Saga Quagmire (AU, L/M others around ROTJ) Part 1 completed 29th. September

Yeah!!! Great update. Love your description of Mara's dancing.

Woot!

 

For a moment, her Master?s annoyance seemed to melt away as he imbibed this new information. ?Master Yoda??

Ooooh. ::rubs my hands in anticipation::

?Master, Skywalker keeps his droid in high regard. He has never wiped its memory, or so I?ve been told anyway. And as he uses the same droid every time, it is a logical extrapolation that it accompanied him on that trip too.?

You know, I always wondered what would happen if Vader got his hands on Artoo again. I love the fact that both generations have such a connection to that little droid.

?If there?s an alarm I?ll click you, sure Luke. I wouldn?t do it for anyone else, but for you ? everything!? Kasan winked and blew him a kiss and Luke blushed. Since he?d finally caved in to Shira, the other girls had extended their friendliness to a degree he?d never have been able to handle before ? and in fact had problems with even now. Apparently, now that someone had staked a claim, he was free game for the usual sly innuendo which was what the girls considered ?friendly.?

?A girl on every deck these days, Luke?? Lando bounced his eyebrows, casting an appreciative glance at Kasan, but Luke only nodded at her and hastened out of the room.

HA! Poor Luke. I can imagine him just blushing furiously at all this!

?Mostly it?s just awkward. And I don?t walk around reading people?s minds, I just can?t help but pick up emotions, sometimes even stray images if they?re very powerfully broadcasted.?

This is an excellent description of what it must have been like for Luke to be the only Jedi in the galaxy. You can't help but feel bad for the guy!

Luke is REALLY trying to convince himself that Shira is amazing! Methinks he doth protest too much!

?Right?? Luke shifted on the bench, aware that Lando showed a rare, soft side here. ?Well, I don?t think I could ?pretend? convincingly even if I wanted to. You make it sound like you put on a show or something.?

Lando turned the cup in his hands, his eyes on the floor. ?Every single hour of every single day.?

Aww. Okay, Lando, now I feel bad about all the things I said about you when you were "with" Mara.

And suddenly it all made sense. The many months Shira had been hitting on him; his own, strange reluctance to get to know her closer? She?s been shielding herself somehow, subconsiously! And I sensed it. Only, I didn?t know that I did because I didn?t know what to look for.

Alright Farmboy, now what are you gonna do with this information, hmmm?

Mara didn?t even look up from the datapad she?d brought with her. ?Hey, Cyborg.?

LOL. Poor Hobbs.

Rebels they might be but these guys were fun

Well YEAH, they're Rogue Squadron! Fun is their MO!

It bothered him ? and why did he have this feeling Jade would have enjoyed it if she?d known?

Because she would.


Luke winced. It was him who had slipped that information in the first place. It had seemed like such an innocuous piece of information when he?d mentioned it, just an offhand comment when Shira had enquired details about the rescue of Han. But now, ?dancer? suddenly got a double entendre and Luke couldn?t help suspecting that Shira was perfectly aware of this.

::smacks Luke:: ::smacks Shira:: ::hugs Mara::

Wes bobbed his hair. ?Oh, I had problems enough fending off women as it was. How would it have turned out if I really had started to expose how stunning I am??

Bwahahahahaaha Wes I love you.

?Oh, I didn?t think that either. Most dancers I?ve seen didn?t have much on them anyway,? Shira giggled light-heartedly and Luke winced again. This wasn?t Shira as he knew her and to see her like this made him flinch.

Oh no, Luke would not like this it all. Stupid Shira, you should know that by now!

As she gracefully curtsied and thanked, Mara stole a glance at Shira Brie, no longer in the armpit of Skywalker as the Jedi needed both hands for applauding. Mara smiled maliciously. When it comes to charming men it?s

 

Great writing! This is definitely not the sort of story I go in for normally, but your writing has really drawn me in. I love the way you're writing Jade - the conflict of duty and the almost arguments she's having with herself are great to read.

Another chapter is in the works?

 

Yet another lovely chapter, kataja!

Oh, poor Mara. She doesn't know, though, that the Emperor's present alienation will be one of the factors that will let her lead a different, far more meaningful life in the future, by making her seriously reflect on her actions as an Emperor's Hand.

Hehe. Even though Luke finds it awkward to be able to read minds, I can't help but find it amusing that it gives him such good hunches about what Han is up to.

If we needed more evidence that not everything is as perfect as Luke would want things to be between him and Shira...

What a great piece of advice from Lando. I'm really glad that somebody has finally pointed this out to Luke.

What a lovely ending to this chapter. How great it would be if this incident would help bring Mara and Leia closer!

 

This story just keeps getting better and better, kataja!

Eagerly awaiting the next installment!

 

Jade_eyes

Woohoo!!! Mara stole the show and that's not all! Think she "stole" Luke too.
Yowza!
Go kataja! You just go!!

LOL, maybe she did? But you know he?s not so easily leaving his tracks? He?s a toiler, that one. Glad you liked !


whateveritis12

Nice play on words there at the end, I see what you did there.

