps, Scully thought, it was just her perception of things, because the room was entirely empty of any furnishings or decorations. It did not seem to be brightly lit either, and yet Scully did not have any sensation of the room being dark, or even dim. Despite the stark nature of the surroundings, it had a decidedly peaceful, comfortable feel. Near the center of the room a lovely woman, no taller than Scully herself, stood. She was speaking.

"Thank the Force you made it back safely," Leia said, greeting Luke and Han with a loving embrace.

"Looks like we did arrive at the same point from which we left, but I didn't expect anyone to be here waiting on us," Luke said.

"Chewie, the droids and I decided to take turns at watch here in your quarters until you returned," Leia admitted. She then turned her attention to the new visitors. Leia extended a hand toward the only other female of the group. "You must be Dana Scully. I'm Leia Organa Solo. Your partner said I should be expecting you when Han and Luke returned."

"Mulder's here?" Scully did not bother to hide the relief in her voice as she shook Leia's hand.

Leia gave a knowing smile. "Yes. And he's in safe hands at the moment." She paused, her eyes falling on the two unknown gentlemen and their short, four-legged companion. "But, I was not expecting other company."

Luke stepped forward and made introductions.

"It's a pleasure and an honor to meet you, Your Royal Highness," Fraser replied with a courtly bow.

The Princess smiled. "Please, no formal titles. Leia will do just fine."

"Thank you kindly, ma'am."

The response was so genuine, she could not help but be touched. Leia decided she liked this man instantly. "Please tell me, do you work for the same organization Agent Mulder was telling me about? The FBI, I believe he called it."

"Oh, no ma'am, Leia, ma'am," Ray quickly replied. "Although we do both work in law enforcement. It's similar to what the agents do, but on a much different level."

Leia found herself smiling again. While Ray's politeness seemed a bit more awkward, it was no less genuine. She got the impression this pair made quite an effective, if somewhat unusual, team.

"Excuse me, but where is Agent Mulder?" Scully asked, impatience getting the better of her.

"He's in the Palace Library, studying data with Threepio and Artoo."

Han gave an amused snort. "Got Goldenrod doing guard duty again, huh Sweetheart?"

Leia flashed her husband one of her well practiced half-exasperated, half-enamored looks. "Actually it was Mulder who insisted they join him. He was very anxious to make use of Threepio's vast source of historical knowledge."

"What is it, Dana?" Luke asked suddenly, having picked up on the slight change in the agent's composure.

"I was afraid of something like this. Mulder is looking for information that might be in any way related to his sister," Scully explained. "Luke, I told you how much this means to him, how important it is for Mulder to find the truth. If he should find any clues, or even imagines he has found any clues, in this galaxy, which relate to the disappearance of Samantha..." She trailed off, not wanting to speak the possibilities with which her mind was running.

A distinctive voice unexpectedly broke through the silence. "Master Luke, Captain Solo, thank the maker you have returned safely."

Everyone turned their attention toward a trio of newcomers.

"Mulder," Scully exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

Mulder nodded and managed a slight smile. He had known Scully would be worried about him; worried about him finding himself in another galaxy and going over the deep end with his obsession. The smile quickly faded.

"Thanks, Scully, but you don't need to be worried about me going on the hunt for Samantha's abductors here."

"What did you find?" Scully asked. The look on his face verified that it was not good.

"Well, Threepio, Artoo and I have been through just about every file that exists in the record of human and nonhuman races in the New Republic library. I even provided a detailed description of what I was looking for, but--" he shrugged. "I don't know where the aliens who took Samantha are from, but they're not from this galaxy."

Scully laid a hand on his arm, a supportive gesture. "I'm sorry, Mulder."

Mulder merely nodded. It was time to focus on more immediate matters. "Leia gave me the details about this Soren character. We've got our work cut out for us on this one." He paused, casting a glance at the two men he had not yet met. "You must be Han and Luke. Leia's told me so much about you."

Mulder held out a hand in greeting. When Luke shook his hand, Mulder could not help but pause at the slightly odd sensation that passed over him. He wondered if it possibly had anything to do with that Force thing Leia had told him about, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as something to look into later.

"Why don't we go back to our suite," Leia suggested. "We can discuss things at length there." She turned her attention toward Han. "Besides, Chewie's watching the children and I'm sure he'll want to see you're back safely."

They exited the austere room and began to make their way through the myriad corridors of the Imperial Palace. Scully noticed that Han, Leia, and Luke immediately fell into an almost rhythmic gait at the head of the group. Leia, who was in the middle, was listening attentively to whatever Luke and Han were saying. Scully could not hear their conversation, but she guessed the men were bringing Leia up to date on what had happened during their little trip to Earth.

Earth.

Scully swallowed hard, fighting the lump that threatened to form in her throat. Was she truly no longer on that blue-green planet? Her gaze took in the unfamiliar surroundings. The corridor was not excessively wide, but the walls did extend rather high to finally meet at a ceiling flourished with decorative scroll work unlike anything Scully had ever seen. Still, there was nothing particularly otherworldly about this place. And thus far they had only passed a few other people, all human. As they passed yet another person, Scully noticed the man's attire was strange, but clearly a uniform. Palace security, she surmised. Nothing alien about that. Her gaze focused forward again, but her attention picked up on something else. She could hear Artoo and Threepio conversing as they followed along behind the group. At least Scully thought they were conversing. The varied beeps and whistles coming from Artoo were totally incomprehensible to her, but Threepio obviously understood. Admittedly, the robots -- no, droids, she reminded herself -- were the most alien thing she had encountered thus far. But even they were not so exotic as to be unbelievable. She had seen technology, even robotic technology, in various forms before. The female agent sighed. Yes, if she tried, she could undoubtedly come up with some rational, or at least semi-rational explanation for all of this. But the farther they walked along, the more Scully felt a troubling realization settling in her mind: this place was not Earth.

"You okay?" Mulder's voice broke into the reverie.

A simple question, but Scully was fully aware of all that lay behind it. Despite her growing unease, Scully managed to smile. Leave it to Mulder to peg exactly what she was thinking and feeling.

"More or less," she replied. In her peripheral vision she saw Mulder give a slight nod, seemingly accepting the answer. But Scully knew that underneath he was concerned about her. With a light touch on his arm, Scully assured him she understood, and was grateful. "I'll let you know if that assessment changes, Mulder. For now, let's just focus on Soren and the problem at hand."

A few paces more and the group arrived at their destination. There were more guards, and Scully noticed some of them were droids. They passed through at least three additional levels of security before finally arriving at what appeared to be Han and Leia's living quarters. Scully reminded herself that this woman was not only a princess, but also was supposed to be the head of an intergalactic government. The security measures, at least, were a good indication that this was very likely true. Subconsciously, Scully began to prepare herself for whatever might be waiting as she walked into a large common room. Certainly it had the look and feel of a somewhat typical family living space, but there was also a different feel to it; something Scully could not pinpoint. And there were a few furnishings, at least what she thought were furnishings, that Scully simply did not recognize at all. Any further musings on the matter were abruptly cut short by the sound of a very loud, and distinctly nonhuman growl.

Scully gasped and froze as an enormous, hair-covered creature rushed at Han. Before she could even think to respond, the monster had the man in his powerful arms. She heard Vecchio, beside her, mutter something in Italian. She had no idea what he had said, but his tone was all too clear and mirrored her own sense of shock.

"Enough of the Wookie welcome already," Han's muffled voice came from somewhere beneath the mass of hair and arms. "I can't breathe under here."

Chewbacca did as requested, and moved to welcome the other members of his honor family. His clear blue eyes then fell on the visitors and he barked inquisitively.

"Yeah, I guess we should have warned them about you," Han replied, taking in the expressions on the faces of their new friends. "Must not have anything like Wookies on Earth."

There was another series of barks and growls from the huge creature.

"It's alright," Han replied. "They're here to help us find Soren."

"You understand what he's saying?" Mulder asked, clearly amazed.

"Sure," Han said matter of fact.

The group was still eyeing the Wookie suspiciously, but they appeared to be calming from their initial shock.

"Oh, he's a little crazy, but you can trust him," Han added with a lopsided grin.

Everyone relaxed a bit more once introductions were made and Han provided a brief explanation about Chewbacca. Scully, once her stupefaction had subsided, actually found the Wookie extremely interesting. She noticed her partner did as well, though no doubt for totally different reasons.

"One word about Bigfoot sightings, Mulder, and I promise, I will hurt you," she whispered. There was good-natured teasing in her tone, with just enough seriousness to put Mulder in check.

"I take it we should expect to encounter a variety of nonhumans in your galaxy?" Fraser asked.

"I'd say that's a safe assumption," Luke responded, unsuccessfully trying to hide a grin.

"If what I saw in the library reference files is correct," Mulder chimed in, "then there's probably hundreds of different nonhuman species on Coruscant alone."

Fraser's eyes widened. "My goodness. Isn't communication a problem?"

"Listen, this is all very interesting," Ray said before anyone could answer. "But before we start having a language lesson here, shouldn't we be discussing how we're going to find Soren?"

With Ray's admonition, they returned to the matter at hand. Discussion lasted for several hours. There was a break for the evening meal, in which the Terrans received their first education in alien food. They were relieved to find it edible, and some dishes were particularly delicious, if somewhat visually disturbing. Afterwards the Solo children were ushered to bed, but not before Anakin had successfully cajoled a story from their visitor in the bright red coat. Both Jacen and Jaina claimed they were too old for bedtime stories, but they were as captivated as their younger brother, listening to the Mountie weave some tale about a race of people known as the Inuit. While Fraser entertained, Leia took the opportunity to check her private comm for any new incoming messages. After Han and Luke had traveled through the doorway, Leia had called in a personal favor from General Airen Cracken of New Republic Intelligence. She had requested any information Cracken could get regarding the man named Soren, and that the information be sent to her as soon as possible. Leia hoped they might be able to find some kind of lead, some idea of where to begin looking for Soren.

Leia did find a message waiting for her, but Cracken's search had provided little more than a sketchy history of Soren. He had entered the Imperial Academy three standard years younger than was normal, the minimum age requirement for admission having been waived based on Soren's extremely high aptitude scores. He faired far above average at the Academy, particularly excelling in the area of electronics and communications. Four months prior to Soren's graduation, he had been officially removed from the Academy for special service by direct order of the Emperor. There was scarcely any information for the time period that followed, although Leia could surmise that with Soren's abilities and skills, as well as his minimal Force sensitivity, he had become slated for one of the Emperor's pet projects. According to the date reference, Soren was pulled from the Academy just a few weeks before the battle at Endor. No doubt with the Emperor's death, Soren's bright future had been cut short.

There were no additional Imperial records concerning him, but Cracken had been able to track down a few personal files on the man. It appeared he had gotten involved in the trade arena, working primarily as a negotiator. The files indicated that as time progressed, Soren became more and more engaged in this endeavor, until he had evidently made quite a name for himself. In a recent one-month period Soren had been involved in no less than six trade negotiations. However the odd part was that about five months ago all Soren's activity in this area had completely stopped. He had been involved in no further negotiations, or anything else for that matter, as far as Cracken had been able to determine. It was almost as if Soren had simply disappeared.

The information offered little help, but at least it was something. With a heavy sigh, Leia downloaded the information to her datapad and went to share it with the rest of the group. During her briefing, the idea occurred to Leia that if Soren had been involved in trade, it was possible that Mara knew of him. A quick glance and brush of the Force at her brother and she knew he had the same thought. But the tone of his sense caused Leia to think better of asking him about it now. She recalled, from a previous conversation, that Luke had not heard from Mara in several months, and his sense now seemed to indicate he was a bit more worried than usual about this. With a sigh, Leia pushed it to the back of her mind. While her own misgivings about Luke's personal life seemed to be a constant companion these days, there were more pressing matters to attend to at present.

"Still doesn't give us much help in trying to find him, Sweetheart," Han spoke up when Leia had finished sharing the information.

"I know," Leia responded wearily. "But at least it tells us a little more about who we're dealing with. And if there is any information that might help us locate Soren, I know Cracken will find it. It's just a matter of time."

"Unfortunately, we may not have a lot of time," Fraser pointed out.

"So what do we do in the meantime?" Ray asked. "Wait for Luke to have another one of these Force dreams of his, and hope the name of some planet where Soren's hanging out will pop in his head?"

"Leia, could you rattle off the names of several of Soren's most recent trade negotiations again, maybe the last twenty, twenty-five of them?" Mulder interrupted.

Leia scanned her datapad and replied as requested.

Mulder nodded and resumed his preoccupied gaze. The name of some of those negotiations had jarred something in his eidetic memory and he was working furiously to lock it into place. The mental activity was practically audible.

"Mulder, what is it?" Scully asked.

"I know something about a few of those negotiations on the list. I don't remember in what context, but it had to be something I saw while searching the records in the library earlier today."

"Maybe Threepio would remember," Luke said. "We can get him in here and ask."

"Just give him a second," Scully replied softly, watching her partner, who was now engaged in the brisk pacing that always accompanied his most intense concentration.

The room was quiet as everyone waited.

"Rella," Mulder exclaimed in mid-stride. "At least a dozen of those negotiations, including the last two on the list, took place on the planet Rella."

"How do you know?" Fraser's voice was deductively curious.

"When I was in the library, one of the files I researched was about the Rellans. The fact that they're tall, gray-skinned aliens fits the profile I was looking for, and so I spent a good deal of time inspecting their files. I clearly recall the names of those trade negotiations from the Rellan files."

"The fact that nearly half of Soren's recent activities took place in the same location could be a clue," Fraser said. "Especially considering the two most recent were located there."

"Not necessarily," Leia replied. "Rella has a long history of neutrality and peace, as well as being a common stop along trade routes in that area. And the fact that it lies nearly equidistant from the Core and the Inner Rim makes it a reasonable location for trade negotiations between worlds from both."

"But at least it's a place to start," Han added to the debate. "If that's the most recent place Soren was located, and if he's been there often, then maybe some of the Rellans can tell us something about him. It's worth checking out. Chewie and I should be able to head out in the morning."

"What do you mean, Chewie and I? We're in this together, remember?" Ray pointed out.

"That's right," Mulder agreed. "I did not get pulled into another galaxy through some kind of Force-opened vortex just so I could sit around and watch."

"But this is only our first lead, and not the best of leads at that," Han argued. "Some of us should stay behind in case Cracken finds more information and we need to do additional follow up."

"I can stay behind," Leia offered. "And if we get a better lead, I can get the information to you or else I'm sure I can gather up another team to check it out. Han, I think it's a good idea if all of you went. I know I'd feel better knowing there was a small group of you instead of just you and Chewie going out there." She paused, giving her husband's arm a tight squeeze. "Besides, I've just got a feeling about this."

"I think she's right, Han," Luke added, his voice carrying an all too familiar tone.

Solo shook his head in recognized defeat. "This is one of those Jedi things, isn't it? Alright, we all go. But first thing in the morning, so everyone better get some sleep."

* * *

The suite that had been arranged was spacious and comfortable. There were four individual bedrooms, a kitchen area, and one large common room. Everything they could possibly think of needing had been provided. After Leia and the others had wished them goodnight and left, the small group took their first opportunity since arriving to take full stock of the situation.

"Can you guys believe all this is really happening to us?" Ray asked, a hint of incredulity in his voice. "Although I imagine working with the X-files, you see things like this all the time, eh G-Man?" Ray, in his usual manner, was trying to lighten the mood with some good-natured ribbing. He certainly did not expect his comment to begin a heated interchange between the two FBI agents.

"Well, I have seen and experienced a lot of things," Mulder admitted. "But certainly never anything like this, or of this magnitude."

