Beyond - Legends Tales of the New Jedi Order [Jaina Solo/Jag Fel]

Edit: There was some kind of gaffe where I accidentally replaced the first post of this thread with the second chapter of my fanfic. Unfortunately I don't have an archive for all of chapters so it will remain this way. The best I can do is just post a summary of the story itself.
Title: Tales of the New Jedi Order
Author: windu4
Genre: AU, action/adventure
Timeframe: Takes place directly after the Vong War.
Characters:

(Main)

• Valin Horn: Jedi Knight
• Ryanne Kovani: Pilot
• Zane Solusar: Jedi Apprentice
• Derrick Rostu: Male Human

Plot: This is an alternate universe of the EU that takes place after "The Unifying Force". It replaces the canon that was "Dark Nest" and "LoTF/Farce of the Jedi". This is a part of a fanfic trilogy that I will be writing over the coming year or two. Basically this fanfic will explore the state of the galaxy after the Vong Wars and how the Jedi again come into prominence in the galaxy under the leadership of Luke Skywalker. This story will explore all kinds of characters and will not be limited to the Solos and Skywalkers.
Note: This takes place six years before "I, Rogue 9" which is my Diary Challenge for 2013.
Disclaimer: Characters owned by Stackpole/Alliston/Lucas etc etc

 

Chapter 2
Pain was quite literally all that Kyp Durron knew. Every nerve of his body felt as if it was on fire. Every scrap of his conciousness were barraged with reminders of his past failures and promises of failure in the future. All Kyp Durron could think about was Carida and Zeth. Over and over again. The battle of the Vong had been playing in his favor for quite some time. Kyp had slain four of the warriors. Unfortunately during the fight he had been poisoned with an ampistaff. It had been a glancing wound and Kyp had thought nothing of it. Not until he collapsed to the ground when the venom had seized his body and incapacitated him. Then Kyp had woken up in the Embrace of Pain and that’s all he never knew.

He wasn’t certain how long he had been here or even if he was still on Mykyr. He didn’t know if the war had ended and if they had won or lost. All he could truly focus on was the fact that all of his pores had been invaded by a foreign substance designed to inflict pain. As Kyp hung there suspended over the ground he slowly began to breathe. All he did was control his breathing. He didn’t reach out for the Force. He had already tried that and had merely gotten pain for his efforts. He just inhaled for four seconds, held it for eight and released it in four beats again. He needed to get his heart under control. He vaguely remembered what Jacen told him. The Embrace of Pain was just pain. That was it. Nothing more. Nothing less.

It wasn’t going to poison or effect his body over a long period of time. If anything killed him it would be the stress of the pain. Which was why Kyp had to make the pain small and insignificant. He wasn’t sure how long he meditated. Yet he became aware of the state of his body. He felt the throbbing pain in his side from where a thudbug had buried itself in his body. He felt the swelling in his ankle from where the ampistaff had bit him. He felt the bump on his head from when he had fallen on a rock after passing out. He then slowly managed to open his eyes and that’s when the pain redoubled. Kyp grunted as the Embrace of Pain tried to will him back into accepting pain as his reality but he refused.

Instead he completely and totally opened himself up to the Force. The pain seemed to magnify by the dozens but Kyp managed to determine during his brief exposure to the Force that he was alone. The room was empty. He didn’t detect any proof pointing to the presence of the Vong. He couldn’t sense the Vong but he could sense whether matter was occupying space or any other matter of unrelated aspects that warned him of his enemy’s presence. And as Kyp opened himself up to the Force he realized the Embrace of Pain was tied to the wall by leather…not organic material. Ignoring the pain Kyp reached out with the Force and with a twist of his mind severed the lever in half. The Embrace of Pain tightened its hold on him as it toppled to the ground but when he crashed into the dirt-ridden floor Kyp barely managed to twist his body and roll away.

The greatest pain of all was when he was forcibly detached from the Embrace of Pain but when he staggered to his feet he was a free man. Kyp inhaled sharply and stared down at his body. A loose pair of pants. That’s all they gave him. He looked around and realized that he was in a dark room that felt like a cave. He sighed and extended his feelings through the Force as he leaned against a nearby wall for support. He was still on Mykyr. But where was his team?

Kyp stumbled through out of the dark room and down the hallway. He felt as if he was intoxicated. He called on the Force yet again to supplement his body and forced himself to regulate his breathing. He peered down the hallway and saw another room and a starnge light shining from it. He extended the Force yet again and he got the feeling that the Vong were in there….but so was his lightsaber. And his clothes. Kyp only needed one thing, though. He reached through the Force and focused on his lightsaber and moments later a cylindrical weapon flew out the door down the hallway and into Kyp’s hand. This was followed by squeals of surprise and as Kyp ignited his lightsaber he watched as a Vong came sprinting down the hallway, an ampistaff in his hand. Kyp simply raised his left hand and tweaked his finger. Dirt suddenly fall from the ceiling and engulfed the Vong, driving the creature to its knees.

Kyp sprinted down the hallwya and as he did he jumped over the Vong; kicking it square in the jaw as he did. The feeling of human-flesh meeting Vong-flesh wasn’t pleasant but he persisted through it. As he continued to run he felt a warning through the Force and spun around just in time to block a blow from the second Vong. An ampistaff swung down towards his head and Kyp ignited his yellow lightsaber. He raised his weapon and blocked the swing. “Haven’t you heard? The war is over! OVER!” Kyp disengaged the blow, not quite willing to take the killing strike he could have taken.

Instead he raised his index and ring finger and drove them straight towards the Vong’s face. The Vong dodged and Kyp instead jammed them into his ear. The creature hissed in pain and swung his arm back. Kyp anticipated that the ampistaff was going to turn into a whip and when it did he reached out with his right hand. The ampistaff slung itself around his arm and Kyp hissed as he felt the pain of the attack. Yet when the snake finished wrapping itself around its arm he reached and grabbed it by the neck. Kyp enforced his strength through the Force and crushed the neck of the ampistaff, killing it. The Vong roared in anger and Kyp reached up with his lightsaber (stillg ripping the ampistaff with his left hand) and slashed through the Vong’s right arm. It toppled to the ground and Kyp spun on his heel and kicked the Vong down towards the floor.

