Predestined Soulmates
Part 1: First encounter
By SJ 16-11-99/06-2002
________________
Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belong to me; everything belongs
to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.
See my homepage for more details.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/3702
Special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne, for her
help with the final editing of my new stories. Thanks for giving
me some of your precious time, my friend :)
Time: 2 years before ANH
__________________
As she gazed at the double sunrise that was taking place along the horizon of
what the locals called the Dune Sea, sixteen-year-old Mara Jade pondered how she
was going to fulfill her newest mission for her master.
She had barely finished her report about her last mission when he had informed
her that he had felt a disturbance in the Force, then had ordered her to comb
dreary Tatooine and find it.
Hence, here she was, garbed in the traditional tan-colored robes of a
Tatooine native, scanning the horizon while probing with the Force in hopes
of finding a clue of what she was looking for.
A Jedi.
Her master had been very specific, she reminded herself to quash her doubts
about his feelings; what he had detected had been a powerful Jedi, perhaps
untrained, but he hadn't felt his presence long enough ascertain this status.
However, he 'knew', as she now did, that he was a man, and that he needed to
be taken care of before any Jedi could resurface in the galaxy.
Since Lord Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith and the Emperor`s most accomplished
Jedi hunter, was currently involved in touchy operations regarding a growing,
potentially dangerous Rebellion, their master had sent her, his Hand, to find
the Jedi and capture him if possible. If she couldn't, she naturally had to
kill him.
While Mara was sensitive to the Force, she knew that she wasn't exactly
powerful. Hence, she was once again facing the limit of her abilities: she
couldn't locate a Jedi's presence anywhere on the planet.
Sighing heavily to herself, she decided to use other means to find the
possibly hiding Jedi. If he were shielding himself, she 'knew' that she would
never find him. On the other hand, she thought with a grim smirk, she had other
ways to hunt down her target. On a desert planet such as this one, she
estimated that everything had to be known and could be found if one asked the
right questions.
Covering her head from the steadily growing heat of the double suns as they
began their slow course toward their zenith, she walked down the streets,
searching for the right place to ask the right questions.
She found it in the form of a local bar/cafe which seemed a tad more inviting
than the cantinas that were peppered all over the seedy town of Bestine.
******
Not far from there, in a shop for used mechanical parts, Luke Skywalker, aged of
sixteen, browsed the content of the shelves that were gathered in the back
store of the establishment. After his last escapade in Beggar's Canyon, the
best and most dangerous racing ground of the whole planet, his skyhopper
needed a new booster to be functioning again. Unfortunately, luck seemed to be
against him these days since even in Bestine, the place where the small crafts
were delivered, he couldn't find the model he needed to fit his obsolete hopper.
Today was his last day off at the farm, he reminded himself with a pout as he
admitted defeat once again. If he didn`t find a booster today, he wouldn't be
able to fix his hopper before his uncle allowed him to fly again... and that
would keep him grounded for even longer than last time.
Now that would be tough, he sighed forlornly. Even more than when he was flying
the family's speeder, piloting his small hopper gave him a feeling of freedom he
could never find anywhere else on the planet. Whenever he flew his hopper, he
felt as if he were already a true pilot, as if nothing else but flying had ever
existed in his life.
No farm duties, no mocking companions, no gruff Uncle Owen who kept him from
presenting his application to the Academy, and, he added more sadly as he
wandered down the crowded streets, no knowledge that he had never known either
of his parents...
Oh, he grudgingly conceded to himself, he knew that his father had been a pilot
aboard big ships; it probably explained his own love for flying, but that was
about it, and his mother...
He had never known her..., didn't know anything about her, he sighed in well-
honed resignation as he glanced around to see where his mindless wandering had
brought him now--- A movement to his left suddenly caught his attention.
He reflexively turned in the direction of the back alley--- and spotted what
looked like a girl who was backing away from approaching outlaws.
Instantly forgetting both his glum thoughts and his errand, Luke ran toward the
shop that was located at the end of his alley as he understood the girl's
predicament; considering the geometry of the last building at the end of the
alley, he knew that she would be trapped once backed to its side wall. He
decided that he would be damned if he would abandon her to her fate.
A minute later, he turned the last corner between his target and its sideways
neighbor, then quickly slowed his pace, careful to not betray his presence to
the girl's would-be attackers.
Mara cursed inwardly even as she continued to back away from the three burly
individuals. Fool, she berated herself harshly, she should have felt their
tracking her when she had exited the caf/bar. She shouldn't have let them force
her in a back alley, yet at the same time, she conceded grimly, she hadn't been
able to act in the street; getting rid of them in the streets would have blown
her cover.
Hence, she had allowed them to herd her away from the mainstream circulation...
but unlike the back-wall and side-alley that she had been expecting, she had
just discovered that the end of her current alley was a dead-end. It was now or
never, she reflected grimly even as she flicked her wrist; her pocket blaster
slapped audibly into her left palm while she abandoned her pretense of being
afraid.
Her attackers naturally noticed her new, far-from-afraid expression, but before
they could react, or that she herself could truly level her weapon to finish
them, a strong hand shot out from behind her and pulled her around the corner of
the last side alley before she had completely backed herself into a dead end.
