ASAACAAT: Book I - Enkousokugetsu 28/31 (NC-17)
ASAACAAT: Book I - Enkousokugetsu 28/31
xiasangli
Days later
“I don’t want you hovering over me, Skywalker.” Mara looked up, irritated. “Get down from there.”
“I’m not hovering over you. You’re loitering beneath me.” Luke enjoyed hanging upside down from the tree, virtually over her head. Considering all they’d gone through in the last few days, he was relieved to have a childish moment. His lover though was furiously keying information into a datapad, clearly displeased.
“If you fall and break your neck, they’ll blame me. Just because you look like a Kowakian monkey doesn’t mean you should act like one.”
Luke couldn’t suppress a laugh. Mara had a natural propensity to insult others. Native to the moon the monkey-lizards where considered to be extremely silly and stupid creatures. Since her recover began this was one of her best insults yet.
“If I’m a monkey, you’re a Dinko-Dulok…nasty temper and nasty disposition and all.”
“If only I could conjure up a Force storm,” she said, without even glancing up at him.
With natural agility and a little help from the Force, Luke flipped over the branch of the six-meter-tall, thousand-year-old tree and slowly lowered himself to the ground. There he carved out a place next to her on a cylindrical-shaped rock. Mara sat cross-legged, intent on ignoring him. He straddled the rock, happily imitating a child riding on the back of a toy Bantha.
“Do you really need attention that bad, Skywalker?” She pounded the datapad’s keys even harder.
Luke was content to stare at her beautiful profile. Even though Mara couldn’t tan, her skin now had a healthy glow despite minor bouts with low-grade fevers and retching. The removal of the command disc reduced the intensity of her illness; it hadn’t been a cure all. Against Cilghal’s orders, Mara insisted that she would resume teaching today. She’d refused to wait until the healer arrived to excise the dormant bacterium.
The Jedi still had questions. To this day, he didn’t understand what had happened in the clearing that night. He couldn’t even verify whether or not she’d killed those three men. She wouldn’t even acknowledge him when he tried to question her about the red stone and he didn’t have a clue as to why one of her childhood friends would want to hurt her.
While it was clear the Emperor was responsible for the bacterium, Luke couldn’t think of a logical reason why the Sith would have done so. Nothing about this whole made sense. Worse, he’d lost contact with Lando. He and Tendra had simply disappeared.
“There you go again, Skywalker. Please stop thinking. Every time you do that, something bad happens.” Mara finally turned and glared at him. “Go ahead and spill it. Do it quickly because some of us have work to do.”
The Jedi edged closer and caress her face with one hand. To his eternal joy, she closed her eyes to relish the feel of this touch. Among the things she’d learn to do was to accept his caresses without flinching, pulling away or associating them with something sexual. He sensed that daylight intimacy without sex was one of those things she’d never be able to wrap her brain around, but she liked the way it felt.
Luke brought his leg over the side of the rock and sat next to her properly. When she didn’t try to escape, he leaned in and kissed her. The datapad fell to the ground and within seconds she was sitting in his lap, succumbing to the deepening kiss and the searing passion that spread throughout their bodies.
Despite the heat, Luke could feel Mara’s nipples hardening beneath his fingers. The ache in the pit of his abdomen was almost unbearable. It had been so long since they’d made love. The joy they’d found in the shadowboxing compromise had long since waned. The enforced celibacy used to accommodate her illness and for reproductive responsibility, was taking its toll. They needed to feel, touch and join with each other in every way possible. Anything less was physically painful and emotionally unfulfilling.
Mara suddenly pushed Luke to the side and scampered away to vomit. He rummaged through her bag and withdrew the mini-medpac, small damp towels and mouth rinse. This was a bad attack.
~~~
Kirana Ti and Tionne both came to a complete stop when they saw Mara heaving. Tionne wanted to rush ahead to help, but her friend held her back.
“No, let them take care of it, Tia. If they needed help, they would have asked for it.”
“Look at her!” Tionne was beside herself. “She’s heaving! We’ve got to help her. I still think she’s pregnant. I can’t say anything to him because he looks as me as though I’m his number one enemy.”
“I told you to stay out of it but you didn’t listen, ” Kirana Ti said. “I do agree though that she shouldn’t be teaching in her condition…whatever it is.”
