As Simple and As Complicated As All That - Book II: Kenninfubatsu 2/?
ASAACAAT: Book II - Kenninfubatsu 2/?
xiasangli
Coruscant
The mechanics doing his lover’s bidding glared at Luke as he approached Jade’s Fire. To his surprise, he found a freshly showered Mara in the weapon’s turret. It was an omen for certain, but he did what he always did. He followed his feelings. After a moment of hesitation, he came up along side her and gently touched his lips to hers.
A mass of red-gold tresses escaped from the hair band and spilled over her shoulders as she angrily pushed him aside.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“What? What kind of stupid question is that? What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I kissed you. It’s one of the things you allow me to do.” Luke felt the beginning of a headache. The woman was insane, clinically insane. She had to be.
“Pull another stunt like that,” Mara said, her voice laced with hostility, “and you won’t be able to do anything later.”
“You have a way of making me feel cheap and dirty, Mara. No one can see us.”
“That’s not the point.” Her green eyes blazed.
The Jedi slumped against the hull. The headache was proving to be the least of his concerns. “Do tell. What is the point? I kissed you. What exactly is the crime that warrants death or castration?”
“A couple of months ago, you wouldn’t have done that,” she said.
“Things have changed between the two of us,” he said, trying to be patient. “We’ve done a lot more than kiss and kissing is one of the things people in relationships do.”
Mara turned her back to him and began rechecking the weapons system. “I’m not going to be a party to this grinning-happily-in-love foolishness fantasy. You know as well as I do, everything we did was for physical release.”
“I’m not going to let you pull this one-eighty on me. We’re in a relationship, Mara and you need to get over it. You want this as much as I do.”
“Can’t you just leave me alone? I want peace of mind. Is that too much to ask?” Her voice was softer this time.
Luke seized her by the shoulders and spun her around. The look in her eyes made him want to slither away and hide. “Leave you alone? In case, you’ve forgotten, you’re the one who seduced me on Yavin IV. You’re the one who threw yourself at me. Remember the survival kits? You’re the one who wanted to get pre…” His words trailed off; color drained from her face.
Clearly disgusted, she brushed past him and left the room. He didn’t know what to do. The presence of Rosario in their lives was distorting his perception of their relationship. Life with Mara was complicated before and now it was impossible.
Feeling sick to his stomach, he went in search of her. To his surprise, she was standing outside the door peering through the view port, seemingly monitoring the work being done to the ship.
“Talk to me, Mara. I thought you understood why I had to leave Yavin IV. Malindza needed me. She’s a little girl and her mother is dead because she helped me.
“It was better before,” she said, sneaking a peek at him out the corner of her eye.
He took a step closer. “Before what?”
She took a deep breath; he braced himself for what was to come.
“It was better before you thought that every time we see each other you can sniff, scratch, lick and suck me at will.”
Sweat rolled down Luke’s face. The heat was fueled by anger, not desire. “What are you talking about? I won’t stand here and listen to you belittle our relationship.” He turned on his heels and made ready to leave, but the nasty words that spilled from her lips made him freeze in mid-stride.
“We don’t have anything, Skywalker. You’re a fool if you think we do. I don’t need you.”
“Fine then,” he said, unwilling to give her more ammunition. He couldn’t stand the thought of looking at her. “It’s clear to me that you can’t handle romance and affection unless sex is involved. You would have been perfectly content if I’d thrown you on the floor and had my way without you without so much as a greeting. I hear you, Jade.”
Frustrated, Mara slammed her fist into the hull. Luke didn’t flinch and he didn’t turn around.
“Grow up, Farmboy, and play the adult version of this game. The only reason you’re here is because you want to get me in bed.” She paused for effect. “Maybe you’re hoping I can put my anger and rage to good use. I’m sure Solo wasn’t satisfied with your romantic critique of our hot nights on Yavin IV. You cheated him out of the best parts.”
The Jedi finally turned around. The pain and hurt written all over her face made him physically ill. Given what he knew of Mara’s past with Palpatine, he immediately understood what this meant to her. It was foolish of him to forget that she was a powerful Force Adept and that her thoughts, for the most part, were linked directly to his.
“I’m sor…”
“Don’t say a word.” There was enough ice in her voice to freeze the hanger bay. “I’m going to do all the talking. Listen closely. This is what we’re going to do.”
