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Author	Topic: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 8/10)
DaenaBenjen42 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 6/15/07 2:59pm Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 3/24)
	Jade_eyes: Thank you, Jade_eyes. RedGold: Of course they do. They're Luke and Mara. VaderLVR64: Thank you. Jade_Pilot: Glad you liked it. Thank you. MirandaFair: Yep. More mush on the way. (just as soon as am able to write more mush, that is...) Thank you, Miranda. maramijade: Glad you like that. Thank you. Jedi_Liz: thank you for the bump. -----signature----- "Say it with me now. Postcard. Zoo. Not. Shopping." master to jackyyy17, micky-nikki & Trimaj e-sis: BrightFeather & BrentusofGath All cats are leopards after dark.
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DaenaBenjen42 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 7/14/07 8:33pm Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 3/24) - Date Edited: 7/16/07 12:43pm (3 edits total) Edited By: DaenaBenjen42
	Note: thank you to BrentusofGath for approving parts of this, and to everyone else for waiting patiently. Here be update. A couple weeks from now... Leah was flabbergasted. “You want to what? Why?” Elsie sighed. “Look, I’ve been out of practice for ten years. I just want to get back in the grove is all.” “Getting back in the groove is one thing. This is something else entirely.” “You’re only saying that because my last official case was a recipe for disaster, Leah.” “There was a reason you went on vacation, Elsie. I’m sorry Ranko pulled you off of it without my approval-“ “I’m not,” Elsie interrupted. “But until Jill clears you for work, you’re not going to New Jersey, let alone another universe.” Elsie smiled and handed a folder to Leah. “Already done. Jill agreed with me.” Leah opened the folder and read the contents for a minute, then regarded Elsie with a firm stare. “This needs my approval, you know.” “And?” “And you don’t have it.” “Then what do I have to do to get it?” Leah blinked in surprise. “You really want to go?” “Yes.” “Fine... Six months of routine case work, then we’ll see. If you pass evaluations made by Running Moon, Jill, and myself, then you may go and intern with Coruscant Law Enforcement. If not, you’re back on vacation leave until Chris approves as well.” “You drive a hard bargain.” “Take it or leave it, Dusty.” “I’ll take it… By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” “And that would be?” “What was the big idea of saying no when Ranko paged everyone for an all team call? ‘I hate snow’ isn’t enough of an excuse.” Leah chuckled. “She called in the middle of a rescue operation involving an avalanche.” “Huh?” “I was on search and rescue that day.” “Oh.” “So did I miss anything fun?” “This mission was called Operation Worldships Go Boom, if that tells you anything.” “It does, and I’m not sad I missed it.” “It was fun, though.” “I’ll bet.” “And you would have loved the wedding.” Leah paused, staring at her. “What wedding? You went on a mission of mercy and ended up at a wedding?” “The bride and groom were the ones in distress.” “You can’t leave out details like that, Elsie. Tell!” “All right…” Now… “Who are those people?” Leia asked as she looked over Luke’s shoulder at the people also disembarking from the ship they’d arrived in. She turned to look at Mara. “And what happened? That’s not the ship you left in.” “We left the Jade’s Fire on the academy moon for repairs,” Mara told her. “And we’ll explain some of it later. For right now, though… they’re friends. A bit strange, and weirdly overprotective, but friends all the same.” Leia watched as a woman with dark hair introduced the group to that nurse and those other two people who had been waiting for the ship to land with her. “Hmm... it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone wear that much pink.” Mara frowned and looked. “I thought I told her that was a bad idea?” Luke shrugged. “Melinda didn’t have to listen to you, you know.” “But... oh, forget it. Never mind.” Mara looked at Leia and shrugged. “Don’t ask me to explain that one, because I can’t.” The day before... Iris was heading back to the nurses station when the air in the corridor seemed to ripple and a man and a woman appeared, the man in a battle stance with an expression of irritation on his face. The woman, concentrating on a circular object in her hands, paid her surroundings no mind until she smiled and put the object away. Iris blinked, not used to people appearing in the hallway like that. “Uh… hello?” The woman turned to look at her and smiled again. “Hi. Sorry to drop in on you like that... You can get out of the stance now, dear.” The man glanced back at her. “You sure?” “Very. The patients aren’t going to attack us.” He nodded and dropped his arms. “Just promise me there are