"Mulder, don't even start," Scully appealed. It was late, she was tired, and in no mood to try and analyze their circumstances too closely.

But Mulder, whose excitement over those same circumstances had been mounting all evening, was not one to be put off so easily. "Oh come on, Scully. Surely you're not going to stand there and tell me there is a logical, rational scientific explanation for all of this? You're not going to be able to avoid dealing with the reality of our situation."

"I have no intentions of avoiding anything," Scully retorted, her voice rising noticeably. "Neither do I intend to let you run full out with whatever absurd delusions I'm sure your mind has been ruminating ever since you got here."

"I'm open to hear any theories you have. But you can't deny what has happened to us, Scully." He smiled, a semi-maniacal smile. "We're not in Kansas any more."

"Mulder," Scully exclaimed, rolling her eyes for emphasis. "I do not want to discuss this. Not now."

"Then when will you want to discuss it?" he pressed. "Scully, you've been avoiding me on this issue all day. Sooner or later you're going to have to face the facts." At the root of Mulder's insistence was concern for his partner. He wanted to be sure she was handling this alright, that she would find a way to reconcile it all in her analytical mind without going absolutely crazy. But, as often happened, somehow the concern was not effectively communicated.

"Mulder, I am not going to deny that something has happened, that we have somehow traveled to-- to somewhere other than where we were. But that does not mean that I can just accept everything as easily as you. You know I don't operate that way. And I am not going to allow you to use this situation to run wild." Scully fixed her partner with a resolute stare. "Mulder, just because what has happened to us, what is happening to us, is real, does not necessitate that everything we've ever seen is real."

Scully's words had their intended effect, and Mulder's excitement deflated, leaving a wake of hurt and anger.

"Fine. I'll keep myself on a leash and stay on my best behavior. But if you think for one minute that I'm not going to use this opportunity to do everything I can, that can help in any way whatsoever in my search for Samantha, then you're more delusional than I've ever been." Mulder spat the words in rapid succession, then spun on his heel, making a direct line for one of the bedrooms.

"Hey, hey now." Ray, now feeling bad for having ever said anything in the first place, moved to intercept the agent. "We can't start acting like this, guys."

"Ray is correct," Fraser agreed. "Regardless of how we individually interpret our current predicament, one thing we can agree on is that we are strangers, in a very strange place, with a dangerous mission ahead. It's important that the five of us stick together."

The Mountie's total count was enough to pull Mulder from his little tirade. "Five?"

"Well, I'm counting Diefenbaker, of course."

"Of course," Mulder replied, unable to fight a smile. Only someone like Fraser would have automatically considered the wolf as equal part of the team. Not for the first time since encountering this odd trio, Mulder wondered if it might not be a bad idea to adopt that line of thinking himself. He sighed, and turned an apologetic gaze to his partner. "I'm sorry, Scully. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"Don't worry about it." She crossed the room to meet him, gave his hand a forgiving squeeze. "We're all tired, and under stress from everything that has happened." Her own desire to reconcile their differences reinforced a little smile. "As you said, Mulder, we really aren't in Kansas anymore."

"We should probably get some sleep," Fraser said. "We've got a long day tomorrow."

They exchanged goodnight wishes, but before Mulder could exit to his own room Scully pulled him back.

"What is it?"

"Mulder, I want you to know that I don't have anything against your trying to find information that might help in your search for Samantha. But I meant what I said, about this whole situation not necessarily being proof in regards to everything else we've seen and experienced." Her voice faltered slightly, and she squeezed his hand again. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up too much, okay?"

There was a silent pause before Mulder finally managed a nod. "Goodnight, Scully. Sleep well."

"You too, Mulder. You too."

* * *

As promised, Leia called on the group of Terrans early the following morning and explained the planned procedure for their departure. Having decided it would be best if the arrival of the strangers from Earth, as well as their entire mission here, was kept quiet, Leia had arranged for one of her private shuttles to escort them to the landing bay where the Falcon was berthed. Leia intended to stop by the Falcon, to make her own farewells, before her round of morning meetings began. But, she informed the Terrans, Threepio would be available to direct them to the shuttle when they were ready to go.

Mulder, his excitement getting the better of him, had already been up and ready for nearly an hour before Leia arrived. He was more than anxious to get going, and asked Leia if he could accompany her to the ship rather than waiting on the others. Leia graciously agreed.

Mulder had hoped to get a better view of Coruscant, or of most anything, during the ride, but the shuttle proved to be windowless. His mind was buzzing with questions, and any concern for the dangers which possibly lay ahead was practically drowned out by his overall thrill of the situation. Mulder wanted to pose some of his questions to Leia, but she had grown quiet as the shuttle began to travel. Something about the sudden change in mood caused the FBI agent to reflect. Mulder found himself wondering -- just how many times had this woman sent her husband and brother off on dangerous missions, or how many times had she faced such missions herself? From personal experience, Mulder knew that regardless of the number, it did not get any easier to watch the ones you love walk into danger. The Princess' eyes met his for a moment, in something like a sense of recognition and understanding. She suddenly seemed worn and wise beyond her years.

"Everything's going to be fine," Mulder found himself saying, simultaneously knowing there could be no guarantee in his words.

Leia managed a smile. "Han and Luke are fairly good at taking care of themselves. And when they're not, Chewie is there to pick up the slack." Here she leaned forward, reaching out to give the agent's arm a friendly touch. "And I believe the rest of you are fairly good at taking care of yourselves too. Just promise me you'll watch out for each other. All of you."

"You have my word, Leia." Mulder spoke with a resolve that surprised even him. When, he wondered, had these new acquaintances and their situation become so dear to him? Had it really been only some twenty-four hours since encountering these people? And yet he felt more than willing to do whatever it might take to help them.

Further musings were cut off with the slight bump of the shuttle touching down. Mulder rose and followed Leia out into what appeared to be a small docking area. He caught sight of some large canisters stacked against one wall, lengths of tubing running along the floor, and a couple of droids, before he realized Leia was already halfway toward a set of double doors at the far wall. It was all his lanky stride could manage to catch up with her. Leia was punching something into a keypad beside the doors when Mulder stepped up behind her. The doors opened, Mulder followed through,--

And froze, completely dumbfounded.

Apparently the area where the shuttle had landed was only a sub-portion of the entire landing area. Because where Mulder now found himself was standing at one end of a long walkway, open to the air on all sides, and ending in a circular area that had to be a landing platform. Multiple levels of towers and buildings were as far as the eye could see, all bedecked with lights and colors that, although he recognized, seemed distinctly alien in appearance. Objects of various sizes were weaving in and out among these buildings, and it took Mulder a moment to realize these were actually shuttles and other means of transport, making up the inter-city traffic. Larger vessels were in the distance, some landing on platforms like the one where he stood, others rising far above the city into the upper atmosphere. Walkways were everywhere, some connecting to other landing pads, but most connecting between the mass of buildings. On the walkways closest to him, Mulder saw beings of every kind imaginable. There were humans, beings that looked somewhat human, and beings that were so obviously not human that Mulder did not even want to speculate. There were creatures with fur, feathers, scales, multiple limbs and other body parts of so many shapes and sizes it was almost inconceivable. And there looked to be as many droids, in an equal number of varieties, as there were humans and aliens. All were moving along, no doubt going about their regular morning routines.

Mulder did not know how long he stood there, taking it all in, but suddenly Leia was standing in front of him, an obviously amused smile on her face. It was then he realized his own mouth was hanging open.

"And this is early morning," she commented lightly. "You should see the place during peak traffic times."

Mulder smiled, shaking his head slightly in an effort to bring himself back to some sense of normal ground. In the back of his mind a little voice reminded him nothing would ever be quite normal again.

"Han's making final preflight preparations on the Falcon," Leia said. "I told him you were here, and the others would be along shortly."

Mulder noticed she was eyeing him with that critical gaze of hers, and once again he had that strange sensation; as if he were being spoken to or touched in a realm just outside the fringes of his normal perception. Then, in what Mulder guessed was a flash of impulse, Leia suddenly embraced him in a quick hug.

"Take care of my boys," she whispered.

The words were light, almost playful, but Mulder heard the seriousness underneath her tone. He wanted to be able to say something wise and comforting, but all he managed was a nod.

"May the Force be with you, Mulder." And with that final benison, the Princess turned and was gone.

Mulder watched her walk away. The wind, whistling and whipping at this high altitude, was blowing wildly in the folds of her long gown. But Leia's stride remained straight, determined. Once again Mulder was caught by the realization that this woman had faced many winds in her life, and yet still remained upright. If the Force was with her, then Mulder hoped it would indeed be with him and the others on this journey.

The sound of something like an engine warming up pulled Mulder from his thoughts. He turned, and for the first time focused his attention on the Millennium Falcon. It looked fairly large to him, but Mulder had been told it was only a small, modified freighter. The main portion of the ship was saucer shaped, but there was an odd section jutting from one side. The location and display of windows was a good indication it was the cockpit area. As Mulder approached the ship, one overall impression came to mind.

"She's absolutely beautiful."

"Not quite the same reaction I had the first time I saw the Falcon," Luke's voice proceeded him down the ramp. "But you're assessment is more accurate. This ole girl does have a beauty all her own."

Mulder thought the smile on the Jedi's face spoke of many fond remembrances. But the smile faded and Luke cocked his head slightly, as though listening to something Mulder could not hear.

"What is it?" the agent asked.

"Tell me Mulder, how is your partner holding up?"

The man's gaze was still directed somewhere over Mulder's shoulder, and the agent turned to look. But there was nothing there. "She's okay," he answered, not wanting to give too much away until he had a better idea where this was going.

Luke met his eyes this time, questioning without words.

"Listen, it's not that Scully isn't open to new ideas or new possibilities. It's just that her categories of understanding things are a little different from mine. And all this," Mulder waved his hand in an effort to indicate their entire situation, "fits into my categories a lot easier. But Scully can handle this."

"I know that," Luke said. "I also know that both you and I want to help her in any way we can. Now in the next few seconds Dana is going to walk through those docking bay doors. I think it would be a good idea if you were there to meet her." Without another word, Luke turned and walked back up the Falcon's ramp.

Mulder recognized the advice for what it was, and did not intend to let it go wasted. He was nearly to the doors when they opened and Scully stepped through. He hoped to catch her eyes, but knew from his own earlier reaction that their environment would not give him that chance. Mulder watched as the sights, sounds, and smells, all of them alien and foreign, accosted his partner from every side. As the wind snatched at her hair, Scully's head turned slowly from one side to the other, a mirror image of Mulder's own actions moments before. Finally, the blue eyes did lock with familiar hazel ones. The trance was broken, leaving a clear gleam of panic in her expression.

Scully took a step toward him, but it was as if she had suddenly been knocked off balance. She stumbled, one arm flailing for her partner. Mulder was there in an instant, a steady support.

"It's okay, Scully," his voice soothed. "I'm here."

She clutched at his arm, turned searching eyes to him. "It's real, isn't it Mulder? It's all real?"

"Yes." Mulder wondered what, if anything, he could say to help her. Remembering their argument from the night before, he offered what he hoped would be reassurance. "But that doesn't mean that everything we've seen, everything we've encountered has to be real. We'll tackle one truth at a time, Scully. And we'll get through this together."

Scully worked to gather her composure again as Ray, Fraser, and Dief followed through the doors. Mulder watched for their reactions. Fraser was obviously fascinated, taking it all in, but he appeared calm from all outward appearances. Ray gave everything a quick once over, but also appeared to be accepting it all without any fuss. Dief did little more than give the air a noticeable sniff before trotting off toward the Falcon's ramp.

"You okay, Little Red?" Ray had noticed Scully, who still appeared a bit shaky.

"Yes, thank you," Scully replied. She was steady enough to stand on her own now.

"You look a bit pale, Agent Scully," Fraser commented, having now joined them. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Fraser, I'm fine. I guess seeing all this for the first time was just a bit more of a shock than I expected," she admitted.

"You hang in there, ‘Dorothy'," Ray encouraged, carrying over their Wizard of Oz motif from comments of the night before. He gave her a friendly half-embrace about the shoulders. "Remember, we're all right here with you."

The group proceeded toward the ship and found Luke waiting at the bottom of the ramp. He exchanged a look with Mulder as they passed.

"How did you know?" Mulder asked when the others were out of earshot.

Luke shrugged. "The Force gives me lots of hints, and when I'm paying attention it helps me know what to do. I could have made the experience easier on Dana, but I had a feeling it would be best for her if her Earth friends were there to help her through this initial jolt of ‘welcome to another planet'."

Mulder considered that. It was not a great leap of logic for Luke to have determined what Scully's reaction might be, but there certainly were a number of courses of action he could have taken to deal with it. Whether the one he choose had indeed been best, Mulder could not know. But while Scully's reaction had been even more intense than even he had expected, it was also short-lived. With himself and the others there, Scully had recovered quickly. So the ploy had worked, and worked well.

"Thanks," Mulder said, genuinely.

"You're welcome." The Jedi smiled. "Come on. Han's anxious to get going."

* * *

"So when do we get the grand tour?" Ray, a lover of old cars, was immediately convinced this ship had to be a classic model.

"Not until after we've made our hyperspace jump," Luke answered, guiding them toward the main hold. "We'll be taking off in just a few minutes. You'll want to strap yourselves in."

"Actually, I was hoping we'd get to see lift off from the cockpit," Mulder commented eagerly.

Luke's initial reaction was to nip that idea in the bud, but then he thought better of it. The enthusiasm that was practically gushing from Mulder's sense reminded him too much of his own experience where flying ships was concerned. Luke suddenly had the inclination that had Mulder lived in this galaxy, he probably would have been a born natural for Rogue Squadron.

"Let me check with the Captain," Luke said, smiling.

A quick call on the comm garnered them permission, but they were warned it would be crowded. The group followed Luke to the cockpit. They arranged themselves as best they could, while still attempting to insure that everyone would have a good view while not simultaneously getting in either Han or Chewbacca's way. The instant final formalities were given from Coruscant control, Han made lift off. In typical Solo fashion, he played it for all it was worth. Gunning the engines and pulling turns that, during the days of the Rebellion were often required for survival, Han succeeded in giving his passengers the thrill ride of their lives. And to everyone's credit, no one became ill, although there was no denying that their stomachs had done several flip-flops during the procedure.

As the Falcon cleared the inner atmosphere, Han laid in a course that would offer the most spectacular view of Coruscant's sunrise. This gave way to an even more stunning sight, as the ship broke through the layers of outer atmosphere and headed for open space. The panorama of Coruscant's planetary edge falling away beneath them, as stars beckoned beyond, left the Terrans momentarily speechless.

"Oh Mulder," Scully's voice was a soft, awed breath. "It's beautiful."

Mulder, finally fulfilling a dream of his youth, barely managed a nod in reply. As he watched the scene unfold, automatically his hand reached for that of his friend and partner. Scully clasped her fingers with his own, sharing the moment.

It was Fraser who finally spoke, his voice serene, nearly reverent. "‘He saw now that it was the womb of worlds, whose blazing and innumerable offspring looked down nightly even upon the earth with so many eyes -- and here, with how many more! No, Space was the wrong name. Older thinkers had been wiser when they named it simply the heavens -- the heavens which declared the glory.'"

The Mountie caught sight of Luke's inquisitive gaze, and he smiled. "It's a quote from Out of the Silent Planet, by C. S. Lewis. It's the response of the character, Ransom, when he discovers that Space, in reality, is far from the cold, dead, vacuum he had always supposed." Fraser's smile widened, in an almost childlike wonder. "Lewis wrote that at a time when space travel was much more science fiction than science fact, but now I believe I can see what he must have imagined."

