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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Beyond - Legends "Sernpidal's Amethyst" (NJO AU; SkySolos, Psylocke, etc.; concluded 10/12)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Onderon1, Jan 1, 2017.

  1. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Well, new year, new start ... and the return of a piece I want to actually finish, after many years. [face_party]

    The original version of this story was my first 'fic on these boards (started in 2008!? ) , but I kept getting distracted by plot-bunnies and never finished it. [face_blush] Many of the later chapters ended up as one-shots, or I kept shifting where the timeline was going ... bad writer. [face_shame_on_you]

    And, while I managed to recover the pieces after truncation (thanks to Chyntuck! =D=), the overall outline for the timeline has shifted a lot.

    That, and TFA happened, so this is a synthesis of (mostly) Legends EU and (pieces of) NEU. I attempted a new prequel to this a few months ago, but that ... floundered under its own weight.

    (Apologies to readers of The Je'daii Heresy - pieces of that will show up here in short order, but the overall narrative thrust will be split up among this and other stories. And Anakin Skywalker will NOT be coming back to life here ... :p )

    A few final notes - this Psylocke is from a far less angstful AU of the Marvel Universe; more background to be revealed as the story moves along.

    As to why Kylo is L/M's son, here? A little backstory/prequel: http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...-16-25-aby-kylo-many-others-darkish.50042867/

    Sernpidal's Amethyst is actually the first of a trilogy set in this AU - the second chapter, Maelstroms, recently concluded (and thanks to everyone who read that! :D)

    Spoilers ahead: http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...-t-more-post-sbs-njo-finished-12-27.50042496/

    And the third and final piece of this portion of "The Braddockverse" will be coming some time later in 2017. There is, however, a coherent narrative arc, and many more stories planned beyond the NJO period ... :)

    AFA Amethyst, the quotes at the start of each chapter are taken from various X-Men comics. :)

    First, though, it's time to kick the tires, light the fires ... and land on a little Outer Rim world. [face_thinking]

    Also - warning for scenes from the end of ROTS, replayed here. Just FYI. [face_peace]

    ----------------------

    "HUSH! Be silent! Behave! There is more here than we can hope to understand. ..." - Uncanny X-Men Annual 14, Psylocke's advice to Jubilee

    -----------------------

    ******************************
    Chapter 1: 25 ABY:
    Sernpidal, Julevian System,
    Outer Rim Territories:
    ******************************

    A second ago, she'd been in Antarctica.

    WHAT the bloody ... ? Betsy Braddock - looking 33, chronologically 43, and feeling utterly drained - asked herself as she sat up and looked around.

    Wherever she was, it wasn't that pleasant, physically or to her recently-restored telepathy.

    Dust started clogging her nostrils, and she could see the sky red-shifting as some kind of storm swept clouds by overhead. Worse, the local astral plane was vibrating with panic, terror, and other base emotions.

    But all she had to do was look up.

    There was a very. Large. Moon. Falling.

    That prat Lehnsherr! If he threw me back in time to some primeval point before the moon moved away from Earth ... Betsy growled inwardly, standing and looking around.

    There were ruined homes, and the ground quaked, so she doubted this was some kind of primitive Antarctica - even IF she'd been moved spatially as well as temporally, to some prehistoric time in the Savage Land.

    Prehistoric time. When ISN'T it prehistoric? Betsy thought ironically as she mentally scanned the area ...

    and her eyes widened as she saw the other sentients fleeing.

    Some were human. Most ... weren't.

    BOSKA!

    A family of green-scaled, snouted, antennaed beings ran past, while Betsy looked to see an orange-skinned being with twin tendrils hanging down his back helping an old human woman from the ruins of a quake-broken home.

    ... Greedo ... no, Rodians are the species ... Betsy sensed ...

    No. Just - no. She'd traveled interdimensionally hundreds of times, yes, but THIS?

    Not possible. Not even REMOTELY possible. It's got to be some insane hallucination - Charles Lehnsherr hit me with some kind of telepathic or biotoxic hallucinogen. Or Mojo grabbed me mid-jaunt ... I HOPE not, but he's done it before ...

    "Growrrll?"

    And then, Betsy's jaw dropped, as she turned.

    And looked up into a furry face.

    Wookiee. Big Wookiee. With a bandolier.

    Betsy reached out tentatively, some subconscious reflex from her noble upbringing causing her to brush dirt from her blue and white SHIELD jumpsuit.

    And her mind confirmed what her eyes were telling her ...

    as her inner teenager squealed.

    He's REAL ...

    "Chewbacca? THE Chewbacca? Forgive me, but - yes, I do somehow understand you; I must've picked up your language when I brushed your mind," Betsy said, trying not to smile absurdly while the ... Wookiee ... growled.

    ... Chewie ... yowled kindly but firmly; this was the planet Sernpidal, and there was a moon falling on it. So, if Betsy was going to get a ride, they had to leave NOW.

    "Right. Lead on, please," Betsy said, keeping pace while they jogged.

    All right, I've finally snapped. But at least it's a FUN hallucination, and beats being dead ... again, Betsy reasoned.

    And of course, where there was Chewbacca ...

    The beat-up star freighter in the distance struck Betsy silent for a heartbeat. She'd loved the original movie when she was a girl, finding refuge from her peers' expectations and the doldrums of noble society.

    Her twin Brian had often ruined it by muttering about the violations of the laws of physics, so after the fifth time at the theatre, Betsy had stopped taking him along.

    And maybe she'd had a more selfish reason ...

    who was standing in the ramp, pulling robe-clad people aboard.

    He was older, grayer, but still ... Han.

    Han Solo ... Betsy mused - and then she pinched herself.

    OW. Wait a bloody minute, if I've yet to sense anything awry or deceptive about this ...

    "- hey, sister! You gonna sit here and let a moon become your new hat?"

    The voice stirred Betsy from her reverie, and she returned Han's cocky grin. "Long way from a haberdasher, Captain. Let's fly, shall we?" Betsy replied, jaunting aboard the Millennium Falcon as Han raised an eyebrow at her.

    "Half-Zeltron, huh? Just keep the pheromones down, OK? We got a ship full of frightened people, and the gravity well's gonna to be hard enough to fly through without craziness on board," Han insisted before he turned - Betsy was about to ask what he meant by "half-Zeltron."

    And then the air started to rush past faster. Hotter.

    Betsy's heart seized - her precognition flared -

    Chewbacca, standing bloodied and defiant against the backdrop of a falling moon -

    A teenaged boy's bravado-laced voice rang over the intercom, calling, "Dad! We've gotta GO!"

    Han looked briefly frustrated - and realization hit Betsy; of COURSE Han and Leia should've ended up together, but "Dad?"

    And there was something - something more ... fundamental ... than telepathy, tickling at her mind ...

    The wavefront hit harder, and Han's concern became a panicked shout - Betsy spun and looked out the loading ramp.

    Chewbacca had been thrown down by the wind. He was hurt.

    And a wall of flame was heading toward their position ...

    NOT him. Not like this, and certainly not because of some bloody MOON, Betsy vowed, focusing.

    Ever since her murder by Vargas and recorporealization by Franklin Richards, Betsy had been only sporadically able to channel her telekinesis.

    Henry McCoy had suggested it was a function of her original, British body's genetics, and Franklin had unintentionally reincarnated Betsy in her first form ...

    but that had never explained how, while in the body of Kwannon, former assassin of the Hand, Betsy had been freely able to manifest her telekinesis before Vargas had slain Kwannon's form.

    Well, telepathy wasn't going to help Chewie here.

    But I'm no Jedi! I'm just a mutant - no. I'm an X-Man, a daughter of Otherworld, and a noblewoman. I've defied worse odds than one bloody falling moon, Betsy snarled inwardly.

    She closed her eyes, trying to rechannel her psionic energy into telekinesis, and locked onto Chewie - nothing. Her psionics weren't catalyzing physically ...

    so she reached for that more fundamental energy, and it blazed through her like fire.

    Vague colored shapes appeared before her eyes, similar to the blob-like readings on an infrared scanner - life-force, Betsy somehow knew.

    And far beyond, a blaze of blue and white struggled to his feet.

    Size mattered not. Betsy pulled.

    She opened her eyes, unused to telekinesis after so long -

    Oh, hell. Incoming, she realized. reconfiguring the "hand" of telekinetic force into a cushion.

    Impact. Chewie landed in the TK-bubble - but the feedback hammered Betsy to her knees, as Han yelled, "GO! GO!"

    The Falcon tore out of Sernpidal's igniting atmosphere, but it was more than the G-forces pushing Betsy into unconsciousness - she was exhausted.

    "Get her to the medbay - you did good, kid," she heard, before furry arms lifted her and she cracked one eyelid.

    A boy in his mid-teens, with brown hair and blue eyes, looked at her with a grateful smile. "You saved Chewie. Thanks, ma'am. I'm Anakin Solo," he said, before his face fell.

    "Anakin - oh, what did you do to deserve THAT name - oh," Betsy tried to joke, as she wiped her nose.

    Blood. This wasn't good -

    and then she blacked out again, as Anakin's voice broke, squeaking:

    "Chewie, hurry - she's Force-sensitive!"

    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Consciousness returned rather like a morning after visiting Harry's Hideaway:

    Loud, bright and painful.

    "OW!" Betsy growled - she was in a nightgown on a bed in what looked like a white-walled medical facility, a sheet covering her up to her chest.

    What had stung her was the lancet of a ... 2-1B droid ... taking a blood sample from her finger.

    And there was a ... Mon Calamari in a Jedi robe looking kindly at Betsy - Betsy concentrated, and that riot of color was back ...

    "Pardon me, but am I Force-sensitive?" Betsy asked the female Mon Cal, as the nonhuman woman accepted the blood sample from the droid.

    "More than that - your genetics are fascinating. I am Cilghal, a Jedi healer and master of the new Jedi Order. You've been asleep for the better part of two days. If you don't mind, we'd like to ask you some questions," the Mon Cal queried.

    Betsy nodded, using what looked like a remote control to elevate her bed, and blinked against the sterility of the decor. But the medcenter wasn't lifeless, either.

    In fact, there were several figures approaching - well-shielded mentally, but through training, not mutant psionics.

    Their ... Force-auras ... on the other hand, were practically blinding.

    The door WHOOSHED open ... and Betsy tried not to gasp again.

    Luke. THE Luke Skywalker. Older, still with that scar down the left side of his face, a bit of grey in his hair ... but unmistakably the farmboy Betsy remembered.

    Han and a woman in a white dress, with her still-brunette hair up in tight curls, were next in.

    True love wins out after all, Betsy thought, returning the grateful smile of Leia... would it be Organa-Solo? she wondered ...

    Chewie was next, giving Betsy a kind yowl, and three more figures entered behind him - Anakin, and a pair of brown-haired teens, a boy and a girl, who were obviously his older siblings.

    The older boy, dressed in brown robes where Anakin was clad in a brown coverall, gave Betsy a polite if standoffish nod; the girl, on the other hand, grinned, radiating gratitude and good cheer echoed by the orange and white pilot's suit she was wearing.

    "... no, I can't say whether her accent is Core Worlds or not without hearing it! You know the Millennium Falcon's droid-brains have NO subtlety about recording events within the ship!" a fussy, proper voice rang from the hall - and Betsy laughed despite her shock.

    C-3PO walked in, followed by - yes, it WAS him - R2-D2. "Vwreooot BWUUURRRTTT dwo-pwurt," the astromech replied to Threepio, who threw his arms up in horror Betsy almost sensed.

    "How DARE you! There is a GUEST here, and you -" Threepio prattled, looking embarrassed while Betsy giggled.

    It was all just too much. And it was REAL.

    "I'm - sorry, Threepio. All of you - I must apologize. You have to understand, I'm not from your galaxy. In truth, I'm not even from ... well, PROBABLY not ... from your dimension," Betsy tried to explain.

    Well. Han's snort, Leia's concerned smile, and their children's typically teenaged "the old lady's crazy" looks didn't make Betsy feel comfortable ...

    but Luke just smiled patiently. "I believe you, Ms. - ?" he asked.

    "Elizabeth Braddock - Betsy, please. Luke - Master Skywalker? - it might be easier if I telepathically shared my story with you. I can appreciate your wariness," Betsy offered.

    That was when it started to hit her - she had no idea how to get home. Warren, Neal, Jean, Ororo, Logan ... her brother Brian ... all of her friends and family had to be worried sick ...

    "Betsy," she heard, and she managed a faint smile as she met Luke's gaze.

    "I trust you. Please, go ahead," Luke offered.

    "Mentally linking with a new woman, huh, Farmboy?" Betsy heard, as one last figure slipped into the room.

    The agile newcomer, however, made Betsy's jaw DROP.

    It wasn't the woman's black bodysuit, or the impressive collection of weapons on her belt.

    It was her red hair, green eyes and familiar facial structure.

    Whoever this woman was, she looked uncannily like Betsy's teammate and old friend, Jean Grey-Summers.

    "Mara Jade-Skywalker. Farmboy 'told' me your name - Betsy, huh? - interesting," the newcomer said, sidling up to Luke with an easy familiarity with confidence and a degree of defensiveness.

    Betsy closed her mouth before anyone could ask if she was catching flies. "I ... would you believe me if I told you you look VERY much like a friend of mine?" she asked Mara.

    "In my experience, friendship has to be earned. Don't get me wrong - saving the walking carpet here is a big step, and I'm grateful, like my in-laws. But I didn't get the title Emperor's Hand because I was too chummy," Mara pointed out.

    Betsy nodded, lowering her shields, and looked at Luke and Leia. "Then ... it's up to you. I'll understand if you confine me," she offered.

    She was the guest here, after all, and tried not to flinch as unfamiliar mental presences examined her memories - Luke was gentle, while Leia was less experienced but polite ...

    After a moment, both Skywalker twins left Betsy's memories, and she opened her eyes to see them looking ... well, Luke was both amused and stunned, while Leia shook her head.

    "Holodramas? We're the subject of HOLODRAMAS?" Leia exclaimed.

    "She's telling the truth," Luke said softly to Mara, and something passed between them - then, Mara's eyes widened, and her smile became both more wry and more trusting, somehow.

    "Crimefighters? And you've been dead twice now. Here I thought my picking-up-Farmboy story was unbelievable," Mara snorted.

    "I ... may have more unbelievable news than that. Master Skywalker -" Betsy began; they HAD to know.

    "Luke, please," he replied, after glancing at Mara and seeing her nod subtly, while Leia's smile grew.

    "Luke - Leia. There ... the more recent trilogy of movies about your family - they were about the Clone Wars, and ... your father's childhood," Betsy began; she'd been careful what memories she shared before ...

    Building trust was one thing. Shocking people was another.

    Leia paled a bit, but nodded. "Before Jaina and Jacen were born," she said, gesturing to her older children, "Han and I found my grandmother Shmi's diary on Tatooine.

    "I ... part of why I named Anakin after ... Father ... was being able to learn that Anakin Skywalker once was a good person."

    Betsy smiled weakly, then asked, "And what do you know of your mother?"

    Luke and Leia's auras flickered with hope, but it was Jacen who replied, skeptically, "Uncle, she could be another Akanah."

    "She saved Chewie's life, Jace, and Uncle Luke, Mom and Aunt Mara all vouch for her! I was THERE, too - Ms. Braddock's a good person, I can tell!" Anakin insisted.

    "Will you two HUSH? Boys," Jaina groaned.

    Leia silenced her children with a firm, but kind, look, then turned back to Betsy. "If you have any information ..." she began.

    Betsy took a deep breath, then replied, "I can show you."

    Luke and Leia shared a glance, then nodded, and Betsy mentally replayed the Prequel Trilogy at compressed speed ...

    then opened her eyes, as Luke gasped and Leia held onto Han.

    "Padme Amidala? I served with her niece in the Senate - Pooja is my COUSIN?" Leia whispered.

    "I ... Artoo, were you really my mother's droid?" Luke asked.

    "Dvrwoooo. Btwoot aroooo dweet-deetle bwrout," Artoo replied mournfully, activating his holoprojector.

    Betsy sat up, and the collected Skywalkers and Solos looked on, as a tearful - and extremely pregnant - 20-something woman with brown hair pleaded with Anakin Skywalker, sparks flying behind them.

    "Obi-Wan was right. You've changed," Padme said.

    Luke drew in a deep breath, watching his father - barely more than a boy - snarl, "I don't want to hear anymore about Obi-Wan! The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me."

    "I don't know you anymore. Anakin, you're breaking my heart. You're going down a path I can't follow," Padme pleaded, and Leia shuddered, leaning against Han.

    The ... CHILL ... in Anakin's voice shook the room, as he replied, "Because of Obi-Wan?"

    "Because of what you've done! What you plan to do! Stop now," Padme pleaded. Her tone became gentler, and she asked, "Come back. I love you."

    Anakin seemed to look past her - and his icy veneer shattered into a look of pure fury. "LIAR!" he snarled again, as Padme's face fell.

    "No!" she pleaded, the fear in her voice causing everyone to wince.

    "You're with HIM! You brought him here to kill me!" Anakin ... oddly, half-spat, half-whined.

    And then his arm extended, the hand curving into a horribly familiar claw, as Betsy prayed she was wrong - that here, things had ended differently ...

    She wasn't.

    And Luke and Leia shuddered as Padme clutched her throat.

    "Let her GO, Anakin," a new voice - male, proper accent, one that made Luke's expression of horror shift to one of realization - cut in.

    A Jedi in brown-colored robes stepped into view, and Anakin released the woman, howling, "You turned her AGAINST me!"

    "You have done that yourself," Obi-Wan Kenobi - his face now visible as he circled about Anakin - said, sorrow and disgust mingling in his tone.

    The voices trailed off, and Luke choked, "Artoo, please pause."

    Betsy felt horribly guilty, but a gentle hand on her left arm made her look up into Jaina's tearful, smiling face.

    "Thank you. For ... as bad as this was, we needed to know the truth," the girl said, and Leia managed a nod before burying her face in Han's shoulder.

    "I ..." Betsy trailed off, looking at Anakin Solo. The boy was ashen-faced, and let Chewie put a paw on his shoulder before the teen could wobble.

    "So ... Betsy ... I don't suppose you know what HAPPENED to our grandmother?" Jacen asked - a mixture of politesse, outrage and shock in his tone, Force-aura and mental signature.

    "Awroot vwroodtle," Artoo replied; the hologram sped up, showing what looked like Threepio lifting Padme and carrying her into a shining starship.

    The holo started again, showing what looked like the observation room of an operating theatre. Padme, clad in a white robe, lay on a medical bed, while Obi-Wan, Yoda and a man who made Leia gasp appeared beside Threepio.

    "Senator Organa! How could I not remember this?" Threepio demanded.

    "Bwut arwrooot deweootld," Artoo replied archly.

    "Oh. Well, yes, a memory wipe would -" Threepio prattled.

    CLIK

    "THANK you," everyone else told Cilghal, who blushed a little before stepping out of the way.

    They turned back to the holo, as a floating medical droid approached them and said, "Medically, she is completely healthy. For reasons we can't explain, we are losing her."

    "She's dying?" Obi-Wan asked, dismay evident in his tone.

    "We don't know why. She has lost the will to live. We need to operate quickly if we are to save the babies," the droid replied.

    "BabieS?" Bail Organa asked, and Luke and Leia shared a look.

    "She's carrying twins," the droid replied, and the holo sped up; this time, Obi-Wan was standing beside Padme's bed.

    "Don't give up, Padme," the Jedi pleaded, as she cried out in pain - and an infant's cry filled the room.

    "It's a boy," Obi-Wan breathed.

    A maternity droid cooed, holding a squeaking newborn, and Obi-Wan took the child. Padme reached up, weakly, smiling as she said,"Luke ... oh, Luke."

    The adult Luke closed his eyes, swallowed hard and smiled as Mara put an arm around his shoulders. They turned back to the holo, where Padme cried out again, and another infant's cry rang out.

    "It's a girl," Obi-Wan added, watching the droid bring the child toward Padme, and Leia wiped her eyes.

    "Leia," Padme gasped - sounding much weaker, now, and she held Obi-Wan's gaze, even seeming to look past him at some distant horizon.

    "Save your energy," Obi-Wan asked, rocking the infant Luke.

    "Obi-Wan ... there ... is still good in him. I know there is ... still," Padme whispered.

    And then her eyes closed, and a horrid monotone filled the air in the background.

    Artoo ended the holoprojection, and moaned, "Wrooooo bwrot."

    "It's ... not your fault, Artoo. I can ... understand why you kept this quiet for so long. Thank you for preserving it," Luke said, sincerely, before forcing a smile.

    "Bwroot arw-wooot dwou?" Artoo asked, displaying a set of holo-coordinates, and Han looked thoughtful.

    "Polis Massa? It's a xenoarchaeological site ... what?" Han asked, when Leia looked at him with a smirk.

    "And here I thought Threepio was the thesaurus," she teased - but Betsy could sense Leia was feigning humor, to keep the weight of the revelations at bay.

    "You're rubbing off on me. Besides, I could've said 'dig.' Goldenrod's allergic to the easy words," Han joked, and Leia laughed - for real, now.

    "It's the other side of the galaxy - but to see our birthplace ... Anakin?" Leia said, reaching for her youngest as he took a deep breath.

    "I'm fine - MOM. I just need ... to think," Anakin asked, slipping past Leia's reach. She looked stricken, but shook her head at Jacen when he scowled, while Betsy felt a fresh wave of guilt.

    He'd come to grips with his grandfather's legacy, and now this surfaces. Bloody thoughtful, Braddock, Betsy sighed.

    She met Luke and Mara's looks, and said, "I'm -"

    "Don't apologize. Please, this is more than we ever dreamed of knowing. And we'd like to help you, if we can," Luke offered, accepting a pile of clothing from the backpack Mara had brought in.

    Betsy took it, then gasped - it was Jedi robes.

    "You'd - you're serious," she breathed, awestruck.

    "Hey, it's obvious you're Force-strong. And how that interacts with your telepathy has us curious," Mara said.

    She smirked, then, and added, "Besides, I want to hear more about these 'X-Men' of yours.

    "Let's talk after you get dressed, and we get underway."

    ******************

    to be continued ...
     
  2. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: In the interest of trying to keep this moving, I'm aiming for a chapter a day. Doesn't mean that'll always be possible, especially when I get into the areas that need rewriting - and there'll be a lot more of those soon - but I plan to push onward. :)

    For right now - time to address how Betsy landed in the GFFA, and another seed or two for future stories ... [face_whistling]

    Yes, Fitz and Simmons are the Fitz and Simmons from the MCU's Agents of Shield. Jemma, however, is also far more than even she knows in this flashback ... ;)

    --------------------------------------

    "H'lo, Brian."

    "Oh my ---, Betsy! You were dead."

    "I got better."

    "How totally X-Men."

    "Hey, you've done it too, baby brother."

    "I figure it runs in the family."

    - New Exiles # 1, reunion between Betsy and Brian
    Braddock

    ***********************************
    Chapter 2: 25 ABY: Hydian Way,
    approaching Toprawa:
    ***********************************

    "OK. Explain this again. A little more than three weeks ago, your previous body was slain by a sword-wielding maniac, then you died, and your spirit wandered an astral plane before a teenaged demigod pulled you back and stuck you in your original body?" Jacen asked, arching an eyebrow.

    "That's the long and short of it. I'd hesitate to call Franklin Richards a 'demigod,' though - he's quite humble about his powers, very cautious. Admirable traits for a reality warper," Betsy said, sipping a glass of water.

    To her relief, the Skywalker-Solo clan had mostly accepted her as being sane - Cilghal hadn't found any biological reason why Betsy should be mad, and she'd evidently passed whatever measure of psychological testing that might've been done.

    Or at least Luke's word gave Betsy a free pass.

    It was another Skywalker descendant, however, whom Betsy worried more about. Anakin wasn't taking his grandfather's skeletons well, Betsy had sensed before they'd left the New Republic Star Destroyer Rejuvenator.

    He'd been shielding, even to Betsy's telepathy, but she'd learned to read people well before mastering her psionics.

    Saved time learning which loft parties to avoid and which to attend ... Betsy recalled from her hedonistic days as a model.

    She snorted inwardly at the utter psychological distance of her current status from who she'd been - recently resurrected and now space/time displaced mutant crime-fighter turned Jedi apprentice.

    It was light-years from the reckless, well-meaning telepathic party girl whom STRIKE had recruited barely out of boarding school.

    And all just another reminder that, cliche or not, she was in a galaxy very far, far away.

    But she'd been able to tell Anakin's need for someone to talk to. Some things didn't change, regardless of the planet (or system) one found oneself at.

    Red-rimmed eyes, a forced smile, typical teenaged male bravado. The poor boy was seeping pain, and he was still distant, toying with some bit of machinery even as he fought curiousity at Betsy's stories of Earth.

    Time to draw him out of himself more ...

    "Anakin. Your siblings say you've a brain for physics. Know much about alternate-universe theory?" she asked.

    Anakin's eyes brightened a bit, before he straightened up in his seat at the Falcon's game table and gave her a polite smile - he was as much his mother's son as his father's, or he at least cared enough to show Betsy respect.

    The difference between him and Jacen - the older brother was observing the letter of the laws of etiquette, but the younger followed the spirit of the law - was vast, Betsy realized.

    Or maybe Anakin was just more inherently compassionate. Ironic, given that Jaina - who was so like Betsy with her fire and adventurous personality that Betsy had immediately taken a liking to her - described Jacen as the empath.

    Of course, Manuel de la Rocha is an empath, and he's a bloody monster in human clothing ...

    "I've heard some of it. That every choice we make, causes an equal and opposite reaction - that somewhere, an alternate timeline is caused where we did the opposite of what we did here," Anakin said, and at least Jacen didn't snort contemptuously.

    Jaina blinked at that, before asking, "But how could someone get tossed all the way out of their timeline to ours ?"

    Betsy smiled wryly and began, "It all started with a misbehaving little prat in a polar fortress ..."

    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    7/2/2007: SHIELD Helicarrier,
    over Antarctica: 12:00 hrs local:
    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    How *Psylocke* had been picked to fill in for acting Director Maria Hill was utterly beyond Betsy Braddock’s understanding.

    Yes, I’m a former STRIKE agent, where I was a psionic operative for the British government; I’m a member of the X-Men; I’m back in my original body after Franklin Richards restored me. But to lead SHIELD ... even to Antarctica to deal with Charles Lehnsherr ...

    Betsy shook her head; she was 43 going on 33, thanks to Franklin’s recorporealizing her at the age she’d been during Kitty Pryde’s treatment in Latveria, and she intended to make every minute count.

    "Lady Braddock? Let's double-check your gear," she heard a younger British voice call, and Betsy nodded as two young, techy-looking-types in lab coats waved at her. They were both brunette, the woman holding a bioscanner while the young man with her mumbled under his breath with a Scots accent.

    "Additional psi-shields look good - heat sinks are all green, Simmons," he said, standing and nodding.

    "Well, they should be, Fitz, with all the time you put into them - sorry, ma'am. You go walking into a volcano's caldera, you only get one chance at getting it right," Simmons said, and Betsy thanked them both before starting to walk away.

    She blinked - there was a presence about Simmons, not malicious, but more a flicker of banked, slumbering power - and Betsy asked, "Excuse me, Agent - Simmons -?"

    The younger woman smiled, a bit embarrassed, and said, "Jemma Simmons, ma'am. I'm mostly focused on xenobiology -"

    "Drop in 1 minute, people! Let's move!" shouted Maria Hill, and Betsy waved farewell as she headed to the teleport chamber.

    "Collins. Tell me the psi-dampers are unidirectional," Betsy growled as she checked her position on the teleport platform and the Helicarrier ground to a halt near Mount Erebus - stealth was NOT going to be an option.

    Not when it was Magneto’s crazed son, both an Omega-level magnakinetic and power replicator, backed up by 23 other rebellious young mutant seperatists, whom Betsy was pursuing with several dozen SHIELD agents.

    Saxby Collins, another SHIELD wunderkind, a tech "geek" with crewcut blond hair and a disturbingly puppy-dog look at his new Director nodded. "We’re able to project out, ma’am," the 20 year old squeaked ...

    Bloody hell, how young were SHIELD recruits these days?

    "Do it," Betsy told the teleport tech, and in an instant, she and her 11 troopers were the first to materialize near the rim of Mount Erebus.

    "Bortel! ENGAGE!" Betsy called, triggering her jet pack - with her telepathy restored, her telekinesis was "offline," but she preferred her first power - as her troops started laying cover fire toward the reinforced metal walls of the base inside the volcano’s caldera.

    "Yes ma’am," the native New Zealander and SHIELD sergeant grunted, firing neutralizer grenades at the base and taking over the main interdiction effort. Most of the rebels were only teenagers, like Charles, and the grenades’ temporary power-dampening effect should shock them into unconsciousness.

    That, of course, left Betsy facing -

    "YOU!?"

    She lanced out behind her - her target was not exactly subtle, but neither could she afford to be, not this close to the South Magnetic Pole - and spun, looking into the shocked eyes of Magneto’s youngest.

    "Betsy - WHY!? We’re trying to save - AGHK -" Charles Xavier Lehnsherr pleaded; Betsy jabbed into his mind - there was NO time for kindness.

    The boy who’d called her "Aunty Betsy" had to be brought in to answer for his misbehaviors.

    After incidents in America and half a dozen other countries - after the attacks on dozens of supervillains, some of which had been lethal - Charles' self-proclaimed "defense" of mutantkind's right to self-determination had to be stopped. Otherwise, mutants would be blamed for the chaos he and his followers had unleashed.

    The boy, on the other hand, wasn’t going down that easily - Betsy had feared the boy’s telepathy wasn’t borrowed, and he was regaining access to those powers he HAD replicated -

    "You’re condemning us, Charles. Even your father left the path of violence - the time for this madness has passed," Betsy said, biting her lip -

    Teen or not, a rogue son of Magneto (and that turn of phrase stung Betsy’s heart, given that Charles WAS her teammate Rogue’s son) would face a harsh sentence.

    And Betsy feared the Americans' Eighth Amendment would be conveniently suspended - first for Charles, then for any other mutant who crossed the line.

    ~How very ... Sith ...~

    Charles’ eyes had turned - yellow-orange -

    Oh, that is QUITE enough, Betsy thought - the boy was just being absurd, and she ...

    She wasn’t going to be an executioner. This wasn’t that monster Brah-dok from Sat-Yr-9’s timeline, after all.

    Betsy grabbed Charles’ forebrain in a ring of psionic scalpels - his namesake could fix the damage - and carved axons and dendrites -

    It’d be much easier if he wasn’t channeling several million volts - that annoying Lehnsherr affinity for the Earth’s magnetic field was reinforcing Charles’ mental shields -

    Fine. To hell with the surgical strike.

    Betsy grabbed her reserves and launched her most powerful psycho-blast at Charles, cursing when he started to teleport away and the portal grew.

    "Bloody hell -" Betsy growled, as the teleportal cracked open and started to pull at the surrounding air - “Helicarrier, Braddock, EMERGENCY EXTRACTION -"

    The wavefront of the teleportal hit her dematerialization, and space impacted - folded -

    - and

    she

    was

    stretched -

    ------------------------------------------------------------

    "And that was how I ended up landing on Sernpidal," Betsy concluded, leaving the spellbound Solo teens to snap out of her description of her unceremonious arrival.

    It was Anakin who spoke first, low and thoughtful. "That Charles. He couldn't deal with his family's past, either," the boy said, even as Jaina looked at him with worry.

    Jacen replied - gently - "You're not the one who defies the family stereotype, though. You're trying to be braver. Even if you and I disagree, at least you're trying to do the right thing."

    Anakin gave Jacen an embarrassed, if grateful, look, and Jaina rolled her eyes. "Boys. You're not exactly the black nerf, you know," she told Jacen.

    Jacen shook his head and replied softly, "If you and I had been split up at birth, I have little doubt I'd have suffered on Tatooine. Owen Lars wouldn't have had patience with my animals; and you would've loathed Alderaanian high society."

    "Maybe. But Mom was the one sniping stormies in the Tantive's pod bays, remember," Jaina teased, before sitting cross-legged in the main hold and waving Betsy to join her.

    "Let's let the guys build up a good head of steam so they can smack each other around again and show their fraternal side - they're too immature to really say, 'hey, you're my brother, I can at least tolerate you.' I'll help you work on accessing the Force," Jaina offered, after sticking her tongue out at her brothers while they blushed.

    Oh, this is VERY familiar, Betsy realized, memories flickering with her amusement as she tried to clear her mind.

    If Jaina was most like her, then Anakin was ... somewhat like her brother Brian, at least before Brian got the Captain Britain powers - analytical, a little awkward, but eager to do the right thing.

    Unfortunately, that left Jacen to fit into the role of Betsy and Brian's older brother Jamie, and that was a horror Betsy wouldn't wish on anyone.

    Tortured playboy becomes barking mad reality warper ...

    Betsy shuddered. No, Jacen was better off as Jacen,even as slightly aloof and arrogant as he came across.

    And he wasn't a cad. He'd been brave enough to face the Yuuzhan Vong's biotechnology - including wearing a living spacesuit and breathing device - to rescue a young woman named Danni Quee from the scarred extragalactic invaders.

    The sad irony was, Jacen had apparently been more embarrassed around Danni than he had fighting the Vong.

    Don't mock until you've at least achieved Force control, Braddock. Besides, Jacen is a teenager. You've no such youthful awkwardness to blame your behavior on. The shock at landing in Star Wars is over - the multiverse is a big place. Deal, and even enjoy the ride, Betsy reminded herself.

    She sat cross-legged and sank into meditation, focusing on the warmth-rainbow she now associated with the Force - blazing, but no longer the head-banging riot that had caused her to black out after she'd rescued Chewbacca and felt Sernpidal's destruction.

    Jaina was beside her, then, and let Betsy sense her through the Force - a blade, not yet quite tested in true combat but having succeeded in the first few test swings after leaving the forge.

    But with a little heat and hammering ... who knew what this "sword" might become?

    You want to spar with me? Jaina teased - and Betsy grinned despite herself.

    She wasn't so arrogant as to assume the girl would be an easy opponent, just because of age; they left their Force-trance, but let the energy field flow through them as they leapt to their feet. Jaina's stance was deceptively casual ... she was ready for anything, or so she liked to believe.

    Good-natured challenge shone in Jaina's aura, and she looked at Anakin. "May we borrow - ?" she asked, but the boy shook his head, albeit kindly.

    "You know mixing personal lightsabers is a bad idea, Jaya - the auras get crossed and twisted. Let's let Ms. Braddock make her own," Anakin offered, digging in a satchel he'd had at his feet.

    Jaina snickered - affectionately, Betsy sensed - while Jacen was mostly annoyed but a little pleasantly surprised, when Anakin produced a tubular frame and several components. "What color crystal do you want, Ms. Braddock?" Anakin offered, digging out an array of beautiful crystals from the satchel.

    The boy barely knows me, yet he's kind; Jacen makes an effort not to be a prat; and Jaina's fun and brave. Leia's produced truly good-hearted children, Betsy thought ...

    She had had the worst crush on Han when she'd been a girl, and ... well ... maybe a little jealous of Leia.

    All right. Extremely jealous. But Betsy had cheered for the Princess when she'd strangled Jabba.

    Bloody bloated monster got what he deserved ... and Leia got Han. Lucky, lucky lady, Betsy reflected ...

    She smiled, looking at the crystals Anakin held, and said, "What else, given my hair color?"

    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    She was ... very, very different.

    Well, DUH, Anakin reminded himself - she had an extra gene, Master Cilghal said, that was why Ms. Braddock was as strong a telepath as some Iktochi, even without the Force.

    But there were the funny tones in her Core Worlds accent, and her stumbling over some words that weren't the same in Basic as in her native language, and the way she walked was ... kind of like Aunt Mara. Naturally athletic.

    "Violet, thank you - all right. What's the next step?" Ms. Braddock - she'd offered to let him, Jaya and Jace call her Betsy, but it seemed disrespectful.

    And Anakin wasn't about to do ANYTHING that might be rude. Or ... well, dark. Unlike his crazy kid cousin, Kylo, he didn't want to be like ...

    Grandpa.

    But how can building a lightsaber be dark? She might need it for defense, and Uncle Luke said Ms. Braddock is an apprentice, like us, Anakin figured.

    Being defenseless was an awful thing. That was part of why Anakin liked to keep moving - a moving target was a lot harder to hit, Dad had said.

    Of course, there was the chance that a moving target might fall into a reactor pit without someone steering it ...

    FOCUS, Anakin reminded himself - Jace was staring, and Jaya was about to laugh, but not at him, she just thought he and Jace were goofballs because they fought.

    Well? Jacen wasn't right about everything, better duelist or not. Uncle Luke couldn't be expected to go around tapping every out-of-control Jedi on the shoulders, or solve all the galaxy's problems. He was getting - well, not OLD, but not younger, either.

    What Jace calls "adventures" are peacekeeping missions. And if we have to use the Force to stop harm, then I don't see what the problem is, Anakin thought.

    He stopped thinking - he seemed to work better that way - and focused on showing Ms. Braddock how to assemble the lightsaber.

    "It's not so hard with a kit - I worked with Peckhum to find a way to standardize the design, so we can get lenses, power cells and emitters cheaply - but it's attuning the crystal that takes meditation. Don't be surprised if you're not used to it at first; a personalized lightsaber takes time to bond," Anakin rambled, watching as Ms. Braddock assembled the components from his instructions.

    She snapped the crystal into place, closed the emitter cover, and sat cross-legged before entering a trance. Her Force-aura was purple, all right ... and there was that funny purple-pink shadowmoth around her head ...

    "The crystal. I think she's attuning it," Jace said, kind of amazed - and Anakin concentrated ...

    the 'saber WAS blending with Ms. Braddock's aura. It shouldn't be that quick, but -

    Well. I'm not Uncle Luke. Let him figure out the book-stuff, Anakin figured, awed when Ms. Braddock opened her eyes.

    She stood - and ignited the lightsaber with a happy grin that made Anakin want to smile along.

    He felt good again, like he'd done something right ...

    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    It shouldn't be possible.

    Nobody assembles a lightsaber and attunes it THAT fast. If she loses an arm - Jacen worried, watching Ms. Braddock go through a few training moves.

    She was naturally good, he admitted; the adjustment from a physical sword to basically swinging a hilt and keeping track of an energy blade was more significant than most people thought. Thus why bonding a Jedi to their lightsaber helped so much.

    But she'd not only constructed her 'saber - Jacen grudgingly admitted Anakin's work with Peckhum to create "field kit lightsabers" could help in field combat, even if Anakin's headstrong philosophy grated - she was wielding it like ...

    she's still just a novice, Jacen reminded himself.

    He dipped into the Force, watching Ms. Braddock move - and knew he was wrong. She wasn't a novice by any reasonable standard.

    She was getting used to the blade's deceptive weight, making it a part of herself, in a way few others could at first ignition - and he remembered her demonstrating her "telepathic blades," everything from daggers to a katana ...

    What IS a telekinetic or telepathic sword but an energy blade? Of course she's a natural; it's the hilt that's deceptive to her, not the blade, Jacen realized. It was ... humbling.

    He swallowed his pride - Uncle Luke had warned him about that - then looked at Jaina and said tightly, "You do it."

    "Me? I'm the sacrificial nerf?" Jaya teased - but she'd been looking forward to this, ever since Ms. Braddock had talked about being an "X-Man" and a sword-wielding warrior.

    "Do what?" Ms. Braddock teased - stangit, Jacen felt himself blush, and that was SO not Jedi -

    Danni. Think of how you stayed dignified around Danni. Grow up, Jacen. Jedi don't. Think. Like. This, he told himself, drawing on the Force ... focusing on the light.

    Red hair flickered before his memories, and he blushed again.

    No, he wasn't a very good Jedi.

    But at least it was red hair ...

    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    Jaina sighed; Jace needed ...

    Well, Ta'a Chume needed to be beaten soundly with a dead fish and driven, humiliated, out of her palace.

    Then Tenel needed to do the same to the N'korish.

    THEN Jaina could tie Jacen up and drop him off on Hapes with their old friend. Ani was much healthier than Jasa was - at least little brother let himself live, even if he was a little further behind on the curve.

    But for now, she had to take her frustrations at her twin's martyr complex out on a more competent target.

    Jaina ignited her own violet blade, and asked Betsy, "Care to spar?"

    "Love to," Betsy replied, tossing aside her cloak ...

    she flowed, in a way Jaina had only seen Battlemaster Katarn do - !

    It was all Jaina could do to block the flurry of blows; and yet, Betsy was holding back - not "protecting" Jaina, but out of respect.

    She's more used to going all-out. Not a lady to make mad, Jaina realized.

    Of course, Jaina's Master was no slouch, either.

    Leap - Betsy's slash at Jaina's feet cut through air, and while the Falcon's ceiling was less than ideal for going over the older woman, Jaina was still able to perform a Jade-class flip to land behind the telepath.

    But even before Jaina could get into defensive position, Betsy had spun - and her foot caught Jaina in the back, as a telekinetic flicker caught Jaina's lightsaber when it went airborne.

    Jaina herself landed on the metal deck, but it didn't hurt - if anything, she was floating a few centimeters off the floor; someone had caught her telekinetically - !

    "That kind of control ... how long did you practice - ?" Jace asked, awestruck - moron, Jaina lamented, standing and accepting her lightsaber back from Betsy while Anakin gaped at them.

    She whipped me - honorably - but he's focused on her Force control. Good grief, Jasa. At least Ani's goggle-eyed for the right reasons, Jaina sighed.

    Her little brother blushed, even looking at the floor, but Jaina went to him and said kindly, "Hey - no teasing, I promise ..."

    "Thanks - I was being dumb, wasn't I? But Jaya, the lightsaber worked ! It was built in five minutes, but it worked !" Ani gushed.

    He was staring because of the DUEL? Jaina almost blurted - but she didn't.

    Then, Ani blushed again and whispered, "She is pretty ... but ... y'know ... I don't want to be rude."

    She ruffled his hair. Even at 15, Ani was still her little brother - and not moping for the moment, thank the Force.

    No. Thank you, Jaina thought at Betsy as the woman and Jacen discussed the finer points of telekinetic control.

    Especially, thank you for distracting Jasa from whining at me for this whole long trip ...

    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    to be continued ...
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2019
    caspian1a likes this.
  3. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: This one ... gets a bit long. :p Apologies; there's something of a training montage here (which, given Betsy's both 616-canon and AU backstories, is more of a remedial course, but I can't expect SW fans to know all of the ins and outs of the X-books ... of which there are many, to put it ridiculously mildly. 8-}

    Plus - Kylo Skywalker makes an appearance; the mystery of Jemma "Simmons" basically gets explained (but not concluded, to be sure); and some quite-blatant foreshadowing/explanation gets taken care of (i.e., when is Betsy at? It's as important as where she is ... ;)).

    And for those of you who don't know what Moonlighting was (it's been a while since it was on TV) - a Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlighting_(TV_series)

    As well as why Betsy's quote at the start is a pun (scroll down to the Behind the Scenes portion: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kam_Solusar

    ---------------------------------------------

    "Eat your heart out, Bruce Willis!"

    - Betsy Braddock escaping Genoshan Magistrates during
    the X-Tinction Agenda crisis, Uncanny X-Men issue 272

    ----------------------------------------------

    ***************************************
    Chapter 3: 17th of Fifth Month,
    25 ABY: Gordian Reach, approaching
    Yavin system, Outer Rim Territories:
    ***************************************

    "You've befriended them quickly."

    Betsy glanced up from her food - the nerfsteak was delicious, although she'd had to fight back an absurdist desire to ask Han if he'd killed the nerf himself - and saw Leia sitting at the holotable with her.

    The Solo children were scattered around the main hold - Jaina checking systems, as Anakin and Jacen sparred carefully - and the Noghri were off somewhere; Han and Chewbacca were up in the cockpit, keeping track of their flight.

    "They're very kind. You're all extremely gracious, given that I came bearing bad news," Betsy said - she still felt horrid, shocking the Skywalkers and Solos with the details of Anakin "senior's" fall ...

    Leia got a mug of some steaming beverage from the autochef, then sat back down and smiled - bloody hell, she looked like she had in the original trilogy, just a mite older -!

    "Betsy, you saved Chewie's life. And I'm not about to blame my ... father's mistakes on you. Believe me, I've had the better part of 30 years to get used to the reality of having Darth Vader for a parent," Leia said - and this time, her Force-presence was assured, while her intent was friendly.

    Betsy was deeply honored, but also sensed Leia's emotions flicker toward concern when she glanced at Anakin and Jacen - and Betsy suddenly guessed part of why Leia was approaching her.

    "Leia. I know how young men can be. Believe me, I have absolutely no untoward interest in your sons. Once, there was a boy who saved me from mental enslavement, and he held feelings for me. I had to gently but firmly dissuade him," Betsy said, remembering Doug Ramsey.

    Leia's mental tone shifted to relief, respect - and a flicker of amusement. "Whatever happened to him?" she asked, and Betsy returned her grin.

    "He grew up, and eventually married a very nice young woman his own age. They're deliriously happy, and both became instructors at the school for young mutants where the X-Men are based out of," Betsy said between bites of nerf-steak.

    Doug. Rahne. You've probably heard by now that I'm missing ... oh, Brian ...

    Betsy fought back tears, but she looked up at a light touch on her shoulder, and Leia smiled more gently.

    "If there's anything we can do -" the Princess of Alderaan asked, and Betsy radiated gratitude.

    "Just - being here, is amazing, and greatly comforting. I hope I'm not annoying you with my moments of 'I'm with the Skywalkers and Solos!'" Betsy laughed.

    "You're a lot calmer about it than most people. Actually, the idea that we're considered fictional somewhere in the ... multiverse ... is humbling. But welcome," Leia said, finishing her sentence with a snort before sipping her drink.

    Then she went pale, and Betsy felt something roiling - someone was in pain, and not terribly far away - and Jaina clutched her chest, while Jacen and Anakin ran to help her.

    "HAN! Out of hyperspace, NOW! Something's happening to Mara!" Leia shouted, running down the access bay to the cockpit. The Falcon came to a stop, and Betsy waved a hand at the teens to stay where they were while she went to investigate.

    "Oh! Lady Braddock! Perhaps you can -" Threepio asked, but Betsy had to rush past him with a muttered apology when she entered the cockpit; Leia was at the comsuite, talking in a headset, as the Jade Sabre floated nearby.

    " - stabilized; she had another attack. Not nearly as bad this time, but I don't want to risk taking her all the way to Polis Massa. We need to make for Yavin," Luke said over the ship-to-ship coms.

    "We're coming too - don't argue, Luke. You deserve to be there as well as us when - if - we find anything more about ... Mother. And Jaina, and the rest of us, want to make sure Mara's all right," Leia insisted, waving at Betsy to enter the cockpit.

    "OK, Leia - and thanks," Luke said, before signing off. Betsy's awe at looking out THE FALCON'S CANOPY was muted by her concerns for Mara.

    As if she'd been able to sense Betsy's concerns, Leia nodded, meeting her gaze. "She was infected with some unidentified disease on Monor II, a few months back. She's been able to hold it at bay with the Force, but everyone else has died. Horribly," the princess said, watching Han adjust the navicomputer.

    "Iron will, she's got - Chewie, is that repulsor locked down?" Han asked, hiding his concern well. Chewie yowled something affirmative-sounding, and Betsy watched the Jade Sabre adjust course before it vanished into hyperspace.

    "May I - forgive me, especially at a time like this, but may I watch the hyperjump?" Betsy asked.

    Han and Chewie traded a look, and the smuggler shrugged good-naturedly. "No problem. I never did say 'thanks,' by the way, for saving Chewie," Han said, activating the hyperdrive.

    Oh. OH.

    This was bloody INCREDIBLE - the stars becoming streaks, the sudden shift - and the blue tunnel.

    "Believe me, Han, this is thanks enough," Betsy whispered.

    She just hoped Mara was going to be all right; it was one thing to be living a dream.

    It was quite another to have to bear witness to someone else's nightmare.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    They made the Yavin system inside an hour; the re-emergence into realspace went matter-of-factly, but Betsy did watch the approach to Yavin.

    Han looked at her when she gave a little gasp upon seeing Yavin IV, but he just chuckled, and she shared Leia's smile as they descended through the clouds.

    But the turret towers were still in place - and the ancient Massassi temple was there, surrounded now by X-Wings and Y-Wings and half-a-dozen other craft Betsy couldn't name, and ancillary buildings ...

    and the Force rippled in welcome and curiousity; there were so many more minds here.

    "Falcon, this is Flight Control. You're cleared to land, and welcome back," a voice with some of the same accents as Han called - Betsy heard the name "Corran" flicker in the Solos' and Chewie's surface thoughts, and the princess hit the comm.

    "Thanks, Flight Control. Corran, did Cilghal call ahead about Mara and our new recruit?" Leia asked.

    "We could sense Mara all the way out by Toprawa - and before, during the fight at Helska. Your new find, though ... Leia, she's as strong in the Force as some of the other Masters. Whomever this 'Lady Braddock' is, she's not exactly weak," Corran said with a chuckle.

    Well, that's flattering, Betsy pondered ... and she never had asked Cilghal what her midi-chlorian count was ...

    The Falcon came in for a gentle landing, and Betsy saw the Jade Sabre already offloading its' passengers; as soon as the freighter came to a stop, she and Leia headed aft, finding the Solo teens ready to run down the ramp. "Let's not crowd the medical corps until we're cleared?" Leia told her children.

    None of them disagreed, and Betsy gave Jaina a supportive look and a Force-pat on the shoulder. "Thanks. Aunt Mara's - it was just a shock; both seeing her black out during the fight, and now ..." Jaina said.

    Jacen squeezed her shoulder, and they headed down the ramp - Anakin leading the way, then gasping with surprise when a blonde blur in a brown jumpsuit almost tackled him - !?

    "Tahiri!? 'Ri, I'm glad to see you, too, but -" Anakin yelped - and Betsy and Leia shared a knowing look, while Jacen and Jaina hid brief smiles.

    "I won't keep you - I sensed Master Jade-Skywalker's pain - but can we ... oh. Wow," the girl - Tahiri - said, her green eyes taking Betsy in once she'd greeted the twins and Leia.

    "Lady Betsy Braddock, Tahiri Veila. She's a student here at the Academy, and an old friend of our family - especially Anakin," Leia said. Tahiri bowed, smiling gently as Betsy returned the gesture - for all Betsy knew, Tahiri might be further along in Force studies than she was.

    Betsy didn't miss the arm Tahiri wrapped through Anakin's, however, and she said, "Miss Veila. A pleasure - Anakin was kind enough to help me construct my lightsaber. You're a very lucky young lady."