no demons.” “There aren’t. Just Jedi and aliens.” He blinked at her. “What?” “You asked.” The woman turned to Iris. “Where exactly are we?” “Coruscant Medical Center. On Coruscant.” Iris was certain she’d heard him wrong. Demons? The woman sighed in relief. “Good… wait. Which Coruscant?” She pulled the round thing out again and peered at it. “Oh. That one… Even better.” “Where did you come from?” Iris asked as she watched the woman put the thing away again. “Another dimension,” the woman said frankly. “The stupid Frisbee kept dropping us into stupid places, and if I ever see the guy who programmed it again, I’m going to take HIM on a training trip and see how HE likes it.” The man smiled at Iris’s confuzzled expression. “Sorry. We’re always like this… And really, Ralarna. Dimitri probably wouldn’t know what to do with our training trips even if we trained the guy in Susan’s battle sims for a year with no mercy.” “I’m still going to kick his sorry butt, Whuki.” “Just tell Na Omi to follow him around with the threat of bodily harm. She’ll be happy to do it.” “But I want to kick his butt.” “Why?” “For programming that thing and not giving anyone the codes to change it.” “Oh. Well, then for that you can kick his butt.” “Um… excuse me?” Iris spoke up, catching their attention. “Who are you people?” Ralarna smiled and held out her hand. “Ralarna Benjen-Trason.” Iris shook it. “Iris Dellona.” She looked at the man in question. “Whuki Trason.” “Pleased to meet you both. Staying long?” Ralarna and Whuki looked at eachother, and Rala frowned. “Actually, I don’t know.” “You don’t?” “No, but the Frisbee says our team is here, so maybe it won’t be very long.” “Huh?” Whuki asked. “This is the right place?” “Yep. We may have missed the fun, though.” “Bummer.” “Honey, you really shouldn’t watch TV ever again.” “But it’s fun!” “Uh-huh…” Now… Ranko stepped off the boarding ramp of the ship and looked in Moira's direction, then glanced over to where Luke and Mara were meeting Leia and smirked. "Wonder how they're gonna explain this?" "What do you mean?" Peter asked from beside her. "This is not the ship they left in and, among other things, Mel's wearing pink." Peter glanced back at Melinda with a frown. "Want me to tell her to go change?" Ranko sighed. "No. I'll do it. She probably couldn't resist so soon after a fight like the one we had." "What makes you say that?" "I don't ever wear red, and Susan's wearing orange, which is almost as bad as Mel's pinkness." "And Miranda's yellow." "That, too." Turning, she got a good look at him and saw the blue jumpsuit. "All right. So it's everybody." Peter rolled his eyes. "Har har... Over there with Moira. Is that who I think it is?" Ranko turned back to look over where Moira was standing with a small group of people and blinked. "What are Whuki and Rala doing here?" Peter watched her go and then turned back to raise an eyebrow at Susan, Miranda, and Melinda. "Go change into something a little less... bright. Please?" Melinda frowned at him. "It's protocol to wear our colors, Peter." "I understand that, Mel. It's just... this isn't an official function and it's perfectly all right to break protocol just this once." Miranda laughed. "All right. Come on, ladies. Let's go change into something less offensive." "Why is orange a bad thing?" Susan wondered as she followed Miranda and Melinda back into the ship. ~~~~~ "What are you two doing here?" Ranko asked as she walked up to join Moira's group. Ralarna sighed. "We took the long way." She pulled out the 'frisbee' so Ranko could see it. "I forgot that Dimitri programmed it, so getting here took a while." "Ended up in Japan a lot, hmm?" Whuki put his arm around Ralarna's shoulders. "In at least two different centuries, too. You'll have to get Dimitri to reprogram that thing, because I never want to go to Feudal Japan with demons ever again." "Right... wait. Feudal Japan? And why'd you use the Frisbee instead of calling Susan?" "Because we were on assignment when your call came through and I still had the Frisbee," Ralarna explained. "You didn't leave any coordinates in your message, so I had to guess on where you went. And I forgot that there was an easier way." Ranko glanced at Moira, who shrugged. "You missed all the fun, you know." "We had our own fun," Whuki grumbled. Ralarna glanced at him. "Sweetie, you're turning green again. Stop that. You'll scare people." "It's fine if he 'goes green', as you put it," Moira told them, breaking into the conversation. "Actually, no. It's really not fine. Green leads to shape shifting," Whuki explained as he took several deep breaths to calm himself. Moira frowned at him. "You shape shift?" "He gets it from his mom. Really long story having to do with war and defection and more war." Ralarna turned to smile at Iris. "Thank you for helping us, by the way." Iris smiled at her. "My