Then he turned and ran as hard as he could. Soon Kyp could see the opening of the cave and as he did he could see something in the distance. It looked like an approaching ship! Kyp reached through the Force and extended his presence outwards. Past the cave and towards the sky. That’s where he read the worry of Dorsk 87. The guilt of Valin Horn and…the determination of a certain brunette he hadn’t seen in quite some time. Kyp stumbled outside and as he did he saw another armor covered, scar-ridden Vong Warrior coming straight at him. Kyp simply didn’t have time to preserve the Vong Warrior’s life and merely threw his weapon across the clearing. It hurtled through the air and Kyp used the Force to guide the weapon straight into the Vong’s heart.
The Vong stumbled to the ground and Kyp trotted towards it and picked up his weapon. Then he sat down and crossed his legs. He was exhausted and his body racked with pain. He knew that more of them were coming and that he couldn’t really defeat them. Yet he also knew that a ship with three skilled Jedi was on the horizon and Kyp was confident they could handle this. So as he gave into his exhaustion he didn’t have to acknowledge the sound of blaster fire or the smell of charred flesh. The ship soon landed and Kyp sighed and stood to his feet as he watched Jaina, Dorsk 87 and Valin Horn emerge from the brush.

“What were you thinking?!” Jaina snapped as she approached him. “Falling behind for a scientist…you’re getting soft.” Jaina was dressed in her flight suit as always and Kyp was quickly reminded of his own state of dress.

He glanced down at his pants and shrugged. “Well, you do have a point. He got himself killed.” He glanced back at Valin. The 16 year old teenager was staring at the ground. “Don’t blame yourself kid.”He sighed as he walked past Jaina and clapped Dorsk 87 on the back. “You guys gonna tell me where my ship is? I’d like to get back in some normal clothes…”

 

Riveting and great character focus

 

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OOC: Thanks Jade_eyes!​

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29 ABY​

Corellia​

Chapter 3

Corellia had always been a planet renowned for its spacefarers and adventurers who always made a name for themselves off-world. As a result many of the best and brightest born on Corellia tended to flee the planet as soon as they came of age in order to seek their fortune. Corran Horn had left Corellia in an attempt to stabilize the galaxy and carve a name for himself as a talented pilot. The one thing about Corellians is that they always came back. Whether it was to visit family, retire or to simply regale others with their adventures. Corran had returned for none of those reasons. At the ripe age of 46 he was reaching the point in his life where it was time to be a leader who spent less time on the front lines and more time training others to dealing with the problems of the galaxy.

If Corran had chosen too he could have become a general in the Galactic Alliance or continued to serve missions with the Jedi Order like Kyle Katarn. Instead he had decided to become a Jedi Watchman of the Corellian Sector at Luke Skywalker’s request. In the past six months he had spent his time settling in and reintroducing himself to the Corellian Security Force and CorSec Academy. If Corran had so chosen he could have become a teacher at CorSec Academy. As much as he enjoyed dealing with youth he was stil a man of action. A man who dealt with violence and crime and the horrors of those who took advantage of their freedom. So with the help of Wedge Antilles he had been promoted as the Chief Inspector of the Tactical Response Team. It allowed him to help manage the department and get directly involved with the major crimes of Corellia and its moons.

It had also allowed him to take Wedge Antilles’ young daughter Myri Antilles under his wing. She was seventeen and had quickly proven herself to be a prodigy. While she wasn’t necessarily a member of the team she was an intern and had proven herself as a capable slicer and computer technician. She practically worked here but unfortunately certain child labor laws meant it couldn’t be official. Corran had sworn to keep an eye on her yet still make sure she worked to her full capacity. While she certainly did there were some eccentricities that Myri possessed that reminded Corran of his own daughter.

These eccentricities had come to a powerful conclusion when Myri had taken it upon herself to take on a case claiming that a teenage girl roughly her age had been kidnapped and was being held hostage on Gus Talon. An alcoholic washed-up mechanic was the one who reported the case. He had claimed that somehow Black Sun was involved and that it was a massive conspiracy to quiet their family on a conspiracy regarding the Vong War. Corran definitely didn’t believe it for some reason Myri did. The Security Commissioner had ordered him to tell Myri that they were dropping the case and Corran was about to have that meeting. It broke his heart to do so but it was necessary. He and Wedge had learned that lesson during their time with Rogue Squadron. Or more accurately they had resigned their military commission, left the government and waged their own illegal guerilla warfare just because they hadn’t gotten their way but this was different.

“Uncle Corran?” Myri stuck her head inside the room and Corran felt a twinge of guilt.
As Myri Antilles stepped inside Corran couldn’t help but admire the differences and similarities between his former partner and Myri. Myri was always dying her hair a different color, was always dressing up as a tomboy and could always been seen immersed in a datapad. She was attractive but didn’t seem to flaunt it or even care. That only seemed to excite the younger members of CorSec which annoyed Corran to no end. He wasn’t sure if Myri did it on purpose or simply didn’t care. Either way she was her own woman. She reminded him of Iella in many different ways. Like her mother she was stubborn to the point of frustration. Unlike her mother she lacked caution but she made up for it by being a prodigy.

“Come in.” Corran waved a hand at the door. He stared down at his datapad and scratched at his neatly trimmed beard, trying to think of a way to break this to her. Myri sat down and as she began to speak Corran held up a hand to motion her not to say anything. Since he was a Jedi Master he had opted not to wear the typical uniform and instead wore his green Jedi Robes. He had come to learn that they demanded as much…if not more respect than what the normal outfit had to offer.

“Myri, I’ve looked over your case files and while I do agree that the evidence presented before me does lead to some suspicious questions I have to say that it has nothing to do with the kidnapping. I’ve pulled this man’s file…uh…”

“Daxton.”

