Kidan's Fan Fic

Resurrection -- Prologue

2009-09-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

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Nem Yim's consciousness floated within the depths of the Eighth Cortex.

She watched the few concepts and processes as they floated by her, arcane designs that had long ago been stored within the Cortex. Things that had not seen the light of existence in thousands, if not millions, of years.

And for how empty these depths were, the complexities and and sheer brilliance in the few designs that lingered were amazing to her.

Then she reached the theoretical edges of the Cortex; the realm where her own designs were filling the uncharted depths.

And she found herself once again frowning--concerned about the lack of knowledge. For she knew that given enough time, the infidels would even out-innovate the realm of the Eighth Cortex, and that no matter how fast she filled it up, no matter how many new creatures and living artifacts she brought into existence, the infidels technological prowess would out-match and out-pace her.

She was only a single heretic amongst the billions of Yuuzhan Vong Shapers, while the infidels had billions of scientists working against her and the Elect.

There had to be something beyond this. Something which would allow the Master Shapers of the Yuuzhan Vong to create new things without the taint of Heresy.

Even as she thought these things, the Qang Qahsa wavered around her, and she felt pain blister through her mind, ripping at the delicate neurons that had been prepared for the sharing of knowledge with the Qang Qahsa.

Slowly, she realized that this was a pain she had felt before, that once more, she was the focus of the intelligence which governed the Qang Qahsa and the protocols as a whole.

Begone.

The word reverberated throughout her brain, more terrible than even the voice of Shimrra.

"No," Nem Yim said in a hiss. "I am the Master Shaper of the Yuuzhan Vong, you will show me your knowledge."

The pain flared and grew more terrible, attempting to burn away her iron will.

But she held fast, and remained.

Then, the pain disappeared and the icy-coldness of the Cortex once again flowed through her awareness.

She looked around her, and realized that she had transcended the Eighth Cortex and found herself still deeper within the forbidden, ancient knowledge.

Here she found two things.

Two protocols hidden deeper within the Qang Qahsa than any had ever dared travel before. Two protocols hidden two levels further than all the other Master Shapers alive today knew existed. It was possible that this level was even beyond the keen of Lord Shimrra.

The first protocol was the Protocol of Yun-Harla. She reached for it, and there she found the way that Yun-Harla had stolen the secrets which were stored in the Cortexes. It was the steps, a process, to create knowledge--to refine it and make it better.

She knew she had found the concept that would help her race survive, prosper and prevail over the Infidels.

Then she focused on the second protocol. She noticed that is was defined as the Protocol of Yun-Yuuzhan.

The very thought of a protocol named such bothered her; it smelled and tasted of blasphemy.

So of course she retrieved it.

The protocol resembled a dhuryam or a yammosk. A massive floating brain creature. What it did or was suppose to do, was not defined.

As she burned the knowledge into the space created by her last session with the Vaa-tumor, she felt the awareness of the Qang Qahsa focus on her.

Be wary of the Protocol of Yun-Yuuzhan.

She blinked. "Why?"

The Protocol is destructive to the very concepts of space-time. It creates a... it does not matter. Do not shape it. Such has been the command for eons. Such shall be the commands for eons more.

"Is it a weapon?"

Yes. And No.

Nem Yim frowned for a moment. "I shall consider things."

The commands of old are to purge this knowledge when you leave the Qang Qahsa.

Then she found herself once again in her real body. The Protocol of Yun-Yuuzhan burning in her brain as she struggled to grasp what such a creature would be used for.

For two days she struggled with the knowledge, wondering if she could or should purge it.

Finally, she decided that she must know what this creature was capable of. What it could do. And how.

So, she ordered a dhuryam birth-chamber, and created the few embryonic cells which would grow into whatever the creature was. The Qang Qahsa had refused to name it, and Nem Yim did not wish to until she knew what it would be capable of.

For weeks, she watched it develop and grow. Finally, she had it moved to a yammosk pool, where it continued to grow.

Finally, it reached what she assumed to be its full growth. The creature was slightly larger than a standard rikyam but smaller than a yammosk. She stared at the creature, amazed at the... beauty inherent in its form.

Now, if she only knew what its function was.

That night she was woke by a strange dream. It had felt like something primal had been speaking to her from the depths of her brain.

Standing, she stepped out into the hall and glanced around. Feeling a subtle, telepathic pull, she walked down the hallway to where the yammosk pull was.

Once there, she descended the steps, and walked through the thigh-high water until she stood before the creature.

A thin tendril reached up, and caressed her cheek, and concepts and thoughts slashed through her brain. Knowledge was ripped from it. Primarily, the ways of communications, but she also felt large portions of her own personal history transfer as well.

It spoke directly to her brain. Do you wish for your former Master to return from beyond the veil?

Nem Yim frowned as she considered the words, even as she found herself responding. "Yes."

So be it.

And then Nem Yim felt it.

A subtle warping in the pit of her stomach, that transcended everything; a jagged rip in the very concept of herself, and before her eyes, or rather the enhanced creatures with which she had replaced her eyes, creatures which allowed her to see below the microscopic level, she watched as the very building blocks of existence wavered and flickered.

She tasted tachyons and other exotic particles exiting from the creature. Things that she had no name for, but she knew, instinctively, that they traveled faster than light, and backwards through time.

And in that instant, she saw that if you accessed a high-enough dimension, time curved in upon itself the same way space curved and folded within the realm of Darkspace. That every moment in time was the exact same as right now.

And that every tachyon released touched upon all times and no times. They flickered out, racing through those high-order dimensions, searching for something.

Or someone.

Searching, to bring them back to the here and now.

At the epicenter of this disturbance, she knew all of this. For the first time in existence, she was aware of all things.

If she had been a Jedi, she would know that she was accessing a fundamental aspect of the Universe: the Force.

But she was not a Jedi, and had no concept or framework upon which to base the feeling. Nothing with which she could organize the near constant stream of feelings and information that flooded through her.

Thousands upon millions of tachyons raced past her, through her, while at the same time, they had yet to be released from the creature.

The concept raged through her brain, the Vaa-tumor struggled to keep up with the flow of information.

Before finally succumbing.

In a heartbeat the Vaa-tumor, a symbiotic organism that had replaced large portions of Nem Yim's brain, died.

The effect was startling, and worked exactly as if Nem Yim had had a massive aneurysm.

Her death was instantaneous.

So fast, so sudden, that she did not even have time to disable her revenge mechanisms. As her body recognized the fact that it was dying, it released a dozen different retro-viruses. Things designed to kill anything native to the Yuuzhan Vong or native to the Infidel galaxy.

Before Nem Yim's body even had the chance to slip beneath the waters of the yammosk pool, the creature she had shaped was in its death throws.

And with its death, those billions of tachyons that had already raced through time were released.

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An Insignificant Thing

2009-08-13T20:06:00.001-07:00

The wind swirled through the plain, rustling leaves and grass. It was a caress, a gentle touch, that traced swirls across the exposed skin of her arms and forehead.

It almost felt like the touch of an old, long-lost lover.

The rustle of the grass was a whisper in her ears.

It almost sounded like the voice from her past. Someone whose voice she had not heard from in far too long. Someone whose voice she would do anything--even fall to the Dark--in order to hear again. Someone whose voice she had fallen to the Dark in order to hear just one more time.

She stared out at the empty savanna, before lifting her eyes to the curved ceiling in the distance.

It had taken her years, but she had finally arrived.

Ten years of hunting through the nether regions of the galaxy after her failure at Jacen's hands.

Ten years of searching, and struggling. Of pain and loneliness.

Ten years.

But she had succeeded. She had found the place where her heart had died.

She had found the place where her life had shattered.

She had found the place where her world had crumbled.

She had finally managed to find the dying remains of the Baanu Rass.

After over 25 years, she had finally returned, ready to face the ghosts of her past, ready to conquer them.

Jacen had taken her to a Baanu Rass all those years ago, but they had been out in the middle of space, in high orbit around Myrkr, not on the Koros-strohna itself.

She had gone to visit the Aing-Tii and she had learned what Jacen had teased her with. She had learned Flow Walking.

Clearing her mind, she she settled into a meditation pose.

With a slow exhale, she subsumed herself into the Force, feeling the Flow of Time as it tried to pull her forward. With a shift of her will, she trudged backwards, fighting the Flow, enforcing her will upon it, turning it backwards.

She knew that with the Force, all was possible.

She knew that with the Force, she would be able to go back in time.

She knew that with the Force, she would be able to unanchor herself from the present, and travel into the past.

She opened her eyes, and knew the Force was with her. All around her, she saw a mixture of Yuuzhan Vong and coral-implanted slaves.

And there in the midst of them was a group of Jedi.

They were young, nothing more than children, and not for the first time, she wondered why in the name of the Force, that Master Skywalker had allowed them to go on that insane mission.

Her eyes tracked them, and then she ignited her saber.

All movement stopped, and for the first time in nearly a decade, Tahiri Viela smiled.

As a fifteen year old apprentice, she had no concept of what a fully-trained Jedi would be capable of fighting like. Yes, she had seen the Masters fight one another, and even fight against the Yuuzhan Vong; but it was one thing to watch, and another thing entirely to be able to do such herself.

She became a blur.

Her saber flashed, and flashed.

It was a sheet of blue lightning, that tore apart Yuuzhan Vong warriors and coral-implanted slaves alike.

Finally, she stopped, and found herself standing amongst the Young Jedi. They stared at her, wide-eyed, and confused.

Then her heart began hammering in her chest, and she found it difficult to breath. Neither physiological action had anything to do with the battle she had just fought.

It was a reaction to what she saw. Who she saw.

Anakin.

He was standing between his sister and her own, younger self, and she noticed that he was holding his hand over the open, bleeding wound of his stomach. She knew that she had been too late, and without saying a word to any of them, she released her grip on the Force, and allowed the Flow of Time to pull her back to the present.

Time flowed around her, a jumbled mish-mash of potentials and possibilities. A cacophony of futures and pasts, and possible presents.

With a gasp, she stumbled forward, once again finding herself on the empty wind-swept plain of her present.

She was still in the slave-city from so many years ago, but now, those buildings had died, and just their mummified remains were left for her to see.

Then memories slammed into her.

They seared through her synapses, bright and shining and powerful.

Anakin proud and strong, even though he was wounded. Her still denying him that last kiss. His still dying. Him still throwing away his life away in a vain attempt to destroy a few dozen cases of voxyn clone embryos.

Tears flowed through her. Burning hot as they slashed down her face. She had sacrificed so much, only to still fail.

Then with a sad sigh, she realized the truth. She had attempted to change too much. Killing all of those warriors, intendents and slaves had been too much.

The Aing-Tii had taught her that the past could not be change significantly. That any significant changes would be corrected by the Force, and once more flow into the gentle Way of Time.

What they had not taught her, was what they meant by significant.

Tahiri knew that she did not need to make a significant change in order to bring about changes to the present.

She exhaled, and stood up, looking around her. Then she found what she was looking for, a small alcove, an entry way that led deeper into the Baanu Rass. Deep into its bowels, and the warrens where the wild, escaped voxyn had made their nests.

The warrens where the young Jedi had fled after that fatal fight when Anakin had been injured.

Gingerly, she walked through the warrens; the spicy scent of voxyn still hung heavy on the air, and the mummified remains of sterile eggs were arranged in nests of straw and dried grass, surrounded by the bones of their would-be parents.

It reminded her so much of her own life. A terrible waste. The end result of a terrible war. Pointless, vain hopes, that ended in dust and misery.

Finally, she found her destination: the mummified remains of the hovel where the young Jedi had spent a few hours trying to rest and sleep after the disaster within the slave village.

Smiling, she once more pulled the Force to her.

She twisted the Force, and imposed her sense of self upon the Flow of Time to force it to take her back to the past.

And it obeyed her will, depositing her into the time and place she desired.

She watched the hovel and waited, her robe pulled tightly over her head, helping her to hide in the shadows of the warrens.

She did not have to wait long.

Her younger self stepped out of the hovel, for what Tahiri knew was to be the first watch.

She stood up, and threw back the hood from her head and then walked forward.

The younger Tahiri glared at her, and then her eyes flickered across the scars that were still prominent on her forehead.

"Who's there?" The younger Tahiri asked as her hand slapped down to the saber on her belt.

"Hello, Tahiri," she said to herself.

Her younger self's eyes opened wider, "You... you're me!"

Tahiri chuckled slightly. "From a certain point of view."

"Wha... how? Why?" her younger self asked in a stammering voice.

Tahiri smiled. "It's a long story, and not that important."

"Why is it not important? I'm confused..."

"That's all right," she replied calmly. "What you need to know, what I've came back to tell you is this... whatever happens, kiss Anakin."

"Why?"

"Because love can ignite the stars. Love can change everything. Love can make the strongest, and most canny fighters, try harder and do better."

A frown flashed across her younger face. "I don't understand..."

Tahiri smiled sadly as she started to release her strangle hold on the Force. "You will."

"I-"

Tahiri interrupted her younger self. "No. No more questions. Just remember: kiss Anakin."

Then she was back in the Flow of the Force, in the river of time.

As she watched time itself twist around her. She realized something.

She found something, that for far too long she had believed to be dead within her.

She found that she did have hope.

Even though for her the majority of her life, those hopes had been in vain, they were still there and still burned brightly. Her dreams were still alive, her faith in once again having a home and a life were merely a banked fire; one ready to burst out into a blazing inferno with but the merest hint of possibility.

She found that she had a faith in her younger self, and the love that still burned brightly in her chest.

She hoped that her younger self would kiss Anakin.

She had faith that her younger self would give Anakin that kiss.

She knew that that could, would, give him something to fight for.

She had hope.

She had life.

She had her love.

She knew that all three could change the world. The galaxy. The universe.

She knew that it was unfair to place such a burden upon such a simple thing as a kiss.

But still, she had faith that that single kiss would be one of those eternal moments on which the world hinged.

She had faith in that kiss.

She had faith in that simple act, and its ability to save her present.

After all, it was such an insignificant thing, a kiss.

A kiss was merely a sign of love or affection between two people.

The press of lips against lips. In so many ways, it was so... insignificant.

Yet she still knew... she still hoped that a kiss could change her life.

A kiss could give him something to live for.

A kiss could ignite the stars.

A kiss could change the world.

I Want to be Your Knight - 38

2009-07-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

After we disabled the remaining guards we were out of the building, and running down the street at the prodigious speeds available only to Jedi and droids.

I could feel Seha off in the distance. Her consciousness was flickering in and out of my awareness. It almost felt as if she had been drugged and stunned, but her presence was firm and alive and that gave me hope.

In the distance I could make out the three fins of a lambda class shuttle, and I pointed it out to Jysella.

We arrived just as it launched. Cursing, I snatched my saber and threw it, using the Force to guide it.

The blade ripped a long, deep furrow through the fuselage, which in turn showered Jys and I with hyperdrive coolant. A white plume of smoke flew out of the rip in the starship, as it moved off, and away.

I watched as it dwindled into a small black speck at the head of that trail of white smoke.

Jys turned to me and said, "Well at least we know it's staying in-system."

I frowned and nodded my head as indecision warred within me. I was here to save Lando's daughter, and I still wasn't sure what had been done with her after we were arrested. But now, Seha had been kidnapped.

And I didn't know why.

My comlink, which I had recovered along with my lightsaber, beeped. When I activated it, Uncle Lando's voice emerged from the speaker. "Kid, we got your notice, and we're in-system now. Do you know where Cassa is?"

"Sorry, Uncle Lando," I replied. "I'm not sure where she was placed after we were taken. She might be at the school still."

"All right, I'll meet you there then."

I stared off into the distance where the shuttle had disappeared as I turned off the comlink.

"What now?" Jysella asked, a slight hesitance entering her voice.

I shook my head. "Cassa comes first. I'll go deal with Uncle Lando, you go talk to the Planetary Flight Control and determine where that shuttle came from, where it was going, and anything else you can find out. Then come get me."

She nodded, and began to walk away. Before she did, she touched my shoulder gently. "We'll get her back. I promise."

I smiled at here, and nodded my head once. "Thanks, Jys..."

Then she really surprised me. She quickly leaned over and kissed my cheek before running off towards the spaceport's control building.

I watched her run away, my mind tumbling end over end as I tried my best to process that girl.

After all, it seemed like every time I was certain that she hated me, then she'd do something like that to just obliterate my conception of her.

I was certain that she was the most confusing and exasperating girl in the galaxy.

It's so good to have at least a little bit of certainty in ones life.

Sighing, I made my way to the front, and found a speeder rental company, and within 20 minutes was once more at Cassa's school.

My destroyed speeder had already been hauled away, and construction droids were hard at work rebuilding the gates and front steps from where I had crashed into them.

Ignoring my handiwork, I walked through the listing gates, and found Lando Calrissian speaking with an elderly Sephi wearing the school administration uniform. You could tell she thought highly of herself, as her hair was in one of those ornate, winding top-knots braided with gemstones which their ruling classes love so much.

I got a dirty look from the school administrator, and a kind of half-grin from Uncle Lando.

"Hey, Uncle Lando," I said as I neared them.

Lando responded accordingly, while the school administrator went with a rather terse, "And what can we do for you this time young man?"

I gave her one of my patented sweet smiles. The kind that I learned from Mom, that special smile she reserved for those people who earned her Personal Ire. And yes, those are capitalized on purpose.

After she started squirming for a moment, I turned back to Lando, and said, "Have we learned anything new?"

He shook his head. "Dean Ollo here was just telling me that she is uncertain where Cassa and Koo are."

I allowed my eyes to slash that way for a moment, as I stretched out with the Force. It was obvious that she was trying to hide something, and was doing her best to not think about it.

"I guess that's what she's not talking about then."

I didn't know that a Sephi could turn that white.

I was corrected of that, when Lando pulled his blaster and shoved it's muzzle into her eye socket. It's like there wasn't any blood in her head left.

Lando's voice was terse and nearly a growl. "Answer my questions. If my friend here thinks that you're not 100% truthful, I pull the trigger."

"B-b-but..." she began, her unencumbered eye rolling towards me, pleadingly looking at me. "But you're a Jedi, you're going to let him do this to me?"

I shrugged. "I took a leave of absence when he asked me to find Cassa."

Her mouth opened and closed twice, before she finally spilled her guts. "Koo took her two experiments out into the retirement sheds around back."

Lando glanced at me, and I nodded. It was obvious that she was telling the truth. As he lowered his blaster, I pushed with the Force, as I waved my hand. "You want to go tell the authorities everything that you and Koo have been doing to the students here."

The administrator blinked, and then glanced towards a parked speeder. "Now, Mr. Calrissian, Jedi Skywalker, if you'll excuse me, I need to go see the local branch of the Judicial Services."

Then we ran to the back of the school.

And to my unending surprise, found a lambda-class shuttle nestled next to a shed.

I Want to be Your Knight - 37

2009-03-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

After a long, uneventful ride, we were separated and pushed into interrogation cells. Mine was a moderately sized room, with a one-way transparent window, a large metal table bolted onto the floor and two plastic, non-conform chairs.

It was as unappealing room as possible, one designed to affront the sensibilities as wide of a range of beings as possible.

I could feel the girls' Force presences. Their emotions were cold, black stains on the Force. A mixture of anger, frustration and impatience. They worried me a bit, but after a wait of two hours, I was less concerned about them, and more about what was going to happen. As the door opened, I brought my focus back to the here and now.

The being that entered through the door was another Chadra-fan. The diminutive alien laid a datapad onto the desk, as well as a folder thick with flimsiplast documents. He looked at his datapad for a moment, before focusing on me.

"Well, Mr. Skywalker, it seems that you have a problem."

I arched an eyebrow at that. As far as I was aware, I didn't have any problems at all. "And how do I have a problem?"

"Well, first there's the breaking and entering at the academy, the destruction of private property, and accosting Administrator Koo. Oh, yes, and I can't forget the counterfeit identifications."

I chuckled. "Now I know you're just reaching. I don't carry any counterfeit identities."

"So you're Ben Whitesun?"

"No, I am Ben Skywalker, but that doesn't make those identities counterfeit."

I felt a twinge in the Force from Seha, and looked off to my right where I could feel her presence. My danger sense suddenly shifted into overdrive.

"We'll see," the interrogator replied, as he consulted his notes again. "Tell me again, why you accosted Administrator Koo?"

i sighed, and leaned back slightly in my chair. I knew he knew all of this. I also knew that he was hoping that my story would change. "He was using them as navigation computers in order that he could find that legendary treasure that the school's founder had hidden."

"See, this is what I don't understand. Why wouldn't he just use his ship's navicomp?"

I laughed. "If you're trying to trick me, you've got to work harder than that. As planetary security you should be aware that all Navicomps are required to record the destinations that they travel to."

I fought to keep a frown off my face as Seha's Force presence twinged again.

"That's interesting, as the Investigators noticed that yours lacks that particular feature."

"And I'm sure that you noticed I have an Official Variance signed off by both the Director of Intelligence and the Jedi. Order."

The Chadra-fan grunted and opened up the folder as that twinge in the Force shifted to an inferno.

I focused on the interrogator, knowing that whatever was coming, was nearly here. "So, tell me why you're protecting Administrator Koo's abuse of those two girls?"

The Chadra-fan immediately started sputtering. "I-I resent the impli-"

"Enough!" I interrupted, as I pushed back in my chair.

The Chadra-fan's eyes widened at my sudden movement. Just as a blast of red plasma erupted through the one-way transparisteel slashing through where I had just been.

I felt a feral grin come to my face. "You resent the implications, huh?"

The Chadra-fan's eyes widened, and I flicked my fingers at him, sending him tumbling against the wall. Hard enough for his body to leave an imprint.

Then the Force wailed and Seha's Force presence erupted in pain.

Growling, I reached out with the Force and grabbed the being on the far side of the mirror. The one who had taken a potshot at me. Once I had him, I pulled him to me.

The Nikto arrived on my side of the mirror unconscious and sporting a dozen wounds bleeding freely. I dropped him, and then turned my attention to the door. With another flick of the Force it was off its hinges and I was running down the hall.

I turned a corner and saw two stormtroopers of all things, in dark, reddish armor, standing at the end of the hallway by the lift. One was carrying Seha.

