Unfathomable Love (L/M EU with AU twist) Post. Tying the Bond (the AU begins for real :)

Good afternoon L and M fans, and fellow SW fans For those of you who followed my previous stories, yup, I'm back with the beginning of a new one, and for the new joiners, hope you'll have fun with what will develop here for Luke and Mara, and their family and friends of course

Unfathomable Love is the title I now give to my series of L/M stories which cover from their very first encounter (prologue), to the novels, in between them (with a secret-love-AU streak while skipping the NJO series completely.

The basis of the series is already available at my website, but only in a rough format compared to what it will be... and with lots of holes to fill even in between the stories

Hence, this thread will gather them all in one series like an ongoing story It will be pg and will be about adventure, drama, friendship, courage, Love, passion, family life,... and how they get together of course Oh, an important note: this whole story is based on the mystical power of Love and pre-ordained destinies

I hope you'll have as much fun following their 'progresses' and antics as I've had fun writing them


Okay, enough blah blah, and let's get to the goods, right

Hope you'll have fun



[image=http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/3702/drawings/image/Mtatooine.jpg]
(drawing attached to Predestined Soulmates Follow the link to see it better


PROLOGUE: Predestined Soulmates
Part 1: First encounter
By SJ 16-11-99/06-2002 (skyjade@globetrotter.net)

________________
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 street

 

Heya SJ!!

(It's Tim from the Luke_Vader mailing list)

Looking good so far!! I admit, I haven't been reading a whole lot of L/M of late...I shall have to resume doing so. Great start so far!

-Tim

 

(part 1 continued)

Disclaimers and thanks, see first board




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.




TBC right away

 

Part 1 continued:

Disclaimers and thanks, see first board






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

 

Part 1 continued:

Disclaimers and thanks, see first board


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

 

part 1 continued:

Disclaimers and thanks, see first board



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.






TBC right away

 

Part 1 continued:

Disclaimers and thanks, see first board




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.






TBC right away

 

Part 1 concluded:

Disclaimers and thanks, see first board



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


Any positive stuff is welcome

Love and care
SJ

 

Thanks Tim Wow! That's what we call fast on the trigger Glad you liked the first post

Hope you'll continue to like the rest... and that I'll convince you to read more L/M



Love and care
SJ

 

Hey SJade this sounds great so far. I can't wait for more........... .....
More?
UP!

 

Hey SJ - you sure post a lot at one time. It's good to have another L/M fic around here. Can never have too many.

Luke is so cute as a teenager.

 

Thanks UKnow and Rebel Mom Glad you liked what you read so far About an up, I won't have time before next week-end, I now have to deal with serious time-constraints on-Line so I will gather the posts during the week-ends... so they are supposed to last for the week

Glad to give you more L/M Rebel Mom, and good to speak to you again; it's been a while I promise to keep more L/M around for you

THanks again for the feedback, both of you; it means a lot to me and you can be sure that I will be posting more next week

Love and care
SJ

 

Ooh! SJ! I'm so glad that you're back with a new L/M story! Great job so far! Can't wait to see what happens next!

 

The return of SJade with another L/M fic. I've been waiting for this for a while. I'm also in agreement with RebelMom, never can have too many L/M stories. I'll be watching this one when I've got the time in Antigua, and definitely once I get back to good ol' Wisconsin.

Force be with you,

Tych_sel

 

Good morning Marawannabe and Tych Thanks for the feedback, both of you, I'm glad you've liked the beginning of this new thread It means a lot to me

I promise to not make you wait any longer than I have to till the next post

Love and care
SJ

 

Wow! Cool story SJade... looking forward to the rest

 

Hehe...my favorite character...a teenage Luke. Yay!! Count me in!

 

Thanks Rose, Emily; glad you had fun with the first part

The second one is coming very soon now; hope you'll be around for the next round of teenage Luke fun

Thanks again for the feedback; it means a lot to me

Love and care
SJ

 

Good evening once again

Yup, this time, it's the up

Hope you'll have fun once again

Disclaimers and thanks, see first board


Part 2: The Way of the Force

Careful to not look as if he were disobeying the young woman, Luke followed Jade into the corridor, then the cockpit of the ship.

There, he stopped at the threshold of the hatch and gazed around himself in awe. The boards, the piloting station, the helm... It was exactly like how he had imagined them to be. It turned out to be quite a shock to him since everyone had managed to convince him that his images had been delusions of his imagination. However, he jubilated inwardly, he could now see that they weren't.

And if they weren't, he thought in renewed hope, then his feeling that he could fly a ship without even any training might just be true as well.

Suddenly, the image of the cockpit disappeared from his mind and was replaced by that of him at the helm of the ship, flying into deep space and fighting against enemies who had come out of nowhere, 'but they wouldn't get him', he resolved. He saw himself flip switches and steer the ship in a new direction, skillfully avoiding dangerous laser blasts---

"Hey, you awake?" Jade's voice suddenly cut in his reverie and pulled him back down to the reality of his farmboy's life.

