Chapter 15

The feeling of a full night's sleep was almost alien to him. Nights had been full of dreams, visions and nightmare for the young Jedi something he had grown used to. The constant tossing and turning, the waking up in the early hours of the morning this was his routine. He lay his eyes closed contently, as the feeling of sleep slowly ebbed away, leaving him refreshed and rejuvenated, something he hadn't felt for a long, long time.

As he lay seemingly asleep a soft feminine hand stroked down his face very gently and slowly. He sighed softly and his eyes fluttered open to see the angel sitting above him, her passionate blue-grey eyes gazing down at him.

"This is a dream…" Drake whispered Bastila smiled and leaned down, speaking with the same tone he did.

"Then it is a good dream…" her lips connected with his very softly yet passionately and his hand came to brush her hair. Their lips parted slightly for a second and then connected again for a few moments. They parted again, and Bastila brushed her finger over his lips.

"You should get up…you're past your schedule" she said with amusement. Drake smiled and sighed closing his eyes, Bastila huffed and then playfully hit him with a pillow "What did I just say?" Drake chuckled as he sat up.

"That was the first good nights sleep I've had in a long time…" he murmured stretching his head back, before swivelling his neck around causing some of the joints to pop.

"Don't do that," Bastila said wincing slightly at the sound but she had slight smile on her face, sensing his tranquil aura, in stark contrast to fierce, powerful one she felt when he was in battle.

"Sorry…" He replied, "What's been going on?" he asked as he swung his legs over the side of the bunk.

"Nothing yet, we've been waiting for you to get up…" Bastila chided playfully "That Xor came back" Drake's eyes snapped to her "Don't worry he left after being shot through both arms by Falcan" Drake nodded.

"So he's still alive?" Bastila nodded "Well that's worse I suppose, it means Juhani will have to watch her back now" Drake mused as he stood up and stretched.

Bastila stood as well looking a little shy, unsure of herself. Despite their very deep relationship, she was still very uncertain of how she should act around him, whether she constantly show her affection for him or whether she should only do so when they were alone like they were now.

Drake sensed her hesitation and approached her gently wrapping his arms around her.

"Bas… if you want to keep our relationship a secret you can" Bastila's arms came to wrap around the back of his neck.

"It won't stay secret for long…" Bastila replied "But I'd like it to be something only the two of us can experience for awhile, I don't want the hassle from the others yet…I'd like to share it with you and only you" she finished she frowned when she saw the twinkle in his eye "What?"

"I never would've guessed you were the romantic type," Drake breathed Bastila smiled seductively and leaned up to kiss him. After a few moments they broke apart for air.

"Perhaps I am…" she whispered as she glided from his grasp with a peck on the lips before vanishing out of the dormitory.

Drake chuckled and slipped into the shower at the end of the room. After a ten-minute shower, he dressed into a black ribbed designed shirt outlining his powerful frame, with dark trousers and black boots. Leaving the knuckle gloves for the time being he left the dormitory.

Carth was sitting up in the cockpit when Drake arrived. Carth smirked as Drake settled in the co-pilot seat.

"Well you're finally up" Carth remarked, "I was wondering if you were ill I mean it's almost mid-day…" Drake laughed.

"Well it was the best night's sleep I've had for a while" Drake said keeping the fact it was because Bastila had been with him secret.

"That's good…you really did look like you needed the sleep" Carth replied.

"Yeah I guess I did" Drake answered "So we gonna head back to Kashyyyk?"

"Yeah show thing…just wanted to wait until you were up" Carth began keying in the take off codes. Drake nodded and went to the main hold.

After having some breakfast and caffa, he sat reading one of the datapads Falcan had brought on board, while the Ebon Hawk entered hyperspace.

The datapads ranged to a variety of things, hand-to-hand and lightsaber combat, force powers, Jedi histories, Sith histories and some others. It was no wonder why Falcan was such a skilled Dark Jedi hunter. Drake heard Falcan hard at work in the garage section and went to go check on his work.

