Beyond - Legends Adventures in Camping (post-FOTJ, Ben/Seha, Jaina/Jag, OCs)

Jedi_Lover, you asked me to let you know if I ever did another Ben/Seha story...here it is.

Chapter 1

Ben Skywalker, gathered together with ten other students of varying genders and species, stood outside Shedu Maad's Jedi Temple and looked up at the bright yellow sun in the sky. The senior class of Jedi students–and Ben, since he was only 18 despite being a Jedi Knight–were going on a mid-summer camping trip, with Ben's cousin, Jaina Solo Fel, and her husband Jag, as their chaperones.

"Let's get this thing started," Ben said, hoisting his backpack farther onto his shoulder. "Sooner we get out into the forest, the sooner we can set up camp."

Seha, dressed in a white short-sleeve shirt, brown vest, and blue jean shorts, pressed up against him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. Despite having a few years on him, she was a few inches shorter than he, and she had to stand on her tiptoes to achieve this.

"Patience, Ben," Jaina said, looking down at her datapad. "We need to make sure we'll have everything we need. Tents, check. Food supplies, check. Water, check. Syntherope, check."

"Blaster pistols, check," Jag added, holding up a brown sack.

"Ten students, one Knight, two chaperones, check," Jaina continued.

"Twelve lightsabers, check," Jag added, scanning the belts of each Jedi present. "That's it, Jaina. We can go now."

Jaina nodded. "Thanks, Jag." She turned to the students. "All right, guys, we're roughing it this week. Any makeup, beauty products, electronics, et cetera, et cetera; you leave them behind." She jabbed a finger at a crate behind her. "Now."

Several students dropped offending items into the box and returned to their positions. Jaina nodded, satisfied. She pulled her pack over her shoulders with Jag's help and then nodded to the students. Then she set off, walking out beyond the Temple's perimeter and into the unknown wilds of Shedu Maad.

Most of the students paired up, although a few were in groups of three. Ben dropped near the back of the pack, standing beside Seha as they hiked through the trees. He looked over at her and grinned.

"So," he said, "how hard did you have to argue with Dad to come on this trip?"

"Not too hard," Seha replied. "I think he knew I only wanted to come to be with you."

"Hey, I don't particularly care how you convinced him. The point is we're here, out in the wilderness, with no distractions."

"No distractions, Ben? That's asking a little much." She gestured around her. "After all, both Zeltron twins are here–and they both seemed pretty eager to 'go on a camping trip with you,' if you know what I mean."

Ben grinned. "Relax, Seha. I promise, I only have eyes for you." He winked. "Things will be fine. Warm up your lips for when we settle down tonight."

Seha grinned mischievously. "They've been warmed up since the last time we kissed..." She pressed her fingertips to her lips, raised her hand in the air, and waggled her fingers. Then she turned and walked ahead, quickly leaving Ben behind. "...coming, Bennie?"

 

Very interesting start. Camping trips can be fun... or not so fun. Let's see which it is.

If you're doing a PM/tag list, add me to it! (Either is fine with me, though if you don't have a preference then I prefer PMs. )

 

HA! I don't know how much kissing time he will have with Jaina as his chaperone. I am sure she doesn't want to be the one on watch when Ben puts an apprentice in a family way. Of course, that Jag can be a big distraction to Jaina. So maybe Ben will have time for romance. I wonder if any new books will come out after the Crucible time frame? I would like to see what happens to Ben.

Nice story. Are you going to continue this?

 

Yes, Chapter 2 should be up tomorrow.

 

Jedi_Lover, jcgoble3

Chapter 2

Ben leapt over the small stream without aid from the Force, landed safely on the other side, and turned just in time to catch Seha as she did the same. For a long moment they stood there, unmoving. One of the Zeltron sisters giggled a little, and Jaina rolled her eyes.

"You two done over there?" she asked.

Ben blushed. "Sorry."

He released Seha and they continued down the trail together. Eventually, they came to the clearing they were using for their campsite. Jaina dropped her pack happily and leaned down to pull out the lunch she'd brought. Jag and the students followed suit. Ben checked the bag he'd had his lunch in. No tears, no holes suggesting bugs...it looked safe to eat.

"What do you have?" Seha asked.

"Besh-Leth-Trill sandwich," Ben said with a grin.

"Cold nuna bacon?" Seha replied, crinkling her nose. "Is that even good?"

"I think so."

