Double Double Desire and Trouble
Part Two
Androden was on the outer rim, not far from Tatooine. It was an unpopulated world that was once used for mining, but the venture was eventually abandoned because the hazards far outweighed the payoff. The cave systems were more complex than any other world in the known universe. The extensive nature of the caves riddling the lower levels of the planet, made the surface too unstable for any large developments. Since the planet was in the middle of Hutt controlled space, most people either avoided the planet or stayed only long enough to complete an illegal transaction.
Mara guided the ship slowly in orbit around the planet. The world was brilliant red, covered by a multitude of cracks. There were no bodies of water, no vegetation. Luke could not sense anything alive on the planet below. The rocky surface looked as if it had been heated from within and cracked from the stress
"I've only been here once before." Mara said.
Luke inspected her closely and said, "Tell me about it."
She remembered Yoda's words, "Show you the way, she will."
Mara was the one who could find the Hidden Catacombs, and she had a pretty good idea where to start. Mara scanned the readouts detailing the surface of the planet until she found the spot she was looking for. "Years ago, before I hooked up with Karrde's organization, I heard of a smuggling group that met here to do a weapons exchange. I had learned about this operation while employed by the Emperor and I came here after his death to see if I could find a lead on a better life. In those days, I was barely making a living and I was hoping to find a way out. I was tired of working as a menial laborer, a mechanic, or whatever came along just to have enough credits to make ends meet. I had heard that the leader of this particular smuggler group was honest and treated his employees with respect. It took me a few days to study the fissures criss-crossing the surface of the planet and to run an analysis on the underlying structure until I could find the most stable place to land."
The Jade's Fire settled carefully down on a rocky plain.
"Here." Mara removed the strap and turned to face Skywalker. "I found their rendezvous point and I also found the leader of the smuggling group. . . dead. Seems that he was just too nice. It had all been a waste of time and energy."
Luke shrugged and said, "Maybe you were prompted to come here, maybe you were listening to the force."
"It was my destiny?" Mara said derisively. "Oh come on, Skywalker. I admit it is convenient given our current objective, but it's a coincidence nothing more."
Luke looked at her with his bright blue gaze. Mara turned away. Luke leaned forward to study the computer readouts. R2D2 rolled forward and bumped into Luke's arm.
"Hey." The Jedi looked down at the astromech droid, "What is it?"
The droid twittered and Luke nodded his head.
"What did he say?" Mara asked.
"Artoo says that he detected a faint beacon."
Mara leaned over the console and said, "It's not on the Fire's sensors."
R2D2 rotated a metal appendage in the droid socket making an adjustment to the readouts scrolling across the screen.
"There," Luke pointed at the slight blip.
Mara nodded, "It's coming from a shaft not far from here." The red-haired woman turned to regard the little droid, "Nice going, Artoo."
The droid rotated his head one way then the other as if viewing her with a multitude of sensors, then he whistled tentatively.
Luke covered his mouth with his hand, but Mara could see his smile just the same.
"What did he say?" Mara demanded.
"He just is glad that you appreciate him."
Mara looked suspiciously at Luke and then at the droid. She shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to analyze what the little astromech said any further. She threw a cloth bag stuffed with supplies at the Jedi. He caught it deftly and followed the woman as she stormed out of the ship without saying a word, his smile grew with each step.
Mara waited impatiently for the Jedi. When the droid rolled onto the ramp she said, "I think you'd better stay behind with the ship. Even here, the ground is not reliable; you wouldn't last an hour."
The droid halted, extended a sensor and pointed it at the ground.
Luke turned to Mara, "We need him to lead us to the beacon he discovered. Besides, I'll make sure that he's safe."
Artoo moaned and tentatively rolled onto the ground, a fine coating of red dust rising in the air behind him.
"It's your droid." Mara said as if she had just pronounced his demise. She took the lead, extending her senses through the force, and preparing for slight shifts in the ground as she walked. "Stay right behind me. Last time I was here, this patch of ground was relatively stable. It's not far to the first fissure."
Mara took the lead, R2D2 rolled right behind her, and Luke followed up the rear. The air was thin and the minor exertion was making it difficult for them to breath. The sky was black as space and sprinkled with stars. A small rocky moon brushed the horizon and a distant white sun no more than an extremely bright star cast long shadows behind them. The ground radiated heat, making the temperature bearable. Mara's foot broke through the ground, causing a minor earthquake. Luke dashed forward and grabbed her arm, preventing the woman from slipping into the fresh crack gaping in their path.