“Mara…I…”
“Shut up and listen.” She was adamant. “As soon as the upgrade to my ship is complete, I’m going to arrange for a suite with an excellent view. After that, I’ll invite you over, let you rip my clothes to shreds and then you can fill every orifice I have with your lust.” Her voice rose until she bordered on hysteria. “Is that enough for you? Now get the hell out of here.”
Luke knew he had to do something. This was crazy. She was nastier, more brutal and more violent that she’d ever been. “You know I’m not like that. I want to…”
“I said shut up,” she said through gritted teeth. “You see me differently than you did a few months ago. Honestly, can you form a picture of me in your mind without thinking of smashing into me?”
His mind whirled. “Of course, I can. Mara…”
She scoffed and then laughed. “Are you saying you aren’t interested in having sex with me right now? You didn’t come here for that? When you were showering, weren’t you having visions of me doing a striptease and a lap dance?”
The traps were becoming more familiar now, but that didn’t mean he was prepared for all of them. She’d asked questions that had remarkably complicated answers. Any response would land him on the wrong side of her anger.
“Mara, I always want to be with you. Is that wrong? I care for you? I respect you.”
She twisted her lips in an awful grimace, marched down the corridor and started up the ladder that accessed another floor. “Obviously men and women see things differently. We always have and we always will.”
“That’s not true,” Luke said. He joined her on the ladder and climbed a few rungs. “You and I see things the same. That’s why we’re so good together.”
Mara peered down at him as though contemplating whether or not to kick him in the face. With her, the Force did not give him an edge and what happened next verified that fact. She somehow slipped in between him and the ladder and without warning her lips captured his in one of the most impassioned kisses she’d ever bestowed upon him. The experience reminded him of a book he’d read about showing one’s throat as a sign of submission in the lower animal kingdom.
She nudged him off the ladder. “What’s wrong, Darling? Isn’t that what you wanted?” Her tone was sickly sweet and when she reached for him again, he took a step backwards.
He didn’t like what she was doing. “You’re obviously trying to make a point. What is it?”
“Me?” She feigned innocence. “Make a point to the big, strong, mighty Jedi Master? What could I have been thinking?”
“Get on with it.” He was angry again.
“Try to imagine, Skywalker, if almost every adult member of the opposite sex was stronger than you. You might not be the strongest man in the galaxy physically, but power resonates in you. No one tries to manipulate you because you’re smaller or physically weaker. No one expects you to fall into their arms at the snap of a finger.”
Luke didn't get it. All he had wanted to do was kiss her.
“You're a man," Mara continued. "No one automatically jumps on you trying to get under your clothes."
He sighed. That was a big mistake.
Mara was truly livid now. "You know what, Skywalker? The only thing I hate more than talking about us is you sighing about us!" Enraged she headed back up the ladder and disappeared.
He decided then and there he wasn’t about to run behind her. His days of hunting her down were over. If this was what she wanted, then fine. It would be so easy to blame Rosario for Mara’s latest round of psychosis, but he knew deep in his heart, this was the redhead’s doing, not that of a vindictive spirit or whatever Rosario was.
~~~
From the bridge, Mara saw her lover stalk across the hanger bay. He didn’t acknowledge anyone or anything. A part of her felt guilty, but another part knew this was for the best. The safest place for him was away from her.
“Don’t make me hurt you,” she whispered.
~~~
Chief of State's offices
The man grimaced with disgust. The waiting area was nearly as big as his entire home. It was replete with soft sofas, talking computers, droid power stations, and communications stations. It was too white; too sterile. The frantic aids that ran from room to room with datapads nearly knocked him over several times.
He sat down on the nearest sofa, removed his boots and curled his toes in the plush white carpeting. The receptionist droid was stiff as it offered him refreshments for the umpteenth time. He refused again and the resigned droid returned to the reception station. Relaxed, the man yawned, rose and then walked barefoot across the room to take a peek out of the ten-meter tall window that overlooked the city.
Revulsion seeped through his pores. He hated this place. It was unnatural. Fake. It was beautiful on the surface, but that beauty did not extend to the heart of it. All the majestic spires and dazzling lights in the universe could not make this place home to anyone. It was like one humongous office. Had it not been for the snow-covered Manarai Mountains, nothing natural would have existed on the planet at all.
A few minutes later, he returned to the sofa and pulled on his boots. It was unfathomable that the Chief of State managed to work in all the chaos. Before he could formulate more thoughts, his attention was averted. Behind a desk was an enormous map of the Galaxy. He wondered if his homeworld was included.
