Out of the Shadows 38

Coruscant

Mara navigated the sleek black airspeeder which Karrde had provided for her use through the teeming lanes of traffic with ease, but her mind wasn’t totally on what she was doing. Her mind was occupied with the one man in the entire galaxy who had the power to knock her completely off balance and whose apartment she was now heading towards.

“Warning…restricted area,” a voice suddenly announced from her com. “Be prepared to transmit authorisation codes.”

Mara swore under her breath as she fumbled for the slip of plasti Karrde had given her. She should have known. “Where are you?” she muttered irritably and suddenly, her fingers closed over the elusive card and slid it into the appropriate slot. The New Republic Security Service had already put Luke’s apartment under surveillance. He wasn’t going to be happy with that but it was to be expected.

“Code accepted,” the metallic voice stated. “Proceed to destination.”

“Thank you,” Mara said tightly, not sounding in the least grateful. She stared ahead at her target destination, the tall elegantly shaped tower, the upper levels containing attached landing pads and verdant gardens. Skywalker’s apartment took up all of the topmost two storeys. Karrde had to be charging him an absolute fortune for its use but the Jedi had appeared not to quibble at the price. Saving the galaxy must be profitable but Luke had existed with very little on Dagobah and she hadn’t seen him altering his way of living - apart from the expensive apartment.

Things were changing between her and Luke very quickly. At first they’d been enemies, then teacher and pupil, travelling companions and now friends…of a sort. The latest development had been the most unsettling of all. She hadn’t even expected to like the man and even less to find herself wanting to kiss him. Palpatine would have killed her on the spot if he’d discovered her in a tryst with an enemy and she squashed her conditioned feelings of disloyalty. The more she learned about Palpatine’s dealings, the more betrayed she felt. She realised now that she hadn’t known her Master at all.

Feeling unusually nervous, Mara carried the boa-wood box she’d found on Myrkr carefully along the walkway toward Luke’s apartment. She kept her step measured although her feet seemed to continually want to quicken the pace. It took considerable concentration to maintain a purposeful yet unhurried gait and the effort required grew as she drew nearer. She could not believe how much she had missed his company during the extended trading run which had taken her from Coruscant to Myrkr and back again to Coruscant. She had never met anyone in her entire life that had become so necessary to her state of mind. Why did it have to be him?

She had caught herself, several times, pushing too hard at each refuelling stop and trading opportunity just in an effort to finish so she could move on more quickly. What was wrong with her? She had always been able to focus on the necessities of the moment but Qui-Gon’s statement that he could not see her in a future that did not contain Skywalker had set off little alarm bells in her mind. She did realise that Qui-Gon could be fabricating the whole thing as a means to push her into Jedi training but the statement had a ring of truth in it. She was beginning to realise that one of the benefits or curses, depending on your point of view, to having the Force returned to her in full was her ability to instinctively know when the truth was being told.

It was possible that Qui-Gon could simply not be viewing the potential futures where she existed without the handsome Jedi but the fact that he saw none at all was a great concern. It certainly sounded like there were lots of possible futures where she and Luke were together. Did she want the sort of future that contained the Jedi Knight?

And of course last night he had kissed her properly for the first time. Her cheeks grew warm at the thought. The gentle salute he’d given her en-route to Coruscant from Dagobah didn’t count. She wasn’t a starry-eyed romantic and never had been but one touch of the Jedi’s lips on hers had had her quivering. He’d kissed her like a lover would and she’d let him do it without complaint. What was worse, in her opinion, was that she’d enjoyed it. Feeling guilty, Mara had retreated into herself during their morning practise, finding it difficult and somewhat embarrassing to face him, and she’d sensed his hurt through hastily erected barriers. But she didn’t know any other way to behave. He had got further past her defences than anyone else she’d ever met.

Not that she really minded seeing more of Luke. She had to admit to herself that their brief time training together was the most stimulating and enjoyable time she ever remembered having with anyone. She missed his infectious smile and quirky sense of humour and it was only her own stubborn pride that kept her from laughing out loud in his presence more often than not. Mara did not normally laugh. He could drive her temper to boiling point in a nanosecond but could turn it back into something completely different just as quickly. She pushed the memory of his kisses away again.

But what she found truly amazing was his steady faith in her abilities. He believed that she could be more than she was and nothing she said or did had swayed him from that opinion. Mara had been surprised when she realized that she was completely relaxed in his presence, comfortable in her own skin because she knew that he accepted her for exactly what she was at that moment in time. She had never felt that way around anyone else – even Karrde.

A future containing Skywalker sounded…good. A romantic future containing Skywalker might even be better but was she willing to take the risk? Mara shook her head derisively. It had felt good to kiss him but she had to be in need of a psyche evaluation to be even considering such a future.

His door was in view now, and she automatically reached out to feel his presence. It was there within and the fleeting contact somehow soothed her nerves. Skywalker would make everything alright. He made even the most insane ideas sound possible. She stopped in front of the elegantly panelled entrance and hesitated. Would she feel the same confusion and uncertainty after she saw him again or was all this just the product of an overactive imagination coupled with Qui-Gon’s warning?

She’d let him kiss her after Qui-Gon’s warning. This uncertainty was just foolish. She wasn’t some naïve girl barely out of the schoolroom. She wasn’t particularly experienced either – Palpatine did not encourage romantic liaisons - but Luke Skywalker made her feel. There had been too many times in the past when she’d been emotionally numb. During those periods in her life when she had felt emotions, she'd been coldly angry. The Emperor would not have welcomed a servant governed by her emotions. In his eyes she would have been unfit for the job he’d entrusted her to do.

