Beyond - Legends [DDC 2016] The Journal of Talon Tantiss: [Part 4] Secrets Revealed (updated 12/31/16)

Woohoo! Talon showed them didn't he? Too bad they couldn't have just kept secret about the reason behind his excellent performance.

 

Talon on the course with the Force ha, the instructor wasn't expecting that one he asked for a show and got one

 

Talon is such a show-off I wonder what the Grand Master would have to say about that! And now that poor sergeant is going to be raging for weeks.

Good luck with your exams, J_L! I really admire you for going back to college, I don't think I'd be able to summon the courage, let alone the patience.

 

Thanks. I based it off some real military obstacle courses. The trouble is they are hard to describe. I never did any mudmasters. They became popular when I was way past my athletic prime. When I was younger I used to do an event called Rogaining (it has nothing to do with the hair growth drug). Rogaine stood for Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation and Endurance. It basically was a 24 run through the forest to find various orienteering checkpoints. I did at least two of those events. I would camp at night because I learned that running around in the dark just gets you lost. Even with flashlights or lights on headbands it is almost impossible to find markers in the dark. A couple of my Army buddies are long distance runners. One does these one week runs from one side of the state to the other. I think her last run was about 375 miles. My other friend does peak runs. He will do races in the mountains that involve running hundreds of miles up and down extreme elevations. I told them I didn't like walking the thirty feet to the refrigerator. I have done a marathon and realized I never ever want to walk/run that distance ever again.

I was thinking about letting him, but I thought that would be dangerous if any of these kids tried to jump ten meters from the balance beam. Talon wouldn't want to trick soldiers and have them hurt themselves trying to repeat his feat.

Yeah, I am just imaging him with his jaw slack and thinking, "What the..."

Thanks. I hope I do well in college. I know I can do it, but at my age I struggle with 'wanting to do it.' It is hard to get back into the workforce after taking such a long time off to raise kids.

Here is the next post.
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Entry 12

I am going home! I said goodbye to my new friends in the 33rd Void Jumper unit and hurriedly made my way back to my StealthX. The first person I contacted on my ship transceiver was the Grand Master. I needed to know if he wanted me to go to Karazak to help Hanna and Valin with their investigation.

When my uncle answered my call I couldn’t help but notice he looked deeply troubled. “What’s wrong, Uncle Luke?”

He ran a hand over a couple days worth of chin stubble as he regarded me somberly. “We got word back from Karazak. We didn’t find any Vong Void Jumpers. In fact, we didn’t find anybody there. No slavers, no captives…just the buildings, and those were burnt along with their contents. There is evidence of a bloody conflict, but we don’t know if there was a slave uprising or competing slavers came in and captured everybody to sell for profit.”

I nodded. “I’ll get right out there and use my psychometry abilities to see what happened.”

“No,” Luke said abruptly. “I don’t want you there, Talon.”

My eyes narrowed. “Why?”

Luke stared at me for a long pause, his eyes dark and haunted. “I’ll send you a full report, but the images Hanna and Valin sent were so disturbing I don’t think using your powers to ‘see’ what happened there would be prudent.”

I was confused as to what he was talking about. “I thought you said you didn’t find anybody there. So how would you know visions of what went on would be any more disturbing than what I’ve seen in combat?”

He gave a tired nod of the head. “Valin was able to pull off records from a few surviving computers and what we discovered was sickening. It appears the Karazak slavers weren’t operating a normal slaving operation. It was mainly a pleasure slave trade, which is not surprising, but what is disturbing was they were custom designing slaves for customers.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before continuing. “They operated a surgical hospital which mutilated various species to appeal to particular fetishes. There are images of amputations, limbs removed from one species and added to another. Zabraks with lekku, Twi’lek’s with no lekku, human’s with tails, gender alterations and…” His voice cracked with emotion and he had to stop to compose himself. “Hanna found a dumpster full of discarded body parts in the rear of the medical building. We have medical teams collecting every limp, every scrap of flesh and every drop of blood and conducting DNA testing. I know it will be tough for loved ones to discover the fate of their missing family members…but it has to be done. What was going on there was cruelty beyond comprehension.” He ran a hand through his graying hair and sighed. “I think using your powers to see what went on first hand, experiencing what the victims felt, might be too traumatic.” He shook his head sadly. “Nobody should see that.”

I was conflicted by this information. It is true that I never like using my Jedi ability to touch objects used in homicides to see the past connected to it, but in this case I was willing to take the risk. These slavers must be stopped. “Uncle Luke, I want to try.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t make this decision lightly. I consulted Jedi Rogek, our trauma healer, and she says psychic visions of torture and mutilation could be so harrowing that it could damage your psyche.”

I groaned and closed my eyes in disbelief. “You talked to the psychiatrist about this? What does she know about my abilities? I never discussed my psychometric visions with her.”

He looked away for a moment. “Ben told me how upset you would get when you assisted him with his Sentinel homicide cases.”

“You discussed this with Ben!” I blew out a breath. “Did you talk to Aunt Mara about this? She was my Master. Does she agree with your decision?”

“Not at first, but after seeing the report she changed her mind.” He turned back to me his gaze warm and fatherly. “We probably don’t need your help anyway. The Chief-of-State is using the evidence we acquired to pressure the senate into taking action. He has declared the slavers to be galactic criminals that performed crimes against nature. He is sending a fleet out to hunt down and apprehend the slave syndicate. They may not be within Galactic Alliance territory, but there isn’t any outlying planets that can oppose the power of the GA.”

“That’s good, right?”

My uncle shrugged. “If he is sincere, then yes. If he is using this as an excuse for a power grab and to annex territory then I don’t know.”

A nagging question crossed my mind. “What did Mokk Streke say when you revealed we were nosing around Karazak? At one point we suspected the Chief-of-State of creating of a Vong army of Jedi-killing Void Jumpers…shouldn’t he have been upset about us sniffing around their last unconfirmed location?”

The Grand Master’s brow furrowed. “I told him we were investigating reports of an upsurge of slaving activity in the region. It was a simple two-Jedi intelligence gathering mission.” He paused in thought. “He appeared concerned, but he didn’t act suspicious or worried that we were there. Perhaps he isn’t behind these Vong Void Jumpers.” He hesitated for a second. "But there were Void Jumpers there. Our other Jumper qualified Jedi looked at photos from the scene and verified boot prints found outside the compound came from Jumpsuits."

