Anger. Pain. Disgust. Despair. Loneliness.

The feelings threatened to overwhelm him and send him spiraling into a never ending darkness.

Meditation.

The man sat calmly, bestowing no visable expression, in the cargo hold of the ‘White Blade’; a ship presented to him by the New Republic for years of service to the citizens of the New Republic and the government itself.

The ship was on an intercept course which would take the man to the one place where he could feel nothing , the Force, the thoughts of others, no one; Myrkyr.

Though his face betrayed no expression, the raging anger and loneliness were there, hidden in the midst of the duty that drove him, the need to right so many wrongs not even of his own doing.

The man was trying to make the galaxy a safer place all on his own, shouldering the blame when things went wrong, the solitude when he was hurt, the loneliness that came with such a duty.

The Chief of State, for all her responsibilities and decisions that affected the New Republic and it’s citizens, did not feel the overwhelming duty that drove him.

Duty.

He had risked life and limb countless times for Senators, governors, enemies; Mara Jade, friends, lovers , even strangers all in the name of that one word.

It drove him like nothing else. Now it was all he had left.

Love.

Fleeting moments in his life he allowed himself this emotion only to have it thrown back in his face time and again.

Maybe he was immature, inexperienced with personal relationships but that never explained his failure to hold on to a love, to give her what his friends had.

He had spent years on the outside looking in; at his family, his friends, who, one by one, had found others to share in the lives, to give them children, companionship, happiness.

Happiness.

Had he ever truly felt it. Yes. Happy when they won the war. Happy when countless battles freed innocent people from certain death. Happy for his sister when she gave birth to his niece and nephews.

Happy as each Jedi student completed their training , became a new Jedi Knight to serve and protect the New Republic and it’s allies.

He had always been happy for others. Never truly happy himself.

Children.

His heart fluttered at the thought. Time and time again this crossed his mind. As he grew older, the possibilities became near to none that he would ever have children of his own. No ‘time’ in the beginning. No ‘one’ later on. No ‘love’ , only loneliness , even later.

The few he had allowed this fantasy to creep into his mind with had either been taken from him , had left him for reasons unknown or because of their own sense of duty.

He had finally given up on the thought, the hope, that he would ever have children to carry on his name, the legacy that he had worked so hard to rebuild.

He thought about what he would be leaving behind when he left his corporeal body and became one with the Force.

He had made a difference hadn’t he? He had fulfilled his destiny, at the price of his own happiness, and struggled , on his own, to rebuild the Jedi Knights. Now that was done, the Academy running smoothly not needing him to teach full time any longer, what was he to do with his life?

If he couldn’t devote all his time and energy into the Jedi Knights, what and who would he devote his life and energy to ?

His family? He couldn’t intrude upon them and their life all the time. They loved him with all their hearts , but he didn’t need to burden them with his loneliness .

Duty? Could he devote all his time to rescuing the innocent from those who would rule by brute force and subjugate all those under them to a dictatorship? There was no true happiness in this work.

Loneliness and despair engulfed him, spilled over him like the blue-green waves of the Coruscant ocean, crushed his fragile state of mind like a seashell thrown against a rocky beach.

He snapped out of his meditation trance, tears forming in tightly closed eyelids, and lay back against the cold wall of the cargo hold.

‘What is worth living for,’ he thought, just as the comm flashed red indicating the ship was arriving at it’s predestined location.

Luke sighed and stood, walking calmly, unemotionally, to the cockpit and prepared the ship to land.

Somewhere within the Force, an image appeared behind him, pain etched over the wizened features.

"You will have what you want and deserve," the man said, "of that I assure you." The man chuckled to himself, "It just may not be what and with whom you think."

Light years away, another was sensing the feelings the Jedi Master was projecting across the vastness of space.

Despair. Loneliness. Loss.

These feelings and emotions flooded her psyche as she slept, peacefully, until moments ago, aboard her ship.

Her face contorted her beautiful features as she struggled to rid herself of the feelings washing over her.

Her long, wavy hair spilled into her face as she tossed, her thin hands reaching out before her at an unseen force.

Her eyes snapped open and she bolted upright in bed, breathing deeply to cool the raging hatred that threatened to consume her.

"Damn him," she cursed, struggling to keep the thick mass out of her eyes and mouth, "How dare he do this to me! This time I ‘am’ going to kill him."

She stalked to the cockpit in her nightware, her eyes flashing angrily at the cityscape below.

She flipped the comm open and snapped into it, "Coruscant control this is the Jade’s Fire. Request immediate clearance from platform 213."

"Fire," a voice crackled, "you are not scheduled…."

"I know that," Jade snapped, "I need clearance now." Her tone dripped venom, "Are you going to clear my ship or do I have to find someone who can?"

The aroma of the lush green forest welcomed him as he gazed out beyond the landing platform and into the tree line below. The feelings and sensations of the living beings vanished from his mind, leaving behind a welcome yet unwelcome emptiness.

Securing the hatch for a prolonged stay, he grasped his small bag and made his way toward the solitude of the trees.

He loved the green forests. Growing up on the dead, deserted by all who had any common sense, planet of Tatooine, he had not seen a real live tree until he had landed on Yavin for the battle against the first Death Star.

Trees gave life, sustained it, created new life. They were alive, swaying in the strong breeze, as he made his way beneath their large trunks and branches.

He walked for hours, his undershirt soaked in sweat, as he pushed himself harder and deeper into the forest.

He knew he was tempting fate, risking his life, for the solitude this planet would provide. Maybe that was what excited him. Without the ability of the Force, to sense the predatory creatures of this planet as they hungrily searched for food, this forest could prove to be deadly.

He was a Jedi Master for sith sake. He had been taught to survive without the Force. He would be able to handle whatever came his way. Besides, he wasn’t planning to go to deep into the forest, just far enough to get out of the eyeshot and earshot range of the bustling landing platform and outlying city.

He needed some time alone. Time to think about his life. He needed some peace and quiet to figure out what direction his life was taking versus what direction he wanted it to take.

Exhaustion finally overtook him and he collapsed in an unceremonious heap on the ground, breathing heavily.

Opening his pack, he took out a bottle of cool water and drank deeply, droplets of water escaping his lips and sliding down his boiling skin.

Sighing, he leaned against a large tree root and stretched his aching muscles willing them to become a little looser. He took a deep breath, reveling in the crisp, clean air the flooded his lungs.

There was something to be said about the lushness of Republic member worlds. For all it’s majestic beauty, spiraling structures, intricate cityscapes, Coruscant could not compete with the natural beauty of many worlds.

