This is a Mara Jade Skywalker and Shada D'ukal adventure story. Tell
me what you think of this first chapter. And yes, there may be a
faintly similar plotline from Tangled Web involved.

A Shadow at Dusk

By JadesHand

Disclaimers: All the major characters belong to George Lucas and
Timothy Zahn. I just like to borrow them occasionally. I will not
make any money from this story because it is for enjoyment purposes
only.

Time: Approximately a year after Union

**********************************************************************
**

Chapter 1

Shada D'ukal eased up on the repulsor lifts on her T-16 Skyhopper and
sat it down gently on the landing pad. It was late in the night, yet
Coruscant never really slept. Down below on the streets, she could
hear talking and laughter from the city's many night venturers.
After shutting down the Skyhopper and securing it, Shada walked to
the edge of the landing pad and looked down upon the city. It was a
cool night; there was even a small flurry of snow floating in the
air. A few flakes landed in Shada's dark hair and she brushed
absentmindedly at them, then turned and headed for the escalators
that would take her down to ground level.

She yawned while riding down. She had been deeply asleep when her
comlink woke her and was more than a little startled to realize the
caller was Mara Jade Skywalker. Since going to work for Talon Karrde
and his Intelligence Service, Shada had met Mara several times as
Mara had turned over the reins as Talon's second-in-command to her
upon Mara's marriage to the Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker. Other than
the few times they had met to discuss the business transfers, Shada
had seen very little of Mara. So receiving a call from her at two in
the morning was a very unusual occurrence and for Mara to ask Shada
to meet her at one of the roughest bars in all of Coruscant was even
more mind-boggling.

The escalator deposited Shada onto the street and she paused a
moment, looking in both directions. A few people walked on either
side of the street, huddling together against the cold, but nothing
looked out of the ordinary. She made her way to the other side and
walked about half a kilometer before stopping in front of a door set
off from the street by a long alcove. Shada's watchful gray eyes
took in the situation. Sensing no immediate danger, she walked down
the alcove to press the buzzer on the heavy door.

The door opened almost immediately and light flooded onto Shada along
with loud music and coarse laughter. A Rodian with a small blaster
stood in the entrance. He barked some rough-sounding Basic at her.

"Just looking for a good drink, pal," Shada told him, giving an
excellent imitation of being bored and uninterested.

The Rodian stared at her a moment, taking in her tall, wiry figure,
the thick mass of dark hair, and the high cheekbones of her strong,
yet alluring face. Then he grunted and stepped aside, waving with
the blaster for her to enter.

Shada stopped just inside the door, blinking a little at the heavy
curtain of smoke that hung in the air. The place was crowded with an
assortment of humans and aliens one wouldn't find at the nicer family
establishments. Shada squinted her eyes, trying to see through the
haze and crowd of people for a sight of Mara.

A tall, heavily muscled figure bumped into her and then grabbed her
arm to steady himself. A breath clouded with ale drifted across her
face. "Hiya, sweetheart, wanna drink?"

The human was about her age, but sported a long, ridged scar down the
side of his face that pulled one of his eyes slightly off kilter.

"Sorry, I'm meeting someone," Shada said, peering into the smoky
bar. Mara was nowhere in sight and a flash of irritation wrinkled
through her. If she had gotten up out of her warm bed to come down
here and Mara didn't show up...

"Aww, you know I'm better than he is. Drink with me and forget him,"
the human argued, tugging on her arm and trying to steer her to a
table near the bar.

"I said no," Shada told him, her hand closing over his on her arm.
Slowly, deliberately, she pulled his fingers back, bending them at an
almost impossible angle.

The human's eyes widened and he grimaced with pain, his knees
buckling a little. "Alright, alright," he groaned, and Shada
released him slowly. Taking his hand back, he nursed it against his
chest. He stared at Shada a moment, then jerkily nodded his head,
and holding his injured hand, he shuffled off.

Shada watched him go, then looked about the room again. If Mara was
here, she couldn't see her. At the thought, her eyes narrowed and
she began to look more closely at the people in the bar. Finally,
she caught sight of a man sitting by himself at a table in the
corner. He was small, his long, slightly curly red-gold hair tied
back in a thick ponytail. A glass of Corellia's best sat in front of
him.

Shada made her way around the room and took a seat at the corner
table. "That ale any good?" she asked, pushing her dark hair back
from her face.

The man grinned. "It's not bad." He waved at the Arconan bartender
and the humanoid nodded. Soon, a waitress brought a glass of ale and
sat it down in front of Shada. She took a long drink from it.

The man at the table inclined his head in the direction of the human
who was still nursing his sore hand. "Once a Mistryl shadow guard,
always a Mistryl shadow guard."

Shada shrugged. "It's hard to forget training like that. Besides,
he needed a lesson in manners."

The red-haired man laughed. "I'm sure he did."

Shada leaned back in her chair. "That's quite a disguise, Mara.
Don't think I've ever seen one that good."

The slender man laughed again. "Watch closely," he told her and as
Shada watched, the man seemed to shimmer and fade, allowing the
shapely feminine form of Mara Jade Skywalker to appear for a
moment. Then just as quickly, the small, lithe man was back.

Shada snorted. "It takes me hours to work up a disguise like that,
and you Jedi can turn it on and off like a water faucet."

"What can I say? We're just talented," the small man grinned. "You
should see Luke disguise himself as a woman."

Shada choked off a laugh and took another long drink from her
ale. "So, what did you want to see me about?"

The man stood up. "Let's take a walk. It's more crowded in here
than I thought it would be at this hour."

Shada lifted her eyebrows, but complied, taking one last sip of her
ale. She followed after the small figure who was leading the way in
front of her.

Neither noticed the burly man near the bar who was still holding his
fist against his chest. His eyes widened as he saw the couple
leaving, and he nudged another man beside him. "Can you believe it?
She dumped me for a puny, little red-haired squirt like that."

**********************

Outside, the light snow was still falling. The wind had picked up
some. Shada lifted the white fur collar on her nerf hide jacket and
noticed that Mara tightened the belt of her own coat. And it was
Mara now. As soon as they were out of sight of the bar, Mara had let
the disguise fade away, leaving in its place a small, slender woman
whose red-gold hair gleamed like a burning fire in the brightness of
the street lamps.

They walked for some distance. Shada didn't hurry the conversation,
sensing that Mara would begin when she was ready. But she was very
curious, the whole situation was odd, but she would let it develop at
its own pace.

They turned into an outdoor tapcaf shop, closed for the night, but
its tables still outside. Mara cursorily brushed some of the snow
from a chair and sat in it, waving Shada to the one across from her.

"Shada," Mara started. "Have you heard from Karrde?"

Shada brushed some of the snow off her own chair before she sat
down. "No, I haven't. At least, not since he left with Skywalker."

Mara frowned and hit the table top with her fist. "Sithspawn! Where
the hell can they be?"

Shada blinked in surprise. "Karrde and Skywalker? Somewhere in the
Outer Rim, I suspect."

"But you don't know where exactly, do you?" Mara demanded, getting
to her feet and pacing about the small patio. "Doesn't it bother
you that you haven't heard from Karrde?"

Shada shrugged slightly. "Not really. He didn't say he would be in
contact."

Mara spitted her with a glare, her emerald eyes gleaming in the pale
light from the street lamps. "Usually when a woman is involved with
a man, she wants to hear from him when he goes off on what could be
classified as a dangerous mission."

Shada pushed back her chair and sighed heavily. "I'm not involved
with Karrde, Mara...at least, not the way you mean."

Mara returned to her chair. "Don't give me that. Everybody knows
you two are lovers. You're always together when you're here on
Coruscant, deep in each other's pockets. Do you believe you can act
like that, and people will assume you're just friends? If you aren't
lovers, why haven't either one of you denied it before now?" It was
a long lecture and it surprised Mara as much as it did Shada.

Shada sighed again. "Karrde said it wasn't anyone's business but
ours, and that if some people wanted to believe it, it might be
better to just let them."

Mara shot her an incredulous look, remembering the numerous times she
had seen Karrde and Shada together. "What is that supposed to mean?
You're not having an affair but you want people to believe you are?"

"We didn't want anybody to believe anything," Shada said a bit
sharply, angry that she was feeling on the defensive. After all,
Karrde was right, it wasn't anybody's business but theirs. "If some
people can to their own conclusions, it wasn't our fault."

Mara was like a vornskr with fresh killed prey and wouldn't let
go. "Which people?"

"Some of his crew, all right," Shada snarled, getting to her feet and
heading for the street again. She shouldn't have come; she should
have just stayed in her nice warm bed and ignored the comlink. She
didn't know Mara Skywalker very well, but she was a bit shocked that
the woman seemed to be going off the deep end a little just because
she hadn't heard from her husband in a week.

Mara was right behind her. She put her hand on Shada's arm. "Wait,"
she ordered.

Shada stopped and looked pointedly at the hand on her arm. "You think
you can stop me?" she asked softly.

Mara took a small step closer, a tiny, wry smile lifting the corner
of her mouth. "You may be a head taller, Shada D'ukal, but it would
be one helluva fight."

Despite it all, Shada had to laugh, and she admitted to herself that
she liked the audacious spirit of the little red-head.

Mara joined her in laughing, yet couldn't hide the relief that
flickered across her face at the thought that Shada apparently wasn't
leaving after all. She didn't know the ex-Mistryl guard that well,
but knew if Karrde trusted her, then she could too.

"Come back to the table, Shada, please," Mara said
quietly. "Something is wrong. I can feel it, and I may need your
help."

Shada nodded and then frowned. She fell into step with Mara as they
returned to the snow-covered table. "Something's wrong you
say...with Karrde?" she asked.

Mara shot her a look, wondering if Shada realized how much concern
had been in her voice. Well...well, Mara thought, there may be more
to this story that Shada was willing to admit.

Mara narrowed her eyes. "Why do you and Karrde want some of his crew
to think you're lovers?"

Shada let out an exasperated sigh. "You don't give up easily, do
you?"

Mara arched an eyebrow. "Luke tells me it can be a bad habit
sometimes." She waited a moment and then said, "Well?"

Shada shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips. Obviously,
she wasn't going to be able to get out of telling Mara the truth.
She knew Karrde probably wouldn't mind. Mara was one of his closest
friends. "I used to work for a smuggler named Mazzic," she told her.

Mara nodded. "Yeah, I remember him." Her tone indicated that she
didn't think too much of him either.

Shada smiled slightly. "Well, Mazzic's crew didn't take my position
as his bodyguard very seriously. I had a little trouble with them,
and then one day, one of the men took it upon himself to pinch me."

Mara put her hand to her mouth suddenly. "And?" she asked, her eyes
dancing.

Shada frowned ferociously at her. "It wasn't funny."

"Of course not," Mara said, trying to straighten her face. "What did
you do?"

"Well, you have to understand," Shada explained. "I don't like
people touching me when I don't want them to." She looked off in the
distance over Mara's head, not seeing the amusement flash again
across Mara's face. "I suppose in the back of my mind I was thinking
that if I made an example of him, I wouldn't have any trouble with
any of the rest of them."

Mara nodded again, encouraging her. "What happened?"

"I think I hurt him a little too much," Shada said regretfully. "He
had to spend nearly a month in a neural reconstruction facility."

"That's too bad," Mara choked, desperately fighting not to
laugh. "But what does that have to do with Karrde and you?"

Shada tucked some of her long dark hair back an ear. "When I went
with Karrde to try and find the Caamas document, his crew didn't like
me very much and a couple of his new men were a little too forward."
She shrugged. "Karrde knew about what happened with Mazzic's men,
and he didn't want me to have to go through something like that
again. He spoke to the two men, but it didn't help my relationship
with his crew at all." She paused for a moment, obviously reliving
the memory.

"What changed their minds?" Mara asked, leaning her chin on her fist
as she rested her elbow on the table. She clearly found the story
riveting, and knew that Karrde's crew was as loyal to Shada now as
they had been to Mara when she had been Karrde's second-in-command.

"We had a battle with some pirates and I was wounded pretty badly.
Had to spend some time in the bacta tank. That raised their opinion
of me quite a bit."

Mara nodded. "They respect courage. But why did Karrde and you let
them think you were lovers?"

"Fighting the pirates might have raised their respect, but some of
the men were still eyeing me," Shada told her, suddenly looking a
little uncomfortable. "One night, rather late, after I had returned
from a dip in the bacta tank, Karrde came to see me in my cabin."

Mara's eyebrows shot into her hair.

"It wasn't anything like that, Mara," Shada chastised her.

"I wasn't thinking anything," Mara assured her quickly.

"Yes, you were," Shada countered, and then sighed heavily. "You're
just like the rest. All he was there for was to tell me about his
old boss, Jorj Car'das, and what to expect if we found him." Shada
looked down at her hands. "He was there for some time. I don't
think either of us realized how much time had passed, but when he
went to leave, the morning crew was just coming on duty. They saw
him leaving my cabin."

"Ahhh..." Mara said, suddenly understanding. "And they jumped to all
sorts of interesting assumptions then, eh?"

Shada nodded her head, but didn't say anything.

Mara pursed her lips, thinking swiftly. "And of course, it was the
perfect solution to the other problem. If the crew believed you were
involved with Karrde, then none of his men would dare approach you."

Shada nodded again. "That's right. And it worked. I had no more
problems, and Karrde didn't have to ship any of his men off to any
reconstruction facilities."

The two women looked at each other and laughed, then Mara
commented, "But you've let the rumors go on for almost a year."

Shada felt a sudden warmth in her face. "Actually, it's solved more
problems than it's caused, so we just let it slide."

"Mmmm...," Mara said thoughtfully, watching Shada closely.

Shada shifted in her chair uncomfortably, Mara's intent gaze
bothering her more than she wanted to admit. "Mara, you said you
thought there was some trouble," she began, clearly changing the
subject. "What did you mean by that?"

Instantly, Mara's eyebrows knitted together. "Luke and Karrde have
been gone for over a week and a half," she told Shada, her voice
betraying her worry. "I know you may not consider it unusual for
Karrde not to contact you in that time, but..." And now it was Mara's
turn to try and suppress the sudden color rising in her
cheeks. "When Luke and I are separated, we try to...speak with each
other everyday or at least every other day." Mara looked down at her
hands, the flush more evident than before.

Shada suppressed a grin at the pink in Mara's cheeks. Turnabout was
fair play. But the fact was that the ex-Emperor's Hand, a woman
whose fierce reputation preceded her wherever she went, was blushing
like a teenager. That it was all because her husband hadn't called
her in a week was almost too much not to laugh at.

"Maybe they're just busy, Mara," Shada suggested, suppressing her
amusement and hoping to comfort Mara a little.

Mara shook her head violently. "No, you don't understand. He calls
me...he always calls me, no matter how busy he is."

"When was the last time you spoke with him," Shada asked, a dark
uneasiness beginning to seep into her. If someone like Mara
Skywalker was really worried, then there was reason to be.

Mara took a deep breath. "The fifth day after he and Karrde left, he
called me late in the night. Everything was fine. He was a little
tired, but excited that he and Karrde were on the right track about
that weird message. He told me they thought it was from a system
just inside the Outer Rim. He said it would probably take them
another day or so to get there, but that he would contact me the next
night. He never called, and I haven't heard from him since."

Shada frowned. If Skywalker had said he would call, then nothing
short of being incapacitated would keep him from doing so. Even she
knew that much about him. Skywalker was legendary for being a man of
his word, and was probably even more so with his beloved wife.

She hadn't liked the fact that Karrde and Skywalker had gone off
alone to try and find the origination point of that cryptic message
one of Karrde's crew had brought back with them. She had argued with
Karrde about it before he left, but he had brushed her fears aside
and reminded her that he was traveling with a Jedi Master. Nothing
could happen that the two men together couldn't handle. Privately,
Shada had thought it all a great big dose of male arrogance, but she
had decided to let it go as Karrde seemed so confident and
determined. Now, it looked as if they may have gotten into something
even they couldn't handle.

"So what do you think we should do?" she asked Mara, her light gray
eyes searching the other woman's face.

"I've decided to go after them. Something isn't right. I can feel
it."

"Jedi hunch?"

"Yes," Mara said, glancing at the Shada. "I was going to ask you to
come along when I thought you and Karrde were involved, but if you
would rather not..."

"I'll go," Shada said quickly, ignoring Mara's slight knowing
smirk. "When do you want to leave?"

Mara glanced at the chrono on her wrist. "I've already prepped the
Jade Sabre and it's ready to go. I moved my stuff onto the ship
earlier tonight. I'm ready as soon as you are."

Shada nodded and stood up. "What hangar bay is the Sabre in?"

Mara looked up at the tall figure beside her. "27."

"I'll meet you there in two hours." With that, Shada turned and
stalked off down the street, leaving Mara to watch her disappear into
the lightly falling snow.

Okay, guys, here's Chapter 2 - all suggestions, corrections, comments
and remarks will be appreciated! :-))

JT

Disclaimers and overall rating are at the beginning of Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Three men were standing at the computer terminal when Shada entered
hangar bay 27. They watched her tall, willowy figure makes its way
across the spacious floor of the hangar. "Who's that?" the youngest
technician exclaimed, his eyes growing wider. "Wow, what a knockout
babe!" He was fairly new, barely out of his teens, and receiving
some on-the-job training from the senior tech who stood beside him.

The senior tech chuckled, "Down, junior, that there's more woman
than you could ever handle!" The older man looked at the security
guard standing with them and grinned.

The other man returned his amusement. "Yeah, boy, you had better
steer clear of women like that or you'll have more trouble than you
could ever dream of." The security guard laughed at his own joke and
then bent over the computer terminal, intent on keying in some codes.

"You know who she is?" the boy asked again, not taking his eyes off
the slender Shada.

The older tech shrugged. "Not really, but she's probably some friend
of Mara Jade Skywalker's."

The boy swallowed abruptly, "Mara Jade Skywalker...THE Mara Jade
Skywalker...Luke Skywalker's wife?"

"Yep, that's her ship, the Jade Sabre."

"Wow," the boy breathed, his relative newness to Coruscant showing
through. "That ship belongs to the Skywalkers? Do you think they're
on it now?"

"Jade is, though I didn't see Skywalker with her when she came in.
Must be just her and the other woman going on some kind of trip."

The techs attention was diverted back to the security guard as he
gave a satisfied grunt. "Found her!" The other two men joined him
at the computer terminal. "I thought that was her," the security
guard said as he pointed at the screen. On it was a large photo of
Shada and several paragraphs of information.

"Who is she?" the boy asked again.

"Shada D'ukal, ex-Mistryl Shadow Guard. Works for Talon Karrde now,
his second-in-command," the security guard told them and then laughed
suggestively. "Rumor has it she does more than just work for him,
though."

"Talon Karrde?" the kid gasped, his eyes grew even bigger. "The
smuggler chieftain? Isn't he some sort of Intelligence liaison now?"

The guard nodded, "That's the one," he told the boy, bluntly.

The kid seemed to be replaying the previous comment when he frowned
and asked, "What do you mean she does more than just work for him."

The two older men looked at one another and the senior tech rolled
his eyes, then explained patiently. "She sleeps with him, junior.
You're looking at Talon Karrde's woman, and I suggest you stay far
away from her if you're fond of remaining healthy."

The three men turned to watch Shada again as she reached the bottom
of the ramp. She dropped the two bags she was carrying on the floor
and they heard her call out something. They were too far away to
make out what she said, but weren't at all surprised when another
lithe, feminine figure appeared at the top of the ramp.

"That's Mara Jade!" burst excitedly out of the young tech. "Man,
she's even more gorgeous in person than she is on the holovids!"

The older men laughed, but the security guard was watching the women
closely. He pursed his lips speculatively. "I wonder what those two
are planning? I'll bet it's real interesting, whatever it is." He
glanced down at the young tech beside him, writhing excitedly and
smirked. "Well, junior, you've got an ex-Emperor's Hand and an ex-
Shadow Guard over there. Wanna go ask for a date?" he asked
teasingly. He burst out laughing when the blood slowly drained from
the young technician's face.

"Not me," the boy exclaimed, shaking his head vigorously. "I like
living too much!" He sighed as he looked back at the two women, each
grabbing one of the black bags and disappearing up the ramp into the
Jade Sabre. "You've got to admit though, Skywalker and Karrde are
two lucky guys!"

**********************

Inside the Jade Sabre, Mara dropped the heavy bag she was carrying on
the floor of the cabin she had selected for Shada's use. "Sithspit!
What do you have in there?"

Shada raised an eyebrow as she threw the other bag on the bunk next
to the wall. "My equipment," she explained calmly, watching with a
little amusement as Mara rubbed the bicep on the arm with which she
had been holding the bag.

"Equipment?" Mara echoed, glancing down at the bag with
interest. "May I?" She waved her hand at the bag and Shada nodded.

Mara squatted next to the bag, unzipped its heavy-duty fastener and
started going through the contents. There were three BlasTech
pistols and two sniper rifles along with one small hold-out blaster;
five vibro-blades of assorted sizes; one vibro-sword; a dozen thermal
detonators; several glow rods; an assortment of power cells and a
dozen packages of zenji needles. There was also some survival
equipment: a small tent, two medical kits, several water bottles,
and a big box of ration bars.

Mara looked up at Shada in astonishment.

Shada shrugged. "I like to come prepared."

Mara gave a short laugh. "It's not that, I like being prepared
myself. I'm just amazed you got it all in one bag!"

She motioned for Shada to follow her and the two women left the cabin
and ventured down a long hallway until they came to the cargo hold of
the Jade Sabre. Shada stopped in amazement at what she was taking
in: one of the biggest four-man landspeeders she had ever seen sat
nestled against the wall. It had been modified to a degree that
Shada had never seen before. Durasteel armor plating had reinforced
the chassis and the windows were extra thick transparisteel. An
enhanced power supply with heavy-duty repulsor coils completed a
landspeeder that could take on any terrain and just about any enemy.
But it was the weapons that caught Shada's attention. Near the front
sat a turreted repeating blaster. Shada recognized the manufacture
as BlasTech and knew the weapon was used for infantry support. On
the back of the speeder was a flechette grenade launcher. Shada
whistled softly. Anybody who messed too much with the occupants of
that landspeeder was definitely going to regret it.

Shada let her eyes wander across the walls of the hangar and
appreciatively took in the racks filled with BlasTech E-11 blaster
rifles and DH-17 blaster pistols. There was even two more E-Web
repeating blasters nestled against two Stokhli Spray sticks. In
cases propped against the cargo walls were thermal detonators and
dozens of grenades.

"Well, looks like we're loaded for Bantha," Shada said, sounding
pleased.

Mara nodded and the two women looked at each other with perfect
understanding. "Are we ready?" Mara asked.

"Let's haul jets," Shada agreed.

***********************************

It didn't take them long to maneuver into Coruscant's atmosphere.
Mara keyed in the navigational codes that had been included in the
small message that Karrde had given Luke several weeks before, then
looked over at Shada who was strapped in the co-pilot's chair.

"Ready?" she asked and Shada nodded.

Mara pulled back on the hyperdrive lever, felt the Sabre respond, and
then watched as the stars turned into brilliant streaks of light as
they shot into hyperspace.

Both women sat for a moment, lost in their own individual thoughts.

*Luke?* Mara sent out silently through the Force, not really
expecting a reply and therefore not surprised when she didn't get
one. On his last call, Luke said that he and Karrde were getting so
far out towards the Outer Rim that they may not be able to
communicate through their Jedi link anymore. Mara hoped, fervently,
that that was all it was. She could not sense him at all, which
could mean several things. Either he was too far away, he was
unconscious...or he was dead.

She brushed the thought away forcefully, fighting the tears that
wanted to rise in her eyes. She glanced over at the ex-Mistryl guard
beside her, hoping she hadn't noticed anything. She should have
known better.

Shada was watching her closely, her light gray eyes wandering over
Mara's face, but she only asked calmly, "How long will it take to get
there?"

Mara wiped at a trail of wetness on her cheek. "I'm not sure...maybe
six or seven days."

Shada lifted an eyebrow. "That long?"

Mara nodded.

Shada unbuckled the safety harness on the co-pilot's chair and
stood. "I suppose we had better talk this out. Obviously, you had
some sort of coordinates for where we are headed. What exactly do
you know?"

Mara switched the controls to autopilot and said, "Let's go back in
the lounge. I'll show you what I have."

The two women walked down the corridor, Shada several centimeters
taller than the more petite Mara, but both women were exuding a
strong sense of strength and will.

Once they reached the lounge, which was marvelously decorated in warm
gold and brown tones, Mara activated a holo-map of the galaxy on a
large view screen.

Shada looked around the room. "Quite a ship you have here, Mara."

Mara followed her gaze and sighed. "Yes, she's beautiful, isn't
she? Luke built her for me." She shrugged. "I suppose he felt
sorry for me after I lost the Jade's Fire."

Shada smiled slightly. "I think it was probably more to it than just
that."

Mara looked at her questioningly and Shada laughed. "Everybody knows
Luke Skywalker is crazy about his wife."

Mara didn't say anything for a moment, then quietly mumbled, "She's
pretty crazy about him, too."

She loaded a system holo-map on the big view screen. "This is the
Ten Tempests System at the edge of the Outer Rim. The last time we
talked, Luke said he believed that it was the system the message was
referring to."

Shada walked closer to the screen, peering at the string of planets
and moons around a small, but brilliant star. "If I remember right,
this is a primitive system. Isn't the planet Vortex the only one
that the New Republic has had much contact with?"

Mara nodded. "Yes, there's an avian race there called the Vors."

"I remember now. Admiral Ackbar crashed his B-Wing there a few years
ago, didn't he? Right into the Cathedral of Winds?" Shada was
referring to the beautiful cathedral type building that had been
built by the Vors. Made almost entirely of crystal, the building had
thousands of holes that caught the planet's gale-force winds during
the seasons. The resulting musical experience was different each
time. The native Vors called it the Concert of Winds. After
Ackbar's accident, the New Republic had helped the Vors rebuild the
crystal cathedral.

"That's it," Mara agreed.

"There's nine other planets in that system, Mara. Karrde and
Skywalker could be on any one of them, including any of those moons
which could be inhabitable."

"Then we'll just have check out all of them, won't we?" Mara said
sharply.

Shada turned to look at Mara's determined face and lifted an
eyebrow. "Of course," she offered slowly. "Whatever it takes to find
them."

Mara had the grace to look a little ashamed. She took in a deep
breath. "I'm sorry, Shada. Diplomacy has never been my strong suit."

Shada waved her off. "No need to apologize. I understand
completely. I just meant that it could take some time to cover all
that territory."

Mara shook her head. "I'm hoping that as soon as we can get near
enough to the system that I can contact Luke. If he
isn't...incapacitated in some way, I should be able to reach him
through our Jedi link."

"That would certainly save some time," Shada agreed. She sat down in
a chair near a round table and motioned Mara to join her. "Let's
talk about that message, then. What exactly did it say?"

"Didn't Karrde discuss it with you?" Mara asked, taking the chair
opposite Shada.

"He did," Shada agreed. "But perhaps Skywalker had a different take
on it. Let's combine what we know and go from there."

Mara nodded. Shada's idea was sound, but she hadn't expected
anything less from the ex-Shadow Guard. The Mistryl Shadow Guards
were an elite order of warrior women trained as mercenaries. They
had left off their home planet in order to earn money to feed and
clothe the devastated people of their world. Their planet,
Emberlene, had been virtually destroyed by Emperor Palpatine in the
early days of the Galactic Civil War, and the Shadow Guards had to
use all their cunning, guile, and combat skills just to see to the
survival of the Emberlene people. Shada had run afoul of the Shadow
Guards when she had aborted one of her sisters assigned
assassinations. She had been marked for death herself after that,
but Talon Karrde, through a bit of bribery and enticement, was able
to have the death warrant lifted from Shada. Shada had been with his
smugglers organization ever since.

"There wasn't much to the message," Mara said. "It's clearly a
distress code of some kind, and it's in a very primitive Basic. Luke
said it was a language that hasn't been spoken for about a hundred
standard years. From that, he concluded that it had to be from a
planet that had very little contact with the New Republic or the
remnants of the old Empire, for that matter."

Mara unfolded a thin durasheet and laid it on the table between
them. Shada leaned closer.

"I transcribed the message on this, just for easier reading. Have
you ever seen Basic written out quite like that?" she asked Shada.

Shada shook her head. "No, I haven't. I've seen its style before
though, in some old history disks from the libraries dealing with the
Old Republic. Have you figured out what it says?"

"Not all of it. Luke took it to a couple of professors at the
University of Coruscant, and they gave him a loose translation. The
people of the planet are dying at an alarming rate from an
unidentifiable disease. They're requesting aid from anyone
really...they just sent out that message with hopes that something
would pick it up."

"Something did," Shada replied. "The Starry Ice."

"What were Faughn and the others doing out that far anyway?" Mara
asked inquisitively. "Have you and Karrde started trading with the
Vors?"

Shada laughed. "No, actually they were on their way to Ord Mantell.
They picked up the message as they passed the Ten Tempest System."

Shada took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her tone quickly
turned serious. "I don't like it, Mara. A disease? Wiping out the
population? I told Karrde I thought he shouldn't go."

Mara sighed. "I told Luke the same thing. Look where that got us."

They looked at each other ruefully, a woman's age-old response to the
thinking patterns of men written across their faces.

"Luke loaded up Artoo with every bit of medical information he could
hold. He told me that since the message was written in such ancient
Basic, the people on the planet were probably far behind the rest of
the galaxy in medical technology."

"So he's assuming that the disease that's ravaging the populace is
something we've already conquered?" Shada asked.

Mara nodded.

"I hope he's right then," Shada mused softly, trying to ignore the
bad feeling that was wrapping solidly around her.

It is sorta slow around here this weekend. I think everyone must
have exhausted themselves with all that posting in the last two weeks.

Anyway, thought I would go ahead and throw up Chapter 3 of A Shadow
at Dusk. The first two chapters have centered on Mara and Shada.
Chapter 3 will explain what is going on with Luke and Talon. I may
rewrite the ending of this chapter some as I think it fell a little
flat. What do you guys think? Also, does it flow okay and does the
working of the spores seem realistic enough?

JT

All disclaimers and ratings are on Chapter 1.

A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 3

A planet in the Ten Tempest System

Talon Karrde moaned, a harsh sound filled with pain that seemed to
reverberate around the small room.

Luke Skywalker's eyes fluttered open and he struggled to sit up.
Glancing over to the other cot in the tiny one-room cabin, Luke saw
Karrde thrashing on his bed, his groans becoming louder and more
prolonged.

Luke swung his feet to the floor. The healing trance he had been in
had not been long enough, but he was feeling a little better. He
stood, stopping for a moment to get his balance, and walked somewhat
unsteadily across the tiny dirt floor. He knelt beside Karrde's cot
and laid his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Talon, relax buddy, try to relax. You're going to have to
concentrate and help me."

Karrde coughed repeatedly, deep racking coughs that seem to literally
rip at his lungs. A line of spittle, specked with blood, dribbled
down his chin into his short, trim beard. Luke took a damp cloth
from a bowl next to the cot and wiped Karrde's face.

"Talon, can you hear me? Come on, talk to me," Luke said softly,
feeling the man's forehead. The smuggler's chief was burning up with
fever again, and obviously not coherent.

Luke positioned his fingers on Karrde's temples and concentrated,
sending the man soothing, comforting feelings. After a moment,
Karrde seemed to relax, the muscles in his tense body loosening. He
lay much calmer.

Luke increased his concentration, seeking out the cause of the latest
spike of fever in Karrde's limp body. It didn't take him long to
trace down the few scattered spores and dissolve them quickly.

Karrde's tall slender body had an almost instantaneous reaction to
the absence of the spores as he began to drop into a cleansing
sleep. He did mumbled one word that Luke didn't catch.

Luke leaned closer. "What? What did you say, Talon?"

The man mumbled the word again, although he obviously had no idea
what he was saying. Then he dropped into a deep, healing slumber.

Luke sat up again and let out a long sigh. I know what you mean, old
buddy, I know exactly what you mean, he thought, his mind turning to
Mara. He knew she must be worried sick by now. It had been over two
weeks since he had talked to her, and they had never gone that long
without some communication between them.

He glanced down at Talon. He's having the same concerns, Luke
thought, even if they were buried farther in his subconscious. But
they were obviously leaking to the surface. What Talon had mumbled
had been a name. Shada, he had said. Just her name, but Luke
understood. Talon was apparently as anxious for his friend, Shada
D'ukal, as Luke was for Mara.

A sound at the small opening of the hut caught Luke's attention and
he looked up. A boy drew aside the leather flap that covered the
opening and came into the room. He was about fifteen, tall and thin
for his age. His face was pinched and told of a worn weariness.

"Master Skywalker?" the boy asked politely.

"I'm here," Luke answered, standing up. He was steadier on his feet
than before, but knew he needed more rest.

"It's time, sir," the boy said in his rough Basic.

"I'll be right there, Vashi," Luke told him. It had taken him a few
days after their arrival to get used to the sound of the language,
but now he was having no trouble understanding it. It was his own
language after all, just an ancient form of it.

The boy nodded and then left out the door again. Luke glanced down
at Talon, then bent to pull the thick blanket up higher onto the
older man's chest. He had to keep an eye on Talon Karrde. Mara
would never forgive him if he let something happen. And he had a
feeling Shada D'ukal wouldn't either.

A soft, mournful beeping caught his attention, and he walked to the
corner of the little room and laid his hand onto the dome of the
little droid. "I know, Artoo. I want to get out of here, too." He
squatted beside the droid. "Have you found any more data?"

An affirmative sounding beep lifted Luke's spirits and he watched the
data being processed on Artoo's tiny screen. Then he
sighed. "You're sure, Artoo? There's no mistake?"

Artoo gave the little mournful whistle again, and Luke stood. He
didn't think it was possible to be any more depressed, but he was.
Artoo had spent days analyzing and cross-referencing the information
they had collected about the strange malady affecting the people of
this small planet, but had come up with absolutely nothing that could
help them. As far as Artoo was concerned, it was a totally new and
obscure disease.

The only thing that seemed to hold the infestation at bay was Luke's
own Jedi powers. He was able to search out the disease in a person's
body and dissipate it. If the person was lucky and Luke managed to
dispel all the disease spores, then the person had a very real chance
of surviving. And at least one good thing seemed to have evolved
from Luke's arrival. If the person survived the spores, there didn't
seem to be a chance of re-infection. The person apparently became
immune to the virulent spores causing the disease after that.
Those few that did recover could help take care of those that were
ill. But there were just so many, so many who were ill.

When Luke entered the huge, circular communal hut, he let his
barriers drop and briefly swayed under the onslaught of pain and
agony that assailed him. Rows of cots lined the walls of the room
while in the center, children worked at wooden tables covered with
bowls of water, coarse towels and blankets. The children moved among
the cots, pressing damp towels against the fevered brows of the
people in the cots. Most of those people Luke would have
characterized as young. Many were in their late teens; a few were
slightly older, but there weren't any people who could be classified
as matured adults.

Luke moved into the center of the room and caught the attention of
the boy who had come to his small cabin. The boy nodded and walked
over to Luke.

"The most urgent cases are over there, Master." The boy pointed to a
section to the right of where they were standing. Several cots lined
the area and as Luke walked among them, he could feel the desperate
illness of the people on the small beds.

He knelt beside the first one and frowned heavily, looking up at the
boy who had accompanied him. "I hope you haven't waited too long,
Vashi," he said, more sharply than he intended.

The boy shifted from one leg to the other. "I have to let you rest,
Master. If you fall so exhausted that you cannot help, then where
would we be?"

Luke felt a brief spasm of guilt at speaking so harshly to the boy.
Sithspit! He was only fifteen and he was taking care of a whole
village of ill and dying people. Luke doubted that he could have
done as much when he was the same age.
"You did the right thing," Luke told him softly and then turned back
to the cot.

A young girl, no more than nineteen or twenty, moaned almost
inaudibly as she moved restlessly on the bed. Luke could tell she
was very weak and without some help, probably would not last the rest
of the morning.

He leaned toward her and placed his fingers on her temple. He
reached out with the Force and began to search her internal organs.
Suddenly, he jerked spasmodically and dropped his hands, tears coming
involuntarily into his eyes. The spores were everywhere, hundreds,
thousands of them. It would take him hours to remove them all, hours
he didn't have to devote to one person.

He glanced up at the boy, only to see him shrug. "They brought her
in late last night. I think she may be from the village over the
hill from this one." The boy looked out the door of the huge hut. "I
don't think there are many left there now."

"You should have awakened me when they brought her in," Luke pointed
out, the emotional pain he was feeling evident in his voice.

The boy shook his head, gently moving the feather from some colorful
avian creature native to his world that was attached to his hair.
His expression reflected a wisdom far older than his years. He put
his hand on Luke's shoulder. "Master, you cannot save them all." He
looked down at the girl on the bed. "I showed her to you because I
thought we may learn something new about this disease. She is not of
our village..." He stopped and sighed heavily.

For the first time, Luke realized that the boy was exhausted. The
spasm of guilt hit him again. The kid had been working virtually non-
stop since Luke and Karrde had landed on the planet. They had
trekked several days before coming across the village and walking
into a nightmare that Luke knew he would never forget. And then he
and Karrde had both fallen ill with the mysterious affliction, but
Luke had managed to clean himself of the spores almost immediately
and hadn't had any recurrence. Talon hadn't been as lucky, and Luke
had been working on him for several days, cleaning the spores from
the man's body as soon as they showed activity.

Luke was sure that the spores could lay dormant in the body until
ready to attack, and he was almost positive that the older a person
was, the more spores seemed to invade the body. Talon Karrde was
almost a decade older than Luke, and he had been struck much harder
and more viciously. But Luke was keeping him alive and hoped that
soon he would have Talon's lean body free of the spores.

A little girl, no more than ten years old, came up to Luke and the
boy. She was breathing heavily as if she had been running. "Vashi!
Vashi!"

"Hold, Enee!" The boy took the girl by her shoulder and forced her
to stand still. "What is it?"

"The Batui! The Batui are coming!" The girl wrenched from Vashi's
grip and ran to the big table in the center of the room. She took a
bow almost taller than she was and several arrows from a long wooden
box and ran outside again.
The boy shot a glance at Luke. "We must hurry, Master." Then he,
too, ran to the table, collected some weapons and raced out after the
little girl.

Luke sighed and looked down at the young woman on the cot. He knelt
beside her again and put his hands on her temples. Closing his eyes
and gathering the Force to him, he reached far down inside her and
eased her agonizing pain. Soon, she was lying quietly, her breathing
leveling off. "I'm so sorry," he whispered softly and he leaned
toward her, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. He knew she
wouldn't be alive when they returned.

Then he stood, fingering his lightsaber with one hand and checking
that his blaster was still in its holster. He walked purposely out
of the hut's huge door and into a scene that he knew instinctively
was a reenactment of his species' history.

*********************

Talon Karrde's eyes opened and he blinked rapidly, trying to clear
them of a hazy blurriness. With a bit of a struggle, he sat up and
swung his long, muscular legs off the bed. He sat there on the side
of the cot for a time, letting his body adjust to the new position.
The incredible, searing pain was gone, yet he was very conscious of
the weakness still surrounding his body.

His head rolled back on his shoulders, his eyes closing again
momentarily. He had a vague memory of Skywalker working on him
earlier that morning and knew that he must be clean of the spores
again. He hoped fervently that that had been the last of them, but
nothing was a certainty. They had thought before that he was cleared
of the spores only to have a dormant one flare to life. At least
they had discovered that once infected a person couldn't be infected
again. The body apparently built up an immunity which kept new
spores from entering it.

Karrde opened his eyes and shook his head. He had never felt so bad
in his life than when the spores had first attacked him. He had been
positive he was going to die, and in his few lucid moments, had spent
some time going over the pages of his life.

Although he had accomplished many things and considered his life to
be successful for the most part, there was one deep and abiding
regret that now seemed to eat at his core. He had never had a
family, never had children who would carry on his name, never found a
woman whom he could love completely and consider his own. Even Mara,
with all her cynicism and aloofness, had found someone to love.
Someone, who in return, loved her.

Talon leaned forward and ran a hand through his longish black hair.
No, he thought. There was no use in lying to himself any longer, at
least not now. He had found a woman, one that he would give almost
anything to be able to claim as his own. But as with so many other
things in his life, luck had not been with him. It had been his lot
to fall in love with a woman who could never return his affection, a
woman so caught up in the bitterness and betrayals of her own life
that she could not see past them to a future. At any rate, a future
with him.

Shada, he thought, his eyes betraying his own bleakness. How he
wanted her, and yet they had remained friends, good friends who
trusted and believed in one another completely, confided in and
counted on each other to the exclusion of all others. But never
once, in the nearly two years that they had been close had their
relationship ever crossed over to something besides a deep and
abiding friendship.