"Run!" was the only explanation she got before what seemed to be a young man
dragged her after him as he barreled down the narrow alley.
Acting on instinct, Mara didn't resist his pull and followed him; they quickly
left her stunned attackers behind.
"What do you think you're doing?" she inquired indignantly to her would-be
rescuer once they were back in the open street.
Her 'hero' momentarily abandoned his study of their next action to gaze at her,
then his naive, blue eyes widened in obvious worry and he turned tail again,
pulling her after himself once again.
Cursing slightly under her breath, Mara turned her head around to see what he
had seen as well as what was tugging at her mind--- and swore openly as she
noticed that the three thugs had recovered from their shock.
They were already hot on their heels.
For a moment, she considered leveling her blaster and take a shot at them, but
the streets were still too crowded for her to risk her cover. Besides, she
reminded herself, she wasn't alone at the moment; she had to protect her true
identity from being discovered.
She had no doubt that no matter how foolish the youth were, he would notice the
presence of her customized weapon in her hand... and might just betray her
presence to a potential enemy. No, she decided even as she ran onward, she
couldn't take action just now.
She hid her weapon in the folds of her robe and followed the young man's lead as
he literally flew down the crowded streets, frantically cutting through the
relatively thick, protesting assembly of early buyers--- and he suddenly ducked
into another side alley. She cursed once again at his sharp movement even as
she barely managed to retain her balance due to the sharp turn.
Once she was back in control, she glanced around them to survey her new
location---- but her self-assigned rescuer sharply turned yet again on their
left, almost pulling her arm out of her socket before her feet caught up with
his brain and followed his guidance; they both went down the stairs of an
underground entrance.
"Sshhh," he whispered to her even as he hid her behind himself, deep in the
shadows of the stairwell's overhang.
She first meant to remind him that their pursuant would notice their suddenly
stopping tracks in the sand, but as she reflexively continued her study of their
surroundings, she belatedly noticed that the boy had brought her into one of the
rare sand-free, rocky alleys of the planet.
The moment that they had left the main street, she realized, they hadn't left
anymore traces behind them.
Well, well, she conceded even as she locked her gaze on what she could see
of the street above them, the boy might not be half as crazy as she had
first estimated. However, she sneered slightly, he naively trusted her, never
taking his eyes off the top of the stairs to gaze at her. Lucky for him that
she wasn't supposed to kill him, she thought sarcastically before she resumed
her surveillance. Adding a Force-scan to her wary senses, she meanly wondered
how the 'hero' meant to keep the others at bay if they found them.
As far as she knew, he wasn't armed and was quite harmless himself.
While Luke tried to pant as silently as he could, he carefully kept out of
the lit area of his chosen hiding place. He really didn't know how he had
known that he could hide the girl in this entrance, nor that it had even
existed, but he was glad for the streak of unexplainable inspiration.
When he had spotted the ruffians as they had come out of the alley, he had
recognized them as 'the' trouble-makers in Bestine. Normally, he would have
steered as far away from them as he could, but he had also been unable to
abandon the enshrouded girl to them; he had had to help her.
Sudden noise coming from above drew him back to the here and now; the Marauders
had caught up with them and were searching the alley. Behind him, he felt the
girl tense in worry; he backed them slightly further in the shadows even as his
blue eyes remained locked on the area above them. A rough voice ordered his
companions to search around, then scuffling noises on the rocky ground came
closer and closer, informing them that someone was searching the alley that was
just above them.
Luke held his breath when the taller of the three men peered down in the
stairwell, bent down slightly to check further in the shadows--- then their
companion suddenly called out for him to come and check up with them. As if
hesitant, the other threw a last look under the shadowy entrance, then
straightened and ran away.
The young man silently breathed out in relief a few seconds later; his companion
also relaxed against him and lowered her right arm from against his back.
"Looks like we lost them," he whispered even as he turned around to reassure the
young woman.
"For the moment," she retorted coolly, taking a step away from him, as if in
fright or worry, he reflected.
"Don't worry," he reassured her, "I don't mean you any harm. Are you all right?"
Despite her rigorous training and her equally rigorous self-control, Mara
couldn't help but gape at the boy for at least a fraction of a second. When he
had come out of nowhere, she had accepted his help as the only option available
to lose her pursuant, but the moment that the danger had walked away, she had
expected him to gloat about his helping her, or even request some kind of fee
for the assistance, but instead, the boy seemed genuinely worried about her.
She put away her blaster, which had been trained on the boy`s knee.
"I'm fine," she answered, then stepped aside and forward, pushing past him
to leave their temporary shelter. "However," she added warningly as she
walked past him, "I didn't need your help; I could have dealt with those
goons."
The youth stared at her at this, then recovered his wits as he followed her
outside of the shadowy overhang.
"Well, that wasn't the impression I had from the street," he shot back with
slight annoyance in his voice. "They looked too much for you alone."
Instantly upset by his perception of her as a harmless girl, Mara whirled back
toward him, meaning to shove him in the nearby wall and teach him that she
'wasn't' vulnerable--- when she caught her first, real sight of her rescuer
since 'meeting' him.
The moment her eyes met his beautiful blue eyes, she stilled in mid-motion.