The other one opened up with his repeater and realizing that I lacked my lightsaber, I dived back around the corner.

A few moments later the blaster bolts stopped. I peeked around the corner and saw nothing. Frowning, I reached out and found Jysella and went to get her out of her interrogation room.

She was standing there, her arms crossed, a bruise forming on her right temple and a scowl on her face as I ripped the door from its hinges.

"Took your kriffing sweet time I see," she snarled at me.

I shook my head. "Sorry, I was trying to get to Seha."

Pushing past me, she walked towards the lift. "And you let them take her?"

I followed, feeling my frustration growing. "It's not like I had a blaster or a lightsaber, and they were shooting at me."

She didn't even bother to look at me as she responded. "You're a Jedi, you shouldn't let something like blaster bolts stop you."

"Well, not all of us can absorb them you know," is what I wanted to say. What came out, was, "The next time someone's shooting at us, why don't you show me how it's done then."

We got on the lift, and she finally looked at me. The anger bright and clear in her eyes. "I just bet you'd like that. You'd finally get to finish the job that you started all those years ago."

I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach.

Actually, a kick in the stomach would have been a step up from what I was feeling.

"Jys..." I began, but let it trail off with the realization that there was nothing I could say.

With a ding, the lift doors opened, revealing a dozen planetary security officers circling around three idiots playing with our lightsabers.

I glanced over at her. "Should we save them before they cut something off of themselves?"

She glowered at me for a moment, before turning her attention to the guards. "Nope. Let them cut off a leg or something. They'll be more cautious for it."

I chuckled, and turned back to watch the three, just as the alarm, probably announcing our escape, blared. True to my expectations, one of the men slipped, and sliced off the leg of one of the guards as they panicked.

I pulled Jysella to the side, and hid us in the Force, as most of the guards rushed to the lift and the stairs. That left us with three to take care of, plus the injured one.

Two took up stations near the door, while the third was giving first aid to the idiot without a leg.

I glanced at Jysella, and nodded. Subtly I used the Force to bring us the sabers as she moved closer to the lift.

I Want to be Your Knight - 36

2009-03-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

A voice intruded into my nice comfortable darkness.

"Ben!"

Groaning, I lifted my head and opened my eyes, frowning at how blurry the world was. Wiping my forehead, I pulled my hand away and saw it covered in blood. I looked over my shoulder and saw Seha and Jysella in the backseat, both safe and none the worse for wear.

"I'm okay," I mumbled as I pulled my lightsaber and slashed the gate which was wrapped around the driver's side of the speeder. I pulled out my comlink, clipped it to my collar and set up an autofeed to the Scion, programming the ship to send the data to the Jedi and Uncle Lando, if the com-connection shut off. Then I was climbing out of the speeder. As I rushed up the steps, I called over my shoulder, "Come on you two."

I kicked in the door, and there was the protocol droid, it's arm folding away to reveal a heavy repeating blaster.

My saber came up, as the blaster let loose, sending the bolts right back at the droid.

Then Jysella was dancing around me, her silver blade slashing in, and she cleaved the droid into two. I didn't give it a second thought, but instead reached out with the Force, hunting for Administrator Koo.

I felt her Force presence a short distance away, and began running down the hall. "This way," I called out, and then used the Force to really run.

Within moments, I had burst into a hanger. I noticed a few things as I entered. The first was the yacht that was obviously warming its engines.

Next was Casa and immediately to her right was another girl about the same age. Both were obviously frightened as they were sitting perfectly still in chairs, and right behind each were two security droids.

Droids which began shooting as soon as I stepped into the hanger.

I cursed, as I dove to the side with the realization that I couldn't risk deflecting the bolts back because they might hit the girls. I rolled behind some crates, and glanced at the door noticing that Jys and Seha hadn't come through yet.

I sent them an image of what I was seeing over our training bond, and hoped they'd catch onto what I was doing. Then Koo was standing on the edge of the gangplank, and called out, "Bring the girls, and kill Whitesun."

"No!" I screamed as I jumped to my feet and threw my saber towards Koo. The Chadra-fan yelped and dropped to the ground as my blade slashed through the support struts for the gangplank--knowing that would be enough for it to fail launch protocols.

I was running after the saber, when a series of bolts stuttered across my path. I threw myself backwards, and away from the bolts. Where are you two? I sent over the training bond.

To get a wave of amusement, tinged slightly with Jys' sense of humor coming back to me.

Then one of the droids let out an electronic squeal. I looked that way and saw Seha behind a droid the one immediately behind Cassa, her saber extending from its chest.

Then Jysella took out the droid holding the other girl.

With a grin, I stretched out my hand and flicked with the Force. The two remaining droids flew against the wall, slamming into it hard enough to break.

Recalling my saber, I turned on Koo. "Hello Administrator. It's a pleasure to see you again."

I forced myself to not laugh as the diminutive alien glared at me. Koo's gaze flicked from me towards the girls and then back. "How... who?"

I shrugged, ignoring her questions as I slipped a pair of stun-coughs on her wrists. Then I turned and walked over to Seha and Jysella. "How're they?"

Seha looked at me, concern flickering over her face. "Physically they're fine, but they just keep repeating hyperspace coordinates."

I sighed. "I was afraid of that. Apparently, Koo over there has been shoving, at least Cassa's head full of astronavigation programming instead of the standard primary education that she was supposed to be getting."

Both Jys' and Seha's faces hardened, as their eyes flickered over to the administrator. I chuckled as I felt Koo's Force presence flare in fear.

"Freeze!"

We turned and saw a squad of the planetary security forces entering the hangar, their blasters drawn.

Koo began to chuckle, and I shot a glance at her. She instantly quieted.

Jysella spoke. "Hello Officer, we're Jedi Knights."

The officer in lead didn't drop his blaster. "I know what you three are, what I don't know is why you're here."

"To find and rescue this child," I quickly explained. "Administer Koo filed an missing persons report on her, despite the fact that he had secreted her away from her parents. Additionally, he modified her education program, in effect turning her into an astromech."

Still, I found myself staring down the barrel of that blaster. "I think we'll just take all of you down to headquarters to sort this out."

"As you say, Officer," I replied as I nodded my head, and with the Force, shut off my comlink.

I Want to be Your Knight - 35

2009-03-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Let me let you in on a secret.

It's a secret to investigations which no one ever tells you about. A secret which is never shown on those crime holodramas. A secret that's glossed over in fictionalized accounts of crimes.

On an investigation, you spend 1% of your time doing stuff, 5% of your time talking to people and 94% of the time working on the computer, holonet or doing some type of forensics.

What all those numbers mean, is that after the thirty or so minutes I spent at the school collecting stuff, I had a good six hours of working through the collected data.

So, I was quickly engrossed in it.

First I looked at the forensics that were collected, and did not find anything.

Which I found really odd. Lando's reports stated that she had been disappeared at night from her quarters while she was in the learning pod.

There should have been something in the forensics, unless Cassa had left willingly. Or at the least with someone she knew well.

So, I opened up the data that had been on her console, and felt a frown forming on my face.

Cassa was at a high-end, primary education facility. One of those places where they take the kids for a few weeks, and when they return them, they know basic maths such as algebra, trigonometry and geometry, as well as how to read and had been given a dozen aptitude tests. The really good ones also tossed in a few languages onto the mix--and this was one of the best.

I should know, it was the same school where I had my primary education when I was four. It was three months of playing with other kids my age all day, getting information shoved into my brain at night, and finally going home and just knowing trig.

But what was causing my frown was the sheer amount of astronavigation theory that was on her console, as well as hyperspatial physics and starcharts.

I wasn't certain what to make of it.

All I knew was that there was something there. I could feel it, a niggle tugging at my memory, as my mind tried to bring something together.

I looked through the data that was on her console. One thing I was certain of, was that there was no way that that data should have been on her console, as even with the data imprinting of trigonometry, she shouldn't have enough higher-order maths to understand it. She would be able to plot a hyperspace course manually, but wouldn't know what that meant.

This was the data I was staring at when Seha commed me at 1300 hours.

I answered, "Whitesun here."

"Ben," came her response. "We've not found a single thing out here. There's no smuggling, no drug running, there's not even an unsolved murder for us to find."

I frowned, that bothered me, but I wasn't sure why. "No matter, why don't you two get back here. I think we need to get a closer look at that education facility."

"Did you find something?"

"I'm not sure. I'd like to get yours and Jys' opinions on what I'm looking at when you get here though."

"Copy that, Ben. Be there in ten."

Then the comlink went dead and I was once more watching the console screen, struggling to figure out what was niggling me at the back of my neck. What Seha had said on the com had made the niggle of unease worse. Something about there not being anything to attract a Jedi's attention.

Suddenly, everything shifted and I understood all the disparate parts: Cognos, Koo, an asteroid and astronavigation.

It all made sense. I jumped out of my seat and rushed from the room grabbing my saber as I did.

Instead of going to the gangplank, I ran into the cargo hold. With a flick of the Force, I opened the cargo doors, as I ripped the canvas off of my speeder. It was a sporty, open air model, and I jumped into it, quickly activating its repulsors.

The speeder's engine growled, and I feed it power. With a rush of wind, I was out of the ship. I saw Seha and Jys walking towards me, and I slashed to a stop in front of them.

"Get in," I yelled, and for once they listened to what I was saying, as they both climbed into the rear seats.

Once they were in, I stomped on the accelerator, and the speeder jumped forward. I knew I was breaking a dozen local speed ordinances, but I was past caring.

Jysella leaned forward. "I thought you wanted us to look at something."

I shook my head, and yelled back at them. "No time."

"Why?" Seha asked.

"Because I think I know what's happening, and I'm afraid that I might've spooked them by showing at the Academy earlier. It's already been hours since I left, I just hope it's not too late."

"Too late for what?"

I shook my head, and wove through the traffic, focusing intently on getting back to the academy. I didn't want to really think about what it could be too late for.

After all, I owed it to Cassa and Lando both to make sure that she was okay.

Then we were nearing the academy, and I noticed that the massive iron gates had been closed. Rather than breaking, I pushed the throttle harder. The speeder jumped forward again, gaining speed, and Seha and Jysella screamed as the speeder slammed into the gates.

There was a harsh metal squeal and I jerked hard against my restraints as the gate crumbled around my speeder.

The speeder continued moving forward until it slammed hard against the a waist high pillar in front of the steps that led up into the building.

As the front of my speeder crumbled around the pillar, there was nothing but darkness.

I Want to be Your Knight - 34

2009-03-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Seha left before I could say anything else, and I busied myself with the post-flight checks. One thing was certain, these girls were great at destroying anything resembling equilibrium.

I finally finished, and with a sigh leveraged myself out of the seat.

Instead of going to the common area, I stepped into my quarters and got prepped for the mission. Which involved changing everything about myself.

I needed to stop being Ben Skywalker, Jedi Trainee and start being Ben Whitesun, Private Investigator.

First I dyed my hair black, then I put a couple pebbles into my shoes to shift my walk. Next I slipped a pair of contacts into my eyes to shift my retinal patterns.

The last physical change was to spread a thin layer of an adhesive over my fingers to ensure I wouldn't leave any fingerprints.

I exchanged my Jedi robes for more Corellian style clothes. The jacket had been custom made to include a interior hook for my lightsaber, so that the only obvious weapon I carried was my blaster.

Finally, I picked up all the tools that my life as a spy had granted me; things like lockpicks, a forensics collector and a specialized, high-speed, datacopier.

My preparations complete, I went to the common area, and found both Seha and Jysella on one of the couches, talking quietly.

Seha noticed me first, and when she looked up at me, her eyes widened slightly.

Jys turned towards me, and arched an eyebrow. "I didn't realize that we were playing dress up."

I smirked at her. "Sometimes being a Jedi isn't the best thing for what you're trying to do."

"Don't you two start fighting right now, we have a mission," Seha replied. Then she focused on me. "So, do you happen to have a plan?"

I nodded my head. "My plan is that you and Jysella act like Jedi, being a bit conspicuous, but searching for some drug smugglers. I on the other hand, act all sneaky, and put that intelligence training that was drilled into me to good use."

Jysella's lips tightened for a moment. "I don't think I can see anything wrong with that plan."

I chuckled, and gave my head a sharp nod. "Great. So, we'll check in with one another at 1300 hours standard. Sound good?"

Both girls nodded their heads, and I gave a short smile for Seha before leaving the ship.

Part of me was happy that my plan for ensuring that I kept a low profile involved the girls working away from me.

Not only was I still worried about the girls sharing in the visions of the past I kept happening, but I also knew it was only a matter of time before Seha realized that I wasn't worthy of any happiness.

That I really wasn't worthy of her.

That I wasn't worthy to be with anyone.

Pushing the thoughts from my mind, I clenched my teeth, and headed towards Cassa's boarding school.

And before long, I was there. It was a bright cheerful structure, and having read the datapacket from Lando, I knew it was one of the best advanced education systems in the entire Alliance.

Patting my pockets to ensure that I had my "Ben Whitesun" credentials, I entered the school.

Within taking two steps into the building, a Tenandro protocol droid was standing in front of me.

"I am ZT-003, Welcome to Clorith School for Elementary Studies. How may I assist you?"

I knew about the ZT line. While they were technically a protocol droid, fundamentally they were a battle droid as well. Much like the nanny droid I had growing up, except for the "adult" world.

"Hello ZT, I'm Ben Whitesun," I replied, as I held out my credentials towards him. "I'm a private investigator hired by Lando Calrissian to look into his daughter's disappearance, and I'd like to talk to the administrator of this facility."

The droid scanned my credentials as I talked, and I knew that it should be talking to someone at the moment.

Then it seemed to focus on me again. "Please remain here, and Administrator Koo will be here momentarily."

I nodded my head, and finally looked around overtly. I wanted the security cameras to catch me looking at all the things that I had noticed when I stepped into the room. No need for them to realize about my eidetic memory.

I liked keeping things like that as a surprise after all.

Before long, a Chadra-fan was standing before me, and introducing herself as Administrator Koo.

"I'm Ben Whitesun, and as I hope ZT here told you, Mr. Calrissian has asked that I look into his daughter's disappearance."

Koo watched me for a moment, and then nodded her head. "Very well, Mr. Whitesun, how can I assist you?"

"I'd like to look at her room, if possible."

She gestured towards a hall. "This way, though I hope you don't mind my presence, it's against our policies to allow non-personal unescorted access. Safety and all, you understand."

I smiled at her. "Of course, Administrator Koo."

"That said, I'm not certain what you expect to find. We told Mr. Calrissian that it is our belief that his daughter ran away from our school."

I nodded again. "Yes, he mentioned that, but I have procedures I follow in this type of cases. You understand policies, I'm sure."

I fought to keep a grin off my face as I felt her Force presence tighten at my subtle jab. We passed a bust that I recognized as one of the school's founder, and I paused for a moment to look at it. The bust was of a female Ikotchi, and I knew I had seen a statue just like this someone before.

The Administrator noticed my attention, and began speaking behind me. "That's Sil Clorith, our founder. Rumor had it that she had an asteroid where she kept a small fortune."

When Koo said asteroid I suddenly remembered. It was one of the things that Jacen had mind-rubbed out of my memory on Brisha Syo's asteroid. But rather than being labeled "Sil Clorith," that statue had been labeled "Darth Cognus."

I smiled, thanked her for the information and we continued down to Cassa's dorm.

As i entered, I reached out with the Force, trying to get a feel for the room, and its occupant. Stepping over to her desk, I obviously flicked through the flimsies on it as I activated my data copier. I set the small sphere next to Cass' console as I pulled out an imager and scanned the room.

And while being overly obvious about taking pictures, I set the forensics data collector to working.

A few minutes later both the data copier and the collector had pinged my comlink with a short buzz to let me know that they'd gathered everything that they were going to.

Having everything I expected to get, I discreetly--and with judicious use of the Force--retrieved my copier and forensics sphere, and had Koo escort me from the building.

As I walked back towards the spaceport, I just hoped that Seha and Jys were having an easier time without me around.

I Want to be Your Knight - Ch. 33

2009-02-20T19:17:00.000-08:00

I stared at her for a moment, and then hung my head. No matter how much I wished otherwise, there was only a single answer for that.

"Yes," I whispered, hating myself the entire time.

Of course, I'd gotten good at that.

I felt Seha's shock roll across me in the Force, and the pain as Jys' tears flowed freely, her body shaking.

"If I had seen you, I would have taken you over to the Anakin Solo. I obeyed orders, Jys. I was a Lieutenant in the Guard. That doesn't excuse all the things I did, but at the time I didn't know..." Frowning, I paused. I had been about to say that I didn't know better. But that would have been a lie. "No, I knew better, I just... I just trusted Jacen."

I leaned back in my seat, gingerly touching my nose where Jys had hit it.

Jysella cried there on the deck of the cockpit, and I watched, wanting nothing more to comfort her, to tell her that everything would be all right.

But that would've been a lie.

I knew better.

I'd lost a mother to Jacen as well.

In an ironic twist of fate, I was the cause of her death as well. She went after Jacen because he was corrupting me. I think she would have known even then that it was me that turned Mirax over to Jacen, even if Jysella hadn't still been hiding out on the Errant Venture.

So, I knew that it would never be all right again. That there was nothing that would ever quite feel the same now that her mother was gone.

I glanced over at Seha, and found her staring at me. Her face white as she chewed at her lower lip.

"Seha?"

She blinked, and then shook her head. "No... I... I'm sorry Ben, this...I... no... I can't..."

She got up and headed towards the door, stepping around Jys as if she was afraid that she would get burned by touching her. I stood up, and Seha's head snapped towards me. She looked terrified--kind of like an animal trapped in the lights of a landspeeder.

She gave another one of those quick, abbreviated shakes of her head, and then fled, literally running down the corridor. I clenched my jaw as she disappeared, and dropped back into my seat. Leaning forward, I put my head into my hands, propping my elbows on my knees as I felt the tears wanting to fall.

I forced them back, slamming the door on my emotions, locking them behind the durasteel walls where I kept them.

Why had I let her in, I thought to myself. Why? I didn't deserve any happiness. I knew that I wasn't worthy of it, I knew that I'd just end up hurting her, so why did I do it?.

As was the case so often, I didn't have an answer. All I knew was that I hated myself as much now, as I did while working for Jacen.

I'm not sure when Jysella left, but when I lifted my head she was gone. I glanced at the navicomp, watching the inevitable scroll of numbers.

Finally, it reached zero.

Absentmindedly, I reached out and grabbed the hyperspace levers, and pushed them forward.

The swirls of hyperspace fell away, replaced by the cold pinpricks of light that was a starscape. I reached out and grabbed the controls, pushing the ship around until I could see the blue and green orb that was Sinteria.

I glanced at the datapad on the pilot's console, and noted that I needed to go to the city of Cythin in the tropic region.

As I requested landing clearance for Cythin, I stretched out with the Force.

The first thing I came across was the cold, hard diamond of Jys' anger.

I reached further and found the smoldering embers of Seha's sorrow and fear.

I almost dropped out of the Force, as it hit me once again just how much I've damaged those girls.

Instead, I reached out further.

I stretched, reaching out and touching all of the Force presences on the planet below, allowing every being's sense of self wash over me, just getting a taste for the web of life, allowing it to entangle me.

The console in front of me beeped, drawing me back to the here and now. I confirmed my receipt of the landing instructions, and then sent the ship into a dive; plunging into the atmosphere.

I wanted to get this mission over with, and then see about finding an appropriate hole where I could hide out for the rest of my life.

Maybe a nice little house out in the middle of nowhere on Dagobah or Tattooine.

My danger sense flared, and my head snapped over my shoulder to find Seha standing there. Her glare was hard and dangerous.

Two adjectives I had never thought would apply to her.

I nodded my head, and turned back to the console. When I spoke, I was surprised at how even my voice sounded; especially since my stomach was doing backflips. "Why not strap in, we'll be landing in a few minutes."

She sat down in the co-pilot's station, and stared out at the clouds we were flying through.

"Are you going to leave? Run away again?"

I looked at her, and the hardness was gone. All that was left was broken edges, and a tear slicing down her cheek.

"Do you want me to stay?"

She looked at me, chewing at her lower lip. Another tear tracked down her face. "I... I honestly don't know..."

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Epilogue

2009-02-16T20:09:00.001-08:00

A lightning bolt of pain slashed across Tahiri's awareness; jerking her from the ritualistic numbness of the Embrace.

She blinked back the sweat from her eyes to find Jacen standing over her. Anger clouded his features, and his eyes seemed to glow yellow in the dim orange lighting.

"You failed me, Tahiri," he snarled at her. "The ferals have been lost as a useful contingency option."

She opened her mouth, and willed words to come from her parched throat. "I… I'm sorry Jace…"

He felt him watching her, felt the first tendrils of his power snake out from his mind and begin to invade hers. Feebly, she attempted to mount a defense, yet pain, exhaustion, hunger and thirst made her too weak, and he smashed them aside.

She felt her back arch as he invaded her mind, plunging through her memories. Every nerve lit on fire as he forced his way through her thoughts and desires. Pain clutched at her side, shards of glass tore at her lungs.

Suddenly, the invasion stopped, and she remembered how to breathe. She gulped at the air as he turned away from her. "I'm not certain if you're worth knowing about Flow Walking…"

Fear rose in her breast, and she once more had to struggle to breath. "No! Please…"

He turned back towards her, his eyes still holding that almost glow. "Then go out and find me the Jedi. If you do that, if you discover where they've hidden themselves, then we might continue. Do you understand?"

She bowed her head and felt a tear trace down her cheek. "Yes…"

He backhanded her hard, and she felt a trickle of blood start pooling at the corner of her mouth.

"From now on, you'll address me as Master or Lord."

Tahiri watched him for a moment, and then bowed her head. "Yes… Master."

"And another thing, bring me Noelani." She lifted her head, and felt her heart freezing in her chest. "Bring me, your daughter."

-------------------------------
Noelani stared at the viewport, watching the blackness of space give way to the bright blue of atmosphere. Her mouth was compressed into a tight line. Pain ate away at her heart. Anger and hurt smoldered in her soul.

