Star Wars: Swords of the Force

[Armphid]

He purred low in his throat as her hand slid through his hair. He could feel the mounting tension in her body, the shivers that tormented her sent quivers through the warm, living flesh of her pussy, transmitting her sensations and desire to him as clearly as her words did.

Ramza ran his tongue around the nub of Irina's clitoris, then rasped in fast and hard over it several times. He breathed deeply of the nigh-overwhelming smell of her arousal, then let his breath out in a steady stream over her hot, wet cunt. his tongue slid low, tracing the rim of her vagina twice before he plunged it inside, as deep as he could go. God! Her taste! Her heat! His tongue curled back and up, licking and following along the contours of her interior.

He groaned into her sex, pressing his lips to her entrance to seal and hum deep. Then he pulled back with a slurping pop, mashing his mouth to the upper portion of her sex, tonguing and nibbling at her clit.

 

[HookerBoots]

Irina whimpered, both hands clenching as she felt Ramza's tongue slide around the outside of her pussy, then gasped sharply as it plunged into her, groaning as the thick, strong muscle pushed into her, tasting her from the inside. "Ohhhhh . . . ." It had never felt this good, having her pussy eaten. It was as though he knew where to touch and what she wanted before it even crossed her mind. Amazing, and so wonderful.

The sounds . . . the sounds he made made her shiver, not just from the feel and the vibrations but the fact that he was making them, for her. The slurping, the wet noises from his tongue moving over her flesh . . . gods, was there anything sexier than those noises? One look down at what little of his face she could see told her otherwise. He looked incredibly sexy, amazingly hot, and that was just the top of his face and head.

When he began to nibble at her clit, half a cry escaped her before she bit her lip to stop it. Just the small amount of pain from his teeth scraping the sensitive nub punctuated the pleasure of it so well . . . any second now she would be done for. The orgasm he was creating in her would probably make her black out. She could feel it coming, and wasn't sure that she'd be able to stay conscious from the pleasure. if it were as strong as the pressure that was building.

"So . . . gods, so close, love . . . please don't stop, feels . . . oh, Ramza . . . ."

 

[Armphid]

She was so close. So close he could taste it, feel it, smell it. More than just through the almost quivering flesh he was licking, kissing, biting, devouring for her pleasure. The knowledge was coming from elsewhere. The connection they had forged, their link in the Force, was weak, but still there. It had almost been severed during his heartbreak and despair, by their mutual near-annihilation, but it was still there. Far weaker than it had once been, but enough. Enough to feed him on her sexual energy, and enough for her to feel his heart.

At her urging, he stepped up his efforts even more, pouring his attentions onto her pearl, coaxing, teasing, commanding, battering the fleshy nub, doing all he could to lead her to as intense a climax as he could create. She was strong, she could handle it.

His mind reached out to her, and for the first time since their capture, he touched hers through the Force. "Let go, Irina. Cum for me. Please. I want to taste it, to feel it. Cum, love."

 

[HookerBoots]

The touch of his mind, the words he thought to her, the feel of his mouth on her . . . it was too much for her system. Irina felt herself sliding into an explosive orgasm, and clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the cry that was coming up from her lungs.

And the galaxy spun around her.

It was more than she could imagine it being, pure pleasure pouring from her center to suffuse her entire being. It was possible she died a little in that moment, her whole self feeling so at peace even as it trembled and shook with pleasure. He made her feel this way, no one else could even come close.

Even as Irina could feel her awareness spiralling through nebulae and around planets, she could also feel Ramza's mouth and tongue pressed against her, pushing against her clit and prolonging her pleasure. But it had to end, and as she came down from the best high she'd ever had or ever imagined having, she slid down his body, her pussy still pulsing as it rubbed over his chest and stomach on the way, until she was face to face with him. Irina looked at him, her eyes still shining with the light of her release, and planted her hands on either side of his head, her arms shaking slightly as she pushed herself up marginally. Without speaking, she kissed him, tasting herself on his lips as she pressed her lips against his with heat, hunger, desire, and love.

 

[Armphid]

In all their time together, he'd never seen or felt her cum like that. For a few seconds, he was concerned that he had somehow hurt her. The link between them let him feel a slight sliver of her pleasure, and it was enough to make him moan and writhe under her as she shook, her sex gushing fresh with her juices. He lapped at the flow, his tongue pressing her clit, keeping her at climax as long as he could.