The Falcon's navicomputer cut into any further musing as its beeping registered the final countdown. Realizing that the first hyperspace jump for any planet-bound being could be a little overwhelming, Han warned everyone to brace themselves. He eased back the lever, and stars streamed into momentary starlines, giving way to the more familiar swirled haze of hyperspace. Casting a quick glance at his passengers, Han had to grin. If he only had a holorecorder at that moment, the smuggler thought.

As wide, glazed eyes began to blink, mouths began to close, hearts began to beat, and lungs engulfed air once more, Han knew they had survived. Actually, he was glad they had decided to join him in the cockpit for this initial flight. Observing how a rookie reacted to a first jump was a good indication of that person's overall constitution. Han had already developed a fairly good opinion of these people, but now everyone had just been bumped up a notch.

"Well folks, we're safely underway, and several hours out from Rella," Han announced. "There will be plenty of time to talk about our plan, but for now, how ‘bout I show you around?"

* * *

Coruscant
Imperial Palace

Princess Leia eased back in the chair, relishing a few seconds of respite. After seeing the Falcon and its crew off early this morning, her schedule had been nonstop. Nothing cataclysmic, of course, but even the daily stress of this meeting to attend, that argument to diffuse, this committee to organize, and that petition to hear, had the ability to wear her down. Leia had been gratefully pleased when midday came with no scheduled lunch meeting. She had taken a quiet meal in the privacy of her office, a rarity these days. Promising herself that she would return to the scattered pile of datacards soon, Leia was enjoying the brief break. A few minutes of relaxation, enhanced with a Jedi technique or two, and she would be ready to go for the rest of the afternoon.

The Princess was nearly ready to begin work again, when her private comm suddenly chirped with the signal of a new message. Irritated that the announcement interrupted her rest, even if only by a few seconds, she sat up and slapped at the comm. When she saw who the message was from, her annoyance faded instantly. It was from Talon Karrde.

Leia had sent a request for information to their old friend the night before. After seeing their guests to bed, she had opportunity to ask Luke his opinion about Mara possibly knowing of Soren. Luke thought it likely, but reminded Leia he had not heard from Mara, nor did he have the slightest idea how to contact her. And, as expected, he had carefully avoided any comments of a more personal nature regarding Mara's absence. But Luke did suggest that Karrde might be just as apt to have some information about Soren. And even if he did not, the smuggler would certainly be able to find some.

Karrde's message indicated as much. Although he had never met Soren, Karrde had heard of the man, especially as Soren began to become more in demand as a reliable trade negotiator. Karrde also was aware that Soren had not been on the trade scene for the past four or five months. Other than that, Karrde had no knowledge, but inquiries were underway, and indeed had already provided some preliminary information. Based on what Leia had told him about the hunch regarding Rella, Karrde had done some investigating.

Rella had two port cities. Bonlev was the main port, through which all main traffic was directed. Golesk was much older, and seldom used. Golesk had served as Rella's primary business district before Bonlev became developed, but now many of the buildings sat deserted, or else were being converted into inexpensive housing for some of the population. Tesar Incorporated, a company that manufactured various types of electronic equipment, had been located in Golesk. Of course, the factory and office building of Tesar Incorporated now sat abandoned, like many others. But while the factory had been sold off, the office building still remained the property of someone named Vaughn. Karrde pointed out that this information in and of itself might not seem significant, except for the small fact that Vaughn, who had served in the Imperial Navy for a short time, was also listed as personal secretary to Soren during all the Rellan trade negotiations.

Leia did not waste a moment. Adjusting her comm, she keyed in the private code that would allow her to send a message to the Millennium Falcon.

* * *

Rella

"Well, we meet face to face, as it were," the man said. "But, no doubt, you remember me from that hastily arranged trading deal on Miramar IV."

Mara watched warily as the man stepped into her cell. He was of average height, if not a bit on the short side of that. He wore a crisp Imperial officer's uniform with no insignia. A mass of dark, black hair was the most striking thing about him. It was neat, but not terribly short, and the bangs hung down a bit with the occasional strands falling over his eyes. It gave a somewhat youthful flair to his otherwise staid appearance. The eyes were a gray so pale they were almost translucent. His face was pleasant enough, with finely sculpted features. But the half-smile that seemed ever present on his lips spoke only of pure evil. Mara said nothing.

The man chuckled lightly. "I see. No matter, as I did not come here to converse. That is, not at length. But you may as well listen, for what I'm about to say will answer a great many of the questions you have unceasingly badgered upon poor Vaughn."

Vaughn, Mara surmised, must have been her part-time caretaker, part-time guard during this ordeal. He was the one who had brought her food at various times, if the horrible concoction could be called food. Military rations had more taste, and to make matters worse, Mara literally had to be fed in order that her hands could remain bound to the chair. It was humiliating, and only the basic human need to avoid starvation had prevailed. Vaughn was the only person with whom Mara had any contact during her captivity. Naturally she had taken a great deal of her anger and frustration out on him. She had also harassed him for any piece of information she could possibly get. But Vaughn never said a word, never made a response of any kind.

"I suppose I should introduce myself. Even if you were to remember the name I gave on Miramar IV, it is not my true one." He gave a slight bow and spoke with a genteel quality that, under different circumstances, would have been charming. "I am Soren."

"What do you want?" Mara asked. The huskiness of her own voice surprised her, and she was reminded again of how weak and tired she was.

The debased smile widened ever so slightly. "All in good time, my dear. All in good time." Gray eyes scrutinized her in silence before he continued. "It is a pity that you have grown so weak. An unexpected side effect of the drugs perhaps." His voice took on a hint of chastisement. "But you must understand that it would be less difficult if you would not fight against it so vehemently each time. You're only making matters worse for yourself."

Mara fixed her eyes on him with the most contemptuous expression she could muster, an indication that she would continue fighting against it, indefinitely if need be.

Soren sighed. "But I should not have expected any less." Then his voice changed again, taking on a distinctly official tone. "Now the time has come to give you all the details, to inform you of my little plan."

Mara was finding it difficult to get a grasp on Soren and his impromptu mood swings. It was not that they were so extreme, but something about it hinted strongly of madness. It made her feel decidedly uncomfortable.

"You see, we are nearing completion," Soren was saying. "It won't be long now before I cross over and take my rightful place in that world that is famished for true power and leadership."

Mara reflexively rolled her eyes. So that was it. He was some power hungry idiot of the old Empire still trying to take command. The words might have been different, but it was the same story she had heard time and time before.

"Alas, it is a shame Vaughn will not be at my side when the final steps are taken." Soren's tone was somber, almost genuinely grieved.

"Where is he, anyway?" Mara asked. Although she had lost her sense of time, the gnawing in her stomach was a good indication that Vaughn had not been around for the previous mealtime, and possibly for longer than that. And the fact that Soren was here now, instead of Vaughn, did not seem like a good sign.

"Vaughn did not return through the last doorway. That can only mean he was either killed or was captured. And if it is capture, then he will also be dead."

"The New Republic does not kill it's prisoners," Mara retorted.

Soren laughed with the condescending patience one gives to an ignorant child. "Oh, my dear, if he was captured it was certainly not by the New Republic. You see, where I have sent him, Vaughn is no longer in our galaxy."

Mara stared at him in shocked confusion. "What do you mean?"

Soren proceeded to explain. He had discovered a way to open a door through the Force. This doorway led to another galaxy, specifically to the planet Terra, or Earth as it was known to the inhabitants. Vaughn had been sent through to observe and retrieve information. Terra had proven to be a planet with many resources. It was lacking somewhat in technological advancement, but potential was definitely there. The major problem was, in Soren's view, that Terra was in great need of a leader, someone to unite them as one and to lead them beyond the petty problems that currently plagued the planet. Soren would usher Terra into a new phase and set up Imperial rule as the Emperor had attempted, but sorely failed, to do.

"That's a load of rubbish," Mara declared. "You'll never succeed."

"But I already have succeeded, my dear. Now it is just a matter of taking the final steps. Very soon I will pass through the door myself, arriving in a place known to the Terrans as Chicago. With the information I already have I'll be able set up an interface with the computer systems of the American and Canadian government systems. From there it will merely be a matter of time before everything falls into place."

Mara eyed him suspiciously. She wanted to believe that what Soren claimed was nothing more than delusional pomp, but so much of what he had said barely made sense to her. What if he was right? Did anyone know what Soren was up to? If he truly could cross into another galaxy, did the systems of law in that galaxy have any idea what Soren represented? Did anyone from the New Republic have the slightest clue about any of this? If Soren used the Force to open this doorway of his, did it cause any type of Force disturbance? Did Luke know? Her mind whirled with questions and it left her with a sinking feeling. For all she knew, no one was even aware that she was missing. With that thought, the immediacy of her own condition came to the forefront.

"So how do I fit into all this?"

Soren's demeanor took on an affectionate quality. "Dearest Mara, you have been the shining jewel in my crown. For without you, I would never have been able to achieve any of this." He reached up with one, slender hand and touched her cheek with a fond familiarity.

Mara jerked her head away, anger blazing hot in her eyes.

"But soon, Dearest, I must go on alone," Soren continued, ignoring her reaction. "I regret that I must leave you. But once I've stepped through the door it will be for the final time, and your assistance will no more be required."

Mara did not understand. What assistance was he referring to and why would it no longer be needed. She asked him.

The patronizing chortle came again. "I would have thought you had figured that out by now, my dear. But then again, I've had to use more drugs than I anticipated, and your fighting against the process has not helped. It's a wonder you've been able to regain states of consciousness of any level at all."

The sinking feeling was getting worse. "What have you done to me?"

"Nothing serious, my precious one," Soren reassured in that sickeningly, doting tone of his. "While I have many skills and assets, alas, great power in the Force is not one of them. I do have some aptitude, but it proved not quite enough to open the doorway on my own. So I have required your aid, drawing on your strength to enhance my own. Admittedly, you were the one person best suited for the job. You see, I learned a great deal about such matters from some of your Emperor's writings."

Mara flinched, just noticeably.

"I'm sure your New Republic friends believed they had accounted for all those, but a few managed to slip through the cracks. Yes, it was even on the basis of some of those writings that I was able to come to the idea of this Force doorway in the first place. Although naturally, the final concept was totally my own. But more importantly, Palpatine had a great deal to say in regards to using the power of other Force sensitives to enhance one's own strength. Almost as a catalyst, you might say. And you, my dear, seem to be particularly gifted in that area of the Force."

Mara had no trouble in putting the pieces together. A look of total horror came over her features.

Soren's smile was of pure delight. "Words cannot begin to describe the sheer ecstasy it has been, drawing your strength in with my own. While I could never have opened the door alone, with your added Force power it was a very simple task."

"And the drugs, they were to keep me sedated just enough so that when you removed the influence of the ysalamiri I wouldn't be able to fight you?" Mara asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course."

Mara cursed profusely and strained against the bindings on her torso and limbs. She burned with a desire to strike against this monster, to attack with her bare hands against what he was doing, against what he had done. But she was terribly weak, and every movement echoed with intense pain. Within seconds she lay back, exhausted, panting.

Soren watched the futile tirade with mild amusement. "Such a fighter. What a pity I must leave you behind." He touched her cheek again, and this time Mara was too weary to pull away. "It has been lovely, my dearest, but the time has come." From a hidden pocket of his uniform, Soren pulled a small syringe.

Mara recognized it immediately. It was the same type of syringe Vaughn had used all those times when he had come with the drugs. Too late, Mara finally made all the connections of Soren's trap. First she would be drugged, then sometime shortly after, the ysalamiri would be removed and the Force would rush in, nearly drowning her heightened senses. Almost immediately the most horrible, intense pains Mara had ever experienced would follow. Now she knew this was because Soren was drawing from her power. It would drain her of everything. Then, abruptly, the Force would be cut off. If she were lucky, unconsciousness would then engulf her.

There was the slight sensation from the syringe, and then Mara could feel the beginnings of a light haze as the drugs worked their way into her system. She fought furiously against it, knowing all the while how useless it was. She could hear Soren's voice, clear, but as if from a great distance.

"First I will open the door to provide Vaughn his second chance. That was the agreement, you see. If ever he missed a regularly scheduled doorway, I promised I would open it once more, at the next scheduled interval. If he should miss the second opportunity, then I will know he is dead. I do not expect Vaughn will be there, but it is a matter of my word of honor, you understand. You will be allowed the usual amount of time to rest, so that your strength can be replenished. Then I will open the door again, and step through myself."

Mara felt herself fading. She tried to focus on Soren's face, to hear the words she could see his mouth forming.

"When I open the doorway for the final time, I will use more of the drug dosage than normal. It will help you rest. I wanted to give you that much, at least." He was stroking her cheek again.

Mara struggled to keep hold of her rational thoughts. Vaguely she was cognizant of the fact that once Soren stepped through the door, she would be left here alone. And her instincts told her that final drug dosage would not be to help her rest, but to help her die.

She had to do something. At the extreme recesses of her awareness an idea seemed to flicker. Mara reached for it, willing it to hold in her dwindling sense. Yes, there was one whisper of a chance. She would have to remember. She would will herself to remember. When the ysalamiri were removed, Mara would have to fight hard enough and long enough to send a message, through the Force, to the one person she knew might be able to hear.

Mara caught a hint Soren's voice again, fading in and out. He seemed to be bidding her some sort of farewell. She felt Soren's lips as he briefly touched them to hers, and then everything went black.

* * *

Millennium Falcon

Once Leia's message had arrived and been read, activity on board the Millennium Falcon became terribly focused. Realizing they were walking into enemy territory now, rather than merely chasing down a possible lead, a plan had been formulated and rehearsed until it was readily familiar. Everyone knew his or her part. Everyone was ready for the challenge. And everyone was feeling the anticipatory stress of the situation.

It was currently during the night cycle, and day would be dawning on Rella when the ship exited hyperspace in just under three hours. Although a suggestion was made to get some rest, everyone clearly knew sleep would be impossible. Tension was thick, and for lack of anything better to do the group had congregated in the main hold. Fraser, ever willing to help in a difficult circumstance, made a suggestion.

"I have often found it beneficial, in times of perturbation, to occupy my mind by telling a story."

Ray groaned. "Give it a break, Benny. No Inuit stories."

As usual, the Mountie was not easily deterred. "Well, it's just that I was actually recalling one particular story which could be very applicable to our own situation."

Ray gave his friend an incredulous expression. "You have got to be kidding! Fraser, we are four humans and one wolf from Earth, together with two humans, each from a different planet, and one Wookie from another totally different planet, currently on a spaceship flying through hyperspace in a galaxy that is who knows how far away from our own galaxy, on our way to take out an alien bad guy on yet another totally different planet. How could a story about a bunch of Eskimos and caribou and some frozen tundra possibly be related to that?"

"I think what Fraser was trying to do was simply offer a way to help ease our apprehension somewhat," Scully intervened. "I know I'm feeling pretty high-strung right now, and I doubt I'm the only one. Talking about something other than our mission for a while might not be such a bad idea."

"Okay," Ray relented, "but still no Inuit stories. I vote we hear something from Han or Luke instead."

"About what?" Han asked, obviously less than interested in the idea.

"Anything," Ray replied. "I mean, you guys live in a world of aliens and space travel. Tell us something about the planets you've been on, and all the things you've seen. You could even tell us something about the war between the Rebellion and the Empire. Let's face it, even the commonplace to you is going to be like something outrageous to us. There's got to be a million different things you could tell us about."

"Well, from our point of view we could say the same thing about you and your world," Luke pointed out.

Mulder, who had been leaning casually against a bulkhead, suddenly spoke up. "I'm not so interested in hearing stories as I am having some questions answered."