Corran nodded. “Right, Daxton. He’s not the type of man who looks like he’d be caring for a child. He’s an alcoholic, he’s addicted to stims he’s been arrested for possession of death sticks he’s just not the type of person who seems like he’d care about a teenager. I feel that he made up this case in his own mind simply because he’s lonely and is trying to get some attention in his life.” Corran sighed. “I hate to break this to you but we’ve decided not to pursue that case for the following reasons.”

Myri stared at him with her blue eyes so long that Corran wanted to flinch. It was that same look Iella gave him when she thought he was being brazenly stupid and prideful. “Uncle Corran, when the Vong were discovered why do you think it is that nobody believed you?”

Corran frowned and despite all his years of wisdom he fell for the trap. “People aren’t willing to give Jedi credit. Because of Darth Vader and Sidious and the Purge we had a negative reputation that colored other’s views on us. Fools like Borsk thought of us as power-hungry dictators when we only wanted to save the galaxy. He thought we were making a paranoid grab for power just for attention and…” Corran stopped, stared at his clenched fists in his lap and let out a slow breath. “I’ll go get the Nova Whisper prepped. This mission is off the books.”

Myri grinned brightly. “See, I knew you weren’t as stuffy and indoctrinated in CorSec dogma that you lost sight of your job like mom said.” She stood up and was already out the room before Corran knew what had happened.

The elder man stood and sighed. “Karking kids.” He muttered; and then he went to get the Nova prepped.

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Yay for Myri. And Corran is not like an old stick in the mud ostrich Borsk is a piece of work no lie

 

Corran has always been one of my favorites; and I love the way that you've allowed the Jedi to expand their roles as they see fit. If only profic had gone that route.

I'm a bit confused by chapter 1 and 2 though...how is Kyp using the Force on Myrkr? Did all of the ysalamiri die?

 

I should have addressed that in my story but he simply was in a part of the forest with no ysalamiri. I kind of threw that chapter together.

 

Was a piece of work.

 

Hee! One of the ... high points of SBS.

 

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29 ABY​

Ossus ​

Chapter 4​

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He was trying to leave before anyone noticed he was gone. Mom would fuss and worry. Dad would be awkward and moody. Uncle Luke would try to look understanding even though Jacen would sense his doubt through the Force. Aunt Mara would be disappointed since Jacen was leaving little Ben just when the youngster was opening himself to the Force again. Jaina was the only one who would understand but she was gone. Off on some dammed crusade with Zekk. So it was just Jacen and his rented astromech droid R-4.

“No, we won’t be needing a hyperspace transponder. I don’t have any intention of communicating with anyone on the other side of the galaxy.” The droid tootled another question and Jacen shrugged. “If I find myself in the vastness of space without aid than I guess I am screwed. I’m prepping for a five year trip at the least, R-4. I need as much space as I can.”

Jacen shrugged off the two bags he had been carrying and began to pack them into their compartments under the X-Wing. He had chosen to take one of the older X-Wing models with more room that made it easier for transportation and long-term travel. He didn’t need a Stealth-X and as much as Jacen considered himself a modern monk he would like things to go easier for him while he was traveling in space.

“Alright, R-4.” Jacen said as he crammed the bags under the X-Wing. “Run one last diagnostic check and we can hightail it out of here.” Jacen had managed to diminish his presence in the Force enough to the point that most around him would assume he was asleep. Jacen wasn’t sure how to erase himself truly from the Force but it was another thing he was hoping to master.

“That’s how you were gonna do it?”

Jacen turned and looked over his shoulder. There he saw his father entering the smaller hangar bay. Jacen had chosen to land his X-Wing in the Hangar Bay C in the Jedi Temple where the elite pilots landed their fighters. Few tended to wander in late at night due to the high security settings and codes at the entrance door. Clearly his father knew these codes. Jacen sighed as he turned to face his father and ran his fingers through his hair. Jacen had always figured that he got his looks from his mother. He had her brown hair, her features and her calm and collected aura. Sometimes he felt like he didn’t have anything in common with his father.

Now wasn’t the time for him to debate his parent’s methods of raising him or concern himself with the pained look on his father’s wizened face. “I have to.” Jacen said simply. “The reason why we were trapped inside this war was so long because we were trapped in a bilateral form of thinking. When the next crisis comes up I need to be more prepared. I can’t view the Force and Jedi through such limiting paradigms anymore. It’s time for a change and the only way I can achieve what I’m looking for is by searching the galaxy for answers.”

Han made a frustrated face. “It’s not you leaving that’s the problem it’s the fact that you’re doing it in the middle of the night.”
Jacen shrugged simply. “If I told everyone where I was going and continued to wait for your acceptance I’d never leave.” His mother would remind him that the war had just ended, Uncle Luke would remind him of his responsibilities to the Jedi and Aunt Mara would remind him that he was bonding with Ben. They felt they needed him but they didn’t.

Han sighed and stared at his son for a long moment. “Well…if you’re leaving at least take the Falcon. I don’t know how long you’ll be gone but you’re going to wind up spacing yourself if you travel the galaxy in that thing.”

Jacen was so surprised that all he could do was chuckle and assume it was some form of sentiment. His father making a gesture of kindness that would obviously be denied. “I could be gone for years…”

“She’s the fastest ship in the fleet.” Han said incredulously. “She can get you from Point A to Point B more quickly than any other ship you’ve got on this planet. She’s spacious, comfortable and I just had her refitted for long-term travel. I want you to take her.”

Jacen still shook his head. “She’s your ship. Besides the Falcon isn’t my destiny its Jaina’s.”

Han reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black remote. Jacen recognized it as the beacon for the Falcon that would allow him to transmit messages to the ship, open it from the outside and a variety of other simple tasks in case he was too far from the ship to use the controls on board. “Take it.” He pressed the remote in his hand. “You’ll be back sooner and you’ll be safer….I’ve never been a good father to you. Take this as a gesture. As my guilt and my need to make things right.”

