Disclaimer...still on Part 1
Forbidden
Part 4
//Can't see the light
'Cause I'm in too deep.
Over my head… //
//"In 2 Deep" The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band//
The white letters on her data pad were almost blinding
against the green background screen. Mirax squinted
at the garish color scheme and reread the message
Wedge had sent her.
//Need help with the Skate's hyperdrive. Come ASAP.
Wedge.//
Simple, to the point. As his messages always were.
Then why did she have this uneasy feeling as she
headed towards the hanger? Like she was about to fall
into a trap. One of the maintenance corridors that
she had pulled Wedge into earlier in the week caught
her eye. //Maybe that's why I'm nervous. 'Cause I
expect Wedge to drag me off into one of those access
tunnels. Not that I'd mind it if he DID drag me off
into one of those little niches.//
She was almost disappointed when she walked past the
passageway and Wedge didn't appear. //Don't be
foolish, we have work to do. He's not going to play
hide and seek with you while the Skate needs
repairs.//
The hanger was almost completely shrouded in darkness.
A faint trail of light spilled across the ferrocrete,
originating from the Pulsar Skate. The night-like
gloom was unsettling, especially after her uneventful
but nerve-wracking gauntlet past the maintenance
corridors.
She hurried through the twilight, wanting to find out
what was wrong with the Skate and get it fixed as soon
as possible. After her sleepless night of self-doubt,
she wanted to keep as much distance between Wedge and
herself as possible. Perhaps, with distance, her
feelings for the pilot would lessen. //Foolish hope,
girl. Nothing's going to stop you from loving him.//
Why couldn't she just accept her feelings for Wedge?
Maybe with acceptance, she could find a way to tell
him how she felt. And then, maybe, just maybe, she
would have a chance with him.
She expected him to be waiting for her at the boarding
ramp, but instead, she was greeted by shadows.
"Wedge?" Her voice echoed faintly, making her feel
even more alone in the deserted hanger. Tentatively
she crept up the ramp, looking around for any trace of
the pilot. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Wedge..." Dragging a hand through her dark hair, she
squinted into the darkness that dwelled inside the
Skate, looking for any sign of life. She stepped
inside, searching for the pilot.
She let out a quiet shriek as the shadows coalesced
into human form. The cry echoed hollowly through the
ship, adding to the haunting impression of Wedge
appearing like a wraith from the darkness. "Wedge?"
Her voice was high pitched, almost panicked as she
fought to calm her racing heart.
She expected him to speak, but he remained silent,
stepping forward until he had backed Mirax into the
metal wall behind her. Swallowing hard, she managed a
weak smile, "Is this payback for my earlier games?"
The young man shook his head, causing his long hair to
spill free of its tie. Suddenly desire overrode the
faint traces of fear that lingered in her system; she
fought the urge to twist the dark locks through her
fingers. "Nothing so petty," Wedge all but purred.
Mirax felt herself trembling at the sound of his
voice. Husky and soft as he brushed a lock of her
dark hair out of her eyes. She was acutely aware of
his hands on her body. The one that had brushed her
hair behind her ear now cradled her cheek while the
other rested on her hip. And acutely aware of the
warmth radiating from his body, of those brown eyes
trying to absorb every detail of her face.
Swallowing hard, she barely managed remain calm.
Gods, she wanted him so much. "You seem pretty good
at this for a nerfherder-turned-smuggler."
"I've been thinking 'bout this almost constantly since
that first kiss." If possible, he leaned in closer,
his breath caressing her neck, gently moving her black
hair. "I have a good imagination, Mirax." Her knees
threatened to buckle as he flicked his tongue against
her skin. She felt him smile against her throat as
her hands tangled in his tunic. "Want to see how
imaginative I can be?"
Before she could answer, he captured her lips with
his, exploring them with little nips as his hands
explored her body. She trembled with desire. Gods
how she wanted him. She had never thought it possible
to hunger for someone this much. But Wedge seemed to
have a gift for heightening her desire to levels she
had never experienced before. He was driving her mad
with these little touches, with his gentle teasing of
her lips.
