High Heavens (Star Wars - Luke Skywalker)

IV - One Lie After Another

Luke lead them all downstairs, to a garage Mara noticed was equipped for droid care (they had similar stations on Base One). Sitting down on a small bench, Mara watched quietly as Luke hooked C3PO up to a machine meant to lower him into an oil bath. She was only distantly interested, tough, her mind somewhere else entirely. Luke seemed to notice this when he spotted her absentmindedly inspecting a toy T-15 Skyhopper, a small frown on her lips.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

Mara looked up at him, blinking, before sighing and setting the model down on the counter behind her where she had found it. "I'm fine. Just thinking, that's all."

"About your job as a commander?" he questioned eagerly, scooting a little closer to her.

Mara chuckles, nodding at him. "Yes, partly. And I'm a captain, not a commander."

"Have you been in many battles?" Luke continued, with the excitement and curiosity of a little boy.

Mara nodded, crossing her legs. "Sure, plenty of them. As you heard C3PO say-" she shot the droid a glare. "I fly starfighters with a squadron." She tried to keep it vague, knowing that if she gave away too much Luke would be able to connect the dots and find out she was with the Rebellion. Still, she added, "But I love flying. There's nothing like that feeling in the hole galaxy."

Luke smiled at her, but it quickly faded. "I wish I could go." He stood, going to tinker with the oil bath, continuing, "It just isn't fair. Oh, Biggs is right. I'm never gonna get out of here!"

Mara frowned at him, feeling a tad bit sympathetic (although his whining was a little annoying). It must be hard, working on this moisture farm his whole life, never going to other planets. Mara had never known what that's like. She didn't stay in one place for too long, and being a pilot in the Rebellion, she was always somewhere new. It also meant that she never quite felt at home in a place. Usually it was with a person.

"Is there anything I might do to help?" C3PO offered.

"No," Luke replied, starting clean up R2-D2. "Not unless you can alter time, speed up the harvest, or teleport me off this rock."

"I don't think so, sir. I'm only a droid, and not very knowledgeable about such things. Not on this planet, anyway. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure which planet I'm on."

"Well, if there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."

Mara couldn't help but laugh at the comment, showing that she agreed.  Luke looked over at her with a grin, obviously pleased with hearing her laugh, before going back to cleaning R2.

"I see, sir," C3PO replied, although he didn't seem very certain at all.

"You can call me Luke."

"I see, Sir Luke," the droid corrected.

Luke laughed. "No, just Luke."

"Oh... and I am C3PO, human cyborg relations. And this is my counterpart, R2-D2."

Luke gave R2 a little wave and a "Hello," before continuing to scratch out grime from the astromech droid's crevices with a curved, hook tool. "You got a lot of carbon scoring here. Looks like you boys have seen a lot of action."

"With all we've been through, sometimes I'm amazed we're in as good condition as we are - what with the Rebellion and all."

"Threepio!" Mara shouted at him in disbelief, unable to keep quiet.

Luke jumped up, looking to and from the droids and Mara in excitement. "You know of the Rebellion against the Empire?"

"That's how we came to be in your service, if you take my meaning, sir. Captain Nevaeh, here, as well."