I thought about it for a moment. “Maybe the slavers are in the middle of a turf war and they are subcontracting Void Jumper security.”

“Perhaps,” Luke said slowly. “But that doesn’t answer the one question that has been plaguing me…if it was the Vong how did the slavers find out about the Vong Shamed Ones and why them? According to your father he didn’t even know they survived until a few years ago. The Chief-of-State was one of the only people who knew where they were resettled. And if it was a turf war why would they need Force-resistant fighters?”

“Tenel Ka’s Chief-of-Security, Deke Tavik, knew. I heard him discussing it with my dad while we were on Hapes visiting Jacen and the Queen. Maybe Tavik is involved. He’s a Void Jumper and he conveniently came across the video showing the Vong and their lightsaber resistant armor. He came right out and told my dad that Mokk Streke is building a Jedi-killing army. Maybe the video is a scam. Could he be playing an angle to pit the Jedi against the Chief-of-State?”

"What?" My uncle made a face. “For what purpose?”

I shrugged. “Maybe the Hapan government wants Streke out of power. He’s been irritating a lot of people, possibly the Hapans.”

Luke put up his hand in a halting gesture. “Let’s not start pointing fingers. Now that I think about it, these Shamed Ones were probably transported to their new home by New Republic ships. There are possibly hundreds of people who have this knowledge. Besides, I doubt the Hapan monarchy is behind this. It would mean placing the Jedi in harms way to fulfill a political agenda and I can't see that happening. I trust Jacen and Tenel’ Ka implicitly.”

“I once trusted Jacen with my life, but then there was Kavan and Myrkr.”

Luke’s mouth flattened to a hard line. “Jacen is an upstanding Jedi. Don’t bring that up again.”

I lowered my eyes, discomfited by my uncle’s censure. “Sorry. You’re right.” Although our transmissions were encrypted we did make a vow on Myrkr that we would never discuss Jacen’s slip to the darkside ever again. The Skywalker, Solo and Tantiss family were conspirators in probably one of the biggest cover-ups in the galaxy. If anybody exposed our involvement it would destroy us. Still…Jacen did turn to the darkside once. What is keeping him from falling from the light again? I don't know...maybe I'm just being paranoid. Without further evidence I would defer to the Grand Master’s judgment in this matter. “Where do you want me to go then?”

He gave me a wane smile. “I was told the Vazy Princess is on Bastion. Ben already rendezvoused with the ship. Why don’t you go and meet up with them and I will get back to you if something comes up.”

“Okay,” I said softly. “Tantiss out.”

Next, I contacted my wife. I told her to keep the bed warm, because I was on my way home.

 

Hmm trouble out there with those slavers or isn't all what it seems?
I hope Talon keeps safe at home.

 

Wow, the mystery is deepening, as to who is orchestrating things & why. And that is definitely a cruel, horrific thing the slavers are doing!

 

this is getting very mysterious and interesting. Talon better heed Luke's warnings.

 

I am still trying to figure out this plot...so I am not even sure if things are as they seem.

You changed your name again. I almost didn't realize who you were. Thanks for reading. I was inspired a little by the movie American Mary about a surgeon that does illegal body modifications for people in that particular subculture. It was creepy.

Talon isn't the type to disobey the Grand Master. He would need much higher stakes for him to go rogue. I could see him doing it though if his family was in danger and he was told to stand down.

Thanks everybody for reading.



Entry 13

I had escaped Felucia’s atmosphere and was about to make my jump to hyperspace when I got a high priority call from Uncle Luke.

“What is it this time,” I muttered under my breath. “Is he making sure I have my crash webbing on?” I still was a little irritated with my uncle’s overprotectiveness and refusal to let me travel to Karazak. He should trust my judgment when it comes to my emotional response to my psychometric visions. I’m positive I could persevere and locate the slavers, but I’ll never know now. I flipped the switch activating my transceiver as I forced a smile on my face. “Did you forget something Uncle Luke? Or did you change your mind about me going after the slave syndicate?”

Surprisingly, his lips twisted into a tight-lipped grin. “I changed my mind.”

I jaw went slack for a moment before I regained my composure. “Really? You want me to go to Karazak?”

My uncle shook his head. “I still think visiting the hospital where those horrific mutilations took place would be too traumatic. I want you go to Dathomir.”

“What?”

A slight smile touched my uncle’s lips. “As soon as I ended my conversation with you I got a communication from Jedi Har’shi, our Dathomir witch. She was visiting relatives on her home planet when two ships landed near her village. By the time the witches arrived to meet the intruders one of the ships departed leaving the second spacecraft scuttled and abandoned. Inside the cargo hold were sixty-three men bound and shackled. They claim they were kidnapped by slavers, but Jedi Har’shi believes they are the true slave masters.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How did she determine that? Did they admit it?”

He coughed and I am fairly sure it was to disguise a laugh. “No, they deny they are slavers, but whoever dropped them off on Dathomir used a skin-staining stylus to print the words, ‘We enslave women’ all over their bodies.”

I know this is a serious matter, but I had to laugh. “Somebody captured male slavers and dropped them off on Dathomir…a planet where women rule and men are servants. I’m sure their arrival didn’t go over well with the local population.”

Luke nodded with a chuckle. “If they are truly members of the Karazak slave syndicate then their captors enjoy irony, but we need to know for sure. Jedi Har’shi senses deception from these men, but they could be common criminals—wanted men—who have a reason to disguise their identify, but who are now victims of a cruel game. Dathomir isn’t far from Felucia. Meet up with Jedi Har’shi and see if you can confirm these are our slave masters. I’m sending Ben out there to interrogate them. I want to know the connection between the Void Jumpers on Karazak, the Vong Void Jumpers in that holovid and the Galactic Alliance before the Chief-of-State and the GA security get involved and these men are whisked off to some Mega-Security facility never to be seen again.”

“I’m on my way.” I disconnected the transmission and plotted a course to Dathomir.

Entry 14

I arrived on Dathomir later that day. I did a flyby over the Singing Mountain Clan village and spotted a cargo ship sitting in a grassy field about a kilometer away. A handful of witches were milling around the large ship, two were riding dangerous looking Rancors while another rider-less animal stood at the tree line waiting for its master. A witch standing near the cargo ship looked up and waved as I circled the area trying to determine the safest place to touchdown. I decided on a location as far away from Rancors as possible.