    And he's yours, I can tell that - or you *want* him to be, Betsy thought, seeing Tahiri's thoughts towards Anakin clearly - WELL.

    Anakin blushed, and Tahiri turned an unflattering shade of red herself, but he didn't disentangle himself from her, either. "I ... wow. We do have to talk. But ... don't go?" he asked.

    Tahiri smiled, then, and Anakin wrapped his hand in hers as they headed for the Sabre. Betsy let them take point, and walked with Leia, who sighed with a degree of happiness and regret as the twins followed, chatting.

    "He's my youngest. I'm happy for him - and Tahiri's a wonderful girl - but it's never easy," Leia said softly.

    Betsy radiated sympathy, but had to admit, "I'm jealous, to be honest - not so much of you and Han, although you're an extremely lucky woman - but of the fact that you've a happy family."

    "It's not always easy. Before the peace treaty with the Empire - now the Imperial Remnant - the children were targets of kidnappings far too often. And there were the separations ... Jaina's still resentful, at times, although she tries not to be. The boys are better about it, but Jacen and Anakin have this ... rivalry, almost. They disguise it with a philosophical disagreement over how to use the Force, but it's really the traditional older-younger sibling divide," Leia said, seeming distant for a moment.

    Memories flickered in her surface thoughts, and Betsy redoubled her shields; she had no place letting her control slip just out of her own curiosity. Besides, Mara needed them.

    She was walking - unsteadily, but getting stronger with every step - off of the Jade Sabre, Luke unsuccessfully trying to help her, Cilghal and Artoo behind.

    "I told you, I'm going to be all right, Farmboy - Jaina, are you all right? I sensed your shock," Mara called - she seemed to be getting better ...

    but to Betsy's newly-expanded senses, Mara was still facing some kind of wrongness curling around her insides.

    As if she'd caught the thought, Mara glanced at Betsy, then snorted before squeezing Jaina's forearm. "Nothing some meditation won't push back," Mara said.

    "You always say that, but you were hurt!" Betsy heard a worried, petulant young-male voice reply.

    She looked over at where a sudden blazing Force-presence approached, a mixture of Luke and Mara's signatures wrapped around a focused, frightened mind - contained in a young boy whose orange jumpsuit which made his slightly-shaggy black locks (and intense brown stare) stand out.

    Betsy nodded politely to the lad, who glanced at her with curiosity and nodded with a degree of respect ... but also a measure of wariness, before he softened when Mara reached for him.

    "Kylo - ! Betsy Braddock, this is Kylo, Luke's and my son and our firstborn," Mara introduced the boy, and he shook Betsy's hand.

    "Ma'am," Kylo replied, turning back to Mara with real worry as he continued, "Don't lie 'bout your disease, OK? You don't have to protect me."

    Unlike Mara's previously snarky-steel attitude, her response to Kylo was as telling as it was touching. She smiled, ruffling his black curls, and said, "I know, kiddo. But I'm not about to let some stupid disease get the better of me, I promise."

    "OK," Kylo said, hugging his mom before slipping away to greet Luke and Artoo. Betsy blinked when she saw something like a tall cloak whirl around the boy, but she shrugged it off - his Force-presence was massive, even to her still-nascent Force-sense, and Betsy knew she had to work on reading nuances.

    "Sorry if he was a bit intense. He's talented and Force-strong, but more than a little headstrong - Ky's got the complicated parts of both Luke and I," Mara said, half-smiling as her guard rose again.

    "Still, he's clearly a caring lad. You have other children?" Betsy asked, regretting the question as a pang of agony flashed for a split-second across Mara's face.

    The redhead managed a smile, waving off Luke, Kylo, Leia, and Jaina's concerned glances as she replied, "Kylo's the eldest of triplets. Three standard years ago, there was an Imperial attack on a transport taking the children to Coruscant to visit the Solos. Our daughters, Rey and Jemma, were ejected in escape pods just as the ship came out of hyperspace. We're sure they're alive ... we just don't know where they are."

    Betsy clutched Mara's hand in sympathy - then blinked, recalling a moment before her teleportation. "Jemma ... Mara, I met a Jemma Simmons on Earth, before I was teleported to Sernpidal. But she was in her early 20s - may I show you the encounter, via telepathy?" she asked.

    Hope and surprise flashed across Mara's face, and she nodded. Betsy "rebroadcast" the brief meeting through a tight-band psi-link, after which Mara concentrated, nodding when Luke walked over with a growing smile.

    "That young woman, she did look like you, just with different hair," Luke said, squeezing Mara's shoulder - Betsy assumed Luke had "seen" the mnemonic exchange via his Force-bond with Mara.

    "And that sense that Betsy had of banked power about 'Simmons' ... it sure felt like an untrained Force-sensitive. But if she was an adult when you met her, then that implies time travel," Mara posited, turning back to Betsy as the telepath's head started to spin.

    But if Jemma was able to reach my Earth via hyperspace accident, then what does that mean for what year it is on Earth ... and, is this the SAME timeline, just a different year? Betsy hoped.

    She was almost overcome by a wave of homesickness ... until she suddenly found that she was the focus of attention of a great many people. Including not a few nonhumans.

    "Betsy. Are you all right?" Leia asked, and Betsy composed herself, glancing at Luke and Mara - she'd raised their hopes, even unintentionally.

    Don't say anything to anyone else about Jemma, please - it's too soon. We are grateful for your information, though, Luke asked as Betsy psi-linked with him.

    She nodded, looking on as Cilghal approached, joined by a group of other people in the same style - if not always the same color - robes that Luke wore.

    Jedi Masters, Betsy realized.

    And then she froze, because two of them, holding hands, looked eerily like -

    well, David and Maddie from Moonlighting... ?!

    That was, if Maddie had had silver eyes, and what looked like a lute in her hands ...

    The woman smiled warmly, and Betsy felt at ease, even walking over and bowing. "Masters. I'm Elizabeth, or Betsy, Braddock ... if Master Skywalker hasn't commed you ..." she began.

    "Please, Lady Braddock - may we call you Betsy? You may call me Tionne, and this is my husband, Kam Solusar. Luke told us what you did for Chewbacca, and for the Skywalkers and Solos. Please, be welcome here at the Jedi Praxeum," the woman said, shaking Betsy's hand, as her husband followed.

    He arched an eyebrow, then, and asked, "Forgive me, but your surface thoughts flickered for a moment -'yippie-ki-yay'?"

    Betsy blushed and said, "Sorry - you just very much resemble ... an actor from my homeworld ..."

    "So. This is the warrior woman who saved Chewbacca?"

    Betsy turned, bowing again - even if they were being very welcoming, they were Jedi Masters, and deserved her respect - as a small crowd gathered around.

    Luke and Mara were among them, as were a younger, black-haired man with green eyes and cocky smile; a russet-haired and -bearded man in green and white; a black-haired woman in red armor; an older man with ... interesting ...headgear; and an incredibly Force-strong man who looked like - !

    "Betsy, this is Kyp Durron, formerly of Kessel; Corran Horn, of Corellia; Kirana Ti, of Dathomir; Streen, formerly of Bespin; and Kyle Katarn," Luke introduced. Betsy shook each of their hands in turn, and was touched by the goodwill they were radiating.

    "We'd like to ask you a few questions. We've heard the reports of your arrival on Sernpidal, and we appreciate everything you've done for Luke, the Solos and Chewbacca ... but ..." Corran said, shrugging.

    "It's just a little hard to believe, your claims of dimensional displacement. Even Waru wasn't this ... surprising," Kyp said, and Betsy cocked an eyebrow at his cocksure attitude.

    "Very well, Kyp. If you don't believe me, then perhaps you can Force-scan my memories. I've nothing to hide - you can even go through my dirty laundry. Heaven knows I've enough," Betsy offered, preparing to drop her shields.

    Either she was going to be accepted, or not, and keeping secrets from the Jedi wasn't going to make her any friends.

    "Come on, Kyp - actions instead of words? I'd say saving Chewie without even being asked was a pretty good step in the right direction. So the lady's story is a little hard to believe, but if we're going to doubt Luke's analysis ..." Corran said - Betsy sensed he and Kyp didn't exactly agree.

    On a lot of things, in fact, but she didn't vocalize that ... even if Mara's playful snicker made Betsy feel more welcome.

    Kyp and Corran traded frowns, until Kirana said, "Lady Braddock - Elizabeth? - has offered to let us mindprobe her. That alone speaks volumes to me, along with her noble actions on Sernpidal. If we must mindprobe her, then let us accept her offer and be done with this rudeness - Mara needs rest, and the matter of Padme' Amidala needs the Skywalkers' and Solos' attention."

    "Well-said, Kirana," Kyle said - bloody hell, he even sounded like - ?!

    Betsy dropped her shields as the Masters focused the Force on her, and her memories whirled past her ...

    There she was, a girl of 11 again, leaving poor Brian behind her for a wild ride in big brother Jamie’s Ferrari, her forlorn twin watching after them from one of the old Roman stone walls and Betsy laughing maniacally.

    Her awe, all of 13 and watching that Star Destroyer chase Leia's Corellian blockade runner over Tatooine, laser fire leaping between the ships.

    And 19, wild and free, modeling, her telepathy only enhancing her joie de vrie, until that STRIKE agent tapped her on the shoulder and “politely” pointed out that maybe she should be using her gifts for Queen and Country.

    A little older, a little wiser - but still daring, and a bit reckless, as a familiar black-haired woman in black leather gave Lt. Braddock her first real psionic defeat, deflecting a psi-bolt and walking the dazed Betsy out of the London Hellfire Club.

    Another mnemonic chunk pass by - darker, now as Brian’s twisted cross-time self tried to ... attack ... her, and she took his life -

    - and then her eyes were gone, and she could hear Slaymaster cackling -

    - then they were back, but they weren’t HERS, and she was grinning perversely to the sound of jowls slapping against each other as Mojo celebrated her turning -

    - she was alone, in the dark of an Australian shanty, crying where none of her fellow X-Men could see the Great and Terrible Armored Psylocke miss her tall and noble brother, or feel guilty for hurting him and Meggan when she’d died and been reborn ...

    - the desperation she'd felt, forcing Alison and Piotr and Alex to walk through the Siege Perilous in Australia, before the cyborg Reavers could kill them -

    - the look of horror on Matsu’o’s face as he realized that his "dear" Kwannon had *very* much left the building, and the ecstatic feeling of raw fury that shook the woman who had been shaped from his lover’s body and a misplaced mind -

    - Jubilee’s reluctant trust, when Betsy barely trusted *herself,* and Logan’s steady, demanding guiding hand as they faced the Hand and the Harriers -

    - the Shadow King’s perverse chuckle, and the terrifying rush of dark pleasure she gave in to in response, until Forge’s anti-psionic chip was implanted in her neck, and her psi-blade struck Lorna Dane -

    - the quiet, naughty pleasure she felt, when Scott Summers’ eyes strayed, at least until his daughter Rachel walked to the pool, and Betsy’s remorse at the very *idea* of seducing a married man when he had children and a caring wife -

    - the irony of watching her first, true body wracked with pain, in the medlab, and the caring hands of Jean Summers comforting Betsy as she finally cried at the realization that Kwannon was *dying,* due to Creed’s hatred, and there was no hope that Betsy was going to ever *be* Betsy again -

    - then other, stronger, hands holding Betsy, as she floated on the winds above Manhattan with a blue-skinned angel, finally feeling ... not safe, since that wasn’t what she wanted, but ... at least at home, of a sort -

    - that home coming apart, with blood and pain and a leering, chuckling Sabretooth looming over her, as she bled out -

    - a rush of shadows, filling what she’d lost, as Warren and Logan reappeared with a green-robed *gnome,* of sorts, and Doctor Strange -

    - those same shadows laughing from the corners, calling *so* seductively, until her Angel put his restored white wings around her, and she found strength again to fight the towering ebon-skinned figure with a tattoo that matched hers -

    - Warren dropping a part of his *soul* into the Ebon Vein, and Kuragari fleeing, as Gomurr became the Proctor -

    - the Shadow King SCREAMING, SCREAMING, as Betsy enfolded him in herself, her telepathy collapsing into a singularity, to keep the Beast of Beasts from getting her new friends and old -

    - her anger at the High Evolutionary, as she felt her powers simply fade, and the King of Shadows ran snickering at her from her mind, himself weak from imprisonment -

    - the glorious restoration, but not as she’d expected, as the shadows flickered away, followed by the vibrating of her “feeling” solid matter with her mind, and her grief at her mindblindness changing to pleased surprise at her telekinesis -

    - then a dusky-skinned young man, holding her hands, as Warren watched jealously from the corner, looking so *dour,* couldn’t he understand that she was just welcoming Neal? -

    - the moonlight, casting shadows around Warren as he flew away from the skyscraper she’d bid him farewell at, her heart sinking with her eyes as she watched her Angel fly, why couldn’t she bring herself to *care* more? -

    - the laughter with Neal and Ororo and Marie, and Bishop’s still-hopeless attempts at humor, as Henry tossed about non-sequiturs and Sage tried not to smile on that small yacht across the Atlantic -

    - Vargas’ nod of respectful victory, as the blade slipped between her ribs -

    - the shadows that should have claimed her, blazing away, going down a drain opened by a blond-haired boy who acted from caring, shaping dust into flesh and breath into blood, not realizing in his innocence that the shadows had to go SOMEWHERE -

    - the joy of being herself, TRULY herself again, fighting Cassandra Nova, helping defeat Weapon X's death camp in Canada, reuniting with family and friends, and the transition of working with the American government's Commission on Superhuman Affairs ...

    Betsy opened her eyes, and was met with ... well, surprise was definitely among the foremost emotion.

    But also a great deal of respect, and not a little awe from some of them.

    Betsy blushed; she wasn't sure she entirely deserved the attention, but Mara was the first forward, and put a hand on Betsy's shoulder.

    "OK. I'm impressed. Especially with how you handled getting bounced from body to body. And after Sernpidal - anybody else think Betsy shouldn't be a Jedi?" Mara asked over her shoulder.

    "How can we not accept her? She's already an accomplished warrior, that much is obvious - and if these Yuuzhan Vong are as dangerous as they sound, we need all the Jedi we can get. Especially one who's so willing to work with us," Kyle said.

    "Well, the Battlemaster hath spoken. For me, I'd be fascinated to teach Lady Braddock the basics of piloting - although, from her memories, it seems she's no slouch in that area," Kyp said - and his attention definitely wasn't just respectful ...

    Betsy arched another eyebrow at him, but Kyp just smirked, and she caught Mara's eyeroll. Yeah. I want to punch him sometimes too, Mara sent, making Betsy have to repress a chuckle.

    "Betsy, I'd like to ask that you spend some time here on Yavin IV, studying with Tionne in the finer points of Jedi powers and history. Your combat prowess is remarkable, but I'd like to wait to promote you to Knight until you're more sure of your connection with the Force. We'll also do all we can to help you find your way home - although I think it might be a matter of waiting if our suspicions are correct," Luke said.

    "Thank you - Master Skywalker? Luke? I appreciate the help, but I want to make sure I use the right title ..." Betsy said.

    Mara made a "tosh" noise, and Kam and Tionne smiled. "We're not that big on titles. 'Master' is more for the children and teens to call us; you're both an adult and not quite a student, not quite a full Jedi," Luke offered.

    "Thank you - all of you. This is ... I'll do my best," Betsy said, walking with them toward the Temple.

    The Jedi Temple ...

    How. Bloody. COOL. Was. THIS?

    ------------------------------------------------------------------
    From the Desk of Cilghal, Jedi Chief Medical Officer:
    18th of Fifth, 25 ABY:
    --------------------------------------------------------------------

    Fellow Jedi,

    As per Master Skywalker's request, I've compiled a report on our newest student, Lady Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock.

    Hair: Purple (originally blonde, apparently now natural purple)

    Eyes: Blue (originally blue; later purple implants, then brown)

    Height: 1.8 M

    Weight: 58.96 kg

    Unusual traits: Betsy's genetic structure is slightly mutated from Human norm; she can, from genetic extrapolation, interbreed freely with most other Humans.

    However, she possesses an extra gene which she calls the "x-factor" - a sort of master gene which codes for proteins to interact with other genes for a large-scale phenotypic manifestation, most often of extranormal abilities.

    In Betsy's case, this is an extremely powerful innate telepathic ability. She has demonstrated potent proficiency in receiving and sending thoughts, mental shielding, telepathic illusion-casting, and mental blasts capable of affecting even Jedi Masters (thanks - and extra analgesics - to Master Katarn for being a test subject).

    Her skills extend to generating an extremely-focused psionic blade, which she can manifest from either hand at will. This can be anything from a dagger, to a short-sword comparable to a shoto, to a longsword, katana or even broadsword. As with her other telepathic powers, Betsy's swords are not Force-based, and Force-defenses against her telepathy are of varying effectiveness.

    When active, her powers can be detected as a purplish-pink shadowmoth-like energy aura which appears around her eyes, visible in the Force (and on some occasions, visibly).

    Physically, she is an extremely-fit Human female with pinkish skin, in what would usually be believed to be her early 30s.

    Psychological Report: Betsy claims - and we have multiple mnemonic scans demonstrating her living through this - that she was physically reincarnated less than three weeks ago, after her previous body was slain.

    It's important to note that bodyhopping is not the most bizarre thing the Jedi have seen. However, full-scale physical recorporation of a sentient's physical form is a feat beyond even Master Skywalker's abilities ... and a power that, if it has a comparable ability in the Force, would seem to be either a lost art or an act of dark-side sorcery.

    Betsy, for her part, claims she was reincarnated not by a dark-sider, but a young teenaged boy who is a student at a school for mutant humans on her homeworld. As a member of the "X-Men," Betsy fights mutant and other criminals, and works for peaceful coexistence between mutants like herself and baseline humans.

    She also claims that there, the life story of Anakin Skywalker - including critical points in his existence as Darth Vader - is a celebrated, if sometimes mocked, fictional series of works.

    As is much of our history.

    Despite the ... extreme ... nature of these claims, Betsy shows no signs of psychosis or neurosis. If anything, she is polite and well-spoken, both signs of her upbringing (she is, from the mnemonic scans, an heiress to a noble house in a nation called "Britain," in the northern hemisphere of her homeworld, a planet called "Earth").

    I have been fortunate enough to speak at length with Betsy. Her willingness to demonstrate her abilities and speak of her homeworld, along with a wide battery of psychological and physiological tests, has led me to only one conclusion.

    She is quite sane.

    Although at times she is rather quiet, and demonstrates clear homesickness - neither of which are crimes, or signs of psychotic behavior; if anything, the depth of her feelings is indicative of her telling the truth about her exile.

    And her claims of dimensional displacement may not be as far-fetched as we believe, based on scans I took of her shortly after her collapse.

    Betsy's molecular structure demonstrated heightened levels of Cronau radiation - consistent with a sharp, sudden jaunt through hyperspace, which should kill most beings who attempt it without a starship.

    Unless they were teleported ... and what little we know of the Infinity Gates leaves us with little practical experience involving teleportation.

    The only idea I can give is approaching either Jorj Car'Das, and hopefully talking with the Aing-Tii, or perhaps sending an envoy to the Gree worlds.

    However, given the aura of mystery cultivated by the former, and the near-xenophobia and collective cultural amnesia of the latter, I fear we can expect little information ...

    There are two additional elements of information, discovered quite by accident when I was searching our genetic database for evidence that Betsy might be amnesiac or delusional. I sought a match for her genome, wondering if she might have been a refugee or patient from a Human-majority world.

    There was none. But there are four additional Jedi whose genomes expresse a dominant x-factor gene - Mara Jade-Skywalker, and her children, Kylo, Rey, and Jemma Skywalker.

    Betsy claims Mara strongly resembles a teammate of hers, a woman named Jean Grey-Summers.

    Mara has often shown enhanced telepathic facility, and in different spectra than "mere" Force-users. Her telepathic connection with Emperor Palpatine - or Darth Sidious, as Betsy and Artoo-Detoo have demonstrated - was such that it reached across the galaxy at times.

    If this "Earth" is somewhere in our galaxy ... and Mara has a connection to it ... then the second piece of information may be even more relevant than Mara being a mutant.

    The x-factor gene is present in the genome of every Human whose genome I examined in comparing Betsy's DNA to theirs. In almost every case, the x-factor was recessive; Mara and Betsy were the only two with expressed x-factors.

    What this means is ... unclear. But the implications are that Earth may be the homeworld of humanity.

    (And, possibly ... Mara herself.)

    Given the radiation levels in the Core Region, a prehistorical transplantation of primitive humans to Coruscant would make more sense than the idea of Humans evolving on a Core World.

    Thus, I respectfully submit the following recommendation: That we expedite Elizabeth Braddock's training, given her skill levels over her innate power and her psychological stability.

    And that we seek out any and all information on Earth at our earliest convenience. In light of the current events involving the "Yuuzhan Vong," this may not be possible. But inquiries would be strongly indicated, both from our efforts to assist Betsy ...

    and to possibly solve one of the oldest questions of galactic civilization: How Humans came to such prominence.

    Humbly,
    Cilghal


    -------------------------------------------
    Kam-mail, 19th of Fifth, 25 ABY:

    To: Luke Skywalker

    Re: What did you get us into?
    -------------------------------------------

    Luke -

    Well, like Katarn said, your newest find is good.

    Her hand-to-hand is like nothing I've seen; I'd pair her with Mara in sparring, if Mara was up to it. Betsy makes teras kasi masters look like slouches.

    She took me out with some kind of nerve-jab, held her own against Kyle in kicks and punches, and did absurdly well facing Kirana with the staff and longsword.

    And you don't want to know what she did to Kyp. At least she claimed it was an accident ...

    Betsy's lightsaber technique is getting better all the time, also. She's got Shii-Cho down well, and is best suited for Ataru.

    No, check that; she's excelling at Ataru. She's a natural acrobat, and Force jump is probably the first thing she mastered after we confirmed her proficiency at telekinesis.

    Soresu isn't a weakness for her, either. Jaina's report from the Falcon was telling; the training remotes can barely keep up with Betsy.

    I'd recommend she focus on Ataru and Soresu, graduating to Shien, and possibly Juyo. Maybe a touch of Makashi, given the reports you gave on those snake-like weapons the Vong were using.

    Niman? Not in Betsy's personality. I'm grateful she's as polite and friendly as she is outside the sparring hall - the woman is already dangerous.

    Force-training her is just going to make her a Jedi. She's already a living weapon ...

    now, can we talk about increasing the funding for icepacks?

    Kam

    --------------------------------------
    20th of Fifth, 25 ABY:

    From: Tionne Solusar

    To: Luke Skywalker

    Re: Elizabeth's Force-training
    ---------------------------------------

    Luke -

    You've brought us an already half-trained Jedi, I must say.

    Setting aside Elizabeth's prodigious telepathic power - which functions even within a ysalamir field, thanks to Jacen for providing the creature for the test - her Force skills are not to be dismissed just because she lacks years at the Praxeum.

    Investigating with Cilghal, I believe we have determined why, during her "body swap," Elizabeth was unable to access her telepathy. The "Kwannon" body she was inhabiting (according to her memories) possessed some mutant psychic sensitivities. However, that body's genome was altered by a global mutation wave, leading to her then-solely telekinetic manifestation.

    Now in her original body, she has regained her full telepathic potential, as well as Force access.

    At least, if one follows that Elizabeth is from Earth ... I have yet to find any references to it in Jedi lore.

    I do concur with Cilghal, however; Elizabeth is sane, and a delightful person, as well as an eager student. Her previous telekinetic exercises translated well to controlling her Force-telekinesis, and she has already mastered the move object, Force thrust and Force slam techniques, with Force shield next on her list.

    Her precognitive ability is what intrigues me, however. As you know, the extrapolation of farseeing is a rare talent, and Elizabeth seems to possess a remarkable degree of precognitive potential. She was quite pleased to learn that the power can be expanded upon, and is willing to work with me on visions.

    Elizabeth's meditative technique is quite well-honed. Her martial arts and telepathic prowess have proven to be helpful in this regard.

    Regretfully, she seems to lack real potential for healing, although she has learned how to enter a healing trance herself. I have little doubt that with time, Elizabeth will prove to be among our strongest Jedi.

    I would concur with Cilghal: We should try to find this Earth. Not only because it is the right thing to do, but for the possibility that if there are Force-sensitives of Elizabeth's caliber, we should bring them into the Order (if they are willing, of course).

    Tionne

    --------------------------------------------------
    21st of Fifth, 25 ABY:
    Forest near Jedi Praxeum, Yavin IV:
    --------------------------------------------------

    She found them sitting on a log, and dampened her Force-presence while creating a telepathic illusion to blend into the background.

    Anakin and Tahiri ... Betsy realized; she felt a little guilty spying on the boy this way, but she'd still been worried about him, especially since his parents were preparing to leave with Luke, Chewie, Jacen, and the droids later in the morning for Polis Massa.

    Jaina had accepted an offer from the New Republic government, who were calling up all qualified starfighter pilots for training (despite political reports that the Bothan Chief of State, Borsk Fey'lya, was denying the existence of the Yuuzhan Vong as more than unreconstructed Imperials).

    And Mara was preparing to "vacation" on the life-strong world of Dantooine; but Luke, worried about her, had asked her to take an escort.

    Perhaps to distract him from his worries, Mara had asked Anakin to join her. Anakin had been ... mixed, on his response, but had agreed.

    He didn't seem terribly thrilled about it, though.

    "... I'm just worried I'll fail her. Or that I'll - 'Ri, you didn't see that holo. I - I'm glad Artoo didn't tell Mom and Uncle Luke about this sooner. Knowing that my grandfather killed my grandmother - it's like every awful nightmare I had is back. Only we know now that he was a monster, even more than Vader being the Emperor's enforcer," Anakin lamented.

    Tahiri rubbed Anakin's back, clearly discomforted - but she didn't run, or coo in an empty-headed fashion. Miss Veila, Betsy sensed, was an intelligent young woman, not a child.

    And Anakin, to his eternal credit, wasn't pouring out his heart in some typically teenaged-male fashion to play on Tahiri's compassion.

    "Look, I'm not gonna tell you not to worry. But you did face the cave on Dagobah, and Vader's castle on Vjun, and saved all those people on Sernpidal," Tahiri said.

    Anakin stood, his fists clenched, and looked away. When he looked back, his eyes were filled with tears, and the pain there made Betsy flinch even in her telepathic "shroud."

    "I was about to leave Chewie. We didn't have any more time - 'Ri, he's like another uncle to me, and I was gonna leave him. I thought we'd die if we didn't go - if Ms. Braddock hadn't been there ... I rushed. If I'd rushed any more, Chewie would be dead. I can't be so ... stupid, anymore," Anakin said, returning Tahiri's hug.

    "You're a dummy, but you're not stupid. Listen to me. Chewie is OK, you're not your grandpa, and you're not alone. Be smart and safe on Dantooine. Or I will let Bangor lick you to death," Tahiri said, punching Anakin in the upper shoulder.

    Bangor? Betsy wondered, puzzled.

    She blushed, then, as Anakin looked at Tahiri with a mixture of amazement and ...WELL.

    "You've grown up," he breathed, and she took his face in her hands.

    "Been wondering how long it was gonna take you to notice. I'll be 14 in a few months; and you're almost 16," she said.

    He blushed, then, and looked away - but kissed her cheek and said, "I'll come back."

    "I'll be here," she said - and that was when Betsy noticed Tahiri wasn't wearing shoes.

    The girl slipped into the underbrush, and Anakin smiled - then lit his lightsaber, stared right at Betsy and demanded, "Show yourself!"

    "My apologies," Betsy said, ending her camoflague, and Anakin relaxed. "I shouldn't have spied. I just - you're still hurt."

    Anakin shrugged. "I'm better. 'Ri's my best friend, Ms. Braddock. I couldn't leave without talking to her," he said, and Betsy nodded.

    "Be smart, and safe, Anakin. And come back to that girl," Betsy insisted -

    and her precognition flashed, as she saw Anakin and Tahiri, years from then, with an Ewok, staring from the bridge of a Star Destroyer -

    and Anakin looked at her in surprise. "You had a Force vision?" he asked.

    Betsy nodded ... and said, half-smiling, "Has anyone ever told you you should consider Ewok Jedi?"

    --------------------------------------------
    to be continued ...
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2019
    caspian1a likes this.
  4. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Continuing forward - getting to one of the older plot points quickly, but also adding elements from The Je'daii Heresy, a well-meant but unwieldy piece I attempted a while back ... [face_blush]

    Also, readers of the original version of this story might recall that there was a bit of Luke/Callista, there, with Luke having an unexpected daughter surface.

    Not here ... but a daughter of Luke's is about to return. And Callista will reappear down the road (not posing any threat to L/M, but ending up with another Rogue ... ;))

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "I do not pry into friends' thoughts, Havok. Nor enemies, without cause. If you don't know that by now, you don't know me."

    "You're right there, Ms. Braddock ... because I don't know you."

    - Betsy Braddock and Alex Summers, discussing telepathic etiquette and trust issues, Uncanny X-Men 249

    *************************************
    Chapter 4: 21st of Fifth, 25 ABY:
    Jedi Praxeum,
    Grand Audience Chamber, Yavin IV:
    **************************************

    Well, the honeymoon's over ...

    Betsy hadn't expected dogmatic stoicism from a Jedi Order which allowed its members to marry and have children - both of which she believed helped the new Jedi avoid the fatal errors of their predecessors - but she'd at least expected a certain amount of respect.

    Well, maybe psychically-knifing Kyp during sparring the other day hadn't been that wise ...

    She'd followed Anakin into the meeting Luke had called to discuss recent events - including the renegade actions of Wurth Skidder, a Jedi who had inadvertently worsened a war between two planets called Rhommamool and Osarian to the point of interplanetary nuclear war.

    And then Betsy promptly found a dark-complexioned young man in midnight blue and black robes, with black hair, glaring at her as she passed by a rather large knot of youngish Jedi.

    "A problem?" Betsy asked, and the tall Jedi - who reminded her of Neal Shaara, to a degree, before Neal had shaved that moustache and beard that hadn't fooled anyone as to his real age - composed himself a bit, especially when Kyp glanced at them.

    "Betsy Braddock, Ganner Rhysode. Lady Braddock's not to blame for Miko's death, Ganner," Kyp said a little reprovingly - and the nod he gave Betsy, with a flicker of politesse and invitation in the Force, indicated that he didn't blame her.

    Miko ... Betsy remembered, then, the report of the Vong invasion that Luke had composed for all the adults in the Order, and she felt a pang of sympathy about Kyp's former apprentice dying horribly.

    "Nevertheless, I doubt you're going to support Kyp. These threats sweep across the Outer Rim, a dagger poised at the wider galaxy, and you're receiving special treatment from the Masters when accomplished Knights are getting slaughtered," Ganner said, his ice-blue eyes reminding Betsy of ...

    She squelched the thought - Warren was a long way from here - and put as much ice in her reply as she could.

    "I never asked for special treatment, Knight Rhysode. However Master Skywalker and his family treat me is their choice, and I'm grateful for their hospitality," Betsy replied.

    Ganner took a step back, and Kyp chuckled - but a tall, powerfully-built woman with black hair and small scar by her left eye stepped forward and frowned at Betsy. "And yet you're here when Miko died," the other woman said, as icily as Betsy.

    "If it helps, miss, less than three weeks ago I was murdered. I have a habit of turning up alive - the Force, it seems, has a strange sense of humor when it comes to my finding eternal rest," Betsy shot back, bringing a strange look to the brunette's face.

    "Octa - Betsy, please. Miko was Octa's ... they were very close," Kyp said, stepping between the women. Betsy blushed, and both women muttered apologies before Betsy walked away.

    "Betsy." She turned, and looked at Kyp, who half-smiled and said, "Look, you're good in a fight. We could use someone like you ..."

    "HA! You MUST be kidding - and please do not throw lines from Han Solo at me! I own both the VHS and DVD copies of the original trilogy!" Betsy laughed.

    She stopped, though, when she realized how oddly Kyp's sympathizers - and the "Luke-side" Jedi, on the right-hand side of the room - were staring at her ...

    "It's a long story. Let's just say Betsy's really not from around here," Kyp said, before whispering in her ear, "I'd thought we'd agreed not to spread the whole 'the Jedi are fictional' thing around?"

    "Then stop trying to recruit me. Arrogant as your man Ganner is, he's right - I stand with Luke," Betsy replied, calming herself - Kyp was right about not disturbing the rest of the Order with her rather outre' origins.

    Kyp shrugged, then grinned rakishly - and that was pure Remy LeBeau, so much so that Betsy wondered if the Acadian X-Man's origins lay off of Earth - before replying, "You know where to find me."

    Prat, Betsy thought, resisting an urge to stick her tongue out at him.

    If I'm going to be childish, I should at least "hang out" with people who reflect both my philosophy and emotional state ... Betsy figured - so she headed over to where Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin were gathered with a small knot of young people.

    "Hey. I wanted to wish you good luck before I go - I'm taking Danni to Coruscant, so she can talk with the Advisory Council, before I meet up with Colonel Darklighter," Jaina said, and Betsy thanked the girl, then nodded at the blonde-haired and green-eyed woman who was holding her arms to her sides.

    "Lady Braddock? Danni Quee," said the woman - maybe 20, 21, definitely the young woman whom Jacen had described in his report about the Helska extraction - and Betsy shook her hand.

    "Betsy is fine - Doctor? Ms. Quee?" Betsy asked, trying to lighten the mood; the poor woman was still bleeding from psychic wounds caused by witnessing Miko Reglia's death.

    And being so near people who seek to cast blame for Miko's death can't be helping her, Betsy worried, as Danni forced a smile.

    "Danni's fine, thank you. I'd like to talk, sometime, about this 'Earth' you say you're from - if it is extragalactic, maybe the ExGal Society has some information," Danni offered.

    Betsy radiated gratitude - even if she was time-displaced, as much as she was spatially shifted. there was always an outside chance that Illyana Rasputin or another chronovariant mutant might pop in and pick her up - before turning to watch rows of Force-sensitive children of many different species enter the room and line up before the adults. Kylo stood out among the younglings, one of the most powerful of them to Betsy's Force sense.

    Then, Luke took the podium, flanked by Corran and Kirana Ti - Mara was resting, and Han and Leia were in the back of the room, not quite counting themselves among the Jedi despite their obvious ties to Luke; Chewie was preparing the Falcon.

    "Thank you all for gathering so quickly. And a thank you to all of you students; it's good to see you, and we appreciate your greeting us. I won't keep you long, since your studies are important and we have matters to discuss which you needn't worry about yet," Luke said, nodding at Kam, Tionne and the other teachers to guide the children back to their classes.

    While the last children started to leave, Tahiri moved from Anakin's side to join them, but Luke held up a hand. "Tahiri - you may stay. What I have to say concerns ... information Anakin shared with you, and you're old enough to understand the stakes," he said, kindly.

    Tahiri blushed, while Anakin squirmed and said, "Master, I apologize. I just -"

    "Anakin. I'm not angry. If anything, I should apologize to you; we've been so busy these last few days that we've failed to properly discuss the revelations about your grandparents. I know it's been hard on you, and I'd never fault you for seeking help," Luke said, smiling a little when Tahiri squeezed Anakin's hand.

    "Grandparents?" Kyp asked, and a murmur went through the remaining non-Skywalker-descended Jedi at that - Betsy had worried this was going to be a shock.

    Luke nodded, becoming grim. "Betsy's arrival helped identify Leia's and my birth mother - Padme' Amidala, a Senator of the Old Republic. Artoo's revealed that he was, in fact, my mother's droid, and later served beside my father in the Clone Wars ... up until the Purge of the Jedi Temple," he said, stopping as gasps and cries swept the room.

    "Bwoooo dwoot arwoo," moaned Artoo, who'd quietly entered the room and wheeled himself onto the dais. Anakin paled, but Tahiri leaned her head on his shoulder and he seemed to draw strength from her.

    Jacen, for his part, closed his eyes, and smiled when a beautiful young woman with red hair, green eyes and a leather-armor outfit put her hand - her one hand, since she was missing her left arm above the elbow - on his shoulder. Jaina smiled at a young man with long black hair, who whispered in her ear and let her lean on him.

    "Master ... this is ... quite the revelation," Ganner - quite respectful, now, and contrite - said, and Kyp's glance at the rest of his allied Jedi made them stop whispering.

    "Indeed, Ganner. But it's also one I believe we can draw an example from. My father's past as a slave on Tatooine is no secret, and we have evidence now that that trauma may have manifested itself in his adulthood as a fear of losing loved ones. Thus, why I'm leaving after this meeting to travel to Polis Massa in the Outer Rim with Han and Leia - to visit my birthplace," Luke said.

    Another ripple of surprise, this one more positive, swept the chamber.

    Luke became grim again, and looked at Leia - who nodded, despite Han's worried expression - before giving Anakin a questioning glance. The boy took a deep breath, then nodded, and Luke radiated gratitude.

    "Then, with Leia's permission ... I want the truth out, here and now, about Anakin Skywalker's fall. We'll be contacting Voren Na'al and other historians soon to amend the relevant histories - and Tionne's kindly added the new information to the Archives. But I will not let this be some kind of shameful secret which our enemies, political or otherwise, twist and use against us," Luke said.

    Then, he turned to Artoo, and said, "Go ahead, please."

    The next 15 minutes or so were ... educational, as far as reactions went.

    Kyp's faction - in fact, all of the Jedi - were horrified and repulsed by the graphic footage of Anakin Skywalker leading an army of clone troopers into the old Jedi Temple and killing Jedi.

    And the Mustafar conversation left a frightful chill in the room; some whispers of "Obi-Wan looked like that?" flickered around.

    And then ... the Force-choke.

    Octa actually cried out; Ganner stroked his goatee in obvious discomfort; Tahiri hugged Anakin, and Han held Leia.

    The birth scenes were greeted with a few happy gasps - Betsy swore Corran was going to joke with Luke about how Luke had looked as a newborn ...

    but then Padme's last gasp silenced all the talk in the room.

    The lights came up; Artoo shut down his holoprojector, and warbled sadly, "Dwoout awrooo."

    "It's OK, Artoo. Truth, painful as it might be, can't hurt us. Innuendo and betrayal, however, can. Kyp, I'm not going to lecture you and yours - your actions, while not always in accordance with New Republic code, are undertaken to help others. But we cannot face the new threat of the Yuuzhan Vong without working to patch our differences with the government. Otherwise, we risk becoming too prideful ... and we just saw where that led," Luke said, the sweep of his arm taking in all of the Jedi present.

    Ganner looked and felt annoyed, while Octa growled, but Kyp arched an eyebrow. "With all due respect, Master Skywalker, there are a few dozen rather arrogant, self-serving Senators - the kind who got the Old Republic into the Clone Wars in the first place - sitting in power now. What about their pride, and their growing disdain for Jedi? How long before we find ourselves hunted by the people we wish to protect?" he asked.

    Betsy was AGHAST - and let her disgust enter the Force, prompting everyone present to turn and look at her.

    "Look in the mirror, Durron! I've spent most of my adult life in just such a battle - you think my telepathy is something special, back on Earth? The extra gene which gives me my mutant abilities made me and mine targets for years! I've seen innocent people, children included, slandered, hunted, enslaved - murdered - because of fear and hatred from the unpowered! And if you give hatemongers red meat to feast on through your wild antics, you're going to give them justification for ANOTHER Jedi Purge, like the one we just saw!" Betsy snapped.

    Kyp took a step back, then, and Betsy took a deep breath, blushing a bit - but she'd heard arguments similar to Kyp's from mutant supervillains, and it was a step too far.

    "There are children here, Kyp. It's our responsibility to protect our innocents, and to make sure we don't endanger their future by scaring the majority," Betsy added, remembering Scott and Jean's large family, and the Maximoff children and the rest of the second class of New Mutants.

    She glanced at the Solo children and their friends, seeing Jaina and Anakin smile, and Tahiri gave her a subtle thumbs-up.

    "You speak eloquently, Betsy. I'm sorry - I didn't realize you'd been a victim of such persecution," Kyp said, bowing.

    "Well, I prefer not to wallow in victimization. It's taking advantage of sympathy, and I have more respect for people than that. Thank you, though - Master Skywalker, I apologize," Betsy said, stepping back.

    "No need, Betsy. I think you've argued my point rather well. At the same time, we can't allow ourselves to fail to heed the calls of any people who need our help, even if that brings into conflict with the government. It's a tricky course to plot ..." Luke said, looking into the distance for a moment.

    "And if we can find evidence on Polis Massa, something which Obi-Wan or Yoda might have left behind while they were there, of how the old Jedi handled such ethical concerns, it can only help us now," he concluded, before looking around to see if there were any questions.

    "Well, then. There are several assignments I'd like to hand out before we go - Jaina and Anakin already know their missions, and I need to speak to Corran and Kyp, please. Thank you all for coming, and may the Force be with you," Luke said.

    With that, the crowd broke into knots, and Betsy found herself surrounded by the Solo children and their friends. "Wow. Thanks, Betsy," Jaina said, squeezing Betsy's shoulder.

    "Kyp needed a good slapping down - no, I won't call him Master Durron when I don't have to. He doesn't deserve it," Jacen said, his voice becoming a snarl on the last sentence when the red-head beside whispered something in his ear.

    "Jacen. Such arrogance is as dangerous in its own way as Master Durron's rogue actions," the young woman - a girl Jacen and Jaina's age, actually - said, her eyes narrowing in assessment.

    Jacen blushed, then walked with the others, who asked Betsy to join them for lunch - it was both flattering and a little odd, having an entourage, she considered.

    Especially since it reminds me of the times I spent after first coming to Xavier's, with the original team of New Mutants, Betsy realized.

    "Jacen, Jaina, Anakin - why don't you introduce me to the rest of your friends?" she asked, returning smiles.

    Even without an actual assignment, I can at least protect these young people, and the children. In that, I've not come so far from Xavier's School at all ...

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    After a buffet lunch, a raucous round of introductions, and several stories both hilarious and harrowing - the Solo twins' early adolescence had been full of craziness, and Anakin's hadn't been much easier, Betsy realized - they headed for the landing pad.

    Anakin kissed Tahiri - this time, a rather longer kiss - on the lips, then watched her return to the praxeum before he used the Force to load camping supplies and duffle bags into the Jade Sabre.

    Betsy watched - it was interesting, noticing how Force-users who'd grown up around the mysterious energy field treated it as second-nature.

    Rather like the Summers children, Franklin Richards, and other second-generation 'superheroes' ... Betsy recalled, glancing at where Luke and Mara were talking softly, Kylo lingering around the edges with barely-hidden worry and excitement.

    The Skywalkers hugged, and Mara walked - carefully, gingerly - toward the Jade Sabre, as Anakin ran to help her.

    "I'm fine, Solo. Go start the pre-flight sequence," Mara said, her snappishness fading to an auntly gentleness on the second sentence. Anakin nodded, hiding his embarrassment, before leaving Betsy and Mara to chat.

    "Be careful. I've yet to share all those stories about the Grey family with you," Betsy laughed - a mnemonic dump via telepathy would give Mara direct experience of the events, but it also hurt like a hangnail for hours if rushed.

    "Consider it incentive for me to come back - that, and Farmboy there. Betsy - thank you. I know you're a long way from home, and my first reaction was ... defensive. Luke's been lied to about his mother before," Mara said.

    "'Akanah'?" Betsy asked, recalling Jacen's words from the Rejuvenator.

    "Long story, but yes. I know how hard it is for Luke to face this, but at least he's getting a chance. In the meantime, here's someone you might want to ask for help. He's a former employer of mine - name of Talon Karrde - and he has an infonet that rivals, sometimes even exceeds, that of the Bothans. Including exotic and/or generally-unknown planets," Mara said, giving Betsy a datapad with a com-code.

    "Mara ... thank you," Betsy said, fighting back tears - Mara had so much else to worry about, and she'd taken the time to compose this letter of reference ...

    "Don't bawl. It's unbecoming, especially of a woman who put Durron in his place, and Force knows we need more like you," Mara tried to joke.

    She put an arm around Betsy's shoulders, then, and the women quickly hugged before Mara headed for the Sabre. She stopped, suddenly, then, and asked over her shoulder, "One question."

    "Anything," Betsy offered.

    "This Jean Grey. Did she ... how many children does she have?" Mara asked - and the tone of her questioning made Betsy wonder.

    "Seven, altogether, and a young grandson the same age as her youngest boys," Betsy said; Mara's eyebrows shot up fast, then snapped into place along with a smirk.

    "Seven. Well. And triplets were hard enough for us," Mara said, a little ... wistful?

    She shivered, a bit, then, the wrongness of her illness attempting to gain ground, and Mara shoved it back - as much with will as with Force - and for a heartbeat, Betsy swore she could sense fiery wings around the redhead.

    This time, though, Mara didn't merely stand tall and shake off the disease's assault. She looked away, distant, while Luke and Kylo ran to her again with concern.

    "Mom!?" Kylo pleaded, and Mara focused, taking Luke's hand in hers as she hugged Kylo, a surprised smile crossing her face.

    "Farmboy - I had a flash of something, someone - Jakku. Someone has to go to Jakku," Mara insisted, holding Luke's gaze.

    He blinked, clearly seeing something across their Force-bond, while Kylo looked on with confused concern. Betsy held her perceptions within her shields, both psionic and Force-born - this was not a moment to go butting in, no matter kindly her new friends had accepted her.

    Finally, Luke smiled a bit, kissing Mara, and she gave him a wry look before hugging him and Kylo again. The boy sighed, but nodded as Mara whispered something to him, while Luke spoke into his comlink.

    Betsy blinked with surprise as the Falcon lifted off without Luke. He spoke kindly, but with clear emphasis, to Kylo, who nodded without protest and ran back to the temple. Mara boarded the Sabre - with reluctance and a look at Luke, who nodded at his wife with an unspoken promise.

    The Sabre took off, and Luke smiled as he caught Betsy watching. "Mara's vision ... we think it's related to Rey, our other missing daughter. I want to go to Polis Massa with Leia, Han, and Chewie, but we can't afford to pass up any leads . And as much as Mara wants to go after Rey, she really needs her rest," he explained.

    "Raising children wasn't easy for Jean and Scott Summers, either. They gave up their firstborn to protect him, after they married very young, and he didn't return until he was a grown man. And the other children all manifested mutant powers early - but they're reunited, and they all get along. At least those Summerses do ..." Betsy sighed, fighting a tired smile.

    Discussing Scott's extended family was something of an inside joke, among the rest of the X-folk, and Betsy wasn't sure her already-doubted sanity would pass muster if the Jedi heard the entire Summers saga.

    "I get the feeling you could write a holonovel about your adventures, and those of your friends," Luke asked, watching as Artoo approached with Kylo, and a flight crew prepared a spare Lambda-class shuttle for takeoff.

    "Book deals were in the offering when we finally achieved recognition as citizens with equal rights. The fight took the better part of 25 years, and there were still bigots - on both sides of the genetic line - even after it all but wrapped up," Betsy said.

    Luke shook his head. "Well, hopefully we can prevent another Jedi annihilation. You know, I don't mean to confine you to Yavin - there's no reason you can't accompany us, or Jaina and Danni if you wish. Your training's coming along well," he offered.

    Betsy smiled gratefully, but shook her head. "There's time enough for that once I'm sure I'll not be a threat where my Force powers are concerned. 'Control, control - I must learn control,'" she said, managing a halfway-decent Yoda impression at the end.

    Luke did laugh at that, and shook Betsy's hand. "Thank you again. I'll spar with you when we get back - I've asked someone to work with you while I'm gone, if that's all right," he said.

    "Really? I appreciate it. I could use some lightsaber work," Betsy said, watching Luke head for the Lambda with a red-and-white R2 unit. Kylo hugged his father and rubbed the droid's dome, then moved back to a safe distance.

    She did notice, however, that one Force-signature she'd expected to be aboard the Falcon was still on Yavin - and was, in fact, standing behind her.

    "Jacen. Running late?" Betsy asked, turning to look at the teen as the Lambda lifted off, and Kylo approached, looking a bit lost.

    Jacen turned a little red, and said softly, "Actually, Uncle Luke asked ..."

    "Wait - you? Jacen, you know I'm likely to play rough where lightsabers are concerned. I don't doubt that you're among Luke's better students, but I'm older and more experienced," Betsy warned.

    In truth, she didn't mind. What she'd seen of Jacen sparring with Anakin had been closer to a brawl than disciplined practice - enough to worry her, even if the boys did watch each other's backs - and Jacen himself was interesting.

    That empathy, Betsy realized, watching Jacen smile when some insect fluttered onto the palm of his hand. He let it go, and shone in the Force - pure, uncomplicated joy, a kind that Betsy hadn't thought him capable of.

    Usually, he wears such armor ... but is that more to protect him, or to protect others from something inside him? Betsy wondered.

    With that, Jacen seemed to retreat in the Force and his thoughts, and he glanced at Betsy - even a bit put-out. "You're rather presumptive for a new student. And inquisitive for someone who saw my grandfather's rise and fall in dramatic form," he said, walking beside her back to the praxeum.

    Kylo gasped, looking from Jacen to Betsy, but the older cousin gave the boy a knowing look and said, "I'm not authorized to tell you the details, Kylo. Maybe you can help Master Tionne - Artoo and Threepio are with her in the archives, sorting through Artoo's memories of the Clone Wars."

    The younger boy scowled, finally shrugging as he mumbled, "Maybe Artoo'll tell me ... have fun getting your shebs kicked."

    Jacen bit back a clear retort, then glanced at Betsy as she reinforced her shields - Kylo was radiating petulance, and it wasn't welcome.

    Any more than this transparency through the Force, she reflected, turning to Jacen. "You sensed my thoughts?" she asked.

    Jacen shrugged. "Their general direction. I've got a better facility with telepathy than some Jedi - comes with the empathy. As far as my ... distance ... I'm having to come to grips with the whole Jedi hero/Jedi monk thing. Not easy," he admitted, giving Betsy an almost-friendly smile.

    "There's a quote attributed to your mother, said of your uncle and father - 'They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally, they became heroes' You know the price they've all paid, and not for glory. Don't be so eager to be a hero, Jacen - I had dreams of that once, and I ended up dead because of my rash behavior," Betsy warned.

    Jacen stopped in the hall, then arched an eyebrow and said, "Seriously. You can't have been dead, right?"

    Betsy frowned, then said, "If you need proof, I can share with you the rather blunt experiences ..."

    Jacen winced, holding up his hands defensively. "I don't want to repeat what happened to Kyp, thanks," he said, and Betsy laughed - gently; the boy was just being a teenager, now.

