by Angela Jade
Rated - PG
e-mail - angela@yavin4.free-online.co.uk - constructive criticism and happy thoughts greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer - all these characters belong to Mr. Lucas (all hail) - Talon Karrde and Shada D'ukal were created by Mr. Zahn (yay!). I write about them as a form of flattery - please don't sue. I am not making any money from this.
Spoilers - for "Vision of the Future" by Timothy Zahn
Thanks and virtual flowers to Jackie and Sheyla for the beta.
Completed - April 2001
Setting - towards the end of Zahn's "Vision of the Future". Pellaeon
and Gavrisom are about to sign the treaty that will finally end the galaxy-wide
war. Meanwhile, back aboard the Wild Karrde...
Talon Karrde sprawled in his command chair, rubbing his bearded chin thoughtfully as he gazed out the front viewport. The hustle and bustle of one of Coruscant's biggest spaceports reflected in his pale blue eyes, but the activity was still not enough to penetrate his thoughts...
Shada D'ukal had agreed to join his company, and he couldn't figure out if he was pleased or disappointed.
She'd been reticent at first, unwilling to commit herself to anyone or anything until she came to terms with her ostracization by the Mystral. Sure, they'd lifted the death mark and called off the hunter teams, but they'd also denied her her home and her heritage, and that had hit Shada hard. Talon couldn't fully comprehend her reasons for rejecting his offer of a position, so he did what he always did when trying to understand an uncommunicative client, employee, or government official. He took her out to dinner...
* * *
The restaurant was small and unusually quiet for the time of day as Talon escorted Shada through the plasteel double doors, his hand subconsciously tugging the hem of his jacket straight. A waiter met them, bowed, and led them quietly to their table, and once again Talon found himself admiring Shada's choice of outfit. A high-necked, sleeveless, black leather dress with a fitted bodice and full skirt that swished gently against her knee-high boots - as much as he tried to ignore the effect, it was definitely tugging at his libido. He viciously suppressed those thoughts - he wanted her working for him, not in his bed. The women Talon Karrde got intimate with were all colors, shapes, and sizes, and were invariably a bit dense, but they had two things in common. They were short-term, and they were never, ever employees. He'd been burned once, betrayed by a beautiful Corellian smuggler he'd promoted to captain, and he vowed it would never happen again.
"Karrde? Are you all right?"
He shook himself out of his reverie and grinned at his companion. "Fine, yes. Sorry."
Shada returned his smile. "You were lightyears away." She keyed on the holographic menu embedded in the center of the table but still focused on him. "Do you want to order?"
He nodded, his eyes scanning the menu before he decisively keyed in his order. "Brandy. And steak. Definitely steak."
Shada suppressed a laugh at the vehemence in his voice. "Feeling a little underfed, Captain?" she asked as she keyed her own order into the console.
"Always," replied Karrde, one eyebrow raised in amusement. He slowly leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and regarded her in silence for a long moment. She really was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever met, and he'd met more than a few in his time. Her black hair was piled up on her head, held in place by her trademark zenji needles - a few stray tresses emphasized the curve of her neck... "So, Ms. Dukal, how are you?"
"Me? I'm, ah, in good health." She frowned, slightly uncomfortable under his intense scrutiny. "Thank you for your concern."
"That wasn't what I meant, Shada." He clamped down on what he was about to say as the waiter returned with their drinks. For some inexplicable reason, he was pleased to see that she had decided to join him in a brandy. He raised his glass in a salute as the waiter turned and left. "I was just wondering how you were coping with the events of last week, aboard the Relentless."
For several minutes her expression remained a mask of calm, her tightened grip on her glass the only outward sign of her anxiety. Finally she blew out a sigh and shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess. The Eleven don't want me back, and if I'm truly honest, I don't really want to go back, either." She shrugged and sipped her drink, before looking him square in the eye. "That doesn't mean I've decided to join you, though."
To her surprise, Karrde merely nodded, then gave a shrug of his own. "Don't you want to know why?" she asked finally.
"I'm sure you'll tell me when you're ready," he replied, smiling widely as the waiter appeared with their food. "Ah, I haven't had a decent steak in weeks." The surface of the meat was intricately patterned by the chef's laser-cutter, and Karrde quickly speared a bite-sized piece and popped it into his mouth with relish. "Delicious."