She recalled the moment during their return journey to Coruscant when Luke had been readying himself for bed, his fingers on the fastenings of his black pants, a hint of grey undershorts below. On that occasion, her hands had ached to trace their way across his firm toned chest. Those same hands had also wanted to smack him senseless on a number of occasions when he was being at his most annoying.

The door slid open before she’d even activated the chime and she lifted her chin preparing herself to meet Skywalker’s shrewd blue gaze. But the doorway was empty, framing the spacious entrance hall. So this was the way he wanted to play it. She knew she’d been distant during their practise earlier on – hell, she’d been shocked at the passion contained in their kisses - and this, perhaps, was his chance at retaliation.

“Childish, Jedi,” she sent to him, knowing that he would get the message. It was her old manner of defence - attack.

“I’m not the one scared of a little kiss,” he sent back.

Mara straightened her spine. She would show him scared and she would also show him a real kiss. He was toying with her, daring her and that rankled. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to be seen as anxious over what they had shared the previous evening. Mara could give as good as was given out to her. With a snort of irritation, she squared her shoulders and marched into his apartment only pausing when the click of the door indicated that it had closed behind her. She headed towards the living area because that was where he was. An opaque glass door slid open as she approached and somehow the silent efficiency only increased her ire. He was toying with her and she hated feeling preyed upon.

She lifted her chin and walked into the room. Luke sat behind a desk overloaded with books and data pads, his attention solely focused on the sheets of flimsi, an old fashioned writing implement gripped between the fingers of his right hand. The setting sun shone its last rays of light through the large picture window outlining his figure.

“Well?” Mara said testily.

Luke lifted his head from the data disc he was studying and gazed at the fulminating redhead standing in front of him. “Well, what?” he asked calmly.

“Did good manners die out with the previous Jedi Order?” she snapped, her eyes taking in the sight of him dressed in an open-necked blue shirt. He seemed to be parsecs away from the aloof Jedi Knight and closer to a sexily rumpled overburdened academic. Whatever he was, it was doing dangerous things to her heart.

“Mara,” he murmured, lifting a hand and running it through his hair, flattening it into some sort of order. “This is an unexpected visit.”

“No, it isn’t,” she retorted, wanting to smooth down an errant lock that persisted in sticking up despite his attempts to tame it. It made her more ill at ease. She shouldn’t want to touch him so badly. “You knew I had a box to deliver to you.”

“I did,” he admitted. “But I didn’t expect you to be so prompt with your delivery after our training session this morning. I was obviously in error.”

Mara glared at him. He must have been getting lessons in diplomatic language from his sister. Tatooine farm boys didn’t speak in such a formal manner.

He waved a hand at the general clutter on and surrounding the desk. “As you can see, I could have waited for the box a little longer. Won’t you sit down?” he murmured politely. “I’ll just finish this.” He stored several sheets of flimsi into a folder and pulled a disc from a data reader on his desk, placing it into a rack filled with what looked to be hundreds more discs. “Artoo,” he called softly, and a rotund shape detached itself from an alcove and trundled to the young Jedi Knight’s side. “You know what I want you to do?”

The droid beeped an assent. Of course he knew what to do. He trained his photoreceptor in Mara’s direction and tooted happily in greeting.

Luke chuckled. “Yes, I know it’s your favourite lady. I’m inclined to agree with your opinion. She could be one of my favourite ladies, too.” His blue eyes filled with amusement as Mara continued to stand in front of his desk clutching the boa-wood box like an errant schoolgirl caught with something in her possession that she shouldn’t have touched. “Now be careful. There are some rough types down there.”

Artoo let out a stream of scornful notes. His master was one to talk. He rotated his head once more, deployed his third leg and headed towards the droid chute, disappearing with what could only be described as an astromech scream of excitement.

“He likes that contraption.” Luke grinned and then changed his expression to one of concerned graciousness. “Can I get you a drink, Mara?”

Mara narrowed her green eyes and placed the box on the sofa behind her but still didn’t sit down. She had the feeling that he was finding the whole scenario amusing and she did not like being laughed at. Could be one of his favourite ladies indeed. “A drink would be most pleasant,” she said, her politeness barely scratching the edge of civility.

He pushed back his form chair and stood up and, as he came out from behind the desk, Mara noted that the blue of the shirt matched the blue of his eyes and that beneath his black pants his feet were bare. It lent this encounter a strange sort of intimacy and nervously, she looked away.

Luke observed her darting gaze and cast his eyes around the room. It was barely but stylishly furnished since he’d retrieved a few brightly coloured cushions and couple of lamps from storage that gave the room a warm feeling. It wasn’t home. He wasn’t sure where ‘home’ was but this place would do till he found what he wanted. He hadn’t had a real home since he’d left Tatooine and the warmth and love of his Aunt Beru. Instead, he, Han and Leia had run from one end of the galaxy to another hiding out wherever they could. Life had been lived in cramped ship’s quarters, ice-caves or forest tree-houses. Coruscant would never be where he belonged.

“It’s good to see you, Mara,” he said, a proper smile lighting his features. “Please…sit,” he said again, waving a hand at the sofa. “I’ll get us something to drink.”

“Don’t you want to look at the box?” she asked.

Their eyes met and held and Luke moved closer. “I’d rather look at you,” he admitted suddenly. “I’ve not been able to concentrate on anything worth a damn since last night.”

