Alan! It's after midnight here! Can I post yet... :)

Okay-dokey, here goes. Alan's challenge was to write about Mara's 'first time'...

"A New Weapon"

by Angela Jade

Rating - NC-17. Well, duh!!

Disclaimer - it all belongs to George & Tim. I'm not making any money from this.

Thanks to - Sheyla for the last-minute beta, and Alan for the idea.

She walked along the deserted corridor, head held high, her face a mask of calm that belied her inner fury. It was just as well that this part of the Imperial Palace was out of bounds to anyone not involved in her training - Mara Jade was angry and felt like hurting someone. Yet another of her missions had been canceled, the third that month. Mara trusted her master's judgment implicitly, but she had heard an increasing number of reports of threats to him and his government, and she wanted to get out there and curtail those threats. Permanently.

As she approached the door to the weapons range, she forced herself to calm down. Her master had announced that she should meet with this new arms specialist, so meet with him she would. She fervently hoped that this one would be of more use than the previous two, but perhaps it would be fun to humiliate yet another so-called expert.

The door swished open at her arrival, revealing the long firing range in semidarkness. Mara's attention was drawn to the lone human occupant firing a high-power blaster towards the holo-targets at the far end of the room. Slightly built, his straight-backed stance made the most of his height, and a dark ponytail snaked its way down the back of his white short-sleeved shirt. Mara fought down a smirk when he missed one target, but it was only when he cocked his head and turned to face her that she realized he had some kind of gauzy material tied over his eyes.

He whipped off the semi-blindfold and grinned at her, eyes twinkling. "You must be the young lady I'm here to meet." He strode towards her and held out his hand in greeting. "I'm Marcus Viccen. His Highness thought I might be of some use to you."

She shook his outstretched hand warily, suspicious of his happy demeanor and of the fact that he was so young, not much older than herself. "Did he, now?"

If he was affected by her curt manner, he didn't show it. "May I ask your name?"

"You can ask all you want."

"Ah," he said, smiling again, "but you're not going to tell me because I don't need to know."

"You catch on quick," she replied sarcastically. Turning away from him, she folded her arms across her chest and feigned interest in the targets that had settled into a holding pattern, circling slowly around each other. "Look, why don't you just do whatever it is you're here to do and then go away. I'm a busy person."

"What I can do rather depends on what you are capable of, ma'am."

She twisted her head to look at him, surprised at his audacity. Then, holding his gaze the entire time, she drew her blaster from its holster on her thigh, pointed it towards the swirling targets, and shot ten uniform energy bolts. Only when the last shot had hit home did she turn and check all ten blasts had met their marks.

"Son of a ... how old are you?"

Mara fought back a smile at the incredulous look on his face. "Seventeen."

"Seventeen?!? And how long have you been training ... no, don't tell me. I don't think I want to know." He let loose another dazzling smile, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "Well, I think you're good enough to cope with what I've brought. How about we get started?"

"Fine by me. What have you got to show me?" replied Mara, reholstering her blaster.

Marcus turned away from her and started to rummage in a carry-all that was slumped against the back wall. "My father and I have been developing it for years. It's a wrist-mounted hold-out blaster..."

"Just stop right there. I've tried them before. They're either too big for decent concealment, or too inaccurate or unreliable to be of any use."

"Catch," said Marcus suddenly.

Mara's lightening-quick reflexes allowed her to snatch the tiny blaster out of the air when he threw it over her head, and her brow furrowed in concentration as she examined it. It wasn't the smallest blaster she'd ever seen but it came pretty close, yet the handle, trigger and muzzle fitted neatly in her grip. "Is it accurate?"

She almost jumped when his voice whispered in her ear, "Try it."

She lifted the tiny blaster and aimed it at the targets still circling at the end of the range. "The sights are different."

"How about if you lift the barrel slightly ... here..."

Every muscle in her body tensed instantaneously. Marcus had put his arms round her, stretching to reach the blaster she still held firmly in her right hand. No one, absolutely no one, would ever dare to touch her without her express permission! Didn't he know who she was? Was he completely unaware of her reputation? Why, she should just take him down now with an elbow to the throat or chest... He tilted up the blaster's barrel and suddenly the professional in her took over as the design of the blaster's sights became obvious.

"Try it now."