Thanks! Yeah, I have to sneak stuff like that in once in a while, maybe subconsciously trying to keep some sane distance to it all?



Piper057

Finally, I'm here - Darth Real Life is killing me these days, I've never felt so tired... Or maybe, I'm just getting older.
Old!? Please! But yeah, DRL is a hard Master. Hang on there!


kataja posted: Lando quieted, watching his friend intently as he closed in around his cup, then sighed and shifted countenance, that smart, self-assured mien smoothing away and him becoming just? well, just Lando.
Yes! Mostly, writers don't bother with Lando and write about the guy with "smart, self-assured mien". He is much more than that.

He certainly is! And I?ve always imagined his and Luke?s friendship to be something special. Luke would be closer to Han and Wedge of course, but Lando would always feel and awe towards him as the guy who stood up against Darth Vader. After all, Lando never knew Luke when he was ?just? a farmboy. I imagine Luke would never have blamed him for his doubleplay at Bespin either, making him Lando?s anchor those months searching for Han? And Luke would be about the only person in the galaxy (before Tendra) that Lando wouldn?t have to show off to, not the slightest?

kataja posted: The way her mood was, Rogue company was probably the best she could have ? Rebels they might be but these guys were fun
Indeed, they are! Just like many other men I work with - they don't even try to look adult. Those males...*here Piper rolls her eyes*
I love their protectiveness about Luke.

LOL me too! And I love ?those males? too. Life should be taken with a shrug sometimes ?and that?s an art they?ve perfectioned.

kataja posted: ?Luke?s at his best when flying an X-wing. His best ? and most himself. If you haven?t seen him flying, you haven?t seen the man.? Hobbie stated.
Wonderful passage!
Thanks! And Mara hasn?t seen that yet!

kataja posted: She tried to answer them as politely but curtly as she could, silently wondering whether she had pulled too much attention to herself.
They both don't behave like professionals here. Shira forgets that being mean to others isn't a best a way to keep Luke close while Mara... well, she changes gradually.
And maybe not as a spy but as a woman she definitely won this battle because
When it comes to charming men it?s not all a question of curves and breast measurement, Miss Bigbosom.

Heh heh, thanks! You know, about every fic I write Mara, I imagine her a bit differently. When writing Q I have a certain actress much in mind - and she had a slender dancer?s body but men drooled over her anyway. And then it felt natural to make Shira the opposite. As she had her birth in comics, she of course was drawn pretty curvy?
As for the sliding professionalism ? you are SO right! They bring out the worst in each other. One can?t but speculate why?


blank101
Lando bounced his eyebrows is a great description over over-exuberance
And very Lando, I?d say.

And on that topic ? I hear that you?ve caught a fox!?
Luke blushed again. ?Uh, well?? He fidgeted with his caf, at loss for words. Everybody seemed so genuinely pleased on his behalf. Rather more than he was himself, in fact.
Hee!
Yeah, well?. Luke would be more honest while facing a friend than just facing himself?

Lando snorted into his cup and Luke couldn?t help a crooked smile. He rubbed his head in embarrassment, but knew Lando had heard worse ? hell, had pro

 

Quagmire - chapter 19


Spontanity and complications

Eleven days after the fire, Mara found herself standing on one of the smaller hangar decks, hands clenched to fists behind her back, trying hard to find a face to go with the situation. She was already regretting her harsh attitude and barely-hidden barbs towards Deena and even more all the good advice she?d failed to give her in the name of keeping her cover intact. In retrospect, she was pretty sure that she could have taught the girl a few tricks without giving herself away. Deena surely wouldn?t have smelled the womp rat - and now it was too late. The blonde Etti-girl looked so small and vulnerable in the midst of the team of hardened soldiers.

The team was small. The farewell party in one of the several portside hangars was even smaller. Only Luke and Mara had come to say goodbye, and there was a good chance they were the only ones who knew the team was leaving. Somehow, Mara felt it odd she would be the one Deena had entrusted herself to. But apart from Skywalker and herself, Deena had no close friends aboard Home One. Mara didn?t know whether she felt good or bad about that.

Deena and Antilles were the last to linger on the ramp, talking to Skywalker, and Mara walked to them, giving the former a big if somewhat awkward hug. Antilles gawked at her, clearly astonished she even was there. ?Holy Hoojibs!? he exclaimed. ?Does this mean I get a kiss for luck from you, Jade??

Luke gave her a surprised look and Mara rolled her eyes. ?Sure,? she muttered with a sigh of resignation. ?This is your lucky day Antilles.?

Wedge grinned and reached out for her. But instead of kissing her, he just pulled her in for a hug, then gently pushed her away again.

?I?ll settle with this for now then,? he told her with a grin, ?and save some of my luck. We might need all we can get on this mission.?

To the staring Luke and Deena he added: ?If we come back safe and sound we know who to thank, right?? He winked an eye at Mara.

She couldn?t help laughing. ?Right, Antilles, and when you come back safe and sound you owe me a beer.?