Mara looked at him helplessly for a moment longer. He could be so…innocently desirable in what he wanted and she forgot that she was angry with him for kissing her and also with herself for allowing him to do it and enjoying it. He spoke with the directness of a child but the fires of a fully adult male were banked behind his blue gaze. With a sound of desperation she launched herself into his arms. Luke only had time to register surprise as her arms surrounded him and her lips fastened over his. He wasn’t about to protest – not when everything he’d ever wanted was in his grasp. He was too busy.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Organa/Solo Apartment

Han checked his wrist chrono as he stood at the open door and watched Leia add something to a data pad. Would she ever get time to relax? “Leia!” he called softly. “Are you finished with those reports?”

“Almost,” she replied without lifting her head. “Just the last one.”

“You need to take a break, Sweetheart. You’ve been working on these most of the evening.” Han wandered into his fiancée’s office clutching two glasses of Corellian Whisky.

“There,” she said. “Finished.”

“About time,” he muttered.

“You know they’ll just give me another one tomorrow.”

“That’s tomorrow. For now, you’re done working.” He picked up the holo of Luke that sat on her desk and said thoughtfully, “I haven’t heard from ‘the Kid’ for a couple of days.”

“He’s been completing the cataloguing in Palpatine’s secret room so that it can be cleared and the rest of the time he’s been in various meetings, as far as I know,” Leia murmured, accepting the proffered drink gratefully. “We can now turn that room over to the central transport system and it can become the turbo lift shaft it was supposed to be in the first place. I’ll probably see Luke tomorrow.”

“He’s been in meetings?” Han said pursing his lips. “So that’s what they call it these days. Meetings, eh! Still, I didn’t know he had it in him.”

Leia carefully placed her drink on her desk. “Call what these days? Han, you’re speaking in riddles.”

“According to the security detail assigned to Jedi Skywalker…” Han broke off and frowned. “He’s not going to be happy that you’re having him followed.”

“He’ll never know,” Leia dismissed.

“Oh, but I think he will,” Han disagreed. “Jedi, remember?”

“He’s not got the full security backup. There’s an agent in the area close to his apartment which has been added to the grid and another when he’s in a potentially vulnerable area.”

“He won’t be happy,” Han predicted.

“It’s standard procedure,” Leia said shortly. “I’m followed.”

“Don’t remind me. Karl and Chevin,” Han said with a sneer.

“Luke won’t be at all surprised when he does find out.” Leia frowned at her fiancé. Han hated the extra security and tried to evade it on a daily basis even though it was for his own protection. He even got a kick out of doing it. But she couldn’t quite work out what he had against Karl and Chevin. Han couldn’t be with her all the time. Her mind ran over what Han had just said. “He’s not been on planet long enough to get into trouble – has he?” She closed her eyes and exhaled. “He’s Luke. Of course, he’s had time to get into trouble. Just tell me, please. What’s Luke up to?”

Han smirked. “He was spotted escorting a certain attractive, but notably hostile, redhead to her apartment last night.”

Leia sat up straight. “He was with a woman! Last night?”

“Yup,” Han drawled.

There was only one redheaded woman that her brother knew as far as she was aware. “Mara Jade’s back on Coruscant. That redhead?”

Han nodded. “Yup, that’s the only redhead that the Kid is familiar with, to my knowledge. She arrived on Coruscant late last night.”

Leia blinked. “Late last night,” she repeated. “And Luke met her at the spaceport?”

“Apparently so. He must have known that she was coming.”

“He knew she was coming? Luke met her…”

“I think the guys tailing him are familiar with what your brother looks like by now. Medium-sized, fair-haired male, dressed in black, wears a lightsaber…” Han shrugged. “They met again this morning at the gym so he obviously didn’t stay over.”

“Han! Luke’s not like that.”

“What’s wrong with being like that? He’s a red-blooded male even if he is a Jedi.” Han grimaced and sighed. “Yeah, yeah, you’re probably right. I can’t imagine him staying the night with Jade – I don’t think I want to. I always got the impression that she didn’t like him much.”

“She didn’t but Luke has probably changed her mind by now. He probably wanted a lightsaber sparring session. He has a room reserved for him to practice in.” Leia sipped at her whisky, pleased at finding a plausible reason for Luke to be meeting Mara Jade. But she remembered her brother’s return to Coruscant. He’d watched Mara Jade very carefully and Leia couldn’t forget that Mara had done the same to Luke. They’d appeared quite civil towards one another. “She’s very good with most types of weaponry – Imperial training saw to that. I did some work with her once at the gym and I suspect she could teach me quite a lot.”

Han tilted his head to one side and looked at Leia knowingly. “Why don’t you practice lightsaber sparring with Luke?” He could see her posture stiffen. “He would love it and it would be a good way to begin your Jedi training.”

“I don’t have a lightsaber,” Leia excused coldly.

“You could have one easily. There are all those spares that came out of the secret room. I’m sure Luke wouldn’t mind you using one of them. Their former owners are all long gone. I’m sure if you asked, he would even make you one. You are his favourite sister.”

“I’m his only sister. I don’t know how…”

“That’s the point, Leia,” Han argued, wondering why he thought that this was important. Leia didn’t need this Jedi stuff the way that Luke did but it was part of her heritage. “Let Luke teach you. I’m certain that he wants to.”

“I…” Leia opened and shut her mouth.

“Then he could practice with you and not some anti-social redhead who keeps issuing your poor defenceless brother death threats.” Han grinned. “She visited him tonight in his apartment, according to the last security detail, and could still be there. They’re spending an awful lot of time together for potential adversaries.”

