Antar IV - Safe House of the Antarian Rangers

The door slid shut behind them and Drogan Sarjade and Amara Karddine breathed easily for the first time in weeks. It was gone. The Jedi Order was gone. They had barely escaped the Temple with their lives. At first, they had fought to defend it against the army of Clones but when they understood that a Jedi, or more accurately a Dark Jedi traitor, was leading them, they realized that it was over. Cin Dralig had found them fighting off clones in one of the auxiliary hangers. "You both need to go;" he said firmly when the last Clone in the area had been cut down. "If the Jedi Order is to survive, you need to go now."

"Cin, you know I can't leave;" said Drogan, shocked at the thought. "I swore to defend the temple."

"You swore to defend the Jedi Order;" the Battlemaster countered, his voice stern, almost harsh. "This building, old and beautiful as it is, is nothing more than stone - crude matter. It's meaning is being destroyed but that meaning is transferred to those of us who survive. Now go. I must insure that as many of the younglings as possible survive. Maybe I'll even be able to kill this turncoat, whoever he is."

Drogan slowly took the mask from his face and dropped it. "May the force be with you, Cin;" he said before grabbing Amara's hand and running towards a shuttle, her starfighter astromech droid following along behind.

Amara had flown them out here first, saying in a clipped, strained voice that she had friends who would hide them. While most of the Antarian Rangers had been wiped out by the Separatists during an attack early on in the war, they had managed to refill their ranks if only a little. In one of the smaller major cities, the Rangers had set them up in a safe house.

As soon as the door was shut behind them, they were holding each other. Amara's body was shaking with silent weeping and Drogan, stoic as he usually was, had tears streaming down his face as well. Their home was gone and the only family they had ever known was destroyed. For all they knew, they were the only surviving Jedi. During their week of travel, they had learned that all across the Grand Army of the Republic, Clones had turned on their Jedi Generals. The last report they had heard was that the extermination effort was well over ninety-four percent successful and growing. They were alone.

After holding one another and allowing their tears to flow freely, they separated and wiped their cheeks. "We should eat something;" said Drogan, ever the practical one. "We need to keep up our strength. Then we should rest. Your droid should plug in to the computer and see what kind of news we can get."

Amara nodded and cleared her throat. In a voice that was a good deal huskier than her naturally husky voice, she said, "Sounds good. I'll go see what facilities this place has too. Who knows. Maybe we'll be able to stay here awhile. The rangers said we could at least."

"Maybe;" murmured Drogan as he went into the small but well stocked kitchen area. "We'll have to see, Mar."

Amara watched as he began to gather ingredients for a simple meal. She had learned early in their secret relationship that he was a more than decent cook. Despite their circumstances, she felt a smile tug at her lips and she stepped behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest from behind and murmuring, "I love you, Drogan."

The former Guardsman covered her arms with his and murmured back, "I love you too. I'm- I'm sorry."

Amara frowned and turned him around to look in his eyes. "What are you sorry for, Dro?"

"I don't know;" he said, taking her hands and rubbing the backs of them with his thumbs. "I feel responsible, I guess. I feel like somehow, the loss of the temple-"

A slender finger pressed against his lips, stopping him. Amara's face was stern, framed in the gorgeous golden-red hair that Drogan loved so much. "Don't do that to yourself, Drogan;" she said, her voice trembling and rough. "you are an incredible warrior and your skill with a lightsaber is both breathtaking and potentially terrifying. But even you, will all your skill, couldn't defeat a legion of Clones any more than you could have seen any of this coming. This was planned out a long time ago. Someone somewhere put this plan in motion way back during that little spat on Naboo when Obi-wan Kenobi found out that the Sith still existed. Hell, it could have started even before that. I don't know. My point is, this is bigger than you. You're an incredible Jedi and a wonderful man, Drogan but you are only one Jedi and one man."

His piercing emerald eyes gazed down into hers and he smiled ever so slightly. "No, we're two Jedi."

"Yes;" she said, cupping his cheek in one hand. "We are. Now I'm going to go check on our sleeping arrangements and what the facilities look like. You finish dinner. Arthree, how are things looking?"