“I can’t believe they’re so irresponsible. We have a decade’s worth of repress meds for males and females. Why didn’t they just use them? Surely, they aren’t trying to make a baby.”
The witch took the smaller woman by the arm. “He’ll take care of her. Let’s go. We’ve got classes to instruct.”
Tionne found it odd that Kirana Ti, a person who practically endorsed the relationship, found it difficult to be in the same space as Mara and Luke. True enough, they were annoying because they acted if they were in their own universe and no one else was welcome. Kira, she realized, probably thought Luke ruled that universe and Mara was a willing victim. She, on the other hand, thought differently. Mara was using him and a bouncing baby Skywalker was the key to more power and more wealth.
~~~
Anniwer was quickly becoming an automaton who would obey her every whim. Unbeknownst to the pathetic Jedi, Najiime Le had already mastered the use of control, sense and alter techniques long before she’d arrived on Yavin IV. The Darkside had advantages; the greatest was being able to prey on weaklings like Anniwer. Even so she had no choice but to use the powers sparingly because she had no desire to turn into an ugly Nightsister. The thought of her beautiful face and spectacular body marred by ugliness was unconscionable.
“She’s a slut, Anni,” Najiime Le whispered as she and the young man sat atop of a small temple. “She’s trying to manipulate our Master. See how she’s encouraging him to do nasty things...” she paused for effect. “…in public.”
“Doesn’t Mara have shame or decency?” Anniwer whipped the microbinoculars from his face. He disgusted by the show the older couple were putting on.
“She’s using her body, Anniwer, to take control of our Master. She tempts him. She makes him crazy with desire. Soon he’ll be powerless against her and he won’t be able to refuse her anything.” Najiime Le ran a hand up his thigh and gently began massaging his manhood. “She has him the same way I have you.”
“Don’t touch me!” he barked and scooted away, blinking in confusion. “Don’t do stuff like that!”
Najiime Le frowned. Practically every young man on this moon was virile, but most of them acted like eunuchs. Even Michelo was all talk and no action. As far as she knew, he hadn’t actually slept with any of the women he frequently tongued. Most of the time women talked, but Michelo’s women were tight-lipped.
The witch flung the errant thought from her mind because she didn’t need Anniwer to satisfy her physically. She required him to complete a more important task. He was the perfect choice because he was narrow-minded and therefore easy to control. For him there were no shades of gray, just black and white.
“She’s sick,” Anniwer announced, peering through the microbinoculars again. “It doesn’t look good. Master Luke looks really helpless.”
“Well, well, well,” Najimme Le said after raising her own microbinoculars. This could work to her advantage. “They’ve finally been caught.”
~~~
“What do you mean?” The more time Anniwer spent with Najimme Le the more uncomfortable he felt. She was dirty, unclean and offensive. She wasn’t a classy witch like Kirana Ti.
He didn’t approve of what Mara was doing with their Master, but he had a hard time thinking of her as a disgusting person like Najiime Le. Most of the time the Master Trader and the Jedi Master acted appropriately. Any fool could see they cared deeply for each other. Mara also didn’t flaunt herself, even when she forgot most of her clothes. She was a dignified lady most of the time.
“It’s obvious, Anni,” Najiime Le said.
“Not to me.” Shame about what they were doing washed through him.
Why am I spying on Master Luke?
Najiime Le looked at him as though he was crazy. “Idiot. She’s either in the family way or has a venereal disease.”
Anniwer was wide-eyed with shock. There was no way Master Skywalker would have allowed either one of those things to happen. Over the past few days, Anniwer had come to see Mara in a better light, and he was trying to accept her presence and her relationship with Master Skywalker. She was an excellent teacher, dedicated and organized.
“It’s their business,” he said, practically running down the ancient stairs that led to the ground. He had to get away from the witch.
What was I thinking when I agreed to go to the roof with that nasty girl? How did she convince me to go up there anyway? I don’t like her at all.
~~~
Najiime Le was furious, but she would not allow that to alter her plans. Mara Jade would die and when that happened, she would be waiting for Luke Skywalker with open arms. By the time he overcame his grief and returned to his senses, Najiime Le would be back on Dathomir with her prize: his child.