To demonstrate, Ben bit into the sandwich, enjoying the flavor of the crisp red meat, enhanced by the Revwien lettuce and topatos. He licked his lips as topato juice dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. Seha giggled and covered her mouth with her hand.

"So what did you pack, then?" Ben asked.

"Molecularly agitated cheese sandwich." She held it up for display. "Can be eaten cold, can't spoil, and reminds you of being five years old, the way your mother made 'em."

Ben laughed a little, but his thoughts turned to his own deceased mother. Mara had never been the best cook, but she'd tried–and Seha was right; more often than not, she would make him a cheese sandwich for lunch because all she had to do was put a slice of cheese between two pieces of bread. She proudly called it "cooking," but Ben and Luke had both known she wished she could've done more.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Five years old."

Seha seemed to realize she'd bothered him. "I'm sorry, Ben. I didn't mean to–"

He smiled. "Nah. It's okay." He took another bite of his sandwich. "We'd better hurry up; we'll be setting up our tents soon; we don't want to get behind."

* * *

"Sleeping arrangements are as follows," Jaina said. "There are five tents; two counselors, one Knight, and ten students equals thirteen campers. Jag and I will share a tent which leaves four tents, eleven campers; six male and five female." She looked down at her datapad. "So. Ben, you'll share a tent with Renn Anat and Wes Loger. Kar, you'll be..."

Ben turned and looked at his roommates. Renn was a sixteen-year-old Sullustan with a bit of a jittery personality; Wes was a seventeen-year-old human, friendly but quiet. All things considered, it could have been worse. His eyes darted back to Jaina, who had assigned the last three male students together. She turned her attention to the female students.

"Seha, Ri'aa, and Mayah will share a tent," she said. "And Aimee will share a tent with Ana Katarn. All right, you have your assigned tents; set them up and get unpacked."

Ben turned to the rolled-up tent and began swiftly untying it. Renn walked over and pulled out the holo-instructions. He quickly watched them, the blue images reflecting in his bulbous black eyes, and then nodded. Wes, silent as always, began efficiently pulling poles from the bag Ben had untied and setting them up.

"So, Ben," said Renn, "I-I-I h-heard you are g-going out with S-Seha, now. Is t-that true?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah."

Wes grinned as he watched the interaction, but again said nothing. He extended the poles to their maximum length; Renn took the other side of the pole and quickly stuck it into the ground as the instructions had shown.

"S-so Seha," continued Renn. "H-how is she?"

"She's a great girl," Ben said.

"S-seems that way," the Sullustan agreed.

They worked in relative silence for the next few minutes and quickly had the tent assembled. Ben dusted off his hands for show and turned around. Jaina and Jag already had their tent up; now they were helping Aimee and Ana finish theirs. The other three male campers had their tent assembled, as well; Seha and the Zeltron twins were almost done.

"Well," Ben said, "I'm going to unpack my bag."

 

I like Ben catching Seha and Jaina's reaction. The food discussion and his memories of Mom were also nice.

 

Fun start -- I agree camping trips can be fun or not Hoping for some good Ben/Seha and J/J style mush. (I like Seha for Ben. They seem sweet together, and she's not carrying sith-ish issues)

 

You sure do know how to get into the mind of a teenager. I'm really enjoying these stories.

 

Okay, you know if I were writing this story Ben and Seha would go off on their own, get lost, fall in freezing water and then have to strip out of their wet clothing and use their body heat to keep warm only to be found by cousin Jaina in a compromising position (platonic, but embarrassing as hell). Of course, that is pretty much how all my stories go.

I look forward to seeing how this turns out. Feel free to borrow that plot bunny.

 

Yes, please

 

jcgoble3, thanks, hope you continue to like it!

Nyota's Heart, I always wanted Ben and Seha to get together after Exile. Then FOTJ introduced Vestara and I got sad.

windu4, thank you, I probably know how to get into the mind of a teenager because I am one.

Jedi_Lover, I am not sure there are freezing lakes or rivers on Shedu Maad, but maybe something similar will happen.

 

Jedi_Lover, jcgoble3

Chapter 3

Sun was setting on the campgrounds. The students had scattered to do their own thing; Renn was off studying bugs, Wes was reading a datapad, and the Zeltron twins were flirting with the other male students. As for Ben and Seha, they settled under a tree and kissed...and kissed...and kissed.