“She did?” Now Leia was really curious. Mara and Luke had been together for a time on Dagobah and also on the return journey to Coruscant. They owed Mara quite a lot for getting Luke home. However, the princess had not noticed any obvious thawing in Mara’s attitude towards Luke apart from the fact that the pair of them had continually tried to watch one another. But then, her brother was still alive even after Mara had sworn to kill him and if anyone could change Mara Jade’s opinion of Luke Skywalker, it would be the man himself.

“So what’s he doing with the hostile redhead?” Han wondered aloud, pulling Leia from her seat and leading her into their comfortable lounge. “Give me your glass. It’s empty.”

Leia pursed her lips thoughtfully as she sat down. Han was right. This was atypical behaviour from her brother. Luke had met Mara Jade at the spaceport last night and then spent several hours with her since. She couldn’t believe that they’d become so close in such a short period of time - especially with such an inauspicious beginning to their relationship. “Jedi things,” she said suddenly. “It’s the only explanation.”

Han plonked himself next to his fiancée and passed her the refilled glass. “Jedi things,” he repeated, nodding. “Yeah, that makes sense. You did think that she might be Force sensitive.”

“I know that she is. Mara Jade is Force sensitive,” she said dismissively, wondering why she suddenly felt so relieved. “He wants to recruit and train Jedi. He wants me to train and if you had an ounce of Force ability, he’d want you as well. Of course he wants the same thing for Mara. She’ll just be harder to persuade, that’s all.” Her brother wasn’t about to go gallivanting around the galaxy with Mara Jade. He’d only just met her and Leia had just got him back. He wouldn’t desert his sister now. “He wants her to learn Jedi skills, so he’s teaching her. It’s no secret that Luke wants to restart the Jedi Order and she’s strong – very strong. In fact, she could be as powerful with the Force as he is. I can feel it.”

Han watched the expressions flitting across Leia’s beautiful face. He didn’t need the Force to know that she was unsettled by something. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s teaching Mara,” she said slowly as if the facts had finally sunk in. “They’re really doing lightsaber drills and not just larking about in a ship hangar. Luke wouldn’t do that now – not with his lightsaber. He’s really serious about teaching her.”

“And you’re jealous?”

“Yes.” Leia looked amazed and then horrified. “I shouldn’t be that way. She isn’t family or anyone special.” She glanced up at Han, her face ashamed. “I shouldn’t be jealous of her – I like her. She could even become a friend. Mara Jade deserves to learn as much as any other Force-strong individual in the galaxy.”

Han sighed and put his arm around her bringing her close. “You do realise that he probably started with her because you wouldn’t learn?”

Leia looked stricken. “Do you think so?”

Han took a gulp of amber liquid, swilling it around his taste buds. He’d never pandered to Leia’s moods and he wasn’t going to start doing it now. She needed the clear sightedness of truth and relied on him to give it. “Yes, I do. Although I bet he’s not enjoying the teaching. That particular redhead strikes me as the argumentative type and that glare of hers could singe a man to death at twenty paces.” He gave Leia a cheeky wink. “She’ll challenge every word he says and then threaten him each time he does something she doesn’t like.”

Leia laughed weakly. “I suppose. He’s instructing her in the Jedi arts and you think that she still wants to end his life? I don’t think that she wants to kill him any more. Even I can see that her feelings for Luke have changed.”

“If anyone could change her mind, Luke could,” Han admitted, a frown wrinkling his forehead. It was all too possible. The Kid, in typical Luke fashion, would want to equip the woman who declared that her ultimate goal was the young Jedi’s death, with more skills to add to her already impressive arsenal. It was a very Luke thing to do. “It’s not too late for you to change your mind, Leia. Luke would love to give you some instruction and I think it would be beneficial from a self-defence point of view.”

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

“You have to accept who you are sooner or later, Leia,” Han said softly. “You know it and Luke knows it. I’m surprised he hasn’t pressed you more on the subject.”

“Because I won’t let him,” Leia cried bitterly. “I refuse to talk about it…I can’t.”

“One day you will have to and that day is coming sooner than you want it to. I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “And I still can’t…”

“Then ask him about a lightsaber instead. I think he’ll understand what you are trying to say. He’s gone all wise on us.”

“He’s a Jedi,” Leia said softly. As she said those words, there came a new understanding of the man her brother had become. “He truly is a Jedi and if he wants to try and teach Mara Jade, then we must support him in that decision.”

“I wouldn’t like to be there,” Han said, grinning. “If he’s still with her, they’re probably arguing as we speak. Still, we have to support him in his lunacy.”

“The Inner Council are searching for a place where Luke can instruct the next generation of Force strong individuals.”

“On Coruscant?” Han looked doubtful.

Leia sighed deeply. “We started thinking about places on Coruscant but there’s nowhere secluded enough with the kind of terrain he would favour and he really doesn’t like it here, does he?”

“No. The new Jedi would never get a moment’s peace – Luke wouldn’t get any peace. There would be people out to control what they didn’t understand. He wants independence and for the Jedi to succeed, he needs to get it.”

“Yes,” Leia said dryly. “I think the Inner Council is beginning to get that message including even Borsk Fey’lya.”

“I heard about the argument with General Cracken, too. Good for Luke.” Han chuckled. “It’s about someone stood up to Airen…apart from me, that is.”

“We now have a possible location,” Leia said carefully. “It was decided upon today. Luke is to be consulted about it tomorrow.”