Wedge shrugged, a flirtatious smile tugging the corner of his mouth. ?Maybe, maybe not, but don?t think I consider this kiss issue settled yet. When I come back we?ll see who owes what to who.? He gave Luke a stern look. ?And no taking advantage of my absence, you lurker!?

Luke?s face changed to a picture of innocence. ?Course not, Wedge,? he assured, eyes wide, and quickly stepped to Mara, slipped his arm around her waist. ?Wouldn?t dream of it.?

They all burst into laughter and even Mara couldn?t quite hold back a chuckle.

Deena was the first to turn serious. Her eyes were almost glossy as she turned to Mara. ?It?s so sweet of you to come and wave me off! And I?ve been thinking about what you said the other day ? you were so right! I?ll try to remember that!? She stuck up her thumb. ?Heads up!?

Mara could feel her cheeks warm. ?Oh, that? Hey. You?ll be fine.? Before she could find anything smarter to say she was almost crushed in Deena?s embrace.

?Well?? Wedge mumbled softly and tugged in Deenas sleeve. ?We?d better get going, right??

?Right,? Deena straightened up. She had tears in her eyes, but at least she was smiling. ?See you both soon. And try not to attract too much trouble while we?re gone, ok??

Wedge laid his arm around her shoulders and together they walked up the ramp, disappearing into the shuttle where Jansen and Klivian were already powering up.

Luke and Mara backed away to the necessary distance, watching the shuttle warm up for departure. They didn?t exchange a word, but somehow the silence was strangely comforting. Mara wondered if she really was allowed to feel this way in the company of a target, but she couldn?t help herself. Despite their obvious differences and their short acquaintance, that uncomplicated girl from a fourth rate planet in Outer Rim had captured her affection, at least as much of it as Mara could give in this mission based on lies and deceit

 

Wow! Wow!

If I didn't know it was you writing this, I'd be assured 100% that whatever L/M end up as by story's end, it won't be lovers.

The web is getting hopelessly tangled between them, more like a thick barricade.




I did enjoy Nera's assessment and conclusions about Shira. I would say she's right on all counts.

 

Oh, oh, oh, what a twist! I'm so surprised by this turn of events that I simply can't find the right words to express my thoughts at the moment...

What a lovely L/M moment at the beginning, even if it was only meant as a joke!

Poor Mara - she already felt bad enough being a spy when she didn't know that Deena and Wedge were heading into a trap. How awful to find out later that she unintentionally let them walk into a trap that she had already known about!

Love the way you have Dantels explain her aversion towards Shira Brie. One sees how it's difficult to explain exactly what it is about Shira that annoys one - Nera, Leia and Mara are all probably all too aware that if they mention their thoughts about Shira to somebody who doesn't share the same feelings, they'd probably be viewed as simply being jealous of Shira's popularity - no wonder that those who sense something wrong about Shira have taken such a long time to find each other among the Alliance crowd!

Oh, poor confused Mara. She's certainly developing something for Luke if she's thinking of the way he would understand how she was feeling; she just doesn't know it yet...

For some reason, I just couldn't help laughing at the phrase "rebelscum of a general". And the fact that Luke is the first person to come to Mara's mind in such a situation...

Hm, I was somewhat confused by this part. If Shira's controlling Luke's dreams, why would she insert herself into one, especially one that would make Luke see her in a bad light?

Love the way you manage to say so much about Mara's character with these two simple lines.

 

KATAJA! I read this yesterday and had to take the time to formulate my thoughts. What twisties and turnies! (By the way, you have no right to be mad at me for being mean to Luke and Mara ever. )

Lol I thought you?d urge her to go on and spoil all her virtues in Luke?s eyes!

Well, YES, but I was just talking back to the screen as it were.

Ummm, I?m afraid you have to wait for that happiness a little longer. And only one of those dreams will come true?

Sigh, FINE, I guess I can wait.

And hang on everybody ? next chapter might be rough - it?s not Mara?s finest hour...

No, you don't say?!?

The good-bye between Wedge, Deena, Luke, and Mara was so poignant and well-done. And her also feeling bad for the Rogues as well. It was a great way to show the development in Mara's character. She's so loyal to Palpatine at this time still, but in canon she seemed to be very naive and easily influenced in Allegiance and other stories where she's still the Emperor's Hand, so it's easy to imagine her being very influenced by her immediate environment. She'd be the type of person to get into a situation like this and start to question exactly why these people are evil and, therefore, everything she's been taught in life.

Antilles gawked at her, clearly astonished she even was there. ?Holy Hoojibs!? he exclaimed. ?Does this mean I get a kiss for luck from you, Jade??

LOL Wedge!

And Mara had to admit she wouldn?t mind seeing the cocky Corellian either. She had reluctantly learned to appreciate the rough humor of the Rogues, and to her Antilles, represented the best of that company. Him and Skywalker, that was.

So sweet. And yes, Wedge is, as Allston has said numerous times, the GFFA's moral filter. I love him so.

And by now she knew that a man like Luke Skywalker wouldn?t have it otherwise. He couldn?t stop caring for others any more than he could stop breathing.

What is this wet stuff on my face?!?