~~~
“Mara, you’re in no shape to teach.” Luke was more worried than ever.
“I have no choice. I made a deal and I plan to stick with it. I’ve missed enough classes,” she said in a huff. “I’ll do my job. I’m sure it was nothing. I got a little overheated. It is hot here. Not to mention you were pawing all over me, cutting off my oxygen supply.”
He ignored that comment. “It’s commendable that you’re so dedicated, but you can barely stand. How can you teach?” Holding her by the elbow, he nudged her onto the rock again.
“I’ll be fine if you would just give me some room to breath. Give me a break. You have a class, right? Go to it.”
“Don’t change the subject. We’re talking about you and your health. This is serious business. What if you get hurt during the class? Your classes are dangerous.”
“Then I’d be hurt.” Her tone was clipped. “It wouldn’t be the first time and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Now let me go.”
Gingerly, Mara rose and brushed past him. Luke didn’t like this one bit. She was a living source of frustration and she never listened to good reason. If she couldn’t manage a make-out session, what made her think she could teach a self-defense class?
“Master, is something wrong?” Anniwer filled the space Mara just vacated.
“No, nothing. Thank you for asking.” Luke was relieved it was Anniwer. They hadn’t had an opportunity to talk for a long time.
“Ijustwantedtoapologizefor…everything.” Anniwer was almost incoherent.
“You don’t owe me an apology, Anniwer. I know it’s been difficult for you to accept the nature of my relationship with Mara. I hope you’ll come to understand that she isn’t hurting me. We’re all stronger because she’s among us. She belongs here. Please try to accept her.”
Anniwer gulped. “I’ll…I’ll try.”
“You do that,” Luke said. It was a big concession from Anniwer. The young man was trying to do better.
“I’m taking one of her classes,” Anniwer admitted sheepishly. “I’m taking one of her classes…the upcoming one in fact. She’s a really great teacher. I mean…er…everyone is, but she…understands things…ah.”
“Yes, she does.” Luke was pleased. “What’s today’s lecture?”
“Odikia.”
“Defensive arts?” The Jedi Master shook his head in disbelief. Odikia would require her to interact with the students physically. Most likely she would get hurt but there wasn’t anything he could do about it except spend more sleepless nights watching her wrestle with illness. She was as stubborn as they came.
~~~
As she headed down the path with her pack on her back, Mara tried once again to control her breathing. Even the simplest things were causing her to pant and she’d look like a fool if she passed out in front of the students. The only good thing about the class was the limited class size. The techniques were too advanced for most trainees. The thirty chosen by the senior teachers would pass on what they’d learn after her departure.
When she arrived, most students were lined up in an orderly fashion kneeling quietly in front of the practice ring, the jiaadu, which was constructed by weaving together weeds and other jungle grasses. All the students had participated in the construction while she was convalescing.
“Good morning.” Mara was also pleased that they were dressed appropriately in loose-fitting clothing. From the ground, they bowed in her direction. She kneeled on the opposite side of the jiaadu, keeping her distance.
“What are the primary ways to advance in Odikia and what are its most important points?” Siri was among the first to raise her hand. The girl was definitely a teacher’s pet and Mara favored her because of her dedication.
“The only way to advance through Odikia is through regular and continued training,” the girl said “Odikia provides a way of cultivating self-discipline and self-discipline begins with regular attendance. This form of training includes observation and modification of both physical and psychological patterns of thought and behavior. This requires everyone to pay attention to how they react in various situations.”
Mara nodded in approval and called on another student.
“Most Odikia principles are compatible with Jedi Philosophy,” a humanoid male said. “There is one important difference though. Odikia training is the cultivation of self-awareness while Force training requires students to be aware of their surroundings, with themselves being instruments of the Force. In Odikia, training is the individual person’s responsibility, not that of teachers or senior students. Students are required to learn through effective observation and figure out the techniques on their own.”
Mara was pleased. Because she was trained in Odikia, she never accepted that Luke was responsible when his students fell to the Darkside. After he’d passed on his knowledge and skills, it was their responsibility to make productive use of it. He provided them with the tools they needed to survive within the sphere of the Force and in the galaxy at large. From there they chose how to use that knowledge and those survival skills.