    She cocked her head at Jacen when they started walking again, and said, "You should try this being human thing more often, you know."

    Jacen laughed - bitter, but also with enough humor that Betsy didn't wince. "I'm Princess Leia and Han Solo's eldest son. Being 'human' would scandalize the galaxy. They want a savior, you know," he snorted.

    "Anakin doesn't want that either," Betsy observed.

    Jacen somehow managed to both redden and blanch, then leaned against the wall and looked ... ashamed. "I shouldn't criticize him. He's suffering with Grandfather's revelations, and I want to help him - but I also want to smack him upside the head. The kid's reckless, even if he's loyal to Uncle Luke - he has the 'Jedi hero' title locked up, even if he doesn't want it," he said.

    "Jacen. Being Jedi shouldn't be a straightjacket. If you sacrifice too much of yourself, then all you have left is dogma - and that's not a formula for life," Betsy warned.

    Jacen's eyes narrowed. "A Jedi's life is sacrifice. And we're supposed to focus on the Force," he pointed out.

    Betsy rolled her eyes and replied, "And thus, the old Order were executed by your grandfather and clones of a Mandalorian. Blindness from an enemy is forgiveable; blinding yourself is sheer stupidity," she pointed out as they started walking again.

    Jacen blushed, but also nodded. "I'll ... keep that in mind. You're definitely challenging," he said.

    Betsy's laugh made Jacen almost jump, and her nastier side savored the boy's edginess. "You've not faced me with a lightsaber, Padawan Solo. Come, my very young apprentice ..." she said melodramatically.

    "Show me what I don't know, and I'll return the favor."

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Jedi Praxeum Archives:
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    "Bwurt arwoo-dwoout?" Artoo asked, watching Threepio - who'd been left behind to help coordinate the more than a decade's worth of Artoo's memories of Padme Amidala and the Clone Wars - analyze a specific set of data files.

    "No, I don't particularly feel happy to be left behind. The Polis Massans may be telepathic, but I am a protocol droid. Perhaps Master Luke or Mistress Leia might need my knowledge, and here I am, pouring through your memories! Memories which you should have shared with Master Luke and Mistress Leia!" Threepio scolded.

    "BWUURT! Awrooo-dwoop pwurot," Artoo shot back.

    "How dare you call me a nagging filing on a gearshift, you -" Threepio fussed.

    "GUYS! Stay focused, OK?" Kylo yelled - well, hollered, he was in the archives and he didn't want to bug other students.

    But Artoo and Threepio always bicker, the boy thought, examining one of the files ... he squinted at the replay, curious, now.

    "Artoo, rewind a bit - the entry during 22 BBY on Christophsis," the boy asked.

    "Drownt wroot arweeduoot?" Artoo asked, complying, and Kylo listened, his eyes widening - this couldn't be right, could it ... ?

    "Yes, Master Kylo, it is unusual. Mistress Tionne? I believe we may have found something of an oddity," Threepio called.

    Tionne walked over from where she had been helping a student, and nodded. "An 'oddity,' among the secrets of the most famous Sith of our times? Forgive me, Threepio, but I must say, the Clone Wars have never been of great interest. It was a time of degeneration of the Jedi, not success," she said sadly.

    "I apologize, but Master Luke did ask us to seek out any information that seemed out of place," Threepio said.

    "Yeah, Master Tionne," Kylo added, trying not to frown - he knew she wasn't trying to insult Grandpa. People just didn't understand Darth Vader.

    He turned to Artoo and asked, "Play that segment back again, OK?"

    "Bwrewuurt," Artoo squelched, making Threepio jump, Kylo smirk, and Tionne hide a smile.

    "Whatever do you mean, 'protecting a friend'? Lord Vader - Master Anakin - is long-dead!" Threepio insisted.

    "Wrooooo," Artoo said, sadly, and his holoprojector turned on.

    It was some kind of city plaza, and a Clone Wars-era gunship had landed. Near it stood a young Anakin Skywalker, a 30-something Obi-Wan Kenobi, a clone trooper, and a young Togruta girl.

    The audio resolved, and Anakin's voice echoed, "And who are you?"

    "I'm Padawan Ahsoka Tano," the girl replied, prompting Tionne to put a hand on her chin.

    "Not the usual Padawan garb ..." she reflected, taking in the girl's navel-exposing sleeveless shirt.

    She's right. It's useless for combat - the Togruta needed armor, Kylo thought - he focused, he wanted to be sure he'd heard the next part right.

    "Ah, my new apprentice. Nothing like being thrown in at the deep end," Kenobi said, bowing.

    Ahsoka looked embarrassed, then smiled tightly and said:

    "No, Master. I'm not your assigned Padawan. I'm yours, Master Skywalker."

    Tionne gasped, while Kylo blinked - he had heard right! - and asked Artoo, "Do you know what happened to her?"

    "Dwooot. Arwooo breweet-pwoodadwootoo," Artoo said sadly.

    "He claims not to have that information, Mistress Tionne, Master Kylo, only that ... Padawan Tano ... vanished in 19 BBY, sometime before the Jedi Purge. Force-sensitive Togruta are not exceptionally common, so perhaps a concentrated data search might turn up evidence of her fate," Threepio suggested.

    "You misunderstand, Threepio. The very existence of a Jedi Padawan trained by Anakin Skywalker completely changes our perspective on the man - we may be able to find real insights to his life, rise, and fall, not merely holographic records. No offense, Artoo," Tionne added quickly.

    "Bweep dwroo," Artoo said without anger.

    "The question is, who can we spare to dig into this?" Tionne wondered, too distracted to notice Kylo copying the recording to his datapad.

    Better question is, can I steal a shuttle to dig into this? Kylo hoped, trying not to grin.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Polis Massa: Outer Rim Territories:
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    The ride in had been uneventful, for which Leia was grateful.

    "Look, sweetheart - whatever we find down there, it's not likely to be pretty. You need anything ..." Han said, once they'd touched down - the Polis Massans had been welcoming on the comms.

    "Thanks, Han. But I'm ready," Leia said, squeezing his hand. She let Han put an arm around her shoulders, while Chewie yowled that they'd received clearance to disembark.

    He followed Han and Leia down the ramp - the Noghri would stay with the Falcon.

    The hangar was much like most; a magcon field kept the atmosphere in, and the starfield past it shone with a view of much of the galaxy. Polis Massa was a long way from civilization, Leia had recalled on the nearly day-long trip.

    Alone and quiet. Very Jedi, she figured; she had mixed memories of the distant asteroid, both positive for its medical assistance to the Rebellion, and nervous when she recalled the messiness of the battles fought in its tight, twisting tunnels.

    But that's not why you're here, Leia. Keep your mind on where you are, she reminded herself, turning to two meter-high Polis Massans who approached the Falcon.

    The slightly-taller of the pair bowed, and Leia echoed the gesture. ~Princess Organa-Solo, Captain Solo. Welcome to our home. And - in many ways - welcome to your home, as well, Your Highness~ the near-faceless being sent in a masculine voice.

    "We're grateful for your allowing us to ... return, in a way, High Excavator," Leia said, joining Han, Chewie, and the Polis Massans on a repulsorlift.

    ~We have been waiting for this day ever since the Empire ended. But we understand the need to come to terms with such revelations. And we regret that we did not contact you, but the utmost secrecy was sworn to Masters Yoda and Kenobi,~ the High Excavator sent.

    Leia nodded, sensing Han''s observation of the rock face flying past them as they descended into the guts of the main Polis Massan asteroid. The entire belt was said to be the remains of the Polis Massans' homeworld, and was full of xenoarchaeological digs.

    They were also one of the few advanced medical facilities in this part of the Outer Rim, and close to Mustafar ...

    Han radiated wordless support, and Leia smiled at him as they came to a halt, then followed the Polis Massans.

    She managed to hold it together before looking into a well-preserved birthing room, putting her hands on the transparent wall, and closed her eyes against the echoes in the Force - happiness, new life, and gut-wrenching grief. Han put a hand on Leia's shoulder, and she squeezed it, opening her eyes and focusing.

    She blinked - there was no DEATH, here.

    Leia looked at the High Excavator, and asked, "Something's not right. The Force should hold an echo of ... of ..."

    ~Your Highness ... my peers argued against my revealing this. But it would be immoral - cruel - not to. As you probably know, your mother was healed of the injuries your father ... caused her on Mustafar,~ the High Excavator sent, looking ... guilty?

    ~Thus, why would she have died of a broken heart at the moment of her greatest joy?~

    Leia gasped - and Han blinked, then asked, "Wait. There was a body, I remember seeing holos of the funeral ..."

    ~We learned cloning techniques from the Kaminoans, Captain Solo. Including how to clone ... a child, from genetic material culled from Princess Organa-Solo ... to feign that the Senator's 'child' died with her,~ the High Excavator sent, punching buttons on a sealed chamber across from the birthing room.

    ~Sometimes, not even Jedi Masters sense the truth ... and we felt a moral obligation to protect a woman who gave so much to the Old Republic.~

    The chamber opened - Leia barely noticed a code-number, "Z-19BY," on the vertically-suspended Human-sized stasis pod floating in the all-white room - and she, Han, and Chewie approached the pod carefully.

    "No stangin' WAY," Han breathed, looking at Leia - but she couldn't deny it.

    There was a life-presence in the Force - not Force-sensitive, but a living being - inside the pod.

    Leia checked a panel on the side. The HISS of releasing gases filled the otherwise silent room ... and the pod's door split down the middle, retracting.

    A 20-something woman with curly brown hair, dressed in a white gown, lay inside, her hands on her chest.

    Then she gasped, opening her eyes - brown, and deep and familiar - and looked around - stepped carefully from the pod -

    and let Leia support her.

    She almost fainted herself, but joy flooded Leia as the woman's eyes widened, and she gasped:

    "Leia ... ?!"

    "Hello there," Leia managed through her tears, smiling as she added:

    "Mother."

    *********************************
    to be continued ...:eek::padme:
     
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  5. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: a busy week last week, but I'm back to this ... ;)

    A few more reunions - more Skywalkers (and Skycrawlers) next chapter. :)

    ------------------------------------------

    "Let me guess - you forgot all about me, at least in any way that mattered. Well, why not? I was gone, I was dead. End of story. But now I'm back. So, what next?"

    - Betsy Braddock, after her ... eh, third or so resurrection, talking with her fellow X-Men, Uncanny X-Men #455

    ************************************
    Chapter 5: 21st of Fifth, 25 ABY:
    Dantooine, Outer Rim Territories:
    ************************************

    "Mom - ?!"

    Anakin stood up, blinking as he set down the cargo pod he'd been told to move without the Force - he'd felt some kind of surge of emotion from his mom, and -

    And if it's coming from across the galaxy, all the way at Polis Massa, it's gotta be important, Anakin realized, looking at Aunt Mara as she rested in the cargo doorway of the Jade Sabre.

    She was doing better - more color in her face, and her green eyes alert and focused - but he wished she wouldn't keep giving him so much grief just because he worried about her health. Uncle Luke had asked him to watch out for Aunt Mara.

    "Solo. I kid because I care. Besides, if I didn't like you, you wouldn't be here, Luke or no Luke. And I felt what you did - Leia's surprised, not hurt," she said, half-smiling.

    Then she smiled, kind of weird, like she'd gotten a gift she wasn't expecting, and Anakin called, Mom? What happened?

    Mom was happy and sad and confused and joyful, all at once, and she sent back, She's ALIVE, Anakin!

    Huh? Who - Anakin wondered -

    and then he realized.

    And then he tried to pick his jaw up off the ground, as Aunt Mara laughed - young and free and happy, like she hadn't been in months.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Grand Concourse, Galactic Senate Building,
    Coruscant, Core Worlds:
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    "It can't be - ?!"

    Jaina almost staggered; she couldn't believe what her mom and Uncle Luke had found - !

    Or who, she thought, still amazed as she leaned against a wall and looked over at a worried Danni Quee.

    "Just - a message, through the Force, from my mother. She and my dad've found - a big surprise, on Polis Massa," Jaina explained to her new friend - the extragalactic researcher was a talented, if reluctant, student in the Force, and Danni's bravery and kindness despite her recent trauma had touched Jaina.

    Someone else who's lost so much for no good reason. Another 'little' person compared to the oh--so-high-and-mighty Senators, Jaina thought, shoving the bitterness aside.

    She'd fought hard just to get them in the Senate doors, calling on old favors owed to her mother and/or the Jedi, after the cold shoulder from the Senate Scheduling Office.

    Someone doesn't want Danni to address the Senate, and the list of suspects can be counted on one hand - no matter what or who the family found, I won't desert Danni. Especially to face the Senate, with so many sentients sniffing for Jedi blood ...

    The comparison - non-humans compared to a pack of animals - troubled Jaina. She loved Chewie as another uncle, and had plenty of non-human friends ... so why was she suddenly thinking so Imperial-like?

    "If your family has found something so important, Jedi Solo, perhaps your time would be better served attending to filial duties? Or is this a 'Force-feeling'?"

    Jaina cursed herself - she'd been too focused on Mom's happy message that she hadn't been casting about in the Force for eavesdroppers.

    And she couldn't think of few others worse to have lingering around than Commenorian Senator Fyor Rodan.

    He was human - in the same way that Tarkin or Motti had been human, as far as Jaina was concerned - but she swore she could sense a conniving predator beneath Rodan's skin. He was allegedly linked to smuggling on his homeworld, but Jaina was hardly going to call someone out on rumors - much less smuggling, given her parentage.

    It was Rodan's loathsome bigotry against the Jedi she found so repulsive.

    "Senator. I have an assignment, and I will complete it, no matter what familial ... or other ... events occur," Jaina said, hoping she was weighing her words carefully - she'd hated inflection classes with Winter, but this was a politician.

    They ate and drank petty details that Jaina couldn't care about, and she felt annoyingly like prey beneath Rodan's badly-disguised glare of contempt.

    "Ah. Dedication. Something I can relate to. Ms. Quee - I'll convey my displeasure with the Scheduling office on your behalf. To come so far after such a harrowing ordeal is admirable," Rodan said - Jaina was confused, what was he trying to - ?

    Divide and conquer, Jaina realized - the skunge was trying to turn her and Danni against each other.

    Danni, though, actually smiled. "I appreciate the thought, Senator, but I've already posted my displeasure with the Scheduling staff. In carefully-worded terms. but thank you," she said - so dismissively that it was like she'd tried to flip an off-switch for Rodan.

    Nice, Jaina sent in the Force, and Danni hid a smile.

    Thanks. You fill out enough grant applications, you learn how to handle smarmy bureaucrats, no matter how high in the spacescraper they think they are, Danni sent - not very well, but Jaina was able to make out the general sense of her friend's satisfaction.

    Rodan got a little uncomfortable, but he was too professional a politician to show much. "Very well then. Ladies," he said, nodding and walking toward a hoverpod entrance.

    ~RODAN! If you've harassed these young women, I'll file a formal protest!~ Jaina "heard" - male, proper, funny accent - and telepathic?

    "You can relax, 'Senator' Plif. Can't a Senator even simply greet two would-be speakers before the Senate?" Rodan said rudely, and Jaina looked at her feet.

    There was a hoojib wearing a tie standing there, glaring at Rodan.

    Jaina smiled - politely, she didn't want to insult him - and asked, "Senator - Plif? I think my mother knew you ..."

    ~It's been a very long time, I fear, since I called your parents or uncle, Jaina. I must apologize, but I've ... been preoccupied with representing my homeworld of Arbra, and other duties,~ Plif - Jaina remembered he'd been important to the Rebellion, and had really helped her family - sent.

    He glared again at Rodan, and said, ~Your 'assistance' would better be spent making sure there are no procedural interruptions with Ms. Quee's presentation, Fyor. I believe I can assist our guests.~

    Rodan frowned and left, while Plif seemed to relax. ~I felt more at ease around the slivilith. There are few tacks one can take with fanatics and bigots, I fear, but you were both taking wise steps not to aggravate the situation,~ the hoojib sent.

    "Thank you, Senator. May I -?" Jaina asked, blushing a little - he was so cute, but she didn't want to seem like a bigot by picking him up; she'd been thinking too much like an Imperial earlier as it was.

    ~You're not a bigot, Jaina. Trust me, I can tell - I apologize for reading your thoughts, but your concerns are misdirected. In its own way, the Senate is another kind of predator-filled jungle. And as a member of a prey species - by scientific definition, not by action or choice - I can sympathize with your disdain for the savagery of this place,~ Plif sent.

    Jaina picked him up, then, and radiated gratitude. "It's nice to find a friend. Do you have a Senate pod, or -?" she asked.

    ~Actually, you and Ms. Quee arrived at an excellent time. I've been talking with a coalition of Senators who find Rodan and his ilk to be behaving recklessly in the face of the news from Helska and Sernpidal. Some of us haven't forgotten the Jedi and the Rebellion,~ Plif sent, pointing his antenna toward another hoverpod door.

    -------------------------------------
    Sparring Pista Besh,
    Jedi Praxeum, Yavin IV:
    -------------------------------------

    "It can't be true - that's impossible -!?"

    "Jacen, if you can't focus - wait, is it something from one of your family members?" Betsy asked - the boy had been so focused an instant before, then there'd been a flicker in the Force from Leia ...

    "Go ahead, read my mind - make sure I've not just gone mad, because if this is true - ?!" Jacen offered - Betsy skimmed his surface thoughts, Jacen still didn't trust her as deeply as Jaina or Anakin did, and she didn't want to make things worse.

    What she found made her gasp.

    "She got ... better ..." Betsy breathed - then she couldn't help it - she laughed at the comparison.

    "What? This isn't funny! If it's true, this changes everything!" Jacen insisted, suddenly an offended teenage boy again instead of the attempted monk-Jedi he sought to be.

    "Apologies, Jacen. An inside joke amongst my teammates in the X-Men - Tionne?" Betsy called, noticing the silver-eyed historian's excitement in the Force as she approached.

    "Betsy - Jacen - Artoo's revealed that Anakin Skywalker had a Padawan before he turned to the dark side! Historically, this could be as significant as Artoo's recordings of what happened to Padme' Amidala Skywalker!" Tionne exclaimed.

    Betsy and Jacen traded a look, and Jacen said cautiously, "Actually, Master Tionne, we just got some news ..."

    As Jacen shared the information with Tionne, Betsy cast about telepathically for Kylo - she thought he might want to hear what they'd found. She could sense the boy's mind - surprisingly well-shielded for someone so young, with a swirl of ferocity about it like a dark cloak, and Betsy hesitated calling for him.

    I think I'd better find him in person. He's definitely focusing on something, and the last thing we need is a Skywalker heir with a bad temper going on walkabout, Betsy considered as she left the pista.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Stasis Vault Z-19BY:
    Polis Massa Medical Station, Outer Rim:
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    I can't believe this. All these years we wondered, hoped, didn't dare dream - and now, within a week, she's back, Leia marveled, after she'd hugged ...

    Padme' Amidala Skywalker.

    The resemblance was unmistakeable - Han helped ... Padme? Mother? ... out of the room and to a bench, while the Polis Massan High Excavator stood back.

    "Uh. OK. I have a mother-in-law," Han kind of stammered - no, he didn't stammer, it was Han.

    Cue wisecrack to cover the surprise ... 3, 2, 1 ...

    "I have a mother-in-law who looks younger than my wife. You guys got anything that can do the same miracle with sticking repulsorlifts? My kid took this hard right turn - Leia!" Han yelped, blushing as he talked to the High Excavator.

    "Han! Don't make me Force-pinch you again," Leia warned - fighting a silly smile, both at the return of her mother and the look Han's frown had melted into.

    "Nice to see you didn't end up with a dull Senatorial husband, Leia," Padme' - Mom? - said - and Han's grin returned.

    "I like her. Not as much as you, of course, but she's got style," Han said, and Leia kissed his cheek before she sat on her mother's left side.

    "My baby ... not a baby anymore, I know. Is Luke all right? And how long -?" asked Mother - it was somehow getting easier to think of this young woman, who looked nearly as young as Jaina, as Mother.

    Leia and Han traded a look, and Han sighed. "Luke's OK - great, in fact, just off chasing a Force thing. It's been ... we reckon from the Battle of Yavin, so ... 19 Before ... about 44 years," he said - honesty was probably best.

    Padme' - Mother - gasped, and shivered - but she didn't panic, either. "I ... see. You said, 'Battle of Yavin'? That's rather remote. Is Palpatine - ?" she asked.

    "He's very - thankfully - very dead," Leia assured her mother.

    "But there's a lot to cover, both before and after he was thrown down ... maybe we can walk to our ship?"

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    Her son was leading the Jedi, and her daughter had led the galaxy.

    Padme marveled at the twins' accomplishments - they'd overcome unspeakable odds and events, and helped so many people, even finding some happiness - and she was a grandmother -!

    But the list of horrors Palpatine had committed rivalled the Clone Wars, and she shook her head as she walked toward the docking bay.

    "Caamas, enslaving Honoghr, and - Alderaan. Oh, Leia, I'm so sorry - I'm so grateful Bail and Breha took you in, but to watch Alderaan die - !" Padme' grieved, while Leia put an arm around her shoulders as they walked.

    "I've come to terms with it. It's never going to go away, the pain - not entirely - but I've found homes. It's the people who make the difference, not the planet," Leia said, and Padme' nodded, smiling when she saw the glance between Leia and Han.

    What an unusual - but obviously loyal - man Leia found. So much more at ease with himself than Anakin ever was ... Padme' observed - Leia had done well.

    Even if Han was a bit scruffy-looking.

    "Your grandparents and aunt and cousins - ?" Padme wondered - who would be there for her when - if- she dared return to Naboo - ?

    "Pooja Naberrie was an Imperial Senator around the same time I was - and she championed freedom and resistance to tyranny. I loved to hear her tales about her - our - family, even if we didn't know we were related. She told them quietly, of course, since the Empire hated any discussions of the Old Republic that weren't COMPNOR-approved," Leia said.

    "Pooja, a Senator! Like my father - I suppose he and Mother are long-dead, now, and your Aunt Sola ..." Padme realized ...

    she couldn't deny it any longer.

    She sobbed, then, and gratefully clung to her daughter as she felt the years - the lost time -

    "And ... you've been conspicuously quiet about your father," Padme finally managed to say, after several moments and wiping her eyes.

    She winced a bit as Han frowned, but Leia shook her head, composing herself before she turned to Padme' and said, "Luke managed to turn - Anakin - back to the light. As ... Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker spent almost all of Palpatine's rule as the Emperor's enforcer. He didn't learn of Luke's or my survival until after Yavin, and Anakin cast Palpatine down himself."

    Padme almost staggered - her Ani - he'd been as much villain as hero, after all ...she steeled herself as she asked, "How bad was it?"

    No matter how horrible it was, she had to know what had happened to the man she'd loved.

    Leia closed her eyes, and Padme' blanched as she asked, "Tell me he didn't oversee -"

    "He held me in place. But neither did he order Alderaan's destruction. That was Willhuff Tarkin, the monster," Leia said - old bitterness, completely understandable from Padme's point of view, colored her daughter's voice.

    Somehow, Padme' sensed ... acceptance from Leia, where Anakin was concerned.

    "So, Anakin found the light again? Did Luke turn him back?" she asked Leia.

    "Luke was able to reach Anakin, within Vader - within the cybernetic shell he was forced to wear, after Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated him on Mustafar - and he saved Luke from Palpatine. He threw Palpatine down a reactor shaft ... at the cost of his own life," Leia managed.

    Padme closed her eyes - she was grateful, eternally so, for Anakin's redemption.

    But he's gone ...

    She felt arms around her, and hugged back - opening her eyes to look into Leia's teary eyes.

    "We never knew anything about you. There were women who we believed might have been ... connected ... with Anakin Skywalker, and there was at least one attempted hoax, but ... if we'd known ..." Leia sighed.

    "Shhh. I know. Believe me, seeing my children grown older than I am is enough of a surprise," Padme tried to joke, as they reached the main hangar.

    Then she saw what looked like a YT-1300, and asked, "You came here in that? You did get your father's courage."

    "AUGH! Yeah, she's yours all right," Han groaned to Leia, who started laughing, and Padme looked at them in confusion.

    "Very old joke - Mom. But the Falcon is a very reliable ship that's saved our lives more times than I can count. And once we're aboard, we can call Mara and Jaina, Jacen and Anakin -" Leia said -

    but Padme froze, her hand on her lips, and looked at Leia with gratitude.

    "You named one of your sons after -?" she asked.

    Leia squeezed her hand, and smiled a little. "I wanted to try and redeem it, and I think our Anakin's doing a good job of that. He ... took it hard, when Artoo revealed what had happened to you - Vader cast a very long shadow," she said.

    "Still - thank you - wait, did you say ARTOO!? He's still functional!?" Padme gasped in joy.

    "And Threepio. Father - Bail - had Threepio memory-wiped, but Artoo's maintained records going all the way back to when you and Father met," Leia said, smiling - Threepio, too?!

    "That's wonderful - the stories I want to tell you - we owe those droids more than we can ever repay. You know that your father built Threepio himself?" Padme asked, following them up the ramp into the Falcon ...

    She was still dealing with the reality of what had happened. But she had her children, and old friends - and maybe new - and grandchildren waiting.

    Thank you, Padme thought to the Polis Massans, before she looked around the Falcon's interior.

    It's a place to start, she thought.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    to be continued ...
     
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  6. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Well, RL's been keeping me busy, but here's an update - more with Luke's search next chapter. ;)

    ----------------------------------

    "You were fooling!"

    "As you Americans say, 'playing possum' - to draw you in close so I can seize control of your mind ...and turn your considerable abilities to my advantage."

    - Alison Blaire, the Dazzler, and Betsy Braddock, discussing telepathic tactics, c. Uncanny X-Men # 217

    ******************************************
    Chapter 6: 21st of Fifth, 25 ABY:
    Jedi Praxeum, Yavin IV,
    Outer Rim Territories, Galactic East:
    ******************************************

    Kylo glanced around, looking for a ship to steal - well, borrow, he was gonna bring it back - when he "heard" a Core-accented voice in his head, calling, ~Kylo, dear, you're far too young to go looking for your grandfather's Padawan alone.~

    Get OUT of my head! the boy thought back, pushing with the Force as he blinked - he hated when people tried to get inside his mind.

    Somehow, he'd ended up back in the Grand Audience Chamber, and he scowled when he saw Lady Braddock standing there with Master Kam.

    "You tricked me," Kylo grumbled - not too much, it was actually a pretty good trick, but he wouldn't just admit that.

    "Well, Betsy - Lady Braddock - is right to be keeping you from leaving. You're strong, but inexperienced, Kylo. And experience is only something you can get safely under the watch of a Master," Master Kam said, while Lady Braddock took the datapad with Artoo's recording of Ahsoka from Kylo.

    Kylo wanted to snap back, that they should just assign him a Master and let him be a Padawan - he was the best in his class at 'saber and Force-work - but he knew better than to blame the Masters Solusar for his situation. They were usually fair - it was his dad's stupid rules that held him back.

    Still stinks, he thought, muttering, "May I please go to my room, if I can't go looking for this Togruta?"

    Master Kam nodded, clearly not happy, but waved down Tahiri and asked her, "Can you make sure Initiate Skywalker makes it back to his room, please?"

    "Sure, Master Solusar," Tahiri said, smirking while she took Kylo by the shoulder. She was too big and tough for him to fight, and too sneaky to trick.

    Kylo tried not to mutter something about Tuskens or girls; someday, he'd be big and strong enough to be a real Jedi.

    Still, he heard over his shoulder as he left with Tahiri, as Lady Braddock said, "Well, the boy has a point. Someone has to look into this ..."

    ----------------------------------

    "This is - madness!"

    "Not the first time I've heard such a claim, Corran. But you forget, my first duty as an enhanced-power operative was as a spy - and I wasn't trained in just the espionage arts. I can fight, as well," Betsy said from behind a dressing screen in the quarters she'd been assigned.

    After the revelations of Ahsoka Tano's existence - and the survival of Padme' Amidala Skywalker - there'd been a quick meeting of the Jedi Masters as to what should be done about the matter. (Betsy was surprised, albeit not entirely shocked, at the lack of a formal Council - Luke had had to restart the Order from scraps of knowledge, after all)

    The Padme' situation was well in-hand - Leia, Han and Chewie were en route from Polis Massa with Padme', whom Betsy very much wanted to meet - but Luke was out of touch in hyperspace. And the knowledge that Anakin had had a Padawan was too chancy to ignore.

    There are still plenty of people who wish bloodshed for Vader's savagery. His former Padawan would make too tempting a target for revenge. Thus, why we need to move - and who better than a telepath, as well as a Force-sensitive, to search out someone who may well not wish to be found? Betsy thought, reviewing her meeting with Corran, Kirana Ti, Kyp, Kam, Tionne, Streen and Cilghal.

    So - with not a few misgivings - the Masters had agreed to let Betsy pursue the matter of Ahsoka. With help, of course - she was too much a veteran X-Man to go running around a strange new galaxy without assistance.

    Especially since the one clue they had led right into the proverbial lion's den ...

    Ahsoka was instrumental in saving the life of Jabba the Hutt's son, Rotta, during the Clone Wars. Records indicate that Jabba died without any named heirs ... but that could just as easily have been a feint to protect a then-underage heir. After Leia killed Jabba, his father Zorba tried to claim the throne, but vanished under mysterious circumstances ... leaving a power vacuum, Betsy recalled from her studies as she adjusted her disguise.

    And where better, anyhow, to start walking the hero's road in this galaxy, than Tatooine?

    She grinned - despite knowing better - the teenaged fangirl in her giggling for a heartbeat at the idea of visiting Tatooine.

    But it was the veteran warrior in her who looked herself over in the full-length mirror, then stepped from behind the screen.

    Corran's blush, and dropped jaw, were exactly what she'd hoped for.

    "The only part of this 'caper,' as Rogue would term such a jaunt, I feel reservations over, is whom I have to travel with - but we play the hand we're dealt, as my teammate Gambit taught me," Betsy said, pulling a traveler's cloak on as she entered the hall and faced her mission partner.

    "And I appreciate your willingness. After all, I'd be a poor backup if I held a grudge. Shall we?" Kyp Durron - picked for his adaptability - asked, a too-understanding smile on his lips beneath his disguise as a Kuati telbun.

    "Certainly, 'Kad Harenon,'" Betsy said, effecting her best haughty attitude.

    "Your mistress commands you take her to her meeting with the dread Talon Karrde ..."

    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Hyperspace: Outer Rim, headed toward Endor:
    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Still not sure why they wanted Endor ... Han wondered, rechecking the systems - Chewie was resting, and Leia was talking with her mother.

    Han Solo's mother-in-law. Heh ...

    By rights, they should be heading for Coruscant, to confront the Senators opposing the military's efforts to prepare for the suspected second wave of Yuuzhan Vong aggression.

    Or for Yavin, to regroup with the rest of the Order.

    Or even Naboo, to allow Padme' to reconnect with old places and old faces.

    But, no. She'd asked for Endor.

    For the last place Anakin Skywalker had had a physical presence.

    Stangin' morbid. But she's showing guts and smarts, facing her losses head-on, instead of sticking her head in the sand. Gotta admire that, Han figured.

    His gut instinct told him someone was approaching the cockpit, and he turned, expecting Leia - the footfalls were too light for Chewie.

    Instead, he found Padme' standing in the hatchway. "May I?" she asked, nodding at the comsuite chair behind Chewie's seat.

    "Suit yourself - what do you prefer? Padme'? Senator? I'd call you 'Mom,' but that seems a little ... odd, no offense - you're not much older than me, comparatively," Han tried to quip as his mother-in-law took a seat.

    She smiled - very like Leia, the resemblance was almost a little eerie - and said, "Padme' is fine. You're family, Han - or do you prefer Captain Solo?"

    "Han's fine. You look like you've got questions, and we've got hours until we reach Endor, so - shoot," Han broached.

    Padme's eyebrows quirked, but she smiled with amusement - yeah, definitely Leia's mother.

    Then she had to ruin it by getting all serious, and for a second, Han was reminded of Luke getting all Jedi Master.

    "Leia's putting on a brave front, but I've read the Encyclopedia Galactica in your datacore, so I know ... Vader ... was crueler than she's said. No one with any decency could stand by as Alderaan - any world - was annihilated. I'm trying to face the reality of what my husband became, compared to what I knew he was like," Padme' said.

    Han's gut twisted; he knew what she was going to ask. And why she'd asked for a stop at Endor first ...

    it was time to prepare herself for what she'd find in the wider galaxy.

    "Vader's widow" would need that time - it'd taken Luke and Leia years to face their heritage.

    With the Vong doing who knew what, Padme' probably didn't have more than weeks to do the same. If that.

    "You want my opinion of the man," he asked without asking.

    "You're honest. Coarsely so - that's not a criticism, I'm glad Leia found someone with the courage to speak his mind. You're unlike almost any man who moved in my circles, romantic or political, and I need bluntness like yours if I'm to face Vader's reality," Padme' said, deadly serious.

    Han drew in a deep breath, then plunged forward.

    "He had a temper. No doubt there. The ... choking thing was his signature," Han began, flinching inwardly when Padme' put a hand to her throat.

    "I wasn't the last, by any means, then," she said.

    "Stang, no. I know he used the Force choke to kill a few people who failed him. And he manipulated - Leia told you about how the Noghri came to work for us?" Han asked.

    Padme' paled - but she didn't look away. Han's respect for her rose a few notches more.

    "The Anakin I knew ... wasn't often that subtle. But he could have learned to be. The cruelty ... Leia also told me you learned about the Tusken massacre," she whispered.

    Han nodded. "Can't condone it; I understand the rage, but not the killing. There's fury, and then there's letting it make you an animal," he muttered.

    He glanced at Padme', then, and asked, "She tell you about Cloud City?"

    Padme' looked at the floor, then, and said softly, "He tortured you."

    "Without the Force. What still bugs me is that he had me carbon-frozen - and made Leia watch. The man didn't know she was his daughter, then, but he didn't care, either - wouldn't have, most likely," Han growled.

    He softened a bit, as Padme' looked hurt - he hadn't meant to make this harder for her than it already was.

    But she refused to break, and met his gaze again - this time, with a defiance, just like Leia's, that made him grin.

    "He also saved Luke at the cost of his own life. That's the Anakin I choose to remember - no matter what I find at Endor," Padme' insisted.

    "Others' opinions be damned. I think you and I are gonna get along beautifully, Your Worshipfulness Sr.," Han chuckled.

    Padme' laughed at that, and her grin became daring. "Watch it, nerf-herder. Or you'll learn where Leia got her right hook, as well as her courage," she replied, leaving the cockpit.

    What is it about me and strong women - friends or otherwise?! Han wondered, shaking his head in amusement.

    Lucky, I guess ... hope Jaina's doing OK on Coruscant ...

    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Galactic Convocation Chamber, Senate Building,
    Coruscant, Core Worlds:
    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Truth be told, Jaina was more than a bit intimidated.

    She'd seen the inside of the Chamber - restored to its' pre-Imperial glory, all 1,024 hover-pods, luxury suites, and more - before, of course; she was Leia Organa-Solo's daughter, not touring the Chamber would've been unthinkable.

    But given the mixture of bemusement, uncertainty and outright hostility coming through the Force from the gathered Senators, she wasn't her usual self.

    Give me a dogfight in an X-Wing, or a lightsaber duel, and I'm in my element. This is a whole different kind of fight - I need to give Mom more credit for her guts, Jaina thought.

    She sat quietly in Senator Plif's pod - he was sharing the space with her, Danni, and Colonel Darklighter, who'd shown up with news he'd only said "couldn't wait."

    And, the other member of what was quietly being called "The Loyalist Committee" - Corellia's former Senator, Garm Bel Iblis, one of the few remaining originators of the Rebellion, and a contemporary of the small, unlikely group's adversary:

    Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya, Bothan hero of the Rebellion.

    It wasn't that Jaina felt Borsk wanted the galaxy to fall, but his methods of "preserving the peace" seemed to consist of too much covering his own power base. That, and his allies did by and large dislike the Jedi - dangerously so, Jaina feared.

    Fyor Rodan is one of his backers, and so's Pwoe, the Quarren Senator from Mon Calamari. They can't stand Jedi - and people like Kyp Durron and Wurth Skidder aren't helping things, Jaina regretted, remembering Skidder's disastrous interference at Rhommarool/Osarian.

    She focused on the present - trying to block out Colonel Darklighter's sheer loathing of Chief Fey'lya, the man had an impressive grudge, and Jaina wondered what it stemmed from - as Borsk finished his opening speech.

    "... and now to business. First, under public comments, I wish to welcome Ex-Gal researcher Danni Quee, among the survivors of an attack at an outpost on Belkadan, in the extreme northern Outer Rim. She wishes to address this body about the dangers she faced, and the nature of the assailants," the Bothan said - no condescension there, Jaina thought, fighting down a scowl.

    She knew that while the Senators - and the HNE cam-droids - might focus on Danni, she was being just as watched. Being Leia Organa-Solo's Jedi daughter was to be a target, Jaina realized.

    Yeah. Really wishing for an X-Wing right now, she sighed inwardly - but she gave Danni a thumbs-up, and the older Force-sensitive managed a smile as she stood and started to speak.

    General Bel Iblis leaned over to Jaina and whispered, "Chelch Dravvad, the current Corellian Senator, is too much the fence-sitter - his Advisory Council seat's too comfortable - but he could be an ally to the Jedi. For my part, I'd be open in my support."

    "Thanks, sir. I wish we had Senator Amidala here," Jaina confessed - she paled, then; she wasn't sure if she should have said that ...

    Bel Iblis' eyebrows rose, and he seemed amused. "Padme' was a force - pardon the pun - to be reckoned with. Your mentioning her takes me back," he said, his thoughts growing distant.

    Jaina decided the news had to start being spread somehow - and she trusted Bel Iblis, even if he'd been a firebrand during the Rebellion, fighting with Mon Mothma.

    So, she leaned over, and whispered, "Actually, sir, she's alive. My parents found her on Polis Massa - she's been in stasis for all these years."

    The look Bel Iblis gave her was one of utter, uncharacteristic shock -

    followed by a victorious, wicked grin as he glanced at the seemingly-bored Borsk.

    "ALIVE!? The Ninth Hell, if we could get Padme' back HERE - Plif, did you know this?!" Bel Iblis asked, and the current and former Senators huddled ...

    Jaina wasn't sure if what she'd done was wise.

    But, looking at Danni - who was gathering courage as she spoke - she had the unusual sense that it was right.

    ------------------------------------------

    to be continued ...
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2019
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  7. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Apologies for the delay on this update; it was a busy week now that the holidays are over. :p

    However, it's time for a bit of catch-up, with the Skywalkers (and reintroducing one of them), a little more with Betsy ... [face_thinking]

    and the return of a very annoying, but well-meant, ex-Imperial Senator. :p

    -----------------------------------------

    "Times like this, it feels like we endure all the grief there is ... but we're not allowed to enjoy any of the fun."

    "Perhaps that is part of the price we pay for being who and what we are?"

    "Perhaps that isn't enough."

    - Carol Danvers (Ms. Marvel I) and Betsy Braddock, commisserating on the cost of being a hero, Uncanny X-Men 246

    **************************************
    Chapter 7: 22nd of Fifth, 25 ABY:
    Southbound along the Hydian Way:
    **************************************

    "I suppose, honestly, I shouldn't be surprised that it takes longer than it seemed in the movies to get from one side of the galaxy to another," Betsy admitted.

    Nevertheless - even itching in her disguise as a Kuati noblewoman - she was having an incredible amount of fun.

    I'm going to Tatooine. Searching for a missing Jedi and potentially facing Hutts. What would the others say? she wondered, smiling a little despite the sorrow she felt at being so far from home.

    There'd been nights, of course, since arriving, that she'd awoken from some shapeless nightmare - fears of never returning to Earth - but she'd quickly made friends, and had a purpose, even a calling.

    The warrior among the stars. Life I'd dreamed of, with all the perks - even my own lightsaber, Betsy marveled, smiling despite herself at the bemusement coming from the pilot beside her in the Lambda-class shuttle.

    "Most Lambdas have a Class 1 hyperdrive - and being Jedi with ... interesting ... friends ... we have access to more such ships than the usual spacers. I guess I tend to take it for granted, spaceflight," Kyp - who'd doffed the absurdist hat his disguise as Betsy's telbun required of him - said, smiling in a friendly fashion.

    She still wasn't sure what to make of him. Yes, he was brash, defiant and prone to a more violent solution to problems than she might prefer - but then, she'd dated enough such men over her life, and was an "action junkie" in her own way, that she was loathe to point fingers.

    It's his arrogance that rankles, Betsy realized, glancing over at Kyp.

    It didn't help that he was handsome, on top of confident and skilled.

    Kyp grinned at her, then, and said, "Your thoughts betray you."

    Betsy stifled a blush - she was grateful to Tionne for sharing Jedi biofeedback exercises with her - and replied, "Merely an observation. I'm still getting used to this ... transparency."

    "You're used to armor, then. Your mental shields are very good - but your Force signature radiates the truth on levels conscious thought rarely touches," Kyp pointed out.

    For an instant, the face of Alex Summers - Betsy's former teammate, Havok - superimposed itself over Kyp's, and Betsy remembered something the volatile plasma projector had once told her:

    "Armor's a good metaphor for you, Psylocke. It hides a lot more than just your body."

    Except - Alex suffered from such insecurity for so long. It took leading X-Factor to truly allow him to leave the shadow cast by his brother Scott, and Kyp is much more confident, Betsy considered.

    She wondered if a similar metaphor might not apply to the tension between Kyp and Luke - Luke was vastly less uptight than Scott Summers, but he was still light-years more self-controlled than Kyp.

    And given what happened shortly after Alex's quote - the shattering of the "Australia team" of X-Men, at Betsy's panicked mental urging, no less, to escape the cyborg Reavers - Betsy wasn't in any great hurry to examine the comparison.

    Not one of my prouder moments. And the rift my actions created between Alex and I took years to heal ...

    She turned back to the conversation, replying, "That correlates with the sensations I felt when saving Chewbacca - I tapped into the Force by reaching into a subconscious level. I had to set aside my conscious mind - heh. 'Unlearn what I had learned.'"

    Kyp laughed, shaking his head. "Still getting used to your ease with Jedi sayings. It's like you're one of us, just walking back in from years away," he said with good cheer.

    "Thank you - although I'll not be joining your 'Dozen and a Half,'" Betsy said, giving Kyp a more confident smile.

    Kyp placed a hand over his heart and gave Betsy a wounded, soulful gaze that didn't fool her for a nanosecond. "You'll never know what you're missing," he warbled, fluttering his eyelashes.

    "Stop! If I laugh too much, I'll ruin my disguise!" Betsy said, trying not to let Durron get to her.

    But he was a charmer. No question there.

    Behave yourself, woman! What about Warren - you know, the man who risked part of his soul for you?!

    Except, of course, those scales had been evened out when Betsy had gone to Warren Worthington the Third's cabin after her recorporealization, once she'd realized where the Crimson Dawn had fled to.

    A death-duel with the shadow energy had forced it to cough up the missing soul-shard of Warren's, and he'd used his healing blood to save Betsy from a mortal wound (dying again would've just been too gauche for words, she fretted).

    They'd returned to the X-Men together, as friends, and hopefully someday, once more.

    Something. But if I never return to my world, I'll never know what we might have grown into - we'd settled our issues with each other, we were finally seeing each other as equal partners ... Betsy recalled, sighing as she looked at the main viewscreen.

    Instead, she was ... far, far away. With little hope of getting home.

    The weight and distance of her situation hit her again, then, and Betsy tried not to weep - especially in front of Kyp.

    But a Force-brush - gentle, not demanding - drew her attention, and he smiled at her, all concern, not a shred of the playful rogueishness he'd possessed seconds before.

    "I'm sorry - I've pushed enough people away, even without being the Butcher of Carida. You've heard about that, right?" Kyp asked, an old weight settling on his shoulders.

    "The very basics - I didn't mean to bring it up," Betsy said in an apologetic tone.

    Kyp shrugged. "You didn't. It's a part of my life I've got to deal with every day. Some think I overdo the 'Jedi crusader' thing to try and atone - but I've got millions to atone for, Betsy. Like you, I know the price of the quick, easy, and reckless path. I just choose to dance along it in order to never forget my mistakes," he said.

    "The problem with walking the edge as often as we do is that it's very easy to lose one's focus," Betsy warned.

    "Don't I know it. Tell you what. I'll back off, if we can start fresh? Hi, I'm Kyp Durron, Jedi Master," Kyp chuckled.

    "Elizabeth Braddock, lady of the realm, mutant telepath, Jedi trainee and superheroine," Betsy said, smiling back.

    "So, 'Lady Braddock,' tell me some more about these 'X-Men' of yours," Kyp asked.

    "Well, you'd probably like them. If nothing else, they definitely walk the edge ..." Betsy began ...

    -------------------------------------------
    Jakku, Jakku System,
    Inner Rim, Western Reaches:
    -------------------------------------------

    Part of Luke still wanted to race to Dantooine and get Mara and Anakin, or to wait for his mother to return to Yavin with Leia and Han - but he couldn't wait.

    The rest of the Order had been less than pleased at Luke heading off on his own, especially to Jakku - it was still a paradox for the New Republic - but if there was any chance that Rey was here, he had to take it.

    A desert world, but full of scrap from the final battle against the Empire - well, Palpatine's Empire. The Galactic Civil War's death rattle ended here, but the echoes are still haunting, he thought, walking through the "market" at Niima Outpost, the only real settlement on the world.

    So were the memories. The Empire had fought tooth and nail to try and cripple the nascent New Republic; while the number of ships lost by the former Rebels paled in comparison to the destruction just months later, during the Nagai-Tof conflicts, the Battle of Jakku had been savage in its own way.

    And yet, people are finding ways to survive off of that cataclysm. Jakku's filled with religious exiles, ship part scavengers, the occasional criminal, and the rare explorer of the Unknown Regions, the Jedi Master considered, pretending to examine wares from a water seller.

    He wore his traveling cloak against the desert sun, and to disguise his face. Artoo was back at the Lambda, both because a blue and white R2 unit might be recognized, and Luke didn't want to risk the more opportunistic scavengers harassing his friend.

    The Force wasn't as overwhelmingly bright as on worlds like Yavin 4 or Coruscant, but Jakku still had a presence in the energy field. It was more sparse with so few settlers, and Luke was counting on that to serve as a help - Rey should stand out like a bright star among the desert ...

    There's someone here, true, Luke realized, deciding to risk a chat with the local "authorities" - such as they were. There weren't any signs of the constables, though, so Luke headed toward a line of scavengers trading salvage to a male Crolute.

    The sense of resignation coming from the various beings was the worst part of it all, Luke noted. These sentients had decided they couldn't get off-world, and/or had their dreams dashed, so they were accepting their fates - and, from what they were getting back from the Crolute in exchange for their work, it wasn't much.

    The Jedi Master repressed a frown as he realized the Crolute was trading survival rations for what the scavengers were trading in.

    He's ripping these people off. I hope Rey's been eating better than that for as long as she's been here, Luke thought, noticing the crowd part.

    He kept his face impassive as the crowd gave the three new arrivals - dressed in red and green armor, with blasters, and looking fairly better-fed than most - a wide berth. The leader among the group, a Kyuzo, glanced at Luke, and nodded for the Jedi Master to step out of line.

    He could sense the constables' wariness, but Luke cooperated. These looked like the constables who'd rated a brief mention in the Encyclopedia Galactica entry on Jakku (itself a very sparse bit of info), and he walked with the Kyuzo to the edge of the Crolute's stall.

    "Constable Zuvio, head of the Niima Outpost Militia. I know all the regulars who come through here ... and I know faces. We're one sun too few for you to be visiting on nostalgia. So I'm curious why you came to the back end of the Western Reaches, Master Skywalker," the Kyuzo said, softly but firmly.

    Luke decided to trust his senses - Zuvio seemed honorable and dedicated, if weathered by the difficulties of keeping order in such a lawless place. "I have strong reason to believe that a missing relative of mine may be near here, Constable. She's a young girl, about 8 standard years, named Rey," he said, also keeping his voice low.

    A flash of recognition filled Zuvio's eyes, and he nodded to the southwest. "The child, yes. The other scavengers try to look out for her - them, and those Church of the Force devotees down in Tuanul settlement. She lives alone in a ruined AT-AT in the Goazon Badlands. It's maybe a quarter-klick that way. If she's not there, then Tuanul is 2 klicks further. Lor San Tekka's the one in charge -" the constable said, stopping when Luke repressed a gasp.

    "Lor?! He's here - it's been more than a decade since I've seen him! I'd feared he'd become one with the Force! Thank you, Constable," Luke said, shaking Zuvio's hand. The other sentient nodded, watching as Luke headed toward the speeder bike he'd offloaded from the Lambda-

    Luke smiled a bit; he'd first met Lor when attempting to find Jedi artifacts in the Core Worlds. A collector, and a high prelate of the Church of the Force - mostly non-Force-sensitives who'd idealized the Jedi Order's tenets, even through the Imperial suppression of Jedi lore - Lor was a native of Delaya, Alderaan's sister planet. He'd revered Leia, and had gladly assisted the Skywalkers and Solos in investigating old Jedi temples and artifacts.

    It was Lor who found the first real Jedi temple - on Ahch-To, one of the original Jedi fortress worlds near the Tion Cluster. I was awed to visit it, but it was too small to support a Jedi training facility as large as I'd hoped, and too remote galactically ... or so I thought. I wrote off Tython for the same reason, even though Tionne told me that was the birthplace of the Je'daii, the Order's philosophical ancestors. The Deep Core's gravity spikes make hyperspace travel highly unstable, Luke thought, taking a deep breath as he got on his bike.

    He reached out with the Force, his heart leaping as a wordless query, young and unfocused but utterly familiar, rang back, and Luke smiled.

    I'm coming, Rey. Just hold on a little longer, he called

    -----------------------------------------------------
    Jakku: Edges of the Starship Graveyard:
    -----------------------------------------------------

    Rey looked around - she'd Heard someone, and she hoped .. well, she hoped.

    Focus, the girl thought, noticing the air wasn't as still as it could be. That was a good sign, Rey thought - not much chance of a sandstorm.

    "Any hints?" one of the older scavengers - Mashra, a kind Aqualish lady who let Rey stop over for dinner, on good nights when herbs were available to make portions more than boring - asked, just loud enough to let Rey focus.

    Sometimes, the brown-haired human girl got ... nudges, she called them, where the best leftover salvage might be. Hints.