The Jedi turned a knowing gaze on Mulder, but said nothing.

"Mulder, let's not get into this. Not now," Scully appealed.

"No, it's okay, Dana," Luke responded, not taking his eyes from the FBI agent. "I've been aware of what Mulder wants. And after considering it, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't do what I can to help him."

Without waiting for further comment, Luke moved to stand before Mulder. The man's desire was tangible to Luke's Force sense, and he could clearly see the longing in those hazel eyes. Holding silence for a moment, Luke took a deep, centering breath. When he spoke, it was with the power and calm of a Jedi Master.

"Fox, I want you to understand, I make no promises."

Luke watched, waiting, as the agent considered that. When Mulder finally nodded, accepting the terms, Luke reached to rest fingers lightly on the agent's temples. The Jedi fixed him with a riveting stare.

"Tell me about the night Samantha disappeared."

To most in the room it appeared as if Mulder did not respond. He merely stood there, silent, his face unreadable, eyes open and locked with the young Jedi. The placidity was like a physical presence. The two men seemed to be existing in a time, a sphere all their own. It did not even appear as if they were breathing. But no one dared interrupt, even as the seconds passed into long, still minutes.

Without warning, Luke suddenly pulled his fingertips away in one quick motion. Mulder flinched slightly, and both men gasped audibly, like one coming up from too long under water. The agent struggled momentarily to regulate his breathing, one arm flailing against the bulkhead to steady himself. Once balanced, he rested a heavily expectant gaze on the Jedi.

Luke sighed inwardly. While not truly having the Force himself, Mulder was highly susceptible to its influence. And as Luke had suspected, the connection with Mulder had been strong, powerfully vivid. But it still had not provided the answers Luke knew his friend was seeking.

"I'm sorry, Mulder."

"But you saw?" It was as much an accusation as a question.

Luke nodded. "But there are many images in your mind, Mulder. And those images follow many different paths. Always in motion is the future." Luke's voice automatically softened with the fond usage of his old master's anastrophe.

"But it has to tell you something." There was a clinging, desperate hope in his tone.

Luke closed his eyes briefly, wishing he could say what Mulder wanted to hear. Images from their recent link flashed in his mind, giving him an impression, and Luke thanked the Force for guiding him once again. Meeting the agent's eyes, he steadied a firm grip on Mulder's shoulders and offered what he could. He hoped it was something that, if not able to restore Mulder's faith, might at least renew it.

"I know I don't have the answers you're looking for, but I can tell you this. Do not abandon your quest, Mulder. There's more involved now than simply finding the truth about your sister. More than even finding your sister again. There's much more at stake now."

Luke watched as Mulder's gaze shifted to fall where Scully sat somewhere behind them. Luke felt the sense of understanding that passed between the agents, an unspoken communication that simultaneously acknowledged and reinforced the unique bond the two friends shared. When Mulder's gaze returned to Luke, the Jedi saw the man's love and devotion to his partner reflected there.

"Yes," Mulder replied, his voice calm and determined. "I know that now."

Luke smiled, pouring out encouragement and reassurance through the Force. "Good. Just don't ever forget it." Here he leaned forward slightly, so that only Mulder would hear his next words. "For your sake, and for hers."

Mulder broke into his own smile now, a sign he had understood the hidden implications in Luke's amicable warning. The agent moved away, and Luke turned to watch as he joined his partner where she sat. Scully's eyes were laden with questions, and mirrored the wave of emotions Luke detected rolling in her sense. But Mulder merely offered her a smile, squeezing her hand in a reassuring manner, and Scully seemed to accept it as an answer for now. She withdrew her attention from Mulder only long enough to cast a glance over to Luke. Gratitude was in her eyes and radiated from her sense.

Luke took a deep breath, reaching out through the Force. Not only had the recent encounter apparently appeased both Mulder and Scully, it had also provided opportunity to alter everyone's focus for a while. Tension in the air had eased. Slowly releasing the breath, Luke focused and allowed himself a moment to relax. A wave of dizziness suddenly swept over him, and Luke reached out a hand to balance against the nearby bulkhead.

"You okay, kid?" Han, who had been observing the entire scene with his usual inconspicuous interest, was the first to notice Luke's slight waver.

"Yeah," Luke replied, unsuccessfully hiding the hint of strain in his voice.

"You didn't wear yourself out with that little Force maneuver, did you?" Han's tone carried concern, but there was also a touch of chastisement. Everyone needed to be at peak readiness for the mission once they arrived on Rella. Luke could not afford to be less than his best right now.

"I'll be fine," Luke assured his friend. Another wave washed over his senses, and Luke felt his knees go weak. He moved toward one of the empty chairs. "I just need to sit down for a min--"

Luke broke off in mid-sentence as a violent pain racked his body. With a loud cry, he slammed back against the wall, clutching his arms about himself, eyes staring ahead at nothing. The muscles in his legs began to twitch involuntarily. It spread, up his torso and into his arms. With a sharp intake of air, Luke tensed and then fell into an unconscious heap on the floor.

Chewbacca howled, and Han quickly squatted beside his brother-in law.

Scully was immediately at his side. "What is it? What's happened?" she demanded.

"I don't know," Han replied, worry evident in his voice.

The medical expert immediately took charge, and Scully was soon running through a cursory examination. "His heartbeat is normal, but his breathing is irregular."

Everyone else simply watched in silence, waiting for a further verdict.

A soft moan began deep in Luke's throat, growing quickly to a full-blown howl. "No!" he screamed, bolting upright. Blinking several times as his focus slowly sharpened, Luke took in the varied stares of his onlookers.

"What the blazing stars just happened?" Han's voice came through Luke's still hazy perception.

The Jedi turned, a look of trepidation passing across his face.

"I-- I know who it is." Luke closed his eyes against the memory of that pain, still vivid and so real. He had felt it, as truly as if it had been his own. Suppressing a shiver, Luke took a steadying breath. "I know who's helping Soren open the Force doorway."

Han swallowed hard. Something about the kid's expression told him he was not going to like the answer. "Who?"

Luke looked away. "It's Mara."

The tension was palpable. It was Ray who finally, hesitantly, broke the silence. "So I, ah, I take it this Mara person works for the bad guys?"

"No," Luke said sharply, and a little too quickly. He then threw a glance at Han; a look that dared the smuggler to even think of disagreeing. "You know she wouldn't."

"I wasn't going to suggest otherwise," Han replied defensively, with a stern look of his own.

"I'm sorry, Han. I didn't mean that." Luke sighed and ran a hand through his tousled hair, fighting for a sense of control. He had not been this shaken up in a long time.

"Why don't you just tell us what happened, okay kid?"

Luke nodded, and moved to stand up. He felt terribly weak. With the help of Han, he managed to get settled in a nearby seat. "Mara is helping Soren open the door, but I believe it's happening against her will," he began.

"What makes you think so?" Scully asked softly.

"Because of what I just felt." Luke's voice was haunted.

"Felt?" Mulder's curious inquiry came from across the room.

Han leaned forward in his seat. "Mara contacted you, didn't she?"

Luke nodded, thinking again of the pain that had flooded him. "Mara has certain abilities and skills in the Force," he said in reply to Mulder's question. "She and I have always been able to contact each other, when necessary."

"Mara's a Jedi?" Mulder asked.

Luke and Han exchanged a meaningful glance. "I wound consider her to be one," Luke replied, "although I'm sure she would argue quite vehemently against that point."

Mulder's curiosity would have pressed the men further, but Detective Vecchio interrupted any such course of action. "So if Mara has Force ability, how is she being held against her will?"

"That's a good question," Luke admitted. "And I'm not sure what the answer is." He paused, mulling over some possibilities. "Soren could be using ysalamiri, thus blocking the Force from Mara. See, ysalamiri are creatures who have this natural ability to create a sort of bubble that blocks out the Force. It's actually a self-defense mechanism, because in their native habitat the most common predator just happens to hunt by aid of the Force."

"That could also explain how he was able to kidnap her in the first place," Han pointed out.

"Yes," Luke replied. "But it doesn't explain how he's using her to focus his own power. Soren needs Mara's ability in the Force to help him open the doorway, so he has to take away the ysalamiri for at least a brief period of time. And yet, if Soren allows her access to the Force, no matter how briefly, Mara should be able to fight him."

This time it was Fraser who joined the conversation. "Could Soren be doing something to Mara, while she's under the influence of these ysalamiri, something which might somehow prevent her from being able to fight when she has access to the Force again, yet while still allowing him to focus his power through her?"

Luke considered the idea for a moment. "I suppose it's possible. But I really don't have any idea what Soren could be doing to accomplish that."

They were in the middle of a brainstorming session now, an environment where they all seemed to thrive. The mixture of investigative talents, varied experiences, and simple gut-level instincts provided the basis for some intense mental activity. Oddly enough, it was Han and Scully who simultaneously arrived at an identical notion.

"Drugs?" the pair said at the same time.

"That might also explain why the connection was so painful," Luke said, half to himself.

"Painful?" Scully's concern was vivid, her medical sense still in active mode.

Luke sighed. How in the worlds could he explain what he had experienced? He was not even sure he understood it himself. "When Mara contacted me, I felt a very intense pain. I believe it's the same pain Mara herself was experiencing at that moment. I know how draining it is to open the doorway. Mara is certainly trying to fight Soren as much as she can. As Soren uses her to help focus his power, it's not only draining Mara, but becoming more and more painful for her." Scully was listening intently and Luke could sense she was trying to understand. "It's like Mara's having a little part of herself being ripped out by Soren every time he opens that door. And if he's drugging her, to keep her from being able to fight against him, then one of the side effects may be that it increases or intensifies Mara's pain."

"And you know this because Mara said something to you during this connection?" Ray asked. They were all trying to put the pieces together.

Luke turned to look at the detective. There was an almost vacant shimmer in the Jedi's eyes. "No. She didn't say anything." A final shudder ran down his back as the memory of Mara's agonizing scream played through his mind once more. "I just know."

Another quiet, tense moment passed before Scully finally voiced what everyone was thinking.

"Could this kill her?"

"Yes, I think so," Luke replied, his calm voice the antithesis of the torment that raged in his soul.

Han stood, hands going automatically to his hips as he took a determined stance. "Then it's a raiding party and a rescue. Come on everyone, time to modify our plan."

* * *

Rella

The meager spaceport of Golesk was barely large enough to house the sparse number of small single and double passenger ships docked there, much less to accommodate a ship the size of the Millennium Falcon. But somehow spaceport personnel managed to find a spot for the old modified freighter. Han had to be a bit more cautious than usual during the landing procedure, but did not fail to comment that he had landed the Falcon under a lot more difficult circumstances than this before. When the ship was safely docked, all made ready to begin execution of their mission.

As per the strategy, Chewbacca remained behind with the ship. Naturally the Wookie did not like the idea of his being omitted from the raiding and rescue party, but he understood the need to have someone guard the ship and to have it up and running should the need for a hasty retreat become necessary. The other members of the team made their way casually but cautiously out of the spaceport, Luke leading the way. The Jedi had become aware of a heavy, dark disturbance just as they exited hyperspace. The feeling had only grown stronger as they neared Rella. Now Luke followed the sense, allowing it to lead him through the dingy streets like a beacon.

Golesk displayed all the signs of a once booming city now cast aside. Population was minimal, and thinned as the group made their way through the city. Large buildings sat abandoned, many in disrepair. Occasionally there were signs of renovation, apparently the inexpensive housing projects Leia's message had mentioned. While the surroundings were not filthy, they were not exactly clean either. A sense of apathy hung like a fog throughout.

The group made their way with no difficulties. The few pedestrians who even noticed them did little more than give a passing glance. They proceeded steadily until Luke came to a halt just before rounding the corner where the street they'd been following turned into another smaller street. The Jedi closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly, as if listening.

"That's the place," Luke said nodding toward a building just down the street to their left. He opened his eyes and took a good look at the area. This section of town was less populated, with only a handful of people moving about. It appeared to be an older section, with mostly all of the buildings being unused. The building that was the source of the dark feeling looked to be an abandoned office building with only two stories. There was no sign of any security personnel or devices that he could see from the outside.

"What do you think?" Han asked. "Looks like we can just walk right in the front door, but for some reason I don't trust it being quite that easy."

Luke nodded. "If you're trying to say you've got a bad feeling about this, then I agree with you." The Jedi focused his perception a notch. "Soren knows we're coming, but he isn't worried about it."

"Which means he probably has something special planned for us," Mulder noted.

"Great," Ray commented unenthusiastically.

There was a short pause as they all exchanged glances, each reflecting a similar visage -- wary but firm determination.

"Come on," Han said. "Let's move."

The group made their way into the building, as expected, with no resistance. The front entrance opened into a small lobby that branched off down two corridors. Several doors along the corridors proved to lead to empty offices. It was, as they had suspected, an abandoned office building. The lift in the lobby area was not functioning, but they quickly located stairs at the end of one of the corridors. They split into two groups: Luke, Scully and Mulder in one, Han, Ray, Fraser and Dief in the other.

Han and his group had gone to the second floor and searched several of the rooms there. So far, they had not had any luck locating anything, a fact Han relayed to his brother-in-law via the comlink clipped to his collar.

"Same here," Luke's voice came back across the comlink. "We did encounter another, separate corridor though, so Mulder and Dana have split off from me."

Han grimaced. Luke had a nasty habit of always getting into trouble whenever he was off by himself. "Still no sign of any security devices. I don't like this."

"I know. Let's just hope that instead of a bad sign, that's a sign our luck has finally changed for the better." Luke's voice was playful but cautious.

"I thought Jedi didn't believe in luck," Han taunted.

"I won't tell if you won't."

"You able to get any feel yet of where those ysalamiri might be?"

There was a slight pause. "Difficult to tell, but I get the impression of a blank spot in the Force, somewhere to the south of my position. And slightly above, which means on your level. If there are ysalamiri here, then that has to be them."

Han noted the position reference, retracing their steps in his mind. "If they're to the south of you, we should be coming up on them soon. Think it's a good bet that where the ysalamiri are we'll find Soren?"

"I don't think so, Han. I can still feel that dark, evil sense. It has to be him. I'm going to try and focus on that sense, see if I can pinpoint it."

"You be careful," Han warned.

"Just find those ysalamiri," Luke's voice entreated. "That's where Mara will be, and I've not been able to sense her presence since we arrived."

"Don't worry, kid. We'll find her." Han signed off, hoping he sounded more assured than he felt. Thus far everything had been a dead end. Either they were walking into a trap, or they were all just skulking about in an abandoned building.

Han and his group were just about to check another door when Diefenbaker suddenly took off down the corridor. The humans gave chase. The wolf's wild flight eventually led to a closed door, identical to all the others. But, unlike the others, it was locked. Han took position, leveled his gun, and silently mouthed a three-numbered countdown. On the final number, Ray and Fraser performed a flawless unison kick, and the door flew open.

The room was dark.

A heartbeat passed.

Nothing happened.

Slowly Han reached around the door and located a light switch panel.

The room was not terribly large, but it was oddly designed. The center of the room jutted out over a lower level, like some kind of peninsula, connected only by a walkway at the door. There was some sort of computer station, which Han guessed was an operating center for the rest of the workings that he could identify in the room. From the mass of levers and pulleys Han saw, it was obvious the room had been designed so that something could be lowered to the section beneath this room. Whatever it was could also be raised, not only to the level of this room but it appeared to a level some three-quarter the distance above. As they cautiously entered, Han risked a glance over the side from the center, near the walkway. Immediately he recognized the sight -- ysalamiri, comfortably perched on temporary nutrient stations. Although it was on a much smaller scale, the view was not all that different from the one he had seen at Mount Tantiss on Wayland when they had gone to destroy the Spartii cylinders there.