Jacen looked into his father’s pained eyes and realized two things. How ultimately selfless his father was being. He also saw that Han thought this was his fault. He thought that Jacen was fleeing his family because of the war. That Jacen had lost respect for his old man because of how he had handled Chewbacca and Anakin’s death. And Jacen realized that Han saw his ship as a legacy. As something that could be passed down to one of his children. If Jacen denied this than he’d be denying an aspect of Han Solo’s identity that the elder man had always wanted to pass too his children. “Not a scratch.” He vowed as he took the remote.

“Damn straight.” Han said. He then grabbed Jacen and engulfed him in an awkward hug. “You…you find what you’re looking for and you come back…you hear me? You come back. I’m getting too old for this sh-t and I want to see my son before I kick the bucket.”

Jacen hugged his father back and smiled before stepping back. “Not a scratch.” He vowed again.

“I’m holding you too that. Be careful about that sensor dish…it’ll come off with the slightest nudge…”

“I will.” Jacen vowed as he turned back to the X-Wing.

“She’s in Hangar Bay 4…and Jace?”

Jacen turned to his father. “Yeah, Dad?”

“May the Force be with you…”

Jacen smiled and realized that he was on the verge of tears. He felt like he wasn’t going to be seeing his father for a very long time. “You too."




@Jade_eyes

 

Oh, I enjoyed that Han's a big ol' squishy marshmallow

 

Well played. Jacen needs to know that Han loves his son, even if he doesn't always show it.

 

Jade_eyes

Chapter 5

29 ABY​

Gus Talon​

Scientifically speaking Gus Talon was a moon. It was an orbiting body that surrounded Corellia day in and day out and that likely wasn’t going to change anytime soon. However, for Corellians and anybody who constantly visited Corellia knew differently. Gus Talon was more accurately one massive space port. A place where pirates, pilots and smugglers landed their ships and kept their cargo. It was where bounty hunters collected their payments and lowlifes ran rampant in the streets. Gus Talon was a dangerous place in the post-Imperial era. Corran Horn had been struggling for years to reinstate the CorSec outpost there but he knew it was futile. All they could do was stand by if someone called for help and hope that the few morally righteous who found themselves on Gus Talon helped keep the peace. Luckily it was more of a space port than an actual settlement and as a result crime wasn’t as high as it could be.

Occasionally a criminal force would shack up on Gus Talon and cause trouble until CorSec had no choice but to send a SWAT detachment to take care of them. This situation was no different. Except for the fact that it was just two people sent into handle a criminal force. One was a Senior Jedi Master and another was a prodigy. Not only were they trying to chance the criminal force off of Gus Talon but they were also trying to rescue an innocent girl from a live of slavery and servitude. And currently Corran was convinced they weren’t doing too great a job at either of their objectives. “This isn’t going the way I thought it would!” Myri was crouched behind a pillar; a blaster gripped in her hand. She didn’t dare poke out her head to get a look at the situation and could only fire blindly.

Corran stood in the center of the room slanting his blade left and right to catch the energy bolts flying at him. There were so many coming in so fast that he wasn’t able to aim the blasts back at his attackers. The returning beams only flew wildly through the air and crashed into the walls, floor or ceiling. They had come into this warehouse when one of Corran’s informants had spotted a teenage girl being led into the warehouse by two burly thugs. Corran had assumed it was a cake walk. Myri had been able to slice her way into the building through a side door and the moment they had slipped inside the klaxons had begun blaring. Corran could only blame himself and his arrogance. He could also blame his informant because he had a feeling that the bug-eyed Balosar had withheld additional information on purpose.

As Corran stood there deflecting blaster bolts he idly realized that he would have to use the Force as his ally. During the war he had felt that relying on the Force was a weakness. How could you fight someone on even footing if you utilized a philosophy that your enemy wasn’t mentally capable of accepting or utilizing? It would be different if they simply couldn’t like the pirates he was fighting now but the Vong had somehow transcended the Force and as a result using it was simply a weakness. Corran regretted that he hadn’t trusted in his feelings instead of CorSec logic and realized he’d have to resolve himself to the monk-like ideology Luke had been trying to shovel down his throat for nearly two decades.

As the blaster fire continued Corran simply closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. He deflected the blasts almost automatically as he reached past the danger and attempted to sense the intent of his foes. Corran and Myri were trapped in the corner of the warehouse near the service door and their six attackers were crowded around cargo boxes in front of the turbolift on the other side of the massive room. Which told Corran that they were attempting to protect the turbolift. Instead of spreading around the room in an attempt to flank them they insisted on staying one place and were attempting to gun them down with the use of force. “Myri!” Corran shouted as he deflected a blast towards the roof. “Shoot down the light fixtures!” Using the Force came as easily to him as breathing. This was a strength but it could also be a weakness. It meant that Corran was dependent on using the Force to survive in situations like these but as much as he disliked this fact it gave him a terrific advantage against non-Force users. It was time to embrace his powers instead of regulating them to the back seat.
Myri didn’t even question his request. Moments later orange beams of energy were streaking towards the roof. They crashed against the skylight and as shattered glass and the light fixtures came falling down towards the ground Corran seized on the opportunity. As a Jedi and Force-User he was a master of illusions. Yet all illusions had to be based on a little reality. In reality the light-fixtures crashing against the ground was little more than a brief distraction that could affect both parties. With Corran’s use of the Force the light-fixtures crashing against the ground could seem like a terrible explosion of flame and debris that would send the men scattering. “Set your blaster to stun and pick ‘em off as they scatter!”