Talon looked down at the dirt floor under his feet. A memory as
sharp as if it had happened the day before flooded into his mind.
Han Solo, his arm about the shoulders of his beautiful and petite
wife, teasing Talon about his relationship with Shada D'ukal.

<"Yeah, I did," Han said, giving Karrde a highly speculative
look. "You know, I asked you once what it would take to get you to
join the New Republic. Remember? You asked what it had taken to get
me to join up - "

"Yes, I remember," Karrde cut him off, an uncharacteristic note of
embarrassment coloring his voice. "Kindly bear in mind that I have
not joined the New Republic. And my relationship with Shada is
nothing like that."

"Neither was mine," Han said smugly. "That's okay. Give it time."

"It's not going to happen," Karrde insisted.

"Yeah," Han said. "I know."*>

And Talon Karrde now understood how Han Solo, ex-smuggler, had
managed to hold his own among Jedi relatives and hordes of
politicians for so many years. The man was far too perceptive for
his own good.

The sounds of shouts and running feet brought Karrde's attention back
to the present and he pulled himself to his feet. Shaking his head
one more time to clear it, he walked on wobbly legs to the door of
the cabin. Pulling aside the covering, he stepped out into the
brilliant sunlight.

**************

As Luke Skywalker walked out of the huge circular hut, a group
advanced on the outskirts of the village where crude defensive
armaments had been placed. The group wasn't large, no more than
twenty, but its members were heavily armed with the weapons typical
of the planet. Bows, arrows, and blades of all kinds and lengths.
The group was both genders, advancing at a quick rate on foot. Yet,
they were all young, at least what Luke characterized as young.
Mostly teenagers, a few even younger than that. Their faces were
painted with some sort of intricate design. Probably their tribal
markings, Luke thought, walking steadily toward the defensive
battlements. Even in this village he had seen its members paint
their faces for various occasions, though most of those had been in
mourning in the time that Luke had been there.

As he passed the small cabin that he shared with Talon Karrde, the
man appeared in the doorway, leaning heavily on the frame.

"Talon!" Luke exclaimed, moving quickly over to him. "What are you
doing? Get back in bed. You can't help out here."

Talon straightened up, his tall, lean body standing almost a head
taller than Luke. "I'm alright, Skywalker. A little shaky, maybe,
but I feel much better, and I need to move around to get my strength
back."

"Yeah, well, you may be right there, but moving around in a battle is
not the place." Luke took Talon's arm, intent on moving him back
inside.

"Battle? What battle?" Talon asked, resisting.

A solid thunk sounded near Talon's head and both men looked in
astonishment at the heavy, quivering arrow embedded in the wooden
wall. "What in all the Sith hells was that?" Talon gasped.

Luke glanced down at the blaster that had suddenly appeared in
Talon's right hand. Any man capable of drawing that fast was ready
to fight if necessary. "Come on," Luke told him. "We have company."

The two men did a crouching run towards several wooden carts and
wagons that had been turned over onto their sides and piled together
in the center of the main dirt thoroughfare that ran through the
village. Behind the barriers were several youngsters, standing at
periodic times and loosing a volley of arrows into the distance.

The area was filled with shouts and yells from the children behind
the barricade and from the ones walking now at a steady pace down the
center of the thoroughly, firing a host of arrows as they came.

Luke and Talon arrived at the pile of carts and wagons and crouched
down behind it with the children of the village. Luke scooted over
next to Vashi just as the young man stood and fired his long bow. A
harsh yell of pain erupted from one of the advancing group, and Luke
knew the boy had hit his target.

"Why are they doing this?" Luke peered up at Vashi as the boy
notched another arrow into his bow.

Vashi glanced over the top of the cart he was hiding behind. "They
are probably hungry."

Luke twisted his face wryly. "Then why not just ask for food?
Wouldn't you give them some?"

Vashi looked down at him. "Why ask for some when you can take it
all?"

Luke nodded at the boy's logic and sighed. Vashi squatted down
beside him. "Their leader is a boy I've known many years. He is
aggressive and arrogant. He thinks all should follow his lead."
Talon moved over closer to them. "Can you talk to him?"

Vashi shook his head, his colorful feather bouncing on his
shoulder. "I've tried. He will not listen. He said...he said there
could not be two leaders." Vashi looked down, his body tense.

Talon eased up and took a look over the cart at the leader across the
way. He was shorter but more physically powerful than the slender
Vashi, his muscled legs and arms evident even in the distance. "He
wants to fight you, doesn't he?"

Vashi looked quickly at the older man and then nodded
miserably. "His name is Ackkuu. He is from a village near the
hills." The boy waved in the direction of the distant mountain
range. "I cannot fight him. I am not a warrior like him. He will
kill me easily."

Talon nodded. "Then we'll just have to outsmart him, won't we?" He
looked at Luke and motioned with his head for the younger man to
follow him. The two men moved back from the barricade and talked
quietly.

After a moment, Luke called to the little girl beside Vashi. "Enee?"

Her head jerked with surprise, but she whispered, "Yes, Master?"

"Can you find some food for me and put it in something I can carry
easily?"

The little girl thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yes,
Master." Then she hurried away, heading back in the direction of the
circular hut that dominated the center of the village.

Vashi's intelligent, brown eyes gazed patiently at the men. He
didn't know what had brought the two men down from the sky two weeks
before, but he had been astonished at their knowledge, especially at
the younger one, the one the other man had said was a Jedi Master.
Vashi wasn't sure exactly what a Jedi Master was, but he had seen the
man do incredible healing, apparently with his will and his mind. He
truly was a gift from the gods.

Talon smiled at the boy. "We have a plan that we think will work,
but you need to keep them busy until we have everything we need."

The boy nodded and notched another arrow into his bow. He peered
over the top of the cart. There had been a lull in the fighting and
now the group across the way had moved just out of arrow range. They
seemed to be talking over their options as well.

Suddenly, Enee ran up to them and she handed Luke a large sack made
of a coarse, straw-like material. It was bulging with packs of food.

Luke laid his hand on the little girl's shoulder. "Thanks, Enee,
good job." She beamed with pleasure.

Luke turned to Talon. "Ready?"

Talon nodded and eased along the carts to the edge of the barricade.
He checked his blaster and then peered cautiously around the edge.

Luke placed the sack over his shoulder and grasped his lightsaber in
his other hand. Taking one step back, he then Force-leaped over the
barricade, igniting his lightsaber as he came down.

He was vaguely aware of the gasps of surprise from Vashi and his
followers but he was more concerned with the reaction of the group
farther down the dirt street. He wasn't disappointed. Many in the
group cried out in surprise and fear as Luke seemed to virtually fly
through the air, and the leader sharply barked an order Luke didn't
understand.

Arrows began to rain in his direction, but he easily blocked them
with his lightsaber, walking steadily toward the group the whole time.

The group, seeing his advance, began to move away. Luke could
vaguely hear murmurs of "A god, he's a god!" But the arrows
continued to rain down at him, even though the group now seemed in a
steady retreat.

Suddenly, his danger sense flared and he looked quickly toward his
right. Before he could move his lightsaber in that direction, an
arrow suddenly darted out of the darkness behind a small cabin and
struck Luke in the thigh. A blaster barked from behind him, sending
a flash of red behind the cabin. Through the searing pain from his
leg, Luke saw a boy, about seventeen or eighteen stagger out and
collapse.

A sudden stillness came over the little street, and Luke turned to
the group he had been facing before, steadying himself as best he
could on his injured leg.

The group was staring open-mouthed at their fallen comrade. Then the
leader mumbled, "Another god, they have another god," and pointed a
shaking finger at where the blaster shot had come. The group
suddenly diversed, cries of terror accompanying their panicked flight
from the village.

Luke stumbled a few steps after them. "Wait!" he called, but they
didn't heed his cry and continued to run.

Talon Karrde appeared at his side, along with Vashi. Karrde took
the sack of food from Luke. "Here, Vashi, take the food to the end of
the street and leave it. They will come back for it after they think
it over."

He slipped an arm around Luke's waist and helped him turn around.
Together, they walked back up the street toward the
barricade. "Sorry, Skywalker, this wasn't part of the plan."

Luke grimaced. "It's all right, Karrde. If you hadn't shot him, I
might not be here to talk about it. Once we get this arrow out, I'll
spend a few hours in a healing trance. I should be fine after that."

Talon nodded solemnly, knowing it could have been far worse.

Sorry this has taken a little longer than usual. Darth Real Life had
us in his grip lately.

A little update on plot: Luke Skywalker and Talon Karrde are missing
and Mara Jade Skywalker and Shada D'ukal have gone in search of them.

This chapter takes place during the flight to the planetary system
where Mara and Shada think Luke and Talon are.

As usual, comments, suggestions are deeply appreciated.

Rating: PG-13

A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 4

A vague, but persistent sound pounded in Mara's head and reluctantly
she awoke, squinting sleepily at the dial of her bedside chrono. "Not
again?!"

Thud! Whack! Slap! Thump! Mara rolled over in her bed on the Jade
Sabre and pulled the pillow over her head. Every morning since they
had entered hyperspace, the routine had been the same. Practice was a
necessity, but one could over do it! She sighed, turned over and sat
up in the bed. Trying to sleep with all that noise was impossible.

Thump! Whack! Mara rolled her emerald eyes in exasperation and got
to her feet, heading for the refresher. Shada's morning practice
sessions with the punching bag in the Jade Sabre's small work-out gym
had become as regular as the daily course checks.

Mara washed and then splashed some more water onto her face to remove
the remaining cleaning fluid. Quickly, she brushed her straight,
even teeth. Pulling on a form-fitting exercise suit of durable, yet
stretchable material, she decided that she would pay the ex-Mistryl
Shadow Guard a little visit.

When Mara entered the tiny gym, Shada was sending a roundhouse kick
to the right side of the punching bag. It immediately caved from the
force of the blow, then rapidly reformed itself to its original
shape, just in time to have Shada give it another strong arm hit
straight to what would have been the mid-section of a human being.
The bag bent over double only to meet Shada's armor covered knee as
it came up sharply. This time the bag flipped over backward before
righting itself.

Mara worked to suppress a grin. Shada was good, very good. If that
had been a live opponent, he'd be suffering from a ruptured spleen
and a bloody, broken nose now.

"Not bad," Mara complimented.

Shada whirled around, surprise lighting her somewhat stern
features. "Mara! I didn't see you there."

Mara walked farther into the room. "I just came in. Heard you
practicing."

Shada looked a little guilty. "I hope I didn't wake you. I try to
practice in the mornings. It's hard to break the habit."

"It's alright," Mara said, deciding to forgive her. "That's quite an
outfit."

Shada glanced down at herself. "Shadow Guard battle gear. I always
practice in it. Helps build up the strength."

"And offers some pretty impressive protection," Mara murmured. Shada
was dressed in a snug-fitting black and red combat suit, reinforced
at the chest, arms and thighs with what looked to be thin body-shaped
sheets of dura-armor. It probably wouldn't deflect a straight-on
blaster shot, but angled shots would bounce right off. Yet the whole
suit was extremely lightweight and incredibly flexible, allowing its
wearer maximum body movement.

Mara smiled. "I'm envious. I wouldn't mind having one of those
outfits myself."

For a moment, a dark cloud flitted across Shada's face. "Wish I
could help you there, but I don't have any contact with the Shadow
Guards anymore."

Mara lifted her eyebrows and walked over to the punching bag. She
ran a hand caressingly down its smooth surface. "None at all? No
old friends or anything?"

Shada looked down, then shook her head. "No, nothing. I'm sure all
the Guards have been ordered to have no contact with me. To the
Mistryl now, it's as if I no longer exist."

Mara frowned. She knew very little about Shada's situation. Talon
Karrde had mentioned a few things, but had not gone into much
detail. "I'm sorry to hear that, Shada."

Shada shrugged. "The Shadow Guard wasn't what I thought it was
anyway."

Mara nodded wryly. "I can understand that."

Shada looked at her, puzzled.

"I had some misguided loyalties in my youth too," Mara informed her
succinctly. If anyone had experience in devoting her life to a
defective cause, it was Mara, with her years of service to Emperor
Palpatine and his reign of terror against the galaxy. She sighed
heavily. "At times, life is definitely not as it seems. The trick
is not to let those things drag you down, to put them behind you and
work for a better future."

Shada grimaced. "Is that more Jedi philosophy?"

Mara laughed softly. "No, more like the hard-knocks of life
philosophy." She pushed the punching bag. "So, are you tired of
this thing yet? Wanna try a live opponent?"

Shada's eyes widened. "You? I don't think so. Not with all those
Jedi skills!"

"What if I promise not to use them?" Mara asked, grinning.

Shada studied Mara for a long moment and then said, "All right.
What's it to be?"

"Hand-to-hand," Mara said enthusiastically. "I don't get enough of
it, although I'm somewhat overworked on the lightsaber duels."

Shada glanced down at herself. "I would have an advantage in this
armor. Give me a few minutes to change."

Mara nodded. "I'll warm up while you do that."

Mara was just finishing her stretching exercises when Shada returned
to the tiny gym, dressed in a loose fitting gray and green exercise
suit. Without a word, the two squared off on the flat, round mat
that covered one whole side of the gym floor.

"Any rules?" Shada asked, watching Mara carefully.

Mara's smile was feline. "No one dies."

"Good rule," Shada growled, dropping into a combat stance, as the two
began to circle around one another.

Mara murmured, "I've always wondered if the Imperial hand-to-hand
combat techniques could take down a Mistryl Shadow Guard."

Shada suddenly darted forward, lifting the flat edge of her hand as
she came. Mara countered, blocking the blow, but was surprised when
Shada's long leg swept under hers, taking her feet out from under
her. Mara landed hard on her side, but flipped quickly back onto her
feet before Shada could take an advantage.

A slight smile lifted the corner of Shada's mouth. "I suppose we'll
find out today, won't we?"

"Cute trick," Mara grinned back at her. "But it won't work again."

It was Mara's turn to charge, and although Shada was alert and
watching for it, she was still caught by surprise. The two wrestled,
testing their individual strength against each other. Shada was
almost a head taller, but she learned quickly that Mara was
incredibly strong and fit. They grappled, each looking for a way to
take the other down. The match went on for some time as they
scuffled against one another for supremacy.

Suddenly, Mara threw her weight to one side, catching Shada off-
guard. Shada struggled with her balance and then felt the palm of
Mara's right hand catch her swiftly and forcefully under the chin.
She dropped like a stone, a galaxy of stars spinning before her eyes.

Mara moved in for the killing blow, raising her foot to press it into
Shada's throat, but Shada caught it and twisted viciously, dumping
Mara on top of her. The two rolled across the thin mat, their blows
becoming more precise and a touch more forceful.

Finally, they broke apart, rolled to opposite ends of the mat and
staggered to their feet. Both were breathing heavily, struggling to
take in enough oxygen. Shada was bleeding profusely from a long
scratch on her chin, and Mara had a large, angry red welt on her left
temple.

"You had enough?" Shada asked, wiping the blood away from her chin
with her hand.

Mara grinned and shook her head. She was enjoying this. She hadn't
had a good hand-to-hand match in ages, and Shada was definitely a
worthy opponent.

The two circled around the mat, looking for another opportunity.
Again they charged and locked arms together in the center of the
mat. They pushed against one another, straining with all their
considerable strength to throw the other off-balance.

Shada suddenly dropped to one knee, folded the fingers on her right
hand at the second knuckle and jabbed Mara viciously in the rib
cage.

Mara grunted with the pain, but brought her knee up sharply, catching
Shada on the side of the head.

They both collapsed on the mat again, gasping for air.

Mara grimaced with the sharp pain in her ribs, hoping nothing was
broken. She rolled to her side and quickly got to her feet, charging
across the mat at Shada.

Shada attempted to flip up into a standing position but she wasn't
quite quick enough. Mara swept her feet out from under her again,
dumping her hard onto the mat. She reached for one of Mara's legs
but when she missed it completely, she wasn't in the least surprised
to feel Mara's knee drop into the small of her back, pinning her to
the mat.

"Where's the killing blow?" Shada snarled, her eyes flicking from
right to left, looking for any opportunity.

Mara grinned above her. "Aren't you going to give?"

"Never!"

Mara shook her head at the ex-Shadow Guard's stubbornness and bent to
run her arm around Shada's throat, her intent to simulate breaking a
neck.

She gasped with surprise as Shada's body boiled underneath her,
throwing her up in the air.

But Mara was quick, very quick, and she twisted her body in mid-air,
her foot catching her opponent hard across the side of the head as
Shada came up from the mat.

Shada staggered drunkenly, then threw herself to the side. To Mara's
utter amazement, she leaped in the air, her legs scissoring around
Mara's head and plunging them both back down to the floor.

They hit the mat hard, both grunting with the pain.

"If we keep this up, we're going to hurt one another," Shada gasped,
loosening her feet from around Mara's neck and groaning with the
throbbing in her head. She'd be lucky if she didn't have a
concussion, she thought sourly. Mara Jade Skywalker might be small,
but she was tough, very tough. Shada had been the champion combat
warrior of her unit in the Shadow Guards, defeating all opponents in
the numerous practice sessions, but she was having real difficulty
taking down the ex-Emperor's Hand.

Mara rolled onto her back and wiped some blood from her mouth where a
metal clip on Shada's boot had torn her lip. She winced at the pain
in her ribs again.

"A draw?" she gasped. "Is that what you want...to call it a draw?"

Shada pushed herself up on her elbows and looked at Mara. "Either
that or neither one of us is going to be in any shape to help Karrde
and Skywalker when we do find them."

Mara sat up carefully, pressing a hand against her stinging
ribs. "Good point." She struggled to her feet and held out a
friendly hand. "I enjoyed that, Shada."

The ex-Shadow Guard swung her long legs around and took Mara's
offered hand, pulling herself to a standing position. She smiled
wryly and admitted, "so did I."

The two women looked at each and then grinned. Mara slapped Shada
lightly on the shoulder. "Well, I know who to go to when I need
someone at my back from now on."

Shada's grin widened and she inclined her head toward Mara. "And I'd
be honored. If we run into any trouble looking for Karrde and
Skywalker, I can't think of another person I'd rather have at my
side."

**********************

Three days later

"Five minutes to sublight engines, Shada," Mara called over her
shoulder as she watched the countdown on the tiny monitor in front of
her.

"I'm on my way," Shada answered, hurrying down the hall from her
cabin. She entered the cockpit and strapped herself into the co-
pilot's chair.

She looked over to Mara. "Any sense of Skywalker?"

Mara pursed her lips. "No, not yet, but I'll feel better about it
when we drop out of hyperspace. I don't know what planet, or even
moon, he may be on. He could be sleeping."

Or he could be...Shada thought, not voicing it aloud. Damn you,
Talon. If you've gotten yourself killed...she flinched away from the
thought, not even wanting to consider the possibility. She wouldn't
have admitted it even if someone threatened to tear out her tongue,
but Talon Karrde had become the one constant in her life, the
mainstay of her very existence. And if he weren't around anymore...
Once again, she would be cut adrift in a galaxy that offered her
nothing and no one. Her fingers dug into the cloth of her flight
suit covering her knee.

The flashes of emotion traveling across Shada's face fascinated
Mara. She had a good idea what was going on in the other woman's
mind, but she didn't pry. She knew exactly how Shada was feeling.

In the days that they had been in hyperspace, Mara had recognized the
qualities in Shada that would have drawn Talon Karrde to her.
Intelligent, clever, capable, and fiercely loyal were all things that
Talon looked for and admired in his people. And besides that, Shada
was a remarkably good-looking woman, something Mara was sure Talon
had not overlooked.

Mara looked out the viewport at the mottled sky. She didn't know how
the two had gotten themselves in the position they were in, but she
was almost certain that Shada had feelings for Talon Karrde, but Mara
had already learned that Shada was just stubborn enough to keep them
hidden for the rest of her life unless some catalyst brought them
forth.

Mara glanced at the tiny navicomputer screen again. Less than a
minute now, and as soon as they came into real space, she was
immediately going to call for Luke through the Force. She had sent
out some tentative tendrils of the Force throughout their voyage and
had received no response. Her life bond with Luke was of the
strongest kind, yet even they had experienced some difficulty in
communicating through the Force when traveling through hyperspace.

"Ten seconds," Shada said and Mara nodded. She placed her hand on
the level and waited.

Shada continued the count. "Four, three, two, one..." Mara pushed
the level forward and they watched the mottled space before them turn
first into star lines and then slow into a small, but blazing star
surrounded by a ring of multi-colored planets.

"The Ten Tempest System," Shada murmured, leaning forward in her
chair restraints to see out the viewport.

Suddenly, a streak of green laser fire ripped across the port bow.

"What the...?" Mara cried, punching buttons on the console and
turning the Jade Sabre sharply to the right. "Full shields!"

Shada activated the shields to full power and turn quickly in her
chair to check the scanners. "One ship. Dead ahead."

Another flash of brilliant laser fire lit up the cockpit as it
impacted against the shields. "Sithspawn! What are they doing?"
Mara growled, snap rolling the Jade Sabre to the right again and then
taking her into a deep, plunging dive. "Can you get them on the
comm?"

"I'll try to raise them." Sitting straight in her chair again after
being thrown against her restraints during the snap roll, Shada
flipped a switch and was startled to hear a crackle of loud
static. "This is Shada D'ukal aboard the Jade Sabre. Cease firing
immediately or we will retaliate."

There was a long pause and then another burst of static on the comm.
Finally, a deep gravelly male voice sounded through the
cockpit. "Shada? Did you say Shada D'ukal?"

Shada blinked in surprise. She knew that voice. She looked at Mara
who raised an eyebrow. Shada turned back to the comm
console. "Mazzic? Is that you?"

"Well, well, well...Shada D'ukal." Mazzic's voice wasn't pleasant
and Mara tensed. Her hand caressed the stick that controlled the
forward lasers. They heard a mumbled conversation between Mazzic and
his pilot, and then Mazzic said, "I'm having this transferred to my
quarters. Give me a moment to get there."

Mara carefully studied the big freighter in the viewport. It had
been heavily modified with weapons not normally found on a trading
transport. Mara's mouth twisted. Typical smuggler's ship, she
thought sardonically. Innocent looking, but deadly under the
surface. It wouldn't be any match for the Jade Sabre though. Not
only could she outrun it, but her weapons and shields were every bit
as powerful, if not more so.

There was another soft crackle on the comm unit again and then
Mazzic's deep, raspy voice came through clear and distinct with only
an occasional erratic sputter of static. "So, Shada, I suppose we
could say that it's been a while since we spoke. What are you doing
here in the Outer Rim? Your new boss working you too hard?"

"What do you want, Mazzic, and why in blazes were you firing on us?"
Shada returned grimly. Shada hadn't seen Mazzic, her previous
employer, in almost two years, and their parting, at that time, had
not been amicable.

"Us? Who's with you, Shada? Is Karrde onboard with you?" Mazzic
seemed to spit the words. "I should have known you wouldn't be way
out here without him. He doesn't let you out of his sight much, does
it?"

Mara moved impatiently in her chair and threw a questioning look at
Shada. Shada shook her head. "He's a fool," she mouthed quietly,
then turned back to the comm unit. "Listen, Mazzic, I don't have
time to spend chatting with you..."

Mazzic cut her off. "No, I don't suspect you do. You never had
much time for me, but you sure made time for Karrde, didn't you?"

Shada stared at the comm unit like she wanted to rip it apart with
her bare hands.

"In all those years you worked for me," Mazzic continued, "you never
let me near you, never let me get close to touching you. Then Karrde
comes along and you don't waste a second jumping in bed with him.
Don't think I haven't heard the talk."

"You always were a consummate gossip," Shada snarled. Bantha dung!
She didn't have to listen to this.

"And you're an opportunist!" Mazzic retaliated nastily. "I wasn't a
big enough fish for you, was I? You had to go straight for the top.
Karrde always had a bit of a thing for you, even ten years ago.
Don't think I didn't notice how he looked at you even then."

Shada filled her lungs in preparation to blast him, but was stalled
when Mara laid a hand on her arm. She looked at her and Mara shook
her head, a finger pressed to her lips.

"Mazzic, this is Mara Jade Skywalker. I hate to interrupt this
charming little conversation, but Shada and I really need to be on
our way."

There was a stunned pause and then Mazzic's voice filled the cabin
again. "Mara Jade Skywalker? Well, aren't we running with the high
and mighty now, Shada."

"Can it, Mazzic," Mara barked. "What the hell do you think you're
doing firing on my ship? Have you lost your mind?"

They heard Mazzic sigh heavily. "That wasn't meant for you."

Mara gave a short bark of laughter. "You really expect me to believe
that? We were hardly out of hyperspace before you fired on us."

"Look, Skywalker, I've been running routes out here for a couple of
months now. There's something strange going on." Even through the
comm unit, both Mara and Shada recognized the anxiety in Mazzic's
voice.

"What do you mean...something strange?" Shada asked.

"About six weeks ago, we were coming along this exact course when
this weird ship came out of hyperspace," Mazzic told them. "It
wasn't like any ship I had ever seen before. None of my crew,
either."

Mara leaned forward. "Did it have any Imperial type markings on it?"

Shada shot her a curious glance.

"No, nothing like that. It was something completely different, like
nothing I have ever seen before. It was round with what looked like
a knobby, bubble-like surface and there appeared to be waving
tentacles on the sides."

"Tentacles?" Mara repeated unbelievingly.

"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but I don't know any other way to
describe it. It fired on us with what looked like a sheer gush of
power, not like any lasers that I have ever run into before. Took
down half our shields with that one shot."

"Half your shields?" Mara gasped.

"Never seen anything like it," Mazzic said, his voice full of
awe. "We fired back and their ship just swallowed our
turbolaser...absorbed it like it was nothing."

Mara thought Mazzic had been in the Corellian whiskey too much. She
glanced at Shada who shook her head, as puzzled as Mara.

"If we hadn't had our hyperspace coordinates set, I wouldn't be here
conversing with you now. We got out of there quicker than an Ewok
chased by a rancor." Mazzic sighed again. "When you came out of
hyperspace almost on top of us like that, we thought you were..." His
voice trailed off.

Mara was beginning to get the picture. "I've never heard of a ship
whose shields 'swallow' laser fire," she mused.

"Well, that's what it did," Mazzic said, somewhat defensively. "Just
sucked it right up as if it were nothing." Then he changed the
subject rather abruptly. "What are you two doing out here in the
Outer Rim anyway? Pretty far from Coruscant, aren't you?"

Mara looked at Shada, who shook her head in warning. It wasn't any
of Mazzic's business what they were doing. Shada leaned closer to
the comm unit. "We're just scouting out some possibly quicker trade
routes," she told Mazzic.

He grunted sardonically. "So Karrde really does give you work to do?"

Shada's mouth twisted in disgust. "Why don't you just leave that
subject alone, Mazzic? It's getting old very fast."

He gave a harsh laugh. "You never cared the least for me, did you,
Shada? I was just the boss." His heavy sigh filled the cockpit of
the Jade Sabre. "We could have been good together. It's too bad."

Shada didn't comment, but looked at Mara and mouthed, "Let's go."

Mara nodded and eased the Jade Sabre gently to the left, putting it
on a course to pass by Mazzic's big transport.

"We're leaving, Mazzic. I'm sure you have to be on your way, too."
Shada leaned toward the comm unit, preparing to turn it off.

"Taking off so soon? And just when we were beginning to have fun.
Goodbye, Shada. Give my love to Karrde when you see him!" A mocking
burst of laughter erupted from Mazzic, and Shada flipped the switch
on the comm quickly, cutting him off.

They flew swiftly around the huge transport that began to fire up its
own engines. After a moment, the big ship accelerated and leaped
into hyperspace, leaving the Jade Sabre to make its way toward the
planets of the Ten Tempest System.

Mara glanced over at her friend who was staring out the viewpoint at
where the transport had been, her face set in angry lines. "Old
boyfriend?" Mara asked teasingly. Since their hand-to-hand combat
practice session, the two women had fallen into an easy, comfortable
comradeship.

Shada shot her a look. "No way. I'd rather kiss a..."

"Wookiee?" Mara finished for her with a short laugh.

That puzzled Shada who had no way of knowing that Mara's sister-in-
law, Leia, had once told her a lengthy story about her early
courtship with ex-smuggler, Han Solo.

Shada couldn't figure out what Wookiees had to do with it, but she
gave a snort of disgust anyway. "Don't YOU start!" she warned
Mara. "I've had about all I can take from Mazzic."

With all the anxiety she had been feeling over Luke's disappearance,
the situation with Mazzic just seemed so ludicrous. Although she
attempted to contain it, Mara started sniggering softly, causing
Shada to frown ferociously. Mara's chuckle grew into a laugh and
Shada's mouth twitched, then curled up at the corners even though she
was fighting against it.

"Oh, shut up," she finally murmured and threw a small datadisk at
Mara who ducked it easily. Soon, the two women were laughing
uproariously, enjoying the absurdity of the whole situation and the
peccadilloes of jealous men.

Hey guys. Need to tell you a few things about this chapter. It's a
transition chapter, so it basically sucks. Lots of background is
introduced, how the disease got on the planet, etc.

There has been a minor plot change that you need to know about: the
village girl Enee was introduced in Chapter 3 as ten years old. I
have changed that to fourteen. You'll see why when you read this
chapter.

Disclaimers are on 1st chapter.

This chapter is PG-13.

A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 5

Taisao Naadu carefully stroked the transparent worm-like creature
lying over the opening of the bulb of thin, clear liquid and watched
it stretch tightly over the neck of the cylinder, creating a leak-
proof seal. He turned and put his hand on a pearlescent orb located
in the yorik coral wall behind him. A soft humming noise preceded a
cavity opening in the wall. He placed the bulb of liquid in the
cavity and ran his hand soothingly over the orb again. The wall
undulated in response and then the cavity filled with a freezing
breath, turning the liquid inside the bulb to a crystallized
substance similar to ice.

Taisao Naadu smiled. His master would be most pleased, and perhaps
would honor him for his work as a result. Taisao was ambitious and
wanted one day to be able to head his own research facility. He hoped
to create a spore that could spread an infection that would allow
them to conquer alien races without the loss of a single Yuuzhan Vong
life. The gods would be inordinately pleased if such an event could
occur, and Taisao Naadu would bring great honor and reverence to his
family.

The priests had said that the gods were giving this new galaxy to the
Yuuzhan Vong and it was their appointed mission to rid it of all
infidels before moving the people of the Yuuzhan Vong into what was
destined to be their new homes.

The new batch of spores had taken weeks to form, but were the most
effective yet. He was still working on the problem of transporting
the spores. He hoped to store them in the bodies of the Yuuzhan Vong
soldiers to be released against the enemy. All attempts to set
warriors up as carriers up to this point had resulted in their death.
The Yuuzhan Vong soldiers willingly gave their lives for the
advancement of their cause. Still, no army could spread a disease to
conquer their enemy if the disease wiped out the army at the same
time. But they still had plenty of time to solve that minor drawback.

Taisao Naadu's tattooed chest swelled with pride. To be chosen as
part of the advance guard, among the ones who would infiltrate the
galaxy the godless infidels called the New Republic, was a matter of
extreme distinction for his family. He was the first of his
generation to have such an honor bestowed upon him, and he was
determined that his actions would only bring respect and tribute to
his family's great name.

He was not a soldier who would gain respect on the battlefield; he
was a botanist who spent his life in teaching all life its
responsibility as servants to the Yuuzhan Vong who, in turn, were
servants to the gods. He had come with the advance guard to test the
different disease spores that had been developed by himself and his
immediate commander, the executor Nom Anor, first among the advance
scouts for the Praetorite Vong invasion force. Several planets in
the outer reaches of the New Republic galaxy were selected as testing
grounds for the diseases. Some creations had been very successful
while others had failed miserably. But testing was the reason they
were here, in advance of the great ships that would follow. They
needed to field test and perfect the spores that would spread disease
and pestilence throughout the home worlds of the alien beings of the
New Republic.

The newest batch of spores was being tested on a small planet near
the Outer Rim of the galaxy of infidels. Placed on the planet by a
group of volunteers, the spores had been quite effective on the
populace, eliminating large numbers. Unfortunately, it had also
eliminated the volunteers and, stranger still, it seemed to affect
only adults of the species, leaving children disease free.

This frustrating situation was consuming Taisao and his superior, Nom
Anor. They were determined to solve these issues, because this spore
seemed the most promising of all they had developed, at least for the
elimination of large numbers. They just needed more time to perfect
it.

*************

Talon Karrde stopped briefly to look upon the prone figure of Luke
Skywalker, lying on the narrow cot. The Jedi Master had been in a
healing trance for almost thirty standard hours and the wound on his
leg was already beginning to close. It shouldn't be much longer
before he was back on his feet again. Once the arrow had been
removed, the open wound had been cleaned to prevent infection. Then
Skywalker had immediately settled into his trance, saying the sooner
he was healed, the sooner he could get back to helping the sick
people in the communal hut.

Karrde walked out of the small cabin and lifted his face to the
cooling breeze coming off the mountains in the distance. The air
lifted his shoulder-length black hair and ruffled it behind him. He
looked past the village into what seemed like endless kilometers of
flatlands. The region's fertile soil was perfect for growing the
crops, which the villagers depended on for sustenance. It was quite
a beautiful planet, untamed and unspoiled, as near to its original
state as it could be with the advent of humans. The lack of modern
technology had forced the people here to live as one with the nature
of the planet, taking from the planet only what they needed to
survive. It was as different from a place like Coruscant as the
light side was from the dark.

When Talon and Luke had arrived in the Ten Tempest system, the
coordinates given in the cryptic distress message had led them
directly to Vortav, a tiny planet with shallow oceans and three
moderately large, grassy continents. A long, rugged mountain range
split the largest continent in half, leaving long, fertile grasslands
on one side and heavy forestlands on the other.

Talon sighed, feeling the weariness in his body. He and Luke had
landed out in the grasslands in one of Talon's small cruisers over
two weeks before and spent several days exploring the immediate
area. In the middle of the first week on the planet, they had been
gone for most of one day away from their small ship. When they had
returned, they were horrified to find that the ship had been broken
into, its interior completely destroyed.

The destruction was random, but thorough, as if the beings
responsible had some sort of personal grudge against the ship
itself. All instrumentation had been destroyed, ripped apart and
shattered into tiny pieces. The damage had not been limited to only
the ship's primary systems. Even the tiny automatic caf-maker in the
ship's small galley had received the same treatment, as if the very
sight of it had driven its attackers to violence that bordered on
insanity.

It had been sheer luck that they had decided to take Skywalker's
astromech droid with them that day, wishing to test some of the soil
samples as soon as they were collected instead of taking them back to
the ship for processing. Since it appeared that the ship's technology
had been the focus of the destruction, the droid would have probably
suffered the same fate as the caf-maker.

Now, they had virtually nothing left. The droid, plus their personal
comm-links, Talon's blaster, and Luke's lightsaber were about the
only items of technology they had been able to salvage.

It had taken them several days of hiking over moderately flat yet, at
times, difficult terrain before they reached the dusty outskirts of
the village that had been their home for the past few weeks. They
had surprised a small group of children collecting some sort of
vegetation that they were stuffing into small packs on their backs.
The children had run screaming at the sight of them, but it hadn't
been long before an older boy, along with some other children, armed
with arrows and bows, had come out to them.

Skywalker had done the talking, his calm voice seeming to soothe the
children. To this day, Talon didn't know if he had used the Force to
persuade them but they were soon escorted into the village and
introduced to the rest of the children by their slender leader, Vashi.

Talon rubbed his tired, red-stained eyes. The next week had been a
blur as first he and then Skywalker had fallen ill. Vashi had warned
them about the disease that was running rampant through the region.
It had affected the elders in their village as it had in all the
other small villages along the grassy, flat plains. Without
Skywalker, Talon knew he would be dead now. The unknown disease
worked fast, attacking multiple parts of the body simultaneously.
Yet Skywalker had managed to hold it at bay until he was able to
purge the spores from his own body, and hopefully, now from Talon's.
He had also managed to save several of the younger adults of the
village, but had been too late for the many elders.

Talon took a colorful bandana from his pocket and twirled it between
his hands until he had a tight, round band. He tied it around his
head to hold his long hair back from his face and then turned to go
into the communal hut. He planned on spending most of the day caring
for the individuals from the village who were still recovering from
the effects of the spores. These people had taken care of him and
Skywalker both. It was the least he could do in return.

A few hours later, Talon was helping Enee prepare some small, simple
meals when a beeping noise caught his attention. He looked down at
his hip in shock and then snatched his personal commlink from the
clip on his belt.

"Karrde here," he all but shouted into the tiny communication device.

Several hundred kilometers above the planet, Mara sat back in
surprise, relief running through her body like rain after a long
drought. She glanced at Shada to see that she was having an almost
identical response and she nodded at her, motioning for the other
woman to answer the call.

"Karrde?" Shada said hoarsely, and then cleared her throat. "Talon,
is that you?"

"Shada?"

There was another stunned silence as both absorbed the shock and the
sheer relief. Finally, Karrde murmured softly, "Oh, Shada." Then
after another moment, he asked with a stronger voice, "Where are you?"

Shada pushed her long, dark hair back from her forehead, trying to
get her emotions under control. "We are in orbit above the planet.
You need to give us some coordinates so we can come down and pick you
up."

"We?" Talon asked.

Shada glanced over at Mara. "I'm aboard the Jade Sabre with Mara.
We've been looking for you and Skywalker for over a week now."

Karrde smiled at his commlink, a deep feeling of gratitude easing
through him. "I should have known you would come. You two don't
have any idea how welcome you are."

Mara couldn't stand it any longer and she leaned toward the commlink
station. "Karrde, where's Luke? I've been trying to reach him for
days through our Jedi bond, and I've been unable to sense him. Is he
hurt?" Mara did her best to keep the tremor out of her voice, but
she knew she wasn't completely successful.

"He's fine, Mara. He suffered a minor leg injury from being struck
by an arrow, and he's been in a healing trance. Maybe that's why you
haven't been able to reach him." Talon walked out of the huge hut
and stared up at the clear, blue sky above him. Somewhere up there...

"Both of us have been ill and were out of it for awhile, but we're
fine now," he told them. "We are on the largest continent, northeast
of the mountain range. But listen, it's risky to bring the Jade
Sabre down here. Our ship was destroyed once we were on the ground."

"Destroyed? How?" Mara leaned back in her chair, frowning. Why
wasn't anything ever easy? She wanted to see Luke with every fiber
in her, and it looked as if something was going to delay their
reunion.

"What happened to your ship, Talon?" Shada asked, in a calmer tone.

"We landed on the planet's surface and were fine for several days.
We spent the time looking for some sort of sentient life, but also
testing soil and plant samples. While we were gone on one of our day
trips, our ship was completely destroyed by what appears to be
vandals. It was just simple random destruction."

"They didn't steal anything?" Shada asked in astonishment.

"No, nothing. Just destroyed everything of any use, including the
sublight engines," Talon informed her.

"Look, Karrde," Mara interrupted. "We're coming down anyway. We'll
just have to be careful and hide the Sabre someplace where it can't
be found."

Talon frowned. "We're in the flatlands, Mara. There's no place that
you can hide a ship that size." He thought furiously for a
moment. "There are some hills at the base of the mountains. They
are heavily wooded and if you use camouflage, there's a good chance
the Sabre would be safe there. But Mara, those hills are kilometers
away from this village. It would take you days to walk it on foot."

Mara grinned. "We won't have to do any walking, Karrde. I brought a
landspeeder with me."

Talon felt his lips twitch and he was tempted again to say that he
should have known, but he didn't.

"Just give us the coordinates on those foothills and the coordinates
to this village you're in, and we should be there in a few hours,"
Mara continued, taking control.

Talon's forehead creased with worry. There were so many reasons to
not let them land on the planet, the disease the most prominent one.
But he also knew both women well and there wouldn't be anyway to stop
them if they were determined to come. So he gave them the
coordinates.

Talon had not noticed that Vashi had joined him outside the circular
hut so he was startled when the young man spoke. "Was that your
woman, Talon Karrde?"

Talon smiled faintly at Vashi's use of his full name. It seemed to
be a custom of the villagers to address anyone older that way, and
since Talon was now the oldest person in the village...maybe the
whole flatlands, Talon thought ruefully, he definitely deserved the
honor.

"No, not my woman," he explained, smiling at that quaint term
also. "It was Master Skywalker's...eh...woman...wife."

Vashi nodded, assuming then that the other woman must be Talon
Karrde's wife. "Will they be here soon?"

Talon nodded. "A few hours, I would think."

"I will have Enee prepare then," Vashi said and started to walk away.

"Vashi?" Talon stopped him. He motioned with the commlink, puzzled
that Vashi had shown no interest in the piece of higher
technology. "You are not surprised at this communication device?"

Vashi shook his head. "No, I have seen something similar. The
wisemen have them."

Talon moved closer to him and asked, somewhat confused. "Wisemen?
What wisemen? You haven't mentioned them before."