So handsome..., was her first, coherent thought once she recovered from her
most unusual loss of composure. The youth, obviously a farmboy from a local
community, was tan-skinned and dressed in drab clothes, but what struck her
the most was his fair-hair; they seemed to have caught the light of the
double suns and now shone with it. She then estimated that he was around her
age, perhaps a little younger, but she didn't trust her judgment on this matter;
a small dimple in his chin and his unruly fair-hair seemed to give him an
eternal boyish look.
The more she gazed straight in his delicate blue eyes, the more she forgot
what she had meant to answer to him, and the more she indulged in an in-depth
study of the most handsome youth she had ever seen.
His eyes weren't light blue like those of Wookiees, nor were they dark blue.
Instead, they were like those of a newborn baby... as if the boy had never
grown, she dimly reflected. While gazing in his equally enraptured eyes, she
became aware that his healthy suntan was enhancing their coloring, as did his
sun-streaked hair and his white/beige tunic. Slowly shifting her eyes to
study the rest of him, she also realized that unlike what she had first
estimated, the youth was fairly healthy, his shoulders wider than the average
for his age... and how old was he?, she wondered in growing interest. He
couldn't be more than eighteen, she surmised even as her eyes ventured further
downward, toward his earth brown trousers and matching utility boots. Judging
from their drab status, she estimated that he wasn't part of the upper class of
the planet which meant that he was probably living on a moisture farm or working
on one.
The dust on his boots seemed to confirm this; before she could study him
further however, or even ask him a question, he spoke up.
"What's your name?" he inquired shyly, as if, she reflected in slight amusement,
he was afraid to upset her with his question.
She then conceded that it should indeed upset her, but strangely enough, it
wasn't the case at the moment. However, she determined to not reveal her
true identity.
"You can call me Arica," she answered him, locking her gaze back on his
captivating one.
Luke had been so engrossed in the sight of the beautiful young woman that he
hadn't noticed how she had been studying his every characteristic. For his
part, he was still dumbstruck by her fiery red-yet-streaked-with-blond hair; he
had never seen such hair color, couldn't even compare them with anything he had
ever seen. Giving up on this attempt, he once again refocused on her eyes...
and stopped breathing once again. Jewel green eyes kept sparkling at him, as if
hiding a most unique treasure from his sight... then she answered his dumb
question and he suddenly saw past the veil of secrecy; he lost any ability to
think straight.
Even he could feel that Arica wasn't her real name, it seemed to tell him what a
wonderful being she was in fact.
"And you?," she inquired, pulling him out of his reverie. "You're a local
farmboy, aren't you?"
"I, huh..." he hesitated slightly, dimly wondering how she knew so much about
him already. "I help my uncle at our farm," he answered her with a slight blush
of shame. Not exactly the most prestigious thing to say to a gorgeous young
woman, he berated himself inwardly. "I`m L---" he began, trying to introduce
himself properly this time, but the girl didn't let him continue.
Instead, she swiftly pulled him close to herself and plastered her hand over his
lips, efficiently silencing him.
"I don't want to know your name, farmboy," she whispered fiercely, pinning him
with her suddenly, unsettling cold glare. "For your sake," she added, then gazed
at him until he had nodded although he wasn't sure he understood the reason of
her request.
She finally let him go--- and he belatedly noticed that the young woman
was not dressed only in a typical Tatooine tunic/robe. She was wearing a
high-collared shirt under it... and he could now see what looked like a secret
weapon-like thing around her left, half-exposed wrist.
"You... You're not from around here," he stated hesitantly while slowly backing
away from the stranger.
"I told you that I wouldn't have needed your help, farmboy," she answered coolly
even as she hid her right hand behind her back---- and pulled a blaster on him!
Feeling his heart sink in his boots at this turn of events, Luke reflexively
closed his eyes in fright and horror, expecting her to shoot him from point
blank range and be done with him.
As he went through his last moment, his thoughts went to his uncle who had
always told him that his naivete and daydreaming would eventually get him
killed... Looked like he had been right once again, the youth admitted sadly to
himself, and he himself, foolish boy that he was, was once again learning it too
late.... Then nothing.
However, instead of hearing the sound of a blaster fire, or feeling any final
agony, he heard the sound of a piece of metal slapping against leather, then the
shuffling of feet on the concrete ground.
Hesitantly, he peeped his left eye open; his right one followed suite even as
his mouth gaped open in disbelief.
"You... you're not going to kill me?" he asked her hesitantly, almost afraid
of giving her bad ideas.
For a moment, Mara stared at the confused farmboy, reflecting that his naivete
and foolishness made him even more attractive than he already was.
"No," she shook her head in reassurance even as she crossed her arms in front of
herself. "You are not my target," she explained to him even as she reminded
herself that her decision to not kill the boy might still upset her master if
she didn't take other dispositions in his regard.
While Luke reflected that her excuse for not shooting him was not 'very'
reassuring, a more naive part of himself sighed in relief and renewed being
interested toward the mysterious, beautiful young woman.
He searched her eyes yet again and gazed straight into her jewel-green pools of
color. They were unlike any eyes he had ever seen: cool yet warm, hard yet
soft... and as mesmerizing as precious gems he had only seen in books at school.
They were, he thought wistfully, as if the girl had gazed at the trees that were
said to grow on non-desertic planets, and that the green of their leaves had
imprinted itself in her eyes.