Corran deactivated his lightsaber and shoved it into his belt as he raised his left hand and absorbed a blast of energy in his palm. Moments afterwards he straightened his hand down and pointed his fingers at the group of men. He closed his eyes and seized on the thoughts of pain, shock and surprise as the image of shattered glass was expanded to the point where the men couldn’t distinguish between reality and their own fear of death and injury. Soon all six of them were sprinting away from the turbolift to avoid a disaster that had been invented by their own minds. (With a little nudge from Corran, of course)

Corran glanced at the pillar and saw that Myri was still crouching; unsure if she had gotten them all. “You can come out now. Now that we’re not under fire see if you can send a transmission to the shock and trauma team. This girl might need some help and it wouldn’t hurt to have a little back up. Let them know that we were attacked by heavily armed mercenaries but that the situation is seemingly under control.”

Corran’s gaze flickered up towards the upper level of the warehouse where a single viewport showed the command room. He again raised his hand and closed his eyes as he focused on any other being who could be in there. First he felt the presence of a frightened teenage girl and then he felt a presence eclipse the victim and her fear. He felt someone who somehow possessed both cold indifference and boiling hatred. “Myri…” Corran took a step backward and then the glass from the viewport exploded. A man who was only a few years older than Corran’s protégé leapt through the air. He gripped two ice-blue lightsabers in his hands. He landed on the ground and Corran winced as he felt an explosive shockwave of Force energy. The man looked across at Corran and Corran realized that he was dealing with someone whose Force-potential that could surpass his own.

“And who would you be?” Corran said in a tone bordering on boredom as he ignited his lightsaber yet again. He was getting goddamn tired of Force-Jockey mercenaries who were willing to sell their power to the highest bidder. As he said this he sent a powerful Force-impression to Myri that she should try and sneak to the turbolift. He shifted his full attention back to the man and gave him a once over. He was a few centimeters taller than he was and sported a shaved head. Corran was guessing that he was either a test-tube baby or had a military background. He was muscular, powerful and threatening. Which also meant that he was likely egotistical and would care more about striking down Corran then stopping Myri.

“I am Starkiller.” The man said simply. “Servant of the Black Sun. Meet your doom.” He raised his hand and purple electricity arced across the warehouse. Corran only had a moment to toss his lightsaber to the side and block the waves of energy as they threatened to overwhelm him and end their fight before it had even began.

 

on the action and on Corran thinking everything was under wraps when Nice cliffie there.

 

Jade_eyes

Chapter 6

Kashyyyk had managed to avoid the terrors of the Vong War. Some felt that it was because the massive Wookiees and their warrior mentality was proven too much of an obstacle for the Vong. Others thought that the Vong respected the Wookiees’ way of life. Luke Skywalker had theories of his own but right now that theory didn’t matter to him. As the Jade Shadow came out of hyperspace he allowed himself to enjoy the beauty of the massive planet and the three moons that orbited it. It was decorated with a dark green terrain that represented the forests that covered sixty percent of the planet. Even though Luke could raise his hand and cover the planet he wasn’t fooled. Sooner or later they’d be on a planet roughly as large as Coruscant. He couldn’t help but shake his head at that fact. Perspective was a powerful thing.

As Luke fiddled with the controls of the ship the door opened behind him. He smiled as Mara dropped behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Having your existential crisis of the day?”

Luke turned half-way in his seat and kissed his wife. “Not anymore.”

Mara straightened and dropped into the seat next to him and sighed softly as she stared at the planet. Luke knew what she was worrying about. Jacen had left roughly a week ago and Ben had taken it badly. At 9 years old he was a smart kid and he had just begun to open himself up to the Force with Jacen’s help. Yet when Jacen left Ben had many questions to ask. Was it his fault? Had he bothered his cousin too much? This hadn’t done much for his son’s self-esteem and while Luke certainly understood Jacen’s decision he didn’t necessarily approve. Deep down he knew it was because he didn’t like the fact that Jacen had caused Ben to become depressed and withdrawn. “Is he still upset?” Luke questioned as he began to fiddle with the comm. unit.

Mara didn’t even turn to look at him and Luke felt her annoyance and grief through the Force. No one liked it when their children questioned themselves and when their self-esteem suffered. Mara Jade was no different. She had taken Jacen’s decision personally. While they both loved their son equally Mara was perhaps more emotionally involved in her relationship with Ben. Luke simply couldn’t allow himself to intertwine himself with his son’s emotions and feelings in fear of developing an attachment that would affect his leadership. As Grandmaster of the Order he couldn’t afford to be angry at Jacen for traveling the galaxy in an attempt to learn more about the Force and his purpose as a Jedi. Mara could.

“He didn’t want to come up to the cockpit and try to land the ship this time.” Mara said as she stared down at the controls somewhat moodily. Luke frowned. Mara had a strict policy when it came to flying her ship but despite that Ben would always beg to sit on Luke’s lap and pretend to pilot the ship. (He actually thought he was piloting it but Mara would always shut down the lateral controls and let the auto-pilot take over). “He said that Jacen would let him pilot his X-Wing one day and asked if Jacen left so that he wouldn’t have to keep his promise.”
Luke chewed his lip and shook his head as he picked up a headset and pulled it on. “Ben’s a smart kid. One day he’ll learn. I don’t like what Jacen did but maybe it’s a good thing. I don’t want him to get to attached to someone so young. Hero worship often ends in disappointment. Family or not. Maybe when Jacen returns Ben will be less hesitant to trust him and will be more of an independent thinker.”

“Are you jealous that Ben always seemed to want to spend more time with Jacen than you?”

Luke smiled. “Definitely.” The comm. computer buzzed as he sent a message to the Jedi Watchtower that had been installed on Kashyyyk not long after the end of the war. “Lowbacca?” A hearty roar came through his headset and Luke motioned at Mara to pull on her own. He was able to understand Lowbacca’s greeting and felt a slight pang. He had learned the majority of Shyriiwook from Chewbacca. “Thanks for taking my call. Listen; Mara, Ben and I have decided to take a vacation on Kashyyyk. We um…” He turned to Mara; wondering if he had her permission to say why they were here.

“We’ve been searching for information on my parents. After speaking with Cighal and Tionne we’ve come to believe that they used to live in Kashyyyk close to the Newaataa waterfalls.” Mara said. “What we mean to ask if those are sacred grounds and if my husband and I can explore the area in search for some sort of settlement.”

