"Why- you think you can dodge?" she asked dryly, " 'Cos I think this may be a little too close, even for you."
He loomed over her, unimpressed, "I don't need to- I drained the power out."
She hesitated just a fraction of a second, "You're bluffing."
"I never bluff Red, you know that."
Mara narrowed her eyes further, trying to see through that set, neutral expression and past the hard warning in those mismatched eyes... "You bluff occasionally..."
He didn't bother to answer, just stared down at her.
Finally she cracked a fraction. "When?"
"Last night." He tilted his head just slightly, "I don't mind sleeping with a poisonous viper but I'm not about to let it bite."
Incensed, Mara had pulled the trigger before she even knew what she was doing...
.
The compact blaster let out an exhausted cough, insufficient gas in the chamber to ignite.
Neither of them moved for long seconds, blue eyes locked on green as the silence stretched to shatter-point...
Finally Luke let out a low sigh in the back of his throat, part amusement, part exasperation, his arm muscles bunching as he pushed away from the wall, releasing her, the moment of raw anger dispersed by the outrageous act; Luke Skywalker stepping free from the influence of Palpatine's Wolf.
"We are two of the most screwed up people I've ever met."
Mara too grinned, the burst of edgy adrenaline making her giddy, "Fortunately we found each-other. Anybody else and I think we'd have killed them by now."
He turned, unoffended, "I can't believe you pulled the trigger."
"You called me a viper!" she defended lightly.
He walked away toward the fresher, his morning routine continuing as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Mara followed, dropping her blaster on the bed as she passed, choosing not to notice the tremble in her hand.
"Do you always empty my blaster?" She knew this wasn't the case- she'd have noticed.
"No." he replied, raising his voice over the sound of the water, "I didn't last night either."
Frowning, Mara backstepped into the bedroom to pick up her blaster and turn it over to check the power- it was almost full.
She leaned on the fresher doorframe, the fine, warm mist from the water shower cloying, "How did you do that?"
"Made it misfire. With the Force."
She nodded, impressed, "Neat trick. I've never heard..." Mara paused, realising, "I knew you were bluffing!"
He shrugged, his back to her now, the water streaming off his body, "It doesn't work every time. If there's already enough gas in the chamber to ignite..."
She stared at him, amazed and disturbed that he'd let her pull the trigger when he could so easily have stopped her - why the hell hadn't he stopped her?! She shook her head slowly, murmuring to herself, "You and your stupid 'Fate', Skywalker."
What the hell was going on in his head that had made him prepared to take that kind of gamble again and again? Another thought occurred, taking her mind away from that disturbing question as she was suddenly uncomfortably aware that she could have shot Luke Skywalker in the belly at close range...
That was how furious he could make her. Was this what normal people did in the passion of the moment- or was Skywalker right and they were both just way too screwed up?
Then again, even she tended not to actually shoot people for calling her names, and Skywalker sure as hell wasn't in the habit of letting people take potshots at him with impunity...
Was this... love? Or at least as near as they could get in their twisted, warped little world. Because she knew exploitation and she knew manipulation, and it didn't feel like this. She continued to stare at his back, at once elated and energized... and deeply disquieted.
"In or out?" he said evenly, without turning.
"What?" she asked, roused from her reverie.
"In or out - it's cold and I'm naked here."
She grinned, stepping forward into the steam-filled 'fresher, "Well in, naturally."
Chapter 21
Luke stood quietly before the wide viewpanes to the rear of his Ready-room aboard the Peerless, considering, eyes on the massed glow of the Koornacht Cluster. The Peerless and the Dauntless were making a close pass through the Farlax Sector and their military Shipyards on the final leg of their return journey to Coruscant. He'd stretched the Tour of Duty to just over two months and had been considering announcing spot-checks of the shipyards, more from the desire to delay his return to Coruscant than any greater purpose.
But the news he'd just received had changed everything, requiring an editing of his own plans in response, whichever way this turned out. Nathan Hallin was already with him and he was awaiting Reece's arrival, having found a distraction for Mara, needing her gone so that he could discuss this new development immediately; if he were to act upon it, it should be now.
He sighed out his frustration at this; at being forced into these charades. Games within games; plans within plans. Perhaps his father was right; perhaps he had learned too well the lessons his Master taught - because he couldn't quite recognise who were friends and who were foes anymore... couldn't quite recall why that mattered.
More and more he worried at the ease with which he could step back, viewing everyone he knew as just pawns to be played, games within games within games...
Hallin's voice interrupted his bleak thoughts, "Perhaps I've found a new vocation."
"What?" Luke turned to see the slight, dark-haired medic sat comfortably in his chair, pulled up to his desk.
"What do you think- would I make a good starship Captain?" Hallin asked, voice flippant, always looking to lighten the tone.
Luke turned away again, replying only distractedly, "No. And you're not sat at the Captain's desk- I'm Admiral of the Fleet."
"No?" Hallin turned, mock-offence coloring his words, "Please, don't pull any punches on my account; say what you think."
Luke turned back absently, "Your ship is at Coruscant and you're asked to attend to problems in the Bajic Sector; do you take the Corellian Run, Corellian Trade Spine, the Hydian Way or the Rimma Trade Route?"
"That's navigation- I'd have a Navigation Officer for that." Hallin countered smartly.
"What percentage of shield failure would result in tiling of shields becoming ineffective?"
"That's shields; I'd have a... Shield Officer or something for that." he replied gamely.
"In pitch battle, you're in command of five Destroyers; your second-in-command tells you that three enemy craft are forming up in the Secondary Zone to execute the Ackbar Slash manoeuvre- what are your orders?"
"Um..."
"Congratulations- you've just lost your Destroyer along with nine thousand Officers and twenty-seven thousand enlisted men. Probably at least one other ship as well."
Hallin leaned back, casually rearranging the assortment of readers and automemo's on the wide, polished desk, "See? Easy. I'm a natural."
Luke turned away again, aware of what Nathan was doing. "Sadly I know of several Destroyer Captains with just your skill level."
Far more than Wez Reece, Luke considered Nathan Hallin a friend rather than a co-conspirator; someone who had gotten caught up in this because of his choice of acquaintances and who remained ensnarled because he was unwilling to give those same people up, rather than for some greater or more self-serving cause.
Given that, Luke should probably feel guilty about lying to him; certainly he told Nathan the truth far more than Reece... but he still kept his options open - was that wrong?
He was saved from following that thought by a quiet knock on the door as Reece entered.
"Commander?" he prompted, glancing momentarily Nathan, realising that it was clearly something serious.
Luke didn't prevaricate; "The Rebels have a plan underway to assassinate the Emperor."
Reece frowned, "Viable?"