The droid whistled morosely and already had a holonet news feed going. It was just more of the same - Jedi dead, Separatists defeated, the new Empire had risen and the Supreme Chancellor had made himself the Emperor. Drogan only listened with half an ear as he put together a meal. It was simple fair - stew with bread and some sliced fruit. Even so, it sure gave off a pleasant smell. Amara came back into the kitchen and said, "Mmm. That smells great. The facilities are plain but functional. It's a real shower with some basic cleansers and the like. We should probably think about buying new clothes. I can get away with my flight suit but you're still pretty obviously a Jedi."

Drogan nodded as he began setting the food on the table. The food was tasty and filling and it brought its own comfort to them. They ate in silence and the sun set outside. It began to get cold. "I'll clean up. Why don't you raise the temperature and wash off before we head to bed;" suggested Drogan quietly as he began to gather dishes.

A hint of his lover's old sense of humor came back and that wonderful Corellian smirk came back. "I knew that I'd be able to domesticate you eventually, Honey;" she purred and patted his shoulder as she walked past him. She gave a cry of shock as a hand swatted her backside as she passed. Turning, she attempted, and failed, to glare at him. "Behave yourself."

One of Drogan's rare, mischievous smiles appeared. "You'll have to make me."

A gleam appeared in Amara's gray eyes. "Later;" she said, a promise that caused Drogan to shiver in anticipation.

Clean up was pretty quick since it was only the two of them. When he had finished and placed the dishes in a drying rack, Drogan was pleased to find a cabinet with a modest amount of spirits in it. At first he hesitated, wondering if drinking during a time like this was a good idea, but then he grabbed a bottle, opened it and took a drink. The liquor was sweet like fruit so he took a second one before heading over to Amara's droid. The Arthree unit was whistling and beeping to itself by the computer terminal. "Anything we need to know about at the moment, Scarlet?"

The little droid whistled morosely. It was a negative but the droid was aware enough to realize the seriousness and tragedy of the situation. Drogan smiled and patted the gray and red dome. "Well keep an eye out and let us know if you pick up anything we should know about."

Straightening, he headed down one of the halls. He could hear the shower and Amara humming quietly to herself. At first, he was about to go into the refresher but then decided that he would go into one of the bedrooms. There were three of them altogether and they were all pretty much the same - basic beds with basic mattresses and basic storage units for clothes and the like. In fact, only one of them had any difference and it was that the bed was a little larger and there was a larger closet with some basic looking civillian clothes inside of it.

Drogan was taller than average and broad in the shoulders and chest but he was sure something would fit well enough. They did smell old and a tad musty though. With a sigh, he sat down on the bed and began to remove his tall boots. They were beginning to hurt his feet and he knew that he was about to be hit by a very unpleasant smell. It felt amazing when his feet were finally bare again and he wiggled his toes with a sigh of relief. The next to go was the thick and embroidered Jedi tabbard and tunic he was wearing. They were both more ornate than the average for a Jedi since he had been a temple guard. When he removed his shirt, a low whistle came from behind him. Turning, he saw Amara standing there and eyeing him provocatively. "I don't get to see that often enough;" she said.

Amara was wrapped in a thick, fluffy towel with another wrapped around her head. Drogan smiled and said, "You'll get to see more after I shower. I'm pretty sure I smell terrible."

Amara walked to him and kissed him tenderly before leaning back and wrinkling her nose. "I'm pretty sure you're right."

Drogan kissed her again before heading towards the refresher. The air was still damp with steam as he finished disrobing and stepped into the shower. When he activated it, the water was nice and warm and the Jedi Master sighed with joy and relief as it cascaded over him. Grabbing the cleanser and a soft cloth, he squeezed out some of the fragrant gel and began to clean off. There was something so refreshing and soothing about it that even after he rinsed off, he simply stood beneath the spray. He stretched his taut, tired muscles before stepping back out of the shower. Amara was there in the doorway, her arms crossed as she watched him.