The Stolen Star dropped lower, falling into a thunderhead. The black clouds rolled around her, as turbulent as her own emotions. Flickers of lightning played at the edges of her awareness; bright angry flashes of light and sound.

Before long, she had left the storm behind, and she continued to descend. Finally she over flew her destination. A massive ziggurat made of brilliant white Hapan marble. She could still remember the first time she had seen this building; how it gleamed a blinding silver-blue, how it caused her to stare in awe.

Now, blackened, smoldering trees were all that remained of the Temple's courtyards. Even from the cockpit of her ship she could see that the blasted remains of doors, and broken windows.

In the Force she could feel a sense of desolation and abandonment.

She landed the ship within a stone's throw of the scorch fields and then shut down the engines.

For a small eternity she sat there in the ship, listening to the hull and engine ping as they cooled down. Waiting, praying to the Force for some type of guidance; some inkling of what she was supposed to do.

Standing, she went through the ship and found herself at the ventral airlock. With a wave of her hand and a flicker of the Force, the door opened, and Noelani walked out. Smells and sound, and a light wind tugged at her, trying to draw her back through her memories.

She stepped off the gangplank, and could almost imagine Tionne standing there saying "Welcome to Ossus, Noelani."

She wrapped her arms around her own shoulders and dropped to her knees as the first of the tears flowed down her cheek. It splashed against the dusty ground, and she stared at it for a moment.

Then she lifted her face to the sky, just as a break in the clouds allowed a shaft of sunlight to strike her.

"Why?" she screamed at the heavens, her voice roughened with anger and pain.

The only answer was the echoes of her own voice.

Rage gripped her heart again and she struggled to her feet. Reaching out with the Force, she grabbed the closest of the buildings, and pushed. With a thunderous crash it crumpled under the power of her anger.

Then she turned to another building.

Then another.

And finally, yet another.

Exhausted, she once more collapsed to the ground, her body shivering with her tears.

"Why?"

This time it was nothing but a whisper; the weakened cry of her broken heart.

This time though, she was answered. "Why? It is merely because you refuse to take command of the power which the Force provides you."

Noelani rolled to her feet, her saber springing to her hand to find a Yuuzhan Vong warrior standing in the shadows of the Temple itself. The warrior was female, and garbed in what almost appeared to be Jedi robes.

The warrior stepped forward, and Noelani hissed in a breath. She recognized this warrior; having been tortured by her not that long ago.

The warrior smiled; a hideous grin of flayed flesh and missing teeth. "I see you remember me."

Noelani ignited her saber; its throbbing sounded loud in her ear, a noise begging to be used, released; a noise which nearly demanded her to slay the warrior. "Yes. I do. What do you want?"

The warrior's grin turned into a full-fledged smile. "Is it what I want? Or what you need?"

Noelani frowned for a moment. "I… I don't…"

"No? You don't?" The warrior uttered a short bark of a laugh. "Don't you want the power to force your former Jedi compatriots to see the error of their ways? Has Master Skywalker ever bothered to even apologize to you for what he has done?"

She shut down her weapon, allowing her arms to slump to her sides. "I… I... no. No, he hasn't…"

Ulya Tu walked closer to her, placing her hands on Noelani's shoulders. Comforting her. Noelani lifted her head, focusing on those large, grey irises. Ulya's lips twitched in imitation of a human smile. "Let me teach you how to force them to apologize. Let us force them to acknowledge what they have done to you."

Noelani looked up at the warrior as a tear rolled down her cheek. Slowly, she nodded her head, and after a short eternity, she simply said, "Teach me."

First Kiss; Last Kiss

2009-02-10T18:55:00.001-08:00

Once in a great while lips meet and two spirits merged for a time and the universe was right and complete and the planets wheeled in their proper places.

And despite everything else that was happening, this was one of those times.

Or at least that was what Jysella Horn told herself, while her lips were pressed tightly against Ben's.

That eternal moment, that second, in which they were able to ignore the sounds of the dying. They could ignore the searing heat of plasma that flickered by centimeters over their heads. It was a blessed moment, when they could ignore everything and everyone in this crazy, mixed up place that most folks called the real world.

For that single, blessed moment, in the midst of the death and destruction of the unending war, they were at peace. They, two halves of the same soul, were reunited and made whole.

Even though she knew that he could die, or she could, or any of their soldiers, at that second in time, none of that mattered. She was happy, and in love, and with the boy she loved. Nothing else mattered.

She poured everything that she felt, that she was, through their bond, and into him, the same way that he poured all that he was into her. This was their ritual; as essential to going into battle for them, as checking their lightsabers' power packs. That heady feeling they needed, wanted, desired even.

The feelings as they kissed--lust, love, compassion, need, longing, and a thousand others--were just as bright, just as intense for this kiss, as they were for their very first kiss, which had occurred on a battlefield just like this one a thousand systems ago.

But as always was the case, their moment, their kiss, was over way too soon. He pulled away with the roguish grin he worked so hard to perfect and keep on his face. After all, their soldiers followed him not because of who his father was, but because of who his cousin was.

So, Ben did things to encourage that following. He grinned like his Uncle Han. He led from the front lines like his Grandfather. Even that kiss was part of the act. The soldiers enjoyed the fact that their two leaders were married and loved one another; it made them all remember a loved one back home for who they were fighting. And he was always, always, the first into the most dangerous situations.

A couple of ancient soldiers from the Clone Wars said that his Grandfather used to be just like that. The Hero Without Fear. She knew that Ben hated that name. He had fear, and a lot of it, he just refused to let it show, or to let it affect what he knew had to be done. Ben played the part of the Hero Without Fear.

And he played the part perfectly.

Jysella though, she hung back, and watched with her heart in her mouth. At least for a moment. Ben knew that Jys would be up and over the ramparts moments after him. She had to watch his back after all. But that initial charge, the first burst, that was all him.

It was what was required and expected of him.

And though she hated it, hated seeing him put himself into danger in that way, she loved him for it as much as the rest of their squad, their army did.

He stepped away from her.

"I love you," she said to him with a smile.

Her grinned, and replied, "I know." Then he turned towards the rampart, and drew the Force to him.

With a quick glance over his shoulder, he winked at her, and then his blade was ignited and he was throwing himself over the bulwark, and towards the enemy below. Her heart plunged as she began her five-count, listening to his blade as it changed pitch and tone based on what he was doing. Jysella knew those sounds by heart.

One.

That pitch was him redirecting a laser blast.

Two.

That pitch was him swinging the sword through an infinity arc.

Three.

That tone was him catching a slug, or maybe a black-market thud-bug, on his blade.

Four.

Then the unmistakable happened. A sound she wasn't prepared for. One she had never heard on the battlefield before. Then silence. That unmistakable sound of a lightsaber was just... gone. Despite the noise and the explosions, all Jysella heard was the nothingness which the battle now lacked.

Five.

Her blade flared to life at the same time that the sound of Ben's name erupted from her lips. Her powers surged, and she threw herself forward, scrambling over the rapport, and then tossing herself into the fray, even as her eyes shifted about, hunting for him.

Her brain refused to believe what her eyes were telling her. He was just not there. Their soldiers streamed past her, sending waves of coherent light towards the enemy, but she did not care. They fell by the hundreds as the enemy returned fire, but she did not care.

All that mattered was that lack. That nothingness which was all she could feel of Ben.

Her blade moved of its own accord, protecting her when needed, slashing at the enemy whenever one got to close. That was happening in the mundane world though. Jysella was beyond that, her focus, her consciousness was deep within the Force.

She screamed into the velvet folds of the battle that waged around her, hunting, searching for some speck of Ben.

Finally, her foot touched something round and metal, and the mundane world crashed back into her awareness with all the explosions, smoke, grit and dirt of the battle.

She hunkered down, and found his lightsaber. Tears instantly sprang to her eyes, as she cradled the weapon to her chest.

She looked around, hunting for any sign of him, not really able to see a thing through the blur which the tears had made her vision become.

So intently was she looking, so focused on just finding Ben, that she never heard the sound of the battle stop. The first she knew that it was over was when a hand fell onto her shoulder; heavy, armored.

She stopped, and blinked back her tears. There was a cold, oiliness to the Force presence behind her. He, and it was definitely a he, wasn't one of her soldiers.

She stood, and turned around, keeping Ben's blade hidden from the soldier's view.

He stood there, watching her. His black GAG armor held an almost reddish tint from the dust and grim which still hung in the air at waist height, his helmet was gone--probably discarded at some point in the battle due to damage. He was young, maybe five years younger than Jysella, maybe ten; but that didn't matter.

He was the enemy. She poured her will into the Force, and flung it at him. Making him see her as a superior officer of the Guard.

"Do we know what happened to Ben Skywalker?"

The soldier's entire stance changed. He snapped to parade attention and instantly stopped pointing his carbine at her. "No ma'am. He disappeared during the battle and we've not found him yet."

She fought to keep a snarl from her voice. "Then go see if there's an update and report back immediately."

The soldier jogged off, and she once again took up looking for Ben's body. Hoping and praying that she finds it, even while dreading that she will. It was an odd feeling, an emptiness and a pain; one that threatened to consume her very sense of self. She had to know his fate, she had to find him.

Of that she was certain.

Then, suddenly, she was certain, and in that moment, she would give up that clear, hard certainty for ambiguity and not knowing.

She had found him. His body rested in the dirty, hidden among the smoke and dust which still hung heavily on the air. She waved away the dirt, and looked at him, her eyes, taking in his form, flickering from one feather to another, from his reddish-blond hair, cropped close to his skull, to his brilliant blue eyes which were lackluster and dull.

Finally, Ben had lived up to his moniker, he truly was the Hero Without Fear.

She knelt down into the dust, and pressed her forehead against his, trying to not smell the stench of charred flesh and plasteel armor. They had always known that sooner or later, one of them wouldn't make it back from one of these battles. Of course, they had always assumed it would be later, but that knowledge of encroaching death was the real, unspoken, reason that they had always kissed right before every battle. Just to make sure that there would be a last kiss.

She saw her tears splash against his slack face. "You just had to play the part. You couldn't let the rest of us go over at the same time as you, and you wouldn't ever hear of staying back for a moment. No, you had to be the Hero without Fear. You kriffing schutta."

She saw his saber resting next to him, where she had unconsciously laid it. She snatched the blade up, and placed the emitter next to her heart. There was no need to be here anymore. She couldn't do this by herself. She wasn't strong enough. Not without him.

Her thumb began pressing on the activator.

The standard lightsaber activation plate requires seven pounds of pressure to activate. Ben's took 6.9 pounds.

Jysella had applied 6.8 pounds of pressure before she opened herself to the Force and stopped. She kept the pressure applied, but she listened. It was whispering to her, in his voice. Telling her that she could go on, that she needed to.

"Why?" she cried out. The sound echoed back to her across the now empty battlefield.

In response, she remembered an old, old lesson. A lecture she had heard well over a decade ago, maybe even two, right at the end of the Vong War. Master Tionne, was talking about the Force, and had said, "Life sustains it, makes it grow. When we kill, we destroy the Force. We weaken ourselves and all other life. With every death, the Force itself dims. But, with new life, the Force is renewed. With each and every birth, the Force glows and grows and becomes stronger than it was before. That is the balance that we must protect. That is the balance of the Force."

Jysella's eyes snapped open. They had not been abstinent, but they had been taking precautions against pregnancy. All of the standard anti-pregnancy tricks which were available to all of soldiers under their command. The same ones which GAG used, and the Imperial Remnant, and even the GAR, decades ago.

She touched the Force again, but instead of reaching out, she reached in. She hunted, and search, and then found. A nugget of something that was not her, and was not Ben, but was them both at the same time. She gulped at the air, trying to understand.

Ben's voice seemed to laugh through the Force. "The Force wills to happen, what it will."

She finally released the pressure she held against the activator plate, and dropped back onto her haunches. This is real, she thought to herself. I'm going to have Ben's baby..

Standing, she looked about at the death and destruction and suddenly knew. She knew with the certainty that only the most fanatic of fanatics ever manages to achieve. It had never been her job, or Ben's job, to fix things. They were never there to end the war. There were not there to win. They were just a stop-gap measure. Something to ensure that it didn't get too bad before the person who was supposed to fix everything showed up.

Their real job had always been to create the person who would.

Ben had lived up to his name. He had stepped forward time and time again, doing that which the Force willed. And as always, the Force used and then took him back into itself. His job was complete. Now, hers was just beginning.

She knelt down again and took Ben's nexu-tags and gripped his saber tighter in her hand. These would be the only remembrance their child would have of Ben. But, Jysella knew they would be enough.

As the tears flowed down her face, she watched Ben for another long moment, memorizing his face. Closing her eyes, she slowly exhaled, letting go of the anger that she felt towards him.

She knew it was time to go now. She had over a klick to walk in order to get to the retrieval point, and it was probably all hostile territory by now. But she also knew that it would be all right.

Standing, she turned away from Ben, and realized that she was facing the setting sun. It seemed appropriate somehow. The end of day, plus the promise of new life around the corner. It was representative of her. She knew that she was facing a new world. Her love, her life, her Ben, was dead, but their child was healthy and would be born in just a few short months.

Without looking back, she took her first step into this new world. A world which was at once both larger and smaller than the one she had left behind.

Chasing Dreams

2009-02-09T19:33:00.001-08:00

Chase Pollitska sighed as he stepped out of his small conapt. He was in the depths of the Blackpit Slums, a vile district of Coruscant renowned throughout the planet-wide city for having the highest crime rate of any of the districts.

It was dirty and smelled of oil and smog. Yet it offered Chase the anonymity that he desired.

The anonymity that he needed after what BioTech Industries had done to him. The experiments that they had performed on him.

He hated himself due to them. He wasn't human, at least not anymore.

He scrubbed at his face as he walked through the hallway, heading towards the main entrance. He currently had a job washing dishes at a greasy diner a few blocks upwards. It was menial work, but it provided him enough credits for food and his small room. More than that, he didn't really need.

He frowned as he looked down the long hallway. The despair seemed to roll off of everything down here, and his eyes lighted on a woman and her young daughter. She wasn't much older than he himself was, but her child often had to cry itself to sleep in order to get away from the ever prevalent hunger.

He didn't know her story; didn't know why she was down here, hiding with the child. He didn't really care either. He knew she had her reasons, the same way he had his own.

But that didn't stop him from handing her the small bag he carried. It contained two sandwiches and a couple small pieces of fruit. The fruit had cost him a day's wages down here, but he didn't mind.

He ignored her sputtering protests as he continued walking down the hallway towards the stairs. As he reached them, he could hear her begin to cry and being to yell "thank you" after him.

He hung his head, not really wanting to hear it, but knowing that he would until he had gotten at least three flights down.

He pushed through the door, and rushed down the stairwell, his feet falling heavily, as the echoes reverberated through the narrow duracrete room.

Finally, he was at the level he needed, and darted through another door and stepped out into the dismal, depressing air of lower level Coruscant.

He glanced around, taking stock of his surroundings, the yammosk cells embedded in his brain giving him indications on which of the beings that walked around him were the most dangerous to him.

He sighed, not wanting yet another reminder of the fact that he was no longer human.

Shoving his hands into his jacket, he hunched his shoulders up and began walking towards the diner where he worked. Walking like this was not really comfortable, but he found that when he did, he was left alone.

Slowly, he passed one dark alley after another, the yammosk constantly updating the threat analysis. He had tuned out the world around him, ignoring the traffic noises, the hawking street vendors, and even the all-too-common beggars.

Then something stopped him. Some noise had cut through the filters he had built around his reactions.

Frowning, he took a step back, and looked down the darkened alley. Deep in its depths, he could make out two forms, standing over something. The yammosk in his brain raced, providing its thoughts on the danger those two posed to him.

He ignored the yammosk. They were doing something, and he couldn't help but intervene.

Slowly, he turned and began to make his way down the alley, his hands held loosely at his sides, as he stepped around the piles of trash.

As he drew closer, he could hear the chuckles the two were making. It was low and guttural, and rankled at the back of his brain. A flash of silver caught his eye, and the yammosk trilled a warning down his spine. He glanced down at what the two were standing over, and his teeth clenched in anger.

It was a girl, around his age, maybe a year or two older. Horror filled her brown eyes, as she tried to push herself into the wall. A large bruise was already forming her right temple, and he could make out a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

"What the kriff are you two schuttas doing," he snarled at them.

The larger of the two, turned to look at him. He was the most massive Bothan Chase had ever seen, and he wondered just how many steroids the fur-covered alien had to have consumed in order to generate that much muscle mass.

"Wazzit toja, pup," the Bothan slurred.

Chase's lips twitched slightly, and he focused on the other person in the alley. He was kneeling over the girl, his hands on her clothes, a knife halfway cutting through the fabric. He was human, and nowhere near the size of the Bothan, yet, for some reason the yammosk in his brain sent more shivers of alarm down his spine--and Chase knew which of the two was the most dangerous.

"She's under my protection."

The human laughed, and patted the Bothan on the shoulder. "Kartr, why don't you go deal with our young friend here, would you? The fem here will keep 'till your done."

The Bothan's snout twisted into a horrid version of a grin; something that would not be misplaced on a Vong. Then he began advancing, his arms held out wide as if he expected to run forward and crush Chase.

Chase though, had other plans. He hunkered low, and darted forward, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a stylus, then punched forward, slamming the slim cylinder into the Bothan just beneath the sternum.

Kartr doubled over, and dropped to his knees, howling in pain. Chase spun around, and kicked him in the side of the head, the durasteel tipped boots he wore rung hollowly as they connected. Chase watched as the Bothan's eyes rolled backwards, and then he dropped to the ground.

Grinning, Chase turned towards the human. "Leave, and I won't hurt you."

The knife was in the human's hand again, and with a flicker of a thumb, an electric blue glow flickered into life around the thin metal edge.

The defense patterns the yammosk had been showing suddenly shifted as it recognized the extra danger of the vibroknife.

He fell into one of the stances that had been hardwired into his muscle memory, and the human darted forward, his blade slashing through the air, leaving a blue after-imagebehind its movements.

Chase dodged, and then his fist snapped out. The man grunted in pain and shock as his knife clattered to the ground.

Chase grinned, and the man attacked with his other arm. Chase threw another punch, putting as much force into the attack as possible. His fist landed just beneath the nose, and Chase heard something crack.

The man howled in pain as he dropped to his knees. Chase pushed him over to his side, and then kicked him hard against the liver. He leaned over the man, his voice low and harsh. "If I ever see you in this district again, I will kill you."

His foot snapped out again, and slammed into the man's knee. Another snap echoed through the alley, and the man screamed in pain again.

Chase watched for a moment, and then hunkered down in front of the girl, making sure not to actually touch her. He'd made that mistake just a few days before... though he hadn't quite made it to that girl in time. She was hunched over her knees, her entire body shaking. This was the first time he had really gotten a look at her, and he realized that she was from one of the upper levels. Her body was too soft, it lacked the hunger which nearly everyone who lived at this level had. It must have been this softness which had drawn the predators to her.

"Are you all right," he asked softly.

She looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy as the tears cut down her face. She glanced around quickly, her eyes dropping to her two assailants for a moment before she focused on him. "P-p-please d-d-don't hur-hurt m-me..."

He shook his head slowly. "I'm not going to hurt you. Do you need me to take you to the closest medcenter?"

She chewed at her lower lips, her eyes flickering to the other two for a moment, before she quickly shook her head. "N-no... I... I just want to go home."

Chase nodded, and stood back up, and stepped away from the girl. She watched him for a moment, and then bounced to her feet and took off, heading towards the nearest populated street.

Quickly, he followed, staying a couple dozen meters away from her, but always within sight. He tailed her, until she safely got on a working lift, and then he shook his head, and once more resumed his walk towards the diner where he worked.

The yammosk in his brain, began its overlay of threat assessments, danger evasions and details on the best way to hurt every person he passed. Though he sometimes found the information useful, all it did, all it ever really did, was act as a continual reminder on just how inhuman he really was.

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Ch. 23

2009-02-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

Noelani banked the ship slightly, watching as the building beneath them burn. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

A few moments later, Asyra'mata slipped into the co-pilot's station. She herself had sat in that seat so many times, with Tahiri here at the controls. It didn't seem right for someone else to be sitting there.

With the back of her hand she wiped away some of the tears, even as she made another circuit of the building.

"Are we going anywhere, or just flying in a circle until security shoots us down?"

Noelani looked over at her, and had to bite back the retort that wanted to come out. "I… you're right. We need to go."

Her fingers pressed the various controls, and the ship straightened up and flew level for a few hundred meters, until she punched another button. The ship sat up on its keel, and its ion engines flared to life.

Ignoring the cries from traffic control, Noelani poured more energy into thrust, leaving a trail of turbulence behind her which disrupted speeder traffic for kilometers.

Then they were out in space, and Noelani began inputting a course into the navcom even as the defensive computer began screaming.

She glanced over and saw the two cruisers coming over the horizon of the planet, on an intercept course.

"Kriff," she muttered.

"What is it?" Asyra'mata asked.

She gestured towards the scanners. "We've got company. I'm just hoping that we can get into hyperspace before they can get a tractor lock."

Finally, the navcom beeped, and she reached up and grasped the levers that would send them into hyperspace. She looked at the stars for a moment, wishing that she had not had to leave Chase behind.

"Good bye, Chase. I love you."

Then she pulled the levers. The stars stretched towards them and then fell away revealing the blue swirls of hyperspace.

She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as the tears ran freely.

Before long, the tears had gone, and she was left feeling empty and alone. She raised her head from her hands and glanced over at the pilot's station surprised to see Asyra'mata still sitting there.

Sighing, Noelani leaned back in her seat.

"Care to tell me what that whole lightning thing was about? It kind of scared me you know."

Noelani shifted her head so she could look at Asyra'mata again. "It means I failed."

The Twi'lek's eyes narrowed slightly and she leaned towards her. "What do you mean?"

"I gave into those dark emotions. I'm tainted now. I'm sure that even if I had wanted to go back, the Jedi wouldn't take me back now."

"There's a war on, they might do it."

Noelani shook her head. "No. There's no where for me now."

"So, what are you going to do with us?"

"Like I said, I'm taking you all to Papa. He's a good man; he'll take care of you all."

"That sounds like you're not staying with us."