I landed at the far edge of the field and powered down. One witch wearing a very un-Dathomiri looking flight suit and a lightsaber sauntered over to my location. I popped the canopy and jumped down. “You must be Jedi Har’shi.”

She was a tall, light skinned human with thick, wavy brown hair and piercing green eyes. I think I have seen her a few times in the temple, but we were years apart in our training. She was a fledgling apprentice when I earned my knighthood. I took off my flight helmet and tossed it up and into the ship cockpit before turning and offering her my hand in greeting. She looked down at my hand and hesitated before glancing back to her sister witches.

I grinned as I dropped my hand back to my side. “I get it. They don’t think you should lower yourself by consorting with a male.”

She blushed and blew out a breath. “Dathomiri customs are hard to change. They are not happy that I left to train with men.” She smiled shyly. “Thank you for understanding Jedi Tantiss. I am honored by your presence. I have heard a great many things about you.”

I inwardly groaned. I really hope she is talking about my Jedi skills and not my horrible, ill-gotten and totally undeserved reputation as a womanizer. “All good, I hope.”

When she blushed a deeper red I knew she had heard some awful rumor from my past. “Of course, Jedi Tantiss,” she lied smoothly. “There are very few Jedi with the gift of divination.” She turned and led me to an old TL-1200 freighter that appeared to have sustained major damage to the flight deck.

I pointed to the destruction. “I was told two ships landed. Did the crew of the other ship do that?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “It was that way when we arrived. We assume it was done on purpose, but we might be mistaken. Hopefully, you could tell us what transpired here.”

“I’ll certainly do my best…but psychometry is unpredictable.” We walked up the back loading ramp and entered a wide corridor leading to the cargo hold. The first thing that hit me was the smell of perspiration and urine. The second thing to assault me was the angry shouts of men. The cargo hold was dimly lit with most of the overhead glow panels damaged and nonfunctional. As my eyes adjusted I could make out the outlines of the imprisoned men. All sixty-three had their hands and feet shackled and secured to the bulkhead in an uncomfortable standing position…and all were butt naked. I looked over to my fellow Jedi. “Were they nude when you found them?”

An incredulous expression crossed her face. “Of course, why would we disrobe them?”

Now it was my turn to blush. “Sorry, that was a stupid question. I’m just wondering why anybody would strip them of their clothing.”

“To strip us of our dignity!” Came a booming voice from among the shackled men. I looked over and saw a large bearded human covered with body graffiti professing his occupation as slaver and a few other epithets thrown in for extra measure. “We are innocent miners ripped from our homes. When we refused to work for the slavers they decided to punish us in this manner.”

I walked over to the spokesman for the prisoners. He glared at me arrogantly despite the fact that he was standing in a puddle of his own urine.

“On what planet were you captured?” I asked.

“Secunda 6, in the unknown region.”

“Who did this to you?” I reached out and grasped the chain securing the man to the wall and concentrated, searching for images from the past connected to this inanimate object.

The leader spoke, answering my question, but his words were distant and then gone, replaced by a vision. I could see these men forced into the hold and secured…but I couldn’t see the men who imprisoned them. I closed my eyes as my brow furrowed in confusion. The captors had to have touched the chains, so why couldn’t I see them? These men didn’t shackle themselves. I let go of the chain, stepped back and examined the deck looking for a location not contaminated with excrement. When I found a clean patched I walked over, knelt and touched the ship’s deck. Once again I could not see their abductors.

What I could see were these men discussing their fate and when their captors left them on this planet they frantically concocted a story claiming their innocence. None wanted to face a slave running conviction. There was no question in my mind that these men were part of the Karazak slave syndicate.

I opened my eyes and stood.

Jedi Har’shi walked up to me. “Did you see something?”

I motioned for her to follow me out of the hold. The men howled for us to return and release them, but I ignored their pleas. They were animals and deserved to be tied up as such…at least for a little bit longer. “They are the slave masters…but I couldn’t see who did this to them. It could have been a slave uprising and the freed slaves left them here. If they knew the reputation of the Dathomiri women,” I paused for a moment not wanting to offend my fellow Jedi. “I mean…your reputation for…ah being fierce fighters.”

Jedi Har’shi raised a hand to stop my stammering. “I know our reputation. Many believe we enslave our men, which is not true. They are born into their place in society. We don’t go off-world and take men. Our males are family. They are our clan’s fathers, sons and brothers. They work in the fields for the betterment of our society. They are not mistreated.”

I tried to remain expressionless during Har’shi’s heartfelt proclamation, but I am sure I couldn’t fully conceal the slight roll of my eyes. What she described sounded like slavery to me…but I am not going to say anything to irritate a group of Rancor riding witches when I need their cooperation. Besides, members of the GA Sentient Species Rights Committee met with dozens of clan males over the years and none expressed any desire to leave. Because of this, the Galactic Alliance has turned a blind eye to Dathomir’s custom of misandry. “Of course, but if they misunderstood your culture and believed you held men as slaves,” I continued. “They might believe you would exact justice against men who are said to have enslaved women.”

She chortled. “I believe the clan leaders are discussing that now. I have asked them to wait and let the Alliance handle this, but since I left Dathomir to join the Jedi my standing in this community has diminished. If my sisters come for these men, I would suggest you do not interfere. They won’t kill them. They will be put to work…hard work. If the GA does come for the slavers, I believe our elders will allow them to be taken into custody and tried for their crimes.”

I nodded my head, knowing I was not equipped to defend these men against a village of angry witches. “I trust your judgment, Jedi Har’shi.” I turned back to the freighter. “Will the men be cleaned and fed?”

“We will do that. I told my sisters to not disturb the scene so not to interfere with your divination powers. If you are finished with your investigation, our warriors will confine them in more humane living conditions.”

“Thank you.”

“Jedi Skywalker is expected to be here at the end of the day. Please join me at my village for our evening meal.” She motioned me to follow. I thought we were going to walk to the settlement, but instead we moved closer to a large Rancor. When the beast saw me he bared his teeth and shrieked. I could feel the creature’s rancid breath waft through the air and I am fairly certain those were not raindrops pelting my forehead, but fetid spittle. “Why are we going this way?”