"That's enough, lovebirds," Jaina said. "It's time to get ready to settle down. Baths first; there are no facilities so we'll be bathing in the lake. Ladies first." She turned. "Jag, you'd better keep these boys in the camp until we're back."

Jag gave Ben and the other boys a cold stare. "They know what happens if they mess with me."

Wes just grinned and returned to reading. Ben stood, kissed Seha on the cheek, and went into his tent to wait.

* * *

Seha entered her tent and pulled out her backpack. She selected her sleep clothes, the toiletries she'd need to wash herself, a towel, a blue bra, and matching panties. She decided it would be better to wait to undress until they actually reached the lake; she didn't want a bunch of peeping toms seeing her nude.

Ni'aa and Mayah, apparently, didn't care as much about privacy. They stripped straight down to his bra and panties right there outside the tent. Kar, a Mirialan male, and the other male student, a human named Ryenn Durant, gaped openly. Jag facepalmed and hurled towels at the Zeltron twins.

"Force, guys," Seha exclaimed, "haven't you heard of decency...or privacy?"

Innocently, Ni'aa replied, "What's that? We don't have it on Zeltros."

Seha groaned as she followed Jaina down to the river. At least the Zeltron twins tied the towels around themselves.

* * *

Kre'ah sheathed his vibrosword and grinned devilishly as he walked down to the hold of the gunship. Along with thirty of his strongest followers, he was headed down to Shedu Maad to hunt. Rumor had it that there was a pack of Jedi students camping in the woods, away from the Jedi Temple. It would be a perfect chance for Kre'ah and his Nikto brothers to hunt Jedi for the first time.

Kre'ah was a Morgukai warrior; a cult of Nikto who specialized in killing Jedi. The Morgukai had been deemed illegal by the Empire and had gone underground; only now had they come out of hiding. Kre'ah had never killed a Jedi before, and he was eager for Force-using blood.

Kre'ah was a Red Nikto, a member of the desert dwellers of Kintan. Most of his Morgukai brothers were Green Nikto, mountain dwellers. They were each armed with rifles, electrostaffs, and vibroswords, and they had a pack of thirty-one akk dogs in the hold, ready to hunt. The large, red-hided dogs were suitably sized for riding, and would be able to sniff out the Jedi easily.

"Mount up," he growled.

He slammed his hand to open the cargo hold.

"It's time to hunt."

* * *

Ben stepped out of his tent as the girls returned from bathing. He caught Seha before she entered her tent, gave her a quick kiss goodnight, and then gathered his belongings.

"Come on, guys," Jag said, grinning. "Bath time."

"Coming," Ben replied.

He frowned as he walked down toward the lake. Something didn't feel right...he grabbed his lightsaber off the tree branch he'd hanged it on, just in case. Down at the lake, he peeled off his shirt and quickly waded into the water.

"Something feels wrong," he noted.

Jag nodded. "Don't have to be a Force user to feel that. The forest is too quiet. Almost oppressive. Like someone's scaring all the creatures into silence..."

"Yeah. Whatever it is, it's not nearby. But...I think we should be careful."

"Right. We'll set watches when we get back.

I hope that's enough..., Ben thought.

 

And the Jedi are being hunted? Oooh, this could get interesting....

 

Oh boy. The kids are being hunted by Jedi hunter/killers. That is never good. Luckily they have the Sword of the Jedi with them and Ben is no slouch.

 

Did I not ask you to tag me in this? Tag me in this, please!

 

Oops! The plot has thickened with a threat. Glad Ben and Jag too were alert to something being off. Funny to see the Zeltrons being true to character.

 

Before the night is done there will be some very sorry bad guys. Or whenever they choose to attack.

Fourteen really was too young to be made a Jedi Knight. If you are familiar with Tamora Pierce's 'The Circle' series's you know why.


Sent from my PADD using Tapatalk

"The Starman and Moon Goddess." Han Solo - Dark Angel

 

I think Ben is the only knight and he's 18.

 

Yes, he is supposed to be 18 here.

Thanks for the kind comments, everyone!

 

Jedi_Lover, jcgoble3, windu4

Chapter 4

Jag waited until the students were all asleep in their tents, and it was just he and Jaina sitting by the dimming campfire, before he allowed the worry to show on his face. Jaina, of course, had picked up on his emotions as soon as he'd come up from the lake, but Jag was not in the habit of showing how he felt to a bunch of relative strangers, even though they could probably tell anyways.

"Okay, spill it, Jag," Jaina said. "What's wrong?"