"I take it those are the ysalamiri you and Luke mentioned?" Fraser asked, casting his own gaze down over the edge of floor.

"Yeah." Han took in more of the design, which had the ysalamiri surrounding the inner portion of the room in a rough circle. There were only three of the creatures, but Han knew if placed just so, that was more than enough to block a Jedi from access to the Force. It all locked into place then. "Which means Mara must be in the area directly underneath this room. That's how Soren does it. He keeps Mara under the influence of these ysalamiri, and then raises them so Mara's not blocked from the Force whenever he needs to open the Force doorway."

"So what do we do now?" Ray asked.

"You two find a way to get these ysalamiri raised." Han indicated the area beneath where they stood. "And I'm going to find a way down there."

* * *

"Mulder, I think we're going in circles." Scully, like her partner, had her gun drawn and was proceeding cautiously down yet another corridor.

"If that were the case we would have run into Luke again by now," Mulder countered. "Trust me on this one, Scully. We're getting close to something."

As if Mulder had given the cue, their relative silence was suddenly intruded upon by the unmistakable sound of large machinery engaging. With a brief exchange of glances, the duo took off at a run down the corridor. They were scrambling to check as many doors as possible along the way, until finally they came to one that was locked.

"I think we found someone home," Mulder quipped.

Positioning themselves, Scully leveled her gun as Mulder gave the locked door a couple of well-placed kicks.

The scene beyond the door, Scully thought, would have fit perfectly in a science fiction novel. A huge mass of computers covered one entire wall. An adjacent wall consisted of an enormous star chart. The only other wall she could see was row upon row of books. At the sound of the door banging open, the man in the center of the room had turned. He was pale in complexion, with dark black hair setting off a striking contrast. Large, almost translucent gray eyes fell on her, and Scully felt as if she had been physically touched. A warm, appraising smile was on his lips. Scully had the odd inclination that under different circumstances she would probably have been attracted to this man.

A deep, baneful chuckle emanated from the man's thin mouth. "Thanks to your arrival, I must proceed with my plans a bit sooner than expected. My precious Mara has not had sufficient time to rest, but she will still be able to provide the additional focus I need. So you see, I'm afraid you're too late after all," he declared, another, even more maniacal laugh breaking forth.

Suddenly, the sound of machinery ceased, and a familiar humming could be heard.

"It's Soren," Mulder realized. "He's opening the doorway."

As the agents moved into the room, the now recognized blue light exploded all around them. Mulder and Scully grabbed the doorframe, fighting not to get pulled in. Then, as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. Everything was silent.

And Soren was gone.

* * *

"This has to be the control area for the mechanism that lowers and raises those ysalamiri." Fraser stared at the complex array that sat before them. "Ray, what do you know about computers?"

The detective shook his head. "Sorry, Benny, but my computer expertise is limited to Internet navigation and chat groups."

While Fraser had learned a good deal about computers and computer programs since his move to Chicago, and especially during his time at the Consulate, the console before him now was well beyond any technology he had ever seen. With a sigh, he sat down in the only chair. Still, it was just a computer. There had to be some fundamentals in common. And Han had left them with an order to move those creatures. He was not going to give up without even an effort.

After a few seconds of scrutiny, the Mountie made a decision and moved his hand toward one of the more prominent levers on the console. Even before his fingers touched the alien metal, a distinctive rumble could be heard. The pair quickly looked around. The mechanisms were moving.

"What did you do?" Ray's voice was a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

"I don't know," Fraser answered honestly. "I don't believe I did anything."

"Well, what ever you did, or didn't do, those ysalamiri are coming up."

Fraser's face altered to one of his more concerned expressions. "Oh dear."

"What ‘oh dear'?" Ray asked quickly. "Fraser, that was a very serious ‘oh dear'. I don't like it when you say ‘oh dear' like that."

The Mountie stood, pointed toward the rising ysalamiri, which were now almost level with them. "Ray, if I didn't start them moving, then someone else did."

Ray began to see the picture, and his countenance fell as well. "Someone like Soren, you mean."

The Mountie nodded. "If Soren is raising the ysalamiri, it can only mean one thing. He's trying to give Mara access to the Force so he can open the doorway."

Ray met his friend's eyes with a worried look. "Fraser, I've got a bad feeling about this."

* * *

Luke tightened his grip on the familiar handle of his lightsaber and trudged on. Despite the fact that his senses were heightened by the Force, Luke could not shake the feeling that he had lost his way. After breaking off from the two FBI agents, Luke had followed his corridor and soon realized that it was slowly descending. After a fair distance, the grade of descent increased and the corridor became unmistakably circular in its path. Luke guessed he was descending into some sort of sub-basement section of the building. While the corridor was well lit, the floor, walls, and ceiling were of a black so cold, so empty, that it gave the impression of walking along in utter darkness. The heavy, evil sense Luke had detected was still present, but the Jedi was well aware that in the past several minutes he had been moving farther and farther away from that presence. He would have turned back, had it not been for the odd sensation, something he could only describe as an urging of the Force, to continue along this path.

Luke paused, focused to get his bearings once again. He could feel Han, a definite determination in the smuggler's sense. Through his perception, Luke discovered that Han thought he had found where Mara was, and was now quickly trying to find a way to get to her. Luke felt a small amount of the tension lift from him, released like a breath he did not realize he had been holding. If Han had indeed found Mara, Luke trusted him to do everything in his power to get to her. Now, he could only hope she would be alright when Han reached her.

Shifting his focus slightly, Luke located the other members of the group. Ray and Fraser not far from Han, and both were intent on something. Dief's sense was a good indication he was standing guard nearby. Mulder and Scully were moving steadily, but he could detect the growing frustration in Scully as their search continually proved unsuccessful. Mulder was more optimistic, seemingly convinced they were headed in the right direction.

Deciding it was time to get moving again himself, Luke resumed his steps down the winding corridor. Suddenly his senses were bombarded, and the Jedi froze in his tracks. Several sensations struck him, all simultaneously. Ray and Fraser were emanating surprise, and then a worried misgiving. Somewhere, Luke thought he detected the sound of machinery being started. Mulder and Scully had also experienced a flash of surprise, which gave way quickly to a firm tenacity. Han, who had also heard the noise, was now almost frantic in his search to locate Mara. Luke began to feel a rising panic build all around. Almost by instinct, his sense scrambled to locate the ysalamiri, and to his surprise he realized the distinctive blank spot in the Force was moving. A corrupt disturbance in the Force hit him with a gut wrenching blow, and Luke remembered the sensation from that of his nightmares. It clawed at him, and then was suddenly gone again. Luke, realizing too late what had just happened, scanned for the evil presence he knew he would no longer find. Soren was gone.

The entire ordeal washed over Luke in a matter of seconds, but he felt as if he had just been through a days long whirlwind. Leaning against the wall for support, Luke struggled to regain a sense of control. Pulling his ravaged Force sense closer in, Luke almost missed it. Something barely familiar pricked the edges of his perception. Awareness dawned, and Luke abruptly reached out again. The Jedi extended with all his might. Had the Force possessed a voice, it would have been screaming full volume, so intent was Luke's power.

When he found it again, the presence was little more than a pinpoint of light, drowning in an overwhelming abyss of darkness. But Luke directed everything within toward that one pinpoint, locking onto it with fierce resolution. Mara was there, barely ten meters down the corridor from him, fading quickly, but still alive.

* * *

Mara was vaguely aware that she was still conscious, although it felt as if she were again watching herself from somewhere outside. She was tired, so very tired. Having long ago lost any true sense of time, Mara still could not shake the feeling that this last episode had come much too quickly. Soren was evil, but he was not stupid. He knew that Mara needed rest in between attempts to open the door. As long as Soren needed her to help focus his power, then he would keep her alive. But this last time -- Mara winced, even at the memory of the pain. It had been so much more draining than all the other times. Soren must have opened the door too soon. Why he would make such a foolish mistake, Mara could not fathom, but she knew this mistake would be his last. She somehow found the strength for a feeble smile. This last episode had been too much for her. It was only a matter of time now. Soon, she would be free.

A part of Mara was disheartened to know that her death would be mostly meaningless. But another part of her was relieved. Soon it would be over -- all the pain, all the disappointment -- all over. If only she could have seen Luke one last time.

Mara could feel cold, empty darkness as it came toward her. In time, it would overcome her. Yet somewhere, deep inside herself, Mara could still feel some tiny part fighting back; that part of the human spirit that never wants to die. It was weak, totally exhausted. Mara knew the darkness would easily consume it. But she also knew that part of her would fight to the very end. She would simply wait until the fight was finished.

In the briefest fraction of time, Mara began to realize that something was different. At the fringes of her awareness, she seemed to notice that the Force was still open to her. Some barely coherent part of her realized that the ysalamiri were no longer blocking her perception. Instinctively, Mara reached out, drinking in the presence of the Force as strongly as she could. A sharp intake of breath echoed from her pale lips. He was here!

Suddenly, the door flew open, and light flooded into the dim room. Mara flinched, her eyes automatically trying to adjust to the painful brightness. All at once her name was echoing in her own ears. It sounded like Luke's voice, but she was not sure. She did not even know if what she had heard was real. Maybe she was imagining all this. Unconsciousness threatened to overtake her. From somewhere she heard the voice again. She tried to focus on it.

"Mara, you've got to hang on." Luke pleaded. "Don't give up on me."

Through her mental fog, Mara could feel Luke reach out to her, both physically and through the Force. A bell went off in the back of her mind. Her defenses were down. All her feelings would be exposed. Desperately she fought to pull her barriers up against him.

"Mara, don't fight me. Let me help you."

The overwhelming concern in Luke's voice managed to cut through the haze in her mind, and Mara relented. It was no use anyway. She was simply too weak. The last thing she remembered before the darkness took her was the expression of total incredulity on Luke's face.

* * *

Millennium Falcon

Luke sat in the small cabin, leaning back in the less than comfortable chair, his legs outstretched, and considered recent events. Things had happened relatively quickly after he found Mara. Han had met Luke halfway as the Jedi was plodding up the winding corridor, Mara's limp form cradled in his arms. By the time they reached the main floor, the others had congregated in the lobby. Naturally, there had been quick discussion about their next course of action. It was considered that Luke should attempt to open the Force doorway, so that at least some of them could go after Soren. But Luke felt unsure about opening the doorway from this location, where the echo of Soren's presence still tainted everything. And the Jedi was quite determined not to let Mara out of his sight until they had safely gotten her back to Coruscant and the medical center.

Silently Luke watched the figure that lay on the bed, barely an arm's length away. Her breathing was more regular now, although her face was still fluctuating between a peaceful expression and one of taut disquiet. He had already attempted, several times, to reach into her mind, to help ease whatever was troubling her so. But each attempt had nearly plunged him into unconsciousness as well. Finally, he had given up. At least he had been able to discern that she had entered a Jedi healing trance, albeit a weak one. Now, it was simply a matter of waiting.

Mara's face contorted once again and her entire body seemed to tense involuntarily.

"I'm here," he whispered, taking one of her hands into his own. Luke doubted that she could even hear him, but at least it made him feel better to reassure her.

Luke could not keep his mind from wondering back to that moment when he had found her. Seeing Mara, so weakened from her captivity, had almost been too much to bear. Instinctively he had reached out to her, hoping she might draw on his strength so that he could help ease her pain. Mara had been so close to death, it nearly sent him into a panic. As he fought to pull her back, in those last few seconds before she went unconscious, Luke had sensed a powerful wave of emotions he never thought possible.

More than anything, Luke wanted to believe it had been real. But it had all happened so quickly. And Mara's sense had been so weak. It was just as likely that he had imagined the entire thing. It was best not to assume anything. Yet all the logic in the galaxy could not dissuade his hopes.

Luke was well aware of his own feelings in the matter. At what point during the past several years he had come to see Mara as more than a friend he could not exactly say. But there was no denying that sometime, somehow, he had fallen in love with her. Well, at least there was no denying to anyone except Mara. He had used all his skill as a Jedi Master to hide his true feelings from her, always believing that she would never feel the same about him, and it was best not to ruin the friendship he already shared with her. He often wondered just how successful his hiding attempts had been. Han and Leia had certainly been able to figure it out, and Luke guessed that others had as well. Apparently, he reflected with a smile, Mara had been much better at this hiding tactic than he.

* * *

Mara felt as if she had been crawling from a dark, bottomless pit her entire life. Wearily, she continued on. A pinprick of light had been her focus for -- what; hours, days, months? Mara did not know. She only knew she had to continue, constantly struggling, constantly exhausted.

Suddenly the pinprick exploded. Light flooded all around her. She was no longer crawling, but falling. And yet, there was no sensation of falling. Mara did not care anymore. She just wanted it to be over. She willed it all to simply be over.

Slowly, Mara opened her eyes. The lighting was dim and nothing looked familiar. After a moment, she opted for a different sense and concentrated on the sounds of her environment. A feeling of relief washed over her. The hum of those engines was unmistakably from the Falcon. She took in her surroundings once again. It must be one of the smaller cabins on the ship, Mara deduced. Then her eyes fell on the sleeping figure, half-slumped in the room's only chair. Everything came back to her in a flash of memory. The one person she had most hoped to see had indeed come to her rescue. Now it was the last person she ever wanted to see and he was sitting less than a meter from her.

Mara had no idea how long she had been lying there, but she now had an overwhelming urge to get up. The restraints in Soren's cell had been a torture in and of themselves, and Mara longed to move about in freedom.

With great effort, Mara succeeded in lifting her torso a few centimeters off the bed. Exhausted, she fell back again. <I must be weaker than I thought.> But Mara had always been a fighter. She would not give up so easily. <If I can just get my feet and legs over the side-->

By fierce determination, Mara managed to move the lower part of her body. Unfortunately, she soon discovered that a lot more than determination would be required in order to sit, much less to stand. Before she could even attempt to stop herself, Mara had slid unceremoniously to the floor.

"Sith!" Mara cursed, head banging against the side of the bed even as the rest of her came to a stop in a less than tidy heap.

The small commotion was enough to wake Luke from his light slumber. He was at her side in an instant. "Mara, are you alright?"

Mara did not even bother to control her anger. "Get away from me, Skywalker," she hissed, giving him as much of a shove as her weak arms could manage.

Luke patiently ignored her rebuke. "You're obviously too weak to try and get out of bed," he said softly. "Let me help you."

Mara shoved at him again, a pathetic attempt in her poor condition. "I said get away. I do not need your help." Her tone was caustic.

Luke opened his mouth in protest, but caught the look in those green eyes. He had seen her like this before. When she wanted, Mara could be more stubborn than a Bantha during mating season. Standing, Luke crossed his arms over his chest, a picture of obstination himself. "Fine," he said with much less tenderness in his voice. "Help yourself."

Mara flashed him a contemptuous glance, but said nothing. Gathering all her strength, she reached up to the braces underneath the bed and attempted to pull herself from the floor. She was successful in reaching a semi-sitting position, but soon realized that was as far as she could make it on her own. Breathing heavily from the exertion, Mara released her hold and slid once again to the floor.

Luke knew she had be angrier now at his being right than at herself for being unable to get up, so he wisely held back the snide remarks which came to mind. Silently, he helped her up and back into the bed.

"Thank you," she spat. "Now get out."

"I'm not going anywhere until I'm certain that you're okay," Luke said, persistence evident in his voice.

"I'm fine. You and your nauseating Jedi compassion can leave now."