Jedi Har’shi pointed in the monster’s direction. “This is our ride.”

I stopped in my tracks. “I’m not going to ride a Rancor.”

She turned and looked at me nervously. “You must. I have told my sisters that Jedi males are different. They have no fear. It would look bad if you balked at riding a Rancor. The elders might demand that I leave the Jedi.”

I got a sick feeling in my stomach. It was that feeling you get when you know you have to do something you absolutely do not want to do. I sighed and moved toward the ill-tempered beast. I thought Vornskrs were bad, but this is like a dozen vornskrs sewed together, given a horrible case of halitosis and shocked with a Force Pike until they were insane with anger. I followed on the heels of my fellow Jedi until I was on the side of this terrifying creature. She grabbed a rope hanging from a saddle affixed behind the creature’s head. She effortlessly climbed up and swung a leg over the saddle before motioning for me to climb. I took a deep breath and ascended as fast as I could. Twice the Rancor glared at me with a snarl, but it didn’t attack…thankfully. I slid into the saddle behind Har’shi and looked for handholds, but couldn’t find any.

“How do I stay on…” I started to say before Jedi Har’shi kicked her mount with her boot heels and commanded it to move. The monster roared and bounded down the road. The abrupt movement almost dislodged me from my perch and I was forced to quickly wrap my arms around the young witch to hang on.

I really hoped this thing didn’t buck me off and eat me.

 

Talon and his ways with animals He sure doesn't like them

 

Talon seems to have a way with animals. If he stopped showing his dislike for them, maybe he would have a better time with it..

 

LOL about the Rancor-riding. I don't think I would be too eager to do that either. More clues about slavers and always good to have the Dathomirians on your side as allies.

 

First a vornskr, then a rancor... Talon has an interesting collection of pets!

By now the plot is thick as molasses But because I read the rest of this series not so long ago, I think I have a pretty good idea of what's going on with the people who caught the slavers. What I don't get is what the Chief-of-State is doing in all this, and I can't wait to find out!

 

Droids and animals are not Talon's friend.

Maybe. I think the little runt vornskr is going to melt his heart...maybe.

There is no way you would get me up on one of those things. Poor Talon.

I am glad you know what is going on, because I am still trying to figure it out.

Thanks everybody for reading. Sorry there is so much time between posts. I had one of my college finals yesterday. The test was put in front of me and it looked like a book. The staple barely made it through. Then I realized it was typed on the front and the back. 200 questions! WTH?! By the time I got near the end I was thinking, "Did we cover this stuff?" It took 15 minutes just to fill in the scantron form after I did the test. I got a B and I am happy to get that on that test from Hell.

Here is a small post. Sorry if the quality is slipping.

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Entry 15

I survived my Rancor ride. It was probably the most jarring form of transportation in the galaxy. My backside hurt so much I wouldn’t be surprised if I broke something.

When we arrived at the village I noticed the astonished faces of the menfolk and more than one witch gave me an appraising look as they gathered together and talked in hushed tones. Jedi Har’shi had a smug air about her as she unsuccessfully tried to suppress a grin. I guess putting up a brave front helped her justify working with males. I’m glad to help, but I just wished it didn’t have to be such a painful performance of male fearlessness. I quickly climbed down from the rancor wanting to put some distance between us. The monster glared at me menacingly before it bared its teeth and roared sending spittle everywhere. Wonderful. I probably have a broken tailbone and now I got a saliva shower. Vornskrs are looking better and better every minute.

My fellow Jedi Knight brought me to a small dining area located within the Singing Mountain caverns. She motioned for me to sit as she flagged down one of the male slaves…or should I say ‘male family members’ to bring us some food. After a few minutes a small man scurried into our chamber carrying bowls of meat and steamed vegetables.

As Har’shi and I ate our meal I noticed a number of witches stopping by and glancing into the dining chamber. After the sixth or seventh woman stopped by I asked my companion what was going on.

She looked over to the entrance where her sister-witches stood watching us. When Har’shi made eye contact with one of the witches, the woman in the doorway pointed to me and then said something in their native language of Paecian.

“No!” Har’shi responded in basic. She made a shooing motion with her hand and then continued conversing in Paecian. The women in the hall laughed and wandered away.

I gave her a curious look. “What was that all about?”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “I might have exaggerated the capabilities of male Jedi to impress my sisters.” She paused for a moment. “Exaggerate is not the right word. I told my clan sisters some of the Grand Master’s astounding capabilities and now they believe all male Jedi have the same extraordinary talents…and I haven’t done anything to correct that assumption.” She smirked. “So now the sisters probably believe you can not only do psychometric divinations but you can walk on lava, slay Sith Lords, levitate objects, do telekinesis, mind tricks, heal the sick, detoxify poison, go into a hibernation trance, mind-speak to animals, sense a person’s intentions, merge your senses with other Jedi, and control the weather.”

I broke out in laughter. “Is that all?” I shook my head in disbelief. “I never walked on Lava, controlled the weather or slayed a Sith Lord, but I do have plenty of combat experience and I am capable of performing most of the other skills to some degree. But, with the exception of psychometrics, I am fairly average. I’m definitely no Luke Skywalker.” I looked over to another group of women taking a peek through the door. “So are they expecting me to levitate something?”

Jedi Har’shi laughed, nearly choking on her food. When she composed herself she said. “They want something to rise up.”

I gazed at my fellow Jedi waiting for an explanation that was obviously not forthcoming. “What do you mean?”

A hot blush crawled across the Jedi’s face. “You are considered a male witch…and that is a prized commodity here on Dathomir. The woman that spoke to me earlier was asking me if I am willing to share.” She coughed nervously and averted her eyes. “They are hoping to breed with you.”

“What?” I looked over to the growing number of women gathering in the hallway. I laughed with a shake of my head. “If I wasn’t married, that might be a tempting offer, but I have to decline. My wife definitely doesn’t share.”

The Jedi laughed. “Don’t worry, once Skywalker gets here they will forget all about you.”

The smile slipped from my face. “What?”

Har’shi’s jaw dropped in mortification. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m not saying he’s more attractive than you. It’s just…the Skywalker reputation precedes him and he is a redhead and redheads are perceived as very exotic on the planet. A male witch with fiery red hair is something found only in folklore.”