Lowbacca was silent for a moment and then let out a hearty bark. A grin crossed Luke’s face as the wookiee spoke. Apparently they were already aware of a settlement there. Not long after the war the Wookiees had help hide the Jedi in a cluster of claves near the waterfall. Eventually the Empire had discovered the settlement and sent a contingent of troops there to wipe out the Jedi. The oddest thing about that was the fact that Palpatine had been sent. Not Vader. Luke turned to Mara and they exchanged significant glances. It turned out that this mystery practically solved itself.

“Lowbacca, we’d greatly appreciate it if you can help us find this settlement. If you send us the coordinates we can land and figure out everything from there. I’d appreciate it if you keep this a secret.”

Lowbacca rumbled in agreement and cut the transmission off. Luke turned towards Mara. “I hope you find the closure we’re looking for.”

Mara turned towards Luke and smiled softly. Luke was reminded just how beautiful she was. Despite being in her late forties she hadn’t really been touched by age. The skin was a little tighter around her eyes and her eyes betrayed her years of experience but her hair hadn’t lost its luster nor had she lost her skill. “I found closure when I married you, Luke. You and Han and Leia and their children and Ben gave me the family I could ever want. The good and the bad. Now all I need to do is discover the legacy my parents left after they died.”

Luke leaned across the cockpit and kissed his wife. “Let’s do that.”

 

Windu4... I think Hazel and Briannakin need to come in here and read this wonderful tale too. Especially this update. This is very insightful into Luke's feelings and Mara's - about each other, about her folks' legacy and about Jacen and Ben. What she said about family made me melt.

The less heard from that particular quarter (Jacen) the more pleased I'll be. Now Ben can get a master with sense like Kyp LOL or even Raynar or someone who's a bit older than he is, although not necessarily as old as his folks LOL ... Luke is definitely treading a delicate balance when it comes to Ben and his leadership/father-ish roles. The tone of tenderness between L/M is perfectly balanced also for the seriousness of their discussion

 

I'm sorry to say this but you will be seeing more signs of Jacen in the future. (He's my favorite EU character). However, I'm going to be balancing out with some other fan favorites. In the future you can look forward to a few team-ups that you haven't seen since the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series. I have been wanting to write a short-story featuring Luke and Mara for a while so hopefully you'll see more of these types of stories in my fanfic. I really appreciate the review and you'll be seeing them kick ass and take names in the coming chapters!

 

Yep, Corran rules! I loved his line about '...having to use the monk-like ideology...' Awesome!

Ah yes, the mistrust of Jacen Solo begins; all because he wants to learn. I sort of understand Mara's feelings, but from their conversation, it seems that they thought Jacen was Ben's nanny or something. The kid's nine, he'll get over it.

Jade, I NEVER thought I'd see the day where someone would say that Kyp had more sense

Windu, I, too am a huge fan of Jacen, so write away

 

SiouxFan LOL - I'm going strictly by ff Kyp, as handled by the Kyp specialist Ceillean She has totally made him edible Yes, I too think Ben will get over it but you do want a positive role model & of course Ben's parents are wondering about mysterious Jacen

 

@Jade_eyes SiouxFan

Chapter 7


There lightsabers were moving so quickly that the duel could only be described as a cataclysmic blur of energy. It couldn’t be defined by lightsaber styles, martial arts or gymnastic maneuvers by the average human eye. So when Myri Antilles was asked by Ryanne Kovanni how the fight was going all she could say was “I don’t know.” The only real way to determine how the fight was going was by the sound yet all you could hear was the “hissing” sound of one lightsaber crashing into another or the occasional grunt from what could only be someone reacting to receiving a kick to the gut or an elbow thrust to the face.

For Corran Horn he was all too aware of how quickly the fight was going and definitely not in his favor. Where he failed Starkiller succeeded. The mercenary was extraordinarily skilled in telekinesis and would randomly blitz Corran with TK blasts every time Corran disengaged from their deadly dance in an attempt to make room for himself. The man’s use of force lightning had proven to be less than effective but the moment their blades had crossed they had been more or less evenly matched. All Corran needed was a moment to step in order to engage his duel-phasel ightsaber but he wasn’t given the opportunity. Clearly Starkiller knew about his weaknesses or else this fight would have ended much sooner.

Yet Corran Horn was a Jedi Master who had fought in one of the most devastating wars in the galaxy and he refused to be killed by some punk. Especially if he was a clone. Corran wasn’t sure about this theory but when he had entered the clone’s mind it had been strangely blank. He had attempted to scramble his perception of reality and had utterly failed. Not because of his force sensitivity. But instead because his mind was filled with nothing but tactics and logic. He didn’t have any real emotions other than a surprising ability to mimic what could only be described as arrogance. In order for Corran to alter someone’s mind he needed to prey on the part of their mind that shunned logic. Starkiller simply didn’t have that in his mind.

So he’d have to rely on his dueling process. Ironically Corran’s dueling prowess also relied on his telepathy and his use of trickery. If this had been before the war Corran would have been frustrated. Yet he had fought foes who had no connection to the Force and he had won. Quite frankly Starkiller had nothing on Shedao Shai when it came to strategy. He was a skilled strategist and duelist but he was beating Corran because of superior speed and what felt like a stronger connection to the Force. Not because of intelligence.


Corran brought his silver-bladed lightsaber up and over his head to deflect a heavy handed blow from both of Starkiller’s lightsabers. Corran grunted and called upon the Force to reinforce his attack. His blade dipped dangerously close to his head and he winced internally as he felt the greying hair on his head blacken. He had come this close to opening up a hole in his skull. Corran stepped to the side and slowly pushed his lightsaber up against the grain of Starkiller’s own blade. The mercenary managed to whip his left blade backwards in time but not his right. Corran’s lightsaber cut through the cross guard of his lightsaber and Starkiller grunted in pain as he was forced to let go of his lightsaber and jump backwards. His first weapon fell to the ground in two pieces along with a finger.