The ground settled quickly. Mara panted, leaning reluctantly against the Jedi, eyeing the newly made chasm before them, "We'll that woke me up." Mara said ruefully.
"Why don't we take a break, catch our breath." Luke suggested.
She nodded slowly. They had walked for a few hours, but with the clear air and the relatively flat ground, they could still see the Jade's Fire in the distance, a small glittering beacon on the rocky, crimson land.
Luke sat heavily down on a flat rock and opened a bag that contained their supplies. He started fishing around the interior until he produced two ration bars triumphantly.
"I thought you said you'd cook." Mara said wryly as she took the bar and tore open the wrap.
"Hey, in some parts of the galaxy, these are considered gourmet." Luke said.
Mara snorted and then stopped, noticing the change in the Jedi's sense.
"What is it?"
Luke had stopped chewing, his head cocked to one side as if trying to hear a distant sound. "I don't know. I feel as if we are being watched."
The droid twittered and extended a sensor.
Mara felt the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her hand moved to the blaster holstered on her left forearm. She extended her senses. Although, she could not pinpoint the source, she felt a faint sensation of foreboding, a darkness.
"I don't sense anyone nearby." Mara said tentatively, unconsciously moving closer to the Jedi.
Luke swallowed and met her eyes. The pale light made his hair seem darker than normal. The shadows were pronounced on his face. He lifted his hand as if to touch her and then dropped it, suddenly realizing what he was doing. He turned aside and quickly repacked the supplies bag, consuming the rest of his ration bar in two quick bites.
Mara picked up on his cue and rechecked their route. She compared it to the small display unit attached to Artoo's dome. They were nearly on top of the signal.
Luke swung the bag onto his shoulder and asked, "Ready?"
Mara nodded and did not protest when Skywalker took the lead. They carefully navigated around the new crevice in their path. They walked for awhile slowing gaining altitude. With each step, it felt as if the air grew incrementally thinner. Luke stopped abruptly as a sheer drop stretched in front of them. A large valley stretched before them covered in crude black volcanic rocks. Fissures etched the steep drop, one of which was large enough to accommodate the both of them walking side by side.
Artoo twittered and Luke interpreted for Mara "The signal is coming from inside that cave."
The entrance widen toward the base of the drop, so they would need to enter the cave from the bottom of the valley. Luke and Mara peered over the edge trying to figure out the best way to scale the drop. Both of them could probably climb down the rocky slope, the numerous fissures creating natural foot and hand holds. The droid was another matter entirely.
"I've climbed down this once before, but there weren't nearly this many cracks in the slope. With as unstable this place is, I'm not sure if we can find a way safely to the bottom." Mara said.
Luke pondered their situation for a moment and then said, "I'll levitate Artoo to the bottom and then take us down the same way."
"Oh, no. Are you crazy? I'll take my chances with the uncertain terrain."
"I can do this, Mara. Don't you trust me?" Luke grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb over her chilled fingers. She told herself that the sensation was pleasurable because it brought warmth to her hand, and she knew that was not the complete truth. She caught her breath as she met Luke's blue gaze. She could feel his emotions churning beneath his calm exterior. When she tried to focus on them, it was as if a door had suddenly closed. They were no longer in sight. Mara wondered if her sudden lightheadedness was due to the thin air or Skywalker's proximity.
She took a deep shuddering breath, refusing to break eye contact. "Alright. Let's do it." She said, suddenly resolute.
A smile spread across Luke's face with the speed of quick silver. He gave her hand a quick squeeze in gratitude and released it. Suddenly the Jedi Master, he turned his attention to the droid. Mara was absentmindedly rubbing the place on her hand that felt suddenly cold. She peered at the rocky moon, almost below the horizon. She could see numerous impact craters on the natural satellite's surface. All the while her mind was focused on the Luke's expression when he had held her hand, and the way her insides had seemed to dissolve when he was near her.
"I said, Are you read to go?" Luke interrupted her thoughts and Mara turned guiltily to regard the Jedi. The droid was on the ground below them, waiting patiently for them to join him. The Jedi stepped forward and said, "What is it, Mara?"
She shook her head and said, "It's nothing."