I rolled my eyes. “It figures. Do Dathomiri witches also find pale skin and freckles alluring.”

She gave me a knowing look. “You’re jealous.”

I leaned back in my chair ready to deny the charge but instead grinned. “Maybe a little. Ben has always bested me, but I am lucky to have him as a friend.”

I turned when I heard a commotion in the outside corridor. There was the murmuring of women and then laughter, followed by Ben poking his head through the doorway. “Hey guys.” He jumped when one of the women ran a hand over his shoulders. “The women are very friendly here,” he said while warding off more wandering hands.

“What do you expect?” I said with a grin. “You’re their version of a mythical, crimson haired, baby-making god.”

“What?”

Jedi Har’shi motioned him over to the table while throwing an evil glance toward any witches lingering at the doorway. “I was telling Jedi Tantiss that the women in my clan find male witches appealing. They sire Force-strong children.”

Ben blushed as he sat down across from me. “Oh. I just thought this was a very touchy-feely culture.” He grabbed a steamed vegetable off a plate and popped it in his mouth before he pointed in the direction of the abandoned ship. “I landed near your StealthX. The women were removing the prisoners from the freighter cargo bay and leading them somewhere. Why are they naked?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. What I do know is I can’t see who abducted them. My visions have gaps. It’s like the people who did this were invisible.”

Ben’s eyes went wide. “Could it be a Force-cloak?”

I shook my head. “The only person I know that can do that is your father. So unless he is abducting and stripping slavers…I would guess it is something else.”

“How about a mimetic suit?” Jedi Har’shi offered.

I nodded in thought. A mimetic suit can render a person invisible and I remember the Chief-of-State’s mysterious encounter with a mimetic suit clad individual. “Maybe...,but I would think I'd be able to sense them through the Force, even if they were physically invisible.”

“Maybe they were only invisible in the Force?” Ben offered.

I knew he was referring to the Vong shamed one. “That could be it.”

Har’shi looked between Ben and I waiting for us to expand on that comment. I wasn’t sure who knew about the Vong, so I decided to stay silent.

“You mean they may have ysalamiri?” Har’shi asked.

Ben nodded his head, allowing the young Jedi to make that assumption. “It is a possibility.”

I decided to change the subject. “Did they make you ride a rancor to the village?”

Ben’s brow rose. “No, did you?”

“Yep,” I said somewhat sarcastically. “I had to prove to the village women how awesomely brave male Jedi are.” I smirked. “I guess the ladies didn’t want to risk their fiery-haired male witch getting eaten before he could father some children.”

“Knock it off.” Ben shook his head in irritation as he stood. “Let’s go interrogate some of the men. I’d like to find out more about who captured them.”

 

The list of alleged Jedi skill sets is quite intersting and looong Fascinating clues about mimetic suits, etc. Looking forward to what more clues come out.

 

love the banter between Talon and Ben and the male abilities to prove

 

Thanks. I remember that in the profics the witches were very interested in Luke. I wasn't sure if they were just enamored with his baby blue eyes or it was a fascination with Jedi in general.

Thanks. I hope this story doesn't disappoint. This has to be the hardest DDC for me beause I almost have no time to write. Things are getting crazy with school. I am in class 37 hours a week and next semester it will be probably around 45 hours a week. This is kicking my butt.

This is another short post.

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Entry 16

Ben, Jedi Har’shi and I exited the village caverns and made our way down a hill to a Rancor corral I had seen earlier on my ride to the village.

“So,” I said to Ben. “How were things on Bastion?”

Ben chuckled. “Jaina in spoiling Valla and Zylie. They have been going on dignitary tours and visiting expensive spas. Meanwhile your father—under the pretense of doing research for the Indupar Military—has finagled his way into the Imperial quartermaster supply warehouse and has been checking out their uniforms. According to your dad, the Imperials always had the best uniforms.”

I shook my head. “He loves playing dress up…but anything is better than the ridiculous Indupar dress uniform he wears. I can understand why he wants to consider other options.”

As we approached the corral I noticed the Rancors were removed from their hold and were replaced by the mob of captive slavers. The witches had given them rags to gird their loins, so they were no longer naked. It wasn’t much, but it was better than having to interrogate naked men all day. That would be a bit awkward.

Ben glanced over to me. “You interacted with them. Is there anything you can tell me?”

As we approached the enclosure I looked for the talkative slaver I encountered earlier. Eventually I spied him pacing within the confines of the corral, glaring at the other men, and obviously looking for a weak spot in the security so he could attempt an escape. I smiled, hoping he would try. The witches had tied their mounts to the outside of the enclosure. Anybody getting too close to the fence risked becoming a Rancor snack.

I pointed to the slave spokesman. “That one there I think is the leader. He’s who you need to talk to.”

I eyed Ben when he chuckled. “No, that is the last person I need to talk to.” We walked around the fenced in area scrutinizing the men while trying to remain out of Rancor reach. Eventually Ben stopped and stared at a small man sitting on the ground, knees up to his chest and rocking back and forth while moaning pitifully. “That’s who I need to talk to.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. “Why? He looks like a nobody.”

Ben grinned. “That is exactly why I want to talk to him. The leader has nothing to gain and everything to lose. He knows we won’t make a deal with him.” Ben gestured to the sobbing man. “That fellow is not a hardened slaver. He’s either new or weak. Either way, he will break. Once we have his information it will be easier to crack some of the other low level criminals. By the time we make it to the leader we will have enough evidence to put him away forever.” Ben moved to the witch guarded corral entrance before turning back to me. “Cover me with your blaster. I’m going in.” He walked past the guards while unclipping his lightsaber. The other prisoners made way for my cousin until he reached the sobbing man. He bent down, talked to him and then stood and walked toward the exit. To my surprise the cowardly slaver stood and trailed behind without complaint.

“What did you say to him?” I asked as they exited the holding pen.

“I told him to follow me.” He winked. “And yes, I did do a mind trick to get him to cooperate.”

“If you wish to question him, there is a place in the caverns to do so,” Jedi Har’shi offered. “Please follow me.”

The mind trick must have worn off because the prisoner hesitated and tried to go back to the enclosure. I grabbed him by the upper arm and practically dragged him up the hill and into the cavern entrance. We followed Har’shi to a small room with a seating area carved into the cave walls. I pushed the man toward the stone bench and told him to sit.