Sometimes - pretty often nowadays - she really didn?t like herself.

Oh...poor Mara...

I like Dantels.

I DO NOT like Shira. She can die now. Or Luke can break up with her. I wonder if she might meet the same fate as she did in canon...hmm....

Mara's revelation...very well written...you really feel for her, even though it would be so easy to blame her for being stupid and doing something wrong. It reminded me of a part from At the Brink of the Dawn and Darkness, the part where Mara is reflecting on her role in the Palpatine/Luke duel.

Never find out that her best friend was an Imp goon who?d betrayed her.



Accept? Knock off with the spice dreams, Jade! Of course he wouldn?t accept her if he had a clue who she was, of what she?d done! She was his enemy for Edge?s sake!

Oh, if you only knew, Mara. If you only knew.

The idea of Mara shacking up with a Dark Side Luke is kind of...intriguing...I'm reminded of that one scene in Union.

?Oh, lovely lady. Sitting here all alone and smiling by yourself??

::headdesk:: I immediately knew where you were going here. You just HAD to be influenced by canon there, didn't you?!

But I'll tell you a secret...I was kind of rooting for Mara to hook up with Lando...if only to get back at Luke for hooking up with Shira!!! (see below!)

She turned on the balls of her feet, eyes narrow, catching his glance. ?If you tell anyone, I?ll kill you. You got that??

Tee-hee, so very Mara!

She stepped to him and let her fingers brush through his hair. ?I?? She looked quickly down, then up, furtively. ?I just needed to see you.?

When he still didn?t quite get it, she added huskily. ??alone??

BARF!!!!

Luke sat up in his bed with a gasp, violently shivering. For a terrifying moment he didn?t know where he was. Then he recognized a regular breathing by his side and when he looked down he saw Shira?s sleeping face. Iciness crept down his back, even more palpable now tha

 

OK, I could deal with Luke and Shira as a couple but now you?re soooo much in trouble... Fix it! (©, JediMara77)

I just can?t imagine how hard it must be for her. With her loalty and morals... Mara's reflections are shown wonderfully.

That?s Lando! Poor Luke.

Mmm? I?m sorry for him but here as I start to think how many times he told something like this to different women... In his own sweet manner, of course.

 

Poor Luke! What else was he expecting from Lando? Silly naive boy.
Everyone's going to sort themselves out soon, right?

 

How have I missed this?! I only just found it today!
Still, nice surprise

?Holy Hoojibs!?

Hee, hee! I loved the hoojibs?in a not-canon-in-a-million-years kinda way?



The scene with Dantels was a nice look from the inside, as to what?s going on with Shira. There would always be people on whom even the best charm offensive wouldn?t work, and it feels kinda good to hear one of them voice an opinion here. Still waiting for the whole break-up thing to explode though?


??Theenax? But I thought?? she broke off, her eyes widening in sudden, frightful realization.
?That we were going to Bothan space? Oh, no. That was Wedge?s mission, the one that left earlier today.?

Oh, this was great, Kataja! I didn?t see this coming one bit! Well played!


?[Mara] turned on the balls of her feet, eyes narrow, catching his glance. ?If you tell anyone, I?ll kill you. You got that??

Oh, bad things brewing. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad?


?when [Luke] looked down he saw Shira?s sleeping face. Iciness crept down his back, even more palpable now that he was awake.
It was the same face that had stared out at him from Vader?s helmet.?

Ooh, interesting. Luke?s starting to work it out, if only subconsciously?



?she?s sitting right behind you.?
Lando?s eyes swelled to Hutt-sized dimensions and he froze mid-bite. ?That can?t be! I looked everywhere when I came in! I can see the door from here and I have kept my eyes on it all the time!?
?Actually there?s two doors in this room, Lando. But she?s been sitting there already before you came in.?

Come on Luke ? work it out!


?He reached out with his mind towards his friend?s and nearly fell from his chair.?

Yeah, you know, if you?re gonna tell someone something you?re not meant to tell in the first place, that?s really not the image you should lead with?


?Luke pulled his mind back like had he been burned and slammed his underarms on the table glaring furiously at Lando. ?Don?t ever do that again!? he barked.
Lando blinked in surprise. ?Isn?t she gorgeous??
?It?s private!!! I thought you?d give me just a face!?
?Can?t help myself, Luke. Not with her!?

See, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad??


Great chapter with some fab twists. Caught us all out, I think!

 

lol. What everyone else has said. ^_^

Brilliant twists and turns, Kataja, this story is getting more complex and intense with each chapter!
I especially liked Mara's last showdown with Lando...she tells him what is what, and that takes some guts! Very true to her character.

Keep writing!

 

Jade_eyesWow! Wow!
If I didn't know it was you writing this, I'd be assured 100% that whatever L/M end up as by story's end, it won't be lovers.
Ah? you see? - wait! Story?s end? Maybe you should check out the author's notes?

The web is getting hopelessly tangled between them, more like a thick barricade.
*rubs hands? I know. Isn?t it delightful?