After resting for a few minutes, he resumed walking. The sun was beginning to set, causing the trees to cast a shadow on the man as he walked a little more slowly through the thickening brush.

When he could no longer push aside the think undergrowth, he ignited his lightsaber and cut his way through , nearly toppling over the edge of a steep incline as the branches and weeds gave way.

He looked at the ominous and beautiful sight before him.

Water rushed over the largest waterfall he had seen in his life, the white breaking water sloshing over the rocks below.

He made his way down and around to a calm pool of water, ripples caused from the raging water above, the only source for the otherwise still water.

He removed his boots and placing his feet in the cool water, leaned back and let his mind wander.

Memories. Could Have’s. Might have been’s.

Loneliness crept into his heart again as he thought about spending the rest of his life alone, without companionship, without love.

He cursed decisions he had made in the past, decisions that had allowed what he so craved now to slip through his fingers.

Anger crept into his mind, thinking about all of the lost opportunities, as a dark, venomous creature crept up behind him.

Luke turned just in time to see a large, clawed paw slash at his face.

He rolled out of the way and stumbled to his feet as the creature reared up, letting out a deep howl of anger and fright.

Luke stared at the hungry creature, backing slowly towards the rippling water, his lightsaber in his hand but not ignited.

The creature pounced again, this time catching the edge of Luke’s shirt with it’s claws, tearing it, taking skin with the material, as Luke ignited his lightsaber and took off that claw and the hand attached to it.

The creature howled in pain as Luke gripped his side, a thin line of blood staining what was left of his shirt.

The creature glared at him and charged, Luke leapt out of the way, slashing at the creatures leg with his lightsaber until the creature lost it’s balance, as well as it’s leg, and tumbled down the rocky outcropping into the water below.

Luke sighed with relief and extinguished his lightsaber just as another creature, the others mate, leapt toward Luke, claws bared for blood.

Luke managed to dodge the flailing claws but at the expense of his firm footing on the ground. The dirt gave way under his weight and he struggled to remain upright.

Deciding that falling into the rapidly flowing water a few feet below was preferable to being mauled to death by an enraged vornskr, Luke relaxed his tense body and allowed himself to fall into the water below.

The creature was determined to not let its meal get away and made a last lunge at the Jedi Master. As Luke turned to look at the water he was falling into, the vornskr swiped its claw at Luke’s body, catching his right arm and tearing flesh as Luke cried out in pain.

His concentration broken as he grasped at his arm, Luke couldn’t place his fall as safely as he would have liked and he hit shallow water, the rocks below bruising his already weakened body.

He struck his head on one of the rocks and fought to stay conscious as he floated down , between the moss covered rocks of the river, to where he hoped would be safety.

He struggled to get to the edge of the raging water, his hands gripping at the slick rocks, and was finally able to pull himself partially out of the water. Just enough to keep from floating down the river.

He gasped in pain at his bleeding arm, side and head, the last thing he saw before darkness claimed him was the setting of the sun behind the large white waterfall.

"Damn, him, Damn him, Damn him," she hissed, " how dare he."

"Gah," she flipped the controls and the hatch lowered to admit the fiery woman onto the landing platform below.

"What does he think he’s doing," she sneered the cool breeze ruffled her long red hair as worry and dread gnawed at her heart, "what does he want to do, get himself killed? He can’t use his precious Force on this damn planet and he wandered into the forest on his own."

Mara shook her head and frowned, "stupid farmboy. He never uses his head when it comes to his own safety."

She checked her arm blaster and then the one firmly attached to her thigh, making certain they were both in working order. She clipped Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber to her belt as well. She wasn’t going to be surprised by any creatures that would get any closer than eyeshot from her without eating a laser bolt.

She rented a skipray and directed it towards the forest, hoping she was following the correct direction.

"Damn that man," she hissed, " why am I always chasing after him, risking my butt…."

A few miles into the dark, dense forest, she stopped the silent engines on her craft and sighed. She wasn’t going to get anywhere in the dark except killed.

The craft lowered to the ground and she sat down, her eyes darting to and from every branch, bush and shrub that moved.

She pulled the blaster out of her thigh holster and leaned back, her mind lost in thought.

Memories.

This planet held a multitude of them. Good, bad, anger, hate, death. This was the planet she had met the man that she was chasing now.

This planet, this place where she had come so close to carrying out her final order as the Emperor’s Hand……

"You will kill Luke Skywaker."

She heard the command repeat over and over in her head like the pounding of the little annoying Ewok drums.

The command held no meaning for her now and , after all these years, the memories she shared with her prey, the fights, the arguments, the, in her opinion, strange sense of duty of the young man she had been programmed to kill, she was grateful to the Force, some unknown deity, herself, whoever or whatever it was that prevented her from killing him.

He’d been too dumb to kill all those years ago, too stupid to know how to defend himself against her killer instincts. She could have killed him easily.

What had prevented her? The Force? Her conscience?

She huffed. She had killed hundreds in the Emperor’s name and her conscience had prevented her from killing the one man the Emperor had truly feared? She doubted it.

Something in the Force. Sure, right. She used only the Dark Side of the Force and only when necessary. There was no way the Force would stop her from killing someone so deeply rooted in the Light.

So then why? Why? That one word nagged and nagged at her. Daily, well almost daily, whenever she thought of Luke.

"Perhaps only the door to your heart, which remains hidden behind that tough exterior, is your answer," a soft voice answered her unvoiced question.

She snapped to attention, leveling her blaster in the direction the voice had come from, and glared.

A form materialized before her and she relaxed slightly, chuckling to herself.

"I’ do not speak with ghosts."

‘Then argue with one," the man smiled a tired smile, "that seems to be your favorite pastime with my son."

Mara jerked as if she had been slapped. She glared at the former Emperor’s Executioner and frowned.

"Get away from me."

"I need your help."

Mara’s eyes widened. "You’ , oh great one with the Force, need little old ‘me’ to help you? With what?"

"My…."

"And how are you appearing here," she interrupted, "the Force cannot be used on this planet."

"On’ this world no," Anakin smiled, his form fading slightly, he was loosing energy and he needed to convince this strong headed woman quickly. It took more energy than he should be using to appear in front of Jade, "but the Force does not only exist ‘on’ this world, but ‘in’ everything on this world. The energy creates all the living matter here and binds them together. This energy on the world is the Force and it allows me to appear to you. In a corporeal form, the Force is barred by the living creatures within. Outside of the corporeal , the Force is all energy, all powerful and is able to bind me to this plane for a short time."

