by Timothy Zahn
They left the room and headed through the strangely deserted mansion; and it was only as they were descending the final staircase toward the vestibule that Karrde’s earlier comment about having had professional assistance finally became clear. Lurking in the shadow of a carved support pillar where he could cover both the stairway and the door was a silhouette she remembered all too well.
“I called in a few favors from Councilor Organa Solo,” Karrde murmured in explanation from beside her. “It was a very profitable trade.”
“Yes,” Mara said, shivering involuntarily as they passed the Noghri warrior and headed down the stairway. “I’ll just bet it was.”
“Mara?”
Blowing a drop of sweat off the end of her nose, Mara keyed off the combat practice remote and shut down her lightsaber. “Come in,” she called.
“Thought I’d find you here,” Karrde said, glancing around the Wild Karrde’s exercise room as he walked in. “H’sishi said you’d been spending a lot of time alone in here. Making angry sounds, was how she put it.”
“I’ve been working out a few frustrations,” Mara conceded, snagging a towel and wiping the moisture off her face. “How’s she doing?”
“Mostly healed,” Karrde said, crossing to one of the resistance benches and sitting down. “It was her very first time in a bacta tank, as it happens. She’s rather impressed.”
“We need to do more for her than just get her back to health,” Mara said. “She really put her neck on the block when she brought my lightsaber into Praysh’s palace.”
“I agree,” Karrde said. “Though oddly enough, she doesn’t see it that way at all. She told me that once she found your lightsaber and realized you were a Jedi, she had no doubt at all that you could handle Praysh’s legions with ease.”
Mara grimaced. Jedi… “I trust you disabused her of that notion?”
“Not really. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a Jedi in everything but name.”
It wasn’t that simple, Mara knew. Not nearly that simple. But it also wasn’t a subject she wanted to get into right now. “Were you able to dig anything out of her as to what sort of reward she might like?” she asked instead. “I couldn’t make any headway at all on that subject on our way off Torpris.”
“According to her, all she’s ever wanted was to get out of that demeaning scavenger life she’d been forced into,” Karrde said. “It doesn’t sound like she has much in the way of marketable skills, though, so I was thinking of offering her a course of study in starship operations at our training center on Quyste.”
“I think she’d like that,” Mara nodded. “She seemed fascinated with everything about the Winning Gamble during the flight.”
“Good,” Karrde said. “If she proves competent enough after her training, I thought I’d also see if she’d be interested in joining the organization.” He smiled. “Though whether that would qualify as a reward or a punishment is probably debatable in some circles.”
The smile faded. “Actually, I was wondering if you were finding yourself in one of those particular circles at the moment.”
Mara felt her lip twist. “You do find convoluted ways to bring up these subjects, don’t you?”
“It adds variety to conversation,” he said. “Particularly when the other party to the discussion seems inclined to avoid the issue.”
Mara sighed. “I don’t know, Karrde. I’ve been feeling—I don’t know. Squeezed, I suppose. The responsibilities have been weighing more and more on me lately, and this thing with Bardrin seems to have brought it all to a head. I don’t like the fact that he picked on us in the first place because we were smugglers and couldn’t go to the authorities over the kidnapping of the Wild Karrde’s crew. And I really don’t like the fact he was able to manipulate me so easily by threatening them that way.”
She waved the lightsaber. “I feel like I need to get out somewhere. Anywhere. At least for awhile.”
“I understand,” Karrde said quietly. “It is a crushing responsibility sometimes.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Fortunately, like all good employers, I’ve come up with a possible solution. How would you like to go into business for yourself?”
Mara frowned. “Are you throwing me out?”
“Oh, no,” Karrde assured her. “Certainly not unless you yourself want to leave. I was talking about setting you up with a small trading company of your own for awhile. A totally legitimate one, of course, which should help keep opportunists like Ja Bardrin off your back. You’d get a chance to relax away from the perennial intrigues and back-blading of the fringe, get some experience with small-business management, and possibly even gain a little more respect among the high-noses on Coruscant.”
“That last one’s pretty low on my list,” Mara said, glowering down at her lightsaber. “What do you get out of it?”
Karrde waved a hand casually. “Oh, just the satisfaction of helping out a loyal and trusted colleague. And, of course, getting back a more experienced and relaxed lieutenant when you return to the organization.”