Valiowk
Oh, oh, oh, what a twist! I'm so surprised by this turn of events that I simply can't find the right words to express my thoughts at the moment...
LOL, Ok - as long as it?s not ?noooooooooooooooooooooooooo??

kataja posted: Luke?s face changed to a picture of innocence. ?Course not, Wedge,? he assured, eyes wide, and quickly stepped to Mara, slipped his arm around her waist. ?Wouldn?t dream of it.?
What a lovely L/M moment at the beginning, even if it was only meant as a joke!
I like to think it was less a joke than they?d admit.

kataja posted: Sometimes - pretty often nowadays - she really didn?t like herself.
Poor Mara - she already felt bad enough being a spy when she didn't know that Deena and Wedge were heading into a trap. How awful to find out later that she unintentionally let them walk into a trap that she had already known about!
Yes, that really, really blew her out. In many ways she?s been living on a delusion until now ? believing she?ll somehow be able to balance ? but now she?s betrayed (no matter how accidentally) someone who trusted her absolutely ? and she?s honest enough to not forgive herself. She?ll deal with it, practical and tough as she is ? but this will cast shadows for a very long time.

kataja posted: Dantels shrugged. ?She showed up here a couple of years ago and picked out Skywalker as her special prize, just like that. Not that I?d mind that in itself ? but I mind her methods! Force help any female who tries to give her some competition. And she?s even been trying to come in between Luke and his friends, if you ask me.?

Love the way you have Dantels explain her aversion towards Shira Brie. One sees how it's difficult to explain exactly what it is about Shira that annoys one - Nera, Leia and Mara are all probably all too aware that if they mention their thoughts about Shira to somebody who doesn't share the same feelings, they'd probably be viewed as simply being jealous of Shira's popularity - no wonder that those who sense something wrong about Shira have taken such a long time to find each other among the Alliance crowd!
And they still haven?t quite found together, have they? All of this will become crucial very soon.


kataja posted: Which led her thought to her other mistake ? Skywalker. To her annoyance she realized she almost missed the man. He would understand how she was feeling. Understand, and accept, in that unassuming, low-voiced way that was all his ?

Accept? Knock off with the spice dreams, Jade! Of course he wouldn?t accept her if he had a clue who she was, of what she?d done! She was his enemy for Edge?s sake! Mara swung at the railing fully intending to bruise her fist; Force knew she needed a wakeup call if she couldn?t even keep straight who was whose side anymore. She had to pull herself together!

Oh, poor confused Mara. She's certainly developing something for Luke if she's thinking of the way he would understand how she was feeling; she just doesn't know it yet...
Glad you came to that conclusion ? and I agree. In many ways the main characters are unmature as teenagers when it comes to their own emotions. But when would they ever have got a chance for anything else? See below.


kataja posted: He might be a rebelscum of a general, but a general still.

But how would Skywalker react if he heard she had slept with a close friend of his?

For some reason, I just couldn't help laughing at the phrase "rebelscum of a general". And the fact that Luke is the first person to come to Mara's mind in such

 

Quagmire - Chapter 20


Last Minute Confrontations

The launch of his mission was tomorrow. Everything was in place ? all neat and planned ? even a farmboy should be able to understand that he should concentrate on that and not go out of his way to plunge straight into a gundark?s nest.

Then why was he crossing the main hangar straight towards danger? He had its dancing red mane in plain sight.

Before he could reach his aim, however, he spotted Artoo rolling towards him, twittering an eager greeting. Luke halted and waited for him, freshly reminded of his bad conscience. Of late, he had neglected his metallic friend sadly. Shira was obviously part of that; her arrival into his private life had made the droid?s presence less welcome in his cabin. Not that Shira seemed to mind ? she had, in fact, asked about the droid ? but Luke?s need for privacy was greater than hers.

There was, however, also the matter of Artoo?s private self-assigned investigation into the fire. Luke was both amused by the astromech?s ambition and optimistic that the little droid might actually come up with something valuable ? it wouldn?t be the first time - but he?d had far too little time to follow the case. He knew that Artoo had found several indications that the culprit could have used reprogrammed droids to start the arson and disable the systems, but that was about it.

And it wasn?t like the arson was Luke?s personal problem ? the Alliance had an excellent Intel that surely could manage the task. And Intel was also where Artoo should take his results. Luke bent to read Artoo?s question on the the display. ?Yeah, thanks. What about you? Have you found out something new??

Artoo chirruped a quick tirade and Luke frowned as he read the meaning of it. ?You?re sure about the droids now? Have you found actual proof??

An entusiatic warble suggested the latter so clearly Luke didn?t even have to check. ?Hey, that?s great!? He hesitated, feeling bad but seeing no other alternative right now. ?Listen, I won?t have time to look into that right now but I think you should go to Tag in Intel, she?s the right one to handle this matter. She?s probably buried up to her eyebrows, but if you tell her this is about the arson and that I sent you, she?ll listen to you.?