"Then appear to your son and tell him to get his butt out of this damn forest before he gets himself killed."

Anakin looked away and her curiosity was piqued by his obvious distress..

"What is it?" she asked, her eyes staring into blue ones so like Luke’s.

"He needs you. Find him and you will find the answer to the question that has been nagging your soul for almost fifteen years." His form began to fade but before he disappeared from view, she noticed the pleading look in his eyes.

"Please find my son."

‘I will," she whispered, blinking at the site of another unknown form pulling Anakin from her sight.

Anakin turned to the two men that stood beside him, their forms glowing in the realm of unknown space they now resided.

"We are forbidden to interfere."

"Let their destinies cross where it was foreseen."

Anakin shook his head, a faint smile widening his lips. "Obi-Wan, you have been taking lessons in seriousness again."

Obi-Wan smiled at his student and regarded another pair of bright blue eyes with the kindness of years of knowledge and friendship. "Always the student. Forever learning from the Master."

The three men laughed and turned their eyes to the heavens to watch the outcome of the events set into motion by destiny began long ago.

He was floating. He felt free. Free of the nagging heartache, loneliness and despair digging deeper into his heart with each passing day.

As the sun beat down on him, warming him into consciousness, he stirred, blinking away the bright light, the pounding in his head, and the ache in his bones.

The pain in his limbs threatened to engulf him as he pushed, grunted and pulled his way out of the water. After this short ordeal, he was exhausted.

He knew that he would need to rest if he was going to make it back to the city alive. In his present condition, with his injuries, it might take him more then a day to get back, which meant he would need to spend another night in the forest.

In a fleeting moment of weakness, he thought about just giving himself up and dying at the hands of the hungry predators that roamed the darkness.

That thought was replaced by a great concern for his family who would be devastated if he were to die so suddenly.

He grimaced as he pulled off his shirt, dipped it in the water, and wrapped it around his swollen, claw scraped arm.

As he bent to wash his face and head, a wave of nausea overwhelmed him and he collapsed on the riverbank for another few hours of unconsciousness.

Part 2

And that was how she found him, lying on his side, unconscious, deathly pale and covered in blood.

She hopped off the skipray, nearly tripping on the rocks , as she made her way to the unconscious Jedi Master, grasping his head carefully in one hand and his wrist in the other.

He was warm and she felt a slight pulse beating through his injured body.

She rummaged through her medical pack, you didn’t go into this jungle without one, and found some bandages and some bacta patches.

She gave him a quick once over and frowned.

"The great all powerful Jedi Master does not look so great today." She sneered, sarcasm dripping from her mouth like a snake’s venom.

She unwrapped the torn shirt from his arm, cleaned the wound as best she could, and covered it in a bacta pack.

By this time he was moving, the muscles in his abdomen and arms quivering with strength as he struggled to gain consciousness…and keep it this time.

As he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a pair of obviously worried and angry green eyes.

She leapt over him and he heard a blaster discharge. Before he could roll around to see what she was aiming at, he heard the death cry of the very dead vornskr.

He sat up and stared at the wild, seemingly untamed woman in awe. She was still as beautiful and dangerous as she had been the day he met her.

She exuded a strength and sureness that even he himself didn’t have, would have or ever did have.

He stood cautiously, grimacing slightly and walked over to where she stood triumphantly over the dead creature.

She heard him approach and snapped around to face him, her eyes transfixed to the piece of crumpled metal that used to be the skipray.

"Damn!" she screamed, "Damn these creatures," she stalked up to the wreckage and kicked at the torn metal, "and damn you for getting me into this," her green eyes flashed emerald fire at the man standing before her in practically all his glory.

She hadn’t noticed before, so concerned had she been for his well being, that the clothes he had on barely covered his lean, well-muscled body.

His shirt was off, torn by the vornskr who had attacked him and then wrapped around the injured arm. His right pants leg was ripped and torn by Luke who had used part of it to stop the bleeding of his chest. The other pants leg was torn by a flailing claw as he dodged yet another vornskr attack. And he was still alive. Maybe the Force was really with him.

She looked away quickly at the heat rising up her cheeks from thinking of him as …as a man, she realized for the first time that she had never really thought of him as a man, but as some all powerful being.

He noticed her agitation but misinterpreted it, like usual, as her extreme irritation at him for getting her into this mess.

Getting her into…?! What was she doing here?!

He reached out and touched her arm sending a bolt of electricity through them both. That simple touch was all that was needed and she turned around sharply, raised her fist to hit him and stopped.

His calm blue eyes locked with her bright green ones , searching, searching for a reason why she would come all this way to him…..

‘Well," she snapped, "that damn creature destroyed our way back so now were are going to have to walk."

She gazed up at the sun, it was slowly thinking about setting and she sighed, "We’ve wasted too much of the day here, We might as well rest and save our strength for tomorrow."

"You especially," her gaze covered his body in one sweep of her eyes, "You look like hell."

"All in a day’s excitement."

"Exciting is hardly the word I would choose." She snorted and he chuckled. That phrase sounded familiar.

"What are you…" the words were lost on his lips as she leapt toward him, her small, compact body colliding with his and knocking them both to the ground with a hard thud.

Her blaster discharged and she remained where she was, painfully close to the man that had haunted her nightmares and stared in her dreams.

The stench of the freshly killed creature invaded their nostrils as Mara’s gaze shifted to the trees, the bushes, the water, her body tense, her muscles quivering with tension.

He stared at her as she lay atop him, her head cocked one way and then the other, searching for more prey.

He noticed a small vein popping out of her neck and resisted the urge to run his tongue over it. He shook his head, the thought now just a fleeting memory.

Her eyes continued to dart around the landscape as he stared at her, his eyes trailing from that vein he had been inspecting all too closely to her arms, chest….

When she deemed it safe, she glanced back down at him, seeing his eyes transfixed on a portion of her anatomy she thought he never would have been so interested in.

"Hey!" she pushed at him, startling him to again look her in the eyes, "What are you…."

It was his turn to make an unplanned movement as he reached for her waist, lifted her off him and in one smooth movement was on top of her reaching between her legs for her thigh blaster.

As his hand groped for the blaster, Mara fought to maintain control of her body’s reaction to the rough handling by the seemingly so calm and passive Jedi Master. She couldn’t believe he was making a move on her out here in the middle of the forest.

He yanked the blaster from its resting place and discharged it, dropping the vornskr mere feet from where they were laying.

She stared at him, very aware of his weight pressing down on her hips, very aware of the heat his body was generating by the simple touch.