    (Some of the spacers whispered, but Rey didn't want to hope too much that she might have the gift. It wasn't always a gift - the dreams were ... mixed.)

    After a few seconds, the nudge hit, and Rey nodded, pointing toward a ruined old Venator. "There," she said, leading the way.

    The others got to work; they'd split the portions from the haul, they'd agreed. Unkar Plutt drove hard bargains, but he was fair enough.

    'Sides, I couldn't haul all this, and why be greedy? Rey figured, smiling as she started pulling parts from an old power converter.

    Working together had helped her stay alive for as long as she'd been on Jakku. And people had been nice to her, so she wanted to help them. First, there'd been Lor, over at the Force village, and he gave her medicine when she felt sick, and told her stories of the Jedi.

    The Jedi - and the Force - were ... confusing, to Rey. Not bad, just mixed-up.

    She thought she might have the Force, but every time she thought about it, it got blurry.

    From the Time Before, the girl thought, sighing inside.

    The story never really changed; she didn't remember much from before her pod had crashed. Sometimes, with the nudges, she remembered more.

    There'd been a starship, and a fight, and the Tall Man, who'd taken Kylo. Kylo was probably Rey's brother - he'd been nice, she knew. So had Jemma.

    But that was the Time Before. Now, I gotta get stuff to trade to Unkar, Rey remembered, focusing - until she had another nudge.

    This, though ... this was different. It felt warm, like the survival blanket Rey had decorated her bed with back at the AT-AT.

    But the nudge came ... from Jakku. And it was getting closer.

    Rey adjusted her sand goggles, looking up ... and tried not to be nervous; there were people coming, she could tell, somehow.

    Good people. Spacers, maybe, or - maybe just even - Jedi.

    ... I'm here, she thought, hoping, maybe, this time ... maybe this time ...

    Maybe she wouldn't have to mark off another line tonight.

    But for right now, she had to work. Even as nice as Lor and the others could be, they could barely keep themselves fed, and Rey wasn't going to go hungry.

    She moved some trashed cargo holders over, then tried not to gasp - there was a carbonite slab against one of the walls, with an alien frozen inside!

    Stang! Who'd freeze someone!? That's mean, even meaner than Teedo! Rey thought, checking the control panel - maybe she could trigger it.

    She wasn't a slicer, but she'd learned a few tricks, and after pushing a few buttons, the carbonite started to melt. Rey sat back, watching as the alien - well, he was a species she'd never seen - sat up, coughing and waving his hands.

    He was very orange, Rey noticed, dressed in loose pants and a vest - not really good for fighting Jakku's sun - with big ears and eyes on stalks.

    "Ooohhh ... meesa no be feelin' good at all. The last thing meesa rememberin' was the heavy-breathin' man ... an' now, meesa can't see!" the alien cried.

    "It's OK. My name's Rey. You're on Jakku," Rey said, squeezing the alien's hand - she'd found him, she was responsible for him, right?

    "Oh - thank yousa, Rey. Meesa Jar-Jar Binks. Meesa a Gungan. Jakku's a far planet from Naboo, meesa thinkin,'" Jar-Jar said, kind of sad.
    Rey nodded, helping him up - she'd heard about Naboo, but not a lot. It was green, and sounded like the place from Rey's dreams (but not as wild).

    "We're almost in the Unknown Regions. I'm a scavenger. Come on - I'll take you to Lor San Tekka. He might be able to help you," the girl decided.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Dantooine:
    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Mara reached back through the Force bond, not getting her hopes up, but supporting Farmboy; her sense of Rey was getting stronger.

    Unlike my vitals. I'm not getting better because of the life here; it's a little bit of a boost, but I'm a fighter, not a tourist, Mara thought, rolling over in her sleeping bag.

    Anakin - muted in the Force, since he'd been obeying her orders to not rely on the energy field - was fitfully sleeping in the other tent. He worried for her, and it was touching, and annoying, all at the same time.

    He takes this too seriously. I've survived this far using the Force. But a good barfight might do me more good than a vacation, Mara thought, smirking.

    She wanted Luke at hand, but she also wanted Rey home. And Luke needed time to process the revelations about Vader and Padme' Amidala.

    He needed a chance to process this. And now she's back - alive - and I need to get used to the idea of a mother-in-law, Mara thought, amazed for a split-second.

    She'd known little about the former Senator from Naboo - Palpatine hadn't been particularly willing to speak much about his former political ally-turned-hindrance, and NOBODY mentioned Padme' around Vader, Mara had heard from early childhood.

    The why of the precaution made almost-laughable sense, in hindsight; but back then, Mara had just kept her head down. It had been a good rule to live by, in order to live in the Imperial Palace.

    Don't ask questions. Don't think. Distasteful words to live by, whether from a Sith ... or a Jedi ...

    The paramount rule had been - don't ask about your past.

    Mara was pretty well certain she'd been taken from her parents shortly after birth. The years since Palpatine's death had allowed her to pierce the veils over her early memories through deep Force meditation ...

    and all she got was strange images and sensations of caring, but vague people.

    Then comes Betsy. And her claims I'm like one of her friends ... and Cilghal discovers I have an active 'x-factor' gene, like Betts ...

    There were a lot of unanswered questions and loose ends about Betsy's claims. But the woman was too convincing, too sane to just reject out of hand - and she'd fought to save Chewie.

    And she's kind. She didn't ask for anything in return for her information about Padme'. Besides, I like her guts, Mara thought, smiling.

    Mara ... Grey-Skywalker. Not the same ring to it as 'Jade-Skywalker.' But not terrible, either.

    She rolled over, then, concentrating on fighting the disease and getting back to the rest of her family.

    I am going to live, damnit. And Force help anyone who stands in my way of getting my answers once I'm well ...

    ********************

    - to be continued ...
     
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  8. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Pushing on, here; some politicking, a few reunions, and a post-bar fight :p

    Apologies for the slow burn. The salvaged material from the very first version of this story didn't get moving as fast as I'd wanted, and the blend is taking a bit longer than anticipated.

    However, things should pick up as it works through this AU's version of Dark Tide - which will be considerably different from Legends canon (spoiler hint: more hoojibs :D).

    -------------------------------------------

    "All they see in me - all they acknowledge - is my shell! "

    "The sweet, innocent, genteel Princess Di facade. How do I show them the tiger within!?"

    - Betsy Braddock, shortly before being accepted as a full member of the X-Men, Uncanny X-Men 213

    ***********************************
    Chapter 8: 22nd of Fifth, 25 ABY:
    Senate Chambers, Coruscant:
    ***********************************

    "... so once again, the Jedi misappropriated military and other resources to use against - what? Pirates? At most, a heretofore unknown nonhuman race who may have only been reacting to Jedi aggression?"

    Jaina tried not to ball her fists - she was disgusted by Pwoe's accusations, especially the idea that the Yuuzhan Vong were the victims - but kept her silence.

    Kriffing hard, though. Really kriffing hard ...

    "Senator, please! The Jedi weren't attacking anyone - these Yuuzhan Vong destroyed Sernpidal, altered Belkadan's atmosphere, attacked Dubrillion and infiltrated Helska! Miko Reglia and untold other people are dead ! These attacks are far beyond the scale of piracy!" Danni pleaded.

    "While I would agree with you in the case of Sernpidal, Ms. Quee, I far more suspect the use of some heinous Imperial Remnant superweapon, contracted out to anti-New-Republic proxies, than the idea of 'extragalactic' invaders," Pwoe gurgled dismissively.

    ~How DARE you! Ms. Quee testifed - at no little cost to herself, I might add - about the obscene mental torture she was forced to endure watching the death of Miko Reglia, and you dismiss her warnings as Imperial insurgency ?! This is NOT a time for politicking, Pwoe! If we don't at the very least send a task force to head off further assaults, we are abrogating our responsibility to protect the people who elected us!~ Plif sent.

    A good number of the other Senators - especially Senator Triebakk from Kashyyyk, and Senator Elegos A'Kla, the Caamasi Senator from Quence Sector - stood and applauded, and Jaina was glad they were on the side of the Jedi ...

    but there were at least as many Senators who were frowning, or who were at least quiet.

    "Order! There will be ORDER!" Mif Kumas, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, bellowed, and Jaina was glad she'd been able to keep her self-control.

    Finally, Borsky Fey'lya coughed into his com-pickup - he made a habit of this sort of drama - and said, "While I sympathize with Ms. Quee, and the refugees from Dubrillion and Sernpidal, I cannot in good conscience commit further New Republic military forces without a better understanding of this threat. I hereby suggest a study be started by the New Republic miltary to assess the nature of these 'Yuuzhan Vong.'"

    "With all due respect, Chief Fey'lya, the military have conducted a study. We're finishing the report now, based on what data we've recieved from the Rejuvenator, refugees and the Jedi Order," Colonel Darklighter said, standing - he was staring at Chief Fey'lya, and Jaina shivered at the anger the colonel had for the chief of state.

    "Ah, yes. The Jedi. A thoroughly unbiased source of intelligence," Fyor Rodan snorted.

    Jaina had to restrain her own anger, then, but Colonel Darklighter just smiled a little darkly. "It's interesting that you mention that, Senator Rodan. I just happened to be next on the list of public speakers, and my topic is connected to Ms. Quee's report. It seems one of the results of the NR military report is questionable suppression of intelligence about the Yuuzhan Vong. Including sightings of their coralskipper craft near Garqi," he said.

    Garqi?! Jaina thought, surprised and worried - she looked at Colonel Darklighter, who was smiling even more now, and Chief Fey'lya was angry and scared.

    If the Vong are that far Coreward already, the Senate doesn't dare ignore them ... I hope ...

    "Colonel Darklighter, are you accusing New Republic Intelligence of ... illegal ... activities involving critical data? That is an extremely serious accusation," Chief Fey'lya growled.

    "I'm certainly not accusing General Cracken or Director Scaur of any malfeasance, Chief. However, the chance of political pressure to suppress such data should be investigated," Colonel Darklighter said, a little too innocently ...

    Jaina swore he was enjoying making Chief Fey'lya squirm.

    <This is not a matter for public discussion, even among a body as respectable as the Senate. I move for an immediate meeting of the Advisory Council to discuss these matters!> Senator Triebakk roared.

    "And I second," Chelch Dravvad, the Corellian Senator added, frowning thoughtfully.

    "Very well ... but I will remind you, Colonel, if this matter is brought up frivolously, there will be an investigation into your role in this matter," Chief Fey'lya warned.

    The colonel nodded. "If I am in error, Chief, then I will accept full accountability," he said, but Jaina could sense his triumphant feeling as the Senate voted.

    "So what now?" she asked Senator Plif.

    ~We have a respite. But we could use a more ... neutral ... source of political pressure, or at least someone whose credentials with the Republic - Old or New - are impeccable enough for them to throw their support behind a military answer to the Yuuzhan Vong. Someone who could help deflect the anti-Jedi tone of things would be especially helpful,~ Plif sent.

    Jaina concentrated - and smiled a little. "I think I might be able to arrange that," she said. "Let me make a call or two?"

    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Endor: Moddell Sector, Outer Rim, Galactic West:
    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    She padded quietly through the woods in the slight chill of the night air, wrapped in a borrowed jacket, over a blouse and pants loaned to her.

    Padme' was grateful for her daughter's kindness, and for her children's efforts to shield her ...

    but I can't run any farther. Not without facing this, she thought, entering the glade.

    The natives - "Ewoks," Leia had called them, although none of them had greeted the Falcon when it landed, and Han had noted the "forest Ewoks" were still somewhat skittish compared to those who'd traveled off-world since the fall of the Empire - stayed away from this glade.

    According to the Encyclopedia Galactica, it was considered taboo. Not necessarily cursed, but not sanctified, either.

    It was, after all, the last resting place of Darth Vader.

    The pyre had long ago burned to ashes; but for whatever reason, the armor still lay where Luke had burned it.

    "Luke couldn't bring himself to move it," Leia had explained, and Padme' thought she understood why.

    It was visible in the light of her fusion lantern - scorched and warped from the flames from more than two decades earlier, somehow not disturbed by animals or wind or water for all this time.

    And there was an almost-palpable sense of him here - for all her lack of Force-sensitivity, Padme' somehow just knew he was watching over this place.

    Which made her plaintive whisper, "Why? Why go down this road?" all the more painful as she knelt beside his shell.

    She'd come alone - Leia waited, with Han and Chewbacca and the Noghri - not far away. She'd needed to face this alone.

    And, finally, to let the floodgates rise.

    And Padme' wept.

    This wasn't the shock catching up to her - that had been on Polis Massa, when she'd learned how long she'd been in stasis. That, she could accept - had to, to stay sane.

    This ... this was everything she couldn't have voiced on Mustafar. Everything she'd denied in Obi-Wan's plea for help, before Mustafar.

    I wanted to fight you, to drag you back, but I had to protect the children ...

    And that, as the last sob wrenched its way out of her soul - that was what gave Padme' the strength to pick up Vader's helmet and gaze into its' eyepieces.

    You did come back. This wasn't the real you. You saved Luke, Padme' thought.

    She remembered an elated, overwhelmed young man, then, who hugged her, after she'd revealed that she was expecting.

    You died Anakin Skywalker, not this ... thing. This shell.

    Padme' stood, then, after setting the helmet back down - she knew, somehow, that this monument wouldn't be disturbed. Might go undisturbed until Endor's last days, for all she knew.

    My destiny is among the living. Until we're reunited, she thought, managing a smile.

    "Ngeechka - ngutchub?"

    "Hello?" Padme' called, looking behind her - there was an Ewok, watching her from the bushes.

    "Hello," the young one - male, Padme' guessed from the semi-tenor voice and the brown hat the Ewok wore - said in accented Basic. "Sorry to - disturb?"

    "No problem. I'm Padme'. I ... came to ... seek answers," she said, shaking the Ewok's paw.

    "Kettch. My father, Senator Kolot. Yub. Friend of Master Skywalker. You know him?" Kettch asked, walking paw-in-hand with Padme'.

    She smiled warmly, then, and said, "You could say that ..."

    -------------------------------------
    Tuanul Village,
    Kelvin Ravine:
    -------------------------------------

    Rey didn't have a comlink, and she didn't trust that Jar-Jar could stay on a speeder bike (not that any of the scavengers had one - she'd thought about building one someday, but it'd take a long time to get all the parts). So,she'd walked Jar-Jar back to her home, promising she'd return for him.

    "Lor?" Rey called, knocking at the old man's door (most of the other villagers were out working their crops or praying at the shrine of the Force).

    She had another nudge - whoever she'd felt earlier was getting closer - but she needed to help Jar-Jar now. What if his blindness got worse?

    A shuffling noise, and a call of "Just a minute!" made Rey smile - she'd been right, Lor was home. He opened the door, smiling back, and said, "Rey! Child, come in - are you all right?"

    "I'm OK, thanks. We found a big haul from one of the old Venators, but there was a carbonite slab and I thawed it and there was a Gungan inside! He's all blind, but he's OK otherwise, and I left him back at my home. Could you help him? Please?" Rey asked.

    Lor blinked, and Rey knew she'd run her words together - Lor wasn't that old that he'd misunderstand her. "Let me get my medkit, and start over. Did you say you thawed a Gungan from carbon-freeze? After all this time? Fascinating ..." he said, getting a kit from his closet and following Rey.

    "Thank you! He seems nice, and I'd bring him here, but I don't want the sun t'dry him out," Rey explained, leading the way.

    She froze at the bottom of Lor's steps - another nudge hit her - and it was someone she knew, pulling up on a fancy speeder bike.

    It was a man, in a brown robe with the hood up, and Rey reached out with her feelings - she didn't know how she knew him, but she knew him.

    Lor stopped, and Rey could feel his surprise, then his happiness - she looked up at him, and he was smiling - and she looked back at the other man.

    "Master Skywalker ... ! After all this time," Lor said.

    By that time, though, Rey saw the other man's eyes and heard the name and her mind spun.

    There was smoke and flashes of blaster fire, and Nanna was junk, and Jemma yelled, "Get in the pod!", and Kylo pushed Rey away from the troopers.

    But this time, there was green and a big stone building and a green-eyed woman with red hair brushed Rey's hair, and the blue-eyed man laughed, warm.

    She knew.

    Rey ran, laughing and crying, and met the man halfway to the bike, and hugged him.

    "Rey. I'm so, so sorry, honey - but I'm here now, and we can go home," he said, and Rey hugged him again.

    She had so much to say, and to tell, and to show - but he was here, Luke Skywalker was here, and she could finally say what she'd waited so long to say.

    "Daddy," she whispered. "It's OK, don't be sorry."

    "You found me. You found me."

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Chalmun's Bar, Mos Eisley, Tatooine:
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    "M'Lady Kwannon? A pleasure," the black-and-white haired man in the booth said, standing to kiss Betsy's hand.

    "Mister Karrde. This is an honor - my telbun, Kad Harenon," Betsy said, putting what she hoped was the right amount of dismissive arrogance in her tone as she waved a bored hand toward Kyp. "Harenon - two glasses of the most expensive human-safe liquor the barkeep has."

    "Yes, m'lady," Kyp said, scuttling off, and his amusement almost surprised Betsy while she sat across from Talon Karrde. She didn't miss the raven-haired woman sitting between them, nor the white-furred felinoid watching them from a few tables away.

    "My second, Shada D'ukal. And I notice you've seen Hshishi," Karrde said, introducing the human women to each other; Betsy gave Shada a nod with a tad more respect than she'd shown Kyp, hoping the lethal-looking woman wouldn't be offended.

    "Your organization is as impressive as your reputation, Mister Karrde," Betsy said - fortunately, being telepathic, picking up a Kuati accent hadn't been that hard. "I am prepared to pay well for your services ... in several areas."

    Karrde gave her a very appraising look, and Betsy almost blushed - but she could sense his utter devotion to Shada, who was having a hard time keeping from smiling.

    Of course, any sentients who looked at her would see her Kwannon body, replete with the Crimson Dawn tattoo, clad in a shimmering green synthsilk dress and a traveler's cloak; the Jedi had excellent disguise kits.

    Telepathically, Betsy sent, ~Would you mind if I switched the official discussion to this mode?~

    ~Not at all. Your 'volume' and precision are excellent. I've rarely met a telepath as powerful and capable as yourself. I'd be happy to share what I know of Ms. Tano - but as for the other matter, I must confess, I've little knowledge of any 'Earth.' There are many such worlds claiming to be humanity's origin world, but none have ever been proven,~ Karrde thought with sincere regret.

    Betsy fought down the worry in her throat, and aloud, just said, "Thank you, Kad," when Kyp came back with a green bottle of some kind of liquor and two glasses.

    To Shada, Betsy said aloud, "I apologize, Ms. D'ukal. I should have requested Kad bring a third glass."

    "I never drink on business. But thank you, M'lady," Shada said - Betsy liked her; she could sense a kindred warrior spirit sitting beside her.

    And it's not as if Karrde is a bad catch, Betsy thought - she felt a pang of regret, then, as she wished Warren was there to share this -

    Karrde started a toast, then frowned as his eyes slid to the bar, and he said, "I think you'd best take this information, m'lady. It seems someone is taking an interest in your handiwork."

    Betsy telepathically "looked" through Karrde's eyes, after he'd given her his mental assent, and saw a Trandoshan - she'd taken the time to familiarize herself with the widest-known species in the galaxy as part of her studies - watching them, licking his lips.

    Chalmun, the Wookiee owner of the bar, was repulsed by the Trandoshan's presence, but he wasn't taking any action, either. Karrde stopped glancing at the Trandoshan, then slid a datapad across the table to Betsy, while she gave him a chit worth 50,000 standard credits (the Order, it turned out, had a very generous tab with Karrde).

    "My thanks, Mister Karrde. We'll be sure to study this information," Betsy said - she stood as Karrde did, and he kissed her hand, before she and Kyp headed out one of the side doors - Kyp tossed the cost of the liquor onto the table.

    Betsy quickly scanned the datapad, then sent to Kyp, ~It seems we've a lead. The last reports of Ahsoka Tano were after she fought Vader on Malachor V - she was headed to Nal Hutta, for some reason.~

    CH-KLIK

    <I'd ask that you not leave so quickly, 'm'lady.' My employer might not want any trouble with Karrde, but he does have an interest in anyone inquiring after any of the various Fulcrum agents from the Rebellion days,> a hissing voice said, and Betsy and Kyp turned around.

    The Trandoshan had followed them, and he wasn't alone - there were at least five hostiles on the roofs and in surrounding alleys, Betsy sensed.

    "And how, might I ask, did you know about our inquiry?" Betsy asked haughtily, slipping her lightsaber out of her robe.

    <Karrde's a professional. So are my employer's slicers. We'd like to 'arrange' a meeting between yourselves and my employer ...> the Trandoshan hissed.

    "M'lady - I'm not sure this is wise," Kyp warned. Through the Force, he added, Walking blindly into a trap -

    ~Have some faith, Durron. I'm not an amateur,~ Betsy sent via her telepathy.

    She concentrated, allowing herself a smirk, as she lashed out with a radial psycho-blast, carefully excluding Kyp from the blast radius.

    The Trandoshan - and two Nikto, a Klatoonian, a Gamorrean, and two humans - keeled over, unconscious, while Betsy massaged her temple; the effort wasn't so much the problem, as was the sheer grittiness of the minds she was knocking out.

    "Coarse sentients, these - come, 'Kad.' I've managed to pull our next best destination from the Trandoshan's mind," she said, quieting a bit as she gestured for the astonished Kyp to follow her.

    "But - you - they - you knocked out all six with one shot?!" he stammered.

    Betsy smiled naughtily, and sent telepathically, ~Lightsabers would have given away our true nature. Or did you expect to have to take the lead on defending us?~

    He managed a mental laugh, but Betsy could sense Kyp had expected her to be less skilled than he'd thought. Remind me not to underestimate you again, he thought, hiding a smile.

    ~Flatterer,~ she sent back with a grin.

    What was both troubling and surprising was how quickly she'd grown to like his attention.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    to be continued ...
     
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  9. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Apologies this took so long to update; it's been a busy few weeks, and I've been trying to figure out the next step ... [face_thinking]

    -------------------------------------------

    "That's why we're a team, remember? So our various abilities can compliment each other."

    - Betsy Braddock, assisting Alison Blaire (the Dazzler), Uncanny X-Men #221

    ************************************
    Chapter 9: 22nd-23rd of Fifth,
    25 ABY:
    ************************************

    ------------------------------------------
    Solos' Apartment, Coruscant:
    ------------------------------------------

    I really need to stop assuming I'm going to get preferential treatment.

    Padme' didn't find Leia and Han's apartment to be unworthy of them - or her - just surprisingly small, at first; but after she'd reflected on its dimensions following the night she'd spent in the guest room, she realized it was positive that they were living comparatively humbly.

    We've no right to assume we're owed anything. I should be grateful I'm even alive ...

    She finished her shower, then dressed in a simple outfit - a white jumpsuit with short sleeves - and stepped into the living room, nodding respectfully at the bows the Noghri were giving her.

    Typho ... it seems we all have bodyguards, Padme' observed, touched by the loyalty the Noghri were showing - and more than a little troubled by the legacy of why they were serving her daughter's family.

    She looked at a holocube on the kitchenette counter, and bit her lip; it was the first time she'd seen an image of Anakin - her Anakin - since she'd been released from stasis.

    Part of her wanted to grab the holocube and dash it against the wall, but she resisted -

    then turned, as a somewhat familiar voice asked, "You really are conflicted, aren't you?"

    It belonged to a teenaged girl who looked more than a little like Leia - but with a fair share of Han in the cheekbones, also. And a glint of Padme's own fire in her eyes, as well as a measure of Anakin in her stance.

    "Jaina," Padme' asked, awed - it was one thing to hear she was a grandmother ... another to see a real, breathing grandchild in person.

    Jaina's wariness melted, then, and she hugged Padme', a little teary-eyed and laughing. "Grandpa confuses me, too," Jaina said, letting Padme' look her over before they sat at the dining room table.

    "He would have been proud of you, though - at least, the Anakin I knew and loved would have been. I hear you're an excellent pilot," Padme' asked, waving when Han and Leia appeared from their bedroom, and Chewbacca from his.

    "I'm sorry we didn't wake you when we arrived, but it took longer than we'd expected," Leia said, kissing the top of Jaina's head before she headed for the kitchenette. "Without Threepio here, I guess breakfast is on me."

    "You don't have to, Leia. I make a mean breakfast spiceloaf," Han said, winking, but Chewbacca wurffled a laugh.

    "I think we'd better take a rain check, Dad. I don't want to be sipping a pitcher of water while I'm telling ... Grandma ... about myself - wow," Jaina said, laughing a little.

    She gave Padme' an apologetic look, then said, "Sorry. It's just - I never expected to meet you."

    "Likewise, dear. But while we're waiting for your parents to figure out who's going to make breakfast, why don't you tell me about yourself - and these 'Yuuzhan Vong,'" Padme' asked.

    Leia had warned her about the newest threat to the galaxy, and if Padme' was going to support the Jedi - she certainly didn't see any reason not to - she needed to know what they were facing.

    The galaxy shouldn't be as divided as it is - the Jedi certainly shouldn't be marginalized. Another of your 'legacies,' Anakin ...

    For the moment, though, Padme' was content being with her family - and friends, smiling when she saw Kettch wobble out of the other guest room.

    "Yub. Kettch cook?" the Ewok offered, while Jaina laughed merrily and gave Leia and Han an amused, questioning look.

    "Just make sure we count the neighbors afterward, make sure we still have the same number we had before we left ..." Han said under his breath.

    "HAN!"

    -------------------------------------
    Jakku: Goazon Badlands:
    -------------------------------------

    After chatting with Lor, Luke had taken Rey back to her little settlement; she'd talked excitedly about renovating a fallen AT-AT, of all things.

    Sure, it was on its side, but there was a very tiny garden - desert flowers instead of vegetables - and a fairly well-repurposed miniature vaparator outside. Given that it was half-buried by the shifting dunes, the place could've been worse.

    "Pretty good work, sweetie," he said, helping her off of the speeder bike, and Rey beamed proudly as she removed her flight helmet.

    "Thanks, Dad. Oh, yeah! Jar-Jar? I'm back, with my dad!" Rey called, while Luke extended his senses and raised an eyebrow. There was a sentient inside the hovel, their mind chaotic but not dangerous.

    A roommate? Some kind of guardian? They don't feel like a human mind, Luke considered, keeping his lightsaber handy. (He didn't want to assume the worst, but he'd just found his daughter after 3 years - and nobody was going to harm her ever again, if he could help it).

    He still tensed a bit as he watched Rey approach the AT-AT's hatch ... and did a double-take at a very unexpected sight in the entryway.

    "Hewwo? Rey? Meesa startin' ta see a big light blur," said a Gungan - whom Rey smiled at, and waved Luke over to meet.

    "I'm glad, Jar-Jar. Dad, this is Jar-Jar Binks. I found him frozen in a block of carbonite in one of the Venator-class Star Destroyers," Rey explained, while Luke shook Jar-Jar's hand.

    "Meesa just stayin' outta the sun 'til Rey got back. She's'a helpin' me. Meesa got frozen by this heavy-breathin' man back on Naboo - he was aanngry, meesa be tellin' you. Then, me no be knowin' how meesa gettin' all the way here," the Gungan said, a bit saddened.

    Luke did a double-take - he'd heard Mara talk about a Senator Jar-Jar Binks, who'd helped Padme' Amidala represent Naboo during the Clone Wars.

    "Are you ... were you ... Senator Binks? Back during the Clone Wars?" Luke asked, and Jar-Jar's nod made the Jedi Master try not to gasp.

    Jar-Jar felt miserable, though, and Luke knew he wasn't a danger (at least to anyone besides himself). "Meesa gettin' impeached by the Imperials after Lady Padme's funeral. Most'a meesa friends died - knew lotsa Jedi. Good people. Kinda sad, though. Meesa missin' Ani an' Padme," Jar-Jar rambled.

    Luke returned Rey's smile - he'd told her about his mother's survival, although he'd glossed over the details about Vader - then dropped to one knee beside Jar-Jar. "Jar-Jar ... my name is Luke Skywalker. Anakin and Padme' were my parents ... and Padme' lived, in stasis, on Polis Massa," he explained.

    Jar-Jar's jaw dropped, and Rey fought a laugh as he waved his hands wildly. "WHAAA!? Yousa Padme's SON!? Lady Padme's ALIVE!? This-a AMAAAZIINNN!!!" the Gungan cheered, leaping up and dancing.

    That's one word for it, Luke thought, smiling behind his hand and returning Rey's hug with the other.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Dantooine, Outer Rim Territories:
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    Ah, Luke - starlit night, roaring campfire ... only way it'd be better would be if you, Rey, and Kylo were here, Mara thought.

    The campfire was going fairly well - Anakin, tired as he was, had done a good job of gathering wood, and he'd worked for it.

    "Congrats, Solo. You had the idea of the worth of hard work, but now you're accomplishing it. The Force isn't the end-all and be-all," Mara pointed out, savoring the warmth from the fire.

    She'd rather be tired out and a bit overheated from a combat workout - or better yet, from smacking down thugs in a barfight.

    "I suppose the next thing you'll tell me is that I should leave the Order, become a smuggler?" Anakin asked, neutrally - stangit, the kid was hard to read when he was like this ...

    "One minute you're trying to save the galaxy, the next you're worse than a mother nuna, and the next you're moping and teenaged. Make up your mind," Mara snorted.

    Anakin laughed a little and ate some more nausage from the can he'd heated up. What worried Mara a little was how bitter that laugh was. "I'm not allowed to be teenaged, now?" he asked.

    "Just out of character for you. Don't tell me you're upset about the no-Force business?" Mara replied.

    Anakin relaxed - a little - then shook his head. "No. I suppose - finding out Grandma's alive - it's made me rethink the entire 'Vader' business. And thinking about how arrogant I was with my Force-use ... it's easier to see, now, how he stepped onto the Sith path. We have to check ourselves all the time, don't we?" he asked, meeting her gaze.

    He hurt, that much was clear - through both the Force, and that gut-instinct of Mara's which Betsy had suggested might be a very weak telepathic mutation, given Mara's possession of an x-factor gene - and Mara spared him a sympathetic look.

    For a second.

    Anakin snorted, then, and he was bitter.

    He quashed the emotion, but Mara ordered, "Out with it. If you're not upset about babysitting me, then what about me is bugging you?"

    "It's not you. You don't want the answer," he muttered, taking a swig of his canteen.

    "Kid, I danced for Jabba, and worked for Palpatine. I think I can hack a little teenaged-ness. Now tell me," Mara snapped.

    Anakin blushed, then - and his shields slipped just enough.

    Oh.

    OH.

    He wiped his eyes - and like that, something clicked in his mind. "It's done, now," Anakin said, looking out at the landscape.

    "Uh-uh. Feelings don't go away like that unless you're sociopathic or seriously repressing. I'm ... it's very kind of you to think -" Mara started -

    - the look of pure disgust Anakin shot her made her stop.

    "It's SICK," he snarled, shame and hurt coiling inside him again.

    "Well, you're beating yourself up. There's no need," Mara insisted. Anakin needed to get this out in the open, or it'd fester ... and she knew how festering feelings could poison someone.

    Anakin laughed bitterly again. "You mean well, but you don't know. I'm sickened at myself for feeling that way - and for failing Tahiri, not seeing how she feels for me," he spat.

    Mara blinked, as Anakin stood, frowning. "You're upset with yourself because of how you think you hurt Veila?" she asked -

    and THAT made him infuriated with her.

    "Don't you DARE!?" Anakin - ROARED.

    "Her name is Tahiri, and she's a person - my dearest friend, a caring, real person, and I ran off to play Uncle Luke's pet apprentice and left her behind! If I start ignoring how my actions affect others - especially someone who's willing to let me share her feelings, her hopes and dreams - then I AM Vader's damn grandson! NO 'destiny' is worth losing her - and SURE AS KRIFF not some TWISTED idiocy on my part!"

    He sat, then, all his energy gone, and gave a low sob - then looked at Mara in horror, and said, "I'm sorry. This isn't your fault, and I ... screamed at you ..."

    Mara got up, sat down beside him, and put an arm around his shoulders - Anakin tried to pull away, but she said, "No. Just an aunt comforting her nephew. That's all."

    And he cried into her shoulder, for a long while.

    Finally, she stood, headed back to her seat, and he wiped his eyes before he looked at her. "Thank you," Anakin said, his sincerity making her smile.

    "Welcome. Friends?" she offered.

    The ... young man ... managed a weak smile, and nodded. "Friends. You need anything?" Anakin asked.

    "Yes. For Force' sake, no more sappiness. I have a reputation to maintain," Mara mock-snorted.

    She smirked at him, then, and added, "So tell me about Tahiri."

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Nar Shaddaa, Hutt Space, Outer Rim:
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    "You're serious," Kyp asked Betsy for the umpteenth time since she'd concocted this plan.

    She smirked at him, then said, "Well, we could wait until 'he' changes genders, and make you wear the -"

    "OOOOHHHHH no," Kyp - now clad in a plain spacer's coverall, his features obscured by a breath mask - said, waving his hands in horror. "You can do this."

    "I'm SO very glad you approve," Betsy - now no longer disguised as Kwannon, with her hair flowing down her back and garish (for her) makeup on her face - said, adjusting her robe outside their target's "vacation home."

    The data Karrde had given them had directed them to one Smorgasborga the Hutt - reputedly a distant relative of Jabba's, who'd been the last known Hutt to meet with Ahsoka Tano.

    But why? Had Smorgasborga hidden Ahsoka, sheltered her? Or held her captive for some reason? There are too many unknowns, Betsy pondered.

    One of the hatches in the titanic door opened, and a camera on an extending arm glared first at Kyp, then Betsy, and barked a command in Huttese, <What brings you to the chambers of the glorious Smorgasborga?>

    <A desire to share the wonder of my companion's skills with His Lordship. I am Kurn Al'Chazarad, and this -> Kyp said, before Betsy got in the way.

    <I am the ascendant Purplice Enlyst. And I wish to serve the great and powerful Smorgasborga!> Betsy cooed in Huttese.

    Kyp looked at her in momentary shock, but the distant guard chuckled. <At least one of you is tolerably servile. Enter, then, bipeds, for the glory of Smorgasborga,> the camera ordered before retracting.

    The door ground open, and started to lift, while Betsy smirked at Kyp's awestruck stare when she removed her outer robe.

    "Surprised the 'noblewoman' can play a supposedly-brainless slave girl?" she said, strutting in on high heels.

    "Follow, o Lord of the Dozen-and-a-Half, and learn how the X-Men play this hand ..."

    ***********************
    to be continued ...
     
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  10. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Back! Long week, but I have time to write this weekend - and I'd be negligent if I don't update this. [face_blush]

    -------------------------------------------------

    "... speakin' o' which - ye took a fair risk, Psylocke, cuttin' across open country like ye did."

    "A very fair risk, I thought, Banshee - since my psi-powers gave me a precise fix on each of my pursuers. And told me their plans."

    "Yet ye still got nailed, lass. Y'r power couldn't cope with Longshot's wild luck."

    - Sean "Banshee" Cassidy and Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock, discussing risk,
    Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #217

    ******************************************
    Chapter 10: 25.5 ABY: Nal Hutta,
    Hutt Space, Outer Rim:
    ******************************************

    The smell was what hit Betsy first.

    A measure of slime ... that, and perfume, and other things, she could tell, shielding herself as Tionne had shown her.

    Just because Hutts might not have a Force tradition didn't mean that this one couldn't have hired a Force-sensitive.

    "Purplice ... I'll just look for the refreshers. You ... uh, go dance for His Lordship Smorgasborga," Kyp said, nodding appreciatively when they were stopped by a male Twi'lek at the bottom of the stairs from the front entrance.

    "As you command, 'Master,'" Betsy cooed - she could do "air-head" quite well. She'd certainly known enough of them at her boarding school.

    She fluttered her lashes at the Twi'lek, who chuckled and said in Huttese - Betsy had picked up the language telepathically from some of the other Jedi - {You're quite eager. A little old, but His Eminence is open-minded. Come along, please.}

    {Certainly, Lord,} Betsy said, maintaining the vapid dancing girl routine as she followed the Twi'lek into the main chamber ...

    Oh my word. It's almost exactly like Jabba's from Return of the Jedi, just ... bigger.

    Betsy had taken the time to learn most of the most common species in the galaxy, so even if she hadn't recognized the Hutt on the dais as such, she would've known to bow.

    Beside him was a rather tarnished protocol droid, while a rather jealous-looking Twi'lek woman with red skin and a black leather bikini frowned at Betsy. Gamorrean guards were spaced throughout the room, while the occasional Weequay, Nikto, and Gran watched the newcomer, and a Bith band performed a jazz-like number.

    Fortunately, there were no signs of carbonited sentients on the walls, so Betsy felt a little safer than she might have.

    {Ah. A willing dancer? I am most pleased. Know, human woman, you perform in the court of Smorgasborga, Lord of the Dai Voorda Lands of Nal Hutta,} the Hutt rumbled.

    {I am honored, Lord Smorgasborga, most grand and beneficient of the Hutts,} Betsy dared to reply, hoping her Huttese was as thorough as she'd practiced.

    "Ho ho ho ho ho ..."

    Betsy looked up, smiling coyly, as Smorgasborga applauded, and his protocol droid threw its arms up. {Excellent inflection, female. You DO honor me. Now, show me what you've got,} Smorgasborga chuckled.

    {As you command, Great One,} Betsy said ... strictly speaking, she was counting on Smorgasborga never having seen any Terran music videos ...

    because if Alison ever saw this, she'd chide me for being decades behind the times ...

    And Betsy Braddock - Jedi trainee, mutant telepath, X-Man, espionage agent ...

    started into a disco groove.

    "OOoohhhh," Smorgasborga exclaimed, and his Twi'lek dancer's eyes widened.

    Yes, I think I can safely say they've never seen anything like this ...

    Betsy just hoped Kyp was keeping his focus on the mission, because she'd be mortified if he ever saw this ...

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    Wow. She's GOOD.

    Kyp hid a chuckle, fading into the Force and searching for the Hutt's data den - Smorgasborga was on the Council of the Ancients, after all, the big bloat had to have some idea of where Rotta and Ahsoka had ended up.

    There ...

    He Force-tricked a Gamorrean aside, blurring his presence, and started to work on the computer he'd found.

    That was when he felt it - a Force-presence, unfamiliar but focused and keenly aware of being sought, not dark but very, very wary ...

    Kyp risked opening to the probe, and turned around slowly.

    There was a hooded figure in the doorway - probably female in shape, the robe was obscuring features, which was what any decent disguise robe was supposed to do ...

    and then the figure lowered its hood.

    And Kyp blinked, and smiled a little as he asked, "Interesting neighborhood to find you in."

    The middle-aged Togruta woman staring back at him cocked an eyebrow and said, softly, "Your 'Master' doesn't have much of his father's planning or Force skills if his agents are this sloppy. I sensed you and the dancing lady when you came in-system."

    "But then, you were taught by a Skywalker, and I know they usually end up throwing caution out an airlock - probably why I followed you two into this pit. What do you want?"

    "Simple ... Ahsoka," Kyp dared to ask, and the Togruta nodded, shielding carefully.

    "We're looking for you. It seems we've found out that your ex-master's ... significant other ... is a lot less dead than thought."

    Ahsoka Tano's eyes widened, and she closed the distance between herself and Kyp before whispering, "Senator Amidala's alive? How's that POSSIBLE?!"

    "I'm not sure about the particulars, but she is alive. The question is, what about Rotta the Hutt?" Kyp whispered back.

    He repressed a gulp when Ahsoka glared - and she held a shiv (Kyp was all too familiar with them from his time on Kessel) to his abdomen.

    "The question is, Jedi boy, what do you want with Rotta?" Ahsoka demanded.

    "Because he's about to give Smorgasborga a BAD day, and if you're here to get in the way, I'll help Rotta do the same to you."

    -----------------------------------------------------

    Blast it all, Kyp, you'd better find that data soon ...

    Betsy would be the first to admit that she couldn't keep up a disco groove forever, but the sudden rush of life-signatures she detected through the Force (and, more acutely, with her telepathy) suggested that she wouldn't have to.

    Aggression, wariness, and a rush of damped anger quickly rising to outrage flooded the local Force, and Betsy stopped dancing as the Twi'lek majordomo raced to Smorgasborga's side. The Hutt crime lord's eyes widened, and he boomed in infuriated Huttese, {You! Dancer! Do you know anything about this insult to my demesne?}

    {Truthfully, my lord, I have no idea. What insult do you mean?} Betsy asked, looking around with surprise she didn't have to feign. Her plan with Kyp had been to have him slice Smorgasborga's data banks, then for the two of them to escape.

    But the sudden rush of Klatoonians, Vodrans, Niktos, and war droids into the fringes of the throne room cut that plan short - especially when Betsy noticed that the newcomers were wearing red berets ...?!

    {AAAH!!! Revolutionaries! TRAITORS! Troops, KILL THEM! BEFORE -} Smorgasborga roared, and Betsy dove for an alcove as blaster fire and melee combat erupted.

    What the bloody hell is going on?! Betsy wondered, not letting the chaos distract her from her backup plan. She surreptitiously opened the heels from her clog-like shoes, revealing two halves of a specially-modified lightsaber, and twisted the pieces together as Anakin Solo had shown her.

    An instant - and one depressed activation button - later, all eyes turned to "Purplice Enlyst" as a purple blade of light rose from her weapon.

    "All right, SOMEONE had better start explaining what this is about. I don't mind things going crazy - keeps life interesting - but getting in the middle of a rather strange Hutt political uprising is a little more than I'd planned," Betsy tried to quip.

    She arched an eyebrow at the far door, as a rather small - not tiny, but almost adolescent-sized? - Hutt wearing a red beret slithered in, holding a blaster rifle on Smorgasborga, who seethed at the sight of the newcomer. {That's my cue,} the younger Hutt said, giving Betsy a friendly nod.

    {I am Rotta, son of Jabba, believer in equality for all sentients, and I'm striking a blow against the Treaty of Vontor!}

    "VIVA LA ROTTA! VIVA LA REVOLUTION!" the red-beret-wearing non-humans in the crowd cheered, and Betsy blinked.

    "... well. A quasi-leftist insurrection against Hutt slavery. Being led by the very Hutt I'm looking for. Yes, the Force DOES move in mysterious ways," Betsy said, walking forward.

    She bowed to Rotta and added, "My name is Betsy Braddock, Lord Rotta -"

    The Hutt waved his hand and interrupted, {Please, Ms. Braddock. Just Rotta is fine. I'm not like my father. My foster mother raised me to appreciate the rights of all species. Besides, as much as my father cared for me, I'll be the first to admit that he was a criminal. He hid me away on Nar Shaddaa to keep me safe, and I've worked for years behind the scenes to raise a force strong enough to fight the Council of the Ancients' cruel ways.}

    "Your ... foster-mother - Ahsoka Tano? She IS alive!" Betsy said, smiling, and Rotta nodded with a happy chuckle.

    They were interrupted as Smorgasborga's cruel laughter filled the air, and the older Hutt sneered. {Jabba's son, out in the open at last ... foolish whelp. You and the Jeedai there can become RANCOR CHOW! HO HO HO HO HO!} he cackled, reaching for a button.

    Oh, no. I remember Return of the Jedi, Betsy thought, frowning as she sliced through the chain of the female Twi'lek dancer whom she'd interrupted. To the Twi'lek, Betsy said, "RUN!"

    The woman nodded, darting, and Betsy concentrated with the Force, telekinetically wrapping the now-loose chain around Smorgasborga's neck in an instant. The Hutt blinked, starting to choke, and Betsy telekinesed Rotta off of a suspicious-looking grate in the floor before she leapt to Smorgasborga's side.

    "Let us go, or Leia Organa-Solo won't be the only woman in galactic history who killed a Hutt in this manner!" Betsy snarled at the obese Hutt.

    {Foolish - GAK - biped! You're - URGHK - outnumbered and trapped on Nal Hutta! What makes you think - HRRG - you'd escape even if I DID let you go!?} Smorgasborga growled.

    A purple lightsaber blade pierced the ceiling, pointing downward, and whipped around in a circle, dropping a disc of permacrete to the floor - and was quickly followed by a grinning Kyp, and a middle-aged Togruta woman with two white shoto lightsabers, who stood back to back as the revolutionaries renewed their attack on Smorgasborga's forces.

    "Ahsoka Tano? Betsy Braddock. Ooh, nice historical nod, Betsy," Kyp said, his eyes widening as he saw Betsy holding Smorgasborga's chain.

    "Interesting hair color," Ahsoka said, deflecting blaster bolts while Betsy returned her nod - then saw Smorgasborga whip a hold-out pistol from one of his folds of fat, and aim at Rotta - !

    "NO!" Betsy exclaimed, tightening her telekinetic hold on Smorgasborga's chain in panic - and she winced as she heard a loud choke, while the Force became a bit emptier.

    Oh, bloody hell, no ... Betsy thought, watching Smorgasborga slump, dropping his blaster. She tried to check for a pulse, but the closest Gammorrean guards grunted and squealed in outrage, and Kyp waved at her to follow him, Ahsoka, and Rotta.

    "We got who we came for! Time to go!" Kyp yelled, and Betsy nodded as they and Rotta's revolutionaries fled the palace into the swamp.

    "I'm sorry ... I didn't intend to kill him," Betsy said, shutting down her lightsaber as she looked at her hand. She'd underestimated her telekinetic strength with the Force, and Smorgasborga's death flicker haunted her until Rotta patted her forearm.

    {I didn't want Smorgasborga dead, either, Ms. Braddock. But he was a slaver, and a sadist on top of that. This will send a serious message to the Council that there are Hutts who won't tolerate the inertia of their rule. Besides, I owe you my life. Whatever help I can give, I will,} the adolescent Hutt said, and Betsy thanked him.

    "We're looking to make sure that - Padawan? - Tano will be safe, with the invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong. They've already destroyed one planet, and their lack of presence in the Force means that they can't be detected. Also, we'd like to ask if you'd speak with the current Jedi Order, especially Master Luke Skywalker," Betsy said. nodding to Ahsoka.

    The Togruta woman smiled, radiating bemusement and a bit of annoyance in the Force. "The last time I saw him, he was still in diapers. Obi-Wan stopped by Nar Shaddaa on his way to Tatooine ... and I made a promise, to protect Rotta. But what the hey? Maybe we can get my former Master's son to focus on what Jedi should be focusing on - helping the people who need it," Ahsoka said while she and Rotta led the rest of the revolutionaries, and Betsy and Kyp, deeper into the swamp.

    Kyp raised an eyebrow, until Ahsoka frowned at him. "I don't mean your hotshot pirate-killing, either, Durron. I haven't lived this long by being out of the loop. We've got to get you out of here before the bounty on your head ticks a few zeroes higher for being involved in killing Smorgasborga. You're ALREADY unwelcome in Hutt Space for all your interference in their affairs," she warned.

    "Touchy, isn't she?" Kyp muttered.

    "Consider the situation, Kyp. Ahsoka has to have survivor's guilt about the Jedi Order's fall, and being Vader's ex-apprentice ..." Betsy trailed off, noticing Rotta listening.

    The Hutt sighed, nodding. {She's been haunted for years. She left the old Jedi Order when they failed to support her against false criminal charges, and then, she had a terrible encounter with Vader ... her former Jedi Master. I hope meeting with Master Skywalker will help bring Ahsoka some closure,} he said.

    And maybe Senator Amidala, also, Betsy considered, following her new allies.

    -------------------------------

    to be continued ...[face_thinking]
     
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  11. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Urgh. Busy week last week, and then my browser acted weird when I went to update this earlier tonight ... :(

    But anyway. A quick update with Betsy and Co., then more SkySolos (at last :p)

    -----------------------------------------

    "Alison, what is the point of heels so high they nearly break your neck?"

    "Hopeless, Betsy. Utterly hopeless."

    - Discussion between Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock and Alison "Dazzler" Blaire of the merits of high heels,
    Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, issue 244

    *****************************************
    Chapter 11: 25.5 ABY: Kwenn Station,
    Western Hutt Space, Ootmian Pabol
    hyperlane, Outer Rim Territories:
    *****************************************

    Betsy had changed into Jedi robes after leaving the shuttle - she'd escaped Nal Hutta with Kyp, Ahsoka, and Rotta, while Rotta's resistance cell had gone underground - and they'd flown so far and fast that they'd needed to let the hyperdrive cool before heading further on to Yavin.

    And so, Purplice Enlyst, I consign you - and your awful taste in shoes - to the dustbin of galactic history, Betsy thought, throwing her disguise and its absurdly-impractical heels into the nearest dumpster with a Force-emphasized flourish.

    "I didn't think those shoes were that awfully offensive," Kyp opined, but Betsy merely let Ahsoka give the senior Jedi Master a knowing look.

    "You've never worn high heels," the Togruta replied, watching Betsy pull a blaster and fire a few rounds into the canister.

    Kyp raised an eyebrow at the now-literal dumpster fire, and Betsy nodded while watching the shoes burn.

    Then, she shot them one more time, to be sure, and said, "They're dead. Let's go before Smorgasborga's kadijic figures out we're nearly out of Hutt Space."

    "That, and we don't want the burning footwear to give us away," Kyp snarked, going silent when Betsy scowled at him.

    "Evil. Shoes. Evil. And this is coming from a woman who's faced practically every kind of evil garment ever made," she replied.

    "Your X-Men must face some odd villains," Kyp retorted, and Betsy nodded - he had a point.

    "True, but I was a fashion model before being a superheroine. The evil clothes were - mostly - encountered there," Betsy replied with a grin.

    -----------------------------------------------------
    Coruscant: Senate Building:
    -----------------------------------------------------

    "... latest allocations ... YES ..."

    "C-Chief Fey'lya, there's - there's a Senator from Naboo here to see you - ?!" Borsk Fey'lya's secretary, a usually-competent human woman he'd hired to allay claims that he was a specieist, whimpered over the com.

    "Tell Senator Olie that NO, I am not going to see him. I've got far too much on my plate right now," Borsk sighed - which was partially true, there was a very decent plate of dr'uun slices going cold on his desk, and the Naboo tended to throw in with that opportunist Bel Iblis.

    When are they going to get that I'm doing my best to keep the New Republic running efficiently? If the Jedi would just get in line, I might not have to let people like Fyor and Pwoe have so much of my attention ...

    Borsk really did acknowledge that the Jedi could be a useful tool. The problem was that they had this delusion that the Empire had never happened; that humanocentrist policies didn't need redress, that a Sith Lord hadn't misused his Force powers in hideous ways for two and a half standard decades ...