The object of his thoughts suddenly turned away--- heading for the higher
ground, he realized.
"Jade, wait!" he called reflexively even as he took a step closer to her to
keep her from leaving this fast.
Mara, who had decided to not put the boy in anymore danger, had turned to leave
when the other called her by her last name.
She whirled around, her hand instantly going for her weapon; where had he
learnt---
Her hand never reached her goal. The moment her eyes met with his, she
understood that he too wondered why he had called her by that word, that he was
still as clueless as ever about her. She forced her tensed muscles to relax but
she remained in her position on the second step of the small staircase.
"Take care of yourself, Farmboy," she told him coolly and turned away from his
tantalizing presence.
She had barely thought about climbing up another stop when his hand took hold of
hers once again.
"Jade, wait!" the young man told her earnestly, keeping her yet again from
leaving.
Mara turned back toward him, scowling in annoyance at his insistence; she
purposefully loomed over him to warn him to not push her too far.
"I, huh," the boy hesitated upon decoding her miffed attitude. "I just
thought... you know, I'm headed for Mos Eisley, and, well, I thought you
might need a ride to leave Bestine without any new problems..." he finished,
slightly hopefully.
Taken aback by his generous offer, she leaned slightly away from him, then
pondered her decision. A few minutes ago, she had decided that for his sake, she
had to put an end to her contact with him before it was too late for both of
their safeties, but at the moment, her cool reasoning didn't seem to make sense
anymore.
Instead, her eyes were riveted on his beautiful, gentle blue eyes... and her
cool self yielded to the warm feelings that she was currently feeling for the
mysterious farmboy.
After all, she thought seriously, if she did go with the intriguing young man,
she would be able to enjoy his company for a while longer, but... she would
also have to take some measure or another against him once she would leave
him... but only later.
"All right," she nodded even as her mind reminded her that her ship was berthed
in this town; she couldn't leave it here without surveillance. "But first," she
raised her finger to forestall a too enthusiastic reaction from the boy, "I need
to check on my ship."
"You have a ship?" the farmboy instantly gaped in disbelief. "Wow! I... may I
see it?"
Taken aback yet again by the boy's genuine earnestness, she remained silent
until she had recovered from her own surprise. Whoever the boy was, she
admitted to herself, he was unlike anyone she had ever met before.
Luke gazed earnestly at the young woman, unable to believe that 'she' could be
his one chance to see a ship for real. Ever since he had begun to play with
models as a child, he had wanted to see one from a close-up range, but his uncle
had never taken him in the spaceport of Mos Eisley... and no ship ever landed in
Anchorhead or the flats of the Dune Sea. The only crafts he had ever seen and
flown were his skyhopper and his family's speeder.
"Please?" he asked again, "I promise I won't touch anything."
"All right," the young woman nodded after a few more seconds of silent debate.
She then turned her back to him once again before she gathered her skirt up and
climbed up the short stairs. Luke followed her out of their hiding place,
unable to hide the delighted grin he now harbored.
In front of him, the girl covered her head once again with her cowl then swiftly
headed for the far side alley which was at the end of their alley.
******
The short walk from the alley to the docking bay went without any new mishaps.
After a stern warning to the youth to not ask her questions in public, she and
the farmboy had silently made their way to the landing pit and had entered it.
However, the arrival to the pit went less discreetly.
"Wow!" the young man gaped like an idiot at the sight of her run-down/state-of-
the-art ship. "You really own that ship?" he asked her incredulously, turning
his unbelieving blue eyes toward her.
For a moment, Mara felt herself drown once again in their ocean of blue
simplicity and naivete, then shook herself out of her reverie. "Actually, it
belongs to my task master," she answered with a shrug.
The Emperor had indeed given her the Night Chaser as her own, personal ship for
her many missions, but she had no delusions about its true owner; it was still
her master's. He owned everything in the galaxy, as it was meant to be for the
universe was rightfully his, she recited automatically; were this statement
false, she then reasoned coolly, he wouldn't be the most powerful Dark Jedi of
all times.
Pulling herself out of her musings, she noticed how the farmboy was still
studying the design of her ship as if he had never seen a real spaceship before.
She dimly wondered if he even suspected how well armed the 'old' crate truly
was.
"Stay here, I won't be long," she instructed him curtly, starting for the hatch
of her ship.
"Jade, wait," he called once again, taking a step closer to her.
Suppressing a sight of annoyance at his earnest habits, she slowly turned her
head in his direction... and met with the expectancy of a boy who was currently
dreaming while awake.
"I... do you mind if I go inside with you?" he asked her earnestly. "I've never
been in a starship before."
For a moment, Mara debated with herself if it was wise to reveal to him yet
another secret about her life, but when she gazed once again in the depth of his
eyes, she understood that no harm would come out of her taking him with her. If
she didn't take him aboard though, 'she' would hurt him.
"All right, come on but don't touch anything," she warned him sternly.
Once he had nodded in agreement, she led him toward her ship.
TBC in part 2: The way of the Force
Well, liked it? Had fun? Hope so ;)
2002, SJ ([email protected])
Any positive stuff is welcome, but any mean stuff will be thrown down the
Sarlacc's throat without even being read.)