"I'm not," she whispered. "I… I can't do it. I need to find myself again. I need to meditate and figure out what's happened. I need to know who, and what, I am"

Asyra'mata nearly leapt out of her seat. "Maybe I don't want that. Maybe I wanted to stay with you, did you ever think about that? I know that Jen and Prilla would want that as well."

Noelani shook her head. "I know. But sometimes what we want just doesn't happen. I can't stay. It's…. it's too painful. I… I'm afraid…"

"Afraid of what? Ever since I met you, you've thrown yourself at things that would send most people running in terror. What are you afraid of?"

"Of falling again. I'm scared that I'll lose control and hurt you or Jen or Prilla or Huff. That's what I'm afraid of."

Noelani turned away from Asyra'mata at that point, and once more covered her face with her hands.

She felt Asyra'mata standing over her for a few more minutes, and then she was gone, leaving Noelani alone on the bridge.

She wanted to call after her and beg her to stay.

She wanted to tell Asyra'mata that everything would be all right.

She wanted someone to tell her that.

What she did, was lean forward and cry.

-------------------------------
Tahiri knew she had screwed up.

She had been scared after Noelani had killed Lyria with Force lightning.

She had been surprised when Noelani had attacked the rest of the squad.

She had been so startled that she hadn't realized that Kirie was pushing her out into the hallway until after the door was closed and sealed.

Tahiri knew she had screwed up.

So she started to cut her way back into the room. She had to get in there before her daughter escaped. Her muscles quivered as she pulled the blade in a large circle around the thick steel of the door.

Finally, she had completed the circle. With a flicker of the Force, she pushed the circle into the room.

She looked in and saw the door opening. As she entered, she noticed that the children were rushing out through the door to the hanger.

Her eyes locked with Noelani's and she felt a way of sadness and longing emanating from her little girl.

Then she was gone. Tahiri lowered her face and started down the steps, to be brought to a stop by the discharge of a blaster. She focused on Chase and found him holding his blaster in one hand.

She took a step forward, and then Force flared in warning. His other hand opened up, as he dropped what he had been holding. Her eyes widened as she saw the thermal detonator rolling to a stop beneath Chase.

Instinctively, she threw up a Force Shield and was then slammed with a wave of energy from the detonator, and blackness claimed her.

An unknown time later, she woke to dim, smoke and dust chocked light.

She struggled out from the rubble and looked around, muttering a curse under her breath as she did so. Jacen's going to be so karking mad.

Frowning, she slowly made her way down to the bottom of the briefing room, hunting for any remains of Chase. Even now, she was surprised that he had sacrificed himself. She hadn't expected that. She hadn't even expected him to still be alive. I guess BioTech did more to him than we ever expected.

She stood at the epicenter of the blast, looking down at the slight carbon charring which were all that remained of him. The door that led to the hanger opened, and her hand instinctively went to her lightsaber.

She relaxed slightly as she saw that it was just Jacen and his usual retinue of guards. Then the Force wrapped tight around her throat as she was pulled to his hand. He held her, and she found herself looking into an angry storm of yellows and oranges and reds which had at one time been his eyes.

"I'm disappointed in you, Tahiri," he snarled.

Then the darkness claimed her once again.

-------------------------------
Noelani stood on the edge of the world.

Growing up, that's what she had always told herself that it was. This rim which encircled the pit that was the main courtyard of her home; she would stand at its edge and be able to look at the setting suns or just stare at the horizons all around her.

Now after all the things that she had been through, it just seemed so small and insignificant.

Yet she had never felt as far from home as she did at right that moment.

It had been three days since they had arrived. Huff had not hesitated in taking in the kids for her, but he still didn't understand why she refused to stay. Even now, she could feel him coming up to try and talk her into staying once again.

Part of her wanted to accept it, wanted to just curl up in her old room, and stay there.

Yet, the notice on the holonet stating that there was a bounty on her head for the destruction of the Guard facility on Coruscant ruled that out. Even if she hadn't needed to be alone, even if she hadn't needed to run from everything she knew, that alone would have been enough to drive her away from the kids and from her father.

That was the only thing she could do to protect them.

That was the only thing she could do to protect them from her.

Finally Huff was there beside her. She reached out and grabbed his arm, holding it tight against her, as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"You know you don't have to leave, right, Little One?"

"You know that I have to, Papa. Please don't argue this, it's hard enough already."

He sighed, and they stood together watching as Tatoo II made its inevitable march towards the horizon. Tatoo I was still high in the sky, and Noelani wished that both suns were setting at the same time. She had wanted to see that beautiful sight once again.

She had wanted to show it to Chase.

She took a deep shuddering breath, trying to not break down in tears again.

"Thank you for watching over my kids Papa."

He grunted, and she found herself smiling.

"Mama! Mama!"

She took a step away from Huff, and turned as two bundles of blonde girls slammed into her. She laughed as she hugged them tightly. Looking up, she saw Asyra'mata and Huff coming up out of the stairwell.

When the young Bothan saw her, his eyes lit up and he darted forward as well.

As she hugged the three young children, she found herself crying again. After a few minutes, she pulled back, and put one hand on Prilla's cheek and the other on Huff's muzzle.

"I've got to go away for a little while, all right?"

Jen frowned for a moment. "Can we go?"

Noelani shook her head. "No… all four of you are going to stay with Papa for a little while."

Prilla glanced behind her at the Twi'lek. "Asamata too?"

Noelani smiled at her. "Yes, Asyra'mata is going to stay with you. Now, I need you all to behave for Papa, all right."

In unison, the two blond girls chimed, "Yes, mama."

She grabbed them all for another hug and then stood up. Her Papa stepped forward and plucked up Prilla. "Come on you kids; let's go find something sweet to eat."

Jen cheered and rushed towards the stairwell, and Huff slowed down as he neared the stairs. He stopped and glanced at Noelani. Then after a moment, he descended down the steps.

Asyra'mata came forward. "I didn't trust you, you know."

Noelani gave a wry grin. "I know. I thought you something of a brat."

Asyra'mata laughed.

Noelani stepped forward and threw her arms around the Twi'lek. "I'm gonna miss you."

She felt the Twi'lek's tears on her shoulders, and was startled when the girl wrapped her own arms around her. "And I'm going to miss you as well, Noelanid'arklighter."

They broke the hug, and Noelani smiled at her. "Be good, all right?"

Asyra'mata grinned. "I can't promise anything."

Without saying another word, Noelani turned away and headed towards the ship. When she got to the ramp, she paused and looked back at Asyra'mata. The younger girl stared at her, and Noelani waved once.

Asyra'mata raised her hand, and then Noelani climbed the rest of the way into the ship. She went back to the bridge, and sat at the controls, quickly running through the pre-flight checklist. As she sent power to the repulsors, she looked out the window and saw Asyra'mata still standing there.

The Twi'lek raised her hand, and Noelani did the same.

Then she slid a control forward, and watched as the world around her fell away.

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Ch. 22

2009-02-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

Noelani stood guard as Chase and Asyra'mata raided the weapon's locker. The other three children were hunched inside the small room as well, staying out of sight, and out of the way.

She knew that it wouldn't be long before the compound realized that she had already gotten her family out of the cells, what she didn't know was what was taking them this long in the first place; she hadn't expected the Ferals to put up that much of a fight against the Guard soldiers that Tahiri had in here.

The building rumbled slightly, and at the far end of the hallway, a plume of smoke came rolling towards her. Her thumb moved closer to the ignition switch of her lightsaber as she watched the smoke dissipate.

Another blast wave rolled towards her, nearly knocking her off of her feet, and she saw that the hallway now opened up onto the undercity. She frowned as she saw the first of the Ferals rush through the newly opened hole.

Laughing, she glanced back towards the weapons locker as Chase and Asyra'mata stepped out. Each held a blaster rifle, and had a blaster pistol attached to their hip. Strung across their chests were bandoliers of thermal detonators.

"What was that?" Chase asked as he looked down the hallway.

"That was my diversion escaping back into the city."

Asyra'mata shook her head. "For weeks we've been routinely killing those things, and you let that big group back out into the wild. There's no sense to you."

Noelani sighed sadly. "I didn't do them a favor. They're all infected with some type of disease which destroys their coral. Literally melts it off. It's not pretty, and appears to be entirely fatal from the samples I saw."

She glanced over at Asyra'mata, and saw the look of shock on her face slide to one much more malicious. She gave a very adult chuckle. "Oh, that's just delicious; and to think I used to worry about you being a goody-two shoes."

Chase sighed, as Noelani just grinned at the younger girl. "Glad to disappoint, are you two ready to move? I say we just follow the ferals out that big hole in the wall."

Chase nodded his head. "Sounds good to me."

Noelani beckoned the other three kids out from the weapons locker. "All right, I'm taking point, Chase right behind me. Jen, Prilla and Huff, you three stay with Chase, and Asyra'mata cover our backs."

They all nodded, and Noelani began to jog down the hall, heading towards the hole in the wall where the last of the Ferals had just disappeared. She grinned, and pulled the Force to her, opening herself up to it.

In surprise she stumbled, and caught herself on the wall. She shook her head, trying to clear it. Shock rolled through her, as she considered things.

The Force had changed.

Where before it had been warm and welcoming, now it had become cold and oily, tainted somehow.

She felt a hand touch her on her back, and then Chase whispered, "'Lani, you all right?"

Tossing a quick smile over her shoulder at him, she nodded her head. "Yeah, just a dizzy spell. Nothing big."

He didn't look that convinced but she faced forward again and started moving.

When they got twenty meters from the hole they were aiming for as an exit two squads of Gaurdsmen appeared from around the corner. As soon as they saw her, they stopped and the front row of them dropped to their knees in a low firing stance.

"Back!" Noelani screamed as she ignited her lightsaber.

Then she started falling back as a virtual wall of coherent light flashed towards her. She weaved her saber in a complicated sequence in front of her, letting the Force guide her actions.

She managed to catch each blaster bolt that came at her or the others, sending them back in various directions. There was just too many of them for her to aim. Then she felt Chase and Asyra'mata taking up positions on either side of her.

A quick glance to the left and right saw that they held their blaster rifles to their shoulders and were firing, as well as falling back at the same rate that she was.

Then the soldiers parted and someone new advanced. Someone holding a lightsaber with an indigo colored blade.

Noelani paused for a moment as she recognized her mother.

"Mom," she said, and she could hear the despair in her voice.

She saw a flash of silver twirling towards the Guard, and then Chase grabbed her shoulder. "Let's go!"

She allowed herself to be pulled away as she watched her mother. The thermal detonator stopped in mid air, even as the rest of the soldiers dived out of the way.

A few moments later it exploded, but Noelani could still feel her mother, so she guessed that the weapon had been tossed out of the hole they had planned on escaping through.

She focused forward, and saw that Asyra'mata was leading the way, the kids immediately behind her. Suddenly she darted to the left and entered a darkened room.

Noelani came in as well, and looked around.

It was some type of briefing room. Tiered rows of seats surrounded a simple lectern. Noelani went down the steps and found a door off to the right of the lectern. Opening it slightly, she glanced out at a hanger.

In it were three ships. Two single seat fighters, and then Tahiri's Stolen Star.

She grinned and closed the door. Glancing up towards the others, she beckoned them down. "Come on, I think I've found our next way out of this joint."

The kids scampered down, and Chase moved slower, limping slightly. She frowned as he reached the bottom. "What's wrong Chase?"

He shook his head. "Just got scratched by a lucky shot out there. So, what's the new escape plan?"

She gestured towards the hanger. "Out there is mom's starship. I say I steal it, and then we just fly away."

Asyra'mata frowned for a moment. "Where would we go? I've lived my entire life here--there's nothing for me anywhere else."

Noelani smiled at her. "I'll take you all home. My papa would be happy to have my family live there."

Chase nodded his head. "That sounds nice…."

Then the door at the top of the room burst open, and a squad of soldiers darted in. Tahiri followed a moment later and stood there looking down on them.

Noelani gripped her saber tighter as she looked around. She was too far from the kids to defend them, and if she jumped over there, then Chase would be defenseless as well.

Her lips pulled back in a snarl as she realized just how kriffed she really was.

"Give up," Tahiri calmly said from the top row of the room. "There's no way you can all escape, and I don't feel like killing every one of you."

Noelani took a step forward, one which moved her closer to the kids, but further away from Chase. She felt her heart breaking as she made the decision, but it was all she could do. "Why Mom? Why do this to us? Just let us go."

Tahiri shook her head. "I can't. I have my orders."

Noelani sighed. "Then you'll just have to kill us."

She jumped towards the kids, her saber igniting even as the soldiers up top pulled their triggers.

She landed and wove her blade in a quick infinity circle, sending three bolts back towards the top row.

She could feel the soldier's shock as their own blaster fire was hurtled back towards them. They dove out of the way, and Noelani turned to look to Chase.

Just in time to see the blast strike home in the middle of his chest.

In apparent slow motion he was lifted off of his feet and flung backwards crashing into the lectern.

Time sped up as the lectern exploded in a shower of splintered wood.

"Chase!" Noelani screamed.

"Stand down!" Tahiri yelled at her soldiers.

But Noelani didn't care. She was running towards Chase. He was slumped on the ground, not moving and she slid to a stop beside him. Asyra'mata and the kids hovered above her, and she could hear Jen and Prilla crying.

Her own tears splashed against his cheek, and she stared in amazement as his eyes flickered open.

They were filled with pain, and he smiled, even as blood leaked from the side of his mouth.

"'Lani," he whispered.

She gripped his hand tightly in hers. "I'm here, Chase."

He coughed, and she could feel the flares of agony with the motion. Reaching into the Force she touched his body and her worst fears were confirmed. The bolt had snipped one of the major arteries leading from his heart and punctured a lung.

His mouth was moving, and she pressed her forehead to his, straining to hear anything.

A single, last word came out. "Love-"

She tossed her head back and screamed.

Anger.

Hate.

Rage.

Revenge.

Suffering.

Despair.

Dark emotions slammed into her. Everything that she had been taught to avoid, every single emotion that as a Jedi she had learned to suppress, blasted past her emotional damns, and flooded into her; through her. She drank in those dark emotions, pulling them from the kids and Asyra'mata, savoring their taste, their feel.

She became a receptacle for those emotions, they swarmed her, eating away at her consciousness; at her very self.

With a start, she realized that she could release them.

Staggering to her feet she looked up and saw the squad and Tahiri. Tahiri's face was hard, but Noelani could feel her mother's sorrow and suffering. Just more Dark Emotions for Noelani to consume.

To Tahiri's left was the soldier who had shot Chase. Her rifle had been lowered. She was protected only by the standard Galactic Alliance Guard armored uniform.

Noelani snarled and raised her hand; palm out, fingers splayed and then she flung those dark emotions at the soldier.

She felt the hate roll through her and down her arm. The Force erupted from her outstretched palm and the air roiled around her. The positive and negative energies of the molecules in the air shattered, creating an imbalance between her and the soldier.

And nature abhors an imbalance.

Energy flooded the area, and then lightning, nature's vehicle for repairing imbalances between positive and negative charges in the air, ripped out from Noelani's palm to strike the masked soldier.

An electronic scream echoed through the briefing room as the soldier was slammed against the wall and pinned there by the energy. The putrid stench of burnt human flesh hung heavily on the air.

The sound of Jen gagging reached Noelani's ears and she clasped her hand into a tight fist pulling it back to her chest; drawing the dark emotions back into her heart.

She stared in horror as the soldier dropped to the ground and stayed there. The thick black smoke that came from the openings in the uniform left no doubt as to the soldier's state.

She shifted her gaze towards Tahiri. Her master. Her mentor. Her mother.

Horror shone on her face.

The pain of that look shattered her, and she stumbled back. The back of her legs hit the edge of the platform and she dropped to her butt.

Tahiri spoke again, though her voice was pained and low. "Please come with us. We need to stop this killing."

The remaining three soldiers moved forward, putting themselves between Tahiri and Noelani.

Noelani raised her palm and looked at it, seeing a circle of cracked, blackened flesh in its very center. She blinked her eyes and looked down at Chase.

Pressing her fingers against his lips, she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Then she stood back up, and ignited her blade again.

Tahiri shook her head. "Don't do this Noelani. Take the easy way, give up."

Noelani braced herself and began pulling the Force towards her. "You should know better than that, Mom. You're the one that taught me that easy isn't for Jedi."

"You're not a Jedi anymore, and neither am I."

Noelani felt her lips part in another snarl. "Doesn't matter."

Then she launched herself forward.

In that single, smooth movement, she had propelled herself into the midst of the soldiers. Her blade flashed and the first Guard fell away in two pieces.

The third one pushed Tahiri out into the hall, and closed and locked the door, as Noelani decapitated the second.

Before the third was able to bring her weapon to bear, Noelani had shoved her own blade through the soldier's heart.

She pulled it out as the Guard dropped like a rag doll. Then she pulled her elbow back, ready to cut a hole in the door.

Asyra'mata's voice cut through the room. "Mom, he's not dead yet."

She stopped and looked down, to find his eyes, pain filled as they are staring at her.

Relief crashed back into her, and she rushed down the steps. In moments, she was once again by his side, and holding his hands. "You… you, dummy! Don't scare me like that."

A weak grin flickered over his lips. "S'ry… no ch… choi… ce…"

A hissing sound started from the top of the room, and Noelani looked that way to see a saber melting through the door. She bent down to pick him up. "C'mon, we've got to get out of here before Mom makes it through that door."

He pushed her away. "No… I stay be… hind… slow... 'er down…."

Noelani shook her head, and he waved her on, even as he gestured for Asyra'mata's thermal detonators. The Twi'lek girl passed them over, and Noelani could see the tears in her eyes.

She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I wish you could have been my father for real."

He grinned at her, and then she stood up and went to stand behind Noelani, herding the other kids with her.

Noelani leaned closer. "Please don't do this. Come with me, I… I need you. I love you."

He shook his head. "Can't… and no time…save… kids…."

Her tears falling once again, Noelani leaned down and kissed him. Then she stood up and walked toward the door. Her back was ramrod straight, each step mechanical.

She reached the door to the hanger, and placed her hand on its jamb. After a moment, Asyra'mata touched her shoulder. "We need to go. That Jedi is almost through the door."

Noelani looked up, and saw the saber complete its circle. A chunk of the door fell inward as Noelani opened the door to the hanger. She pushed the kids through as Tahiri once again entered the room.

For a moment, their eyes locked, and all Noelani wanted to do was to run to her mother and be held.

All she wanted was to be comforted by someone that loved her.

What she did was step into the hanger, and allowed the door to close behind her.

She began jogging towards the Stolen Star and a few moments later a thump sounded followed by a shock wave which rattled the whole building.

Getting back to her feet, she ran faster, reaching the starship at the same time as Prilla and Jen. She quickly punched in the access code, and let out a breath as the ramp dropped.

As soon as they were all aboard, she closed the ship and ran to the cockpit, and without bothering with a preflight check, she powered the engines and weapons. Within moments, she had lifted off of the hanger deck and spun the ship around, so that she faced the still closed hanger doors.

A twin blast from the turbolasers corrected that problem for her, and then she punched the throttle forward.

The starship rocketed out of the hanger as another explosion shook the building.

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Ch. 21

2009-01-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

Noelani stepped away from the window, a frown coming to her face. She sighed, wondering exactly what she should do next.

Deciding, she turned and stood next to the doorway, listening for movement in the hall. After a few minutes of not hearing anything she stepped out and rushed back towards the entrance which she had came into the base through.

Since the guards had not come this way, then the other direction had to lead towards where they were keeping Asyra'mata and now Chase and the others.

Anger flashed through her quickly, as she pushed herself to run faster. As she rounded another corner, she stopped suddenly and glanced around. A frown formed as she realized she had no idea where she was at.

Sighing, she began checking the doors which lined either side of the hallway.

The third access panel she touched the door swung open, and a gust of wind blew past her and into the room, startling her slightly.

She stepped forward and walked into something from one of her nightmares.

Cells lined either side of the hallway, reminding her vaguely of Tahiri's description of the BioTech holding area on Ambria. But what truly frightened her was the Ferals.

There were hundreds of them, some dead in their cells, some, the most horrifying looking, where the ones whose coral implants were literally melting off.

What replaced the implants was a mass of boils and welts, in an array of colors ranging from bright yellow through the greens and oranges all the way to a fiery red.

She stepped closer to the glass of one spectacularly disgusting specimen, and the Force suddenly cut off. She stumbled and reached out to the glass to steady herself as she looked around. Frowning she took a step back and the Force flooded back into her awareness.

Frowning, she stepped closer to one of the other cells, and as she neared the Force once again shut down.

"That's odd; I wonder why they did that."

From the darkness at the far end of the room, came the reply. "Why? To hide all of this from you Jedi of course."

Noelani frowned. She had heard that voice from somewhere before. She knew it, but that memory refused to come. The woman advanced from the darkness, and stepped into one of the circular lights close to Noelani.

She was older than Tahiri, even older than her Aunt Jaina. Her black hair was cropped short, and she was almost skeletally thin. Her cheekbones were high and stuck out, causing her face to be composed of all sharp angles and hard lines.

Vaguely, it reminded Noelani of old holos of Grand Moff Tarkin.

Instinctively, she took a step backwards. "Who… who are you?"

The woman laughed. "I'm not that surprised you don't remember me. We really didn't get a lot of time to play with one another before young Chase stole you away from us."

She frowned as she processed the woman's words. "You… you were on Ambria?"

The woman laughed. "On it? I ran it! And now, look what I get to do."

Noelani realized that her saber was in her hand the moment that it snapped to life. "I know exactly what you get to do."

The woman laughed again, further enraging Noelani. "Ah, so is the good little Jedi-trainee going to kill me now?"

Noelani darted forward, and the woman had a moment to scream in shock as she shoved the blade into her shoulder, and yanked up.

The arm hung uselessly at the woman's side--held on merely by a length of muscle and flesh. Grinning, Noelani pressed her hand against the woman's chest and then pushed with the Force.

The woman screamed as she flew through the air and slammed against the closest of the feral's cages. The clear material splintered into a spider web of cracks around her impact site. The woman slid to the ground, leaving a trail of blood on the glass.

