Mara thought about the dead clone floating in the flooded chamber. 'That could take a while.'
'True,' Luke said. 'Still, I suppose that even if they get tired of waiting and contact Bastion, we have a treaty with the Empire now. Maybe ultimately we'll all head out to develop those regions together.'
Mara nodded. 'And to face whatever's out there. That could be interesting.' Luke nodded back, and for a few minutes they stood arm in arm looking out at the stars. An almost-vision floated before Mara's eyes, a vision of the future—
But then, she'd never been a Jedi before. There were indeed going to be interesting challenges ahead.
'But that's the future,' Luke murmured, his breath warm on the side of her face. 'This is the present.'
Mara pulled a little away from him. 'And as head of the Jedi academy and brother of High Councilor Organa Solo you should at least put in an appearance at the ceremony?' she suggested. He gave her a wry look. 'Yes, that's just about what I was going to say,' he acknowledged. 'I can see this is going to take some getting used to.'
'There's still time for you to back out,' she pointed out.
He kissed her warmly. 'Not a chance,' he said. 'I'll see you later.' Setting down his mug, he headed for the door. 'Hang on a minute,' Mara said, stepping away from the viewport and her tantalizingly brief vision of the future. As Luke had said, this was the present. The future would take care of itself. 'I'll come with you.'
®, ™ and Copyright © 1999 by Lucasfilm Ltd.
ISBN: 0-553-10035-1