Part 1: First encounter
By SJ 16-11-99/06-2002
________________
Disclaimers: Nothing in the Star Wars Universe belong to me; everything belongs
to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.
See my homepage for more details.
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/3702
Special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne, for her
help with the final editing of my new stories. Thanks for giving
me some of your precious time, my friend :)
Time: 2 years before ANH
__________________
As she gazed at the double sunrise that was taking place along the horizon of
what the locals called the Dune Sea, sixteen-year-old Mara Jade pondered how she
was going to fulfill her newest mission for her master.
She had barely finished her report about her last mission when he had informed
her that he had felt a disturbance in the Force, then had ordered her to comb
dreary Tatooine and find it.
Hence, here she was, garbed in the traditional tan-colored robes of a
Tatooine native, scanning the horizon while probing with the Force in hopes
of finding a clue of what she was looking for.
A Jedi.
Her master had been very specific, she reminded herself to quash her doubts
about his feelings; what he had detected had been a powerful Jedi, perhaps
untrained, but he hadn't felt his presence long enough ascertain this status.
However, he 'knew', as she now did, that he was a man, and that he needed to
be taken care of before any Jedi could resurface in the galaxy.
Since Lord Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith and the Emperor`s most accomplished
Jedi hunter, was currently involved in touchy operations regarding a growing,
potentially dangerous Rebellion, their master had sent her, his Hand, to find
the Jedi and capture him if possible. If she couldn't, she naturally had to
kill him.
While Mara was sensitive to the Force, she knew that she wasn't exactly
powerful. Hence, she was once again facing the limit of her abilities: she
couldn't locate a Jedi's presence anywhere on the planet.
Sighing heavily to herself, she decided to use other means to find the
possibly hiding Jedi. If he were shielding himself, she 'knew' that she would
never find him. On the other hand, she thought with a grim smirk, she had other
ways to hunt down her target. On a desert planet such as this one, she
estimated that everything had to be known and could be found if one asked the
right questions.
Covering her head from the steadily growing heat of the double suns as they
began their slow course toward their zenith, she walked down the streets,
searching for the right place to ask the right questions.
She found it in the form of a local bar/cafe which seemed a tad more inviting
than the cantinas that were peppered all over the seedy town of Bestine.
******
Not far from there, in a shop for used mechanical parts, Luke Skywalker, aged of
sixteen, browsed the content of the shelves that were gathered in the back
store of the establishment. After his last escapade in Beggar's Canyon, the
best and most dangerous racing ground of the whole planet, his skyhopper
needed a new booster to be functioning again. Unfortunately, luck seemed to be
against him these days since even in Bestine, the place where the small crafts
were delivered, he couldn't find the model he needed to fit his obsolete hopper.
Today was his last day off at the farm, he reminded himself with a pout as he
admitted defeat once again. If he didn`t find a booster today, he wouldn't be
able to fix his hopper before his uncle allowed him to fly again... and that
would keep him grounded for even longer than last time.
Now that would be tough, he sighed forlornly. Even more than when he was flying
the family's speeder, piloting his small hopper gave him a feeling of freedom he
could never find anywhere else on the planet. Whenever he flew his hopper, he
felt as if he were already a true pilot, as if nothing else but flying had ever
existed in his life.
No farm duties, no mocking companions, no gruff Uncle Owen who kept him from
presenting his application to the Academy, and, he added more sadly as he
wandered down the crowded streets, no knowledge that he had never known either
of his parents...
Oh, he grudgingly conceded to himself, he knew that his father had been a pilot
aboard big ships; it probably explained his own love for flying, but that was
about it, and his mother...
He had never known her..., didn't know anything about her, he sighed in well-
honed resignation as he glanced around to see where his mindless wandering had
brought him now--- A movement to his left suddenly caught his attention.
He reflexively turned in the direction of the back alley--- and spotted what
looked like a girl who was backing away from approaching outlaws.
Instantly forgetting both his glum thoughts and his errand, Luke ran toward the
shop that was located at the end of his alley as he understood the girl's
predicament; considering the geometry of the last building at the end of the
alley, he knew that she would be trapped once backed to its side wall. He
decided that he would be damned if he would abandon her to her fate.
A minute later, he turned the last corner between his target and its sideways
neighbor, then quickly slowed his pace, careful to not betray his presence to
the girl's would-be attackers.
Mara cursed inwardly even as she continued to back away from the three burly
individuals. Fool, she berated herself harshly, she should have felt their
tracking her when she had exited the caf/bar. She shouldn't have let them force
her in a back alley, yet at the same time, she conceded grimly, she hadn't been
able to act in the street; getting rid of them in the streets would have blown
her cover.
Hence, she had allowed them to herd her away from the mainstream circulation...
but unlike the back-wall and side-alley that she had been expecting, she had
just discovered that the end of her current alley was a dead-end. It was now or
never, she reflected grimly even as she flicked her wrist; her pocket blaster
slapped audibly into her left palm while she abandoned her pretense of being
afraid.
Her attackers naturally noticed her new, far-from-afraid expression, but before
they could react, or that she herself could truly level her weapon to finish
them, a strong hand shot out from behind her and pulled her around the corner of
the last side alley before she had completely backed herself into a dead end.
