Chapter Twenty-Four:

Luke had visited his Uncle Owen Lars and Aunt Beru Lars on Tatooine on occasion, and had asked the couple how they could live in such a place. Uncle Owen had been a little gruff, saying that the desert was where men were made.

Aunt Beru had been more open, explaining that while it was barren, it was also their home.

Still, Luke had been taken aback by how hot it was on Tatooine. But at least there he'd had the luxury of an underground house to go into when the heat became too much.

There was no such luxury now as he and his friends traversed the hard-cracked and sandy ground of the desert. There was no form of cover, and with the way the sunlight reflected off the bleached sand, it hurt Luke's eyes. He briefly recalled how the Sand People had fashioned eye-wear that protected their eyes from such a glare. Luke didn't have anything to use for that, so he was doing his best to go without.

Luke would have been grateful for a touch of sunscreen, since his exposed skin was beginning to turn red. One look at Mara told him she wasn't faring much better than he. In fact, he saw when he looked closer that she was already redder than he was, and Luke's heart clenched at the thought of his beloved's fair skin in such a state.

To his well-trained eye, he could tell that Mara hurt, and when she caught him looking, she tried to smile for him, but couldn't quite get het gesture to work. Luke drew closer to her as they walked; tenderly touching her arm to be sure he wasn't seeing things.

Mara sissed when his fingers touched the red of her arm, and Luke winced. "Sorry."

Luke wished he could help her, and he contemplated what he had left in his bag. But all he had was one small animal skin remnant and his blanket. His head came up at that, once again thinking of the robes the Tusken Raiders wore. Pausing, Luke knelt down and rustled through his pack for both items.

Mara saw him stop and halted as well, eyeing him curiously. "What are you doing?"

Using his one good hand, Luke withdrew his blanket and one of his arrows. Placing the arrow between his teeth, Luke began loosening the arrowhead from the shaft of the arrow so he could recycle the vine.

"Making you some protective gear," he said around the object in his mouth.

Mara hesitated, coming over to him and placing a hand on his back. "Luke, it wouldn't be right for me to have something, but not you."

Luke briefly covered her hand with his. "We have two blankets, remember?"

Mara frowned. "What are you planning to do with them?"

"Make a robe for us each to wear." Luke answered as he finished with the arrow. He rose to his feet and threw the blanket over Mara's shoulders. Wanting to be of assistance, Mara gathered the fabric at the neck and helped him as he tried to tie it closed with the length of vine.

Shiva and Thea, having finally noticed that the others had lagged behind, returned then.

"What's the matter?" Shiva inquired.

"We're just making something to protect us from the sun," Luke answered, showing the Kestans their burned skin.

Thea grimaced. "I didn't know humans burned so easily."

Mara smiled sardonically. "That's one good thing about scales, right? They're impervious to sunburns."

Thea nodded. "Indeed. However, remember that we cannot sweat to cool down."

"Right," Mara murmured. "Sorry Thea."

The Kestan shook her head. "It is not something you can control."

Luke placed the final fur he'd kept upon Mara's head, using a second arrow vine to tie it as one would a bonnet. Again Mara had to help him. "There you go."

Mara smiled for him, kissing his cheek before gathering the edges of her 'robe' and pulling it close around her body. "Thank you Luke."

Luke nodded and moved behind Mara, shifted her robe up and then rustled through her bag for her blanket. He then replaced her cover and simply held his own 'robe' in place with his good hand.

"All set," Luke said, rising once his bag was in place as well. "Thank you for waiting." He added to the Kestans.

Thea and Shiva nodded, and the four of them resumed their walk. They had already made camp once, and they were well into their second day in the desert. Thanks to the extra water Luke had packed along, they had been blessed with something to drink for a lot longer than anyone would have guessed. But the leaf bowl was now empty, leaving them all with whatever was left in their water skins.

Luke didn't know about the others', but his was only a third full. He had been trying to conserve his water, strictly limiting himself to one or two small sips each time he took a drink.

They also had no food, and Luke hadn't seen any signs of life outside of some nasty-looking insects he'd rather not encounter again.

Maybe the wildlife of the desert comes out at night, Luke thought, eyeing the dunes that dotted the landscape.

The quartet walked for what felt like hours to Luke before Mara sidled closer to Luke, and he glanced to her.

"Does Thea look... off to you?" Mara asked quietly.

Luke frowned lightly, eyeing the blue and tan Kestan closely. He didn't see anything at first, but the more he watched the Kestan, the more he could tell that she seemed uncomfortable. Luke watched as Thea took a step and seemed to wobble slightly.