He was nervous, twitchy and refused to look any of us in the eye. “Please don’t kill me. I’m not a slaver. I’m a slave.” His knee bounced up and down nervously as he began to hyperventilate. “My mother was a slave. My father was her owner. I get light work in the main office, but I’m still a slave.” He started to look up from the floor, but his eyes stopped at Ben’s lightsaber and then glanced back down. “I’ll cooperate. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” He risked a scan of his surroundings. “This isn’t a Alliance facility. Why did the Jedi bring us here? Is it a Jedi dark site?”

“What?” I turned to Ben. “Do you know what that means?”

He nodded. “It is a term used for a government facility not on the record. A place where the rules don’t apply.” He turned back to the man. “Why would you believe the Jedi brought you here?

He raised his head but didn’t make eye contact. “Because a Jedi was in charge of the men who captured us.”

Ben and I looked at each other in confusion. “Was he in Jedi robes?” Ben asked.

The prisoner shook his head. “They all were in Void Jumper Armor except the pilots. The leader had a lightsaber clipped to his side. I know what they look like. I’ve seen action holos of Jedi Knights.”

Ben rubbed a hand over his chin in thought as he paced the room. “Was the leader tall…over two meters tall with an amber lightsaber blade?”

The man shook his head. “He never ignited his saber…so I don’t know what color the blade was, but he didn’t look two meters tall. He was shorter than the rest of his men. He was normal height…if he was human. I couldn’t tell.”

“Did you hear him talk? Did he have an accent?”

The man ran a trembling hand through his greasy hair while shaking his head nervously. “They were communicating between themselves through their helmets, I think. The leader was moving his arms like a man talking. He was pointing and turning to various jumpers.”

“How do you know he was the leader if you didn’t hear what was being said,” Ben asked.

The prisoner shrugged. “He was dressed differently. He had a gold cape.” He reached up to his left shoulder. “It was clasped with an emblem of a setting sun with a curvy line beneath it. And when he pointed to a Void Jumper that guy turned and moved out. He was a leader.”

“You said the pilots weren’t Void Jumpers,” I said. “What did they look like?”

“I don’t know. They were in flight suits and had full face headdresses like the old Imperial Tie Fighter helmets.”

“Do you think they were imperials?” I glanced over to Ben. I didn’t think Jagged Fel was involved, but his empire might not be the only remnants of Palpatine’s Empire in the galaxy.

The scrawny prisoner shook his head. “They had a sun logo on the helmet, not an Imperial crest. I’ve never seen it before. But I was near the front of the ship, so I heard these guys talk. They had a thick, thick Basic accent…that is when they talked in Basic. They spoke to each other in a language I’ve never heard before, but when they communicated over the transceiver they used Basic. I didn’t recognize the accent.”

“What were they saying?”

“The people communicating to them had a slight rimworld accent. They told the pilots to fly us to the coordinates given and they complimented them on a job well done. They said they did a great job for a first run.”

“First run,” Ben muttered before turning to me. “That means they may be going after other slave operations.” He returned his attention to the slave. “Did they say anything else?”

The prisoner blew out a nervous breath. “I didn’t understand what they said exactly because of their accent, but it sounded like the pilot said they ‘will swerve to the right path’.

Ben looked to me. “Does that mean anything to you?”

I shook my head. “No. It doesn’t make any sense at all.”

Entry 17

I am so glad I am a Jedi Guardian and not a Sentinel. Ben’s job is BORING! He talks to a prisoner, and then he asks the man the same questions over and over. He said it is because most people can’t remember the details of lies. Eventually they will trip up and then you press them to explain the discrepancies. Ultimately the prisoner gets tired of answering questions and either refuses to talk or starts telling the truth.

From piecing together all of the stories it appears our slavers were attacked a little before dawn. Two jump platforms laid down suppressive fire to soften the target before a large contingent of Void Jumpers (possibly a company of men) jumped down and began Urban Offensive Operations (often pronounced as ‘U-Ops’). There was a fierce firefight, but the Void Jumper armor was impervious to blaster fire and even slug throwers didn’t have much affect on them.

The people in the operational buildings were captured, stunned and while unconscious they were stripped and secured in a freighter that must have arrived after the battle. The prisoners didn’t know what happened to the slaves. They woke up on the ship about a day out from Dathomir. They were given bottled water, but no food. They did not have much, if any, communication with their captors.

Ben questioned the men for eighteen hours straight and we are no closer to finding out who did this than we were at the beginning of the day. Ben was able to use some of the files recovered by his sister and Valin to positively identify the slave masters. The Alliance has been notified of their presence on Dathomir and the GA government will soon be take possession of the prisoners and also this investigation.

That is fine with me. There is nothing more for me to do here and I want to get back to Zylie.

 

loved the update and the mystery deepens, more soon

 

That is some intriguing details. The slavers seem to be well-organized and after some major objective but who is actually behind it all? Looking forward to Zylie and Talon's reunion & any future happenings on Indupar.

 

what's with those slavers? And what's Talon's dad doing? love to see more of him and of the reunion with Zylie.

 

Thanks. I am going to try to write more short posts. I think that would be easier then trying to squeeze out a 2000 word post with my college schedule.

Talon can't wait to see Zylie. He was in that war zone prior to Dathomir, so it has been weeks since he has been with his wife.

Mark is trying on uniforms. He (or I should say, the Indupar monarchy) is paying the Karrde corporation to transport him to various planets to see his family. So he goes to Coruscant to see his son Jaden and his family, but he also puts pressure on the negotiations for the crystals. He then goes to Hapes to see Jacen and his family, but at the same time it scares the GA that maybe he is negotiating with the Hapans. Then he goes to Bastion to visit Jaina and her family and that makes it look like he might be having talks with the Imperials. The cloaking crystals are going to be sold to the GA, but by making them think he may be talking to other governments will mean he will get a better deal. While there he can't help checking out the Imperial outfits. He has a fascination with them for some reason. You have to admit. They were the coolest uniforms in the movies.

Here is a short post before the boys go back to see their wives.



Entry 18

We left Dathomir today.

Ben only had one witch attempt to seduce him the night before we left. Only one, and that is surprising since he is their mythical, fiery haired, freckled face, male witch and alleged creator of Force-strong children. Ha!