Drake saw Falcan working on his sword. The hilt has he had noted was black with dark red lines on the side's and at the bottom. The blade was slightly wider than the average long sword as was tinged with an almost golden glow along the front of the blade. Falcan finished his work, and stood up taking an experimental swing with his blade. He set it back down on the workbench.

"Need something?" Drake smirked still surprised at Falcan's ability to greet people when they snuck up on him and entered the garage section approaching the workbench.

"Don't you do anything else?" Drake asked.

"Apart from sparring with you? No…this keeps me occupied" Falcan replied "Which reminds me…here" he picked a small crystal shaped object. It took a moment for Drake to realise it was the Krayt Dragon pearl he'd been reward by Komad.

"How long did that take you?" Drake asked as he took the small crystal and examined it.

"About a week, there's a large portion of the pearl left over…it helps increase the power of your lightsaber as well as the length…at least I think" Falcan answered. Drake nodded and sat down on the workbench and began placing the crystal into his electrum lightsaber hilt. After about fifteen minutes work, he closed the small crystal compartment on his lightsaber and stood up hilt in hand.

His lightsaber came to life with a slow hiss and the blade was a little longer than usual, and he could still make it twice as long as it was a dual-phase lightsaber. He looked the blade over; it was still blue in colour though it was more of a sky-blue colour, compared to the deep ocean blue it had been before.

"Well looks like it worked" Falcan muttered. At that point they heard a small thud come from the cargo hold. They both made their way over to see Mission and Canderous, Mission on the floor gasping for breath as Canderous was bent over, his hands on his knees.

"What the…" Drake began.

"The kid said she wanted to learn how to fight like you…she learns fast, but she has a long way to go" Canderous replied in his gruff manner but with hint of respect for the young girl. "Maybe you'd like to take over?" Drake nodded and Canderous sidled out of the hold.

"Mission you know…if you want me to teach you than all you have to do is ask" Drake said kneeling down next to her.

"I thought if I learned from someone else it would be better, but I guess I should have known better than to train with Canderous" Mission replied.

"Well as of now…I guess I'll be training you" Mission eyes sparked up at this point "We'll start with hand-to-hand, wanna help out Falcan?" the bounty hunter smirked.

"Sure…"

Canderous had been right, Mission did learn fast. She grasped the basic principles of the Echani battle arts that Drake had learned and the martial art combat forms Falcan had been taught pretty quickly. Their training session lasted a couple of hours, with Mission being able to last a good ten minutes with Drake before finally giving up.

"Well that was…fun," Mission said breathlessly but with a grin as she sat on the floor. She had discarded her sleeveless jacket during the session and her face was drenched with sweat from the effort she'd been exerting.

"We'll continue tomorrow Mission, we shouldn't arrive at Kashyyyk for a day and a half, Falcan want to take the session tomorrow?" Drake asked.

"Sure…I'd be glad to" Falcan smiled. Mission grinned again and then fell forward, but Falcan caught her.

"Is she ok?" Drake asked worriedly.

"She's just exhausted she'll be fine…" Falcan said lifting the sleeping, young twi'lik in his arms "I'll take her to the dormitories" Drake nodded "By Tatooine standards it's the afternoon now…take it easy Drake" Falcan advised as he left the cargo hold, carrying Mission.

Drake smiled and headed to the portside barracks. They had officially become his own now. Falcan and Canderous shared the garage section and Carth slept in the cockpit, while Jolee had the medbay and the ladies had the starboard quarters.

For a few hours Drake sat on the floor, meditating. The force seemed to twirl around him, like a calm, peaceful tornado. That all too familiar blue glow enveloped his body again, and the wound on his right side completely healed, leaving no trace of the clawing he had received from the terentatek. Though he didn't notice, Drakes strength in the force had nearly doubled since leaving Kashyyyk, it was almost natural for his power to grow. It was leaps and bounds above even the most revered and powerful Jedi masters with the order.