Noelani reached out with the Force and twisted, and both of the woman's ankles snapped loudly as she screamed in pain.

Then Noelani closed the distance between them, standing over here for a moment. "Maybe you didn't hear, but I'm not a Jedi any more."

The woman gaped at her, as the ferals began hammering on the glass. The cracks began to grow. Noelani looked at the glass for a moment, and then looked back down at the woman, a vicious snarl appearing on her lips. "I'll leave you to your work."

Then she turned and started walking away.

It took five steps before the woman processed what Noelani was doing, and then she called out. "No! You can't do this to me! Pleases, at least kill me first!"

She reached the door and held her hand over the activation plate. "But, it's as you said, I'm a good little Jedi. I can't kill you in anger. Just consider this a daughter's payment for what you did to her Mom."

She pressed her hand against the door's activation plate at the same time as the glass wall shattered.

As Noelani left the room, the woman's cry shifted from a yell of disbelief to another, louder scream of pain.

The door closed behind Noelani and she paused, leaning against it for a moment, collecting her thoughts. With a moment's hesitation, she shoved her blade into the activation plate. With a sharp retort of an electronic explosion, the door behind her snapped open slightly.

Noelani smiled, and thought; at least they'll be able to go back to the rest of their colonies now.

She continued down the hall, trusting her Force senses to guide her in the direction she needed to go.

-------------------------------
Tahiri stepped out of her office as waves of aggression and anger began washing over her. She frowned as she spun in a quick circle, trying to discover what was happening.

Before she was able to reach out to the Force, one of her soldiers rushed up and saluted. "Jedi Viela, the Ferals we had in Area 33-Jenth seemed to have escaped from their containment labs."

Tahiri frowned for a moment, and then pulled her saber to her hand, and started jogging towards the stairs. The soldier fell into step beside her, as Tahiri said, "Then, I guess we need to round them back up before they escape. Do we know the status of the intruder?"

The Guardsman was silent for a moment and then she shook her head. "Sorry, ma'am, but there's been no sighting of her."

Tahiri shrugged and with a slight chuckle, replied, "That's all right; we're probably heading towards her handiwork anyways."

"Ma'am?"

Tahiri laughed again, a bitter, harsh sound. "Don't worry, Private, we'll have plenty enough to do soon."

He words were prophetic, for as soon as they turned the next corner; they were faced with a wave of ferals rushing towards a half dozen of her soldiers.

Tahiri let loose a Tusken War Cry and then had her blade in her hand and was rushing forward.

She closed with the Ferals and began slicing through them. From behind her she could hear the near constant chuff sounds of her soldier's blaster rifles, accompanied by the bright flashes of red light as they slashed past her.

Slowly, an odd sound intruded into her awareness. Something which she did not expect to hear in the midst of a raging battle: laughter.

As her blade slashed through the neck of the next feral another realization appeared fully formed in her mind. The person laughing was herself.

Startled, she took a few steps back away from line of ferals, and gave her head a quick shake.

This isn't right, she thought to herself as she looked around. The remnants of her handiwork littered the ground.

Tahiri looked around, and then spun to the ground, vomiting. A hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up at the Guardsman standing over her.

"Ma'am, are you all right?"

Tahiri wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and then slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, just… just a shock for a moment is all."

The helmeted Guardsman watched her for a moment longer and then nodded her head. She turned away from Tahiri and once more began firing into the mass of ferals.

Tahiri sat back onto her haunches and scrubbed a hand over her face. What's wrong with me?

Turning away from her soldiers, she left them to the destruction of the Ferals.

-------------------------------
Chase leaned against the far wall, watching the door. He had already tried a dozen of the things that had allowed him to escape from the cells on Ambria, but this was different. The rooms he had been held in weren't designed to keep him in them.

If they had been, he'd probably still be there.

He sighed, as hung his head slightly, wondering if he'd ever get out of here; if he'd ever see Noelani or the kids again.

He decided that the answer to both questions was probably going to be no. The Guard had been trying to capture him for months now, ever since he left the Jedi Temple and descended into the Coruscanti Undercity. He'd been one step ahead of them that entire time, but his luck had ended.

Now they had him, and he doubted they'd ever let him go.

He lowered his head slightly, staring down at his boots.

When the door opened, he didn't bother to look up. He heard the guard's boots stepping into the room, but was startled when a pass key was dropped to the ground between his feet, with a blaster following quickly behind it.

His head snapped up, and he found Noelani standing over him, a smirk on her face. "I thought you were going to get the kids away from the Guard."

He felt himself grinning, despite everything. "Well, you know how it is. You get them all into the speeder, and then they start begging for toys and snacks and bathroom breaks."

Noelani giggled, and she held out her hand towards him. He grasped it and she helped pull him to his feet.

Once he was up, she refused to let him go, but instead pulled him into a tight hug.

He found that he couldn't stop smiling, and then kissed the top of her head. After holding her for what he was certain was not long enough, he pulled away, holding her at arms length. "Come on, let's get the kids and get out of here."

Noelani grinned at him, and nodded her head. "Sounds like a plan."

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Ch. 20

2009-01-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

Tahiri watched as the crash foam was washed away from the insurgents in the speeder. He knew he was a dangerous one as he had single-handedly killed a number of her soldiers. She could feel the anger seething just beneath the skin, a festering boil of rage.

Even though she knew intellectually that Jacen had stacked her command with soldiers who bore a strong resemblance to Noelani in order to keep her off balance, she still saw each of those deaths as a strike against her daughter.

Even as the rage burned in her veins, she wondered if that was Jacen's purpose. To make her angry and filled with hate; and not for the first time she wondered just how Dark Jacen has become. Between the anger and the almost unconscious need she had been feeling to once more Flow Walk to see Anakin, she felt herself being wound tighter and tighter into Jacen's web.

A shudder slashed through her at the image of Jacen as a giant, bloated black spider; much like a purella.

She squeezed her eyes tight as the memory of that particular adventure. Tears burned at her eyes for a moment before she blinked them away.

Zora gestured that the last of the crash foam had been washed away and she stepped forward to look at the insurgent.

Shock raced through her as she recognized the driver of the speeder. Although it had been weeks, if not months, since she had last seen him, she knew him. He had after all, saved her daughter.

"Chase," she muttered under her breath.

"Ma'am?" Zora inquired.

She quickly shook her head. "Nothing, Zora." She glanced at the three children also rendered unconscious by the sedatives in the crash foam. "Take them all and place them in cells near the Twi'lek. Then make sure they receive some medical attention."

Zora saluted and made a gesture towards some of the other soldiers. They began pulling Chase and the children from the wrecked speeder, and just as they pulled Chase out a flash of hate and anger rolled through the Force.

Tahiri's back went ramrod straight at the sensation, her entire body tense and filled with adrenaline from her Danger Sense.

A twang sound reverberated throughout the landing pad, and Tahiri turned around and looked up at one of the windows of the compound.

For a second time, shock slammed into her. She felt her mouth dropping open as she recognized Noelani standing in the window, her fist planted against the plassteel plating--dead center of a network of cracks.

Their eyes met, and Tahiri could feel all the hate and anger just drain from her; leaving her emotionally empty and void. She felt no passions, no stirring of the heart.

The only thing she felt was regret and longing. She regretted not hugging her daughter, and she longed to do so.

But she knew that if Jacen felt either of those emotions, he would either kill her or Noelani if not both of them.

Quickly, she pushed her emotions deep down into her heart of hearts. Hiding them beneath the pain of Anakin's death.

As Noelani stepped back away from the window, Tahiri gestured Zora over. "We have a guest in the compound. We want to be on a level 2 alert."

"Level 2 ma'am? That means that we won't be able to send a status update to central."

Tahiri nodded. "I know exactly what it means Private, and believe it or not, there's a reason for it. Now, get inside and post a guard on the young man we just took to the cell."

"The newest prisoner ma'am? If you'll pardon my asking, but that doesn't make sense. We just brought him in; there should not be any type of jail break attempt this soon."

Tahiri shook her head. "Don't question the Force, Zora. You'll live longer. After you place the guard, come find me."

Zora saluted smartly; Tahiri ignored it and walked towards the compound, a heavy weight on her shoulders.

She reached to her utility belt and unclipped Anakin's lightsaber. She still hadn't built herself a new hilt to house her crystal, but before now she had been happy using Anakin's. Suddenly she felt unworthy to be holding his weapon.

She felt tainted. Dirty.

Arriving at her ready room, she went over to her desk and dropped the blade onto it. Then she went around it and dropped into her seat. It molded itself to her body, and she covered her face with both hands.

She wanted to cry, but the tears refused to fall.

Instead she reached down and opened the bottom drawer of her desk. From the very back, she extracted a bottle of Reta, the brand of Corellian Whiskey which Jaina's old boyfriend Jag had always preferred.

She grabbed the empty caf mug from her desk and splashed some of the whiskey into it. Looking into the whiskey for a moment, she swirled it about, then downed the entire contents of the cup in one quick swallow.

Fire burned down her throat and she coughed, even as she felt the Force automatically going to work at breaking down the poisons and alcohol she had just consumed.

She sighed and wondered why Luke taught his Jedi to do such things unconsciously. It made it hard for her to get drunk.

The door opened and Zora was standing there at attention. Tahiri looked up just in time to notice the frown appear and disappear from the younger girl's face.

She shook her head. "Go ahead and sit down, Private. Also, don't bother to include this in your report to Jacen."

Tahiri smiled, not surprised when the girl did not respond to it; outside of a slight hardening around her eyes.

"If I may ask Ma'am, what gave my mission away?"

Tahiri laughed as she poured a shot of the whiskery for Zora and another for herself. Pushing Zora's share towards her, she replied, "Nothing. I'm a Jedi, I just know these things."

Zora's eyes hardened again for a moment. "Do you mind telling me who the intruder is, and who that young man we arrested is?"

Tahiri watched her for a moment. "Off of Jacen's little record?"

Zora frowned for a moment, and then nodded.

"She's my former apprentice, and the young man is, well he rescued her from what would have effectively been biogenetic testing, if not worse things on Ambria. I assume Jacen filled you in on my previous missions before I left the Jedi?"

Zora nodded her head again.

"Good, then you know what I went through at the hands of BioTech Industries. That young man, Chase, rescued my d… apprentice from the same. Additionally, Chase is one of their experiments. From my understanding of the files, he's basically a living, breathing, human-equivalent of a battle droid."

Zora's eyes widened a moment. "Then, shouldn't I gather more people on guard duty?"

Tahiri shook her head. "No need. The guards are just there to be distractions. To make Noelani think we're serious about keeping Chase and those kids in. She'll come to me when she's finished."

Zora frowned, and glanced down at her datapad. "How do you know?"

Tahiri smiled, and stood up, walking around the desk. As she moved, Zora shifted and turned off the datapad on her lap.

"I thought this little conversation wasn't going to go to Jacen."

Zora smiled slightly. "I couldn't help myself. This type of information is why I am here."

Tahiri nodded her head. "I know, and really, once he reviews the security footage, there's nothing there that he wouldn't know."

Zora frowned. "Then why ask me to keep it off the record? Why reveal that you know about me?"

Tahiri smiled at her. "To see if I could trust you, despite you being Jacen's lapdog."

Zora bolted to her feet. "I'm not a lapdog!"

As the girl was rising to her feet, Tahiri's hand shot out behind her, and Anakin's blade slapped into it. She thumbed it on, and shoved it forward in a single smooth motion.

Zora doubled over where the blade entered into her stomach. She coughed, splattering blood all over Tahiri's desk.

She turned off her lightsaber as Zora collapsed to the ground, and then knelt down beside her. She picked up the datapad and used the Force to destroy the delicate electronics within.

Smiling down at Zora, she dropped the smoking datapad beside her. "Didn't you notice that I never did answer your question, as to how I know Noelani would come to me?"

Zora's eyes shifted to Tahiri, and she tried to speak, but all she did was spit up blood on the carpet.

Tahiri glanced towards the door, and then leaned down close to Zora's ear. "I know because, she's my daughter. That's the relationship that Jacen was trying to figure out between Noelani and myself. That's why you were down here. To protect her, that's why you had to die."

-------------------------------
Chase rolled over, as pain echoed through his head. His mouth felt like he had been shoving cotton balls into it. Smacking his lips, he tried to sit up, and was rewarded for his efforts with a headache and a wave of dizziness.

"Jena? Huff? Prilla?"

None of the children responded and he tried to stand. Another wave of dizziness washed over him, and he quickly gripped the edge of the sink to keep from collapsing back to the ground.

Sighing, as the last thing he remembered was the ground hurtling towards him, he assumed that they had all been captured. He stumbled towards the door, and began to beat his fist against it.

After a few moments of this, it snapped open, startling Chase and causing him to drop onto his butt. A girl, at most just a few years older than he was, stood in the doorway, irritation marred her features, but that's not what shocked him. What shocked him was how closely the girl resembled Noelani.

"What do you want?" the girl snarled at him.

"I just want to know if my kids are all right, and where they're at."

"Prisoner's don't get to know things like that."

He frowned and shook his head, reactivating his headache. "Please, let me know about them, and I'll not give you any trouble. I promise."

"You killed my friends."

He looked up at her, and realized that she would have been part of the same Guard Company that had attacked him. "In my defense they did attack me first."

"Not a reason."

Chase shrugged his shoulders. "I was protecting those kids. That's all the reason I need."

The girl continued to frown at him for a moment, and then she glanced behind her. "I didn't tell you, but the girls have a couple of bumps and bruises, while that Bothan pup is mute."

Before he could tell her thank you, she kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling into the back of his cell. "Stay there and stop asking questions."

Then she was gone and the door slammed shut behind her.

Decisions

2009-01-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

The decision to leave behind the only life they had ever known in exchange for one of running and fighting began as most decisions do; over selecting the best kind of appetizers. At least Ben Skywalker thought that the most important decisions should be made at that time.

He wasn't certain where exactly he had picked up that particular thought, but he knew that it did one of two things to most people; drove them to distraction or amused them. After all, he was the son of galactic heroes, people expected him to put more thought into his decisions, and actions.

As stated, most people reacted in one of those two ways. Occasionally, Ben had found some beings who reacted differently, but they were few and far between. The only other exception he knew, was the one person who reacted with both distraction and amusement.

Jysella Horn.

So, as the fried krill claws arrived at the table, he tossed his best "Uncle Han" grin at her, and waited for her answer. As he waited, he watched. She was a beautiful girl, just a few years older than himself. Her heart shaped face, was constantly framed by thick, wavy black hair, and intelligent blue eyes flashed with warmth and amusement.

Well, usually, they were filled with warmth and amusement. At this particular moment, they shone with what could only be described as incredulity.

"It really is a big decision," he said as he picked up one of the claws and started removing the shell and pulling out the meat. "It's only fitting that I give you at least until dinner arrives to think it over."

She sighed as she watched him for a moment, the incredulity sliding to something a good deal harder emotion-wise. After a few moments, she rolled her eyes, shook her head and said, "Ben Skywalker, this has got to be the craziest, stupidest, most inane idea ever. What makes you think either or our parents would agree to it?"

He chuckled, and allowed his grin to grow a bit wider. "Why in the Force would we tell them?"

"Well, someone has to tell them when we run off and become pirates, forsaking our Jedi heritage. Otherwise, they'd try and come find us."

"That's the beauty of being pirates," he replied with a shake of his head. "They can't find us."

She raised a hand to her head, and closed her eyes for a moment. "Did you forget who our parents are again? Former assassin? Corsec? Rogues? Generals? A smuggler from a long line of them? And then your dad."

He chuckled, and waved his hand in the air. "Unimportant. We can hide in the Force. Besides, we learned all our tricks from them."

"Exactly!" She replied as the wait droid came by and refilled their wine glasses. "We learned everything we know from them. I doubt for a second that they've taught us everything that they know though."

Ben grinned again and ate another of the krill claws before saying, "I'm counting on it."

"Counting on it?"

"Yep, it's all part of my plan," he said as she took a bite of one of the claws. A comment timed perfectly so that she would cough over it.

She glared at him for a moment, a wry twist appearing on her lips. "A Skywalker with a plan? I do believe this is a first."

"Maybe," Ben said as he grinned mischievously. He leaned back in his seat and watched her for a moment. "So, what's your answer?"

"You're serious? You want us to quit the Jedi and run off and join the Morlick Pirates?"

"Right."

"The same pirates who are wanted in about forty systems for murder, piracy, and other very non-Jedi like things?"

"Right."

"You do realize that they are pirates."

He chuckled. "What, you didn't want to be a pirate when you were younger?"

"No, because I knew pirates when we were younger. I learned early, that Pirates tend to not groom themselves very well."

"Well, I'll make sure to continue my grooming habits once we become pirates."

"To be clear, one, your grooming habits could use some sprucing up at their current state and you want us to be pirates rather than Jedi."

Laughing, he nodded his head. "I'll try to remember to take more baths and yes."

"And you don't think that either of our parents will have objections to this?"

"What the baths?"

She barked a laugh. "No, the pirate thing."

"Oh, I think they would, but that's part of the plan you see."

"Ah, yes, this mythical plan. So, tell me Mr. Skywalker, what is this plan of yours?"

Ben glanced from side to side theatrically, before leaning in close; she instinctively moved closer to him, smiling slightly.

"We move to Tatooine," he whispered.

Ben could actually see the vein in the middle of her forehead start to throb. Closing her eyes, she rotated her neck, as if she was under a lot of tension.

"You're giving me a headache Ben," she muttered. "Why do you think that our parents wouldn't be able to find us on Tatooine?"

He grinned. "Well, there's a precedent."

Her eyebrow arched slightly. "A precedent?"

"Yep, a precedent. After Vader killed all the Jedi, Obi-wan took Dad to Tatooine. Once there, did he change Dad's name? Nope. Yet for all those years, no one, not even Vader, ever found Dad."

She laughed as she shook her head. "There's a flaw in your plan."

Ben frowned. "What's that?"

"We'd have to stay on Tatooine. Can't be pirates if we stay on Tatooine. We could be moisture farmers or moisture farmers, but we can't be space pirates."

Ben scratched his chin for a moment, thinking. Then he nodded his head sharply. "I see you're right. It might be time for a new plan then."

A look of incredulousness appeared on her face. "A new plan? Does it still involve us being pirates?"

"No, no, no," Ben replied, waving his hand in the air. "That was the old plan! This is the new plan."

"Then tell me, oh great maker of plans, what is the new plan?"

He grinned and pulled out a small piece of jewelry. A simple ring with a moderate sized precious stone--an item which Mirax had both helped him pick out, and had told him was an appropriate symbol of betrothal for Corellians.

"The new plan is you marry me and we spend the rest of our lives together."

Tears lined her eyes as she took the offered ring and slipped it onto her finger. "I think I like the new plan."

"So, that's a yes?"

She leaned across the table and kissed him. When their kiss ended, she replied, "Of course it's a yes."

The droid rolled up and delivered their entrees, and Ben's grin grew even wider, breaking out into a full-fledged smile. "See, another life-altering decision made over appetizers."

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark Ch. 19

2009-01-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

Previous Chapter

He neared the gate, and sent the command to activate the doors. They rolled open slowly, even as he accelerated towards the opening. The explosions near the main gate had gotten louder, and he needed to get the children to safety—so he could come back and help Noelani.

Frowning, his eyes flickered around, and instantly he recognized the numerous machines on the far side of the entrance as hostiles.

There were at least a dozen speeder-bikes and around half that many military-grade air-speeders.

He blinked for a moment, weighing his options. When he realized that he had none, he punched the throttle. The girls in the seat behind him yelped in surprise as the speeder rocketed forward. Acceleration pushed them all against the back of their seats, and suddenly they were through the gates, and past the military blockade.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw two of the speeders and around 5 of the bikes racing after him. He knew he could out-run the speeders; while they did have military-grade engines, they also had all the additional weight of their armor and weapons to carry.

It was the speeder bikes that would catch him.

Facing forward, he wondered what he could do; how he could fulfill his promise to Noelani and make sure the kids were safe.

A proximity alarm started beeping from the in-dash console, and he sent the speeder into a sharp dive. The beeping grew more insistent, and he glanced behind himself to find a pair of missiles heading towards him.

"Kriff," he yelled, as he twisted the yoke. Angling close to the nearest building, he skimmed its surface, and let out a sigh as two explosions erupted behind him.

Pushing the throttle forward, he darted ahead, and suddenly he pulled the throttle all the way back and swung the speeder around so that it hovered in the traffic lane; his door facing the oncoming speeders.

Raising his blaster he fired three times, and watched as one of the riders fell away. Grinning, he focused on the next speeder and fired twice more.

Then he noticed movement, and his eyes flicked over just as a rider-less speederbike slammed into the side of his vehicle.

There was a squeal of stressed metal, and his speeder went up on its edges. The bike that had rammed him, careened upwards and towards a building, and his blaster pistol fell down towards the ground beneath them.

Sighing, he pushed the throttle and leveled out the speeder, hunting for a way to escape. Only to find the remaining two speeder bikes coming towards him.

Chase cursed as he swerved the speeder around. The latest in a series of explosions rocked the vehicle up on its side, and he glanced upwards at the military-grade speeders advancing towards him.

His lips pulled back in a snarl, as he pushed down on the stick, and pulled it to the right, sending his speeder into a sharp dive. The girls strapped into the seats behind him screamed, as Huff, bounced up and down in his own seat next to him.

Chase shook his head, realizing that this was the most animated he had ever seen the young child.

Another air-burst rocked the speeder, and he twisted the yoke, sending them spiraling around.

An action which caused Prilla and Jena to scream even louder. He winced as their shrieks dug into his skull.

He leveled out the speeder and set it to hover, and then stuck his hand behind him. "Give me a blaster rifle."

"All right," Jena called out and a moment later the barrel of his rifle slapped into his palm.

He quickly pulled the weapon around, and rested it on the doorframe. He squeezed off a handful of shots, catching one of the speeders in its front air-intake. A smile came to his lips as the speeder careened out of control, heading towards the ground beneath them. Dropping the blaster into his lap, he pushed the throttle forward and once again, almost laughed as Huff started bouncing in his seat.