“And if I decide not to come back?”
A muscle in Karrde’s cheek twitched. “I would hate to lose you, Mara,” he said quietly. “But I would also never try to hold onto you if you truly didn’t want to stay. That’s not how I do things.”
Mara fingered her lightsaber. Freedom. Real, genuine freedom… “I suppose I could try it for awhile,” she said at last. “Where would we pull the startup money and resources from?”
“From Sansia Bardrin, of course,” Karrde said. “She still owes me, after all. And now that she has an effective veto over the family’s business decisions, her father can hardly do anything to block it.”
Mara shook her head in disbelief. “I really would have expected her to do a lot more to him than just appropriate some of his stock,” she said. “Certainly given the way she was looking at him when we left.”
“They’re business people,” Karrde pointed out. “That’s what warfare looks like in those circles. And of course, you already have a ship. The Winning Gamble.”
Mara blinked. “I thought that was the organization’s.”
“Sansia gave it to you, not the organization,” Karrde reminded her. “And you’re certainly not going to make a case that you didn’t earn it.”
“No,” Mara murmured, an odd feeling trickling through her. She’d never owned her own ship before. Never. Even when she was the Emperor’s Hand, all the ships and equipment she used were Imperial issue and property. Her own ship…
“Anyway, start thinking about what exactly you’ll want and we can work out the details later,” Karrde said, standing up. “I’ll let you get back to your exercises now.” He headed for the door—
“Karrde?” Dankin’s voice came over the exercise room intercom. “You there?”
“Yes,” Karrde called toward the speaker. “What is it?”
“We’ve got an incoming transmission from Luke Skywalker,” Dankin said. “He reports the New Republic raid on Praysh’s fortress is over and all the slaves have been rescued unharmed. He wants to thank you for sending him the defense array data, and to discuss your fee for it.”
“Thank you,” Karrde said. “Congratulate him, and tell him I’ll be right there.”
The intercom clicked off. “You sent Luke the data?” Mara asked. It didn’t seem like the sort of thing a Jedi Master would get personally involved In.
“I thought he’d be able to move on it faster than if I tried going through the New Republic command structure,” Karrde said. “Apparently, I was right.”
“It must be terrible to be right so often,” Mara murmured.
“It is a heavy burden,” Karrde agreed with a smile. “One just has to learn to live with it. I’ll see you later.”
He left. Wiping her face again, Mara tossed the towel aside and ignited her lightsaber. A new job—even if it was only temporary—and her own ship. Her very own ship.
Though of course she would have to change its name. Winning Gamble sounded more li
ke something Solo or Calrissian would use. No, she needed something more personal, something that would hearken back to what she’d gone through to earn it. The Jade’s Whip, perhaps, or the Jade’s Sting.
No. She smiled. The Jade’s Fire.
Keying on the practice remote, feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks, she settled into combat stance and lifted her lightsaber. Yes, this was going to be interesting. Very interesting, indeed.
Roleplaying Game Sourcefile
Mara Jade
Type: Merc
DEXTERITY 3D+2
Blaster 9D+1, blaster: hold-out blaster 10D+1, brawling parry 7D+2, dodge 8D+2, lightsaber 4D+2, melee weapons 6D+2, pick pocket 8D+2, running 6D+2, thrown weapons 6D+2
KNOWLEDGE 2D+2
Alien species 8D+2, bureaucracy 7D+2, business 8D, intimidation 7D+2, languages 8D+2, planetary systems 6D, streetwise 7D+1, survival 9D+1, value 8D, willpower 7D
MECHANICAL 2D+2
Astrogation 8D+2, beast riding 5D+2, communications 6D+2, ground vehicle operation 6D+2, repulsorlift operations 5D+2, sensors 5D+2, space transports 9D+2, starfighter piloting 9D+2, starship gunnery 9D+2, starship shields 8D, swoop operation 7D+2
PERCEPTION 2D+1
Bargain 8D, command 7D+1, con 6D+1, forgery 4D+2, gambling 4D+1, hide 8D+2, investigation 5D, persuasion 5D+1, search 7D+1, sneak 8D+1
STRENGTH 3D+2
Brawling 6D+2, climbing/jumping 7D+2, lifting 5D+2, stamina 8D+2, swimming 6D+2
TECHNICAL 3D
Blaster repair 6D, computer programming/repair 7D, demolitions 5D+2, droid programming 3D+2, droid repair 3D+2, first aid 5D, ground vehicle repair 6D, repulsorlift repair 6D+1, starship weapons repair 5D+1
Special Abilities:
Force skills: Control 2D+2, sense 3D, alter 2D+1
Force powers (these are only powers Mara has demonstrated to this point):
Control: Absorb/dissipate energy, accelerate healing, control pain, emptiness, enhance attribute, hibernation trance, remain conscious, resist stun
Sense: Danger sense, life detection, life sense, magnify senses, receptive telepathy, sense Force
Alter: lnjure/kill, telekinesis
Control and Sense: Projective telepathy
Control and Alter: Inflict pain
Control, Sense, and Alter: Telekinetic kill
This character is Force sensitive.