“Where?” Han sat up.

His fiancée shook her head and smiled. “I can’t say until we’ve spoken with Luke but I think he’ll be pleased with the offer.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Luke’s apartment

Luke wound his arms around Mara and deepened their kiss, their mouths parting sensuously. She felt so good in his arms and the taste of her lips on his was…heaven. There was no other word to describe it. She was difficult, moody, fiery, unpredictable, passionate and she felt like his. She’d unknowingly called out to him across the entire galaxy and he’d known they belonged together from the first moment they had met. However, knowing was one thing and accepting was another. The boa-wood box was forgotten. Any issues they may have had with one another fled out of the viewport as they learned the contours of one another’s bodies. Luke’s hand lifted and gently cupped one of Mara’s soft breasts. When there was no objection, his hand began to knead more firmly.

Mara broke away from Luke’s kiss to gasp as a streak of fire shot through her body. She’d never experienced this level of feeling before. She was ready for him with little more than a touch.

“Force, Skywalker…” she moaned.

Luke’s head dipped closer once more, and a sly smile touched his lips. “Do you want me to stop?” His hand moved again over her breast and her nipples peaked under her clothing, sending a dart of fire straight to her core.

“No…don’t stop.”

“Are you sure,” he drawled.

Mara could only groan as his hand slipped beneath her tunic and began to ease its way under the rest of her clothing. “Get on with it, Skywalker,” she gritted impatiently.

“It’s Luke,” he murmured, his lips finding the sweet pulse point at her neck.

“What!”

“Luke…My name is Luke. We went over this yesterday.”

Mara was incapable of moaning little more than an affirmative as his clever fingers continued to caress her. “I know that…Luke.”

With a groan, he kissed his way around the curve of her jaw and her head tipped back allowing him greater access to the soft flesh. For a moment her thoughts turned to Palpatine and wondered what he would make of this situation and then she dismissed her former master from her mind altogether. He was gone forever.

Luke’s questing fingers found their unerring way to the fastenings of her tunic, slipping it from her shoulders and letting it fall onto the floor. His fingers traced the shape of her collarbone and then slipped beneath the fabric of her under tunic so he could enjoy the sensation of her soft skin. If he was going to stop it would have to be now and Luke wasn't sure that he had the strength of will.

Breathing heavily, Luke stepped away from Mara and extended his hand towards her.

Mara stood uncertainly in the middle of the lounge, blinking at the sudden change in the situation, her heart thumping loudly inside her chest.

“Is it too soon?” Luke asked, his voice emerging painfully from a very dry throat as he gathered his courage. “Is this a step we’re ready to take? Are we being reckless or is this where we move forward together…away from our past lives?”

Mara swallowed with difficulty, her eyes glued to those of the man in front of her. He had a point and she could tell by looking at him how hard he was finding this. She glanced down at the Jedi’s groin and snapped her gaze straight back up to his face. Yes, he was finding it very hard indeed. “I thought that the word ‘reckless’ was part of your make up,” she said huskily, her voice low. She moved forward, closer to his still outstretched hand. She wanted to take it.

“This matters too much to me, Mara. You matter too much to me,” he admitted.

Mara inched towards him again. Could he sense that her blood was burning for him? He’d lit a fire inside her and only he could quench the desire. She noticed his hand trembling – his left hand – his real one.

“I feel your need,” he whispered. “It matches my own.”

“It does?” She felt as if she was in a sensual haze of his making.

“Use the Force, Mara,” he instructed. “For us there can be no other way. It will tell you what my feelings for you are. We need to be nourished by those of our own kind. We both need to stop hiding.”

“Hiding?”

“You’ve hidden from the Force – from who you’re supposed to be and I…” He hesitated for a moment before continuing in a much stronger voice, “I’ve hidden from leading the Jedi into the future. I can’t do it on my own. No one can. But anything is possible with you beside me.”

Mara closed her eyes and consciously sought the power she had within her and as it rose to meet Luke’s the sensation was wonderful. She opened her eyes and smiled at him, her desire visible on her face. “Reckless it is then,” she murmured. “Who would have thought it?”

“I hoped,” he said, a smile lighting up his face.

Mara lifted her own hand and firmly grasped Luke’s. The smiles vanished as Luke led Mara to his bed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jedi Temple site – Coruscant

The hour was growing late. It was almost too dark to see what was happening any more and yet the site of the former Jedi Temple was crowded with tourists of all shapes, sizes and species.

“We’ve been here for the vast part of two days,” Kelt said angrily. “And still no sign of Skywalker. I thought you said this would draw him out?”

Kam merely shrugged. “Patience, Kelt,” he murmured mildly. “I said it was a plan and might work. Nothing is foolproof. He may be unable to come here for some reason or another.” He angled the glow rod fixed over his working area and continued to sort the broken pieces of pottery in the box he’d been assigned.

“Patience!” the younger man exclaimed. “We’ve been more than patient.”

“Not patient enough,” Kam said with studied calm. “To become a Jedi Knight you are going to have to exhibit more fortitude than the amount you have shown me so far.”

“Kam,” a feminine voice said reproachfully. “Do you have to be so…”

The Jedi’s gaze turned to meet Tionne’s silvery eyes. “Do I have to be what?”

“So hard,” she said finally.

“That is the life of a Jedi, my dear,” he murmured. “It’s not an easy life and being patient is at its heart. I do not mean to be ‘hard’ as you say. My father, who trained me, was far stricter than I am with Kelt, and I was a child.”