Concerned, Luke nodded to Mara, but spoke to the Kestan. "Thea, are you alright?"

She glanced back at Luke. "I'm afraid I may be starting to overheat. We can take a lot, but this sun is far more intense than I am used to. I am not as much of an athlete as Shiva."

Shiva turned her head to her teammate. "Come on Thea, the sun will be going down soon, and we can rest."

Thea sighed, trying to be strong; she didn't want to let anyone down. But after another twenty minutes or so, Thea's condition grew more severe. She started to lag behind, and Luke stopped, withdrawing his robe.

"Here, try using this for shade," Luke said, offering her the blanket that had shielded Luke.

Thea looked to him, a little lethargic, but nodded and accepted the offering. "Thank you."

Luke and Mara exchanged another look, sharing the thought that Thea wasn't going to be on her feet for much longer. Apparently Shiva realized this too, because she came closer and wrapped an arm about Thea's shoulders.

"Come on," Shiva said softly. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm overly hot too."

Thea managed a gesture that Luke and Mara didn't understand, but figured it was a Kestan thing.

Shiva smiled back, patting Thea's shoulder. "That's the spirit."

Luke and Mara remained behind the Kestans, acting as rearguard for their friends. Indeed the sun did look like it was beginning to wane, and Luke knew they would find respite from the overbearing heat soon.

Halfway into the evening, when the sun still had about an hour to go, Luke noticed the loose sand about their feet beginning to shift oddly. Frowning, he studied the terrain more closely.

His eyes were hurting again from the amount of light, so his first thought was that his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Perhaps it's a mirage... Luke thought, touching his forehead. He was getting warm again without the blanket to shield him. But Thea needed it far more than he did right then.

Apparently he wasn't the only one having questions about the sand, because Mara motioned to the floor. "Is there a breeze?"

Shiva glanced back to Mara, and then followed her finger to watch the sand shift. "I have felt nothing."

Mara looked up and all around them. "You two mentioned sandstorms; about how often would you say they occur?"

Shiva paused, her gaze wandering the horizon. "I do not know. Our people normally avoid the desert."

"If the sand is shifting without a breeze, that could indicate a storm is forming," Thea suggested, though her voice was hoarse. Though she had protection from the direct sunlight, she had still been slowly deteriorating in the heat.

Everyone stilled, knowing that if they were caught out in the open in one of the storms, they'd all die.

"Can we try to move faster?" Mara asked, indicating Thea.

Shiva glanced to her friend. "I would carry her, but my ankle won't allow it."

Luke was swift to offer aid. "I'll help her."

Shiva and Mara didn't argue, and they all walked as much faster as they felt was safe to do so.

They made good time, but to Luke's dismay, Shiva began to show similar signs as Thea after a long while. He moved closer. "We should rest and let you try to cool down."

Shiva glanced to him. "No, thank you."

Luke thinned his lips, but backed off. He threw a look to Mara, and she tried next.

"Just for a while, Shiva; let us help you."

But again Shiva would not relent, and Mara shook her head at Shiva's stubborn streak.

To everyone's relief no storm came upon them by nightfall, but Mara remained on edge. She glanced at Luke and saw he was also keeping a keen watch on the horizon.

A thought occurred to Mara then. "How are we supposed to see a storm if it happens at night?"

Luke grimaced. "I think we would hear it, but that might not be much help."

Shiva, whose condition had also begun to worsen, was shaking now. When they all paused, Luke approached Shiva.

"You must rest." His tone left no room for argument. Shiva needed a break, and this time he would not take no for an answer.

Shiva tried to nod, but didn't complete the gesture before she slumped to the ground. With a curse, Luke managed to catch her head with his leg before it impacted, since he still supported Thea.

However, Mara had also leapt to help, and he threw her a worried look now.

Mara laid Shiva down while Luke put Thea down. He then ruffled about for Shiva's water. Luke eventually found her cruse and tried to open it, but couldn't do so with his bad wrist. He looked to Mara, who silently took and opened it. Luke pried Shiva's mouth open while Mara moved to pour water into it.

But nothing came out of Shiva's water skin, and Mara swore softly. "I have a tiny bit left."

Without waiting for permission, Mara sacrificed what little water she had left for Shiva. Shiva swallowed habitually but did not stir otherwise.

Luke laid Shiva's head down and eyed the two Kestans as he pondered their situation. Both Kestans were unconscious, and Luke did not know enough about their physiology to know how long the two women had before they died.

