RESCUING HER HEART Ch.9

Luke sat in the dusty Imperial palace library going over documents between the N.R. and the smugglers coalition. On the surface everything seemed above board, every meeting, every discussion, every transaction between Karrde and the New Republic appeared genuine. Yet Luke could not help the strange feeling that what he was looking at was merely a window dressing. Almost like everything he was reading was a carefully constructed work of fiction created for his benefit. If it was, it was without a doubt one of the most intricate charades Luke had ever seen. The thought that terrified Luke the most was that Mara was in the middle of this mess and as near as he could tell was ignorant of Karrde's machinations.

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Later that same day Luke arrived in the public section of the Coruscant hangar meaning to do some work on his X-wing. He needed some form of distraction, something to take his mind off the endless questions. Why was Mara so angry with him? Why did Karrde want him dead?

As he headed towards his starfighter he noticed a familiar ship parked only a few bays away. It was the Jade's Fire and from the sound of power tools its owner was there for the same reason as Luke. He hesitated for a moment then climbed the hatch into the ship. All he could see of Mara was her legs poking out from beneath a section of panelling taken from the starboard side of ship. Luke approached her and hesitated then spoke;

'Hello Mara,'

Mara jerked in surprise knocking her head against the fuel pipes running over her head. She swore loudly and slid out from her position her hand rubbing her scalp;

'Damn it Skywalker, do you always have to sneak up on me?'

Luke could not help smiling at her very dishevelled appearance. Oil stains marked her flightsuit in several places, including a generous smear across her right cheekbone. Mara noticed the way he was watching her and frowned;

'Did you come here for a reason Skywalker or just to gawp at me?'

'Actually I wanted to talk to you about why you have been avoiding me.'

Mara rose to her feet wiping her hands and face on a piece of rag.

'What makes you think I am avoiding you,' she responded tartly.

'Come on Mara, I haven't seen hide nor hair of you since I ran into you two weeks ago.'

Mara shrugged, 'I've been busy.'

Luke sighed in frustration, clearly she was not going to make this easy; 'Mara please talk to me,' he pleaded.

'You're real good at talking aren't you Skywalker.'

'Mara, please, what have I done?'

Mara turned away from him; 'Let's just say I don't want to give the local gossips any more fodder by hanging around you too much.'

Luke's mouth fell open in confusion, 'Mara what on earth are you talking about?'

Mara spun around and glared at him, 'Don't play innocent farmboy, I know all about you spreading rumours about us that aren't true.'

Luke stared in astonishment, 'Mara, I have no idea what you are talking about, I don't know of any rumours about us. Besides I would really have thought you know me better than that.'

Mara felt herself running out of hostility, she sagged suddenly, tired of feeling angry, 'Just forget it Luke, it doesn't matter.'

Luke could not let it go, he impulsively grasped her hand, 'Mara, it matters to me,'

She stared at him in wonder, it occurred to her in all the years she had known Luke, he had never turned his back on her. No matter how she abused him or yelled at him, he kept coming back to her. Suddenly Mara's eyes stung with tears, she couldn't explain why she was overcome with emotion. She could feel her lip trembling and wrenched herself free from his grip realizing she was about to lose it in front of him. She turned to head down the corridor away from him when her blurred vision caused her to miscalculate the doorway. Pain flared as her forehead struck the edge of the doorway, right in the same spot she had hit earlier. Mara reeled in shock, this day was turning into too much.

'Mara are you okay?' Luke touched her arm hesitantly.

Mara stared back at him, confused and angry for reasons she could not explain. Suddenly she felt her shoulders start to shake, before she could stop herself her knees buckled and she collapsed to the floor. Mara had always prided herself on her ability to stay calm under all forms of emotional stress. But suddenly her rigid control was gone, and her body shook with gut wrenching sobs. Luke was kneeling down beside her in moments, his strong arm sliding around her shoulders. Mara gasped and looked up at him her large eyes swimming with tears;

'Luke, I'm sorry…,' she began hesitantly.

'Hush,' he replied his index finger resting lightly against her lips. He moved forward closing the gap between them and pulled her into his arms.

Mara resisted at first and then found herself melting into his embrace. She realized she had yearned for this for a long time. Luke pulled back from her and used his thumbs to brush away her tears;

'Mara tell me what's wrong?'

She sighed deeply. 'Luke I'm tired. I'm tired of living as a trader come smuggler, I'm tired of trying to hide my past, I'm tired of being known as a scary assassin,' she hesitated, 'most of all I'm tired of being alone.'

Luke smiled, this was what he had been waiting for, 'Oh Mara, my Mara, don't you see you are a part of me?' he lightly brushed his fingertips over her face, 'I don't want you to ever feel alone simply because I don't ever want to feel alone.'

Slowly he leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips against hers. Mara pulled back for a second, her brilliant eyes staring in surprise. She had not expected something so small to feel so amazing. She could feel a wide smile break out on her face. Slowly she ran her hands over the broad planes of his chest and up until they locked behind his neck.