    And where do Sith come from? Or where did they start from? Jedi. If Skywalker wasn't letting maniacs like that uncouth Durron rampage, I could be a bit more understanding. Smacking down smugglers is applaudable - but not without government approval ... which means me. Of course.

    "B-but Chief - it's not Senator Andurimin -!" the secretary gasped, and Borsk cocked an eyebrow.

    Maybe the Queen finally decided to send a Senator who's not a buffoon? Borsk absently hoped - what the kark.

    "Send them in. The sooner this distraction is over with, the sooner I can get back to governing," Borsk chuffed - he silenced the intercom for a moment and gobbled some dr'uun slices.

    He needed fortification ...

    but he wondered, in the next second, if he might not come to choke on that fateful bite.

    Because, in came - looking as if she hadn't aged a day - a human woman Borsk had only seen in history books.

    Her hair was impeccably done, up in a sort of bun that Borsk knew from his female relatives was tasteful by human standards; she wore a modest brown gown with purple highlights.

    Borsk slugged back a gulp of water, and managed to compose himself as he stood ...

    and said, "S... Senator Padme' Amidala. This is ... most unexpected. But a high honor."

    "Likewise, Chief Fey'lya. I'm very glad to make your acquaintance, and to see that democracy continues in the galaxy - and that all species are being represented in the Chief of State's office," Padme' said, giving a small bow.

    Borsk motioned her to sit, and managed to find his seat - wasn't she DEAD!? - before he asked, "I ... had heard, as had much of the galaxy that you had ... unfortunately, of course ... expired."

    Padme' gave a thin little smile and said, "I ... had a very unpleasant break-up with my husband. I was safely delivered of the twin children I was carrying, after being healed of my injuries ... and the medics cloned me, placing me in stasis until such time as it was safe for me to return. The clone was who was laid to rest."

    "Ah," Borsk could only say - what kind of horrendous circumstances could require that level of deception?

    More to the point, how had the SpyNet not learned of this admirable plot?

    Wait a minute ...

    Borsk felt a chill go down his spine - Padme' had "died" in 19 BBY.

    And she went missing after she had TWINS ... !?

    Borsk's throat went dry as Padme' smiled humorlessly, and replied, "You might know my children."

    "You pulled a gun on my daughter, after all."

    Oh. KARK.

    "You're ... their mother, then. And ... very likely to throw your support behind them, should the Naboo suddenly have their favorite daughter - you - resurface and ask you to become their Senator again," Borsk said, without malice.

    It was a very Bothan sort of potential threat, he had to admit - Padme' had been beloved by not just the Naboo, but many of the Republic.

    And as a living link to the best ideals of the Old Republic - most dangerously to Borsk, Vader's WIDOW, arguably his most aggrieved victim - Padme' could be a rallying point for a pro-Jedi wave of legislation ...

    and/or possibly an anti-Borsk motion ...

    Padme' just smiled - not showing teeth - and merely said, "All I ask is that you please reconsider the Yuuzhan Vong threat. I believe my children and grandchildren when they say that these invaders are a true menace."

    "I'll ... keep that in mind," Borsk breathed, and Padme' stood, bowing.

    She left, and added, over her shoulder, "For the sake of the New Republic, Chief Fey'lya, I ask only that you make the right decision. For all its citizens."

    And she left, as quickly as she had visited.

    But, OH ... so not forgotten, Borsk thought, wiping his brow fur.

    And here I thought Darklighter's bitter attitude was bad enough ... the quiet ones are the most unsettling ...

    --------------------------------------------
    Jedi Praxeum, Yavin IV:
    --------------------------------------------

    "We're really home?" Rey asked, leading the way down the ramp while Luke and Jar-Jar stepped off the Lambda-class shuttle.

    "We really are," Luke reassured her, smiling as Rey's eyes widened at the sight of the Jedi temple, and the greenery around it. His daughter had been quiet one moment, then energetic the next, and Luke was grateful he'd had some time to start to reconnect with Rey and get to know the girl she'd become.

    "Can we see the woolamanders? They sound astral!" the girl cheered, leading the way down the path to the temple.

    "Is-a a pretty world. Kinda warm, but that's okey-dey," Jar-Jar opined, following Luke closely. The Gungan's sight was almost entirely restored, but Jar-Jar's curiosity and clumsiness had prompted Luke to keep an even closer eye on his parents' old friend than he had on Rey.

    Rey stopped at the edge of the clearing to the temple, her face falling as she breathed, "It's just so ... so green. I guess I'd forgotten ..."

    Before Luke could rush to support her, a small army of greeters - a mix of senior and newer Knights, and apprentices - approached the Sabre. "Luke! Welcome -" Kam Solusar started to say, going quiet when he saw Rey look around and suddenly seem to shrink on herself.

    I'd thought this might happen, Luke thought, stepping forward and putting a hand on Rey's shoulder. He whispered, "Everyone just wants to welcome you home. But it's OK if it's too many people, too soon. I know you're used to being alone, Rey. We're all glad you're back, and nobody wants to rush you."

    Relief and a little embarrassment crossed Rey's face, and she hugged Luke around his waist before whispering, "Thanks, Dad. I do want t'say hi, though."

    Luke smiled with pride, letting Rey stand on her own as she turned to smile at the other Jedi. "Everyone, this is my daughter, Rey. Most of you may know her from before, but some of you might not have met her before she ... disappeared. She's back, now, though," he explained.

    Some mild applause, but more relief and smiles, rang out - and then, the Force rippled with happy welcome, while Rey's eyes widened, and she cheered, "KYLO!!!"

    Luke beamed as his son burst from the crowd, hugging Rey, and he swept both kids into a hug as they laughed and cried and laughed again.

    "You're really back. Rey, I'm - I'm sorry I couldn't -" Kylo started, but Rey wiped his eyes and hugged him again.

    "Don't be sad. You're OK - that's what matters. Some day, we'll find Jemma," Rey reassured her brother, and Luke felt a swell of pride.

    He smiled when Jacen broke through the crowd, and Rey rushed to hug him as her older cousin tossed her into the air. "You're here! I thought you'd be on Coruscant with Unca Han!" the girl laughed while Jacen set her on her feet.

    "What, and miss one of my cousins coming home? Wow, you weren't underfed on Jakku - you grew," Jacen joked, setting Rey down and greeting his uncle. "Good to see you back. Grandma Padme' is on Coruscant with my folks, and Mara and Anakin checked in - they're safe on Dantooine."

    "Thanks for the update, Jacen. We'll talk more in a bit - Rey, do you remember Cilghal, our chief healer?" Luke asked, waving at the Mon Calamari Knight and Senator to approach.

    Rey squinted, then smiled as she shook Cilghal's flipper and said, "I think so. You're a doctor, right?"

    "Among my many talents, dear Rey. Welcome home. We'd like to make sure you're healthy - could you come with me for a bit? Your father can come as well, if you want," Cilghal asked.

    Rey nodded, still a bit shy, but said, "It'll be OK. Dad's gotta help Jar-Jar. Ky, c'mon for a bit and tell me what you've learned about the Force?"

    Kylo followed Rey and Cilghal - and Rey cheered again when Artoo and Threepio passed by them, hugging both droids.

    Luke hid a smile as Kam and Tionne Solusar exchanged surprised looks, and Jar-Jar shook Kam's hand with excitement. "Meesa Jar-Jar Binks. Luke told meesa that he's the son of Anakin Skywalker! Meesa knew Ani durin' the Clone Wars!" the Gungan said, smiling as some among the apprentices laughed (fortunately, none of them did so in a cruel manner, or Luke would've spoken to them - exuberant or not, Jar-Jar was a sentient and deserved respect).

    "For the time being, we've offered Jar-Jar a place to stay while he reacclimates to the modern galaxy. He was carbon-frozen and stranded on Jakku since shortly after the Empire rose to power. Rey freed Jar-Jar just before I found her," Luke explained.

    He glanced at Artoo, who moaned, and Luke added softly, "Jar-Jar also served my mother, Padme' Amidala-Skywalker, in the Naboo government - as, apparently, did Artoo."

    "Artooie!? Yousa still functionin!" Jar-Jar greeted, before grinning at Threepio and cheering, "Three-Sio! Yousa here, too!"

    "Ah - yes - my apologies, Jar-Jar? I underwent a memory wipe since last we met ..." Threepio began, following Jar-Jar and Kam to the main temple.

    "Fret-weep-dwooot," Artoo expressed, and Luke and Tionne exchanged a bemused smile. Tionne asked, "So, you believe Jar-Jar will have more details on the old Jedi Order? And the events surrounding ... ?"

    "I'm sure of it, Tionne. Artoo was understandably reluctant to show us what happened during my father's fall. We've always known that the old Order's destruction had to have been ... terrible, but I've had time to make some peace with it. It helps that he turned back from the dark side," Luke agreed, walking with the chief archivist and instructor.

    He glanced at Jacen, who was talking with Jar-Jar (and the Gungan gave another wild cheer of joy when Jacen introduced himself, much to the amusement of some of Jacen's friends).

    "I think we have to be careful in proceeding with investigating Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark, for the sake of his descendants ..."

    --------------------

    to be continued ... [face_thinking]
     
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  12. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Apologies; RL's been much busier than expected, but that's no excuse for going more than 2 weeks without an update ... [face_blush]

    The plot's going to be a slow burn for a bit, unfortunately, due to all the characters in play. That said, once it gets past the First Battle of Dantooine, it should pick up faster ... :)

    --------------------------

    "Sabre survived."

    "He was lucky. I don't like playing games with my powers."

    "Me neither. But the X-Men are ridin' a real rough road. If I don't know your capabilities - skills and character - I might misjudge 'em in a scrap. That could cost us all."

    - Logan (the Wolverine) and Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock, discussing combat readiness after Psylocke's first fight with Victor "Sabretooth" Creed,
    Uncanny X-Men, vol. 1, issue 214

    *************************************
    Chapter 12: 25.5 ABY,
    Mytyranor Sector, headed toward
    Perlemian Trade Route, Mid Rim:
    *************************************

    "So - oof - a telepath, huh? Full-on - rghm - mind-reading, or just empathy?" Ahsoka asked as she and Betsy sparred.

    "Full-on - ehrn - but I'm finding that Jedi discipline does wonders for reinforcing natural shields," Betsy replied, smiling - Kyp was flying the shuttle, with Neal's help, while Rotta rested.

    The Togruta had asked Betsy to help her get back in shape after sporadic, at best, chances to perform lightsaber drills. After Ahsoka had fled Malachor following her disastrous duel with Vader, the former Padawan had kept a low profile while helping teach Rotta. The last thing anyone had wanted was to draw attention to either a former Jedi or Jabba's heir.

    But that had been during the Empire's zenith. Now, allies were gathering, and old fears had to be set aside in the face of a still-mysterious threat.

    I read Tionne and Cilghal's report on the biotechnology these Yuuzhan Vong use. Unsettling kit, that - the bio-interface aspect is one thing, but the pain element is entirely disturbing. We could use more intel on them, as well as their apparent Force-resistance, Betsy thought, dodging Ahsoka's white shotos.

    The Togruta female was agile, with slippery thoughts that were hard to read. Betsy appreciated an opponent who made her actually work to win a sparring match - not that any of the Jedi Masters had been easy combatants, but Betsy had at least held her own against them.

    Probably the Jar'kai two-shoto technique, Betsy considered - she was no Scott Summers, but she had picked up some tactical skill during her years as a member of the X-Men. Her flaw, she freely admitted, was an over-willingness to indulge her action-junkie side.

    With that, Betsy manifested a telekinetic katana in her left hand, smiling at Ahsoka's surprise before the Togruta nodded with respect.

    "Impressive. Let's kick this up a notch," Ahsoka agreed, smiling back as they continued to practice.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Coruscant: Apartment of Han and Leia Solo:
    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    "I understand why you did it, Mother, but Borsk isn't the kind of sentient you can just back into a corner," Leia said, watching Padme' flip through a series of family holos - catching up on the years she'd missed while in stasis on Polis Massa.

    "And I made sure not to threaten him, Leia. I'll help you and Luke and the Jedi however I can, but I'm through with politics. My time there is done - I want to get back to my childhood, volunteering and helping people who really need it. I just thought appealing to Chief Fey'lya's sense of family might make a difference," Padme' replied, looking up from one of the holos with a faint smile. "This must be Anakin."

    "Yes, it is," Leia said, sitting beside her mother and sharing her smile as they looked at a holo of Leia's youngest. "He's watching over his Aunt Mara right now on Dantooine. She's been ill from some mysterious disease, and Luke's hoping that vacationing on a life-strong world will help her."

    "It makes sense. Dantooine used to be connected to the Jedi Order, also. But they eventually abandoned most of their work there, focusing inward ..." Padme' said, trailing off. Leia could sense her mother's mind drifting, backward, and she hesitated before she spoke again.

    "I've only heard Father a handful of times, through the Force. Luke has a better idea of what he was like, and I found Grandmother's - Shmi's - diary on Tatooine, years ago. I know he was a kind boy, when he was younger ... it's so hard to compare that to what Artoo showed us about Mustafar," Leia said, sighing.

    She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked at her mother, who smiled, more strongly this time. "Mustafar was Anakin at his worst, Leia. Don't judge him by his madness. I knew him at his best, also. Your father loved, deeply and strongly. There was nothing he wouldn't do for those he called family," she said, her smile becoming sad at the end.

    Padme' took a deep breath and added, "He was a man of great passion. And that's what condemned him, and saved him."

    "I think I understand better, now. My Anakin is like that, too - brilliant, loyal to those he loves. He tries so hard to do the right thing, to protect others ... I'm so afraid for him, sometimes. He struggles with his grandfather's legacy, and he used to have nightmares about being trapped in ... Vader's ... mask ..." Leia said, shaking her head.

    She smiled thinly and added, "And Jacen doesn't help, nagging him. They're very different, yet very similar - they both think they have the idea of what the future of the Jedi should be. Jacen's more inward-looking, while Anakin is more active."

    "I think I need to talk to Jacen. The old Jedi Order weren't always healthy, in that regard. They stared inwardly too much, and tried to force their rules on their Knights ... not that excuses what your father did, of course. But he felt so much pressure, so much isolation ... and I didn't help him, not as much as I could have," Padme' said, sadly.

    Leia looked at her, while Padme' explained, "I should have left Coruscant and take your father with me, after Dooku's death. If Anakin hadn't been forced on the Jedi Council, while he was so afraid of what he'd seen happening when I gave birth ... it was the arming signal to a detonite fuse."

    "Father had a vision of you giving birth?" Leia asked, almost afraid of the answer as Padme' nodded.

    "He foresaw that I'd die in childbirth. Mustafar made that rather ... self-fulfilling, to a degree, at least until the Polis Massans cloned me and Obi-Wan and Yoda thought I'd died," Padme' said, a little bitter, a little sad.

    "They must've thought you did die, though," Leia said, as Padme' concentrated.

    "Part of me did, I think. I suppose that's what the poets mean, when they talk about a broken heart. I'll always love your father, but he did kill part of me - my innocence? My naiivete?" Padme' wondered, as Leia squeezed her hand.

    "I think I felt something like that when Alderaan died. I'd known how cruel the Empire could be, but I never really felt it until I watched that superlaser blast destroy it ..." Leia said, shaking her head.

    "Well, we're going to do what we can to prevent any more horrors like that. Like I said, I'm going to use this second chance to help the people who really need it - tell me about the refugees you're trying to assist," Padme' said, returning Leia's smile.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "They seem happy," Jaina said, softly, watching her mother and ... grandmother ... chatting on the couch in her mother's sitting room.

    She glanced at Dad, who'd been watching Mom and Grandma (Jaina figured she'd better get used to the term, even if Padme' looked almost her own age), and he smiled, less stressed than Jaina had seen him in some time. "Glad they're getting a chance to talk now, while it's still quiet," he said, walking with Jaina as they examined a hologram of the northern part of the galaxy.

    Colonel Darklighter had forwarded the data quietly, after Danni had spoken to the Senate; things did not bode well, based on a reddish blob diving toward Garqi, of all places. Jaina glanced at Dad, who nodded, frowning.

    "I've ... made a few calls, heard from some old friends. If Borsk isn't gonna act - well, just keep your ears open," he said, grinning his roguish grin.

    "Understood. Less I know, less I can accidentally spill," Jaina agreed, trying to echo his smile but failing. She glanced at how close the Vong advance was coming to Dantooine, and worried for Anakin and Aunt Mara.

    Enough, girl. Time to get back to the simulators, Jaina reminded herself. She hefted her duffle and kissed Dad's cheek, heading for the door while he asked, "Aren't you gonna tell your mom goodbye?"

    Jaina sighed, glancing back at where her mother and grandmother were talking, then hoisted her duffle bag on her shoulder. He has a point, a nagging part of her mind reminded her before she squashed it.

    Nevertheless, Jaina ducked her head into her mother's sitting room and said, "I'm heading up to Centax. I ... be careful, OK?"

    "You, too," Mom said, leaping up and hugging Jaina. Jaina returned it, trying to relax ... but she still felt guilty when she wished Mara was the one seeing her off.

    Mom leaned back, starting to say something, but just smiled a little and nodded. "You've made me very proud," she said, and Jaina felt a tightness in her throat as Mom let her hug Grandma.

    "Don't think you've gotten away from a long talk with me, young lady, you and your brothers both. As soon as we get you and your aunt back here, the four of us need to go out and have some fun together," Grandma said, and Jaina shared her grin - even if it was odd to have a grandmother who looked like she was Jaina's age.

    "That'd be ... nice," Jaina said, considering the idea. It didn't seem quite that odd, but Jaina was still troubled by her hesitation at the idea of spending "girl time" with her mother, even with Aunt Mara and Grandma with them.

    Is it that it'd be with Mom, or that it'd be 'girl time'? Jaina considered, hugging Chewie before heading for the transport to Centax.

    She was more than a little bothered that she didn't have the answer.

    ------------------------------------------------------

    - to be continued ... [face_thinking]
     
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  13. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Ah ... OK. I'd planned to update this more often, but things have been ... hectic. [face_blush]

    So, in the spirit of attempting to do something to keep this moving - here's a Jacen-centric chapter. :)

    (Which, depending on your opinion of Jacen, might seem like the opposite of keeping it moving, but he really does do more in this timeline than in Legends. :p )

    ------------------------------------------------

    "No! The resonance isn't right. Dying, yes, but not dead. So there has to be a purpose, a reason behind this horror show. Unless I'm truly mad and this is nothing but a hallucination.

    "Too many possibilities, too much bloody imagination!"

    - Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock, lamenting the problem with precognitive visions,
    Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, issue 250

    ****************************************
    Chapter 13: 25.5 ABY: Yavin IV,
    Apprentice Quarters, Jedi Praxeum:
    ****************************************

    "So they really found ... Grandfather's ... Jedi apprentice? Alive, after all these years?" Jacen asked Threepio as they walked with Artoo down the main hall of the male students' wing.

    "Freweep! Dweet ardweeoot wbweet!" Artoo chirped happily, and Threepio nodded.

    "Indeed, Master Jacen. Although I do not remember Mistress Ahsoka, Artoo does, and he confirmed the encryption of Master Durron's transmission from Nal Hutta. Assuming all goes well, Master Durron, Lady Braddock, Mistress Ahsoka, and Lord Rotta anticipate returning to Yavin 4 within the next few days," Threepio said, stopping with Artoo outside Jacen's room.

    Amazing. Not only did Grandfather have dark-side apprentices, but a Jedi Padawan ... who helped raise Jabba's son, Jacen considered, standing in his doorway. It was still hard, sometimes, to imagine Vader having any redeeming qualities, but clearly, Anakin Skywalker hadn't been entirely evil.

    There is the little matter of him throwing Palpatine down that reactor shaft, sure. But Vader cast such a long shadow ...

    Jacen shook his head and clapped Threepio on his right shoulder, smiling. "Thanks for the update, Threepio. I think I need to consider all of this - the discovery of Ahsoka, and the news that Grandmother's alive. If you'll excuse me?"

    "Yes, Master Jacen. Shall we let you know when Lady Padme' and your parents arrive from Coruscant?" Threepio asked.

    "Please do. Or, if they don't return before dinner, please come and get me. I know I get lost sometimes in my thoughts," Jacen said, closing his door and looking around his room.

    Better make sure the menagerie's taken care of, he thought, tending to his animals. His collection of pets was smaller than it had been, since Jacen wasn't on Yavin as often as he'd been when he'd started his training; he'd released some of the less tameable ones back into the wild, or donated some to Coruscanti zoos. The ones that remained were better able to take care of themselves, and other students like Raynar or Lusa were kind enough to check in on them when Jacen was gone with Uncle Luke.

    Maybe Ahsoka, or even Grandmother, have more information on the old Jedi Order's training methods. Artoo had some, but the records he's revealed to us focus more on Grandfather's time during the Clone Wars ... and after ... Jacen thought, finishing his feeding, cleaning, and other duties for his pets before cleaning up and dressing in fresh Jedi robes.

    The distractions were only temporary, though, Jacen admitted. He was troubled, he had to admit - by the arrival of the seemingly Force-deficient Yuuzhan Vong, by his conflicting feelings for Danni Quee and Tenel Ka, by the discovery of his grandparents' disastrous breakup, by the arrival and strange claims of Betsy Braddock, and by Artoo's revelations.

    All the evidence I've seen these past few days suggests that the old Order's methodology was more destructive, not less, than our present-day wandering and surviving off of scraps of knowledge. Tionne's done a great job of piecing together the big picture, but it seems as if there are gaps ... dangerous ones ... in our knowledge, Jacen thought, sighing while he sat cross-legged on a meditation mat and tried to find some inner peace.

    He sank into a light trance, letting the Force refresh him, and used the lulling sensation to sink further. He'd hoped that with all the new information they had on the old Jedi Order (at least, it was new from the viewpoint that they were getting information from right around the fall of the old Order), there'd be some guidepost to what a proper Jedi was supposed to be like.

    They concentrated on the Force, like we do. But Artoo's records of Grandfather's wartime exploits suggest that Grandfather felt oppressed by the Order's focus on the Force ... Jacen thought, turning the contradiction over and over in his mind.

    The answer, he figured, was that Anakin Skywalker quite simply had been emotionally unstable. Certainly, the young Jedi had had a harsh childhood, and losing his mother hadn't helped matters. Palpatine's manipulations had pushed Jacen's grandfather over the edge ... but Anakin had walked up to it.

    The similarities between him and our Anakin are evident. Except ... ours does seem more aware of the dangers, Jacen admitted reluctantly.

    He cared about his little brother, of course. But Anakin could be so incredibly aggravating - so sure his way was right, so reckless, so ... lucky, it seemed.

    There is no luck, Jacen reminded himself. Even if Ani is closer to Dad than I am ...

    Jaina was more like Dad, too, Jacen thought - but Jaya wasn't obnoxious. Or maybe Jacen was just willing to give her more allowances, since they were twins.

    Jaina's not going to have the answers I'm looking for ... maybe focusing on Betsy Braddock? She's got to be a better choice than running around in circles ... Jacen wondered, concentrating on a mental image of the purple-haired telepath as he tried to get a sense of her - and how it might affect the rest of the Order.

    There was no question that Betsy was a vergence in the Force. Even with her odd claims of being from a world where Jacen's family were fictional characters, her Force-strength was undeniable, as was the sense that destiny circled around her like hawkbats around a dying granite slug.

    Jacen plunged into the vortex Betsy's presence was creating, turning his farsight into an attempt to read the future.

    The vortex turned around, and Jacen found himself suddenly struggling to remain in control, as images bombarded him - not just what might be, but what might have been, he knew somehow.

    Betsy mentioned alternate timelines when she talked about where she was from ... is this something like that? Jacen wondered, focusing on the center of the vortex.

    He gasped, his own face - older, grey, with unhealthy yellow-orange eyes and a palpable sense of sorrow as well as darkness - peering back at him. The younger Jacen recoiled in horror, flickering waves of greenish energy crackling about both of them as the fabric of reality ... rippled, for lack of a better term.

    And he hit what felt like a glass window -

    ************************************************************

    The woman he sees has features similar to Mara's, but with sandy-brown hair similar to Uncle Luke's, and she's clad in a blue and white jumpsuit similar to the one Betsy wore when she first landed on Sernpidal.

    The woman's determination, however, is pure Skywalker. ... and the fiery talon she's extending across the forest clearing is no Force power Jacen has ever seen.

    The claw pierces something enormous - blue and steel, vaguely bipedal but not like any droid Jacen's ever seen - and the woman's flame grows, manifesting as a firebird.

    The bird's beak plunges into the creature's chest, while the fiery talon is echoed by another claw, and the creature howls as the woman extends both her arms, rising on a pillar of flame. She throws her head back and gives a triumphant cry, not unlike raptors Jacen has heard in the wild.

    The droid-thing erupts in a massive explosion, turning to sparks, and the woman throws her hands up, beaming. A shockwave of golden-white light lances out from her, spreading further and further. Jacen senses it may well reach the ends of the galaxy, and for some odd reason, he cries tears of joy, though he doesn't know why.

    There's music, then - a familiar tune, hummed to him when he was just a small child ... and flashes of light fill his eyes, silver and brown and accompanied by squeaky voices he can't quite make out.

    The cacophony overwhelms Jacen, but not in an unwelcome sense - it's just too much, drowning out the vision of the possible future - and he loses his grip on what he's seen.

    He trips, figuratively, falling backwards - and is hit by waves of images, like shards of broken holos:

    A teenaged human boy with buzzcut red hair and intense Skywalker-blue eyes, an army of giant droids with blue-glowing optics behind him.

    A red-haired girl with Mara's green eyes, wearing Jedi robes, shrieking angrily as she duels a smirking, brown-haired girl who holds a red blade on lavender sands.

    A feathered avian humanoid, her crest turning several shades of color as she swings a nasty-looking hook downward.

    Anakin, a little older, a shocked look on his face as he sees two Yuuzhan Vong clutching their heads and dropping ugly-looking snake-spears, two purple shadowmoths surrounding the aliens' heads.

    Tenel Ka, a grown woman and radiantly beautiful, standing over a crib and beaming at Jacen with joy.

    Something, metallic and black and feline, snarling incomprehensibly while Kyp struggles with it on a bridge over a Coruscant spacescraper chasm.

    Squibs, helping a small human boy out of a sandstorm.

    A flash of red light, coming from the gold visor of a man in a black and yellow bodyglove, surrounded by a boy made of ice, a powerfully built young man, a third youth with wings, and a red-haired girl their age, fighting a helmeted man waving around metal objects.

    Jaina, a look of tearful madness on her face as she confronts Ganner Rhysode - who, for some reason, is scarred down one side of his face.

    Tahiri - older, with odd scars, smiling warmly as she stands by a bantha who's pinned a Yuuzhan Vong warrior to the ground with one massive hoof.

    Betsy, fighting ferociously against a crowd of Yuuzhan Vong, her frown of frustration turning to pleased surprise as a shadow rises over the Vong - and several of them actually cower in horror.

    Mara, holding a blaster on a being sitting in a chair looking out a window on an icy landscape.

    Valin Horn - older, a grown man - his hands glowing with energy while a Lethan Twi'lek stands behind him, deflecting blaster bolts.

    Jacen's parents, older but still vital, talking with a stunned-looking human man wearing a rather primitive business suit in a circular room, some kind of official seal on its floor - a bird holding what looks like a quiver and a ribbon.

    Uncle Luke, grim-faced but standing his ground, as something made of pink crystal holds up a glowing hand.

    Something that looks like the misbegotten offspring of a Muun and a human, with flat nostrils and disturbing red eyes, raising a red lightsaber in a dark forest, fighting another darksider whose laugh chills Jacen with its familiarity.

    A human man, maybe in his 20s, wearing camoflague fatigues and with buzzcut red hair, handing a lightsaber to a delighted-looking brown-haired woman who kisses him deeply before igniting the weapon with an awed expression.

    A brown-haired human boy, with some kind of corrective lenses on his face and an odd forehead scar, holding a yellow lightsaber high in a green-glowing chamber.

    A Whiphid, wearing an oddly-familiar conical hat, sitting cross-legged and talking politely with shaven-headed human men wearing orange robes, as a snowstorm whips outside the cave they sit in.

    And then it all collapses back into itself, spiraling down to two points - two places where it can still all go horribly wrong.

    The first is in the future, further ahead. The scenery is strangely familiar and yet unfamiliar, full of blurry presences and mismatched machinery and life, and the screams of beasts Jacen can't identify.

    But he weeps, nonetheless, as Anakin's life blazes out of him as his younger brother sacrifices himself to fight Yuuzhan Vong - a victory, but at too high a cost, that breaks part of the future.

    The second point is in the much nearer future - and on ground Jacen finds more familiar, grassy plains amidst a thunderstorm. Anakin - closer to his current age - stands, a purple lightsaber his only defense against Yuuzhan Vong as Mara lays, exhausted, in the mud.

    A snake-spear falls, and this time, all fractures -

    ****************************************************************

    - and Jacen screamed himself out of the trance.

    SITHSPAWN! he cursed, wiping his brow and leaping to his feet as the door opened - Tenel Ka stood there, looking frightened and radiating concern.

    "Friend Jacen? You cried out, through the Force ..." the Hapan girl called, and Jacen stood shakily, grateful she'd come to his aid.

    "Tenel ... Tenna ... oh, Tenna," Jacen mumbled, unable to stop his tears - all his studies, all his hopes, all his focus ...

    It has to mean something ... doesn't it? he mourned, hugging Tenel and savoring her nearness.

    Her reality, and he walked with her into the hallway, holding her grey gaze with his brown eyes as they sat on a bench together.

    "I ... had a vision. Flashes of possible futures ... a great victory, in the end. But the path there ... Tenel ..." Jacen tried to explain - how COULD he, it sounded insane to him?

    "Jacen, whatever you saw ... I want to help, if I can," Tenel said, and Jacen looked deeply into her eyes ... seeing what he'd too long ignored.

    He hated himself as he realized, I have to ignore it a bit longer.

    "Tenel - I need to ask you a huge, critical, favor," Jacen pleaded, taking his old friend's hand in his as he summoned all his courage. "I need you to give my uncle a message - I'll record it on this ..."

    "Of course. But why would you be unable to tell him?" Tenel asked, understandable suspicion filling her voice as Jacen dug in his pocket and found a small datapad.

    He typed in the message rapidly, examining it to be sure that it was correct, then hit save and handed it to Tenel. "Because, I have to go - I have to gather information for the coming battle against the Yuuzhan Vong," Jacen tried to explain as he and Tenel stood.

    "Information - Jacen, you should talk to the Masters, if you have had a vision related to the Yuuzhan Vong," Tenel said ... an unfamiliar, and now blatantly clear, note of quiet urging in her voice.

    Jacen wanted to give in to it. To her - but he knew what he'd seen.

    Instead, he gently ran a hand down the right side of her face, said almost in a whisper, "I can't wait. And I must walk this path alone, at least for now.

    "But know this: I'll come back for you. And I've always loved you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

    Jacen kissed Tenel Ka deeply, utterly, and unreservedly, then slipped away, cloaking his Force presence as he left her behind, his heart screaming at him to turn back.

    Either I succeed ... and change those futures ... or I fail, and at least I kissed the girl I love, Jacen thought, wiping his eyes.

    He took a deep breath and stopped crying - it wouldn't help him now. It wasn't Jedi, much less befitting the eldest son of the Solo clan.

    Instead, Jacen kept moving toward the hangar and tried to remember all the slicing lessons Jaina had tried to drum into his head.

    I have to steal a shuttle ... for a solo mission, Jacen realized, smirking.

    His bad humor, at least, was intact. For right now, that - and the memory of Tenel Ka's lips on his - would have to suffice.

    -----------------------------------------------------

    - to be continued ...
     
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  14. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: The next next chapter isn't quite ready to post yet, but I wanted to update this more often than once every so often. :p

    So, something of a quick interlude; other than certain crack!ship couples' offspring :p, everyone here is a canon character (although Kolot probably wasn't a Senator for Endor in canon, Plif WAS a Senator of Arbra! :D )

    ********************************
    Interlude: 25.5 ABY:
    Cantham House, Coruscant:
    ********************************

    "He's not coming," Danielle Kieran whispered, giving her husband a sympathetic but knowing look.

    "He'll be here. If anyone is more outraged over the foot-dragging going on in the NRDF, I'd be surprised," Niall Organa gently replied, giving his soulmate a warm and winning smile. Once upon a time, that grin had gotten "The Scandal of House Organa" in trouble.

    Then his homeworld had been incinerated, and he'd later fallen in with the most unlikely woman in the galaxy.

    Danielle just arched an eyebrow, glancing about at their other guests. They'd kept this gathering quiet - Leia, of course, knew, since it'd be both bad form and outright suspicious to reserve an afternoon at the Organa family suite without telling Her Worshipfulness that her cousin and his family had come all the way Coreward from New Alderaan.

    If Leia happened to be busy dealing with the revival of her biological mother from stasis, though ... it wasn't a problem.

    Just as long as we keep this quick and quiet. Borsk might blow a vein if he figures out what we're doing, Danielle thought.

    Between the remaining House Organa intelligence assets - the ones Niall and Danielle had cultivated since falling together more than 2 decades ago, which might or might not overlap Leia's - and simple, quietly-shared chats through friends of friends, the whispers of back-room planning had spread far from even the Bothan Spynet's ears.

    Not here himself (and almost certainly being watched too closely to travel freely), Gavin Darklighter had sent Keyan Farlander, under cover of the idea that Keyan was passing along more Force lore for Niall to hone his sensitivity with (and who'd gainsay an Alderaanian noble who was also a son of Halagad Ventor of the old Jedi Order?).

    Also a Jedi of the current order, as well as a well-placed NRDF officer, Keyan had gathered fresh intel on the current crisis.

    Besides the adult Organas - their son, Raynal, was running an errand/cover by talking with some SELCORE personnel who were less than thrilled with Viqi Shesh's early steps as head of that department - and Farlander, only a handful of others were present.

    Lieda Mothma, always welcome in the Organas' holdings, was present from Chandrila, where she'd taken up refugee causes even before the current crisis, while Senator Kolot of Endor was frustrated with what he termed "clear threat to galaxy, and sentient rights, while Sovv fiddles and Fey'lya balances!"

    Likewise, Senators Plif of Arbra and Triebakk of Kashyyyk had pledged their support to whatever would be decided. The hoojibs had shared unsettling details on the slivilith which seemed eerily reminiscent of the new threat's biotechnology, while the Wookiees were as eager to fight a clear threat as they were to aid those in need.

    Finally, the doorbell rang, and Niall squinted. Danielle recognized his expression, whispering, "Another Force-user?"

    "Two. Neither one I recognize, but they're radiating openness and goodwill. Just a moment," Niall said, nodding for the guard to let the protocol droid open the door. The Organas were pleased and surprised to see who'd arrived.

    One, of course, was the unmistakeable, chiseled visage of Garm Bel Iblis. Danielle just nodded politely, quietly wondering if her fellow Corellian was here more to spite Borsk or out of actual recognition that Lieda wasn't her mother.

    The others were an unusual pair - two sandy-blonde human females, clearly mother and daughter, wearing Rimmer-looking coveralls beneath travelers' cloaks, and lightsabers at their hips. The girl, who couldn't be more than 12, smiled politely, looking a bit overwhelmed, while the woman moved with confidence and a face which Danielle finally recognized.

    "Callista Masana?" Danielle asked, extending her hand. "I'm -"

    Recognition and surprise crossed Callista's face, but she smiled as she shook Danielle's hand. "You're Danielle Kieran. The stories really are true, then," she said. "Hard to believe Han's daughter married Leia's cousin."

    "Small galaxy after all. You've regained your ability to use the light side of the Force, then?" Niall asked with hope in his tone.

    Callista nodded, her smile returning as she looked at the girl and said, "Yes, thanks to meeting my daughter's father. This is Lyska - I should clarify, I don't go by Masana any more."

    "I've been Callista Janson for quite a long while, now. Wes sends his regards, and an offer of a base on D'Qar as we coordinate what to do about the Yuuzhan Vong that the NRDF can't or won't ..."

    ******************

    to be continued ... [face_thinking]
     
  15. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Finally, getting back to updating this in a semi-timely fashion ... [face_blush]:p

    -------------------------------------------------------

    "That is why we are a team, to balance out those weaknesses, so the whole becomes stronger than the sum of the parts. But we cannot do so if none of us trusts one another. And reach out ... when there is need."

    - Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock" encouraging Alison "Dazzler" Blaire to ask for help when needed,
    Uncanny X-Men Vol. 1, issue 218

    *******************************************
    Chapter 14: 25.5 ABY: Yavin 4,
    Yavin system, Outer Rim Territories:
    *******************************************

    Whether it was the head-clearing effects of meditation, or just relief at having Rey home safe, Luke was better able to focus on the Force.

    And what he sensed ... was a sudden distance, of someone who should've been at the praxeum.

    "Tahiri, have you seen Jacen?" Luke asked, turning to the Tatooine-born apprentice while they watched Kylo tutor Rey in basic lightsaber drill.

    The blonde girl concentrated, finaly shaking her head. "Not for a while, Master. D'you want me to get the others and search the complex?" Tahiri asked.

    "Thanks, but it shouldn't take that much work," Luke tried to joke - it was very odd for Jacen to just run off, at least by himself ...

    Before he could decide how best to proceed, Lusa's voice rang over the intercom, calling, "Master Skywalker? The Falcon just arrived in-system."

    "Thanks, Lusa. Please clear them through, and let me know as soon as they arrive," Luke said, reaching out to greet Leia.

    I just hope she won't be too angry about her son's disappearance ... Jacen, what are you up to? Luke wondered.

    -----------------------------------------------
    Aboard the Millennium Falcon:
    -----------------------------------------------

    The sudden reversion to realspace was less jarring than the sense of distance Leia felt from her children as she awoke.

    Anakin and Jaina, at least, were still clear in the Force - Jaina wasn't so much actively Force-shielding as emotionally distant, but Leia hadn't wanted to push her daughter too hard on why she was keeping her distance - but Jacen was ... well, he could never entirely block Leia. They were too much alike.

    "Still, where are you?" Leia breathed, concern underlying her voice as she stirred from where she'd been napping. The trip out from Coruscant had been uneventful, but it had been night there before they'd managed to get going. Mother had reviewed more family records, and Kettch started remote training drills with a training lightsaber left over from Anakin's early training.

    Mother glanced over from where she'd been updating a database on details from the Clone Wars era, and Kettch lifted the blast visor of the helmet he'd worn to train in. Leia glanced at them, explaining, "Jacen's not at the Praxeum for some reason."

    "What?! Where'd he head off to, and why didn't Luke catch him first?" Han asked, sticking his head in from the cockpit accessway.

    "I don't get a sense that he's in danger ... but he's focused. Even more intently than usual. And maybe a bit scared, not that he'd ever admit that. But why would he leave without asking permission ...?" Leia wondered. She didn't want to upset Han any more than she needed to.

    Mother concentrated, asking, "Maybe there was a reason. Let's check with the rest of theJedi when we touch down."

    Chewie rumbled over the intercom about a call coming in from the Jedi Temple, and Leia activated the holoproj feature Anakin had wired the game table for after the last time it'd needed maintenance. Leia maintained her "Senator" face - pure sabaac - but her concern turned to fear for her son as Kam Solusar's intense gaze appeared.

    "Leia! Thank the Force. Jacen snuck out of here a few hours ago. We've got no firm idea where he might be headed, but he took an X-Wing," Kam said.

    "Which means he's moving fast, wherever he's going ... is anyone hurt?" Leia asked, relieved when Kam shook his head negatively.

    "Jacen didn't attack anyone. Luke asked me to call you before you landed - he's talking with Tenel Ka now. She was the last one to see Jacen, and thought he was desperately trying to prevent some kind of horrible future from happening. The sooner you can get down here, the better. We've got the analysis droids working on possible hyperspace routes Jacen might have taken, but you know how tricky that can be. The last heading we could verify for him was the Pinooran Spur, but that just goes out to Kushibah before dropping off. After that ... who knows?" Kam said, frowning.

    "Don't beat yourself up over it, Kam. Jacen's not given to recklessness without what he thinks is an extremely good reason. We'll be at the Praxeum in a few minutes, and we can discuss this more. Please ask Luke and Tenel Ka to meet us when we land, and also ask the quartermaster droids to prepare a private suite ... for my mother," Leia said, smiling at Padme' before looking at Kam's now-shocked expression.

    "Your - well. Right away. We got a similar request from Betsy - she and Kyp found Ahsoka Tano and Rotta the Hutt, and are inbound also. Does your mother need any sort of medical assistance?" Kam asked.

    "No, Master Solusar, but thank you," Mother said, moving within view of the holocam. A flicker of nostalgia ran through her Force presence as she added, "You do look strongly like your father. I spoke briefly with him once while we were evacuating Geonosis."

    I keep forgetting she knew so many of the old Order ... it's so natural, having here here, Leia thought, hiding a smile at Kam's shocked expression. Unsurprisingly, the slightly-older Jedi Master recovered quickly, and bowed to Padme'.

    "We look forward to speaking with you ... ah, M'Lady. My wife, Tionne, is our loremistress and chief archivist, and I'm sure she'll be thrilled to talk with you and Padawan Tano both. We'll see you soon," Kam said, signing off.

    "I appreciate the warm welcome, but I hope Jacen will be all right. At the risk of severe understatement, following Force visions can get Jedi in terrible trouble," Mother said, worry filling her presence as she put a hand on Leia's shoulder.

    "We'll get things settled at the Praxeum first, then go after Jacen," Han tried to joke, adding, "Then we'll ground him until he's 25."

    "Or at least assign him training regimens until he's that old," Leia quipped, watching Kettch go back to deflection work. The young Ewok definitely had a gift for using a lightsaber, even if he was a bit wobbly with the helmet.

    I wish more of my apprentices were so on task ... Jacen, what did you see? Leia worried.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Hyperspace: Northbound, toward the galactic frontier:
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    What if my vision was wrong?

    Jacen hoped he was, frankly. The idea that he'd have to become a Sith Lord to fight an insane, techno-organically enhanced Force-user - who was hauntingly familiar, but whose identity was just out of his grasp - horrified him.

    But so does losing my family ... to whatever's coming. I saw so many threats - those strange giant droids, that techno-organic virus, the Yuuzhan Vong ... the Sith ... Jacen worried, trying to sink into a hibernation trance - more to avoid boredom than out of a need to conserve the X-Wing's resources.

    His com-board twitterd with the familiar chirps of an astromech - in this case, R2-RP, a grey and white droid with a bland personality that Jacen actually found more pleasant than most other R-class droids. The little droid asked, Are you sure you're all right? Your vitals read high for a organic.

    "I'm troubled, I admit. I don't want to have to harm others to save the ones I love. It goes against all I've learned as a Jedi ... but the Force isn't comforting, either, like it usually is," Jacen said, blinking at the idea of sharing his worries with a droid, especially a chatty mechanic.

    You might need a debugging, if such a thing can be done for organics, RP advised, the chirps becoming worried-sounding but also supportive.

    Jacen chuckled mirthlessly, but said, "Thanks for caring, RP. But you're right. Organics can't be 'debugged' so easily. Not without violating their rights ..."

    A chilling realization hit him, running down his spine as he focused on what he'd said. All the times I've fought Anakin, trying to get him to see my point of view ... like there was something wrong with him that needed correcting ...

    Jacen felt nauseous at the idea that he wanted to dominate his younger brother ... and he thought he saw yellow-orange eyes blink back at him from his cockpit reflection, undercut by a mocking smirk.

    "I'm going to try and get some rest, RP. Wake me when we come out of hyperspace," Jacen told the astromech, before sinking into the Force.

    I just hope I find what I'm looking for at Belkadan ... and that Uncle Luke heeds the warning I left with Tenel Ka, Jacen thought, closing his eyes.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Dantooine:
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "How are those roots?" Anakin asked, watching Mara drink some more of the foul-tasting extract from the vincha root that he'd received from the native Dantari.

    Aunt Mara frowned at him, then smirked. "How do you think, Solo? You tried them too, overprotective mother nuna that you are," she teased, while they watched the primitive humanoids go about gathering foodstuffs from the Dantooine prairie.

    "It'd look bad if you got poisoned on my watch, you know. Besides, how'd I explain it to Uncle Luke? 'Well, Uncle, I let my aunt - the one you trusted me to look out for - die from some native root juice,'" Anakin joked back, glad Mara felt well enough to banter.

    She might not like it here, but I think it's done her some good, the youth thought, glancing at where some of the male Dantari were undergoing a tattooing ritual. It looked painful even from across the meadow, and Anakin didn't like the idea of undergoing scarification just as a way to prove one's bravery.

    He blinked at how relaxed he felt, how commonplace this kind of people-watching had become in the approximate week he and Mara had been planetside. There'd been a few cautious encounters with the Dantari, before Anakin and Mara made a breakthrough by trading buttons from one of Mara's jackets for firewood, and later, some extra cooking utensils for vincha roots. But otherwise, Dantooine had been hardly an adventure - which, Anakin admitted, wasn't a bad thing.

    I still miss Yavin ... and Tahiri, he thought, looking up at the mid-afternoon sky. It was a pretty blue, with thin clouds, and Dantooine's primary shining brightly in the sky.

    That was when the first reddish-white speck blazed into sight, high in the sky - followed by two or three more, and a distant sonic boom.

    "OK, that's definitely not good ... meteor shower?" Aunt Mara asked, while Anakin grabbed the macrobinoculars and the Dantari hooted and pointed, their fear filling the Force.

    Anakin focused on the blazing objects, adjusting for atmospheric glare and the white-hot albedo of their re-entry, and saw what at first looked like the meteors Aunt Mara had suggested. "Maybe that's all it is ... their approach vector won't put them down too close to us, probably a few dozen kilometers away," he said.

    Nevertheless, instinct prompted Anakin to reach out through the Force ... only to sense voids.

    He looked at Mara, who was frowning again, and Anakin said, "I felt ... or didn't feel -"

    "Me too. And I feel tired again, all of a sudden. C'mon. Time to get back to the Jade Sabre and call for help," Aunt Mara said, getting to her feet.

    "I think vacation's over. I just wish the Vong were using a different travel agent than us."

    ----------------------------------------------
    Jedi Praxeum, Yavin 4:
    ----------------------------------------------

    Amazing ...

    Padme' had seen many incredible sights over the years, but she was still awed by the accomplishment of what Luke and his students had carved from the jungle the Falcon landed in. She'd only known a bit of historical reference to the Massassi temples - Jedi history hadn't been a strong suit of hers, at least not before the Clone Wars - so the fact that a former Sith temple had been redeemed as the site of the Jedi resurgence deeply impressed her.

    He should be proud. There must be dozens of Jedi here, even if most of them are in training, Padme' thought, following Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and Kettch off of the Falcon while a crowd gathered in greeting. The air was warm and thick with the scent of plants and organic matter, but not unpleasantly so; it reminded Padme' of some of the swamps on Naboo, just with higher humidity, and the Yavin gas giant hung in the sky like a giant red ball.

    The crowd quieted as Padme' finished descending the ramp, and she tried not to feel self-conscious. They're just showing respect for their leader's mother, she reminded herself, still not feeling worthy of the looks of awe many of the Jedi gave her.

    Nevertheless, she smiled, especially when Luke made his way forward to hug her and Leia - and Padme' beamed as she saw two young children waiting among a crowd of Jedi students. "I still can't quite believe it ... Mom," Luke said, grinning. "These are Kylo and Rey, two of Mara's and my children."

    "Grandma ... ? Wow," Rey said, slowly smiling as she and Kylo stepped forward. Padme' hugged them both, a bit struck by how dark Kylo's hair was - he reminded her of Shmi in many ways, and she felt a brief pang of grief before she returned her younger grandchildren's smiles.

    "I'm so glad to meet you both. We'll talk more in a bit - Rey, I think someone else wants to see you," Padme' said, elated as Leia swept Rey and Kylo into a hug and the girl cheered with happiness.

    "I missed you so much! I want to hear all about Jakku - Kylo, don't get too far, I haven't seen you much lately, either," Leia said, chatting with the children while Padme' watched Han and Luke talk - and Luke's eyebrows rose as Kettch walked over to introduce himself.

    "An Ewok as a student? These are unusual days, indeed - and welcome, Lady Amidala-Skywalker, to Yavin 4," the man whom Padme' recognized as Kam Solusar, Ranik Solusar's son (just grown up) said, bowing politely. A light-haired woman with pearlescent eyes stood next to him, and Kam added, "This is my wife, Tionne."

    "It's an honor - and please, all of you, call me Padme'. I haven't been Naboo's Queen or Senator for a long while," Padme' asked, smiling as she shook hands and Luke and Leia introduced her to a number of Jedi Knights and Masters. The younger students were still quiet, or whispering excitedly, but their interest grew as what looked like the descendant of the Theta-class shuttles of Padme's era came in for a landing.

    "That must be Betsy and Kyp. I recognize the shuttle - and there's Tenel Ka," Luke said, nodding as a teenaged girl with red hair, a regal bearing - and only one arm - approached from the crowd, half-hidden worry still noticeable in her grey eyes.

    What happened to her? Why didn't she get a prosthetic? Padme' wondered, flashing back for a moment to a dusty, dry Geonosian hangar as she helped Anakin to stand and felt sympathetic pain for his severed right arm ...

    Leia caught Padme's concerned glance and motioned her aside, whispering, "Tenel Ka's left arm was accidentally severed in a lightsaber training accident about two years ago. She built a lightsaber with an unstable blade, and it failed just as Jacen swung at her. Then, the lightsaber exploded, and Tenel Ka's arm was unsalvagable. She's very independent, and refused to accept a prosthetic, seeing it as a crutch."

    "I'd heard stories of such things happening among the Jedi, but very rarely. She seems to have weathered it well ... is she royal?" Padme' asked, watching as Luke and Tenel Ka talked, and the girl gave Luke a datapad.

    "She's the heir to the Hapes Consortium. I almost became their Erenada until Han kidnapped me to Dathomir - long story," Leia said, returning Padme's surprised smile with a warm grin before following Han to speak with Luke and Tenel Ka.

    I guess wild courtships are in the family, Padme' considered - then, she heard an astromech's warble, a familiar noise that went from curiosity to joy.

    "Leia said they were here, but -!" Padme' whispered, laughing joyfully as the crowd parted to let an excited R2 unit roll forward, followed by a bronzium-plated protocol droid.

    "FREEWEEEP! Ardweet beweet dwee-tweet!!!" Artoo cheered, letting Padme' rub his dome in greeting while she hugged Threepio with her free arm, and some in the crowd applauded or gasped.

