Stuck in the Middle With You

Title Stuck in the Middle With You
Rating PG-13

Mara glanced around the cantina once more. It was clear, she'd made sure of that before setting foot inside, but it never hurt to stay vigilant. It was her job after all. She tilted her head in an action that was designed to look automatic - as if she'd been doing it all her life - and spoke into the com unit hidden in one of the mismatched buttons decorating her well-worn nerf hide jacket. "All clear."

The barkeep glanced up at the sound and she lifted her glass, signalling for another drink to convince him that what he had heard had been her attracting his attention. As he shuffled towards her with the bottle of rancor piss he had the temerity to call Whyren's Reserve she heard a double click in her ear. Aves had received the message and concurred. She'd expected a little resentment from the man, after all he'd been with Karrde far longer than she and he was damned good at his job - he was the natural choice for second in command. So when Karrde had indicated that she was his preferred choice, Mara had prepared herself for open hostility. She'd been more than a little surprised when none came, Aves seemed content to follow her lead for the moment and she in no way got the sense that he was waiting for her to fall.

Even so, he didn't completely trust her, nor she him, but she allowed herself a tight smile as she realized Karrde had chosen his people well. Aves would follow her lead so long as she stayed loyal to Karrde.

And therein lay the problem. She would never betray Karrde but could she stay with the organization if he chose to side with the New Republic? She was Imperial - always had been - and right now it seemed that the Empire had its best hope of re-gaining power under the command of Grand Admiral Thrawn. She should be happy about that, she should be doing her damndest to convince Karrde to side with Thrawn and if that failed then she should leave them behind and go home.

Was it home though? Would she be welcomed? Would she be wanted? She had met Thrawn on a few occasions but as far as she was aware he didn't know the full extent of what she had done in the name of the Emperor. Of who she really was. She doubted there would be a place for her in Thrawn's new Empire, and she was a little disturbed to realize she wasn't distressed by that notion. The Empire was gone, it had died at the hands of Skywalker and Vader when they had cut down the defenceless Emperor. Whatever rose in its place would be a pale parody of what had once been.

So did that mean she should defect completely? Join the self-proclaimed ‘New Republic' and turn her back on everything she had once fought for? She had hoped never to face this decision, it was one she had been running from since that fateful day when she was left behind in Imperial City watching Palpatine, the only father she'd ever known, board the shuttle which would take him to Endor; to his death.

Karrde's organization had seemed to be the perfect solution - no political allegiances either way, just the desire to get by, to make a profit. It was typical of her to take up with a damned idealist.

Should she cut her losses and go it alone? Should she make the case for Imperial alignment? Did it really matter?

A click in her ear dragged her attention back to the here and now. Karrde's meeting was wrapping up, nothing untoward had happened. Didn't look like they'd come to any kind of agreement, looked like they were sticking to the status quo. For now anyway.