The Emerald Price Chapter 27
By Ash Darklighter
Disclaimer:- The characters and situations used in this story are the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. I am only using them for some entertainment and will not even make one Republican credit from this endeavour. This is set around eight to ten years after Luke and Mara met each other for the first time. This one is for all the girls on the AA list and of course for Mona – what would I do without you? My thanks also to Niqella and Rhea for their encouragement and invaluable suggestions.
Mara opened her eyes and found that she wasn't where she expected to be. She was in her tiny room, lying on her narrow bed on top of the covers still fully clothed - not in it - a soft, bantha-hair blanket had been placed over her. The sun splashed brightly against the walls and Mara frowned. It was brighter than usual… 'Sith,' she thought irritably. 'I've overslept.'
Her sluggish mind began to recall the previous night's events and she sat up, her face worried. 'Luke!' He had to have lifted her through to here.
'Morning, sleepyhead,' Luke's voice said in her head.
"Skywalker?"
The bedchamber door opened - just a fraction - and the Jedi Master's tousled blond head stuck through it. "Hi," he greeted softly.
"How are you feeling?" Mara asked.
"Feeling?" he echoed. "Oh, I'm fine. Your tender care last night followed by at least ten straight hours in a healing trance made all the difference."
"Let me see," Mara commanded.
Luke lifted the hem of his vest and drew it upwards. Mara could see that the bruising had faded to dull greens, purply-blues and yellows but she could also see that he was in good shape. "I think it will be tender for a day or so," Luke commented thoughtfully.
"Better tender and alive than dead," Mara retorted. "Or a dip in the bacta tank."
"I had that the last time I was on Coruscant…don't remind me," Luke mumbled. "I hate bacta. You taste the sickly sweet…"
"When you were last on Coruscant?" Mara's voice rose ominously. "When was that? You haven't been there to my knowledge since…"
Luke clapped his hand over his mouth. "Oh, hell." The words were muffled but Mara caught them clearly.
Mara sat up straighter. "Explain."
"It was nothing." Luke dismissed her demand.
Mara gave him a look. "Don't give me 'nothing', Skywalker. I know you too well by now. It wasn't 'nothing'. Why were you in a bacta tank?"
Luke pushed his fingers through his hair making it even more dishevelled than it had been. "When we returned to Coruscant I was diagnosed with the Leptas virus too. But only a mild case," he hastened to say. "An hour in the bacta tank, plus a day in my usual room at the Manarai and I was all better."
"You got it from me?" she asked pointedly.
He couldn't deny it. "Yes, because I was with you for most of the return journey to Coruscant. I helped you into a healing trance because you weren't able to do it yourself. I'm not pulling the bantha hair over your eyes, Mara. It was a mild case and I was treated quickly. End of story."
"More I have to thank you for?"
"No. No thanks required. You couldn't help the fact that you'd gotten sick."
"But I infected you."
"And I was cured quickly. I was quite aware of the risks. We knew you had the virus because Karrde's medic told us. When we arrived back on Coruscant, I checked into the Manarai. I had the best medical care available. Leia made sure of that. End of story, Mara. It's time to move on."
She tilted her head to one side and stared at him. "But you haven't moved on. You are still in the same place you've been for the past few years."
"Oh, yes?" Luke's eyes narrowed. "In what way?"
"Callista." Mara dared the Jedi to look away from her. The discovery of her feelings had led to some insecurity about the way Luke regarded the woman he'd been in love with. She had to know if he still felt the same way about her.
"Callista!" Luke's voice rose in disbelief and then he laughed. "That's long over. She's not coming back, nor do I want her to. I can remember the happy times we had and that's good but I don't dwell on the failure of that relationship. Not now."
"I think you do." Mara's voice was so low that Luke had to strain to hear her words.
"No, I don't."
"Then why are you alone?"
"Because I choose to be. I have accepted that the Jedi Order is my life."
"But…"
"You've known me for a long time. What woman would put up with my hermit-like tendencies and saving the galaxy impulses?"
"I could think of several."
