Vision of the future

'About time,' Mara said, wincing as she eased herself down into the most comfortable position possible on the cold rock. 'I was starting to think you were hoping to make it all the way to the High Tower by tonight.'

'I wish we could,' Luke said, brushing some stones out of a saddle of rock across from her and sitting down. He didn't look nearly as tired or sore as she felt, she noticed with some resentment. She could only hope he was merely hiding it better than she was. 'I have a feeling that we're running on a tight deadline with this.'

'You're always running tight deadlines,' Mara said, closing her eyes. 'Has it ever occurred to you that every once in a while you could let someone else do all the work?' She felt the texture of his emotions change, and wondered whether his expression would be hurt, angry, or indignant when she opened her eyes.

To her mild surprise, it was none of them. It was, rather, merely a look of calm interest. 'You think I try to do too much?'

'Yes,' she said, eyeing him closely. 'Why? You disagree?' He shrugged. 'A year or two ago I would have,' he said. 'Now... I don't know.'

'Ah,' Mara said. First his statement back at the Cavrilhu Pirates' asteroid base that he was trying to cut back on his use of the Force, and now at least a tentative admission that he might be trying to do too much. This was progress indeed. 'Of course, if you don't do everything, who will?' From his perch on a rock, Child Of Winds said something, and Luke smiled. 'No, Child Of Winds,' he said. 'Not even a Jedi Master can do everything. In fact'—he threw an odd look at Mara—'sometimes it seems that it's not the job of a Jedi Master to do anything.' Builder With Vines made a comment of his own. 'Yes,' Luke said.

'What did he say?' Mara asked.

'He quoted me what appears to be a Qom Jha proverb,' Luke said. 'About how many vines woven together are stronger than the same number of vines used separately. I think there must be a variation of that one on practically every planet in the New Republic.' Mara threw a sour look at the Qom Jha. 'You know, I used to be able to hear Palpatine's thoughts from anywhere in the Empire. I mean anywhere—Core Worlds, Mid-Rim, even a jaunt I took once to the edge of the Outer Rim.'

'And yet you can't hear the Qom Jha or Qom Qae from across the room,' Luke said. 'Must be annoying.'

' 'Annoying' isn't exactly the word I was hunting for,' Mara said acidly. 'How come you can hear them and I can't? If it's not some professional Jedi secret.'

His emotions remained unruffled. 'Actually, that's exactly what it is,' he said. 'Not a secret, really, but the fact that you're not a Jedi.'

'What, because I haven't been through your academy?' Mara scoffed.

'Not at all,' Luke said. 'There are ways to become a Jedi without going through an academy.' He hesitated, just noticeably. 'But as long as we're on the subject, why didn't you come back?' She studied his face, wondering if this was a subject she really wanted to get into right now. 'I had better things to do,' she said instead.

'I see,' Luke said; and this time she did sense a twitch in his emotions. 'Such as flying all over the New Republic with Lando, for instance?'

'Well, well,' Mara said, arching her eyebrows slightly. 'Do I detect a note of jealousy?' Once again, he surprised her. The flicker of emotion, rather than flaming to life like an ember in a breeze, faded instead into a sort of gentle sadness. 'Not jealousy,' he said quietly. 'Disappointment. I'd always hoped you would come back and complete your training.'

'You didn't hope hard enough,' Mara said, forcing down a flicker of old bitterness of her own. 'I thought that after all we'd been through together on Myrkr and Wayland I deserved at least a little special consideration from you. But every time I showed up, you said hello and then basically ignored me. Kyp Durron or one of those other kids— they're the ones who got all your attention.' Luke winced. 'You're right,' he conceded. 'I thought... I suppose I was thinking that you didn't need as much attention as they did. Kyp was younger, more inexperienced...' He trailed off.

'And see what it got you,' Mara couldn't resist pointing out. 'He nearly wrecked the whole academy, not to mention you and the New Republic and everything else that got in his way.'

'It wasn't all his fault,' Luke said. 'The Sith Lord Exar Kun was driving him toward the dark side.'

'Do tell,' Mara said, aware that she was drifting straight back into territory she had already decided to avoid for the moment. 'And whose idea was it to set up the academy at Yavin in the first place? And who decided to leave it there after that mess with Exar Kun was finally sorted out?'

'I did,' Luke said, his eyes steady on her face. 'What are you getting at?' Mara grimaced. This was not the time or the place to get into this. 'All I'm saying is that you're not infallible,' she said, once again deflecting the matter. 'That by itself ought to be enough reason for you not to try to do it all yourself.'

'Hey, I'm not arguing,' Luke protested with a faint smile. 'I'm a reformed person—really. I let you handle your own