Beyond - Legends Running Into Old Friends - L/M, H/L Completed 6/01/2005 Thanks to My Readers

I agree with the other's Luke's great with the kids, now if only Luke and Mara would check each other out. . . AT THE SAME TIME. . . and realize it of course, maybe he could have some of his own. . .


I'd definatly say that any fight with Luke would be .. distracting. .

 

*grin*

 

Great story!

I really like your characterizations of Luke and Mara, very believable.

Can't wait for more.

 

So now Mara is eyeing Luke... interesting I enjoyed the lightsaber duel, very well written. And Luke with the kids was a nice heart-warming moment

 

Luney: I knew I could count on you. I've got to remember to update the title line when I actually update and not 3 hours later.
RedGold: Thanks. I always get nervous with any kind of action - especially saber duels.
GO: Mara just likes to make him sweat.
jasa: Welcome.
maramijade: But checking out each other at the same time would make life too easy.
Jade51999:
J&J: Thanks.
yodakenobi: I figure I needed to give Luke a little heartwarming moment before I put him through the wringer...er... did I say that out loud?

 

now whoever said I wanted their lives to be easy?

 

Leia returned to find her brother still sitting in the glider with the babies on his lap. All three of them were sleeping. I need a holo of this.

That would be a holo I'd like to see.

 

maramijade:
Trace: It would be a great pic.

**
After lunch, Luke and Leia made their way out to the balcony. Luke sat in a chair near the railing, Leia in one near the slider. Nibbling on some confections, Luke watched a few speeders fly by. He turned his attention to his sister and watched as she pulled out a datapad. When Leia started to make entries into a datapad, Luke asked, ?What are you doing? You?re not going back to work already are you??

She stared defiantly at him. ?And if I was??

?I wasn?t going to stop you. I just thought you had planned on taking at least six months off.? Luke popped another confection in his mouth.

?You certainly are a nosy one,? Leia said. ?For your information, I?m not writing a speech or planning a coup. Just checking my calendar. I?m going on a date tonight.?

Luke casually tossed another confection in the air. This one went wide, missing his mouth entirely and flying over his shoulder. ?Does Han know??

?Of course he knows,? she answered, picking up a confection and throwing it at him. Luke caught it in his mouth. ?He made it. We?re going to dinner tonight. Just the two of us.?

Smiling, Luke replied, ?That?s great. It?ll be good for you to get out of here. Want me to watch the twins??

?Nope. Got it covered.? Leia looked thoughtfully at her brother. ?You should try it sometime.?

Luke cocked his head, his expression confused.

?Going on a date, Luke. You need to get out some, too.?

Luke sighed. ?I do get out. I go to the gym every day.?

?That?s not the same.? Leia paused as an idea came to mind. ?Why don?t you take Mara to dinner??

His mouth fell open. ?Are you crazy??

?Han thinks so.? Leia grinned. ?Seriously, Luke. I think it would do both of you some good. She could use the distraction.?

I?m the one who?d be distracted. Luke quickly clamped down on his thoughts. ?I don?t know??

?Think about it. Tell her it?s to discuss her training, if you think it will help.?

?Yeah, I could do that,? he mumbled distantly.

?I?m going to check on the twins.? She stood up and entered the apartment. Luke hadn?t moved. Smirking, she shook her head. She?d caught his errant thought before he?d slammed down his shields. So, Mara?s a distraction now, little brother. Encouraging, very encouraging.

**
Meditation wasn?t a high priority for Mara, but Luke insisted she included it in her regimen. Usually they meditated prior to committee meetings. Today, he asked her to meditate before they commenced their workout. Perhaps he was trying to see how she?d deal with change or it was just to keep her off guard. The reason for the change continued to nag at her throughout their session. The workout progressed nicely, with little distraction on her part, ending with no embarrassing moments.

After the workout, she was finished packing her bag before she realized that Luke was standing next to her. His hands were clasped behind his back and he had a thoughtful expression on his face. Cocking her eyebrow, Mara folded her arms across her chest and waited. It was unusual for Luke to hang around after a workout. Showers were first priority, not conversation. Luke shuffled his feet a little and cleared his throat. Finally looking at her, he began, ?Mara, I thought it would be a good idea to get together?to discuss things.?