Her hands eagerly tangled in his long hair, drawing
him closer so she could feel the hard press of his
body against hers. Gods, she couldn't get enough of
him. It was like addiction; this wild hunger that
pulsed through her body as his tongue ravaged her
mouth.
Slowly, he pulled away, gasping for breath as he held
her steady. She rested her head on his shoulder,
trying desperately to slow the racing of her heart.
He looked into her whiskey eyes. "Do you want to
continue playing games, or do you want more?"
Mirax swallowed thickly, trying to gather enough
concentration to form words. "I…" Her breath hitched
as she tried to calm the desire pulsing through her
veins. It was impossible with him so close to her.
She gently pushed him away. He moved back a few
steps; his grin widening when he realized how heavily
she leaned against the wall behind her. She wondered
how he could seem so calm after such a kiss. If he
could pretend to be under control, then so could she.
"What are you planning, Antilles? Ravishing me on my
father's ship?" She tried to sound casual despite the
hunger raging through her.
"Nope," he answered, taking her hand. "Got something
better planned."
Wedge gently led her towards the cockpit, ignoring her
half-hearted protests. He guided her into the
copilot's chair then settled himself into the pilot's
seat.
Mirax felt her jaw drop as Wedge began the pre-flight
sequences. "What the hell are you doing?"
Wedge gave her an arrogant grin. "Borrowing the
Skate. Booster'll never know."
"You are out of your mind!" she almost shouted. Wedge
was oblivious to her protests. //He's mad. He's
finally lost his mind.// Mirax rested her elbows on
her knees, head in her hands as she contemplated her
father's wrath. "Dad's going to kill us. Do you
realize that? He's going to murder us."
"Don't worry so much, Mir. I've taken care of
everything. Booster won't even know the Skate's gone."
She looked up at him, doubt evident in her amber eyes.
"And how did you manage that one, nerfherder?"
He shook his head, chuckling as he finished the last
of the preflight checks. "You're never going to let
me forget that I herded nerfs, are you?"
"And if you are lucky, you'll be a nerfherder again.
Better a nerfherder than killed by my father."
Wedge swiveled the pilot's chair around to look at
Mirax. "Let me repeat this one more time. Don't.
Worry."
Mirax eyes him suspiciously, then nodded her
submission, settling into her seat as Wedge flew them
towards whatever destination he had planned.
# # #
From the control center of the Heaven's Crossroads,
Booster watched his ship smoothly glide into space.
There was no denying it, Wedge was an excellent pilot.
He handled the freighter as if it were as compact as
the snubfighters he adored.
Booster had known for weeks that his daughter was
falling in love with Wedge Antilles. She might have
been able to hide her feelings from the boy, but she
had not been able to conceal them from her father.
Booster had seen her discomfort, her fear that he
would not approve of her choice.
He chuckled at that. Booster had been hoping that his
stubborn daughter would see how much Wedge cared for
her. And he had been hoping Antilles would find the
courage to show Mirax how much he loved her. Terrik
hadn't expected that show of affection to be in the
form of theft.
It was audacious. It bordered insanity. But it
suited Wedge perfectly.
Booster didn't worry about his ship, he knew Antilles
was a capable pilot. And the thought of worrying
about his only child never entered his mind. He knew
that Wedge would never let anything happen to Mirax.
Actually, Wedge's actions could not have come at a
better time. The informants that Booster kept on
payroll had warned him that CorSec was closing in on
him. Soon, he would be either incarcerated or dead.
When he was younger, he would have fought against the
beings that hunted him, but now…now he had a daughter
to care for. And he would not pass up the chance to
see what future she created for herself. Even if it
meant that he would end up in the spice mines.
He hated the thought of leaving his daughter alone in
a harsh galaxy, but better to leave her for a few
years than for an eternity. And, if Wedge was as
savvy as he gave him credit for, Mirax would not be
alone while Booster was away.