"Let's do this together. It would be good practice for you and increase the likelihood that we'll have a soft landing." Luke stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"What are you doing?" Mara asked, suddenly alarmed.
"Why, does it bother you, having me so close?" Luke teased.
Mara bristled, "In your dreams, Skywalker."
Something seemed to cross his features, and Mara sensed a quickly suppressed spike of emotion from him through the force. Mara leaned brazenly into his arms and watched his reaction carefully. Luke caught his breath and closed his eyes. The next thing she knew they were floating through the air, passing the rugged slope, with the numerous fissures etching the surface like veins. Mara closed her eyes, her force senses mingling with the Jedi's and it was only a moment before they were made a soft landing on the base of the valley. With their senses so entwined, Mara could feel the essence of the man who held her. She could feel his strength, his devotion to duty, his loyalty to his friends and family, and his quiet determination. She could feel that he was a man who felt things deeply, and always struggled to maintain a control over those emotions, least they control him. Her respect for this man increased and a warmth that she could not identify expanded from her being and enveloped him. Luke gasped and Mara opened her eyes to meet his gaze. They remained like that, unmoving for a moment, until Artoo whistled a quiet question.
Luke turned his gaze reluctantly from the red haired woman and Mara pulled away. A part of her chided herself for what could only be called a retreat, but another part of her was silently grateful to the astromech droid for his timely interruption.
"Yes, Artoo, we're alright. Is the signal coming from in there?" Luke cautiously walked toward the droid, placing each step with care.
R2D2 whistled an affirmative.
Mara stepped ahead and with a quick glance over her shoulder disappeared into the cave.
"After you," Luke said to the little droid. R2D2 rolled slowly into the dark opening. Luke glanced back to the place where Mara and he had landed. He took a deep breath and entered the cave.
A ship slipped from behind the small moon. It was much smaller than the Jade's Fire. The highly polished surface gleamed in the sun's dim light. The vehicle landed on a relatively flat area midway between Mara's ship and the crevice. Its landing created a earthquake that resounded across the land for a few minutes, and then the rumbling dwindled away. The ship was no longer perfectly level, but it was undamaged. Dark forms emerged from the ship and began the arduous journey toward Skywalker and Jade.
Part Two
Androden was on the outer rim, not far from Tatooine. It was an unpopulated world that was once used for mining, but the venture was eventually abandoned because the hazards far outweighed the payoff. The cave systems were more complex than any other world in the known universe. The extensive nature of the caves riddling the lower levels of the planet, made the surface too unstable for any large developments. Since the planet was in the middle of Hutt controlled space, most people either avoided the planet or stayed only long enough to complete an illegal transaction.
Mara guided the ship slowly in orbit around the planet. The world was brilliant red, covered by a multitude of cracks. There were no bodies of water, no vegetation. Luke could not sense anything alive on the planet below. The rocky surface looked as if it had been heated from within and cracked from the stress
"I've only been here once before." Mara said.
Luke inspected her closely and said, "Tell me about it."
She remembered Yoda's words, "Show you the way, she will."
Mara was the one who could find the Hidden Catacombs, and she had a pretty good idea where to start. Mara scanned the readouts detailing the surface of the planet until she found the spot she was looking for. "Years ago, before I hooked up with Karrde's organization, I heard of a smuggling group that met here to do a weapons exchange. I had learned about this operation while employed by the Emperor and I came here after his death to see if I could find a lead on a better life. In those days, I was barely making a living and I was hoping to find a way out. I was tired of working as a menial laborer, a mechanic, or whatever came along just to have enough credits to make ends meet. I had heard that the leader of this particular smuggler group was honest and treated his employees with respect. It took me a few days to study the fissures criss-crossing the surface of the planet and to run an analysis on the underlying structure until I could find the most stable place to land."
The Jade's Fire settled carefully down on a rocky plain.
"Here." Mara removed the strap and turned to face Skywalker. "I found their rendezvous point and I also found the leader of the smuggling group. . . dead. Seems that he was just too nice. It had all been a waste of time and energy."
Luke shrugged and said, "Maybe you were prompted to come here, maybe you were listening to the force."
"It was my destiny?" Mara said derisively. "Oh come on, Skywalker. I admit it is convenient given our current objective, but it's a coincidence nothing more."
Luke looked at her with his bright blue gaze. Mara turned away. Luke leaned forward to study the computer readouts. R2D2 rolled forward and bumped into Luke's arm.