The droid let out a sad, resigned tweet and Luke felt a fresh twist of bad conscience. ?Yeah, I know ? but I?ll only be away a couple of days.? He got an idea. ?Hey, after you?ve contacted Tag, there?s something you could do for me too while I?m away - if you have time, that is. I?ve updated my Jedi files but I haven?t taken the updates to the backup files in the Falcon or to the ones Mon Mothma keeps for me. Could you do that??

The droid beeped an eager affirmative and Luke smiled. ?Thanks Artoo. I couldn?t do without you.? He patted the metallic dome affectionately and the droid blinked in friendly response.

Whistling a fond good bye, the little astromech turned on its socket and rolled away. Luke followed him, a smile on his lips until the droid disappeared behind a tramsport. Artoo would have accomplished his task within an hour, but at least the droid felt needed again. And he?d have the investigation to pursue in Luke?s absence; once the mission was over he?d make time to hear the details.

Taking a deep breath, Luke continued towards the gundark?s nest - and towards the mother of all gundarks, more commonly known as Mara Jade. She was indeed in her usual nest of wires and parts, head and shoulders swallowed in a B-wing. She worked hard. The deck officers couldn?t mention her without singing her praises, and while her curt attitude kept people at bay he knew that she was regarded with respect, admiration even ? since the fire she was one of ?them.?

That was pretty much the way he felt himself. He respected her seclusion, but he didn?t want it. In fact he was growlingly aware that he wanted the opposite ? to learn to know her, to find out what really hid behind that closed face and those intent eyes. He had peeked into her mind

 

Wow! Wow! That was amazing! From start to finish!



And I looked at the author notes again.

A trilogy!

Niiiice.

 

It's just the best evil face I could find here. This will do for now: [image=http://kolobok.us/smiles/rpg/vampire.gif]

Great description!

Oh... Now I'm worried about this little guy...

Interesting slip. Keeps everyone at bay, indeed. But looks like it's much harder that she thought...
I love "the kiss" in the end of fight with this gundark.

Noooo!

It was really hard to read Luke/Shira talk. There is so much lie here...He lies to himself because he desperately wants to have someone to love and be loved; she lies to him beacause she wants his secrets and maybe...she needs someone too and starts to understand it. I almost feel sorry for her.

Great job!

 

LOL everyone is certain Wedge is safe! I can only say: it takes one hell of a writer to kill Wedge ? and I wouldn?t even dare to try.

I HAD to comment on this...I think Wedge's death would kill me more than any SW character ever, even more than Luke's. I don't even really know why, probably because he seems so normal and untouchable. I really thought Wedge was a goner in Rebel Stand, and was SO RELIEVED when he didn't die. Blah, I don't even want to THINK about him dying. At least he's gotten away from the action in profic, so I think he's pretty safe...but you never know. (I'd also be devastated if they killed me Corran. Waaah! Okay, enough talk about death!)

Aww, you?re sweet! I appreciate it, I really do!
Just remember this whenever I get around to writing my super long trilogy, okay?

She?s certainly the last spy who should be undercover among righteous people...

Heh, definitely! Especially now that she's learned she's not the only Emperor's Hand.

I loved her in the comics. HAD to include her here.

Unfortunately I've never read the old comics. One day I need to get around to it - and especially the Rogue Squadron comics. Oh I love Rogue Squadron, even when Luke isn't in it.

--I DO NOT like Shira. She can die now. Or Luke can break up with her. I wonder if she might meet the same fate as she did in canon...hmm.... --
Hmmm. Not exactly?

Well either way, I'm intrigued.

I would be lying if I denied that blanks magnificent sense of drama hasn?t inspired me!

Ha, I think that's true for all of us who read that story.

--The idea of Mara shacking up with a Dark Side Luke is kind of...intriguing...I'm reminded of that one scene in Union.--
Yeah? Intriguing is the right word?

LOL.

--But I'll tell you a secret...I was kind of rooting for Mara to hook up with Lando...if only to get back at Luke for hooking up with Shira!!! --
You are and evil woman!

What?!? Tit for tat, I say!

But maybe by then I can come up with something else to torture you with?

Of COURSE you will. And I wouldn't expect anything less.

Okay, on to this week's chapter...


The launch of his mission was tomorrow. Everything was in place ? all neat and planned ? even a farmboy should be able to understand that he should concentrate on that and not go out of his way to plunge straight into a gundark?s nest.

Then why was he crossing the main hangar straight towards danger? He had its dancing red mane in plain sight.

Because you secretly looooooooooove her.

Tag in Intel

Hee

Taking a deep breath, Luke continued towards the gundark?s nest - and towards the mother of all gundarks, more commonly known as Mara Jade.

LOL

She just didn?t seem the type to be swept away by Lando?s usual sweet talk.

No, but she might just be swept away by your sweet talk, Farmboy.

Mara looked up, frowning. ?Since you ask so politely ? no.?

HA! Love you, Mara.

Artoo had just rounded a corner when a familiar voice called for him, and turning, he registered the human female his Master had spent so much time with lately, winking to him from a side passage.

?Can you come here a moment, Artoo? I need your help with something.?

GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU B----! (Sorry, channeling my inner Ellen Ripley there...)

To tell the truth, an angry and frustrated Mara Jade wasn?t something he was eager to face right now.