pleasure. It's not every day that people appear out of thin air in a hospital corridor in a battle stance." She noticed the fleeting expression that flickered in Ranko's eyes and wondered. "Or is it?" "I don't even know your name and you've made me homesick already." Iris turned to look hard at Moira. "Where did you find these people?" “Master Burrows introduced me to them in the Jedi Temple Library. Why?” "You're going to have to tell that story later, you know." “Oh, I fully intend to.” ~~~~~ Leia wasn’t sure what the change was in their demeanors, but she wasn’t going to dwell on it. They seemed closer, even though, right now, they weren’t embracing, just holding hands. “So how was the run?” Luke glanced back over his shoulder to where the other group were still talking. “Eventful.” Mara snorted. “That’s one way of putting it.” Looking at the ship they’d arrived in, Leia frowned. “So why did the Jade’s Fire need repairing?” “You don’t want to know.” “Oh really? It wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with what I felt a week and a half ago, now would it?” At this, Leia stared hard at Luke. “Well?” Luke sighed. “It might.” “Luke…” “What?” “Tell me.” He shook his head. “No. It’s over, and you’d..." He broke off when he noticed her staring at him. “What?” “What happened out there that you don’t want to tell me?” “You really want to know?” Mara asked. Leia nodded. “I do.” “We had fun.” Luke snorted in laughter. “You’re going to call it fun? We nearly died, got ourselves rescued by very strange people, were attacked by something we could see but not feel, and then helped take out interstellar invaders... and you’re calling it fun?” “Yes,” Mara said simply, smiling up at him. Luke pulled her close. “It was, wasn’t it?” “Um-hmm...” Mara looked at Leia, who was staring at them in fascination. “So, Leia... how soon can the wedding happen?” Leia blinked in surprise and looked at her brother. “Okay, who are you and what did you do with the real Mara Jade? I don’t think you brought the right one home with you.” “Ha-ha,” Mara deadpanned as Luke chuckled. “I’m serious, you know.” Leia shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t think you’re serious. It’s just… It was all I could do to get you interested in it before you left. This is quite a change.” “Are you done?” Mara asked impatiently, feeling that someone was crossing the landing pad. “Yes.” “Good.” “The wedding is scheduled for two weeks from now.” Someone tapped Mara on the shoulder and she turned to see Ranko standing there. “Hi. I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to dinner with Iris’s family.” Mara nodded. “Have a good time.” Ranko smiled, then looked at Leia. “You know… It’s really none of my business, but… perhaps you should move their wedding date up a week? They were acting like love-struck teenagers the whole way back.” And then she walked away with a smirk. Leia stared at Ranko’s retreating back, then regarded the two of them with a bemused expression. “Is that true?” “From her perspective, it is,” Luke answered. “We weren’t going to go into details.” Leia looked straight at Mara and noticed that she did seem lighter, less tense, than she had been. Happy, even. “I’m curious, now... but perhaps that person whose name I don’t know is correct. I’ll move the date up a week. Is that all right with the two of you?” Mara looked at Luke, and he nodded. “That sounds good to me...” TBC… -----signature----- "Say it with me now. Postcard. Zoo. Not. Shopping." master to jackyyy17, micky-nikki & Trimaj e-sis: BrightFeather & BrentusofGath All cats are leopards after dark.
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Jade_eyes Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 7/15/07 4:01am Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/14)
	Great update!!!!!! Loved the Wave Rangers and their bantering about colors. Ralarna and Whuki ... what adventures they musta had. Whee!!! Can't wait for the nuptials!! Well and totally worth waiting for! -----signature----- Luke/Mara--without end forever ginchy, Irish =I Squggles before I read a word
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VaderLVR64 Title: Fan Fic Manager in Combat Boots Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 7/15/07 6:46am Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/14)
	Excellent update! -----signature----- If you have to choose between tears and laughter, remember that laughter burns more calories. Proud New Army Mom - off to bootcamp!
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mara_jade_rox Registered: Jun '07	Date Posted: 7/15/07 7:05am Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/14)
	Nice, I liked the update. -----signature----- What happens when everyone you love leaves? Do you waste your time grieving? Do you love others? Even when the don't love you? What happens?