"Hey." The Jedi looked down at the astromech droid, "What is it?"
The droid twittered and Luke nodded his head.
"What did he say?" Mara asked.
"Artoo says that he detected a faint beacon."
Mara leaned over the console and said, "It's not on the Fire's sensors."
R2D2 rotated a metal appendage in the droid socket making an adjustment to the readouts scrolling across the screen.
"There," Luke pointed at the slight blip.
Mara nodded, "It's coming from a shaft not far from here." The red-haired woman turned to regard the little droid, "Nice going, Artoo."
The droid rotated his head one way then the other as if viewing her with a multitude of sensors, then he whistled tentatively.
Luke covered his mouth with his hand, but Mara could see his smile just the same.
"What did he say?" Mara demanded.
"He just is glad that you appreciate him."
Mara looked suspiciously at Luke and then at the droid. She shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to analyze what the little astromech said any further. She threw a cloth bag stuffed with supplies at the Jedi. He caught it deftly and followed the woman as she stormed out of the ship without saying a word, his smile grew with each step.
Mara waited impatiently for the Jedi. When the droid rolled onto the ramp she said, "I think you'd better stay behind with the ship. Even here, the ground is not reliable; you wouldn't last an hour."
The droid halted, extended a sensor and pointed it at the ground.
Luke turned to Mara, "We need him to lead us to the beacon he discovered. Besides, I'll make sure that he's safe."
Artoo moaned and tentatively rolled onto the ground, a fine coating of red dust rising in the air behind him.
"It's your droid." Mara said as if she had just pronounced his demise. She took the lead, extending her senses through the force, and preparing for slight shifts in the ground as she walked. "Stay right behind me. Last time I was here, this patch of ground was relatively stable. It's not far to the first fissure."
Mara took the lead, R2D2 rolled right behind her, and Luke followed up the rear. The air was thin and the minor exertion was making it difficult for them to breath. The sky was black as space and sprinkled with stars. A small rocky moon brushed the horizon and a distant white sun no more than an extremely bright star cast long shadows behind them. The ground radiated heat, making the temperature bearable. Mara's foot broke through the ground, causing a minor earthquake. Luke dashed forward and grabbed her arm, preventing the woman from slipping into the fresh crack gaping in their path.
The ground settled quickly. Mara panted, leaning reluctantly against the Jedi, eyeing the newly made chasm before them, "We'll that woke me up." Mara said ruefully.
"Why don't we take a break, catch our breath." Luke suggested.
She nodded slowly. They had walked for a few hours, but with the clear air and the relatively flat ground, they could still see the Jade's Fire in the distance, a small glittering beacon on the rocky, crimson land.
Luke sat heavily down on a flat rock and opened a bag that contained their supplies. He started fishing around the interior until he produced two ration bars triumphantly.
"I thought you said you'd cook." Mara said wryly as she took the bar and tore open the wrap.
"Hey, in some parts of the galaxy, these are considered gourmet." Luke said.
Mara snorted and then stopped, noticing the change in the Jedi's sense.
"What is it?"
Luke had stopped chewing, his head cocked to one side as if trying to hear a distant sound. "I don't know. I feel as if we are being watched."
The droid twittered and extended a sensor.
Mara felt the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her hand moved to the blaster holstered on her left forearm. She extended her senses. Although, she could not pinpoint the source, she felt a faint sensation of foreboding, a darkness.
"I don't sense anyone nearby." Mara said tentatively, unconsciously moving closer to the Jedi.
Luke swallowed and met her eyes. The pale light made his hair seem darker than normal. The shadows were pronounced on his face. He lifted his hand as if to touch her and then dropped it, suddenly realizing what he was doing. He turned aside and quickly repacked the supplies bag, consuming the rest of his ration bar in two quick bites.
Mara picked up on his cue and rechecked their route. She compared it to the small display unit attached to Artoo's dome. They were nearly on top of the signal.
Luke swung the bag onto his shoulder and asked, "Ready?"
Mara nodded and did not protest when Skywalker took the lead. They carefully navigated around the new crevice in their path. They walked for awhile slowing gaining altitude. With each step, it felt as if the air grew incrementally thinner. Luke stopped abruptly as a sheer drop stretched in front of them. A large valley stretched before them covered in crude black volcanic rocks. Fissures etched the steep drop, one of which was large enough to accommodate the both of them walking side by side.