I don't think you want to face her EVER.

Luke, quit trying to make Mara like Lando! GOD you protest WAY TOO MUCH Luke. And so do you, Mara!

And oh Luke, you're so innocent still. I love it!

For an instant he got an image of her rising to her toes and placing a kiss on his cheek and he wasn?t sure whether it was his own imagination or if the thought really crossed her mind too. Then she turned and walked away, leaving him to his own musings, more confused and troubled than ever.

D'aw

 

Nanci's reviews are as entertaining as Lane's.

 

Great post, especially the confrontation between Luke and Shira at the end! And Lando is lucky that Mara's made things fairly easy for him - as long as he doesn't go chasing after her anymore.

Love the metaphors you use here!

Little Artoo is too cute. I would feel so proud of him if it turned out that Artoo was the one to solve the arson case!

And of course, it's glaringly obvious to the reader that Luke doesn't seem to feel quite as strongly about getting to know Shira. and then she went and did something as incomprehensible as sleeping with Lando! - oh, Luke, you might be the only one to find it "incomprehensible"... You know, your relationship with Shira is equally "incomprehensible" to some others.

When even Artoo has a bad feeling about Shira, that says something! and the company that left her in wasn?t reassuring - I wonder who else is in the group that doesn't fit into any of Artoo's primary categorisations...

Hm, I wonder what the answer to that question is...

Oh, why do I get the feeling that that something might just be Shira thinking of yet another way to make use of this new situation to her advantage?

Perhaps, the problem is not so much with brutal desire, as with the fact that Shira is distracting Luke physically to avoid answering his questions. And that, as we all know, is not how a healthy relationship should work.

Looking forward to what happens to Luke on his mission and the trip to Dagobah after! And still keeping my fingers crossed for Deena and Wedge!

 

>> He thought he?d seen her mind ? and found out he?d only grasped a shape, not the substance, seen a color, not the picture, tasted ? but never savoured. He thought he understood her, deeply even, on some, undefinable level ? and then she went and did something as incomprehensible as sleeping with Lando!

Like this ? the lyrical nature of the first part, in opposition to ?and did something as incomprehensible as sleeping with Lando!?


Great to see Tag working hard, as usual!



>>?she nevertheless caught up with him before he?d reached even half way, an irritated furrow between her brows ? oh, how well he recognized it by now.?

LOL! Poor Luke!



>>?It didn?t take them ages to reach the solitary caf dispenser but Luke felt like it did. He walked derterminedly up to the machine. ?How do you like it??
?Straight ? with no fidgeting.? Mara replied.?

Heh,heh. Great comeback!


The whole Shira Luke scene was great, with Shira using what she?d learned to try to draw Luke out under the claim of his talking in his sleep (good idea, as it?s something he?d never know, either way), and building up and up, with everyone just willing Luke to push that little bit harder when Shira started to panic. When he said that he knew that she was wearing a mask too, I was practically yelling at the screen! He was so close?until all that blood went, as you say, to the opposite end of his anatomy!



??Still waiting for the whole break-up thing to explode though???
>-?And when you say explode, just how literally do you mean that??-

Stop, worrying me on purpose!


So...the mission next chapter? Can't wait!

 

Wow great story can't wait to see more.

 

Jade_eyes
Wow! Wow! That was amazing! From start to finish!
And I looked at the author notes again. A trilogy! Niiiice.
LOL thanks! I?m glad you didn?t think ? oh crap, that means months and months before this gets going anywhere.
I hope you continue to enjoy the ride


Piper057
kataja posted: Taking a deep breath, Luke continued towards the gundark?s nest - and towards the mother of all gundarks, more commonly known as Mara Jade. She was indeed in her usual nest of wires and parts, head and shoulders swallowed in a B-wing.
Great description!
LOL Thanks. I thought it pretty fitting myself.

kataja posted: The little astromech droid chirped benevolently and rolled after her, scrolling his files for likely reasons why the human was in such a desolated corner of the ship. He had never really managed to fit in this female into any of his primary categorizations ? and the company that left her in wasn?t reassuring. Still, Master Luke seemed to trust her, and Artoo was not going to go against his Master?s judgement, whether he agreed or not.
The hatch slid close behind him.
Oh... Now I'm worried about this little guy...
And with good reason too?

kataja posted: ?You really think I was seriously interested in Lan ? Calrissian, don?t you??

Interesting slip. Keeps everyone at bay, indeed. But looks like it's much harder that she thought...
Sharp reading there! She?s softening every day ? in her glory days at the Palace she?d never get ?that close? with someone she slept with.

I love "the kiss" in the end of fight with this gundark.
Yeah ? me too?

kataja posted: Was this how a Jedi was supposed to love? This almost brutal desire, this??
Noooo!
He he. You say that only because it?s Shira.

It was really hard to read Luke/Shira talk. There is so much lie here...He lies to himself because he desperately wants to have someone to love and be loved; she lies to him beacause she wants his secrets and maybe...she needs someone too and starts to understand it. I almost feel sorry for her.
Maybe she needs, yes. The answer to that will come up at some point in this story. But the time of lies is coming to an end soon.