When he looked down at her, she snapped out of her dreamy state , pushed him off her and stood, brushing imaginary dirt off her pants. "Damn they are out in full force tonight." She turned away from his piercing gaze.

Luke nodded. "Indeed."

He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder and began to turn her around to face him. When she whipped around on her own, the movement was a little too abrupt, and caused them to be a tongues length apart.

Their eyes locked and without any more hesitation he reached to cup her face in his hand. Her mind screamed ‘no!’ as his mouth descended upon hers in a deep , warm , probing kiss. One arm snaked around her waist, pulling her firm body closer to him. Her top brushed against his bare chest and he could feel her nipples harden against his skin.

Her mind fought the contact as her body betrayed her by responding to the soft caress of his lips, his tongue darting into her mouth , the soft touch of his hand on her cheek, holding her in place.

Her mind was rapidly loosing the battle with her bodies natural reaction to the stimulation overwhelming it as Mara fought to regain control.

The hand that was at her waist drew her closer against his hardened, enflamed body and as her body touched his, a jolt of electricity shot through them, showering them with the sparks of passion.

As the kiss deepened, his hands wrapped around her cheeks, pressing her lips into his.

Her hands moved to his waist and rested lightly against the rippling flesh as his tongue continued to dart in and out of her mouth.

Suddenly, he released her lips and snatched the blaster from where he had so carelessly dropped it moments ago.

This sudden movement caused Mara to loose her balance and tumble to the ground…mere inches from the two glowing eyes.

A blast rang through her ears and she gripped her head in momentary pain.

The eyes that had been watching her so intently closed without moving an inch.

Luke let out a long sigh of relief as he bent to help Mara to her feet.

She shrugged him off, standing on her own , a dangerous gleam in her emerald gaze, "Now that I am deaf. I don’t need your help." She turned to walk toward the water to wash the exotic taste of him from her mouth. In mid-step, she turned, shaking her wrist blaster at him with a furious nervousness she had never felt before, "and if you ever touch me again I will shoot you where you stand!"

Luke shook his head and moved toward her to apologize for the severe breech of their hard won friendship he had caused but her head snapped toward him, droplets of water falling from her freshly washed face.

"Don’t." she warned.

He sighed and turned toward a nearby tree trunk. The tree was huge, the base of it as long as a speeder bike and the branches protruding from the ancient bark as thick as an Ewok.

He thought for a moment, then stood, gathering his belongings, and looked for a way into the tree.

Mara chuckled, wiping her wet hands against her hips, "How do you plan to climb that thing without the use of the Force?"

Luke looked around. She was right.

"Do you have a cable or a rope of any kind?"
She snorted.

"I didn’t plan to go rock climbing out here Skywalker."
A gleam of metal caught his eye and he moved towards the crushed skipray.

"These have tow cables right? To tow trees when they are cut down?" He began searching through the crumpled metal, carefully so as not to cut his hands on sharp edges.

Realization struck her. He was right. There were some tow cables towards the back of the craft. She remembered when she rented the skipray, absently thinking that she would probably have to drag Skywalker out of the forest tied to the thing.

"Yes," she moved toward the back of the skipray and noticed the casing that held the tow cable.

Luke noticed the casing at the same time and they both reached for it, their hands touching momentarily, sending a feeling of uncontrollable desire through them both.

She snapped her hands away and let him pull the cable from it’s protective casing.

It was made of lightweight metal that was mined on Myrkyr so he was able to carry it easily to the tree. He tossed one end towards a large, protruding branch then backed away as the loose cable came tumbling down towards his head.

Jade chuckled. "Careful now. I don’t want to have to tie your unconsious body to that cable and drag you up behind me."

Luke turned and glared at her, "I’m sure you’d love it."

She sneered and snapped her mouth shut. He was probably right. She just refused to admit it.

It took a few more throws but he was finally able to get the end of the cable up and over the thick branch.

He clamped one end to the other and pulled, closing the distance between the gap in the cable quickly.

He grinned and turned to Mara, who had just slung a pack over her shoulder.

"Care to go first?" he asked.

"Oh what a gentleman," She slinked past him, careful not to touch him in any way and sneered, "Want to see how to climb properly, huh Jedi?"

Luke sighed, "Yes Mara. Oh great assassin. Able to scale walls without so much as a harness. Show me." He would not let her beat him at this game.

She suddenly had a change of heart, remembering who had instigated the kiss between them, and closed the distance between them in half a step.

Her breath hot on his cheek made his body ache involuntarily with desire, "I’ll show you a lot of things."

When his eyes widened, she laughed, grasped the cable, tucked one leg behind the other and began climbing towards the trapped branch.

Luke let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and reached for the cable, steadying it, as she reached her destination.

Once she had steadied herself on the branch, she called down to him, "C’mon farmboy. Don’t tell me farmboy’s can’t climb."

Luke mirrored her own steps as he climbed the cable, "No, but Jedi can."

He struggled a little more than Mara due to his still bruised and cut arm having not been fully healed from the bacta pack.

Seeing this she took momentary pity on the man and reached for his hand as he neared the top.

Sliding her slim hand into his large, strong one, she pulled with all her might until he swung his legs over the branch as well.

He smiled tiredly, found a comfortable position, and began to relax.

"I’ll take the first watch farmboy. You rest." Mara slid the blaster from her wrist sheath and scanned the forest below for any signs of the deadly creatures.

She yanked the cable up and bundled it loosely in case they had to make a quick descent.

"Remember Jedi meditation tricks don’t work on this world," Jade chuckled when she noticed his eyes slowly close.

"Really Jade, I hadn’t noticed." Luke sighed.

"Hey, you could be nicer to me." Mara glared, "I am risking my life to come here and drag your butt out of this miserable forest."

"And why is that Mara?" Luke asked, his eyes still closed. He needed some sleep. Why wouldn’t the infernal woman stop goading him and shut up.

"Go to sleep Skywalker," she snapped, unwilling to examine too closely why she was constantly chasing him all over the galaxy.

He grinned before falling into a deep but restless slumber.

Her eyes darted to and from every little movement below them and in the trees, bushes, branches, anything to keep her eyes from his semi-clad body.

She finally decided that he was sound asleep and wouldn’t notice her stare.

She had never ‘looked’ at the man so closely before. He had as many scars as she did. And another few added today, she huffed. She noticed one rather large blemish beginning at his side and disappearing beneath the waistband of his pants.

His heavy, not quite snoring, breathing snapped her out of the reverie and she stared at his semi-peaceful face. He was dreaming, she realized.

‘What I would give to have the Force with me right now so I could know what he was dreaming about.’