Suddenly, there was the sharp screech of metal being sheared apart, and the controls in his hand became unresponsive. He looked forward and noticed that they were hurtling towards a walkway. He grimaced, and glanced over at Huff, noticing that he was no longer bouncing in his seat.

Then they hit the walkway, and the impact foam flowed around them.

-------------------------------

Noelani cradled her wounded shoulder as best as she could, while still hanging onto the undercarriage of the troop transport as it flew through the warrens of the Coruscant undercity. She had pulled her Force presence as close to herself as possible, trying to hide herself from the Jedi that she had watched board the next transport over.

The wind tugged at her tunic, and she shifted her head, so she could once more look down. The apparently unending depths of Coruscant flashed by, and she wondered, not for the first time, just how crazy she was to be doing this.

Yet, she needed to be taken to the Guard's base in this sector, as that was the most likely location for where Asyra'mata was being held.

As the other troop transport pulled away, she let out a short sigh of relief. She was certain if that Jedi had sensed her he would have stayed.

She closed her eyes, and stretched out, trying to feel Chase or one of the kids. When she received nothing from the Force, she frowned and once more opened her eyes. Looking ahead, she saw a squat, grey dome directly ahead.

A portal began to open on the top of the dome, spilling warm yellow light into the perpetual smog of the undercity. The transport she was riding in swerved towards the opening, and began descending.

She felt herself grinning slightly, trusting the Force that it had led her to the correct Guard headquarters where Asyra'mata was being held prisoner.

As they passed into the dome, she stretched out once again, this time hunting for Asyra'mata. When she felt the familiar mental patterns of her friend, it was all she could do to not let out a scream of joy.

Instead, she sent a wave of reassurance towards her and then shut down in the Force; knowing that either her mother or that Jedi would be around somewhere.

Finally, the transport's landing gear rolled out; they were long skids on either side of the transport. The repulsor engines began to whine, and jets of smoke erupted from the sides as columns of superheated steam flashed outward.

Almost losing her grip on the underside of the transport, Noelani grimaced as the steam instantly both soaked and burned her.

Then the transport was safely on the ground. A ramp lowered at the rear of the vehicle, and the Guardsmen and their prisoners stomped down the gangplank, heading deeper into the compound.

Finally, the pilot and co-pilot left the cockpit, and disappeared, and Noelani allowed herself to drop to the ground.

The sudden impact aggravated the burns on her back, and she yelped in instinctive alarm.

Her hand slapped over her mouth, and she stretched out with the Force, trying to see if anyone had heard her. When no sense of alarm came back to her, she rolled out from underneath the transport and glanced around.

She spied three cameras between her and the door way, and as she started running, reached out and sent a surge of energy towards them.

She reached the door and gently touched the keypad next to it. Her hand hovered there for a moment as she felt the keys, sensing the different amounts of use each key had suffered.

Hoping that her luck holds out, she quickly punched in the sequence that she had constructed in her head from what the Force told her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she hit the last key, fully expecting an alarm to begin wailing. When instead the door in front of her snapped open, she stumbled back a step in surprise.

Quickly recovering she darted into the room, and instantly reached out with the Force, hunting for any surveillance equipment. She found some, and flash-fried it with the Force--she wanted her arrival to be as much of a surprise for her mother as possible. Glancing to the left and then the right, she turned left and headed deeper into the complex.

As she neared the first corner, her hand slipped to the hilt of her saber that hung from her belt. In a smooth, quiet movement, she unhooked the weapon, and allowed her fingers to caress the activation switch.

She stuck her head around the corner, and just saw another corridor. Spying a doorway halfway down the hall, she rushed that way, and entered the room.

It was empty, but provided a view of a second landing pad. She watched as two military speeders entered the compound, a third, wreck speeder dangling between them.

The damaged speeder was dropped to the ground, and a group of guards rushed out of the door that Noelani had entered the compound through.

Quickly, they began spraying a dissolvent on the crash-foam. Noelani stared transfixed. She wasn't certain why, but she had to watch. She had to see. Absently she noted that the other two transports had landed. Movement from one caught her eye, and she saw her mother get out of the transport.

Cursing under her breath, she focused once again on the wrecked speeder.

Her mother got closer, and was standing there as the last of the crash foam was dissolved and washed away.

Then the rest of Noelani's world crumbled. She slammed her fist against the plasteel window as she saw Chase, Jena, Prilla and Huff being dragged from the speeder. Their bodies hung limp between the guards as they were dragged away.

Noelani gulped at the air, trying to catch her racing heart.

She slammed her fist against the window again, and it reverberated in its frame. Noelani looked at it, and saw the spiderweb of cracks radiating out from the spot where she had struck it.

Horror sunk in as she realized that she had drawn on the Force when she had hit the window.

Her gaze shifted towards her mother once again, and found her staring directly at her.

Noelani swallowed, and backed away from the window.

Next Chapter

Secret Rendezvous

2008-12-31T21:16:00.000-08:00

Secret rendezvous, she suddenly realized, were only fun when they stayed secret.

Much to Tahiri's dismay, this rendezvous had not stayed secret. She watched in utter shock and dismay as most of the Jedi that were near their age, plus a few non-Jedi that were close friends with Anakin's family emerged from hiding and screaming "Surprise!"

She just didn't know what to say.

Which of course meant that her mouth was running without her actually being in control of it. Though she would never tell Anakin that particular fact.

No, secret rendezvous were nowhere near as fun when they were no longer secret.

So, she looked around, trying to find the one person who knew what her plans regarding this rendezvous were. Finally, she saw her. The girl she had to punch for ruining her plans. Anakin's sister, Jaina.

Jaina was a few years older than her, and had the curves to prove it. Though she was a bit shorter than Tahiri, and perpetually covered in grease, she even now was the subject of glances and looks taking a bit more than a glance.

Tahiri was just glad that she wasn't competing with her over Anakin's attentions; bad enough that she was competing with both Rar twins as a set and Sannah.

She slipped her hand out of Anakin's and stomped her way through the crowd until she stood next to Jaina. Jaina for her part was ignoring Tahiri, focused much more on her conversation with Zekk as they discussed whether purple korsch or green korsch were the better tasting.

Tahiri couldn't stand korsch at all, so she had absolutely zero concern for their conversation. Instead of waiting for a break in it, she pushed Zekk out of the way, tossing him a malicious grin, and said, "I'm stealing Jaina for a bit."

Before either could protest, she grabbed the older girl by the arm and dragged her off into the corner just as somebody turned on some loud, thumping music.

"What's wrong," Jaina shouted into her ear.

For a moment, Tahiri wondered if she should tell Jaina in such a public place but she realized then that with the music as loud as the others had turned it on, she didn't have to worry about being overheard.

"You kriffing well know what's wrong," she finally screamed in response. "I told you my plans for tonight."

Jaina's eyes widened slightly, as her mouth formed a slight "O" shape. "I'm so sorry Tahiri, I had forgotten all about it when we planned for tonight, and I thought you knew we were planning the party when you grabbed Anakin and pulled him away and said that the two of you would be back later."

"No! I didn't! That was what we agreed I'd say so you'd get everyone out of the apartment."

Tahiri could feel the beginnings of a headache, as some part of her wondered why the kids that were raised on the Core worlds liked this thumping music. As Jaina answered her, she realized that she had actually spoken her internal musings.

Waving away that, she then asked, "Well, how am I going to get some alone time with him when all these people are here?"

Jaina shrugged her shoulders, as she replied, "I don't know."

"It's your fault so you have to tell me."

Jaina's lips twitched into a frown. "Why do you want that anyways?"

Tahiri thought that Jaina was just so slow sometimes. She knew that most of their mutual friends knew of her crush on Anakin, and she was fairly certain Jaina's twin brother knew.

Sighing, she screamed at Jaina, "Kriff, Jaina, you know I'm in love with Anakin."

She blinked as she suddenly realized two things.

The first was that the music had stopped about the same time as she had said the word "know." The second was that she could feel Anakin's Force presence blazing brilliantly as always, though this time he was right behind her.

Horror etched itself onto Jaina's face as Tahiri's started burning a bright red, visible even through her perpetual tan.

Slowly, she turned to face Anakin, looking up into his blue eyes, she swallowed. He had a slight blush on his cheeks, and his eyes twinkled with amusement. AMUSEMENT! Her eyes flickered around all of their friends, before settling onto Anakin once again.

He opened his mouth to say something. She just knew that it was something that she did not want to hear, so instead she just quickly shook her head, and pushing past him, darted away.

No, she thought to herself yet again. Secret rendezvous were definitely no fun when they weren't kept secret.

She ran from the room, heading deeper into the Solo's apartment.

She ran past four doors, and darted into the fifth. It was a bedroom, and she sat on the edge of the bed, and covered her face with her hands as tears began to flow.

So, it was there as she sat on the bed, her face covered with her hands, tears streaming down either cheek, that he found her.

He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, as he spoke her name, "Tahiri?"

She looked up at him, and blinked through the tears. His face had stilled, his ice-blue eyes actually warm for once, and she found that she just could not look away from him.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded her head slowly. "Y-yeah, I'm okay..."

He grinned, "Good. Uhm..."

She sighed as she watched him, wondering yet again what it was that always seemed to draw him to her. He was the son of the Chief of State, the nephew to THE Jedi Master. What in the Force would he ever see in her. She wasn't even that pretty; especially compared to others, like his sister or Alema.

"I don't know how to answer that," he said.

In horror she realized that once again, she had just spoken the thoughts as they ran through her head. She once again lowered her face into her hands, as she felt tears burning her eyes.

"But, I do have to say that I think you're the the most amazing girl I've ever met."

She blinked, and slowly lifted her head until she was able to see him. With the back of one hand, she scrubbed at her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears. She felt her mind, and her mouth, go perfectly still, as if everything about her could not believe what he was saying.

"Y-you... do?" She finally managed to stammer out.

Grinning slightly, he held out his hand towards her. "Yeah, I do."

She smiled, and slipped her slim hand into his, and allowed him to pull her into a standing position. Once there, he wrapped his arms around her, and leaned in close.

"For the record," he said, that grin still tugging at one side of his lips. "I'm in love with you too."

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Ch. 18

2008-12-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

A voice rolled out from the distance, echoing loudly against the dome. "Attention, this is the Galactic Alliance Guard. Pursuant to the War Crimes Act you are all under arrest for suspected treason."

"Kriff," Noelani muttered, her hands squeezing tightly against the railing.

Another shockwave rattled their building, and Noelani pushed inside running down the hall and jumping down the stairwell. She landed with a grunt and then rushed into the room they had set aside for training, and grabbed her combat suit.

Chase was a moment behind her, and yanked his from the hook where they were stored. Anger flared through Noelani as she noticed the empty hook which should have held Asyra'mata's uniform.

Fastening the suit closed, she glanced over at Chase. "So, what's the plan?"

He snorted as he began pulling on his boots. "I was hoping you'd have one."

By this time she was pulling weapons from the cabinets and attaching them to her utility belt or stashing them in various pockets. "I say we get out of the dome, and then follow the Guard back to wherever they're going.

Chase glanced over his shoulder. "How sure are you if that's a good idea or not?"

Noelani turned and looked in the same direction he was watching, to see Jena, Prilla and Huff standing in the door way. Huff's muzzle quivered slightly, and she could see the abject terror in both Prilla's and Jena's eyes.

Noelani frowned for a moment. I don't need this distraction right now.

She felt Chase's attention return to her. "We can't leave them here, and we can't take them with us."

Noelani nodded her head. "Then you're going to stay with them and protect them."

"But you ne-"

"No!" she interrupted him with a slash of her hand. "I can get Asyra'mata out of whatever prison they're holding her in. I need you to watch these three. I need to know that they're safe."

"'Lani…"

She smiled at him wistfully, knowing what was going through his head. He hated the thought of letting her go out there; as much as she hated the thought of leaving him behind.

"I found you twice so far, I'm certain I can do it again," she finally said, a grin appeared on her lips; one that anyone who had ever met a Solo would have instantly recognized.

He stepped closer to her, and she swallowed hard. Suddenly, she was more nervous than she had ever been in her life.

He leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. Dimly, she was aware of the handful of vibroblades clattering to the floor as she dropped them.

While this wasn't her first kiss, as that dubious honor belonged to Ben—who she now knew was her cousin—it was the first time that Chase had done so.

As suddenly as the kiss began it ended, and he stepped backwards away from her. She blinked her eyes, trying to once again regain control of her thoughts and her heart. Giving up, she glanced over at him. "Chase…"

He shook his head, and gestured towards the door. "Get going. I've got a few more preparations in order to get the kids ready."

"I…" She snapped her mouth shut, not certain what she had intended on saying.

"I love you, Noelani. Make sure you come back to me."

She smiled at him, feeling tears as they threatened to fall. Then she threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely. "I love you too."

She dropped from him and went to the children grabbing them into a tight hug as well. "I want you all to be good for Chase, all right?"

"Okay, Mama," Prilla, the youngest replied.

She quickly kissed them each on the head once, checked to make sure she had her blaster and her lightsaber and then left the room at a jog.

She felt tears burning her eyes as she ran towards the main gate. Slowing down, she stopped and quickly worked through a breathing exercise. She couldn't go into that area distracted by thoughts of Chase and the children. She had to focus on the here and now—and trust Chase.

Once her emotions were under control again, she started moving forward.

She heard the sounds of battle first. The blasts of the blasters, the screams of the wounded and dying. Then she was close enough for the smells; charred flesh, discharged blasters, and the acidic tang of low-yield detonators.

She crept towards the edge of the next building and peered around. She saw Evir's soldiers as they slowly fell back away from the advancing Guard unit.

Then odd movements caught her eye. Someone was on the battlefield using a lightsaber.

She throat closed up, and she struggled to gain control of her pounding heart. A single thought slammed through her mind: the Jedi had found her, and were now killing all of her friends in order to take them away from her.

-------------------------------

Jacen smiled as he led his troops into the compound.

His intelligence network had been working for weeks trying to find the location of this group. They had been interfering with his plans concerning the Ferals, and he had finally decided that it was time to stop them.

So, not only was he happy over that, but he was also happy because for the first time since he had killed Mara, he was leading his Forces into battle.

From the front lines, just like his Grandfather had.

He couldn't help but smile as his blade slashed through the insurgents around him.

In fact, it was all he could do to not laugh as he fought on; slaughtering the enemy around him.

Suddenly, there was a surge in the Force. It was a spike of fear and horror which flooded his awareness. He paused, his blade humming loudly even over the sounds of the dying around him.

Stretching out with the Force, he found the source. She was young, trained, and terrified of… Jedi?

Jacen frowned, as he stepped towards the building she was hiding behind. "Come out, youngling. I'm not a Jedi, I won't hurt you."

He saw a moment of blond hair stick around the corner, and another surge of fear in the Force.

Her voice wavered for a moment, "I, I don't believe you."

Jacen grinned. She wasn't as trained as he thought. If she was, she would have known better than to start talking to him. He advanced.

"Why don't you believe me?"

"You're using a lightsaber. You've come to take me away."

He frowned, wondering what she was talking about. After a moment, he decided it didn't matter, she would either be useful to him, or she would die.

He took a number of steps away from the building, and then sprung forward so he could see her clearly.

Her scream echoed back at them, and he savored the fear that flooded the Force. For a moment, she reminded him of Tahiri, but he assumed it was just the fact that she had the same color hair as his potential apprentice.

A snap-hiss startled him out of his reverie, and he suddenly realized that she held a lightsaber, and had it pointed towards him.

He grinned again, wondering just how much fun this would be. As he raised his own saber into a mid-guard, he hoped that she had at least enough training to make this entertaining.

Then he darted forward, his blade thrusting forward. She side-stepped as he expected her to, just as he pushed out with the Force.

She flew through the air and slammed into the building across the street. Her body convulsed with the impact and the saber fell from her fingers.

He allowed her to drop, a frown coming to his face.

"That was easy and not fun at all," he muttered under his breath.

He closed the distance, until he was standing over her. He watched her for a moment, that annoying similarity once again at the edges of his awareness; though this time she reminded him of his Allana.

He shrugged the feeling away and raised his saber to deliver a killing blow, when the girl's hand flew up. He braced himself with the Force, expecting telekinesis.

So, he was caught off-guard when the handful of dirt flew into his eyes.

"Kriffing, Jedi," he heard her snarl, and suddenly, he felt a weight slam into his stomach.

The impact knocked him backwards, even as he struggled against the dirt in his eyes; fighting against the urge to rub them as he knew that could scratch the lenses.

Instead he took control of the autonomous functions of his body, and forced his tear ducts to begin operating.

As the dirt began to flow out of his eyes, he found himself grinning. Maybe this will be fun after all.

The girl's saber ignited again, and he brought his own blade around. With the Force guiding him, he inserted it perfectly into the spot necessary to deflect her blow.

Then a blaster bolt rang out, and the girl yelped as pain flooded through the Force. He glanced over and saw that his personal squad had advanced when they noticed his fight. He fought against the urge to send lightning at them for interfering and instead turned back to the girl.

She writhed in the dirt, one hand clasped tightly against the shoulder, which had been discolored, and burned from the blaster.

As he stepped forward, a yell came up from behind him, and he turned that way as two dozen soldiers came running from around a building, their blasters blazing.

He snarled, and began deflecting the bolts. Then he swore as four droidekas rolled up and transformed into their deployed mode.

The voice of one of his squad rang over their personal comnet. "Where the kark did these guys dig up four working droidekas?"

Jacen merely shook his head, as he responded. "I don't know, but we need to fall back so that the heavy artillery can deal with them."

Four double-clicks sounded over the comnet, and he glanced at the ground, to discover that the girl had disappeared. Uttering another curse, he began falling back towards the entrance.

-------------------------------

Chase smiled down at the children as he bundled them into an ancient XJ-15 airspeeder. He didn't like the fact that it lacked anything by way of offensive weaponry or even defenses, but it was the only vehicle he could find which both held them all, and Evir's guards would let him have.

He just wondered how it had survived by the Galactic Civil War and the Vong War.

Shaking his head, he quickly strapped the children in and powered up the systems. A handful of green ready lights flickered into existence, and he pulled back on the stick, lifting the craft up off of its landing gear.

Then he was moving, flying towards the rear entrance of the compound; away from the Guard invasion force.

Away from Noelani.

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Ch. 17

2008-12-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

Chase paced in front of Evir's desk. The older scientist calmly sat on the far side of it, watching him, while Noelani fumed in the chair that sat a few paces behind him.

After his third circuit, he stopped in front of Evir's desk. "We need to rescue Asyra'mata."

Evir shook his head. "I'm not going to approve that. The Guard is not something that we want to go up against; even for the two of you."

Noelani stood up and Chase could taste the electrical energy tingeing the air. He turned towards her, as she took a step forward. In amazement, he watched as her hair flickered and flowed, even though there was no air circulation going.

"I'm telling you this a single time," she snarled. "We're going after Asyra'mata, and you're going to give us the help we need."

Evir stood up behind his desk, and leaned forward. "You can go kriff yourself little girl. If you feel like getting yourself and your boyfriend killed over that little Twi'lek tramp that's your death. I'm not following you, nor am I letting you bring the Guard down on what I've built here."

Chase saw her hand heading towards her saber, and reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "That's enough 'Lani. Let's go, he obviously doesn't care about the folks under his protection and is willing to cut them free whenever they're no longer useful."

Evir laughed. "Right you are, young Chase. If someone or something endangers my operation here, I will happily throw it away."

Chase felt the muscles in Noelani's shoulder tense. He gave it a gentle squeeze, and her head snapped towards him. He fought against an instinctive urge to take a step back away from her. Anger colored her face red, and seemed to tinge her eyes even.

He blinked, and her eyes were once again that crystal clear, sky-blue that he admired so.

He tilted his head towards the door. "C'mon 'Lani. Let's go."

She nodded her head, and turned away from Evir. Chase reached down and grabbed her hand, and together they left the room.

Silence reigned over them while they waited for the turbolift. It finally arrived and they both boarded. As soon as the doors closed, Noelani grabbed his tunic and buried her face into his chest.

Startled, he raised his hands up for a moment, before lowering them around her shoulders. "Shh… it'll be all right, 'Lani."

She pushed out of his arms, anger flashing on her face. "How? We've got to get Asyra'mata back."

"Do we know where they took her?"

Noelani turned away from him, her head lowering. After a few moments, she shook her head. "No, I don't. But that won't stop me from finding her. I have the Force after all."

-------------------------------

Tahiri dropped into the seat behind her desk and stared at the datapads that she should be filling out. Bureaucratic annoyances that she despised. Sighing, she waved her hand in the direction of her terminal and it sprang to life. A few hand gestures and the cell of her prisoner was floating before her.

Not for the first time, Tahiri wondered why her daughter was not with the Jedi; and what she was doing with this Twi'lek tramp. Then she reminded herself that the Twi'lek was nothing but a child, even as tension raced down her body, her fists instinctively clenching as memories of the Rar sisters flashed through her mind.

With a flicker of the Force, she sent all the datapads flying from her desk, reveling in the clatter as they crashed to the floor.

A few moments later, Zora walked into her office, her helmet tucked under one hand. Tahiri watched the blue-eyed blonde for a moment. "Can I help you?"

Zora dropped into the seat in front of Tahiri's desk. "Want to talk to me about that Jedi we found in the under-city? And who is that Twi'lek?"

Hesitation flashed through her, as her lips pulled down slightly into a frown. She wanted to take Zora into her confidence, but she still did not trust Jacen, and had no doubt that anything she said to Zora would inevitably make its way back to him.

It would be just another weapon in his arsenal to use against her; to manipulate her.

Deciding, she leaned back in her seat. Better that no one here knows that Noelani is my daughter. "She was my apprentice before I left the Jedi."

"Ah… why did she leave the Jedi?"

Tahiri shook her head. "I'm not certain. I guess she was hurt worse by my leaving than I had expected her to be."

Zora nodded her head. "So, I've been wondering, why did you leave the Jedi?"

Of course we'd get back to this topic. It's something Jacen is dying to know. Tahiri smiled. "It's… complicated, and I don't feel like talking about."

Zora smiled at her, and stood up. "I understand, boss. I'm here if you want to talk."