She crumpled after a bit longer, panting and spent, stirring only slowly at first. She slid down him, and he felt a pang of regret as her pussy was moved out of his reach. Only for now, though. He closed his eyes, a hissing breath leaving as he felt her hot wetness leaving a glistening trail down his body as she moved.

He opened his eyes, to look up into hers. Her face was alight with happiness, flush with desire, satisfaction, love, and more. He felt...proud. He'd done this to her. Made her feel this way. Maybe...it was all true, what she had said.

Then came that kiss. It was unlike any they had shared, so much of her was poured into it, expressed in that oldest of languages so deeply and profoundly that his breath seemed stolen away. He answered, his joy at giving her such pleasure, his pride, his vast relief that he could still please and satisfy her, all eloquently formed in the grappling of their lips.

At last they parted, both gasping for air. Ramza reached up to brush some hair back from her forehead, "Still alive, love?"

 

[HookerBoots]

She smiled weakly, but with great satisfaction. "I am empahtically alive, my love." One hand stroked his face gently, and Irina sighed heavily and happily. "That was . . . gods, that was amazing. I have never in my life felt . . . gods!"

Irina took another shaky breath and rolled slightly off and to one side of him, letting them both get their breath while still being in close contact. "Ramza, my dearest most wonderful love, you are incredible. Beyond incredible." She nuzzled his neck, kissing the skin there gently. "I don't know that I can ever . . . that I can make you feel that good." Her grin was slightly wicked. "I'll try, though."

One hand trailed down his body, feeling the wetness she had left as she moved down his well-muscled form, and stopping just above his hard, waiting cock. "I really, really, really, can't wait to feel this inside me," she whispered against his neck as her fingers closed around him. "I want to feel your cock in my pussy, love, I ache for it. I've been waiting for it, wanting it, needing it . . . as soon as we both catch our breath, will you put it in me? Fuck me like I need to be fucked?"

 

[Armphid]

Ramza's breath slowed as her hand rested just above his dick. He wanted her to touch it. He needed to feel that. The anticipation was just...wonderful and torturous all at once. Then she spoke, her lips brushing the skin of his neck, making him shiver slightly as her hand closed on his erect member, eliciting a long, low moan.

And what she was saying was just...just too sexy for words. Ramza moaned again, biting at his lip as her fingers toyed with his cock. He turned his head to look at her, "How could I ever say no, love? I need to feel you around my cock, feel your wet, hot cunt welcoming me home."

He kissed her, hard and lingering, letting his tongue roll over her lips as he pulled back. "I want to be in you, Irina, I want to be in you and it's torture not to be." And he should know from torture. "The only question is...if I'm to fuck you like you need to be fucked...then how should I fuck you?" He grinned a little, warming to the game that was veiled over her offer of love making. "Do you need it hard and fast, because you've been bad? Slow, steady, until we're drenched in pleasure from love making?" He shifted, kissing her shoulders, her neck, her cheeks, in between his words, "What...do...you...need?"

 

[HookerBoots]

Whimpering as his lips pressed against her skin, teasing and arousing her further as he gave her those amazing choices, the possibilities of being fucked hard and fast, of making love slow and sweet. Or anything else she wanted, so long as it involved his wonderful cock inside of her wet pussy.

Irina captured his lips the next time he brought them close, and let their tongues meet in his mouth. They broke a few seconds later, and she grinned slightly. "I want both." Her tongue flicked out to lick his neck lightly, followed by a gentle kiss. "I want you to go slow and steady at first, until we're so needy, so hungry for it that neither of us can stand another second of it, and then I want you to fuck me hard and fast, treat me like a dirty girl. And then fill me up with your wonderful cum, spray it all inside my pussy."

Her lips sucked on his neck for a moment before she pulled back and looked at his face, her own desire bare on her face. "What do you think, love? Sound like a good idea?"

 

[Armphid]

He wasn't sure what was sexier, the diabolical pleasure of her sucking on his neck, or the nasty, naughty dirty talk that flowed from her sweet mouth. Ramza moaned, a smile on his lips. "Irina, that's the best idea I've ever heard," he answered.

Ramza kissed her, a kiss that started tender and grew more passionate and needy as the moments passed. His tongue slid into her mouth, tasting her. So sweet.

He pulled back, his breath fast once more. His eyes were gleaming with want, with love and lust. Ramza rolled them over, drawing a startled giggle from Irina. His hands gently parted her legs, the young nobleman slipping between them. He could feel her heat, and the air was thick with her smell.