Warm lips. Wet tongue. Intoxicating scent.

Her presence filled his vision, his perception, his senses, and began to overwhelm him.

Her sharp tongue, usually filled with insults directed at him, was darting into is mouth, licking him, tasting him, driving him insane with desire.

They were lying on a beach, somewhere, the moonlight bathing them in its warm glow, their lips firmly attached to one another.

She leaned over him, her long wavy tresses falling over and around his face like water over a waterfall.

She moved her hips seductively against his, sighing with pleasure as she felt his hardness brushing against her backside.

Breathing heavily and releasing her lips , she reached down and grasped him, stroking the long, vibrating shaft until his body shivered with desire.

His breathing quickened as she stroked him, softly at first, and then as he became accustomed to the feel of her hands on his throbbing instrument, she began to stroke him harder, almost bringing him to the brink of his passion.

He moaned as her hands worked on him, up one side and down the other, alternating between soft and slow, to hard and quick strokes.

He grasped for her hands and she released him, cooling his inflamed passion slightly.

She bent again, taking his lips in hers and sucking softly. The kiss deepened and they found themselves being swept away on the waves of passion.

She finally leaned away, trailing one finger from his lips to his chin, down his chest to pinch a hardened nipple, to his stomach and past his hard, erect organ, to caress his upper thigh, testicles and then finally his throbbing shaft.

She grasped it tenderly and lifted her hips, lowering herself ever so slowly onto the vibrating muscle.

Her slick wetness gripped him tight and he slid with ease into her welcome wet warmth.

She wiggled above him shamelessly, her hips thrusting lightly against his. She leaned back, her long hair touching his ankles, striving to take him as deeply into her as possible.

Accepting this invitation, one hand rested on her thigh as their other slid up the inside of her thigh and to where their bodies were joined.

His fingers immediately became slick from their passions juices as he began to caress and rub her with his thumb as her hips undulated against him.

She moaned as she neared the edge. He could feel her shuddering above him as he caressed her, slicking his fingers with more of passions sweet nectar.

She collapsed atop him exhausted as he held her tightly in his strong embrace.

After a few seconds, he lifted her off him, effortlessly switching positions and she opened her legs wide allowing him to glide swiftly into her wet, inviting womanhood.

He thrust slowly, building the anticipation to the desired height, and when he could no longer stand the aching desire filling his loins, began to thrust deeply, his hips slapping into hers, her ankles locking behind his back, driving him deeper.

Quickly his desire piqued and he felt himself falling over the threshold of complete and total ecstasy. She drained him, taking his strength and passion into herself like a leach for blood.

He gazed into her bright eyes as his passion slowly ebbed. Minutes later, he rolled off her, taking her into his arms and holding her tightly.

Neither spoke as the sound of the waves crashing into the sandy beach lulled them into a deep , contented slumber.

"I love you," the words echoed in their minds from an unknown source as the waves slammed into the beach and then receded only to be replaced by another.

Mara awoke with a start, nearly falling out of the tree with the sudden movement.

Her eyes immediately darted to Luke, who was still sleeping, however she noticed a change in his breathing and body position.

His breathing had deepened and there was a slight form in areas where there should not be any when a man was sleeping.

She chuckled, half expecting him to look like he wet himself when he awoke.

‘Must have been some dream," she whispered.

She shook her head remembering the kiss, his soft firm lips as they caressed hers, his strong , sure, touch…..

She grunted, shaking her head, "I have to get this man out of my mind." She muttered under her breath.

"Stop shaking," a voice said, and she stared at the supposedly sleeping man. His eyes were still shut and had he not just spoken to her, she would have thought him fast asleep.

"Go back to sleep." she hissed.

He sat bolt upright, grimacing slightly as his pants constricted in a very unpleasant position, and slid closer to her, his legs straddling the branch.

"I’m really tired of fighting with you," Luke sighed as he slid a little bit closer to her then he intended, "Can we negotiate a truce for the duration of the night?"

"I do ‘not’ negotiate."

"Oh come on Jade, "Luke chuckled, "What do you want?"

Images flashed through her mind and she was suddenly grateful to the Force for the barrier on this world.

She reached toward his chest to push him away and he caught her hands, pulling her toward him.

"How dare you," she spat, seconds before his lips descended on hers in a fiery , passionate kiss.

The kiss deepened and he released her hands, closing the remaining distance between them in a mili second.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and all but pulled her into his lap, her thighs brushing an already desire enflamed organ.

Her hands pushed against his bare chest but there was no effort behind them.

Suddenly, their heads snapped apart and they turned to look into bright yellow eyes as the creature crept closer along the branch of a nearby tree.

Luke again reached between her legs for her thigh blaster, for the first time noticing the heat generating from the closely guarded place.

He pulled the weapon roughly from its sheath as Mara dropped the cable to the ground.

The creature inched closer , Luke turned, blaster discharging and they heard the creatures strangled cries as it tumbled to the ground.

Luke breathed a sight of relief as Mara muttered, "I am going to make you pay for this."

Luke gazed at her and whispered, "you already are."

"We might as well sleep in the water," she snapped, ignoring his comment.

"Just like a feline," Luke smiled, cupping her cheek in his free hand," do you hate the water?"

She hissed, " keep your hands off me, or you will be sleeping in it."

"Oooh, " he snickered," how fun." He involuntarily shivered and rubbed his arms, trying to generate some heat.

She stared over his shoulder at the tree line, the sun would be up an about 5 hours and they would be able to get out of this miserable forest.

"C’mon," she slapped at his nearest knee.

"What?"

She slid down the cable and made her way to the edge of the calm pool. She retrieved a small light from her pack and turned it on, directing the small beam towards the waterfall. She scanned the water with the light until she found what she was looking for.

Where the water cascaded over the rocks there was a dark shadow.

She moved and began climbing over the rocks along side of the cascading water as Luke raced to keep up with her.

"What are you doing?" he called over the breaking water.

"We are going to sleep in the water farmboy," she called back, her voice barely audible over the cascading waterfall." Hope you can swim."

He noticed a pair of glowing eyes in the direction he had just come from and hurried to catch up to the mysterious woman.

He was slowed time and time again as he checked his footing. It was dark and he couldn’t see anything other than what the moonlight illuminated. He couldn’t ignite and hold his lightsaber while he was using his hands. And he couldn’t use the Force to float it along side him either.

He could no longer see or hear Mara but he could see the beam of her small light and he would just have to trust that she knew what she was doing.

Suddenly the light stopped and illuminated his footpath. He was able to move more quickly as the glowing eyes and angry grunts of the creatures neared him.