“You are the trained Jedi amongst us,” she acknowledged, slipping her arm through Kelt’s and giving him an affectionate squeeze. “But…”

“And I’m not,” Kelt muttered sulkily.

“Well, yes,” Tionne said, her smooth forehead wrinkling in a frown. “You’re not.” She could sense the discord between Kam and Kelt yet again and sought to be the peacemaker. It had settled down of late, but there were times when the two intractable men still butted heads. “Neither Kelt nor I are Jedi yet,” she murmured. “We were not brought up dealing with that way of life and have to learn in a different way. Patience should be paired with tolerance.”

“He’ll never be a Jedi if he doesn’t stop acting like a child,” Kam chided.

“Do you have to be so patronising?” Kelt hissed.

“You’re an adult, not a boy.”

“Yet you speak to me as if I was a child,” Kelt protested. “You’re not perfect either, Master Solusar. What gives you the right to judge me so harshly?”

Kam opened and shut his mouth, his whole body rigid. “I’m sorry,” he said stiffly. “Do not call me ‘Master’. It is not an honour I earned.”

Tionne could have wept with frustration. Both of her men were too stubborn and all this waiting didn’t make proud tempers less volatile. “Kam…”

“We have to wait,” Kam said. “I can feel the power growing and connecting around me. I daren’t access it fully - not yet. It’s too dangerous. If it wants me to move onwards, the Force will eventually give me a sign.”

“I feel it too,” Tionne said, her eyes wide with wonder. “I sense life and learning. Being in this place has fulfilled many dreams for me.”

“I can feel sadness,” Kelt said abruptly. “Sadness, hatred, fear. It’s not all happiness, songs and bits of Jedi pottery, Tionne.” This wasn’t turning out the way he had hoped at all. He’d expected Skywalker to walk up to them the minute they’d set foot on the site. It hadn’t happened. Perhaps Kam was right and he was being childish but he wanted to move out of the limbo that he was in. He wanted to push away the hurt that wouldn’t dissipate and had become so much a part of him. He wanted to do all that and make his grandmother proud and live again for her.

Kam dispassionately examined a decorated triangle of earthenware. “Of course there is darkness here. The Jedi temple met a violent and tragic end. Many were killed including children younger than I was at the time. They were slaughtered in cold blood. The past leaves a terrible stain on its surroundings.”

Tionne shivered. “It’s so sad. So much was lost and will never be recovered.” The historian in her grieved for the loss of such a rich heritage that would never be fully recovered. Palpatine and Vader had seen to that. It was up to people like her and Skywalker to ensure that the remaining Jedi heritage survived.

“We’ve been on Coruscant for months,” Kelt complained.

“And we might not be here for much longer if I don’t get to work.”

Kam had arrived at the site the day before, had spotted Professor Malik working with some of the university staff and had asked if there was any work. Malik had been second-in-charge of the Kaellin III dig and should remember him. Kam had reckoned that it was worth a try. The rotund Professor had remembered Kam as a good and reliable worker and had engaged him immediately. There wasn’t much work to be had - just a week or so - but it was something concrete and gave the former Jedi a good reason to be there without drawing undue attention to himself.

“You must be finishing soon. It’s getting late,” Tionne said quietly.

“I just need to complete this batch of pottery and then…” He looked up, something drawing his attention. “…we can go.”

Doctor Folla Rule, the head archaeologist and the woman in charge of the entire operation, was walking towards them, accompanied by two bodyguards.

“Tionne, take Kelt and make yourselves scarce for the next twenty minutes. By then I should be finished.” He watched the archaeologist come closer and something tugged at his senses. She felt different than before. He felt his contained Force sense buzz weirdly inside his head. It reminded him of how he’d felt during the Clone Wars when he’d had to be near any of the cloned troopers. Strange, he’d almost forgotten the feeling. He risked reaching out towards her…just a light brush.

The archaeologist’s head lifted as if something had disturbed her.

“Tionne, could you go back to the ship?” Kam requested quietly, a furrow of worry appearing on his forehead. “Now.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Just do it.” He’d worked well with Doctor Rule on Kaellin III, although she hadn’t had very much to do with him in particular. He’d been an unskilled labourer for her to order around without really noticing. This was a good thing, as he hadn’t wanted to be noticed, just employed. However, she’d changed since they last met, he thought, as he bent his head studiously over the tray of broken earthenware. There was something different about her and he couldn’t explain what it was. It could be because he was seeing her on Coruscant rather than digging around in an abandoned temple on a third rate planet.

Before, he had been sure she didn’t have any real Force ability but now, he wasn’t convinced that she didn’t have. Perhaps he’d been too distracted the last time and he hadn’t read the signs correctly. If he was being honest, he hadn’t been looking for Force sentients – rather the opposite.

Tionne tugged at Kelt’s sleeve and shook her head at him when he opened his mouth to argue. “No, let’s go. You and Kam have argued enough for one evening.” Pulling Kelt with her, she moved quickly away from the work area and stopped behind what must have once been an enormous pillar. It was still taller than Tionne.

“Tionne,” Kelt whined, moving back towards Kam’s position.

“He told us to go. He should be working and we’re distracting him.”

“Oh, alright.” Kelt turned and retreated behind the pillar with Tionne.

“Tionne,” Kelt whined, moving back towards Kam’s position.

“He told us to go. He should be working and we’re distracting him.”

“Oh, alright.” Kelt turned retreated behind the pillar with Tionne.