Drogan had long ago gotten used to her mild voyeurism. On any number of their occasional trysts when he would go to bathe or to change his clothing, he would often find her watching him with a salacious smirk on her face and a veracious gleam in her eyes. This time was no exception. "Are you enjoying yourself?" he said dryly, not even bothering to cover up as he headed to the sink and grabbed a bottle of oral cleanser.

"Very much, thank you;" she replied, her naturally husky voice even more so by clear and obvious arousal. "All those ceremonial robes really hide how great a shape you're in. It's a shame, really."

Drogan finished swishing the oral cleanser and spat it into the sink before chuckling. "Yes. I can't imagine why the Jedi didn't allow us to strut around the temple in nothing but our athletic shorts. Clearly there is no reason for that."

He reached for a towel, only for it to scoot out of the way as if of it's own volition. Frowning, Drogan glanced at Amara who was smirking mischievously. Shaking his head, he reached for it again, only for it to, once again, scoot out of reach. "You are nothing but trouble, do you know that?" he said, turning to face her.

Amara lifted her hands in a shrug and said, "Would you have me any other- HEY!" the towel wrapped around her torso suddenly flew off of her to Drogan's hand.

With a highly amused smile, he said, "Thank you, my Dear."

"Give it back!" she demanded, rushing him. Drogan caught her in his arms and kissed her soundly, completely taking her by surprise before separating and saying, "What, you want a show but won't let me have one? That's hardly fair, Mar."

His lover smiled and stepped back. "If you wanted a show, you could have just asked. Come on. I'm tired and am going to want to get some sleep tonight."

Lifting one eyebrow, Drogan stretched again as he followed her back towards the bedroom. "Then perhaps we should go straight to bed."

"And perhaps you should just shut up and start kissing me again. How about that?" said Amara before grabbing him and yanking him against her.

His hard, muscular body felt heavenly against her softer, lean body. Amara had all the right curves in all the right places. She was in terrific shape herself and Drogan couldn't get enough of running his large scarred and callused hands over her voluptuousness. She moaned into his kiss and ran one hand through his short brown hair. As his brushed and caressed her sides and her back and her sides and her rear, Amara's kissing became more and more desperate. Pulling away, she said, "Oh my stars! We never get to do this often enough."

Drogan rumbled in agreement as his lips began an exploration of her smooth, supple skin. "Hmmm..." she purred in response. "I love when you do this."

Gently, Drogan picked her up and laid her on the bed. Amara hoped that he would just take her and make love to her but that wasn't Drogan's way. While he was direct, quick and decisive in battle, he was the exact opposite in bed. This time, however, Amara wasn't willing to wait. Reaching between them, she took hold of him and began to caress his manhood. A low rumble went through his body and his lips drew a line of fire between her collar bones. "Dro;" she murmured, "Dro, please don't make me wait. I usually love how you get me all riled up and ready but this time-" and a sob escaped her lips. Drogan looked at her and he saw in her eyes the need for him to fill her body, mind and spirit and take them all off their recent, terrible loss.

Drogan kissed her and joined with her. He didn't just enter her body but also her mind. His consciousness wrapped around hers and she could sense his pain and brokenness even as vividly as her own. Wherever she saw the cracks in his emotions, she filled it, even as he did the same to her and for a moment, it was as though they were one luminous being. It eased the pain a little.

Drogan was moving at a steady pace, using the force to minimize his own sensation receptors. All of his focus was the comfort and pleasure of the love of his life. Amara could sense this and allowed it in the beginning. She new that it was partly how Drogan coped with the loss. He defended, protected and took care of others. It's how he had handled the loss of his master during the beginning of the Clone Wars and how he handled the loss of his partner in the Temple Guardians during the bombing of the Temple. But Amara wanted to make sure that he was really okay or, at the very least, going to be okay eventually.

As she began to feel her own climax approaching, Amara gently began to urge him to end the suppression of his sensations. Immediately, he increased his speed and the force with which he thrust into her. Knowing that even just the power of her voice was enough to excite him, Amara purred into his ear, "How are you so good at this, Drogan? It's like you know every one of my pleasure points."