"Run!" was the only explanation she got before what seemed to be a young man
dragged her after him as he barreled down the narrow alley.
Acting on instinct, Mara didn't resist his pull and followed him; they quickly
left her stunned attackers behind.
"What do you think you're doing?" she inquired indignantly to her would-be
rescuer once they were back in the open street.
Her 'hero' momentarily abandoned his study of their next action to gaze at her,
then his naive, blue eyes widened in obvious worry and he turned tail again,
pulling her after himself once again.
Cursing slightly under her breath, Mara turned her head around to see what he
had seen as well as what was tugging at her mind--- and swore openly as she
noticed that the three thugs had recovered from their shock.
They were already hot on their heels.
For a moment, she considered leveling her blaster and take a shot at them, but
the streets were still too crowded for her to risk her cover. Besides, she
reminded herself, she wasn't alone at the moment; she had to protect her true
identity from being discovered.
She had no doubt that no matter how foolish the youth were, he would notice the
presence of her customized weapon in her hand... and might just betray her
presence to a potential enemy. No, she decided even as she ran onward, she
couldn't take action just now.
She hid her weapon in the folds of her robe and followed the young man's lead as
he literally flew down the crowded streets, frantically cutting through the
relatively thick, protesting assembly of early buyers--- and he suddenly ducked
into another side alley. She cursed once again at his sharp movement even as
she barely managed to retain her balance due to the sharp turn.
Once she was back in control, she glanced around them to survey her new
location---- but her self-assigned rescuer sharply turned yet again on their
left, almost pulling her arm out of her socket before her feet caught up with
his brain and followed his guidance; they both went down the stairs of an
underground entrance.
"Sshhh," he whispered to her even as he hid her behind himself, deep in the
shadows of the stairwell's overhang.
She first meant to remind him that their pursuant would notice their suddenly
stopping tracks in the sand, but as she reflexively continued her study of their
surroundings, she belatedly noticed that the boy had brought her into one of the
rare sand-free, rocky alleys of the planet.
The moment that they had left the main street, she realized, they hadn't left
anymore traces behind them.
Well, well, she conceded even as she locked her gaze on what she could see
of the street above them, the boy might not be half as crazy as she had
first estimated. However, she sneered slightly, he naively trusted her, never
taking his eyes off the top of the stairs to gaze at her. Lucky for him that
she wasn't supposed to kill him, she thought sarcastically before she resumed
her surveillance. Adding a Force-scan to her wary senses, she meanly wondered
how the 'hero' meant to keep the others at bay if they found them.
As far as she knew, he wasn't armed and was quite harmless himself.
While Luke tried to pant as silently as he could, he carefully kept out of
the lit area of his chosen hiding place. He really didn't know how he had
known that he could hide the girl in this entrance, nor that it had even
existed, but he was glad for the streak of unexplainable inspiration.
When he had spotted the ruffians as they had come out of the alley, he had
recognized them as 'the' trouble-makers in Bestine. Normally, he would have
steered as far away from them as he could, but he had also been unable to
abandon the enshrouded girl to them; he had had to help her.
Sudden noise coming from above drew him back to the here and now; the Marauders
had caught up with them and were searching the alley. Behind him, he felt the
girl tense in worry; he backed them slightly further in the shadows even as his
blue eyes remained locked on the area above them. A rough voice ordered his
companions to search around, then scuffling noises on the rocky ground came
closer and closer, informing them that someone was searching the alley that was
just above them.
Luke held his breath when the taller of the three men peered down in the
stairwell, bent down slightly to check further in the shadows--- then their
companion suddenly called out for him to come and check up with them. As if
hesitant, the other threw a last look under the shadowy entrance, then
straightened and ran away.
The young man silently breathed out in relief a few seconds later; his companion
also relaxed against him and lowered her right arm from against his back.
"Looks like we lost them," he whispered even as he turned around to reassure the
young woman.
"For the moment," she retorted coolly, taking a step away from him, as if in
fright or worry, he reflected.
"Don't worry," he reassured her, "I don't mean you any harm. Are you all right?"
Despite her rigorous training and her equally rigorous self-control, Mara
couldn't help but gape at the boy for at least a fraction of a second. When he
had come out of nowhere, she had accepted his help as the only option available
to lose her pursuant, but the moment that the danger had walked away, she had
expected him to gloat about his helping her, or even request some kind of fee
for the assistance, but instead, the boy seemed genuinely worried about her.
She put away her blaster, which had been trained on the boy`s knee.
"I'm fine," she answered, then stepped aside and forward, pushing past him
to leave their temporary shelter. "However," she added warningly as she
walked past him, "I didn't need your help; I could have dealt with those
goons."
The youth stared at her at this, then recovered his wits as he followed her
outside of the shadowy overhang.
"Well, that wasn't the impression I had from the street," he shot back with
slight annoyance in his voice. "They looked too much for you alone."
Instantly upset by his perception of her as a harmless girl, Mara whirled back
toward him, meaning to shove him in the nearby wall and teach him that she
'wasn't' vulnerable--- when she caught her first, real sight of her rescuer
since 'meeting' him.
The moment her eyes met his beautiful blue eyes, she stilled in mid-motion.