Artoo twittered and Luke interpreted for Mara "The signal is coming from inside that cave."
The entrance widen toward the base of the drop, so they would need to enter the cave from the bottom of the valley. Luke and Mara peered over the edge trying to figure out the best way to scale the drop. Both of them could probably climb down the rocky slope, the numerous fissures creating natural foot and hand holds. The droid was another matter entirely.
"I've climbed down this once before, but there weren't nearly this many cracks in the slope. With as unstable this place is, I'm not sure if we can find a way safely to the bottom." Mara said.
Luke pondered their situation for a moment and then said, "I'll levitate Artoo to the bottom and then take us down the same way."
"Oh, no. Are you crazy? I'll take my chances with the uncertain terrain."
"I can do this, Mara. Don't you trust me?" Luke grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb over her chilled fingers. She told herself that the sensation was pleasurable because it brought warmth to her hand, and she knew that was not the complete truth. She caught her breath as she met Luke's blue gaze. She could feel his emotions churning beneath his calm exterior. When she tried to focus on them, it was as if a door had suddenly closed. They were no longer in sight. Mara wondered if her sudden lightheadedness was due to the thin air or Skywalker's proximity.
She took a deep shuddering breath, refusing to break eye contact. "Alright. Let's do it." She said, suddenly resolute.
A smile spread across Luke's face with the speed of quick silver. He gave her hand a quick squeeze in gratitude and released it. Suddenly the Jedi Master, he turned his attention to the droid. Mara was absentmindedly rubbing the place on her hand that felt suddenly cold. She peered at the rocky moon, almost below the horizon. She could see numerous impact craters on the natural satellite's surface. All the while her mind was focused on the Luke's expression when he had held her hand, and the way her insides had seemed to dissolve when he was near her.
"I said, Are you read to go?" Luke interrupted her thoughts and Mara turned guiltily to regard the Jedi. The droid was on the ground below them, waiting patiently for them to join him. The Jedi stepped forward and said, "What is it, Mara?"
She shook her head and said, "It's nothing."
"Let's do this together. It would be good practice for you and increase the likelihood that we'll have a soft landing." Luke stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"What are you doing?" Mara asked, suddenly alarmed.
"Why, does it bother you, having me so close?" Luke teased.
Mara bristled, "In your dreams, Skywalker."
Something seemed to cross his features, and Mara sensed a quickly suppressed spike of emotion from him through the force. Mara leaned brazenly into his arms and watched his reaction carefully. Luke caught his breath and closed his eyes. The next thing she knew they were floating through the air, passing the rugged slope, with the numerous fissures etching the surface like veins. Mara closed her eyes, her force senses mingling with the Jedi's and it was only a moment before they were made a soft landing on the base of the valley. With their senses so entwined, Mara could feel the essence of the man who held her. She could feel his strength, his devotion to duty, his loyalty to his friends and family, and his quiet determination. She could feel that he was a man who felt things deeply, and always struggled to maintain a control over those emotions, least they control him. Her respect for this man increased and a warmth that she could not identify expanded from her being and enveloped him. Luke gasped and Mara opened her eyes to meet his gaze. They remained like that, unmoving for a moment, until Artoo whistled a quiet question.
Luke turned his gaze reluctantly from the red haired woman and Mara pulled away. A part of her chided herself for what could only be called a retreat, but another part of her was silently grateful to the astromech droid for his timely interruption.
"Yes, Artoo, we're alright. Is the signal coming from in there?" Luke cautiously walked toward the droid, placing each step with care.
R2D2 whistled an affirmative.
Mara stepped ahead and with a quick glance over her shoulder disappeared into the cave.
"After you," Luke said to the little droid. R2D2 rolled slowly into the dark opening. Luke glanced back to the place where Mara and he had landed. He took a deep breath and entered the cave.
A ship slipped from behind the small moon. It was much smaller than the Jade's Fire. The highly polished surface gleamed in the sun's dim light. The vehicle landed on a relatively flat area midway between Mara's ship and the crevice. Its landing created a earthquake that resounded across the land for a few minutes, and then the rumbling dwindled away. The ship was no longer perfectly level, but it was undamaged. Dark forms emerged from the ship and began the arduous journey toward Skywalker and Jade.