Vision of the future

'In other words, you're going to stay on this,' he said bluntly. She lifted her eyebrows. 'That's very good. CorSec teach you how to do that?'

'You haven't answered the question,' Wedge said, sitting back down again. 'You are going to call Security, aren't you?'

'And tell them what?' she countered. 'We don't have a scrap of proof. It's worse than that, really—they presumably already did a backcheck on Navett and his buddy, and they still let them into the generator building.'

'So what are you going to do?' Wedge persisted. 'Stay on this by yourself?' Moranda's mouth set itself into hard lines. 'I was given an assignment, Wedge,' she said quietly.

'I'm supposed to stay here and watch for Vengeance attempts against Bothawui.' Corran shook his head. 'That's not a good idea,' he said. 'If Vengeance is being driven or guided by Imperials—'

'So where are you two off to?' Moranda demanded scornfully. 'A vacation on the beaches of Berchest? I'll lay you fifty-to-one it'll be a lot more dangerous wherever you're going than anything I'm likely to run into here.'

'Moranda—' Wedge began.

'Besides which, you don't have time to argue about it,' she cut him off. 'If 'Dad' is who I think he is, he's not going to be happy if you two get home late. Now scoot, both of you. Thanks for all the drinks.'

Reluctantly, Wedge stood up again. She was right, of course; and she was certainly more than old enough to make this kind of decision for herself. But that didn't mean he had to like it. 'Come on, Corran. Moranda... you watch yourself, okay?'

'You, too,' she said, smiling up at him. 'Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine.'

CHAPTER

26

There was a strange, almost unworldly aroma tugging at her senses as Mara drifted toward consciousness. Something strange, yet vaguely pleasant...

'Good morning,' Luke's voice came through the haze. With a jolt, Mara came fully awake. And in that first disorienting moment wished she hadn't. Even as she opened her eyes to the dimly lit gloom around her, she suddenly became aware of a hundred sparks of pain jabbing through her muscles from her heels through her legs and back and right to the nape of her neck. 'Ow,' she grunted under her breath.

Luke's face appeared overhead, looking down at her with concern. 'Is your shoulder still hurting?' he asked.

Mara frowned, blinking away a little more of the haze clouding her mind. Right—her badly burned shoulder. Craning her neck down, focusing eyes that still weren't entirely awake, she peered down at her charred jumpsuit.

At her charred jumpsuit, and the smooth, unmarked skin showing through the hole there.

'No,' she said, not quite believing it. 'The shoulder feels just fine. It's—oh, right. Your healing trance.'

'Some disorientation is normal when you first come out of it,' Luke assured her. 'Don't worry.'

'I wasn't.' She eased her shoulders around, trying to ignore the extra wave of tingles the movement sent running through her back. Luke's hand was there, gripping her arm and helping her sit up. 'You said it was morning?'

'Well, afternoon, actually,' Luke amended. 'But Han once told me that anytime you woke up was technically morning.'

'That sounds like his casual slant on things,' Mara said. 'How long—in real time—have I been lying there?'

'About five days,' Luke told her. 'Easy, now.'

'Oh, you bet,' she agreed, wincing as muscles that had been laid on for five straight days continued to complain loudly about their mistreatment. 'I'm impressed. I don't think even a bacta tank would have done the job that fast.'

'You have a strong Force gift,' Luke said, his hand hovering ready by her arm. 'That usually helps the healing process.'

'It's definitely one I'm going to have to learn,' she decided, looking around. That aroma she thought she'd dreamed was still there...

'It's some kind of roast avian,' Luke explained, nodding toward the back of the landing. 'A wake-up gift to you from