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DaenaBenjen42 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 7/16/07 3:59pm Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/14)
	Jade_eyes: Thank you, Jade_eyes. Glad you liked it. (Yes, yes they did…) VaderLVR64: Thank you. mara_jade_rox: Hi! Thank you. Mara and Luke were at the table in the kitchen of Luke’s apartment, Leia watching with interest as Mara laid various items on the table from the trip. The personal shield devices, the extra lightsabers, and the comm devices. Even the armor and the bag of ration bars that Luke had still not disposed of. Leia surveyed the items, wondering just why there were four lightsabers on the table when they were wearing theirs, and then turned to the two of them. “I still don’t understand why you wanted me to be here. To help you unpack?” “No, Leia.” Mara said patiently. “You were having a problem with a ceremonial thing before we left, because I couldn’t think of anything suitable for it.” “And this has something to do with that?” “Yes… now let’s see here…” Mara took one of the ration bars out of the bag. “This is something old and borrowed.” She placed one of the shield devices next to the ration bar. “This is something new.” And then a blue-handled lightsaber. “And this is something blue.” Luke had to stifle a snort of laughter at the expression of near-shock Leia’s face. Mara considered the objects that she’d laid out. “I think I’ll have to talk to Jari’kyn about working pockets into the design... And Leia?” “Yes?” Leia asked when she found her voice. “We’ll need a weapons check and a metal detector.” “We will?” Luke questioned. At her expression of incredulity, he sobered. “Oh, that’s right. We will...” Later… Mara leaned back into Luke as they esconded themselves on his couch after Leia had left. “There’s still one thing that’s bothering me.” “Oh?” “I’ve been thinking about it way too long, but… Why don’t I remember the trip back to Coruscant afterward? Leia mentioned that you stopped on Saccoria, and then here, but... I don’t remember that. Why not?” She could feel the motion as he shook his head at the question. “Luke?” “You… weren’t awake, right after. And on the way to Saccoria, you slept.” He took a deep breath, then spoke again. "And then... well...” “Well what?” “You don’t remember being seen by medical personelle on Saccoria because, when they started to treat you, you woke up in the middle of it and... leaked. With the Force.” “I what?” She hadn’t expected to hear that at all. “Things started hitting medical personelle that were trying to help you,” he explained, his voice tinged with emotion that she could feel coming from him. “I hadn’t expect it, or I’d have told them to wake you first. As it was, it was a good thing I stayed close by.” She turned her head to look up at him, noticing that he was staring out the window at the darkening sky. “So then what happened?” “I had to get you to calm down and the only way to do that that I could think of was a healing trance. It wasn’t easy, but...” “Ah. So what was the word to wake me up?” “Sand dune.” “Huh?” “It had to be a word or phrase no one would use by mistake and that was the only thing I could think of right then.” “Oh.” Luke pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Here. A nurse gave me those on Saccoria because she thought I looked exhausted. I didn’t use them.” Mara turned the container over in her hands, not understanding what it was at first, then she looked at him again. “Why didn’t you use them?” “Someone had to be alert.” Mara reached over and set the container on the floor, then relaxed again. “So that’s why you looked so haggard, hmm?” “Yes. I was… well… worried. So I didn’t sleep all that much.” “And by that you mean at all?” “Not until…” Luke paused a moment, thinking, then glanced over at the feline that was watching them. “All right… not until Iris made me go home, and I picked up Dark Star on the way. Dark Star purred me to sleep that night.” Mara looked from him, to the feline, then back again. “You slept with my cat?” The sheer sillyness of that question made Luke chuckle. “It’s more that she sat on me and then curled up into a ball and refused to move, really.” Mara smiled and coaxed Dark Star to come sit on her lap. “That’s my Dark Star. Thanks, girl.” Dark Star got up into Mara’s lap, curled up, and began to purr. They were soon asleep, lulled by the furry purring machine on Mara’s lap as Mara rested peacefully against him. They didn’t wake up until morning. TBC... -----signature----- "Say it with me now. Postcard. Zoo. Not. Shopping." master to jackyyy17, micky-nikki & Trimaj e-sis: BrightFeather & BrentusofGath All cats are leopards after dark.
