In Shadows and Darkness

Chapter 17

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

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Mara paused in the Peerless' corridor, leaning back against the wall. Do it or not, Jade. Make your mind up.

Still she hesitated, mind a flurry of exhilaration, guilt, uncertainty, nerves... She glanced up at the surveillance lens on the ceiling, knowing its cycle of movement exactly - when it showed her end of the corridor; the crossover between lenses; Force knew, she'd sat and stared at the monitors enough nights. She glanced again down the empty corridor- he allowed no guards either; onboard his flagship, things worked to his own rules, and rule number one was No Guards. There were plain-clothes guards watching of course, at the Emperor's command, but Mara knew their routines and had picked this moment in the early hours of the morning very specifically.

What she hadn't intended was to hesitate, and if she didn't take this chance right now, then she wouldn't get another for hours. Taking a deep breath, she walked quickly and casually down the corridor and keyed the override code to open the door to Skywalker's apartments. She catstepped quickly into still darkness, momentarily blinded as she went from the light of the corridor to the pitch black of his quarters. Still holding her breath, she started forward-

And a weight like a Ronto bulldozed into her from the side, impacting with her left shoulder and sending her staggering away as she rolled with the blow-

Years of honed survival instincts cut in and somehow she remained upright, half-staggering, half-sidestepping clear, her right hand automatically grabbing for her gun - but Luke was on her in a split-second, hand reaching out from behind and grabbing at her wrist, twisting it and her gun up as he stepped in behind her-

Her gun hand pinned, Mara pulled her left arm back, elbow catching him heavily in the ribs, hearing his breath leave him in a rough gasp in the darkness though he managed to hook his other hand around her arm, pinning it to her side-

She snapped her head back without hesitation, intending to catch him in the face now that he was close behind her, but he was already ducking down and stepping back from her limited range. Still, she managed to free her left arm at roughly the same moment that he finally forced her to break her hold on her blaster-

Using the hold he had on her right arm as a solid pivot point, Mara swung around on her right leg, lifting her knee as she spun, intending to deliver a high kick, but he was already crouching from avoiding her last blow, so grabbed at her right ankle and yanked it up, dropping her heavily to the floor on her back, the air knocked from her lungs with enough force to flash stars in the darkness-

She scrambled back and twisted to her side, reaching for the vibroblade she wore in a scabbard at the small of her back as he lunged forward, dragging her arm away and twisting her onto her back, dropping his bodyweight onto her body over her hips to hold her still, his silence terrifying. She tried to kick up with her knees but his legs were already on hers so she lunged out with the heel of her hand. His reflexes were just too fast and she brushed past his jaw, his hand coming from no-where to pull her arm up and pin it to the floor above her head-

Mara struck out with her other hand as he leaned over her, intending to hit him in the throat, but he caught the heel of her hand against his own, powering it back- Again she writhed to free herself, putting all the strength of her stomach and legs into the movement-

"Stop it! STOP!!" Luke shouted, dragging Mara's arms together to pin them both with one of his own, and she was so shocked that she fell loose for a moment before finally finding her voice.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"What am I doing?!" he yelled, disbelieving, hand reaching down to brush her sides, obviously searching for any other weapons. Mara heaved her body up again but he sat down heavily, pushing his own bodyweight down against her, pinning her again. "You're lucky I don't bounce you off all four walls!"

"For what!?"

"Seriously? You sneak in here in the middle of the night..."

"You're kidding me!" Mara shouted, trying one last time to wrench her hands free, "Let go!"

He loosened his hold slightly but stayed where he was and she pulled an arm free but didn't strike out, instead letting it flop out beside her as she blew a breath upwards to waft her long hair from her face, glancing up at him and realising belatedly in the wan light that he was in his nightwear, chest bare, pale, drawstring sleep-trousers twisted from the scuffle.

"What the hell are you doing creeping in here in the middle of the night?" He repeated, but his voice had lowered as he calmed a little.

"I was coming to see you! Don't tell me you didn't know that."

"Yes I knew- I picked you up two levels down, sneaking around."

"I wasn't sneaking around."

"Well you sure as hell didn't want to be seen." he countered pointedly.

"So naturally, you took that as a license to floor me."

"I hate to quote precedents, but you just drew a blaster." He said, unapologetic.

"You tried to floor me!"

"You had a blaster!"

"Fine. Whatever. I'm not gonna argue specifics with you." She glanced around casually, "Where's my gun?"

"Right, because I am gonna give it back to you." he deadpanned.

Mara grinned wickedly, "Worried?"

He raised his eyebrows, letting his weight drop a little against her, "From up here? No."