More snaps of her fingers in front of his face pushed away his remaining daze.

"I... huh, yeah," he grinned sheepishly. "I was just thinking that I'd love to be a pilot," he admitted to her, dimly wondering why he was telling her about this in the first place.

"I know what you mean," the woman nodded in understanding even as she lightly took hold of his arm and directed him back the way they had come. "I'm done here. Let's retrieve your speeder and be on our way."

"Oh, huh... right," Luke nodded in understanding even though he was disappointed to leave this soon.

He wanted to see more of the ship, to perhaps be granted a spin in it... but Jade seemed to have other ideas in mind. She didn't rough him up in any way, but she didn't give him any choice either but to exit the ship before she sealed it behind them.

They then cleared the area of the landing pad, then Jade pulled a remote from her belt and activated it.

Luke watched the only ship he had ever seen in his life, and perhaps the last one he'd ever see, as it slowly rose from the ground before it slowly yet gracefully pushed itself upward and rose toward the untouchable sky.

Some day, he promised himself, he would be aboard such a ship, on his way off this dust ball of a planet.



TBC right away

 

Part 2 continued


Mara carefully studied her ship as it lifted off, paying attention to any indication that the engine had been damaged while she had been away. The craft lifted off without any mishap and was soon little more than a sparkling dot against the blue backdrop of the morning sky.

"Well I don't know who your task master is, Jade," the youth commented softly beside her, "but he must be powerful to 'give' you such a ship to work with."

Puzzled by the boy's comment, she turned her head sideways to gaze at him; his eyes were still locked on the sky, as if he could still track her ship, she reflected seriously.

"He is," she nodded curtly in answer to the youth's reflection, then pulled her hood back over her bright red-gold hair and tucked her remote control back in her utility belt, under her robe.

Wordlessly, she turned around to leave the landing pit; the farmboy took a few seconds to follow her. On their way to his speeder, she dimly wondered what she had to understand from his suddenly glum feelings.


******


Perhaps ten minutes after they had left the town, the farmboy still hadn't recovered his more naive, brighter mood. Even though she didn't know him at all, Mara could feel that it was not his normal behavior, that something was greatly bothering him.

Against her every imperial instincts and lessons, she asked him what was wrong.

At first, only silence and the wind tearing past her hair and ears answered her... then a sigh.

She noticed that it was not one of annoyance like those she was used to produce or see, nor even those of discouragement, which were common with the regular populace; instead, it was one filled with sorrow and regret.

"Perhaps seeing your ship wasn't a good idea," the young man commented cryptically, effectively shedding the image that she had had up to now of an innocent, barely grown boy... for that of a serious, thoughtful young man.

This discovery left her so speechless that she could barely nod to encourage him to continue.

"I've been trying to register in the Imperial Academy for three seasons now," he explained to her, his eyes locked on a spot in front of them. "Every time, I got selected and wanted to go."

"But?" she prompted him, aware of where he was going with this.

"My uncle won't let me go," he answered sadly. "He says that he needs me for the harvest, that it's only for one more season, but up to now, the same scenario has been repeating itself every new season... and I'm still here."

"Why don't you run away then?" she suggested seriously, pushing a streak of hair out of her eyes as a sudden gust of side wind pushed it across her eyes.

Having taken her eyes off the boy for a fraction of a second, she was thus uncharacteristically startled when he whirled toward her, his face a study of emotional pains, hopes,... and plain disbelief at her proposal.

"And leave my aunt and uncle to survive on their own in this desert?" he asked her indignantly. "I'd rather die here than abandon them," he answered, dead-serious.

Despite her most rigorous training and her frequent experiences with her dangerous, powerful master, Mara Jade couldn't help but swallow in uneasiness as the suddenly defiant/determinate, icy blue eyes of the boy rested on her.

This young man was much more than what he seemed, she dimly reflected even as she watched the powerful gaze slowly soften back to its more 'familiar' kindness and warmth.

"I'm sorry," the youth apologized softly for his outburst, "it's just that they are the only family I have. They took care of me ever since my father died. I can't turn my back on them," he finished sadly, focusing back on his piloting. "It wouldn't be right," he mumbled to himself.

So many emotions, Mara thought in unusual kindness as she continued to gaze at the profile of her glum companion. The farmboy cared so much for those who had and still raised him that he didn't even think about fulfilling his own dreams until they wouldn't need him anymore.


TBC right away

 

Part 2 continued:
Even though she was aware that she had only heard about the tip of the ice block, she could feel that if the farmboy waited for 'that' day to happen to leave... it would never happen.

"But enough about me," the object of her thoughts commented in the silence, then turned his head once again in her direction. "What about you? How did you become a secret agent while this young?"