But he did know that it was cooling down already now that the sun had gone down. Taking a breath, Luke pulled out his map, eyeing it the best he could in the dark. He noted formations on the map and tried to make them out around him, but he could see nothing.

Mara stood by his side, eyeing the map as well. "What are you thinking of?"

"We need to get them help, and quickly," Luke answered. "We will have to carry or drag these two. Normally I'd make a travois, but there's nothing to make it with."

Mara knew he was right. All they had was Shiva's crutch, but Mara didn't know if she would be able to heft either Kestan. "Luke, they're a lot heavier than we are; I don't know how long I can carry them."

Luke touched her arm. "We'll just do our best."

Mara smiled somewhat, determined to help however she could. "Alright." She paused when it looked like Luke had no intentions of making camp. "You want to go now?"

Luke hesitated. "Actually, I want to rest, but I think if there is a storm coming, we need to keep moving to try avoiding it."

Mara knew he was right, and so she nodded, moving to Thea since she was a little smaller than Shiva. But before she picked her up she studied the sky. "Let's go then. We will follow that constellation." Mara pointed to one that looked like a line with a curved end. "I saw them last night, and they remained constant in their position on the horizon we walked towards today."

Luke smiled at Mara, taking a moment to gather her to him. "Have I told you before how intelligent you are?"

Mara smirked at him. "Yes, usually when we're in predicaments such as this."

Luke smiled. "Good thing I keep you around then, huh?"

Mara lifted an imperious eyebrow. "What would you do without me, Skywalker?"

Luke grinned boyishly. "Probably walk in circles..."

Mara rolled her eyes. He had an excellent sense of direction himself, Mara knew, but he loved to banter with her when she took charge of navigating. They'd had similar conversations on many of their previous missions, but this time it was different.

Because never before had Luke held her in such a manner; with his eyes radiating love, and his lips smiling a smile that was hers alone.

Mara came back to reality when Luke bent in and kissed her tenderly. Mara reached up to toy with his hair, uncaring if it was matted with sweat from the hot day. Luke smiled against her mouth and then deepened the kiss.

Mara welcomed him and they held the embrace for an unknown amount of time before Luke reluctantly pulled back.

He held her hands, caressing her knuckles with his thumbs. "We should get going."

Mara nodded, turning back to business. "You're right."

The two of them each hefted their friends into emergency carries, and trudged along. They stayed as close together as possible, with Mara walking a step ahead to avoid getting Thea's limbs tangled up with Shiva or Luke's.

It was easier to travel now that the sun was down, even if it was dark. Their visibility was poor, but they trusted the Force to warn them of any threats. Mara didn't really feel the extra weight until their route began to take them up and down a series of sand dunes.

That was when she began to struggle. Going down wasn't the issue, but trudging up the hill, her feet sinking into the sand and Thea's weight bearing down upon her, was taking its toll.

Mara heard Luke breathing a little heavier too, but at one point Mara felt her legs beginning to quiver and she worried that she would fall. Mara glimpsed the top of the dune a mere few feet away and managed to get there before she had to pause.

Mara then spoke, breathing hard. "I need a break, please."

Luke nodded, not arguing. He set Shiva down, making sure she didn't roll back downhill, and turning to Mara. She set Thea down and then stood; knees weak and her arms sore.

Luke saw this, and was swift to come to her side. "Mara? Will you be alright?"

Mara hoped so. "I think I will... I need to sit for a while."

Luke helped her to do so, though he sat behind her and encouraged her to lean into him for support. Mara gladly did so, grateful when his arms encompassed her.

"Thank you Luke," she murmured, her eyes closing as she drank in his support. Mara was very tired, but she didn't want to sleep: she and Luke had made substantial progress despite their new loads.

Mara didn't know just how much further they had to go, but she guessed that if they could go another few dunes, they would be able to get to the finished line by mid morning the next day.

But darned if her eyes weren't drooping...

"Mara, why don't you rest?" Luke suggested, sensing her fatigue. "I'll keep watch."

Mara shook her head. "No, I want to keep going. If I doze off now, I won't wake up again for a long time."

Luke sighed. "Alright."

Mara breathed him in, grateful that he didn't try to force the issue.

They had both kept a diligent watch on their surroundings, bracing for the storm they had thought was on its way. However, thus far they hadn't heard or seen anything relating to a possible storm, so Mara wondered just what the shifting sands from earlier had meant.