As the Skate disappeared into the star-strewn
darkness, he wished the pilot all the luck in the
galaxy…
Forbidden
Part 4
//Can't see the light
'Cause I'm in too deep.
Over my head… //
//"In 2 Deep" The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band//
The white letters on her data pad were almost blinding
against the green background screen. Mirax squinted
at the garish color scheme and reread the message
Wedge had sent her.
//Need help with the Skate's hyperdrive. Come ASAP.
Wedge.//
Simple, to the point. As his messages always were.
Then why did she have this uneasy feeling as she
headed towards the hanger? Like she was about to fall
into a trap. One of the maintenance corridors that
she had pulled Wedge into earlier in the week caught
her eye. //Maybe that's why I'm nervous. 'Cause I
expect Wedge to drag me off into one of those access
tunnels. Not that I'd mind it if he DID drag me off
into one of those little niches.//
She was almost disappointed when she walked past the
passageway and Wedge didn't appear. //Don't be
foolish, we have work to do. He's not going to play
hide and seek with you while the Skate needs
repairs.//
The hanger was almost completely shrouded in darkness.
A faint trail of light spilled across the ferrocrete,
originating from the Pulsar Skate. The night-like
gloom was unsettling, especially after her uneventful
but nerve-wracking gauntlet past the maintenance
corridors.
She hurried through the twilight, wanting to find out
what was wrong with the Skate and get it fixed as soon
as possible. After her sleepless night of self-doubt,
she wanted to keep as much distance between Wedge and
herself as possible. Perhaps, with distance, her
feelings for the pilot would lessen. //Foolish hope,
girl. Nothing's going to stop you from loving him.//
Why couldn't she just accept her feelings for Wedge?
Maybe with acceptance, she could find a way to tell
him how she felt. And then, maybe, just maybe, she
would have a chance with him.
She expected him to be waiting for her at the boarding
ramp, but instead, she was greeted by shadows.
"Wedge?" Her voice echoed faintly, making her feel
even more alone in the deserted hanger. Tentatively
she crept up the ramp, looking around for any trace of
the pilot. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Wedge..." Dragging a hand through her dark hair, she
squinted into the darkness that dwelled inside the
Skate, looking for any sign of life. She stepped
inside, searching for the pilot.
She let out a quiet shriek as the shadows coalesced
into human form. The cry echoed hollowly through the
ship, adding to the haunting impression of Wedge
appearing like a wraith from the darkness. "Wedge?"
Her voice was high pitched, almost panicked as she
fought to calm her racing heart.
She expected him to speak, but he remained silent,
stepping forward until he had backed Mirax into the
metal wall behind her. Swallowing hard, she managed a
weak smile, "Is this payback for my earlier games?"
The young man shook his head, causing his long hair to
spill free of its tie. Suddenly desire overrode the
faint traces of fear that lingered in her system; she
fought the urge to twist the dark locks through her
fingers. "Nothing so petty," Wedge all but purred.
Mirax felt herself trembling at the sound of his
voice. Husky and soft as he brushed a lock of her
dark hair out of her eyes. She was acutely aware of
his hands on her body. The one that had brushed her
hair behind her ear now cradled her cheek while the
other rested on her hip. And acutely aware of the
warmth radiating from his body, of those brown eyes
trying to absorb every detail of her face.
Swallowing hard, she barely managed remain calm.
Gods, she wanted him so much. "You seem pretty good
at this for a nerfherder-turned-smuggler."
"I've been thinking 'bout this almost constantly since
that first kiss." If possible, he leaned in closer,
his breath caressing her neck, gently moving her black
hair. "I have a good imagination, Mirax." Her knees
threatened to buckle as he flicked his tongue against
her skin. She felt him smile against her throat as
her hands tangled in his tunic. "Want to see how
imaginative I can be?"
Before she could answer, he captured her lips with
his, exploring them with little nips as his hands
explored her body. She trembled with desire. Gods
how she wanted him. She had never thought it possible
to hunger for someone this much. But Wedge seemed to
have a gift for heightening her desire to levels she
had never experienced before. He was driving her mad
with these little touches, with his gentle teasing of
her lips.