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Jade_eyes Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 7/16/07 4:25pm Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/16)
	MMMM. Toasty. L/M... bestest lovers ever!! -----signature----- Luke/Mara--without end forever ginchy, Irish =I Squggles before I read a word
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BrentusofGath Registered: Aug '05	Date Posted: 7/16/07 10:39pm Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/16)
	wondering just why there were four lightsabers on the table There are four lightsabers! Dark Star purred me to sleep that night." LOL! Lucky Luke. "You slept with my cat?" Hehe, it sounds so dirty when she says it, lol. I liked the part where Mara was flinging things at the medicos with the Force, lol. -----signature----- In time or so I'm told, I'm just another soul for sale, oh well Feel it in my bones when you break my back, break it just to watch me bend Why'd you have to go and Let it Die? -Foo Fighters http://conscienceoftheking.blogspot.com/
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Jedi_Kassandra Registered: Jun '06	Date Posted: 7/17/07 9:36am Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/16)
	Sweet posts, I love the cat. ~kass -----signature----- "The greatest atrocities committed by man were committed for the sake of progress." -Keziah Lee
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RedGold Registered: Nov '04	Date Posted: 7/17/07 1:04pm Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/16)
	aww... Dark Star is sweet... things are really working out now! -----signature----- Legend... Recluse... Forgotten... Will one day return... http://www.starwarsfanfic.com
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mara_jade_rox Registered: Jun '07	Date Posted: 7/18/07 1:42pm Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/16)
	So very very sweet...I LUV Dark Star. (I don't usually like cats) Very nice addition. MJR -----signature----- What happens when everyone you love leaves? Do you waste your time grieving? Do you love others? Even when the don't love you? What happens?
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MirandaFair Registered: Jun '05	Date Posted: 7/19/07 8:07pm Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/16)
	I adore the L/M goodness. I must say the Miranda being yellow line had me laughing. I just flew home today from being away on vacation. It was a scary flight and we dropped about a couple hundred feet in the air while departing (we weren't in the best of weather). I was so scared that the person sitting next to me said my face had changed colors... anywho! I'm alive! And now I can joke about it. Two wonderful updates, Daena. -----signature----- May the Muse be with you.
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DaenaBenjen42 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 7/29/07 1:05pm Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/16) - Date Edited: 8/1/07 12:28pm (1 edits total) Edited By: DaenaBenjen42
	Jade_eyes: Thank you, Jade_eyes. BrentusofGath: There are four lightsabers! Yes... LOL! Lucky Luke. Again, yes... and thank you. Jedi_Kassandra: Thank you. RedGold: Glad you think so. Thank you. mara_jade_rox: Awww... thank you for the review. MirandaFair: Glad I was able to make you laugh, Miranda. Thank you. -----signature----- "Say it with me now. Postcard. Zoo. Not. Shopping." master to jackyyy17, micky-nikki & Trimaj e-sis: BrightFeather & BrentusofGath All cats are leopards after dark.
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DaenaBenjen42 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 8/10/07 11:25pm Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 7/16) - Date Edited: 8/10/07 11:38pm (1 edits total) Edited By: DaenaBenjen42
	Four days to the wedding... Peter entered the lounge on the Wave Runner, noticed that his wife seemed distracted by whatever was on her note pad, and looked over her shoulder to see what she was working on... She was working on math equations? "What is that?" "Stop looking over my shoulder and sit down, dear. It's distracting when you do that." She glanced up at him and smiled. Peter nodded and sat down across from her. "You didn't answer my question." "Something medical." "In math talk?" "Yes." She looked over her equations again, frowned, and changed something. "There. That works better... This is for a rare nerve disease that, while rare here, still wreaks havok when it does appear." Peter watched while she wrote the whole thing out again on another sheet of paper. "Nerve disease?" "Yes." "We're technically on vacation, you know." "No, we're not, and I wanted to do this. It's a matter of personal pride and I'm stepping in just this once to save someone some heartache so they can save themselves from stupidity." Peter blinked in surprise when she started muttering in Greek about things what should not be done with machines, and how a person's life force was sacred. What in the heck? {{Stupid technology shouldn't even have been used in the darn EU! I don't care if it was a partial success, it was still wrong!