As he reached Mara’s position, he noticed what she had been searching for. There was a dark tunnel of some kind behind the waterfall and he was about to reach for her as when she disappeared through the water.

"Damn," he muttered as he made ready to step into the unknown. Just as his foot left the semi-slick rock, a hand jutted out of the water and reached for him.

He grasped the slim hand tightly and allowed her to pull him behind the falling water. Searching for a secure footing, he stumbled and fell in a small puddle of water.

She chuckled at the look of disgust on his face.

"Hey Skywalker," she chuckled," look at it this way, you can’t get any wetter."

He stood and looked around the small cavern. The light from Mara’s hand beam illuminated the room, causing shadows to appear on the moss covered rocks.

She took a small cover from her pack and spread it on the spot that appeared to be the most dry and chuckled when she saw the incredulous look on his face.

"You didn’t think I was going to go traipsing all over this damn forest without something warm did you?"

"Up in the tree…I was…." Luke shook his head.

"If you were cold you should have said something. I can’t read your mind, you know."

She grinned at his glare.

He huffed and pushed her to the side, sat down in the middle of the blanket, stretched out and made himself comfortable.

"Hey!" she snapped, bending to push him out of the way." This is my blanket. Get your own. You’re wet . Get off!"

Her hand slipped on his wet skin however and she went sprawling across his bare chest, landing in a very undignified huff.

She struggled to remove herself from this very uncomfortable position but their slick skin and damp floor prevented this from becoming such a simple task.

He stared at her. The beautiful, piercing emerald eyes, the soft lithe body against his hard, well-muscled one. His desire for her became a fierce need to hold her, love her, kiss her.

Maybe he wanted to feel real again. Not be some kind of automaton who taught Jedi day in and day out with no interest or concern in other activities.

This was no life. And he no longer wanted to live it. Jedi of old be damned. He wanted to love and be loved, regardless of the supposed weakness this caused within the Jedi Knights.

His thoughts had deteriorated to the point where all he could think of was making raw, passionate love to temper the infernal woman. Something intoxicated him when she was near. The danger that seemed to follow them whenever they were together excited him. So much for a Jedi not craving excitement.

Whatever the case, he was not going to let the infernal witch stop the inevitable this time. This was something he wanted. Something he had wanted for a long time, and unless she explicitly said ‘no’, there would be not stopping him.

She pushed against his chest in an effort to stand, when his hands encircled her wrists, sliding down the wet skin.

She glared down at him, hatred in her eyes, as he pulled gently on her wrists, which caused her to fall against his chest.

He released her wrists and pulled her against himself, his lips finding hers in a deep, passionate, probing kiss.

She pushed against him again but he held her tight, knowing that if he released her now there would be no second chance.

His lips remained firmly attached to hers as his tongue searched the inner recesses of her mouth.

When he released her lips, he stared into the intoxicating emerald eyes. Seeing recognition, comprehension and understanding, he released her arms and gripped her head between his hands.

The tension eased from her back as his knowledgeable hands moved from her face, down her body, caressing the hot, searing flesh.

He couldn’t get enough of her. His lips trailed a line of cold, hot fire from her neck to her ear, and, as his hands removed her sopping wet, tight fitting crop top, to her chest and the beautiful plump mounds that had sprung free.

Her mind froze. She had just allowed him to remove the only layer separating their bodies.

She stood quickly, but it was not quick enough, as his body moved beside hers, his lips again finding hers in a searing kiss. She melted into his embrace as his lips continued suckling at her breasts as if there had never been an interruption.

He leaned against the rocky wall for support as he continued to plant light kisses on and around the soft mounds. His hands caressed one, the nipple hardening almost immediately. His mouth covered the other, his tongue flecking over the nipple, licking and sucking it to hardness.

A soft moan escaped her lips as her mind still fought against the overwhelming pleasure assailing her body.

His lips trailed farther , licking the taught flesh between the soft mounds and lower until he came to the fastenings of her pants.

Her hands began to caress his hair as nimble fingers quickly found and released the fastenings.

The pants slid to the ground, as did Luke, leaving her standing before him in practically all her glory.

He rubbed the tension and the cold from her legs, slowly moving to caress an inner thigh and then brush his hand against the soft, wet undergarment.

Kneeling, his hands caressed her until she felt a chill touch her warm, moist privates; he had relieved her of the final barrier.

His lips resumed the trail, momentarily halted by the necessary removal of her pants, and she shivered in delight.

Her legs parted with very little pressure as his fingers searched to please her. Brushing his fingers against the soft skin brought a sigh from her lips. He teased her as he lightly pinched the protruding skin, caressed it, massaged it. When he noticed her hips arch toward his fingers he probed a little deeper. A soft gasp soon followed as a long, slim finger plunged into her warm, wetness. As he moved the flesh within her, it soon became slick, her bodies juices flowing freely from the incredible passion he was creating with his touch.

Her legs felt as if they would buckle as his fingers began a thrusting motion, having been slicked with her wet passion. She leaned against the cold, wet wall, supporting herself as he lifted a leg over his shoulder, widening her legs even further.

She gasped as his fingers continued to plunge into her fiery warmth and his other hand, delicately massaged her, creating and ecstasy she had never before experienced. She shuddered, his hands having caused her body to become more sensitive then she thought possible.

His body was on fire. He had never believed she could be so exquisite, so warm, so inviting. He longed to plunge his hard, straining manhood into the wetness his fingers now touched. Longed to feel her as he thrust deeply, burying himself in the warm wetness of her inviting body.

Bending, he pressed his lips to her wet flesh and kissed it, teasing with his lips, before removing her leg from his shoulder and standing.

Her hands slid down his body as he stood, immediately moving to the fastenings of his pants. She temptress in her longed to torture him as he had done with her. Her loins however, longed to have him fill her with the hard manhood she reached to caress through his pants. After a few minutes of caressing the growing hardness, she could stand no more and released the fastenings.

She released his initial barriers and immediately felt the throbbing, straining instrument barred by one, thin piece of material.

She wasted no time removing the last of his barriers and grasped him in her strong certain grasp. She needed to feel his hot desire for her manifested in a physical form she could touch, feel, stroke.

His lips met hers again as her hands closed around his throbbing manhood. His hands cupped her cheeks, tongue darting deeply into her mouth as her hands began the upward motion. Soon they were long, complete strokes as she strove to touch all of him. Her nimble fingers stroked the soft tip, the small opening, slicking them with a small amount of sticky fluid which had escaped. The rigid control that he had for so long governed his body, was slipping at a rapid pace. Gasps escaped his lips as she bent to continue with her mouth, the same movements he had just completed with her.