Mara waited until her legs no longer quivered, and then gave herself a bit more to recover, simply enjoying another quiet moment with Luke. Once she felt sated, Mara stood, offering Luke her hand. He took it and they resumed their walk, again using the emergency carries to lug the Kestans along.

Mara did her best to divide her attention between watching where she was going and noting the horizon. However, at some point she lost concentration and found herself instead within her own head, unaware of how much time passed as she did so...

...She and Luke sat on a blanket in an open field, the night sky above them as they shared a thermos of hot chocolate. Conversation moved freely between them, the two paying no mind to the time. They were on vacation, and so didn't worry about any sort of schedule. Eventually Luke lay back to get a better view of the sky, his hands behind his head and his face relaxed. Mara smiled at him, finished her glass of chocolate, and then nestled down next to him. She pointed out some of the astral formations visible to them from the surface of the planet, and Luke followed her gestures, at one point taking her hand and intertwining their fingers...

...Mara lay on a beach, bathing in the warm rays of the sun while Luke swam in the lake. She eyed him when he came into view, admiring his perfectly toned body when he stood and moved to join her. He blocked the sun when he came close enough, and the water still dripping from his swim trunks was cold on her skin. Mara shifted from the wet sensation, and Luke saw this, smirking conspiratorially. Mara eyed him suspiciously, and Luke gave her his best innocent look before he swooped down, scooped her up and raced with her into the cold water...

...They sat at a table for two, a window beside them with a view to die for. It was a small establishment, one prefect for couples who wanted to have a meal in peace. Luke looked amazing in his slacks and button-down shirt. He'd even combed his hair, trying to tame his normally free-flowing locks for the evening. Mara herself wore her favorite cocktail gown, relishing the chance to dress up even a little...

At first Mara didn't realize she'd drifted off mentally, but eventually the thoughts that were running through her head caught her attention and Mara found that she couldn't push them away. Nor did she want to.

What would it be like to have a life with Luke? Mara's mind conjured an image of the two of them being married, the thought warming her soul far beyond what the sun could do. If they wed, would they remain on Coruscant or perhaps move off-world?

Mara smiled to herself as new thoughts played around in her mind, though at some point the random notion of children came to her. Mara stumbled, taken aback by the unexpected idea.

"Do you need another break?" Luke asked, his voice bringing Mara back to their currently harsh reality.

She cleared her throat, wondering if he'd caught any of her daydreams. "No, sorry, I was just lost in thought."

"Ah," Luke said without any ill will.

Mara glanced back at him, only now seeing that he was sweating heavily. "Do you need a respite?"

Luke blinked at her. "Hmm? Oh, no, I'll be fine."

"Luke..." Mara said leadingly, eyeing the Kestans pointedly. "If you pass out too..."

Luke waved soothingly. "I'm alright, just tired. I can't enhance my stamina with the Force, so I'm tapping into my physical reserves."

Mara bit her lip. "Maybe we should stop for the night."

Luke breathed out. "Maybe you're right."

But when they crested the current dune, both halted when they saw a small cluster of lights in the near distance.

"Luke, look!" Mara cried, hope stirring in her breast. "Is that the finish line?"

Luke peered at it. "The trek is supposed to end at the other side of this desert, so I think it might be."

Mara pounded a fist into the air. "Forget the break, I want to be done."

Luke laughed. "I'm right with you there."

They resumed their trek, both finding a new bout of energy from the sight of their trip's ending: or at least the ending of the Wasaka Games. Soon they'd be done walking the sands; they could get water, food...

And a shower... Mara wrinkled her nose when she caught a whiff of herself.

Mara felt bad that both Shiva and Thea were unconscious, and she looked to Luke. "Do you thing we should try rousing them?"

He glanced to their companions. "We can try. Both really needed to finish this thing."

They both laid the Kestans on the ground and began working to try waking them up. It took a long time, but Thea stirred first, if lethargically.

"Hunh?" Thea croaked.

"Wake up," Mara said. "Do you think you can walk the rest of the way? We're almost done."

Thea blinked owlishly. "Done?"

Mara smiled, helped Thea sit up and see what she meant, and watched as Thea's gaze lit up. Thea began to struggle to get to her feet, and Mara helped her. But she still had to allow Thea to lean against her once she was on her feet.

As for Shiva, it took far longer to wake her, and Luke had to actually slap her face hard to get Shiva to move. Finally she woke with a start, her chest heaving, and her disorientation clear. She looked around, but didn't speak until she saw her three companions.