Luke fought against his rising temper. "Mara, you just spent the past eight hours slipping in and out of consciousness. You're so weak from your captivity that you can't even sit up. And while I do know that Soren somehow used your ability in the Force to open the doorway for him, I have no idea how much damage that might have done." He fixed his gaze on her. Mara was not going to like this at all. "At this point, I don't trust your ability to be able to determine for yourself how much damage may have been done. You have to let me check you myself."

Mara eyed him through emerald slits. As much as she hated to admit it, Luke was right. And she wanted to know as much as he did if Soren's rampage had harmed her in any way. She wondered if Luke would try to look for other things while he rummaged through her sense in the Force. She remembered all too vividly his own shocked sense at seeing her feelings, completely bared for that brief moment. Somehow, Mara did not think he would, even though she could feel that he wanted to. Luke had always been honorable on that point. He had never taken advantage of his ability to see into her sense; at least, not into her most private of thoughts. A bit grudgingly, she nodded her consent.

Mara tried her best to relax as she felt his familiar presence begin to work with her own. If Luke attempted to look where her innermost feelings were, she did not even know if she would be able to block it. After what seemed hardly any time at all, she felt his presence pull away.

"Well, that's a relief," Luke said. "There's no serious damage that I could find. You're very weak, but I think if you use the Jedi healing skills you have, then you should be back on your feet by the time we reach Coruscant."

"I'll do that," Mara replied curtly, hoping he would not need any more prodding to leave.

"Mara, there's something else I want to ask you about," Luke began before the silence could build.

Mara did not reply. She pointedly avoided his gaze.

"When I found you, at Soren's hideout, I thought I felt something from you. Something--" he broke off, suddenly unable to finish. "Perhaps I was mistaken." It was almost a question.

Mara tried to pick up on his feelings without being too obvious. There was definitely confusion in him. But it seemed there was more. Did she sense hope? Mara focused her concentration and found something she did not expect. If revealing her own feelings to Luke had been a devastating prospect to her, then discovering that he felt the same only terrified her all the more. In her own denial, Mara had been safe. The game was played according to her rules. Now, everything had changed. Immediately she pulled away. If Luke had detected any of her probing, he gave no sign.

"Yes, I think you were mistaken," Mara said, glad she was able to find her voice. But her tone was too much an indication of her true feelings.

"You think I was?" Luke asked pointedly. "Or you wish I had been?"

Mara scowled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I simply want to know the truth," Luke replied. He knew it was unwise to push Mara like this, but if he had imagined the whole thing then he wanted to know for certain. He wanted to have his expectations crushed before they grew completely out of control.

"You're delusional, Skywalker."

Luke stepped closer. This was one battle he did not intend to lose. "If you can look me in the eye and say that, then I'll believe you. Otherwise, I say you're lying."

Mara glared at him, her anger flaring. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the spite in her tone was loud and clear. "Get out."

"That's what I thought," he said. They both realized that in her response, Luke had indeed won. He turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"And don't bother coming back," Mara spat at his back, her words venomous and brusque. "Because I don't want to see you ever again."

* * *

The door of Luke's cabin on board the Falcon closed with a quiet swoosh and Luke silently cursed the fact that it was not like the huge, wooden doors in some of the older parts of the Imperial Palace. He very much wanted to have been able to give his best attempt at dislodging the door from its hinges at that moment.

He stood there, silently cursing, silently fuming.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch something. He even seriously considered banging his forehead against a nearby bulkhead. It was the slight pain in his jaw he noticed first. He was, apparently, grinding his teeth.

<Get a hold of yourself!>

Luke forced himself to take a deep breath and slowly unclenched his fists. Not bothering to raise the level of illumination in the dim space, Luke headed in the direction of his bunk. Halfway his shin met with the corner of a ventilation shaft that protruded just slightly from the wall. He cursed again, rather unsilently this time, and hobbled the rest of the way to the bunk.

<I'll never get it through my thick skull,> Luke berated himself, falling back on the small mattress. Not for the first time, he found himself wondering why Mara Jade was seemingly the only person in the entire galaxy who could get him so riled.

<Why did I have to insist on pushing her like that?>

He stared overhead, as if somehow the answer would come floating down from the Falcon's interior itself. With a sigh, he rolled to his side and concluded the answer on his own.

<Because you're an idiot, that's why.>

Luke thought he had learned better by now. Obviously, he had not. The slightest indication that Mara might care for him, even if it was something he had misinterpreted or else fabricated in his own imagination, had been enough to make him throw all common sense right out the window. Now, he had very likely ruined everything. He remained convinced that if Mara ever knew how he truly felt, she would simply step out of his life -- forever. And he had been down that road once before. Once was more than enough. Luke had promised himself that he would never get that desperate again. Of course, the problem now was that his situation was not really any less desperate than that time before. It was just a little different type of desperation.

A memory stirred, of a cold night in a dark cave, when a man named Liegeus had spoken wisdom from personal experience. ‘I think human capacity for loving is too great for a single loss, however enormous, to blight,' Liegeus had said. ‘There is always love.' At the time Luke had not believed him; had not wanted to believe him. ‘Not like this,' Luke had thought. Luke knew he would never love another as he had loved Callista. That was still true. But Luke had also learned that Liegeus' assertion was not necessarily false. He did not love Mara the same as he had loved Callista, but neither did he love Mara any less.

And now, Luke thought, he would probably be abandoned -- again. <Well, there's only one thing to do>, Luke decided as he forced his anger and frustration to melt away. <I'll wait until Mara cools down, and then I'll apologize.>

* * *

"Hey, you're awake!"

Mara had just completed her first Jedi healing meditation and was very much looking forward to a deep, peaceful rest when Han Solo's voice suddenly burst into her quite solitude. His lopsided grin was typical, but nevertheless a sign of his genuine relief that she was no longer in a semi-coma. In the first few seconds that Han strode into the cabin Mara noted that his practiced glance took in her wakened state, the empty chair where, no doubt, he knew Luke had been waiting patiently for her to regain consciousness, the now obvious absence of Luke, and the no less obvious disgruntled scowl on Mara's face. The trademark grin faded and Han slowed his tracks.

"Everything okay, Mara?"

She sighed tiredly. She was not angry with Han, and at least Skywalker was not out sulking in the corridor. She managed a feeble smile. "It will be."

Han nodded and then made his way over. As usual, he seemed to gain a complete understanding of the entire situation with just a few words. He sat on the edge of her bunk. "I'm glad to see you're still among the living. It was touch and go there for a while."

"Thanks." There was a pause as the two friends shared in the mutual, yet unspoken sense of relief that Mara was indeed still alive. Then both were all seriousness again. "You want to fill me in about what's going on?"

Han did so and Mara managed to fill in a few gaps with what she knew as well. It was a bit disquieting for Mara to realize that parts of her memory regarding her time as Soren's captive appeared to be missing. Han reassured her, saying that it was probably just a side effect of the ysalamiri and the drugs Soren had used, and surely her memory would return in time.

"But don't worry," Han said. "We'll still find him. And we'll stop him."

Mara nodded absently. She shared the sentiment, but it was difficult to shake the unsettling feeling this loss of memory had provided. However, it was not terribly productive to try and deal with it at present as she was far too tired to even make the attempt.

Han noticed her weariness as well. "Hey, I think I've kept you awake far too long already. You get some rest and I'll stop by later, if you feel up to it."

Mara nodded again, and Han gave her a warm pat on the shoulder before standing to leave. Before he reached the door Mara's voice called him back.

"And when you come, why do not you bring these new friends of yours, these people you were telling me about that you met on Earth. I'd like to meet them."

* * *

It was the soft whoosh of the automatic door that woke Mara this time. She had no idea how long she had been asleep. It felt as if it had not been more than a few minutes. But the fact that she also felt well rested was a better indicator that it had been some time longer. She sensed Han's presence as he stood, quietly peering at the open doorway of her cabin.

"It's okay, Han," she called, opening her eyes. "I'm awake." Mara stirred, and was glad to find she now had the strength to prop herself up in the bunk. She watched silently as Han entered, Chewbacca, four humans, and one additional species Mara did not recognize, in tow. Focusing her Force perception, Mara studied each of the strangers. The humans were obviously in pairs, the first consisting of a man and woman. The man was tall, but not strikingly so. His expression was stoic, but curiosity danced vividly in hazel eyes. It was, Mara noted, a very attractive combination. There was an air of confidence about him, something of a definite purpose. It emanated almost to a sense of obsession, and Mara would have been wary had it not been for the sense of balance that seemed to be brought by the petite female at his side. She had a confidence too, but it was different, more refined and polished. Her face appeared expressionless but at the same time hinted at a thousand expressions all at once. Their eyes met for a moment, and the woman smiled. Mara liked her instantly.

Mara's survey then fell to the second pair, which was interesting to say the least. In one of the men Mara immediately recognized a kindred spirit. Everything about him spoke of a feisty determination. He was the kind of man who was unerringly dependable so long as you had gained his trust; unerringly dangerous if you had not. And again, Mara sensed a feeling of balance in this pair. The other man met her eyes the instant he entered the room, and nodded slightly. He had dark hair, his eyes were an intense blue, and although Mara sensed no Force sensitiveness in him, she could not deny that in that instant she had been observed and studied by him just as closely as if he had used the Force. He was dressed in what, Mara somehow knew, was atypical even by Earth standards. It was undoubtedly some type of uniform. But Mara could not deny that the bright red coloring suited him well. The entire inspection was completed in the few seconds it took for everyone to make their way into Mara's small cabin.

"Hey Chewie," Mara called in greeting. She was glad to see her friend here, having not seen him since she had been brought on board. She was rewarded with the typical, exuberant Wookie hug. "Alright, alright," Mara managed from beneath a mass of fur and muscles. "It's good to see you too. Now get off me, you crazy furball, before I slice your arms off." An unmistakable Wookie laugh followed, but Chewbacca did manage to untangle himself from Mara.

"Good to see you're feeling better," Han commented. "It's always a good sign when you're feeling up to inflicting bodily harm again," he added with a wink.

Mara managed a slight chuckle, mainly in response to the obvious sense of uncertainty that had just passed among the others in the room. She did not know what Han might have told them about her, but it was best, she thought, to keep them guessing.

As if on cue, Han then began the introductions. "These are special agents with a branch of law enforcement on Earth known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully."

The woman held out her hand first, and Mara shook it with a solid, but friendly firmness.

"Nice to meet you, Mara," Dana said.

Mara nodded, then took the offered hand of Scully's partner. Their eyes met and Mara knew he was studying her, taking in everything at once, trying to figure her out. Mara's eyes narrowed the slightest bit and she instinctively focused her Force perception. She was surprised to see that the man responded. He had tensed his grip the barest fraction, and had flinched, almost imperceptibly. Mara held his gaze a second longer. No, he did not have the Force, but he was, it appeared, somewhat sensitive to it. Then the man pulled his eyes away and Mara turned her attention back to Han's introductions.

"These men also work in law enforcement, but, if I understand it correctly, at a more local level. This is Detective Ray Vecchio."

Mara again took an offered handshake. "Nice to meet you," the man said. "And glad you're feeling better."

The smile she was granted was so genuine that Mara found herself smiling in reply. "Thanks."

"And this is Constable Benton Fraser," Han added.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma'am." Another handshake and smile.

Something about this man seemed to ooze authenticity, and Mara almost felt as if she had known him all her life. She unsuccessfully fought the charmed smile she could feel forming at the corners of her mouth. "Likewise," she replied truthfully. Then, on an impulse, added, "nice boots."

"Oh, thank you kindly, ma'am."

"Who's your friend?" Mara asked, indicating the species she did not know.

"This is Diefenbaker. He's a wolf."

At Fraser's introduction, the animal placed his front paws on the edge of Mara's bunk, and gave a cordial bark.

Mara did not understand his speech, but her sense clearly told her this Diefenbaker was friendly and trustworthy. "Nice to meet you," she said. Not wanting that awkward moment which normally seemed to follow introductions to occur, Mara quickly went on. "Han told me how everyone was involved in the operation on Rella. I owe all of you my appreciation."

There were the varied sincere, yet still relatively uncomfortable, responses. While each was truly grateful to have been able to help, each also realized it was just part of the job.

"Actually, it's Luke who deserves the most thanks," Scully pointed out. Then, almost as an afterthought, to Han she added, "where is he anyway? None of us have seen him since we've been underway."

Mara bit back the retort that sprang to her mind. She felt the distinct tension that had suddenly enveloped Han and Chewbacca, the only two who would realize that Scully had just asked the worst possible question. With a controlled, even expression, Mara turned her gaze to the female agent.

"I'm sure he's just meditating. He probably shouldn't be disturbed." Mara hoped the tone of her voice clearly indicated that this should be the end of the conversation, without at the same time arousing too much curiosity of the topic. It was not something she wished to discuss at the moment, particularly not with persons she had just met. Silence held for another heartbeat. Satisfied that she had succeeded, Mara changed the subject. "Han also tells me that all of you will be assisting us when we go after Soren."

"Yes," Mulder replied. It was the first time he had spoken since entering the room. "Han, Leia, Luke, and Chewbacca as well, have all accepted us in trust. I suppose that will have to be good enough until you can accept the same for yourself."

Mara held her face wooden, but smiled inwardly. Mulder had been the only one to notice her unspoken challenge in regards to their assistance, or else he was the only one who had the gumption to answer it. Either way it was the type of response Mara had been hoping for, and particularly from the person she had been hoping would make it. Agent Mulder was the one person of this group about whom she had not been able to make a decisive judgment. At least, not until now. But Mara was not about to let him have the last word.

"Yes, Fox, I suppose it will."

The agent winced, just slightly.

Mara had, of course, picked up on the fact that Mulder hated being referred to by his given name, and she would in the future acknowledge this preference. But for now, she had been rewarded.

"In the meantime, what are the chances I can get something to eat?" Mara asked, changing the subject again.

Han managed a half-grin, visibly relieved, at least to Mara's Force enhanced perception, that any unease appeared to be over now. "No problem Mara, I'll get you something fixed up."

Sensing the introductions were now completed, the others offered polite good-byes and then followed Han out of the cabin.

* * *

Less than an hour later, Luke approached Mara to offer his apology. This time the encounter between the two did not go unnoticed. Ray, Fraser, Mulder, and Scully were all present in the main hold, seated around the holochess table, with Dief lying on the floor at their feet. They were engaged in devoted observation while Fraser and Mulder, aided by the ship's computer instructions, attempted to learn a game involving strange looking holographic creatures, when the door of Mara's cabin unexpectedly opened and Luke came stumbling out. The chair from her cabin was the second object to experience the wrath of Mara's Force shove as it came flying immediately after him. Luke ducked just in time to miss the projectile, but her retort slammed into him with its full intensity.

"What part of ‘I do not want to see you ever again' don't you understand? Now stay away from me!"

The door closed again as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. No one dared breathe as Luke strode across the main hold towards his own cabin, any semblance of his normal Jedi calm absent, the stomping of his booted feet echoing in the heavy silence which permeated the ship.

Suddenly Han appeared from around the corner. "What the blazes is going on in here," he demanded. His gaze first took in the somewhat shocked expressions of the four onlookers and then fell to where the chair lay, still overturned against the wall. Han gave an exasperated sigh and merely shook his head, mumbling something under his breath as he turned and retreated to the portion of the ship from which he had come. The sound of an inquisitive Wookie grunt was heard floating down the corridor. Han's disgusted, "you don't want to know," soon followed.

The small group at the table cautiously exchanged a few glances, the holographic game completely forgotten.

"Well, that certainly was interesting," Mulder commented dryly.

"Yeah," Ray spoke up. "If those two are supposed to be such good friends, I'd hate to see some of their enemies."