"Wanted this so much, love," he whispered, looking down at her. He groaned as he shifted forward, letting the head of her hardness rub her lips, wetting himself with her fluids. "I love you, Irina, and I want to make love to you for the rest of my life."

He guided his cock to her waiting entrance, staring into her eyes, wanting to see her face as he took her. Then he pushed forward, his mouth opening in a silent cry of delight and carnal joy as he sank deep into her glorious, wet, searing, sweet pussy.

 

[HookerBoots]

Her breath hissed between her teeth as he slid into her waiting cunt. She felt so . . . so good, so right, with his cock inside of her. The smile that passed across her lips was sweet and lusty at the same time. "I love you too, Ramza. And you can make love to me whenever you want to, as often as you want to." Irina wiggled a little, and moaned. "Gods, love, you feel so big, so wonderfully hard inside me!"

She reached up to his neck, tugging him slightly closer to her. "I have never wanted anyone this much. And I've never loved anyone this much." And she kissed him, hard and passionate, wanting him to believe her, and knowing that it would still probably be tough for him. But she wanted to, had to, try. The kiss broke, and she smiled, eyes gleaming. "Now, my love, I want you to fuck me."

 

[Armphid]

Ramza returned that kiss, his feelings pouring through it as much as hers were. She said those things, and she meant them. He knew she meant them. He could feel she meant them. But...in his heart, that nugget of doubt remained unmoved. And he so wanted to believe her. Wished with all his heart that he didn't feel afraid of her abandoning him, that this was another trick. And mostly, he did. But there was that little nugget still...

None of that matter now though. He was wreathed in wet, hot paradise. She wiggled under him, sending new sensations shooting up through his member. "Ah! Irina...Oooh, you feel...feel like heaven..." His face was almost beatific in his enjoyment of the feeling of her pussy around his cock, elated, enlightened.

Then the rest of her words sank in, and he smiled. "Always give the lady what she wants," he replied with a wink. Slowly, he pulled himself back, back, back, until his head was just barely inside her...and he held it there. One second. Two. Three. Four. He could sense her sensual frustration at the denial, but that was part of the point. Seven. Eight. Nine.

There was a wet, slurping sound as he bucked forward, driving his full length back into her tight passage in one go. He held her close as she shook, listening to her sounds with rapture as he began to hammer her sex, giving her exactly what she'd asked for, exactly what they both needed.

 

[HookerBoots]

Even though she'd asked to be fucked slowly, this was so slow and frustrating that she couldn't even express it in words. Her arms twined around his body, arching her back as he pushed into her again. "Oh, Ramza . . . I love the feel of your cock inside me, it's so fucking . . . fucking incredible," she moaned. Irina moved her hips with Ramza's, trying to keep as much of him inside of her as she could.

Stroking his back, Irina pressed herself more firmly against him, letting her breasts pillow against his hard muscles. Her face buried in his neck, she began to kiss and lick and nibble the skin there, salty with the sweat he'd worked up and rich with the flavor that was him. "My gods," she murmured against his skin, "I never thought . . . anything could feel this good again."

Another thrust into her body, and Irina gasped, her legs wrapping around him as well now, holding them close together while he plowed into her hungry pussy. "So good, love, so . . . unh! Never want to stop having you inside me . . . ."

 

[Armphid]

"Never want to leave you," he gasped in reply, "Want this always, forever, part of you, inside you, oooh, Irina!" She was so tight against him, pressing so hard with her arms and her legs what he almost thought one or both of them might break. Sweet, savage pressure and strength anchored her to him.

His hips slammed back and forth with hard, fast, almost brutal strokes. His cock, glistening and shining with her fluids, stabbed deep into her sex again and again. Each time more glorious, more pleasurable than the last. The slap of their bodies coming together, mixed with the wet slurp as her hungry cunt seemed to almost suck his cock in, her tight velvety walls clinging to him. She rocked with each thrust, her breasts shifting against him, her nipples scraping his skin, being pressed and rubbed along his muscled chest.

He wanted to cum in her. Right now. But he wouldn't. Not yet. Oh, no. He was going to make her cream. Fuck her until she screamed out and came hard on his cock, then, and only then, would he let go and shoot his jizz into her insides. "Take it, baby! Take all of my cock! NNnnn! So. Fucking. Goood!" He half-growled, half-whimpered as he madly pounded her pussy, "Love fucking you, love you, love driving my cock into your cunt, love it, need it, can't live without this, without you..."