"I do;" he rumbled and then lifted her up, rising on his knees and kissing her. With her legs wrapped around his hips, Drogan halted his movements to demonstrate how well he knew her. He ran one hand through her hair, gently tugging it which she loved. He kissed all over her neck, sucking on the side of it hard enough to leave red marks. Amara, miffed that he wasn't moving anymore, used her legs to keep him moving in and out of her. While she did, he touched each and every pleasure point on her body. Her breasts were very sensitive, especially the rosy tips of them. He zeroed in on them and Amara gasped and moaned as his teeth gently closed and tugged on one of them. Her movements were becoming disjointed as the perspiration made gripping him even with her strong legs quite difficult. Drogan laid her back down and continued to lavish her, slowly moving into her again. All the while, their minds were still connected and the pleasure and affection was reverberating back and forth through their minds and their emotions. It quickly became overwhelming and Amara threw her head back and climaxed. Drogan joined her as the pleasure reverberated through their joined minds.

The cool air caused them to shiver and their skin to bump. Quickly, they pulled blankets over their cooling bodies and pressed together. As they began to regain their breath, tears sprang into their eyes again. "They're gone;" murmured Drogan. "all gone. What can we do now, Amara?"

"I don't know;" she whispered. "I don't have a clue. But right now, we need to sleep and recover our strength. We'll go from there."

Even so, she was weeping silently as well. Wrapped in one another's arms and love, they drifted off to sleep.

Events around the galaxy didn't stop because they had slept. Things were only getting worse as those Jedi who had initially escaped were continuing to be hunted and killed. The list of remaining Jedi was getting smaller and smaller.

Drogan woke the next morning and kissed his lover on the cheek before rolling or of bed heading into the kitchen. "Scarlet, what's on the holonet news today?"

The Arthree unit whistled and activated the terminal. As Drogan began putting a breakfast together, he listened and felt his throat tightening again. Three more Jedi were killed by hunting clones. What's more, the clones were imposing marshal law on thousands of worlds in their hunt. The new Emperor was giving a speech on Coruscant and behind him, the tall, imposing figure that had come to be known as Darth Vader was with him.

Resting his hands on the counter and leaning on them, he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Their old lives were over and there was nothing they could do about it. Straightening, he cooked breakfast and put caf on to brew. After contemplating waking Amara, he decided that he would serve her in bed instead. Smiling at the idea and knowing that it would make her smile, he filled a couple cups with caf and headed back to the bedroom with two plates and two mugs. Carefully, he set a plate on each bedside sable before leaning down and kissing her. "Wake up, Mar. I have breakfast for you."

One of her gray eyes popped open and she glared balefully at him. "Not ready to get up yet;" she muttered.

He stifled a chuckle and said, "I brought breakfast and caf to you. It's on your bedside table."

Both of her eyes opened and she rolled over to look as if she didn't entirely believe him. Turning back around and looking at him through her mess of gold and red curls, she said, "I don't know what looks tastier, the breakfast or you."

"Probably me;" chuckled Drogan as he grabbed his own plate, "but I won't fill you up as much."

"You filled me plenty last night;" she quipped back as she sat up and grabbed her own plate.

They ate in silence before stacking the plates on one of the bedside tables. "I think I'm going to walk around naked all day long;" said Amara as she stretched.

Drogan's brilliant emerald eyes began to sparkle. "If you do that, I won't be able to keep my hands off of you."

Amara chuckled, "I can live with that."

They sat quietly and in companionable silence for several minutes as they tried to broach the subject they didn't want to talk about. Finally, Drogan said, "The Jedi Order is gone."

"Yes it is;" murmured Amara.

"That part of our lives is over. We need to put some thought and meditation into what we're going to do next."

Amara nodded. Neither of them really had any idea since they had never expected the Jedi Order to be destroyed in their lifetime. There was no contingency plan for this. Clearing her throat, she said, "We'll take a couple days but we shouldn't stay still too long. After that, we'll leave and start a new life."