For some inexplicable reason, the whisper of his breath on her cheek and the warmth of his arms as they stretched alongside her own were proving very distracting. He was wearing some kind of cologne, a delicate musky smell that made her want to take a deep breath and sigh... It occurred to Mara that this might be another of the Emperor's `distraction tests' and she glanced surreptitiously at one of a pair of cameras mounted on either side of the room. A tiny blinking red light indicated it was on and she wondered if the emperor was actually watching her right at that moment. She took a careful breath, sighted along the blaster, and began firing steadily into the targets. Every energy bolt met its mark.

"Excellent!" He'd removed his arms from hers as soon as she'd started firing, and his hands were now resting lightly on her shoulders. "See! I told you it was accurate."

She turned slightly to look at him. He was grinning again, his eyes twinkling, his smile infectious. Mara could feel the corners of her mouth tilting upwards. "Okay, okay - I like the blaster. What about the holster?"

His head nodded forward in a tiny bow. "Very well, my lady." Then he turned and walked back to his carry-all. "The one I've brought is designed to fit me - I'll show you how it works, then I can take your measurements and custom-design one for you within a few days."

She watched carefully as he strapped on the tiny leather holster. "I thought you were right-handed? Why are you fitting it to your left wrist?"

He shrugged and pulled another blaster from the carry-all, fitting it into the holster. "It's designed so that you can fire it from either hand, but it works best if you drop it into your left, then grab it with your right and fire." He quickly demonstrated, flicking the weapon into his left hand and snatching it with his right. "My father devised the holster. We're very pleased with how it turned out."

Mara nodded as she continued to examine the blaster in her hand, noting the positioning of the stun/kill switch and other features. "And your father couldn't come today?" When he didn't immediately reply, she looked up.

His face was etched with the kind of sadness she knew only too well. "My father went missing two weeks ago. Imperial Security showed me proof that he was taken by the Rebels." His voice hardened with emotion. "That's why I'm here. I'm turning everything we have over to the Empire. I've got to help catch the pirates and cut-throats that kidnapped my father."

"We'll defeat them in the end, Marcus. I know we will." She smiled and held out her left arm. "Why don't you measure me up for one of those holsters now?"

*****

Four days later...

She awoke slowly and stretched, unable to keep the smile from her face. Every night since the day she had met Marcus, she'd dreamed about him. And last night had been no exception - if anything, it had been raunchier than the rest. His arms around her, his lips on hers... Mara had kissed before - more than one young imperial officer had caught her eye, and no one had ever told her it was forbidden - but she had never felt the urge to go any further. Until now. Until Marcus.

Perhaps it was just an infatuation, a crush brought on by a liberal dose of hormones as her body finished growing physically. Or maybe she'd been working too hard and this was her brain's way of telling her she needed a break. These and other scenarios had crossed her mind one by one, and all had been dismissed. There was no logical explanation. He was cute and he'd been nice to her without being sycophantic ... and her subconsciousness was screaming at her to kiss him until he begged for mercy. Well, subconscious desires can be repressed, she thought as she swung her legs out of the bed and pulled a hand through tangled hair. She grinned. Nothing wrong with a little fantasizing, though...

She deliberately arrived early for their appointment, and spent several minutes at the door to the firing range watching him through the window. He wasn't firing semi-blindfolded this time - just practicing his draw over and over again, his pony-tail flicking as he yanked the blaster from the holster mounted on his right hip. Mara's eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out if he'd changed since she'd seen him last, or even if he looked different from the man she'd seen in her dreams. It was odd - he was exactly as she remembered him from the previous week, and yet ... he seemed different. It was as if she had made up the part of his personality that she didn't know and superimposed it on him as fact.

He turned as she pushed the door open and slipped into the room. "Good morning, my lady," he said with his customary grin as he reholstered his weapon. "Would you like to see the holster I've brought, or would you like to warm up first?"

She couldn't stop the smile blossoming on her face any more than she could stop the planet from revolving. "I think we'll move straight on to the main event, Marcus."

He nodded, obviously delighted at her enthusiasm, and turned to his open carry-all. Mara was pleased to see that it was new and now carried the Imperial logo. Her eyes quickly moved back to meet his as he approached her.

"Hold out your arm, please, my lady."

She pushed up her left sleeve and presented him with her bare arm, trying to ignore the tingling sensation in her skin as she anticipated his touch. Standing silently, she held her breath as he fitted the new holster he carried to her forearm, his concentration almost palpable as he tightened the straps. The stiffness of the new leather felt strange on her arm - she decided softening it would be a priority.