Falcan could sense this for the hours Drake sat in meditation. Falcan was in awe of Drakes incredible power. Juhani joined him in the garage section having sensed Drake's presence as well.

"Do you feel that?" she inquired as she approached. Falcan nodded as Jolee entered the garage as well. All three were unaware of Bastila wearing a night robe sneaking past heading for Drakes dormitory.

"That kid is really something else…"Jolee commented "It's like there's no limit to his power…yeah he has a heck of destiny ahead of him…"

"But how did he gain such power in such a small amount of time?" Juhani exclaimed "We have only been searching for little over a month now, and already his force potential has nearly tripled in strength"

"Drake's midi-chlorian count is far above normal" Falcan stated, "it was at least fifteen thousand the last time I checked…but after all he is Deralian" Juhani and Jolee frowned.

"What does that have to with it?" Jolee entreated Juhani looking interested as well.

"We Deralian's are unquie amongst all force sensitive races… in the fact that our midi-chlorian reading greatly increases after life threatening injury's" Falcan explained "Drakes midi-chlorian count could be anyway from thirty to forty thousand now" Juhani and Jolee's jaws dropped.

"That coupled with the fact that he's bonded with Bastila gives both him and her far greater potential than any Jedi or Sith… even Malak" Falcan continued "In short they may become two of the most powerful force users in history… Drake is already the most powerful force sensitive alive today…and he's still getting stronger" Falcan finished as Jolee and Juhani digested the information.

Drake continued his meditation, unaware of the door behind him sliding open and locking when it closed. Only when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders did he open his eyes.

"A little rusty are we Drake?" Bastila purred in his ear Drake smiled.

"I find it's best not to be in combat mode when on the ship…" he replied huskily. Bastila laughed slightly at his joke, and began placing light kisses down his neck. He sighed slightly before turning round slightly.

"What's wrong you miss me?" Drake said smugly yet playfully. Bastila's eyes narrowed in a very spiteful glare for just a moment.

"Shut up…" she hissed then pressed her lips against his.

How had she done it? How could she have fallen so deeply in love with this man in the span of only a month and a half? She didn't know nor did she care.

After their lips parted Drake got to his feet Bastila following him and they stood their arms wrapped around each other gazing at each other.

"You know…if you want to see you don't have to sneak into my room every evening…" Drake said.

"I thought you'd like the surprise" Bastila replied with a playful pout.

"Oh don't get me wrong I loved it…but I don't think you should make it an evening habit" Bastila smiled and kissed him again.

The kiss became gradually more and more passionate, as the Jedi couples minds began to meld again as they had before and their thoughts and feelings became one. Bastila's hands travelled to the zip that held his shirt on, and began slowly easing the zipper down.

Drake broke the kiss and gazed at her as she did this. After a moment she reached and eased the shirt of his shoulders and it fell to the floor with a soft flump.

Bastila took in the sight of Drake's well-toned torso with great pleasure and felt her desire spike. She looked up at Drake who had a question in his eyes, their minds still melding, becoming one.

"Bas…?" he began but she cut him off.

"Kiss me…" she whispered "Shut up and kiss me for force sake" her lips found his again with great passion.

Drake pushed him up against the wall near the bunks gently but firmly and explored her neck with his lips. Bastila's breathing almost became panting as she moaned quietly only for him to hear. His hands opened the front of her robe and wrapped around her, feeling the soft skin of her back, sending flames of pleasure up her spine as both became breathless, intoxicated with passion and love.

Bastila felt her night robe slip from her shoulders, leaving her in just her underwear as their lips met again passionately and they fell as one onto the bunk before reaching a silent agreement that now was not the time and their lips parted and the two gazed at each, Bastila's finger's exploring his face.

Their minds completely synchronised together and they simply lay allowing the other to explore their thoughts and feelings, their understanding of each other deepening and this...their paradise continued throughout what should have been night, as the Ebon Hawk soared through Kashyyyk to finish some unfinished business involving the Star Map.

Ok quite a different chapter there...Your reviews please!!!!