Drogan nodded. It was such a surreal situation that he wasn't quite sure how to respond. "The only thing I know with absolute certainty;" continued Amara, "is that I want the rest of my life to have you in it. Drogan;" and she took his hands and gazed into his eyes, "will you marry me?"

Drogan's emerald eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Marriage had never even been one of his considerations. It was so condemned by the Jedi that he had never thought it even a possibility. Freeing his hands, he took her face in his hands and pulled her into a kiss. Amara squeaked slightly and then laughed when he finally let her go. "Is that a yes or just a really energetic no?"

"Of course it's a yes;" said Drogan as he pulled her against him and held her tightly.

Amara closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, touching his again and his minds surrounded and permeated and penetrated hers again as it had during their lovemaking the night before. Once again, their minds were one and they could sense, see and feel everything that the other could. They were one luminous being. This time, when they pulled away, both Amara and Drogan were amazed to find that their minds were still linked. They could still sense one another's thoughts and emotions as if they were intentionally connected. "Wow..." murmured Amara.

"I've read about this kind of force bond;" said Drogan. "They're extremely rare. Off-hand, I can think of perhaps two or three examples over the past four thousand years or so. Most commonly, force bonds are between padawans and masters but they aren't like this."

Amara nodded slowly before standing and gathering the dishes. "Well let's go start looking into what our next move should be. Thank you for making breakfast."

She kissed him as she passed by and headed into the kitchen, still naked as the day she was born. Drogan chuckled and looked in the closet. He managed to find a pair of black pants and a simple white shirt.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful. They kept the holonet news on to track events while they moved around the apartment and made plans. They were simple plans - keeping the apartment stocked, getting new clothes, selling the shuttle for additional funds, contacting the local rangers and so on. True to her word, Amara was completely naked and it became difficult for Drogan to resist going up to her and touching her. At one point, while she was doing dishes at the sink and while he was just staring at her naked body, Amara half turned and said, "I'm not an exhibit, Drogan. You can both look and touch, if you want."

Smiling, he walked up behind her, reached up in front of her and began to massage her ample, shapely breasts, teasing the rosy nipples to hardness. "Mmmm... that's more like it. All those heated glances were beginning to make me restless."

Drogan chuckled and leaned down to kiss her neck and shoulder. When he went to move his hands from her breasts, she used her own to move them back. "Don't stop. I like when you do that;" she purred. "Why don't you get rid of those pants and we can really get this going?"

Before he could move to, his pants suddenly dropped, along with his generic undershorts. His hard and hot manhood was already hard and ready. Amara bent over the sink and said, "Come on, Dro. Give it to me."

Drogan lined himself up with her already dripping womanhood and pressed into her slowly. Amara's back arched and she moaned with pleasure. Carefully, she straightened just a little and said, "Now give me your hands back. I liked them where they were before."

His hands went back to her breasts and he began to thrust into her. "Stars, yes! Kriff me, Dro!"

With their minds joined, Drogan could tell what she really wanted right now. She wanted him to pound into her as fast and hard as he could while his hands groped and caressed her naked body, so that's exactly what he did. One hand continued to squeeze and mold her breasts, pinching and teasing the already hard nipple while the other began to rub all over her body, squeezing her rear end, ticking her firm stomach and sides and finally coming to the apex of her firm and molded thighs. It was the work of just a moment to find the nub and begin to caress it. "GAH! Drogan!" she gasped.

To his surprise, she smacked his hand out of the way and began doing it herself. Using his free hand, he grabbed her hips and continued to slam into her body. With each thrust, it felt as though her womanhood was sucking his manhood into her. "Wait;" she gasped. "I want to turn around. Let me turn around."

Drogan pulled free and she spun around, kissing him veraciously. She jumped onto the counter and spread her legs again. "More;" she moaned.

Again, he was in her and she leaned back. Again, Drogan sensed that she wanted him to have his way with her - to caress and touch and enjoy her. Clearly, she was enjoying herself as well. Her legs wrapped around his body and she used them to pull him into her. The climax that followed caused them both to see stars.