Force Points: 4
Dark Side Point: 3
Character Points: 30
Move: 10
Equipment: Hold-out blaster (3D), comlink, lightsaber (5D)
Capsule: Mara Jade has served aboard the crew of the Wild Karrde for several years now. She was previously in the service of the Empire, an assassin and highiy-skilled operative by name of the Emperor’s Hand. During the resurgence of Imperial forces under Grand Admiral Thrawn, she ultimately met with her master’s nemesis, Luke Skywalker. After some initial hostilities the two eventually became acquaintances, and Mara has begun some training as a Jedi. She now wields Skywalker’s original lightsaber—his father’s—and serves as Talon Karrde’s able lieutenant.
Mara Jade is a striking human female with red-gold hair and high cheekbones. She is exceptionally athletic and is a formidable adversary in combat—or, for that matter, in any situation. She has been an invaluable asset to both Karrde’s crew and to the New Republic during key struggles over the years. Lately, however, the pressures of leadership and other stresses she can’t quite put a name to have weighed on her considerably.
Mara Jade Sourcefile
To read about Mara Jade and Talon Karrde’s first meeting, check out “First Contact” in The Best of the Star Wars Adventure Journal or in Bantam Spectra’s Tales from the Empire anthology.
For more information about Mara Jade during Grand Admiral Thrawn’s campaign, read Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command, and refer to the Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook. The Jedi Academy Trilogy Sourcebook details Mara and her involvement in the Smuggler’s Alliance during the struggle against Admiral Daala’s forces. Cracken’s Threat Dossier provides information about Mara during the time of the Corellian Trilogy (Ambush at Corellia, Assault at Selonia, and Showdown at Centerpoint).
To see more of Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, H’slshl and the crew of the Wild Karrde in action, check out Specter of the Past, the first volume of Hand of Thrawn. Look for the second book, Vision of the Future, to be published by Bantam Spectra in late 1998.
Ja Bardrin
Type: Industrialist
DEXTERITY 2D+1
Blaster 4D+1, dodge 3D+1
KNOWLEDGE 3D+2
Alien species 4D+2, bureaucracy 4D+2, bureaucracy: Bardin Group 8D+2, business 7D, business: Bardrin Group 9D+2, cultures 4D, intimidation 5D+2, languages 4D+2, planetary systems 4D+1, streetwise 5D+2, value 4D+2, value: ship systems 7D+2, value: weapons 8D+2, willpower 5D+2
MECHANICAL 2D+1
Astrogation 3D+1, capital ship gunnery 4D, communications 4D+1, repulsorlift operation 3D+1, sensors 4D+1, space transports 3D+1, starship gunnery 4D+1
PERCEPTION 3D+2
Bargain 7D+2, command 6D+2, command: Bardrin Group 8D+2, con 7D, gambling 5D, persuasion 5D+2
STRENGTH 2D+2
Brawling 3D+2
TECHNICAL 3D+1
Capital ship weapon repair 4D+1, computer programming/repair 5D, security 3D+2, starship weapon repair 4D+1
Force Points: 1
Dark Side Points: 2
Character Points: 12
Move: 9
Equipment: Comlink, datapad, remote access unit
Capsule: Ja Bardrin is a prominent businessman; one of the few who managed to not only weather the Galactic Civil War and the collapse of the Empire, but actually profit from it. His company, the Bardrin Group, has a deep-seated rivalry with Uoti Corporate: the two are constantly at odds over weapon and ship systems markets. Bardrin lost a bid to be the exclusive distributor for Fabritech in the Aparo and Wyl sectors over three years ago, and is still fighting the decision.