She often teased Luke about being a poor teacher, but she made certain he understood it was only teasing. Her inability to levitate was an excellent example of her failure in Odikia. She had chosen business over Jedi training and was summarily left with a disability in the Force.
“Odikia training is a cooperative, not a competitive enterprise.” Mara emphasized that point again. “From now you’re going to train with a partner, not an opponent. You must be careful to practice in such a way that you temper the speed and power of your technique in accordance to your partner’s ability.” She paused to take a breath.
“Since your partner is lending you his or her body to practice on, it’s not unreasonable for you to take good care of what has been lent to you.” Mara took a moment to verify she had their complete attention. “Training can be very frustrating so please observe yourself and find the root of your dissatisfaction and frustration. Never, under any circumstances, compare yourself to other trainees because that’s competition and there’s no place for that here.
Siri spoke up. “It is okay to copy someone else’s technique? Is it bad to want to improve ourselves?”
“That’s a very important observation.” Mara looked up and down the row, making brief eye contact with each and every student. “It’s acceptable to admire the talents of others and even to strive to emulate them, but you absolutely must not, under any circumstances, allow comparisons with others to foster resentment of them or criticism of yourself.”
Out the corner of her eye, Mara saw Najiime Le bounce in late. She was not originally chosen to be a part of the group, but when another trainee could no longer participate, Najiime’s Le’s name was next on the list.
“Sorry to be late. Master Luke had an assignment for me.” Her voice reeked of arrogance. “He likes the way I do things for him.”
Mara didn’t respond to that blatant lie. “Let’s get started.”
Many of the students immediately headed for the ring, a source of pride. Mara was equally proud that they observed the proper etiquette at all times, which included bowing when entering and leaving the jiaadu, and when coming onto and leaving the mat. This was the focal point of disciplinary training.
“Don’t forget. If you get tired or injured, you may bow out of practice until you feel strong enough to continue.” She knew most of them would be afraid to ask for permission to leave.
“Mara?” Anniwer said with as much politeness as he could muster. “What if I can’t throw my partner?”
She smiled at Jag, a young man who was easily close to 200 kilos. “Have you tried to throw him?”
“Yes, but I can’t do it,” he confessed. “Not with using the Force.”
“Your technique is flawed.” Anniwer averted his eyes in shame and Mara could have kicked herself. “Remember that most Odikia techniques, as we practice them, are just idealizations. No technique works all the time.” Anniwer nodded in understanding, but she could tell he wasn’t completely convinced she hadn’t criticized him.
“It takes awhile before you can execute a technique correctly. Remember what you read on your datapads. Ask your partner for less resistance until you can perform your technique better.”
“Isn’t that cheating?”
“Everything you see here is a form of cheating.” She waved her hand in the direction of the jiaadu. “Most of the techniques cannot be performed without the concomitant application of maeti.”
“Maeti?”
“Maeti is a strike, delivered to the attacker, for the purpose of facilitating the subsequent application of the technique. For safety’s sake, we don’t use maeti in practices.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I’ll throw Jag now.”
“Yes, you will but one more thing. A purely mental rehearsal of the techniques can serve as an effective form of solo training. I do most of my training in my head.”
Anniwer’s bulky partner, Jag, decided to join them. He didn’t have extraordinary powers in the Force, but his great size usually kept possible enemies at bay.
“You’re saying you can throw me because you practice in your head? You’re so small. How can you throw me without breaking your back?”
“You’re asking for it, Jag,” Anniwer said. “Let’s go.”
“If I throw you, you’ll get hurt,” Mara said. “Master Skywalker wouldn’t be pleased.” She didn’t mind throwing Jag because he was a bully that preyed on those who were physically weaker than he was.
“Anniwer, an honest man if ever there was one, would attest that I challenged you,” Jag said, his chin raised.
“Not good enough.”
“Jedi Durron! Jedi Solusar!” The two entered the clearing. “Please come here.”
“What is it, Jag?” Kyp asked.
“I want Mara to try to throw me using her mind training, but she’s afraid of Master Skywalker.”
She sighed. “I promised to not abuse the students.”
“I’ll be a witness,” Kam said. “Go ahead and instruct him. You’re a good teacher.” Kyp nodded in agreement.
Mara rearranged her outfit, stepped inside the jiaadu and halted the practice. “Jag and I will demonstrate a simple throw. One that can be applied if your partner is five times your weight.”