Vashi sighed. "I am not sure they are still alive." He waved his
hand toward the distance hills. "They lived there, and they had many
machines similar to yours."

Talon stared at the foothills. So, that explained how the distress
message had made its way into space.

"Why do you think they aren't alive?" he asked Vashi.

The boy shrugged. "They were all elders. Some of the flatlanders
fleeing from the area around the hills said they had been the first
to become ill with the disease. They said they had all died."

Talon turned his attention back to the hills. Perhaps once Shada and
Mara were there, they all should visit the place where Vashi's
wisemen were. Maybe some clue to the mysterious disease attacking
the planet could be found there.
After watching Talon Karrde head off to the hut he shared with Master
Skywalker, Vashi reentered the huge communal building. He looked
about until he saw Enee near the back, feeding one of the recovering
patients.

Walking over to her, he placed his hand on her slender
shoulder. "Enee?"

She turned quickly on the small stool and smiled up at him. "Vashi!"

He returned her smile and then asked, "Can you come with me for a
moment?"

A slight flush warmed her cheeks, but she nodded and then handed the
bowl of food she held to another girl who had been helping her. Then
she rose from her stool and followed Vashi from the hut.

As younger children, Vashi and Enee had been forced to grow up much
too early. They suffered through the deaths of their parents and so
many others that they had cared for in their village. But they were
the children of the two male tribal leaders and all the others had
looked to them for guidance. It had forced them into roles neither
had felt ready for. But both had managed quite well, perhaps to
their own amazement. They were the undisputed leaders of the village
now, responsible for the well being of all the others. Only when
they were alone with each other, could they let down their guards and
be themselves.

The two young people walked until Vashi stopped at the edge of the
village and pointed toward the mountains. "Two women are coming."

Enee looked at him in shock. "Women?"

He nodded. "They have come in a great airship. They are here to be
with Master Skywalker and Talon Karrde."

"But who are they, Vashi?" Enee asked, still puzzled.

"They are the women of Master Skywalker and Talon Karrde. They have
come to be with their men."

Enee looked toward the mountains and her mouth opened and then closed
again.

Vashi smiled slightly and tentatively took her hand, squeezing it
gently. He knew what she was thinking.

"It will be wonderful, Vashi, to have women in the village again,"
she whispered softly.

He squeezed her hand again. "I know it has been hard for you,
Enee." At fourteen, she was considered the female leader of the
tribe, but with some facets of that role she had felt quite
inadequate.

She turned to him and took his other hand. "It has been hard for us
both, Vashi."

They stood looking at each other for a moment and then Vashi leaned
and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Two more summers, Enee, and
then we can be matched."

He watched the color flood into her cheeks, knowing the little kiss
had embarrassed her. But he was pleased when she squeezed his
hands. "Yes, I know," she said gently and then she straightened, all
business again. "We will need two huts, will we not? One for Master
Skywalker and his woman, and one for Talon Karrde and his?"

Vashi seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then said quietly, "I was
thinking that Master Skywalker could have my parents' hut."

Enee glanced at him quickly and then surprised him by putting her
hand against his cheek. Although their parents had chosen them for
each other when they were only a few years old, they very rarely
initiated any affectionate contact. They were still far too young to
consider that type of behavior. "Are you sure you want to do this,
Vashi?" she asked softly.

He nodded slowly. "For what he has done for us, for our village, he
deserves a chieftain's hut."

"Then Talon Karrde can have the hut of my parents," Enee said. "He
has done much for the village, also."

Vashi shook his head. "Enee, no, you do not have to."

"Yes," she whispered and surprised him again by leaning against
him. "You are right. It is best. My father was a wise chief; he
would wish it."

He slid his arms around her thin waist and held her gently if a bit
awkwardly, both lost in their own separate memories.

*****************************

Mara was tugging the last corner of the camo-net over the Jade Sabre
when a rush of emotions invaded her senses - excitement, joy and an
overwhelming sense of love. *Luke?* she sent quickly through the
Force, straightening and turning in the direction of the coordinates
that Talon had given them for the village. Her heart began to pound
in her chest.

*Mara...Mara, my love,* Luke entered her mind, caressing her with
his shining love.

After the emptiness that she had been feeling since their last
contact, this intimacy was almost overwhelming. Her legs went weak
and she had to sit down in the sandy soil near the Sabre. *Luke,
I've been so worried. Are you all right? I've tried to reach you so
many times.*

*I'm fine, Mara. I was in a healing trance for a couple of days
because of a leg injury, but everything's fine now. We must have
been just missing each other. I've tried to reach you several times
too. Where are you?*

Mara reached deep within herself and then sent a series of images to
him. *Can you see?*

There was a pause and then Luke filled her mind again. *A forest?
Near the mountains?*

*Yes, I think we're about a hundred and fifty kilometers from your
village, if I'm judging the distance correctly from the coordinates.
If we leave in the next few minutes, we should be there in a little
over a couple of hours."

*Be careful, Mara,* Luke warned. *There are some roving bands of
teenagers out on the flatlands, and they can be aggressive. They
aren't armed with anything more serious than bows and arrows, but
they are very good with them.*

Then Luke's mental tone changed and she could feel his amusement
along with his thoughts. *Talon said Shada D'ukal is with you.
He's thrilled about that.*

*Yes, I asked her to come with me to look for you both. Luke, are
you sure you're all right?*

She could feel his mental chuckle as he reassured her. *I'm fine,
Mara. Why don't you get here, and I'll show you how good I really
am.*

Mara laughed softly. *Is that a threat or a promise, Farmboy?*

*Oh, it's a promise, my beloved companion. Hurry, Mara, I love you
and I've missed you so much.* He sent her a wave of emotion,
overpowering her with his longing.

Shada was a bit shocked at the haste with which Mara came around the
Jade Sabre and toward the landspeeder that she was readying for their
trip across the Flatlands.

"How much longer before you're finished, Shada?" Mara demanded.

Shada blinked in surprise. "Just need to start the engine and let it
warm up. Why?"

"Well, get it started. I was able to reach Luke through our bond,
and he's anxious for us to get to the village," Mara told her,
picking up some bags from the ground and throwing them into the back
of the landspeeder.

Shada sat up straighter and then started the engine of the
landspeeder. "He's alright, isn't he? Or is something wrong with
Karrde?" Shada's gray eyes searched Mara's face anxiously.

Mara shook her head determinedly. "No, they're fine. I just want to
get there. Let's go."

Shada lifted her eyebrows and smiled a bit wryly. "All right. Climb
in. I think we've got everything."

Mara put a hand on the side of the landspeeder and jumped into the
seat next to Shada. It took them a good quarter of an hour to work
their way through the huge trees, but once they reached the
flatlands, Shada opened the engine to almost top speed, and they
moved like the wind across the grassy surface.

Okay, guys, I'm going to go ahead and throw this up since I'll
probably be fairly busy tomorrow.

Well, you got your wish, the couples are finally together. Parts of
this chapter is mush and fluff. Hope you enjoy it.

Comments and suggestions appreciated.

Disclaimers on first chapter.

Rating: PG13 or maybe R - can't decide.

JT

A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 6

"I know it's risky, Talon, but you know as well as I do, that there
wouldn't have been any way to stop them from coming down to the
surface of the planet. Especially Mara. You know how stubborn she
is," Luke said.

Talon nodded. "I didn't mention the disease to them when we talked
on the commlink because I knew it would just make them both much more
determined. Shada is as bad as Mara."

"I'm not that worried about Mara," Luke said. "Once I tell her all
about it, she will be able to sense it herself when the spores enter
her body. She has made enormous progress and is developing into a
powerful Jedi. She'll probably be able to purge them all herself
without any help from me."

"And once they are gone, that's it?" Talon asked, concern vying with
hope in his voice.

"That seems to be the pattern, but we can't be sure of anything at
this point. It's much too early." Luke studied Talon
intently. "Have you had any more trouble?"

Talon shook his head. "Nothing since the last time. I feel great.
No headaches, dizziness, nausea, nothing. I think that last session
you had with me removed the last of the spores."

"So do I. If any had remained in your body, they would have become
active by now." Luke put his hand on Talon's shoulder. "It's Shada
that we're going to have to watch carefully. You must make her
understand that if she develops even the slightest symptom, she must
let Mara or me know immediately. The faster we detect and purge the
spores, the less effect they will have on her."

"You don't have to worry," Talon told him seriously. "I'm not
planning on letting her out of my sight."

Luke turned away to hide his smile. Obviously, Talon was as eager to
see Shada as Luke was to see Mara.

"Luke?" Talon asked quietly.

Luke turned back to him. "Yes?"

"She'll be alright, won't she? There is no real risk as long as you
and Mara are here, right?"

Luke frowned slightly. "I could tell you not to worry, but I
wouldn't be completely truthful. This disease isn't like anything
that we've ever seen before. We will just have to wait and see, but
I promise you that we'll do everything in our power to protect Shada."

Talon nodded, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. Then he ran a
hand through his beard which had grown considerably in the weeks he
had been on the planet. "You know," he mumbled. "I think I'm going
to try to trim this up a little before they get here."

Luke nodded, struck by the thought. Talon had let his beard grow
longer than normal. Well, it hadn't exactly been a priority to keep
up appearances in the time they had been in the village. Luke ran a
curious hand across his own chin and was startled to find a somewhat
moderate growth there himself. He lifted an eyebrow and told
Talon, "I think I'll join you. I suppose it's useless to hope that
you managed to salvage a vibro-razor from the wreck of our ship?"

Talon smiled. "Skywalker, you should know by now that I'm a very
resourceful man. Follow me."

*************

The flatlands weren't really flat, but plains with gently rolling
hills and slight depressions. Shada and Mara were coming up rapidly
on one of the hills when Mara grabbed Shada's arm. "Slow! Slow
down!"

Shada eased back on the engine and turned to Mara. "What is it?"

"Something or somebody's over the hill. I can sense it."

Shada moved the blaster in its holster on her hip to a move
accessible position. "Trouble?"

"Could be," Mara mumbled, reaching out to the Force. Closing her
eyes, she could sense several sentient beings. Their emotions were
flooding into her - excitement, fear, and a sense of desperate
determination.

"It's a group, humans, I think. They're planning something."

Shada slowed the landspeeder to a halt. She fingered the blaster on
her thigh again and then sighed, "You know, Mara, I don't know about
you, but I think I'd like to avoid any type of confrontation."

Mara looked at her and nodded. "No, I agree. Luke said there were
some teenage gangs roaming the flatlands. They're not heavily armed,
just troublesome."

"Teenagers?" Shada repeated, shaking her head. "Now, I know I don't
want any sort of fight. Who knows what they would do?"

"Right," Mara agreed. "Let's just go around them."

Shada eased the landspeeder to the right and flew a hundred or so
meters along the hill and then crested it. In the distance, they
could see a group of young men and women, obviously surprised at
where the landspeeder came over the hill.
They were running and shouting, some even stopping to launch a
useless arrow or two.

Mara shook her head. "Just as Luke said, only a bunch of kids.
Let's go."

The landspeeder leaped forward with a surge from its heavily modified
engine and left the small, astonished gang of scavengers far behind.

They traveled another hour or so over what seemed to be mostly
rolling grasslands. They didn't see any more humans, but the plains
were filled with an enormous assortment of animal and plant-life.

Mara watched it all with great interest. "There's a certain beauty
to untamed nature, isn't it?" she remarked.

Shada nodded slowly. "The way it should be. Free and unencumbered."

"Not a fan of Coruscant, I take it?" Mara teased gently.

Shada shot her a look. "No, not really, although I've lived there for
over a year now." She paused for a moment and then said quietly, "I
was born on a planet like this one or at least, it used to be like
this one."

"What do you mean, it used to be?" Mara asked, puzzled.

"I was born on Emberlene. Ever heard of it?" Shada asked curiously.

"Emberlene?" Mara repeated, thinking hard. "I've heard about it. I
knew that's where the Shadow Guards came from, but I really don't
know very much about it."

"No, I don't suspect many people do. It doesn't have a lot to offer
anymore."

"Why not?"

"It was destroyed by a huge mercenary army not long before I was
born. The infrastructure of our urban areas was decimated. We went
from a thriving, prosperous, high-tech world to a third-rate commerce
planet in a matter of days. It was total devastation." Shada took a
deep breath and let it out slowly as Mara sat in shocked
silence. "The majority of our populace was homeless and moved about
the planet as refugees."

"By the Force!" Mara exclaimed. "Why was the planet attacked like
that?"

"When I was growing up, we were taught that the Empire had done it,
that Palpatine, in the early days of his reign, feared the growing
influence of Emberlene, so he ordered its destruction."

"Sounds very much like him," Mara muttered a bit uncomfortably. Some
of the missions she had carried out in her youth for Palpatine had
had the same motivations behind them. "I suppose that's why the
Shadow Guards would never work for the Empire?"

Shada nodded. "The Shadow Guards were formed to help defend and
protect the populace. After awhile, they began to be hired out as
mercenaries to earn money to provide food and supplies for the
people. But we would never work for the Empire because we had been
told that the Empire was responsible for what had happened to our
planet." Shada glanced at Mara. "But that wasn't the truth."

Mara frowned. "What do you mean, that wasn't the truth?"

"Palpatine didn't do it. The Empire never attacked Emberlene at all."

Mara turned in her seat to face Shada. "The Empire wasn't
responsible for what happened? Then who was?"

"I didn't know the truth until I went with Talon on that mission to
the Kathol sector to find Jorj Car'das. When we got there, Car'das
gave me a datadisk with the complete history of Emberlene."

Shada fell silent for a moment, caught up in her memories, then she
said softly, "What happened to Emberlene was its own fault. The
planetary government had grown powerful and aggressive and was
attacking and subduing the other planets in the same sector,
ransacking them of their wealth. Those planets banded together,
hired a huge mercenary army and ordered the destruction of
Emberlene. It was revenge, pure and simple, and they got it, all
they could have ever wished for. Emberlene has never recovered."

It was quiet for a moment in the landspeeder, then Mara said, "I'm
sorry, Shada."

"For what?" Shada asked bitterly. "For what happened to Emberlene
or for the fact that I'd lived my whole life believing a lie?"

"It wasn't your fault," Mara insisted, thinking how ironical it was
that she found herself trying to reassure someone who believed they
had wasted a good portion of their life on the wrong principles.

"Maybe not, but it doesn't change anything," Shada told her. "I was
in trouble with the Guards before I ever found out the truth. I had
disobeyed a direct order during an assignment and one of my sisters
had been sent to eliminate me. I offered my services to the New
Republic, but ended up on that mission with Talon, another smuggler,
a step I didn't feel was an improvement at all."

Shada shifted a little uncomfortably in her seat. It was difficult
for her to open up to anyone, yet she sensed in Mara a kindred
spirit, a comradeship of mutual experiences. When she continued, her
voice was barely louder than a whisper, "I was lost; cut adrift from
everything I had once held dear. Everything I had believed in and
cared about turned out to be false. I had pretty much given up hope
on ever finding anything to believe in again, on finding something
that would give purpose to my life. When I was hurt in that battle
with the pirates not long after we started the mission, I believed I
was dying. All I felt was relief. At least then, I thought, my
misery would be over."

Mara looked down, an unusual wave of sympathy for Shada washing over
her. "But you didn't die," she said, pointing out the obvious.

Shada took a deep breath. "Talon Karrde saw to that, and in the end,
he did much more than save my life. He gave me a reason to feel that
my life was worthwhile, that I had a duty I could perform without
regret."

"As an acting liaison between the New Republic and the Empire?"

Shada nodded slowly. "It may not be the most noble of jobs, but it
serves a good purpose."

Mara was quiet for a moment, looking off into the distance
horizon. "You know, he did the same for me."

"What?" Shada asked, turning to look at her.

"Karrde," Mara said. "He saved me too."

The landspeeder slowed perceptibly and Shada turned to look at Mara.

Mara smiled slightly. "You know I was the Emperor's Hand, a highly-
trained personal assassin. I had devoted my life to Palpatine. I
would've done anything he asked of me. When he was killed at the
Battle of Endor, I thought my life was over."

Shada's eyes widened and she nodded slowly.

Mara continued, "I drifted about the outer rim of the galaxy for five
years, taking odd jobs here and there, working with the lowest scum
of the underworld. Karrde found me on a planet where I was working
as a hyperdrive mechanic for a man whom I soon learned made most of
his money as a thief and murderer. My boss tried to kill Karrde, and
I saved his life. He took me with him when he left and began to
train me as a second-in-command. He made me believe in myself again."

"He gave you purpose," Shada said softly, turning to look out the
transparisteel window of the landspeeder.

The two women sat in silence for a long time, the engine softly
vibrating in the rear the landspeeder.

"He's a good man, Shada," Mara suddenly said, her voice quiet.

Shada looked at her quickly. "I know," she answered, just as
quietly. There was another pause and Shada looked away. "Mara...was
there...were you and Karrde ever..."

Mara's eyebrows lifted. "Ever what?" she asked, although she had a
good idea what Shada was asking. It wouldn't hurt to have Shada
worked up the nerve to formulate the question though. It could very
well be a step forward in Shada realizing her own feelings.

Shada frowned and put the landspeeder in motion again. "Forget it!"

Mara bit her lip to keep from grinning. She raised her
hands. "What? What do you want to know?"

"Alright," Shada barked, not taking her eyes off the flatlands in
front of her. "Did you and Karrde...were you ever...? Damn it, did
you sleep with him?"

Mara burst out laughing and leaned back in her seat. "I didn't think
you would be able to spit it out."

Shada shot her a glare, but Mara only laughed again. "No, I didn't.
There was never anything like that between us. But he's my friend,
Shada. I would do almost anything for him. Luke feels the same way."

Shada nodded. "I know. I know exactly what you mean."

They traveled on a few more minutes before the small navicomputer on
board the landspeeder began a rhythmic beeping. They crested another
small hill, and there below them lay the village.

Shada stopped the engine and both women got out of the landspeeder,
squinting in the late afternoon sun as they took in the scene before
them.

The village wasn't large, but contained about twenty-five to thirty
huts, some circular, some squared. They seemed to be made of wooden
frames, covered with long, carved wooden boards and bundles of long,
dry grasses tied tightly together, obviously a product of the
flatlands.

There were several people moving about in the village, and Shada
stiffened sharply when a tall, lean figure stopped near the edge of
the village and peered up at the hilltop.

Mara moved back to the landspeeder and climbed in, anxious to
continue down to the village. *Luke?*

*Mara?* Down in the village, Luke looked up from the bedside of one
of the last patients left in the communal hut. Although he had been
in a healing trance for almost two days, the patients he had been
attending before his injury had been making steady progress, and
there had been no more new cases in the village in over a week.

He sensed Mara's smile. *We're here,* she whispered in his mind. He
stood quickly and headed for the huge open door of the hut. *We're
on the hill above the village. We'll be right there.*

*Hurry,* he said, passing through the door and heading toward the end
of the village street that led up to the hill.

Mara looked back at her companion who was still staring down at the
village. "Shada," she called impatiently. "Come on."

***************

When the landspeeder crested the tiny ochre-colored hill and stopped
above the village, Talon Karrde had just finished carrying the last
of the water buckets to the huge communal well which dominated the
center of the village. He had done more manual labor in the past few
weeks then he could recall doing in many years. He was surprised to
find that he actually enjoyed it, appreciating a closeness to nature
that he had only experience once before. And that had been on Myrkr,
a small, remote planet he had made his home base for many years.
Even now, after more than ten years, he felt a twinge of regret when
the thought about it.

A sound above the village drew his attention and he stopped abruptly.
He focused his sight on the hill, and then took one more step
forward. His mouth went dry as he watched two women, one taller than
the other, emerged from the landspeeder. They stood and looked down,
putting their hands to their foreheads to block the heavy glare from
the late afternoon sun.

Talon Karrde felt frozen, his limbs sluggish even though his heart
was beginning to pound in his chest. He couldn't take his eyes off
the women on the hill. The smaller one, whose hair seemed like
living flame in the glinting sunlight, said something and then turned
and got back in the speeder. But the other one stayed where she was,
staring intently down at the small community.

To Talon, she stood like a vibro-blade against the pale sky, her
tall, willowy figure straight and shimmering against the slowly
fading light of the day. He took another step toward her, entranced,
pulled as if by an unseen magnet.

But her head dipped as if she were listening, as if someone had
called to her, and then she turned and took her position in the
speeder again. Almost immediately, it headed down the hill toward
the small village.

Talon swallowed abruptly. Get a hold of yourself, man, he chastised
himself. What's she going to think if you act like some lovesick
fool at the very sight of her? She's not going to expect it, and she
won't be happy about it. Calm down. Nothing's changed, at least for
her. She's still your second-in-command, and as far as she's
concerned, she's just doing her job.

Suddenly, Skywalker appeared at his side. Talon glanced at him,
noticing immediately the excitement gleaming in the younger man's
bright blue eyes as he watched the approaching landspeeder. Talon
smiled at him, dampening down the sudden twinge of jealousy he felt.
He knew how Skywalker and Mara felt about each other. Their marriage
had been a complete and utter surprise to everyone, but Talon had
never known two people more destined or more suited for one another.

The landspeeder stopped a few meters away from them, and Skywalker
started toward it at a trot. But Mara was already climbing out of
the passenger side, quickly moving toward him. Talon heard her call
out Skywalker's name and then they were in each other's arms, kissing
fiercely, their hands roaming over one another as if trying to assure
themselves that the other was all right.

Talon glanced at Shada who still sat in the speeder. She had been
watching Mara and Luke, but suddenly she turned and looked at him.
They stared at each other a moment, and then Talon began to slowly
walk to the vehicle. She got out to greet him.

He stopped when he reached her side and smiled tentatively at
her. "Shada," he said quietly.

She nodded and ran her tongue across her lips. "Karrde. How are
you?"

He took a deep breath, trying to settle the crazy thudding in his
chest. "It's good to see you. I didn't expect you, you know, but
I'm very glad you came."

A muscle twitched in her cheek and she moved a little closer to
him. "Did you think I would let you rot for the rest of your life on
this planet?" she asked dryly.

Before he could reply, a low throaty laugh erupted from Mara, and
Talon and Shada both turned to look. Skywalker was holding her
closely against him, his face buried in her throat. Her hands roamed
over his back, and she whispered something in his ear that only made
him hold her tighter.

Shada turned away, a hint of color rising in her cheeks. She cleared
her throat suddenly, moving a bit nervously; obviously uncomfortable
with what was going on with the other couple. She wasn't used to
open displays of affection between couples. The Shadow Guards had
never encouraged their members to form relationships because they
feared interference with a Guard's loyalty. Nevertheless, they
understood basic human needs, but fulfilling those needs was
something that needed to be done quietly and privately, and with
absolutely no strings attached.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Talon watched her as she stood before
him. She was dressed in a form-fitting black flight suit that he had
never seen before. Her long, dark hair had been pulled severely back
from her thin attractive face and gathered with some sort of
intricate clasp at the nape of her neck. It hung in one long braid
to the center of her back.

Her dark brows were knitted over her gray eyes and she glanced up at
him, her mouth slightly parted. Her mouth, Talon thought, feeling
something akin to a jolt of electricity surge through him. She had
the most wonderful, gorgeous mouth. He had spent an inordinate
amount of time in the last year and a half just studying it. It
literally fascinated him and more than once, he had lost the train of
their conversation because he was watching the captivating movements
of her exquisitely shaped mouth. It had a full upper lip that curved
erotically over an even fuller bottom one. Talon had once heard that
a full bottom lip in a woman meant that she was passionate and
fiery. Shada was indeed a fiery woman; he had seen her angry more
than once, but passionate...that was something that Talon just didn't
know, but would give almost anything for the opportunity to find out.

He looked over her shoulder at Mara and Skywalker who now seemed
determined to learn the secrets of each other's mouth. His own went
a little dry at the intense passion the other couple obviously felt
for one another.

He glanced back at Shada. Ah hell, he thought. She'd probably kill
him, but he just couldn't help himself anymore. He reached out and
took her arm, drawing her closer to him. She looked up at him,
puzzled, and then started with surprise when his other hand cupped
her cheek. Before she could make a move, he bent his lean, sturdy
frame and pressed his lips to hers.

Shada stood utterly still in shock, as Talon's mouth worked gently on
hers, coaxing, softly pleading with her. His moustache tickled and
she marveled a moment at the feel of it against her upper lip.

Then his tongue tentatively touched her lips, apparently politely
asking for entry. Shada felt an erotic tingle in the pit of her
stomach, and she put both hands in the center of his chest, pushing
him, none too gently, away.

She glared at him as if she thought he had lost his mind, and he
opened his mouth to begin an apology when they were suddenly
surrounded by a small group of villagers.

The younger children were running around the landspeeder, exclaiming
in awe and jumping with excitement.

Talon was relieved to see the two young leaders of the village, and
he waved them over. "Shada, this is Vashi and Enee. They are
the...eh...chieftains of this village. Vashi, Enee, this is Shada."

If Shada was surprised at the youthful appearance of the two in front
of her, she didn't show it. She held out her hand to Vashi, who took
it solemnly. "I'm pleased to meet you," Shada told him and smiled
politely at Enee. The young girl returned her greeting shyly. Vashi
bowed low over her hand. "It is our pleasure to meet the woman of
Talon Karrde."

Shada's head shot up and she pinned Talon with a look that would have
fried the circuit boards on a droid. He shook his head helplessly.
He didn't have a clue what Vashi was talking about, and he opened his
mouth to correct him when Luke suddenly appeared beside them, his arm
around Mara's waist.

"Vashi," he exclaimed, putting his hand on the slender, young man's
shoulder. "I want you to meet my wife, Mara."

Vashi bowed low again, this time over Mara's hand, thinking all the
while that he had never seen two such stunning women in one place
before. It made him think of the great planet, Coruscant, that
Master Skywalker had told him about, and he wondered if all the women
there were so incredibly beautiful.

*****************

A short while later, the group turned to make their way into the
village. Children ran and leaped around them, their shouts of
excitement piercing the air.

Mara walked beside Luke, her hand clasped loosely in one of his.
Luke had one of her nerf-hide carryalls in his other hand. The young
girl, Enee, was shyly telling her something about a new hut for her
and Luke, but Mara was only half listening to her. Her attention was
on the couple walking in front of them with Vashi leading them all
into the main street of the village.

Shada's back was stiff as a sheet of dura-armor and she was
obviously, pointedly, ignoring Karrde who walked a bit tentatively
beside her.

Mara frowned. What had happened? She hadn't actually seen them
greet one another, but it was obvious that something had not gone
well. Shada looked as angry as a dinko with a sore paw and was
obviously spoiling for a fight. Mara sighed. Men! Couldn't they
ever handle anything right?

Vashi stopped in front of a hut that was considerably larger than the
ones around it. He turned and said proudly, "Master Skywalker, this
is for you and your wom..." he stopped and then corrected
himself, "wife." He grinned at them, delighted that he had
remembered the new term.

Luke looked at the hut. "But Vashi, this is..."

"I want you to stay here, Master," Vashi cut him off quickly. "It
would please me very much."

Luke looked at him a moment and then slowly nodded. "All right,
Vashi, if that's what you want. Mara and I would be honored."

Enee suddenly spoke. "Talon Karrde, we have another hut for you. If
you would come with me, I'll show you where it is."

Mara's eyebrows lifted at the word, 'hut' and she glanced at Shada,
wondering what the other woman thought of the idea of having to share
with Talon. She saw that Shada had stiffened again, but Mara wasn't
surprised when she didn't say anything. Whatever Shada had to say
wasn't going to be voiced in public. Talon glanced a bit uncertainly
at her and then told Enee. "Of course, where do you want us to go?"

Mara watched them walk off, relieved that she wasn't going to be
anywhere near them, when they finally reached the hut! She grinned
and then laughed. What a situation! Luke looked at her
questioningly, but she only squeezed his hand and followed him into
their cabin.

Luke stopped in astonishment when they entered, causing Mara to bump
into him slightly. The hut's interior was much larger than Luke had
thought from the outside. It actually had two rooms, one large one,
which obviously served as the living area, and a smaller one off to
one side. The floor was dirt like in all the cabins, but large,
woven rugs of flatland grass lay were scattered around the room. A
roughly carved table and several straight-back wooden chairs stood in
the center of the large room.

"What is it?" Mara asked, peering over his shoulder.

He grinned. "Looks like we've got the honeymoon suite at the
Imperial Palace."

Mara glanced around her rather primitive environment and
murmured, "Is that so?"

Luke chuckled and tugged on her hand, leading her into the other
room. He stopped again and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Mara asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"I'll have to show you the cot I've been sleeping on. Believe me,
it's nothing compared to this!" He waved his hand at the big, raised
bed in the center of the small room. Made of sturdy round logs, it
was more than three meters wide.

Mara walked over and flopped down on it. The mattress rustled and
she looked up in surprise.

"Must be filled with flatland grass," Luke told her succinctly. He
walked over and dropped her bag next to the bed. As he placed it, his
thoughts went back to Mara's traveling companion.

"What's with them?" he asked curiously, motioning with his head in
the direction the other couple had taken.

Mara looked up questioningly. "Who?"

"Talon and Shada. They were hardly speaking to one another."

Mara reached up and pulled him down beside her on the bed. "It's
called sexual tension, Luke," she grinned and then climbed into his
lap, sliding her arms around his neck. "Remember what it was like?"

Luke smiled, his arms finding their way around her waist. "Mmmmm...I
do seem to recall something along those lines." Then he frowned
slightly. "But why are they experiencing sexual tension? They've
been...eh...a couple for a while, haven't they?"

Mara laughed softly, playing gently with his hair. She pressed a
gentle kiss to his cheek and let her mouth wander along his jaw
line. "That's what they wanted everyone to believe, but it's not
true. They've been pretending."

"Pretending?" Luke questioned, leaning his head back as his wife
continued her exploration of his throat. "You could have fooled me
then."

Mara pulled back abruptly and looked at him. "What do you
mean...fooled you?"

Luke sighed and pulled her back to him, deciding to use the
opportunity to do a little nuzzling of his own. "Talon certainly
gave the impression that she was more than just a friend...more than
just his second-in-command."

Mara's mouth opened in surprise. "You mean he actually talked to you
about her?"

Luke shook his head slowly, and then carefully pushed aside the
opening of her jumpsuit, planting a series of warm, open-mouthed
kisses along her collarbone. "No, not to me specifically, but he was
ill for a time when we first got here. He was suffering from some
high fevers and much of the time he wasn't really conscious, just
drifting in and out. But he talked a lot, especially when the fever
was really high."

"I take it he's fine now? He looked very well. But Luke, he really
talked about Shada?" Mara asked, a bit breathlessly, nerves
beginning to tingle at the touch of his mouth. Her hands tangled
themselves in the front of his tunic.

Luke nodded slowly. "Not talked about her so much as talked to her.
He called for her a lot, obviously wanting her to be with him." He
leaned forward and kissed Mara softly on the forehead. "Just as I
wanted you with me."

Mara sat up a little straighter in his lap and pursed her lips. She
murmured thoughtfully, "Well, well...this just keeps getting better
and better, doesn't it?"

Luke pulled back to look into her face. "What are you up to, Jade?
I don't like that look."

Mara refocused on him, and a small smile began to play about her
lips. "Oh, you don't like my look, Farmboy?" She put her hands in
the center of his chest and playfully began to push him backward. He
fell back on the bed and Mara climbed on top of him. Shada and Talon
and their relationship or lack of one may be interesting, but she had
something better to do right now.

Luke was looking up at her, a fiery spark in his blue eyes. She
grinned and then covered his mouth with hers, thrusting her tongue in
to gleefully explore. They had been married for over a year, but the
slightest touch still set them off like fireworks.

Luke enthusiastically returned the kiss, tangling his tongue with
hers and sliding his hands into her hair. Finally, they broke apart,
gasping for breath. Mara sat up and undid the snaps on the front of
her flight suit, then began loosening the leather ties at the neck of
Luke's tunic. She looked down at him, her green eyes dancing and
turning dark with passion. "So, Skywalker, how do you like this
look?"

Luke grinned, running his hands up her back and pulling her back down
to him. "Oh, this look, Jade, I don't just like, I love!"

Okay, guys, I'm going to go ahead and throw this up. It will have to
tide you over for a couple of weeks, I think. Maybe you can keep
Molly calm! :-))

For all the rabid M/L fans, I need to tell you that this chapter is
mostly Talon and Shada, as will be chapter 8. But things will
improve later on with the M/L parts.

Hope you enjoy it and once again, all comments and suggestions would
be highly appreciated! :-))

Disclaimers are in Chapter 1.

This chapter rated PG-13 or maybe R (I'm never sure about the
difference between those two)

If you will remember from Chapter 6, the village kids have paired
them off into cabins. This chapter opens with Shada and Talon
discussing this turn of events.

A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 7

"What the hell kind of game do you think you're playing, Talon
Karrde?" Shada snarled.

Talon glanced through the open doorway of the cabin and was relieved
to see that Enee was some distance away. She had seemed so excited
about them staying in her parents' cabin that he didn't want her to
know that they weren't as pleased about it as she was.

"I had no idea that they were going to do this, Shada," he explained
patiently, going over to the door and closing it. It wasn't any need
to broadcast their...eh...discussion to the entire village.

She gave him her patented 'I don't believe you' glare. Shada had
what could be called a fiery temper. He had witnessed it on many
occasions, and even had it directed at him a time or two. But it was
the type that started at a flashpoint and then settled down to a slow
burn. If he could just hang on through the explosion, he probably
wouldn't suffer too much damage.

"Look, I didn't have a clue." He put up his hands in the universal
sign of innocence and shrugged. "Skywalker and I were staying in a
small hut on the other side of the village. I didn't know they
planned to move us."

"And they just decided on their own to pair us off together?" Shada
asked acerbically. She went over to the small table in the center of
the room and put down the basket of foodstuffs that Enee had given
her.

He took a step toward her, but she shot him a fierce glare and he
stopped. He sighed. "Shada, Vashi knew that Skywalker's wife was
coming...I suppose he just assumed that you...eh...that you were my
wife."

"Your woman, you mean," Shada corrected him, her voice dripping with
sarcasm.

He shook his head. "It doesn't mean anything. It's just the way
they speak." He took another cautious step toward her. "Shada, if I
wanted to get you in bed with me, I think I would be a little more
subtle than this," he tried to joke.

A dark eyebrow lifted sardonically. "Oh, like that kiss out there?"

Talon couldn't help it. A faint tinge of color appeared on his
cheekbones. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I was just glad to see
you."

Now it was Shada's turn to be uncomfortable, and she turned away.
She and Talon had worked together closely for almost two years. They
traveled together on his many business trips and even when they had
been on Coruscant for the seemingly endless meetings with the New
Republic governmental hierarchy, they had still spent an inordinately
large amount of time with one another. Yet, there had never been
any ... affection between them. Shada couldn't even remember
anything as simple as a hug when they had greeted each other after an
absence. And now, for him to kiss her like that, not a little peck
on the check as a welcome, but a kiss, a real kiss... A kiss that
left her totally confused.

Seeing Shada lost in her thoughts, Talon took the opportunity to look
about the cabin that Enee had given them. It was considerably larger
than the one that he and Skywalker had been in, although it was still
a single room. However, a small wall that didn't reach all the way
to the ceiling ran about three-quarters the length of the room. He
wondered briefly what it concealed.

"Well, what are we going to do about it?" Shada asked, breaking the
silence.

She had turned to face him again, and he got caught up in just
looking at her. She really was one of the most beautiful women he
had ever seen, and it brought to mind the first time that he saw
her. It had been ten years before at the Whistler's Whirlpool
tapcafe on Trogan where Talon had met with several different
smuggling lords in an attempt to form an alliance to resist the new
threat posed by Grand Admiral Thrawn.

She had been with the smuggler Mazzic, and Talon had thought for a
while that she was Mazzic's new girlfriend. He learned later that it
wasn't so, that she was a professional bodyguard who had worked for
Mazzic for some time. She wore a red and silver dress that day,
tight and sleek, fitting her lithe body like a glove. It was short,
leaving her long, shapely legs exposed and Talon had had real
difficulty keeping his mind on business every time his eyes wandered
in her direction. Her gorgeous dark hair had been piled on her head
in rows of plaitlets that were held together by half a dozen large
enameled needles.

Talon smiled faintly, remembering how she had slung those needles
with deadly accuracy into the throats of several of the stormtroopers
who had made the unwise decision to interrupt their meeting that day.

"Well?" Shada asked again, breaking into his reverie.

"Well what?" he asked, trying to regain the course of the
conversation.

"I asked you what we were going to do about our accommodations. I'm
not staying here with you, Talon. You need to ask them for another
cabin." She spoke determinedly, but stared at him curiously,
wondering what he had been so lost in thought about.

Talon looked at her for a moment and then shocked her by shaking his
head. "No, I think we need to let it stay as it is."

Shada's mouth dropped open, then she sucked in a sharp breath. "If
you think I'm going to live with you here..."

Talon lifted his hand. "Just wait and hear me out."

Shada fought down an urge to flatten him like an insectoid on a
landspeeder windshield. Sometimes he just drove her insane with that
calm, detached attitude of his. Always reasonable, always practical,
always...infuriating! And he usually did it when she was feeling her
most irascible.

He came over to her and took her elbow in his hand. "Let's sit
down. We need to talk." He led her over to the side of the room
where a wooden bench ran the length of the wall.

They sat down and Shada slid an arm's length away from him along the
bench's surface. He gave her a sideways glance, but didn't say
anything. There had never been anything between them that should
cause Shada to have to worry about his intentions toward her, but
that kiss had certainly raised a new area of contention. He
sighed. "I know you're not happy with this situation, but it's the
way things need to be."

Shada moved impatiently and opened her mouth again, but he cut her
off. "You see, Shada, there is a good chance you're going to become
very ill. In fact, it's more than a good chance, it's almost a
certainty."

"How can you be so sure? I know that a disease has been ravaging the
planet, but what makes you think I'll get sick?" she asked doubtfully.

"It happened to me, to Skywalker, to everyone in this village that
has...had reached maturity." He thoughtfully scratched his neatly
trimmed beard and then told her solemnly, "Most of these people have
died, Shada."

She stiffened, watching him closely.

"Someone needs to be with you at all times," Talon said softly. "The
disease is caused by spores that invade your body. We're not exactly
sure yet how they do, but once they're there, they attack without
warning. One moment you're fine, the next, you're extremely ill.
You'll need someone to watch over and care for you. And that someone
needs to be me."

"But surely, Mara and I could stay together and watch..." Shada began.

Talon laughed. "I don't think so, Shada. Mara may consider you a
good friend, but she's not going to want to share a cabin with you
when her husband is around. In fact, I doubt that you could stick a
sheet of flimsiplast between them at this very moment!"

Shada fought the color that wanted to rise in her cheeks, but she
admitted he was probably right. "I know. She's been worried sick
about him. They deserve some time together alone. But Talon, we
don't have to stay together...in this hut," Shada insisted. "You can
check on me in the mornings and..."

She trailed off when she saw him shaking his head. "You don't
understand," he told her. "I must know the moment you fall ill.
What if you became sick during the night? It would be hours before I
found you. No, I need to be here, with you, at all times." He
decided to inflict a little guilt between friends on her. "Shada,
you know you can trust me...when have I ever given you any reason not
to?"

Her anger at his earlier liberty was still fresh in her and shaded
the trust that she otherwise would have felt. "It's all just a bit
too convenient, don't you think, Talon?" She stood up from the bench
and walked back to the table. She turned and looked at him, resting
her hands and her slim hips against the side of the table. "I don't
know exactly what you're up to here, but I think you know me well
enough to know that I won't put up with any ... silliness," she
finished, her gray eyes pinning him to the bench.

He drew in a deep breath, not all that surprised that she was
reacting this way. Sith, he had never made any ...eh... romantic
overtures toward her, and then to just grab her and kiss her like
that. No wonder she was viewing the whole situation with
suspicion. "I've never lied to you, Shada, you know that," he told
her softly. "Like I said before, I would appreciate it if you'd just
trust me on this."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, then Talon stood,
walking over to the door. "Why don't I show you around the village?
I think then you'll understand more about what we've been up against
here."

Shada nodded reluctantly and followed him out the door. They walked
in silence until they came to the huge communal hut in the center of
the village. Talon stood aside and motioned for Shada to go in.

The room inside was huge, the carved trunks of whole trees
interconnecting as enormous rafters. Along the rounded sides were
rows of cots, many of them empty, but a few still occupied a few
young adults.

Talon walked over to a young man, about eighteen, lying in the first
cot. He was propped up with a small stack of pillows behind his back
and was eating a piece of fruit with which Shada wasn't familiar.

"Well, Yannis, you're looking much better today," Talon told the
young man who grinned up at him.

"Yes, I am very well, Talon Karrde. Master says I should be fine
soon."

Talon nodded and patted the young man on the shoulder. Luke probably
wanted to keep the boy in the communal hut for another day or so just
to watch for any reoccurrence of the spores.