 

[HookerBoots]

The faster he went, the words he was saying . . . she was getting closer and closer to another orgasm that probably wouldn't be as big as the last one, but would still be incredible. Nipping his neck, Irina moaned loudly. "Ramza, fuck! I want you, need you all the time! Gods, love, can't live without you, don't want to live without you!"

She licked her lips, and the skin of his neck and shoulder. "Love, please, I'm going to . . . your cock . . . so fucking good, gonna cum all over your dick, Ramza, all around your hot, hard cock!" Her body was spiralling towards a climax with a dedication and hunger that almost frightened her. "Please, Ramza, I want . . . oh, FUCK!" Irina felt her back arch, and her body crest the wave of pleasure. Her voice left, and her eyes were wide open, mouth gaping as she felt her pussy throbbing around him, her arms and legs pulling him closer as the pleasure made her dizzy.

 

[Armphid]

"Irina," his voice was rough and raw, laced with all his love and want and need. "Cum on me, love! Yesss!" He fell to his elbows, hands caressing and cradling her face, "Don't fear it! Ride it! Embrace it! Cum with me! Together!"

Her orgasm was bliss, even for him. Her body responded immediately, back arching, forcing his cock deeper, pressing her harder against him. Her voice went beyond sound, eyes seeing past sight into the ether of love and sexual joy. "Irina!" The name sounded in her ears and in her mind, "With you, love!"

He buried his face in her shoulder, mouth open and pressed to it to muffle his primal, strangled bellow as the dam in him burst. Tension, tension so great he thought he would shatter, and then gone. Blasting out of him in gush after gush of hot, thick, sticky cum that splattered and coated her insides. All of it rushed out almost at once, leaving in it's wake burning, searing pleasure. He shook like a leaf with each spurt, more and more, more than he thought possible, so much he almost thought it would come pouring out of her.

At last, it subsided, and he felt weak, terribly, wonderfully weak. His whole being suffused with her and with golden, penetrating pleasure and ultimate joy. He panted and gasped for breath, saying nothing, letting the feelings rolling between them speak.

 

[HookerBoots]

The swirl of emotion around them was wonderful, a blend of pleasure and love and happiness. Irina sighed and stroked Ramza's back as he trembled from the aftermath of his orgasm. It seemed sad that they would have to do things that would ruin these feelings, the delicate, wonderful cocoon of sweetness with things as humdrum as moving and talking and eating. She kissed the top of his head, stroking his hair gently.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this good, and didn't want to have to ruin it. This felt so sweet, amazing. "I love you, Ramza," she whispered, hands moving softly over his back. Her eyes drifted shut, her breathing evening out. ". . . love you so much . . . ."

 

[Armphid]

Ramza's smile was internal, but in the Force it was as bright as a sun. "...I know," he replied. Whether she heard him, there was no telling. She was asleep almost at the same time the words were past her lips. He felt tired as well, but differently from before. He wasn't...afraid to sleep for fear of his dreams, or using it as a refuge to escape the mental hurt he felt while awake. Yes, he was tired and needed to sleep because of that, but...it was also one more way to be with her. To sleep with her, being close and with her. Just as intimate and bonding as their love making, if in a different fashion.