Luke chuckled. "Yeah, right. Mara, I know you mean well and I'm glad you care enough but I'm not in love with Callista – not now."
"Then it's time to choose someone else."
"Why are you so interested?"
"I don't think you should be alone, that's all."
Luke grinned and shook his head. "I guess you haven't noticed, Jade. They aren't queuing up to fall in love with me."
"I wouldn't say that. I thought you were cutting a swathe through the most eligible of Coruscant maidens at the last ball we attended together."
He shifted awkwardly, uncomfortable with the topic. He'd been pressured to attend by Leia and when he'd arrived Mara had been dancing with Calrissian. "That was when you started seeing Lando." Luke's voice darkened.
"I wasn't seeing him."
"You were spending time with him that you used to spend with me."
Mara's breath caught in her throat. He sounded jealous. "You never told me that you minded."
"It wasn't my right," Luke muttered.
"I'm sorry," Mara said softly. "I didn't mean to cause you pain but you retreated from me too."
"I didn't want to interfere. I hoped you were happy."
"I'm happy now," she said and was rewarded as Luke's blue eyes lit up again. The more time she spent with Luke the more certain she was of her feelings and his. The only problem was Luke's faith in love.
Mara noted that he wasn't wearing his Jedi blacks but something that resembled an old rebel camouflage outfit. Baggy khaki trousers and a sleeveless vest top. She recalled the very first pictures Palpatine had shown her of Luke and would swear that he was wearing the exact same outfit. "Where is the Jedi Master suit?"
Luke noted her gaze and grinned. "I need to do some laundry."
"You need to do…?"
"Yeah, I could put them to the facilities here and sometimes I do - but they have enough to do. So I…"
"They're droids!" Mara's eyebrows almost reached her hairline.
"With a lot to do," Luke said.
"You are one strange man. I don't know anyone else who treats his droids like you do. Corran and Antilles are almost as bad but you…" She shook her head in disbelief. "Jedi are supposed to be mystical, learned creatures but you delight in the mundane."
He gave a little shake of his head in the manner of a young boy. "We do deal with things that are magical – things that are difficult to explain but I must admit I don't feel that way when I have to sort out my underwear or wash my smelly workout gear. Ordinary is what I am."
"You could wave your hands and always have clean smalls. Now that would be a Jedi skill worth learning." Mara lay back against her pillows. He could never be ordinary no matter how hard she tried to keep him that way. He was Luke Skywalker, yet he hadn't been born to greatness and somehow he managed to retain something of his humble origins. It was part of what made him so special.
"I suspect that could be construed as a misuse of the Force," Luke said, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips as he reluctantly moved forward and perched himself on the end of her bed.
There wasn't a lot of room in the tiny bedchamber and Luke squashed his feelings of guilt. Tionne had a suite of rooms ready for Mara as soon as he said the word but he'd been reluctant to have her move out of his quarters. He liked having her close and she hadn't complained about her continuing sojourn in his cramped spare room. When he'd arrived back on Yavin IV after the last trip it had felt like home because she was there. Luke pushed away the implications of his feelings and concentrated on the woman before him. "Mara…" He hesitated. "You don't have to stay here with me if you don't want to. It's pretty basic."
"No, I like it here but I've sent back to Coruscant for some of my things…just to…"
"Make the place feel like home?" Luke felt guiltier than ever.
"One of the reasons, but I have workout clothes that are sitting in my apartment. Karrde will send them with the next supply transport."
"I was never much for fancy décor."
Mara tilted her head to one side, her eyes greener than ever. "I told you, I like your home on Yavin IV. It feels welcoming. My apartment on Coruscant never felt like a home. It always seemed empty and unlived in – maybe because it was. I was always travelling, first for the Emperor and then for Karrde. I lived more on my ship than I ever did in my apartment. Sometimes I landed on Coruscant and never strayed too far from the spaceport."
Luke grinned. She liked his quarters. The guilt began to slip away. "You can add anything you want, Mara."
"What I want, farmboy, is a shower. So unless you want to scrub my back?"