So handsome..., was her first, coherent thought once she recovered from her
most unusual loss of composure. The youth, obviously a farmboy from a local
community, was tan-skinned and dressed in drab clothes, but what struck her
the most was his fair-hair; they seemed to have caught the light of the
double suns and now shone with it. She then estimated that he was around her
age, perhaps a little younger, but she didn't trust her judgment on this matter;
a small dimple in his chin and his unruly fair-hair seemed to give him an
eternal boyish look.
The more she gazed straight in his delicate blue eyes, the more she forgot
what she had meant to answer to him, and the more she indulged in an in-depth
study of the most handsome youth she had ever seen.
His eyes weren't light blue like those of Wookiees, nor were they dark blue.
Instead, they were like those of a newborn baby... as if the boy had never
grown, she dimly reflected. While gazing in his equally enraptured eyes, she
became aware that his healthy suntan was enhancing their coloring, as did his
sun-streaked hair and his white/beige tunic. Slowly shifting her eyes to
study the rest of him, she also realized that unlike what she had first
estimated, the youth was fairly healthy, his shoulders wider than the average
for his age... and how old was he?, she wondered in growing interest. He
couldn't be more than eighteen, she surmised even as her eyes ventured further
downward, toward his earth brown trousers and matching utility boots. Judging
from their drab status, she estimated that he wasn't part of the upper class of
the planet which meant that he was probably living on a moisture farm or working
on one.
The dust on his boots seemed to confirm this; before she could study him
further however, or even ask him a question, he spoke up.
"What's your name?" he inquired shyly, as if, she reflected in slight amusement,
he was afraid to upset her with his question.
She then conceded that it should indeed upset her, but strangely enough, it
wasn't the case at the moment. However, she determined to not reveal her
true identity.
"You can call me Arica," she answered him, locking her gaze back on his
captivating one.
Luke had been so engrossed in the sight of the beautiful young woman that he
hadn't noticed how she had been studying his every characteristic. For his
part, he was still dumbstruck by her fiery red-yet-streaked-with-blond hair; he
had never seen such hair color, couldn't even compare them with anything he had
ever seen. Giving up on this attempt, he once again refocused on her eyes...
and stopped breathing once again. Jewel green eyes kept sparkling at him, as if
hiding a most unique treasure from his sight... then she answered his dumb
question and he suddenly saw past the veil of secrecy; he lost any ability to
think straight.
Even he could feel that Arica wasn't her real name, it seemed to tell him what a
wonderful being she was in fact.
"And you?," she inquired, pulling him out of his reverie. "You're a local
farmboy, aren't you?"
"I, huh..." he hesitated slightly, dimly wondering how she knew so much about
him already. "I help my uncle at our farm," he answered her with a slight blush
of shame. Not exactly the most prestigious thing to say to a gorgeous young
woman, he berated himself inwardly. "I`m L---" he began, trying to introduce
himself properly this time, but the girl didn't let him continue.
Instead, she swiftly pulled him close to herself and plastered her hand over his
lips, efficiently silencing him.
"I don't want to know your name, farmboy," she whispered fiercely, pinning him
with her suddenly, unsettling cold glare. "For your sake," she added, then gazed
at him until he had nodded although he wasn't sure he understood the reason of
her request.
She finally let him go--- and he belatedly noticed that the young woman
was not dressed only in a typical Tatooine tunic/robe. She was wearing a
high-collared shirt under it... and he could now see what looked like a secret
weapon-like thing around her left, half-exposed wrist.
"You... You're not from around here," he stated hesitantly while slowly backing
away from the stranger.
"I told you that I wouldn't have needed your help, farmboy," she answered coolly
even as she hid her right hand behind her back---- and pulled a blaster on him!
Feeling his heart sink in his boots at this turn of events, Luke reflexively
closed his eyes in fright and horror, expecting her to shoot him from point
blank range and be done with him.
As he went through his last moment, his thoughts went to his uncle who had
always told him that his naivete and daydreaming would eventually get him
killed... Looked like he had been right once again, the youth admitted sadly to
himself, and he himself, foolish boy that he was, was once again learning it too
late.... Then nothing.
However, instead of hearing the sound of a blaster fire, or feeling any final
agony, he heard the sound of a piece of metal slapping against leather, then the
shuffling of feet on the concrete ground.
Hesitantly, he peeped his left eye open; his right one followed suite even as
his mouth gaped open in disbelief.
"You... you're not going to kill me?" he asked her hesitantly, almost afraid
of giving her bad ideas.
For a moment, Mara stared at the confused farmboy, reflecting that his naivete
and foolishness made him even more attractive than he already was.
"No," she shook her head in reassurance even as she crossed her arms in front of
herself. "You are not my target," she explained to him even as she reminded
herself that her decision to not kill the boy might still upset her master if
she didn't take other dispositions in his regard.
While Luke reflected that her excuse for not shooting him was not 'very'
reassuring, a more naive part of himself sighed in relief and renewed being
interested toward the mysterious, beautiful young woman.
He searched her eyes yet again and gazed straight into her jewel-green pools of
color. They were unlike any eyes he had ever seen: cool yet warm, hard yet
soft... and as mesmerizing as precious gems he had only seen in books at school.
They were, he thought wistfully, as if the girl had gazed at the trees that were
said to grow on non-desertic planets, and that the green of their leaves had
imprinted itself in her eyes.