'I hope that was just for starters,' she said with a smile.

Luke returned the smile then leaned into her brushing his lips over hers again, slowly increasing the pressure then lightly flicking his tongue out. Mara surprised him by seizing handfuls of his shirt and pulling him against her deepening the kiss. Luke understood why he had never been able to allow Mara to just walk out of his life. He understood that she was the part of his life he had been missing and needing for so long. He understood that he would dedicate the rest of his life to being everything she needed and to making her happiness his most important mission.

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A short time later the two of them were walking across the hangar bay hand in hand. As they entered the turbolift they became aware of another person inside. Both glanced up in surprise to see Talon Karrde. But he was not looking at their faces he was looking at their interlaced fingers. Luke suddenly became fearful, not for his own sake but for Mara's.

'Hello Karrde,' he said finally trying to break the tension.

The smugglers eyes rose to Luke's face and Luke could not prevent himself from taking a step back. He had never seen such venom directed at him, even in the early days of his relationship with Mara when she wanted him dead.

'Well, well, well what do we have here?' he bit out.

Mara frowned, what the hell was wrong with Karrde? She reached behind her and grasped Luke's arm. She snapped her fingers finally in his face to draw his attention to her. Karrde blinked and looked down at the woman he had lusted after for three years.

'Talon, Luke and I are getting married.'

Karrde appeared to slump against the wall and Luke and Mara stared at each other, unsure what to do. Then everything happened so fast both of them were taken by surprise. Karrde slammed his hand on the emergency stop button and the turbolift jerked to a stop. He reached behind him and pulled out his high powered blastech blaster and pointed it directly at Luke's face.

'Like hell you are!'

Luke seized Mara's arm and forced her to get behind him, he did not know what was going to happen but he was damned if her life would be put at risk.

'Talon why are you doing this?' Luke asked.

The smuggler turned information broker threw back his head and laughed.

'Isn't it obvious Skywalker even to a hick like you?'

Luke frowned in confusion and Mara stepped forward slightly;

'What the hell Karrde? You can't seriously intend to kill Luke can you,' all of a sudden a light went on in Mara's mind. The Pandallians, Vornskr Industries, Karrde's reluctance to let her go after Luke. Suddenly it all made sense she found herself staring at the man who intended to kill the love of her life. Because Mara knew now that is exactly what Luke was.

'Mara, Mara, Mara,' Karrde said softly, 'I would really have thought you would have better taste than to get involved with a rube like Skywalker.'

Luke flinched his humble rural background had often been a source of mockery among those who knew of his past.

'But why Talon?' she pressed, 'why kill him?'

'Because you fool,' he ground out, 'where you failed I could not.'

Mara frowned, she failed? Suddenly a wave of sick horror passed through her. It couldn't be could it? Surely she would have known before this.

'You worked for Palpatine?' she managed her voice shaking.

'You could say that, you could say that I was a different form of the Emperor's hand. You were a trained assassin, I was trained in a different way.'

'But, but….' Mara tried to make sense of this in her mind. How could this be, then she remembered when she first joined the New Republic that she learned she was only one of many Emperor's hands. Karrde watched the confusion on her face, she really was lovely, this was going to be such a pleasure once Skywalker was out of the way.

'Mara, who do you think orchestrated my takeover of Jorj Cardaas's empire? Who do you think guided me to the Katana fleet? Who do you think provided me with the Mykkr base, a headquarters that was safe from would be Jedi,' his gaze flicked to Luke, 'At least until he came along.'

Luke had taken advantage of his distraction and slowly slid his lightsaber out of his belt. If he could prevent it he would not harm Talon Karrde, but he was not about to allow the potential wonderful life he had just found to be taken from him.

'Now this is getting tiresome,' Karrde continued sounding bored, 'prepare to die Skywalker.'

At the same instant he fired the powerful blaster Luke activated and brought up his lightsaber blocking the shot. He felt Mara brush past him and his stomach churned in horror;

'Mara, get behind me!'

But she was not about to listen now. Just as she was not about to allow Karrde to destroy her new found happiness. Mara dropped to one knee appearing to fiddle with the fastenings of her boot. Karrde glanced down at her then back up at Luke clearly believing she was no threat. Mara slid the tips of her fingers into the small pocket she had added to her right boot. She knew she would have to be fast, glancing up she saw Karrde's attention completely focussed on Luke. Mara grasped the opportunity and withdrew the vibroblade from her boot, with a casual flick of her wrist the blade flew through the air landing in Karrde's throat. With a strangled gurgling noise he collapsed to the floor dead.

Mara was breathing heavily, she heard Luke's lightsaber shut down then felt his hands lift her to her feet. Both of them stared at each other, relieved, shocked and saddened by the loss of someone they had believed to be a friend. Luke pulled Mara into his arms, he was determined he would never let her go again.

Mara sank into his arms, savouring every sensation, this was what it felt like to be loved. Finally Mara understood why she had been so determined to go after Luke when he was kidnapped. She had not only rescued him, she had rescued her heart.

THE END