"Are they all so young?" Shada asked, glancing around at the other
occupants.

Talon face twisted into a slight grimace. "Actually, you're looking
at some of the oldest people in the village at the moment."

Shada looked at him in shock.

"The adults are all gone," Talon continued, rubbing the tight muscles
in the back of his neck. "Have been for several months now. When
Skywalker and I arrived here the last of them was very ill. Even
with his Jedi skills, Luke couldn't save them all; there were just
too many."

"And these...these children are operating this village?" Shada
asked. She couldn't believe it as she glanced around the hut, but
things were running smoothly, efficiently, no one seemed to be
wasting time or effort.

"Yes, children are very adaptable I've learned," Talon said, taking
her arm and turning her toward the door again. "And if they have
good leadership, they can function quite well, at least to their
abilities."

"Vashi and Enee?" she asked, stepping with him out into the late
afternoon sun.

"They are two truly remarkable young people." Talon turned to her
enthusiastically. "They're not even the oldest in the village, but
they have been trained since their births to be leaders. It's the
tradition here, quite like royalty in the rest of the galaxy."

Shada smiled slightly at his eagerness. Sometimes when he became
enthused about something, he reminded her of a young boy excited over
presents on Life Day. "I've noticed that they seem quite capable."

"Yes, Vashi has constantly amazed me since I have been here. He's a
fine, fine young man. I'd be proud to have a son like him someday."

Talon wasn't looking at her when he spoke, but in a rather odd way,
Shada felt the words were directed at her. She glanced down,
suddenly interested at the dirt road under her feet. He had never
mentioned wanting a family before to her. What had come over him
since he had been on this planet?

They walked along the street for a while, Talon pointing out the
different styles in the huts and cabins and explaining that the
social status of the occupant determined how the huts were built.

As they turned a corner, they saw Vashi at the huge communal well.

"Vashi," Talon called and strolled over to him, with Shada trailing
in his wake.

"Hello, Talon Karrde," Vashi said and then inclined his head to Shada
who smiled in return. "I hope you found your new hut to your liking?"

"It's very nice, Vashi," Talon answered, and then raised his eyebrow
at the boy. "But wasn't that Enee's parents' hut? We wouldn't want
to upset her by staying there."

"You're not, Talon Karrde," Vashi assured him. "It was her wish that
you and your wom..wife stay there. You have pleased her very much."

Shada had drawn in a deep breath again at the mention of Talon's
wife, but without looking at her, Talon casually took her hand in his
and squeezed it gently in warning. She subsided, though he could
still sense her resentment.

"Then we're happy, too," Talon said. "Please tell her for us."

"I will," Vashi nodded.

Talon turned and looked back at the communal hut. "Have the Master
and his wife seen the patients this evening?"

Vashi shook his head. "Master checked them just before your women
arrived. He and his woman have not come out of their hut since they
first went in." Vashi's smile widened and he murmured, "Master was
very glad to see his woman." Vashi seemed to have momentarily
forgotten the word, wife, and he looked at Talon and Shada as if he
were wondering why they hadn't stay in their cabin also.

A muscle in Shada's jaw jumped and she pulled on her hand, but Talon
only tightened his grip, taking her hand and putting it onto his arm.

"I think that we're going to retire for the night too," he told Vashi
calmly. "It's been a long and eventful day."

It wasn't even quite dark yet, but Vashi nodded politely and turned
back to his work.

There was an uneasy silence between them as Talon and Shada walked
down the main thoroughfare of the village. As soon as they were some
distance from Vashi, Shada pulled her hand from Talon's arm. He
glanced at her, but she stared ahead resolutely.

Twilight had descended on the village, and the light was fading
fast. Talon sighed and glanced over at her again as she walked
quietly by his side. The evening light caressed the angled planes of
her face and he thought again what a truly beautiful woman she was.

Suddenly, a small form darted out from a hut and attached itself to
one of Talon's legs. He never missed a step, though a smile began to
play about his wide mouth.

Shada glanced down in complete surprise, only to meet the biggest
pair of brown eyes she had ever seen on a child. The little girl,
about three years old, wrapped her arms tightly about Talon's leg and
let her tiny rear rest on the top of his foot. She giggled
continually as Talon walked and called out happily, "Tawon Karrt!
Tawon Karrt!"

"I say, Shada," Talon began, a little louder than normal. "I must be
more tired than I thought. My legs are feeling very heavy for some
reason."

Although still annoyed with him, Shada caught his laughing eye and
decided to reply teasingly, "Really? I can't imagine why." She had
to admit that she was astonished at him. She couldn't recall seeing
Talon around children very much. Once or twice, they had attended
gatherings where the Solo children had been, but Shada couldn't
remember much interaction between Talon and them. But he was
obviously enjoying himself with this child and was accustomed to her
rather unusual mode of transportation.

Talon suddenly stopped, patting his hand down his sinewy thigh until
it landed on the child's head. "What?" he gasped. "What could this
be sitting on my foot?"

The child convulsed with laughter, hugging his leg tightly. "Tawon
Karrt!" she screamed again.

Talon leaned down and pulled the child up to him, where she locked
her thin little arms around his neck. "And how are you today, little
Roza?" he asked, nuzzling his face against her fine, silky blonde
hair.

She grabbed him by the hair and gave him a smacking kiss on his
cheek. Giggling loudly, she turned in his arms to peer curiously at
Shada. "Woman?" she asked.

Shada stifled the impulse to roll her eyes. That word again! She
had just about heard it enough! But she smiled at the child and
said, "Hello, Roza."

The child beamed happily at her and Talon said, "Roza, this is Shada."

"Shaaaydaaa," the child repeated, drawing the name out in long
syllables. "Pretty," she pronounced.

Talon was watching Shada and he murmured softly, "Yes, she is, isn't
she?"

It was one of those moments when time seemed to literally stand
still, and they stared at each other over the child's head. Talon
finally opened his mouth to say something when a voice called out
from behind them, "Roza? Roza? Where are you?"

With one final long look at Shada who couldn't seem to tear her eyes
away from his, Talon turned and called, "Enee? Over here. I have
her."

Enee hurried over to them, wiping her hands on a small rag. She had
been in the midst of preparing the evening meal. "I'm sorry, Talon
Karrde. Adah said she just darted off again."

The child held out her arms to Enee and Talon handed her
over. "Roza, you mustn't run away from Adah," Talon told her
firmly. Adah was one of the girls in the village. Only eighteen,
she had been very ill when they first arrived but Luke had managed to
clean the spores from her body quite quickly. There were a number of
smaller children in the village and once she had regained her health,
Adah had taken to watching over the children while the others
worked. But Roza was a problem, prone to dart off as soon as Adah's
back was turned.

"Tawon Karrt," the child whispered, grinning again. "No run away."

He touched a finger to Roza's cheek, caressing it gently. "That's
good. You must be a good girl and stay with Adah now."

The child nodded happily and then buried her face in Enee's neck.
Enee laughed and then looked up at Talon. "We are almost ready with
our evening meal. Would you and ...eh..."

"Shada," Shada said quickly before the dreaded word, 'woman' sounded
again.

Enee smiled at her and repeated, "Shada. Would you like to join us?"

Talon glanced at Shada who just lifted an eyebrow, letting him make
the decision and he turned back to Enee. "I hope you won't mind,
Enee, but I think we'll prepare a meal in our hut tonight. We're
both a little tired."

Enee glanced from one to the other and smiled faintly. "Of course.
We will see you in the morning then."

She was about to turn away, when Talon stopped her with a hand on her
arm. "Enee?"

"Yes?"

"Shada and I would like to thank you for the use of your parents'
hut. That is extremely kind of you," Talon told her.

Enee smiled. "I wanted you to have it. My parents would have been
pleased."

Talon squeezed her arm, and she turned and left, gently scolding Roza
again for running away.

****************

Luke came up from one last drowning wave of passion and slowly slid
off Mara to the side, pulling her with him until her head lay on his
chest.

They lay gasping, trying to take in big gulps of oxygen. "Sith,
Luke, maybe I should let you go off for a couple of weeks more
often," Mara finally murmured, her heart still pounding heavily in
her chest.

Luke nuzzled his face against hers until he could find her mouth and
covered it with his, kissing her long and deeply. He groaned deep in
his throat and eased her to the side so that they lay facing one
another. They kissed for a long time, until finally Luke pulled
away, pressing her face against his throat and resting his chin on
her head.

"I've missed you so much, Mara," he whispered, sliding a hand along
her slim hip.

She chuckled weakly, her breath warming his throat. "Obviously,
Farmboy."

He pressed an open-mouth kiss to her forehead and they lay there,
simply holding one another for quite some time.

"I'm so glad you're here, Mara," Luke finally whispered. "I'm
feeling a bit guilty, though."

"Why guilty?" Mara asked drowsily. She was very close to falling
asleep.

In a low, soft voice, Luke told her of the disease and what it had
done to the planet. He explained that she and Shada would probably
be feeling the effects of it within the next few days, if not sooner,
and how to prepare herself to deal with it.

"So, it's relatively easy to find these spores within the body?"
Mara asked quietly.

"Yes, they're quite open, and no problem to eliminate. Just a little
squeeze and they're gone," Luke assured her.

"What's the symptoms?"

"Headaches, dizziness, nausea...those are the preliminaries. Then,
if the spores aren't caught soon enough, the pain will start. It's
severe and crippling."

"Oh, joy," Mara mused, gathering the Force to her and running a quick
check through her body.

Luke grinned. "You don't have to do that. I already have. Twice
since you've been here; the last time only a few moments ago."

Mara pulled back to look into his earnest blue eyes. "Did you find
any?"

He nodded. "A few, but they didn't have a chance to attack. They're
gone now."

She smiled gently, figuring that she should have known he would
already be taking care of things. "I love you, Luke," she whispered.

"I know," he said, somewhat smugly.

She punched him lightly in the stomach, and they both laughed.

Then Mara sighed. "We'll have to keep a close watch on Shada."

Luke laughed again. "I think Talon has that under control. I told
him to let one of us know the minute she shows any symptoms."

"That will only work if they're speaking to one another," Mara
giggled and snuggled closer to Luke.

Luke laughed too, playing gently with a strand of her red-gold
hair. "Well, maybe they will make up soon."

Mara sighed. "I hope so." She turned in his arms so that she was
lying on his chest. "What are we going to do about this planet,
Luke? These people are going to have a very hard time of it without
some help."

"Obviously the New Republic will have to take some action, but we
have to figure out a way to rid the planet of the disease or find
something that will counteract it."

"Any ideas?"

"Talon mentioned that Vashi told him about some wisemen that lived in
the foothills. Apparently, they had technology similar to ours and
it stands to reason they were probably the ones who sent out the
distress code. I think we should start our search for the source of
the disease there."

Mara nodded, then rested her chin on his chest. "All right. When do
you want to start?"

"In a few days," he said, running his hand along her back and down
across her buttocks. "I want to make sure everyone here is well
before we leave." He didn't say it but he was talking as much about
her and Shada as he was about the others in the village.

"You sleepy?" he asked softly, his hand caressing her gently.

Mara took a deep breath, conscious of the tingles he was causing in
her body. "A little. Why?"

"I'm hungry."

Mara smiled. "You're always hungry, Farmboy. I suppose we could
look in the basket Vashi gave us." She sat up and started to move
from the bed, but Luke tightened his hold on her.

She looked down at him in surprise.

"I wasn't talking about that kind of hunger," he told her, wiggling
his eyebrows suggestively.

Mara opened her mouth, then closed it again. "Luke Skywalker," she
finally said in a low hiss. "We've already..." she stopped and then
exclaimed, "And more than once!"

He reached up, sliding a hand under her red-gold curls to the nap of
her neck. Then, very gently, he pulled her down on top of him. "All
the more reason to continue while we're onto a good thing!" he
whispered.

Okay, guys, it's been about three weeks since I posted Chapter 7. If
you remember the girls have now joined the guys on the planet. Mara
and Luke immediately went into a clinch, but Talon and Shada have
been more careful with one another. Shada was angry at Talon when
she found they had to share a cabin, but once they had talked that
out, Talon took her on a tour of the village. During that time, a
new character, the child Roza, who is very special to Talon, was
introduced.

Chapter 8 opens with Talon and Shada returning to their cabin as
night as fallen. I'm sorry to say that there is no Luke and Mara in
this chapter but I promise they will be back in force (pun intended!)
in Chapter 9.

A Shadow at Dusk
by JadesHand

Disclaimers on first chapter.

Rating: R (Maybe - I never know)

Chapter 8

The cabin was in complete darkness when Talon and Shada returned. He
immediately went to the small table in the center of the room and lit
a bulky oil lamp. The soft light threw long, dancing shadows along
the walls.

"Are you cold?" he asked Shada. As soon as the sun had disappeared
behind the huge mountain range in the distance, the temperature had
dropped considerably.

"A little maybe, but it's not too bad," she mumbled, suddenly
uncomfortable with meeting his eyes. Although they had spent many
evenings together over the past months, this one was different. The
very air between them seemed to sizzle with things left unspoken.

"I'll light a fire," Talon offered and moved over to the huge
fireplace against one wall. Although it was big enough to hold the
entire trunk of a tree, he just piled a few logs of moderate size in
the center of it. Before long, a radiant, glowing fire leaped up
through the big chimney. Its warmth soon spread through the small
room.

Shada walked to the table and began to sort through the basket of
foods that Enee had given them. She laid out a big round loaf of
coarse bread on the table, then added some rather oddly colored
cheese. There was an assortment of raw vegetables and a large bowl
of some type of stew that contained something that Shada privately
termed as 'mystery meat'.

When she looked up, she could see Talon behind the half wall that
separated a part of the hut from the main living area. He was so
tall, the wall only reached as high as his chest.

"What's back there?" Shada asked curiously. She had meant to take a
peek behind there herself but had never gotten around to it.

Talon glanced at her over the top of the wall and then walked out to
join her at the table.

She looked up at him inquiringly and he shrugged. "A bed. A big
one."

"Oh," she managed, feeling warmth flood into the tips of her ears.
She made herself busy again rearranging the food on the
table. "There's stew," she told him. "But don't ask me what kind,
and it's cold."

"Hand it to me," Talon suggested, "and I'll put it by the fire. It
should heat up there quickly."

She handed him the bowl of stew and he retreated back to the
fireplace. He pulled a round stool over by the fire then sat down,
placing the bowl of stew on the hearth. His back was to Shada but he
was conscious of every sound she made and watched her elongated
shadow as it flickered on the wall.

The fire suddenly crackled and a glowing ember flew out, landing on
the hearth near his foot. He crushed it under his boot and turned to
find Shada standing beside him. She handed him a hunk of cheese and
some of the coarse bread.

"You must be starved," she commented, sitting down on another chair
opposite him.

He nodded and took pieces of the cheese and bread and popped them
into his mouth. He chewed for a moment and then swallowed. "I am
hungry," he murmured, watching her take a small bite of the
cheese. "Been hungry for some time now."

Shada's head was down, but she looked at him from the top of her
eyes. For some reason, she felt he wasn't really talking about the
food, but what else could he be, she wondered.

He glanced down at the hearth. "The stew's hot."

Shada handed him a small bowl and a spoon that she had brought with
her from the table. "Just give me a few spoonfuls and you take the
rest. I'm not all that hungry," she said. Why did she feel that
there was a dual meaning to each statement of the conversation?

Talon ladled several spoonfuls of stew into her bowl and handed it to
her. "You should eat more," he told her. "It wouldn't hurt you to
gain a pound or two."

She twisted her mouth mockingly at that comment, but didn't say
anything. She took the bowl from him and watched as he wrapped a
small cloth around the warm bowl from the hearth. He lifted it into
his lap and spooned some of the rich stew into his mouth.

Neither said much while they ate, but both were very conscious of the
other. Shada studied Talon's face as the fire reflected on it,
washing it in varying shades of gold and red. She noticed that he
had recently trimmed his beard down to a small goatee on his chin,
and his hair had been cut until it nestled against his shirt collar,
considerably shorter than he normally wore it. It looked neater and
made his face appear younger than it had before. But she had always
liked Talon's looks, finding his dark hair and blue eyes quite
attractive in a man.

He reached for a water bottle on the floor beside his chair and took
a long drink from it. Shada watched in fascination as the muscles in
his throat worked as he swallowed. She found it oddly alluring and
forced herself to look away.

She stood suddenly and grimaced when her spoon fell from her grasp,
clattering noisily on the hearth. She and Talon both reached for it
at the same time and his fingers closed over hers. She jerked her
hand back as if she had just thrust it into the fire itself.

Talon glanced at her curiously and handed her the spoon. Wordlessly,
she took it and they stared at each other for a moment.

"Are you still hungry?" she asked and then wished she had never said
it because a strange light began to burn brilliantly in his eyes.

"I'm always hungry," he said softly.

Shada swallowed and took a step backward. "Th..there's some more
bread and cheese," she stammered.

"Thanks," he mumbled, his blue eyes never leaving hers. "That would
be nice."

She went over to the table and starting slicing him some more of the
cheese. When she turned to go back to the fireplace, she was
startled to find that he had been standing behind her. They were
very close together and Shada could smell the slight woodsy scent
from the fire that clung to him. She took a long, shuddering breath
and handed him the bread and cheese.

He took them from her and smiled gently. "I think we should go to
bed," he said calmly.

Shada's head came up so quickly, the braid of hair hanging down her
back swung onto her shoulder. "What did you say?" she demanded.
Surely, he wasn't going to suggest that they...!

"I said I think we should go to bed," he repeated. "It's been a long
and eventful day, and I suspect tomorrow will be the same. We need
to rest."

Shada couldn't think of a thing to say, and she just stood there, her
mouth parted slightly.

Talon pressed his lips tightly together as if he were trying to
suppress a smile. He decided to let her off the hook. "I'll sleep
on the bench. You can take the bed."

Shada's eyes narrowed dangerously as she realized he had been playing
with her.
"I'll take the bench. You sleep in the bed," she told him haughtily.

He took a bite of his bread and cheese and calmly chewed it. "No, I
don't think so."

Shada moved uncomfortably. "Look, Talon, you take the bed. I'm used
to roughing it."

"I'm not unfamiliar with it myself, Shada," he told her
succinctly. "It's best this way."

She opened her mouth to argue with him again, but he held up his
hand. "No, Shada. You take the bed. That's an order, and I don't
want to hear anymore about it."

"An order?" she repeated in surprise. Talon hadn't given her a
direct order for months. Over the time they had been together, their
working relationship had evolved into an almost partnership-like
situation where solutions to problems in the business were discussed,
brainstormed and solved on an equal basis. Even Talon's employees
had noticed the shared responsibility between them and had accorded
her the respect that her position demanded.

They stared at each other for a moment and then Shada stalked off to
the little bedroom behind the half-wall. Talon heard her moving
about, knowing she was getting ready for bed.

He sighed and called out softly, "Shada?"

There was a pause and then she said, "Yes?"

"Are you feeling alright? No aches or pains?"

"I'm fine," she said shortly.

"Remember you must let me know if you feel the slightest bit
differently," he reminded her. There was no answer from behind the
wall, so he said simply, "Goodnight, Shada."

There was another pause, and for an awful moment, Talon thought she
wasn't going to say anything. But finally, he heard her
say, "Goodnight," in a soft, gentle voice.

He went over and sat down in front of the fireplace again,
appreciating the warmth that emitted from it. He stared into the
iridescent flames for some time, seemingly lost in thought before a
yawn overtook him and he considered going to bed.

Then it hit him. He had forgotten to get blankets to spread out on
the bench. He had seen a small stack of them resting on a chair near
the bed when he had gone into the partitioned room. But by now,
Shada had to be asleep and he really didn't want to wake her for
something he should have remembered in the first place.

He went over to the bench and stretched out on it with all his
clothes on. He spent about fifteen minutes trying to relax enough to
drop off to sleep, but without much success. Talon was a person who
never wore much to bed in the first place and found his clothes very
constricting.

With a heavy sigh, he sat up and glanced over at the bed, which he
could partially see from his perch on the bench.

Shada was apparently deeply asleep, as she hadn't moved in quite some
time. He wondered if he could ease into the bedroom without waking
her to grab a couple of the blankets.

He walked quietly to the wall and looked over it. Shada was asleep,
her dark hair spread out across the pillow. She was lying on her
back, her head turned slightly away from him. He stood for a moment
just looking at her, a myriad of emotions flowing through him. He
loved this woman; he knew that now. Probably more than his own life.
He now believed that he'd been in love with her for quite some time
and just hadn't realized it. The past twenty months, since she had
become his second-in-command, had been the happiest of his life, and
he didn't know what he'd do if she ever decided to leave him.

He stepped away from the half-wall, running his fingers through his
thick, dark hair. There wasn't any point for him to stand there
gaping at her like some lovesick kid. If he were any sort of a man,
he'd just tell her how he felt. And have her run away so fast that
you'd never see her again, came a distant voice in his head. He knew
that voice of reason was right. He had to give her time, time to
realize for herself what they could have together if she would only
give it a chance.

Determinedly, he walked around the wall, albeit as quietly as he
could. He really didn't want to wake her. She was sleeping so
soundly.

He gathered two blankets from the stack on the chair and was starting
to tiptoe out of the small room when Shada sat up in the
bed. "Talon?" she asked incredulously.

He knew she couldn't believe he was actually in the bedroom with her
and he turned quickly. "It's not what you think, Shada. I was just
getting some blankets."

She stared at him for a moment, blinking the sleep from her
eyes. "All right," she said softly. Then she grabbed one of the
numerous pillows at the head of the bed and held it in his
direction. "Don't you need one of these too?"

He tried not to notice that she wore only a thin undershirt with a
low-scooped neck and tiny straps that hugged her shoulders. Even in
the dim light from the big fireplace, he could tell that she didn't
have on anything underneath it.

He stepped toward her and took the pillow from her. And then he
couldn't help himself; his eyes devoured her. He had always thought
she was too thin, but her tall body was perfectly proportioned, her
small, but exquisitely shaped breasts straining against the thin,
taut shirt.

He stepped away, clearing his throat abruptly, and fighting against
the brief tightening he felt in his groin.

He thought he mumbled "Thanks" but he wasn't sure as he bolted out of
there as fast as he could, walking to the fireplace and dropping into
the chair that she had been in earlier.

He put the blankets and pillow on the floor, and with his elbows
resting on his knees, he leaned his head into his hands.

Shada watched him go then laid down in the bed again, this time
turning so she faced the center of the bed. The bed was huge, big
enough to sleep five adults comfortably, and she felt a bit guilty
about not sharing it with Talon. But she couldn't help it, at least
not at this point in time. Something was different about Talon.
Something in him had changed since he had arrived on this planet. It
was as if he had come to some sort of decision, about what Shada had
no idea, but she had a feeling that whatever it was, it might very
well impact them both for the rest of their lives.

A sound from the fireplace area caught her attention and she lifted
her head to look. She stiffened sharply, her mouth falling slightly
open.

Talon was undressing before the fire, obviously preparing to sleep on
the bench. He had taken off his full, loose shirt and was running a
damp cloth across his chest. The firelight flickered and glowed
against his tanned skin, highlighting the well-defined muscles of his
abdomen.

Shada blinked, unable to tear her eyes away. She had never seen
Talon without a shirt. He was a tall, slender man who wore his
clothes superbly, but she had never realized that he had kept himself
in such great shape. The muscles of his shoulders rippled like
liquid durasteel as he reached for a towel lying on the back of his
chair. He rubbed it along his arms and down over his abdomen,
ruffling the coat of delicate hair that peppered the expanse of his
broad chest, starting at his shoulders in a wide triangle that
disappeared in a point into his trousers.

Shada's mouth went dry, and she couldn't stop herself from wondering
what it would feel like to be pressed against that chest, to feel
that hair against her breasts as those strong arms held her tightly
against him.

With a muffled gasp, she flipped over on her back, staring with wide
eyes at the huge wooden beams in the ceiling. What the hell are you
doing, Shada D'ukal, she chastised herself. Have you lost your
mind? This is your life here, a life that you consider comfortable
and worthwhile. If you crawl into bed with Talon it would ruin
everything, everything you have worked two long years to build, all
for a few minutes of pleasure.

A distant memory flooded into her mind and she whispered
hoarsely, "No...No!"

When she was in her late teens and a fairly new member of the
Mistryl, a group of her sister Shadow Guards had talked her into
visiting a diviner. The Ryn woman had a reputation for being
incredibly accurate in her forecast of people's individual futures
and fortunes.

Although she had thought it all a bunch of hokey nonsense, Shada went
along with the group. She did it mainly to spend some time with her
new sisters and get to know them better, especially the real-life
sister duo of Manda and Karoly D'ulin. Manda had been selected to be
Shada's squad commander, and Karoly, although a few years younger,
was closer in age to Shada than any of the others in their commando
unit.

The Ryn were an exotic race who traveled about the galaxy from planet
to planet. Not viewed favorably by many of the other species, they
earned their livings in any way they could. Singing, dancing, and
telling fortunes were quick ways to earn credits, and the Ryn were
excellent performers. A small group of them had settled on
Emberlene, although the planet offered little in the way of earning
credits in their usual talents. A few of the Ryn had become first-
class carpenters and were doing well in supporting their group. They
seemed settled on the planet and were treated with a modicum of
respect they didn't normally receive in other places in the galaxy.

Shada hung back as the others had all ventured one by one into the
Ryn's small room. The others had come out giggling and laughing
about their time with the Ryn diviner, sharing what she had told them
with all the others.

When everyone had gone in but Shada, they all turned on her
expectantly. She shook her head. "Why don't we just go? You've had
enough fun for the night," she told them good-naturedly.

"Oh, no," Manda laughed. "We all went in and you're going too."

Shada grimaced, but pushed away from the wall she had been leaning
on. She couldn't very well contradict her commanding officer,
although she really didn't have any desire to visit the fortune-
telling Ryn.

She had to push aside some long, colorful hanging beads to enter the
room, and her nose was immediately assaulted with a strange odor that
was emitted by something burning in a tiny bowl on a table in the
center of the room.

The Ryn was an older woman and she sat in a chair at the table, her
long tail curled around its legs. She waved Shada over to the chair
opposite of her.

Shada took the chair cautiously, not willing to look at the Ryn.

The older woman smiled, her eyes traveling over Shada's
face. "Ahhh...lovely. And what might your name be, pretty one?"

Shada shot her a look, but then murmured, "It's Shada."

"Shada," the woman repeated. "A name as beautiful as its owner."
Then she startled Shada by asking, "And why did you come here?"

Shada blinked in surprise and then murmured sullenly, "For my
fortune, what else?"

"That's what you must tell me, pretty one," the Ryn returned, smiling
gently.

"I didn't want to come," Shada blurted out, surprising herself.

The Ryn's smile widened, and Shada knew that she had known that Shada
hadn't wanted to be there.

Shada shifted a little in the chair. "I came because my unit wanted
to," she explained resentfully.

"And they forced you into here?" the Ryn asked.

Shada nodded.

The Ryn leaned forward and clasped her hands together on the
table. "We don't have to do this if you'd rather not."

"No," Shada returned flatly. "They'll ask me about it. You might as
well as go ahead and do it."

The Ryn nodded. "Only if you're sure." Then she reached across the
table. "May I see your right hand, please?"

Shada sighed and moved her hand to the center of the table. The Ryn
took it carefully, turning it so she could see the palm. Gently, she
ran her fingers across it, following the fine network of delicate
lines. "A long life you will lead," she said softly, "although not
uneventful. You will see many things that will make you sad, but you
will come out of them."

She rubbed softly across Shada's palm. "And you will have great
happiness at the end of it all."

Shada cocked an eyebrow, interested in spite of herself. "Will I be
an Eleven one day?" The Council of the Eleven were the leaders of
the Mistryl Shadow Guards and ultimately, the leaders of the planet
of Emberlene.

The Ryn smiled wistfully. "I will have to consult the cards for such
a prophecy. You do not mind?"

Shada thought it over and finally decided she may as well do
it. "No, go ahead."

The Ryn took a deck of large cards from the side of the table and
began to deal them out one by one, laying the faces up. "No," she
said very softly. "You will never be one of the Eleven."

Shada fought down a tinge of disappointment. "But it's what I have
always wanted, what I have worked all my life for."

The Ryn shook her head sorrowfully. "Your life will take another
turn. You will not always be a Shadow Guard."

A harsh laugh erupted from Shada. "Now, I know you're a fake. I
have devoted my life to the Mistryl Shadow Guards. I will never
leave them."

A frown had creased the Ryn's rubbery face at Shada's remarks, but
then she gave a slight smile. "You will forget them," she told Shada.

"Forget them?" Shada argued vehemently. "I can never forget them."
The Ryn might have a sterling reputation as a diviner, but Shada was
beginning to believe she was a fool.

"You will not remember them when you are writhing with pleasure under
your man," the fortune-teller laughed, losing a little patience with
her new customer. "And he will be the most important thing in your
life as you will be in his."

"Man?" Shada retorted derisively. "No man will ever be more
important to me than the Guards."

"You will see...you will see."

A sudden, loud snap from the crackling fire brought Shada back to the
present, but the memory of that time so long ago was as sharp and
clear as if it had happened the day before. Shada hadn't wanted to
tell her fellow Guards what the Ryn had told her, but they had wormed
it out of her anyway. And of course, they had teased her
unmercifully for weeks afterward.

Every time she came into the barracks, she was greeted with something
like, "Been writhing with pleasure lately, Shada? or Where's this man
of yours, Shada? We want to meet him!" And then the whole barracks
would erupt into laughter.

She had been immensely relieved when they had finally forgotten about
it and the teasing had stopped.

She hadn't thought about the visit to the Ryn in years, but the sight
of Talon's near-nude frame in the firelight had brought it all
storming back.

Cautiously, she lifted her head again, but Talon was sitting on the
bench, his long, naked legs spread out before him. They were as
muscular and well-formed as his chest, and as Shada watched, he slung
them up on the bench and pulled a blanket over himself.

She lay back down, her mind frothing with a hundred different things,
all of them, she told herself, strictly forbidden!

Okay, I know it has been a while since I put up a chapter, so I'm
going to go ahead and throw this one up, even though I still have a
reservation or two about it.

If you will recall from Chapter 8, a growing awareness of each other
is developing between Shada and Talon. After spending some time in
their cabin together, they have gone to bed, Talon on the hard bench
and Shada in the bed.

This is where Chapter 9 will take up.

Disclaimers on 1st chapter.

Rating: I expect this one is R for sure.

A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 9

A nagging little headache finally awakened Shada and she turned over
onto her back, pressing with her fingers on the spot between her eyes
where the pain seemed to be located. It didn't help, and she leaned
her head far back, her chin pointing to the ceiling as she closed her
eyes against the annoying ache. She supposed that all the tension
she had been feeling for the past few days had contributed to the
problem.

A slight groan caught her attention and she turned over on her side
again and squinted in the darkness toward the wall where the bench
ran along its length. Talon was moving restlessly, one blanket
tangled around his legs while another was rumbled beneath him.
Suddenly, he cursed and sat up, running a hand along the slim hip he
had been lying on.

If he keeps sleeping like that, Shada thought, he'll have a hip
pointer soon. She glanced over her shoulder at the immense bed she
was lying in. She sighed, rubbing her aching head again and coming
to a quick decision before she could change her mind. She called
out, "Talon?"

There was some more rustling and then she heard him say, "Yes?"

"Come sleep in the bed. You can't stay on that bench. It's too
hard."

There was a long pause and then he asked quietly, "Are you sure,
Shada?"

Despite her aching head, she grinned into the darkness. It wasn't
every day she invited a man into her bed. "I'm sure," she told
him. "This bed is big enough for half a dozen people. Surely, we
can manage to stay on our own sides."

It was too dark for her to see the grimace that crossed Talon's face,
but he gathered up his blankets and headed for the bed.

When he arrived, it was his turn to be a bit amused. Shada had taken
several of the enormous pillows from the head of the bed and laid
them carefully down the middle, effectively making a soft and fluffy
wall between them. She had also turned on her side away from him.

She made no comment as he eased into the bed and stretched out his
long legs with a contented sigh. "Thanks, Shada," he said softly.

The "You're welcome" was so quiet he almost didn't hear it.

He lay on his back for a moment, staring up at the heavy beams of the
ceiling. The hut was built for sturdiness and would withstand almost
all of nature's typical furies: horrific winds, torrential rains, and
winter storms filled with ice and snow. In a way, Talon thought, the
small cabin was the epitome of the relationship he wanted with a
woman: strong, durable, and capable of holding together under all
duress.

Carefully, and as quietly as possible, he turned on his side so that
he could see Shada in the pale light of Vortav's two distant moons
shining through the tiny window high on the cabin wall. The fluffy
wall she had lined between them did not completely hide her from him,
and he could see the dark cloud of her hair against the pillow and
the satiny sheen of her bare shoulder in the moonlight. She was all
he could ever want in a woman. Strong in both body and spirit,
sensitive and caring, loyal to her friends and her beliefs, and she
was, at least to him, incredibly beautiful. Maybe not in the
startling, explosive way of someone like Mara who, at times, could
literally take one's breath away, but in a quieter, subtler way.
Shada's beauty was different, but nevertheless, just as powerful and
alluring. Her features were strong and compelling, her eyes a silver
oasis in her stunning mass of black, wavy hair. Talon had never
wanted anything in his life as much as he wanted this woman, wanted
her as his own, to love, cherish and protect. Somehow, someway, he
had to convince her.

He released a slow, lingering breath and pulled the blanket up onto
his shoulder. The fire was dying down, and the evening chill was
creeping into the room. His eyelids felt heavy and he yawned,
closing his eyes against the moonlight.

It was almost an hour later when Talon awoke with a start, a frown
creasing his brow. He listened intently, positive that a sound had
awakened him. Then it came again, a soft, almost inaudible moan. He
sat up in the bed, grabbing the pillows lined between him and Shada
and tossing them to the floor.

He moved over to her quickly and tentatively placed his hand on her
shoulder. "Shada?" he asked softly and gently pulled her over onto
her back. Even in the pale moonlight, he could see the strain on her
face, the visible pain. He shook her slightly and said her name
again.

Her eyes flew open, but Talon knew instantly she wasn't focusing.
She moaned again, and his heart leaped into his throat. He placed a
hand on her cheek and flinched at the heat he found there. She was
burning up with fever.

For one brief moment, he was incredibly angry with her. She had to
have been feeling some on the early signs of the disease and she had
chosen to not mention them to him.

Then the fear set in, and he leaped from the bed, racing out the door
and across the village center toward the big cabin in which Luke and
Mara were staying.

He pounded on the door like a madman, calling out both their names at
the top of his voice. He knew he would probably awaken half the
village, but he didn't care. He had to get Luke and Mara to Shada as
quickly as possible before the spores could gain an even deeper hold
into her system.

The door opened and Mara stood before him, holding a robe together
with one hand. "Talon?" she asked in astonishment, her eyebrows
climbing into her brilliant hair.

Her look of amazement brought home to Talon that he had torn out of
the cabin without gathering any of his clothes and he was now
standing before his ex-second-in-command in only a brief pair of
boxer shorts.

Talon Karrde was well passed the age for blushing, but he couldn't
stop the sense of heat that rose in his face, but he quickly put it
aside and gasped out one word, "Shada."

Mara understood immediately. "We'll be right there," she told him,
turning and calling out Skywalker's name.

He didn't wait for them, but raced back to the cabin. He grabbed his
pants off the back of a chair and hurried into the tiny bedroom.
Shada was lying just as he had left her and softly moaning. He
quickly pulled on his pants and sat on the bed beside her. Gently,
he pushed her damp hair off her forehead.

"Shada?" he whispered softly.

Her eyes flickered open again and this time she seemed to focus on
him. "Talon?"

"I'm here," he said, taking one of her hands. "Why didn't you tell
me you weren't feeling well?"

"I...I didn't realize," she gasped before she moaned again with the
pain.

He dropped off the bed onto his knees and gathered her to
him. "Shhh...it's okay. Mara and Luke are on their way."

"I thought it was...it was just a headache," she finally managed and
turned her face into his bare chest, seeking the warmth and comfort
she found there.

He was holding her tightly, his face pressed against her hair when a
hand touched him gently on the shoulder. "Talon? It's me, Luke.
Let me see her, please."

Talon slowly raised his head, and Luke was shocked at the despair on
the man's face, so much so that he was moved to tell him, "Talon,
she'll be fine, I promise."

"She's in pain," Talon mumbled, but he carefully placed Shada back on
the bed and climbed rather shakily to his feet.

"I know," Luke said gently, sitting on the bed next to Shada. "We'll
take care of her." He glanced up at Mara and when he was sure Talon
wasn't looking at him, motioned with his head towards him.

Mara nodded and took Talon by the arm. "Why don't you come in by the
fire, Talon, and help me make some warm drinks. Shada will need some
liquids when she feels better. We don't want her to get dehydrated."

Talon nodded numbly as he watched Luke talk softly to Shada who was
squinting up at him, her eyes narrowed because of the waves of pain
ripping through her body.

Luke placed his hands on her temples and closed his eyes. Shada
closed her own, and then her body seem to relax completely as if she
were dropping off into a light sleep, a sure sign that the pain was
lessening. Luke's concentration seemed to intensify and he pressed a
little harder against her temples.

In the living room, Mara took Talon to the stool next to the fire and
put him on it. He immediately ran both hands through his thick hair
and sighed heavily.

"It'll be alright, Talon. Luke won't let anything happen to her,"
Mara told him gently. If Mara had had any questions about Talon's
feelings for Shada, they had all been answered. She had never seen
him as distraught as he was now, and it was obvious that he was
extremely worried about Shada.

"I told her to tell me if she felt the least bit ill, but she can be
as stubborn as a taun-taun," Talon said quietly.

Mara grinned. "I know. I ran into that stubbornness a few times
myself on our way out here."

Talon gave her a half-smile. "I'm glad you two had the opportunity
to get to know one another. I always thought you'd make good
friends."

Mara sat in the chair that Shada had earlier. "We have," she
nodded. "We've become very good friends."

Talon stood to throw another log on the fire that had died down to
embers. He stirred them with a long metal pole that had been leaning
against the side of the fireplace. The embers burst into flame and
began to consume the log.

He sat back down on the stool, and glanced quickly at the bedroom.
Luke was still in deep concentration as Shada lay completely still
before him.

"Luke is a fine man, Mara. I always knew he was, but these past
weeks here on the planet with him has shown me how incredible he
really is."

Mara laughed softly. "I know. I married him, remember?"

Talon laughed too. "I'm not likely to forget that."

Mara leaned back in her chair. "My marriage has been fortuitous for
us all, hasn't it? I was able to marry the man I adore, and the one
who, thank the Force, adores me. And you...you were able to find a
woman you can love."

Talon looked at her sharply, his mouth opening to protest. Then he
closed it with an audible snap. Finally, he shook his head and
scoffed, "There's nothing that gets by you too often, is there,
Mara?"

She just watched him patiently.

He grimaced. "Who would have thought it, eh? The great, inscrutable
Talon Karrde...wearing his heart on his sleeve like a fifteen year
old."

"It's not that obvious; maybe only to those who know you so well,"
Mara reassured him.

"I do love her," he admitted softly. "I think I have ever since I
saw her over ten years ago at that tapcafe on Trogan."

Mara raised an eyebrow, surprised that they had known each other that
long. Talon didn't notice, but continued softly, "I don't think she
feels that way about me though. She's never given any indication
that she thinks of me as anything other than her boss."

Mara started to speak, but then changed her mind. It wasn't her
place to say anything. She frowned, a bit annoyed at them both for
being so bantha-headed at their ages. Then a slight smile played
about her mouth. They weren't any worse than she and Luke had been.
It had taken them ten years to admit to any feelings for one another
too.

Mara ran a finger along her cheek and asked sympathetically, "Why
don't you just tell her?"

Talon looked at her in astonishment and then shook his head. "I
can't do that, Mara. If she doesn't care about me, she'll leave if
she thinks I've fallen in love with her. And...and I couldn't bear
that."

Mara got up from her chair and went over to the table in the center
of the room. There was a small kettle and some dried leaves in a
tiny pot. She sniffed them. They were similar in smell and texture
to caf and she sprinkled some in the kettle. After adding some
water, she took the kettle to the fireplace and placed it on the
hearth, close enough to warm it. She squatted down before the fire
and held out her hands to its warmth.

"Talon," she started. "I may not be the best person to tell you
this." She stopped, a frown creasing her brow and then continued
thoughtfully, "Then again, I may be just the very one. Luke and I
cared for each other for years before either one of us worked up
enough courage to admit it." She glanced over her shoulder at the
man sitting on the stool. "We both have deep regrets about that."

Talon had been watching her, enjoying how the fire highlighted the
golden tints in her red hair, but at her words, he shifted
uncomfortably on his stool. "Mara, if you had feelings for Luke all
that time, why didn't you tell him? Were you afraid you would lose
his friendship?"