"Well since you're not worried, could I have my other arm back?" She asked dryly, and he released her wrist, sitting up on his heels now, his bodyweight lifted slightly from Mara's hips.

They stared at each-other in the faint starlight for long moments.

"Feel like getting off yet?" she asked caustically.

"I don't know if I'm that unworried." he said, but she felt the last of his weight lift from her as he stood, then leaned forward, offering his hand. She stared at him warily for long seconds but he didn't move, so eventually she reached up to take it and he hauled her upright.

"Better?" he asked into her still-narrowed eyes.

"I will be when I get my gun back." She said, glancing around in the near-darkness.

He grinned, throwing her own challenge back at her; "Why- worried?"

"Yes," She countered tartly, "It was a very expensive gun."

"Well then you shouldn't let people take it off you so easily." He parried.

"Hey- you are the only person who can take that blaster off me unarmed." she argued unequivocally, but he was turning away, heading into the bedroom he must have come from when he had first sensed her. Mara glanced inside, noting peripherally that his bed was still neatly made; he hadn't been asleep then, despite his appearance.

"Only one is one too many." he said genially without stopping, tiredness creeping into his voice now.

It was very... human. And strangely appealing, reminding Mara of why she had headed up here in the first place, pushing her to keep him talking... "So, are you generally in the habit of bulldozing anyone who comes calling or did I catch you at a bad moment?"

"No I'm not, but then most people knock- or call in advance; that's why we have comlinks." he said, still walking.

"You never carry a comlink." Mara said.

He finally paused, turning as if realising she wasn't about to take the hint and leave, "Is there a reason you're here?" he asked with forced good grace.

Not sure how to just out and out say it, Mara hedged, "Not surprisingly, I've forgotten. I think I'm concussed." she added theatrically.

Luke raised his eyebrows unimpressed, turning to lean against the doorframe to his sleeping quarters, "I think your skull's thicker than that, Red."

She ignored that, massaging her wrist, "I also think my arm will be black and blue tomorrow."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, remember that my ribs will be looking exactly the same."

Mara considered, glancing down at his bare torso as he lifted his hand to it, "Yeah, I think it does a little."

"Good. Can I go to bed now?"

She stared at him long seconds... and when she spoke again, it was with genuine frustration in her voice, "You are the hardest person to keep talking."

"You're not actually talking about anything!" he charged, exasperated.

"Just..." she stuttered to momentary silence, so irate was she, "...Why the hell do you think I'm here!?"

He stood upright, bewildered frustration raising his own voice, "I don't know - that's why I'm asking!!"

"Maybe you should have done that before you tried to break my arm!"

"You had a gun!"

"I always have a gun."

"Exactly! I was going with the odds." A slight edge was creeping into his voice now, prompting the same in hers.

"Oh, what does that mean?"

He shied back from stating exactly what had been in his mind- that he had secretly visited his father on the Executor earlier tonight; that together they had effectively agreed to depose the Emperor. That was the reason that he thought she'd crept into his quarters; that she somehow knew what had transpired, had already reported it to the Emperor and was now carrying out his resultant order. "It means Palpatine's assassin just broke into my rooms under cover of darkness at the precise moment that all those 'non-existent' watchers happened to be elsewhere- you figure it out."

"You think I came to kill you!?"

"It's what you are."

She stepped forward, at once confused and offended , "Why!? Why the hell would I kill you now?"

"I don't know- you don't generally seem to need a reason." he charged, unrepentant. "You just do as you're told."

"You son of a sauron..." Incensed, she raised her hand and he turned on her, hand lifting, finger out in blunt warning,

"Don't!"

Mara swung a tight, powerful blow intended to connect with his face and his hand shot out to catch it, stopping her dead, twisting her hand behind her and yanking her forward in one fast move with enough force to send her barrelling into him, her arm twisted behind her back.

Caught, she glanced up, free hand pulling back, a curse on her lips-

And he leaned in and kissed her. Fervently; passionately, his hand to her arched neck, pulling her to him.

Her balled fist fell lax as she leaned in to the kiss, all else forgotten, all differences and reservations abandoned before this greater desire, finally seeming as much his as hers. Still held captive, she pushed him forwards and he backstepped through the doorway with her, their bodies never breaking contact as she leaned her weight against him and he fell back onto the bed, arms wrapping about her waist, pulling her with him.

She smiled, grinned in the muted starlight as she kissed him fiercely, eagerly, fingers in his hair, distantly feeling his hand slide smoothly from her hip to the small of her back to pull free the vibroblade she kept there, its dull double-thud as he flung it to the side and it hit the floor unheeded in the heat of all-encompassing passion...

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