The object of his thoughts suddenly turned away--- heading for the higher
ground, he realized.
"Jade, wait!" he called reflexively even as he took a step closer to her to
keep her from leaving this fast.
Mara, who had decided to not put the boy in anymore danger, had turned to leave
when the other called her by her last name.
She whirled around, her hand instantly going for her weapon; where had he
learnt---
Her hand never reached her goal. The moment her eyes met with his, she
understood that he too wondered why he had called her by that word, that he was
still as clueless as ever about her. She forced her tensed muscles to relax but
she remained in her position on the second step of the small staircase.
"Take care of yourself, Farmboy," she told him coolly and turned away from his
tantalizing presence.
She had barely thought about climbing up another stop when his hand took hold of
hers once again.
"Jade, wait!" the young man told her earnestly, keeping her yet again from
leaving.
Mara turned back toward him, scowling in annoyance at his insistence; she
purposefully loomed over him to warn him to not push her too far.
"I, huh," the boy hesitated upon decoding her miffed attitude. "I just
thought... you know, I'm headed for Mos Eisley, and, well, I thought you
might need a ride to leave Bestine without any new problems..." he finished,
slightly hopefully.
Taken aback by his generous offer, she leaned slightly away from him, then
pondered her decision. A few minutes ago, she had decided that for his sake, she
had to put an end to her contact with him before it was too late for both of
their safeties, but at the moment, her cool reasoning didn't seem to make sense
anymore.
Instead, her eyes were riveted on his beautiful, gentle blue eyes... and her
cool self yielded to the warm feelings that she was currently feeling for the
mysterious farmboy.
After all, she thought seriously, if she did go with the intriguing young man,
she would be able to enjoy his company for a while longer, but... she would
also have to take some measure or another against him once she would leave
him... but only later.
"All right," she nodded even as her mind reminded her that her ship was berthed
in this town; she couldn't leave it here without surveillance. "But first," she
raised her finger to forestall a too enthusiastic reaction from the boy, "I need
to check on my ship."
"You have a ship?" the farmboy instantly gaped in disbelief. "Wow! I... may I
see it?"
Taken aback yet again by the boy's genuine earnestness, she remained silent
until she had recovered from her own surprise. Whoever the boy was, she
admitted to herself, he was unlike anyone she had ever met before.
Luke gazed earnestly at the young woman, unable to believe that 'she' could be
his one chance to see a ship for real. Ever since he had begun to play with
models as a child, he had wanted to see one from a close-up range, but his uncle
had never taken him in the spaceport of Mos Eisley... and no ship ever landed in
Anchorhead or the flats of the Dune Sea. The only crafts he had ever seen and
flown were his skyhopper and his family's speeder.
"Please?" he asked again, "I promise I won't touch anything."
"All right," the young woman nodded after a few more seconds of silent debate.
She then turned her back to him once again before she gathered her skirt up and
climbed up the short stairs. Luke followed her out of their hiding place,
unable to hide the delighted grin he now harbored.
In front of him, the girl covered her head once again with her cowl then swiftly
headed for the far side alley which was at the end of their alley.
******
The short walk from the alley to the docking bay went without any new mishaps.
After a stern warning to the youth to not ask her questions in public, she and
the farmboy had silently made their way to the landing pit and had entered it.
However, the arrival to the pit went less discreetly.
"Wow!" the young man gaped like an idiot at the sight of her run-down/state-of-
the-art ship. "You really own that ship?" he asked her incredulously, turning
his unbelieving blue eyes toward her.
For a moment, Mara felt herself drown once again in their ocean of blue
simplicity and naivete, then shook herself out of her reverie. "Actually, it
belongs to my task master," she answered with a shrug.
The Emperor had indeed given her the Night Chaser as her own, personal ship for
her many missions, but she had no delusions about its true owner; it was still
her master's. He owned everything in the galaxy, as it was meant to be for the
universe was rightfully his, she recited automatically; were this statement
false, she then reasoned coolly, he wouldn't be the most powerful Dark Jedi of
all times.
Pulling herself out of her musings, she noticed how the farmboy was still
studying the design of her ship as if he had never seen a real spaceship before.
She dimly wondered if he even suspected how well armed the 'old' crate truly
was.
"Stay here, I won't be long," she instructed him curtly, starting for the hatch
of her ship.
"Jade, wait," he called once again, taking a step closer to her.
Suppressing a sight of annoyance at his earnest habits, she slowly turned her
head in his direction... and met with the expectancy of a boy who was currently
dreaming while awake.
"I... do you mind if I go inside with you?" he asked her earnestly. "I've never
been in a starship before."
For a moment, Mara debated with herself if it was wise to reveal to him yet
another secret about her life, but when she gazed once again in the depth of his
eyes, she understood that no harm would come out of her taking him with her. If
she didn't take him aboard though, 'she' would hurt him.
"All right, come on but don't touch anything," she warned him sternly.
Once he had nodded in agreement, she led him toward her ship.
TBC in part 2: The way of the Force
Well, liked it? Had fun? Hope so ;)
2002, SJ ([email protected])
Any positive stuff is welcome, but any mean stuff will be thrown down the
Sarlacc's throat without even being read.)