Mara turned on her heels to look at him. "Yes."

Talon smiled wryly. "Then you know how I feel."

"That still doesn't take away the fact that we wasted years when we
could have been together." Mara waved her hand impatiently. "None
of us are as young as we used to be, you know."

"Me more than most, eh?" Talon joked weakly.

Mara started to say something, but Luke came in the room, rubbing the
back of his hand against his forehead.

Talon shot to his feet, but Luke waved at him. "She's fine, Talon.
Sleeping now, and she's going to need a lot of it. She's weak and
very tired."

Talon nodded. "May I see her?"

Luke glanced at Mara. *Let him,* she sent through the Force as she
stood and took the chair in front of the fire again. *He won't rest
either if he doesn't see her.*

Luke looked at Talon again. "All right, but if you wake her, you'll
answer to me," he told him, mockingly stern.

Talon headed for the bedroom without a word, and Luke grinned at
Mara. "Well, I'm glad to see that's all resolved."

"What's that?" Mara asked as she tested the heat of the kettle with
the back of her hand. It was quite hot, and she stood and took it to
the table. Finding a pair of mugs, she poured herself and Luke a
cup. Cautiously, she took a sip. It wasn't caf, but it was close
enough. She walked over to the fire and handed it to Luke. He sat
down on Talon's stool and held the cup between his hands, letting it
warm them.

"Talon and Shada," Luke explained softly, not wanting Talon to hear
him. "I'm glad to see they've settled their differences."

"What makes you think they have?" Mara asked just as quietly, a
small smile playing about her mouth as she sat across from him.

Luke raised his eyebrows at her. "They were sleeping together," he
pointed out reasonably.

"So they were," Mara agreed. "But I think that's all they were
doing, sleeping." She stretched out her foot and rubbed it
caressingly along the inside of one of Luke's legs.

Luke gave her an intimate little smile. "Too bad," he
whispered. "They don't know what they're missing." He got up from
the stool and leaned down to kiss her.

Mara parted her mouth for him and they enjoyed a long and pleasurable
kiss. When they broke apart, Luke hooked his foot around the stool
and pulled it over next to Mara. Sitting on it, he slipped his arm
about her shoulders.

They sat quietly, Mara's head leaning against Luke, as they watched
the fire snap and crackle in the huge fireplace. These were Mara's
favorite times. Oh sure, she lived for their lovemaking moments, but
when they were together, as they were now, just quietly holding one
another, letting their Force-bond swell and flicker about
them...well, to Mara's mind, they were the greatest moments of her
life. She had lived alone and companionless for so many years that
she had virtually given up on the hope that she would ever share
anything near what she shared with Luke.

She raised her head and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, and he
squeezed her shoulder in return. They had been married over a year
and in that time, they had grown closer and closer until there were
moments when she felt they were almost one. He meant more to her
than anything in the galaxy, and her life, in a strange sort of way,
had come full circle. Sure, she had regrets. Her life with the
Emperor couldn't be explained in any other way. But now...well,
things were complete. She couldn't have asked for more. She put her
bright head against Luke again and watched the flames danced in the
fireplace.

It was in the small hours of the morning before Luke and Mara decided
to return to their cabin. Shada had slept soundly for some time and
seemed to be quite comfortable.

Luke told Talon that he needed to get some rest too. "She'll be weak
tomorrow," Luke said, pressing his fingers against Shada's temple for
a moment. "She was in pain for quite some time."

Talon grimaced and said rather ominously. "Yes, we're going to have
a little talk about that when she's better."

Mara pressed her lips together to keep a smile under control. She
didn't think Shada was in any danger from anything Talon would do.

She eased a hand into one of Luke's. "You'll let us know if there's
any change?"

"Of course," Talon said absentmindedly. Shada's eyes had flickered
open drowsily, and he reached out and touched her forehead. "Feeling
better?" he asked softly. She looked at him a moment, nodded almost
imperceptibly and then dropped off into sleep again.

Talon turned to Luke and Mara who were gazing at him with slight
smiles. "I'll watch her."

Luke shook his head. "No, she'll sleep until morning. You need to
rest. She'll need you more tomorrow." He glanced at his wife with a
bit of a smirk. "If she's anything like Mara, she'll be irritable
and annoyed that she has to stay in bed."

"That's her alright," Talon agreed, laughing gently.

Mara tossed her flame-colored hair. "Well, if you two are finished
maligning our characters, I think we should go, Luke. They need to
rest and so do we."

"Yes, dear," Luke agreed obediently, shooting Talon a grin.

Mara rolled her eyes and tugged on Luke's hand, pulling him toward
the door. "We'll check on her again first thing in the morning,
Talon." She pushed Luke through the door and turned back to
Talon. "Go to bed and rest," she ordered.

Talon gave a snort of laughter as she disappeared out the door after
her husband. Trust Mara to have everything under control.

Talon cleaned up the living area a little before he returned to the
bedroom. In the far distance, he could hear thunder and an
occasional streak of lightening lit the darkness of the room. Shada
was still asleep, lying almost in the center of the big bed. It was
cold in the room and Talon pulled the blankets a little higher up her
body. She sighed, but didn't awaken.

He sat on his side of the bed and pulled off his pants again, lying
them on a chair nearby. He tucked his long legs under the blankets
and turned so that he faced Shada. They were much closer in the bed
than they had been before, and of course, there wasn't any wall of
pillows between them anymore.

Shada was sleeping deeply, her mouth slightly parted, one hand lying
under her cheek. A strand of her long dark hair had fallen across
her face, and Talon reached out and tucked it behind her ear.

Shada's gray eyes flickered open sleepily and she yawned. "Talon?"
she asked huskily, her voice still heavy from sleep.

"Yes...?" Talon whispered, reluctant to move his hand from where it
rested against her face.

His breath caught in his throat when Shada moved closer to him,
sliding her arm across his waist.

Shada blinked, more asleep than awake. Everything was hazy, like
images and shadows that wandered dimly through a dream.

"I'm cold," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

Strong, muscular arms went around her and pulled her closer to sudden
warmth. She pressed her face against it, smiling slightly as the
tiny hairs on his wide chest tickled her face.

"Hmmm..." she mumbled, her arm tightening around him. For some
reason, the fortune-teller Ryn burst into her mind and she blinked
again, startled by it. She pulled herself closer to the warmth and
raised her head, her hand running along the slight stubble on his
cheek.

"Shada?" Talon asked hesitantly, puzzled by the strange look on her
face. He wasn't even sure she was awake, her eyes seemed unfocused
to him.

Her hand on his cheek slid around to the back of his head and
tightened, pulling him down to her.

"Shada?" he gasped, startled into immobility when her mouth covered
his.

Oh Sith! he thought, does she even know what's she doing? His
conscience smote him, but when her tongue eased seductively between
his teeth, all coherent thought fled like fog on a sunny morning.

He pulled her tightly against him and they kissed hungrily, as if
starved for one another. It went on and on, their mouths working
desperately against one another. Shada threw a long leg over his
hip, hauling herself closer, and her fingers buried themselves in his
thick hair.

Then abruptly, she broke the kiss and moved to lie on her back,
pulling a trembling Talon with her. "Kiss me," she muttered so
thickly he barely heard her, but it was enough. He pressed his eager
mouth to hers and with a thrill that tightened his stomach muscles
into knots, felt it part willingly for him. He had kissed women
before, many women, but none of them had ever affected him quite like
this. When Shada's tongue searched his mouth again, erotically
wrapping around his own, he literally felt his toes curl. She tasted
so sweet, reminding him vaguely of that hot chocolate drink Skywalker
was so fond of. Talon was having a hard time controlling himself,
trying not to squeeze her too hard for fear he might hurt her. Every
nerve ending in his body was singing like electricity, and the
tightening in his loins was growing steadily.

Suddenly, she sighed heavily into his mouth and, without warning,
went limp in his arms. He pulled back and peered at her, his eyes
straining in the darkness. He couldn't believe it. She was asleep
again, as deeply and acutely as she had been all evening, no more
aware of him than the rain that was beginning to pelt against the
windowpanes.

The groan that escaped him sounded as if it came from the depths of
his soul. He rolled off Shada and flopped roughly onto his back.
Breathing heavily, he tried to calm himself, to gain control of his
stressed body.

Finally, he sat up and scooted back against the head of the bed,
resting against it. The rain was bombarding the windows and looked
as if it would be around for the rest of the night.

He glanced down at Shada who slept as if she hadn't a care in the
world.

It's your own fault, he snarled to himself. You knew she was ill and
didn't know what she was doing. You should have known better.

But the feel of her mouth against his still lingered, the taste of
her remained on his tongue. He couldn't forget it in a thousand
years, and he wouldn't be able to look at her again without
remembering.

She called your name, a little voice whispered in his mind. She knew
who she was kissing; she knew who she wanted to kiss.

Talon's eyes widened at the thought and he glanced up at the water
splashing against the window, a tiny spark of hope beginning to blaze
deep inside him.

Beside him Shada moved a little in her sleep, drawing his attention.
He noticed for the first time that the blankets were down again,
nestling against her waist. The room was very cold, compounded with
the dampness from the rain.

Talon slid down beside her again and slowly turned her on own side,
facing away from him. She would probably kill him when she awakened,
but, and he grinned slightly in the dark, it might well be worth it.
He lined his body against hers and slid his arm across her waist.
Pulling her gently back, so that she lay against him, he gathered the
blankets up over them. Pressing his face in her long hair, he
drifted off to sleep.

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and throw up Ch. 10, but I'm warning you
now that it may be a couple of weeks before Ch. 11 appears. I am
reconsidering some the plotline and need time to think it through.

But in the meantime:

Disclaimers are on the first chapter.

Rating for this chapter is PG-13

A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 10

A giggle filled the room, a little laughing trill of noise that was
so high it was almost painful to the ears.

With difficulty, Shada forced open one eye. Lying on her side, she
had been sleeping so heavily the whole night that her eyes felt as if
they were glued together.

A small human shape danced excitedly beside the big bed and with a
heroic effort, Shada pried open her other eye.

"Roza?" she asked groggily as the tiny child's face swam hazily
before her. She tried to turn over on her back so that she could sit
up, but something warm and solid was pressed tightly against her.

Roza gave another shrill giggle and that sound along with the
realization that a man's muscular arm was slung across her, brought
Shada fully awake. As she moved, she felt the big hand that was
snugly cupping her breast.

She turned so quickly to look behind her that she bumped square into
Talon's head. His face was nestled comfortably in her long hair.

"Talon!" she hissed, glancing nervously at the child who was still
dancing excitedly by the bed. "What in blazes do you think you're
doing?" She pushed viciously against him and moved over quickly to
her side of the bed. How they had both ended up in the middle of the
huge bed in such an intimate position was beyond her. It didn't help
that she couldn't remember anything from the night before except some
vague memories of Mara and Luke in the room with her. Flashes of
Luke leaning over her, his fingers pressed to her temples flitted
into her mind, and she knew he must have done some Jedi healing on
her.

Another high-pitched squeal caught her attention, and she turned just
in time to see Roza climbing onto the bed with them. She scrambled
across the big surface and planted herself firmly between Shada and
Talon, who had just rolled onto his back, his eyes blinking as he
tried to awaken.

"Shaaaddaaa," Roza cried, drawing Shada's name out into several
syllables, as she was fond of doing. She flung a pudgy little arm
around Shada's waist, grinned naughtily, and buried her face against
Shada's arm, giggling wildly.

In spite of herself, Shada had to smile. The child's sheer joy in
life was infectious. Roza lifted her head, gave Shada a big smile
that showed some of her upper teeth missing, and then reached across
to plant a smacking kiss on Shada's cheek.

Shada had very little experience with small children. Most of the
time she found them quite annoying. On the few occasions when she
had seen mothers struggling with several obnoxious offspring, she was
glad she had made the decision to follow a life that had taken her
away from such a role.

But there was something about this child. Her fine, silky blond hair
framed her engaging face like a halo, yet Shada sensed a mischievous
spirit that would take life by the horns and shake from it all that
was needed and wanted.

Shada put a careful hand on the back of the child's head and smiled
at her. "And how is Roza this morning?" she asked her gently.

Roza giggled enthusiastically. "'ine," she said, her smile almost
splitting her face. She leaned her head to the side as she peered at
Shada. "Pretty," she muttered. "Shada pretty."

Shada couldn't help but laugh and she pressed a finger to Roza's pert
little nose. "And Roza is beautiful," she told the child.

The child erupted with glee, burying her face against Shada again and
rubbing it back and forth. Then, with another high-pitched giggle,
she bounded away and then virtually leaped onto the middle of Talon's
chest.

He had been lying on his back in the center of the bed, watching the
by-play between Shada and the child with a slight smile on his face.
But he was taken totally by surprise by Roza's sudden jump and the
air left him in a big whoosh.

"Whoa!" he croaked out as Roza's bounced up and down on his
midsection, yelling "Tawon Karrt!" at the top of her lungs. He
quickly grabbed her, squeezing her against him to stop the bouncing.

Shada burst into laughter, enjoying his discomfort. She hoped Roza
put a bruise or two on him, as she had been seriously considering
applying a few of her own after the way they had awakened together.
How dare he remove those pillows and make himself so comfortable
against her!

Her eyes narrowed when she caught him glancing over at her as he held
Roza in the air above him. The child was squealing with delight as
Talon playfully twisted her back and forth, her tiny legs dangling in
the air.

A little of the joy in Talon's eyes died at the fierce look Shada
gave him, and he swallowed abruptly, knowing he was no doubt going to
hear all about why she was angry later.

"Tawon Karrt!" Roza screamed again as she grabbed him by the arms.
She giggled and gasped as he bounced her in the air again. "I 'ove
you, Tawon Karrt!"

Talon blinked and found himself fighting back tears that wanted to
rise in his eyes. He pulled the child down and hugged her
tightly. "I love you, too, Roza, so much."

The little girl's arms went tightly around his neck and squeezed him
fiercely.

Talon expelled a rush of air, trying to gain control of his
emotions. For so many years, he had put aside the idea of a wife and
children, but just these few weeks with this precious little girl had
shown him how much he had missed, and it was something he wanted now
more than anything.

He glanced at Shada again out of the corner of his eye and was
relieved to see that her expression had softened as she watched
them. Not that he was really surprised. He knew from experience
that Roza could charm the fire out of a Krayt dragon.

Roza giggled in his arms again, and he suddenly rolled over, putting
her on the bed between himself and Shada. He began to tickle the
child in the ribs and she screamed and squealed with laughter.

"Shaaada!!! 'elp me, 'elp me," she cried, laughing so hard she was
almost choking.

Shada decided to join in on the fun, her dark eyes sparkling at the
possibilities. She moved over closer to the two and began to tickle
Talon on his sides. He gaped at her in astonishment and tried to
squirm away from her. "Shada!" he gasped, as her long fingers dug
painfully into his ribs. "Awwww!"

Shada couldn't contain her own laughter as the child between them
roared hysterically.

There was so much noise going on in the center of the bed that none
of its occupants heard the knock on the door. It had been left
slightly open when Roza had sneaked into the cabin, but neither Shada
nor Talon had been aware of it.

Outside the door, Enee listened to the laughter and a child's high
pitched squealing in astonishment. She glanced at Mara Jade
Skywalker who stood beside her, her own eyebrows lifted in amazement.

Mara stepped forward and pushed the door open. Enee followed her
into the room, but all the commotion was coming from the bedroom.

As they rounded the half-wall, they heard Talon yell, "Shada, that
hurts!"

Mara bit her lip, hard, at the sight before her. Shada had Talon
face down on the bed and was tickling him for all she was worth as
she sat straddled across his rounded buttocks. A blond-haired little
girl was bouncing on the bed beside them, pounding her tiny hands on
Talon's back and screaming with laughter. She was shouting with so
much glee that whatever she was saying was completely
incomprehensible.

Mara and Enee stood in plain sight at the end of the big bed, but no
one noticed them. Finally, Mara cleared her throat. Still, the fun
continued. She cleared her throat again, this time much louder.

Shada heard her and glanced over her shoulder. It was all Mara could
do to keep from roaring with laughter herself as she watched the
dawning realization that they weren't alone appear in Shada's eyes.

As quick as a sand panther, Shada leaped off Talon and hurriedly
pulled the blankets up over her again. After all, she only wore a
thin undershirt and a brief pair of underpants.

"Mara!" she gasped, but her eyes were slowly turning to Enee, the
virtual stranger in their midst. A deep, dark red began to burn in
her cheeks. Enee was smiling, not seeming surprised by any of it.

Shada glanced over at Talon, who was gazing up at Mara as if he had
never seen her before. To her horror, Shada realized he had on even
fewer clothes than she did.

Mara looked down at him and lifted an eyebrow. He started laughing
and sat up, pulling one of the blankets over into his lap. "Sorry,"
he chuckled. "We didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously," Mara drawled, her dancing eyes going back to
Shada. "Having just a little too much fun in here, were you?"

Shada shot her a look of acute dislike that was the last straw for
Mara. She began laughing so hard she had to sit down on the bed with
them.

The little girl crawled over to her and lifted Mara's braid from her
back. "'wed," she whispered, her eyes wide with astonishment. It
was the first time she had ever seen anyone with hair the color of
Mara's, especially now as the light caught the faint sparkle of the
water drops that had formed in it from the heavy mist outside.

"Roza!" Enee admonished, and gathered the child in her arms. "I'm
sorry," she told Mara who shook her head.

"No, no, it's no problem. She's a beautiful little girl." Mara
leaned her head to the side and said gently, "Hello, Roza. My name
is Mara."

"Maaraa," Roza toned, spreading the syllables out, as she was wont to
do, and giving Mara one of her toothless smiles. Mara was beginning
to see why Talon was so fond of the child, as apparently Shada was
too.

"Talon Karrde," Enee said. "I'm so sorry, she wandered off again.
Adah is about to lose her mind with this child; she is forever
leaving as soon as Adah turns her back." Enee smiled at her red-
haired companion. "Mara was helping me look for her."

Talon shook his head. "It's alright. She's been with us for some
time now, so I suspect she came straight here."

He swung his long legs over to the side of the bed and apparently
deciding there was nothing else he could do, collected his pants from
the back of a chair and pulled them on.

In that one moment, Shada could have cheerfully killed him. He made
it seem as if they had... that they were used to... She sunk lower
into the bed, wishing with all her might that they would all just go
away. Enee probably wouldn't think anything of it since she believed
that Shada was Talon's woman anyway, although it had been
excruciating embarrassing for the young girl to find them that way.
But Mara...! Shada couldn't even look at her, even though she knew
Mara kept glancing at her with a smirk firmly implanted on her lips.
There was no way Mara was going to let her live it down!

Talon stood and walked over to Enee and Roza. He patted Roza on the
cheek and said gently, "Roza, what have I told you about leaving
Adah?"

Roza's bottom lip trembled and she whispered, "Want see Tawon Karrt."

Talon smiled, "I know, sweetie, but you must learn to wait. Adah
would have brought you to see me if you had asked."

Roza shook her head furiously. "Adah busy. Want now."

Talon laughed and looked at Enee a bit helplessly. Enee
chuckled. "She is very stubborn, Talon Karrde, and a very determined
child."

Talon nodded and put his hand against Roza's cheek. "Yes, she is."

Someone knocked on the door and everyone except Shada went into the
living area. When Talon opened the door, Vashi's worried expression
changed to immediate relief as he saw Enee holding Roza. "You found
her!"

Talon burst out laughing as he made way for Vashi to come in. "Does
Roza have the whole village looking for her?"

Vashi nodded sheepishly. "It is becoming an almost daily
occurrence. We must find some help for Adah soon. Roza is too much
to handle when she has all the other children to watch also."

He walked over to Enee who was still holding the child. "Roza, you
have been a bad girl," he said sternly, hoping to make an impression
on the little girl.

Roza's lip trembled again and she nodded, a little sob escaping
her. "I sorry," she whimpered out and then burst into a flood of
tears.

Talon couldn't stand it. "Oh, Roza," he whispered, walking over to
Enee and scooping Roza from her arms. She wove her little arms
tightly around his neck and buried her face in his throat. He patted
her soothingly on the back.

Vashi shook his head, smiling slightly. "You spoil her, Talon
Karrde."

Talon ruefully looked at him over Roza's head. "I know. I can't
help it."

Vashi's grin widened. "Roza? Roza? Did you know that Adah is
cooking pepaish this morning?"

Roza raised her head and looked at him. "Adah?"

Vashi nodded. "If we don't go soon, the others will eat it all." He
held out his arms to her, and with a watery giggle, she leaned toward
him.

Talon laughed and handed her over. "Ahhhh...I see...you have to
bribe her with food!"

At that moment, Shada came into the room, now fully dressed in a pair
of black flight pants, beige undershirt and a sleeveless black
leather vest. Her hair was still loose and flowing about her
shoulders.

"Shaaadaa!" Roza called excitedly, her tears forgotten as she
wiggled in Vashi's arms.

Shada smiled and walked over to them. "Good morning, Vashi." Vashi
nodded and Shada turned to Roza. "Are you leaving us, Roza?"

Roza nodded. Shada reached over and gently wiped away a tear. "We
will come and see you sometime today, baby. I promise."

Roza's toothless smile was huge and everyone laughed. Vashi looked
at Enee and she nodded. "We had better go," Vashi explained. "We
need to get Roza back to Adah and then start working on the cleanup."

"Cleanup?" Talon asked.

Mara laughed. "You guys must have really slept hard last night."
She shot a teasing glance at Shada, who ignored her. "It rained so
much that the village looks like a giant mud puddle."

Vashi nodded. "Everything is very wet. Even the river is higher
than normal."

"We'll come and help then," Talon said.

Mara nodded. "We all will, but Luke and I need to talk with Talon
and Shada first. We'll be along shortly, Vashi."

Vashi nodded, and he and Enee headed for the door. As they were
going out, Roza turned in Vashi's arms and waved at Talon. "Bye,
Tawon Karrt!"

"Bye, Roza!" he called to her, chuckling.

"That child is a handful, isn't she?" Mara observed when Roza and
the others were gone.

"She definitely has a mind of her own," Talon agreed.

Mara turned to Shada, who was eyeing her warily. Mara grinned, but
decided not to tease her anymore. "I see you're feeling better.
Luke thought you might need to stay in bed today. He said you were
very weak last night."

"No, I feel fine," Shada told her, relieved Mara wasn't going to
mentioned what happened in the bedroom earlier. "I feel full of
energy."

Obviously, Mara thought, remembering Shada astride Talon and tickling
him. Wisely, she didn't bring it up.

"Luke is over at the communal hut, checking on the last patients in
there," she told Shada and Talon. "But we wanted to talk to you
about leaving. Looks like everyone here is going to be fine."

"Are we going directly back to Coruscant?" Shada asked, for some
reason feeling a little regret at leaving the planet.

Mara shrugged, not wanting to give them too much information without
the Jedi Master. "That's what Luke wants to talk to you about." She
turned toward the door. "I'll go and see if he's finished with the
patients. Will you two still be here?"

Talon nodded, glancing at Shada out of the corner of his eye. When
Mara left, there was an uncomfortable silence, and neither Shada nor
Talon was able to look at the other.

Finally, Shada moved to the table in the center of the room. "Do you
want some more bread and cheese? There's plenty left."

Talon took a long, deep breath, relieved that they weren't going to
have a major discussion.

He went over to the table, and Shada handed him some of the food.
She turned her back to him and starting cutting some more of the
bread. "It won't happen again, you know."

Talon swallowed a bit of the cheese without chewing it. "What?" he
got out around a cough. Raw fear curled tightly in his stomach. Was
she talking about the kisses they had shared?

"The pillows will stay in the center of the bed, Talon," Shada said,
keeping her back firmly to him. "I don't want to awaken again and
find us the way we were this morning. Do you understand?"

Relief washed over Talon even as he watched her durasteel-stiff
back. "Of course," he told her. "I'm sorry that happened. I
suppose we were both cold." He moved to stand next to her. Then he
cautiously asked, "Anything else?"

Shada looked at him sharply, suspicion narrowing her eyes. "Should
there be?"

Talon shook his head quickly. "No," he mumbled, crumbling a piece of
the bread into tiny bits. "No, not at all."

Shada watched him for a moment longer and then took some of the bread
and cheese and moved over to the fireplace. She raised a booted foot
and kicked some of the dying embers until they burned bright again.

Talon joined her and threw a log onto the fire. It was cool in the
room, with the lingering coldness from the night before and the
dampness from the rain.

Neither spoke, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable anymore. The air
had been cleared. Talon stole a little glance at her, watching how
the fire lit the planes of her face. Obviously, she didn't remember
the kisses. He was relieved and regretful at the same time.
Relieved because he knew she would be embarrassed and furious over
them, and regretful that they weren't on the sort of terms that would
allow those kinds of kisses between them on a regular basis.

Shada moved to the side of the fireplace and sat down on the floor,
drawing her legs up in almost a meditative pose. Leaning back
against the wall, she stared pensively into the fire.

Talon was used to her silences. Shada was one of the quietest women
he had ever known, and they had spent many an hour together without
saying very much at all.

He sat on the stool and finished his cheese, a rather odd sense of
happiness flowing into him. Nothing had really changed between them,
but nevertheless, he was happy. So she didn't remember what had
happened during the night. Somehow, he knew she would someday and
then... He grinned slightly. She had kissed him, as a woman really
kisses a man she cares about, and nothing could ever take that away
from him.

He wanted very much to sit down on the floor beside her, pull her
into his arms and kiss her until she pleaded for mercy. But he
couldn't...not now...but someday...yes, someday...and soon.

They both looked up when a knock sounded, and Shada got to her feet.

When Talon opened the door, Luke and Mara came in, shaking some of
the clinging moisture from their hair. The rain had stopped, but a
heavy mist was hanging close to the ground.

Shada looked at Luke carefully, wondering if Mara had told him what
she had seen earlier, but, if she had, he wasn't giving any
indication. He did glance at her, a slight smile on his face, but
all he asked was, "Feeling better?"

Shada nodded. "Much better. I want to thank you."

Luke shook his head. "It's no problem, don't mention it." He came
over to her. "I would like to check you again, though. All right?"

Shada nodded again, and Luke gently pressed his fingers to her
temples. She was actually slightly taller than he was so he had to
reach up. He closed his eyes and concentrated intensely for a moment.

Shada was a bit uncomfortable. She didn't know the Jedi Master that
well and they were standing quite close together. But Shada knew it
was necessary. After the pain she had suffered last night, finding
any remaining spores was a high priority.

Across the room, Talon and Mara watched. When Shada shifted her feet
a little nervously, Mara grinned and winked at Talon. Shada had
become a close and dear friend, but she was so easy to tease. Mara
enjoyed being around her very much.

Luke stepped back and gently smiled at Shada. "Nothing. Not an
active spore anywhere." Then he warned, shaking a finger at
her. "That doesn't mean you don't have some dormant ones though. If
you start feeling bad again at all, you must let us know immediately."

Shada grimaced. "I know. I'm sorry, I should have said something
last night," she returned guiltily.

"You probably had other, more important, things on your mind," Mara
put in, her emerald eyes dancing.

"Mara," Shada warned, but Mara only laughed and held up a hand. "All
right, all right. I'll spot." For now at least, she told herself,
laughing again. Shada was such an easy mark when it came to Talon.

"Okay, you two," Luke laughed. It pleased him that Mara had such a
relaxed, teasing friendship with someone like Shada. He knew she had
had friends before their marriage, but he didn't think any of those
relationships were quite as close as what he was seeing between her
and Shada. Although they apparently enjoyed tormenting each other
with teasing banter, there seemed to be a deep and underlying sense
of loyalty between them. He had a feeling he no one better cause
trouble for one when the other was around.

Talon cleared his throat. "Luke, you wanted to talk to us?"

Luke nodded. "I did."

Talon motioned toward the table in the center of the room. "Why don't
we all sit down then."

Shada moved to the table, but Talon beat her to it, pulling out a
chair for her to sit down. She took the chair, a bit uncomfortably.
She wasn't used to sitting with the group when Talon met with some of
his associates. Usually, she liked to stand off to the side, keeping
an eye on him and the others. She couldn't seem to completely rid
herself of her old bodyguard instincts, even though her job had
become so much more than that.

She stiffened abruptly when Talon put his hand on her shoulder, then
turned it to softly caress the side of her neck. He wasn't looking
at her, but talking quietly with Luke. Shada got the impression that
he wasn't even aware of what he was doing. But how had he ever
gotten the idea that he could...her eyes narrowed, remembering his
comment about "Anything else?" Just what had happened in that bed
the night before?

Talon removed his hand but not before another soft caress and then
sat down in the chair, still conversing softly with Luke.

Shada looked across the table to find Mara watching her. She braced
herself for another teasing comment, but Mara only smiled slightly
and winked.

Shada took a deep breath and pursed her lips then frowned slightly
and shook her head almost imperceptibly. Mara caught it though and
nodded. Now wasn't the time to discuss anything about what was going
on between Shada and Talon.

"So...I think we should try to find these 'wisemen' as Vashi calls
them," Luke was saying, bringing the women's attention back to him.

"You think they will know more about this disease?" Talon asked.

Luke nodded. "Mara and I have been in contact with the New
Republic. They are willing to send both medical and research teams
to the planet, but they would like for us to find out as much
information as possible before they get here."

"When did you contact the NR?" Talon asked in astonishment.

"Artoo was able to set up a holonet message with the comm-unit on
Mara's speeder," Luke told him and then grinned at Mara.

Talon's eyebrows raised. "The speeder has a comm-unit that powerful?"

Luke grinned. "Remind me to show you the speeder later. Mara has
had some special modifications done to it!"

Shada laughed. "I don't think it can really be classified a speeder
anymore. It's more like a Kuat Juggernaut." Shada was referring to
an old ground assault vehicle used during the Old Republic to support
troops during an attack. She glanced at Mara and they shared a
small, secret smile.

Luke noticed and sent to Mara. *What's all that about?*

*Just girl-talk* Mara reassured him, laughing a little at his still
puzzled expression. She knew if he thought about it long enough,
he'd figure it out. Both she and Shada had a bit of a reputation for
being weapons connoisseurs.

"Will it hold all four of us and our things too?" Talon asked
curiously.

"That and maybe a small squadron of troops," Shada inserted and she
and Mara both laughed.

"I'm going to have to inspect this thing a little closer," Talon put
in, smiling.

"You'll get your chance. I was hoping we could leave at first light
in the morning," Luke said.

"That soon?" Talon was surprised.

Luke nodded. "Yes, there are only two patients left and they are
recovering quickly. I don't think anyone else in the village is in
danger from the spores, at least until they are older." He leaned
his elbow on the table and rubbed the cleft in his chin. "I want to
see if we can find the source of these spores. It's obvious they're
not native to the planet. If we could find them..."

"And destroy them," Mara interjected.

All of the table's occupants looked at one another. Finally, Talon
whispered, "It would save countless lives."

There was a little silence and then Shada said, "Talon, why don't you
help the villagers with the cleanup? I'll pack everything here, and
then join you later." She looked over to Luke. "We'll be ready to
leave at daybreak."

"Good plan," Luke agreed. "Mara and I still have some packing to do,
also. We'll join you both with the cleanup." He sighed. "I can't
believe the amount of rain that storm dropped during the night."

"It rained the entire night?" Shada asked, slightly amazed and
wondering at just how hard she had slept.

Luke nodded. "It has me a little worried about the river. It's
heavily swollen. I'd hate for it to come over its banks and cause
more damage to the village."

Mara stood up. "Well, let's hope it doesn't rain anymore." She
looked down at her husband. "We had better be going, Luke. We have
a lot to do."

I know it's been over two weeks since I posted a chapter. Took me a
while to get this one the way I wanted.

If you will recall, Shada, Talon, Luke and Mara had rescued Roza from
a rapidly flowing river. Chapter 12 will open with them returning to
the village with the child.

Any comments, suggestions, etc. would be highly appreciated.

Disclaimers on Chapter 1

This chapter is rated R.

A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 12

The short ride back to the village in the landspeeder was completed
in almost total silence. Luke and Mara rode in the front of the
vehicle while Talon and Shada sat in the back, Roza nestled between
them. The child had fallen into an exhausted sleep with her head
resting comfortably in Shada's lap and her little legs thrown over
Talon's.

When Mara glanced back at them, she noticed that Shada was also
dozing off, her eyes closed and her head swaying slightly on her
shoulders. Mara frowned at Talon and motioned toward Shada.

Talon looked over at Shada just as her chin hit her chest. Smiling a
bit sheepishly at Mara, he slid his arm around Shada and pulled her
gently against him. She didn't awakened, even her head lolled back
until it rested against his shoulder. He tucked the blankets more
securely around her and Roza and closed his own eyes. Weariness
weighed heavily on all of them.

The village was brightly lit with torches and what seemed to be
hundreds of candles when they arrived. A few of the younger people
who had not been part of the search parties were gathered in front of
the communal hut.

Luke guided the big landspeeder to a gentle halt in front of them.
Adah, who had remained behind with the other children, rushed forward
to greet them, moving quickly to Luke's side of the speeder.

"Master...?" she started breathlessly, but Luke cut her off, "It's
alright, Adah. We have her and she's fine."

The young woman's shoulders slumped in relief and she murmured, "Oh,
Master."

Mara smiled and with a wave of her hand brought up the lights in the
speeder. Adah peered into the backseat for a moment, then
straightened. "She is indeed very fine," she told Luke, a huge smile
lighting up her face.

The occupants in the rear of the speeder slept on dreamlessly, never
knowing she was there.

*I hate to wake them,* Mara thought at Luke, smiling slightly as she
glanced over her shoulder.

*Well, that's all very nice and everything,* Luke grumbled good-
naturedly in return. *But I'm tired. All I want is to go back to
our hut, clean this infernal mud off of me and climb into bed...with
you, wife.*

Mara laughed softly. *That sounds like an excellent
idea...husband.* Her smile widened at the term. Sometimes, even
after a year, she found it remarkable to think of him that way.

He was watching her expectantly, and she stifled an impulse to reach
over and smooth that errant lock of hair that always insisted on
falling across his forehead. *Why don't we take our little family in
the backseat home and then we'll see about going...to bed
ourselves,* she suggested teasingly.

The light in Luke's blue eyes was beginning to burn brilliantly when
they were startled by a loud and prolonged noise.

They both turned to stare out the window of the landspeeder. A few
meters from them stood Adah, a long, slender animal horn held to her
lips. They saw her take a deep breath and then the sound came again,
apparently from deep within the horn itself.

"Sithspit," Luke cursed mildly and Mara looked at him questioningly.

"She's calling back the search groups," Luke told her,
grimacing. "We'll have to wait for them, now."

Mara slumped in her chair, disappointment and weariness surging in
her. She glanced at Luke who shrugged at her apologetically.

The horn sounded again, and from behind them came, "What is Sith's
hell is that fiendish noise?"

Mara choked off a laugh and turned around to see Shada blinking her
eyes rapidly and sitting up as Talon complained bitterly.

"It's an animal horn, Talon," Mara said succinctly.

"Well, do the creature a favor and put a blaster bolt through its
head to put it out of its misery," Talon carped. He pulled Roza into
his lap as she mumbled in her sleep.

Mara and Luke both laughed, but Shada yawned and said, "It's a
person, Talon, blowing on an animal horn. They use them on my planet
too. To call people."

Talon still wasn't pacified. "Give him a comlink," he groused.

The other three laughed, as Shada reached over to put her hand
against Roza's forehead. The child still felt a little cool, but her
body temperature had risen substantially and it looked like she was
going to be just fine.

It took almost a half hour for the remaining search groups to start
coming in. Vashi and Enee both were in the first one, and Luke and
Mara got out to meet them.

"Master?" Vashi asked a bit breathlessly.

"She's fine," Luke said, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder.

Vashi slumped with relief, and Enee's hand stole quietly into one of
his. "I've never lost one of my people to an accident," Vashi
murmured, squeezing Enee's fingers.

"A good leader must always feel responsible for his people," Luke
told him softly. "But he is not invincible."

Vashi looked up at Luke, searching his eyes. Then he nodded. "Yes,
Master, I understand."

Mara smiled at Luke. Forever the teacher, she thought affectionately.

A noise from the landspeeder drew their attention and they looked
over to see the transparisteel canopy folding back. Shada vaulted
out and walked rapidly around to the other side. When Talon handed
Roza to her, she hoisted the sleeping child onto her shoulder, making
sure the blanket was still tucked firmly around her.

Mara couldn't help but smirk. Shada D'ukal, she thought, Shadow
Guard warrior extraordinaire, as tender with that child as any mother
in the galaxy. An almost vision floated in front of Mara suddenly
and her eyes went slightly out of focus. Talon and Shada were
standing close to one another, with a small group of children
surrounding them. Waves of happiness and contentment swirled around
them. Mara blinked, felt her heart leap with...joy? And then the
vision faded. "Well, I'll be Kesseled," she muttered under her
breath.

Adah had gone over to Shada and the two women were talking quietly.
Then Adah reached for Roza and Shada handed her over a bit
reluctantly. Adah turned and began to walk away, but Roza awakened
and peered sleepily over her shoulder at Shada, the blanket still
wrapped securely around her. However, the child didn't say anything
and Adah took her into one of the huts.

Another search group entered the village and there was a lot of
noise, cheering and shouting when its members learned that Roza was
safe and sound. Mara figured they would soon break into some sort of
tribal dance, and she moved closer to Luke.

"Let's secure the speeder and go to our hut," she whispered to
him. "I don't think I'm up for any celebrations right now."

He nodded. "Me, either."

They walked over to Talon and Shada and explained their plans. If
anything, Shada and Talon were more tired than Luke and Mara, so
after helping them store the speeder for the night, the two couples
disappeared in the directions of their respective cabins.

Talon sighed heavily as he pushed open the door to their large hut.
He was tired, but Shada had to be almost to the point of exhaustion.
He watched her face as he held the door open for her. Little lines
had formed at the corners of her mouth and her eyes squinted from the
light of the candles they had left burning.

"Why don't you wash up first," he told her as they entered the common
room. "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head and without saying anything, walked to the small
room at the back of the bedroom that served as a makeshift refresher.

Talon took a bucket of water off the table and put it on the hearth
in front of the fireplace. He knelt and threw some kindling on the
dying embers, blowing on them to start a blaze again.

Soon, a roaring fire leapt up the chimney, reflecting on his handsome
face. Its warmth seeped rapidly into the cold room. He placed the
bucket of water closer to the fire, hoping it would heat rapidly.

He pulled over a stool and sat down on it, grimacing at the mud
coating his boots. Undoing the lacing took a little time, but he
finally pulled them off with a grunt of satisfaction. As he rubbed
his tired feet, the unwelcome thought crossed his mind that he was
getting a little too old for these types of adventures.

He noticed steam beginning to rise from the bucket of water he had
placed near the fire. He stood quickly, grabbed the handle of the
bucket and headed for the small room at the back of the bedroom.

"Shada?" he called over the sound of muted splashing.

"Yes?"

"I have some warm water here."

There was a short pause and then Shada's head peeked. It was clear
she was carefully hiding the rest of her body behind the door.

Talon handed her the bucket, which she took a bit
awkwardly. "Thanks, Talon."

He smiled at her then retreated back to the fireplace.

He was dozing on the stool, the warmth of the fire soothing him, when
he felt a hand on his shoulder.

When he looked up, Shada was smiling gently down at him. "There's
still some warm water left," she told him.

He nodded as he shook off his sleepiness. Rising from the stool, he
found himself standing very close to Shada who had not moved away.

They stared intently at one another and Talon could see the rosy
warmth of her clean skin and inhale the scent of her newly washed
hair.

He drew in a sharp breath. He was rather surprised that not only
hadn't she stepped away, but her eyes scanning his face as if she
were trying to memorize his features.

Her lips parted slightly, drawing his attention, and he felt his
lower abdomen lurch nervously. He loved her mouth and had spent
hours dreaming about it. It was perfect, the lips full and wide, and
the bottom one prone to pout when she was angry. It screamed for him
to kiss it, and involuntarily, his head lowered toward hers.

She stepped away.

"You had better hurry," she whispered. "The water will get cold."

The tone of her words rung in his ears with startling clarity.
Suddenly Talon knew that she was being affected by their nearness as
much as he was. The revelation stunned him, and it was all he could
do not to snatch her into his arms.

"Of course," he managed, walking to the 'refresher' in a daze, his
heart thudding wildly in his chest.

He was out in record time, dressed only in a clean pair of pants over
his newly washed body. His makeshift bath had renewed him, giving
him energy that had been sadly lacking before.

Shada was sitting motionless before the fire and it surprised him.
He had expected her to go straight to bed, leaving him to find his
own way there. Probably to confront another row of pillows, he
thought, his mouth quirking.

He cleared his throat and she turned.

"Enee brought us hot soup," she said and motioned to a bowl on the
hearth. "I put some there to keep it warm for you."