Luke scrambled to his feet and made for the door with indecent haste as Mara began removing her tunic. "I'll go and make some caf," he gabbled as her creamy skin was revealed to his gaze and vanished from her sight.
Mara chuckled. "Run now, Skywalker," she said quietly. "I'm going to have you so tied up in knots that you won't know which way to go, even if you want to go at all."
Luke watched Mara critically as she went through her paces in the specially adapted lightsaber arena. Something had changed in the last few days since he'd retuned from his last mission and he hadn't worked out yet what it was but every so often he caught Mara staring at him, a quizzical look in her eyes.
If she had a problem she would probably let him know in time. But he had a feeling that she was waiting for something – a sign perhaps but what kind of sign he had no clue. There was certainly activity going on behind her clear green gaze. He ought to be suspicious but she wasn't in danger of going anywhere near the dark side. No, it was something else.
Mara flipped and somersaulted, landing awkwardly, cursing as she hit the mat in what Luke recognised as Huttese. An ugly language but particularly effective for relieving built up tension. With a final lunge, she wrong-footed her opponent.
"Hey!" he chided. "Language."
Mara glared at her Master and then grinned at her opponent who laughed at her, his chuckle turning into a wheeze.
"I'm beaten, Jade." Pod Nor rolled over and lay on his front. "Just leave me to recover for…oh, about a week."
"You don't have a week," Mara gibed good-naturedly.
"Finish me off now," he managed to say.
"That was much better, Pod Nor," Luke commended the younger man as he walked forward to join the combatants. "Much improved from the last time I saw you."
"Thank you, Master Skywalker. I lasted at least half an hour this time. The first time I fought Jade, I think I managed about five minutes. I am working to improve. Your apprentice has proved to be an inspiration and a hard taskmaster but none of us can quite compete with her…"
"Yet." Mara finished giving her ankle a rub.
"As you should. None of us can afford to relax our skills." Luke began unfastening his belt, his lightsaber dropping to the floor with a little thud. "Mara, go and relax. That was a good session from both of you. Take a little time to wind down."
"Sure," she said. "I need to do some stretching first; otherwise, I'll stiffen up."
"Your ankle?" Luke asked, concern in his voice.
"It's fine – no damage, thankfully." Mara picked up her belongings and began to trail after Pod Nor until something made her look back. The Jedi Master had pulled off his tunic and was sauntering towards a set of hoops hanging from the ceiling. With a wave of his hand they descended until he could grasp them firmly. Closing his eyes, Luke kicked out at a lever Mara hadn't noticed before and the apparatus rose back up until it was several metres in the air with Luke hanging from the hoops.
Mara watched open-mouthed as the Jedi twisted and turned, his muscles straining and an intense look of fierce determination as he pushed his body through a series of punishing gymnastic exercises.
"He doesn't normally relax enough to let us see him like this," Pod Nor whispered to Mara. "I don't think I realised how good he actually is."
"You call that relaxed?" Mara muttered.
"Yes, for the Master. He's been much happier since you arrived here, Jade."
"He has?" Mara's voice rose a little. "He works harder than any of us. He tries so hard to set an example. I just wish…" Mara sighed.
Pod Nor placed a comforting hand on Mara's arm and moved quietly from the chamber, leaving her alone with the man determinedly going through his routine.
It was impressive and yet humbling and the womanly soul of Mara Jade began to heat up inside. Love wasn't just a cerebral affair. It affected the body and the senses and deep in her core she began to burn. 'Patience,' she told herself. 'The time is not right to make your move.' But how she wanted to. Taking a deep breath, Mara slipped from the room leaving Luke to his practice, although everything within her craved to stay and watch.
Mara stood and observed Luke as he bent his head in concentration over some holo-document. It was somehow endearing, the way his nose wrinkled with the effort, his hair tousled as if he had run his hands through it several times. "I'm going to the dining room, Luke," she said. "Are you coming?"
"What...Where?"
"Supper?" Mara tapped her wrist chrono. "Food, farmboy. You know you can't go without it for very long."
Luke shook his head. "No, I think I'll just stay in and have a meal here. I have some things I need to use up. Just some staples I was going to throw into a pan. You are welcome to join me if you like?"