    "Lady Amidala, I'm honored to meet you - ah, again. I sincerely apologize for my lack of specific memories of you, but Senator Organa had me memory-wiped to preserve the secret of Mistress Leia's parentage. It is an honor to meet you, though, and Artoo remembers you clearly," Threepio said, and Padme' beamed.

    "It's all right, Threepio. It's just good to see you both again. Thank you both for all you've done for my children and grandchildren. Now, let's go see what's going on with Luke and the others," Padme' said, walking with her old friends toward where the twins, Han, Chewbacca, Rey, and Kylo were talking with Tenel Ka.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "It's OK, kid. Just go through it again, slowly," Han encouraged Tenel Ka as Leia let the princess lean on her - the poor girl felt guilty over "letting" Jacen leave, and there was a note of embarrassment to the Hapan heiress's Force presence.

    "I heard Jacen scream through the Force, Captain Solo - whatever he saw must have deeply disturbed him. I came to his doorway, and he almost stumbled outside, then we sat on the bench in the hall, and he talked. He said something about 'a great victory in the future,' but that the cost to achieve it was too high. Then, he typed a message for Master Skywalker, and asked me to give it to him," Tenel Ka explained, while Luke examined the datapad she'd given to him.

    Luke was squinting, a blend of concern, confusion, and concentration flickering behind his shields, and he nodded as he let Leia and Han read the message. "It's sparse, but ... intense," he said, while Leia read:

    Uncle,

    I've had a deep Force vision. A powerful, frightening one, caused when I meditated on Lady Braddock's Force-presence. Some of it was confusing, but enough of it was clear, a warning that I had to act upon.

    I know I'm not your equal - by far - in the Force. But I have to trust in its guidance, as you've advised. If I'm mistaken, I'll do penance later; for now, I'm heading to Belkadan to find more information on the Yuuzhan Vong.

    As to what I saw ... I'll have to discuss it with Lady Braddock and you when I return. Some of it, I suspect, only she can make sense of.

    But there are three certainties I gleaned from what I saw - three things you MUST heed:

    1. One Master, one apprentice. It's not just for Sith.

    2. There's some kind of giant-droid threat coming down the line, but I don't know how soon.

    3. Be at Dantooine - SOON - or lose the future.

    I'm sorry I ran. Please don't blame Tenel Ka - she cared enough to try and help me, and she shouldn't be punished for my damn fool crusade.

    Apologetically,

    Jacen

    "Meditating on Betsy caused this?" Leia asked, worry and fresh concern for her son mingling with curiosity and new fears - Anakin and Mara were on Dantooine ...

    Luke's confusion turned to regret, but also determination, and he concentrated before nodding as Mother reached them with Artoo and Threepio. "I have a working theory on that. But for right now, let's give Jacen the benefit of the doubt. I don't think he should've gone alone to Belkadan ... but that mention of Dantooine worries me, too," he confided, concern evident in his tone.

    "Let's top off the Falcon's systems and haul jets for Dantooine, then swing out to Belkadan. Jacen's not gonna reach the edge of the Outer Rim in a day. We might be able to beat him there once we get Anakin and Mara," Han said confidently.

    A spike of anguish filled Luke, and Leia put a hand on his shoulder as he said softly, "I want to go to Dantooine now. But something - through the Force - is nagging at me to go to Belkadan first."

    "Did you say 'Dantooine?'" a somewhat Rim-accented female voice called, and the Skywalkers and Han turned to see a middle-aged Togruta woman in a black jumpsuit stride forth, followed by Kyp, Betsy (who was back in purple Jedi robes), and an adolescent Hutt. "There haven't been Jedi there for millennia."

    "A good point ... Ahsoka Tano?" Luke asked, surprised. The Togruta smiled, bemusement and memories flowing from her through the Force, and she looked intently at Luke for a moment.

    "I remember bottle-feeding you on Nar Shaddaa ... we've got a lot to talk about, Master Skywalker. Yeah, I'm Ahsoka Tano, your father's ex-Padawan," Ahsoka said, shaking first Luke's hand, then Leia and Han's, before doing a double-take at Mother and becoming wide-eyed.

    "Ahsoka ... I'm so glad to see you alive," Mother said, hugging the former Padawan as the Togruta laughed, happily.

    "Senator - ! Obi-Wan told me - well, I'm glad he was wrong, this once. This is so great! You remember Rotta? He's grown some since that mess with Ziro," Ahsoka almost gushed, and Mother smiled as Rotta shook her hand.

    "Chorbuda arfresca dormolo meeska," the young Hutt said, bowing, and Mother returned the gesture, while Ahsoka's face lit up at the sight of Artoo and Threepio.

    "DWEETTWEET! Ardweet dwoop weet!" Artoo cheered, rolling over to and around Ahsoka. She laughed, kneeling to hug the astromech, and stood to clap Threepio on the shoulder.

    "Thank you - ah, Padawan Tano. I must confess, it is confusing, but most kind, to be greeted in such fashion," Threepio said, and Leia gave Han a warning look while he fought a smirk.

    "What? You gotta admit, Princess, this is a little strange. The Professor's being treated like he's the royal," Han pointed out.

    "There's clearly many stories we've yet to hear, Han. Let's just be happy for Mother and Ahsoka, and focus on getting the kids and Mara back safely," Leia said.

    She felt guilty, then, that she hadn't thought of Jaina during all the reunions, and she reached out for her daughter through the Force - only to get a sense of deep concentration, and fierce elation.

    She's on the hunt, Leia realized, giving Jaina some space ... and trying to repress her own concerns about the distance between them. Logically, Leia knew Jaina was safe on Centax II, training with Rogue Squadron, but there were more threats than just physical ones.

    Or maybe I'm worried that she's finding her independence ...?

    ----------------------------------------------------
    Centax II Flight Range,
    Coruscant System, Core Worlds:
    ----------------------------------------------------

    Not NOW, Mother ...

    Jaina shoved down her guilt as she put her X-Wing through another slalom of ancient pillars of moonrock - she'd had to shield from Jacen's frightening flare of panic earlier, and it tore at Jaina that she couldn't go off to find out what was going on with her twin.

    But I made a commitment, and signed on with the NRDF. Rogue Squadron's putting a lot of faith in me, after the scores I racked up at Dubrillion, and I can't desert to go after Jasa ... or let Mother pester me, she thought, pushing the snubfighter toward the targeting range.

    Drones popped up, accompanied by low-power blaster flak that couldn't do more than singe the paint on the X-Wing - but Jaina wasn't about to burn hangar time redoing this ship's paint job. The astromech assigned to her, R2-B3, squealed in protest as Jaina danced between energy streams and spun to destroy drones, coming close several times to the edge of the canyon walls.

    "Sorry, Beethree, but I have to do my best," Jaina tried to reassure the droid as she completed the testing course and brought the ship into the hangar.

    Your best shouldn't require me getting scraped against a turbolaser turret, Beethree complained on Jaina's com board, and she raised an eyebrow before disembarking from the X-Wing to let the mechanics check the ship over.

    "You look fine to me," Jaina shot back at the red and white astromech as he was off-loaded, and she thanked the Duros chief mechanic before heading for the locker room. Glad to be out of there ... maybe I can call Yavin, get a better idea of what's going on -

    One of the other trainees brushed past Jaina, roughly, as she removed her helmet, and she frowned as she heard a whispered, "Jedi princess."

    Don't let it bug you ... you know not everybody's going to like you. Especially since you're Princess Leia and Han Solo's Jedi daughter ... Jaina reminded herself, still glancing over her shoulder to see who'd spoken. She saw a human man, maybe a few years older than her, his brown hair cut military-short and his ice-blue eyes narrowing as he caught her gaze.

    "Private Solo?" Jaina heard, and she called on the Force to keep herself from blushing as she turned to salute Colonel Darklighter. Brilliant, dumb-shebs, ignore your commanding officer ...

    "Sir - sorry, sir. I was just -" Jaina tried to explain, but the colonel glanced past her, frowned, then nodded for Jaina to follow him into the hallway.

    "Don't let Sterhath get to you, Jaina. He's from Makem Te; there's still a strong pro-Imp sentiment there. It's one of those Rim-rocks where they've never quite declared for the New Republic, and still think 'order' has to be maintained by marching in jackboots and excusing bigotry with propaganda. He got shuffled in based on skill, and as long as he flies well and keeps out of trouble, I'd rather not write him up," Colonel Darklighter tried to reassure her, and Jaina thanked him.

    "I can handle a little disapproval, sir. Part of a democracy is learning to live with people who disagree with you," Jaina said, both grateful for the colonel's support and a little curious as to the edginess coming from him.

    He smiled a bit, nodding. "You've picked up more from your mother than you might want to admit. I have some news from Yavin I thought you should see first," the colonel said, handing Jaina a datapad.

    She scrolled through it, her eyebrows raising as she read aloud, "'Gavin, Tyria ... Jacen took off ... Lady Amidala is Master Skywalker's mother! ... Vader had a Jedi Padawan? ...' Wow. Leave for a day and things get busy."

    Worry filled Jaina at the news about Jacen, and she reached through the twinbond, trying to find him - he was still alive, she was sure, but moving away from her.

    Literally or metaphorically? part of her wondered, feeling sad and overwhelmed for a second until she concentrated, remembering Mara's lessons, and handed the datapad back to Colonel Darklighter. She couldn't give in to despair, especially not with other people counting on her.

    "Thanks, sir. I appreciate the news - but I'd like to request permission to stay here. I'm sure that whatever reason Jacen has for leaving the Praxeum, it must be serious, at least in his mind. And I want to help where I can do the most," Jaina asked.

    And I don't want special treatment, she pleaded inwardly, while the colonel looked at her for a long moment before nodding.

    "You're a credit to your family, Private. And I understand about not wanting to stand out from the rest of the squad. Go and get cleaned up, get some rest. I have a feeling that we'll get going sooner than later," Colonel Darklighter said, returning Jaina's salute.

    Jaina went to get changed, and looked out through one of the mag-con fields at the starlight flickering over Centax II's desolate surface as she passed the hangar. I think so, too, sir, she thought, trying to focus on the moment, like Master Yoda had advised Uncle Luke.

    I just wonder how the old Order Jedi would've dealt with an enemy they couldn't sense through the Force ...

    ----------------------------------------

    - to be continued ...
     
    caspian1a likes this.
  16. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: DRL's been keeping me busy, but - time for another update. :)

    ---------------------------------------------------

    "... Ask me, she's proved herself -- an' them some. If it's what she wants ... she's an X-Man."

    "It's very much what I want, my friend. If there are no objections."

    - Logan, the Wolverine, vouching for Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock's earning her place
    among the X-Men, and Psylocke's response,
    Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, # 214

    ************************************************
    Chapter 15: 25.5 ABY:
    Jedi Praxeum, Yavin 4, Outer Rim Territories:
    ************************************************

    "One thing I know with absolute certainty: We can't sit here paralyzed by possibilities. The time for action is now," Luke said, finishing a quick meal as he, Leia, Han, Rey, Kylo, Padme', Chewie, Betsy, Ahsoka, Rotta, and the droids sat around his office.

    Betsy nodded, nibbling at a patty of roast nerf in tik'kla sauce; she was grateful for a chance to rest and recharge, especially after the chaos of fleeing Nal Hutta. Hope I don't end up with a price on my head. Killing Smorgasborga wasn't an outcome I wanted for the mission to find Ahsoka and Rotta, the telepath thought, glancing as Leia watched Rotta with equal measures of guilt and curiosity.

    The adolescent Hutt smiled at the princess and said, "Cheboda abreska toodoo tormala, Mahdra Leiskaya. Norba abredee morda Jabba chooboodoo."

    "Mistress Leia, Master Rotta asks you not to feel guilty over the death of his father. He appreciates your concern, but recognizes that Lord Jabba was a criminal, and you needed to do what you did to escape," Threepio said, trying to be helpful.

    "Thank you, Rotta. I never meant to orphan anyone," Leia said, relaxing a little as Han squeezed her shoulder.

    "What I'm wondering is, where were you while Zorba tried to make a play for your dad's fortune?" Han asked Rotta.

    "Ah. Meborskooda a choodo torska mordu pedunkiee jabreeska," Rotta said, and Ahsoka nodded before speaking.

    "As a juvenile Hutt, Rotta wasn't eligible to represent himself in the kadijic courts. And my responsibility was to keep him safe, first and foremost. You know what Hutt clan warfare is like. Where there's money involved, especially the kind of cash Jabba had, the smart play was to keep our heads down and let the clan heads fight it out. Jabba skimmed enough off the top of his spice operations to leave Rotta a nice little trust fund funneled to a few different banks the Empire couldn't touch," Ahsoka explained.

    "And you've been using that money to fund your efforts to fight the Treaty of Vontor? It's a 25,000-year-old agreement binding the Klatooinians, Vodrans, and Nikto to the Hutts Council of the Ancients. Overthrowing a tradition of slavery that old isn't a simple matter," Leia asked.

    Rotta nodded, frowning as he replied, "Arudooa shagla trebooskie lybardara totomosta abrunkie."

    "Rotta knows that, Your Highness. But he and I have both seen the cruelty of the slavery system the Hutts practice. You've been there - you know just because a practice has been in place for millennia that it doesn't make it right. And ... I guess I tried to help Rotta to try and keep fighting for the principles of a Jedi, even when I couldn't safely take up my lightsabers," Ahsoka said, growing a little sad by the end.

    "Stupid Hutts. Maybe Aunt Leia'll get a chain and -" Kylo started, quieting when Luke gave him a disapproving frown and Rey shussh-ed her brother.

    "Don't make 'em send us to eat with the little kids, Kylo!" Rey insisted, and Luke tried not to laugh - they were being ordinary kids, which heartened him.

    I'm glad again that we didn't send them away ... but the First Order still struck at them. We can't let the Yuuzhan Vong get here, either, Luke thought, watching as his mother reassured Ahsoka.

    "You have to do what you can, where you can," she encouraged, but Ahsoka looked guiltily at the former senator.

    "Even if it meant not having the courage to confront Anakin when I could? Obi-Wan said he understood, the day he came to Nar Shaddaa to sell Grievous' bomber and get passage to Tatooine, but ... I've been haunted by what-ifs. Still am, sometimes," the Togruta woman said, finishing her plate of roast thimiar.

    Luke looked intrigued, and Ahsoka smiled at him before saying, "Like I said, 'little Skyguy,' I bottle-fed you while Obi-Wan visited. I think you've turned out OK - a little sloppy, here and there, with the new Jedi, but better that than Master Windu's attitude or the old Order's stuffiness."

    "I've read up on the 'no attachments' philosophy, both in the holocrons and this - I'd like to ask that it remain here, but you're welcome to look at it," Luke said, reaching for a book with somewhat frayed pages and a blue-leather-looking cover, marked with a silver spike and wings on either side of it. He handed the tome to Ahsoka, who brightened considerably while she flipped through the pages, nostalgia pouring from her in the Force.

    "My copy of The Jedi Path! Where did you find this?! I was sure the Empire wiped out all of this during the Purge!" Ahsoka exclaimed, smiling at Luke.

    "Squib prospectors found it in the ruins of Byss after Palpatine's final defeat, and they were kind enough to let me trade for it. It's come in handy in explaining many of the missing, day-to-day pieces of the old Order's practices, helping to clarify some of the more uncertain aspects of what's in the holocrons we've recovered. And, given that Father and Obi-Wan were among the Jedi who wrote in it, it's got a certain sentimental value," Luke said, returning Ahsoka's smile as she let Padme' and Leia look over her shoulders.

    "I can understand. Look ... the heat'll be pretty high on Nal Hutta for a while. It'll be safer for Rotta and I to make ourselves scarce from there. If you want, I could help your loremistress and battlemaster with some tips and historical stuff. And it'd be nice to spend some time with the Senator again," Ahsoka offered, nodding at Padme'.

    "We'd be very grateful, Ahsoka. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need, you and Rotta both. But - Mother, what are your plans?" Luke asked Padme' while she handed the copy of The Jedi Path back to Ahsoka.

    "Staying with my family, of course. I want to see Naboo again, but I've got decades worth of catching up to do, with you and Leia, and the grandchildren. Which brings us back to what you were saying earlier, Luke - who's going where to help Anakin, Mara, and Jacen?" Padme' asked.

    Luke nodded, starting to speak until his desk's holocomm activated. Streen's face appeared, and the weathered prospector looked embarrassed while he said, "Sorry to interrupt, Master. But we've got an emergency call from Dubrillion."

    "Dubrillion - Lando?" Han asked, glancing at Leia, while Luke became more serious and nodded at Streen. Betsy paid close attention, watching the holoimage shift into that of an older, dark-skinned man with a well-trimmed moustache and still-thick hair.

    It's really him - just older, obviously, she thought, as Lando Calrissian gave Luke a polite nod, and smiled thinly when Leia, Han, and Chewbacca moved into view of the holocam.

    "Hey, all. I didn't get any of you on Coruscant, so I figured trying the Praxeum was the next best bet. I'll keep this quick, since we're having communications problems. Our new, unwelcome neighbors are playing games out in the asteroid belt. The Yuuzhan Vong are back, harassing outbound ships, and they've been probing our defenses," Lando said, sounding - to Betsy - unusually desperate.

    Luke looked worried, while Leia and Han exchanged glances and Chewie rumbled with what Betsy could now tell was concern. "What can we do, Lando? Just let us know," Leia asked.

    Lando gave her a grateful look and said, "We have to evacuate as quick as we can, especially with how vicious we've seen these Vong to be. Trick is, how do we get an entire planet's population out of here while dealing with an enemy whose tech we're still figuring out."

    "You need ships and military cover ... the former, we can probably gather. The latter ... who gets to go holler at Borsk?" Han said, shaking his head.

    "Danni Quee's spoken to the Senate. I'll contact Plif and see how far the investigation into the NRI data mismanagement business has gone. But I don't know how far we can rely on Borsk, Han. Lando, we'll do whatever we can to get you a fleet to evacuate the refugees, and planets to evacuate them to. We'll leave immediately," Leia promised the baron-administrator.

    "Leia, is there anything I can do? I've helped with refugee evacuation before," Padme' asked, moving to within visual range of the holocam. Lando raised an eyebrow, smiling curiously, and Padme nodded to him as she added, "Baron-Administrator. My daughter and son-in-law have spoken highly of you."

    "The honor's mine, ah - wait, daughter?" Lando asked, looking at Leia with momentary surprise.

    Leia's smile became amused as she said, "This is Padme' Amidala-Skywalker, Lando - my mother. We found her unharmed in stasis on Polis Massa."

    Lando blinked his surprise away, giving Padme' the smile Betsy remembered from Empire Strikes Back, and said, "Your - ah, Highness. The honor is all mine. Welcome back to the galaxy. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And please, call me Lando."

    Padme' didn't miss a beat, smiling sincerely. "Then by all means, please call me Padme'. As Leia said, we'll head for Dubrillion as soon as we can," she said, and Lando nodded before cutting the connection.

    Padme' glanced at Leia, then, and said softly, "I don't mean to cut in. I'll follow your lead when we get where we're going."

    "That's all right. I appreciate any advice you can give - especially since I'm not sure how we're going to do this logistically. Dubrillion has millions of people on it, and if we can't roust the New Republic to help evacuate it - or help cover the evacuation ..." Leia worried, trailing off.

    Han rubbed her shoulders and said, "Hey, Princess, we'll pull this off. You've got me, Chewie, your mom ..."

    "Cheebooda! Abeeska shieda normolo!" Rotta interjected, and Ahsoka smiled proudly at the young Hutt as Threepio waved his arms.

    "Oh! Master Rotta is offering to donate his fleet to the evacuation efforts!" Threepio translated, and Ahsoka nodded.

    "It's not much, but we've got a few freighters we use. Most of our operations use local troops, so we don't have a lot of need for inter-system transport, but we can get them to Dubrillion within a few days," Ahsoka offered.

    "Thank you, both of you. It's a start. But - what about Anakin and Mara and Jacen?" Leia worried.

    Betsy concentrated, a gut instinct pulling at her, and she stood, determination filling her expression. "I'll go to Dantooine. Kyp taught me the basics of flying a Lambda-class shuttle, and so long as I have a navigator, I can get there. I have a ... feeling that I need to go there, anyhow," Betsy tried to explain.

    Luke smiled at her, nodding. "Follow your instincts - thanks, Betsy. We'll have a Lambda prepared for you, and we can get one of the spare astromechs out of the fighter pool to help with navigation. If you can check on Mara and Anakin, that'd be a huge help. And it's helped me decide on my own course of action - I'll go to Belkadan to try and rendezvous with Jacen. Once we've gathered everyone, we can meet at Dubrillion and try to assist with the evacuation. I'll ask Kam if he can keep filling in here," he said, standing.

    "And I'll ask Elegos if he can come with us. The more negotiators we have, especially when we're looking for planets to accept the Dubrillion refugees, the better. A Caamasi on our side can only help matters. I'll check with Plif, too," Leia said, activating her comlink as the group said farewells and headed for their ships.

    My first solo mission for the Jedi ... well, I thought being in Star Wars would be exciting. I guess I should've been careful what I thought I'd find myself in, Betsy figured, following Luke to the hangar complex.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Arbran Embassy, Senate District, Coruscant, Core Worlds:
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ~Unfortunately, Leia, the investigation into whether Borsk misappropriated NRI data is being stalled in the advisory council, on 'jurisidictional bounds.' Pwoe threw a fit over whether Triebakk had the right to call a Senate vote to probe the matter. But I'll be skinned and made into slippers before I let Dubrillion be ravaged on my watch. I'll get you help, somehow,~ Plif promised, using a psionic transducer to turn his telepathy into a comm-signal.

    "Whatever you can do, Plif, thank you. We've got a bunch of brush fires out here," Leia said, concern obvious in her tone.

    Plif nodded, asking, ~Is there anything else I can do? My position on the Commerce Committee pertains mostly to interstellar trade, but you know any competent Senator has friends in many different places in the Senate.~

    Leia sighed and nodded. "I'm worried about Mara and Anakin on Dantooine. If the Yuuzhan Vong show up there - her sickness seems to be related to the Vong, somehow, and Anakin's only a 15-year-old boy. Gifted and brave, but ... he's my youngest, Plif. I want to go and get him and Mara out of there, but I can't abandon Lando and his people, either," she said softly.

    Plif furrowed his brow, considering the problem before an idea crossed his mind. ~I think I have a mutual friend whom I can make an inquiry to. I can't go into more detail - I'm sorry, I've got to go. Urgent appointment. Call me when you hear more?~ he asked, tapping the "admit" key on his desk's comsuite to tell his droid secretary to let his visitors in.

    "Will do. Thank you, Plif," Leia said. Her image faded as the door opened, and Plif smiled inwardly as his 13:00-hour appointment arrived.

    ~Senator Rohb ... and, ah, your staff, I see,~ Plif greeted the four young Zeltron men who entered the office and bowed.

    "Senator Plif. My father, Bahb, sends his greetings. These are my friends and staffers, Jihm, Mahrt'n, and Ryhl," the Zeltron Senator said, smiling as his retinue shook Plif's paw. "Their Majesties send their deepest regards, and asked me to let you know that we'll do whatever we can to help fight the Yuuzhan Vong. Especially if it involves entertainment - morale assistance, maybe?"

    ~We might just need that, Senator. At the moment, I'd like to ask for Zeltron help in evacuating Dubrillion. They need all the ships they can get,~ Plif sent, glancing at the doorway as a Zeltron woman in a sleeveless navy-blue bodysuit walked in - and he blinked as she smiled warmly.

    "Been too long, Plif. When I heard there was a diplomatic mission to see you, I asked the King and Queen to let me accompany Rohb and his friends. I've ... been busy, but I should've called long ago," she said, letting Plif leap to her shoulder.

    ~Dani! I'm so glad to see you! How have you been?~ the hoojib Senator asked, moving to Dani's hands as she cupped them to give Plif a place to sit.

    A shadow crossed Dani's face, and Plif worried he'd probed too deeply. Dani had suffered horrific torture at the hands of the Nagai warrior Den Siva during the Nagai invasion, a relatively short time after the Rebel Alliance's victory over the Emperor at Endor. And it hadn't helped that her true love, Kiro of Iskalon, had asked their mutual friends to keep his survival a secret as he fought to free his homeworld.

    "The first few years weren't easy, I admit. You know how hard it can be for a Zeltron who suffers extreme trauma. But I've had help ... I got Luke's message," Dani said, nodding toward the doorway with a growing smile, her heart soaring as two more humanoids walked in.

    The first was a tall, orange-skinned, blond man, wearing a rebreather suit with a transparent helmet, a lightsaber dangling from his belt. Beside him stood a girl, maybe in early adolescence, with shoulder-length blonde hair, green eyes, pinkish skin, and gills on either side of her neck, but no helmet.

    ~KIRO! You found each other!? This is amazing! And - by the trees - who's this?~ Plif asked, hopping to Kiro's shoulder as the Chukhyvi man smiled, nodding at the girl to shake Plif's paw.

    "Dani's and my daughter, DaKira. Like myself, she's Force-sensitive, and has asked to study at Luke's Praxeum. It sounds like we can do more than just reunite with old friends, though. We've heard rumors from Outer Rim traders ... what are these 'Yuuzhan Vong,' Plif?" Kiro asked.

    "And is it true that they're torturing innocent people?" Dani added, frowning with a bit of her old steel while she put a protective hand on her daughter's shoulder.

    ~They're definitely dangerous - serious trouble. But now that we've got your kind of help, it may be trouble we can try to head off. Rohb, let's discuss what assistance Zeltros can provide, and then I need to make a call to another old friend,~ Plif said, comming his secretary to prepare snacks and beverages.

    ~I'm going to have to get my paws a little dirty. But that's not a bad thing ...~

    -------------------------------------------
    Yavin 4: Cafeteria:
    -------------------------------------------

    "You gonna eat that?" Jysella asked, and Valin Horn let his little sister have half of his sandwich; he wasn't really that hungry.

    I'm worried about Dad. I know he's smart and stuff, but he's been gone for days ... with Ganner ... all the way out by the Remnant. And these Yuuzhan Vong sound dangerous. They even killed Miko Reglia, the 12-year-old boy thought, thanking his friend Sannah as she passed him a pitcher of shuura juice and smiled at him gently.

    "Things'll be OK, Valin. I mean, if Master Skywalker's mother could come back from all those years in stasis, and Master Skywalker found Rey, then that's got to be a good sign!" the Melodie girl tried to encourage him.

    "Hmph. Be better if we had a fleet of battle cruisers," Seff Hellin muttered. Valin frowned at him, while Jysella looked scared, and Seff shrugged before saying, "Hey, protecting the rugrat from the reality of the galaxy isn't gonna help her when she's out there saber-swinging."

    "Years from now, Seff. 'Sides, I've been out there 'saber-swinging,' and the Masters aren't going to let us get in over our heads," Tahiri lectured Seff. Valin returned the Tatooine girl's smile; she had gone on adventures with Anakin and Masters Tionne and Ikrit. If anyone knew what the wider galaxy was like, Tahiri at least had a good idea.

    <Guys, look!> Bazel Warv squealed, pointing at the entrance to the cafeteria. Valin followed his Ramoan friend's gesture, waving at Master Tionne as she walked in and greeted them.

    Beside her ... was a small Ewok, and Valin blinked as he sensed the Force flowing through the new kid.

    "Children, this is Kettch, son of Kolot, the Endorian Senator. He's Force-sensitive, and his father agreed to let him study to be a Jedi. I'd like you to make him welcome," Master Tionne said, and Valin helped Kettch onto the bench beside him.

    "Yub. Thanks. Your dad Corran? He friends with Wraiths. My Aunt Kirney know him," Kettch said in pretty good Basic.

    "Yeah - wow! An Ewok Jedi! It's good to meet you," Valin said, smiling as Kettch shook hands and greeted everyone else. "If you need any help, let us know, OK?"

    "Thanks! Yub. Big temple. Jungle different from woods back home," Kettch said, smiling, "You meet Padawan Ahsoka? Yub. She friendly."

    "Not yet ... can you imagine, being Vader's apprentice? I mean, what must it've been like?" Seff wondered, frowning when Yaqueel Saav'etu rolled her eyes at him.

    "She wasn't Vader's apprentice, dumb-shebs. I looked in the archives, and she was Anakin Skywalker's Jedi Padawan. She left the old Order before he went ... dark," the Bothan girl said, watching her words as Jysella listened closely.

    "And she looked out for a Huttlet. Rotta was polite when I talked to him - I don't understand much Huttese, but he seemed nice," Valin said, helping Jysella pour some shuura juice.

    Seff smirked at him and said, "Maybe that's what the Masters should do to the weaker initiates, give them to the Hutts."

    "Not. EVEN. Funny, Seff," Tahiri warned.

    "Yeah, Hellin. You'll never catch me working for a Hutt," Valin vowed, turning to listen to Kettch talk about Endor with Barv and Yaqueel.

    ---------------------------

    to be continued ... [face_thinking]
     
    caspian1a likes this.
  17. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: A big update, here - as promised elsewhere, an attempt to move the plot along a bit faster ... [face_blush]

    Allies gather, some old characters make new connections, and there's a fateful comm-call which may be the spark of Resistance ... ;)

    ------------------------------------------------------------

    "... but I also have a psychic sense of both other X-Men and the whole of X-Factor on the island."

    "All RIIIIIIGHT! Now we'll see who kicks whose butt!"

    - Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock locating allies, and J.E. "Rictor" Richter's response,
    Uncanny X-Men, vol. 1, issue # 271

    --------------------------------------------------------------
    Chapter 16: 25.6 ABY: Belkadan,
    Outer Rim Territories, Extreme Galactic North:
    --------------------------------------------------------------

    Much as Jacen had expected, the voids in the Force that he'd come to associate with Yuuzhan Vong were obvious even at orbital distance from Belkadan, although there also were flickers of life.

    What he hadn't anticipated was that the world's atmosphere would read as breathable to his X-Wing's long-range sensors.

    Is it actually possible that they've restored the biosphere to something human-compatible in just two weeks? That's an amazing degree of biotechnical control ... or a scary degree ... he thought, making sure the X-Wing's reentry pattern looked as natural as possible. He wanted to try and allay any danger instincts from the Yuuzhan Vong who were almost certainly looking for incoming craft.

    THIS IS A TERRIBLE LANDING, R2-RP complained, but Jacen just smiled and shook his head. The astromech's complaint was valid - the descent would've been better if he'd exerted a little more effort, but that would risk drawing attention he didn't want.

    "Would you rather deal with Yuuzhan Vong ships?" he replied, chuckling at the electronic BLAAT of a reply over the intercom and bringing the X-Wing to a halt near the former ExGal facility.

    Scanners suggest it is breathable ... still, better not to take any chances, Jacen figured, removing his helmet and trading it for a breath mask. He popped the canopy and climbed down from the ship, telling RP, "Stay close if you do disembark, and keep gathering atmospheric and energy data. We might have to blast out quickly."

    "Frewedwoot," the grey and white R2 unit replied, a little gloomily. Jacen didn't deny the droid had a point - especially when the young Jedi learner approached the ExGal facility and found a grim sight awaiting him.

    Someone had destroyed a large amount of electronic equipment, not just communications gear, but also personal items. The most disturbing part of the debris was a ruined R5 astromech, with its head missing ... and replaced with a human skull, that had rainbow wires coming out of its eyes and mouth.

    Someone definitely doesn't like technology ... Jacen figured, a little calmer once the atmospheric scanner confirmed there were no exotic viruses or trace poisons in the air. He removed his breath mask and half-closed his eyes while he moved into the facility, trying to get a better sense of the local Force.

    Jacen's unsettled sensation returned when he sensed what he thought were humans ... but their Force-presences were diminshed, like they were ill, or blurred. Strangely enough, Jacen almost thought he recognized the sensation.

    Frequency shift - like two overlapping frequencies distorting each other? he wondered, wishing that Anakin or Jaina were on hand to help him make more sense of the feeling. What Jacen could be sure of was that there were Yuuzhan Vong out in the distance.

    He headed back to the X-Wing, calling, "RP? Start offloading the supplies. We're going to camp out for a while, and try to get a better sense of what's going on."

    "Dwoooo reweep freweetweedt," RP complained, but the little droid obeyed nevertheless, leaving his socket while Jacen started to dig out the camping gear.

    Better set up camp, and be prepared for whatever comes my way ...

    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    Jedi Courier Shuttle Pydyr Spire, outbound
    toward Dantooine, crossing the Hydian Way:
    --------------------------------------------------------------------

    Mara, I hope you and Anakin are all right ... because I'm not sure I'll be all right ...

    Betsy shushed her feelings of insecurity; she'd lifted off of Yavin without incident, and made the hyperspace jump to Dantooine without problems. The little red and brown astromech droid she'd been assigned had handled the astrogation, so everything seemed all right.

    Except that I'm feeling some kind of ... disturbance ... yes, in the Force, Betsy thought, trying to meditate as she'd been taught. The trip out to Dantooine was going to take at least a day, given the distance from Yavin, and she wanted to see if she could find any clues to getting back to Earth.

    "Twoo-dweedwoot?" the astromech - R4-NL, but with an R2's domed head instead of the cone that most R4 droids had - chirped curiously, prompting Betsy to open one eye and look at the droid with a friendly smirk.

    "I suppose you're right. I'm too bloody keyed up to really concentrate. I suppose I'm still getting used to all this, flying from one end of the galaxy to another, learning to use a lightsaber, meeting aliens and fighting Hutts and traveling with droids ... it's a wonderful time, and I'd not trade it. Except I miss my home," Betsy tried to explain.

    She almost felt silly, wondering how a droid could understand her feelings until Betsy remembered Artoo and Threepio. Artoo's almost like a person, and Threepio cares - even if he doesn't quite understand humanoids like Artoo does, she reminded herself, smiling as R4-NL rolled over from the navigating station.

    "Dwooo. Ardweet freebweep," the little droid warbled, and Betsy patted his dome gratefully.

    "Thanks for caring, NL - you really need a name, I think. You remind me of a fellow X-Man of mine ... I know! From henceforth, you will be known as 'Neal,' after Neal Shaara. He was an excellent listener, also, and a a dear," Betsy pronounced, laughing as Neal rocked side to side and tweedled happily.

    One good thing about all this: I'm making many good friends. I suspect I'll need all of them, if the Yuuzhan Vong are as terrible as Luke and the others warned me ...

    ----------------------------------------------------
    Dubrillion, Outer Rim Territories:
    ----------------------------------------------------

    "Talk about a mess ..." Han muttered, bringing the Falcon in for a landing, while Leia shook her head at the tableau of Dubrillion's capital. Entire towers had blast holes in them, and the sense of despair roiling through the Force gnawed at her as she reinforced her shields.

    "The people are feeling desperate ... frightened," she mumbled, thanking Han when he hit the ramp switch - he knew she'd want to be the first off. Bolphur, Leia's latest Noghri bodyguard, complained a bit, and Leia let him lead the way down as two human men in body armor preceded Lando to the landing pad.

    "Wish I had a better welcome, Leia - Han, Chewie! Glad to see you're OK; I heard about Sernpidal. Can't wait to meet Lady Braddock and thank her for making sure you got out of there," Lando said, kissing Leia's cheek and clapping Han and Chewie on their shoulders. The former baron-administrator's stress and frustration were clear to Leia through the Force, though, and she returned Han's querying glance as they followed Lando into the city.

    "Lando, what's been going on? The Vong are strafing this place?" Han asked.

    Lando commed for a speeder and nodded, his facade fading to reveal some of his annoyance and worry. "We've got weapons emplacements - and we managed to get some civilians out on transports, before the Vong started picking off the occasional transport headed outbound. They've got some kind of command ship hidden out in the asteroids. Those damn coralskippers harass departing ships, and make raids down here. Unless we get some heavy firepower culling the asteroid belt, they're going to pick and pick at Dubrillion until nothing's left - or they land troops," he said.

    He glanced at Leia, but she just shook her head. "I wish I had more solid news. But I don't know how soon - or even if - NRDF forces will arrive to do something about the Vong fleet. We have better news about help for the evacuation, and Mother went with Elegos, Danni Quee, and Threepio to Agamar to ask for assistance," she said.

    Lando raised an eyebrow when Leia mentioned her mother. "We can discuss more of the situation here after we catch up on the news. I remember stories about Senator Amidala from when Han and I were kids - how is she still alive?" he asked, a shadow of his usual rogueishness returning to his voice.

    "It's still amazing to me, Lando," Leia said, starting to explain as the speeder arrived. She glanced upward, wondering for a moment how things were going with the mission to Agamar.

    Whatever you can bring to the table, Mother, faster is better ...

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Calna Muun, capital of Agamar, Outer Rim Territories:
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Padme' had agreed to accompany Danni Quee, Threepio, and Elegos A'Kla - the Caamasi representative from Quence Sector, and a kind sentient who was a good friend of Leia's - to seek help from worlds which might take in refugees. It was also a good chance to gather her thoughts.

    "... my most sincere thanks, Madame Speaker, for your allowing us to address your council," Senator A'Kla said, as Padme' sat beside Danni Quee, and Threepio stood beside them, in a box set aside for those addressing the Agamarian Senate. The entire chamber was decorated in fine woods in an oceanic theme, and Padme' smiled wistfully as she remembered the Lake Country and Naboo's seas.

    Still, I couldn't abandon this mission. We need to rally as much aid as we can for Dubrillion. I can see Naboo again soon enough, she thought, returning the kind nod from Agamar's executive officer, a dark-haired human woman in her mid-20s, who'd been talking with Senator A'Kla.

    "The honor is ours, Senator. We've a strong tradition of opening our doors to those in need, and some of the reports we've been receiving even before your visit suggest we should prepare to help. I recognize C-3PO from the historical holos, of course - who are the rest of your party?" the Speaker asked.

    "Danni Quee, an exobiologist with the ExtraGalactic Society ... and the only survivor of the calamity at Belkadan, weeks ago, and Padme' - ah, Naberrie, an ... ah, volunteer from Naboo," Senator A'Kla said, remembering to use Padme's birth name as she'd requested.

    I'm probably being ridiculous, but I still haven't had a chance to figure out how to explain my past to the rest of the galaxy. "Vader's widow" would sensationalize what we're trying to do ... but I'd better figure it out sooner than later, Padme' reminded herself. She stood, bowing to the Speaker, and returned her smile as Danni stood nervously and also bowed.

    "Dr. Quee - my deepest condolences on your loss. When you're ready, I promise, we'll give you our full attention. And Ms. Naberrie - what brings you all the way out here from Naboo?" the Speaker asked, giving Padme' a curious look.

    "Just wanting to help those in need, Madame Speaker. I can't stand by, in good conscience, and refuse to help those who are threatened by these Yuuzhan Vong," Padme' said.

    The Speaker nodded, but still looked at Padme' like she should know her. "Your commitment is admirable. Dr. Quee, we'll let Senator A'Kla do the introduction, then you'll have the floor," the Agamarian woman said, and Danni thanked her as Senator A'Kla started to speak.

    "Mistress Padme', I still don't understand why you declined to address the Agamarian Senate. From the archive footage of your addresses to the Galactic Senate I now have restored to my memory banks, you would be an excellent persuasive voice," Threepio asked - mercifully, more quietly than he usually was.

    "I'm still trying to find my place in all this, Threepio. For right now, it's best that we listen, and let those people speak who have more experience in what we're dealing with," Padme' replied quietly, watching Danni stand and be applauded by the Agamarians.

    A datapad's soft breep drew Padme's attention, and she raised an eyebrow as she read the message there:

    Lady Padme' - my name is Niall Organa, son of Halagad Ventor and Tia Organa, Prince of House Organa, and cousin-by-adoption (and step-son-in-law, through marriage) to Leia and her children. We've learned of your return, and are both very glad to hear of your survival, and your keeping Borsk on his toes. He's not evil, merely facing many competing interests.

    Your support would be greatly appreciated as certain associates and I seek to mitigate the damage from the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. It's nothing which would pose any threat to the New Republic, but there will be innocents caught in the crossfire ... innocents whose plights we cannot ignore.

    The first and most pressing need, of course, is the situation on Dubrillion. If there's any way we can aid in the evacuation, or otherwise, please let us know. You served with my uncle in the Old Senate, and if we can work together, we can, hopefully, resist the tide of darkness sweeping the Rim.

    With deepest respect,
    Prince-Senator Niall Organa of New Alderaan,
    Chief Speaker of the New Loyalists

    Padme's heart leapt - Leia had explained the complicated connection between herself and Niall (Niall having wed Han's first daughter, Danielle Kieran), and any aid for Dubrillion would be superb.

    She started composing a reply, paying attention to Danni as the younger woman's voice gained strength.

    We all have hidden reserves which emerge in times of crisis ...

    ----------------------------------------------------
    Dantooine, Outer Rim Territories,
    Galactic North-Northwest:
    ----------------------------------------------------

    A shiver of wariness flickered through Betsy as sprinkles of rain started to fall, and she walked from her shuttle toward one of the few identifiable landmarks from orbit. Something is off here, she thought, examining the ancient, enormous crumbling structure.

    It was something like a giant circle bisected by a cross, at least two stories high. At one time, the ruins must have been a sizeable facility, but there were ancient burn marks in the exposed bedrock - and, through the Force, a sense of death. But also much life ...

    I think this must have been the ancient Jedi praxeum that Tionne told me about - the one from Revan's era and earlier, Betsy realized, taking a few moments to examine the ruined grounds. Although the academy had been temporarily rebuilt after the Dark Wars, and the final destruction of Darth Nihilus, the old Jedi Order had abandoned the facility at some point between the era of the Jedi Exile and the Clone Wars.

    Have to admit, I enjoyed digging around in the holocrons a bit much when I first started studying at the Yavin Praxeum. Fangirl that I am ... Betsy thought, laughing at her silliness while she stepped into a crumbling hallway.

    She activated a glowrod, squinting at some kind of bronze-like glint, and raised her hands as she sensed danger - but a metallic, blurred kind of sensation, not an organic mind. A sardonic voice rang out, "Declaration: State your purpose, meatbag."

    "Ex-CUSE me? My NAME is Elizabeth Braddock, Jedi student and Lady of House Braddock. Most certainly NOT 'meatbag,'" Betsy shot back, tempering her outrage. She wasn't paranoid over the dark side, but she knew any sort of reckless response could cause trouble she was trying to avoid - even if this punk was being blunt in a way she'd usually slap someone for.

    "Apologetic interrogative: I did not mean any personal insult, Padawan Braddock. I merely refer to your squishy organic status. What brings you to this abandoned Jedi outpost?" the speaker inquired, stepping forward into the illumination of Betsy's light.

    She raised an eyebrow at the speaker - an orange-and-bronze colored droid with glimmering red photoreceptors, holding an old but still lethal-looking blaster rifle. "I'm looking for two friends of mine. I'd thought they might have taken refuge here, but I don't sense them. Is your master around?" she asked.

    "Incensed statement: I beg your pardon! I haven't had a master in several millennia. I am HK-47, an independent - ah, translator droid," the droid replied, not quite fooling Betsy.

    She smiled and said, "A translator with a blaster rifle. Look, if you're a combat droid, I'm not going to just turn you over to the authorities. I could use a good shot in case my friends are in trouble."

    And who knows? A combat droid against the Yuuzhan Vong might upset them enough to give us an edge, if what Danni Quee told me about their technophobia is true, Betsy figured, watching HK-47 twitch his head a bit.

    After a moment, the droid nodded and stepped forward, lowering his blaster rifle. "Statement: I like your sarcastic edge, Lady Braddock. It is refreshing to find a meatbag - ah, organic - with something approaching a sense of humor. Might recovering your friends require blaster fire?" HK-47 asked.

    "With my string of luck? Probably," Betsy said, walking with the combat droid and concentrating in the Force - there, she clearly picked up Anakin and Mara's Force presences. The former was agitated and wary, the latter tired but focused, and a growing sense of emptiness made it difficult for Betsy to project reassurance - but she had a fix on them, at last.

    "Anticipatory amusement: Then, ah - Master Braddock - I am at your service," HK-47 said, and Betsy smiled as she led her new droid back toward her shuttle.

    "Good to meet you, HK. And yes, I think you'd better keep your blaster rifle ready," she said, frowning as a sort of emptiness filled the Force, in the distance.

    "I think the Yuuzhan Vong are here. And they're getting more numerous, if that empty feeling I'm getting is growing as rapidly as it seems like ..."

    ----------------------------------------

    "MMphh ..."

    KRIFFIT, I hate being this weak ... at least Betsy's here, Mara thought, trying not to lean on Anakin as they headed toward a distant outcropping across the plains, a roil of smoke mocking them from behind them.

    The Jade Sabre's explosion had rippled a bit in the Force, striking Anakin more than Mara - it made some more sense, given the boy's affinity for technometry and sensing machines in the Force. Still, Mara had grown accustomed to the ship, so its loss was no less grating.

    "Mara, let me help you," Anakin offered, but Mara shook her head, leaning against a blba tree to get her breath.

    "Listen, Solo, get going before they find us. If the Vong are willing to blow up our ship, they're definitely hunting us, and -" Mara started to say.

    She twitched back, just in time, as some kind of insect split the branch over her head with a dull thwack. To Mara's chagrin, the bug climbed back out and went flittering back as Anakin lit his lightsaber and frowned.

    Mara looked at where Anakin was pointing, and took a deep breath. There were three Yuuzhan Vong in that eerie living armor, holding hissing spears, and one of them caught the bug as it returned to him.

    "Definitely hunting us," Anakin agreed, spinning his lightsaber in a defensive arc, making rain spit and hiss while it evaporated on contact with the purple blade.

    "Then we make them earn their trophies as costly as possible," Mara told him, taking his flank.

    -----------------------------------------------------

    Anakin still wasn't entirely sure how he was going to pull this off - Mara was tired, her sickness still taking a lot out of her, and the rain was heavier now ...

    A Jedi doesn't despair or make excuses. He gets the job done, the youth reminded himself, standing tall and saluting the Yuuzhan Vong standing at the center of the trio across the clearing. The alien warrior nodded, almost respectfully, and smiled, chilling Anakin's blood as he angled his lightsaber in a ready stance.

    Then the Yuuzhan Vong warrior rushed forward, bellowing something in his language, and Anakin had no more time to do anything but block a rain of blows.

    Those snake-spears really can block a lightsaber?! part of him realized, still surprised when he saw the weapon not even scorch at his purple blade's intersection with it. The Vong chuckled, and Anakin had to jump as the warrior tried to kick his feet out from underneath him.

    Fine. You want to play dirty? Anakin thought, frowning. He couldn't sense the Vong in the Force, other than as a blurry shape that the Force seemed to go around, but the rest of the landscape wasn't blocked to Anakin.

    He managed to hold his ground, and even concentrated enough to pull a rock telekinetically from behind him toward the warrior. The Vong's eyes widened, and he was able to block the stone with one thick arm before it could smack him in the head - but Anakin did notice his opponent's left gauntlet crack.

    The bad news was that the Vong was through playing. Anakin made a WHOULFF-ing noise when the air was knocked out of his lungs by a fist that felt like it was the size of a shockball, and the Vong slapped Anakin's lightsaber out of his hand while the boy dove aside.

    I won't give up -! Anakin swore, grabbing for his lightsaber. He managed to swing just enough to scorch the Vong's foot, making the alien howl, and the youth took advantage of the opening to drive his lightsaber up into the Vong's left armpit.

    It was enough; the Vong shuddered, once, and Anakin barely had time to withdraw his lightsaber before his opponent keeled over, dead. The other two Yuuzhan Vong, who'd been watching and chuckling, snarled, and started toward Anakin.

    This time, when a rock struck one of them in the breastplate of his armor, the Vong dropped and stayed down. Anakin looked behind him, smiling gratefully but worrying even more when he saw Mara leaning against a blba tree, feeling more tired yet through the Force.

    Her exhaustion turned to aggravation, then warning, as Anakin spun in time to block the third Yuuzhan Vong's wild, angry swing. Stupid, Solo ...

    Anakin didn't mess around, but instead concentrated, summoning a large blba log and striking his opponent with it. The Vong dropped, and Anakin gave a sigh of relief.

    Unfortunately, that was when a series of razorbugs slashed at his jumpsuit, and something like a runaway freighter slammed Anakin to the ground.

    I didn't even see him?! Anakin thought, trying to focus as another trio of Yuuzhan Vong approached - well, two of them, anyhow. The third was standing over him, and had to have been the one who'd ambushed him.

    Mara, I'm sorry ... Anakin thought, willing his aunt to flee. He looked up, watching as the warrior said something that sounded like a prayer, while lightning flashed behind the towering Yuuzhan Vong.

    That was quickly followed by an actinic flash of blaster fire, and the Vong was thrown back as his armor's chestplate bloomed with an explosion.

    "Statement: Back OFF, meatbags!" barked a rusty-blood-colored assassin droid, loping down the hill, with Betsy Braddock beside him.

    YES!! Anakin whooped mentally, blocking a blow from one of the other two Vong. A purple-shadowmoth-like power signature flared around Betsy's face, and the third Vong clutched his head, falling unconscious, as Anakin tried to stand his ground against the last remaining warior.

    Then something streaked through the night, catching the Vong in the throat, and he stumbled back as a black and white shadow grabbed the warrior with a feral roar that was almost familiar.

    Anakin looked around, shutting down his lightsaber and dropping to one knee with exhaustion. He saw Betsy order the assassin droid to stand down, as chalk-skinned figures Anakin had only heard of in his parents' stories helped Mara to her feet.

    He was helped up by a tall, powerfully built man who could've been human, with long white hair and a red eyepatch. "Hold still and let me check that wrist, lad," the man said, and Anakin was too stunned to argue.

    He was still trying to piece together how a Nagai warband and a black-and-white-furred Wookiee had known to look for him and Mara on Dantooine ... until the pieces clicked, and Anakin looked again at his rescuer.

    "You're ... Bey? My dad's foster brother from when he was a kid?" the youth asked, and the half-human, half-Nagai man chuckled while Betsy checked on Mara and introduced herself to the new arrivals.

    "New Republic Intelligence at your service ... nephew," Bey said kindly.

    "Let's get out of this rain. You don't want to make Vargi be damp for too long. He gets grouchy."

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    to be continued ... :D
     
    caspian1a likes this.
  18. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Another gargantuan update - apologies for the size, but the very first version of this was rather short in its' chapters. :p

    More with Dantooine, the proto-Resistance, Dubrillion, Jacen, and some backstory hints on Mara's origin in this AU ... ;)

    ----------------------------------------

    "I was sucked so deeply into your madness ... I believed the phantoms of your memory were real."