I bet you would be here. I wonder what Jacen promised her for the information. Tahiri returned the smile, even though she didn't feel it. "Thanks, Zora. Now go on and get out of here. I've got an appointment with our fearless leader in a few minutes."

Zora saluted and then turned away and left the office. The door clicked shut behind her, and Tahiri watched it for a few moments. She leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling. What are you doing down here 'Lani?

Sighing, she pulled the monitor for her console closer and watched the Twi'lek girl they had taken prisoner. Frowning, as she estimated the girl's age at a few years younger than Noelani, she suddenly pushed out of her seat and walked out into the corridor.

A few minutes later, she was standing in front of the cell where the young girl was being held. Tahiri hesitated for a moment, and then stepped into the room.

The Twi'lek was lying on the bed—a thin sheet of bare metal jutting out from the far wall; one arm cradled the other, and Tahiri noted the dark, purple of a contusion on the side of her head. She stood there for a minute, and then stepped into the room, allowing the door to close behind her.

"What's your name," Tahiri asked.

The girl continued to ignore her for a few minutes, and Tahiri reached out with the Force, slipping tendrils of herself into the girls' mind, and quickly finding her pain centers. Without a flicker of a thought, pain flooded the girl's mind. A psychic backwash slashed back towards Tahiri and she found herself grinning.

A whisper slid across her awareness; a whisper fed to her through the Force. Mom, why?
Startled, she allowed the Force to flicker away from her control, and instead reached out towards her daughter, only to find nothing.

Sighing, she turned back to the Twi'lek. "So, what's your name?"

The Twi'lek was panting, and finally, she responded. "Asyra'mata. My name's Asyra'mata."

"Good," Tahiri replied, sending warm feelings down through the force into the girl. "You're in a lot of trouble, youngling. That was a restricted section we found you in earlier."

The girl snorted, and laid her head back onto the bed. "It seems most of the Undercity is restricted since the Guard showed up."

Tahiri shook her head slightly. "That still doesn't answer my question."

"Oh? Ask me if I'm really concerned about that—because I know I'm not." The girl's eyes flicked towards Tahiri for a moment. "Are you going to choke me again with that mystical mumbo-jumbo power of yours? Or is it going to be the pain again?"

Tahiri felt her hands clench tightly, and was slightly shocked to discover she had to fight back the sudden desire to yank the girl off of the bed. Instead she spun on her heel and left the cell; followed by the laughter of the Twi'lek.

-------------------------------

Noelani collapsed onto the floor of her room; folding her legs up tight against her chest. Anger, frustration and fear flowed through her; even as the tears slipped from her eyes.

"Why," she whispered, begging the Force to give her an answer. She wanted to know why she was suffering this way; why her family suffered this way.

Why, every time she found some measure of happiness, someone or something came and ripped it away from her.

Pain slashed through her, searing her mind. She bolted upright, and then standing quickly crossed over to the window. Even though the building they were in was underground, she faced the west, and could feel Asyra'mata's pain.

It was a burning agony that wavered in the Force, and with a jolt of horror Noelani realized that it was being caused by the Force.

She screwed a fist against her eyes, and she pushed at the edges of the bond between her and Tahiri. For the first time in what felt to her like forever, Noelani sent a message across their bond: Mom, why? Why are you hurting my friend?

Halfway through the mental sending, an overpowering Force presence slammed itself against her mind. She screamed, and found herself on the floor, her head clasped in her hands, and the coppery taste of blood filling her mouth.

The door burst open, and Chase ran into the room. "Noelani? What's wrong?"

She glanced up at him, and shook her head; instantly regretting it as spikes of pain ran through her skull.

He knelt down beside her and helped her to a sitting position. Gripping the railing of the balcony, she pulled herself upright, and once again glanced towards the west. A cough racked her body, and she leaned over from the sheer force. Opening her eyes, she saw a bright splash of red blood on the floor.

Wiping her mouth, she straightened, and glanced over at Chase who was staring at her with worry shining in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but she quickly cut him off.

"I'm fine. The Force will fix me up good as new in no time. But now we've got to go rescue Asyra'mata. She's being tortured."

She stepped away from the railing, the world wavering around her for a moment. Clenching her jaw, she took another step, as Chase stepped in front of her.

"What aren't you telling me?"

She stared at him for a moment, and then sighed. "She's being tortured, by someone using the Force. Whoever it is, is calling me. They want me to go to them."

Chase frowned. "Then, wouldn't it be a bad decision to do so?"

Before she could respond, a shock wave rolled over them, shaking the building, and sending a fine mist of dust rolling out from the dome's ceiling.

"What was that," Chase asked.

Noelani looked off towards the main gate, a plume of smoke becoming visible in the distance.

"I'm not certain, but it doesn't look like its good news…"

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Ch. 16

2008-12-15T19:43:00.000-08:00

Chase followed behind Noelani, occasionally stealing glances at Asyra'mata. It comforted him somehow that the young Twi'lek was as confused by Noelani's actions as he was.

He thought back to what he had seen: a Guard unit slaughtering the Ferals; ruthlessly and without provocation or mercy. He personally, did not see anything wrong with it; after all that's why they had been in this sector of the Under City.

Yet, Noelani had reacted badly. Her hands had clenched the railing until she shattered the plasteel that it had been made from.

Sighing, he tried again. "Noelani?"

She stopped suddenly, and he stumbled to keep from running into her.

She spoke without turning to face him. "You think I'm something of an oddball don't you? You think this was about the Ferals?"

He glanced over at Asyra'mata for a moment. She shrugged her shoulders, letting him know that he was on his own. "No, 'Lani, I don't think that at all. I was just wondering what you were thinking."

"That was Mom."

"What?" Asyra'mata cut into their conversation.

Noelani glanced over her shoulder at the Twi'lek for a moment, and Chase saw tears streaking down her face. Instinctively he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him in a hug.

Her body shook slightly as she fought against the tears. "That was Mom who was leading those Guardsmen."

"How do you know?" he asked.

She barked a short, brittle laugh. "I'm a Jedi remember? I'd feel my Mom in the Force anywhere. Yet she felt odd, as if she was hiding something; something that she was ashamed that she had done."

"What could it be?"

She lowered her head to her chest. "I don't know. All I know is that her Force presence felt dark… dirty somehow."

Noelani's body tensed suddenly in his arms, and he frowned down at her. She pushed away from him, her lightsaber igniting in the gloom of the undercity. "We're under attack."

Blue stun bolts ripped out from the dark and struck Asyra'mata.

The girl yelped in pain as she dropped to the ground. Chase's blaster rifle was up against his shoulders within seconds. The bits and pieces of yammosk that were in his brain were feeding him details about where the stun bolts had come from.

Looking down the barrel of his rifle, he centered the finder on the spot, and squeezed the trigger. A bright red bolt of energy was spat from the end of the rifle. A feminine cry of pain came out from the darkness.

Then suddenly there was a second lightsaber shining.

Their attackers stepped into the light, and Chase realized it was the Guardsmen from earlier. One of them spoke. "You are all under arrest."

Noelani's body was hunched over slightly. "For what?"

"Pursuant to Galactic Alliance Code 75124.4Aurek, you are trespassing. The Guard has annexed this entire section as part of our training compound."

Chase barked a laugh. "Jeez, 'Lani. Why is it that whenever I'm with you, someone is trying to arrest me?"

He could almost sense the amusement from her.

Then the Guardsmen with the lightsaber took her helmet off, and Chase felt his stomach flip. He knew that Noelani had said her mother was in that squad, yet he hadn't really believed it. He had thought that Tahiri's Master was too good for that; that she was better than joining the Guard.

Tahiri stepped forward, her blade held low. "Come on, Noelani. Don't do this. Come home with me."

Noelani shook her head. "You ran away from me. You left ME." She gestured towards Chase an Asyra'mata. "I found myself a home."

Tahiri sighed and then nodded her head. A blaster bolt erupted from one of the Guard's blasters. Noelani's blade shifted and batted the bolt back.

Then Tahiri was there. Her blade slashing in; the attacks aimed at her daughter were fast and furious. Chase stared in shock for a moment, and then ducked down behind a desk. Lifting up slightly, he sighted along the gun and pulled the trigger. The bolt caught one of the soldiers in the shoulder and she spun around and dropped to the ground.

The attack seemed to wake up the remaining two Gaurdsmen, and they began pouring blaster bolts into his desk. He cursed and hunkered down. A moment later, he lifted his head up, and saw that one of the soldiers was pulling Asyra'mata away from them.

"No!" He screamed at her, and fired three times in that direction, haphazard shots. The soldier hunkered down slightly and continued pulling Asyra'mata away. Then the other soldier threw something at him.

He glanced down, and felt his eyes widen in shock. Sitting at his feet was a small-yield explosive device. "Kriff!" he muttered as he jumped away from the grenade.

From the corner of his eye he saw Tahiri kick Noelani in the stomach, knocking her down through a hole. Chase raised his blaster and fired off a quick shot, amazed as it struck Tahiri in the thigh.

Noelani's mom dropped to the ground, clutching her leg, and Chase glanced over at the doorway that Asyra'mata had been taken through. He frowned for a moment and then dropped through the hole, chasing after Noelani.

-------------------------------
Noelani felt Tahiri's kick to the stomach. The wind rushed out from her in a whoosh, and suddenly she was falling.

She slammed into something hard and unyielding and heard her saber skitter off into the darkness. Her chest burned, and she suddenly remembered that she had to breathe.

Her first gulp of air, burned and she rolled over coughing, as tears sprang to her eyes. They were tears that had nothing to do with the pain in her back and stomach, and everything to do with the fight that she had just had.

She struggled to up until she was on her hands and knees and then lifted her head, looking up at the hole in the ceiling through which she had fell. A shadow crossed over it and a moment later, someone landed with a thud on the ground next to her.

Reaching out with the Force, she latched on to her saber and pulled it to her hand. Once she felt the metal hilt hit her palm she activated it to find Chase getting to his feet.

He blinked in the sudden light, and glanced up. Giving a quick shake of his head, he grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards a door. "Come on, we've got to run."

Noelani was startled, and stumbled after him, as she looked up at the hole. "But what about Asyra'mata?"

"She was captured."

Shock reverberated through her, as she stumbled to a stop. "Captured?"

"Yeah," Chase replied, pulling her arm again. "We've got to move."

Then a wave of concussive pressure slammed into them, flattening them both to the ground.

Noelani lifted her head, and found herself once more wrapped in Chase's arms. Hearing returned with a sharp ringing in her ears, and she shook her head in an attempt to clear it.

After a minute or two, Chase stood and glanced over where the hole had been. Noelani looked that way, and discovered that it had been enlarged and the floor beneath it was filled with smoking rubble.

Noelani stepped forward, and began to pull the Force to her, intending to jump up through the hole.

"Wait," Chase called out to her.

She paused, and glanced over at him. "What?"

"What are you planning on doing?"

She felt her face twisting into a scowl. "I'm going to go after Asyra'mata."

He shook his head. "They're probably already gone, but we know who they were and where they're probably at. Let's go talk to Evir." She frowned at him, and he stepped forward, holding his hands out towards her. "Please, 'Lani."

Sighing, she lowered her head, grief slammed into her, and she dropped to her knees, her hands covering her face as the first of the tears formed in her eyes. "I don't want to leave her…"

Chase dropped down beside her and wrapped her in his arms. "We're not going to. I promise; we'll get her back."

She lifted her face from her hands and looked into his eyes. Slowly, she nodded.

He smiled and she felt her heart jump in her chest. "Good, now let's go make some plans on how we're going to get Asyra'mata back."

-------------------------------
Asyra'mata felt herself being dragged down a hallway. A black bag was over her head, hiding her surroundings from her. She strained her ears, trying to hear anything that could help her escape.

Then the movement stopped, and she felt herself being lifted up and then tossed. She curled up, trying her best to protect her head from the inevitable fall.

Then she slammed hard into the floor. She coughed, and the bitter-chalk taste of blood filled her mouth.

A moment later, she felt the wrist restraints being released, and with a profound sense of joy, she yanked the bag from her head.

Blinking in the bright glare of the lights, she looked around, and found the door. Standing there was one of the Guard soldiers who had attacked them. She was not much taller than Asyra'mata herself was, and had long bright blonde hair—and she looked exactly like Noelani.

The deep pain of betrayal slashed at her.

"Noelani?"

An odd emotion flickered across the soldier's face. "No. But hopefully we both will be seeing my daughter soon enough."

Asyra'mata spat a mouthful of blood at the soldier.

It landed on her thigh; a bright red in direct contrast of the black body armor. The soldier looked down at it for a moment, and a look of anger and hate formed on the blonde's face. Asyra'mata felt something picking her up, and as her feet left the ground, she found it hard to breathe.

A gurgle escaped her lips and the sound seemed to snap the woman out of her reverie. Asyra'mata dropped to the ground, coughing once again as she tried to gulp down air.

The blonde spun on her heel and left, the door closing with an echoing finality behind her.

She crawled into the corner, and curled around her legs. Intently, she stared at the door; waiting for her chance to escape.

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Ch. 15

2008-12-06T22:09:00.000-08:00

Evir stood over them, his cold eyes flicking between Noelani, Chase and Asyra'mata. "I need you three to go to area 4 and clear out as many of the Ferals as you can find."

Neolani frowned at the request. "We're not trying to capture them now?"

Evir shook his head. "No. The group in Area 4 has mutated slightly; and for whatever reason they've become even more aggressive and virulent."

Noelani glanced over at Chase who merely shrugged his shoulders. Focusing back on Evir, she replied, "Okay, we can do that."

Evir smiled broadly. "Wonderful. See Gorn, he'll provide you with maps and a transport."

Evir turned away from them, leaving their house. Noelani watched the closed door for a minute, and then shook her head. She allowed her gaze to flick between Chase and Asyra'mata. "Well, we have a job to do. Let's get ready."

The two nodded and headed upstairs. Noelani looked towards the door for a moment. Something was bothering her, a niggling sense of wrongness in the Force. She frowned as she tried to focus on it.

Finally, the wrongness left, and she shook her head, sighing. Then she went upstairs and got into her own jumpsuit. It was as much battle armor as jumpsuit. After what happened with Gorn she had insisted that everyone on her team have them.

A knock on the door drew her attention and Asyra'mata stuck her head in. "You ready, Mom?"

Noelani frowned at the younger Twi'lek. "Just because I put up with that from Prilla and Jena doesn't mean that I'll put up with it from you."

"I understand," Asyra'mata replied even as she grinned maliciously. "Of course, I do have to know… should I call Chase 'papa?'"

Noelani felt a blush burn against her cheeks. "I… I don't know what you're talking about."

Asyra'mata laughed, as she turned and left the room. "Sure you don't, Mom."

Noelani frowned at the door as it closed; part of her terrified that Asyra'mata might be right. Movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention and she shifted that way—to find herself staring at her own reflection in a mirror.

For a moment, she could have sworn it was Tahiri watching her out of the black body armor. Her eyes seemed to flicker between green and blue, and Noelani got lost in them. A shiver raced down her spine, even as Noelani thought, I wonder what mom's doing right now.

A few minutes later, the door opened again, and Chase stepped into the room. He too wore the black body armor, and she felt a blush flash to her cheeks as he stood just inside of her doorway.

"Hey, you ready to go? Me and Asyra'mata have been waiting for you downstairs."

Noelani blinked and glanced at the chrono by her bedside. She frowned as she realized that she had been up here changing for nearly forty minutes. "What happened to the time?"

Chase chuckled. "Not sure, you seemed pretty out of it when I stepped into the room. Is everything all right?"

Noelani shook her head again, and walked towards the door. "Question for another day I guess. We need to go take care of those ferals now."

Chase smiled at her. "Sounds good to me."

He held his hand out towards her, and she grasped it as she headed downstairs.

A few hours later, Chase set their speeder down at the outskirts of their assigned area. Noelani jumped out of the speeder, and stretched out with the Force, trying to find any ferals in the region.

"Anything?" said Asyra'mata.

Noelani shook her head. "No. I can't feel any in the Force."

Chase chuckled. "Then I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way."

Noelani sighed as she reached back into the speeder and pulled out her blaster rifle. "That's gonna take so long though."

Chase laughed. "Of course it is. Now, let's head North-west first."

Asyra'mata spoke up, "Why that way?"

Chase looked over at Asyra'mata, and replied, "Well, it looks cleaner that way."

Noelani smiled and wrapped the strap of the rifle over her shoulder. She then reached back into the speeder and pulled out a helmet. According to Evir, it was Stormtrooper surplus armor from the Galactic Civil War that he had purchased and then painted back. Yet, as she pulled the helmet down, she wondered once again just who Evir really was. It wasn't often, but occasionally she'd get a bad feeling from him.

"'Lani?"

She blinked and then shifted her head so she could see Chase through the helmet's visor—only to find that he had his helmet on as well. A pang of disappointment sliced through her.

"Something wrong?"

"No… I was just thinking."

She watched his helmet for a moment.

"Gotcha," he replied and then gestured towards the North-west.

She sighed and then started walking in the direction he pointed. Her eyes scanned the dimly lit alleyways and streets, picking out landmarks the way Tahiri had taught her a lifetime ago.

Asyra'mata walked on her left with Chase on her right. She knew that both of them were scanning their surroundings the same way she was. She could feel their focus in the Force, and her helmet had small view screens on it which showed her what they were looking at.

After an hour's march, Noelani called for a break. She pulled off her helmet, her hair sticking to her forehead. She glanced at the other two, and shook her head. "I don't think there's anything in this area."

Chase looked around, a frown on his face. "I don't know… I, I kind of feel like we're being stalked."

Asyra'mata shrugged her shoulders. "If you want to stay, I'll stay, if you want to go, I'll go. You're leading us Noelani; it's your decision. But I do find it odd that there are no sounds here. Almost like all the creatures have fled the area."

Noelani nodded her head, and was about to tell them that they should pack it up, when the Force wailed in warning.

She spun around, and pulled her saber in one smooth movement, the blade's snap-hiss shattering the peaceful silence which reigned over the abandoned undercity.

A chunk of rock flew from an upper window and shattered near them, showering them with shards of ferrocrete. A moan from behind them alerted them to the presence of ferals, and Noelani turned that way to find a dozen of the creatures ambling towards them.

"Kriff," Chase muttered under his breath. "We were suckered into a trap."

Asyra'mata snorted in sarcastic amusement. "You don't think?"

Noelani sighed as she rushed forward. "Less talk; more freeing these poor souls from their pain."

Then she was in the midst of them. Brilliant red bolts of energy flew over her shoulders striking the ferals, as she sliced them down with her lightsaber. Yet she felt safe—she knew that neither Chase nor Asyra'mata would shoot her.

Within moments, all of the ferals were dead, and she stood in the center of the gore. Frowning for a moment, she knelt down beside one of the corpses, and broke off a chunk of the coral in order to get a better look at the face.

It was a child, a few years younger than she herself was, around Asyra'mata's age; and it was a child she recognized. It was Threll.

Noelani looked up and over at Asyra'mata. She could feel the young Twi'lek's shock and grief in the Force; a palatable feeling that resonated with Noelani.

"I'm sorry Asyra'mata."

She shook her head quickly, her lekku twinning around themselves. "He made his choices."

Noelani nodded and glanced past her to where Chase was scanning the buildings around them. "That doesn't mean that we can't grieve."

"When the mission's over."

She stood up and walked over to Asyra'mata, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're not older than me?"

Asyra'mata chuckled. It was weak, and filled with pain; but it was a chuckle.

-------------------------------
Tahiri gripped her saber tighter in her hand, squeezing the shaft of metal as hard as she could. She didn't like being down here. It felt oppressive and dead; feelings which affected both her Tusken upbringing and the implanted memories of being born in a Yuuzhan Vong Crèche.

She glanced over at Zora for a moment, and then raised her hand and gestured forward sharply. Zora raised her rifle and slowly moved forward.

As the rest of her squad advanced, Tahiri took a moment to look around. This deep in the bowels of the city-planet brought back other memories. Memories of the war and the two missions where she infiltrated the deep undercity of Coruscant, when it was the Yuuzhan Vong homeworld.

A quick click rang out on her comlink, and Tahiri lifted her head and advanced with more purpose. A few minutes later she found Zora and the other girls standing on a railing overlooking a lobby.

Beneath them, huddled together in the darkness, was nearly a hundred of the Ferals.

Tahiri stood in shock for a moment. She hadn't expected to actually find a group of the creatures. After blinking for a few minutes, she glanced around, and made a circle motion. She watched as her squad spread out around the railings.

Then there she heard the distinct clicks and whirls of their weapons powering up.

The first discharge was loud and echoed for a moment before the rest of the girls poured terawatts of energy into the unsuspecting Ferals.

Tahiri watched, and a chill raced down her spine as she picked up a new sound. It was an inhuman wail of pain and terror; one that reached deep into her mind and seemed to plant itself there.

Then silenced descended upon the chamber--interrupted for a moment by the ticks of cooling weapons.

Tahiri walked forward, and gripped the railing to look down and see the death she had just ordered on unsuspecting, living creatures.

She glanced down and instantly had to bit her tongue at the scene beneath her. She closed her eyes and quickly said a prayer to Yun-Shuno on the hope that the Ferals would be taken care of in the after life.

Then the stench of burnt and charred flesh and coral reached her nose and she had to fight back the urge to vomit. She clutched her hand over her mouth and took a step back away from the railing.

Noise on the upper level drew her attention and she lifted her gaze. In the shadows she could make out three figures, what appeared to be a male and female human and a female Twi'lek.

As she stared at them, the female human stepped forward and into a beam of the dim lighting.

Tahiri's heart jumped in her chest. Standing up there was her little girl; her Noelani.

Emotions flickered across the girl's face: disgust, sadness, pity and disappointment.

Then just as suddenly as she appeared, she was gone again.

Jedi Adept: A Path in the Dark Ch. 14

2008-12-01T20:40:00.001-08:00

Tahiri stood in the observation blister above the operating theater. Zora stood a few steps behind her, as Tahiri had assigned the young private as her assistant. Yet Zora was not the focus of her attention. What she was focused on was the doctors operating on the feral beneath them.