"Did you know that she had once vowed to kill him?" Mulder asked, his eidetic memory pulling the relevant pieces from one of the endless stories Threepio had told him.

Scully was shifting through her own ideas, having heard the story from Luke's perspective. "But that was years ago, when she served the Emperor. Mara was telepathically linked to the Emperor, or something like that. When the Emperor died, his last command was for her to kill Luke. The Emperor's voice haunted her for years, but when she was able to kill Luke's clone, the voice stopped."

"Luke had a clone?" Ray asked.

"Yes, Ray," Fraser replied. "If you had paid attention when Luke was telling Agent Scully his story that night you would know that. But that's not the point. What's important now is that those two are obviously attracted to one another in a manner which I suspect goes beyond mere friendship."

"No kidding," Ray added sarcastically. "That's why she's chasing him out of her room with flying chairs."

Scully was shaking her head. "No, Fraser has the right idea." Her mind flashed back to that night, when Luke and Han had first arrived on earth. Luke had told her about Mara, and at the time Scully categorized the woman as one of Luke's close friends. The way in which Luke had spoken of her gave Scully reason to think they may have shared a friendship as strong as she and Mulder. But whereas Scully and her partner had never crossed the line into a possible romantic relationship, perhaps Luke and Mara had. At least, Scully thought to herself, it appeared Luke had certainly taken that step. "I think Luke and Mara might be in love."

Mulder nearly laughed out loud. "And I thought I was the one who had farfetched theories. I don't mean to sound skeptical, Scully, but I think that's the craziest one I've ever heard from you."

"Well, you weren't there when I heard Luke tell his story," Scully defended. "You didn't see the look in his eyes every time he mentioned Mara's name."

Mulder considered that for a moment and replayed the recent scene in his mind.

"I would agree with you, Dana," Fraser admitted. "While Luke does seem to be successful in not revealing his emotions, I have noticed, on a few occasions, indications which do support what you're saying."

"Oh, you two are just being a couple of romantics," Ray interjected. "She just threw him out of her room, for crying out loud!"

"What if--" Mulder began.

Scully recognized the expression on her partner's face. It was the same look he had when they were on a case; when he would suddenly pull a missing piece of the puzzle out of thin air. "What are you thinking, Mulder?"

"This may be a long shot, but what if that little scene we just witnessed was the result of Luke and Mara's first attempt to admit their feelings to one another?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow you," Fraser said.

"Consider that Luke and Mara have been friends for several years," Mulder went on, his eyes lighting up like a kid at Christmastime as his mind worked the possibilities. "Luke just recently rescued Mara, who was practically at the point of death. What if something happened between them, at the moment when he found her?"

"Such as?" Ray asked skeptically.

"What if they've been hiding their true feelings from each other with this Force ability they have? Those ysalamiri creatures are supposed to be able to block the Force. Maybe there was a brief moment, at the same instant when those creatures were raised enough to no longer block Mara's perception, when Mara and Luke saw through the barriers they normally keep up between each other. Or perhaps Mara was simply too weak to hide her feelings at that point."

Scully, accustomed to following her partner's atypical sense of logic, began to pick up on Mulder's train of thought. "And if this is truly the first time they've ever noticed their feelings could possibly be reciprocated, then it makes sense that one natural outcome might be a rather unpleasant fight."

Fraser nodded. "Especially considering Luke and Mara's personalities. I would imagine that if what Mulder has suggested, or perhaps if some similar incident did occur, then Luke very likely confronted Mara about it. She, in turn, probably denied any such possibility. Ergo, their argument."

"Complete with fireworks," Ray commented. He remained to be entirely convinced. "I still think you guys are jumping to the wrong conclusions here."

"Well, perhaps we'll be able to find out more information later," Scully said. "But for now I think we should definitely keep our opinions to ourselves. Judging by Han's reaction when he came in here, no matter what is going on between Luke and Mara, it must be a rather touchy subject."

Scully's companions did not need to voice their consent. The look on their faces was proof enough. There was another unspoken, mutual agreement at that moment. Each of them somehow realized that if Luke and Mara were ever going to get beyond their contention, it was now in the hands of these four people from Earth to see it happen.

* * *

Constable Benton Fraser lay on his bunk in the small cabin he had been given on board the Falcon. It was still several hours before they would arrive on Coruscant, and he had opted for a short rest as most of them had not slept since leaving for Rella yesterday morning. Diefenbaker, already sleeping, was curled on the floor at the foot of the bunk. Fraser was just about to drift off into sleep himself when an unmistakable voice suddenly disturbed the silence.

"So this is the famous Millennium Falcon?"

Fraser, hoping that perhaps if he ignored the voice, it's source might leave as mysteriously as it had appeared, said nothing.

"You know, I've been a lot of strange places in my life, but this one is certainly the strangest." When no response was forthcoming, the voice continued. "Of course, since my life is, technically, already over, I don't suppose this instance counts, does it?"

With a resigned sigh, Fraser finally opened his eyes. "Dad, what do you want?"

"Why do I have to want anything?" Fraser senior asked in mock offense. "Can't a father even drop by to say hello?"

"Fine. Then say hello. But if you're finished, I'm rather tired and would like to get some sleep."

"Here I am, searching all over an entirely different galaxy to try and find you, and when I finally show up, this is the thanks I get. Children and their ingratitude. What's the world coming to?"

Fraser propped himself up on one elbow, fighting a recognizable, if not totally unwelcome, frustration. "Okay. I admit, it is good to see you again. But considering the fact that a majority of the time you do show up it is to harass me in some fashion it should not be terribly surprising that your arrival often merits my exasperation."

"Oh, so now I'm here to harass you," the figure sitting at the foot of the bunk replied.

Fraser quickly held up a hand to silence him. "Dad, please. Just tell me why you're here."

The form of the older man simply shrugged. "Well you see, I've been chatting with the nicest gentleman recently.

"And?" Fraser prompted when his father did not continue.

"Name is Anakin Skywalker. Perhaps you've heard mention of him recently."

"Are you trying to tell me you've been speaking with Luke and Leia's deceased father?"

"Well, just because I'm dead doesn't mean I'm so set in my ways I can't get out and meet new people. You've made friends with these nice folks from a different galaxy, why can't I?"

Fraser rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. So you've been having a nice chat with Anakin Skywalker. What does this have to do with your visit to me?"

"Well, there's this problem he has with not being able to appear to his son any longer. And, of course, neither can his old friends Ben and Yoda, but that's another story."

"Wait a minute," Fraser interrupted, sitting up fully now. "Are you trying to tell me that Anakin has appeared to Luke before? After he was dead?"

"Well of course. Although, it was only briefly and there was not really much opportunity to talk at the time. The point is, now that he has something really important to say, Anakin can't make contact any more."

"I don't believe this," Fraser muttered, shaking his head. "I must finally be going crazy."

"Oh don't be ridiculous," Fraser senior replied. "It's not such a farfetched occurrence, having dead fathers appear to their children. Take just the eight beings on this ship, for example. Do you know how many of those eight have encountered his or her father, in some form or another, after said father was already dead? Go on, just guess."

The Mountie fell back on the mattress in surrender. "Never mind. I don't want to know. Forget I ever mentioned it." He took a deep breath, and asked the pertinent question again. "How does this involve me?"

The form leaned in slightly, using proximity to add emphasis to his words. "It seems Anakin is convinced that his son needs a good whack upside the head. Lord knows I understand the sentiment."

"This is about Luke and Mara," Fraser stated, finally making the connection.

Fraser senior nodded. "That woman is the best thing that's ever happened to the boy, and his father knows it. So do a lot of other people, but no one else seems to be able to tell Luke that."

"And you think I can?"

The father looked away, a bit guiltily. "Well, Anakin seems to think you might be able to do something to help." Then, a bit more hesitantly, he added, "and I agree with him. So, I promised I'd put the suggestion to you since he couldn't do it himself."

Fraser lay silent, mulling over the concept. It was true he had been considering approaching Han about the matter in an attempt to get a better feel for the situation. Having already deduced that those closest to Luke were unable to approach him on this subject, Fraser thought that perhaps he could say something or do something which might help.

"I'll see what I can do," Fraser finally replied.

"I knew I could count on you, Son."

A brief moment of silence passed between the two, a wealth of feelings, although unspoken, somehow recognized.

"Well, I'll let you get to sleep now."

"Thank you," Fraser said, shifting into a comfortable position once again.

"Sleep well, Son."

* * *

Events of the next several hours after, what the Terran's had begun to refer to as ‘the incident', had only served to reinforce the group's suspicions about the overall situation. Even Ray had to admit that his friends had come to a viable hypothesis regarding Luke and Mara's relationship.

Luke, when he bothered to come out of hiding at all, sulked about the ship like some poor lost pup. He refused to eat. He made only the most minimal of response when someone spoke to him. Han had tried talking to him a couple of times, only to end up walking away in frustration, usually muttering something about Wookies being less hardheaded than his nincompoop brother-in-law. And he did not even bother trying to talk to Mara. It may have been driving him crazy to watch the two of them carry on like this, but Han knew better than to approach her on the matter. In the end, he simply gave up. Perhaps it was the wisdom of experience that told him Luke and Mara would eventually work something out. They always had before. And if they did not... Well, Han was also wise enough to recognize the beginnings of a match-making collaboration when he saw it. Those four people they had recently encountered from Earth were obviously aware of what was going on. And he had caught them more than once in conversation that was just a bit too hushed to be merely casual. Han smiled to himself. Maybe it was for the best anyway. If he and Leia could not get through to those two, then it was time an outside influence took a shot.

With practiced familiarity Han slid into the Falcon's pilot chair, pushing his thoughts aside. For now he simply wanted to enjoy a few moments in one of the places he felt the most comfortable. Han stretched back in the pilot's chair, allowing his gaze to wander towards the dizzying sight of hyperspace outside the Falcon's front viewport. The panorama of thousands upon thousands of stars, seemingly merged into one all consuming light, had always been impressive to him. But, if he stared at it too long, it had the ability to make his head swoon, usually resulting in a terrible headache. Interesting, Han reflected, that life was often very like that too.

The sound of someone clearing his throat pulled Han from his musing. He swivelled in the chair to see a tall, red uniformed figure standing just outside the cockpit.

"Excuse me, Captain Solo. I was wondering if I might speak with you about something?"

"Well, that depends," Han replied. It was not that he did not want to talk to the man. There was just something about the way Fraser was approaching him. It gave Han the distinct impression that this was going to be no light conversation. "What did you want to talk about?"

"It concerns your brother-in-law."

Han gave Fraser a careful look up and down. He could not quite figure this one out. But his old smuggling senses did tell him one thing. Benton Fraser was a man of integrity. Han could trust him, no matter what. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. If nothing else, maybe it would do him some good to talk about this. He gave a wave towards the vacant co-pilot seat. "Then you better pull up a chair, buddy."

Fraser crossed the small space and slid into the seat in one fluid movement. He wasted no time getting to the point. "I realize that it may not be my place to say anything, as I've only just met your family, but I am greatly concerned about Jedi Skywalker's well-being."

Han was not surprised by Fraser's statement. Han had always felt that Luke was one of the most compassionate persons he had ever met, always going out of his way, being concerned about the welfare of total strangers. He and Mara had often jokingly referred to him as the ‘New Republic's most noble galactic scout'. But in just a few short days Han had seen that Luke and Benton were very much alike in this manner. He gave a nod for Benton to continue.

"It seems rather obvious to me that where Luke and Mara are concerned there is a definite sense of--" he paused, considering the most appropriate term.

"Denial," Han finished for him. "And that's an understatement at best."

"It simply doesn't make sense," Fraser went on. "Am I completely incorrect in my observation that they have mutual feelings of affection for one another?"

"No, you're right on the mark. Luke knows it. Mara knows it. Leia and I both know it. Hell, at this point I think half the galaxy knows it." Han paused a moment, as if considering something. "You know, people are always saying how Leia and I are so stubborn, but those two--" Han waved a hand in the general direction of the ship's cabins. "We ain't got nothing on them. Yes, they seem determined to continue this little game of theirs, indefinitely."

Fraser thought he detected the slightest hint of a disgusted tone in Han's last comment, but said nothing about it. "I know they've had a somewhat,--" The contemplative pause again, "less than positive history. But is that alone reason enough for their actions?"

Han shook his head. "Luke should know better than to use something like that for an excuse anyway. I mean, Leia and I certainly weren't a picture-perfect combination either, but we didn't let it stop us. I'll tell you something, Fraser. I've tried to figure this one out for years now. I honestly don't know what the kid's problem is."

A thick silence hung in the air. Han never had been one for sharing his feelings, and certainly not with those he did not know very well. But in that moment the need to voice his anxieties become almost overwhelming. Han plunged ahead without a second thought. "You're concern about Luke is not just observant, Fraser, it's also well placed. No matter what their reasons may have been at the beginning, for denying their true feelings, Luke and Mara have reached a point where their ‘relationship' is more destructive than it is positive."

"You're worried about him," Fraser said softly.

Han cast his glance out the front viewport again. He had long ago come to love Luke like a brother, as well as a friend. And he was not ashamed of how he felt. Han turned his gaze back to his companion, and the look in his eyes spoke of a pain he seldom revealed. "More than you can imagine. And I think Leia's more worried than I am. I can't tell how you many nights I've woken up to find her just sitting up in bed, crying--" Han shook his head, exasperated. "If Luke only knew how much this was breaking her heart -- sometimes I just want to give him a good punch in the face. Maybe knock some sense into him. If things weren't already so bad I just might try it, but as it is--"

Fraser swallowed against the lump rising in his throat. He had gotten the impression that Luke was pretty miserable, but now he wondered just how bad could it really be. "What do you mean?"

Han ran fingers through his hair, a sigh of frustration heavy on his breath. "Luke's been getting much worse over the years. Growing more despondent, and more reclusive. Not too long ago he did something which made me think he had gone over the deep end all together."

"What?" Fraser asked. His concern was genuine, but he hoped his curiosity did not overstep the bounds with his new friend.

Han leaned forward, lowering his voice slightly. "Luke shut himself away in this hidden fortress on Coruscant. He let me see him once, but I know it was only so I could give Leia some assurance that he was alright." The tone of Han's voice left no doubt that Luke had been anything but alright. "Luke definitely did not want anyone to find him. I don't know how long he planned to stay there, maybe forever. Then to make matters worse, a few days later he just shows up in the middle of the night and announces he's running off to who knows where with some chic he's only just met in the hopes of finding some lost information about his mother."

Fraser was not exactly sure what Luke's mother had to do with any of this, but Han never gave him the chance to ask.

"At that point I gave up on trying to ever figure out what was going on in the kid's head, and just hoped he wouldn't end up getting himself killed." Han leaned back in the seat again, a contemptuous expression resting over his face. His voice took on an icy edge. "I can tell you one thing for certain, though. Ever since Callista, Luke just hasn't been the same."

"Callista?" Fraser asked, a little reluctantly. He had a sick feeling that the already dismal story was about to get worse.

Han gave a brief summary about the woman and how she had entered, and just as quickly exited, Luke's life several years ago. Callista, once a noble Jedi, had given her life to prevent the ship, Eye of Palpatine, from being able to destroy a very large group of Jedi. That sacrifice had resulted in Callista's physical death, but her spirit remained inside the Eye's main computer. That was how Luke found her, when the Eye had suddenly begun picking up people for Stormtrooper brainwashing. A relationship had developed between them, and when it came time to finally destroy the Eye for good, one of Luke's students, Cray, decided to sacrifice her own body so that Callista could live, in physical form, again. But the joy was short-lived, as Callista's new freedom came at a price. She lost her Jedi powers. She and Luke struggled for a while, but their only success was discovering Callista had some ability to draw on the Dark Side. In the end, Callista simply left.