His hands moved beneath her arms as he shook his head, denying her the chance to take him in her mouth.

His mind and body screamed for release of the pent up passions assailing it.

He was grateful when she did not insist . The experience would have been over much too quickly had she done that. He needed to cool the raging desire in his loins.

He slid down to the cover on the ground, beckoning with his arms for her to follow. She released his throbbing instrument and laid against the material , spreading her legs for him. She brought her knees to her chest as he kneeled before her.

His hands reached for her knees but she spread them and immediately draped them over his shoulders.

Their eyes locked and his hands reached for her hips to pull her closer to his own . His eyes searched , for comprehension; for what they were about to do, understanding; of what this single act would do to their already fragile friendship, and feeling; for something there much deeper then the simple act.

What he found was a mixture of all those things. Intense desire and physical attraction drove her body but was mixed with a mutual feeling of trust and friendship.

Her eyes searched his, hoping, praying that this was not just a simple act from him. A release of pent up frustration and long denied physical closeness.

Her body was shaking, not from the cold, but from the desire flowing through her body. She wanted him. Had finally admitted that she had wanted him for a long time.

She couldn’t quite remember when her feelings for the Jedi Master had turned from friendship, respect for his position and achievements, to one of genuine affection. Nevertheless, she was here with him now and once the act was done, they would both have to face the consequences. What that would be was anyone’s guess.

Her memories were shook once again by the delicate plunge of his manhood into her wet, inviting warmth.

They both cried in bliss out once the contact was made.

Her hips arched toward his, relishing the feel of him moving within her. Seconds passed and she wanted, no needed him to fill all of her. He was moving much too slowly . She slid her legs from his shoulders and locked them behind his back.

His mind whirled. She was exquisite. Her wetness gripped him tightly and he slowed, knowing that if he rushed the experience would end too soon. The Force was not here to help him and he desperately fought to control the raging desire consuming his body.

When her legs slid down to his hips, he was grateful for the momentary delay in thrusting as he changed positions slightly.

As her legs tightened around his hips, he thought he heard her whisper something but he couldn’t make it out over the rushing of the water over the falls.

Her hands pulled him above her and for the first time he noticed the pleading look in her eyes. He saw her lips move and mouth the words.. harder, deeper . Her hands slid under his arms and down his back as her lips kissed his chin, neck and chest as he resumed thrusting. Long, hard, deep thrusts shook their bodies as he rested his arms above her head.

He didn’t even notice that his arm, from where the vornskr had clawed him, had started bleeding again.

Desire piqued and he felt himself falling, like white water over the waterfall, the spiral toward climax like nothing in his wildest dreams.

Her cries of pleasure joined his, muffled by the falling water, as he leaned over her and thrust his way to a long, powerful climax.

Her eyes closed as his body shuddered above her, feeling her own body contract, the wetness between her legs spreading as he burst within her, mingling with her own passions juices.

She felt his body press against hers in complete exhaustion. As he rested his head against her shoulder, she rubbed his chilled arms finally stopping to rest on his head as she pressed a kiss to his temple.

The light in the cavern flickered and she reached for the switch to turn it off. As she did, he lifted his head to look into her eyes. Those emerald eyes of green fire were the last thing he saw before the cavern went dark.

Rays of sun filtered through the falling water as the first light broke through the forest.

Luke’s eyes snapped open at the pressure of the small, taught body pressing against his, her hair strewn in a tangled , wavy , mass across his face.

He took a deep breath, rolling the sated woman off his equally sated body and stood, for a long moment staring her perfectly formed muscular figure.

Memories flooded his mind and he needed to get out to form a clear thought. He cast one last look at Mara’s slumbering form before his body disappeared through the rapidly falling water.

The bag dropped to the side of the calm pool, lightsaber a second later .

He stretched his tired, bruised muscles and grimaced as a hand brushed the injured arm.

He stepped into the calm, slowly being warmed but the sun, water and began to wash the wound.

His mind whirled with the memories of last nights passion filled evening. The consequences of the night were sure to smack him in the face as soon as the she-devil awoke from her deeply sated slumber.

She had been exquisite. More beautiful , passionate, strong then he had ever imagined, When he touched her, he felt an overwhelming desire to possess her completely, to never let her go.

He slid his whole body beneath the water, cooling his already steaming flesh.

Droplets of water fell from his chin, hair, eyelids when he emerged, and he wiped the water away with a swipe of his hand.

Her eyes snapped open and she rushed to her feet, sore muscles and aching bones groaning as she did so.

She surveyed the small cavern, her green eyes darting from the shadow to the other, searching for the man who had violated her trust.

She slid on her pants, grimacing as they brushed rarely used parts of her body, and sat with a huff against the wall farthest from the water.

A small smile began to spread across her features as she trailed a line from her neck to her naval, memories of the night flooding her psyche.

He was no where to be found. The coward. She snorted. How dare he make such passionate love to her and leave to; to think about the consequences of their actions on his own, or whatever he was doing.

Maybe he’d kill himself. Mara shook her head. No, that was a pleasure she was reserving for herself.

How dare he! Her mind whirled.

She noticed that any trace of him ever being there was gone.

She stepped into the falling water and made her way to the edge of the great waterfall.

She slid her wrist blaster out of its sheath and snuck up behind where Luke was laying in the calm pool of water.

"You damn, self-appointed, arrogant, stupid, dumb, Jedi!" she screamed at him.

Although he was startled, he took a deep breath and turned to face her, finding, to his disappointment, her blaster pointed between his eyes.

She was simply gorgeous when she was angry. Her emerald eyes shot vibroblades at him, her hand shaking as the blaster wavered in her strong grip.

"Mara…" he made move to exit the water and she backed away.

"No," she shook her head," I don’t want to see you!" She turned her back to him as he ignored her warning.

She whispered something inaudible and he cursed the fact that he could not use the Force to hear what she had said. Her voice was barely audible over the sounds of the rippling water a few feet away.

"Mara."

"Get your things, we are leaving." She snapped.

"Mara wait." His voice was drowned out by a large explosion, and subsequent thruster sounds, coming from the general direction of the city.

They shot a quick glance at one another and then, as the sun dimmed, slowly glanced toward the sky. A large ship, eclipsing the sun with it’s mass, was floating dangerously close to the atmosphere of the planet.

Luke carefully picked his jaw up off the ground, rushed into his pants and gasped," We need to get to the city right away." He fastened his belt, clipped the lightsaber to it, took Mara’s hand and lead her into the dark forest.