She frowned as she felt the feral's pain radiating through both the Force and her nascent ability to sense the Yuuzhan Vong's shaped lifeforms. She blinked, disturbed slightly by the distorted echo that the feeling caused in her soul.

Glancing quickly at Zora, she said, "What exactly are they doing today?"

In the glass reflection, she saw the young girl pull out a datapad and quickly began to read. A pang of guilt and sadness washed over her quickly; once more this young girl reminded her of her own daughter. For a moment, she wondered where Noelani was; what she was doing, if she was being a good apprentice to Tionne.

Zora's reply drew her from her ruminations. "They're testing the feral's innate telepathic ability. From my understanding the docs want to know how much the collective feels when a single feral is under intense stimulus."

Tahiri frowned at that; it reminded her of a similar experiment that the Jedi had carried out on a Killik just a few short years ago; specifically, experiments that were performed on a Killik of the nest that she had begun to form a joining with.

She glanced over at Zora. "So, that means there's another feral in the same colony somewhere under observation?"

Zora nodded her head. "Yes, it's a few sectors away, but we have a Guard research unit monitoring them for reactions."

Tahiri turned away from the window. "And we have a mission today?"

Zora pressed a few commands into her datapad. "Yeah. We're to go out and patrol sector A and destroy any ferals that we come across."

Tahiri glanced at the younger girl. "Destroy? Not capture or restrain in some way?"

"Nope. The orders say we're to kill them."

Tahiri sighed, and then walked out of the observation chamber. A second later Zora followed her, the girl's heavy boots falling loudly on the linoleum tile. Tahiri glanced down at her own bare feet and sighed.

Then shaking her head she walked towards the area of the building where her squad's quarters were. Zora went into one room, while she entered her own and quickly donned the Guard uniform. Straightening up, she stepped lightly into the heavy combat boots, getting used to their weight as she strapped her utility belt back around her waist.

Anakin's saber hung at her hip, a comforting weight. She caressed the hilt with the Force and felt the tiny bit of Anakin that was at the heart of the weapon's living crystal.

Then she confidently strode out into the hallway. A few minutes later Zora and the rest of her squad appeared; hidden and anonymous in the full body armor of the Guard. Tahiri frowned for a moment, some part of her instinctively not liking the uniform, despite the fact that having grown up a Tusken, covering every inch of skin was almost second nature.

She shook her head, and slipped her own helmet over her head. Data swarmed across the interior of her visor, and Zora's voice sounded close and intimate from the helmet's speakers. "You all right, boss?"

Tahiri nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

The squad turned and headed towards the lift at the end of the hall.

Within a half hour they were patrolling the undercity. The black armor they wore glinted coldly in the dim light. Yet from within the confines of the helmet, Tahiri was able to see clearly—almost as if it were the middle of the day. The squad moved with precise steps. Zora walked on her right, Lys and Sera, the other two members of her squad, were on her left and in front of her respectively.

As they moved through the area, Tahiri noticed something: there was no one around. On a planet with the population which Coruscant boasted, she found it amazing that there was literally no one there.

She reached out with the Force, hunting for someone and felt only a slight tingle a short distance away. Frowning, she stopped walking and closed her eyes, and then she stretched her Force powers further.

It felt odd to her. Not right. It felt like an abomination; something almost aware, yet almost a Yuuzhan Vong biot. Underneath everything though, there was a strong set of desires; animalistic urgings to eat and mate.

Zora's voice whispered in her ear, "Boss?"

Tahiri's eyes snapped open, and she shifted her head to find Zora's helmet looking towards her.

Then she lifted her head and looked to the west, where she could feel them. Raising her arm, she pointed. "We need to go that way. There are some ferals over there."

After a moment's hesitation, Lys spoke. "Yes sir."

The other three began jogging in the direction Tahiri pointed, and after taking a deep breath, Tahiri began chasing after them.

-------------------------------

Noelani stood on the balcony right off her bedroom. She lifted her face, and watched the dome ceiling for a moment. Sighing, she wished she could see the stars. She missed them, and all that they represented.

Finally, she lowered her face and turned back to look into her bedroom. Curled up on the bed was Huff. The young Bothan had not taken to sleeping in his own bed, and would routinely find his way into either her room or Asyra'mata's.

"Hey Noelani."

She turned back to the balcony and saw that Chase was standing on his, watching her. She found herself blushing, as she walked to the railing closest to him.

"Hey yourself."

"Do… do you want to talk for a while?"

Noelani grinned and quickly nodded her head. She looked into her bedroom for a moment, wondering if Huff would wake up if she opened the door. Deciding it wasn't worth the chance, she took a few steps backwards and then pulled the Force to her, as she jumped.

She landed on his balcony, and he wrapped his arms around her, steadying her.

Smiling, for what seemed to her like the first time in ages, she wrapped her own arms around him, and leaned her head against his chest.

Surprise raced through her. She felt safe and comfortable in his arms; almost like she belonged there.

It scared her.

The feeling created a deep, cold knot of abject terror that raced up and down her spine. She blinked and wondered about it; quickly realizing that she was afraid that Luke Skywalker would appear and take him away.

Her fear was that she would lose him to the Jedi.

The same way that she had lost every thing else in her life that she had considered important.

He ran his hand over her hair, and she sighed. A moment later tears sprang to her eyes, and a shudder raced through her body.

"Shhh," Chase whispered into the top of her head. "It's not your fault. There was no way you could have known they'd change how they attack."

"I know… but it's not just that. I've been having bad dreams… nightmares really."

"What is it?"

"Remember the day we first came here. How I told Asyra'mata about my mom and the Jedi? How you thought it wasn't everything?"

Chase frowned and slowly nodded his head.

"Well, the person who took my Mom away was Luke Skywalker. He mind-rubbed her so that she wouldn't remember me being born or even her being pregnant." Noelani felt a shudder race down her spine. "In my nightmares, I feel him coming after me, and yanking those that I love away from me, stripping them out of my life; one person at a time."

She pulled away from Chase, stepping closer to the railing, and leaned out over it, once more lifting her eyes to the ceiling, and wishing for the stars.

After a few moments, Chase put his hands on her shoulders. "You don't have to worry about it. I'm here and the Jedi can't keep me away."

Noelani turned back to face him, tears burning her eyes and blurring her vision. She nodded her head slowly. "I know… and that scares me too."

-------------------------------

The Festering Wound dropped through the atmosphere of the Jeedai homeworld. She could feel the light side of the Force permeating the entire environment. It sickened her.

Yet the Dark Side of the Force drew her here. It wanted her here on this world. As her ship settled to the ground, she closed her eyes, and focused on the swirling energies which became the future. Everything told her to simply wait; that what she was searching for would come to her.

She left the ship, the living implants which were the sign of her rank before learning of the Force writhed in almost ecstasy at the taste of this new world.

Ulya Tu just walked forward, following a whirl of the Force. Suddenly she realized that she was no longer alone. She watched as a young infidel, a Bothan if her memory served her, was standing in a doorway of one of the buildings.

The Bothan hissed at her. "What are you doing here, Vong?"

Ulya Tu's mouth twitched in amusement. "I'm waiting." She polled the Force, trying to determine if this creature was the one she was here to find. No, she's not the one. After a moment, she continued speaking. "What are you doing here youngling?"

The Bothan's eyes narrowed. "I… I'm just here."

"Then we have nothing to fear from one another, do we?"

"This world belongs to the Jedi. You shouldn't be here."

Ulya Tu laughed slightly. "I see no Jeedai here. Only a scared little girl, hiding from the galaxy that she believes treated her wrong."

The Bothan bared her fangs. "I'm not scared."

Ulya Tu walked closer to her. "Oh, but I think you are. I can taste the fear rolling off of you. You burn with it in the Force even."

Ulya could feel the shock rolling off the young girl. A shock which quickly shifted to anger.

"What do you know of the Force?"

Ulya Tu smiled. "More than you ever dreamed possible, youngling."

Ulya Tu closed her eyes, and stretched out with the Force; once more hunting for that call, that awareness. She felt it, a dim, far off wavering in the Force. It was a call that told her two things. The first was that she must wait here for her apprentice to come to her.

Second that she needed this young Jeedai trainee.

Ulya Tu opened her eyes, and reached into a pouch attached to her armor at the waist. She pulled out a wad of blorash jelly and threw it at the young Bothan. The jelly struck the girl and bound her in place.

Fear and anger rolled off her, a wailing in the Force. Ulya Tu grinned and closed the distance between them. Then she placed a finger against the girl's forehead and pulled the Force to her.

With a flash of bright lightning, Ulya Tu scrambled the girl's neural synapses. She knew enough about infidel biology to know that the girl would survive, though she'd be comatose for the next few weeks.

Still grinning, she turned around and made her way back to the Festering Wound. Her apprentice would come to her, and somehow, in some way, this young Bothan would help her bind her apprentice to her, and to the Dark Side of the Force.

Jedi Adept: A Path in the Dark Ch. 13

2008-11-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

Previous Chapter

Noelani crouched in the burned hulk of a building; she had pushed out with the Force, creating a sort of flattened sphere around her. An imaginary construct in the Force which allowed her to feel all the life in its radius; everything from the smallest bug, to the lumbering feral that was her prey.

This was her twelfth mission to collect a feral, and the first one in which she was the nominal leader. It had been nearly three months of going on raids with others before Gorn had trusted her enough to let her lead her own team out into the wild under-city.

She shifted slightly so she could look out the window with her eyes. She knew that it was not really necessary, but she also knew that it made the others more accepting of her. That it made her seem more human.

On the ground beneath them was the feral. It appeared to have at one time been a human girl, and if Noelani had to guess, she was around twenty standard years old. What was saddest to Noelani was that guessing from the amount of coral growth on the girl's body; she had been a feral for over ten years.

Noelani shuddered at the thought. Having been tortured at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong, and knowing that everyday with a coral infection was pain of a similar nature, caused her to feel sorry for the girl.

She tightened her grip on her saber, and glanced over at Asyra'mata. The red-skin Twi'lek had proven that she could be quite helpful on these hunts. Noelani then looked past the girl to see Rosen. He was a large man, bulky and muscular. A former bouncer, he had been helping Evir collect ferals for months now, and was now on her team.

Noelani nodded her head once, and then grabbed the window, and heaved herself out of it. As she dropped to the ground, she thumbed on her lightsaber. With a snap-hiss its brilliant light flooded the area, and the feral groaned.

Noelani landed on her feet, dropping into a crouch as she stared at the feral. It raised its arms, and started ambling forward, its moans growing louder, and beginning to echo with subharmonics.

She now knew that this was the newest phenomenon which Evir was studying, and how the ferals communicated with one another.

Suddenly, the heavy titanium-mesh net slashed across her view, folding itself around the feral. Noelani looked over and saw Rosen lowering the net gun from his shoulder even as she thumbed off her saber.

She grinned, and activated her comlink. "Chase, we've got one. Bring in the boat."

A quick double-click came back to her, and she turned off the device. In the distance she could hear an engine turning over. She knew that that would be Chase with the groundcar.

A tremor raced down her spine, and she frowned; every nerve sizzled to hyperawareness. The Force screamed at her: danger!

Slowly, she spun in a circle, her eyes lifting to watch the buildings around them.

From the floor above their level, windows burst out, and a trio of ferals dropped down. They landed nearly on top of Rosen.

"Rosen!" she called out, as she lifted her saber and thumbed it to life. Without a second's thought she rushed forward, running towards her teammate.

By virtue of being closer to him, the ferals reached him first. Rosen screamed as the first one bit him.

A bright red bolt flashed from the window they had been hiding in, slamming into the feral that had latched its mouth to Rosen's shoulder. Its head evaporated under the impact of the blaster bolt.

As Noelani closed with the ferals, she spoke into the comlink's mic. "Nice shot Asyra'mata."

A quick double-click came back to her, but she pushed that from her mind. She was in the midst of the ferals, her blade slashed in a half arc around her; a wide cut which bisected both of the ferals.

They fell away dead, and Noelani slid to a stop next to Rosen. Turning off her lightsaber, she knelt down beside him, placing a hand on his bald head.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and as his eyes opened, he smiled at her. "Was nice knowing you Noelani… now kill me. Kill me 'fore I become one of 'em.

She felt hot tears burning her eyes. "I… I don't want to…"

"Ya know there's no cure. Now, do it child. Do it while I still have my own mind."

Noelani lifted her saber, placing its hilt on the side of his head. She could feel the sense of wrongness as it flooded throughout his body. Another tear splashed against his cheek as a jagged piece of coral erupted from his cheek.

"Do it!" he hissed at her.

Still crying, she activated the blade. Its thrum sounded loud and oppressive to her ears, pounding against them. The sound told a story of how she had failed her friend.

She deactivated the blade, and the silence crashed in on her. She curled into a ball, her whole body shaking with the tears. Before long, a tentative hand touched her shoulder; thin fingers caressed her hair, after a moment, the hand snaked around her, holding her tight as she cried.

Then she heard Asyra'mata's voice in her ear. "It's all right… everything's fine. You did the right thing."

Then Chase was there, picking her up off the ground, cradling her to his chest. She leaned against him, comforted by his presence. He gently placed her into the groundcar, and within moments Asyra'mata was there again, comforting her.

A few minutes later, she heard something drop heavily into the bed of the groundcar, and knew that Chase had retrieved Rosen's body. Then he appeared in the driver's seat. He reached out and gripped her hand for a moment.

Once he released her, he put the vehicle into motion, heading towards the compound.

With the back of her hand, Noelani pushed away some tears. "H… how did that happen?"

"We just got unlucky is all," Asyra'mata replied.

Noelani shook her head. "No. That's not it at all. They were waiting for us. Expecting us. That's a new behavior that we hadn't seen in the ferals before. The feral colonies are getting smarter."

She could feel the other two's hesitance to accept her ideas. She understood that. She didn't want to think of what horrors a gathering of intelligent ferals could unleash upon those who lived in the under-city. It was bad enough when they were just a mindless, reactive mob.

She straightened slightly, and wrapped her arms around the younger Twi'lek, and smiled at the girl. "Thank you."

Asyra'mata just shook her head, and turned to look out the window. Before long they were pulling in front of the processing station, and Gorn with two of his assistants were walking towards them.

Noelani sighed, and got out of the car, and felt Gorn's annoyance and anger as he saw Rosen's body lying in the cargo area next to the tied up feral.

His hard eyes flickered among them all, before settling onto Noelani. "What's this? Your first mission and you've already have a casualty in your group?"

Noelani stamped down on her annoyance with the older man. "It's the ferals, they did something new. They ambushed us."

Gorn's eyes narrowed as he watched her for a moment. Then he sighed and looked away. "You're not the first to report that today. Get out of here; I'll have to talk about this with Evir."

Her eyes widened in surprise, as she looked over towards Chase. He just shrugged his shoulders, and together they turned away, and headed deeper into the compound. Before long, they were in front of the building that they shared.

The trio walked in, and two short blond blurs rushed forward and grabbed Noelani around the waste. Noelani smiled down at the two sisters, and continued on into the room. In the corner, she saw Huff, the young mute Bothan who had also attached himself to her.

She smiled at him, and waved him forward. He watched her for a moment, a quiver wavering across his muzzle. Finally, he moved forward and wrapped his arms around her waist in a hug.

-------------------------------

Kor huddled in the cramped confines of the transport. They were all being taken to the spaceport, and a set of Jedi ships waiting there to get them all off the planet. There was no doubt now that the Guard had turned against the Jedi.

Kor closed her eyes, fighting the tears that wanted to come as she remembered Master Kam being shot in cold blood by that sadistic commander.

She scrubbed at her eyes with her paws, and then gave her head a quick shake.

The transport rumbled to a stop and the doors swung open. Kor blinked at the sudden influx of light, and stood up and got off the vehicle. She looked up and saw the three transports on the tarmac a hundred meters away, bright spotlights coming from them, roving the ground.

Kor paused, allowing the rest of the padawans to flow around her, as they rushed towards the transports.

She felt something else though. Something urged her to stay behind.

This was her home, more than Bothuwai had ever been.

She had met her best friend, Noelani here. She had learned so much here.

She had met Poll here.

She had lost Poll here.

Part of her still blamed Ben for what had happened, even though she knew that it had hurt Ben as much as it had hurt her. She bowed her head for a moment, as a fresh wave of pain flowed over her; she accepted the pain, comforted by its familiarity.

First Poll had died in those terrible caverns, and then Thann had informed her that he could no longer be her Master. Not for the first time, she felt lost and alone.

Lifting her head, she stared at the brilliant lights of the closest of the transports, and made up her mind. Moving purposefully, she headed towards one of the maintenance sheds, and with a flick of the Force opened the door.

She slipped into the dark room, and closed the door, waiting.

A few minutes later, she heard the voice of one of the older Jedi calling out, "That's everyone, let's lift off."

Acknowledgments rang out, and Kor could feel a low rumble deep in the pit of her stomach as the starships activated their repulsor engines.

A few minutes later, she heard the transports ignite their ion engines. Before long, the nearly deafening noise had dwindled to a low roar and then was gone all together.

Kor waited another fifteen minutes and then pushed open the door to the maintenance shed. She stared out at the empty starport, and then shifted her gaze to the equally empty Jedi Temple.

Pulling her robe tighter around her shoulders, she began the long walk back to the Temple; oddly happy at the solitude. For the first time since Poll's death, she almost felt at peace.

Next Chapter

Memories - Epilogue

2008-11-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

Anakin was strapped into the crash couch of his X-Wing, the swirls of hyperspace hypnotic before him. He stretched as much as possible in the cramp cockpit trying to work out the kinks in his shoulders. He glanced down at the console, and noted that the last leg of his trip was over; after two weeks on Obra-Skai he was finally returning to the Jedi Academy on Yavin.

Grinning, he pushed the levers forward as Fiver, his astromech, told him that it was time to leave hyperspace. The swirling tunnel collapsed and the Yavin IV hung before him a blue and green jewel, in front of the larger orange and brown sphere of Yavin itself.

He activated his com and got clearance to land, once that was taken care of he called up his apartment.

His Aunt Mara answered, "About time you should back up, Solo."

He chuckled, long used to her acerbic personality, "I blame Uncle Luke for sending me on these things."

"Well, we've been waiting, and everyone's here, but you should have a package to pick up at the landing field."

The grin still on his lips, he nodded his head, "I understand Aunt Mara, and I'll see you soon, and there should probably be some canapes around."

"Copy that, Solo," she replied with a chuckle and then the circuit shut down.

Still grinning, he dove into the atmosphere, ignoring the squak of concern that came from traffic control. Speeding up, he dropped low, riding just a few meters above the massive trees which covered most of the area. Flowers and leaves blew up in the air, disturbed by the wake of his passage.

Within minutes he was within sight of the Jedi Temple, and traffic control was getting frantic at his speed and the fact that he was ignoring the customary approach patterns. With a flick of his wrist he turned off the comm unit entirely as he circled the Temple itself.

Leveling out, he flashed over the landing area, causing an explosion of colored petals to shower the area. He simultaneously pulled up on his stick and throttled his speed back down effectively flipping his craft over and shedding all its forward momentum.

Righting himself, he once more closed on the landing area at a more sedate pace. Arriving at his designated plot, he gently lowered the fighter to the ground. Pulling off his flight helmet, he looked at the stone bench set beside the landing area.

It wasn't that long ago that he sat there waiting for Jaina to come pick him up. For a moment, he wondered what his life would have been like if he hadn't came back to Yavin.

Even as he thought that, he focused on the person sitting on the bench. She was a slip of a girl in an orange jumpsuit, and had a piece of cloth tied over her hair. As he realized that she was without shoes as usual, he found that his grin had widened into a full smile; and he knew that his life would not be nearly as complete if he hadn't returned.

Pushing open the canopy, he jumped out and used the Force to slow his drop to the ground. The smell of flowers hung heavily on the air and the petals themselves were nearly everywhere; placed there by the aggressiveness of his approach. A strong wind would occasionally gust through them, sending a rainbow's worth of colors fluttering on the breeze.

He closed the distance between them, as he walked, he noticed that she shifted the cloth on top of her head as the wind tried to snatch it away.

Finally he was standing before her, and tossed her a half-hearted grin and a wave. "Hey suspicious person."

She raised her head, a frown on her own lips. "You're late. Way late."

"Sorry that I was a little late," he replied, ignoring her. "But then again, I'm not the suspicious person here."

"I'm not a suspicious person!" She exclaimed as her green eyes wavered between anger and amusement.

He laughed and knelt down in front of her. "What? Sorry, but no matter how you look at it, you're a suspicious person."

"How?"

"It's just everything," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and a pout touched her lips. "That's not true."

He patted the cloth. "What's with this, anyways?"

She sighed, and gripped the cloth tighter to her head. "Promise not to laugh?"

"I won't," he said, standing back up.

"You really, really promise not to laugh?"

"I swear that I won't, no matter what happens."

She frowned slightly. "That sounds made up, but it's a promise."

"I do keep my promises," he replied.

She nodded her head, and then sighed. "Well... I went to the barber and asked for a haircut. Then..." She pulled the cloth off, revealing that her long hair had been almost entirely hacked off into a short bob that ended just beneath her ears. "Then I kind of got a lot cut off. He was new, and a Chadra-fan... I don't think he knew that I was a girl."

He couldn't help it, Anakin burst out laughing.

She threw the cloth at him as she pouted. "You said you wouldn't laugh."

His laughing tapered off, and still grinning, he responded, "Well, it's just that with that haircut, you do look kind of like a boy. Next time, take Jaina or Nelani with you."

She sighed and nodded her head. "Yeah, I'll do that."

He held his hands out towards her. "Well come on then, let's go."

She reached up and grabbed his hands, and he pulled her to a standing position. "I commed Aunt Mara on my way down, and she said she'd make you some canapes. Also, Jaina, Tenel Ka, Eyrl, Kiori and Nelani are going to be there. They're all there waiting for us."

She grinned up at him, the smile lighting up her eyes as the wind once again tossed flowers around them. "Then we've got to hurry."

As they began to walk towards the apartments in the distance, he smiled down at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "No Tahiri, we've got all the time in the world."

--------------------------------

The time that had stopped slowly starts moving...

... all while holding on to a small fragment of a miracle.

I don't know how long it will take...

But... there's plenty of time.