When Han finished, the Mountie's face had gone a little pale

"A Jedi can really do that? Take over another person's body?" Fraser barely managed to get the words out of his mouth. The idea obviously did not settle well on his mind.

"Well, evidently she was able to. And Cray did give up herself voluntarily," Han admitted. "Still, the whole thing seemed damned unnatural to me."

"Indeed."

"Don't get me wrong. I don't doubt that Callista was a good person. I mean, the way she sacrificed herself on the Eye, to prevent any further destruction it could cause, it was very noble. But whatever she may have been, it was definitely different once she came back to the physical world." Han paused, as if fighting an old guilt that would not go away. "I always thought I should have said something at the time, but I could see that Luke was so much in love with her. And I'd always hoped that he would find someone and be happy."

"You had Luke's best interests at heart," Fraser tried to reassure him. "I'm sure there wasn't any way you could have known how it would turn out."

Han nodded numbly. If only it had not turned out so dreadfully. "I honestly don't know which has been the hardest on him. Accepting that Callista was never coming back, or accepting that he had fallen in love with Mara."

Fraser allowed his thoughts to meander around inside his head for a moment. After some of Han's explanations, things did seem to make more sense now. "Do you think it would help to speak to them about any of this?" he finally asked.

Han ran a hand across his chin. "Well, anyone who is brave enough, or stupid enough, to try and talk to Mara about such things is definitely taking a walk on the dangerous side. As for Luke, both Leia and I have tried to talk to him before. Not that it ever did any good. And it's almost reached the point now where anything Leia or I could say would only make matters worse."

Fraser nodded in response. He could see some sense of the truth in that. It was the final revelation he needed in order to know what to do next. Suddenly, he stood up and extended a hand towards the pilot. "Thank you kindly, Han, for allowing me to speak to you. It's been a great help."

Han shook the offered hand, the beginnings of a grin evident on his face. Han was very much aware that he had done most of the talking, not Fraser. He was not sure how much help it had actually been for the Mountie, but he realized that the conversation had definitely helped him feel better.

"I have a feeling that should have been my line, Fraser, but you're welcome anyway."

* * *

Ray eased into the seat next to Scully just as Luke meandered through the main hold, his very presence echoing an oppressive sense of forlornness even to those on the ship who were not Force sensitive.

"I see the Prozac poster child is not doing any better," Ray noted.

Scully released a heavy sigh. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone so miserable. I just wish we could come up with a reasonable idea of something we could do to help."

"Well," Ray began, glancing around as if to look for spying eavesdroppers. "I think Fraser might be up to something."

Scully raised an eyebrow. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Could go either way. But I saw him heading up to the cockpit in search of Han earlier and he had that look on his face. Like he was on a mission."

The sound of booted footfalls halted further conversation. Shortly, Fraser came into view and crossed the area where they sat. He nodded in passing before turning in the direction Luke had recently taken.

"Yes, I see what you mean," Scully said.

Ray stood. "I think I better go talk to him before he gets himself into too much trouble."

"Good luck," Scully called after him. Somehow she knew Ray would need it.

* * *

Ray caught up with the Mountie and the pair of friends watched silently as the figure of Luke continued down the corridor, seemingly disappearing in the shadows.

Ray shook his head slowly. "Man, he's got it bad."

Suddenly Fraser pulled him aside and whispered conspiratorially, "Ray, I think I can do something to help."

"Such as?" Ray asked, his suspicion now confirmed. He was beginning to feel a sense of cautions dread. He knew the sort of things that usually happened when his friend got ideas about helping someone.

"I'm going to talk to Mara."

"Are you crazy?!" Ray fought to keep his rising voice from being heard all over the entire ship. "I've always known you lost your common sense out there on the frozen tundra somewhere. Talking to Mara about Luke is only the single most stupid thing you could do right now."

Fraser shook his head. "No, it's the most obvious thing to do. Everyone on this ship knows that, Ray. The problem is Han or Chewbacca can't do it because they're too close to the situation and Mara would fight against them on the matter. Agents Scully and Mulder can't do it because Mara has only just met them and she would fight against speaking of anything so personal with them. You can't do it because your personality is just similar enough to Mara's in certain ways and she would fight you simply for the sport of it."

Ray rolled his eyes. Fraser always had everything so perfectly analyzed. "Yeah, well are you forgetting Mara's only just met you too? If she wouldn't talk to Little Red and G-Man, why would she talk to you?"

Fraser managed an innocent shrug. "There's no logical reason. I simply believe she might listen to me."

"Benny, you've been around these people too long. You're becoming delusional, even more delusional than normal. Listen, I know they've joked about Mara's killing people over nothing more than mere conversations before, but I'm not so sure there's not a grain of truth to those jokes. She used to be a professional assassin, for crying out loud! You go in there and try to talk to her about this and she's gonna slice your head off with one of those wicked little laser swords."

"Now Ray, don't be ridiculous." Ray opened his mouth to protest, but Fraser held up a hand, silencing him. "Something has to be done about this. I have the distinct impression that this game of denial between Luke and Mara has been going on for several years now. While it may have begun under good intentions, it has now become destructive. I was speaking with Han earlier, and he admitted as much himself. You can see for yourself how miserable Luke is, especially now that he seems to have reached a point where he's ready to admit his feelings."

Ray gave his friend a hard look. "And you think you can get Mara to admit her feelings too?" He already knew the answer. Whenever Fraser saw a problem, if he thought he could help in even the most insignificant way, he had do everything in his power to accomplish it. It was just one of the many reasons Ray was proud to call Fraser his friend.

"I don't know. But I think I can at least get her to face up to the fact that there is something between them. And they've either got to get over it, or get on with it. They can no longer continue this charade."

Ray saw the determined look on the Mountie's face. It was one he had seen many times before. With a warm slap on the shoulder, he acquiesced. "Okay, but you be careful. I do not want to be picking up little pieces of red serge later on." A bit more seriously he added, "Good luck, buddy."

"Thanks, Ray."

* * *

The door to the cabin in which Mara was resting slid open automatically and Fraser jumped slightly. He did not think he would ever get used to the doors in this galaxy. And he hated going into any room when he could not knock first. A bit hesitantly, he cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, Miss Jade. Are you feeling well enough to accept visitors?"

Mara was lying in the cabin's bunk, propped up partially on multiple pillows. She looked up from the datapad she had been studying and gave the Mountie a wary glance. "As long as Skywalker isn't with you, you can come in."

"Thank you kindly." He made his way across the small room and pulled a chair up to the foot of the bunk. "I trust you are feeling better?" he asked as he sat.

"Yes, but I know it's going to be a couple of days yet before I'm fully recovered." A long silence held them both, and Mara noted the Mountie was having a difficult time keeping his concentration away from something that did not exist in the vicinity of his boots. "Listen, ah, it's Fraser, right?"

He nodded and offered a polite smile. "Yes, ma'am"

"Fraser, you strike me as the friendly, concerned type but I know you stopped by for more than just a ‘hello, how are you'. So let's just skip all the mucking about, shall we?"

"Certainly, if that's what you prefer."

Mara put down the datapad, crossed her arms, and waited.

Fraser took a deep breath. "I want to speak with you about Luke." He could feel ice forming throughout the room almost instantly.

"Did he put you up to this?" she sneered.

Fraser shook his head.

Mara's eyes become narrow, emerald slits. "Then I suggest you tread very carefully, Constable Fraser. You've just taken a step down a very dangerous path."

He cleared his throat again. "Yes, I'm aware of that." Then he gave Mara a powerful stare of his own. "But I'm willing to face the risks."

Mara had seen that expression before; had seen that same sense of determination, almost to the point of lunacy, as it had been portrayed in another pair of unfaltering blue eyes. "What's between Skywalker and myself is none of your business."

Fraser remained steadfast. "That's true. But I'm afraid I have this recurring habit of always wanting to make other people's troubles part of my business." He paused just slightly before laying the blow. "Especially when they are unable, or unwilling, to help themselves."

Mara sat up, rigid, her fists clinched in anger. Her voice was cold, caustic. "I should kill you for what you're implying."

Mara might have expected a lesser man to be quivering where he sat, but Fraser only seemed to relax, easily crossing his legs as he settled into a casual tone. "I believe you've made similar threats to someone else. He's survived your wrath often enough." Fraser rested his gaze on Mara again. "Why do you suppose that is?"

In a flash of insight, Mara realized this would be a useless fight. She would not be able to frighten him, and any attempts to anger him would only result in more taunts against her. Even if she did literally kill the man, he would only look up at her with that damnable, truthful expression on his face, forever accusing her of something she could neither admit nor deny.

Mara leaned back against the pillows. Her voice came out in an almost hoarse whisper now. "It's not as simple as you may think."

"Are you referring to the fact that he's a respected Jedi Master of the New Republic and brother of the Chief of State, whereas you're the former Emperor's Hand?"

Mara let her gaze fall away. "That's only one reason of many."

"Reasons, or excuses?"

She did not answer.

"Whatever is in your past, Mara, you've moved well beyond it. I've only just met you and even I can see that. If the rest of the people in your galaxy can't, then it's their problem, not yours."

Mara turned her eyes back to the visitor. "I appreciate what you're trying to do. But the relationship Luke and I have is--" she sought for a word that might describe her concept. She failed to find one. "There's been too much time and too much has happened. The fact that he even considers me a friend at all is more than I deserve. I can't, and I won't, ask any more of him."

Fraser let out a sigh and shook his head. "I think you know that Luke already considers you much more than a friend, Mara. While you refuse to ask more of him, he's waiting to give you just that." He leaned forward in the chair and met Mara's gaze straight on. "Don't you realize that Luke would risk everything for you? Everything!"

Mara could not help but pick up the change in Fraser's sense when he spoke that last part. Her expression softened somewhat. "You speak from a personal experience."

Fraser pulled back from her revelation. But there was no denying it. He was asking that she face the truth of her feelings. He owed her as much from himself. "I once loved a woman that much. But, unlike you, she never turned from her dark path. She would have destroyed me." Then he added, barely audible, "she almost did."

"Then you understand my position. I won't be the source of Luke's downfall."

Benton had to admit he did understand. He knew what it was like, to love someone so much and yet to fear what that love could do. But he also knew Mara was not anything like Victoria. Despite her past, Mara's heart had remained true and good. He reached out, taking one of her hands in his own. It was, he noticed, small, with slender fingers. But there was also strength there. "You won't destroy him by admitting your feelings. But continuing this illusion of denial with him will only serve to hurt you both."

Mara held her silence, one last act of defiance, before finally admitting, "I want to believe you. But I don't know if I can."

Fraser offered his warmest smile. "Trust me."

How many times had Luke asked that of her, in all his honest simplicity, with that same galactic-scout smile, and blue eyes twinkling. And every time he had asked it, Mara did -- whether she actually wanted to or not.

Fraser did not wait for a reply, but with one quick squeeze of her hand, he stood and exited the cabin, leaving Mara alone with her thoughts.

* * *

Luke continued to brood in solitude. The room was dark, but it was not the absence of light that accounted for the heavy, dismal atmosphere. Sitting on the bunk, legs drawn up to his chest, arms wrapped around his knees, the Jedi did not even move when the door of his cabin automatically opened. He knew without looking that it was the Mountie, standing there with his usual mixture of genuine concern and polite hesitance. When Luke continued to ignore his visitor, the man finally spoke.

"I thought you might want to know," Fraser began without preamble, "that if you wish to make a visit, I have reason to believe it might be possible to do so now."

Luke did not have to ask how Benton knew. To anyone who was paying even half attention, Luke had been fairly transparent recently. But what the others knew, only someone like Benton could act upon. And for that, Luke was grateful. He slowly raised his head and paused, momentarily considering his response. It sounded strange, the name coming from his lips to refer to someone else. But somehow, Luke knew it fit.

"Ben, thank you."

The Mountie smiled in return, a smile of confirmation which spoke a wealth of understanding. Without another word, he turned and was gone.

* * *

Luke took a deep breath and stepped up to the door. It slid open with a slight whir.

"Will you allow me to come in?"

She was turned away from him, rolled over on her side. "Does giving my permission make a difference?"

"It does to me," Luke admitted.

"But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll leave if I say no."

Luke stood his ground. "No."

He heard her semi disgusted sigh and knew it was the only sign of consent he would get. He stepped inside the small cabin and walked towards the bunk, stopping a good arm's length distance between them. "Mara, we need to talk."

"I know." Mara closed her eyes, as if the simple act might somehow prevent her from having to go on with this. She wished this entire conversation could be avoided, but knew it could not. And the sooner she faced this, the sooner it would be finished. Ignoring the pain that still protested in her muscles, Mara rolled over.

"You're still in pain?" Luke began to reach out towards her, but the look that blazed across Mara's face caused him to retreat.

"Yes," she shot back. "And this conversation is going to be difficult enough for me without you second-guessing everything I think and feel. So just keep your Force sensitivities to yourself, Skywalker."

He gave her a sour expression, but still pulled back. "I was only trying to help. You don't have to bite my head off."

Mara forced herself to take a breath. It was too early in the conversation to be getting this exasperated. "Maybe you should just get to the point."

Luke had known this would not be easy. The fact that Mara was even agreeing to talk was a good sign. Perhaps taking the direct approach would be best.

"I believe you already know how I feel about you."

Mara remained steady, keeping his gaze, and gave a slight nod.

"And I think you have similar feelings towards me."

Mara nearly snorted. "And I think you're having delusions of grandeur."

Luke did not waiver. "You might be able to keep things hidden from me, Mara, but you've never been able to lie to me." He took a step forward, closing the distance between them. "Can you honestly deny it?"

Mara fought again, but this time his searching gaze hit too close to the mark. She turned away from him, a silent reply.

"Why are you making this so difficult? I can't understand why you won't admit it. Especially when you know how I feel." Luke waited for her to say something, to say anything. But she remained silent, eyes downcast. He moved to sit on the bunk beside her and reached out, pulling her chin up so that he could see her face. "Mara, I l--"

Mara pulled away instantly. "No!" she whispered. Her eyes pleaded. "Don't say it."

Luke drew back, stung. "It's still the truth." There was obvious hurt in his voice.

"I know," she admitted, and rested a hand on his arm. "But I'm just not ready to hear it. Not yet."

Luke shook his head. "I don't understand. Why are you fighting this?"

"I know you only want to understand, but I'm not sure I can explain. You have to believe me when I say I'm not fighting." She received a somewhat skeptical look in reply. "You're just going to have to trust me. I do care for you, Luke, very much. But this is going to take time for me."

Luke sighed in frustration, but his expression softened. "I do trust you, Mara. I always have."

"That's been your downfall all along, you know," Mara half-kidded.

Luke nodded, realizing this was as far as their conversation on the matter was going to get. Actually, it was better than he had hoped. Now, he would simply have to be patient. "But I refuse to change. You may be the destruction of me yet, Jade, but that's a price I'm willing to pay."

His tone had been playful, but Mara did not miss any of the hidden meaning there.

"So, how are you feeling?" Luke asked.

It was obvious, but Mara was thankful for the change of subject. "Better. Not as tired, but it still hurts when I move too quickly. I'm sure I'll be fine in another day or two."

Luke gave her hand a squeeze. "Then I'll let you get some rest." He stood and turned to leave.

"Luke?" Mara called just as he reached the door.

He turned back. "Yes?"

"We will talk about this again. I promise." Her face was steady, but he could see some sign of the emotion in her eyes.

He gave her a warm smile, nodded, and left the cabin.