"Ben sensed something dangerous in the forest," he replied. "And it lines up with what I'm feeling, too. Maybe it's just your father's Solo paranoia wearing off on me, but I've got a bad feeling about this. There is a dangerous feeling in the woods, like something is on the prowl."

Jaina nodded. "Now that you mention it, something's been agitating my senses all night, I just wasn't focused on it because I was busy chaperoning. Thanks for being alert."

"You're welcome. We can't just ignore this, we need to post guards. I'll go first; you get some rest."

"I should go first," Jaina protested. "I'm Sword of the Jedi."

"Which is why we need you for later," Jag explained. "If you're well-rested when you take your shift you'll be more alert. Now go, get some sleep. I'll wake you up if something happens. And if I can't get to the tent, they'll hear me screaming back on Csilla."

Jaina leaned over, kissed him good night, and then went into the tent. Jag went over to their stash of blasters, withdrew a weapon at random, checked its charge and sights, and nodded in satisfaction. He pulled a holster belt from the same bag, strapped it on, and put the blaster in the holster. Then, he took a seat by the fire.

Technically speaking, there should've been nothing that could threaten twelve Jedi and the Temple's best sniper. But Jag had learned very quickly not to take anything for granted, especially in this galaxy. Caedus, the Lost Tribe, Abeloth; all of them had proven wrong expectations he had already calculated. He wasn't taking any chances.

* * *

The night passed uneventfully, and Jaina woke the whole camp at 8:30. The groaning, bleary-eyed students came out of their tents and stretched. Quickly, they dressed, ate breakfast, and were fully awake.

"Pack up your tents," Jaina said. "We're moving out."

"Moving out?" asked Seha. "Why?"

"Just a precaution," Jaina explained. "Probably nothing to worry about but we shouldn't stay in one place for too long. So work together and get them packed up."

The students immediately snapped to it. They folded the tents, wrapped them in their bags, and had them strapped to their backpacks in less than ten minutes. Jaina and Jag finished packing the rest of their provisions, hoisted their packs on their shoulders, and led the campers farther down the lake. Jaina had suggested going back to the Temple, but Jag had replied if there was something dangerous out there, they didn't want to lead it closer to an academy full of younglings.

So they hiked for the better part of the day, all the way around the lake and then down the river, due north. Along the way, they stopped several times–multiple water breaks, one lunch break, and several so one or more of the students could relieve themselves. By the time the sun began to set, Jaina was starting to think that there was nothing to worry about, and that she, Jag, and Ben had all been wrong.

Unlikely.

* * *

Kre'ah let his akk dog sniff the ground. The Jedi had definitely come this way, but there was no way to tell when. They could've just been here hours ago, or it could've been at the beginning of their journey and they could be miles away right now. He'd sent three of his men ahead to sweep the jungle for the Jedi; so far he'd had no reports.

"Are you certain," growled one of Kre'ah's men, "that your intel was correct? What if the Jedi are all still huddled inside their Temple?"

Kre'ah chopped his head negatively. "No. They are out here." Suddenly, his comlink chirped twice. "One of the scouts has found them." He grinned. "The hunt begins. Come, Morgukai. We fight!"

* * *

Jag whirled and snapped off a shot with his blaster. There was a low grunt as something was hit. A moment later, the bushes rustled and an akk dog, trailing a now-dead rider, leapt out from its hiding place. Jag barely rolled aside before the beast plowed him down. The instant he was out of the way, a shining blue lightsaber–Ben's–slashed the akk's throat.

Jag looked down at the rider's corpse. A mountain Nikto, wielding only a small electro-baton and a blaster pistol. A cold certainty gripped at his chest.

"A scout," he said. "More are coming. Forget the tents, we don't have time. Everyone–move!"

 

Perfect cliffhanger!

 

Revan! Excellent cliffhanger. Good thing they didn't lose their sense of urgency after the first night didn't turn up the threat. Jag and Jaina both know better.

 

Go Jag! Nice cliffhanger.

 

Wonderful cliffhanger! I think we're about to see some badass Jag.

 

windu4, thanks, cliffhangers are always fun...unless it's an ending that you'll have to wait forever to see (i.e. Desolation of Smaug).

Nyota's Heart, Jag and Jaina know better than to assume everything's peachy just because one night goes by fine.

Jedi_Lover, I think Jag needs more awesome moments.

jcgoble3, Jag is about to let loose in all kinds of ways. And so are the others.