Starkiller stumbled backwards and stared down at his hand. His index finger was missing. Corran smiled. Starkiller stared up at Corran and his whole face seemed to be consumed in a snarl. Corran readjusted his grip on his lightsaber and inhaled slowly. This fight had only begun. Dark Jedi were only fueled by pain. Starkiller gritted his teeth and his eyes seemed to crackle with yellow fury as he sprinted towards Corran. Corran spun on his heel and came forward just as Starkiller swung his lightsaber at Corran’s hip. Corran slashed his weapon downwards and engaged in a saber lock. He grunted in pain as he felt white hot pain sear across his hip. He had been hoping to knock the man’s blade wide but it turned out Starkiller was much stronger than he thought.

Starkiller was the one to disengage the lock and as he did he raised his left hand and generated a force blast so powerful that Corran felt as if he had been struck in the chest by a SoroSuub landspeeder. He went flying across the warehouse, crashed into the ground and skidded to a stop against a pillar on the wall. He spared a quick glance at his waist and saw that the bone had been exposed from his lightsaber wound. He grunted in pain. The wound wasn’t that bad. He had only nicked himself but he couldn’t see himself continuing in this fight much longer. He stumbled to his feet and glanced upwards to watch as Starkiller leapt through the air and came flying down as he raised his weapon like a spear to skewer Corran with.

That’s when Corran realized that the pillar behind him was no ordinary pillar. Instead it was a pillar shaped fuel canister. It was only a meter or two taller than Corran which meant it carried enough fuel to power a SoroSuub landspeeder (not unlike the one Corran had envisioned striking him in the chest). Then Corran had a strategy. He would be a fool to assume that Starkiller hadn’t seen the fuel despot and that he couldn’t alter this thrust not to stab into it. That didn’t mean Corran couldn’t use it to his advantage.

Corran inhaled slowly and as he did time slowed until Starkiller looked as if he was gliding down towards him instead of leaping through the air for a savage strike. As the man approached Corran reignited his lightsaber and blocked Starkiller’s blow. Coran was moving so quickly that Starkiller didn’t even have a chance to disengage before the Jedi Master grabbed him by the wrist. Starkiller glanced at Corran in surprised and he smiled before turning and stabbing Starkiller’s own weapon into the fuel depot. The explosion was loud, furious and painful but Corran simply channeled the energy that was running through his veins. In stead of pushing outwards he pulled inwards and absorbed the kinetic energy and the heat of the blast. Starkiller wasn’t so lucky.

Corran was again sent flying across the warehouse as he struggled to maintain the blast radius that would surely kill him if he failed to properly manage the energy he was in the midst of redirecting. This time flying across the warehouse was simply a byproduct of his risky move and as a result he was able to control it more efficiently. He twisted through the air and landed hard on his feet. As he lowered his hands the shrapnel around the air collapsed to the ground. He inhaled sharply and stumbled backwards; dropping his lightsaber from his hands as he did. That hadn’t been easy

He glanced at the ground and noted that Starkiller was dead; his body riddled with bloody holes. He glanced up at the viewport and was glad to see that the upper levels of the warehouse hadn’t been affected by the blast. Corran sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. “Alright. You guys can come down.” He finally said, not even bothering to elevate his voice. “He’s dead now.”

Not to speak for the mercenaries who Myri had so effectively stunned with her blaster. Most of them were dead too. It would seem that Corran’s energy absorption hadn’t been quite effective enough to save everyone. Not that he had necessarily been trying. As Corran bent over to pick up his lightsaber he felt pain flare up his side. He was regretting his lack of telekinesis more than ever. As he did he heard a groan and glanced to his right; a Faleen was struggling to stand. This reminded Corran of something. He turned and walked towards the alien and firmly planted his right boot on the man’s back. Then he reached through the Force and scrambled the man’s brains so badly he’d have no choice but to tell the truth.

“Who do you work for?”

“The…Black Sun.”

“Who is Starkiller?”

“A Dark Lord. The second-in-command.”

Corran frowned. “Second in command of what?”

“Korto Vos.” He said automatically. “We work for Korto Vos…it was a conspiracy. That’s why the girl…” He grunted and Corran raised his boot and then kicked him onto his back. That’s when he saw the gaping wound in the man’s chest.

“Rest easy.” Corran said and waved his hand. The man’s eyes fluttered shut as he passed out. He had a better idea of what had happened now. He glanced at Ryanne as he saw her and Myri stepping off the turbolift. What exactly did she know? Either way he knew he’d have to speak with Skywalker as soon as possible. Force-Sensitives in Black Sun didn’t bode well for anyone.

 

Super action

 

Jade_eyes SiouxFan

OOC: Most of this chapter is hackneyed faux-philosophy that I wish I could portray even half as well as Matthew Stover can. You've been warned.

Chapter 8

“Are you here to rescue us?”

Jacen sat on one of the many skyscrapers that covered Had Abbadon. Once it had been a great city populated by the best and brightest of the galaxy. Thousands of years ago it had considered to be the very center of the universe. Now it was a cold and empty planet that circled a dying orange son. Those who lived on Had Abbadon were too poor too leave and were forced to battle mysterious robotic creatures that emerged from the lava that had replaced the oceans of Had Abbadon a millennia ago. Jacen idly wondered if this was the fate that awaited Coruscant. Many believed that Had Abbadon had been the “first” Coruscant before the creatures had come.

The Jedi Knight turned towards the young orange-haired girl that stood beside him. He hadn’t even sensed her coming. He had been too busy staring up at the globe of light that remaining people of Had Abbadon called a sun. “I don’t know what I’m here for.” Jacen said with a sigh. After he had left Ossus he had traveled to Hapes. His reunion with Tenel Ka had been bittersweet. During one of his meditation sessions on the Falcon he had sensed a massive Force Nexus in the middle of the galaxy. Near the deep core. What had made this vision so interesting to him was that he had sensed that this Force Nexus was going to implode and soon. Jacen had felt the calling of the Force and answered it. It wasn’t about him learning the “mysteries of the Force” but attempting to save a species held captive by their own planet.

