Beyond - Legends A Gathering of Light (EU, Jedi, concurrent with JAT and I, Jedi) PG-13 (Double updated 3/19/2012)

Had to wake up extra early to get a break from DFL. What a drag!

Keep up the amazing work JediAlly!

Master Fay Fan

 

Master_Fay_Fan - ouch. I know DRL can get to you, but did you have to take such drastic measures.

Once again, I got a break from real life. Now since the boards will be moving within two days, and since we don't know how long that'll take, I decided to take advantage of the moment and make two posts. One will be another tie-in with I, Jedi, while the other will be a short original that is connected with Champions of the Force. Hope you enjoy them.

Here's the first.


Kam was not a happy person. He had lived a hard life, and it had given him a grim demeanor. However, right now, he was definitely not a happy person. And the reason for his current mood had just landed the starfighter and swung underneath the nose of said starfighter. ?There was an attack on Master Skywalker. Where were you?? he asked in an accusatory tone.

He was expecting Keiran to offer some sort of placating gesture, not a smile. Keiran reached up to pluck something from the nose of the starfighter and tossed it towards him. ?Target practice.? He inspected the item for a moment. It looked like some kind of claw or talon, but he could sense the taint of the dark side from it. A talon? Keiran flying in the air? And the presence of the dark side? Wait, he sensed there were more of these things coming and went out to fight them in the starfighter? I might accept his explanation, and praise him for taking the initiative to stop a second wave of those things. But? ?That?s not the sort of thing you should do on your own.?

He saw Keiran math his frown with one of his own. ?It was the only thing I could do, Kam. I couldn?t get up there fast enough to help inside, so I stopped Kun?s reinforcements.?

Wait a minute. How does he know that? For that matter, how can he say for certain that Kun was behind it if we just learned the truth from Skywalker via the twins a few minutes ago? ?You don?t know it?s Kun.?

?I know.?

The certainty in Keiran?s voice made Kam even more curious and suspicious. Shaking his head and jerking a thumb towards the audience chamber, he said, ?But we just learned that, from Luke.?

?Luke?s awake??

?No, but his nephew and niece can hear him. He said Exar Kun was behind the trouble.? His serious demeanor deepened. ?We have to defeat Kun if we are to get Luke back. We?re preparing a council of war right now to figure out what we?re going to do.?

?Council of war, good. Right now, not good. Kun has been defeated tonight. He?s not going to be coming back right away.?

Keiran?s response perplexed him. He had expected Keiran to be insistent on the council of war being held now that they had the information. If he had suggested that they discuss it in the morning after getting some sleep, he might have understood Keiran?s reasoning. But his comment that Kun wasn?t going to try anything else tonight. Could he be? ?How do you know that?? Betrayal and confusion were laced throughout that simple question.

?Trust me on this, Kam, I know it.? He saw Keiran reach out to put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. Right now, he needed to know if he could truly trust Keiran. ?Look, if I was on Kun?s side, I?d not have vaped four of his pets, would I? I?ve got my own lightsaber and I could have filleted Master Skywalker on any of my watches. You can trust me.?

What he said is true, especially about him having his own lightsaber, Kam thought. And I don?t sense that he?s lying. But his mental shields are among the more disciplined ones here. ?But you still have secrets.? Narrowing his eyes, he continued. ?You and Master Skywalker have not been wholly forthcoming.? That had been bothering him since they first arrived here. He hadn?t pressed the issue because Luke seemed to know about Keiran and had no reason to be concerned. And during their training, with the exception of that one time when Keiran had unknowingly and unwittingly influenced his min

 

Here's the other one.


?I have betrayed us, Admiral. I have betrayed us all.?

Those words from his long-time trusted friend Terpfen shocked Ackbar into silence. Moments ago, he had welcomed Leia and Terpfen back to Mon Calamari, believing they were making a personal visit. He had just apprised them of the progress of resurrecting Reef Home City when Leia informed him that the Empire had learned the location of Anoth and that Winter and Anakin were in imminent danger. He was wondering why Leia said he was the only one who could take her there, since Luke also knew the coordinates, when Terpfen made his declaration.

?What do you mean, Terpfen?? Ackbar asked.

Turning around to face Ackbar, and making no attempt to mask his shame, he said, ?The accident on Vortex wasn?t your fault. I sabotaged your fighter. I made certain to keep the investigation from finding the sabotage.? He shifted his gaze so that Leia would be in his field of view. ?And I planted a homing device on your ship before you left Coruscant. Once it transmitted the coordinates of Anoth to me, I sent them to Furgan on Carida.?

The depth of the betrayal shook Ackbar to his soul. ?How? How could you?? he asked and pleaded in a confused and accusatory tone.

?Just as Ysanne Isard broke people and made them into her Lusankya agents, so too did Furgan. The implants that were forced into my body on Carida turned me into a sleeper agent for Furgan. He used the implants to control me, make me sabotage your fighter in an attempt to kill the both of you. While he wasn?t pleased by your survival, the political fallout and your resignation did, as they would be long-term and longer-lasting. And he wants to take Anakin and groom him into a new Emperor.?

There was a part of him that was wondering if Terpfen?s ?confession? was an attempt to deceive him into renouncing his guilt. But the way he said everything and the expression Leia had on her face was proof enough that he wasn?t lying.

Then, I wasn?t responsible for all those deaths. Calrissian and the others have tried to convince me repeatedly that I wasn?t at fault. But all the evidence seemed irrefutable. He stopped his musings, and he kept any sense of relief at bay. There were more important things to deal with. Reaching to his communicator, he activated it. ?This is Ackbar contacting the orbital shipyards. This is Ackbar contacting the orbital shipyards. Respond!?

A few moments later, there was a response. ?This is Shipyard Control. We read you, sir.?

?Minister of State Organa Solo has just informed me that her youngest child is in danger of being captured by the Empire. I know where he is, but I require a ship that will be ready to engage any Imperial forces we may find. Are there any ships available in the shipyards??

?One moment, sir.?

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ackbar turned to face Leia. ?There?s one thing I don?t understand. Luke also knows the location of Anakin?s sanctuary. Why didn?t you contact him??

With a sad expression on her face, Leia said, ?Unfortunately, Luke has been badly hurt and is unable to help me right now.?

?What?! What has happened?? Ackbar asked.

?I?ll tell you when we?re alone.?

Before he could press the issue, the comlink pinged again. ?Sir, there?s only one ship that?s ready ? the Galactic Voyager. It still needs to go through the final shakedown, but it?s available.?

?Crew and fighter status??

?Only the engineering crew is aboard at this time. A skeleton crew is on standby for the shakedown cruise that?s scheduled in a week?s time.?

?Forget the shakedown. I want the skeleton crew aboard that ship now, as well as a full complement of fighters and ground troops. How long will it take to prepare the ship for flight??

?Best estimate ? four hours.?

?You have three. And Minister Organa Solo and I will be there within one.?

?Yes sir!?

Shutting down his

 

Good posts. DRL got in the way, especially for this site. Can't wait to see more updates