}} "What are you talking about?" She just glared at him and went back to her equations. "Doesn't matter." "If you're upset enough to switch languages, yes it does." Partial success with tech? Huh? Then he thought about what she'd said about a person's life force being sacred and things that shouldn't be done with machines... "Wait. Tell me you don't mean what you think I mean." "Think about what galaxy we're in and what part of the time line this is, Peter." "I didn't get as much into it as you did, she who kept her book collection in the closet." "Oh for the love of zebras, here." She passed a notepad to him. Peter frowned as he read the contents. "What does this have to do with... oh. I get it. Need help with those equations?" "I've pretty much got a handle on it now, Peter... Summer talked me through the basic medical theory, Savage threw in her two cents, Iris provided the information on it, and Elsie... actually provided something useful. It was about a guy who got hit by a subway train, granted, but it was helpful." She looked up at him, then back down at her equations. "I'm just glad I didn't have to try to figure out that stupid Vong disease." "Subway train?" "She who talks to ghosts, remember?" "Ah. Right... kinda makes one wonder why she decided to study animal medicine, doesn't it?" "A bit." "So... what are we calling this one?" Ranko stopped writing and looked at him thoughtfully. "Operation Save The Guy And Stop The Girl From Doing Something Really Dumb?" Peter paused. "I like it." "Besides, I had to do something useful, while everyone else helps with the preparations and such." Peter watched as she dropped her gaze to the table, an unreadable expression on her face. "I know it wasn't your fault, Ranko." She tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?" "I knew you didn't fry everything on purpose when you ran to me and imitated Shampoo." "Funny," she said as he took her hand in his. "I'm a funny man... You weren't even going to use that technique, were you?" Ranko shook her head. "Not with all the energy bombs around, no. If anything, I was going to take my turn and make very potent ones, not fry everything in a thousand foot radius." "How do you feel?" Ranko sighed at the concerned expression in his eyes. "Not as charbroiled as I did... now, anyway. It'll be a while before I can do anything power-related while not in armor, so... It's probably a good idea to try playing normal basketball?" "Basketball?" "If you want... but your shadow? It's not playing." "Spoilsport." "You're the one with the animated shadow, Peter. It cheats." "And electrifying the ball isn't cheating?" Ranko just smiled at him. "Didn't say that." Peter rolled his eyes at her and she giggled. The Next Day... Mara sighed as she listened and occasionally got a word in edgewise while Leia told her about the plans. She was beginning to think that leaving Leia to plan it on her own had been a bad decision, that this whole thing had gotten out of hand. “...all right. Why the simulcast? I don’t think it’s really needful that it be live.” “Why not? It’ll show unity.” “Because it feels like an invasion of privacy.” “And Luke is a public figure.” Leia saw the frown and shook her head. “He’s a hero, and people need to see their heroes going about their lives as normal people.” “So it’s not some political thing?” Leia’s silence at that question was deafening, and Mara pushed away from the table with a heavy sigh. “All right. Fine. Have the simulcast if you want it. I’ll talk to Luke about the thing... but I want it on a time delay.” “I’m sorry?” Leia asked as she watched Mara stand up. “That’s my condition. You want to show our wedding to the galaxy, fine, but not as it happens. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go help my fiancé with lightsaber training. Should be fun.” Leia watched her go, then couldn’t help but sigh in relief. “That went well.” ~~~~~ Mara entered the academy’s women’s locker rooms and set her gym bag down with a frustrated sigh. “Wedding planning going well?” Dawn’s voice asked from the next bench over as she put on a gray-colored gi. “Yeah.” “That good, huh?” Dawn smiled at the expression Mara threw her way. “Be glad that Leia’s not making you pull names out of a hat to decide on what type of ceremony you’re going to have.” Mara paused and looked at Dawn in confusion. “What?” “My husband's aunt’s wedding ceremony was decided that way because her and Ranko’s father couldn’t make up their minds and argued all the time. Long story, really, and I never got all the details because she doesn't like to talk about it..." Mara stared at Dawn for a really long minute, before shaking her head. Just when she’d thought there were no more surprises to be had where these people were concerned... “Right... if you say so.” Dawn put on her shoes and flashed another smile at Mara. “See ya out there.” “I thought this was just lightsaber training?” “We needed a bit of sparring practice, but we’re not training with your trainees.” “Oh. Yes, I’ll be out in a minute or two.” Dawn nodded and left Mara to her thoughts as she changed. ~~~~ Amy crossed her arms and waited while Elsie donned a practice gi. "I heard about that incident you had on the worldship, by the way." "Really? Well everyone heard about you getting knocked on your butt and making Ranko have an episode, so I guess we're even." Elsie glanced at her and sighed. "I'm sorry, A.J." "Don't be. I shouldn't have gotten knocked on my butt." They spent a moment or two in companionable silence before Elsie spoke again. "It was just that I walked right through it. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have known it was even there." "And?" "And what? It was just a bit of a shock is all." "But it wasn't a picnic, either." "True... You're not going to let me just forget about it, are you?" "Nope. That's how you ended up on the extended vacation in the first place." "Cute, Amy. Real cute... and aren't you going to join the practice session?" Elsie raised an eyebrow at the casual attire that her teammate was sporting. "What? You don't think this would do?" "No." Amy laughed, and reached into her duffle bag to pull out her own work out clothes. "Quite right. It really wouldn't do to be practicing in slacks." Elsie stared as Amy set the copper-colored gi on the bench. "Am I the only one who wasn't in on the color-coding?" "Blame my mother-in-law for this. Aniya demanded it for training on Elidar. Me, I'd have rather worn sweats or something, but Nathan thinks I look good in it, so..." "Ah. What's it like training with Time Guardians, anyway?" "Well... I'm not ever sparring with my husband's aunt again, if that tell's you anything." "It... all right. It doesn't." "It's one thing to be drenched by water or thrown into a wall by an air element. It's entirely another when your sparring partner turns into a big purple dragon and scares the living daylights out of you." "Oh. Right... that makes sense, I guess." "And how's your basic martial arts skills?" "I did just fine on the world ship, you know." Amy rolled her eyes as she tied her top closed with a cloth belt. "That was in armor, Dusty... And you're sparring with me today. Peter's orders." "Huh?" "That's the reason I asked about the basic." "Great. Remind me to tell Running Moon to haunt him when we get home." "He doesn't deserve that and you know it." "But the thought is so tempting." "You know he only wants to be certain of our training and safety." "Then how come Whuki and Rala get to sit out if we can't?" "Because they're on a training trip breather and we just... oh. You're right. That's really not fair." Elsie chuckled as they walked out of the locker room. She stopped at one of the rows and saw Mara changing. "Mara? I thought you were going through the preparations today?" "Had to take a break," Mara muttered. "Be out in a minute." "Well, all right..." Elsie turned to look at Amy. "Think we should wait?" "Not from the tone of her voice." "Right. Let's go." ~~~~~ Susan watched as the trainees were led through lightsaber excersizes in the academy's gymnasium facility by more experienced Jedi in groups around the room. Luke and Mara were leading the beginners in a basic drill, and she couldn't help but take note of the holes in the defensive patterns. "I don't think they'd last through one of Ethan's combat sessions right now. Too many holes." Next her, Miranda sighed. "They're just trainees, Susan... but yes. That thought had crossed my mind, too." She motioned to a blond who looked out of place in the brown Jedi garb. "That one over there... Needs to work on her footing. Her balance is a bit off." Susan paused, and turned to look at her with a grin. "Hey... you wanna spar?" "Aren't you restricted to sims right now, Sue?" "That's for home, not here." Miranda winced as the trainee she'd been watching lost her balance and fell hard on her rear. "Powers or no powers?" "No powers." "Weapons or hand to hand?" "Weapons... but you're not allowed to give me a concussion." "Deal." Miranda, refusing to say that all she needed to do was wear a helmet to avoid getting a concussion (not true), went to go get her batons out of her sub-pocket inconspicuously. After all, it just wouldn't do to pull them out of nowhere and startle a bunch of Jedi with lethal blades of light in their hands. ~~~~ When she returned, Susan was holding twin katanas and smirking. "Where did you get those?" "Amy," Susan said as she to their teammate who was practicing hand to hand with Elsie while Chris watched from nearby. "She said I should at least use something like your batons if I was serious about sparring with weapons." Miranda laughed. "Right... Let's have at it, shall we?" As they started lashing out, the repeated clang of metal on metal began to drown out that of lightsabers. The Jedi trainees (and, for that matter, the Jedi leading the session), from all corners of the large room, turned to see where all the noise was coming from, and saw two women, one in orange, the other in yellow, sparring with more grace than they were used to seeing. When the two of them started incorporating crazy martial arts moves, jaws began to drop. ~~~*~ Ranko, as she'd been running late, entered the training area and had to stop and stare at the spectacle of every Jedi in the room watching her teammates as they went all out in semi-controlled armed combat. Shaking her head in resignation, Ranko headed over to where Luke and Mara were standing. "Did they tell you that they were going to do that?" Luke, watching with a keen interest, shook his head. "No... I don't recognize the style, but it certainly is effective." Ranko turned back, evaluating her teammates on their own merits. She could see some things in the patterns, but... "Hmm... have to ask them to show me that later... Susan needs more practice with twin katanas, and Miranda is going to kick her butt eventually." "What makes you think that?" "Experience. Miranda is lethal with those things and Susan isn't wearing a helmet... Not that the helmet would do much good..." She blinked in surprise when they