His eyes closed as he nuzzled her neck, his head resting on her shoulder. Then he slept, and dreamed of passion and love.

~~~~~​

Millions of light years away, on a desolate wind swept moon, in a small sealed facility huddled in the shadows of craggy mountains, there was a large chamber that was utterly dark. The walls were lined with large canisters, big enough to fit a wookie inside, with translucent glass fronts that were hinged but sealed shut. In the middle of the room was a set of desks and a massive array of computers. They hummed with life, though they gave off little light.

Suddenly, a light turned red. One of the screens flickered to life, writing scrawling over the surface. "Code Entry: Negative. 7th Day of Negative Entry. Eternal Protocol Activated." The equipment atop one of the canisters thrummed to life. "Retrieving neural net and scan results...completed. Initializing neural download...."

The lights came up in the room, illuminating it with an eerie green glow. The dim light was just enough to see what was inside the canisters that were around the walls. In one after another floated, to all appearances, the nude form of Darth Alecto.

"....Download Initiated..."

 

[HookerBoots]

It was a dream, she knew that. But Irina looked at herself in the mirror, and watched her face transform into Darth Alecto's. The transformation wasn't accompanied by horror, but simply resignation and despair. Which turned to panic as Ramza appeared in the mirror behind her, his hands wrapping around her shoulders. She couldn't let him see her like that, with this face.

His face fell as he looked at her, and she felt his hands tightening and moving to her neck. "I can't abide you looking like that," he hissed, tears in his eyes. "And this is the only way to fix it." Irina felt the pain in her neck and throat, felt her breathing hitch as his hands tightened, but didn't struggle - it was the only way, after all.

Her eyes opened, blinking into the darkness. But the feeling of choking wasn't going away, and her hands flew to her neck where . . . the sheet was tangled. Sighing, Irina pulled the sheet down and off her body, feeling slightly chilled but not concerned over it for the moment. It felt real, the cool air on her skin. And that was what she needed, reminders of the real world, to chase away the lingering haunts of that dream.

One hand reached out to the side, and she sighed again, in relief this time, as her fingers found Ramza's body. Turning, she saw the smooth lines of his body under the sheets lined in shadow, and smiled slightly. His face looked smoother, calmer, less tortured. That warmed her heart, chasing away some of the feelings from that dream. He was happy, he loved her, and she loved him. Wrapping her arms around him and scooting close, she rested her cheek on his shoulder.

 

[Armphid]

Ramza reached up, one hand stroking her hair and then her cheek. His eyes did not open, nor did he move any more than that. That would be too much. He didn't want to break the magic of this, of lying with her in this dark warmth, secure and together. He'd felt her panic and fear, and it had awoken him. She was calmer now, but it still lingered.

"...What did you dream, love?" The question was low and soft, almost thought more than it was spoken. "You can tell me if you like, it might help." He'd had a few disturbing dreams himself lately. Not any this night, well, that he could remember. He'd slept peacefully for the first time since they'd been captured by her former master.

"But you don't need to." He turned his head to kiss her neck softly, nuzzling. "I'm here, and we're together, and we're safe." Ramza smiled again, letting his head sink back to the bed.

 

[HookerBoots]

Irina turned her head to kiss his cheek. "We're safe, and together. You're right, love." Sighing, her eyes closing as she drank in the feeling of his body with hers. It felt so good, and she didn't want to have to ruin this peace with her dream, and what it might mean. Dreams of Force users weren't always prophetic, but they could be, and this one . . . she hoped it was just something born of tension.

"It was . . . I was looking in a mirror, and I saw myself changing into . . . into Alecto." She swallowed, wrapping her arms around him more tightly. "And I knew there wasn't anything I could do to stop it, and I wasn't scared, just sad. Then you came up behind me, and told me you couldn't stand my looking like that. Your hands tightened around my neck, and you said it was the only way to fix it. And I didn't resist, because you were right, it was the only way and I couldn't stand living like that."

She buried her face in his neck, kissing his shoulder as she pressed close to him. It wasn't hard to tell him, but it was hard to think about that. "I don't know what it means, Ramza. I don't know what it means."

 

[Armphid]

Ramza listened, shuddering as she described her face as Alecto's and his own chilling response. The imagery was disturbing, all the more because of...a feeling that there might be more to this than just a dream. But what...he wasn't sure.

He held her close, as she had him only days earlier, cradling her to him. He didn't speak for several minutes, just her her feel him, both physically and through their link in the Force. His love and his admiration for her...but his trust...if only it was as strong as it should be. He kissed the top of her head, his love looking up at him, "I don't know what it means either, my love. It might mean nothing. It might be about what already happened...it was something that was unpreventable, and you were with Alecto and the others to all appearances. Guilt over that might take on her face as she most directly...harmed...me." He swallowed, then spoke hurriedly to rush past that bit, "and you did feel that you had to die for me to be whole, didn't you? So in a way, you did feel like I was killing you."