He nodded and went to sit on the stool near hers. The soup was
delicious and he realized that he was very hungry, spooning it into
his mouth rapidly.

He gazed at her from the corner of his eyes, mesmerized by the
firelight flickered over her face, outlining its strong, wonderful
angles.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

The need for nourishment suddenly unimportant, he put his unfinished
soup on the hearth and knelt beside her stool. She turned to look at
him in surprise.

"Shada, I..." he started, but trailed off as her gray eyes darkened
to almost black in the dancing light from the fire.

Feeling braver than he was, he took her hand, rubbing his thumb
gently across the back of it. "I want to thank you," he whispered.

"Thank me?" she returned, just as quietly.

"Roza..." he began.

"We did that together," she interrupted, and his eyes locked on
hers. He saw her swallow abruptly, and then she whispered, "We were
a team."

Those four tiny words sent a wave of emotion through him unlike
anything he had ever felt. He knew Mara and Luke still wanted to
leave in the morning, and that left them so little time. He needed
time to spend touching her, telling her the true wonder of her dark
gray eyes, the way a look, a strand of dark hair, a quirk of her
beautiful lips made him worship her. This woman could tear his heart
from his body by simply looking at him, and he adored her power over
him.

She was incredible to him and he ached for her.

He just wanted to touch her, to love her and care for her. He
wanted to show her how happy they could be together and keep her safe
with him always. He knew that if he could just touch her lips with
his own words wouldn't be necessary.

He pulled her up to stand before him. His hands touched her face,
caressed the corners of her eyes that were widening in surprise,
traced the strong curve of the cheekbone that so defined her inner
strength.

He thought she may have said something, but he didn't hear. He was
conscious only that her lovely lips had moved. Drawn as if by an
invisible force, he bent and covered them with his own, pulling her
tall, slender body tightly against him.

He wouldn't have been surprised if she had pushed him away, but she
didn't. Her long arms wrapped around his waist, and her lips opened
beneath his like a flower seeking a solar flare.

Oh Shada, he thought, if you only knew, and he suddenly understood
the desperate love Luke and Mara had for one another, how they craved
each other's presence, how being apart tore them to shreds inside.

He felt Shada's long fingers exploring the contours of his bare back,
and he moaned into her mouth, feeling suddenly weak in the knees.

He sat down suddenly on the stool behind him, pulling Shada down onto
his lap. Their mouths broke apart briefly and it was Shada who
feverishly began the kiss again, pressing her open mouth against his.

His hands threaded through her damp hair and he plunged his tongue
into her mouth, eliciting a groan from them both.

They kissed desperately as if both had suddenly realized they had
very little time. Their tiredness seemed to have flown right up the
chimney with the smoke from the fire.

One of Shada's hands caressed his chest, her fingers easing through
the fine hair beneath his collarbone.

Suddenly, she broke the kiss and pressed his face into her
neck. "Talon?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Hmmm..." he mumbled, pressing his lips against the sensitive hollow
at the base of her throat, feeling her rapid pulse.

"Have we...? I mean...?" she started and then stopped.

He sensed her confusion and he pulled back slightly to look into her
face. He suddenly understood that she was remembering and he
whispered, "Have we kissed like this before?"

Slowly, she nodded.

He traced a finger across her stunning mouth. "Yes."

He felt her lips part and she breathed, "When?"

"The other night."

She sat up in his lap, looking down at him with the beginnings of a
frown between her eyes. "Night?" she repeated. "You mean...you..."

He shook his head and said softly, "No,...you."

"Me?"

He felt the fissure of surprise jolt through her body and he gave her
time to absorb it.

"I..." she started, but he cut her off by laying a finger against her
mouth.

"The fever had made you barely coherent. You didn't know what you
were doing," he told her gently. "But Shada...it was wonderful."

He fought a smile as the color eased up her throat into her
face. "We didn't...?" she asked, her face now flaming.

"No," he assured her.

An odd expression flickered across her face, and Talon wasn't sure if
she was glad or disappointed.

He cupped her face with his hands and pulled her down to him. "It's
alright," he whispered and then kissed her again, chastely, sweetly,
his mouth closed.

Shada laid her head on his shoulder and the kiss continued,
deepening, until they were caught up in it again. Her hands roamed
over him leisurely, as if she wanted to take her time learning how he
felt.

He groaned and broke the kiss to bury his face in her throat. "I
lo..." he began, but she pulled his head up again and plunged her
tongue into his mouth, kissing him frantically.

He pulled her against him, one hand sliding under her thin undershirt
to cup a full, firm breast, exposed because she hadn't bothered to
put on her underclothes after her bath.

It swelled to meet him, the tip hardening quickly. Shada moaned and
pressed herself into his hand, silently begging him for more.

He eased her vest off and then his other hand found the bottom of her
shirt and with a little help from her, pulled it over her head and
tossed it back over his shoulder.

They pressed their naked chests against one another and moaned in
unison.

Shada gripped his head and pulled it down to her, lifting herself to
him.

He took a firm nipple into his mouth and laved his tongue around it,
thanking the Force all the while that his woman wasn't shy.

"Oh gods," she groaned above him, her fingers running through his
hair.

They didn't hear the first knock, but the second broke through their
passionate haze.

"Who the hell?" Talon mumbled as Shada pushed him gently away.

Without saying a word, she got up from his lap and began searching
the room for her shirt.

A third knock sounded.

"Sith's hell!" he grumbled, grabbing a towel from the floor and
wrapping it about his waist, even though he had his pants on.

They were on a planet, primitive by the galaxy's standard, with very
few people and he was interrupted more there than he was when he was
on the Wild Karrde!

He flung open the door and blinked in surprise.

Vashi and Enee stood there, embarrassment oozing from them. A crying
Roza was clutched tightly against Enee.

Talon loved them dearly, but he could have cheerfully strangled them
both.

"Talon Karrde," Vashi began apologetically, but Roza suddenly turned
in Enee's arms, sobbing loudly.

"Tawon! Tawon!" she held out her little arms to him, her chubby face
red from prolonged crying.

Talon took her, trying to soothe her, but she continued to wail.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked, trying to keep his temper under
control. They had better not have tried to discipline her...

Vashi shook his head. "I do not know, Talon Karrde. She will not go
to sleep and she cries and cries...buckets full." He sighed heavily.

"She kept asking for you, Talon Karrde," Enee suddenly said. "And
Shada too."
She looked down at her feet in embarrassment. "We did not know what
else to do."

Talon glanced over his shoulder to see Shada coming toward them,
tucking her shirt into her pants.

When she reached them, she said softly, "Roza?"

The child's sobbing stopped in mid-gulp and she opened watery blue
eyes. "Shaaada," she choked and held out her arms again.

Shada smiled slightly and took her from Talon. Roza buried her face
in Shada's neck, but she didn't cry anymore.

"We'll take care of her," Shada told Vashi and Enee, who were
politely trying to hide their relief. "She'll be fine with us."

Talon sighed and glanced at her. Her eyes were dancing as she looked
at him, and he could almost hear her saying, "Down, boy!"

He felt his lips twitch, but he moved a bit uncomfortably, his body
still swollen in reaction to hers.

"We will bid you goodnight then," Vashi said, taking Enee's hand.
They beat a hasty retreat, fading into the milky darkness of the
night.

Talon took a long, deep breath. "Shada, I'm taking a walk."

She looked at him in astonishment. "It's freezing out there."

"I know. I need the cold."

He stepped through the door, took the towel off and slung it over his
bare shoulder. He disappeared into the night in the opposite
direction from the one Vashi and Enee had taken.

*********************

A shaft of bright sunlight crossed Shada's face and she jerked awake,
staring in disbelief at the window far up on the wall. It had to be
nearly mid-morning for the planet's sun to be that high in the sky.
What was she doing still asleep at such an hour?

She turned quickly in the bed and saw that both Roza and Talon were
still deeply asleep, the child nestled in against Talon's arm.

Shada hadn't even heard him come in the night before. Once she and
Roza had lain down in the bed, both had gone almost instantly
asleep. The events of the night had finally caught up with them,
especially for the child who had fallen quickly into an exhausted
sleep.

Roza moved a little as Shada watched, a chubby arm finding its way
across Talon's chest.

Shada swallowed when she saw that chest, their time before the fire
coming forcibly back in her mind.

She closed her eyes and sank heavily back into her pillow. What had
she been doing? How could she have ever let that happened?

With an audible groan, she swung her long legs out of the bed,
careful not to disturb the others. Just as quietly, she padded into
the refresher. Leaning over the tiny makeshift sink, she splashed
some very cold water onto her face, appreciating its briskness as it
shocked the last remnants of sleep from her.

Pulling a coarse towel over to her, she wiped the residual water off
her face and, with a sigh, peered into the tiny mirror that she had
brought with her from the Jade Sabre.

There was still a tiny amount of water on her eyebrow, so she leaned
closer and wiped it with the small section of the towel. As she was
pulling away, she noticed something.

Her body stiffened sharply, her eyes widening until they appeared as
huge gray pools in her sculptured face.

Shakily, her hand lifted and then touched the base of her throat. A
memory, sharp and clear as vertex crystals, invaded her mind and she
could feel Talon's mouth on the hollow of her throat again. His
soft, warm breath caressing her as his tongue licked languidly across
her skin. Then, only seconds before they had been disturbed by the
knock on the door, his kisses had become more aggressive as he pulled
the delicate skin into his mouth and sucked on it demandingly.

And right there now, before Shada's horrified gaze, was the result of
that passionate moment. Nestled in the hollow on her throat was a
small, angry-looking bruise, not all that noticeable unless one was
looking closely, but clear as transparisteel against her ivory skin
to anyone who did look.

I'm going to kill him, she thought, and it's going to be a slow and
agonizing death. Panic began to rise in her. There was no way she
could hide it, no way that she could explain it for anything other
than what it was...a love bite, she thought furiously. And it not as
if there was any hope that someone as perceptive as Mara Jade would
not notice it. What could she do? She had not brought any shirts
with her that would cover her neck that far up and she couldn't very
well go around wearing her flight helmet.

"Shassa" she snarled, the old Shadow Guard battle curse coming to the
surface in her angrier moments.

She quickly dressed and then stomped out of the refresher to run
smack into Talon who had been tucking his long shirt into his pants.

"Whoa," he said, laughing. He grabbed her arms and steadied
her. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

When she didn't answer, he smiled gently. He lifted a hand and
caressed her face, then whispered softly, "Good morning." He lowered
his mouth toward hers but then gasped in pain when Shada casually
ground the heel of her foot onto his little toe.

"Awwww..." Talon exclaimed, letting her go and hopping to hold his
foot with his hand.

"Oh, so sorry," Shada said, sweetly, and moved to go around him.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him again. "Oh, no,
you don't. What was all that about?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered, taking his
hand off her arm and moving into the common area.

After glancing at Roza to make sure she was still asleep, he followed
her, limping a little as his toe still stung painfully.

He decided to be blunt. "Why didn't you want me to kiss you?"

Shada whirled around, anger rising in a flood inside her. If he had
been closer, she would have knocked him out cold. "What makes you
think you have the right to kiss me whenever you feel like it?" she
snarled viciously.

Talon experienced the strangest feeling, as if his heart suddenly
decided to shrivel into nothing inside his chest. Don't do this, he
thought; please don't do this. "I...last night..." he began.

Shada cut him off. "It was a mistake. It won't happen again," she
said coldly as she turned her back on him again. Damn him, damn him,
she thought. Why does he have to make me feel this way? She was
shocked to find that her hands were shaking. She couldn't allow
herself a relationship with Talon Karrde. She must have been out of
her mind the night before. It had to have happened because of all
the emotions they had expended over Roza almost drowning. It
occurred in a weak moment, but it could never, ever happen again.

Talon sighed behind her. "Shada, you and I...I thought..."

Shada shook her head violently, her dark hair flying about her
face. "It's not going to happen, Talon. Don't you understand? It
shouldn't happen. You're my employer, my boss. It's not
professional."

"Not professional?" Talon repeated, as if the whole idea was a
foreign concept.

"Yes," Shada literally snarled. "I've never had that type of
relationship with an employer before, and I'm not starting now. I
don't want a cheap affair with my boss."

The fissure of sheer rage that ripped through him startled Talon.
Why was it that this woman was the only person who could make him
lose his temper? "Is that what you think it would be? A cheap
affair?" he demanded viciously.

"What else would it be? Everyone from here to Coruscant thinks I'm
your whore anyway. It would just become a fact," Shada spat. She
was surprised at herself. She was close to losing control, something
she always prided herself on never doing.

Talon took three quick steps to her and gathered the front of her
shirt in his fist, lifting her onto her toes. It was a very brave
thing to do, considering that Shada could snap his neck like a twig
before he had realized that she had even moved.

"Damn you, Shada D'ukal. You don't have a clue, do you? I love
you. Do you know what that means, woman? I want you, my body burns
for you, but I won't have you until you tell me you love me too."

He stared furiously at her. Then he flung her away from him, turned
on his heel, and disappeared out the door.

Shada closed her eyes, visions of Talon's broken and battered corpse
lying at her feet floating pleasurably on the back of her eyelids.
Shassa! When had her calm, collected employer become so impossible?!

She drew in a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and went back into
the bedroom. She was relieved to see that Roza still slept soundly
and had not heard any of the argument from the common room.

A beeping from her side of the bed caught her attention, and she
hurried over to it, grabbing up the comlink before it woke the child.

"D'ukal here," she said, walking quickly back into the common area.

"And good morning to you, too," Mara's dry voice came over the
comlink.

Shada's mouth twitched. "Good morning, Mara. A little late, aren't
we?"

She heard Mara sigh heavily. "Yes, we are, and Luke's not pleased
about it."

Shada grimaced. "I'm sorry, we overslept."

"No, not your fault," Mara reassured her. "It's mine. I woke in
time, but Luke was so exhausted, I let him sleep." There was a
pause, then Mara sighed again. "He's not very happy with me right
now."

Shada scoffed silently and murmured under her voice. "Join the
crowd."

"What's that?" Mara asked.

"Nothing," Shada said. "It's not important."

Mara waited a moment and then said calmly. "Luke wants to leave
within the hour. Do you think you and Talon can be ready?"

"I think so. But Talon's not here right now. I'll tell him as soon
as he returns."

"He's not there?" Mara's voice was curious.

"He left a little while ago. He...I...," Shada faltered, and then
murmured reluctantly. "He was a little upset."

There was a pause and finally Mara asked softly, "With you?"

Shada sighed and decided to admit it. "Yes, we had
a...eh...discussion... then he stormed out. I don't know where he is
or when he'll be back."

"Ahhh...must be something in the air this morning," Mara said
wryly. "Luke's not here either. Maybe they'll find each other and
talk about us. That should make them feel better." Mara's familiar
sarcastic tone was back.

Shada forced a weak laugh, then said, "I'll have everything packed.
We'll be ready when you are, I'm sure."

"Sounds good. Jade out."

Shada turned off the comlink and retreated back into the bedroom.
She sat on the corner of the bed, staring at nothing. What an unholy
mess, she thought. Here we are, about to go off on a trip with the
Skywalkers, and we're probably not even going to be speaking to one
another.

She touched the hollow at the base of her throat again. I couldn't
let it go on, she thought sadly. I just couldn't.

'I love you,' he had said. No one but members of her family had ever
told her that. No man, for sure. At least one who meant it, and
Shada had a feeling Talon meant it. She swallowed abruptly and put a
hand to her face. Talon, blast you. Our lives were perfect and now
this...

"Shaaaydaa?" Roza asked softly and put her arms around Shada who
hadn't even heard the child awaken and slide across the
bed. "Shaayda sad?"

Shada pulled her around into her lap. "I'm fine, baby." She ran a
hand through the silky blond hair, pushing it back from Roza's
face. "How do you feel? Do you hurt anywhere?"

Roza lifted her arm and showed Shada some faint scratches that hadn't
even broken the skin.

Shada smiled and raised the arm, placing a soft, lingering kiss on
the largest scratch. "Now, is it better?"

Roza nodded happily.

"Too bad I don't have a scratch," Talon's deep voice interrupted.

Shada shot him a dirty look, but didn't say anything because Roza
squealed his name and held out her arms.

He took the child and hugged her. "Hello, Roza. Did you have a nice
sleep?"

Roza didn't answer, just burrowed against him, her tiny arms hugging
him tightly.

He looked at Shada over her head, and they stared at one another for
a long moment.

Shada moved uncomfortably and then said, "I talked to Mara. She and
Luke want to leave within the hour."

Talon nodded and shifted Roza to a more comfortable position. "I saw
Luke at the landspeeder," he told her. "He's anxious for us to get
on our way."

Shada looked at him closely, Mara's comment about the men talking
about them came to mind, but he didn't say anything else.

A sudden sniffle from the child caught their attention.

"Roza?" Talon asked, pulling her back a little so he could see her
face. The child's eyes were screwed tightly shut and she was
whimpering.

Shada stood. "What is it, baby?"

"You leavin'," Roza cried, a sob breaking from her.

The two adults exchanged startled and dismayed looks over the child's
head. Why had neither one of them thought what their leaving would
mean to tiny Roza who had grown so attached to them both?

"Roza," Talon began carefully, only to be interrupted by a loud and
prolonged wail. He looked helplessly at Shada who, with a sigh, took
the child from him.

"Baby, it's okay," she whispered, hugging Roza to her.

"Mama!" Roza cried, her arms tightening around Shada in a death grip.

Shada blinked. Surely the child wasn't mistaking her for her mother
again.

She sat down on the bed, holding Roza against her. "Roza," she said
softly. "Don't cry. It will be all right. I promise you."

Roza's wails reached a new, higher octave, and Shada was conscious
that Talon had moved closer. She looked up at him, surprising a
rather strange and thoughtful expression on his face. He stared at
Shada for a long moment, causing her to swallow abruptly and look
away.

Talon sat down beside them on the bed. "Roza? Roza, look at me."

The child continued to wail for a moment and then turned her face to
him, her head still pressing tightly against Shada's shoulder.

Talon took a small chain from around his neck. From it hung a tiny
blue medallion.

He showed it to the child. "Roza, Shada and I have to leave," he
began and the child's bottom lip started to tremble again. He put a
long finger delicately against it. "But I need someone to keep this
for me. You see, I'm really afraid I'll lose it when we go on
our...little...eh, trip." He caressed the child's cheek. "Will you
keep it for me until I get back?"

Shada looked at him sharply. What was he saying? But Talon just
shook his head slightly at her, warning her silently to be quiet.

Roza stared at him with huge blue eyes very similar in color to the
medallion. "You come back?" she asked in a watery gasp.

"Yes," Talon whispered, leaning over to kiss her softly on the cheek.

"Shada too?" Roza asked, tightening her grip around Shada's neck.

Talon looked up at Shada. His eyes were cautious, but Shada sensed
the pleading in them.

She shot him a stern and disapproving look. There was no use in
getting the child's hopes up like this. But then again, she had
known Talon for quite a while. He probably was planning on coming
back. She took a deep breath and said, "Yes, Shada too."

Roza suddenly sat up in her lap and planted a smacking kiss on
Shada's cheek. Then she reached over and took the chain from
Talon. "I keep," she said, a tiny smile flickering across her little
mouth as she pulled the medallion over her head. "I keep for you."

End of Part I

Okay, guys, I know it's been awhile. I've been busier than a kitty
covering up 'you know what'!

Anyway, for you newbies, this is an ongoing story about the
adventures of Mara Jade Skywalker and Shada D'ukal. Time is
approximately one year after Union. You can find the first part (12
chapters) at the following address:

http://www.oocities.org/jadeshand/ch1.htm

This is the first chapter of Book II. It's a transitionl chapter and
you guys know how bad they can be!

The disclaimers are all on chapter 1.

Rating for this chapter is PG-13.

*****************

A Shadow at Dusk
Book II

Chapter 13

Mara looked on as Shada sighed and lifted one more case of ration
bars into the back of the landspeeder.

"Do you think that will be enough?" Mara asked, frowning slightly.

Shada rubbed the bridge of her aristocratic nose. "That's two
cases. I suppose it depends on how long we're going to be out there."

Mara shrugged her elegant shoulders. "Who knows? Let's just hope
that Luke and Talon find something we can work with at that 'wisemen'
site. I wouldn't mind finding a speedy solution to the disease and
returning home to Coruscant."

Shada smiled wryly at her. "Getting tired of the rustic life
already?"

Mara laughed and shook her head. "Maybe I'm just getting soft. I
find myself dreaming of nice, long hot showers."

Shada agreed, but silently thought it would be quite some time before
Mara would be able to take that soothing soak.

Earlier that morning, the two couples had come upon the abandoned
living quarters of the group of men Vashi had called 'wisemen'. It
hadn't taken them long to ascertain that the 'wisemen' were actually
a preliminary colonizing group. But from what planet and for what
purpose they still hadn't figured out.

Just like a few weeks before with Talon's small ship, all bits and
pieces of technology in the camp had been destroyed, randomly and
violently, seemingly with no purpose other than arbitrary
destruction. And stranger still was the fact that there wasn't any
evidence at all of humanoid or alien remains. The whole thing was a
mystery.

Luke had suggested that he and Talon search the site thoroughly for
any evidence concerning what had happened to the 'wisemen' and for
any clue about the disease that was eating away at the population of
the planet. While they were doing that, Luke sent Mara and Shada to
the Jade Sabre for more supplies. Their search for the source of the
disease was beginning to look as if it would take longer than he had
first thought, and they might as well prepare as best they could.

"Should I throw in another box of rations?" Shada asked, thinking it
over as she glanced at her smaller companion.

Mara's lips quirked. "Well, if Talon eats like Luke, it probably
would be a good idea."

Shada laughed and began walking back up the ramp into the Jade
Sabre. She was almost halfway when Mara called out, "Shada, if you
see a carton of hot chocolate mix, would you bring that? Luke loves
it. Thanks!"

She grinned and continued on her way. The food stores were located
in the galley, which was near the back of the ship. She pulled out
another case of ration bars and placed it on the floor. Glancing
around in the shelves, she found the carton of hot chocolate.
Putting it in with the ration bars, she hoisted the case onto her
shoulder.

When she came out onto the ramp again, Mara was tugging part of the
camouflage net over the bulk of the Sabre.

Shada turned her head to the side thoughtfully as she watched her
friend. "Mara?"

Mara grunted with exertion as she tugged on the heavy net. "Yeah?"

"Why don't you just use the Force to move the net over the ship?"

Mara gave another tug on the burdensome web-like mesh. Then she
straightened. "I don't believe in unnecessary use of the Force. It
makes a Jedi lazy...both in body and character." Mara glanced over
at Shada. "Take you, for instance. You're not a Jedi, but you're
one of the strongest and most capable people I have ever met. I
would never underestimate you. What if you were an enemy and I was a
Jedi who used the Force for every small job? I wouldn't understand
or comprehend your intellect or your physical skills. You would have
a very good chance of surprising and defeating me if I were a Jedi
like that."

Shada pursed her lips, thinking over what Mara had told her. "So a
Jedi should build body as well as mind and spirit and only use the
Force when there's no other way?"

Mara grinned. "Exactly."

Shada dropped the ration box into the landspeeder and moved to help
Mara with the net. "Well, maybe a Jedi won't turn down a friend if
she offers to help?"

That made Mara laugh. "Not on your life," she agreed.

Working in tandem, the two women soon had the ship completely covered
by the camo netting.

After they both walked over to the speeder and climbed in, Mara sat
back for a moment, staring at the place where the Sabre was now out
of sight. "I told Luke that we should take the Sabre and fly it to
the 'wisemen' site, but he thinks it would be safer to leave it
hidden."

Shada nodded and then reassured her. "After hearing what happened to
Talon's ship, Luke's probably right about leaving the Sabre here."

After agreeing albeit reluctantly, Mara slowly guided the landspeeder
through the grove of trees. On a few moments, they were back out on
the plain.

They had gone several kilometers when the tingling of her danger
sense erupted like a swarm of angry flies at the back of Mara's
neck. She brought the speeder to a quick halt and reached out with
the Force, all her senses on full alert.

"What is it?" Shada asked cautiously, peering around. She had come
to trust Mara's sudden intuitions. She had never thought about it
much before, but having a Jedi around was a situation she could
easily get used to.

"There's trouble," Mara mumbled, her gaze on a small rise just to the
left of the speeder.

Shada reached behind them to take a small, compact blaster rifle out
of a holstered sleeve on the back on Mara's seat.

"I think I've seen everything now," Mara suddenly said, drawing
Shada's attention to the group coming over the little rise.

About a dozen teenaged boys were cautiously approaching them,
spanning out into a long line. Mara suspected that their plan was to
surround the speeder before she or Shada figured out what was
happening. Mara smirked. Come on, boys, she thought to herself.
I've forgotten more about warfare tactics than you'll ever know.

The youths were armed according to the standard of the planet, with
heavy bows and arrows, and long, capable-looking knives.

Shada laid the blaster rifle in her lap. "Do you think that's the
same group we saw when we were going to the village the first time?"

Mara shrugged, as she carefully watching the movements of the
group. "Could be."

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't want to hurt any of them if we can help it. They're just
boys," Mara said.

Shada glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes and smiled
faintly. The feared Mara Jade, former Emperor's Hand and trained
assassin, thinking of the welfare of what basically amounted to a
street gang of male adolescents. Jedi Master influence? Or was Mara
finally becoming the person she was meant to be all along? Either
way, Shada was grateful that this woman had become her friend and
confidante. She missed that aspect of life as a Shadow Guard when
she and her fellow warriors had been as close as sisters.

"I could fire the blaster near them," Shada suggested. "It would
probably discouraged any imagined heroics on their part."

"Do it then," Mara agreed, opening the canopy. "We can't afford to
waste too much time on them."

Shada lifted the Blastech rifle and fired into a small bush not far
from the line of boys. The bush immediately burst into flames and
was consumed in seconds.

The line of boys, almost as one, dropped to the ground on their
stomachs, calling out fearfully among themselves.

Mara stood up in the landspeeder and ignited her lightsaber, its blue
blade gleaming in the late afternoon light. "What do you want?" she
called, speaking slowly as she had learned to do with the natives on
the planet.

A short, but stocky, muscular youth, apparently the leader, rose
carefully from the ground. He eyed the lightsaber fearfully. "God
women," he murmured.

Mara shot Shada a glance, but she only shrugged, not understanding
what the youth meant.

The boy, about eighteen or so and obviously the leader, took a
cautious step toward them. "God women," he repeated in his harsh-
sounding Basic. "You women from stars?" He pointed to the sky above
him. His eyes appraised Mara's figure, and he licked his lips.

Mara flipped her long braid over her shoulder, but didn't relax her
combat stance. "What do you want?" she demanded again, keeping a
wary eye on the group behind the leader. The less information she
gave out about their group the better.

When he took a step toward the speeder, Shada decided it was time to
stand up also. She moved slightly closer to Mara, cradling the
blaster rifle in the crook of her arm.

The leader stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening even more as he
took Shada's tall, lithe figure. "The gods have answered us," he
said softly and then turned to the group of youths behind him. He
raised his hand toward the sky and yelled, "The gods have answered
us!"

The other boys, most of them about his age, got to their feet,
yelling out and dancing in excitement.

Mara's grip on her lightsaber tightened and Shada brought the blaster
up, its barrel pointing directly at the chest of the leader.

The leader whirled around again, his face split into a huge
grin. "Star women. The gods have sent us star women."

Mara and Shada looked at one another, both their faces mirroring
puzzlement.

"What in Sith's hell is he ranting about?" Shada asked,
unconsciously using Talon's favorite curse.

"I haven't the slightest idea, but I'm losing patience," Mara growled.

The leader advanced a few more steps, but stopped abruptly when Mara
casually swung the lightsaber in an arc over her head.

"We not hurt you," the leader said hastily.

Shada grinned and for the first time spoke to him, "You couldn't if
you tried."

The leader stared at her a moment, his eyes roaming up and down her
slim body.

Shada's grin vanished and she shot Mara another look. Mara nodded,
having also noticed the hot stares from the other boys.

"We need to be on our way," Mara said loudly. "Step aside."

The leader shook his head. "No, the gods have answered and sent you
to us."

"Look, I don't care what you think your gods have done, but we're
leaving, and if you don't move out of the way, we'll just have to go
over you," Mara snapped.

"Our numbers are small. Our elders have died," the leader said. He
stepped closer. "We are mostly males now. The women in our tribe
are young...too young."

Both Mara and Shada frowned, and the leader shook his head.

"Our tribe is dying. We need women who can produce children." He
waved his hand at them. "The gods have answered."

Shada and Mara looked at one another and then Mara warned in a
whisper, "Don't you dare laugh."

Shada fought to keep her face under control. "I know, but..."

Mara shook her head. "If we laugh, it'll make them angry and we'll
probably have to kill one of them."

"But they can't be serious!" Shada insisted in a gasp.

"Oh, I think they are," Mara said softly. "We're just going to have
to dissuade them...politely."

She shut down her lightsaber and hooked it back onto her belt.
Turning back to the leader, she said patiently. "I'm sorry, but we
aren't the answer to your prayers. I don't think our men would
appreciate it."

The leader frowned heavily. "You have men?"

"Yes, and they will be very angry if we don't return to them soon."

The young man took another step toward them, and Shada casually swung
her blaster in his direction again. He stopped abruptly and his eyes
narrowed in thought.

He glanced at the lightsaber hanging from Mara's belt. "I know your
men."

Mara blinked. "You do?"

"Yes." He took a deep breath, staring intently at Mara. "Your man.
He has sand-colored hair?"

Mara's eyed him suspiciously. "Yes."

The leader looked at Shada. "And yours? Big...tall with dark hair?"

Shada glanced at Mara who nodded almost imperceptibly. She turned
back to the stocky young man in front of her. "Yes."

The leader's eyes never left Shada. "Your man killed one of us."

Without conscious thought, Shada's fingers tightened on the BlasTech
rifle and she moved to stand slightly in front of Mara. "If he did,
he must have had a good reason," she said calmly.

The muscular youth stared at her a long time, taking in the rifle and
her protective stance. Finally, he sighed. "You will do as your man
did. Protect your ally."

He turned to the group of boys behind him and waved his hands. The
boys slowly began to back down the slight rise.

"Are they leaving?" Mara asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," Shada answered, her dark gray eyes never leaving the
youth in front of her.

But when he turned to her again, there were no weapons in his
hands. "Your man was right in what he did. I would have done the
same if my comrade was wounded and in danger."

With that, he turned and at a trot, disappeared over the rise after
the other boys.

Mara blew out a breath. "Well, wasn't that interesting?"

"It certainly was," Shada agreed. "I think Talon and Luke neglected
to tell us everything about their stay in the village."

Mara plopped down in her seat again and activated the engine of the
landspeeder. "Come on. I think we should have a little chat with
them."

********

Luke turned his face away as another burst of wind ripped across the
abandoned campsite. The sand and grit tore at his clothing, and he
could feel the swirling dirt sliding down his collar.

Talon moved over to him, staggering a bit in the stiff
breeze. "Where in all Sith's hell did this come from?" he shouted
over the howling of the wind.

Luke shook his head. "Must be a storm coming."

"I wish Shada and Mara would get back. I don't like them being out
in this."

Luke shot Talon a glance. He didn't know two women more capable of
taking care of themselves than Shada and Mara, but Talon had become
very protective of Shada since they had been on the planet. Luke
wondered if Talon was even aware of it. He'd bet Shada was and it
might be interesting to see how she'd react to it. Mara never took
Luke's attempts at protectiveness well and Luke had an idea that
Shada would react the same way.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," he assured the bigger man. "They should
be back any minute." He took Talon by the arm. "Here, come on.
Let's try and get out of this wind a little." He guided Talon over
to some rock outcroppings and knelt down behind them. The wind still
howled with ferocity, but wasn't blowing directly on them.

Luke peered up at the sky. "It's going to get cold soon and it looks
like there's rain and maybe some snow in those clouds."

Talon looked at him in surprise. "I thought you were raised on a
desert planet...Tatooine, right? And then you spent years on Yavin
IV."

Luke grinned. "Yes, that's right."

Talon waved at the sky. "Then how would you know anything about
snow?"

Luke grimaced. "I've been on some snow planets...most notably Hoth,
during the war."

"Ahhhh...that would explain it."

A high-pitched, whining sound interrupted them, and Luke stood up and
laughed. "Looks like our girls are back."

Talon got quickly to his feet, liking the sound of "our girls". The
landspeeder was still some distance away, although the noise of its
engine could be clearly heard.

"I hope they thought to bring some warmer clothing," Luke said,
glancing up at the sky. "I think we're going to need it."

It was only a short time before the landspeeder came to a halt in the
small settlement. But instead of getting out, the two women waved
for the men to join them.

Luke nodded, knowing that the speeder would protect them better from
the wind. As soon as the canopy finished opening, he leapt into the
seat behind Mara and Talon did the same, taking the one behind Shada.

"Close it quickly," Luke said, grinning. "Or we'll have enough sand
in here to make castles."

Everyone chuckled at that and Mara did as requested, closing the
canopy quickly. The sudden cessation of the noise of the wind caught
both Luke and Talon by surprise. They shook their heads and Talon
rubbed his ears. "Sithspit. I hadn't realized that it was that
loud."

Luke agreed, rubbing his own ears and grimacing at the grit he found
there.

"What did you two do to bring up this storm?" Mara asked teasingly,
glancing back at her husband.

"Maybe we're the ones who should be asking you that, since you were
out on the grasslands. It came from there," Luke said, tugging
affectionately on Mara's braid.

"We are completely innocent of stirring up any storms," Mara intoned
seriously, then shot a glance at Shada. "Although Shada did do her
best to find us some new boyfriends!"

Talon sat up straighter in his seat. "What?!"

Shada was indignant. "I did not, Mara Jade Skywalker. How can you
say...?"

Mara burst out laughing, effectively cutting Shada off. "Well, he
thought I was cute, but when you stood up his eyes almost fell out of
his head!"

"That is not at all true..." Shada sputtered helplessly.

Mara suddenly and efficiently interrupted all conversation by opening
the canopy on the speeder again. All four occupants turned their
faces to the side as the ferocity of the wind and sand hit them.

"Mara!" Luke shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Well, Farmboy, it's been a long day and although I would prefer the
comforts of a well-stocked refresher, I don't see any around here. I
suppose I'm going to have to find me a nice big rock to go behind."
She smiled charmingly at Luke. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Mara!" he said again, a bit scandalized as a hint of pink appeared
in his cheeks.

Mara laughed and grabbed his hand. "Oh, come on, Luke. I haven't
seen you in hours."

Luke glanced over at Shada and Talon and suddenly understood Mara's
purpose. She wanted to leave the other two alone, especially since
Talon's face was approaching the same fury as the storm.

He hustled out of the landspeeder, and he and Mara disappeared into
the rock outcroppings.

Shada reached over and lowered the canopy again, sealing out the
windstorm. The silence in the speeder was oppressive and she glanced
over her shoulder at Talon. She blinked in surprise at the anger on
his face. "What?" she asked in astonishment.

"You want to tell me what that was all about? Just who did you meet
out in the grasslands?" Talon demanded.

Shada couldn't believe it. Surely, he wasn't...jealous? "Look,
Talon, that was just Mara trying to be funny," she explained, putting
an emphasis on the word 'trying'.

He wasn't placated. "What did she mean by new boyfriend?"

"She was teasing, Talon," Shada insisted, a bit impatiently. "We
just ran into a group of teenaged boys on our way back, that's all."

"Teenaged boys?" Talon repeated. Shada had a feeling his tone of
voice would have been the same if she had said that they had
encountered Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader.

"Yes, it wasn't anything," she assured him. "We talked with them for
a little while and then we left. There was nothing to it." Shada
knew she wasn't being completely truthful, but Talon didn't have to
know everything.

Talon watched her for a moment and then said softly, but
sternly, "Tell me all of it."

She looked over her shoulder at him in astonishment. His grim
expression faded and he gave her a weak smile, sliding a hand under
her long hair to caress the back of her neck. "I know you too well
for you to hide anything from me anymore."

Shada didn't move away from his caressing hand, but she glanced out
of the canopy to make sure Mara and Luke weren't returning.

She sighed. "It wasn't anything, Talon. They were just looking for
women for their...eh...tribe."

His hand stilled on her neck for a moment and then started the soft
caressing again. "Is that so? What happened to their own women?"

Shada shrugged slightly. "They said that they were too young
for...child-bearing."

Talon leaned around the seat to peer into her face. "Are you telling
me that they wanted you and Mara for child-bearing?"

A faint tinge of pink heightened the color in Shada's cheeks, but she
nodded.

A series of emotions flickered across Talon's face: shock, anger, and
finally humor. "I hope you and Mara didn't hurt any of them too
badly."

Shada shook her head. "Actually Mara talked our way out of it. She
told them we...had men already."

Talon smiled. "Did she? Smart girl."

He leaned toward her, his mouth approaching hers and Shada said
hastily, "The leader told me you killed one of them."

He paused and leaned back, frowning slightly. "This leader...short,
stocky guy?"

Shada nodded.

Talon sat back in his seat. "They attacked the village. One of them
shot Luke in the leg with an arrow and another was about to finish
him off. I took the second one out with a blaster shot."

So that's what happened, Shada thought, mulling it over. She knew
Talon would never have killed anyone without good reason.

She started when his chin suddenly rested on her
shoulder. "So...this leader, he thought you were...beautiful?" he
asked softly.

Shada could feel his warm breath on her cheek. "I don't know...he
didn't say. That's just Mara talking," she insisted softly.

"He's right, you know," Talon whispered, turning his head and
pressing his face into her mass of dark hair. "You are beautiful."

A knock on the canopy caused Shada to look up quickly. Mara was
grinning down at her and motioning for her to open the landspeeder.

Quickly, Shada pressed the button and the canopy opened. Mara
vaulted in, followed by the Jedi master.

"Sorry to interrupt," Mara said nonchalantly, as she quickly closed
the canopy and activated the engine on the landspeeder. "But we
thought we'd move in closer to the mountains. We can probably find
some shelter there from this storm."

Shada opened her mouth to tell her that they hadn't interrupted
anything when a huge drop of water hit the windshield.

"There's the beginning of the rain," Luke said from the
backseat. "This place will be a mud-pile by morning."

Mara skillfully guided the landspeeder through the foothills before
reaching the base of a moderate-sized mountain.

They were pleased to see a large overhanging rock formation, big
enough to park the landspeeder under and get them out of the some of
the fury of the storm.

Shada placed her hand against the inside of the retractable duraplex
canopy. "The temperature is dropping already."

Luke nodded. "It's going to get cold." He glanced out at the heavy,
dark clouds. "I don't think it will be too bad, although I have to
admit I'm not familiar with the weather patterns on this planet."

He leaned back in his chair and glanced at Shada. "I don't know if
Talon told you, but we really didn't find anything worthwhile at
the 'wisemen' site." He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "In any case,
whoever destroyed their camp came over the mountains. I'm thinking
we should try and find these people, these destructors."

Shada swiveled in her seat so she could see him better. "Do you
think they have something to do with the disease, too?"

Luke shrugged. "I can't say for sure, but I have a feeling that
finding them will lead to answers to a lot of our questions."

"So how do we go about finding them?" Talon asked.

Luke glanced up at the mountain before them. "We'll have to go over
that."

Talon frowned. "There's no way the landspeeder can go that high."

Mara grinned. Talon was in great physical shape. He spent hours on
keeping his conditioning at a peak, but heights were a different
matter.

"Yes, I know the speeder doesn't have enough power in the repulsors
to lift itself over the mountain. We'll have to climb," Luke said
succinctly.

Talon leaned back a little, his head turning up as he peered through
the splattering of rain on the canopy toward the mountain. "Climb?"
he repeated weakly.

Okay, guys, here's Chapter 14. And yes, I know it's been a long time
<hangs head in shame>, but this one was special and I wanted it to be
good, so I took my time.

Disclaimers are all on the first chapter. You guys know I don't own
any of these characters. Wished to hell I did!!!

This chapter also finally lives up to A Shadow at Dusk's NC-17
rating, so beware, although there is a bit of a twist to it.

Anyway, chapter 13 left off with Luke/Mara and Talon/Shada deciding
they have to climb the moderate sized mountain to continue their
quest for information about the disease ravaging the planet.

Rating: NC-17

Hope you enjoy it.

A Shadow at Dusk - Chapter 14

Mara pushed her braid of long red-gold hair back over her shoulder
and out of her way. She glanced up, studying the rough, rocky
terrain before her.

They were about three-quarters of the way up the mountain. At their
current pace, they should arrive at the summit not long after
midday. The intermittent rain from the night before had stopped long
before dawn, giving them a chance to start their trek on time.

She ran her slender fingers underneath her chin, wiping away a small
trail of sweat. The air was still cool, with an occasional cold wind
blustering against the side of the mountain, but the exertion of
climbing kept a steady coating of sweat on her body.