When he came within two meters of the map, a large view screen was lowered over it. From what he could tell, it was broadcasting a low-level council meeting. Leia Organa-Solo was not in attendance which was good. Although he was early, he wouldn’t take it too kindly if she were late.
~~~
Jarvis Minor
The young brown-skinned woman, who was gifted with thick wavy black hair, knelt on the ground trying to summon the peace that was associated with prayer and meditation, but it eluded her. The solid white dress she wore clung to her slim frame because she was drenched in perspiration. Despair clung to her, too.
With each passing day, her sisters were becoming more cynical, angry, and impatient. The evil that lurked in the shadows was as stifling as the night air. They were on a path to destruction; she could feel it. Worse, in return for the power they’d acquired over the years, they’d exchanged their souls and hadn’t received anything of substance in return.
Absently, she removed the bloodstone necklace and allowed it to fall to the ground. It served no purpose other than to cause others pain and suffering. Although it brought them together for protection, it also trapped them in the cycle of death and destruction.
Mara’s path to freedom had through Luke Skywalker. When Mara first began moving away, she was as uncomfortable as they were. At the time, she couldn’t explain the invisible wall that was slowly being erected between them, but as the years passed, they all realized he was the one pulling her away from them. His influence was becoming stronger and stronger.
Skywalker didn’t understand the struggle for Mara’s soul. Even without that knowledge, he was aware that he had a fight on his hands and he had to win. Unfortunately, she and the others could not stand by and allow him to do so. Without Mara, the circle would be incomplete and they’d lose everything. Mara’s link to them was already fading. She wanted to be free, but she was afraid of being completely alone for the first time in her life. At first she had Palpatine and then them. While Skywalker might one day fill the void, Mara would have to go it alone for a short time and she wasn’t ready.
An eerie chill warned her of the approach of the others. She retrieved the bloodstone and slipped it around her neck. The three women were upon her long before she had a chance to gather the blanket.
“How in the name of all that exists in the universe could you have brought them here?!" Hitomi fumed. “Explain to me why I woke up to find myself face-to-face with two Jedi trainees. Skywalker’s Jedi! Are you suddenly daft?”
"Calm down, Tomi. We had no choice," said Delber.
Bwembya remained silent. Like Delber, Hitomi’s outbursts no longer fazed her. It was a miracle she didn’t burst a blood vessel each time she spoke. The older woman was strung that tight.
"Delber is right,” Zena said. “We had to return for the ceremony. We couldn’t leave them there.”
Hitomi folded her arms. "Well, what do you have to say, Sweet Bya? "
"We're not doing anything wrong. This is a part of who we are. We have nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, they’re Mara's friends. They saved her life. Keep that in mind," Bwembya said softly.
"She'd be better off without them permanently! I grow tired of having Luke Skywalker thrust into my face at every turn!" Hitomi marched off in the direction of the ceremonial ground.
"I think they're cute, especially Anniwer," Delber cooed. "He's handsome. Stiff, but he’s got it where it counts. I think Michelo has an eye for you, Bwembya. He's gorgeous."
Bwembya turned away in embarrassment. When they first met on Boonta, he looked as though he could see into her very soul. It frightened her because no one, not even Lando, had ever made her feel so self-conscious. Until Michelo, Calrissian had been the only man who hadn’t tried to use or abuse her.
Michelo left her breathless. He made her feel an intense excitement that also made her feel vulnerable. In his presence, she wanted to tell him everything there was to know about her. Of course, she couldn’t reveal anything because to do so would be a betrayal. In her universe, betrayal meant death.
"Keep your silly fantasies to yourself, Deli," Zena chided. "Keep your legs closed too. Hitomi is right. They are Skywalker's people and the last thing we need is to have the Jedi Master nosing around in our business. He's already too close as it is."
"I could care less what he thinks. We have our duty and he has his. All he has to do to survive in this plane of existence is to stay out of our way. Besides, he's too wrapped up in Mara to care about us." Delber made a face at Zena and skipped away like happy child.
“Let’s check on them. They must be very confused," Bwembya said, eying Zena carefully. Something about her wasn’t quite right and hadn’t been for quite some time. "Mapenzie will be here soon."
Mapenzie was the spiritual leader of wisdom and medicine. He gave them knowledge; he gave them power. He was the only reason they hadn’t completely turned to evil. His love kept them in check.
Zena flashed the younger woman a twisted smile. “Go and join the others. I’ll take care of our young guests. Jedi or not, they are Mara’s friends.”
A stronger cold wave swept through Bwembya.
She didn’t like the feel of that at all.
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