Her hands eagerly tangled in his long hair, drawing
him closer so she could feel the hard press of his
body against hers. Gods, she couldn't get enough of
him. It was like addiction; this wild hunger that
pulsed through her body as his tongue ravaged her
mouth.
Slowly, he pulled away, gasping for breath as he held
her steady. She rested her head on his shoulder,
trying desperately to slow the racing of her heart.
He looked into her whiskey eyes. "Do you want to
continue playing games, or do you want more?"
Mirax swallowed thickly, trying to gather enough
concentration to form words. "I…" Her breath hitched
as she tried to calm the desire pulsing through her
veins. It was impossible with him so close to her.
She gently pushed him away. He moved back a few
steps; his grin widening when he realized how heavily
she leaned against the wall behind her. She wondered
how he could seem so calm after such a kiss. If he
could pretend to be under control, then so could she.
"What are you planning, Antilles? Ravishing me on my
father's ship?" She tried to sound casual despite the
hunger raging through her.
"Nope," he answered, taking her hand. "Got something
better planned."
Wedge gently led her towards the cockpit, ignoring her
half-hearted protests. He guided her into the
copilot's chair then settled himself into the pilot's
seat.
Mirax felt her jaw drop as Wedge began the pre-flight
sequences. "What the hell are you doing?"
Wedge gave her an arrogant grin. "Borrowing the
Skate. Booster'll never know."
"You are out of your mind!" she almost shouted. Wedge
was oblivious to her protests. //He's mad. He's
finally lost his mind.// Mirax rested her elbows on
her knees, head in her hands as she contemplated her
father's wrath. "Dad's going to kill us. Do you
realize that? He's going to murder us."
"Don't worry so much, Mir. I've taken care of
everything. Booster won't even know the Skate's gone."
She looked up at him, doubt evident in her amber eyes.
"And how did you manage that one, nerfherder?"
He shook his head, chuckling as he finished the last
of the preflight checks. "You're never going to let
me forget that I herded nerfs, are you?"
"And if you are lucky, you'll be a nerfherder again.
Better a nerfherder than killed by my father."
Wedge swiveled the pilot's chair around to look at
Mirax. "Let me repeat this one more time. Don't.
Worry."
Mirax eyes him suspiciously, then nodded her
submission, settling into her seat as Wedge flew them
towards whatever destination he had planned.
# # #
From the control center of the Heaven's Crossroads,
Booster watched his ship smoothly glide into space.
There was no denying it, Wedge was an excellent pilot.
He handled the freighter as if it were as compact as
the snubfighters he adored.
Booster had known for weeks that his daughter was
falling in love with Wedge Antilles. She might have
been able to hide her feelings from the boy, but she
had not been able to conceal them from her father.
Booster had seen her discomfort, her fear that he
would not approve of her choice.
He chuckled at that. Booster had been hoping that his
stubborn daughter would see how much Wedge cared for
her. And he had been hoping Antilles would find the
courage to show Mirax how much he loved her. Terrik
hadn't expected that show of affection to be in the
form of theft.
It was audacious. It bordered insanity. But it
suited Wedge perfectly.
Booster didn't worry about his ship, he knew Antilles
was a capable pilot. And the thought of worrying
about his only child never entered his mind. He knew
that Wedge would never let anything happen to Mirax.
Actually, Wedge's actions could not have come at a
better time. The informants that Booster kept on
payroll had warned him that CorSec was closing in on
him. Soon, he would be either incarcerated or dead.
When he was younger, he would have fought against the
beings that hunted him, but now…now he had a daughter
to care for. And he would not pass up the chance to
see what future she created for herself. Even if it
meant that he would end up in the spice mines.
He hated the thought of leaving his daughter alone in
a harsh galaxy, but better to leave her for a few
years than for an eternity. And, if Wedge was as
savvy as he gave him credit for, Mirax would not be
alone while Booster was away.
As the Skate disappeared into the star-strewn
darkness, he wished the pilot all the luck in the
galaxy…