About half a kilometer below her, Shada and Talon were making good
progress up the mountain, Shada in the lead. Mara had to hand it to
Talon. The man had guts. As long as she had known him, he had had a
bit of a problem with heights, but he was determinedly making his way
up the mountain. Mara figured Shada, who was obviously an expert
climber, had a lot to do with calming his nerves.

Mara watched them for a moment, noticing that Shada never stopped
talking. For a quiet person, she now seemed to have an endless
stream of chatter and Mara knew she was doing it on purpose, making
Talon concentrate on her instead of what was below him.

The rope around Mara's waist tightened perceptibly and she glanced
up. Luke was looking down at her from his secured place against the
side of the mountain. His feet were resting on a tiny little shelf
just wide enough to stand on.

"Say, are you taking root down there?" he asked.

"Sarcasm, Jedi?"

He grinned at her. "Must be picking it up from my wife."

Mara snorted silently and with a surge of strong leg muscles began to
climb toward him. In no time, she was beside him; both secured
against the mountain.

"There's a small ledge not far up," Luke told her. "We could sit
there for awhile and give those two a chance to catch up." He
motioned with his head back down the mountain toward Shada and Talon.

"What's the matter, Luke, tired?" Mara joked.

"No." Luke's grin widened. "I just want to get up there so I can
cuddle with you."

Mara rolled her emerald eyes. "You're insatiable, Farmboy."

Luke leaned his face against her shoulder. "I'm just trying to make
up for the ten years we wasted."

"We have the rest of our lives, Luke," Mara teased softly.

"And I intend on spending every moment I can...with you," Luke said
seriously.

Mara looked at him, her eyes wandering over his handsome face. He
lifted an eyebrow in question and she shook her head gently. "I just
never realized I was marrying such a romantic man."

"Disappointed?" he asked.

A slight smile lifted the corner of Mara's mouth and she leaned over
and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Oh no, Farmboy, not at all."

They stared at each other for a moment, as secure in their
relationship as any two people could be. Then Luke sighed. "Do you
want to go up first?"

Mara drew in a deep breath. "Yes, give me some slack."

Luke dealt out some rope and Mara began her climb.

In only a short time, Mara was giving Luke a hand as he pulled
himself up on the tiny ledge beside her. It was so small; they were
pressed tightly against each other's side.

Luke looked out over the great grasslands in the distance, stretching
out as far as the eye could see. The high-flying clouds laid long,
angular shadows on the ground, and they chased each other across the
grasses like wraiths playing hide and seek. In scattered moments,
the big orb of the sun would break through, bathing the landscape in
greens and golds and russets. It reminded him of Mara.

He turned to her. "I love you."

Mara leaned against him. "Do you now?" She lifted the errant lock
of sandy-colored hair that always seemed determined to fall in his
face and smoothed it back onto his head.

He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, nuzzling
his face against her cheek.

Her hand cupped the side of his head as she turned her face to
his. "Luke?"

"Hmmmm...?" he said softly.

"I love you, too," she whispered, her tongue flicking out to caress
his lips. Before she could retract it, he captured it with his
mouth, pulling it in to wrap his own around it.

For long moments, they sat there, their mouths opened and pressed
tightly to one another, enjoying it as their tongues brushed and
danced with each other.

Finally, Mara broke the kiss and sucked in some much needed oxygen.

Luke collapsed gently against her, his head falling on her
shoulder. "Too bad we're on this mountainside," he whispered, his
hand caressing her inner thigh.

Mara smiled. "Oh, I don't know. Sometimes, I just like sitting with
you and kissing you. It doesn't always have to lead to...well, you
know."

He pulled his head back to look at her, his blue eyes twinkling, and
then kissed her gently on the forehead. "Yes, I know. Me, too."

He leaned back against the side of the mountain, pulling her with him
again. Suddenly, he chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Mara asked, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.

"I was just thinking," Luke answered, patting her gently on the
hip. "Although we had known each other for ten years, we weren't
exactly on 'kissing' terms until after I proposed."

Mara agreed and then asked, "What's your point?"

Luke grinned. "I suppose we missed out on a lot of times we could
have just been 'making out'.

Mara sat up and gave him an imitation of her patented
glare. "Feeling deprived, Farmboy?" It took all she could do to
keep her face straight.

"Oh no," he hastily assured her. "My wife takes care of me very
well, believe me!" But then he ran a hand softly down her
cheek. "You have to admit though, Mara, it may have been fun if we
had taken some time in those ten years to...eh...get to know each
other a little better."

Mara sat very still, her green eyes searching his face. "I wouldn't
have had an affair with you, Luke." She bit her lip and glanced away
from him. At least, I think I wouldn't, she thought. It would have
complicated things between them to the point of no return, but could
she have resisted him if he had wanted their relationship to be more?

"I didn't mean that, Mara," Luke said softly. "It would have been
nice to have a friend...a girl-friend...to kiss and hold
occasionally."

Mara watched him steadily. A name popped into her mind, but she
decided not to bring it up, especially since Luke seemed to have
forgotten all about it.

She leaned to him and pressed a gentle, sweet, close-mouthed kiss
against his lips, and then whispered, "Do you think it would ever
have been that simple for us?"

Luke smiled, somewhat regretfully. "Probably not."

Below them, a shower of pebbles raced down the mountainside and
caught their attention. Mara glanced down.

Talon was scrambling to get his booted foot back in position and
Shada had tightened the rope between them. Mara heard her call
out, "Talon, are you all right?"

Talon gave a muffled reply, but Shada seemed satisfied and she
loosened the rope so he could begin his climb again.

Mara sat back. "It seems those two have moved up a notch or two in
their relationship, but it still doesn't look all that comfortable to
me."

Luke slid his arm around her shoulders. "Moved up a notch? What do
you mean?"

Mara gave a short laugh. "I think they've been 'making out' as you
put it, but I don't think they've come to any understanding about how
they feel about one another."

It was Luke's turn to sit up. He glanced down the side of the
mountain just as Talon pulled up beside Shada on the little shelf
that he and Mara had only recently vacated. "How do you know they
were making out?"

Mara rolled her eyes. "You didn't see that little spot on Shada's
throat?" Men could be so unobservant at times.

Luke frowned. "Yeah, but I didn't..." His eyes widened. "You mean,
that's a love..."

Mara laughed.

Luke glanced back down the mountain. Shada and Talon were taking a
rest, talking quietly to one another as they stood on the small
ledge. All right, Talon, way to go, Luke thought, grinning widely as
he slipped into a Han Solo moment.

Mara slapped him on the arm. "Stop that."

Luke looked as innocent as he possibly could. "Stop what?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Luke Skywalker," Mara admonished.

Luke managed to appear chastised and then leaned back, snuggling his
shoulder against Mara's. "Did you ask her about it?"

Mara looked at him as if she thought he'd lost his mind. "Of course
not." Then her mouth quirked slyly. "If you want to know the
details so much, why don't you ask her?"

Luke blinked. "Ask Shada D'ukal if she has been 'making out' with
Talon Karrde? No, thank you. I like having all my bones connected
in the right places!"

"Coward!" Mara retorted and then started to laugh. After a moment,
Luke joined her. Their laughter echoed down the mountainside and
across the plains.

About twenty meters below them, Talon looked up. "I wonder what
those two find so amusing?"

Shada shook her head. "With them? It could be anything."

Talon smiled. "It's good to see them so happy."

Shada glanced up. "Yes, it is." Then she sighed, her gaze turning
to Talon. Sweat was easing down the sides of his lean face, tangling
in his short beard that had started to grow out again. "Are you sure
you're all right?" she asked in concern.

Talon sucked in a big breath. "I'll be honest with you. I'm not
exactly enjoying myself."

"Just don't look down, and concentrate on what you are doing with
your hands and feet," she told him. Privately, she was very proud of
him. He had made no secret of his fear of heights, yet he hadn't
hesitated in following her up the mountainside. She put her hand on
his arm. "You'll be fine."

He laid his hand on hers affectionately. "I know, Shada. I'll be
careful."

"Well, at least we didn't have to pull that droid up the mountain
with us," she groused. "For a time there, I thought we would."

Talon laughed aloud. "Skywalker is very attached to that R2 unit.
He's had him for many years. You saw how much time Luke spent on
hiding him in that rock pile."

"I know," Shada agreed. "C-3PO told me about the droid when he was
on the Wild Karrde with us."

Talon grinned down at her. "You and that protocol unit had quite a
little friendship going on, didn't you?"

"As protocol experts go, he wasn't that bad. Besides, I don't
believe in being unkind to droids," Shada retorted, gathering up some
of the rope that had slackened while they rested.

"No, of course not," Talon pointed out, a tiny bit too
seriously. "Wouldn't want to hurt their little machine feelings."

Shada shot him a suspicious glare. "Are you making fun of me?"

Talon widened his eyes. "Me? Never. I wouldn't have the nerve."

Shada pursed her lips tightly. It was obvious she was trying hard
not to laugh. "And don't you forget that either!"

They shared a secret little smile.

*********************

As mountains go, it wasn't that large and by midday, the four had
reached the summit and stood amazed. Whereas before, a huge
grassland prairie had dominated the gently rolling landscape, now an
enormous forest of heavy, green-black trees stretched as far as the
eye could see, carpeting the world beneath it in a dimly lit haze.

"Shazza," Shada cursed, her eyes not so much on the forest as what
was coming across it.

Talon moved up behind her, his sudden intake of breath mirroring her
concern.

"Luke?" Mara questioned, her shocked face turning to her husband.

Luke shook his head numbly and muttered, "It's not my fault."

"That's a blizzard," Shada said to no one in particular. "And a bad
one. It's just high enough to go over this mountain, too."

Mara took a step toward Luke and he looked at her angry face. "If I
had known, Mara, we would never have come up this mountain, but I
told you I didn't know much about the weather patterns of this
planet."

Talon scratched his head. "Well, apparently, they have never heard
of a fall season - summer to winter - that looks like the pattern."

Luke squatted on his haunches, studying the approaching blizzard.

Talon glanced at Mara, who stood stiffly by her husband. He locked
his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels. "Well, Luke, we
seem to be in a bit of a predicament here. That blizzard is coming
fast and we aren't going to have time to get down this mountain.
There's no place to shelter, no place to hide..."

"It's not his fault," Mara suddenly barked, kneeling down beside Luke.

Talon suppressed a smile. He had accomplished his objective. Mara
might be angry with Luke for getting them into this situation, but
she wasn't about to let anyone else criticize him for it.

Shada swung her pack off her back and started rifling through it.

"What are you doing?" Talon asked softly, not wanting to interrupt
the two Jedi who were talking quietly together.

She turned worried gray eyes up to him. "That's a serious storm,
Talon. It's going to drop temperatures to well below freezing. I
was just seeing if we had anything..."

Talon put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Shada. It will be
all right, I promise."

"Talon, we could freeze to death on this mountain," Shada insisted.

"We're not," Talon told her calmly. "I would never let anything
happen to you. You should know that by now."

Shada cocked her head at him. "I have tremendous respect for your
abilities, Talon Karrde, but I don't think even you can stop a
blizzard in its tracks."

"We won't have to." Talon walked over to the Jedi couple who was now
standing at the edge of the summit. "Well?"

Luke glanced back at him. "We need to start down the mountain.
There is more of a chance there that we will find a grotto - maybe a
cave, if we are lucky. Anyway, we won't have a chance at all if we
stay here, and we know there is no place on the grassland side to
shelter." Luke glanced again at the heavy, luminous clouds, a solid
wall of white following them. "We need to leave immediately."

Talon nodded. "We'll follow you."

Sometime in the late afternoon, the freezing winds started gusting,
making the climb down the mountain more hazardous than it already
was. Luke and Mara were about twenty meters below Talon and Shada
and had come to a complete stop. Luke was scrambling across the
mountainside, instead of going down, obviously trying to get a closer
look at something that had caught his eye.

Talon pulled on the rope to gain Shada's attention. When she looked
up at him, he motioned with his head toward Luke.

Shada had hardly turned to look when Luke called out, the wind
grabbing his voice and literally flinging it at them. "A
caaavveee...! I found a cave!"

Shada took a deep breath, relief washing over her. It probably
wasn't going to be a comfortable night, but with the cave blocking
them from the full fury of the storm, they would make it.

She blew out the breath she had been holding and rubbed her dirty
hand across her forehead. "I'm getting too old for this," she
muttered.

**************************

The entrance to the cave was partially blocked by a huge boulder,
hard and heavy as pure granite. Luke had to basically squeeze
himself through the small opening and then bumped his head hard
enough to cause a little knot at his hairline. He grimaced, rubbing
the aching spot, and thought, Sith, as tall as Talon is, he'll have
to get on his hands and knees to crawl through that.

Dirt and dust fell in a cloud around him when he straightened, and
coughing erratically, he tried to peer through the heavy gloom. The
cave was dim with very little light managing to seep in and Luke was
disappointed to see that it wasn't near as deep as he had first
thought it would be. Still, it would have to do, and with that
boulder in front of the opening, most of the wind would be blocked
off of them. Unfortunately, it wouldn't keep the cold out, and it
was going to get very, very cold.

Luke sighed. He should have talked to Vashi about the weather
patterns on the planet. But who in his right mind would have thought
a storm of the magnitude of the one approaching them would happen so
soon? Only a few days ago, they were going about in shirtsleeves.

The cave couldn't be more than five meters deep and barely three
meters wide. It wasn't going to be comfortable at all, but they were
lucky to find it, and Luke knew it.

He squeezed out of the opening at the front of the small cave and
waited for Mara to climb down beside him.

*********************************

Talon stood and slapped the dirt from the knees of his pants. A
brief yearning for a long, hot bath momentarily distracted him, but
he brushed it aside. It was something he would just have to look
forward to.

Shada was across the small cave from him, blinking in the dim light.
Already their breaths were fogging in the air and the wind howled
like a Corellian sand panther.

Mara and Luke were near the entrance to the cave, trying to coax a
fire into existence. They didn't seem to be having much success when
Mara suddenly motioned Luke aside and activated her lightsaber. The
blue blade brightened the dimness of the cave and covered the walls
in an azure glow, making the place almost beautiful.

Talon was just beginning to appreciate it when Mara swept her
lightsaber across the small pile of synthetic kindling that Luke had
taken from his pack. The fire burst into leaping flames, adding even
more exotic color to the small cave.

Mara grinned down at Luke who gave her a little nod of approval as
they both turned their attention to the fire again.

Shada walked over to Talon. "It's going to get colder than Hoth at
its poles."

"I'm afraid it is, but I think we'll be okay in here," Talon
reassured her.

Shada shook her head. "I'm not so sure. That little fire won't last
all night."

Talon thought Shada was right. It was going to get much colder in
their little cave before the night was over, but he had confidence in
Luke. After all, the guy had experience with snow and cold. He
wouldn't let anything serious happen to them.

*****************************

"We're going to have to do what???" Mara asked, louder than she
intended.

"Keep your voice down," Luke hissed, glancing over his shoulder at
Talon and Shada who were standing near the small fire he and Mara had
made, their breath misting in the air as they talked quietly.

Mara sucked in a breath and glanced at the couple by the fire
too. "Luke, if it were just us, it wouldn't be a problem, but you
know they aren't going to agree to that."

"They'll have to, Mara," Luke sighed. "You've got to understand, the
temperature in here is going to drop well below anything we could
stand on our own. We'll just have to lie together."

"Together?"

"You know what I mean, you and me together," Luke leaned his head
toward the other couple, "and those two together."

"But naked, Luke? Shada will have a bantha."

"We have to share body heat; that's the only way to survive the
night, and it's going to be close then." Luke knelt and began
digging in his pack, pulling out a thin, thermal bedroll. "I don't
see the problem, they were sleeping together back at the village."
He grinned up at Mara and lowered his voice even more. "And remember
that love bite? Maybe they'll surprise you."

Mara squatted by her husband, watching him take a similar bedroll
from her backpack. He started zipping them together. The bags were
remarkably thin and lightweight, but the special thermal material
from which they were made was conducive to warmth and comfort.

"If they were here alone, I'm sure they'd manage, but we're here, and
I know Shada...she's not going to be happy."

Luke sighed. "Shada is a trained Mistryl Shadow Guard, Mara. She is
probably more proficient in survival training than either you or me.
I have a feeling she's not going to be as shocked by the situation as
you think." He looked up with a naughty smile. "And Talon will
probably be all for the idea."

Mara rolled her emerald eyes. "That's all you men think about."

Luke chuckled. "And you women love us for it."

*******************************

Mara watched the blood slowly leave Shada's face and she shot Luke
an 'I told you so' look.

Luke lifted an eyebrow, but kept his expression cautiously bland. He
had expected that both Shada and Talon would be shocked at his
request, but he also knew that once they thought about it, they would
agree.

"You really think it's going to get that cold?" Talon asked,
carefully not looking at Shada.

Luke nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so. By the early morning hours,
it should be well below freezing." He nudged his foot against the
bedroll he had prepared for Mara and himself. "These thermal bags
are good, but they won't stand up to the extent of the cold that is
going to be in here...at least, they won't with one person in them."

"The addition of body heat will make these bags more than adequate,"
Mara commented, trying to help Luke. She cast a wary eye at Shada
who seemed to have become lost in thought as she stared above their
heads into the dim light of the cave.

No one said anything for a long moment, and then Shada sighed. "Yes,
of course. It's the only option." Then she knelt beside her
backpack and began to unload her own thin bedroll. She spread it out
across the cave from Luke and Mara's.

Talon watched her for a moment, then lifted his own backpack and
joined her at the other side of the cave.

Mara took in a huge breath and held it for a moment before she slowly
let it out.

Luke grinned at her. "See there, told you there wouldn't be a
problem."

"Don't get cocky, Jedi. The night's not over yet," Mara warned him.

************************************

"No, Luke," Mara hissed and moved quickly to the other side of the
bedroll which she had placed near the opposite wall from Talon and
Shada. She patted the space beside her. "Sleep here."

Luke frowned, but climbed in beside her. "Does it make any
difference?" He wiggled around for a moment, thrashing his legs, and
then pulled his boxer shorts out from under him and laid them to the
side within easy reach.

He turned on his side, facing his wife, and grinned. "Now, let's get
warm." He pulled her into his arms and nuzzled against her throat.
He slid a little lower and took one of her pert nipples into his
mouth, sucking on it gently.

She slapped at him. "Luke, don't do that."

He stopped and pulled back to look at her. "Why not?" he groused.

"Shada and Karrde are right over there, not three meters away," she
whispered.

Luke sighed heavily. "Well, if they've got any sense, then they're
doing the same thing."

Mara stifled a giggle. "You know they're not!" Mara had had some
uncomfortable moments in her lifetime, but she would long remember
the time that they all prepared for bed. No one was sure just how
many clothes they should remove before getting into the bedrolls,
even though Luke had been adamant that they needed to be virtually
nude for the full benefit of the body heat. Mara had finally taken
the initiative and shucked her outer garments off before climbing
into the thin bed and then removing the rest of her clothes.

After a moment, Shada followed suit, easing into the bedroll across
the cave and lying on her back as close to the cave wall as she could
get. Talon tentatively crawled in after her, leaving Luke the only
one still up. After checking the quickly dying fire, Luke had taken
his place beside Mara.

"Well, what are they doing? Can you see them? Are they asleep
yet?" Luke asked, as his back was to the other couple.

Mara peered cautiously over his shoulder. "They're just lying there
on their backs. I don't think they're sleeping yet."

"On their backs?" Luke asked ominously, his arms tightening around
Mara.

Mara nodded.

"Are they touching at all?" Luke asked, his voice showing his
exasperation.

Mara shook her head and then gasped aloud when Luke suddenly let her
go, turned over and called loudly, "Karrde!"

There was a moment of stunned silence in the small cave and then
Karrde asked, "Yes?"

"Listen, man, do you realize how cold it's going to get in here?"
Luke said forcefully.

"Yes, I have a pretty good idea, Skywalker," Karrde said
sarcastically.

"Then if you don't get over there and start hugging on Shada, you're
both going to be frozen statues in the morning, and I'm not going to
be in any mood to thaw you out!"

Mara gaped at her husband then buried her face in his back,
strangling back a laugh. He fought a grin himself. He suddenly felt
like a father with two unruly children.

The silence across the dark cave was heavy and no one made a move.

"Do I have to draw you a map?" Luke snapped, impatient now with such
misplaced modesty. He had a feeling they hadn't even removed all
their clothing. He knew the situation had its humorous aspects and
at any other time he would be more than willing to tease Shada and
Talon, but now wasn't the time - it was far, far too serious to let
inhibitions play a part.

"Alright, alright, Skywalker, we get the point," Karrde barked.

There was some muted conversation and then some rustling in the
bedroll across the cave. Finally, it was quiet again.

Luke watched for a moment, then turned again to face his wife. Her
green eyes were full of mischief and he grinned at her. "What are
they doing?" she asked in a choked whisper.

Luke laughed softly and said, "Turn over on your other side."

She lifted an eyebrow but complied. Immediately, Luke fitted his
body tightly against hers, spooning her legs with his and wrapping an
arm around her waist. "This is what they are doing," he whispered and
then licked a long trail along her naked shoulder, the heat of his
mouth like a sizzling torch on her cool skin. "Well, maybe not all
of it," he chuckled, then kissed and sucked on the soft skin of her
neck.

Mara shivered in pleasure and Luke tightened his hold on her,
thinking that she was feeling the cold. 'I hope you're enjoying this
as much as I am, Shada,' Mara thought, nestling her lower body
comfortably against her husband's familiar form. Smiling, she closed
her eyes to sleep. It was going to be a long night.

Across the small dark cave, the two people in the other bedroll
weren't nearly as comfortable.

"I'm sorry about this, Shada," Karrde whispered softly, his breath
gently moving a strand or two of the dark hair on her temple.

"It's not your fault," Shada answered, just as softly, but she was
conscious of his body, which was basically wrapped around hers, his
arm around her waist and one of his long legs thrown across hers.

"Yes, I know," Karrde agreed, a little humor easing into his
voice. "But I'll bet you weren't thinking this would become part of
the job when you signed on as my second-in-command."

"And it isn't becoming part of the job now," she retorted, a little
sharper than she intended. Then she sighed, fighting against the
growing awareness of him in her body. It had been quite some time
since she had lain in such a way with a man. She had never been a
promiscuous woman, but the Shadow Guards had discouraged long-term
relationships for their soldiers. They spent too many hours
training, invested far too much of their precious resources in
perfecting their guards into the galaxy's finest mercenaries for the
women to suddenly decide family life was more what they wanted. So
Shada had steered clear of any relationships that called for
commitment. She had kept to that pattern even when it had not seemed
so important anymore as she had moved up the command ladder. Higher
level Shadow Guards seemed to have had more freedom in such
situations. She even remembered that one of the Eleven had kept the
same man for years.

"Let's get some sleep, Talon. It's going to be a long day
tomorrow." She positioned her head to a better spot on the leather
bag she was using as a pillow and closed her eyes.

"Alright," Karrde said. Then his arm tightened across her waist and
he pulled himself in even tighter to her body.

Her eyes flew open.

"I'm just getting a little more comfortable, Shada. There was a
pebble digging into my hip," he explained.

She nodded and closed her eyes again, seeking all her Mistryl
training to force herself to sleep. It wasn't long before her
breathing became noticeably slower. Then she was asleep.

When her body went limp against his, Talon Karrde drew in a long,
deep breath. Obviously, she wasn't the least bit affected by them
lying almost naked and snug up against one another. He wished he had
her composure, he thought, because he was having a helluva time with
it. Of course, it wasn't the first time they had slept together, but
this was radically different than when they had shared that huge bed
in the village hut.

The warmth of her body against his was wonderful, and the feel of her
back against his chest and her firm, rounded buttocks against his...

Karrde swallowed abruptly. They might as well be lovers, he thought,
even married. He glanced over his shoulder at the other couple
across the fire. They apparently were already deeply asleep, lying
in almost the identical position that he and Shada were. Karrde
snorted silently, knowing the other couple was much more used to
sleeping like that than he and Shada were.

As he watched, Mara shifted a little, turning towards her husband and
even in his sleep, Luke responded to her movement, pulling his body
more onto hers, covering her to keep her warm.

Karrde sighed and decided to let himself believe for a moment that he
and Shada were like the other couple, married and used to sleeping
pressed so closely together. He figured that it would be the only
way he would get any sleep that night.

***************************

The small cave felt icy when Talon woke several hours later. He had
pulled the bedroll over both his and Shada's heads, but the cold
seeped in like water through a sieve. He was only warm where he lay
pressed against the long-limbed woman he held loosely in his arms.
She, apparently, was still deeply asleep.

He blinked, the cold making his eyes water and he wondered what had
awakened him. Pulling the top of the bedroll down a little, he
glanced across the cave to the other side. There was only a very dim
light, supplied by a small glow rod that Luke had left near the
entrance to the cave, yet Talon could make out the lump that was the
other bedroll. Nothing moving there, and as Talon watched, a faint
snore from that direction drifted over to him.

He smiled slightly and then frowned when he felt Shada shiver against
him. She groaned softly and moved against him, pressing her body
tighter to him.

"Shada?" he whispered, not really wanting to awaken her if she was
only dreaming.

But Shada's eyes blinked and she came fully awake, her Shadow Guard
training never letting her sleep too deeply when on a mission. She
shivered again, the cold seeping through the thermal bedroll with icy
fingers.

"Are you cold?" Talon asked softly, tightening his arms around her.

"It's okay, I'll manage," Shada replied just as quietly.

Talon put his hand on her cheek, startled to find how cold it
was. "You're freezing. Why didn't you tell me?"

Shada turned her face away from his hand and then said, a bit
impatiently, "There's nothing you can do. I'll be fine." She was
cold, but they all were and they would just have to endure it.

Talon let his hand drop to her shoulder. "Shada, turn over."

She shot him a look out of the corners of her eyes.

"Turn over on your back," he said again, patiently.

"Why?"

"Shada."

She sighed and moved away from him slightly, then turned onto her
back. Immediately, the cold assaulted her and she shivered, missing
his warmth pressed against her.

Then she stiffened as he moved his body on top of hers.

"What are you doing?" she asked, a little louder than she intended.

"You'll be warmer this way. Now, don't argue. Just go back to
sleep."

Easy for you to say, Shada groused silently. He was heavy, but she
could already feel the additional warmth easing into her from his
body. With her back against the thermal sheeting, her own body heat
was being thrown up at her. No longer could she feel the creeping,
damp coldness from the cave.

However, she could feel other things and she shifted a bit
uncomfortably, unconsciously opening her long legs which seemed to be
tangled with Talon's. Immediately, she realized it was a mistake as
Talon's lower body settled into the cradle of her hips.

"Go to sleep, Shada," Talon gasped, his voice sounding a bit
strangled.

They looked at each other in the pale, dim light of the small glow
rod.

"Dammit, I'm sorry," Talon breathed hoarsely.

Something hard and long pressed into Shada's thigh and she sucked in
a deep breath.

Talon's eyes looked tortured in the pale light and Shada sensed his
embarrassment, but she was having problems of her own. She hadn't
reacted to a man's touch in such a way in quite some time, and the
breath she was holding shuddered out of her as the pit of her stomach
tightened in response. She couldn't lie to herself anymore; she was
attracted to this man, and her body seemed to have a mind of its own,
responding instinctively to the erotic call of his.

She closed her eyes. He felt good. His body was tall and slender,
like hers, and she had to admit, they fit together perfectly.

The cold was completely forgotten, and their body heat seemed to
consume them. Shada's legs moved again, spreading a little farther
apart and tangling with his again.

Talon made a strange sound deep in his throat, and Shada opened her
eyes. He looked in pain, and almost involuntarily her hand lifted to
cup his cheek.

"Don't," he whispered gruffly. "I can't...I..."

Shada searched his eyes with hers, and what was there both thrilled
and frightened her. "It's okay, Talon," she managed in a choked
whisper.

"I'm sorry..." he began again, but she stopped his words with her
fingertips on his lips.

"No...don't...don't say you're sorry," she whispered, then swallowed
abruptly. "It's...it's a compliment."

Talon groaned and his head fell onto her shoulder.

They lay there for a moment. Then Shada slowly turned her face
toward him and as if by mutual consent, their mouths met. It was a
tender kiss, close-mouthed and filled with gentle respect and
something much more. It was so sweet that Shada couldn't stop her
hand from easing into his hair and her lips from parting beneath
his. The kiss deepened, became more frantic as their mouths opened
and then fused tightly together.

It was Shada's turn to make a sound, low and guttural in her own
throat as Talon's tongue slowly caressed hers. To her astonishment,
her whole body reacted to the kiss, her breasts tingling, and her
lower abdomen filled with streaking lightening.

Their mouths widened even more as passion, pure and simple, exploded
between them.

Talon's arms fumbled underneath Shada, lifting her against him, and
her long fingers buried themselves in his silky hair while she kissed
him as she had never kissed anyone in her life before.

The small amount of clothing they hadn't been able to part with when
they had crawled into the bedroll was suddenly an encumbrance.

Talon's hand eased under the back of Shada's halter and she actually
lifted herself to allow him more room. Quickly, he unsnapped it and
moved his hand to her shoulder so he could pull the strap down.

Shada straightened her arm, letting him slip the thin garment off
her, and then arched off the makeshift bed when his mouth went
unerring to her breast.

She groaned again, the sound harsh in the small cave. Her fingers
dug into his back, almost viciously, compared to the gentle, soft
caress of his mouth.

It was Talon's turn to arch as her nails scored tiny trails. Then he
returned to his task, turning his attention to the other breast.
Shada wasn't a young woman anymore, but her breasts were perfect,
firm and uplifting, and he moaned, instinctively pressing his hips
deeply against hers.

Shada responded, her hands sliding down his back and into his thin
boxers where she caressed his lean, muscular buttocks.

Talon jerked his mouth from her breast, easing up her body to cover
her panting mouth with his again. The kiss was long, open-mouthed,
wet, and Talon finally broke it, burying his face in her elegant neck.

"Shadaaa," he groaned. "I lo..." but she pulled his head up,
covering his mouth again and kissing him fiercely.

He lost all coherent thought when one of her hands, still encased in
his boxers, eased around him, grasping his length, her fingers
circling, caressing.

A harsh, throaty moan escaped him, loud in the stillness of the cave,
and Shada kissed him again, her lust-fogged brain dimly recalling a
need for quiet. Their tongues played frantically with one another,
while Shada's hand worked an age-old magic below, her long fingers
caressing, squeezing, and gently pulling.

Talon groaned again, his head lifting and his hips involuntarily
thrusting against her hand.

Shada buried her face in his throat, her long legs wrapping around
him securely and pulling him in closer to her.

They held each other tightly, moving sensuously against one another,
until with another cry, Talon first went rigid and then limp against
her. He moved his mouth to her cheek, mumbling her name, as her
hands eased up his back, embracing him, comforting him.

He kissed her cheek, her mouth, the little hollow at the base of her
throat, and then slowly began to work his way down her chest, pausing
to pay particular attention to her exquisite breasts.

Then he moved lower, one arm pulling the bedroll completely over them
again.

Shada's breathing became labored, shuddering out of her open mouth in
the stillness of the cold cave, as her hands gripped the bedroll on
either side of her.

A sound caught their attention, even through their haze of passion.
Someone was coughing...maybe moving about? They froze, as still as
statues, and then Talon very carefully moved off of Shada as they
both listened intensely.

Then they heard Luke asked sleepily, "Mara, where did you put the caf-
maker?"

Shada closed her eyes. Oh shazza! She waited with held breath for
Mara's reply, but nothing came. Then she heard Luke say, "Come on,
Mara, wake up. It'll be light soon."

Shada let out her breath slowly, and Talon pulled the bedroll down a
little, cautiously peering out. She heard him sigh and then he
whispered so softly she could barely hear him. "They aren't even
up. I think he just woke up. He's just lying there, still half
asleep."

Shada opened her eyes, relief rushing in a flood through her. She
thought she would rather battle an entire squad of Imperial
stormtroopers by herself than face a Mara who knew what she had just
been doing!

And oh...what she had been doing!

She looked up at Talon who had propped himself up on his elbow. He
smiled gently at her, the little laugh lines at the corners of his
eyes crinkling.

They heard a muffled slap, then Mara's exasperated voice, "Stop it,
Luke! Just get up and make the caf, will you?"

Shada bit her lip...hard, and Talon smothered a laugh against her
shoulder.

Okay, the muse has been good to me lately, so I have been writing on
a regular basis.

This is one of those...eh...transition chapters, so be warned. Move
along, plot, move along...

Anyway, comments, suggestions and/or general slaps upside the head
are appreciated.

And yes, Michele, I know...we may both be old and gray before these
stories are finished!

Disclaimers are all on Chapter 1 - hell, everybody knows George and
Tim own these people.

Rating: PG-13

A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 15

Wiping the sleep from his yes, Luke stared in disbelief at the scene
before him. As soon as he had squeezed out the tiny opening to the
cave, he had gasped in surprise.

The storm was long gone, the sky a stunning bright blue with only a
smattering of white, puffy clouds. The air was crisp, clean and
still quite chilly, but if it weren't for the mounds of snow covering
the landscape, it would have been hard to believe a blizzard of such
magnitude had ever been anywhere near the area.

A lone bird, large and predatory, circled near Luke's position on the
side of the mountain, dipping and soaring against the brisk wind.
Its raucous cry broke through the peace of the quiet morning.

Luke smiled slightly, sensing his wife easing through the cave
opening.

"By the Force, would you look at that?" Mara muttered behind him,
causing Luke's smile to widen.

"Amazing, isn't it?" he said, as he turned toward her. She was
looking particularly beautiful this morning. The extraordinary
brightness of the daylight made her eyes gleam like precious jewels.
Even the tiny smudge of dirt near her nose was endearing.

He cupped her face in his hands and pushed her, a bit roughly,
against the side of the mountain.

"Luke?" Mara gasped before her mouth was covered completely. He
kissed her passionately, his hands roaming through her curly hair.
She did the only thing she could...she responded, returning his kiss
as her arms slid around his shoulders, pulling him closer.

Passion quickly blazed between them, like a wildfire racing through
dry grass. Their Force-bond burst to life around them, snapping and
sparkling like lightening with the intensity of their feelings.

They kissed eagerly, trying to feed the hunger that was consuming
them. Mara's knees suddenly buckled and Luke had to press her
tighter into the wall behind her to keep her upright.

He tore his mouth from hers and buried his face in her neck,
caressing a tender earlobe with his tongue.

"Luke," Mara mumbled again, kissing his satiny hair. It wasn't a
question, but Luke could sense her curiosity at his passion through
their bond.

"You know, Mara," he whispered, running his open lips across her
cheek. "I don't think I'll ever understand why you are continually
surprised that I can't keep my hands off you."

Mara pulled back to look at him. "I don't know,
Luke...I...guess...," she shook her head slightly. "I suppose I'm
just not used to someone caring that much for me."

"Mara," Luke chuckled softly. "We've been married over a year. You
should be quite familiar with it by now."

Mara leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. "I don't ever
want to get used to it." That earned her another passionate kiss,
desire flaring hotly between them again. Luke pressed her up against
the wall, murmuring her name like a Jedi code chant. But when he
began to tug on her tunic, trying to pull it up, she stopped him,
albeit reluctantly.

"Luke, don't forget; we're not alone here."

Luke groaned and leaned heavily against her. "I like your friends
very much, Mara, but I wish they were on the other side of the galaxy
right now!"

Mara laughed, and then teased him softly, "You're just going to have
to stop being so frisky in the mornings."

Luke looked at her a moment, and frowned slightly. "Funny you should
mention that."

Mara lifted a questioning eyebrow as she gently disengaged herself
from his arms. "Why?"

Luke shrugged. "When I was waking up this morning, I had the
strangest...I don't know...I suppose the best way to describe it is
to say that my senses were tingling - flooded almost."

"Through the Force?" Mara asked.

Luke nodded slowly. "The feelings were coming through my Force
sense, I think."

"Well, what were they?"

Luke smiled a bit sheepishly. "Desire...lust...love. It was almost
overwhelming."

Mara snorted indelicately. "Having erotic dreams again, Farmboy?"

Luke shrugged again. "Maybe. Don't know really - it stopped when I
came fully awake though." He paused a moment, staring off into the
distance. "Mmmmm...you're probably right. It was just a sexual
dream. After all, you were all over me last night."

"I was not!"

Luke smiled smugly. "Yes, you were."

*******************************

Shada watched Talon out of the corners of her eyes as he efficiently
repacked his backpack. He hadn't said much to her after they had
climbed from their bedroll, dressing quickly in the dim light of the
cave.

Not that he'd had much opportunity. Luke had joined them not soon
after with two steaming cups of caf that he had made in the tiny,
portable caf-maker he carried in his pack.

"What? No hot chocolate?" Shada joked, feeling quite comfortable
with the blond Jedi. She was beginning to understand why Mara was so
crazy about him. He really was an exceptionally nice man.

Luke grinned. "I'll make you some tonight," he promised, handing her
one of the cups. "Be careful. It's hot."

Talon watched the teasing exchange between them and frowned heavily.
Shada shot him a curious glance. Surely, he wasn't jealous? But he
turned away after taking his own cup from Luke. The two men stepped
aside and conferred quietly with one another, and Shada put it out of
her mind, thinking she was mistaken. Luke then left, easing out the
small opening of the cave. Mara, after finishing her own packing,
followed him out.

Talon didn't say another word to Shada even though they had been
alone in the cave for quite some time now.

Shada stuffed some of her gear in her own backpack, ramming it in a
little angrily. What in Sith's hell was wrong with him, she asked
herself bitterly, suddenly remembering all the reasons why she had
avoided relationships in the past.

Talon shifted uncomfortably as he leaned forward to snap the
fastenings on his backpack. He was extremely conscious of the
tension flowing between him and the woman a few feet away and he...he
was afraid. The memory of their previous intimate experience and how
she had reacted the next morning was still fresh...raw on his nerves.

He knew he would not be able to handle it if the same thing happened
again. He had not realized it was possible he could fall more deeply
in love with her than he had already been before, but what had
occurred between them during the early morning hours had been his
undoing - he was desperately, hopelessly infatuated with her, like
nothing he had experienced since his callow youth. If she rejected
him now, it would kill him...deep inside.

**************************

When Mara quietly reentered the cave a few moments later, Talon was
still working the fasteners on his backpack. Mara had the strangest
feeling he had been doing them over and over for some time.

Mara glanced over at Shada, who was kneeling near her own pack, and
felt a fissure of surprise. There was such an odd look on Shada's
face...a mixture of anger and...Mara blinked, she could only classify
it as...yearning. The overall feeling of uncertainty, discomfort and
emotional pain emitting from the pair was almost overpowering.

Sithspawn, Mara thought. What had happened between them now?

Suddenly noticing Mara, Shada acknowledged her presence with a brief
nod and began to work with her own pack again.

How many times can someone reorganize the same gear in the same
backpack, Mara wondered, as she walked over to Shada. As she passed
Talon, she mentioned that Luke was working out the best path for the
long climb down the remainder of the mountain and might need a little
help. Talon nodded, rose, and went to join Luke outside the cave.

Shada watched him leave, her eyes wandering longingly up and down his
lean frame. She barely noticed when Mara knelt beside her, but when
she turned, she found Mara staring at her with a sly, little grin.

"You can wipe that smirk off your face, Jade," Shada growled,
snapping shut the last of the fasteners on her backpack.

"What smirk is that, D'ukal?"

"You know what I'm talking about," Shada retorted, standing up to
swing the pack onto her back. "I can read the dirt in your mind from
here."

Mara watched her for a moment and then grinned impishly. "So why
don't you just seduce him, Shada? You know you want to."

Shada whipped around to look at her in astonishment, color rising up
from her neck into her face. Sith! She hadn't blushed in years. "I
can't believe you said that, Mara! Karrde and I...we're not..." she
stuttered to a stop, the color deepening in her face.

"Yeah, uh huh," Mara scoffed. "Look, Shada, I've heard that old story
until I've memorized it. It's a bunch of Dewback poodoo and you know
it." Mara stood up and faced her friend. "I've seen how you two
look at one another when you think no one is watching, like a couple
of starving banthas. I don't know how you two have stood it for this
long. Jump him, Shada; he won't turn you down. He's as crazy about
you as you are him."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Mara," Shada mumbled, not
meeting her eyes. "It's more complicated than you realize."

Mara sighed, shaking her head in disgust. "And I thought Luke and I
were stubborn." She put her hand on Shada's shoulder, squeezing it
gently. "Luke and I danced around each other for ten years, neither
one of us brave enough to confront our feelings. Don't waste time
like we did...you will regret it for the rest of your life if you do."

Mara started to move away, but Shada touched her arm. "Do you know
what happens when a Shadow Guard makes a commitment to one man?"

Mara turned, looking at her friend. "No."