Throughout the rest of the day, they frequently broke off from whatever they were doing. Drogan was sitting at the console the next time when Amara spun the seat he was sitting in around and was about to straddle his hips before growling, "Take those off! Why did you bother putting them back on in the first place?"

The time after that, he was gathering food to put dinner together when Amara wrapped her arms around him and one of her hands grasped his manhood while purring, "Just pretend I'm not here;" as if her stroking would allow him to ignore her.

The next time after that, Drogan initiated. Amara was lying on her stomach in the bedroom reading from a datapad when he snuck in and came up from behind, kissing from her tale bone up to her neck. "I was wondering if I had warn you out;" she murmured as he continued to kiss and caress her. "I've heard you pass by at least three times before you came in here."

"And it was more difficult each time I passed by;" rumbled Drogan, "now spread your legs please."

"You don't want me to move? It might make it- AH!" she gasped as he suddenly lay down and kissed along the insides of her thighs. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked, though she didn't move.

"Roll over and find out."

She obeyed and he went back to kissing the insides of her thighs, all the way up until his mouth was on her womanhood. "Drogan, no! That's disgust- GAH!" she tried to protest but when his tongue stroked her just right, her entire body tensed and her back arched. "Oh my stars!" she gasped before attempting to protest again, "Drogan, wait! That felt amazing but it's still gr- GAH-HA!"

Drogan didn't stop and didn't let her protest anymore either. His tongue skillfully and rapidly lashed out and stroked her again and again, caressing her clit and her labia and driving as far into her as it could. Amara went from trying to stop him to begging him to keep going all the way until her back arched again and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her hands were fisted in the sheets and her legs were shaking violently with spasms. Drogan sat up and watched her writhe in pleasure until she calmed down before casually standing and heading to the refresher. "Hey;" said Amara breathlessly and blearily. "Come back here. I want more."

"Greedy;" chuckled the former guardian. "I'll be right back."

He rinsed his mouth and washed his face before heading back into the bedroom. "So I was thinking;" he said casually from just inside the door. "there's some frozen sweetened cream and fruit in the freezer if you want a little desert."

Amara's eyes widened. "Are you joking? After that, the last thing on my mind, the very last thing on my mind, is frozen cream and fruit. Get over here!"

Grinning with a wickedness that was altogether out of his character, Drogan stepped away from the bed. "Nope;" he said.

Amara's shining gray eyes widened for just a moment and then narrowed. Slowly, she went from lying on her back and up on her elbows and gracefully stood to her feet. "You get back here right now!" she said, her voice in a low, playful growl, "or I'm going to tie you down for the next week and use you like a personal pleasure droid whenever I want you."

Drogan's intense emerald eyes gleamed with amusement and arousal. He knew that she was fast. He took another step back and they both froze. Steely gray eyes met emerald green ones neither of them moved for several heartbeats. Then, deciding that desert could wait till later, Drogan rushed forward, meeting Amara head on and kissing her so passionately that it took her breath away. The next thing she knew, she was on her back with her hands pinned beside her head and his manhood buried deep in her body. "Wow this is hot!" she gasped as he began to thrust into her again.

It didn't take long for them to both plummet over the edge again. They both lay there on the bed twitching and breathing hard and Amara mewled as her body continued to zing with after shocks of pleasure. "Okay, I need sleep;" muttered Drogan.

"No;" said Amara blearily, "want more."

She sounded like she was half asleep already and Drogan chuckled. "Okay well I need to recharge, love. Let's wait a half hour or so and then we'll get back to it."

He knew she would be asleep in a fraction of that time. They climbed under the blankets and he drew her close. As predicted, they were out in less than ten minutes.

They stayed there for several days as they gathered resources and put a plan together. When everything was set, the boarded a civilian passenger ship bound for the Outer Rim. As they strode aboard the freighter, Drogan gripped the hand of the love of his life. Through their force bond, he could tell she was as anxious as he was and yet, with their hands and minds connected, they truly believed that they would be okay, no matter how universe had turned against them.