"I do like," Mara said. A meal alone with Luke…just the two of them? Yes, she liked that idea very much. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. I just want a little peace from the rest of the Jedi world."
"You've been pushing yourself too hard again, farmboy. I don't think you gave yourself enough time to recover after your last trip. Tionne said that you'd taken more classes in the last few days than you had in several months."
"This is the longest period I've had at home for weeks," Luke admitted with surprise. "I can't just sit idly by when we are short-staffed."
Mara rolled her eyes. "Tionne and Kam want you to take it easy for a few days. They don't expect you to kill yourself." She glared at him. "Have you done any more healing on your rib cage?"
"That was last week," he protested.
"Maybe it was but you had a rather strenuous exercise routine earlier on this afternoon and I saw the way you were moving when you came in for your shower. So I hope you haven't aggravated it again."
Luke gave a rather shamefaced shake of his head.
"Is it still troubling you?"
"Not really…"
"It is." Mara scowled. "You need someone to look after you. At the moment it looks as if it's going to be me." She marched towards him and grabbed the edge of his tunic.
"Mara!" Luke yelped as she pressed her hand firmly against his naked flesh and watched him wince.
"If you don't start taking care of yourself, Skywalker, I promise I'll put out a call to your sister."
"But that's blackmail!"
"Is it?" she cooed. "My, something I must have learned in a former life."
"I'll take the next few days off," he promised, his gaze earnestly staring into hers. "You are going to have extra time to do all the reading I'm going to prescribe." She wasn't the only one who could threaten. He could feel the disturbing sensation of her hand against his flesh. "It is much improved. It's still a little tender, that's all, after my workout. All the bruising has faded."
"So I should hope," Mara muttered. His skin was warm and smooth to her touch and she wanted to explore what she felt. Her pulse thundered in her own ears. It wasn't enough any more just to be his friend. Reluctantly Mara withdrew her hand from Luke's body and stepped away. "I'll go and set the table, shall I?"
An hour later, the meal had been eaten and the dishes cleared away. Luke and Mara sat on the comfortable sofa nursing large mugs of hot chocolate.
"So, the Jedi Code," Luke said.
"What about it?" Mara muttered, making a face at him. "You know what I think about it."
"I'm not sure that I do," Luke answered.
"All that…'There is no…' stuff," she said. "It's so negative. What about what there is?"
"I don't find it negative," Luke said, a smile on his well-shaped lips.
"That's you," Mara said snippily. "There is no emotion; there is peace," Mara quoted. "I'm not a droid."
"I think that's in no doubt," Luke said, the amusement lingering in his voice.
"I do agree with part of that statement but not with it all. You do have to keep your emotions under control but you have to remember that you have them. To be without emotion is not to be alive and I think it could be one of the greatest strength of all beings who can feel and express emotions."
Luke was surprised a little at her fervour but he should learn not to be. "And peace?" he asked.
"A luxury I wish the entire galaxy could afford."
"We have our work cut out for us," Luke murmured.
"I think the first part of the Jedi Code should read: 'Keep your emotions under control but never forget that you have them. Use them to give you mental strength and to strive for peace.'" She shrugged. "It's more long-winded but it makes sense to me."
"I'm pleased that you have given it so much thought," Luke said.
Mara peered at him from underneath her lashes. "I knew I had to. I suspected that you might mention it…oh, I don't know…several thousand times?"
Luke couldn't help but respond to her gentle teasing. "I think we should add another sentence to the Code. 'Do not make fun of your Master. He is wise above all things.'"
"As if I'd ever say that about you," Mara said lightly. "Occasionally you can make some sense but the rest of the time…"
He was no match for her and retreated behind the Code. "There is no ignorance; there is knowledge," he said.
"Now that one I do agree with wholeheartedly. No arguments from me."
"None?"
"None." Mara was quite definite.
"What about 'too much information is sometimes a bad thing'?" Luke queried.
Mara shook her head. "I would still rather be aware of all I need to know about a situation. Going in blind could get you killed."