"Secret agent?" she slightly glared at him, feeling uncomfortable with the fact that he had hit this close to the mark... A mark she had been trying to keep secret from him.

"Well, something along those lines anyway," he smiled sheepishly. "So, how did it happen?"

For a moment, Mara turned away from him and gazed straight ahead of them. The sand dunes were constantly growing closer yet they were endlessly stretching as far as the horizon went. Very much like her master's domain, she reflected even as she considered how unhappy he would be when he would find out how she had 'dealt' with the boy.

Not answering his questions would at least help to appease his anger, she thought seriously--- yet her heart decided otherwise once again.

"My master found me and trained me since I was little," she answered him truthfully. "He saved me from slavery and gave me all the knowledge I needed to survive on my own. I chose to serve him to thank him for saving me," she revealed, dimly aware that she had never, ever been this truthful with anybody before, not even herself.

"I'm sorry," the boy answered softly, giving her a warm, compassionate gaze before refocusing forward.

Mara frowned at his word and turned around to gaze at him once again. "For what?" she asked even as she reflexively noticed the presence of a survival shelter in the distance and on their left. It too zipped past them as the speeder flew onward.

"Well, for---"

The farmboy never had time to complete his explanation before they were both almost thrown out of their seats as the speeder suddenly bucked hard under them--- and stalled completely.



TBC right away

 

Part 2 continued:
Once recovered from his shock, Luke became aware that the speeder had completely stopped, stranding them right smack dab in the middle of the Dune Sea.

"Great," he muttered in annoyance even as he pulled himself out of his seat and jumped out of the speeder. "Are you all right?" he asked his companion; she nodded in reassurance. "Stay put, I'll take a look at it. It's probably nothing," he tried to comfort himself.

He made his way around the front of the speeder. Now that they were immobile, he quickly grew aware of the worrying side wind that was ruffling his hair where there normally was no air at all, only the stifling heat from the double suns which were cooking them mercilessly. Trying to ignore the implication of the wind, he pulled the hood of the speeder opened--- and took a few, hasty steps backward to protect himself from the scorching heat of the hot engine. As he recovered from his unpleasant surprise, he saw that his companion had also stepped out of the speeder and had joined him to study the problem.

The first thing he noticed about her this time was that the side winds were most unmistakable in her beautiful hair, pushing them toward her left. Even though her sight was most beautiful, perhaps even angelic, he admitted to himself that he didn't like at all the implication of the winds. He spared a gaze at the sky above them; it was still as clear as ever.

"So what's the problem?" she asked him even as she peered at the tangle of wires and mechanical parts of the engine. "Oh, looks like the ventilation coil is blown," she then commented seriously.

Surprised by her knowledge of mechanic... as well as her accurate evaluation of the situation once he checked the engine by himself, Luke turned around to gape at her---- and truly gaped in horror at the sight of what was swiftly approaching them from behind her.

Without thinking, he grabbed hold of her hand and tore away from the stranded speeder. If he remembered right from his memory of the previous minutes, there was a survival hut somewhere nearby.

It was their only chance.



TBC right away

 

Part 2 continued:


Mara was almost indignant at the face the boy began to make at her, but her retort died on her lips when his expression changed from surprise to horror. She hesitantly turned around to see what he had detected--- and barely gaped in turn at the steadily approaching wall of sand and winds before she found herself tripping over her feet and the hem of her robe as the farmboy pulled her after himself; they set on a flat out run in the opposite direction of the approaching sandstorm.

"Where are you going?" she asked him even as she managed to catch her balance and drew level with him.

"Survival hut!" was his only answer as he continued to run for their lives.

Understanding his plan, Mara reached out with the Force for a guidance--- and pulled him sharply toward the left as she changed their direction. Now it was his turn to almost fall face first in the scorching sand.

Behind them, the wall of sand had almost reached the stalled speeder.

"This way!" she answered his unasked question while they both struggled against the yielding sand and overheated atmosphere to gain more speed.

She herself knew where the hut was, but she couldn't estimate the distance; what she knew though was that if they didn't reach the hut before the almost solid wall of wind and sand hit them, they were done for.

Sounds of scorching sands against metal informed them that the storm had already reached the speeder. That spurred them on. Ignoring their already ragged breaths and burning muscles, they pushed onward, drawing more desperately needed speed from their already exhausted bodies.

Behind them, the howling storm seemed to catch on them, slowly nipping at their heels while their chosen shelter had yet to show itself in amongst the dunes that they were now tackling.


TBC

Had fun? LIked it? Hope so

Love and care
SJ

 

Great job.
Can't wait for MORE!MORE!MORE!
I'll be waiting.

 

Thanks Nabooprincess Glad you enjoyed it, and more more more coming soon

I give you my word!
Love and care
SJ