"Where are we?" she whispered, trying to rise, but unable to do so.

"Almost to the finished line," Luke told her, offering Shiva a hand up.

Shiva allowed Luke to hoist her up, but tried mightily to walk under her own power. However, when Luke let her go, she immediately began to topple over. Shiva cursed and flailed, and Luke caught her once more.

"Please let me help, Shiva."

Shiva sighed heavily. "It seems I have no choice." Her voice was glum, and Luke frowned. "What's wrong?"

Shiva wiped at wet eyes. "My family will see me being helped to the finished line as a failure. I've done all of this for nothing."

Luke sighed heavily, trying to think of a way to help her with her familial predicament. "Look, why don't I walk you until we are just about to be in view. Once there, you walk under your own power? We still have your crutch. Surely that will go a long way to impressing your family?"

Luke took heart when Shiva perked up. "Alright."

With that plan in place, everyone trudged along, though at one point Thea looked to the humans. "How did we get so far along?"

Mara, hearing something odd, looked around, noting that the sky was just barely beginning to lighten.

"We've been carrying you," Mara admitted, distracted by the sound that seemed to be getting closer. "We didn't want to leave you behind."

Shiva and Thea both stared at the humans.

"You did that for us?" Shiva asked, clearly aghast.

Luke nodded, frowning as he too studied the horizon. "Of course. Why wouldn't we?"

Mara and Luke stopped, with their charges doing likewise. The humans shared a look, both feeling the rising warning in the Force. "Uh-oh..."

Shiva looked to horizon, scenting the air with her nose. "Oh no..."

"Sandstorm!" Thea cried, hearing the roaring noise now too. It sounded like a wave on the ocean.

"Run!" Shiva cried, fear apparent in her voice. She tried to put actions to words but in her haste forgot about her sprained ankle. She cried out and stumbled, catching herself and standing back up.

Luke was swift to help her, throwing her arm about his shoulders and hustling them along the best he could. He heard Mara following with Thea.

But even so, Luke felt in the Force that they would not outrun the storm. His first thought was Mara, and he wished he could protect her, but he had nothing with which to do so. The lights were close enough now to form what looked like a small village. Luke wondered if it was a permanent residence, or if it had only been set up for the occasion.

Shaking his head to clear it, Luke could only pray they made it to the village before the sand stripped them like a piece of glass. He'd heard of the sandstorms on Tatooine, and promised himself that if he survived this, he would never live in a desert.

He heard the wall of sand grow closer, the storm just barely visible in the slowly-increasing daylight. His stomach dropped when he saw just how high up it went, and how he couldn't see anything through the sand.

Luke instinctively turned his face away from the sand as the wall impacted with their group. It was so strong that Luke was instantly knocked off his feet, unprepared for the ferocity of the storm.

He heard the others cry out as they were likewise toppled. Thea and Shiva used their wings to cover their heads, preferring that their wings take the beating than their faces. Luke squinted in the flurry of sand, searching for Mara. When he found her, he pulled her closer to him, urging her to put her face in his chest.

Mara clung to him, though both of them were feeling the sand literally burn across their exposed flesh. Tears stung Luke's eyes, and despite the situation, he knew they had to try pressing on.

"Can we try crawling?" Luke hollered to everyone above the noise.

"I'll do anything to get out of this storm!" Shiva cried back, already moving in the direction she hoped was the right way.

Luke noted that she was headed the wrong direction, however, and grabbed her ankle. The Force showed him where to go, and he trusted it.

"Follow us!"

Thea and Shiva did as they were told, following Luke and Mara as they crawled painfully along. Luke made certain to shield Mara the best he could, uncaring that he was in agony. He still felt her pain, but he could do nothing more for her.

They all crawled for an unknown amount of time before Luke's head rammed into something hard.

"Ow!" he yelped, rubbing at his scalp.

But Shiva cried out for joy. "We made it!"

Before anyone could react, hands grabbed them and hauled them along. Luke was delirious with pain, and he prayed that Mara had fared better than he. Soon, blessedly, they were cut off from the sand, and Luke opened his eyes to see that they were in a building.

Outside of that fact, he only cared about Mara. He craned his neck to look for her, and breathed a sigh of relief when saw that she was right behind him. Luke was lifted into a bed, Mara likewise, and then she was blocked from his view as a Kestan tried to tend to Luke's sand burns.

Luke hissed as his bare skin was wiped at and dabbed, crying out when the burns seemed to intensify. Thus he was grateful when exhaustion claimed him.