Things? Gesturing for him to continue, she asked, ?What things??

He brought his hands together in front of his body. ?Different things. Your training for one.?

My training, huh? Somehow that didn?t sound right to her. Tilting her head slightly, she studied Luke. His shields were up, but from his stance he seemed?nervous. Curious, she decided to prod him a bit. Shrugging, she said, ?Okay. I don?t have any meetings for a while. Let?s discuss my training.?

His eyes widened at her words. ?I don?t mean now, Mara. I was thinking we could do it over dinner.?

Mara narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ?Are you trying to ask me out, Skywalker??

Luke?s cheek twitched. ?Yes, I am,? he declared bol

 

Leia's evil... in a good way.

aawww... a date... but why do I have a feeling it's not going to go as planned?

 

Why do i get the feeling the date isn't where Mara thinks it is...

That Luke can be very devious.


Yeaa an update.

 

Hey! She said yes a lot faster than I thought she would. I thought she'd make him sweat it a bit!

Does Luke have enough credits to take Mara to the most exclusive restaurant in the galaxy??

(what DO Jedi make, anyway? )

 

Redgold: Leia's evil... in a good way. Well, she is a politician. aawww... a date... but why do I have a feeling it's not going to go as planned? Have you been reading my notes?
Jade51999: Why do i get the feeling the date isn't where Mara thinks it is... I don't know, but the date really is where she thinks. It must be a bad feeling about something else. That Luke can be very devious. He's learned a little bit from his sister.
GO: Hey! She said yes a lot faster than I thought she would. I thought she'd make him sweat it a bit! Well, she did make him sweat during their saber fight. Does that count? Does Luke have enough credits to take Mara to the most exclusive restaurant in the galaxy?? You need credits? That question will be answered in another chapter. (what DO Jedi make, anyway? )Love not war.

 

Ooh good update Mommy....ahhahaa Leia conned Lukie into making a date at Mara...cute! Hmm wonder what'll happen at dinner!

 

MOMMY!


Excellent story, Mom!! I never really was a big Luke fan, but I'm loving this story so far!!

 

You need credits? - You know, I suddenly have this picture in my brain where Luke opens the menu and his eyes pop out at the prices. He thinks.."Oh my stars! 250 credits for ONE BANTHA STEAK!? And it doesn't even come with the tubers? How am I going to afford this?" Then later, when the waiter tries presenting the bill, Luke says, "You don't need to give me that. It's on the house." And the waiter says, "I don't need to give you this.... it's on the house...."

 

Leia definately is a sceemer. . .

I loved Luke popping the 'confections' in his mouth and Leia throwing them at him. It doesn't seem very 'Jedi Master-ish' but seems right for luke

 

Luney: They'll eat of course.
Mi: Glad you stopped by. I love converting people to the Luke side of the Force.
GO: Can you see Mara's reaction if Luke did that?
maramijade: No Jedi Master here. Farmboy is more fun.

 

That's great! Luke has already figured out how to get his way with her....she can't back down from a challenge.

 

Oh RM, this looks like a delicious fic, love that Lukie. Good tension... yeah I have a feeling both of them will find more than yummy food at dinner...

(what DO Jedi make, anyway? )Love not war

I loved this! Yeah!!! That's what I think too!

 

Trace: Yep, she can't resist the challenge.
GirlJedi: Thank you.
*****
Chapter 3

The encrypted message was picked up as the freighter reached one of the Golan I defense platforms orbiting Coruscant. Ghent quickly decoded it. In simple terms, it warned them to avoid the political district as well as the University. Having seen the newsfeeds, Karrde knew about the anti-smuggling climate and had no qualms about following the advice. His crew was more important than any pride. The Wild Karrde was soon docked on the outskirts of Invisec.

