I hope to get some very honest reviews in this, don`t forget I am
just the apprentice around here.
:)
Claudia

Yavin Sunset (1/1)
Rating : G
Disclaimer: Well, they belong to George Lucas and Timothy Zahn, even
though I cherish them as if they were my own.

The sun was slowly going down behind the treetops of the Yavin
jungle.

The day was almost over, and with the shadows of the night came to
Mara Jade the absolute certainty that the following day would change
her life forever.

Until now, she had felt carried away by the maelstrom of her feelings
and the events that had led her this far: the death of the Emperor,
joining with Talon Karrde, meeting Luke Skywalker on Mykr, many years
of collaborating with the New Republic and the stormy and strange
friendship she forged with the Jedi Master after that.
Then came the mission to Nirauan, which resulted in the force bonding
with Skywalker and his marriage proposal.

She had surprised everybody, including herself, by accepting the
proposal and having faced her own fears and insecurities regarding
the intelligence of her decision in the reactions of everyone she
knew. She had come this far, standing the night before her wedding
in her temporary quarters at the Jedi Academy on Yavin.
She was supposed to relax and meditate, and prepare herself for the
Jedi-ceremony the next day. And for the very first time for many
years she was afraid and insecure.

Mara had no doubt of her feelings for Luke Skywalker.
She loved him, if you could describe love as the only way of feeling
completion and peace of mind sharing every minute possible of your
life with your soul mate.
She wanted him, every lightest move he made branding her senses and
keeping her in almost painful awareness of his presence, both
soothing and exhilarating.
And she was also aware that sharing the rest of her life with him was
her best shot at happiness.
But...

The night had fallen over Yavin, and in there were lights lit in the
quarters of the students and wedding guests at the Academy.

She remained in the dark.... standing alone, trying to sort her
thoughts out, for once not relying in her sense of danger or her
swift and mostly accurate instinctive reactions.

Mara Jade recited the Jedi code and tried to focus on relaxing as she
went slowly down to the floor and tried to meditate ....... there was
no peace in her mind and that deeply hidden part of her mind that was
forever out of her control took over: she could hear his voice again,
and dread filled her as she understood the meaning of the words....
betrayal.......pain......denial ....dead ......

She shook her head forcefully, as if by sheer force she might get the
Emperors bitter words out her head... Those were Palpatines words,
right? Or were these her own thoughts, warning her of her future?

Luke was as always generous and kind and had accepted her in spite of
her past. He was such a naive farmboy again!! She couldn't just
erase
the title Emperor' s Hand and her actions during her service to
the
empire and declare she started with clean slate, because even if she
could get past that (even though she could never forget), there were
more people besides her and Luke out there. And those weren't
likely
to forget ..... even if only to hurt them out of envy for their
newfound love.
Could she impose that on Luke? He was such a good man, a respected
war hero, the only living Jedi Master, so trusting and confident in
being able to work out all the wrongs in the galaxy.

And there was so much more to their relationship than being opposites
attracted to each other like metal to a magnet ....... what would
happen to their friendship and camaraderie once they were married...
And then, what of their future together? She had decided to complete
her Jedi training, but once she mastered the ways of the Force, would
she be able to stay away from the Dark Side that had controlled her
every action for so many years?

She could imagine that Luke wished to have children .... but the
prospect of having a family life scared her to death, having never
ever considered having a chance of making a normal life...... what
did she know of normal anyway?
Trust Skywalker to get himself in a mess and pull her into it, this
time regarding their "relationship" ...

If she just could get out of Yavin, have some time to think things
over and find answers instead of only thinking of new questions...
But on one hand there was no Jade Fire anymore, no home, nowhere to
run. And on the other hand she would never go away, knowing how that
would hurt Luke. She would rather die than hurt him, betray him or
deny him.

Betrayal.......pain......denial ....dead ...... there were the words
again.

Mara Jade smiled, taking a deep breath before immersing herself in
the Jedi trance that would prepare her for the Jedi-Bonding.
Her last thought before letting the Force flood her was that she now
knew why she was getting married.

Luke was to her all she needed: trust, peace, life and love.