He caught the young witch trying to enter his sleeping chamber late at night. He jumped out of bed and became completely flustered…so much so that I sensed the disturbance in the Force, along with Jedi Har’shi and about a half-dozen Dathomiri warrior women, all of which, came running to his room. I found him pushing the young lady out of his bedchamber as she jabbered sweet nothings to him in broken Basic. When he saw me he panicked some more. “She tried to come in and I am making her leave.” He looked at me pleadingly. “Please don’t tell Valla about this. I’ll tell her. I know you; You'll put a spin on the story that will make me look like a cad.”

I made a face. “When have I ever done that?”

Ben didn’t answer. He escorted the witch completely out of his room and asked Jedi Har’shi to inform her clan sisters that he was absolutely not interested in procreating. He then pulled me into his room and shut the wooden door. “Please promise me you’re not going to say anything to Valla or Zylie. If you tell her before I do it will look like I am trying to hide something.” He shook his head in frustration. “Why didn’t they bother you?”

I shrugged. “It’s the freckles. Dathomiri women obviously are attracted to pasty skinned, freckled faced redheads.”

He rolled his eyes before he sat down on his bed and sighed. “This is frustrating. We are no closer to finding out who the abductors are or if they were the Vong.”

“Oh, they’re the Vong,” I said. “That would explain why I couldn’t sense them using my post-cognitive abilities.”

Ben nodded. “If they are the Vong, who do they work for?” He rubbed a hand over his facial stubble as he thought. “I can’t see this as the work of a competing slaving operation. They would have sold the slave-masters into slavery. I know putting them on this planet is ironic, but slavers don’t put irony above profit. And why were they stripped down naked?”

I sat down in a small chair in his room. “The leader of the group said it was to strip them of their dignity. You have to admit, it is extremely humiliating. It is too bad though. My psychometry doesn’t work on living objects, but I probably could have gleaned more information by touching their clothing or personal objects.”

Ben’s head shot up as he gazed at me intensely. “Could that be the reason why?”

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. “What?”

“Could the perpetrators have known we have a Jedi that can perform psychometry?”

I shrugged. “I can’t see that being the reason. If the Vong were the ones that stripped them and put them on the ship I wouldn’t be able to sense them no matter what. Stripping them only prevented me from seeing things that the slavers did. I could have witnessed their activities and atrocities by touching their personal objects. It would have helped our investigation. If those men were dropped off on this planet so they can be arrested and convicted, and the perpetrators knew I would investigate, they are hindering their own goals.”

Ben thought about it for a while. “They may be hiding their leader. He might not be a Vong. The Vong can’t touch the Force and that Void Jumper with the cape had a lightsaber.”

“That doesn’t mean he is a Jedi. In fact I know he’s not a Jedi.”

Ben’s brow furrowed. “And how would you know that?”

“The prisoners that saw him said the leader was about one-point-seven meters in height. All of our Jedi void jumpers are two meters tall minimum. We checked into that when we saw that holovid of the lightsaber wielding Void Jumper…the guy with the amber blade. We couldn’t rule out any jump qualified Jedi based on height alone when it came to that man…but we can with this person. He is shorter than all of our Jedi Void Jumpers. He’s simply a Void Jumper with a lightsaber. It may be something he picked up in an antique shop. He’s probably not even a Force user.”

Ben chewed on his lower lip in thought. “You might be right. Maybe the lightsaber is there to throw suspicion toward the Jedi. When Mokk Streke hears about the lightsaber, that’s going to fuel his anti-Jedi sentiment more.”

“Unless the Vong jumpers belong to him. According to your father, he wanted to stop these slavers for years. He might have decided doing it through the system wasn’t going to work…so he is doing it off the record. He recruits the Vong shamed one, puts them in lightsaber resistant armor, and then, to divert suspicion from him, he had the Jump Commander wear a lightsaber.”

Ben scoffed. “You are assuming Streke is smart enough to plan out something so intricate.”

A lopsided grin crossed my face. “You’re right, he’s not that bright.”

Ben stood and picked up his wrist chrono off the table. “It's two hours until sunrise. Do you want to get a early start?”

A wide smile blossomed across my face. “Absolutely. I can’t wait to see Zylie. It’s been weeks.”

Ben gave me a pat on the shoulder. “Then let’s pack, say our goodbyes to Jedi Har’shi and get back to the ladies.”

 

Poor Ben, a witch sneaking in hoping to make a child with him.

Can't wait for more

 

Great to read the further discussion untangling all the clues -- the meaningful ones from the red herrings.

 

Ben is attractive to the witches. Love his discussion with Talon about that and the slavers

 

All caught up!

Like Ny said, lots of clues in these last three chapters, and probably even more red herrings. I can't wait to see where this goes!

Oh, and it's good to know that there's a place in the Galaxy where freckles and red hair are the height of cool. If I ever write a redhead, I'll keep it in mind

 

Thanks. Valin Horn should go on holiday on Dathomir. He's not married.

Thanks. I wish I could write more, but my life has been crazy busy.

I am still working out that slaver angle. I hope everything makes sense at the end.

Ben has always been such a sweetie to me in the professional novels. Even when he was being a teenage jerk to his father. I hated how much pain was visited upon him. I may tease Ben, but I couldn't bring myself to hurt him like he was tortured in the EU. This is just a little teasing and awkwardness for Ben. He can survive that.

So I am getting the gang back together for an adventure.

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Entry 19

Ben and I arrived to Bastion, the Imperial capital planet, late the next day. It’s a temperate world within the Braxant Sector of the Outer Rim Territories and is rumored to be the most fortified planet in the galaxy today. I say today because the most fortified planet was once the planet Byss…until my father and Uncle Luke accidently destroyed the entire planet with the Galaxy Gun. Opps. I wonder how Jag feels about having my father—the man who helped kill the last Emperor—planetside with him? The way Jag is always trying to recruit my father to join his Imperial Knights leads me to believe that there’s no hard feelings.

As we entered the planet’s airspace an escort of Tie-Fighters, Tie/LN interceptors and Tie/D Defenders swarmed us. I am hoping this is normal standard precautions and not an indication that my father caused some intergalactic incident on Bastion while we were away.