“I would like to meet Doctor Rule as much as you,” she said excitedly. “She’s one of the galaxy’s foremost experts on the Jedi. The things she would be able to tell me.”

“I’m sure she could tell you…” The young man suddenly clutched at his head.

“Kelt! What is it?” Tionne saw the spasm of pain cross his face.

“I…I don’t know.” He closed his eyes. “She feels wrong. The people with her feel wrong. I don’t know why but they do.”

“Wrong?” Tionne peered around the pillar and saw the woman and her following group heading towards Kam’s workstation. Tionne knew she wasn’t as strong in the Force as Kelt or Kam. How could a woman feel ‘wrong’? She moved back behind the pillar, her face concerned as she glanced at Kelt. The younger man’s face was pale and he was gasping for air as if he’d been taking part in one of Kam’s training runs.

Kelt reached out and grabbed Tionne’s arm. “I have to get away from here.”

“Ow!” Tionne tried to prise Kelt’s fingers off her arm. “Kelt!” She shook herself free and peered around the pillar once more. Kam was speaking to the woman and as he lifted his head, their eyes caught and held. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to recognise the message his eyes were giving her.

“Go!” he mouthed. ‘Get out of here…now!’

xxxxx

“Kam!” Folla Rule, looking businesslike in a smart navy work-tunic and boots, her dark hair in its customary stylish chignon, swept up to his position. “It’s good to see you again.”

The Jedi gave the archaeologist a polite smile. “Likewise, Doctor Rule,” he said. “I was travelling in the area and heard of your need of temporary workers with possible experience. Permanent work doesn’t suit me and this type of transient employment is suitable for my needs. I also remembered your kind offer of work if I was ever close to one of your projects.”

“Then it is good that you were available to help us. Have you found anything interesting?”

Kam shook his head. “Unfortunately not. Basic domestic ware only,” he said and as he lifted his head and glanced past the archaeologist, he caught sight of Tionne’s silvery hair as she peeped around the pillar.

“Ah, yes. Even the Jedi had to eat.” She smiled but Kam could see that her attention had changed its focus and was no longer on him and his worthless pieces of pottery. Something elusive nagged at him but in this place which held so many memories of pain and regret, accessing his emotions and reaching out with the Force threatened to overwhelm him. It was difficult to focus on the small details, the quiet whisper of sound, when everything else around him was shouting so loud.

Did this woman have Jedi potential? She’d worked close to Palpatine for years and there had been no whispers of her being Force-gifted. His former master would surely have noticed if that was the case. She’d risen to prominence against all the odds – a woman in a male dominated society. Yet, there had been talk of her brilliance. He’d assumed that she was just too good at her job. If she was a Force sentient it would explain her interest in the Jedi culture.

Kam wasn’t ready for this – he had never been ready. His hand dug into the box of pottery and gripped a piece so hard that it broke into pieces. Hell, this was ridiculous. He could tell the good Doctor and her staff that there would be nothing for them to find here unless the Force willed it. He was not optimistic. Anything of value had been cleared out long ago and perhaps that was a good thing.

xxxxxx

Tionne had heard of Doctor Folla Rule long before she’d met Kam and Kelt. If you had any interest in Jedi history it was inevitable that you would have read about the daring exploits of this romantic figure as she worked to save valuable artefacts for the Empire. She watched from her hidden vantage point from behind the pillar as the archaeologist approached his workstation. Kam and Folla Rule were of an age and had similar interests – as do I, she thought. What would Doctor Rule give to know she had the genuine article standing before her – a real Jedi? But Kam had told no one of his Jedi heritage apart from Tionne and Kelt.

Kelt! She turned again to check on the younger man and her forehead creased with concern. Something was wrong with Kelt. He slumped against the pillar as if his legs were unable to support him. “I think Kam was right,” she said. “We should go back to the ship and wait for him there.”

To her consternation, Kelt only nodded, his face pale and his eyes fevered. “Yeah, let’s go,” he muttered hoarsely. “I don’t want to stay here now.”

Tionne peered around the pillar one last time and again caught Kam’s wary gaze. “Go,” he mouthed. He could feel waves of the Force radiating out towards him from Kelt’s position and it was obvious that Folla Rule had felt it too.

“Excuse me a moment, Kam.” She produced a data writer, and tapped in some information before handing it to one of her security detail.

The Clone’s eyes widened at the words written on the screen. ‘We have Force users close by.’ “Find these people,” she ordered crisply. “I would like to talk to them.” The archaeologist flicked a finger in the direction of Tionne and Kelt’s hiding place and the bodyguards made a move towards the pillar.

This was a development he had not expected and he didn’t think he liked it one bit. Why did Folla Rule want to find Kelt and Tionne? That was who she had meant.

He had to warn them. Kam wasn’t certain that this would work - neither Tionne nor Kelt were trained - but shouting would only draw attention to him as well and that was something he did not want to happen. He was close to Tionne; he could feel a connection to her. It might be enough.

‘Get out of here…Now!’ he sent as firmly as he could and was rewarded by the sight of a head of silver hair disappearing into a crowd of tourists heading towards the airbus stand as the vessel drew into place.

xxxxxxxxxx

Tionne heard Kam’s words inside her head and didn’t question how he’d managed it. She just trusted in the actions of the Jedi. She had to get Kelt out of there. He was pale and disoriented, his fingers clammy against hers as she pulled him into the middle of a group of tourists making their way onto the waiting airbus. She could sense the searching minds of others and burrowed deeper into the middle of the crowd.