"There is no passion; there is serenity."
Mara frowned. "Yes."
"Just yes?"
"This sentence I cannot agree with."
"You cannot?"
"No. What kind of passion are we talking about?"
Luke suddenly felt the strange feeling in his stomach as if there could be trouble ahead. "I…er…"
Mara's smile was a mere glimpse of her teeth. There was no humour in it. "Sexual?" she murmured huskily, staring straight into Luke's eyes. "Or enthusiasm…fervour for your cause? She leaned forward and Luke found himself leaning back. "You do not live your life without passion for your cause, Luke Skywalker."
"Passion can blind you to what's real in your life."
"Real!" Mara laughed scornfully. "No. You have passion, Luke. You always have had. That was one of the things the Emperor feared about you. Passion for your cause – first, the Rebel Alliance and now the rebuilding of the Jedi. You have always lived your life to the full… apart from…" Mara stopped and pinned Luke in place with her gaze.
"What!"
"Do you feel strongly about what you do?"
"Yes." Luke felt uncomfortable under her keen stare.
"Passionately?" She leaned back against the sofa cushions and folded her arms.
"Ah…" Luke knew that she had him there.
"And too much serenity is boring. It almost makes one appear to be complacent and that, in our profession, can be dangerous," Mara said dismissively.
"You have given this a lot of thought," Luke muttered.
"And sexual passion," Mara interrupted. "Why is that wrong?"
Luke shifted uncomfortably. "It's distracting?"
"Maybe it is but remember, Skywalker, the old Jedi Order left us this code and a lot of other worthless pieces of information and they did not survive. Perhaps this code was one of the reasons why they almost became extinct. We are left with the situation that hopefully some Jedi passion may produce some potential Jedi recruits. You do not have enough to make the Jedi viable as a Force for good in the galaxy."
Mara raised an eyebrow at him and Luke felt a wave of heat sweep through his body. "You make a most convincing case. Potential Jedi recruits?"
"I'm passionate about it," she murmured throatily. "The Jedi Order has to rebuild its numbers. If the Jedi do not mate perhaps the strength of the Force could be weakened and die. Maybe you need to think about that relationship you could have and the Jedi recruits you could produce through procreation. Life, after all, is part of the Jedi creed."
Luke swallowed. Force, she could get his temperature rising like no woman ever had before with a mere word or just a single glance. "Very good," he said, his voice rough with the effort of keeping his feelings in check. With a mammoth effort of will he croaked his way through the next part of the code. "There is no death; there is the Force."
"We are back to procreation and therefore to sex."
She gave a wicked grin and Luke clamped down on his wayward libido. "No death…" he managed stiffly.
"I would like to believe in that, Mara said. "I've seen many things that I cannot explain."
"So have I," Luke said. "I saw my first teacher, Obi-Wan Kenobi, cut down in front of my eyes." He couldn't believe how fresh the pain still felt after all these years. "Yet, when I expected to see my fallen master, there was nothing. His body had completely disappeared. Vader picked up Obi-Wan's lightsaber and trampled all over his robe but he had gone. It was then I heard his voice calling inside my head. 'Run, Luke, run.'"
"Go on," Mara whispered.
"Then I saw him, first on Hoth and then on Dagobah. Obi-Wan appeared to me several times over the years. I also saw Yoda and my father."
"Then I can leave that part of my Jedi Code unaltered," Mara said with a warm smile.
"Jedi Master Odan Urr said that 'ancient writings were no match for personal experience.' I would agree."
"So would I. Farmboy, I think we're both learning."
Mara uncoiled her legs from where she'd tucked them underneath her and stood up. "Another chocolate?"
"No, I think I'm ready for bed."
Mara grinned at him and then on impulse bent and brushed her lips across his. "Goodnight, Skywalker," she said, restraining the urge to touch her lips where they were still tingling as she sauntered from the room.
Luke, staring after her, could scarcely move. Why had she done that? It had only been a casual peck but his body had been tense since the conversation about passion. It was the first time ever that the Jedi Code had got him almost to an aroused state.