"What about….? What are…? That isn’t what I think it is….." she breathed, running to keep up with his long strides.

"Yes." He breathed.

"Stop!" She hissed and he came to a sudden halt," I thought they had all been destroyed."
He shook his head, his heart was threatening to pound through his chest. His memories of the large mechanical beasts were not pleasant. He had commanded one, and entire fleet, caused many deaths, and he had given into the Dark Side, for a time, to destroy the threat these ships posed to the New Republic. How had one survived?

"I don’t know."

"And what are you going to do? Run into the city like a madman and cut them all down ‘without’ the use of the Force?" she teased.

He turned to face her, and she saw the pain, hurt and terror in his normally calm gaze.

He was terrified of these ships. Had she found something that the great Luke Skywalker was afraid of?

He could read her smart statement without the use of the Force. "Yes." He answered the silent , unvoiced question.

She put a comforting hand on his shoulder and breathed, "that is in the past. You learned a lot from the mistakes you made and…."

"And I made another one this morning when…." he shifted his gaze to an imaginary rock on the ground, "never again." He kissed her softly on the lips, then released her hand, leaving her speechless, not an easy thing to do with Mara Jade, behind him.

They walked in silence for hours, each lost in their own thoughts and memories.

As they approached the edge of the dense forest, thrusters and repulsors could be heard in the distance.

They carefully hid behind a large tree, and watched, as carriers dropped stormtroopers onto the ground like ants.

They made their way to where her ship was docked and found, to her surprise, that no one had disturbed it. Maybe they didn’t care who she was . Although, given her reputation for helping the Alliance and the Jedi, when the need arose, they should have been concerned.

"If we can get to my ship…I’ll have us out of here in no time." Mara whispered.

"What about the White…"

"Listen Skywalker, as soon as they see the docking manifest of the ships in this bay, they are going to know you, or one of your instructors, are here," she snapped, " I am not going near that ship."

Luke noticed that the crates being unloaded and loaded onto the carriers contained a lot of armament. It looked as if they were preparing for a large scale battle.

"Who has been able to mass so much manpower and weaponry in one place." Luke asked and Mara shrugged.

"I don’t plan to stick around and find out."

Luke agreed. Without the Force, they were nothing better then elite, well trained commandos. An officer with one lucky, well-aimed shot and he might receive an instant promotion for killing the priceless Jedi Master.

The officers that had been stacking crates suddenly snapped to attention as a black robed figure appeared, his robes trimmed in gold, flanked by several dark robed guards.

"Your Highness, everything is proceeding as you have planned." A man, looking like a high ranking officer, rushed to the robed figures side.

"Good," the surprisingly young voice said," we will crush the rebellious Republic and the traitorous Jedi by striking at their heart."

"A brave plan Highness."

The hood of the robe was carefully lowered to reveal a fairly young looking man, "You think this plan in unwise?"

"No Highness."

Luke and Mara gasped, covering their mouths to prevent any further utterances.

"Irek," Luke whispered," how did he get his hands on a World Devestator?"

"Sounds like he plans to strike from here at the Jedi and the New Republic." Mara glared.

"At the heart of the Jedi and New Republic," Luke repeated," does that mean a person or a place?"

They crept closer to listen to the obviously senile child. No one in their right mind would attack the Jedi Knights or attempt to topple the New Republic.

"Prepare the jump teams," Irek ordered , turned on his heal and strode back within the bowels of the ship.

"No," Luke whispered," the heart of the Jedi and New Republic must be Yavin and Coruscant."

‘Or Leia and you," Mara offered.

"No one would send the amount of firepower after two individuals," Luke countered, "A World Devestator could easily destroy either planet. And Yavin , with all of the Jedi, does not have all the defense Coruscant does. And…"

"Luke."

He stopped at the sound her call his given name, so rare as it was for her to call him this, and followed her eyes to where they rested on large crates being loaded one by one onto the cargo ships.

His heart sank.

"Oh no," Luke muttered, "They are going to use Ysalimiri to block the Jedi Communications on Yavin, and possibly Coruscant."

"We have to get out of here now."

‘I will ‘not’ let this power hungry child destroy what I have worked almost 20 years to build." Luke growled.

"Skywalker, lets go," Mara grasped his arm but he remained unmoving lost in his own painful thoughts and memories.

He turned to face her and she noticed the worried lines etched into his still very young looking features. He could very well be witnessing the beginning of the destruction of the Jedi and the New Republic.

All over again.

"Luke," she leaned closer to him, her breath hot against his cheek.

He leaned forward, his lips touching hers for the briefest of moments. He needed to feel her touch, her warmth. He needed to feel grounded, lest the anger and hate that was rising within his body and mind consume him.

She slid her hand into his and they raced, as quickly and quietly as possible, toward her ship.

Fortunately there was no one around when they arrived at the platform where her ship was docked.

They slid around to the hatch and as she punched in the codes that would lower the ramp, they were startled by a maintenance worker that had just stepped out of the shadows.

"All clearances have been denied until further notice," he said, his eyes darting around the bay," they aren’t letting anyone leave the planet."

"I don’t plan to ask permission," Jade snapped as the ramp struck solid ground.

The technician sighed, "It’s your heads."
"It’s our heads if we do not get of this planet."

The man’s eyes widened, recognition spreading across his tanned features.

"Let me come with you."

Luke shook his head," No, you are safer if you stay here."
"Skywalker, lets move," Jade called from inside the ship. She was preparing for liftoff and he was wasting time.

"You there," an officer, leading a squad of Stormtroopers to pick up some more crates, called," All clearances have been suspended until further notice."

"Run," the tech whispered," I’ll stall them."
Luke shook his head and addressed the officer as soon as he was close enough, "We are returning to our ship after a long day of negotiations. We do not have accommodations and have planned to sleep in our ship."

Jade heard the troopers appear and had flipped on the swivel guns at the top and bottom of the ship. One button was all it would take to begin a nice, loud fire fight. She removed her wrist blaster and stood just out of sight at the top of the ramp.

"Let me see your clearance." The officer eyes Luke suspiciously.

"It’s in the ship," Luke pointed to the hatch.

Just then a gleam caught the officers eyes and he shifted his gaze to Luke’s belt, and the lightsaber dangling from it.

Jade fingered the remote to the swivel gins, knowing they were going to have to blast their way out of here.

Recognition struck the officer and as he reached for his blaster, Luke pushed the Tech ahead of him up the ramp," get up there," he yelled as he ignited his lightsaber.

Jade depressed the remote as the stormtroopers leveled their blasters and fired………

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