‘Please open the doors’, she thought. ‘Please.’ And her wish was granted as the airbus doors finally slid aside.

“Move,” she ordered Kelt. “Hurry.” Pushing ahead through the crowd, she moved to the farthest end of the airbus pulling her stumbling companion with her and finally shoved him into a vacant seat.

“Tionne!”

“Ssh!” She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head.

“She feels wrong… How do I know that?” Kelt whispered. “The people with her made my head buzz. It was…strange. Who is she?”

“Haven’t you seen her before?” Tionne asked curiously. She, too, had felt slightly strange. Kelt was right; it was as if there was something interfering with her thinking processes.

“No, how could I have seen her before?” Kelt hissed back. “I don’t know who she is but she does seem familiar.”

“She’s Folla Rule.” Tionne couldn’t understand why anyone with an interest in the Jedi didn’t know who this woman was until she realised that Kelt’s grandmother had hidden all traces of her past because of the danger to her family. Interest in the Jedi would have been actively discouraged.

“The Jedi expert?” Kelt pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as if to stave off a headache. Tionne and Kam had mentioned her several times.

“Yes. That’s why she was speaking to Kam. He worked for her before.” She eyed the younger man with concern.

“How could I know her?” He shrugged. “I must have seen her on some holo programme but she felt familiar,” he said thoughtfully. “That’s completely different from seeing her on some old holo.”

Tionne glanced over her shoulders as something made her turn her head and there they were - the two guards that had accompanied the archaeologist moving through the transport. Were they searching for her and Kelt? She watched as one of the guards roughly grabbed the shoulder of a blond-haired female and moments later let the woman go. They were coming closer - what was she going to do? Kelt didn’t look as if he was going to be much help. He sat hunched in the seat beside her.

“Kelt!” Tionne placed her arms around his neck and quickly leaned forward, kissing him gently on the lips.

When she finally drew away, Kelt gave her a bemused little smile. “While that was very nice,” he murmured softly, “I know it’s not me that you’re interested in. What was it for?”

Tionne blushed. “Sorry,” she said, bringing her forehead to rest against Kelt’s and gradually manoeuvring them until she could see the aisle between the seats. Folla Rule’s guards were making their way off the transport at the other end. “They’ve gone,” she said.

“Ah! Now I do see.” Kelt managed a shaky grin. Normal colour had almost returned to his face but his hands were still shaking slightly. “I won’t tell Master Solusar that you kissed me. I hope Kam realises what he has.”

Tionne’s blush deepened. “They were looking for us,” she said quietly. “I’m not sure why and I couldn’t think what else to do.”

“You did well,” he said. “I wasn’t in any state to think clearly. But why do you think they were looking for us? We’re not important.”

“Someone killed your family, Kelt,” she reminded him. “And when you saw Folla Rule you reacted. I felt it. The Force – it was so strong. Just like the way Kam sometimes is.”

“Perhaps it was that particular place that brought the power out of us.”

“Amplified it?” Tionne nodded. “I could see how that would be a possibility but you’re strong in the Force – very strong.”

“If there are people looking for us for no reason at all, we need to see Skywalker immediately,” Kelt declared. “But how? We’ve been here for weeks already and we’ve had absolutely no luck.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Luke Skywalker lifted his head from his pillow as the wave of Force energy touched and shaped the lines of the Force. He’d judged it correctly, he thought. His little group of future Jedi Knights were awakening their power and it was time to bring them together. That was why he had sent Artoo to the spaceport to find the ship. The little droid would be less threatening than Luke Skywalker would be. His eyes drifted to the woman sleeping beside him, her red-gold hair spilling across her creamy shoulders over the white quilt. She hadn’t felt the disturbance but she was not yet attuned to every shifting pattern and shape in the Force.

One day she would be. Mara Jade would become a powerful Jedi Knight. But more important than that, he loved her and someday, he might even be able to tell her. Since the moment he’d pulled the dark shadow from her mind, he had known that they belonged together. However, knowing and accepting were two different things altogether.

Her eyelashes flickered and he found himself gazing into her clear green eyes. “Hello,” he whispered, a smile touching his mouth.

“Hello,” she whispered back.

“I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“You didn’t but I sensed that you were thinking a lot.”

“You sensed that?” he murmured stupidly.

Her lips curved. “No,” she admitted. “I just know you.”

“So you do,” he agreed. It was peaceful and cleansing lying together after the passionate coupling that had taken place earlier. This was deeper than a sexual encounter. Being together strengthened the bond that was already there. “I felt something in the Force earlier.”

“And I did not?”

“You were sleeping.” His voice deepened. “Very beautiful you were, too.”

“Luke!” Mara pulled the quilt firmly over her breasts. “What did you feel?”

“A burst of power,” he said thoughtfully.

“Solusar?” Mara asked, intrigued. “I wouldn’t have thought that he would be so careless.”

“No, this was raw…untutored.” Luke’s eyes glittered in the darkened room. “It wasn’t Solusar. I’ve sensed his presence.”

“The younger man,” Mara concluded.

“Yes, I think so. I’ve sent Artoo to them as an emissary.”

“Was that wise?”

“I would trust Artoo with my life and theirs. Besides, I plan to join him. It’s time we had a formal introduction.”

“What time is it?” Mara asked, moving closer to Luke, her lips inches from his.

“It’s still dark,” he said, never taking his gaze from hers. “I’m not going to join Artoo quite yet.”

"Then we've still got time."



"To do this?" Luke moved the necessary distance and covered her lips with his.
"Yes."

............to be continued.......