Gone

Chapter 15

Leia Organa Solo nodded to the bored security guards as she entered their apartment to find it quiet. She had half expected to find some hardened reminants of Han's sabaac party still going on but silence echoed through the apartment. Putting her coat away, she looked at the lounge wondering what she would find there. It looked tidy in comparison to the usual after effects of Han's events.

Curious, she spotted Mara stretched out on a couch with a blanket covering her. No-one else was in evidence and it looked too tidy. Maybe her brother had tidied up after them. Han usually would be in no fit state to do so. It must have been Luke. Pulling off her shoes, Leia padded across to Mara as she scanned the room. There was no sign of Han or Luke.

The former trader looked comfortable where she was. A discarded data reader and card lay nearby, Leia moved them on to a table. A loud snore sounded from upstairs. Leia smiled as she recognised the noise coming from her husband. He only made that sort of noise after he had a few drinks. Luke had obviously got him to bed but left Mara where she was.

'Now, where was Luke?' Leia wondered.

Leia padded up the stairs softly, she pushed the spare bedroom door which was lying ajar enough to peek round to check on her brother. The bed was empty and didn't look like it had been slept on. Concerned, Leia entered the room properly, turning on the light. She quickly checked the fresher but no sign of any other succumbed party goers. Leia cast round with her Force senses to see if she could locate Luke. A sudden feeling of dread swept through her as she realised that she couldn't sense Luke. He was gone... again.

Quickly, Leia moved in to her own bedroom and shook awake Han. "Han!" she hissed. The hazel eyes clearing rapidly with her next words. "Luke's missing. Where's has he gone? Get dressed. I'm going to wake, Mara."

Leia headed back to the lounge and cautiously approached Mara. Waking up a former assasin had to be done rather carefully and preferably from a safe distance.

"Mara!" Leia called out to the woman as well as the same time, trying to reach her through the Force.

Mara woke up slightly disorientated but quickly assessing her situation. Leia? She was on a couch in the Solo's apartment. Rapidly, Mara remembered the sabaac night and relaxing here on the couch where she had obviously fallen asleep. Looking at the blanket covering her, she realised Luke must have brought it for her. She had vague memory of him covering her up and light touch of his hand on her face.

"Where is Luke?" Leia asked watching Mara coming quickly to after her rude awakening.

Mara sat up alarmed, pushing the blanket aside as she called upon the Force, sweeping for Luke far more effectively than Leia. "He's not here." She made eye contact with Leia.then swore, as she came up with a blankness where Luke should have been across their bond."Kreth! He's blocking me."

"I just came in. The security guards were bored so unless he got passed them without them seeing him." Leia told her.

"The balcony!" Mara stood up, starting to move towards it. She then felt the empty space on her belt. The reassuring weight of her lightsabre was no longer present."My lightsabre!"

Leia looked at Mara. This was not good news. What was her brother up to now?

A few minutes later, a rather dishevelled Han Solo emerged into the lounge to find both Leia and Mara out on the balcony. He couldn't understand what had happened. 'How had Luke gone? This was not part of Luke's plan or, at least, what he had discussed with Han earlier on in the day. He had a bad feeling about this.'

"What's happening?" Joining them on the balcony, the fresh cool air, waking him up. It had been an enjoyable evening and his last recollection was of Luke helping him to bed. The kid had seemed remarkably alert and steady on his feet was one who had drunk the amount he seen Luke imbibe.

Han went back indoors and took in the state of the room. "The kid must have tidied the place up a bit before he left so he can't have gone long." Han looked at the chrono. Lando was the last to leave about two hours ago if Han had figured it right.

"What's this?" Han picked up the datapad and card that Leia had moved off the couch.

"I presumed it was Mara's." Leia looked at the former trader. "Thought you'd been doing some work before you fell asleep."

Mara shook her head. "No, that's not mine."

Han placed the datacard into the reader, quickly scanning it's contents. "Seems to be stuff on Jedi. Wonder where Luke got this."

Leia remembered, "My father. Bail mentioned that he had some stuff for Luke. He must have given it to Luke tonight."

"Maybe, there is something on it that has caused Luke to go off." Han said hopefully before passing the machine to Mara. "Maybe he'll be back by the morning."

"We have to let NRI know that he's gone, Han." Leia glanced at Mara.

"He's still blocking me." Mara asserted not lifting her eyes from the datapad as she rapidly scanned

it's contents. "However, I know he is nearby."