"I don't think you can pull it off, Karrde."
He chewed frantically and swallowed. "What do you mean?"
"I mean this Intelligence service idea. It's not going to work, at least, not in the long run." She watched him for a moment, trying to gauge his reaction, but his face remained impassive. "Peace Treaty or not, I just can't see either the Old Empire or the New Republic trusting you. No offense."
"None taken, I assure you." He speared another piece of meat, chewing solemnly as he watched her expertly twirl a noodle onto her fork then remove it with blood-red lips. "Is that why you won't join us? Because you believe we'll soon be forced to return to our former smuggling business."
"Yes... No." She leaned forward, resting her chin on interlaced fingers. "I don't want to be a bodyguard any more, Karrde - just another hired gun that looks good until you need me to hurt someone."
"So what do you want to be, Shada?" he asked quietly.
She sat back, stirring the contents of her plate. "There lies the problem. I have no idea."
"You could always work for me until you figure it out," he suggested. "You can't live on luck and recycled air."
"I know." She ate in silence, refusing to meet his gaze as she concentrated on her food. Finally she leaned back in her chair, sipping her brandy. "I do have other options, you know."
"I'm sure you do. You're very talented."
"NR Security are recruiting again, and I'm sure the commandos could find a place for me..."
Talon grinned wryly. "Sounds fine, if you want to stay on Coruscant."
"That's not necessarily true, Karrde. They have operatives working all over the galaxy..."
"Operatives that have been working for them for years. Operatives that, to be frank, they can trust." He felt a pang of guilt at the brutality of his words, but quickly squashed the feeling. She had to know the truth. "I'm sorry, Shada, but that's how it works. If you're happy staying on Coruscant, then go ahead and take the security job. Maybe in a few years time you'll get the clearance to work elsewhere, but if you want to travel now, to do more than just train raw recruits fresh out of school or babysit minor politicians, I'd say you'd do better with me."
"Do what, Karrde? You keep asking me to work for you, but you don't tell me what you want me to do. If I'm not going to teach hand-to-hand with NRS, I'm certainly not going to do it for your organization. And I'd rather not be sent to work for one of your captains..." She stopped abruptly, dropping her gaze to the glass in her hand as she swirled the brandy round the sides.
So that was it. She thought he'd shuffle her off to some outpost on the Outer Rim, or ask her to guard someone she didn't even know. Either she was so insecure that she didn't realize how valuable she was to him, or she didn't trust him even after all they'd been through. Probably a bit of both. He placed his cutlery on the table and leaned forward. "Shada, can we take a walk?"
Her eyes flicked back to his. "You haven't finished your steak."
"Doesn't matter," replied Talon, dropping a credit chip on the table
as he stood. "It's not secure in here and there's something I have to discuss
with you."
The air outside was cooler than normal as they strode side by side along the walkway leading away from the restaurant. Shada kept subconsciously slipping back a pace to take up the point position behind him, and Talon found himself guiding her to walk next to him with a gentle hand on the small of her back. "It's okay, Shada. I think we're quite safe here."
"Sorry." She smiled up at him. "Force of habit."
"And an excellent habit it is, especially if it means my back is always covered." He dipped his head closer to hers. "But right now I'd rather not draw any attention. We're just a couple of friends out for an evening stroll, okay?"
She slipped her arm through his and nodded. "Very well, friends it is. Stroll away, Captain."
He patted her hand and carried on walking, struggling to hide the smile that wanted to burst onto his face. Her arm felt comfortable entwined with his, as if it belonged there, and once again he felt a brief flare of regret at having to ask her to be his employee instead of ... well, something more. Finally he spotted what he was looking for. "There. That'll do." He steered Shada towards a small, unoccupied observation platform that jutted out from the walkway.
She gripped the handrail, gazing out at the Coruscant skyline for several minutes before turning to face him once more. "So, Captain. What is it that you need to tell me?"
Setting his hands on the rail alongside hers, he turned to face her with a wry smile. "I want you to work for me, Shada. As my second-in-command."
The stunned look on her face betrayed her complete surprise at the offer. "Me? But I don't know enough about the business..." Her eyes narrowed as another thought crossed her mind. "You already have a second-in-command. Mara Jade."
"And this is where the secrecy comes in," he replied, glancing around to check they weren't being overheard. "Mara will be leaving the company. Soon."