    "Who's to say they're not?"

    - Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock and Logan, the Wolverine, discussing memory,
    Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, issue 258

    -------------------------------------------------
    Chapter 17: 25.6 ABY:
    Dathomir, Outer Rim Territories:
    -------------------------------------------------

    "Not that I'm ungrateful, but what are Nagai doing working with NRI and a somewhat-wanted Wookiee on a backwater prairie world?" Mara asked cautiously, thanking one of her rescuers as they gave her a field kit meal. She was sitting on a field chair, watching as Bey tended to Anakin's injured right wrist at a hastily-raised encampment near the strike team's Lambda-class shuttle; Betsy and that familiar assassin droid were fetching Betsy's Lambda.

    "Senator Plif is, as I'm sure you know, a friend, and he contacted me about your and Anakin's plight. Given that I have a certain degree of ... allowed improvisation ... in interpreting orders in the field, I felt it would be a good idea to reconnect with old friends, and get to know the next generation of Solos in the process," Bey said amicably enough, nodding when the green light activated on the bacta splint he'd put on Anakin's wrist.

    "Thanks for showing up - ah, Uncle Bey," Anakin said, returning the tall man's smile. Mara resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her nephew, given that the boy was still wary - and that Bey was, technically, his uncle.

    Family isn't just about blood. Besides, Anakin did good out there ... better than I did, she figured, hiding a frown at the sense of exhaustion that had overwhelmed her while she'd tried to fight the Yuuzhan Vong. It seemed like there really was a connection between her disease and the extragalactic invaders.

    Not that I trust our rescuers ... but at least Bey's got a connection to our galaxy. For that matter, at least we know where the Nagai come from. And none of the Nagai - or Vargi - are Vong hiding in masquers, Mara thought, doing a subtle Force-sweep of the area. She half-smiled sardonically when Vargi glowered at her, and the exiled Wookiee lumbered over.

    <I'm just delighted to see you too, Jade. Saving Solo's son doesn't mean I'm any happier toward his kin. I just happen to owe the Nagai for giving me a home after ... things,> Vargi grumbled.

    "Subtle way of putting it," Mara allowed, drawing a bitter chuckle from the black-and-white-furred Wookiee. Vargi was Mallatobuck's brother, and through Malla, Chewbacca's brother-in-law - but Vargi had also tried to kill Chewie, and had led slaving operations on Kashyyyk years earlier when the Nagai had first tried to take territory in the galaxy.

    Anakin's wariness spiked through the Force as Vargi glanced at him, and the Wookiee growled, <You did well ... for a Jedi ... fighting against those things. But tell your uncle to start having his Jedi carry blasters?>

    "I'll pass it along, thanks," Anakin said, respectfully but not blinking as Vargi stared at him. After a moment, the Wookiee chuckled again, and shuffled off.

    "Not bad. You didn't let Vargi intimidate you," Bey approved, and Anakin smiled gratefully - but also just shrugged, and Mara approved. The boy wasn't being egotistical, which was good - he'd barely handled the first set of Vong, and the second set had snuck up on both of them ...

    "Hey, Bey - why are you setting up shop, anyhow? Shouldn't we be hauling jets?" Mara asked.

    Bey accepted a datapad from one of the full-blooded Nagai, shaking his head as he smiled that annoyingly-familiar (Solo-esque, Mara would describe it) smile and turned to Mara. "The weather's getting worse, and trying to break atmosphere is ill-advised. Not to mention the little problem of Yuuzhan Vong being this far Coreward, just a matter of weeks after Dubrillion, Helska, and Sernpidal were attacked. We're not just here to rescue you - we're here to get as much intel as we can," he said.

    He glanced at the datapad, then looked over his shoulder and said, "Besides, we're about to have visitors, both of whom we're intrigued in talking with. Director Scaur has been wanting more information on Elizabeth Braddock. And HK-47 has been wanted for years ..."

    Mara looked up from her meal and blinked, arching an eyebrow as she replied, "NRI's wanting to try and arrest that crazy bolt-bucket? Good luck there."

    Anakin watched her, then Bey, curiously, as the human-Nagai hybrid just nodded. "We are allowed to ask him for help. Any data in the droid would be most valuable to both the Jedi and NRI ... assuming we could take him with a minimum of casualties. As to why he's on Dantooine, that's less clear - the Star Map ruins were buried millennia ago, and the Enclave was abandoned so long ago as to decay naturally. Since he's willing to travel with Lady Braddock, we suspect he's got an ulterior motive for being here now," Bey said.

    "Aren't HK droids assassins? What makes this one so special?" Anakin asked, squinting as Betsy's now-familiar Force-presence rapidly drew closer, and the Pydyr Spire slowed to make a landing.

    "This one's core programming is about 4,000 years old, nephew mine. And he belonged to Revan," Mara said, smiling as she reached out through the Force to greet Betsy.

    "Like Bey said, the fact HK-47's willing to travel with any organic is unusual ... so he's got to be here for something."

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Statement: Your navigational skills are more thorough than you suggested, Lady Braddock," HK-47 complimented as Betsy brought the shuttle in for a landing near the encampment where she sensed Mara and Anakin through the Force.

    "Only in atmosphere, HK-47, but thank you. I used to fly aircraft - and, occasionally, under my own telekinetic power - back home. Can't make any claims to being able to calculate hyperspace jumps, though - Neal, could you be a dear and keep the shuttle warmed up? I want to get going," Betsy asked the astromech, while she gestured for HK-47 to follow her.

    "Freweep! Dwee-tweet dweep!" Neal agreed, and Betsy patted his dome gratefully as she and the combat droid disembarked. To her relief, she saw Mara and Anakin both sitting in field chairs, looking relatively all right, even if they felt exhausted through the Force.

    Still better keep an eye on the situation, Betsy noted, sensing a degree of ... bemused wariness from the chalk-skinned humanoids who nodded at her and HK-47 as they walked to where Mara and Anakin waited. A tall, white-haired man with pinkish skin and a red eyepatch smiled, more warmly than the others, while a towering black-and-white-furred Wookiee rumbled and nodded.

    "Lady Braddock!" Anakin greeted, and Betsy returned his grin. She put a hand on his shoulder, though, and gently pushed him back into his seat, giving him a friendly but stern look.

    "Get some rest, young man. I've got a strong suspicion that cast didn't come from lugging around too much firewood. And you -! I should've suspected you couldn't go on vacation without getting in trouble," Betsy teased Mara, clasping her friend's wrist to keep the redhead from having to stand.

    "Pot, kettle, black, Braddock. Where'd you pick up Revan's personal assassin droid?" Mara asked, smirking at the shock that radiated from Betsy as she turned to look at where HK-47 was letting Bey examine him.

    "Wait, wasn't Darth Revan a Sith - and a Jedi - thousands of years ago? How could you still be functioning now? And what do you want here on Dantooine?" Betsy demanded, frowning at the orange droid.

    "Amused reply: I downloaded my personality and memory matrix into a starship during the height of the Galactic Cold War. Unfortunately, the craft crashed on Mustafar, and I was forced to wait for thousands of years before I could reconstruct a body for myself. Since my reincarnation - fortunately, not as a meatbag, ah, organic - I've taken on odd jobs. As to why I am on Dantooine ... that is the matter of a rather embarrassing tale," HK-47 said, his tone becoming embarrassed and surly (or surlier) by the end.

    Betsy raise an eyebrow, but just shook her head. "Keep your secrets for right now, then. I should reintroduce myself to our hosts - Elizabeth Braddock, Jedi apprentice," she said, shaking the white-haired man's hand.

    "Bey, foster brother of Han Solo, and New Republic Intelligence agent. Please, be welcome, Lady Braddock - we've been informed of some of your, ah, interesting past by Jan Ors. We've been wanting to ask you about this 'Earth' of yours," Bey said.

    Jan - ah, Kyle's girlfriend, Betsy remembered from a brief conversation she'd had with Katarn after one of their sparring sessions days before. She thanked one of the Nagai when they set up a chair for her, and she sat beside Mara as Bey found his own seat.

    "Well, I'll share what I can, but I was hoping to get Anakin and Mara back to Yavin," Betsy said, glancing at the other Jedi. Anakin seemed ready to go, also, but Mara gave Betsy an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

    ~You think they're up to something?~ Betsy telepathed to Mara.

    I think they're not our enemies. But they've also said they can't leave because of the atmospheric conditions, and I don't want to put your ship at risk. Besides, I have a feeling ... maybe leaving so fast is a bad idea, Mara tried to explain.

    ~Jedi instinct? Luke suggested I was wise to follow it. I wonder if I was supposed to find HK-47, although what I'm going to do with a temperamental assassin droid with a smart mouth is beyond me. I figure keeping him around for his potential psychological effect on the Yuuzhan Vong is a good idea,~ Betsy sent.

    Mara nodded, watching as Bey and the Nagai measured, scanned, and chatted with HK-47, who seemed to soak up all the fawning over him. Couldn't hurt. How's Farmboy, anyhow? I've been getting flashes from him - and Rey, thank the light she's back on Yavin - but not much that's clear. The damn distance and weather is making it difficult to track him, she asked.

    ~Jacen had some kind of intricate vision, and left a note with Tenel Ka before blasting off to Belkadan. He apparently meditated on me, of all people, and warned Luke that he had to come here quick as possible,~ Betsy sent.

    She raised an eyebrow at the flash of frustration, curiosity, wariness, and possessiveness that rippled from Mara, and the redhead grinned a bit. Well, anything that brings Farmboy within arm's reach ... I'm missing that tent, all of a sudden, though, she thought, only blushing a little.

    Betsy laughed silently, sharing a memory of Jean Grey-Summers' similar flirtation with Scott back at the X-Mansion. ~If you and Jean are connected, somehow, you've certainly got a similar mix of class, sass, and strength. Your telepathic skill is mostly latent, though, beyond the communications link you and Luke possess, but I could share some techniques to pass the time, if you want?~ she offered.

    Mara nodded, her curiosity growing, and Betsy started to explain basic, non-Force-based telepathy to her - then gasped, as they were ... somewhere else.

    Both women wore simacrula of their garb - Mara's trademark black combat bodyglove, and Betsy's purple and white Jedi robes - but the place they were was similar to a photographic negative. Anakin, the Nagai, Vargi, and Bey could be seen, but their mouths moved wordlessly, and Mara asked, "Ah, Betts .. ?"

    "This is a pocket of Dantooine's astral plane - the mental equivalent of the physical topography. Even non-sentient life-forms register here, if only as psionic potential; that's why we're 'seeing' the grass. But I didn't pull us in here," Betsy explained, examining Mara's mental signature closely.

    The Yuuzhan Vong disease coiled within the more-experienced Jedi was represented by a dull, grey sludge roiling, if held back, within Mara's Force-presence and ... something else. Betsy cautiously extended a telepathic probe toward her fellow Jedi, trying not to gasp as she recognized the energy within Mara.

    "What? The disease's gone dormant now that the Vong scouts are dead and I can focus on the Force generated by Dantooine's life," Mara said.

    "Yes, but there's something ... familiar inside of you, as well, helping to hold back the illness. May I try something?" Betsy asked.

    Mara raised an eyebrow, realization crossing her face as she replied, "This has something to do with your friend, Jean - the one who looks similar to me?"

    "Yes. She was temporarily replaced by an entity of pure psionic energy - indeed, pure life-Force, as well - calling itself the Phoenix. It manifested as a fiery raptor, and her genetic relatives were as able to channel the being as she was. That's part of the reason the extragalactic Shi'ar species tried to kill Jean's family shortly before I was thrown to Sernpidal. The Shi'ar consider the Phoenix a harbinger of their end times mythology," Betsy explained.

    Outrage crossed Mara's face, replaced with sardonic amusement as Betsy added, "My fellow X-Men and I - discouraged the attempt. It failed. Hard."

    "Glad to hear it ... of course, if I've got a chunk of this 'Phoenix' in me, I'm probably right to be concerned?" Mara considered, frowning again.

    "Possibly. The Phoenix was generally beneficient, but when it replaced Jean, it lost control of its replicated emotions due to a lack of experience with the human condition. Only Jean's return from stasis exposed the 'Dark Phoenix's' true identity, and it reverted to pure energy before it could rampage. You're both older than Jean was when she first hosted the Phoenix, and more - ah, willful. I doubt you'd have a problem with the Phoenix," Betsy said.

    Mara still looked doubtful, but shrugged and said, "Scan away. More we know, better prepared we'll be."

    Betsy thanked her, then very carefully extended a psionic probe toward the energy in Mara's subconscious - and was knocked on her backside.

    A VERY familiar firebird wrapped Mara in its' wings, as the redhead looked around herself with uncharacteristic awe, and a rumbling, somehow-feminine voice warbled in a birdlike trill, LITTLE MIND-WALKER. TOO SOON. WILL SCOURGE THE PLAGUE IN TIME. THIS ONE ... NEEDS TEACHING.

    "Well, fine, bird-brain. What'll it take?" Mara demanded, seeming to take the Phoenix's beak gently in her hands as her trademark smirk returned.

    The entity seemed to laugh, even as a billion questions ran through Betsy's mind, and the Phoenix replied, YOU NEED INSTRUCTION IN HANDLING MY POWER, DAUGHTER OF MY SOUL. BRADDOCK CAN ASSIST YOU. ACCEPT OTHER AID AS IT MAY BE OFFERED. AND ... A FOCUS WILL COME, BEFORE THE PLAGUE CAN BE PURGED. THE WAY FORWARD IS FRAUGHT WITH PERIL, BUT THE REWARDS WILL BE WELL WORTH THE RISK - IF YOU ARE BRAVE.

    Mara grinned, warming Betsy's heart as they returned to their bodies - and Betsy blinked as the redhead sent via non-Force telepathy, ~It doesn't know me very well, does it?~

    ~Somehow, I think you're going to do just fine in learning how to control your psi-talent,~ Betsy agreed, as Anakin ran over, goggle-eyed.

    "Aunt Mara - Lady Braddock - I felt something - Aunt Mara, your disease, it's - ?!" the youth rambled, confused and elated.

    "It's pushed back, Anakin. Betsy's going to help me with my unique talent, and maybe, in time, it'll help me get rid of this dumb disease. Now, go get some rest - that's an order," Mara gently insisted. She waited until Anakin was placated, then glanced at Betsy and sent, ~So, 'teach,' what else is new?~

    Betsy set aside her lingering questions - she'd get to setting up a lesson plan for Mara soon enough - and replied, ~Your mother-in-law is on Agamar with Threepio, Danni Quee, and Senator Elegos A'Kla to gain help for the pending evacuation of Dubrillion. Leia and Han are already en route.~

    ~OK ... Dubrillion? What did Calrissian set off this time? Mara asked, a little bemused.

    Betsy grew more serious and sent, ~He needs help because of Yuuzhan Vong harrassment of ships going out-system. I can't imagine how they're going to evacuate everyone on Dubrillion ...~

    -----------------------------------------
    Theed Palace, Naboo:
    -----------------------------------------

    Queen Kylama looked up from the intelligence report, her eyes widening, while her planet's Senator nodded with undisguised excitement. "If this is true - we must assist Dubrillion anyway. And if we can confirm these reports -!" the young queen trailed off, excitement undercutting her usual poise.

    "I agree, Your Majesty. But I must encourage caution. While it would be a wonderful event for Senator Amidala to be alive after all these years, spreading false hope won't assist anyone," Gorthan Typho - nephew of the unfortunately deceased Captain Typho, great-nephew of the deposed Moff Panaka - said, clasping his hands behind his back as he considered the report "acquired" from the Bothan Spynet.

    The Polis Massans are remarkable bioengineers ... but to believe my ancestors buried a clone of Senator Amidala? Even if it's true, why is she being so circumspect now? Gorthan wondered, turning to the investigator waiting to be addressed.

    The 20-something lieutenant in the Naboo Defense Forces was a human male, fairly typical of the volunteers for the militia. His blond hair was crewcut, and his blue eyes were alert as he snapped off a salute. "Corporal Kyler Ardem, reporting for duty, sir - Your Majesty," Ardem said, bowing to Kylama as she nodded.

    "Corporal. We are already coordinating a fleet of freighters and other craft to join in the Dubrillion evacuation efforts. Your mission is more specific - we must know if former Senator Amidala has somehow survived, and if it is her, why she is being so quiet about her 'return.' Do not assume there is malign intent, or that this is an impostor. But neither can we dismiss Minister Typho's concerns," the Queen ordered Ardem.

    "I'll depart at once, with your leave, Your Majesty," Ardem said, and Kylama politely dismissed him. Once Ardem was gone, Kylama turned to Typho with a thoughtful expression for one so young.

    "Senator, although Naboo has no large space navy, we have maintained a consistent defense force ever since the Empire was driven from our world. Might it not be prudent to sent a fighter escort to protect our volunteer fleet - and, if need be, to assist any defense forces with other volunteered evacuation craft?" Kylama asked, smiling a little.

    Typho chuckled, nodding. "I'll speak with General Olie' at once, Your Majesty," he said, turning to go.

    ----------------------------------------------------------
    Centax II,Coruscant System,
    Core Worlds:
    ----------------------------------------------------------

    "... a moral outrage!"

    Wow. Someone's upset, Jaina noticed - even if she hadn't heard the near-snarl of the voice coming from Colonel Darklighter's office, the sheer outrage in the Force made her raise an eyebrow.

    She knocked politely on the open door frame, saluting as Colonel Darklighter looked up from a holographic map. Beside him stood Bothan Admiral Traest Kre'fey - a distant cousin of Chief of State Borsk Fey'lya, but given much greater respect within the armed forces for his refusal to treat his underlings as political pawns. "Sirs. Private Solo, reporting as ordered," Jaina said, while the superior officers returned her salute.

    "At ease, Private, and welcome to the great venting. My apologies if the language gets a little thick, but I've been examining some intelligence sent back to us from Dantooine. At least some NRI sources are reliable," Admiral Kre'fey grumbled, waving for Jaina to take a seat.

    "Dantooine, sir?" Jaina asked, fresh concern filling her. Colonel Darklighter gave her a concerned look, and Jaina added, "My brother and aunt are - I guess you'd call it vacationing there, although Dantooine's not exactly comfortable."

    Something is wrong, Jaina realized, looking from Gavin to Kre'fey as the Bothan's fur rippled.

    "I'm afraid, Private, it's gotten even less so. We've had two reports, now, of combat encounters between the Yuuzhan Vong and New Republic agents. I can't go into specifics about the assets we have on Dantooine, but I can confirm that your brother and aunt are safe and recovering," the admiral said.

    Jaina fought back a jolt of panic - recovering?! she thought, suddenly worried all over again for Anakin and Mara - but she found her little brother through the Force. He hugged her back, tired but brave and at least feeling healthy; Mara was close by, brighter, now in the Force, with a fiery sense to her signature.

    "They - fought some Yuuzhan Vong, sirs?" Jaina asked, and Gavin half-smiled sympathetically while Kre'fey chuckled.

    "I keep forgetting about your Force senses. I commend your composure, Private, and apologize that we can't head for Dantooine - yet - but we have another situation where Rogue Squadron can be put to definite use," the Bothan said, pressing a button on his datapad. The starmap changed, becoming an image of a planet surrounded by an asteroid belt - one Jaina found familiar after only a second or so.

    "Dubrillion ... don't tell me the karking Vong came back there," Jaina muttered. She blushed at her bluntness, but Gavin nodded with a grim smile, and Kre'fey nodded.

    "We'll make a Rogue out of you yet, Jaina. Yes, the Vong are back at Dubrillion. They've been harassing departing starships, and they're apparently hiding a carrier analogue craft in the asteroids - hopefully just one. The coralskipper raids have been bad enough, though. Baron-Administrator Calrissian's ground defense forces and what patchwork naval forces he's been able to cobble together are holding their own, but they've put out a request for help in evacuating the planet," Gavin explained.

    "But ... there's upwards of a billion people on Dubrillion. Is there any way we can evacuate everyone?" Jaina wondered, looking at Kre'fey as he gave her the Bothan equivalent of a wry grin - and a degree of satisfaction rippled from him through the Force.

    "If we were relying on the Advisory Committee and the Chief of State to sign off on evacuation effort coordination, probably not - not that you heard that from me. Instead, volunteer sentientarian efforts are being lined up through the efforts of a group of Senators and retired Senators calling themselves the 'New Loyalists.' Senators Plif of Arbra and Rohb of Zeltros are foremost among them, although Senator Typho reports a large group of craft are being committed by the Naboo government. Senator A'Kla reports that Agamar is willing to serve as a staging ground. We also have reports of donations from New Alderaan and possibly even Kashyyyk," Kre'fey said.

    He gave Jaina a quizzical glance, changing the hologram again, and she couldn't quite hide her surprise when her grandmother's image appeared. Padme' was sitting beside Danni Quee in what looked like a viewing box, Threepio just visible at the edge of the holo while Senator A'Kla talked and a crowd applauded.

    "What I'm curious about is this human woman who's traveling with Senator A'Kla ... HNE is reporting that she's one Padme' Amidala, the believed-dead Senator from Naboo who preceded former Senator Binks. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?" Kre'fey asked.

    Jaina glanced at Gavin - she hadn't exactly told a lot of people about Grandmother's "revival," but then, she wasn't sure that there would be a problem. On the other hand, Grandmother hadn't made a lot of noise about her return, either, and Jaina didn't want to make things harder for her.

    "I ... can confirm that the woman in the holo is Senator Amidala, sir. I believe she's still finding her sea legs, to borrow a naval metaphor - she was in stasis during the Imperial years, after the ... incident that caused the galaxy to think she was dead," Jaina said, choosing her words carefully as she looked at Kre'fey.

    He nodded, while Gavin asked, kindly, "Jaina ... you know this could bring a lot of hope to a lot of people. But if there's a reason the Senator's keeping a low profile ... it does seem pretty coincidential, her resurfacing just as the Vong are making inroads."

    Jaina looked at Gavin, shocked and a little upset - this was her grandmother they were asking her about, whom they were insinuating was some kind of threat!

    WHOA. Throttle back, girl. Colonel Darklighter's not a bad guy, and the Admiral doesn't like Borsk. Stop seeing traps everywhere you look ... Jaina reminded herself.

    She took a deep breath and looked at her superior officers before replying, "Sirs, I'll vouch for Senator Amidala, and that she's definitely on our side. I know why she's not made a big public splash about her resurfacing, but there are ... complicated reasons behind it. Ones that could cause ripples with both the current New Republic administration, and maybe even the Imperial Remnant. I'm not sure I have the right to talk more about this right now, without checking with the former Senator."

    That's putting it mildly, Jaina thought, shaking her head inwardly. It's bad enough when people complain about Mom or Uncle Luke being Vader's kids - how much would they pick on Grandmother for being Vader's WIDOW?

    Gavin's eyes widened, and he blew out a deep breath while Admiral Kre'fey thought for a moment. "You're asking us to assume a lot, Solo. But I'm willing to trust you on this. Let me ask this: If we were to ask your parents, or uncle, for more information on this ... low-key return of Senator Amidala, might they be authorized to explain things?" the Bothan asked.

    "Yes, sir. With all due respect, I'd feel a lot more confident if you'd speak with them - or the Senator herself. But I don't think Uncle Luke - ah, Master Skywalker - or my parents are at the Yavin Praxeum or on Coruscant right now," Jaina said, feeling a little ashamed that she hadn't kept track of her own family.

    I hope everyone's OK, she thought, glancing at Gavin as he nodded, returning the holodisplay to the image of Dubrillion before smiling kindly at her.

    "We can confirm that Her Highness and Captain Solo are assisting the Baron-Administrator on Dubrillion, Private. Master Skywalker's exact whereabouts are unknown - at least to us - but we can wait to speak with him. Or, hopefully, even Senator Amidala. For right now, go prepare for departure and transfer to the Ralroost with the rest of the Rogues. We're departing for Dubrillion within the hour," Gavin said, returning Jaina's salute as she stood.

    "Yessir -" Jaina started to say.

    That was when she doubled over in pain, not her pain but familiar nonetheless -

    Jacen ...?

    --------------------------------------------
    Belkadan, Outer Rim Territories
    (Extreme Galactic North):
    --------------------------------------------

    The crak of the Yuuzhan Vong slavedriver's whip rang out through the fog over the paddy fields, as humans dressed in rags moved from plant to plant and ladled some kind of liquid over them.

    Worse yet, the humans' Force-presences were muted, with ugly coral-like growths sticking out of their heads at different angles. They responded to the Yuuzhan Vong's snarled orders like they understood what he was bellowing in that coarse, barking language of his.

    It was the most chilling sight Jacen had seen in a while. And between the sadism of Brakiss, the cold-blooded hate of Nolaa Tarkona, and the disturbing otherness of Waru, that was saying a lot.

    "RP, you getting the feed?" he whispered into his comlink while he lay on a hillside overlooking the tableau, using electrobinoculars to keep an eye on what was going on below."

    "Frweep," the astromech chirped back. Jacen figured it was an affirmative, and went back to watching what was going on.

    At least, he did until the Force quieted unnaturally behind him, and he rolled over just in time to avoid a foot crushing him in the back.

    Stupid, STUPID - got distracted -! Jacen chided himself, springing to his feet and fumbling for his lightsaber. A Yuuzhan Vong warrior snarked something at him, his snake-staff hissing while Jacen thumbed his lightsaber to life.

    The Vong's eyes widened, and he roared something as Jacen blocked his downswing. A telekinetic shove did little more than make the Vong rock on his heels, and Jacen had to give ground as his attacker pressed his advantage.

    Then, something the size and rough shape of a training remote slammed into Jacen's shoulder, drawing a cry of pain from him. Something flew from the bruised site, drawing just enough of Jacen's attention away from a swing of the Yuuzhan Vong's fist.

    An explosion of pain blossomed in Jacen's jaw, and shadow embraced him.

    ----------------------
    Dubrillion:
    ----------------------

    Leia gasped - something'd happened to Jacen, but she forced herself to focus as a comm-call came in. She couldn't help her son - yet.

    "Ground Control, this is Orbital Station Aurek. We've got activity - ours, looks like. Big hyperspatial burst at the edge of the system," Leia heard as she watched the holotank, and Han and Lando coordinated with the defense forces.

    "Station Aurek, this is Leia Organa-Solo. Can you confirm what it is - is it a New Republic fleet, over?" Leia asked, motioning for Han and Lando to get over to the tank, while Chewie and the Noghri gathered around with some of Lando's staffers.

    "Not an NRDF fleet, Your Highness. It's more ... patchwork, a lot of different liveries, over," the orbital station comm-staffer said, sounding confused. "We're getting a hail now. Patching it through."

    "Sweet mother murglak - the readings we're getting - there's the equivalent of an Imperial sector fleet, reverting from hyperspace, if these numbers are right!" Lando exclaimed, starting to grin as he checked the data incoming from the orbital station.

    "That's a lot of ships, sure, but if they don't have a lot of firepower, this is gonna be a short relief effort," Han warned, while Leia saw the holo-image shift.

    Her breath caught in her throat for a moment at the sight of a human woman who looked eerily like Mon Mothma, with reddish-brown hair and a white robe. "Dubrillion City, can you copy? This is the Aldera Ascendant, acting as coordinating flagship for the evacuation fleet," the woman said, and Leia's heart leapt with unlooked-for-relief.

    "Lieda!? This is Leia Organa-Solo - we can read you. Be warned, there's a Yuuzhan Vong fleet hiding somewhere in the asteroid belt," Leia said to Lieda Mothma..

    Lieda smiled back and said, "We've been briefed on the dangers, Leia. It's good to hear you're all right. Hold on - help is on the way."

    The holotank shifted to a close-up feed of the asteroid belt, and Leia, Han, Lando, and the others watched as what looked like a swarm of starfighters - mixed of all kinds of snubfighters, uglies, and even a YT-1300 that resembled the Falcon - blazed from the largest cruisers into the asteroid belt. Turbolaser fire and proton torpedoes ripped forth, and the belt was lit up with a storm of exploding objects.

    "They've got guts, at least. Who decided to copy all the footage of when we'd lead a charge in the Falcon, though?" Han tried to joke.

    A youthful voice - whose owner didn't sound like he could be more than 18 - shot back over the comline, "This is Raynal Kieran-Organa in the Century Hawk, Dubrillion. We're not Han Solo and the Nar Shaddaa smuggler's fleet, but we're what you've got, over."

    Kieran ... Organa?! Leia thought, beaming for joy as Han's jaw dropped - they'd known of Niall and Danielle's marriage, but hadn't seen them in so long -!

    Lando gave Han a positively triumphant grin, as Han rolled his eyes and took Leia's hand, pride obvious in his expression as he said:

    "Go ahead and say it, Your Worshipfulness - I'm a granddad."

    -------------------

    - to be continued ... [face_laugh]
     
    caspian1a likes this.
  19. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    You managed to find enough of it to reconstruct and go again? Yay!!!!! Lay on, MacDuff...
     
  20. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    Daena - Thanks. :) All credit, and thanks, to Chyntuck for doing the hard work of finding which Wayback Machine pages held the original chapters. =D=

    I wanted to wait to reply until I could post the next chapter - more from Dubrillion, as well as with Rey and Kylo, and a certain blister makes a cameo appearance ... :D

    Plus - Ewoks. Lots of Ewoks. [face_laugh]

    ---------------------------------------------------

    "OWOWOW! Never fails - the part of you that's hurt is invariably the one you need the most!"

    - Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock, on the poor timing of pain,
    Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, issue 213

    ---------------------------------------------------
    Chapter 18: 25.5 ABY: Belkadan,
    Outer Rim Territories
    (Extreme Galactic North):
    ---------------------------------------------------

    Jacen thought he knew pain - he'd been bitten by various exotic animals, scorched in lightsaber training, felt the horrific guilt of being unable to prevent the girl he loved from being maimed by his lightsaber.

    But compared to where he was now, he knew he hadn't really experienced pain. He hadn't even been in the same sector of space as pain.

    Well, I'm there now ... he thought, his jaw's ache the least of his worries and agonies.

    He was in something like a rack, except that racks didn't normally have their prisoners' heads facing toward the floor - or so Jacen thought. He was rather proud of the fact that until now, he hadn't had much experience with instruments of torture (at least not physical ones; Brakiss' mind games a couple years back had been sadistic).

    His wrists, ankles, and thighs were bound, and when Jacen tried to use a biofeedback technique to ease the pain in his arms, his wrists were twisted. He couldn't help but gasp a bit at that, and when his joints ached sympathetically - but the pain in his arms did ease up, if only because the bonds around them let up a little.

    It can measure my pain levels ... and it's keeping me in just enough pain to keep me from using the Force ... ? Jacen wondered, wincing at the price exacted even for trying to think. Pain for its own sake wasn't something he was used to, nor did he want to get that familiar with it.

    And there's no sign now of the Yuuzhan Vong ... or their slaves, Jacen worried, trying to sense anything through the Force - that didn't work, either, given the twisting around his ankles. Clearly, his shackles were designed to keep their prisoner from thinking too clearly.

    That was when things got worse.

    Something - looking like a crab with six legs, a rocky shell covered with grey coral-like dots, and four appendages that looked like something out of a medical droid's usual set - scuttled in, its compound eyes fixing on Jacen. He didn't like the look of it at all, and tried desperately to concentrate through the Force to reach for his lightsaber.

    There! Jacen thought, finally feeling a little relief when he saw his weapon on a shelf across the room of the - hut? - he'd been imprisoned in. The lightsaber rattled a little, and Jacen tried desperately to push past the pain before the creature got any closer.

    His guts spasmed with the effort of fighting the pain, and then Jacen's stomach plunged as the lightsaber rose - not under his control.

    Fortunately, the weapon nevertheless ignited, plunging through the creature and pinning it to the floor. Jacen wasn't exactly sure what had happened - he'd never studied Vo'ren Faalo's cadences, much less taken the time to learn the telekinetic lightsaber combat technique Faalo had pioneered, so he was sure he hadn't subconsciously used his lightsaber. But he wasn't going to argue with someone else cutting in.

    And then, through the pain, he sensed another Force-presence - not muted, like the slaves, but blazing bright.

    Another Jedi, Jacen thought, too relieved to make out the exact identity of the newcomer at the moment.

    He squinted as the first rays of Belkadan's sun came through the front door of the hut, and listened as the bellows of Yuuzhan Vong warriors turned to the occasional scream. The cries of combat - and pain - were undercut by the basic thrummm of another ignited lightsaber, combined with the VRUMMM of that same weapon's combat dance.

    One of the Yuuzhan Vong warriors stood at the door, his back to Jacen, and the ugly alien looked over his shoulder to stare at the impaled crab-thing before glowering at Jacen.

    It was the last mistake the warrior made - he spun, giving out a shocked grunt as a rock the size of the average shockball smacked him in the temple. The Yuuzhan Vong went flying to the ground, and a hooded figure in black stepped over the unconscious nonhuman before retrieving Jacen's lightsaber from the dead creature.

    Jacen closed his eyes as a pattern of violet and green light flicked past, and he finally felt the restraints slacken. He didn't open his eyes until he was sure he'd regained control of his emotions; the last thing he wanted to be seen as was a crybaby, especially since he was already humiliated by how easily he'd been captured.

    That was when he realized, the newcomer's lightsaber was violet - and Jacen's eyes shot open in shock as he was set down telekinetically, while the lightsabers were shut down.

    His rescuer half-smiled thinly, an odd mixture of respect, annoyance, and satisfaction, as he knelt beside Jacen and examined the youth's face. "That thing didn't implant you with anything, did it?" the older man said, helping Jacen to sit up and returning his lightsaber to him.

    "No ... I thought ... why'd you come after me? Did I disappoint Uncle Luke that badly?" Jacen blurted, blushing at the curt rudeness of the statement - even if he didn't quite believe who'd freed him.

    Kyp Durron raised an eyebrow and helped Jacen to stand, handing the youth a canteen while they headed outside. "You mean, why is the one Jedi whom you like to insult the most here risking his neck to save your navel-gazing butt? Simple - you actually managed to impress me, finding the guts to go and do something about the Vong. Maybe a bit passive for my tastes, but intel gathering's important too. Besides, it's still better than doing nothing and whining about 'mad Jedi,'" the Deyer-born man chuckled.

    "Sorry ... thanks for coming after me. Really. I just ... would've thought you'd let me rot," Jacen admitted, blushing in shame. "Some Jedi I am."

    "Hey, Jedi do get captured. And tortured. And ... killed. Besides, given how busy your uncle is with everyone who's resurfacing, I suggested he shouldn't come here alone," Kyp said, turning grim for a moment on the word killed before smirking by the end of the sentence.

    Jacen didn't miss the spike of grief and pain that Kyp hid, and said, more gently, "I'm sorry about Miko."

    Kyp's irritation and defensiveness rose, but Jacen forced himself to look at the older Jedi, who bit back whatever he was about to say. "... thank you. And as for letting you rot, there are a lot of people I'd sooner leave behind than another Jedi. Now come on before we settle all our disagreements or something," Kyp said, managing a chuckle as they headed for the Lambda-class shuttle fast approaching.

    "Besides, I do have an ulterior motive in hitching a ride to Dantooine. There's a purple-haired telepathic lady there whom you and I both need to talk to - you to get that vision of yours explained, and me, to see if I can get her to date me. And the Vong are there already, so let's get going."

    ----------------------------------------------
    Dubrillion Asteroid Field:
    ----------------------------------------------

    "All right, stutter the turret guns before firing the concussion missiles! Use the targeting data the NRI supplied to us! Arf, reroute the shield power through the secondary relay!" the young human captain of the Century Hawk - a semi-legendary YT-1300 Corellian Engineering Corp. freighter, although not quite so legendary as its cousin, the Millennium Falcon - shouted into his headset as he turned the ship through another evasive spin.

    "FEWEEP! DWEET-WOOT-WOOT-SCREE-WEEP!" the ship's "chief engineer" - a rather patched-up green and white R5 astromech - shrieked, hurtling back to the main hold while plasma fire and gravitic tides tore at the Hawk's fraying deflector shields. The co-pilot, a harried-looking blond haired human youth about the same age as the captain, looked out at the insane spectacle visible through the main port, then at the captain.

    The chief officer had brown hair cut above the ear, brown eyes narrowed intently, and a cocky grin that observers had already compared to a certain other Corellian-descended rogue. Unlike the other rogue, though, the young captain was wearing a rather more practical vac suit with the helmet in easy reach - just in case.

    Raynal Kieran-Organa did have a bit more practicality than Han Solo, owing to his Alderaanian blood.

    "Ray, we're down to 35 percent shields - the aft grid's got more holes than Chandrilan cheese. The snubs are doing OK against those skips, but the Hawk's NOT designed for taking on a capital ship - or whatever that asteroid thing is!" Drellis Thul - a distant cousin of the more famous Thul entrepreneurial bloodline - exclaimed with a note of panic.

    "Trust me, Drel. We got backup coming," Raynal reassured his friend, taking the Hawk on a slalom through spines on the Yuuzhan Vong cruiser's topside. The blast tinting didn't quite keep pace with the flashes of plasma emitters, and their makeshift crew of volunteer fighters were hard-pressed to keep suppression fire on the coralskippers pursuing them frantically.

    "WHAT backup!? Most of the ships in the flotilla are freighters, passenger liners, garbage scows - they're for the evacuation! They're not warships! You think that self-serving fleabag Fey'lya's gonna lift a finger to help people who didn't vote for him?" Drellis snapped.

    Raynal's grin became more sympathetic - he shared Drellis' opinion about the current Chief of State's incompetency, although without the somewhat humanocentric edge that Drellis' father had unfortunately imparted to his son. "Trust me. My dad told me Senator Plif was gonna get us backup. My folks've never let me down before," the 16-year-old said.

    Drellis checked his vac-suit and his crash webbing, flinching involuntarily as another skip turned into pebbly debris under the Hawk's dorsal guns. "Your folks ever been fighting extragalactic psychos to help evacuate a planet full of innocent people before?" the blond boy asked.

    Raynal cocked an eyebrow and replied, "Remember who my grandfather is? We have powerful friends."

    "Oh, so now you're riffing off of both your famous relatives - you don't have your granddad's luck - DIVE!" Drellis shouted, panic filling his voice as plasma bolts shot toward them.

    "Oh, I don't know about that ..." Raynal replied, grinning as the hyperspace reversion alarm went berzerk.

    Drellis' eyebrows rose, as an enormous, vaguely Mon Calamarian-like star cruiser erupted from hyperspace between the evacuation fleet and the Vong cruiser analogue. "I don't recognize the design ..." he asked, clutching his stomach as the Hawk went into another spin, letting the new cruiser's point defense turbolaser batteries cover their escape from the skips.

    A HUGE burst of white-tinged energy fire erupted from the large cruiser's bow, hammering the Vong cruiser's defenses, as a squeaky-growly voice rang over the ship-to-ship coms, "This Senator Kolot of Endor - yub!"

    "Glider of Decimation reporting for help! Launch all X-E-4s! YUB! ATTACK!"

    The boys traded a surprised look as space filled with X-Wings - and another round of high-energy fire lanced from the Glider into the Yuuzhan Vong cruiser. The alien ship started to list, fire erupting from its sides, while Drellis whispered, "Ewoks ...?"

    "Ewoks led by a former Wraith Squadron pilot turned Senator? Who's got no luck now?" Raynal whooped, turning back to help with the rout.

    -----------------------------------------------
    Dubrillion City Command Center:
    -----------------------------------------------

    The scene in the center could, charitably, be called crazy.

    "EWOK AIR SUPPORT! Plif talked to Kolot and we got EWOK backup!? The Vong don't have a PRAYER!!" Lando cheered, punching a fist in the air as Han and Leia hugged each other and the tactical staff cheered or danced.

    "Endor's got its own navy? When did - no. I don't want to know. I just want them to finish up so we can start the evacuation ... and then I have a very big thank-you letter to write Wicket and the Ewok council," Leia said, smiling with Han while Chewie roared.

    Han was still subdued, though, and he checked with one of the signal techs before slipping out into the night air. Leia followed him out onto the balcony, a little saddened to be able to see flickers of turbolaser fire and exploding ships even at this distance from the asteroid belt.

    "I'm a grandfather," Han finally managed to say, feigning his smirk while Leia rubbed his back. "Of a kid who could've gone to school with our kids."

    "I know we don't visit New Alderaan often enough ... or is it the age thing?" Leia asked, satisfied at Han's look of mock outrage.

    "What're you callin' an 'age thing'? I'm perfectly comfortable with being ... not ... so young anymore," Han said, managing an echo of the smirk he'd had so long ago in a Hoth medical bay.

    He sighed and added, "And maybe I'm glad Dani turned out OK - got a chance to have a stable family. After Marlia and I ... went our seperate ways, I didn't even know about Danielle until we ran into the Century Hawk after the Nagai wars."

    "Hey, you didn't know about Danielle. You're a good man, Han, and a good father. When you did learn about her, you did everything you could to try and be there for her - and she's a good person. A credit to her parents," Leia added.

    Han nodded, but his expression - and presence in the Force - prompted Leia to ask, "You're not usually this doubtful."

    "Just old shadows, Princess. I have a good wife and good kids - occasionally drive me nuts, but I wouldn't trade them for Xim's real treasure vault," Han chuckled, kissing Leia's forehead.

    She smirked at him, nestling close as she sensed a large number of excited, concerned presences approach - the evacuation fleet were starting their landings. "You don't need to feel like you're extraneous, Han. I know you've had it difficult, being one of the few non-Force-sensitives in the family. But the kids and I love you - we need you," Leia reminded him.

    "You better believe it, Your Worshipfulness. Now c'mon - I wanna give what for to this grandson of mine. Some of those turns he took with the Century Hawk probably blew out a stabilizer, and he needs someone who knows what they're doing with repairs," Han chuckled, checking his comlink as the signal matching the Hawk's transponder got stronger.

    Leia could tell the conversation wasn't entirely over - Han still had a seed of doubt about whether his Jedi children really needed him, especially given the distance between him and Jacen, and his concerns echoed Leia's own worry about the distance between her and Jaina. But Jaina was still close to her father, and Jacen still confided in Leia, and Anakin still talked with both his parents.

    Even if Luke and Mara moved in ... sometimes I wish they'd just focus on their own kids, Leia thought, both charitably and uncharitably. She knew, intellectually, that Mara had never attempted to "steal" Jaina from her, any more than Luke was Jacen's father - but the Jedi Masters were the ones whom the twins could talk to about the Force, who really understood the "Jedi thing" even better than Leia did.

    A warm, amused nudge at Leia's mindshield made her concentrate, and she activated her comlink, hope and worry mingling together. "Luke?" she asked.

    "We're leaving the Belkadan system now, Leia. Jacen's a little banged up, but nothing some rest won't cure. And as for my own kids, I want to be sure I get their mom back home to them safely," Luke said, relief and determination clear in his voice.

    -----------------------
    Dantooine:
    -----------------------

    "Tionne? Are they awake?" Betsy heard, and she waited outside Mara's makeshift tent, unsure if she should intrude.

    I'm grateful the Skywalkers and Solos have accepted me so readily. But I don't want to presume too deep a friendship, yet, either, the British telepath pondered until she "heard" a mental greeting from Mara.

    ~You're practically family now, Braddock. Grab a corner of a rug while I check in with my kids,~ Mara sent, her gaze flickering back to the handheld holoproj she'd borrowed from Bey. Betsy sat cross-legged across the fairly spacious tent, smiling as a wide-eyed, brown-haired little girl appeared in the holofield.

    Mara's lip trembled as the girl's eyes widened, and she broke into an enormous grin before asking, "Mom?! You're really OK!?"

    "And I'll be home as soon as I can, Rey - I'm so glad you're safe on Yavin," Mara said, a depth of emotion roiling from her as she blinked back tears. It was very unlike the strong-willed, self-controlled facade she usually gave, and Betsy kept quiet as mother and daughter shared the moment.

    "I thought about you every day on Jakku. I knew you and Dad'd find me - Kylo's here, too, and it's great seeing him again," Rey said, wiping her own eyes but still beaming. "Hey, Ky, Mom's on the holo!"

    Kylo stuck his head in the holofield with typically young-male presumption, concern crossing his face for a moment as he asked, "You feel stronger, Mom?"

    "A little, Ky. I'm going to beat this thing. Keep helping your sister, and your dad and the rest of us'll be home as soon as we can," Mara said.

    Kylo nodded, smiling a little, and Rey reappeared - with an Ewok, no less, who grinned toothily and said, "Yub. Hello, Master Skywalker. I Kettch."

    "Kettch is Senator Kolot's son, and he has the Force, and he's studying here with us! Yavin's so astral! But Master Tionne says we gotta go to dinner. You'll be home soon?" Rey rambled, letting Kettch step back while Betsy laughed behind her hand and Mara grinned.

    Mara grew more serious, nodding, a promise in her eyes as she said, "Very soon, Rey. Keep looking up, and your dad and I'll be home soon."

    Rey nodded, waving, and Tionne bid Mara and Betsy farewell before the feed closed. Betsy let her friend take a moment to compose herself, until the red-haired woman smiled at her and asked, "Kids, huh?"

    "You're an incredibly lucky woman, Mara. I ... with my life, and the ... instability in my romantic relationships, I've never considered having children. It never seemed fair, to put them at risk of being hurt, kidnapped, or worse, by some crazed supervillain or anti-mutant bigot," Betsy confessed.

    Mara nodded, deactivating the holoproj, and leaned back against her cot. "Sounds similar to what Han and Leia went through with their kids. As for Luke and I ... well, Farmboy had several girlfriends before I was able to wrangle him," she said, her trademark grin returning.

    Betsy blinked; the idea of Luke Skywalker as lothario had never crossed her mind. "I'd supposed, with the old Order's prohibitions ..." she started.

    Mara's grin grew dangerously wicked, and she replied, " Let's see. There's Deena Shan; Callista; that poor Mary of Solay; Lumiya; Gaerial Capistan; Alex Winger; Akanah, sort of; Teneniel Djo - you ought to see how cute Luke blushes when I mention her; Dani, but that was pretty one-sided ... Farmboy might have that guilelessness about him, but he's not an amateur in the art of love," Mara said, counting off names on her fingers.

    Betsy repressed a snicker, but couldn't help but say, "Oh, my. I never quite knew Luke was so ... well, busy before he'd married you."

    Mara's grin turned even more wicked. "Yeah, Farmboy's a hot number. But I'm the one he ended up with - obviously the only one who can keep up with him," she said, making Betsy blush now.

    The redhead's demeanor became more introspective as she continued, "Actually, Luke's been through hell love-wise. That schutta Lumiya meant something to him, while Gaerial and Mary died, and Akanah lied to him ... and later, after we had the triplets, Jemma was kidnapped ..."

    Betsy nodded; that reminded her of someone. "There was a Jemma Simmons on Earth, whom I believe might have been Force-sensitive," she said, sharing her memories of Phil Coulson's SHIELD strike-team with Mara.

    Mara's eyes widened, and Betsy nodded again - there was something of a similarity between the women. "But, that's a grown woman, and Jemma was only 5 when she disappeared," the redhead pointed out as Betsy closed down the psi-link.

    "Indeed. The longer I'm here, the more I'm convinced time travel of some kind was involved with my displacement - and your similarities with Jean Grey-Summers are far too numerous to write off as coincidence," Betsy agreed.

    "The trick now, is to survive the Vong, and live long enough to catch up to the point in time from which I was thrown here ..."

    -----------------------------------------------
    Yavin 4: Jedi Praxeum roof:
    -----------------------------------------------

    "You OK?" Tahiri asked, grinning as she helped Rey make that last climb up the last set of steps. Kylo was already waiting for them; they'd chowed through the food (which was SOOOO much better than Plutt's dumb rations) to watch the sunset with the big kids.

    "Yeah - I learned to climb when I was scavenging wrecks ... oh, wow," Rey whispered, looking up at the huge, mottled red ball filling Yavin's sky, along with the sinking evening sun.

    She was wearing donated sunshades - everyone was being really nice, and Rey could tell it wasn't just because she was Luke Skywalker's daughter. (Actually, Tahiri had told her right away, "Trust me - behind the lightsabers and blasters and blowing-up-space-stations? They've got a lot of the same issues as most people. You'll fit right in.")

    "It's a pretty nice day, yeah. But there are storms sometimes - and trust me, wait until it gets humid and the wildlife starts howling. At least Jacen finally gave his crystal snake to the Coruscant Zoo," Valin snorted, laying out on one of the stones and staring into the sky.

    Kettch sat beside him, and Rey concentrated; both boys were worried, and so was Tahiri. "We've all got people out there who we're worried about, don't we?" Rey realized.

    "Hey, they'll be OK," Kylo promised, feeling like he was trying to be brave. Rey tried to smile, too, but it felt like the kind of smile a person smiled when they were trying not to be scared.

    I survived on Jakku, though, Rey remembered, listening to Tahiri start to talk again.

    "Your dad and mom are out there - and Anakin, and Jaina and Jacen and Captain Solo and Princess Leia and Chewie. They're really nice, almost like my family. And Kettch's dad went to Dubrillion, and Valin's dad is out on Bimmiel on a mission," the Tatooine-born girl said.

    "Tahiri? How ... how do you be brave? I mean, when people you care about are out ... I dunno, saving the galaxy?" Rey asked, and the older girl put a hand on her shoulder.

    "Some Jedi concentrate on the Force to help them keep calm. It works, but I don't like to do it - it's kind of a cop-out, I think. I do meditate - have to, to get better with the Force - but more than that, I think about the good times with the people I care about. And I try to send them good thoughts. Some people think that's silly, but we're Jedi, so I think it could work," Tahiri said, almost not taking a breath.

    "I agree, young apprentice," a voice - almost like a man's, but with a kind of warm purr to it - said, and Tahiri smiled as a strong Force-presence got closer. Rey lifted her sunshades, watching as something - someone? she wondered - hopped up the Temple steps, and Valin sat up, a little embarrassed.

    "Master Ikrit ... uh, we were just - ah, showing Rey around," Valin said, while the ... four-legged cat-like person with the big green eyes ... sat beside Tahiri, and nodded at Rey and Kylo.

    "Including the top of the Temple, where younglings and apprentices are forbidden from going until after they can demonstrate suitable skill with levitation?" Ikrit said, sounding kind of like he thought it was funny - well, kind of.

    He looked right at Rey and bowed, then. "My apologies for not welcoming you sooner, Rey. I am a Jedi Master, in mostly an advisory role here at the Praxeum. I am a Kushiban, and spent several centuries in stasis until awaiting two children who could fulfill a prophecy. Tahiri and your cousin, Anakin Solo, fulfilled the prophecy and saved untold spirits of innocent children," he said, and Rey shook his paw.