"Let's give him till the morning." Han said, thinking that Luke maybe had decided to bring forward what they had been discussing earlier. "NRI won't know any different. We can say that we found him gone when we wake if he's not returned."

"Did either of you spot anything different about Luke tonight?" Leia asked.

Mara shook her head. "He enjoyed himself. He was a lot more relaxed than he's been of late."

Leia heard Mara yet her eyes were drawn to her husband. He knew something.

"Spill it, Han." Leia sized up her husband, her arms crossing in front of her as she drew her conclusions that Han definately knew something.

Mara looked between the pair. Leia's comment drawing her attention from the datapad.

"Luke was fine tonight, Leia." Han started. His body language was suddenly defensive.

"But...?" There was an underlying tone to Leia's voice.

"Aw, Leia." Han drawled out. The former smuggler couldn't betray Luke's confidence even though Han hadn't a clue exactly what the kid was up to. Yet he had to say something to appease his wife. "Luke had asked me for help with a matter this afternoon but this disappearing act wasn't anything to do with it."

Leia pursed her lips thoughtfully, she moved over to the comm centre. She would get more out of him later. "Iella was here tonight with Wedge?"

Han nodded knowing that Leia would not let things rest there and very much aware that Mara was appraising him very carefully as well.

"Anything else I need to know Han before I go after him?" Mara trusted the Corellian to tell her if anything he knew would have implications. Han just shook his head at her. "Leia, can I borrow your lightsabre?"

Leia put through a secure call through to the Antilles residence. It took awhile for the comm to be answered. When it finally was, it was one of their daughters.

"Syal, could you get your mum for me, sweetheart?" Leia asked the sleepy girl."You may have to wake her for me, darling. Could you do that?"

Leia sat back after seeing the nodded response and waited for Iella to appear on the link. The few minutes seemed to take forever.

"Leia?" Iella's worried face finally settled into view. "What can I do for you this hour?"

"Iella, we need your help. Luke's gone missing. We don't know yet why or how or he's planning to return."

Iella took the information in quickly. Her mind working out the implications of the news.

Leia continued. "Your boss is not going to be happy about this and I know you are aware of the situation with Luke. Before I speak to Rieekan, I wanted your take on tonight. Did you notice anything unusual tonight with Luke?"

Wedge's wife paused as she ran through the events of the night quickly. "Nope, nothing. It was fun."

Iella turned away from the comm for a second. Leia could hear Wedge's voice in the background butting in. "Me, neither. He seemed in rare good form. More like the Luke of old."

"Leia, didn't Luke give Rieekan his word that he would stay put in your apartment?" Wedge's wife asked seriously.

Leia nodded. That concerned her too. Luke did not go and break his word lightly.

"We need to tell Rieekan, now." Iella stated. "Did the security guards not report anything?"

"When I came in, everything was normal except - no Luke." Leia answered. "I haven't alerted them to the fact yet. Mara is going to track Luke."

"Leia, wait. There was something else. Bail - your father gave Luke a couple of datacards."

"A couple? You sure?" Leia asked. "We found one here."

"Positive." Iella nodded. She hoped that her face didn't betray her sudden suspicions. "I'll put a call through to Rieekan. Contact your father and ask him to come over to your apartment. I'll be over shortly."

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Carlist Rieekan stared at the insistent 'comm. The noise bleeting through the quiet of his home. Instinctively, he knew it would not be good news. It never was at this time of night. Rubbing a hand over his face, trying to summon up the energy to deal with whatever crisis was about to be thrust upon him before he hammered on the accept icon.

"Rieekan."

Rieekan straightened up instantly very alert as he recognised the speaker's voice.

"It's happened."

"Has it held?" The NRI Director waited with baited breath for the reply.

"Yes."

Rieekan let out his breath, "Good. I will continue with what we discussed. Do you need anything?"

"No." The dismissal plainly evident in the speaker's tone before the comm line clicked dead.

The former Rebellion General sat back. There was not a lot he could do right now. It would be only a matter of time before all hell broke loose. He wondered if there was any point going back to bed. His mind all of a sudden mulling over the plans within plans. He hoped that it would work out. He dared not even think about the outfall, if things went wrong.

End of Post

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Sorry for the short post I had originally intended it to be a lot longer but to be honest been really busy with DRL so not had much writing time. Then when I have a chance to write, I kept getting blocked for what I originally planned to do with this second half of this chapter so rather than delay any more, I've posted the first half and will try a different tact for the other bit. Please keep reading and reviewing as it certain helps me to write more quickly!