switched weapons so they each had one katana and one baton. "Then again..." "We could use some of those moves in lightsaber combat, couldn't we?" Mara asked after a moment in curiosity. "Some, yes... What is she?" Ranko watched as Susan tossed Miranda's baton in the air, Miranda tossed the katana, they switched weapons again, and Susan pulled out her staff and put the katanas away all in one fluid motion. "Oh. I didn't think she could do that in mid-movement with the Thunderstaff..." "What was it like in actual practice?" Mara asked Luke directly. "Better than what you're seeing now," Luke told her, his eyes still analyzing every move. "That staff is the weapon she has the most experience with, isn't it?" "Yes..." Ranko blinked again when Miranda copied Susan and pulled out the Shadow Glaive and put the batons away. Frowning, she turned to see if Peter was in the immediate area. She wouldn't have been able to do that if he weren't. Ah, he was over with Melinda, going through some excersizes with bo staffs. Satisfied, Ranko turned back to watch the combat spar again. "It's her weapon of choice, though we're trained to use each other's weapons to varying degrees... Want me to stop them or let it continue for a bit?" "Let it continue. It's good to have a demonstration like this, and I want to see what they do next." "Probably pull out Melinda's mallets." "Mallets?" Mara asked, disbelief in her voice. "Uh-hmm... You'd be surprised how much you can do with blunt trauma and brute force." "Oh. That makes sense, I guess." Ranko let it go for a few more minutes before interfering. "Break!" Miranda and Susan stopped, put the weapons away, bowed to one another, and then turned to look at their team leader in expectation. They were both breathing heavy, but that was to be expected. "All right, you two. Enough of that." "But..." Susan began before earning a hard glare from her sister. Then she noticed that everyone in the room were all focused on them. "Oh. Right. Sorry." Ranko turned to look at Mara with a slight smirk. "Could you use some combat instructors for the day, since they seem to be up to it?" Mara glanced at Luke in question, he nodded, and then Mara smiled. "Good idea." Ranko turned back to Miranda and Susan and shook her head. "Go take a five, catch your breath, and then get your butts back here. You've just been drafted because of that stunt and will be helping the Jedi... Good form, though." Miranda nodded, then grabbed Susan's arm, and they walked away with smiles on their faces. "Ranko, did you have to stop them?" Amy asked from where she continued to lead Elsie through excersizes. "That's the best I've seen Susan do unarmored in months." "Well... yes. You're right, though." Luke shook his head for a moment, then looked around at the twenty or so trainees. "All right, everybody. Distraction over. Back to training." Mara noticed that Ranko was carrying a lightsaber hilt and frowned. "Where did you get that?" "From the weapons storage locker on the Wave Runner. I figured that if this was a training session with Jedi, then it was best to be prepared... the balance is weird, though. I'm used to a sword where the weight is in the blade. Wish I'd thought to bring mine along, but I didn't know where we were going at first, so I didn't think of it." Mara stared at her. "Right... Wait. You have a lightsaber of your own?" "Yep. The reason Moira had our signal device is because we've been here before. Shortly after the Battle of Naboo, in fact. And we were temporarily living in the Jedi Temple at the time. Hmm..." Ranko studied Mara's face for a moment, suddenly realizing something. Mara bore a passing resemblance to an agricultrual trainee she'd met very briefly. "Wish I could remember that trainee's name..." "Huh?" "You look like her, a little." Ranko shrugged at the inquisitive expression that Mara was throwing at her. "Part of that time is a blur, and there were a lot of people there. Plus, it was 35 years ago and we were trying to get home, so I'm lucky I remember that Moira's mom teased her in writing about Master Burrows tying her to a chair... Anyway, let's get to it, shall we?" Mara nodded. "Yes... how well can you use that?" "I'm expert with a long sword, but a bit clumsy with a lightsaber. Why?" "This is a training session, after all." Mara grinned at the amused expression. "Actual training wouldn't be unheard of here." "True." Ranko spent the next several hours learning how to properly handle a lightsaber, and keeping an eye on a certain two draftee instructors as they went from group to group and helped out. She noticed that Miranda spent a very long twenty minutes helping a blonde trainee find her proper balance center and had to wonder what had happened to make Miranda focus on that particular training point... TBC... -----signature----- "Say it with me now. Postcard. Zoo. Not. Shopping." master to jackyyy17, micky-nikki & Trimaj e-sis: BrightFeather & BrentusofGath All cats are leopards after dark.
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Jade_eyes Registered: Aug '04	Date Posted: 8/11/07 4:08am Subject: RE: Ever and Always (L/M, angst/romance) (update 8/10)
	Cute update. I like Mara's idea about a time delay. And... cutting out the back way from the reception. -----signature----- Luke/Mara--without end forever ginchy, Irish =I Squggles before I read a word
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