"How does that feel?"

Mara pursed her lips as she flexed her wrist this way and that, trying to determine the range of movement. "Feels good, actually." She smiled at him. "You did a great job."

His only reply was an embarrassed smile. He reached out as if to touch her arm, then he seemed to think better of it and turned back to the ever-present carry-all. "I brought a few new blasters, too."

She quickly fitted the proffered weapon in place, desperate to try her new `toy' out. "Show me how you do that `wrist flick' thing."

Marcus fastened on his own holster as he walked towards her, stopping just in front of her - Mara watched carefully as he demonstrated how to release the blaster.

"Okay, I think I've got it," she said, finally looking up. Her breath caught in her throat - she'd been so engrossed in what he was doing that she hadn't realized they were standing so close. His gaze met hers and Mara could swear the air between them changed. Hazy gray-blue eyes filled her vision, and it felt like they were looking directly into her soul.

After a long moment of energized silence, Marcus stepped away. "You should try it out," he said quietly, gesturing towards the firing range.

Mara nodded and somewhat reluctantly turned to face the swirling holo- targets at the far end of the room. The attraction she felt for this man, a man she barely knew, was like nothing she had experienced before. She longed to just grab a fistful of his shirt and push him against a wall, pressing herself to him... Her gaze flicked between the two cameras mounted on either side of the room - they were turned off. Slowly, she stepped forward and adopted a relaxed stance, her feet planted firmly, hip width apart. A feral smile crept across her face as she jerked the blaster into her left hand and grabbed it with her right, bringing it up in one smooth motion. She fired, and the energy bolt glanced off the lowest target.

"No, you're tilting it again, my lady," said Marcus, moving behind her. "Remember the sights."

Mara sensed him as he stood behind her, felt the warmth of his arms as they stretched along her own, his hands reaching for her blaster. For a fraction of a second she remembered her initial reaction the last time he had tried this, and her muscles involuntarily spasmed, ready for battle. But there would be no fight this time.

She swiftly turned her head to the right, her face mere centimeters from his as he peered over her shoulder at the targets. His eyes locked with hers and suddenly ... she knew. Knew that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. His breath whispered over her cheek but he didn't say a word, just gazed into her eyes as if searching for ... something. Permission? Her heart pounding in her ears, Mara twisted slowly in his arms and lifted her chin, meeting his lips with her own.

An intense passion ripped through her body as he kissed her in return, his arms slipping around her waist and pulling her towards him. The tiny blaster dropped forgotten from her fingers as her hands slid to the back of his neck and their kiss deepened.

When they finally broke apart, he lowered his eyes, refusing to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry, my lady. I shouldn't have ... I couldn't..." He looked at her once more, swallowing hard. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I met you."

"Nor I you," she whispered, pulling him in for another mind-blowing kiss. An extraordinary heat was building in her gut and she shuddered with pleasure when his hand slipped over the small of her back and tugged her closer.

"I don't even know your name," he murmured in her ear, before planting gentle kisses on her jaw and neck.

She tilted her head to allow him better access. "It's probably better that you don't know," she replied, reveling in the sensations he was generating.

He cupped her cheek with one hand and met her eyes. "Don't you trust me, my lady?"

"I hardly know you, Marcus."

The grin returned, the one that made her insides melt. "Would you like to get to know me better?"

Sex. Double meaning or not, that was definitely what he was suggesting, and it sent a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts and feelings through Mara's brain. She was a virgin mainly because of a lack of opportunity, but also, she had to admit, because she had never felt ready to become so intimate with another person. Briefly, thoughts of marriage and children entered her head, but were immediately swept away - that would never happen. She would serve her Emperor until her death, or until he revealed another purpose for her life. With a pang of unaccustomed regret, she looked into Marcus' eyes and realized that although she was wrapped in his arms, she had never felt so lonely. Wordlessly, she pressed her lips to his lips, her body to his body, and lost herself in his embrace. When his mouth opened to hers, she kissed him with all the passion she could muster, tasting him and caressing his tongue with her own. Her hands slid to his chest and tentatively started undoing fasteners.

"Umm, shouldn't we move this somewhere a little more ... discreet?" he whispered, smiling at her enthusiasm.