"Can you tell me why?"
Folding his arms across his chest, he slowly nodded. "I'm trusting you not to breathe a word of this, Shada." He paused, considering his words carefully. "Mara's getting married."
One carefully shaped eyebrow rose as Shada digested his statement. "Mara Jade? Married? Wow."
"It gets better." Talon shook his head, grinning. "She's marrying Luke Skywalker and committing herself to the Jedi."
Both eyebrows shot up into her dark hair and Shada didn't bother hiding her shock at the news. "You're kidding."
"Nope. Will you work for me?"
"Luke Skywalker? THE Luke Skywalker?"
"Yes. Will you work for me?"
"They kept that pretty quiet. There hasn't been a sniff of it on the holonews."
Talon gently took hold of her shoulders and made her face him. "It's happening, Shada. Mara's leaving the organization. Now, will you please consider taking her place as my second." His blue eyes widened a little, sincerity filling his voice with emotion. "I need someone I can trust, someone who will put in one hundred percent and care about my people as much as I do."
"I ... I'm still not sure." She looked down at the toes of her boots, unable to meet his gaze. "I'd like to think about it for a while."
He sighed, blowing the tension out of his body. At least she hadn't refused him point blank. "Please do think about it, Shada." He offered her the crook of his arm. "C'mon. I'll walk you back to your suite."
She slipped her arm into his. "Thank you, Talon."
A warm glow formed around his heart and he smiled - he couldn't remember her ever using his first name before. He couldn't fathom why this would be important, he only knew that it was.
They strolled along walkways, rode turbolifts, even walked the streets for a while, aimlessly making small talk as they continued to skirt around the issue of Shada's future. The sun had set by the time they arrived at the suite of rooms Shada had hired after politely refusing Talon's offer of a berth on the Wild Karrde over a week ago.
"Thanks for the meal, Captain," she said, pausing at the door. "It was very ... umm ... informative."
"You're very welcome, Ms. Dukal. Thank you for your company." He leaned a little closer, reaching out as if to touch her arm then changing his mind. "Please let me know when you've made a decision on my offer."
She was silent for a long moment, her eyes searching his for any sign of deception. Finally, she gave a single short nod. "I've decided. I'll do it."
"You will?!" He grinned as he took her right hand in his, squeezing it gently. "That's great. You won't regret it."
"I hope not. I'm still not convinced this whole intelligence service thing will work."
"It'll work. I know it'll work." Talon couldn't wipe the grin off his face.
"And you'd better set up a meeting with Mara. I need to talk to her about what I'm supposed to be doing."
"I'll speak to her tomorrow, after the Treaty signing," he replied, before lifting her hand to his lips and kissing it chastely. "Thank you again, Shada. I'll be in touch." He bowed formally, turned, and left, forcing himself not to look back when he heard her door swish open.
* * *
"Boss? Boss! It's time."
"Huh? What?" Karrde snapped out of his reverie and glanced behind to see Dankin's tousled head poking through the cockpit entrance.
"You said to remind you when you had to leave for the Treaty thing. You know - the signing." Dankin's head tilted as he realized that he'd actually managed to catch his Captain off-guard. Not that he would ever mention it to anyone else. "Are you okay, Boss?"
"I'm fine," replied Talon, quickly regaining his composure. "I'll be right there. Get the speeder ready."
"Sure thing, Boss." Dankin nodded once and retreated, his voice ringing out as he yelled for a driver.
She'd said 'yes', and somehow he couldn't quite believe it. Karrde was nothing if not an excellent judge of character and he knew for sure that Shada was exactly what the business needed. What he needed. As a second-in-command, of course. She could give orders, take control when necessary, she knew more than he did about slicing, engineering and mechanics - and she could talk her way out of most situations and fight her way out of the rest. Once he persuaded Mara to spend some time training her, she'd be perfect. Absolutely perfect...
If only he hadn't dreamed about her the night before, after he'd finally fallen into a restless sleep. He'd kissed her hand, she'd smiled at him, he'd kissed her cheek, and then her mouth, and then... Blowing out a sigh, he dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands, willing himself to forget the visions that kept surfacing unbidden into his mind. No relations with employees - that was his rule and it was a rule he did not intend to break.
He glanced at his faint reflection in the viewport and smoothed his
beard with one hand. "It's not going to happen," he whispered.