JediMara77
I think Wedge's death would kill me more than any SW character ever, even more than Luke's. I don't even really know why, probably because he seems so normal and untouchable. I really thought Wedge was a goner in Rebel Stand, and was SO RELIEVED when he didn't die. Blah, I don't even want to THINK about him dying. At least he's gotten away from the action in profic, so I think he's pretty safe...but you never know. (I'd also be devastated if they killed me Corran. Waaah! Okay, enough talk about death!)
I?d be devastated about Wedge too. He?s this guy who can?t die. That?s why he became an icon too. I could live with everyone else, I think but not Wedge.

Aww, you?re sweet! I appreciate it, I really do!
Just remember this whenever I get around to writing my super long trilogy, okay?

Super long trilogy? When? When?

I loved her in the comics. HAD to include her here.

Unfortunately I've never read the old comics. One day I need to get around to it - and especially the Rogue Squadron comics. Oh I love Rogue Squadron, even when Luke isn't in it.
Me too ? though I still haven?t read neither X-wing books not comics. But I miss more stories where Luke?s in the squadron, I really do! He?s always out with Han or Leia in the Rebel time stories and while I love that too, I still want MORE!!!


The launch of his mission was tomorrow. Everything was in place ? all neat and planned ? even a farmboy should be able to understand that he should concentrate on that and not go out of his way to plunge straight into a gundark?s nest.

Then why was he crossing the main hangar straight towards danger? He had its d

 

Quagmire - Chapter 21

The Mission

Get in. Steal a Lambda-class shuttle. Get out alive. Important mission? Yes - but also piece of cake for four experienced rebels.

Then, why did he have a bad feeling about this?

Luke tried to convince himself it was just the fact that he wasn?t used to things going well. They had sailed through security at the Empire?s personnel transfer base in Breibara System; the false IDs and clearance codes had worked perfectly and there hadn?t been a ghost of a problem in joining the crew of maintenance mechanics shipping out to the Thenax System and Aderon Station ? a small, backwater facility that handled minor dock repairs for the Empire?s small craft. No one had asked inconvenient questions and the security system hadn?t sniffed out the small arsenal of weapons that Luke had smuggled in, broken down into components small enough to hide (as long as you could manage to forget the cringe-inducing portions of your anatomy where you?d hidden them) and then covertly reassembled over the course of two visits to the ?fresher. They had arrived at the Imperial outpost in the morning, actually ahead of schedule. Within an hour Luke had found an unmanned computer station, hacked into it and re-arranged their duty schedules so that Shira and Alph would be on shift together six hours later when Captain Kraeft arrived in the Lambda-class shuttle they?d be stealing.

Just to put the whipped cream on top of the ryshcate, Kraeft had arrived on time to the minute, astonishingly punctual even for a Captain of the Imperial Navy. If the plan was still working, Shira and Alph had the craft secured by now. Luke and Thorben were scheduled to relive them on duty in twenty minutes, hence rendezvousing them all in the shuttle with minimum attention.

It was all going so right that, for the last hour, Luke had been feeling steadily sure that something had to be extremely wrong.

But he couldn?t for his life pin down what it was.

For the umpteenth time, Luke glanced over his shoulder down the empty passageway, causing Thorben to frown uneasily and adjust his stolen mechanics coverall. ?Are you??

?Sensing something? No.?

?Well, that?s good, isn?t it??

That was the thing with Thorben. He admitted straightout that he didn?t understand a thing of ?that Force stuff,? but he supported Luke?s senses to the hilt anyway, the rock of the squadron.

Luke shook his head, more uneasy than ever. ?It should be, shouldn?t it? But I sense? I don?t know, too little, really. This whole place seems blurred, Hanc. Something?s not right.?

Thorben gave him a worried look and Luke gritted his teeth against the nagging fear that the thing not right was himself. He had gotten used to sensing everything around him. Like a constant background hum of life. But here at Aderon Station that hum was wobbly, somehow, and when he extended his mind he felt nothing as often as something. He shook his head, trying to clear it. Now wasn?t the right moment to doubt himself.

?Let?s check with the others,? Thorben suggested. With a wary look around to check they were still alone, he punched his com on their coded channel, voice carefully casual. ?Shira??

?Hi, Hanc.? Her use of Thorben?s first name was their prearranged signal that she could talk freely. ?Are you ok??

?All systems go. You??

?Flying high,? came the confident answer and Luke let out the breath he hadn?t realized he?d been holding. At least she was fine and full of fire! He reached out with the Force and could sense her familiar presence, guarded and tense, but that was of course only natural, the circumstances taken into consideration. But where was Alph?

?Great. Just checking.? Thorben was already grinning in relief but Luke sure wasn?t. What about Alph? he mouthed. ?What about Alph?? Thorben repeated.

?He didn?t com you? That?s the one minor snag. He was pulled off duty. The Deck Officer didn?t want two new arrivals doing repairs on the captain?s shuttle at the same time. I told Alph to walk in a circle and j