But what if it wasn't about the past? "Alecto is dead, and you are taking every step to move away from what she was, Irina." There. That was truth. "In how you act, in your remorse and grief, in your worry, and your love. Even in so small a thing as agreeing to study the other path."

"We should mention if to the Masters. They might see something we missed, but...this is the key, Irina." He looked down at her then, into her teary, red eyes. "Even if it is precognitive, the future isn't set. It doesn't have to be that way, and we shouldn't fear what's coming. It will be wonderful. You and me, together, with no lies or veils between us. Against that...there's no power that can compare."

 

[HookerBoots]

It felt better to be pressed tightly against him, more comforting, than she could remember ever feeling. Irina could feel his love and admiration, and could feel the trust that they had both been trying to rebuild. It was less than what it had been on Filgaia, but it was bigger than what it had been after everything else. And that . . . was better than she could have hoped.

His words were comforting as well, helping her to see past the dreadfulness of the dream to what might be causing it. He was right. There were any number of things that could have had a role in it, and most of them were probably related to guilt. "You're right, love. We should tell the Masters." Though she dreaded sitting down with his Master and telling her about it. Wouldn't that be fun? "And you're also right about one other thing." She pushed slightly upwards, pressing her lips to his briefly. "We can handle whatever might come. The only thing we need is each other, and that will be enough."

And wasn't that what she'd believed the whole time they were on the other ship? All she needed was his love, and they would be able to do anything at all, even defeat her Master. And they had. That was proof enough for her. Snuggling close to her love, so close that it felt as though they might start to merge soon, Irina kissed his chest. "Thank you, Ramza. I feel a great deal better now. Because of you."

 

[Armphid]

"Because of us." It wasn't a denial, or a correction, but an addendum. He'd done nothing more than point out what they both knew in their hearts. They'd already done incredible things together, survived staggering odds, on the power of their bond alone. It didn't make them invincible, of course, but it could come close.

Now if they could both just get their heads to believe that, it would help.

Ramza kissed the top of her head, smiling both sadly and happily. Her being here made with him, that she still wanted him after all this, made him more elated than he'd ever been before. But still he was sad...because he knew that before long, he'd have to let her out of his arms so they could both go about the day's affairs.

As if in answer to his thoughts, his comm-link beeped over on the room's small desk. "Ramza," came the firm voice of Master Shahazdra, "I'm sorry to interrupt your time, but you are overdue for physical therapy and you missed breakfast. Hardly the proper way to recover, my former apprentice. I'm giving you half an hour more and then I'm coming to get you."

The link buzzed off, and Ramza groaned, laying his head back. "...I love that woman, but right now I really wish she'd just go away..."

 

[HookerBoots]

". . . I agree on one part of that, at least." Irina sighed and kissed his neck before heaving herself up and out of the bed. "But she is quite right. If there's one thing you need as much as me, it's food and physical therapy. Well, okay, that's two things, but we both need to eat." She walked over to the table where she had placed the food from last night: Two sealed bottles of juice, a few assorted pieces of fruit, and two sandwiches. Grabbing the bottles and two of the fruits, she walked back to the bed and handed one of each to him.

"Now, while we might both prefer another kind of eating, I don't think we have time for that." A flick of her wrist opened the bottle of juice, she took a drink. "So eat your breakfast, my love. And then we'll take a shower and get dressed - I don't want your master walking in on us naked."

 

[Armphid]

Ramza lay back in the bed, watching Irina move. How glorious. He could watch her all day, even clothed, and be a very happy man. There was just such beauty in grace in even her smallest motion that made it immensely enjoyable and satisfying to observe. Though it also started that particular kind of hunger too. "That might be a bit awkward." He almost made a joke about her joining them, but...Irina and his master's relationship was such that it was not wise.

He ate with hunger that shocked him. It was nothing special, and he knew it, but it tasted like a great delicacy. "You know, I usually don't really care for sandwiches," he mused. Then he grinned, "You even make food taste better with your love making, my heart."

Reluctantly concluding that showering together would only lead to pursuits they did not have full time for, Ramza and Irina both quickly cleaned themselves, barely having time to slip into their clothes before the door chimed. "It's open, Master."

The door made a faint whoosh as it slid open. Master Jakara Shahazdra smiled faintly, with some relief upon seeing Ramza. She was still so worried about him, and if she admitted it, afraid of losing him to some renewed despair. "You're looking well, Ramza. Though you do know you don't need to call me Master anymore."

"So you've said, Master," he acknowledged. "What has been planned for us today?"

Jakara lifted an eyebrow. He was talking in "us" already? "You've got to be examined again to make sure the grafts and medicines are taking hold, and then the medics want to put you through your paces a bit. As for Miss Farlander...I'm sorry, Apprentice Farlander. She will begin her Jedi training today. With me." Not that either of them were really looking forward to it. Still...she knew Master Skywalker had put them together for a reason. It was probably also a good one. If she let herself, she could even see it. But for the moment, she preferred not to. "If you are both ready, we should begin immediately."