Mara dodged and weaved through the darkened room. The shadowy figure followed, reaching out for her. Mara backpedaled, but slammed into a wall after one step. The figure shoved her up against the wall, then grabbed her and pulled her tunic open. It was too dark for Mara to see the hands that ran up and down her body. She gasped as the shadow pulled her trousers down and thrust a hand between her legs. Mara tried to pull free, but the other hand sent a wave of the Force to pin her in place. She whimpered, trying to hold back the pleasure she felt. The dark shape pressed close against her, pulling her thong panties to one side. Mara grit her teeth as the figure slipped a hand along her nether lips, pinching and tweaking her clit. She tried to pull free, but the Force grip was much too strong. The fingers were strong, too, and now two of them were sliding in and out of Mara's dripping cunt. The shadow laughed as Mara struggled to control herself, and failed. Mara screamed and thrashed as a powerful orgasm shook her from head to toe.
"Holy shit." Mara Jade Skywalker blew out a breath and giggled. "You've improved. Last time you were here, you'd never have been able to pin me-or make me come that hard."
"You taught me well." Leia Organa Solo flicked on the lights and grinned. "And I've been practicing lots with Winter."
Mara raised an eyebrow. "The pinning, or the fingering?"
"Both!" Leia laughed. "And a few other things, too."
Mara leaned in and kissed her sister-in-law. "I'm always glad to see you. You should come and train more than once or twice a year."
Leia pouted. "Mara, I can't. I have too much on my plate."
"The peace treaty was five years ago," Mara protested. "What's keeping the galaxy from settling down?"
"This week?" Leia rolled her eyes. "The Ishori and Diamala are flaring up again. Mining rights in an uninhabited system." She smiled cleverly. "I asked Lando to handle it. Both sides still trust him from the Battle of Bothawui at the end of the war, and he's been helpful in several other trade and business disputes since. I'm thinking about asking him to take a formal position in the Diplomatic Corps as an arbitrator and mediator. Force knows he can talk people into almost anything." Leia rubbed her temples. "I needed this time off badly." She sighed. "Enough about my troubles. How's married life been treating you lately?"
Now it was Mara's turn to sigh. "Luke is... busy. He's spending almost all his time teaching, helping the first batch of students get ready to be Masters themselves. Our time together is pretty well limited to dinner, and then we mostly talk shop. When he's training students out in the jungle, or exploring the ruins, I sometimes don't see him for days. Our love life is once a month or less; I've had to take care of myself." She ran a hand across Leia's bottom. "Which is why I'm so glad to see you."
The door chimed. Mara blinked; she and Leia quickly straightened their clothes before answering the door, which slid open to reveal a familiar protocol droid. As usual, C-3PO seemed uneasy. "Forgive me for disturbing you, but Mistress Mara has been summoned to the Grand Audience Chamber. You are to come at once."
Mara frowned. "What's going on, Threepio?"
"I'm terribly sorry, but Master Durron would not specify," Threepio replied. "He insists that you present yourself immediately. Several members of the Council are waiting, including Master Luke."
"Let's go, then." Mara buckled on her lightsaber, holstered her sleeve pistol, and headed upstairs with Leia and Threepio following. The Grand Audience Chamber was a large open space in the center of the top floor of the Temple. As Mara stepped inside, she slowed to a stop. Several of Luke's older students, all Masters, stood waiting in an arc in the center of the room. Kyp Durron, universally recognized as the greatest of the new Jedi, was in the center. On his left were Kam Solusar, the white-haired former Dark Jedi, Kam's wife Tionne, the singing historian, and Mon Calamari healer Cilghal. Corran Horn stood on the other side, along with the Dathomirian Kirana Ti and ex-Rebel special operator Kyle Katarn. Luke himself was behind them, slumped. The look on his face made the bottom drop out of Mara's stomach. She knew what this was about, and began to speak.
Kyp held up his hand, and Mara's voice died in her throat. "Jedi Jade, step into the Circle of Judgment." His voice echoed impressively in the large, empty space. Mara took a steadying breath, bowed her head, and walked forward into the center of the arc. Kyp's eyes flicked to Leia. "Chief of State Organa Solo, you may attend this proceeding, but do not interrupt."
Leia frowned, but said nothing. Mara tried to shoot her a reassuring glance, but could not keep her face calm. She swallowed hard and faced forward.
Kyp nodded and continued. "Mara Jade. It has come to our attention that over the past year, you have engaged in extramarital sexual relations with numerous members of the Order, along with several other persons. In every case, you told your partner or partners that you were telling Grand Master Skywalker of these trysts, in order to 'spice up' your relationship."
"We believed it, too," said Kyle. "That's the way it was with his sister." He glanced at Leia, who bit her lip. Mara was trembling like a frightened dog.
Kam always looked a little fierce. Now, he looked a lot fierce. "But now, we learn he knew nothing about it. You've been running around behind Luke's back this entire time!"
"You lied to us!" snapped Tionne. "You know damned well we'd never have been with you if we knew you were cheating on him."
"Luke's not just our master, he's our friend," Kyle growled. "And we hurt him, because of you."
Mara began to cry. "I'm sorry. Luke, all of you, I'm so sorry." She tried to look at her husband; he would not meet her gaze. Leia's face was frozen in shock.
Kyp crossed his arms. "It is not our place to judge your infidelity, per se. That is a matter between you and Luke. But in the course of your affairs, you lied to your fellow Jedi repeatedly. You used deception and trickery for your own personal gain, and that is deeply troubling."
"We've compared notes," Kyle said. "Over the last year, you've been having sex more and more frequently. The last two months, it's been at least once a day, sometimes more."
Kirana smiled wryly. "That's quite impressive-even by my clan's standards-but in this case, I'm not sure it's a good thing."
"We are angry, Mara, but we are also worried about you." Cilghal took a rattling breath. "The secrets. The lies. Needing more and more. This is an addiction."
"No, it isn't, I just..." Mara looked from one face to another, then hung her head.
Yes, it is