I glanced over to Ben who was flying his StealthX off my right wing and keyed my helmet microphone to his frequency. “Did you get this type of reception when the Vazy Princess docked?”

“No,” I heard Ben over the ship transceiver. “This is new. I’ll try to figure out what’s going on.” There was a slight pause. “This is Jedi Skywalker and Jedi Tantiss. I'm transmitting our security clearance codes and requesting permission to land.”

“Acknowledged,” a brusque voice came over the radio. “We're transmitting the flight path to the palace docking bay. Land and remain by your ship. The Emperor’s Hand will greet and escort you to your quarters.”

Huh?

I toggled the ship-to-ship comm. “Is your mother here?”

I heard Ben scoff. “Not that I know of, and if she was, she hasn’t gone by that title for over thirty years. I suspect somebody is playing a little joke on us. Either Jaina or your father.”

I considered contacting our escort and asking them who the hell was the Emperor’s Hand but the terseness of our communications reminded me that Imperials make lousy conversationalists…except when they are saying things like, ‘Seize him!’ or ‘They blew up another Death Star!?’

We landed our ships at the assigned docking bay and discovered it empty. I powered down my fighter and popped the canopy. I looked over to Ben who was doing the same. “No welcome committee? I feel slighted.”

Ben laughed as he hopped down from his ship and looked around. “I’m sure somebody will be around soon. I know the way back to our guest quarters, but I don’t want to disobey Imperial orders to wait.”

As I jumped down from my ship, I could hear footsteps resonating down the corridors. It sounded like a detachment of soldiers approaching our location. Eventually a platoon of white armored stormtroopers appeared marching in a four-squad column formation. As they entered the docking bay they split into two groups. Two squads went to the right and two to the left. They must have been communicating via their helmet links because I couldn’t hear any commands given as they simultaneously came to a halt and immediately performed a facing movement so the two groups now faced each other allowing four-meter space between them. I have seen this formation before on Indupar. Troops will set up in a similar manner so the king could walk down the line with troops flanking on both sides.

I first assumed they were making a passage for Ben and me to walk—sort of like a gauntlet—when I heard more footsteps in the distance. Two people entered and moved through the opening created by the troopers. Both wore Imperial Shadow Guard black robes, armor, full face masks and were carrying scary looking Force pikes. They stopped about three meters from us and announced, “All remain at attention for the entrance of his excellency, The Emperor’s Hand.”

At that point an imposing figure in black and red armor, flowing cape and a fierce looking full-face mask entered the docking bay. I would have been intimidated if the giant marching toward us didn’t have a Vornskr pup running around him, tongue lolling out of his mouth happily and making cute yapping noises.

“Kriffer!” I yelled when I saw the animal. I could hear the Shadow guards laugh under their masks as I dropped down to a knee and snatched the runt vornskr up in my arms. He enthusiastically licked my chin as I stood and turned to face the Emperor’s Hand. “Hey dad.”

“Ah…you guys recognized me.” He took off the helmet revealing his bushy red beard and wide smile. “I was shielding. You shouldn’t have been able to recognize me.” He turned to the formation behind him. “Thanks guys.” The platoon of Stormtroopers relaxed and wandered off. One Shadow Guard left with the troopers while the other remained behind. My dad threw a thumb in his direction. “You wouldn’t believe who I found working for the Emperor.” Ben opened his mouth to answer but my father threw him a warning glance. “Don’t give him any hints, Ben.”

I turned to the masked man who was obviously heavily shielding himself through the Force and tried to determine his identity. When I realized who it was I was shocked. “Kyp?”

“He is good,” Kyp chuckled as he pulled off his helmet. His normally long graying brown hair was now cut short…not military short, but he wasn’t going to be tying back those locks any time in the future.

I looked to him and then to my father. “Did you two get a job with Jag or are you both playing dress up today.”

Kyp pointed to my father. “He’s dressing up. When he found out you were on your way back he decided to mess with you and commandeered a platoon of my men for shock and awe.”

“Your men?” I asked surprised. “You mean you are working here now? When did that happen?”

Kyp placed his helmet on top of his deactivated Force Pike and grinned happily. “The Grand Master sent me here six months ago to help Jag with his pirate problem…which has turned out to be more problematic than expected. When I was set to return to Coruscant, Jag offered me a full time job as the leader of his Imperial Knights and his Academy. It was a tough decision. I gave almost thirty years to the Jedi, but, to be honest, I was growing weary of Coruscant. The anti-Jedi rhetoric from the government and media have become frustrating. There's no anti-Jedi mindsets here, which is refreshing. I retired from the Jedi Order about two months ago. I guess you didn’t notice because you are always roaming around the galaxy in that freighter of yours.”

“Wait, let me get this straight. Jag asked you to stay,” I said in a tone that couldn’t hide my incredulity. Everybody in the Jedi Temple knew about Kyp’s infatuation with Jaina. I couldn’t believe Jag would risk having a Force strong potential rival in his kingdom. If Zylie had some infatuated lovelorn college buddy lusting over her I would make sure he remained far, far away. “You like living life on the edge, don’t you?”

I expected Kyp to feign ignorance, but he simply chuckled. “It’s not like that. I’m not stupid enough to look at the Empress a nanosecond longer than necessary. I’m not here to pursue a long lost love.”

“Then what are you here for.”

He glanced over to me and smiled. “To protect a long lost love.”

I groaned and shook my head. “You are going to end up at the bottom of a sarlacc pit.”

The older man gave a snort. “The Empire doesn’t have any sarlacs. They do have a well stocked torture chamber though.” He laughed. “It is mainly a museum now, but I am fairly certain it could be activated posthaste if the Emperor so decreed.”

“Ohh, you are so dead.”

Kyp laughed before reaching out and tried to pet Kriffer. The tiny vornskr snarled and nipped at him. Kyp was lucky to escape with his fingers. My little runt is not so little anymore. When I left he must have weighed about a kilogram. Now he was probably twelve kilos. He was still a baby, but he now could probably bite off much bigger body parts. “Sorry. Vornskrs are not the cuddliest of animals.”

My father motioned toward Ben and I. “We can talk more later about the pirate situation and Kyp’s death wish. I bet you two want to see your wives.”

I grinned. “That sounds good to me.”

When you are a roaming Jedi, home is where your wife is...and it is good to be home.