In the process he had met an ancient man who had taught him skills that he would have considered useless at the height of the Vong War. Yet now? Now it might be the key to this colony of human beings trapped on Had Abbadon. “When I talked to my daddy he said that fate brought you here. I’m not sure what that is but why else would you be here?”

Jacen laughed hollowly. “Your father holds too much faith in these words.” He turned towards the girl towards her and smiled sadly. “What’s your name?”
“Seha Dorvald.” She stared up at him with her chocolate brown eyes. “What’s yours?”

“Jacen.” He said. He stopped and stared at Seha for a long moment. He feared that he would intimidate her but Seha just stared back. “You’re not like the others.”

Seha giggled. “I know. My daddy says I’m like the Old Man. He says that you’ve been with the Old Man all the time too. He says you’re too civilized to spend time with the rest of us.”
Jacen shrugged and then shivered as a particular gust of wind swept across the skyscraper. “My cousin has red-hair.” He said; changing the subject. All he had been able to think of lately was Ben. “He’s your age, I think.”

“Is he a Jedi too?” Seha asked.

“He will be.” Jacen said. “Soon.” He paused and closed his eyes as he felt a sudden spike of fear through the Force. “Does your father know where you are?”

“No.” Seha said and Jacen felt guilt emanate from her that perfectly complimented the fear he had been sensing moments over.

Jacen stood and extended his hand. “I’ll take you home.”

--- ​

The room that Jacen and the old man were standing in was freezing cold. Jacen was suspended in a vicious embrace. His arms were extended from his body as far as they could stretch. His legs were curled underneath his body and his head was held rigid. Thick electric cables descended from the ceiling and held his body in this position. Every thirty seconds a shock of electricity powerful enough to knock him unconscious ran through the currents and into his body. The only reason Jacen wasn’t dead was because he was able to use the pain to steel his resolve and resist the flow of the current. Yet that wasn’t the Old Man wanted. He wanted him to observe the electricity and redirect it at his bonds and somehow free himself from his steely chains.

A feat that seemed impossible.

“You have been trapped inside a certain paradigm, boy.” The Old Man rasped as he passed around the structure that was suspending Jacen in the air. “You use pain to strengthen yourself. You accept pain and make it your ally. You do not resist it like any normal man would. That is where you fail. What worked for you with the Vong will not work for you here. You must cast off what you have learned. Act like a man not an emotionless monk.”

Pain racked Jacen’s body and he stiffened; resisting the urge to bite his tongue as he did. This was how men died during torture. Contrary to the Old Man’s assumption of him he definitely was not emotionless. He was angry and he was frustrated but he refused to let that get the best of him. Instead he struggled to turn that into what could be best described as “positive energy” to try again in the next thirty seconds. It was an over-simplification of something of what Vergere had taught him years ago. Yet Jacen was in too much pain to reflect on philosophy at the moment.

3…2…1

Jacen stiffened again as electricity crackled around his body. He could smell burning flesh and smoke. This was simply not boding well for him. What would Corran Horn do in this situation? He was the master of energy absorption. Jacen was willing to bet that such trappings like this wouldn’t keep him stuck for long.

“This is not as simple as you think, boy.” The Old Man came to a stop, staring up at Jacen. “The Force encompasses all. You must have realized this in the war. Even the Vong couldn’t escape it. Machinery? Physics? All are involved in the Force. It’s not about trying to move robots with your mind. It’s about accepting that they too are involved in this mystic energy field that your mentors have taught you about. Treat them as if they are living objects and they will respond. Not as something to be shoved around or toyed with.” The Old Man reached up and grabbed Jacen’s chin just as the cables poured more electricity through his body. Yet The Old Man didn’t seem affected.

Jacen inhaled sharply as the Old Man let go and closed his eyes. Vongsense couldn’t work here. It possibly couldn’t. Would the same philosophy work, though? Jacen would be forced to alter his perspective of his environment to the point where he would almost have to shun the Force. He’d have to focus on an oddly specific aspect of the Force and focus on nothing else. His awareness would be limited and his powers would be narrowed to one specific aspect of his surroundings. Jacen didn’t like the idea of diminishing himself around someone he didn’t trust but he had allowed himself to be subjected to torture. He didn’t have many choices.

Jacen inhaled yet again and then exhaled; not even counting the seconds now. Instead he squeezed his eyes shut and focused on the cold steely appendages that pinched his flesh. Instead of seeking to slow the current he instead thought of his sister. How she always seemed to meld herself with her X-Wing with such little effort. As the current of electricity began to strike his body Jacen finally formed the connection he so craved. He was as apart of the machine as it was to him. The pain felt more like an inconvenience than something he was willingly subjecting himself to. Jacen’s body shook and he still felt his skin tingle but the pain had almost vanished. He hadn’t been forced to the pain as part of his reality. Instead he accepted the machinery that was currently hooked into his body as part of his being. So when the electricity poured into his body for what felt to be the hundredth time it was like blood flowing through his body.

The Old Man stared at him with steely grey eyes.
“Better.” He said simply. He shrugged. “30 more seconds.”

 

Wow! Wow!

 

I'm not sure how much more of this 'learning' Jacen really needs to find. One would think that the Embrace of Pain would have been enough without trying to find a cult that electocutes people. Jace, if you like being tied up so much, just tell Tenel Ka; I'm sure she could find a more pleasurable use for all of these restraints.

So, did Seha take him to the Old Man, or was Seha a flashback?

 

That's a good critique. As I said earlier that was a poorly written attempt at philosophy with the Force. Hopefully I can explain it again when I revisit that particular arc. I guess my point was that Jacen needed to learn to resist the pain instead of accepting it as a part of his reality. Again it didn't make much sense. Seha was a flashback. You'll be seeing more of her and Jacen soon.

SiouxFan