~~~
Tionne came just as the two had entered the ring. She stepped along side Kyp. “You gave permission?”
“I gave approval. There’s a difference. Jag is like Najiime Le. He’s been asking for a demonstration like this.” Kyp glanced over his shoulder at the girl. She winked at him.
“I agree,” Kam said. “If she breaks his head, it’s not her fault. Let’s hope this is the last time a student tries to show her up.”
“If something happens to her, neither Luke nor Streen will be happy,” Tionne pointed out.
“Nobody put a blaster to her head, Tia,” Kam said.
“Mara, are you sure about this?” Tionne left the men and stood just outside the ring. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “What about your condition?”
“I’m not pregnant,” Mara hissed.
“This is childish and you know it,” Tionne said.
Before the words left her mouth, Mara had already given her attention to Jag. Inside the jiaadu they bowed to the mat, to the others and finally to one another. Jag exuded confidence, thinking he could easily snap her in two. Under normal circumstances, someone like Jag didn’t bother her, but she was far from one hundred percent and there was always the possibility of retching again. One day she’d learn to back down from a direct challenge.
“Wait!” Anniwer intervened. “Jag, you’re my partner. We’re supposed to practice together.”
“You’ll have your chance, Anniwer,” Mara said, fearing Skywalker had put him up to spying on her. Thankfully, Michelo was somewhere else. He’d graduated from stalker to shadow.
Predictably Jag danced around like a fool and dared to pretend to take jabs at her. By not respecting her at all, he’d stupidly left himself open to several different attacks. He came from a very harsh breed of humans that lived on a planet that hosted a native species that regarded humans as lunch. The humans survived by their ability to intimidate and forcefully pound others senseless. That Jag made it this far at the Academy was a minor miracle.
Without warning, he grabbed Mara by the shoulders and tried to pin her arms. He was faster than he looked, but she was faster and before he could get his bearing, she wrapped one arm around his massive waist, grabbed his inner thigh and threw him to the ground.
Everyone gasped in surprise. On the other hand, Mara believed her reaction time was slower than normal. She hadn’t done anything special. She’d used Jag’s own bulk and momentum against him. He’d practically slipped although it appeared as though she’d used amazing strength to throw him.
As she reached out to help Jag to his feet, everyone’s attention shifted. All eyes were on Luke, who was standing just to the right of the class area. Even though his face was impassive and his eyes were clear, everyone worried that he was angry. Mara wanted to say something smart but she was breathing harder than her bout with Jag warranted.
Then those large blue eyes locked onto hers. This was one of the rare times she missed the mind bond. The intensity of his gaze made everyone else uncomfortable. Even without the bond, they had their own way of communicating and it was very easy to shut out everyone else.
Someone made a sound, snapping Mara out of her rapport with Luke. But the noise was not repeated. It was absolutely quiet. No one moved; they barely breathed.
“Class dismissed,” she said, kneeling in the middle of the jiaadu.
Everyone gathered their belongings as quickly as they could and fled; they literally ran away. Luke stepped to the side to give them room to exit but no one went near him. When the last person left, he joined her at the jiaadu, made the appropriate bows and stepped inside.
“You scared the students away, Skywalker.”
“Why did you do it, Mara?”
She grimaced at him. “He challenged me. I tried to get out of it, but he made a big production and got Kam and Kyp involved.”
“You could’ve been hurt. You’re not well.” He sounded tired. “I’m afraid of what’ll happen if you relapse before Cilghal gets here.”
Mara braced herself for a lecture about teachers and responsibilities. “I’ll take it easy.”
“I have work to do so please promise me you’ll return to our room and rest. Ⅰ don’t think your students will come back.” He eyes softened. “Please do this for me.”
“Look, I’ll wait for you at our place on the river. I’ll pack my gear, store it and go there and rest. I’ll lay on the bank like a rich Hutt. I won’t break a sweat. I’m sick of being inside.”
“All right. I’m going to hold you to your word. You won’t break a sweat.”
Mara raised her left hand, let it fall to her side and then raised her right hand. “Galaxy-scout’s honor.”
Luke sighed and shook his head. When he finally left the jiaadu, he didn’t forget to bow.
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