She nodded silently, wondering if she looked as flushed as he did, before taking his hand and pulling him towards the back of the room. A narrow door zipped open at her touch, revealing a small storage room - shelves covered every wall and the remaining floor space was filled with a pile of mats. Yanking Marcus inside, Mara quickly closed the door before pushing him roughly against it. "This private enough for you?"

"It'll do," he replied with a grin, pulling her into his arms. Then his mouth descended on hers once more, kissing her deeply as his hands roamed all over her body, pausing only to tug at her clothing. "Want you," he murmured against her lips.

An inferno seemed to be building inside her stomach, one she couldn't put out even if she wanted to. She pulled off his shirt and ran her hands along tight shoulders and biceps, the heat from his skin only inflaming her more.

She could feel him tugging at her shirt again, and stood back so he could lift it over her head.

His eyes, dark and full of passion, met hers once again. "You are beautiful, my lady." He lifted her in his arms and Mara threw her head back as his hot mouth found first one nipple, then the other.

Then they were toppling over onto the cushioned mats, their mouths and hands constantly moving as they explored each others' bodies. Boots, leggings and undergarments were quickly removed, but by some unspoken agreement their empty forearm holsters remained, a tacit reminder of their `connection'.

As she wrapped her hand round his engorged shaft, it suddenly occurred to Mara that she was actually going to go through with this, and for a brief moment she felt something close to fear. She quickly swept her misgivings aside - she was Mara Jade, frightened of nothing, able to take care of herself. Her life was not her own - it belonged to her Emperor. So she might as well enjoy it while she had the chance.

She shuddered as his hand slipped between her legs, stroking her, urging her higher and higher. Her eyes met his as he rolled her gently onto her back, settling between her thighs as he caressed her body. Mara gasped when he entered her, an unexpected twinge of pain mixing with a delightful euphoria.

"Gods, you're tight," muttered Marcus through gritted teeth as he moved slowly inside her. Suddenly he narrowed his eyes. "This is your first time, isn't it?"

Mara nodded defiantly. "Yes."

He smiled gently, stroking away a stray lock of hair that had fallen over her face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She wrapped her arms around his back, pulling him in deeper as she clenched her teeth against the pain. "You'd never had agreed to this if you'd known."

"I might have."

"Don't lie. You're too much of a gentleman..."

"I'm no gentleman," he interrupted, "just a lowly weapons designer."

She slipped a hand to the back of his neck and kissed him passionately. "Then show me a good time, designer."

He growled low in his throat as his mouth trailed kisses and nibbles down her neck and his thrusts quickened, driving Mara closer to an ecstasy she'd never encountered before. Her back arched and she could feel the leather straps of his holster as he slid his arm beneath her, pulling her even closer. A soft moan escaped her lips as he pushed deeper, his mouth finding a nipple once more as Mara's fingers dug into his back muscles. She writhed under his ministrations, unable to stop the powerful feelings he was producing in her body and her mind - she threw her arms over her head, searching for something, anything, to hang on to as those feelings threatened to overwhelm her completely. Something slipped into her hands and she grabbed on tightly, only then realizing that Marcus had entwined his fingers with hers, his holster pressing against her naked forearm just as hers pressed against his. She looked briefly into his eyes, then screamed in pleasure as her climax ripped through her.

"Are you okay?"

Finally Mara opened her eyes to find Marcus gazing down at her, his face radiating concern. She took in a deep breath and blew it out again, smiling happily. "I'm absolutely perfect, thank you."

He grinned in return and leaned down for a kiss before rolling off to one side. "You are an amazing person." The grin slipped to be replaced by a frown. "Please tell me your name."

She shook her head, unshed tears stinging her eyes. "It really is better that you don't know."

He watched her in silence for a long moment, his fingers lazily stroking her hand. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Maybe."

"But probably not," he said.

"No, probably not." She reached up and caressed his face, smiling again as he kissed her palm. "Thank you, Marcus."

"Oh, believe me, my lady, the pleasure was all mine." He heaved a sigh then stood up, extending a hand to her. "Time to go, I guess."

She accepted his outstretched hand, and they dressed in silence. Eventually Marcus pulled her into a final embrace, his arms wrapping tightly around her as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Take care of yourself, my lady."

"You, too, Marcus."

They slipped out of the door together and it slid shut behind them, leaving only darkness ... and, on a high shelf crowded with boxes, a tiny, blinking red light.