"When someone of my rank decides to live with a man, the Shadow Guard
usually expels her. It is not always the case with the higher
officers and especially not with the Eleven Elders themselves, but
for the lower rank and file, there are no exceptions."

Mara frowned. "I don't understand, Shada. Why would you be worried
about that?" She stopped and pondered for a moment, unsure exactly
how to confront Shada, not wanting to hurt her feelings. She decided
to just say it. "You've been banished from the Shadow Guard anyway,
Shada. Why are you concerned with their rules anymore?"

Shada took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her hand tightening
on Mara's arm. "Sometimes a Guard can be reinstated, especially when
the member of the Eleven who did the expelling dies. Paloma D'asima
is old; she won't live much longer."

"Is she the one who banished you?" Mara asked. Shada nodded and
Mara continued, "So you think you could be reinstated?"

"There's a chance. Karoly D'ulin is next in line to become one of
the Eleven. She has been a friend for a long time. If she should
win the position, then...there is...a possibility." Shada dropped
her hand from Mara's arm and moved back a little, turning her back to
Mara.

There was a long silence as the two friends contemplated what had
been said. Finally, Mara murmured. "Shada, are you sure that's what
you want? That life again?"

Shada whirled around, and Mara blinked in surprise at the glistening
of tears in the dark gray eyes. "I don't know what I want," Shada
spat angrily. "Don't you understand, Mara? I've never been an
indecisive woman in my life. I have always known exactly what I
wanted and I've gone after it until I've gotten it. But, damn all
Siths to hell, that man has me so..." her voice trailed off.

Mara lifted an eyebrow. "Tell me something, Shada D'ukal. If Karoly
D'ulin walked into this cave right now and had the power to offer you
a position as one of the Eleven Elders, would you take it?"

Shada lifted horrified eyes. "That's not fair."

"The hell it's not. Come on, Shada; work this out. Your happiness
and...Talon's too, depends on it." Mara moved a little closer to
Shada. "When I was the Emperor's Hand, I thought my life was
perfect. I was devoted to it and that Sith monster. But it was a
cold and empty life, Shada, meaningless. I was nothing but a killer,
told when and what to do and what to think ... and what I have seen
of the Shadow Guards, they're very similar. Just where is the higher
purpose in a life like that, Shada?"

Shada moved impatiently, but Mara held up her hand. "Let me finish.
When I think back on that life and compare it to what I have now,
believe me when I tell you, it's no contest. Do you want that life
again - lying on cold sheets somewhere on some distant planet you
hardly know on some mission you really don't care about, planning on
killing someone who never once harmed you? Or do you want someone
warm and gentle to hold you at night, to make you feel safe and
loved, cherished and adored? It's what life is meant to be, Shada,
and Talon can give you those things, all of them. Don't be a fool
and throw him and the life you could have together away."

"You're just saying that because he's your friend, Mara," Shada
mumbled.

"Yes, he's my friend," Mara scoffed impatiently, "but he's your
lover."

Shada's mouth opened automatically to protest and then shut with an
audible snap. Mara was much closer to the truth than she probably
realized.

A sound at the front of the cave drew their attention. Luke eased
through the small opening and stood up, brushing some of the dust
from his clothes.

Mara lifted her eyebrows at Shada and then walked over to Luke. She
reached up and kissed him gently on the mouth, encouraging him when
he pulled her into his arms and deepened the kiss. They swayed
together, laughing a little even as they kissed. Then they broke
apart, smiling gently at one another, as Mara smoothed his unruly
hair back from his forehead.

"I thought you didn't want to do that in front of our friends," Luke
whispered in her ear.

"Let's just say I'm trying to make a point," Mara told him.

Although Shada couldn't hear what they said, her lips pressed tightly
together. She knew what Mara was doing - telling her in her own way
that she could have the same thing, a loving, intimate relationship
with a man who cared deeply for her.

***************************

The climb down the mountain was long and arduous, but thankfully,
uneventful. The tiny group of four tired people gathered at the top
of a small foothill and stared at the intimidating dark green forest
in front of them. Evergreen trees as wide as landspeeders dotted the
horizon like great black statues, seemingly moving in some relentless
march.

The wind ruffled Shada's dark hair, lifting it gently away from her
face. She had taken it down from her tight braid as soon as they
were off the mountain. It hung loosely about her shoulders, the cool
breezes drying out the strands dampened by sweat from her exertion as
they had climbed down.

She walked away from the others and sat down on a large rock, pulling
her backpack over into her lap. She lifted her face to the wind
again, enjoying the short rest period Luke had called before they
were to continue their way into the forest.

Talon couldn't seem to keep his eyes off Shada. She looked like some
ancient Emberlene goddess, her hair gleaming in the sunlight like the
sable mane of a male vornskr.

He felt a strange ache growing in the center of his chest, a vast
emptiness he knew only she could fill. Suddenly, he regretted his
actions in the cave. He should have talked to her when they had been
alone, should have told her of his feelings, especially after the
wonderful moments they had shared in the bedroll. Shada had been
responsive, loving; he couldn't have asked more of her, yet in the
cold light of morning, he had been frightened. He was not a coward,
he would tackle just about any obstacle thrown at him, from enemies
to conspiracies to betrayals, but facing this woman, and possible
rejection, was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life.

Talon moved over and sat down behind her on the flat rock. He didn't
say anything, knowing it was neither the time nor the place. He
simply watched her strong back, the play of muscles as they rippled
when she moved slightly. He ached to touch her, to feel again how
she was uniquely hard, yet silky soft. Skin over sinew, he thought,
satin over stone.

"Shada," he whispered, so softly only she could hear.

At first, she didn't acknowledge him, but finally she leaned her head
down and turned it slightly so that he could see her profile, the
high cheekbones, the beautifully carved mouth. A knot formed in the
pit of his stomach and started a carousel dance.

"We need to talk," he blurted out before he could stop himself.

A strange emotion flickered across her face, one he couldn't really
read, but she inclined her head a little more and said softly, "I
know."

Relief poured into him, stunning him, and he slumped slightly, his
arm brushing against her back. They would talk; there would be no
more shying away from it, no more dodging the issue. It would be
resolved, one way or another.

***********************

"It's the only way to cover the majority of the forest," Luke said,
taking a deep breath. They had finished the walk down the small
foothill and were at the beginning of the great forest. "If we
separate now, we can finish the job more quickly and be on our way
back to Coruscant, hopefully having solved the problems this planet
is having."

"Which way do you want me to go?" Mara asked.

Luke looked at her in surprise. "No, I didn't mean we separate
individually. I thought we should go in pairs. Two minds are better
than one. Besides, if we run into trouble of any kind, it would be
better to have a partner."

Mara narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but Luke only looked at her and
commented, "I thought Talon and Shada could take the northwest,
we'll take the other side."

Mara smiled slightly. "You don't think we should separate so there
is a Jedi in each pair."

Luke's face fell, disappointment etching the corners of his mouth.
He knew it was probably the most appropriate plan, but he didn't want
to give up the time he would have with Mara.

"We'll be fine, Mara. You go with Luke," Shada suddenly said.

Mara turned and looked at her, but Shada only watched her calmly.
Something passed between the two women, something subtle and
intangible that caused the men to glance at one another, puzzled.
Suddenly, Mara's lip twitched. "Of course, I know you can take care
of yourselves. I'll go with Skywalker and try to keep him out of
trouble."

Shada laughed softly, enjoying Mara's little joke. Coming down the
mountain, she had placed one foot before the other, almost
automatically, her mind literally consumed with the conversation she
had had with her friend in the dim light of the cave.

She had once heard that on the point of death, a person's life
sometimes flashed before their eyes. She was far from death, but her
life in the last few hours had been reeling before her like a bad
holofilm. Years of combat, sleuth and subterfuge training, one
dangerous mission after another, close friends dying suddenly and
violently. And finally, all that time, all those years, as Mazzic's
bodyguard, bouncing from one hell-hole of a planet to another,
fending off all his advances and those of his crew...

And for what? For the first time in her life, she truly confronted
that question. What had it all been for? The glory and rebirth of
Emberlene, an Emberlene who had caused its own problems in the first
place ... or had it been for the Shadow Guard who had become, not the
noble warriors she had believed them to be, but a simple mercenary
group, out for monetary gain ... or was it for herself, working
toward the fulfillment of an ambition she now feared, now knew, had
been groundless and lacking in principle?

"Where's the higher purpose in a life like that, Shada?" Mara's
words kept ringing in her head, over and over, like some mystic
chant. "Is that what you want, Shada? That life again?"

And abruptly, Shada knew...knew she wanted no more of it, no more
death, no more struggle, no more false purposes in life. With a
fierceness that surprised her, she suddenly wanted what Mara had - a
love so special, it couldn't be hidden, couldn't be secreted away, as
bright and shining as the great gas giant Yavin itself, open and
flourishing for the entire galaxy to see.

"Shada."

She was so deep in her thoughts, she almost jumped out of her skin
when Talon said her name softly. He was standing at her shoulder,
his pack secured on his back, obviously ready to begin their trek
into the forest.

He smiled at her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

She shook her head, her eyes wandering all over his lean, masculine
face. "That's all right, I was just thinking."

His smiled widened. "I don't think I've ever seen you that deep in
thought."

Shada hardly heard him. She continued to stare at him, as if she'd
have to describe him in detail in the not too distant future. Was he
the one? Was this the man she could spend the rest of her life
with? She knew he cared for her, but what did she feel? She was
attracted to him physically, of that there was no doubt, her very
blood seemed to sing when he touched her. But she had never been 'in
love', never had a really close relationship with a man ... she
wasn't sure ...

Suddenly, she realized Talon was waving his hand slowly back and
forth before her face. "Shada? Come in, Shada. Talon to
Shada...are you there?"

She blinked, conscious that he was trying hard not to laugh. "I'm
sorry," she sighed.

"You seem a bit distracted. Are you all right?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine, Talon. It's nothing."

He watched her for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose we should get
moving. Mara and Luke have been gone for a while now."

Shada looked around, startled. She hadn't even realized that the
Jedi couple had left. She bit her lip. How could she have let her
attention wander so? They weren't exactly in the safest
environment. She took a deep breath, focusing herself.

"Talon?"

He smiled. "Yes?"

"I...," she stopped and suddenly began to dig in her backpack.

"What is it, Shada?"

"Nothing...it's nothing, just forget it," she snapped. She put her
backpack on the ground and began to braid her loose hair.

Talon watched, fascinated, as she expertly created several strands,
braided them tightly together, then wound them around her head. She
knelt, pulling something from the top of her backpack. She started
fastening the braids together with a series of zenji needles.

Talon's mouth dropped open slightly. He hadn't seen her wear the
zenji needles since she had arrived on the planet. Her demeanor had
changed in the blink of an eye. She was all business now, preparing
herself for any trouble they might encounter.

He sighed heavily. Just for a moment there, he'd thought ... but
apparently, any chance of the promised discussion between them at
this moment was gone now.

"Do you want to lead?" he asked as she stood and heaved her pack onto
her back.

She shook her head. "No, why don't you?"

He was a bit surprised since he was used to her taking the lead,
knowing she found it hard to give up the old bodyguard habits. But
he moved toward the forest, listening for her to fall in step behind
him.

It was already mid-afternoon and Talon knew they could probably only
travel for a few more hours before looking for a place to camp for
what would decidedly be another long and cold night.

Once they were under the heavy trees, the bright light from the
system's huge star dimmed considerably. The breezy winds dampened
and only the sounds of the forest itself surrounded them.
Occasionally, they caught sight of some of the planet's various
wildlife, but none of them seemed dangerous or aggressive, only
curiously watching the humans as they carefully passed by.

"I don't think I've ever been in a forest quite like this," Talon
finally muttered, just loud enough for Shada to hear. The enormous
trees around them reached like great fingers for the bright sky above
them. Most were evergreens, dark and leafy with strange needle-like
foliage. But there were other trees, just as massive, whose huge
leaves were changing into the russet golds and reds that signaled the
approaching cold season. Yet, everywhere about them, the ground was
covered with spongy green growth, as if the forest floor had snubbed
its nose at the frozen weather.

"I thought you lived on Myrkr for a while," Shada said, moving a
little closer to him. "Isn't it famous for its forests?"

"I did live on Myrkr," Talon answered, feeling the familiar little
pang of regret he always felt whenever he thought of the planet that
for so many years he had considered home. "You're right, it has
great forests too, like no other because of all the high metal
content in the trees, but there's something about this one ... I
don't know, Shada, I can't quite put my finger on it."

*******************************

About two kilometers to the east, Mara and Luke came upon a small
clearing, blinking at the brightness of the sudden sunlight after the
dimness of the vast forest.

"Do you feel it?" Luke asked quietly. He stood ramrod straight, his
eyes slightly unfocused.

Mara stood beside him, an identical expression on her face. "I can't
feel anything."

"That's it," Luke whispered. "Do you sense that emptiness...like a
blank spot...where there is nothing...no life...no Force. Nothing."

Mara concentrated, reaching out with the Force. Suddenly, she felt
it...or she didn't feel it. It was strange, like something she had
never experienced before. A great well of...nothing, no emotions, no
life, no anything. It was the oddest thing she had ever
encountered. A shiver ran down her spine, leaving her suddenly
feeling very cold.

"What the hell is that, Luke?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, Mara. I've never felt anything
like it." He didn't tell her he had a bad feeling about it and that
it was something he never wanted to feel again.

The Jedi couple moved closer to one another, as if unconsciously
seeking comfort from the presence of the other. "It's not at all
like the same feeling when there are ysalamiri around, Luke."

"I know. It's different, completely different. The Force is all
around us, vibrant and strong, except for that space...that complete
emptiness. It's devoid of everything...like a black hole in the
Force."

"I don't like it," Mara mumbled, easing her hand into his and
gripping it tightly.

"Neither do I, sweetheart," Luke said, lacing his long fingers around
hers. "Neither do I."

Okay, here's Ch. 16 of A Shadow at Dusk

You guys know all the disclaimer stuff is on the first chapter.

This is an NC-17 chapter. Sex between two consenting m/f adults.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Molly and Sheyla who know
how guilty they are about all this.

Special thanks to Michele and Ki for their part in it too - they know
what they do! :-))

There is absolutely no Luke and Mara in this chapter - they'll have
their time to shine later, but these moments belong to Talon and
Shada.

Short reminder from Ch. 15 - Luke and Mara, Talon and Shada are now
off the mountain and in the forest. The two couples have separated
so they can cover more ground in their search for the origin of the
disease ravaging the planet.

A Shadow at Dusk

Chapter 16

Shada followed about five meters behind Talon as they made their way
across the uneven terrain of the forest. She was a bit surprised
that the ground continued to be so uneven and rocky as they had
traveled some distance from the mountains. At some points, they had
virtually ended up having to help each other across the more
difficult areas.

Shada was tired, dirty and a little fed up with the entire
situation. She hoped Skywalker was correct in his theory that the
disease ravaging the world had to have originated in the forest, and
that they would found it soon and resolved it. Shada had definitely
had enough of the planet, and for the first time, was thinking
longingly of Coruscant and her small, but comfortable apartment there.

The tall man in front of her stopped and arched his back, his hand
rubbing on along the side of his narrow hip. She figured he was as
tired and sore as she was. What they really needed was a nice, long
soak in a hot tub and a warm, comfortable bed, she thought, as her
eyes rested appreciatively on his tight, rounded buttocks. She had
to admit the man certainly knew how to fill out a pair of hiking
trousers. A rather wicked thought entered her mind and she mentally
slapped herself. Shada D'ukal, behave yourself!

In truth, the thoughts formulating in her mind shocked her a bit.
She wasn't one that overlooked a good-looking man when he was about,
but she had rarely, if ever, done anything about it Sexual
relationships in general were something that she had never felt that
she needed on a regular basis.

Yet, lately...

Talon turned his head, smiling slightly at her over his shoulder.
Something fluttered like a captured bird in the pit of her stomach,
and she licked suddenly dry lips.

She wanted him! And that realization was as stunning to her as if
the sky had abruptly decided to fall onto her head. She had
never...not once...had such a physical reaction to a man standing
meters away from her! Yet, her senses were suddenly assaulted,
overcome, by the memory of his skin against hers as they had lain in
the bedroll, the feel and taste of his eager mouth when he kissed
her, the touch of his big hands as they had slid along her body,
caressing and stroking.

Lost in her memories, she stumbled clumsily over a rock hidden in the
mossy, thick grass of the forest ground and almost fell, catching
herself awkwardly.

Shazza! she chastised herself. Don't be a fool. He has hardly
spoken to you since last night. What makes you think he would even
want to...again?

He told you he wanted to talk, she argued with herself. And you know
what it's about. But what if he said it was all a mistake, that she
had been right in the first place...that a relationship like that
between the two of them would ruin everything they had worked almost
two long years to build.

"Shada! You okay?"

She looked up to see that Talon had climbed onto a small knoll
directly in front of them. His face was anxious and she knew he must
have seen her almost fall. "I'm fine," she called.

He nodded and then beckoned her over. "Come here. I want you to see
this."

It took her a few minutes to climb the knoll, but he grinned at her
expression when she finally reached his side. "Can you believe this?"

She couldn't. The sight that greeted her was incredible. A small,
shallow stream, about two meters wide, flowed across the length of
the knoll and fell over the edge in a sparkling cascade of
brilliantly clear, crystal clean water.

Talon knelt and dipped his hands in the clear brook, cupping them
together to hold a small amount of the water. He held it up to her.
She glanced at him, puzzled, and he said, "Feel."

She put her fingers in the water and looked at him quickly in
surprise. "It's warm."

He nodded, his grin almost splitting his handsome face. "There must
be a hot spring up there somewhere." He lifted his head toward the
area where the knoll rose up higher and disappeared into the darkness
of the trees. Standing, he walked over to the waterfall. "Look at
this."

Shada followed him. The water dipped over the edge and dropped down
into a modest-sized, rounded pool about ten meters below. The warmth
of the water caused a thin, wispy mist to lie over it, and Shada's
skin already tingled with the possibilities the water offered. A
bath, she thought longingly. A nice, long soothing warm soak. It
sounded marvelous. She closed her eyes, remembering how she wished
for a hot-tub not so long ago, and now...here it was. When she
looked at Talon, her smile rivaled his.

"We can camp down there," he said, pointing at the east bank of the
pool where a grassy, flat area led into the water. "This must be the
reason everything's still so green here," he continued. "The warm
water has kept the cold from affecting the grass and plants."

"It still looks like the warm season," Shada agreed, glancing over
the knoll into the pool again. It was quite shallow near its banks,
but was of a good depth near the waterfall. Her yearning must have
been visible on her face, because Talon grinned again. "You have
first turn in the pool. I'll set up camp while you bathe."

She looked at him. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Go and enjoy yourself."

She started down the knoll toward the pool, but Talon stopped
her. "Why don't you take what you need from your backpack and then
let me have it? I'll set up your things in the camp."

"All right." She knelt in the soft, spongy grass and took some
things from the pack, then lifted it up to him. "I won't be long."

"Take your time," Talon said, starting down the rather steep
embankment toward the east side of the pond. "It could be a long
time before we get another opportunity."

*************************

The pool was all that Shada could have hoped for - clean, warm,
relaxing. She stood near the waterfall, letting its balmy spray
dampen her tired, dirty face. She had waited until Talon had
disappeared round the grassy embankment that virtually hid the
waterfall from sight before shedding her clothes. It hadn't taken
her long as she had swiftly removed the zenji needles from her hair
and waded into the water, almost having to stifle a cry of pleasure
as the gentle water caressed her body.

Everywhere around her, the sounds of the forest pulsed with life, the
cries of a group of avians in a large tree echoing even over the
crash of the waterfall. She poured some cleaning liquid into the
palm of her hand and began to rub it until she had a thick, foaming
lather.

She spent some time cleaning her body, shaking her head at the
ingrained dirt under her fingernails. After a while, she began
washing her dark hair, pulling it onto her head and working the
lather into it. Then she stepped nearer the waterfall, dipping her
head under its steady stream, letting it wash the suds from the long,
elegant strands.

Several meters away, Talon finished setting up the tiny camp. In
Shada's backpack, he had found a small, portable tent, obviously
meant for one person, so he had set it up for her and laid out his
bedroll not far from it.

He also dug a small hole and piled some twigs and small branches into
it, planning on lighting a fire when the big sun finally dipped
behind the huge trees. It would grow considerably cooler then.

He rummaged around in his backpack, found some ration bars and a tiny
pot with which to make some much needed caf. He sat the things down
near the makeshift campfire, wishing they had some real food to
eat. His stomach had been rumbling and grumbling most of the
afternoon, but the ration bars would have to do.

He sat on a small rock near the camp and began unlacing his heavy
boots. Hauling them off was a major relief and he sat for a moment,
wiggling his toes inside his socks and enjoying the freedom his feet
were experiencing.

Finally, he decided to check Shada's pack one more time, searching
for anything he thought she might need when she had finished her
bath. His hand encountered some soft fabric and he pulled it out,
realizing immediately that it was her small towel.

He glanced behind him at the pool, but Shada was out of sight and he
figured she was somewhere near the waterfall.

He stood, debating whether he should take her the towel or not.
There wasn't any doubt that she would need it, but would she resent
his intrusion while she bathed? They weren't exactly on terms where
they were used to seeing each other without clothes.

She didn't have any on last night, he thought, smiling faintly. Or
at least she didn't after you removed the few she had gone to bed in.

Making a quick decision and turning before he could change his mind,
he walked to the edge of the small pool.

He didn't see her at first, but then she emerged from behind the
waterfall, throwing her head back and smoothing the water from her
long, sable hair.

He stopped in his tracks, his mouth falling slightly open, the
forgotten towel hanging limply in his hand.
Seeing her as she was now was completely different from the night
before in the bedroll.

Her arms were over her head as her hands moved through her hair.
Her well-shaped breasts were taut and high while the water lapped
gently at her slender waist.

Talon stood like a man who had been pole-axed, stunned into complete
stillness, yet conscious of the stirrings in his groin as his body
responded to hers.

He hadn't made a sound, yet suddenly she turned, her dark eyes
catching his.

"I...," he started and stopped, confused. Why was he there?
Desperately, he tried to think and then remembered. "Ta...towel..." he
stuttered, holding it out to her.

They stared across the pool at one another for what seemed like an
eternity. Talon's mouth was dry as a Tatooine desert, but he made
no movement to leave.

Shada turned more toward him, her head lifting slightly, her eyes
never leaving his. "Bring it to me," she called softly.

He didn't even think about what he was doing, but immediately started
into the water, drawn like a moth to a flame. He wondered briefly
why a smile flickered briefly across her beautiful mouth, but he
forgot about it when she didn't say anything.

Finally, he stood before her and he held out the towel, realizing
suddenly that it was soaking wet. He must have trailed it in the
water without even realizing it!

She took the towel from him and tossed it onto a small, moss-covered
rock near the waterfall. When she turned to him again, she put her
hand against his cheek, cupping it while her thumb ran gently along
his mustache. "You have beautiful eyes," she whispered.

"You have beautiful everything," he responded hoarsely.

She smiled slightly, her thumb now moving to caress the line of his
bottom lip. "They're such a pale blue, so striking. In this light,
they almost look silver."

He put his hand on hers, holding it against his mouth. "Shada," he
whispered, his breath warming her fingers. "I...," his words caught
in his throat when she eased her hand from his and began to undo the
buttons on his shirt.

He swallowed, but said determinedly, "Shada, if we do this, I want
all of you."

Her hand stopped and she looked up at him.

"I know that last night we almost...," he took a long shuddering
breath. "But I've thought about it all day and I meant what I said
back at the hut in the village. I won't make love to you unless...
Shada, I need the commitment. It would kill me if you decided to
leave someday. I love you...and I want you...forever."

Shada had been fingering the last button on his shirt but she
stopped, her dark gray eyes catching his. They stared at each other
a long moment.

"I love you," he repeated.

She stared at him a moment longer and then, taking a deep breath,
said gently, "And I...I love you too."

Talon closed his eyes briefly, savoring the moment. When he opened
them again, she was watching him patiently, a slight smile playing
about her mouth. He slid a hand under her damp hair, cupping her
neck, gently pulling her toward him. "Shada..."

"Talon, be quiet," she suddenly ordered, stepping closer to him, the
warm water swirling around them. "For a man, sometimes you talk way
too much."

Smiling, he bent to kiss her, but she moved slightly, turning her
face away and his lips landed on her cheek. Slowly, her hands came
up and she slid his shirt off his shoulders. She leaned forward,
pressing her open mouth to his collarbone, her tongue leaving a
tingling, sizzling trail as she slowly made her way to his throat.

**********************

He tasted of salt, along with an almost elusive, dry woodsy flavor,
tinged with the green fragrance of the forest around them. It was a
totally masculine spiciness that made her feel weak in the knees.

She wanted to lie with this man, to hold him close for the rest of
her life and feel his lean, hard body against hers.

She licked the little hollow at the base of his throat, then began to
suck on it, pulling the skin into her mouth and worrying it gently
with her teeth. She was conscious that Talon was breathing harshly,
and she smiled a bit, sucking harder on the skin, knowing it would
leave a bruise.

"Shada," he groaned above her, his big hands roaming over her sides
and down along her hips.

She forgot about his throat, suddenly pressing her slim body closer,
her mouth covering his in an urgent kiss as her hands slid down his
long arms, pushing the sleeves of the shirt off him. After some
minor tugging, it floated off behind them, became caught in the
waterfall and disappeared from sight.

When Talon had kissed her that first time when she arrived at the
village, Shada had been conscious of his mustache, how it had
scratched and almost pricked her in places, but now she loved it as
it softly moved across her upper lip as he eagerly returned her kiss.

She broke the kiss, rubbing her cheek against his as she pressed
soft, warm kisses along the firm skin of his forehead and
temple. "Talon, I want you," she whispered brokenly, suddenly
overcome by a burning need of him.

He groaned and lifted her against him, his hands wrapping her long
legs around his waist as his mouth went unerringly to her breast.

Shada couldn't stop the explosive cry that escaped her when he sucked
a taut nipple into the warm cavern of his mouth, caressing, loving it
as if it were the most precious jewel in the universe. Sensation
flew like a burning arrow from her breast to her suddenly molten core.

"Talon," she moaned his name again, deep in her throat, as her hands
roamed frantically about his face. "Love me, please love me."

But Talon had a problem. He was as hard as a durasteel bar inside
his trousers ... his wet, clinging trousers. "My pants, Shada," he
mumbled around her other nipple.

She obviously didn't hear him as she continued to kiss and caress
him, her hands now sliding over his big shoulders, enjoying the feel
of his smooth, damp skin. She hugged him closer to her.

He let go of her nipple and buried his face in the valley between her
breasts. "My pants, Shada. My pants," he groaned hoarsely.

She pulled back slightly, blinking her eyes as she tried to focus on
what he was saying. "What?"

"My pants."

She pulled his head up to look at him and then pressed her lips
tightly together. She couldn't stop her eyes from dancing though.

"Don't you laugh at me, woman," he growled, squeezing her
fiercely. "It's all your fault anyway."

She couldn't help it; she threw back her head and laughed, the
throaty sound scaring a flock of avians from a tree on the
knoll. "Oh Talon, how could it be my fault?" she finally giggled.

"You told me to bring you the damn towel."

"You poor man, are you always going to do what I tell you?" she
teased, kissing him gently on the cheek.

It was Talon's turn to grin. "When you're warm and wet and naked ...
of course I am!"

They both laughed and then he pulled her to him, kissing her
furiously, his tongue diving deeply into her mouth, his hands
gripping her so tightly she knew she would carry bruises in the
morning.

When they finally broke for oxygen, she leaned against him. "Okay,
we need to get the pants off," she murmured weakly. She slid her
long legs down his, eliciting a grunt from him as her feet sought for
purchase on the sandy bottom of the pool.

"We could move back to the bank," she suggested, but Talon shook his
head.

"I don't think I can make it that far," he murmured, sliding his
hands along her arms. "You're much too enticing."

Her nimble fingers had no trouble with his belt, unclasping it
quickly. The first button was no problem either, but then her hand
eased a little lower and stopped. "Talon, buttons? A whole row of
buttons?" she asked unbelievingly.

He groaned, pulling her tightly against him, trapping her hand
between them. "All right, woman, all right. When we get back to
Coruscant, I'll buy a whole rack of trousers with zippers, I promise."

She pulled back a little, continuing with her work, her fingers
moving back and forth to undo the buttons, touching and rubbing
against him through the thin, soaking boxers under his pants.

Talon groaned harshly, burying his face against hers, and suddenly
she wanted those pants off...now!

The last button was almost ripped off and her hands went to his
sides, pulling pants and boxers down at the same time.

When he finally sprang free, she put her hands on his shoulders and
lifted herself against him, her slender limbs sliding along his, her
toes pushing his pants farther down his legs.

Their mouths welded together, as if the very thought that their lips
might someday part was unconscionable to them both.

The warm, unusually soft water flowed like liquid satin around them,
caressing their naked bodies with gentle, soothing motion, but
neither noticed. They were only concerned with the touch and feel of
each other, their hands roaming, exploring while they kissed with
fierce passion. The urgency to complete their joining was consuming
them.

"Shada," Talon growled deep in his throat, their mouths parting only
a fraction. "I must...I can't..."

"I know," she whispered. "But Talon, let me..." She suddenly lifted
herself up against him again, her legs scissoring tightly around his
narrow waist. The water swirled and danced around them. "I..." she
began, then hesitated.

"What? What is it?" he groaned, feeling himself slip between her
legs and nestle against her femininity. His arms squeezed around her
so tightly she grunted a bit.

She rubbed her face against his and said softly. "It's been some
time since I...I've had sex."

Talon pulled his head back to look at her, a slight smile playing on
his sculptured mouth. He pushed some of the damp, dark hair from her
face, tucking it behind her ear. "You haven't?"

Shada didn't answer, just shook her head, her eyes turning to
obsidian in her pale face.

He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the mouth, his lips
caressing hers so softly, Shada felt the prick of tears sting her
eyes. "Then you do it," he whispered. "Do whatever you want."

Shada moaned softly and buried her face in the side of his neck. She
pulled herself up, her open mouth sucking on his cheekbone. Then one
hand crept down between them until she found him, hard and needy
against her. Gently, she moved him, positioning him carefully and
then with a quiet groan, slowly began to lower herself.

Talon gritted his teeth, suppressing his natural urge to thrust
deeply into her. He was determined to let her control the pace, even
if, and he smiled slightly against her warm wet hair, it killed him.

Shada pulled herself up again, bracing her hands on his strong
shoulders and then slowly lowered herself, feeling him slide higher
into her. She grimaced. He stretched her until it was painful, but
she knew it was only because she hadn't done this activity in some
time. Next time...next time, she knew they would have no difficulty.

She lifted her legs, sliding her thighs along his waist and felt
herself settle more onto him, finally coming to a rest.

He groaned loudly, clutching her even tighter against him, the heat
from their bodies rivaling the warmth from the steamy pool.

"Shada...Shada, love," he growled deep in his throat, and she smiled
against his cheek, pleased with the pleasure he was feeling.

For a long moment, they just held one another, overcome by the sheer
delight of it. Finally, Shada began to move, only slightly at first,
the tightness still a bit uncomfortable, but then she moaned,
throwing her head back and grinding her hips into his.

Talon's hands went to her rear, supporting her, but still he let her
set the pace. She was like warm, moist velvet, clenching and
unclenching around him, massaging him in ways he had never
experienced before.

"Oh Sith!" he groaned, his hands sliding along the strong muscles of
her back, as if the only thing he could do was hold on.

Shada didn't hear him. She was lost in a fog of phenomenal passion.
Thought processes were stumbling, uneven, completely erratic, as her
nerve endings took over her body.

This man...this wonderful man! How she adored him.

She threw her body against his, causing them both to sway in the
water, waves rapidly cascading away from them. Soft whimperings
escaped her lips and she tried to stifle them, almost ashamed of the
sounds she was making, but she couldn't help it, and they became
louder, more severe, until her throat literally stung with them.

Something was building in her, such an intense pressure she thought
she truly might explode at any moment. "Talon, I..." she moaned
helplessly.

But he only covered her lips with his, his hips suddenly taking
control as he began to thrust fiercely against her. Then she ripped
her mouth from his, a scream erupting from deep inside her as her
body went totally out of control, trembling and shuddering violently
against him.

He continued to drive into her, deeply, relentlessly, and it was her
turn to hold on for dear life until with a final thrust, he buried
himself in her completely and she felt his release fill her.
Instinctively, she tightened her legs, pulling him to her as their
soft cries ricocheted around the tiny pool.

*************************

The grass was soft, spongy where Talon laid her down on it. She
pulled him down beside her, pressing her damp body against his.

"Talon," she whispered, a tremendous feeling of love washing over
her. It felt as if a dam inside of her had burst, flooding her with
all that she felt for this incredible man. She couldn't hide it from
herself anymore. She finally had to admit that she had been in love
with him for a long time.

She thought about all the times that they had spent together, the
hours of quiet companionship in her apartment or his, usually under
some pretense that they had work to do. In actuality, any work had
had been finished relatively quickly, and after a shared dinner,
those evenings were spent listening to music, watching some new
holofilm or in most cases, simply talking.

It had surprised her even then that they always had so much to say to
one another, how vitally in tune they seemed to be. His life had
not been innocent, neither had hers, yet both found that their values
were almost identical, that loyalty, friendship and an underlying
sense of right had been the guiding principles of their lives, even
if their chosen professions had put those ideals to test.

Yet, somehow, they had managed to emerge mostly unscathed, only to
find in each other a kindred spirit. No one, she thought, no one
would ever understand her as he did.

She moaned softly when his mouth covered hers, his tongue easing
gently between her teeth. She felt her toes curl into the soft grass
at the sensation and then she threw a leg over his, grimacing
slightly at the cold wetness of his trousers when they touched her
inner thigh.

It had taken them both to get his pants up over his legs again so
they could move out of the water. They had giggled and laughed like
children with Talon teasing her about being too eager to tear his
clothes off. She retorted that at least she'd had sense enough to
discard hers before she had gone into the pool.

She slid her hand down from his shoulder toward his waist, enjoying
the silky feel of his chest hair running through her fingers. His
arms tightened around her as they kissed slowly, deliberately, as if
trying to learn all the little secrets that their mouths held from
one another.

Her fingers finally reached the only button they had managed to close
when in the water, and quickly reopened it.

Talon broke the kiss and buried his face in her throat, laughing
softly. "Woman, are you trying to take my pants off again?"

Shada smiled. "Yes. Do you have any objections?"

Talon pulled back to look down at her. "No, none at all," he
grinned. "In fact, let me help you." He sat up quickly and pulled
the damp trousers down his legs. He kicked them off, wondering
briefly in what part of the pond he had lost his socks.

Then he turned, sliding his body along Shada's, causing them both to
moan in pleasure. They started to kiss again, neither noticing that
the planet's big sun had dipped well below the line of trees. The
forest around them was growing darker and colder, but a proton
torpedo could have exploded beside them and they wouldn't have been
aware of it.

Their lovemaking in the water had been hurried, volatile, all the
months of pent-up emotions igniting in a furious culmination that had
left them both breathless. But now, it was different, almost
methodical as each slowly explored the other's body.

He's so beautiful, Shada thought, as her fingers lightly crossed over
the small ridges of his ribs, falling off into the hard valley of his
stomach.

She's so beautiful, Talon thought, his breath catching in his throat
as he rubbed his face gently against hers. He loved her so much he
literally ached with it. "Do you have any idea how crazy I am about
you?" he whispered into her ear.

She smiled, enjoying the feel of his body against hers. She moved
closer. "I think I'm beginning to understand," she said softly.

He pulled back to look at her in the fading light of the
evening. "I'm a strong man, Shada. Give me a smuggling problem and
I will solve it. Put me in a war and I'll figure out a way to win.
I've never been a man who takes losing well, but if you ever leave
me... " He shook his head, his eyes bleak. "I don't know what I
would do."

Shada stared at him a moment and then said, very gently, "You don't
have to worry. I'll never leave you." And she knew it was the
truth. It had taken her a long time to realize just what he meant
to her, but in her own way, she was very much like him, intensely
loyal and fiercely protective of what they considered theirs. "I
love you, Talon Karrde," she whispered as vehemently as she had ever
said anything in her life.

His light blue eyes brightened, becoming beacons in the dim light and
then he bent and kissed her, crushing her mouth almost brutally under
his.

Shada didn't mind, returning his kiss with equal fervor. She looped
her leg over his waist again and pulled him onto her, moaning a
little with the passion of the kiss. Never had she realized that a
kiss, a simple kiss, could be so erotic, so literally spine-tingling.

Talon pulled his lips from hers, gasping a little for oxygen and ran
his open mouth along her jaw and down onto her neck. She arched
under him, and he slid his big hands under her. He loved her body,
so incredibly firm, yet tender and soft in all the right places, her
skin silky smooth. He inched lower and took an already hardened
nipple into his mouth, rolling it around on his tongue. He spent
some time with it, teasing it gently with his teeth, then sucking
fiercely on it before turning his attention to her other breast.

He was vaguely aware that she was making tiny noises, her breath
shuddering out of her in panting gasps. Her long fingers were
buried deeply in his hair, squeezing his head almost to the point of
pain, but he didn't care. He was intent on some unfinished business
from the night before. He inched farther down, at the same time,
pushing her body upward in the soft grass.

When he reached her lower stomach, he laid his cheek there for a
moment, listening to the sounds she was making, feeling the quiver of
her muscles against his face. Finally, he scooted lower and began to
press little kisses along her inner thighs, moving forward slowly.

Shada was having a hard time forming any kind of coherent thought;
the cognitive functions of her brain had shut down, seemingly
shifting all power to her five senses. She was vaguely aware that
his strong arms had eased under her thighs, lifting her from the
ground and then...

"Oh Shazza!" she gasped, her body arching completely off the grass.
No man...no man had ever...
She tried to hold down the noises that seemed determined to burst
from her, but his arms tightened around her, pulling her closer to
him, and she couldn't help it, she literally howled, her cry echoing
through the dark woods.

It went on and on, and the pleasure was becoming almost unbearable.
The pressure inside her was reaching maximum overload and she gasped
hoarsely, "Talon...Talon, please!"

He raised his head, saw her condition and moved quickly up her body,
sliding into her easily. They both cried out with the intense
feeling, then fell instinctively into a quick rhythm, knowing they
couldn't last long.

It was so good when it came, it was almost excruciating. Both their
bodies arched, stiffening abruptly, and they paused for a moment in
mid-air before collapsing weakly into each other's arms.

After a long moment, Shada muttered feebly, "We will never reach old
age."

Talon laughed softly, nuzzling against her face. "Oh, but what a
time we'll have before then."

They laid there for a little while longer until Talon finally noticed
that darkness had almost fallen and the air blowing across their damp
bodies was cool.

He moved to the side and sat up, peering into the dim light. The
steam rising from the heated pool seemed wraithlike in the near
darkness and an eerie silence had fallen over the forest as its
multitude of creatures had settled for the night.

He glanced down at Shada, who was already halfway asleep, even though
he could see her shivering in the cool air. He stood and gathered
her into his arms, no mean feat since Shada, though slender to almost
a fault, was tall and lanky. She snuggled against his chest and he
walked straight into the pool, laughing a little when she awakened
with a gasp as the warm water washed over her.

"What???" she asked, blinking rapidly. "What are you doing, Talon?"

"I thought we'd bathe again and maybe warm up a little before going
to bed," he told her as he let her slid slowly down his body until
her feet found the soft sand of the pool.

They only spent a short time in the water, conscious of how cool the
air around them was becoming. After quickly drying off with Talon's
somewhat bigger towel, Shada walked to her tiny tent, catching sight
of his bedroll lying near it.

"What is that doing there?" she inquired, one eyebrow raised while a
tiny smile played about her swollen lips.

"Well, I didn't...I mean...I didn't want to assume...," Talon started.

"I think you had better get it and moved it into the tent, then," she
ordered. "I'm not planning on freezing to death because of some
misguided male chivalry on your part."

He burst out laughing, walked over to her and pulled her in his
arms. "Shada, I love you."

Shada grinned. "I would hope so after all we've been doing."

Talon laughed again and then leaned down to kiss her. It quickly
turned passionate, the muscles in his arms cording as he squeezed her
to him. "I could kiss you for hours," he finally mumbled against her
mouth.

"I rather enjoy it myself," Shada teased succinctly. Then she
shivered again. "Let's go to bed. It's getting cold."

It didn't take them long to arrange the tiny tent to their
satisfaction and Talon lay on his back, Shada nestled against his
side. She was already asleep, her head on his shoulder, her warm
breath filtering across his chest.

He slid his arm around her, pulling her a little closer and kissed
her gently on the top of her head. He sighed and closed his eyes to
sleep, feeling a strong sense of contentment for the first time in
many months.