Talon gathered the crew for a meeting before giving them shore leave. For their own safety, the crew needed to be aware of the hostile climate. He kept it brief and to the point ? don?t draw attention to yourself and avoid confrontation. Most of the crew had seen the news, so they understood. They didn?t want any problems.

**

It was a somber group that walked by Mara Jade as she boarded the Wild Karrde. Talon greeted her warmly at the top of the ramp. ?Welcome, Mara.?

?Hello, Talon. It?s nice to see you again. I thought I?d fill you in on what?s been happening in committee.? She spoke softly at first, then her voice took on a harder edge. ?It?s a rancor?s den in there.?

Karrde gestured towards his office. ?That doesn?t sound promising.?

?It?s not.? The door slid open and they both entered. ?And it?s gotten worse with the riots at the University. A student was injured and the blame was immediately placed on a spacer who was nearby. An anonymous tip claimed that the incident was the responsibility of smugglers and no one sought to disprove it.? She took a deep breath. ?Ever since then, every single suggestion I make is met with suspicion. I may not be a smuggler any more, but I associate with them, so I?ve been declared suspect. It doesn?t matter that I have connections with the NR hierarchy and their heroes. Nothing seems to assure them and I?ve reached the limits of my patience with that committee. I don?t know how Organa Solo can deal with these idiots on a daily basis year after year.?

After pulling a chair out for her, Talon sat behind his desk. ?She?s been a councilor for years. Not only is she a gifted orator, she?s skilled in diplomatic negotiations,? he said.

As Mara plopped into the chair, her senses came alert to a shifting current in the Force. It swirled around her, its energy sending shivers down her spine. Voices echoed in the background. Words came in whispers. ?Forget diplomacy. I?m ready to try aggressive negotiations.? It wasn?t what she was going to say, but she felt compelled to repeat the suggestion.

Talon responded, ?That sounds interesting, but??

His words didn?t register clearly; they seemed muffled. Darkness crept into her vision. The air was oppressive and heavy, yet she could still breathe. For a moment, the cloud lifted, and light streamed out around the edges of the darkness. Staring straight ahead, she saw the shadows form into the vague shape of a man. Though not defined, his essence seemed familiar, yet not familiar. As quickly as it came, it was gone.

?Mara? Are you okay??

Blinking a couple of times, she looked for the shadow man.

?Mara?? Karrde repeated.

?I?m sorry. Where were we?? she asked, avoiding his concerned look.

?You were telling me what was happening in committee.?

Mara could tell he wanted to know what had happened. It would be difficult to explain, since she didn?t know herself. Perhaps later, she might have something to say, but for now, the subject would be ignored. She pushed it to the back of her mind. Relaxing into her chair, she began to recap the hearings.

The meeting ran longer than expected. Talon insisted that she have lunch before she left, delaying her even more. Once she had left the Wild Karrde, she thought about the strange Force experience, replaying it in her mind. It was as if someone was trying to tell her something. Meditating about it would be nice, but she would not have the time. It was 1500 when she finally returned to he

 

Ooh good post Mommy! Liked Mara's vision...and awwww Ghent has a woman

 

Ghent has a girlfriend *oh*

How cute!

 

His words didn?t register clearly; they seemed muffled. Darkness crept into her vision. The air was oppressive and heavy, yet she could still breathe. For a moment, the cloud lifted, and light streamed out around the edges of the darkness. Staring straight ahead, she saw the shadows form into the vague shape of a man. Though not defined, his essence seemed familiar, yet not familiar. As quickly as it came, it was gone.

Hmmm...

Why do I think she just saw Anakin Skywalker?

Besides computers and slicing, few things caught Ghent?s attention. So it was no surprise that when he finally noticed the opposite sex, she would be a slicer.



Good post Nice to see Mara and Talon Karrde together again, and I'm glad Ghent is in this as well. He's always forgotten I think Tim Zahn would like this post a lot

 

Ghent is so cute... always has been...

And visions... hhhmmmm... yeah, I'm also going to hazard a guess and say it's Ani Skywhiner...

 

Aww I love Ghent...and Mara's seeing a Black Man?! [I just finished the Scarlet Letter heehe]


Great job!!