    "Wow ... nice to meet you, ah - Master," Rey said, smiling at Tahiri. "You didn't tell me you were a hero!"

    Tahiri blushed a little and shook her head. "'Kin's the hero. Hero boy, I tease him," she said, and Rey tried not to giggle as Kylo made a face.

    "Ugh. Mush," the boy gagged, going quiet when Master Ikrit cleared his throat.

    "'Mushy' as it may be, young Kylo, such feelings are part of life. But for now, let us focus on those who are distant from us physically. Try to hear the Force flowing through and around here - let it carry your thoughts to those whom you care about," Master Ikrit said.

    Rey nodded, closing her eyes and thinking, Dad, Mom ... everyone ... be careful.

    ----------------------------------------------

    to be continued ...
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2018
  21. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    A/N: Apologies; DRL's been busy again lately ... 8-}

    --------------------------------------

    "I psimerged your thoughts, so you could have a proper conversation."

    - Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock, assisting Kitty Pryde and Franklin Richards,
    Fantastic Four vs. X-Men issue 4

    **************************************
    Chapter 19: 25.6 ABY: Dantooine,
    Outer Rim Territories:
    **************************************

    Betsy smiled as Anakin, Bey, the Nagai, and Vargi watched - some with mouths hanging open in shock - as Mara levitated in the morning sunlight.

    Levitation, in and of itself, was really just a refinement of telekinesis, and as such, wasn't actually such a rare Jedi skill (although it came easier to Consulars and other Force-focused Jedi).

    But the fact that Mara was wreathed in flame while levitating, and unharmed, was something a bit unique.

    She's getting more control over the Phoenix Force, slowly - or should that be Phoenix "Force," I wonder? Betsy considered.

    She nodded as Mara exited the cross-legged meditation position and landed on her feet, while Anakin stammered, "Th-that power - !"

    "Isn't sustainable for more than a few minutes, Solo," Mara said with her usual attitude (if a bit more softness toward her nephew than she might show to non-relatives). The redhead - whose color and overall sense of health in the Force were a bit improved - scowled and added, "If I could just ramp it up ..."

    ~We both know that's not a good idea,~ Betsy telepathed to her friend and - in a way - student. She'd shared the entire "Phoenix saga" with Mara telepathically, and given the sheer amount of drama the firebird had caused the Grey family (whom Mara was certainly connected with somehow, Betsy was convinced), overdrawing on the Force-entity was ill-advised.

    Mara grinned defiantly - more of a baring of teeth, even if Betsy could sense the redhead's lack of menace. ~Well, then, 'teach,' we'll just have to double the lesson plan ... after I take a nap,~ she sent, her tone dulling a bit as the toll of her focus started to weigh on her.

    Mara retreated to a tent, while Anakin asked, "Lady Braddock - Betsy - will Aunt Mara be OK?"

    Betsy put a reassuring hand on the youth's shoulder and smiled - she was sure of one thing, at least.

    "Anakin, with enough time and practice, your aunt will be able to do anything she puts her mind to. That, I have no doubt of," she said.

    "For now, though, she needs time to hone her control over the Phoenix. Believe me when I say that rushing headlong toward it is extremely reckless ..."

    -----------------------------------------------
    Ralroost, New Republic Cruiser,
    outbound to Dubrillion System,
    Outer Rim Territories:
    -----------------------------------------------

    She'd checked out her XJ-3, at least, until R2-B3 had BLATTed at her to let him do his job. Then she'd run sims until she'd seen double, and then she'd worked out in the ship's gym.

    Jaina still wasn't able to shake the embararssment and haunted fear that had filled her after she'd felt Jacen's spike of pain through the Force - and, after that, nothing.

    I'd know if he was dead. I'd know it. I'm just more worried that he's hurt and alone and - STOP it! You have to focus on what you can do here, Jaina told herself, dressing after a shower following her workout. She lay on her bunk, trying not to think of the sympathetic pain in her jaw that had left her unconscious in Admiral Kre'fey's office.

    The med-droids told me I was OK, even fit to fly ... I'd just opened myself up too much to the Force, let whatever hit Jacen overwhelm me. I had to beg Colonel Darklighter not to take me off the active flight roster, especially since we're going to Dubrillion. I have to pull my weight, Jaina thought, rolling over and trying to sleep.

    She shivered as she thought of her twin, battered and bloodied, some Yuuzhan Vong standing over him with one of those snake-spears, ready to strike -

    "Jaina?"

    Some Jedi I am, Jaina thought, blushing as she rolled back over and looked at a silhouette in the lighted doorway to the female Rogues' dorm. I didn't even sense - whoever it is - approaching ...

    She squinted, grateful as the questioner dialed up the lights just enough to let Jaina see, and sat up on her bunk. "Anni," Jaina greeted, half-smiling at the Corellian girl who was maybe - at most - five years older than Jaina was. Anni Capstan kept her blonde hair cut above the ear, in a rather pixie-like style, but her green eyes were alight with mischief, at least when they were prepping to run sims against the guys in the squadron.

    Now, though, Anni's expression was kind and sage, full of experience, and she gave Jaina a knowing look that eerily reminded the Jedi apprentice of a younger Tionne. "You're worried about someone?" Anni asked.

    "How - ? No, wait - someone did some simple arithmetic when they heard about the medical droid being called to the admiral's quarters. They saw the admiral and the colonel walking around all right, noticed me not be at the briefing at the course correction at Agamar, and figured 'Jedi girl' had a freak-out?" Jaina replied, wincing a little at the bitterness in her tone.

    Anni flinched, and Jaina immediately blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean you thought that way - aaugh, me and my mouth. I just ... everything that's going on, it's got me pretty on edge," she said, hoping Anni would forgive her.

    "It's OK. You wouldn't be human otherwise. First real combat deploy, and we're not fighting pirates or unreconstructed Imps, but real aliens. With the number of times I got vaped in sims against those 'skips,' I'm not looking forward to this either," Anni said, smirking a bit.

    She became concerned again, and frowned a little as she said, "Don't let that idiot Sterhath or anyone else give you kark about being Force-sensitive. We don't all think the Jedi are mystics or hotheads. I've seen your numbers when you fly, and you do your part in the sims - you're a good wingman. If the Force helps you, I say use it."

    "Thanks. It's a double-edged vibroblade, though," Jaina said, letting her worry seep into her tone. Anni relaxed, looking curious, and Jaina added, "It's my twin brother, Jacen. He went off on his own to look for more info on the Vong, and I think they ambushed him. I felt his pain through the Force, and now ... I don't think he's dead, but I don't know how he is, either."

    "I'd heard twins have a kind of connection, but I didn't know it was so strong with Force-users. Can you get a target lock on him?" Anni asked, her kindness a warmth in her Force-presence.

    "Oh, I know where he went - Belkadan, where my aunt and uncle first fought the Vong. But he went almost alone, with just an astromech, and after he'd had a Force-vision that scared him. Jacen usually thinks more than this, and scared people make dumb mistakes. That's as true for Jedi as it is for pilots," Jaina explained, shaking her head by the end.

    She looked up at Anni, trying not to cry, and sighed, adding, "It's the uncertainty. After Sernpidal ... we almost lost Chewie - Chewbacca. And things are ... complicated with my mom, and my aunt's sick, and my grandma's back, which is a good thing, but - everything's just so crazy. Flying with Rogue Squadron is a great chance to be me, and to help the New Republic without being a Jedi, but I can't get away from everything that's going on."

    Jaina hung her head, grateful when Anni sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. "That's the dirty little secret of the 'real' world, Jaina. Everyone's got problems. Look at me - my father freaked out when I signed on with the NRDF, my mom's scared I'll get shot down, and my boyfriend's trying badly to hide his taste for Lethan Twi'lek girls. I know it might seem like you're alone, but trust me, you're not," the older girl said.

    "Thanks. I ... I haven't been a snot, have I? I mean, that's the last thing I want to do," Jaina asked, wiping her eyes on a tissue Anni handed her from the nightstand.

    Anni's grin gleamed a little in the low lights, and she elbowed Jaina in a friendly fashion after removing her arm from Jaina's shoulders. "Relax, Sticks. You're not stand-offish or snobby - just be yourself, like you've been doing. What we really need to do is get you and those Force senses of yours in a sabaac game, and beat the pants off of Sterhath," she teased, using Jaina's call-sign.

    Jaina started to laugh, but stuck her tongue out at the mental image that provoked. "Ick. Who wants to see that loser without pants?" she blurted, and Anni giggled uproariously.

    "Oh, ugh. Now I'm scarred for life. I should've stopped while I was ahead," Anni joked, and Jaina laughed with her - a deep, belly-rattling laugh that made her feel a little better. Unfortunately, that set off a rumble in Jaina's stomach, and they looked at each other before laughing again.

    "C'mon. I'll see if I can bribe the chef droid into giving us something edible, and you can pay me back by talking more about your crazy family. I always wondered what it'd be like to meet one of Han Solo's kids and get the whole story - like what's up with your mom's hair buns? Were those things real?" Anni asked, walking with Jaina from the dorm.

    "Oh, they're real. Take forever to curl, which is why she doesn't wear her hair like that often. You'd never catch me with hair that takes that long to fix - I'm a lot more like my dad ..." Jaina said, explaining the whole excruciating process as they walked.

    --------------------------------------------------
    Landing Pad 343, Dubrillion City,
    Dubrillion, Outer Rim Territories:
    --------------------------------------------------

    Han stopped about halfway up the Century Hawk's entrance ramp, looking around at the interior of the ship, and raised an eyebrow. She even remodeled the interior like the Falcon's main hold, he thought, looking up as a lanky figure peered around the corner of one of the access tunnels.

    The blond youth blinked, his jaw dropping a little, and he called, "Ah, Ray ...?"

    "Han! Maybe you should ask before just butting in?" Han heard, and he smiled over his shoulder at his wife. Leia had her hands on her hips, her Noghri bodyguard Bolphur standing behind her with a wary expression and Chewie shaking his head as he caught up with the Solos.

    "I think the first mate noticed me, sweetheart. But if you insist I be - protocol-ish - then I'll give a proper greeting," Han said, smiling far too reasonably as he turned back to the Hawk's crew.

    The still-shocked blond boy stepped aside, letting another boy, this one with brown hair and brown eyes, walk around the corner of the tunnel with a curious expression. "Well, you finally showed up. The walk from the Falcon tire you out, old man?" the brown-haired youth asked, smirking.

    If the newcomer's attitude and facial features didn't convince Han the boy was his grandson, that smirk did. He echoed it and finished entering the Hawk, replying, "I just wanted to give you a chance to get this old girl in her berth. I know how hard it can be to get a YT-1300 settled in, 'specially when you're just starting out."

    The boy - Raynal, Han remembered from the com-traffic during the battle - gave Han a predictably offended look and blurted, "You calling me green? I've logged more hours in the Hawk than you've spent in the field in the past decade!"

    "Yeah? How many of those hours were you in diapers?" Han shot back, as Leia charged up the ramp and stood between him and the boys. The blond put a hand on Raynal's shoulder as he frowned at Han, and after a few exchanged whispers, Raynal rolled his eyes and nodded. Then, he got respectful when he looked at Leia.

    "Your Highness. Raynal Kieran-Organa - I guess we're first cousins ... and, you'd be my step-grandmother," the boy said, surprising Han (and Leia) with a proper royal bow. The blond kid's eyes bugged out when he saw Leia, and the blond bowed even more than Raynal did.

    "I believe we are - Raynal? It's nice to see you again. It's been far too long ... we've been so busy with our side of the family, we haven't seen Niall and Danielle as much as we should," Leia said, shaking Raynal's hand before looking at his crew member. "And you - you must be a Thul. You look like Raynar."

    "Y-yes, Your Highness! Drellis Thul - I'm a fourth cousin to Raynar. This is such an honor!" Drellis gushed, and Raynal and Han shared a friendly smirk as the blond boy chatted excitedly with Leia.

    "Look - sorry about the crack on your age. I ... wasn't sure how this'd go. I've heard the stories from Mom, but - well, you guys are a lot to live up to," Raynal said, walking with Han a bit away from where Leia and Drellis were talking.

    Han relaxed considerably and clapped Raynal on the shoulder. "Listen, kid - Ray? - family means a lot to me. If Danielle talked to you about me, you know about your great-grandparents, and what I went through growing up. I'll be kriffed before I turn my back on blood," he promised, and Raynal grinned as he clasped Han's wrist.

    "Thanks," the boy said, trying not to get all weepy, and Han nodded. "Hey, is that -?"

    <Well, nerf-herder? You gonna introduce us, or do we stand in the hatchway and keep taking up space?> Chewie bellowed from the ramp, and Han waved him and Bolphur in as Drellis' eyes bugged out. Raynal just grinned, waving when a beat-up green and white R5 astromech rolled out of the main cockpit access tunnel.

    "Drellis isn't a Wookiee, but he's about as loyal. And Arf there is our chief engineer. The rest of the crew are volunteers on this run. We'll load up as many refugees as we can and see if we can't hitch a ride on the Aldera Ascendant. I hear the evacuation's going OK?" Raynal asked.

    "Really good, yeah. When Kolot and the other Ewoks messed up the Vong's day, it opened up a lot of jump vectors. Lando's coordinating with Lieda Mothma to take advantage of that, and a good third of the population's already blasted off for Agamar. They'll redistribute the refugees from there. Problem is if the Vong figure out what happened, and they -" Han started to say.

    His comlink chirped, as did Leia's, and a chime activated on the Hawk's holo-gameboard. Raynal groaned, checking the device, and frowned as a worried-looking Sullustan appeared. "This is Siuv Snol on the Aldera Ascendant! Long-range sensors are picking up a Yuuzhan Vong fleet - with more cruisers - coming out of hyperspace at the edge of the Dubrillion system! Evacuation efforts must be accelerated at ONCE!" the mousy nonhuman exclaimed.

    "Kriffit!" Raynal snapped, sticking his head in another of the access tunnels. "VORK! TALBAR! Breaktime's over!"

    "C'mon, Princess. We can play catchup later - you two, stay alive. I don't want you embarrassing me by getting killed!" Han shouted, Leia, Chewie, and Bolphur close behind as they headed for the Falcon.

    "You just make sure that sensor dish stays on the Falcon this time!" Raynal shot back, and Han grinned at him before catching up with the others.

    Leia glanced sideways at Han and smiled knowingly. "You're getting soft," she said.

    "What? So I didn't bring up the crossed wiring on that one junction box? The kid's got to learn some things the hard way," Han snorted.

    Leia just shook her head as they broke into a run, and chuckled, "Grandpa."

    "HEY!" Han mock-yelled, glowering at Chewie as the Wookiee chuckled. "Yeah, sure, laugh it up. You just wait until Lumpy brings home a girlfriend."

    <The nice thing with Wookiee relationships is, it can take decades for things to go anywhere ... Grandpa,> Chewie laughed, and Han muttered under his breath.

    "I wonder if Booster has problems like this ..."

    -----------------------
    Dantooine:
    -----------------------

    "Your chassis looks ancient, but the interior design is pretty contemporary," Anakin praised as he finished checking HK-47 over, and the assassin droid nodded in the firelight from the campsite's bonfire.

    "Gratified statement: My current body is the result of droid design improvements incorporated during my reconstruction on Mustafar, Padawan Solo. I opted to keep my original chassis design as an ... aesthetic decision. The HK line's ability to inspire fear in meatbags has not diminished in recent years, I'm proud to say," HK-47 said with a kind of weird chuckle at the end.

    I'd believe Mara when she says this guy was Revan's assassin. He's a little creepy, Anakin thought, trying not to shiver at the thought of a 4,000-year-old droid. HK had to have an unbelievable amount of experience in combat, and Anakin was kind of glad the droid was on their side.

    He looked at where Mara was talking with Bey and Lady Braddock, and concentrated into the distance - toward where the voids marking the Yuuzhan Vong were growing. Yeah ... we might need to fight soon. I'm not really looking forward to it, the youth thought, glancing back at HK-47.

    "If you were rebuilt on Mustafar, why are you here? For that matter, where've you been the last 25 years?" Anakin asked the red-eyed droid."

    HK-47 gave a good impression of a sigh and said, shortly, "Annoyed explanation: The short version is, finding work in the post-Imperial era has not been easy. The Galactic Empire remains wisely paranoid about assassin droids, and I was hard-pressed to convince the warlords and other Imperials to hire me when they had more recent (and state-built) models to employ. Additionally, your New Republic is morally opposed to assassination work, on the whole, so I was forced to find work with pirates, mercenaries, and other scum. One of my more recent employers decided to force me into indentured servitude, and I responded with appropriate force. That stranded me here a standard month ago."

    Anakin pondered what an assassin droid would consider "appropriate force," then figured it'd be a bad idea to think too much about that. "And the ruins of the Jedi Enclave had maintenance systems still active you could use? An oil bath?" he asked.

    "Satisfied reply: I was able to utilize systems aboard my ex-employer's shuttle to keep myself in working condition, Padawan Solo. Unfortunately, the craft's navicomputer was damaged in the disagreement my employer and I found ourselves in, so I had a choice - either take off from Dantooine and go into shutdown mode for a centuries-long sublight flight to the nearest system, or take a chance that someone might show up here and be willing to hire me. Dantooine is, strangely, more heavily visited than an agriworld of its' remote stature might suggest, so I calculated the gamble might pay off. And it has," HK-47 said, smugly.

    "Yeah, well - don't go killing anyone unless we tell you to, OK?" Anakin ordered, refusing to flinch when HK-47 stared at him.

    "Annoyed response: We are anticipating an attack by semi-unknown aggressive meatbags, Padawan Solo. If you want me to let them disassemble me after my return from near-deactivation, there's a bridge on Tatooine I'd like to sell you," the assassin droid snarked back.

    Anakin frowned, but the Force blazed then, and he looked up into the night sky as a ship came in fast. Its' passengers shone in the Force, and Anakin grinned as he recognized them - and Aunt Mara and Lady Braddock did, too.

    "Bey, tell the perimeter guard to stand down! It's -!" Aunt Mara ordered, watching the Lambda-class shuttle landed, its ramp lowering, while Lady Braddock smiled and Vargi and the Nagai stood.

    Uncle Luke was the first one off the shuttle, and he and Aunt Mara hugged, relief and warmth and more feelings flowing between them. Anakin blushed a little, and waved when Jacen stepped down, feeling happy to see him.

    "Jace - OOF!?" Anakin blurted as Jacen hugged him. His big brother stood back, then, but held Anakin gently by his shoulders and looked at him like it hadn't been just a few weeks since they'd seen each other.

    "I saw - no, it doesn't matter now. You're safe. That's what matters. Ani, I'm so sorry I was such a kark-head to you before Sernpidal. I - it's a long story," Jacen tried to explain, and Anakin walked with him toward the campfire.

    "Uh ... thanks, Jace. Aunt Mara said you had some kind of vision?" Anakin asked, worried now. Jacen started to reply, but saw Lady Braddock, and she nodded at him - then, her eyes slid over to the shuttle, and she got kind of annoyed and happy all together.

    "We'll talk in a bit, Jacen. I need to greet Master Durron, then I'll be right back," she said, walking to the edge of the camp and talking with Kyp. Anakin watched Jacen sit on a supply locker, and smiled when Uncle Luke walked over and squeezed Anakin's shoulder.

    "Thank you. You don't know how grateful I am for all you've done for Mara. I'm very proud of you, Anakin," Uncle Luke said, hugging Anakin quickly. He released Anakin, then looked at Jacen, kind of worried, and said really quick, "Of both of you -"

    "Uncle, please. Anakin deserves your praise. All I did was get beat up, and almost get enslaved," Jacen interrupted, kind of mad, kind of tired. Anakin saw the bruise on his brother's chin, then, and worried, even when Jacen smiled tired at him and said, "I'll be OK, little brother. My ego just got a little bit of a stomping, that's all. Besides, we have other family to talk about."

    You can't be that evasive forever, Jace. Something happened, and I'm gonna find out what it is, Anakin promised, remembering what - or who - he'd wanted to ask Uncle Luke about. Aunt Mara walked over to them, smiling kind of funny, and Uncle Luke took a deep breath, but he wasn't upset.

    "Jacen's right. Rey's finally safe, back at the praxeum," Uncle Luke said, really happy now.

    "Wow. She'd be, what, 8 now, same age as Kylo - hey, Artoo," Anakin greeted, rubbing the astromech's dome as he and a grey and white R2 waddled across the grass to the encampment.

    "Bweet! Freedweep-weet!" Artoo chirped. He activated his holoproj, and Anakin and Jacen looked at the image of a girl with brown hair and hazel eyes like Great-Grandma Shmi'd had in holos, trying out a lightsaber for the first time.

    "She's got spirit, and she's kind. She's still adjusting, though, but I'm sure she'll be happy to see you - all of you," Uncle Luke said, looking at Aunt Mara with even more happiness.

    Aunt Mara just grinned and whispered in Uncle Luke's ear, and Anakin motioned for Jacen to walk with him. "Can you believe it? We get Grandma Padme' back, and now Rey's back, too - things are going pretty good," Anakin said.

    Jacen nodded, but he was serious, too. "Things are getting better. It's just ..." he said, trailing off.

    "Jace, you never get this weirded out. What did you see? Was it the Vong?" Anakin pressed.

    Jacen looked at him, and his eyes looked old - and afraid, and that was just strange for Jacen. Anakin knew, from listening to holocrons and talking with Master Tionne and Master Ikrit, that Jedi seers saw some awful things sometimes; he hoped Jace hadn't seen something so awful that it'd hurt him.

    Jacen put a hand on Anakin's shoulder and said, "The Vong are just the start, Anakin. But something Jaina lectured me about once is making more sense."

    "We have to keep our minds on where we are, for right now. Because I think things are about to get worse."

    -----------------------------------------

    to be continued ... [face_worried]
     
    caspian1a likes this.
  22. Ceillean

    Ceillean Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2001
    I remember this! :D From back on the old boards. It feels like ages ago.
    I finished reading the first post and it's still fun to read, just like back then. I love Betsy. Still have lots to read but happy to see this revived.
     
  23. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    Ceillean - Thank you. :) Chyntuck helped me find the right Wayback Machine pages to get the original story, and I was able to update it from there. :D

    I'll try to keep this more frequently updated. DRL's been hectic these last few weeks ... [face_blush]
     
  24. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2016
    Don't feel too bad. Darth Real Life messes with us all.
     
  25. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    Cowgirl: Thanks. :) Things have finally calmed down a bit, so I should be able to update more. :)

    Speaking of which ... :D

    ----------------------------------------------------

    "Essentially, our impetuous young colleague suffered a transient psychometric overload -"

    "Of course. Perfectly obvious."

    "- the technical term, Havok, is psychic shock syndrome - resulting from the strain of absorbing more raw data, too quickly, than his mind could assimilate. So, to protect itself, it shut down."

    - Betsy "Psylocke" Braddock warning against the risk of excess psionic power use (and Alex "Havok" Summers snarking in response),
    Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, issue 230

    ********************************************
    Chapter 20: 25.5 ABY: Dubrillion System,
    Outer Rim Territories:
    ********************************************

    When they hit, the Yuuzhan Vong hit hard.

    The advance coralskippers reached the edge of Dubrillion's asteroid belt light-minutes before the cruiser analogues reverted to realspace, but that was enough to harass the last few ships that'd been able to make it off of Dubrillion. The Vong hadn't been expecting reinforcements to Dubrillion's ragtag defense fleet - now a mix of X-E-J3s, basically XJ-3s refitted for easy use by their Ewok pilots, along with the various snubfighters that had survived the early Vong raids - much less experienced enemy pilots.

    None of the New Republic-affiliated pilots had many illusions about their survival, though.

    This was a delaying tactic, to buy the evacuation fleet and its lightly-shielded, lightly-armored ships full of refugees time to escape along whatever hyperspace vector they could. Not even the Ewok naval flagship Glider of Decimation - which sported an enormous amount of firepower, the origin of which would later be traced to salvaged and repurposed Death Star II turbolaser emplacements - could be expected to halt three Yuuzhan Vong cruiser analogues.

    Aboard the Jagged Talon, flagship of the Yuuzhan Vong task force sent to bring Dubrillion under control, Commander Maghar Phath - a distant relative of one of the elite of the shaper caste, raised as a warrior to preserve ancient cross-caste aliances - sat in his command throne, neural feeds letting him experience the battle in real time. The scent of blaze bugs filled the air, the number, color, and scent of the insects painting a picture of the battle situation for those not linked to the yammosk war coordinator as Phath or his bridge crew were.

    To Maghar's satisfaction, the picture was one of rout.

    The uh'maans and their fellow native species were, predictably, attempting to save their civilians - not entirely unforeseen, thanks to the intelligence work of the Praetorite Vong in the years leading up to the invasion. But a running defense was a multi-front affair, and hard to defend.

    I have the numerical advantage. And even if some escape, there will be captives for slave-taking ... and other purposes, Maghar thought, flicking his sensory awareness back to the bridge at the yammosk's suggestion.

    "Commander, Yammka's Fist is moving to intercept the infidel refugee fleet's main mass. What are your commands for the Florid Spine?" Uhl Grahk, Maghar's second-in-command, asked, bowing his head.

    Phath smiled, watching another infidel coralskipper analogue flare into a blaze of flame and metal. "Direct Laar Mahk to begin the shield bombardment. These uh'maans and their fellow infidels think their pitiful, blasphemous defenses the equal of our living servants, the dovin basals? We will teach them the true nature of strength," he ordered.

    "Belek tiu, lord," Grahk replied. Phath just nodded slightly; Ulh Grahk was an effective and loyal, if unimaginative, subordinate, the kind a wise commander kept around to get things accomplished.

    Unlike Harj Tak'hal, Maghar considered, keeping a wary eye on the subaltern in charge of bridge security. Domain Tah'kal was one of the most dangerous domains, politically - not exactly powerful, in the sense of a Jaamane, Lah or Shai or Kwaad, or even Maghar's wider-spread Phath kin, but just close enough to the heart of the Yuuzhan Vong political apparatus to be hungry.

    Hunger breeds desperation. Desperation breeds keen senses. Keen senses let one find weaknesses ... and I have no plans for a coufee in my back, Phath thought, keeping part of his awareness on the battle's progress and part of it on Harj.

    So, perhaps, Maghar Phath could be forgiven for not noticing the arrival of a Mon Calamari star cruiser and, arguably, the most famous starfighter squadron in the galaxy.

    Much less the proton torpedo that managed to make a lucky skip off of a dovin basal's energy field and penetrate the Jagged Talon's bridge.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    "HAH! Score one cruiser analogue for Sticks!" Anni Capstan whooped over the comms as Rogue Squadron darted past the now-foundering Yuuzhan Vong cruiser, and the Ralroost laid down covering fire.

    Jaina just double-clicked her com; the Force had been with her, indeed. So hard to get a sense of what or where to aim on these things ... it's like a bored asteroid miner taking potshots and trying to expose a vein of a rare metal, she thought, juking to keep a coralskipper off of her backside.

    A series of differently-timed laser bolts pierced the skip, breaking it into so much more rubble, and Jaina commed, "Thanks, whoever that was."

    "Welcome, Rogue Nine," a familiar - and now, not entirely unwelcome - male voice replied. Kehran Sterhath, the young man from Makem Te who'd called Jaina a "Jedi princess" just days before, waggled his wings, heading off with Rogue Eight after another pack of skips.

    "Who'd've thought Sterhath would make himself useful?" Anni joked, until an annoyed, older voice cut in.

    "Trim the chatter, Rogue Ten! You and Rogue Nine see if you can give the last few refugee craft some coverage. We've bloodied the Vong, but they're turning up the heat planetside," Colonel Darklighter ordered.

    "Yessir," Jaina replied, turning toward where a small convoy of ships were jetting out of Dubrillion's gravity well. She winced with sympathy for anyone still left on Dubrillion as a rain of plasma and solid projectiles poured from one of the two remaining Yuuzhan Vong cruiser analogues, and vaped a skip or two as they tried to harass the convoy.

    Then, Jaina sensed a familiar presence in the Force, and asked R2-B3, "Can you boost the sensor gain?"

    I'll DO MY BEST. BETWEEN THE FLAK AND THOSE FREAKY GRAVITIC PULSES, LONG-RANGE SENSORS ARE UNRELIABLE RIGHT NOW, Jaina's astromech replied. Jaina just nodded, focusing more on giving the last few ships some cover.

    Not that the escapees were doing a poor job of protecting themselves. Jaina was relieved, and unsurprised, to see a familiar Corellian freighter dancing about the last few freighters and corvettes, its guns blazing, and she unreservedly reached through the Force to return her mother's greeting.

    What did surprise Jaina was a second YT-1300 Corellian freighter - eerily similar to the Falcon - doing a similar job of coverage for the slower ships. Ask questions later, Jaina reminded herself, incinerating another skip while Anni did a good job of covering her six.

    RALROOST FLIGHT CONTROL CONFIRMS THE MAJORITY OF THE REFUGEE FLEET WENT TO LIGHTSPEED SAFELY. BUT THE GRAVITY DISTORTION IS GETTING WORSE - ALMOST LIKE AN INTERDICTION FIELD IS BUILDING, R2-B3 warned.

    "Yeah, the ride's getting a little bumpy - Rogue Leader, what about the second wave of refugee ships? I'm reading at least a third of the projected number of refugee craft still in-system!" Jaina commed Colonel Darklighter as she rode through some turbulence that had nothing to do with a near-hit from Vong plasma.

    "Ralroost confirms the equivalent of an interdiction field, Sticks. Glider of Decimation's picked up its surviving X-E-Js, and it's outbound. We've got another vector to follow the remaining refugees on - transmitting coordinates now. Rendezvous at this location, and may the Force be with us," Colonel Darklighter said, sounding ... worried?

    Well, he's never been one to overstate our abilities. And we came to save lives, not earn glory, Jaina thought, the adrenaline starting to bleed out of her system as R2-B3 finished crunching the nav-numbers and Jaina pushed the motivator lever forward.

    Besides, if we're headed where I think this vector is heading, we're not going to get away from the Vong that easy ...

    -----------------------------------------------------------
    Dantooine: New Republic Intelligence
    Camp Aurek:
    -----------------------------------------------------------

    "I cannot bloody well believe you're asking for a date here on this backwater ag world?!"

    Betsy had known a lot of aggravating men in her life - some she'd liked, some she'd put up with, some she'd killed - but for sheer gall, few of them could compare to Kyp Durron.

    "I didn't necessarily say date, as such. I just figured that since we made such a good team before, we might work as well here. You know, patrol the perimeter or something," Kyp suggested, half-smiling as Betsy raised a purple eyebrow at him.

    "I'm busy, Kyp. I've yet to talk with Jacen about his vision. Plus, the Nagai are said to be extremely attentive. Besides, we have Luke Skywalker sitting not 10 meters away. If he can't sense where the Force is absent, we're probably already dead. Then, if Vargi's senses and instincts are as sensitive as the average Wookiee's, then he's another extra layer of security. Not to mention HK-47, Artoo, R2-RP, and Neal - droids' sensory arrays are heightened as well," Betsy said, counting off on her fingers.

    Kyp looked a bit hurt, while Betsy wondered, suddenly, at the sudden vehemence of her response. Kyp might be annoying, true, but he's not being boorish or sexist, either, she allowed.

    Part of her refusal, Betsy recognized, was her anticipation at seeing what had composed Jacen's vision. If the youth had seen images of Betsy's fellow X-Men, or other Earth-centric matters, it might provide clues for her return to her birthworld. She simply didn't have time to flirt right now.

    And ... Betsy thought, closing her eyes at the tactile memory of feathers brushing against her back ...

    She blushed, trying to use a biofeedback technique to dampen the display while she reinforced her mental shields, but Kyp was too observant. To his credit, he took a step away from Betsy's tent and said, "I'm sorry. I should've recognized you're still dealing with your ... separation from your boyfriend. I won't bother you again."

    "Wait - Kyp - I just - I'm sorry. Yes, I'm not ready yet - but that's no excuse for being rude," Betsy called, and Kyp turned back to face her with a friendly smile. This time, it was just friendship.

    "Neither, though, was I very polite. I'll go see if Bey or someone needs another set of Force-senses for the watch. I'll be around, though," Kyp said, giving Betsy a friendly nod as he walked away.

    Betsy felt her eyes drift down Kyp's back, and suddenly, Warren Worthington the Third's feathered wings were the last thing on her mind.

    GAH! It's only been weeks, woman! Focus! Some Jedi apprentice I am ... 'never my mind on where it is,' indeed, Betsy thought, blushing again as she made her way to a small knot of people near the bonfire.

    Anakin and Bey were talking as if they'd known each other for years, and Betsy felt a spike of happiness for the youngest Solo son. Finding another relative - even a foster uncle - was a positive, and she smiled again as she caught a snippet of Luke and Mara's discussion about their daughter, Rey.

    "... well, of course I think I could teach her some things, if she wants to. I just don't want to get in her face - we need to give her time after being on Jakku for so long," Mara said, giving Luke an intense stare as he hid a smile. "What?"

    "The time here's done you good," Luke said, whispering something in Mara's ear that made her turn almost as red as her hair. Anakin and Jacen - who was sitting beside HK-47, of all beings, apparently talking with the ancient assassin droid about Force powers from Revan's time - squirmed, and Betsy decided to spare the boys from having to listen to mushy "old people."

    "All right, Jacen - let's see what you've been dredging out of the timestream by taking a peek at my Force-presence, shall we?" Betsy asked, sitting on a blba log beside Jacen, at his left. "Pardon us, will you, HK-47?"

    "Response: Yes, Mistress Elizabeth. Although I do regret not being able to share more tales of my kill ratio while serving with Revan. I suppose that'll have to wait, young Solo?" HK said with a slightly unnerving chuckle.

    Jacen blanched a bit and nodded. "I'll have to take you up on that offer another time, HK-47. But thanks ... I think," he said, giving Betsy a grateful look while she nodded knowingly. HK-47 was a bit too ... cheery about weapons for her comfort level.

    "I don't think I've had to listen to a dissertation on the comparative virtues of plasma weaponry versus collimated beam weaponry since the debate Bishop and Forge had at Warren's Colorado estate a few months ago," Betsy tried to joke. She felt a pang of homesickness again, and Jacen radiated concern until Betsy smiled.

    "I'm all right, Jacen, but thank you. I can't flinch and get weepy every time I remember the X-Men or Earth. Speaking of which - do you mind if I perform a mental examination?" she asked.

    Jacen took a deep breath, gathering his courage, and Betsy felt a little guilty. As with any psychic sensitive, Force-sensitives must be wary of mental intrusions, even ones they consent to. And a Force-bond is on a life-force level, not just the mental connection of telepathy, she considered.

    The youth carefully lowered his mental shields, though, and nodded. "I trust you, Lady Braddock. Please, scan away. I just hope there's something there that can help you," he said, as Betsy carefully entered his mind.

    "Thank you - and for the umpteenth time, call me Betsy. I'm all for etiquette when it's appropriate, but right now my social standing is worth about as much as bantha fluff," Betsy joked, sorting through Jacen's memories carefully, trying not to poke around anywhere she shouldn't.

    Stick to short-term memory, the last few days, look for that green-tinged fuzziness around the edges that denotes chronovariant and/or precognitive imagery ... ah, there you are, Betsy thought, finding a nexus of memories.

    Jacen's panic reflex was shoved down - the boy was trying to help, at least, and Betsy approved even as she devoted a smidgen of her telepathy to soothe his understandable concern about reliving the vision. ~I'll just keep this quick,~ she promised, "downloading" the mnemonic packet and "decompiling" it with the expertise of years of telepathic finesse.

    Still, Betsy was shocked - and both elated and unsettled - at what she saw, as she left Jacen's mind. She blinked, nodding when Bey handed her a canteen, and the half-human/half-Nagai man asked insightfully, "You're not entirely all right."

    "Statement of the evening, Bey ..." Betsy said, pouring some of the canteen into a cup she'd brought off of the Lambda-class shuttle the Jedi Order had given her. She slugged back the water, blinking at the aftershock of the intensity of what Jacen had seen, and put a hand on the youth's shoulder as he looked at her for answers.

    "There were definitely elements of the past and future jumbled in there - some related to people I know, as we suspected. The young people in the black and yellow costumes were the five original X-Men, apparently on their inaugural public mission, fighting Magneto - the metal-manipulating man in red and purple," Betsy said, telepathically sharing the image once she checked with Luke for permission.

    Anakin looked fascinated, while Mara - perhaps unsurprisingly - squinted at the image of the young Jean Grey. "She seems ... I don't know. Familiar, I guess - you have any images of her without that mask and cowl?" Mara asked.

    Betsy nodded, sharing a series of images of Jean as she'd known the red-headed psionic woman through the years - from Jean's second wedding to Scott Summers, where Betsy had first met the couple, then later when they'd met again during the Inferno incident, and onward to when Jean and Betsy had actually been teammates. Mara and Luke both studied the images, and Anakin interjected, "She does look a lot like you, Aunt Mara."

    "Yeah, but no way am I having seven children," Mara snorted - with maybe just a pang of something besides derision - as she saw the last of the images, Jean and Scott with their large family and their young grandson. Betsy didn't miss the slight note of wistfulness in her friend's tone, and Luke wrapped an arm around Mara's shoulders before she proceeded.

    "Actually," Betsy said, cautiously, "there are elements of Jacen's vision that I think suggest a strong link between you and the Grey family, as strong as your resemblance to Jean. And ... that may suggest more family in your future."

    The hope in Mara's expression was quickly guarded, but she wasn't able to hide it completely as Betsy replayed a sequence of - yes, it was Jemma Simmons of SHIELD, using the Phoenix Force to destroy what resembled a Cybertronian. Luke's awe and hope were less guarded, while Bey, the Nagai, and Kyp were hard-pressed to keep their jaws from dropping at the spectacle.

    "That woman ... she looked like ..." Anakin stammered, and Luke and Mara shared a faint smile.

    "Agent Simmons channeling the Phoenix Force cannot be a coincidence. I'm more certain than ever that I'm in my past, if your daughter Jemma vanished only 3 years ago," Betsy told the Skywalkers.

    "Wow. Lot of power in my side of the family, huh?" Mara tried to joke, squinting - or maybe wiping her eyes - as Betsy continued the replay, this time flashing forward to am image of a teenaged boy with buzzcut red hair and blue eyes, with what looked to Betsy like Cybertronians behind him.

    "He looks like he's leading an army ... and he looks so much like me. But ... so military," Luke worried, while Mara finished composing herself and glanced at Jacen.

    "I don't get what freaked you out so much, Jacen. This stuff is weird, yeah, but it's not like you saw Palpatine crawling out of the ruins of Byss or something," Mara tried to joke. She almost looked apologetic as Anakin shuddered, and added, "Sorry."

    "No - I shouldn't be so sensitive. But thanks," Anakin said, trying to save face while Jacen thought intently. The older brother finally looked up at Luke - so intently that it made Luke shift uncomfortably.

    "Fast-forward, if you would, please, Lady - ah, Betsy," Jacen said, forcing a smile, and Betsy complied. She raised an eyebrow, scowling when she saw an older Luke fighting a robot made of pink crystal - she recognized that threat.

    "A Nimrod-class Sentinel - robots designed to hunt mutants and other parahumans," she explained.

    Luke, though, winced even more deeply at the pair of white eyes set in his future self's face, and Mara put a hand on his shoulder. "Leia's vision," she said, drawing surprised looks from Anakin and Jacen.

    Leia had a similar vision? Betsy wondered, ending the telepathic replay for the moment as Luke looked at Jacen.

    "During the trip to Tatooine when your parents recovered your great-grandmother Shmi's diary, your mother reported having ... some kind of vision. Something that seemed as if I had white eyes, in a dark place. This ... is rather like that," Luke said, looking worriedly at Mara as Anakin and Jacen traded a nervous glance.

    "But that was before you - ah - became Palaptine's apprentice, Uncle Luke. You came back. You're not dark-side," Anakin tried to reassure his uncle.

    Luke smiled wearily at the boy, but shared a more knowing glance with Jacen. "But I went there for a time, Anakin. You and your mother brought me back, and I'll be eternally grateful. I just can't pretend that nothing happened. That kind of experience leaves a mark that you can't erase. We have to be wary, all the time - not paranoid, but aware of our own thoughts," he said, nodding at the younger Solo brother now.

    Anakin shivered, and Betsy remembered that Palpatine had made contact with him before Anakin's birth. Jacen put a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder and said, gently, "You're NOT going to become another Vader."

    The older brother looked grim, then, and stared into the fire, adding, "I'm more worried about me."

    "WHAT? Jacen, you're not - I mean - seriously, you? Sith? SHNORK," Kyp exclaimed, failing to hide a snicker a the end. Luke and Jacen both frowned at the Deyer-born Jedi, who put his hands on his hips and added, "Seriously, Master Skywalker - Jacen?"

    "I've been beating up Anakin in lightsaber duels - I'm not trying to tease, Anakin. I'm saying I've been mean to you, and I'm sorry about that, really," Jacen said, looking embarrassed and guilty as Anakin scowled at him for a second before relaxing.

    The younger brother winced a little and said, "Well, I can be annoying, I know."

    "Sometimes, but you're not that bad. I ... anyone can turn, can't they, Uncle? I mean, given the right, or wrong, motivation?" Jacen asked, growing more worried as he spoke.

    "That's why we watch out for each other, Jacen. And that was just a vision - distant events, possible futures. It doesn't mean it will happen," Luke tried to reassure the youth before looking at Betsy. "Betsy, you said there were other things that reminded you of your home?"

    "Yes - including one that makes me more sure that this might be the same timeline that I'm from," Betsy said, showing an image of a 20-something human man in camoflague fatigues, with buzzcut red hair, giving a brown-haired woman a lightsaber. The woman beamed, kissing the man before igniting the weapon's green blade with an awed expression.

    Luke looked intently at the weapon, while Mara's expression grew thoughtful. She asked Betsy, "Isn't the guy there Scott and Jean Summers' oldest?"

    "Yes - Jacob, their human son. The brunette is Jacob's wife, Marrissa. And yes, she does have a green-bladed, working lightsaber. As to where it came from, Jacob found it in government surplus slated to be eliminated. But how it got there, remains a mystery ... or maybe not," Betsy said, showing an image of a Whiphid in a conical straw hat talking with shaven-headed human men who wore orange robes.

    That draw a gasp of surprise from Luke, who exclaimed, "The Whiphid - it's K'Kruhk! I recognize him from holocrons Tionne recovered. He was a Jedi Master during the Clone Ware, almost a legend for how he survived several near-death experiences. Nobody knows exactly what happened to him."

    "I've got the beginnings of a theory, based on the people he's talking to. They resemble Buddhist monks from Tibet, a country on Earth," Betsy said, hope and curiosity growing within her again.

    Jacob and Marrissa aren't just random images - for Jacen to see them, and a Jedi Master talking with Buddhists, in a Force vision ... Betsy thought, flickering through the rest of the images.

    Anakin - and Betsy - both blinked when they saw a somewhat-older Anakin gaping at two Yuuzhan Vong, who clutched their heads while butterflies of purple energy appeared over their heads. Mara looked at them both with surprise, while Jacen asked, "Isn't that your telepathic energy signature, Betsy?"

    "Indeed it is. It would seem that I'm ... supposed to save Anakin from Yuzuhan Vong some time down the road?" Betsy hypothesized, glancing at Jacen as he gasped.

    "The crux points - the Nagai and Bey saved Anakin and Mara, here. But - the other one, the one still ahead, where things break - the dark place Anakin dies in ..." Jacen rambled, looking at Anakin with undisguised concern.

    "Hey, we have an idea, now. 'Sides, if Lady Braddock is along, then I'm good - doesn't mean I can be arrogant, but I'll take any help I can get," Anakin said, toning down his usual confidence as he glanced back at the frozen image and flinched a bit.

    Luke nodded approvingly. "Your caution is admirable, Anakin. I -" he started to say - then, the Force rippled, and Betsy ended the telepathic replay as the Jedi Masters present stood and focused on the sky.

    "Lot of life - from our galaxy - approaching fast. Thousands," Kyp said, squinting, while Jacen and Anakin also stood and focused. Betsy followed their example, glancing at Jacen as he, then Anakin, started to smile with relief.

    "Jaina. She's coming - she's worried, but she's alive. And she senses us," Jacen said, while Luke nodded and smiled a bit himself.

    "Mom and Dad, too. But weren't they at Dubrillion?" Anakin asked, looking at Luke as the older Jedi shared a glance with Mara.

    "The evacuation didn't go as planned. Dantooine's not a refugee camp," Mara said, nodding as Bey tuned in the hypercomm transmitter, and comlinks throughout the camp suddenly chimed.

    Betsy repressed a fangirl smile at the sight of the holoprojector displaying a very Star Wars-like image - she knew this was more serious an incidence than it seemed. She was proven right a second later as Leia's face appeared - intense, but relaxing somewhat as she saw Luke, Mara, Anakin, and Jacen.

    "You're all all right. I'm so glad - how much room do you have around you? We need to get these refugees offloaded and into some kind of shelter. The ships that are with us are badly overcrowded. We were able to rescue some of the Dubrillion settlers - we must have at least a million people with us. The Vong used their version of an interdictor to cut off a segment of the refugee fleet from the planned escape vector away from Dubrillion," Leia said, admirably maintaining her composure.

    "A MILLION!?" Jacen and Anakin both exclaimed, while Mara and Kyp traded a sharp look and Luke took a deep breath.

    "Well, I'm pretty sure the Dantari around here can be convinced to back off - Anakin's got the makings of a diplomat, or at least a merchant, the way he's traded with them. But we've probably got a Vong base somewhere here planetside. We had a little run-in with them," Mara told her sister-in-law.

    Leia bit back an obvious question, glancing at Anakin's bacta splint before asking the boy, "You're doing ... OK?"

    "Better. Don't worry, Mom. The refugees need help, and I'm with Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara, Jacen, Uncle Bey, and Lady Braddock," Anakin said, trying to smooth over the fact that he was the youngest present.

    Leia's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of Bey's name, and Han stuck his face into the holofield to grin at the towering white-haired man. "Bey!? Damn, it's just like old times - and you saved my kid?" Han exclaimed.

    "Like son, like father, Han. Ah - you might want to warn Chewbacca, though ... there are pure-blooded Nagai here. I trust them, but ... we're not alone," Bey said, his good eye twitching meaningfully toward where Vargi sat, cleaning his bowcaster.

    Han hid a glower, and nodded. "I'll pass that along," he said, smiling as he added, "Seriously, thanks for helping Anakin and Mara. Another one I owe you. I'll put the princess back on."

    He moved out of the holocam field, letting Leia return. "We'll make arrangements to start landing. We'll also have to talk about fortifications, I think ..." she said, nodding with Mara as the redhead became grim-faced.

    "You think the Vong here might just possibly notice a few million new neighbors and call their friends for an unpleasant housewarming party," Mara said, the sardonic edge of her dark humor blunted by her sudden paleness. Luke didn't miss it, but Mara shushed him.

    "Jaina managed to destroy one of the three Yuuzhan Vong cruiser analogues, and the Dubrillion defense forces and Kolot's Ewok pilots savaged their coralskipper flights. But even assuming the Vong leave a cruiser behind to start ... changing ... Dubrillion, like they did Belkadan, that leaves however many troops the surviving Yuuzhan Vong ship is carrying for ground operations," Leia warned.

    "Wait - Kolot? And Bey's here ..." Luke said, his expression growing shrewd, and Leia smiled as if she and her twin were sharing a private joke.

    "It's not a coincidence. Our mutual friend from Arbra made a few calls - you'd be surprised how many Zeltrons donated ships to the relief effort. And there's the relative Han and I rediscovered ... Niall and Danielle's son is all grown up. We'll talk more once we rendezvous - see you soon," Leia said, signing off.

    "RAYNAL?!" Jacen and Anakin blurted, and Betsy and Mara traded a confused look until Luke started with a surprised expression.

    "Danielle Kieran's son by Niall Organa, Leia's adoptive cousin," he said, and the Solo brothers calmed down while Mara smiled knowingly.

    "Han's daughter from an old girlfriend - before Leia. Danielle's pure Corellian, took after Han in dress and mannerisms, even with a YT-1300 like the Falcon, called the Century Hawk. Han didn't know about Danielle other than through rumors until after Endor. They met, talked, confirmed Danielle is Han's daughter, and they got along well. But she retired from the smuggling game a while ago ... Karrde was the one who set Danielle up with the Hawk," Mara explained to Betsy.

    "And Zeltron - Dani, I wonder? Maybe some of the Zeltrons who used to hang around with Leia?" Luke considered, drawing shocked looks from his nephews.

    "Mom hung around with Zeltron guys?" Anakin asked, both fascinated and slightly unsettled.

    Luke's smile became purely wicked for a moment, but he shook his head as Anakin and Jacen started to ask questions. "No, I really shouldn't - you should ask your mother yourselves. Besides, NOTHING HAPPENED. Your mom and dad just accepted some Zeltron assistants," Luke tried to brush it off.

    "Fewee-WOOP-dwoot," Artoo seemed to ... snicker? ... and his holoproj activated. Betsy's eyebrows shot up, while Anakin and Jacen gaped at the sight of their mother walking down a hallway with four Zeltron youths who wore what reminded Betsy of 1980s Terran punk garb.

    "Oh. This is pure gold ... four of them?" Mara said, giving Luke a knowing glance as he blushed. "What did happen to your Zeltron friend, Dani, anyway, Farmboy?"

    Luke became sad, then, and Artoo shut down his holoproj before warbling mournfully, "Dwooo. Freweep-wee-dwoot."

    "She went back to Zeltros with a broken heart. I tried to let her know that Kiro, her ... well, true love, I'd say ... from Iskalon was alive. But I never heard whether they found each other again," Luke said, and a somber mood settled over the camp until Bey looked embarrassed.

    "Ah - no one ever told you? Dani and Kiro got back together more than a decade ago. They have a daughter, about 11 or 12 standard years old now," the white-haired man said.

    Guilt filled Luke's Force presence as he sighed and said, "I got so busy restarting the Order that I lost track of a lot of old friends. Once we're through this mess, I'm going to host a reunion."

    Mara put an arm around his shoulders and nodded. "It's a good idea. Once we're through this mess," she said, nodding at where a blaze of light in the upper atmosphere marked the re-entry of many approaching ships.

    "Right now, let's get ready. We've got to do our best imitation of urban planning and military base construction experts before the Vong figure out where this bunch of Dubrillion refugees got to."

    -------------------------------------

    to be continued ...
     
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