Stubborn, egotistical, and devoted to self and the bottom line above all else, Ja is a large, middle-aged human male with a powerful voice and a commanding presence.
Sansia Bardrin
Type: Corporate Ancillary
DEXTERITY 2D+1
Blaster 3D+1, dodge 4D+1
KNOWLEDGE 3D+2
Alien species 4D, bureaucracy 4D+1, business 4D+2, business: Bardrin Group 6D
MECHANICAL 3D+1
Space transports 5D, starship gunnery 4D+1
PERCEPTION 3D
Bargain 4D, command 4D, con 4D+2
STRENGTH 2D+2
Stamina 3D+2
TECHNICAL 3D
Computer programming/repair 4D, security 4D
Force Points: 1
Character Points: 9
Move: 10
Equipment: Blaster (4D), comlink, datapad.
Capsule: Sansia Bardrin is a young human female in her early twenties, and Ja Bardrin’s only child: as such, she displays many of the bitter qualities of being a billionaire’s sole daughter. She is not exceptionally enthralled with the business climate her father revels in—and has little interest in the Bardrin-Uoti rivalry—but she certainly has Bardrin blood in her, as she can be quite tenacious.
Sansia is a capable pilot and has an eye for detail; these traits have prompted her father to on occasion use her for assignments relevant to his business. Her last venture to the ports of Makksre is one she’ll likely not forget—nor forgive—for quite some time.
Chay Praysh
Type: Drach’nam Lord
DEXTERITY 2D+2
Blaster 5D+2, dodge 4D+2, brawling parry 5D+2, grenade 4D
KNOWLEDGE 3D+1
Alien species 5D+1, bureaucracy 4D+1, business 5D+1, cultures 3D+2, intimidation 5D, languages 4D, planetary systems 4D+1, survival 5D+1, streetwise 7D, survival 4D+1, survival: cavernous 7D+1, value 5D+1, value slaves 7D+1
MECHANICAL 2D
Astrogation 3D, beast riding 3D, je
t pack operation 4D, space transports 4Dj starship gunnery 4D, starship shields 3D, swoop operation 5D
PERCEPTION 4D
Bargain 5D, command 6D, command: Drach’nam slavers 7D+1, con 4D+2, gambling 5D, hide 5D, persuasion 5D, search 5D, sneak 4D+2
STRENGTH 4D
Brawling 7D, lilting 6D, stamina 6D
TECHNICAL 2D
Computer programming/repair 4D+1, security 3D
Special Abilities:
Vision: The Drach’nam’s vision includes the ability to see in the infrared spectrum. They can see in darkness with no penalty, provided there are heat sources.
Force Points: 1
Dark Side Points: 4
Character Points: 12
Move: 10
Equipment: Blaster (4D), jeweled scepter (STR+2)
Capsule: Chay Praysh is a ruthless criminal whose rise to prominence in the years after the Battle of Endor has been substantial. A Drach’nam male who relishes in his self-styled image of royalty, Praysh despises mostly all beings who are not his own kind. His slaves are almost exclusively human, and only the rare non-Drach’nam is given any semblance of responsibility in his organization (the Bith physician in his employ is one of those few). His obvious contempt for female humans has never been explained, but there is no doubt among those under his command that he is a true, pink-blooded Drach’nam—he’s smart, vicious, and powerful
Drach’nam Guard. All stats are 2D except: Dexterity 3D, blaster 3D+2, melee combat 4D, melee combat: neuronic whip 4D+2, Strength 4D+1, brawling 6D+1, lifting 6D, stamina 5D+1. Move: 12. Neuronic whip (STR+1D or 5D stun), combat knife (STR+1D+2, hilt STR+2), blaster (4D).
Drach’nam
Attribute Dice: 12D
DEXTERITY 1D/3D+2
KNOWLEDGE 1D/2D+2
MECHANICAL 1D/3D
PERCEPTION 1D/3D
STRENGTH 2D+2/5D+1
TECHNICAL 1D/2D+1
Special Abilities:
Vision: The Drach’nam’s vision includes the ability to see in the infrared spectrum. They can see in darkness with no penalty, provided there are heat sources.
